I’ve enjoyed other stories by Phoebe MacLeod but unfortunately this one missed the mark for me.

As the summary suggests, the first half of the book focuses on Tilly, Dr. Luke, and a few stories of life in the A&E (aka Emergency Room in North America). While the goals of establishing Tilly, other important characters, and Tilly’s relationship concerns were achieved, I found it strange that so much space was given to Dr Luke when the story makes a clear turn.

In the second half of the book, Tilly deals with ending things with Luke and ultimately falls in love. Unfortunately this part of the book also didn’t make sense to me. I struggled with how little we saw of Tilly’s final romance forming. I would have liked more time spent seeing their relationship develop and less on Luke or some of the side stories that didn’t really make sense with the overall story (like Lena or Mike disliking only children).

I think a big part of the above issue is tied to the writing. There was a lot of the reader being told vs shown things as well as skipping ahead in time and having readers fill in their own assumptions (e.g., a chapter starts that Tilly has been going to Sunday lunch for the past month).

Thank you to Phoebe MacLeod, Boldwood Booms, and NetGalley for providing me with an advanced reader copy in exchange for an honest review.

Love, Accidentally is a light and entertaining romantic comedy with a hospital setting that gives it a Grey’s Anatomy vibe—though in a cheesier way. The story follows A&E nurse Tilly as she navigates her feelings for the new doctor, Luke, while also dealing with the changes in her personal and professional life. The depiction of emergency workers and their dark humor was spot on, and the vivid, often funny patient interactions added charm to the story. Dr. Patel was a standout character, and certain moments genuinely made me laugh.

However, while the book had some engaging elements, it felt disjointed, almost like two stories stitched together without a smooth transition. The plot twists were heavily signposted, making the story predictable rather than tense. Tilly often seemed passive, allowing events and people—whether it was Luke, her family, or her colleagues—to dictate her actions rather than making active choices for herself. The ethical dilemmas introduced were brushed aside instead of being explored for potential depth.

Additionally, Tilly’s interactions with her overbearing mother and sister felt frustrating, especially as she never really stood up for herself. The resolution of conflicts also felt too easy, often thanks to outside interference rather than Tilly’s own growth. While the romance was a slow burn, which worked well, the emotional stakes felt underdeveloped, making the happy ending less satisfying.

Overall, Love, Accidentally is an easy, fun read with amusing moments, but it lacks the depth and cohesion to make the romance feel fully earned. A solid 3/5 stars.

Thank you to NetGalley, Phoebe MacLeod, and Boldwood Books for the digital ARC in exchange for my honest review. Love, Accidentally is set to be published on May 30, 2025.

When her housemate Mike and long-time casual dater suddenly becomes committed, A&E nurse Tilly starts thinking about pursuing a relationship with the hot new doctor, Luke, who seems keen on her.

I loved the slice of life working in an A&E, and felt immersed in the setting The depiction of emergency workers' dark humour to cope with the harsh reality of their lives (Maurice Minor!!!!) was also spot on. I loved Dr Patel. I also I really liked the plot twists involved, but it was so obviously sign-posted, and as such, this book lacked real tension and felt like two books cobbled together without any real seamless integration. Tilly also came off as a character were she just lets everything happen to her at other character's whims instead of learning from that to start taking action to live her life the way she wants.

The was conflict resolved quickly and thats only because of the inteference of another character. When the next plot takes up, it wasn't that enthralling because yet again it just felt like Tilly choosing the path of the least resistance. Plus at no time does Tilly bother to mention the ethical issues she had to work through. While I appreciate Tilly's nurse sister Tash pointing out the 'dodgy ethics', its pretty much ignored, when that in of itself could've been tension, or perhaps set the story up so that it wouldn't be.

The other issue I had was Tilly just letting herself be steamrolled by her mother's histrionics, including her demands for grandchildren, and her sister. Tash also told their mother personal details about Tilly, knowing full well how their mother was harping on bother of them about grandkids. Where was the journey of Tilly growing a spine to tell them to back off? Can we stop having female characters just allowing their relatives to demand they marry and have kids?

Overall this was a solid and easy read, but the enjoyable individual elements left me feeling like something was missing to make me believe the happy ending was earned.

Thanks to Boldwood and NetGalley for the ARC.

Thank you NetGallery and boldwood books for the opportunity to review this book. The thoughts and opinions are my own.

Pre thoughts
- Greys anatomy rom com

Post thoughts
- Lovely rom com
- The integration of hospital work and normal life is great.
- some aspects made me cringe externally for the FMC
- The plot twists are impeccable and not expected
- Great development if the FMC
- Good writing and pacing is great

Overall a lovely rom-com set in a hospital setting with a great FMC.

Tropes
- Drama
- Rom-com
- Slow burn
- second - chance

3.5/5 rounded to 4

“Love, Accidentally” is a short sweet romantic comedy. It made me laugh and smile. It definitely had Grey’s Anatomy vibes to it, but in a cheesy way. The hospital setting was interesting. It had patients coming in for all sorts of things, as you can imagine. The first patient that came in the hospital made me laugh as to why he came in! I enjoyed the funny vivid descriptions in this story. I really liked the female main character, which was an A&E nurse in the story. The male main character is in the same hospital, which is how they meet. He is a doctor that catches her attention right away. I felt like this was more of a comedy than a romance. I liked the romance aspect as well, which was a slow burn. It would have been weird if the characters had an instant connection in the story. I found this to be a fun and easy read. I give this book a 3 out of 5 stars rating!

Thank you to NetGalley, author Phoebe MacLeod and Boldwood Books for this digital advanced reader’s copy in exchange for my honest review! All thoughts and opinions are my own.

This book is set to be published on May 30, 2025!

Tilly es enfermera de emergencias y lleva una vida tranquila, hasta que todo cambia cuando el nuevo doctor, Luke, le pide una cita. A partir de ese momento, una serie de sucesos sorprenden a Tilly y la hacen replantearse todo.

La historia no fue lo que esperaba, cuando leí la sinopsis me imaginé que ocurría o por menos que rumbo tomaría, pero no fue nada de lo que esperaba. Me sorprendió mucho el secreto, no lo vi venir.


Thanks to NetGalley, the publisher and the author for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

It was a fast read. My issue is it jumped from scenes a little too fast. It was hard to gain any real feelings towards the story/characters.