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Long Story Short
A sexy New York rom com from bestselling author Victoria Walters Who said romance was easy?
Assistant literary agent Freya Harrison never thought her chance at a big break would look like at a swanky romance conference in New York, managing the agency’s most insufferable client.
Sure, Jake Richards is a global best-selling author, adored by all his fans. But on meeting him, Freya finds him arrogant, condescending, and, worst of all, a complete phony.
After being overheard calling romance ‘easy money’ and his readers ‘fools’, Jake’s reputation is tanking. And it’s Freya’s job to clean up the mess – and maybe, finally prove her worth to her boss.
But with Jake one slip away from another PR disaster, doubts are starting to set in. Can she survive this week without losing her mind – or her heart?
This spicy romance will have you laughing out loud one moment and crying happy tears the next
Assistant literary agent Freya Harrison never thought her chance at a big break would look like at a swanky romance conference in New York, managing the agency’s most insufferable client.
Sure, Jake Richards is a global best-selling author, adored by all his fans. But on meeting him, Freya finds him arrogant, condescending, and, worst of all, a complete phony.
After being overheard calling romance ‘easy money’ and his readers ‘fools’, Jake’s reputation is tanking. And it’s Freya’s job to clean up the mess – and maybe, finally prove her worth to her boss.
But with Jake one slip away from another PR disaster, doubts are starting to set in. Can she survive this week without losing her mind – or her heart?
This spicy romance will have you laughing out loud one moment and crying happy tears the next
322 pages, Kindle Edition
First published May 19, 2025
271 people are currently reading
466 people want to read
About the author
Victoria Walters
54 books469 followersVictoria Walters is a full-time author living in Surrey. Victoria writes sweet and spicy rom coms including the BookTok viral hits THE LOVE INTEREST, THE PLOT TWIST and THE PARIS CHAPTER. She used to work in publishing and a bookshop, and has been a bookworm since childhood.
Victoria is also the author of the bestselling uplifting and romantic series GLENDALE HALL and the cosy crime series THE DEDLEY END MYSTERIES. Find out more about her by following on Instagram at @vickyjwalters, on X at @Vicky_Walters or on Facebook and TikTok at Victoria Walters author.
Her new grumpy/sunshine spicy romance LONG STORY SHORT is out now.
Victoria is also the author of the bestselling uplifting and romantic series GLENDALE HALL and the cosy crime series THE DEDLEY END MYSTERIES. Find out more about her by following on Instagram at @vickyjwalters, on X at @Vicky_Walters or on Facebook and TikTok at Victoria Walters author.
Her new grumpy/sunshine spicy romance LONG STORY SHORT is out now.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 251 reviews
April 5, 2025
at least it's a quick read. i guess.
i like my men grumpy. sure. i don't like them misogynistic. if a man tells me to calm down, i'm puking on his shoes and he'll just have to deal with it.
thanks to netgalley and the publisher for an arc in exchange for a honest review!
i like my men grumpy. sure. i don't like them misogynistic. if a man tells me to calm down, i'm puking on his shoes and he'll just have to deal with it.
thanks to netgalley and the publisher for an arc in exchange for a honest review!
March 31, 2025
A glitzy New York literary conference, a grumpy bestselling author, and an ambitious assistant tasked with salvaging his reputation — Long Story Short had all the right ingredients for a swoon-worthy bookish romance. But despite the promising setup, it left me underwhelmed.
While the premise held plenty of potential, the predictable plot and one-dimensional characters made this story feel disappointingly formulaic. Jake and Freya’s romance leans heavily on outdated stereotypes: the "older, jaded man-child" paired with the "young, inexperienced woman" at the start of her career. Their ten-year age gap could have added depth with more nuance, but instead, it only highlighted Jake’s immaturity and Freya’s lack of complexity. Their chemistry relied on frustrating miscommunication and surface-level tension, making their eventual connection feel more forced than fated.
While the execution didn’t fully land for me, I appreciated the creative literary conference backdrop. However, it lacked the immersive spark I was hoping for — barely scratching the surface of the glitzy publishing world when it could have been a richly atmospheric setting.
That said, the side characters’ happy endings were a welcome reprieve, offering brief but heartwarming moments. Their subplots added some much-needed emotional depth and authenticity, bringing a touch of warmth to the story. Another highlight was Victoria Walters’ writing style, which was easy to follow, making this a quick and accessible read.
Ultimately, Long Story Short is a light, easy read — pleasant enough for a weekend escape, but too predictable and surface-level to leave a lasting impression. That said, fans of trope-driven romances may still find its familiar beats comforting and enjoyable.
While the premise held plenty of potential, the predictable plot and one-dimensional characters made this story feel disappointingly formulaic. Jake and Freya’s romance leans heavily on outdated stereotypes: the "older, jaded man-child" paired with the "young, inexperienced woman" at the start of her career. Their ten-year age gap could have added depth with more nuance, but instead, it only highlighted Jake’s immaturity and Freya’s lack of complexity. Their chemistry relied on frustrating miscommunication and surface-level tension, making their eventual connection feel more forced than fated.
While the execution didn’t fully land for me, I appreciated the creative literary conference backdrop. However, it lacked the immersive spark I was hoping for — barely scratching the surface of the glitzy publishing world when it could have been a richly atmospheric setting.
That said, the side characters’ happy endings were a welcome reprieve, offering brief but heartwarming moments. Their subplots added some much-needed emotional depth and authenticity, bringing a touch of warmth to the story. Another highlight was Victoria Walters’ writing style, which was easy to follow, making this a quick and accessible read.
