Review by Publisher's Weekly Review
Balancing laugh out loud comedy with heartfelt emotion, the first collaboration between married writing duo Kate Tamberelli (Immaculate, written as Katelyn Detweiler) and debut author Danny Tamberelli explores the pitfalls and frustrations of online dating. Aspiring writer Lucy Minninger is not having any luck with either men or her hunt for odd jobs on Craigslist. After a disastrous date with an aspiring DJ who demanded to be referred to by a hashtag, her fortunes change when she spots former child star Rudy Riziero on a dating app. Rudy left Hollywood and his older, hugely successful actor brother to make a go of it in New York City's music and comedy scene. He's working hard to achieve his dream--and going on some horrible dates of his own in the meanwhile. Things get off to a memorable start between this quirky duo when, on their first date, a psychic tells them that they're meant to be and then drops dead in front of them. Bonded by this bizarre experience, the pair begin an offbeat spiral into love. The characters' eccentricities feel entirely authentic, while subplots about family drama and friend groups growing apart add nuance and poignancy to this sweet romp. Rom-com fans should snap this up. Agent: Jill Grinberg, Jill Grinberg Literary. (July)
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Review by Library Journal Review
The real-life romance between the authors inspired this novel. Child star-turned-comedian Rudy Riziero (loosely based on Danny Tamberelli, who starred in Nickelodeon's The Adventures of Pete & Pete) ends up on a date with aspiring author Lucy Minninger (inspired by Kate Tamberelli, who has previously published YA novels) after they match on a dating app. Their first date ends prematurely after an unusual meeting with a psychic, but their relationship blossoms in the aftermath. While the Tamberellis specify that in real life they didn't run into as many funny situations as their literary counterparts, the truth of dating as a former child star and the joy of finding your perfectly imperfect match shines through, no matter the weird situations in which the main characters find themselves. Some excellent side characters, especially Lucy's quirky landlords, and the understandably fraught relationship between Rudy and his hunky brother who stayed in Hollywood round out this well-written, sweet story with some heat. VERDICT This '90s nostalgia-tinged love story will leave rom-com fans smiling and swooning.--Jenny Kobiela-Mondor
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