loved this romance between J and nora who have worked for years on a column. she meets a neighbor Eli and they don't get along very well. Nora ends up spending time with Eli and slowly falling in love with him. She also falls in love with J. They have never met and this one time they do meet up. Its a good romance and she has great friends. Loved that they figured things out.

Ali Rosen has done it again! I loved this mistaken identity, enemies to lovers, love triangle romance about Nora, J and Eli.

Nora is a people pleasing therapist who has also written a weekly advice column anonymously for 7 years. She has a successful career, an adorable dog named George 😍 and is prioritizing her mental health (we 👏 love 👏 this 👏). . . Nora is also in love with J, who edits her weekly columns. J lives in London and over the years has started to leave notes and share about his life with Nora as they work together on her column.

As J & Nora move their discussions off the work channel and to texting, Nora gets a new upstairs neighbor that is NOT her biggest fan. Eli moves into the apartment upstairs & decides to seek revenge on Nora for "ending" his relationship through therapy by undergoing annoying renovations at his grandmother's apartment.

Full of laugh out loud moments, hot chemistry 🔥, witty dialogue, amazing support systems, honest conversations and relatable life challenges this book is a must read romance of 2025 ❤️ I flew through this book in a day because it was such an easy and enjoyable read, it felt like I was watching a rom com 🥰

Thank you Montlake for the ARC.

This is a charmer! The delightful romance between 2 lovely people who don’t know how they are connected. It reminds me of the delightful comedy mixups of old movies. Think, PILLOW TALK, and other airy rom-com’s. A perfect pick for a Hallmark movie.

Eleanora has fallen in love with an unseen editor…oh, what a tangled web. These are likable characters and I was rooting for them to uncover the web of confusion. The author gives us a satisfying and sweet read.

Thank you Netgalley for this delicious read.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for this eARC! Unlikely Story publishes March 2025!

Unlikely Story was SO cute. Ali Rosen does an amazing job with these loveable characters as she writes about Nora, who is a people pleaser, therapist and a writer for an advice column. She is falling for her editor who she’s never met but has had communication with through out the years while they email with edits and updates about their lives. Nora is also bumping heads with her downstairs neighbor and it’s giving enemies to lovers vibes. Both of these men have Nora’s feelings 🎢🎢🎢

This book was so sweet watching Nora navigate all these possibilities and friendships. Definitely pick up in March for your next spring break trip!

This book got me hooked from the first few pages. The writing is so good, dynamic and captivating, it’s the kind of writing that is going to keep you addicted in every page.

I’ve identified so much with the personality of Nora, and that was another factor that made me love this book so much. She is an introvert, people pleaser, analytical mind, the responsible adult, 100 % overthinker, awkward and with social anxiety. She is PERFECT!! She always reads the end of the book first (same here, and I just loved that)

This book demonstrates so well the duality of the human being and our interactions with each other. It is so interesting and compelling to see the things happen and then to see the way Nora process it. To see that we are what we want to show to others and what we are comfortable with.

The banter between Nora and Eli is so good and funny. There is a dog with social anxiety, fluffy cats and nosey elderly funny neighbors, I honestly was giggling and laughing so much.

This book is enemies to levers, forced proximity, “love triangle”, takes care of each other, helps the other overcome fears and insecurities. It’s so sweet and endearing. And sexy at the same time.
The one less positive thing that I have to say is that the pace sometimes is a little off. And there is some retelling while she is dealing with her feelings.

Overall: I recommend this book; it is such a good time and will make you see and put things into perspective. I loved their love and their growth.

Rosen is a master at storytelling! I loved this book. I thought the author wrote the main female character well. I enjoyed how she handles her work, life, and, of course, romances! Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC.

Thank you net galley and publisher for this ARC. The was a cute story and I really enjoyed how everything came together in the end.

The exploration of love in its various forms, from the idealized to the messy realness, adds depth to the narrative. I appreciated how Nora’s journey forced her to confront her feelings and challenge her assumptions about relationships. This book is a heartwarming reminder that love can often be found in the most unexpected places, and the real connection may just be hiding in plain sight. If you’re looking for a swoon-worthy, laugh-out-loud romance, this one is a must-read.