Ultimately, Long Story Short is a light, easy read — pleasant enough for a weekend escape, but too predictable and surface-level to leave a lasting impression. That said, fans of trope-driven romances may still find its familiar beats comforting and enjoyable.
August 23, 2025
*Many thanks to NetGalley for providing me an E-Arc in exchange for an honest review!*
Unfortunately this book wasn't my cup of tea.
______________________________
I received an arc for this book without requesting it, but it does sound very interesting.
Some of the tropes in this book that are included, and making me curious about Long Story Short are:
-Enemies to lovers
-Grumpy x sunshine
-Forced proximity
-Slow burn
-He falls first
-Reputation redemption
Unfortunately this book wasn't my cup of tea.
______________________________
I received an arc for this book without requesting it, but it does sound very interesting.
Some of the tropes in this book that are included, and making me curious about Long Story Short are:
-Enemies to lovers
-Grumpy x sunshine
-Forced proximity
-Slow burn
-He falls first
-Reputation redemption
May 23, 2025
This is a cute story about people who write books and the publishing world of being and author and an agent.
It starts with a couple of meet cutes, yes a couple.
We have 25 year old Freya who is an assistant to a literary agent and aspires to be an agent herself soon. She is sent to New York to accompany the bestselling Romance author Jake to a Romance conference in the hopes of saving his career after a damning article was written about some derogatory comments he'd made on the genre.
It seems unusual that for me at least, I was more interested in the non-romance plot i.e the resurrecting of Jake's career and everything surrounding that that the relationship the 2 characters developed. Perhaps because there was more drama in that than in the Romance?
In any case a solid book and a great insight into the publishing world for most readers who are curious.
Many thanks to Boldworld books for providing me with a copy of the book for review via NetGalley. All opinions are my own.
It starts with a couple of meet cutes, yes a couple.
We have 25 year old Freya who is an assistant to a literary agent and aspires to be an agent herself soon. She is sent to New York to accompany the bestselling Romance author Jake to a Romance conference in the hopes of saving his career after a damning article was written about some derogatory comments he'd made on the genre.
It seems unusual that for me at least, I was more interested in the non-romance plot i.e the resurrecting of Jake's career and everything surrounding that that the relationship the 2 characters developed. Perhaps because there was more drama in that than in the Romance?
In any case a solid book and a great insight into the publishing world for most readers who are curious.
Many thanks to Boldworld books for providing me with a copy of the book for review via NetGalley. All opinions are my own.
April 17, 2025
3 ⭐
Thank you so much to Netgalley, Boldwood books and the author for providing me with an arc copy in exchange for an honest review!
Freya works as an assistant to a literary agent but she dreams of becoming an agent herself, she loves romance books and, in particular, she loves Jake Richards' books. Freya's big moment comes when her boss asks her to help Jake (yep, her favourite author) save his career. The two are sent to a romance conference in New York, where they need to make sure Jake's fans forgive him after the pr scandal that's ruining his career. Will they succeed?
Unfortunately this fell flat for me, the characters were pretty much one dimensional and there wasn't really anything I appreciated about them. Freya is really clumsy, always flustered and "inexperienced". Jack is grumpy (almost rude, I'd say), he is supposed to be older but he felt really immature. I enjoyed the romance conference setting, but I feel like it could've been explored better.
I liked the author's writing style, so this was a quick and easy read, but yeah, I'm not in love with this.
Thank you so much to Netgalley, Boldwood books and the author for providing me with an arc copy in exchange for an honest review!
Freya works as an assistant to a literary agent but she dreams of becoming an agent herself, she loves romance books and, in particular, she loves Jake Richards' books. Freya's big moment comes when her boss asks her to help Jake (yep, her favourite author) save his career. The two are sent to a romance conference in New York, where they need to make sure Jake's fans forgive him after the pr scandal that's ruining his career. Will they succeed?
Unfortunately this fell flat for me, the characters were pretty much one dimensional and there wasn't really anything I appreciated about them. Freya is really clumsy, always flustered and "inexperienced". Jack is grumpy (almost rude, I'd say), he is supposed to be older but he felt really immature. I enjoyed the romance conference setting, but I feel like it could've been explored better.
I liked the author's writing style, so this was a quick and easy read, but yeah, I'm not in love with this.
April 21, 2025
2★
Well, that was a slow read. Relatively short, but took me quite a while to finish.
To be quite honest, I really disliked this book, and it took me so long to read because I literally had to force myself to actually get through it.
Let me start with Jake. I usually like grumpy men, but not when they’re misogynistic. I would never accept a man telling me to “calm down”. While they were not his exact words, you know what we’re? “It’s fine, Freya. No need to put on your school teacher voice about it. Maybe you need to lie down.” LIE DOWN? No I need to spit in his face and tell him to fuck off. That is so disrespectful.
Now Jake wasn’t all too bad after that initial setback. He was quite bland and had some super cheesy/awkward lines but he was an ok character.
Freya was ditzy and childish. She was always flustered and unaware of how loud she was, so her embarrassing stories or comments were overheard by others multiple times. I hated how the one outfit she ever wore was a dress and cowboy boots. Girly, you’ve gotta dress professionally in a professional working environment! She gave me second hand embarrassment. She was also very pushy in trying to get Jake to be honest and tell his readers why he said what he did in the article, but apparently him saying it was something “too personal” wasn’t enough. Ma’am, nor you or his readers are entitled to information about his personal life!
