Dance With Me on New Years Eve is the story of Roxy, who really struggles with social anxiety. The only person Roxy feels like she can be herself with is her online friend, Danny. But when she starts falling for her coworker Jeff, will she still be comfortable meeting Danny on New Years Eve?

The book was a very kind of sweet representative of Roxy's mental health struggles and the burdens of social anxiety. I love a You've Got Mail inspired book, and so this was a quick, fun read!

A swoon worthy enemies to lovers, grumpy/sunshine romcom with You’ve Got Mail vibes! This is my first book by Alana Highbury & won’t be my last. I enjoyed this cute story with great social anxiety rep.

Roxy’s been asked to do the impossible, work with her grumpy fellow coworker Jeff on a new project. Jeff brings out the worst in her & she feels the animosity coming off him whenever they’re together. As she struggles with anxiety, specifically social anxiety, Roxy doesn’t know how she’ll accomplish all she’s been asked to do.

To help her through her self-doubt & debilitating fears, she joins an online community & begins chatting with a guy named Danny. With him, she’s able to open up about herself & her feelings. They even begin working on producing a game together based on their favorite series.

As Roxy grows closer to Danny, she also starts finding out new things about Jeff. He’s not the curmudgeon she thought he was. He has a darling daughter & Roxy finds herself spending time with both of them & enjoying their company. As New Year’s Eve approaches, Roxy finds herself torn between two men. Who will she choose?

This book provided some great insights into social anxiety. Roxy really struggles & at times it was hard to read because I felt so bad for her. I have a loved one who suffers from anxiety & know how difficult it is when those internal voices tell them they’re not enough. Roxy has some parental issues as well. Her mother in particular thinks she’s just “shy” & needs to “just get over it” which is so demeaning to someone who suffers from this. Luckily, Roxy has a best friend & coworker friends who help her see the best in herself & let her know it’s okay if she can’t do all the things.

I loved Jeff & how understanding he was. He definitely has his own baggage which wasn’t explored as much since this was written solely from Roxy’s POV. Every glimpse I got of his character I enjoyed & I appreciated how long he’d liked Roxy. I also enjoyed his daughter Lila & sister Abby.

The ending was so satisfying! That kiss! I loved the twist at the end & how Roxy is able to work through everything.

Highly recommend this closed door, kissing only romcom, easily read as a standalone. I received an advanced complimentary copy from the author. All opinions are my own & voluntarily provided.

A Heartwarming Enemies-to-Lovers Romance with a Twist

*Fans of You've Got Mail will love this delightful holiday romance from Alana Highbury, which brings a fresh spin on the classic office romance with hidden identities and plenty of heart. Roxy, a woman struggling with social anxiety and self-doubt, is forced to work more closely with Jeff, her brusque and seemingly unfriendly colleague. The tension between them is palpable, and Roxy’s self-consciousness only grows as she faces her daily interactions with him. But, in a twist of fate, she finds solace and connection in an online gaming community where she befriends a mysterious guy who shares similar game-making goals. Unbeknownst to her, this online friend is none other than Jeff, and their virtual relationship evolves in ways Roxy never anticipated.

This story beautifully captures Roxy’s emotional journey as she grapples with her mental health issues, self-doubt, and the complications of her feelings for two seemingly different men—one she knows in real life, and the other in her online world. Highbury skillfully weaves together the themes of vulnerability, connection, and personal growth in a way that’s both heartwarming and emotionally resonant. The slow-burn romance and gradual shift from enemies to a deeper connection is both believable and satisfying, making this a perfect read for those who enjoy romance with a bit of angst.

The author’s portrayal of Roxy’s internal struggles is authentic and moving, offering a nuanced look at mental health and the challenge of finding happiness and confidence. This closed-door romance is sweet, charming, and full of heart, making it an ideal holiday read. If you're looking for a feel-good romance with depth, this one is not to be missed.

Thank you NetGalley for an early copy of this book!

Dance With Me on New Year’s Eve was a fast paced story. It has enemies to lovers, following our FMC Roxy and her colleague Jeff. They don’t really get along, and are thrown into working on a project together at work. As they’re forced to cooperate with each other, they start to see each other in a new light and things start to change.

Along the way, Roxy is also making connections with an online guy, Danny, who she starts to fall for as they work together on creating a board game based on their favorite show.

The book tackles how it feels to live with social anxiety really well, I felt like I could relate to Roxy on that aspect of her life. It was a sweet, fast paced read. I wish there could have been a little more detail as far as the plot, but still a cute read if you needed something quick and easy!

Dance with Me on New Year's Eve is a holiday romance that sweeps you away to a world of sparkling lights, festive music, and second chances. The story follows two characters with messy pasts who find themselves sharing an unexpected connection as the clock counts down to midnight. The romance felt so genuine and warm, and I couldn’t put it down. I loved how the book perfectly captured the magic of New Year's Eve—hopeful, a little bittersweet, and full of possibilities. If you’re looking for a cozy love story to curl up with this holiday season, this one’s a winner.

