Booklist Reviews
Winters' utterly charming debut is set in London, where film agency assistant Evie Summers finds herself going to extremes in order to get a spoiled screenwriter to produce a script. When Evie discovers that the future of her agency hinges on handsome young hotshot Ezra Chester's ability to produce the romantic comedy he's been contracted to write, Evie impulsively promises to prove to Ezra that rom-com meet-cutes are possible in real life by engineering her own meet-cute in order to find the man of her dreams. So Evie gamely sets out to spill drinks on strangers and attend book clubs in the hopes of getting a guy to fall for her, while inspiring Ezra to crank out those pages. Evie's even attempts to draw the attention of Anette, a winsome seven-year-old at her regular coffee shop, though her real target, Anette's attractive, stoic father, Ben, doesn't seem to approve of the mission. Readers might realize quickly who Evie belongs with, but they'll still be eagerly turning the pages of this winning tale to discover how she figures it all out. Copyright 2019 Booklist Reviews.
Kirkus Reviews
A film agency assistant follows all the rom-com rules in an attempt to save her job...and maybe fall in love in the process. Evie Summers has always loved love—specifically in romantic comedies. She grew up dreaming of writing her own film, and her father was her biggest champion. But after his death, she lost her writing spark. Now she's stuck toiling as an assistant at a film agency, waiting for the day she gets her big break and gets promoted to agent. It seems she may get her chance when her agency's biggest and worst-behaved client, Ezra Chester, needs some motivation to produce the rom-com screenplay he promised. Ezra thinks rom-coms are trite and unrealistic, but he agrees to finish his screenplay if Evie proves to him that meet-cutes can lead to true love. Evie has to re-create some of her favorite rom-com scenes and report back to Ezra. Spilling orange juice on a stranger, Ã la Notting Hill? Check. Sharing a car with someone, just like in When Harry Met Sally...? Check. Staying at a charming cottage that seems to be straight out of The Holiday? Check. Evie tries it all, humiliating herself in front of the general public, including a cute but quiet single father and his precocious daughter. Meanwhile, she also has to help plan a bachelorette party and wedding for her hilariously high-maintenance bridezilla of a friend, but her dedication to work keeps getting in the way. But just like in all the best rom-coms, Evie might find true love where she least expects it. Evie is a scrappy, winning heroine whose decisions may occasionally be frustrating (as is the rom-com tradition, there are lots of miscommunications) but are always well intentioned. The references to classic films of the genre will delight rom-com fans, as will the sweet romance. The best scenes, though, are with Evie and her three best friends, who have the warmly mocking dynamic of friends in a Richard Curtis film. A lovely, humorous ode to romantic comedies. Copyright Kirkus 2019 Kirkus/BPI Communications. All rights reserved.
Library Journal Reviews
DEBUT Evie Summers has been tasked with the impossible: getting a playboy film mogul with writer's block to pen a script that he decidedly does not write—one with a happy ending. But with a long overdue promotion within reach, Evie is determined to keep Ezra in the game, showing the cynical author that a Hollywood meet-cute is not only possible, it's a recipe for falling in love. Only Evie soon finds herself in a rom-com of her own making with a friend's hen-do to plan, a deadline looming, and her own misgivings to contend with as she rethinks her career path.
Publishers Weekly Reviews
Winters's charming debut combines tropes from classic romantic comedy films to hilarious effect. Ambitious 29-year-old Evie Summer is tired of being an assistant, but to advance in her job at a TV and film talent agency she must convince narcissistic screenwriter Ezra Chester, the agency's top client, to fulfill his lapsed contract and write the rom-com he owes to his movie studio. Ezra, disillusioned with romantic clichés, refuses to meet his deadline unless Evie can convince him that real relationships can be just like the movies. He gives her three months to find a man via "meet-cute" and fall in love; if she can't, then he won't deliver his script and Evie will be in hot water with her boss. The subsequent whirlwind of contrived meet-ups that Evie arranges, each inspired by a different film, is a laugh-out-loud disaster. Her first romantic failure happens to be witnessed by shy single dad Ben, who, along with his precocious daughter Annette, becomes Evie's audience and provides a grounding influence in her chaotic life—even as Annette attempts to set Evie up with him. Winters employs self-aware, genre-savvy characters to expertly balance humor and heart. This adorable romance is a love letter to cinephiles.