Now, I did not understand their relationship. Freya annoyed me the most with trying to forcibly get him to be honest and open up more, as if they’re not two total strangers to each other. She thought she knew him because she read his books. Like what? You can’t tell someone’s personality from the fictional books they write. And THEN she would say stuff like “who is the real Jake?” Like miss girl, you don’t know anything about this man apart from the fact he’s a romance author! Get a grip!
I thought they moved waaayyy to fast and felt too much too quickly. They never had any deeper conversations. Their emotional connection is told to us, but we don’t actually see it. Their 10 year age gap only emphasised their immaturity and lack of complexity. I mean, Freya’s whole shtick is that she’s “young and inexperienced” like come on!
That was my biggest issue with the writing overall. Too much telling, not enough showing. There were paragraphs upon paragraphs about the little details like Freya’s morning routine, or what outfit she was wearing, like I don’t give a shit about that. It reads like a Wattpad fanfiction.
Also those spice scenes were cringe. I did not like them at all.
What I did like though, was the side characters storyline’s. Particularly Davis’ storyline. I liked his whole sub-plot and how he got his happy ending.
I’m always a sucker for a characters book being dedicated to their partners
Overall, this had a lot of potential, but I was majorly let down.
Thank you to NetGalley and Boldwood Books for this eARC in exchange for an honest review!
Well, that was a slow read. Relatively short, but took me quite a while to finish.
To be quite honest, I really disliked this book, and it took me so long to read because I literally had to force myself to actually get through it.
Let me start with Jake. I usually like grumpy men, but not when they’re misogynistic. I would never accept a man telling me to “calm down”. While they were not his exact words, you know what we’re? “It’s fine, Freya. No need to put on your school teacher voice about it. Maybe you need to lie down.” LIE DOWN? No I need to spit in his face and tell him to fuck off. That is so disrespectful.
Now Jake wasn’t all too bad after that initial setback. He was quite bland and had some super cheesy/awkward lines but he was an ok character.
Freya was ditzy and childish. She was always flustered and unaware of how loud she was, so her embarrassing stories or comments were overheard by others multiple times. I hated how the one outfit she ever wore was a dress and cowboy boots. Girly, you’ve gotta dress professionally in a professional working environment! She gave me second hand embarrassment. She was also very pushy in trying to get Jake to be honest and tell his readers why he said what he did in the article, but apparently him saying it was something “too personal” wasn’t enough. Ma’am, nor you or his readers are entitled to information about his personal life!
Now, I did not understand their relationship. Freya annoyed me the most with trying to forcibly get him to be honest and open up more, as if they’re not two total strangers to each other. She thought she knew him because she read his books. Like what? You can’t tell someone’s personality from the fictional books they write. And THEN she would say stuff like “who is the real Jake?” Like miss girl, you don’t know anything about this man apart from the fact he’s a romance author! Get a grip!
I thought they moved waaayyy to fast and felt too much too quickly. They never had any deeper conversations. Their emotional connection is told to us, but we don’t actually see it. Their 10 year age gap only emphasised their immaturity and lack of complexity. I mean, Freya’s whole shtick is that she’s “young and inexperienced” like come on!
That was my biggest issue with the writing overall. Too much telling, not enough showing. There were paragraphs upon paragraphs about the little details like Freya’s morning routine, or what outfit she was wearing, like I don’t give a shit about that. It reads like a Wattpad fanfiction.
Also those spice scenes were cringe. I did not like them at all.
What I did like though, was the side characters storyline’s. Particularly Davis’ storyline. I liked his whole sub-plot and how he got his happy ending.
I’m always a sucker for a characters book being dedicated to their partners
Overall, this had a lot of potential, but I was majorly let down.
Thank you to NetGalley and Boldwood Books for this eARC in exchange for an honest review!
March 23, 2025
My feminist rage forced me to stop reading this book.
After knowing each other for only a few hours and fresh off a flight, Freya puts Jake in his place, and rightly so– his response? “It’s fine, Freya; no need to put on your schoolteacher voice about it. Maybe you should lie down for a bit.”
AAARGH.
OK OK the FMC is very much ditzy (being flustered always; not being aware of her professional environment; wearing a (straw?) hat, sleeveless dress, and cowboy boots for a flight to NYC, to name a few) so perhaps the MMC was a tiny bit justified to do an eye roll, at the most, but to effectively tell her to calm down and stop being hysterical?
I am ready to cut a bitch.
Grumpy does not mean rude AF. He does not have to hate women. And sexual ‘jokes’ between colleagues about first times wink wink nudge nudge are a HR violation and not a cute “how did you two meet?”-anecdote.
On top of that, this story could use some editing to cut out unnecessary sentences and remove spelling mistakes (you two, versus, you too).
I should have stopped when the bestest romance writer in the world was a MAN. Which is the topic of the first chapter ;)
Shoutout to the very very cute cover!!
DNF at 14-17%.
Thank you to Boldwood Books for inviting me to read this book. I received an ARC of this book (thanks!) and these are my own opinions.
After knowing each other for only a few hours and fresh off a flight, Freya puts Jake in his place, and rightly so– his response? “It’s fine, Freya; no need to put on your schoolteacher voice about it. Maybe you should lie down for a bit.”
AAARGH.