This was a slow burn, which I typically don’t love but this was gooood!! I loved the theme of mental health and the subtle love triangle going on. Very well written I really enjoyed it! Thank you netgalley for an arc!

Unlikely story is a love letter to family, New York and slow burn romance. Great characters. Realistic feel. I loved the recipes at the end of the prominent bakes throughout the book as a really sweet touch.

If you're looking for a lighthearted rom-com, check this one out. It's not one of Ali Rosen's best but I had fun reading this. Nora is a great character and was relatable. Her chemistry with Eli could've been written a little better but still a good read.

Okay story of a therapist who is better at giving advice than taking it herself. She finds herself falling for the copyeditor of her advice column, despite only communicating over edits and never meeting in person. She also develops a contentious relationship with a new neighbor in her building. I felt like this story was exactly as you would expect and was extremely predictable very early in the book. I would have enjoyed more of a twist and maybe more fireworks with the familial elements for Nora. This was an easy read and for those who want predictability.

Thank you Montlake for providing this book for review consideration via NetGalley. All opinions are my own.

I traditionally do not like or even read books with British characters or set in the UK, because I think it's done so poorly. Ali Rosen has completely changed my tune! This book is a love letter to family, New York and slow burn romance. I thought Eli's development throughout the book was strong and sexy and I loved that we saw Nora develop through both her own eyes and Ari's. This book is a gentle therapy for us all.

I loved the recipes at the end of the prominent bakes throughout the book as a really sweet touch.

Thanks to Netgalley for this ARC!! This was my first Ali Rosen book and I will definitely read more! I loved how the story followed Nora, a people pleasing therapist who has fallen for a man she has never met in real life, who is attempting to work through her struggles. Things get more confusing when a former patient moves in downstairs and is determined to make her life challenging!

The focus on mental health, healthy boundaries within relationships, and communication was fantastic. Most importantly, the love story was swoon-worthy!! Overall, this was a really cute story with fun twists and surprises, 3.5 ⭐.

Thank you to NetGalley for sending me this eARC in exchange for an honest review.

Wow, I really loved this. I loved the writing style, the characters, the setting, the plot. This was such a unique story, I can’t say I’ve read another romance story like this. The book opens in a way that puts you straight into the story and into the mindset of our main character, Nora. She’s so relatable as a people pleaser and she’s learning throughout the story how to put herself first. I don’t want to say much so I can avoid going into spoiler territory, but the book is full of banter, tension, rivalry, friendship and family drama. I love when the obstacles standing in the way of relationships feel real, and they are so legitimate in this book, I never once thought they’re being silly and just need to communicate here! This is my first Ali Rosen novel but I’ll definitely be picking up her others.

Nora is a relationship therapist who pines for her editor and her client's ex-boyfriend. Love Nora and Eli's disagreements.... They are great characters and their interactions are fun. I love all the swonny moments... A great enemies to lovers story.

Thanks to the publisher for the arc.

I adored Unlikely Story—Ali Rosen packs every page with heart and humor. Featuring lovable and relatable characters, amusing scenarios, and thought-provoking insights, Rosen’s slow-burn romance is proof that love can be found in the unlikeliest of places.

I am a sucker for You’ve Got Mail so when I read that this was inspired by it, I immediately begged the Netgalley gods to approve me and YAY they did.

This was EVERYTHING. Super funny, quirky, wholesome, and the enemies to lovers (my FAVE) was done SO WELL

If you like Shop Around the Corner/You've Got Mail inspired stuff, this book is for you. It's heavily inspired by those films.

That being said, I've read better books based on the same topic, but this one was still mostly enjoyable.

I will say the enemies to lovers aspect was done very well and that is probably the shining part of this book. I'd recommend this book if you're into You've Got Mail and love the enemies to lovers trope.

Thank to Netgalley, the publisher, and author for the ARC!

3.5/5 stars

I’m a sucker for a good The Shop Around the Corner/You Got Mail retelling. The story of Nora and Eli was so sweet and with more depth than I expected. Of course you know how it will all play out in the end but it was so fun to see how they get there.