We met like this A novel

YA author West (Better Than Revenge) makes her adult debut with an endearing rom-com about the pitfalls of modern dating. Romance-loving junior literary agent Margo Hart longs for a meet-cute with the man of her dreams, but for now she's stuck swiping on the apps while struggling to disentangle herself from a toxic situationship with her boss and constantly comparing herself to her happily married sister. Fielding gross or tone-deaf messages from creepy dudes online is made somewhat easier by Oliver, a virtual stranger with whom she shared one disastrous date three years prior but whom she's matched with on every dating app she's downloaded since. The pair have never met again in person but frequently trade dating horror stories, romantic encouragement, and flirtatious banter. When Margo's boss passes her over for a promotion, she decides to start her own literary agency. That very same day, she unexpectedly runs into Oliver in person, sparking intense chemistry. As Margo works to solidify her career, she must also wrangle with her feelings for Oliver, a task made harder when she learns the truth about why their first date went so horribly wrong. West has a gift for witty dialogue and successfully mines the horrors of dating app conversations for humor. Abby Jimenez fans will want to check this out. (Sept.)

Can a meet-cute happen on a dating app? At 27, Margot Hart has had her fair share of dating-app fails. As the assistant to Robert Bishop, Los Angeles' top literary agent, all she wants is to work with romance novels, but her own last memorable date was three years ago with a software engineer named Oliver. After an awkward dinner and unforgettable make-out session in a car, Margot and Oliver continue to find each other on the apps and swipe right to joke about their terrible date and harmlessly flirt. Margot hasn't been completely celibate since then; in fact, she's been occasionally sleeping with her divorced yet emotionally unavailable boss. While her secret relationship with Rob weighs on her conscience, she can't help craving this excitement in her otherwise lame dating life. Yet seeing Rob has its major lows--especially since she's spent years without a promotion and opportunities to be an actual agent. When Margot finally works up the courage to confront Rob and he shoots her down, she takes a leap of faith and quits her job in hopes of starting her own agency. And if that wasn't courageous enough, she decides to offer Oliver a second chance and turn their intermittent flirting into the real thing. It turns out that Oliver's gotten better with age: He's sweet, put-together, and undeniably hot, but Margot can tell something from his past is holding him back from taking their relationship to the next level. Can Margot balance the unknown trajectory of her career while falling hard for Oliver, or will she face yet another failure? YA author West has made a successful transition into adult fiction, maintaining all the charming, quirky qualities of YA while upping the romance factor. Margot is the likable sort of hot mess, and readers will empathize with her underdog sense of self-deprecation and root for her success. And of course, Oliver is a mix of swoon-worthy, shy, and sexy--every main character's dream love interest. West's adult debut is everything--vulnerable, spicy, funny, and squeal-out-loud romantic. Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.