OK OK the FMC is very much ditzy (being flustered always; not being aware of her professional environment; wearing a (straw?) hat, sleeveless dress, and cowboy boots for a flight to NYC, to name a few) so perhaps the MMC was a tiny bit justified to do an eye roll, at the most, but to effectively tell her to calm down and stop being hysterical?
I am ready to cut a bitch.
Grumpy does not mean rude AF. He does not have to hate women. And sexual ‘jokes’ between colleagues about first times wink wink nudge nudge are a HR violation and not a cute “how did you two meet?”-anecdote.
On top of that, this story could use some editing to cut out unnecessary sentences and remove spelling mistakes (you two, versus, you too).
I should have stopped when the bestest romance writer in the world was a MAN. Which is the topic of the first chapter ;)
Shoutout to the very very cute cover!!
DNF at 14-17%.
Thank you to Boldwood Books for inviting me to read this book. I received an ARC of this book (thanks!) and these are my own opinions.
March 26, 2025
Netgalley ARC.
Freya lives in the UK and is a PA to Hayley and aspires to become a literary agent too, sooner rather than later. Reading mainly romance Freya definitely knows the audience and sentimentality of the genre. One of her favourite romance authors, Jake, just so happens to be one of Hayley's clients. Jake has been accused in the press for criticising romance readers and claiming writing within the genre is easy, this has not gone down well with his followers and now Hayley is in damage control mode. Hayley has signed Jake up to a prestigious. five-day, romance conference in New York to try and win his publisher around to release his newest book. Inconveniently Hayley's sister is getting married in the UK during the conference so she also signs up Freya to go with Jake to make sure things go smoothly.
Freya is comfy dresses and practical boots. Jake is flawless facial hair and tailored suits. With a ten year age gap, distinctly different bank accounts and sunshine vs grumpy personalities this is a slow burn romance story incorporating forced proximity.
The spice is minimal. The writing didn't always gel with me, sometimes I had to read a sentence a time or two to understand it, however this is a personal opinion. The twists and turns of Freya's professional life was generally more convincing than the romance between the main characters, it felt a little over explained and the dialogue unemotional. Also this is from Freya's point of view throughout and it might have benefitted from Jake's POV to make the tension more believeable.
Freya lives in the UK and is a PA to Hayley and aspires to become a literary agent too, sooner rather than later. Reading mainly romance Freya definitely knows the audience and sentimentality of the genre. One of her favourite romance authors, Jake, just so happens to be one of Hayley's clients. Jake has been accused in the press for criticising romance readers and claiming writing within the genre is easy, this has not gone down well with his followers and now Hayley is in damage control mode. Hayley has signed Jake up to a prestigious. five-day, romance conference in New York to try and win his publisher around to release his newest book. Inconveniently Hayley's sister is getting married in the UK during the conference so she also signs up Freya to go with Jake to make sure things go smoothly.
Freya is comfy dresses and practical boots. Jake is flawless facial hair and tailored suits. With a ten year age gap, distinctly different bank accounts and sunshine vs grumpy personalities this is a slow burn romance story incorporating forced proximity.
The spice is minimal. The writing didn't always gel with me, sometimes I had to read a sentence a time or two to understand it, however this is a personal opinion. The twists and turns of Freya's professional life was generally more convincing than the romance between the main characters, it felt a little over explained and the dialogue unemotional. Also this is from Freya's point of view throughout and it might have benefitted from Jake's POV to make the tension more believeable.
April 12, 2025
Thank you to NetGalley and Boldwood Books for the ARC in exchange for an honest review!
If you’re looking for a short and light romance, this book might be for you. The FMC, Freya, is an assistant literary agent who has been tasked to follow Jake, a reputable romance author, to New York in order to save his reputation following a controversial article.
Tropes that stood out to me:
- Age Gap (MMC is 10 years older)
- Workplace Romance (they go on a work trip to New York!)
- Forced Proximity
There’s a bit of spice in this book, and if I had to rate it, it’ll be:
🌶️ out of 🌶️🌶️🌶️
This rating (which is totally subjective because it is based on my opinion that constantly changes as I read more books) means that there are multiple open door scenes (about 2-3 in this book if I’m not mistaken) of explicit content. This book is a 1 in a scale from 1-3 because these scenes are not so graphic (to me at least).
Personally (I’m about to be real honest here)…
.
.
.
I did not like this book and if it wasn’t for the fact that it was an ARC, I would have DNFed it a long time ago. This book triggered me a lot and it’s because of a combination of things.
I thought the plot was weak and I didn’t like how certain things were represented AKA, the romance community in this book. Perhaps it’s just me, but I thought they were so toxic and this extends to the FMC as well. I did not like how pushy she was— telling the MMC to “tell the truth”. It’s happened multiple times where he said it was personal but it irked me so much that the romance community in this book (and by extension the FMC) could not take that as an answer in response to the controversial article. So annoying. It felt like everyone was entitled to know what that personal matter was and to me, it depicted the MMC as less than human (if you get where I’m getting at).
Speaking of the FMC— I also did not like her. She frustrated me to no end. The MMC is honestly not bad, but sometimes his dialogue is so forced and unnatural, so cheesy and corny.
But let’s talk about the relationship between these two leads… which I also was not a fan of. My biggest trigger in this category was the fact that the FMC “thought” she knew the MMC (they are literally strangers) because she read his books and was a big fan of him before his controversy.