Dance with Me on New Year's Eve is a beautiful romance that had me hooked from the beginning. Alana Highbury does an exceptional job of portraying the complexities of social anxiety, and as someone who has experienced similar feelings to both Roxy and Jeff, I found the depiction to be both authentic and moving. The way anxiety is explored- how it affects every aspect of life, from work to relationships- felt incredibly real and relatable.

Roxy’s journey of self-discovery and growth was inspiring and her connection with Jeff, which starts as tension-filled and slowly transforms into something much deeper, was a joy to witness. The slow-burn romance between them was done to perfection and I loved how their relationship developed with both characters opening up and overcoming their struggles in their own time.

The online friendship between Roxy and "Danny" added more romance to the story and the twist when Roxy discovers who Danny really is was delightful and made the plot even more lovely. Highbury also does a wonderful job creating a vibrant cast of characters, including Jeff's daughter, Lila, who adds both humor and warmth to the story.

This book is a sweet romance and a thoughtful representation of mental health, personal growth, and the power of connection. It balances lighthearted moments with emotional depth and the result is a story that feels both uplifting and meaningful. If you're looking for a romance that’s tender, relatable, and full of heart, Dance with Me on New Year's Eve is an absolute must-read.

This sweet romance has something for everyone and offers a grumpy- sunshine, single dad, enemies to lovers story with a twist. But this book has a lot more going for it than a romance reader's beloved tropes. The main character suffers from paralyzing social anxiety which affects her work, her nonexistent social life, her relationship with her family, and most of all her self concept. Because of her anxiety, she has no social life. Her only friend is someone else with the same issues, but she is living in another country. Although she she is frozen in real life, she is quite gregarious on the keyboard and strikes up an online friendship with another member of a fan forum. When her boss puts her on a project together with her nemesis, she is forced out of her shell. The forced proximity with the aggravating man brings out the worst in her, and she can't wait to get home and vent with her anonymous online buddy. Highbury populates the novel with interesting characters. Roxy's empathetic character has a lot of depth. Jeff's character evolves as Roxy discovers the hidden layers underneath this stuffed shirt. But the most fun character is his vivacious energetic daughter.

This story explores the mental health issue of anxiety and also how a lack of work life balance can affect one's physical and mental health. But it also has a lot of fun. The basic plot of the anonymous online romance will remind older readers of the 26 year old movie "You've Got Mail". which was an update of the classic anonymous letter writing romance plot. This plot is a classic rom-com staple and Highbury does it with fineness.

Dance with Me on New Years Eve offers one last book in Alana Highbury's fun "Love and Holidays" series. The books may share the same settings and some characters, but the story is completely standalone and readers need not read the other two first.

Holy glittery ball drops, Batman—this book had me swooning harder than a middle school crush! Dance with Me on New Year's Eve is like a Hallmark movie, but better because the characters actually feel like real people you’d want to hang out with. The love story sparkles brighter than a Times Square countdown, and the flirty banter? Chef’s kiss. If you’re not rooting for these two by the time the confetti falls, do you even have a heart?! Don’t sleep on this one—grab some cocoa and dive in. 🕺🎉💃

Thank you Net Galley and Publishers for letting me read an arc of this book in return for an honest review.

Out of the 3 books in this series, this was my favorite. They're all fast paced, a little too much, but still really cute for the holidays. Easy enough to read in a day if you need more books for a reading goal. I related to this one more with all of the social anxiety and work-life balance. Definitely hard to manage but this book did a great job dealing with those topics. No spice but still a sweet little romance book. Not really much plot and I wish it were a little more detailed, but still overall enjoyable.

I enjoyed the author's writing about the main character's mental health issues respectfully. I found the story to be thought out well, and the content was topics I like - romance, holidays, relationships. Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC. An authentic story!

This was such a fun read!!
My first book from this author and I cannot wait to read more! This has everything I want in a book

This was such a cute and sweet romance that honestly gave me all the feels. I related so much to Roxy with social anxiety and finding it hard to talk to people in person. This book honestly does such a great job at explaining how hard it is to live with social anxiety and what it can do to you. It also did such a wonderful job in showing how important a healthy work life balance is and what can happen if you overwork yourself too much.
The online romance was adorable and i loved the little twist at the end. Jeff was such an interesting character and i really like how throughout the book you start to see the many layers to him as a person. I do wish we got a bit more backstory for him though because i was very curious about his parents and family life. Lila was such a fun character and definitely made me laugh with her interactions with Roxy. I really enjoyed the character development for both characters and the plot was pretty fun. I also really like this authors writing style so i will definitely be reading more from this author. I highly recommend this book!

Thanks to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for an ARC of this book.

the book 'dance with me on new years eve' was so sweet and romantic. I enjoyed the online romance which evolved through out this book. the book gave me 'you've got mail' vibes which was amazing as I loved that book too. I felt connected to the MC as I too have social aniexty and I feel it was portrayed amazingly.

this book is such a good holiday read!