AND THEN the FMC would be like, “so, who is the real Jake?” like ma’am, just because you read his books does not mean you know him on a personal level. And it’s because of this entire fantasy that the FMC created that really makes the whole relationship dynamic with the MMC so weird to me.
The writing was another thing that bothered me— lots of telling and not showing. Besides the characters and the plot, this book would have impressed me more if there was more description to a character’s actions and the locations. Instead, every location and character that existed served a role and it made everything flat. There were also a few sentences/ phrases that could have been reworded to make it easier on the eyes.
This review is already long but TL;DR, I didn’t like this book. I understand that people have different tastes though, so maybe this book just wasn’t for me. But if you’ve come this far reading my review and are still curious about the book, perhaps give it a try. You might end up liking it.
If you’re looking for a short and light romance, this book might be for you. The FMC, Freya, is an assistant literary agent who has been tasked to follow Jake, a reputable romance author, to New York in order to save his reputation following a controversial article.
Tropes that stood out to me:
- Age Gap (MMC is 10 years older)
- Workplace Romance (they go on a work trip to New York!)
- Forced Proximity
There’s a bit of spice in this book, and if I had to rate it, it’ll be:
🌶️ out of 🌶️🌶️🌶️
This rating (which is totally subjective because it is based on my opinion that constantly changes as I read more books) means that there are multiple open door scenes (about 2-3 in this book if I’m not mistaken) of explicit content. This book is a 1 in a scale from 1-3 because these scenes are not so graphic (to me at least).
Personally (I’m about to be real honest here)…
.
.
.
I did not like this book and if it wasn’t for the fact that it was an ARC, I would have DNFed it a long time ago. This book triggered me a lot and it’s because of a combination of things.
I thought the plot was weak and I didn’t like how certain things were represented AKA, the romance community in this book. Perhaps it’s just me, but I thought they were so toxic and this extends to the FMC as well. I did not like how pushy she was— telling the MMC to “tell the truth”. It’s happened multiple times where he said it was personal but it irked me so much that the romance community in this book (and by extension the FMC) could not take that as an answer in response to the controversial article. So annoying. It felt like everyone was entitled to know what that personal matter was and to me, it depicted the MMC as less than human (if you get where I’m getting at).
Speaking of the FMC— I also did not like her. She frustrated me to no end. The MMC is honestly not bad, but sometimes his dialogue is so forced and unnatural, so cheesy and corny.
But let’s talk about the relationship between these two leads… which I also was not a fan of. My biggest trigger in this category was the fact that the FMC “thought” she knew the MMC (they are literally strangers) because she read his books and was a big fan of him before his controversy.
AND THEN the FMC would be like, “so, who is the real Jake?” like ma’am, just because you read his books does not mean you know him on a personal level. And it’s because of this entire fantasy that the FMC created that really makes the whole relationship dynamic with the MMC so weird to me.
The writing was another thing that bothered me— lots of telling and not showing. Besides the characters and the plot, this book would have impressed me more if there was more description to a character’s actions and the locations. Instead, every location and character that existed served a role and it made everything flat. There were also a few sentences/ phrases that could have been reworded to make it easier on the eyes.
This review is already long but TL;DR, I didn’t like this book. I understand that people have different tastes though, so maybe this book just wasn’t for me. But if you’ve come this far reading my review and are still curious about the book, perhaps give it a try. You might end up liking it.
April 5, 2025
Long Story Short is the story of Freya, an assistant to a hot shot literary agent, and a moody romance author, Jake, who had recently had been overheard talking shit about writing romance novels, and the fans that he makes money off of.
The timing couldn’t be worse. An article went out before a major romance book conference that is make it or break it for both Freya and Jake. Oh, and by the way, Freya has been a huge fan of Jake Richards for years. His books inspired her career, her love of happy endings, and her dreams of finding that big, life-altering love.
Long Story Short may be another “enemies to lovers” trope romance novel, but it hits different. I found Long Story Short to be quite addicting. The journey is detailed, it’s complicated, and full of growth. Our main characters are funny and likable. The story doesn’t just focus on the romance brewing between the main characters, it has depth. Freya explores her next chapter in her career. She explores the world (well, NYC during the free hours she isn’t at the conference). She finds her voice. It was refreshing to see the female main character’s career be an important part of the storyline, especially in a romance novel. Love isn’t the “be all end all” here but it’s a great part of Freya’s story.
Long Story Short does more than tell a love story between our main characters, it’s a love story to one’s self. Long Story Short tells the story of Freya and Jake finding themselves in life, in their careers, before they can fully find each other.
The timing couldn’t be worse. An article went out before a major romance book conference that is make it or break it for both Freya and Jake. Oh, and by the way, Freya has been a huge fan of Jake Richards for years. His books inspired her career, her love of happy endings, and her dreams of finding that big, life-altering love.
Long Story Short may be another “enemies to lovers” trope romance novel, but it hits different. I found Long Story Short to be quite addicting. The journey is detailed, it’s complicated, and full of growth. Our main characters are funny and likable. The story doesn’t just focus on the romance brewing between the main characters, it has depth. Freya explores her next chapter in her career. She explores the world (well, NYC during the free hours she isn’t at the conference). She finds her voice. It was refreshing to see the female main character’s career be an important part of the storyline, especially in a romance novel. Love isn’t the “be all end all” here but it’s a great part of Freya’s story.
Long Story Short does more than tell a love story between our main characters, it’s a love story to one’s self. Long Story Short tells the story of Freya and Jake finding themselves in life, in their careers, before they can fully find each other.
August 10, 2025
I love books set in the publishing world. I find them fascinating. As an avid reader it's always interesting to take a look behind the curtain, so to speak. I have to be honest, though. That was one of the only real draws of this book. I found the plot and characters to be lackluster and the writing stilted. I wasn't sucked into the story and found myself skimming throughout. There was definitely some good spice but most of this book didn't work for me.
Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.
Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.
March 29, 2025
An enemies to lovers novel, this book is quirky and cute. Freya is sent to NYC with romance author Jake to save his career after he made a huge confession about hating romance books, and was overheard by a reporter, who, of course, published it. In the process of attempting to salvage what is left after the damage was done, Freya finds out why Jake actually made those comments and everything else surrounding the drama. The unlikely duo of course ends up falling in love, but what kind of risk will that put to her starting career? There is miscommunication and strife, but the journey to get to the HEA is worth it! Both characters are really likable, and if you’re up to date with this author’s writing, you will see characters you have met in other books, which brings a really nice sense of familiarity to her novels.
What I like most about this book is the author’s dedication to her character, Freya, staying true to herself while being under immense pressure that is being a professional in a challenging industry. I like that she was quirky and brutally honest, and I definitely appreciated how she was a diehard romance reader, but the author allowed her to open her mind to other genres, which to me as a reader is something I find special because it’s too easy to find your genre and box yourself in. It made me connect more with the character.
What I like most about this book is the author’s dedication to her character, Freya, staying true to herself while being under immense pressure that is being a professional in a challenging industry. I like that she was quirky and brutally honest, and I definitely appreciated how she was a diehard romance reader, but the author allowed her to open her mind to other genres, which to me as a reader is something I find special because it’s too easy to find your genre and box yourself in. It made me connect more with the character.
May 21, 2025
I enjoyed this one. It was a fun but spicy read! It was a great premise and it worked so well.
The cover is lovely! It's colours pop and I think it's a great palette. I liked that the people were not real. Not a fan of real people on covers.
The book flows nicely and is written well. It's descriptive and it works for the genre!
I really enjoyed the characters and they all fitted well within the story. Freya is the FMC and Jake is the MMC. They worked well together and their interactions were fun.
The book is written in first person. It's dual POV - Freya and Jake's. This works fine as it's romance and dual POV is ideal.
I recommend this book. Again it was a fun and spicy read.
The cover is lovely! It's colours pop and I think it's a great palette. I liked that the people were not real. Not a fan of real people on covers.
The book flows nicely and is written well. It's descriptive and it works for the genre!
I really enjoyed the characters and they all fitted well within the story. Freya is the FMC and Jake is the MMC. They worked well together and their interactions were fun.
The book is written in first person. It's dual POV - Freya and Jake's. This works fine as it's romance and dual POV is ideal.
I recommend this book. Again it was a fun and spicy read.
March 24, 2025
[received as an ARC from NetGalley]
This book follows Freya who is an aspiring literary agent and Jake Richard’s who is a renowned romance author on the brink of career ruin. The first part of the book the two are attending a work conference in New York and have to face the trials of repairing Jake’s career after he outted himself for “hating romance and writing the novels for money”. Here the two discover their attraction to each other but also their fate in regards to both have relations to Hayley (Freya’s boss and mentor). I absolutely LOVED the character development throughout the book. Freya eventually finding her voice and learning to stand up for herself, and Jake being more open and honest with his readers. The book does have a happy ending, and I absolutely LOVED it. This book is set to release May 19th and i’m so excited to add this to my bookshelf!
TROPES:
• Age-Gap (10 years)
• Work-place romance
• “rivals”-to-lovers
• meet-cutes 🥰
This book follows Freya who is an aspiring literary agent and Jake Richard’s who is a renowned romance author on the brink of career ruin. The first part of the book the two are attending a work conference in New York and have to face the trials of repairing Jake’s career after he outted himself for “hating romance and writing the novels for money”. Here the two discover their attraction to each other but also their fate in regards to both have relations to Hayley (Freya’s boss and mentor). I absolutely LOVED the character development throughout the book. Freya eventually finding her voice and learning to stand up for herself, and Jake being more open and honest with his readers. The book does have a happy ending, and I absolutely LOVED it. This book is set to release May 19th and i’m so excited to add this to my bookshelf!
TROPES:
• Age-Gap (10 years)
• Work-place romance
• “rivals”-to-lovers
• meet-cutes 🥰
April 6, 2025
So Freya has to try and help Jake rebuild his career and the trust of the romance readers.
He was heard saying they were fools for reading romance and for believing in happy ever afters.
I love HEA but always wondered why as you know what is going to happen.
But I actually read it in this book and it’s not necessarily about the HEA it’s the journey it takes to get there that people love reading. And that is so true. The journey is different everytime. This books was so good and so well written. The author is now on my go to list.
Highly recommend
He was heard saying they were fools for reading romance and for believing in happy ever afters.
I love HEA but always wondered why as you know what is going to happen.
But I actually read it in this book and it’s not necessarily about the HEA it’s the journey it takes to get there that people love reading. And that is so true. The journey is different everytime. This books was so good and so well written. The author is now on my go to list.
Highly recommend
May 17, 2025
This book can be a simple yes and no. And my answer is No.
August 29, 2025
I enjoyed this easy-going romance read. It was just the sort of book I needed as the plot casually progressed. However, I do think that Walters took a long time concluding the story and I did find some of the romance scenes a bit awkward.
The story follows Freya, an assistant agent, who heads to New York to try and turn around the reputation of romance writer, Jake, who has been caught out insulting readers of the romance genre. Freya is determined to be her own agent to writers in the future and feels like this trip to New York could be the start of her career. Except she is fan-girling over Jake and can’t seem to stop embarrassing herself in front of him all of the time.
I liked how there is a bit of a mystery behind Jake’s character: what made him slate his readers and describe writing romance as so easy? I was predicting there to be a love conflict behind all of this, a bit like in Pride and Prejudice, especially when Jake’s writer rival, Davis, is also at the writers conference in New York. However, when Walters does reveal Jake’s story, I thought it was a bit of a downer and not particularly interesting. In my opinion, it made him to be a rather weak character and I wasn’t convinced by his excuses.
Walters presentation of New York was great and I felt transported to this city. I loved seeing it through Freya’s eyes and her excitement was palpable. Jake and Freya spend some time sightseeing and this marks the start of their relationship. It was sweet to see their feelings being recognised, but I felt a bit awkward with the ten-year age gap, particularly when Jake speaks “sexy” to Freya.
Alas, the spicy scenes this time weren’t to my liking and I thought they didn’t bring too much to the story. Through most of the story, Jake is presented as grumpy, Freya as naïve and clumsy: Walters plays on over-used stereotypes that didn’t allow depth to the novel. Instead, I became more interested in the sub-plot featuring the publishing world, Davis and Jake’s careers, as well as how Freya would try and escape Hayley’s domineering influence. It’s a shame, as I think I was hoping for a more interesting romance.
Overall, this was a cute read but I didn’t share the sparks that the main characters did. I enjoyed seeing the working relationship between Jake and Freya, but the romance never quite hit the mark.
With thanks to Boldwood books and NetGalley for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
The story follows Freya, an assistant agent, who heads to New York to try and turn around the reputation of romance writer, Jake, who has been caught out insulting readers of the romance genre. Freya is determined to be her own agent to writers in the future and feels like this trip to New York could be the start of her career. Except she is fan-girling over Jake and can’t seem to stop embarrassing herself in front of him all of the time.
I liked how there is a bit of a mystery behind Jake’s character: what made him slate his readers and describe writing romance as so easy? I was predicting there to be a love conflict behind all of this, a bit like in Pride and Prejudice, especially when Jake’s writer rival, Davis, is also at the writers conference in New York. However, when Walters does reveal Jake’s story, I thought it was a bit of a downer and not particularly interesting. In my opinion, it made him to be a rather weak character and I wasn’t convinced by his excuses.
Walters presentation of New York was great and I felt transported to this city. I loved seeing it through Freya’s eyes and her excitement was palpable. Jake and Freya spend some time sightseeing and this marks the start of their relationship. It was sweet to see their feelings being recognised, but I felt a bit awkward with the ten-year age gap, particularly when Jake speaks “sexy” to Freya.
Alas, the spicy scenes this time weren’t to my liking and I thought they didn’t bring too much to the story. Through most of the story, Jake is presented as grumpy, Freya as naïve and clumsy: Walters plays on over-used stereotypes that didn’t allow depth to the novel. Instead, I became more interested in the sub-plot featuring the publishing world, Davis and Jake’s careers, as well as how Freya would try and escape Hayley’s domineering influence. It’s a shame, as I think I was hoping for a more interesting romance.
Overall, this was a cute read but I didn’t share the sparks that the main characters did. I enjoyed seeing the working relationship between Jake and Freya, but the romance never quite hit the mark.
With thanks to Boldwood books and NetGalley for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
May 5, 2025
Another wonderful read from this author!
Our main female character Freya desperately wants to progress her career but also is struggling with her personal relationships. After making a fool of herself in front of her favourite romance author, she learns she must travel with him to New York to save his failing career. If she is successful she may well get that promotion she deserves!
What follows is a story of getting to know one another, making silly blunders when put under pressure, realisation that everyone has a past and has feelings and ultimately discovering what they really want.
I love the progression in this book, how we get to know the characters, understand what makes them tick, what rubs them up the wrong way!
The author describes all the settings so well, the hotels, New York and all the places they visit.
I loved the way the author developed the relationships in this story, not just our main characters, but other characters we meet along the way, how working relationships change throughout. I especially liked how things ended up for Davis, and felt he was an interesting and important character.
It was great to have familiar characters rejoining the story, seeing what’s going on for them.
There’s a bit of spice, nicely written and fits well into the story.
All in all a lovely book that I found quite a quick read, especially the last third or so when I just couldn’t put it down.
I love all the literary references throughout, of course it’s about authors and agents so you expect it, but also from a readers point of view, the excitement when a new ARC lands on your device or the feel of a real life proof (what an excitement I imagine that would be!)
It’s funny, it’s cute, it’s got great characters and is an enjoyable read.
Our main female character Freya desperately wants to progress her career but also is struggling with her personal relationships. After making a fool of herself in front of her favourite romance author, she learns she must travel with him to New York to save his failing career. If she is successful she may well get that promotion she deserves!
What follows is a story of getting to know one another, making silly blunders when put under pressure, realisation that everyone has a past and has feelings and ultimately discovering what they really want.
I love the progression in this book, how we get to know the characters, understand what makes them tick, what rubs them up the wrong way!
The author describes all the settings so well, the hotels, New York and all the places they visit.
I loved the way the author developed the relationships in this story, not just our main characters, but other characters we meet along the way, how working relationships change throughout. I especially liked how things ended up for Davis, and felt he was an interesting and important character.
It was great to have familiar characters rejoining the story, seeing what’s going on for them.
There’s a bit of spice, nicely written and fits well into the story.
All in all a lovely book that I found quite a quick read, especially the last third or so when I just couldn’t put it down.
I love all the literary references throughout, of course it’s about authors and agents so you expect it, but also from a readers point of view, the excitement when a new ARC lands on your device or the feel of a real life proof (what an excitement I imagine that would be!)
It’s funny, it’s cute, it’s got great characters and is an enjoyable read.
April 9, 2025
A quick, easy, fun, cute read.
This is very low steaks, low spice, literary, focused romance.
3 1/2 stars bumped up to four because I really enjoyed the setting. As someone who’s never actually been to a book conference it was fun to imagine what it might be like for an author. Especially a disgraced author who’s trying to get their reputation back.
The MMC is older, wiser, recently heartbroken, (but not for reasons you might initially suspect) romance author.
The FMC is a young woman who hopes to become a literary agent and is working as a personal assistant from the eponymous “boss bitch”.
They are sent off loan to New York City, a romance conference in hopes of Revak, his career that a few horrible comments have tanked.
The loss of the fifth star is because of a third act break up. I absolutely hate them and I would really prefer if the couples who supposedly have happily ever after are able to just discuss things as adults instead of breaking up. We all hate a miscommunication trope after all.
And the loss of the half star is just the overall vibe being kind of flat. As somebody who reads a ton of romance novels, I just kinda didn’t feel that this love was all consuming in the way I would have wanted.
I didn’t feel the burn of a true enemies to lovers that I felt was kind of promised by the blurb.
This is very low steaks, low spice, literary, focused romance.
3 1/2 stars bumped up to four because I really enjoyed the setting. As someone who’s never actually been to a book conference it was fun to imagine what it might be like for an author. Especially a disgraced author who’s trying to get their reputation back.
The MMC is older, wiser, recently heartbroken, (but not for reasons you might initially suspect) romance author.
The FMC is a young woman who hopes to become a literary agent and is working as a personal assistant from the eponymous “boss bitch”.
They are sent off loan to New York City, a romance conference in hopes of Revak, his career that a few horrible comments have tanked.
The loss of the fifth star is because of a third act break up. I absolutely hate them and I would really prefer if the couples who supposedly have happily ever after are able to just discuss things as adults instead of breaking up. We all hate a miscommunication trope after all.
And the loss of the half star is just the overall vibe being kind of flat. As somebody who reads a ton of romance novels, I just kinda didn’t feel that this love was all consuming in the way I would have wanted.
I didn’t feel the burn of a true enemies to lovers that I felt was kind of promised by the blurb.
April 28, 2025
3.5 stars rounded up to 4 ⭐️
Thank you to NetGalley, Boldwood Books, and Victoria Walters for the opportunity to read this ARC!
This book is written from the POV of Freya. She is trying to break through the literary world and become an agent. She is tasked with the job of going to a romance conference in NYC with Jake, an author who just got blacklisted by the romance community for getting caught saying that writing romance is easy and he just does it for the money. As Freya works to fix things, Jake and Freya get closer. However, there are many ups and downs in their story as they navigate work, rivalries, and their own insecurities. Will they be able to make things work?
I went into this book a little apprehensive after reading through the reviews. There are many negative reviews and the average star rating is 3.19 on Goodreads and 2.97 on StoryGraph. I tried to go into the book with an open mind, and I’m glad I did. While there were things I didn’t like about the book, I still enjoyed reading it! I’m honestly a little confused where some of the really negative reviews came from as I either missed those parts of the book or it has been revised. I didn’t love Jake, but he wasn’t misogynistic as noted. Overall, combining the positive and negative things about the book, it ends up being mid.
Thank you to NetGalley, Boldwood Books, and Victoria Walters for the opportunity to read this ARC!
This book is written from the POV of Freya. She is trying to break through the literary world and become an agent. She is tasked with the job of going to a romance conference in NYC with Jake, an author who just got blacklisted by the romance community for getting caught saying that writing romance is easy and he just does it for the money. As Freya works to fix things, Jake and Freya get closer. However, there are many ups and downs in their story as they navigate work, rivalries, and their own insecurities. Will they be able to make things work?
I went into this book a little apprehensive after reading through the reviews. There are many negative reviews and the average star rating is 3.19 on Goodreads and 2.97 on StoryGraph. I tried to go into the book with an open mind, and I’m glad I did. While there were things I didn’t like about the book, I still enjoyed reading it! I’m honestly a little confused where some of the really negative reviews came from as I either missed those parts of the book or it has been revised. I didn’t love Jake, but he wasn’t misogynistic as noted. Overall, combining the positive and negative things about the book, it ends up being mid.
September 7, 2025
Imagine working tirelessly for your dreams, only for life (or in this case, a book!) to throw in an unexpected chance at achieving them. The catch? You have to do the impossible—teamed up with your favorite romance author, the very one who managed to annoy not just you, but the entire romance reader community!
This book is unapologetically cheesy… and honestly, I loved every bit of it. Sometimes, that extra cheesiness is exactly what we need to feel swoony again. Yes, some lines were over the top and a little cringe—but instead of putting me off, they gave me butterflies, something I’ve been missing in romance reads lately.
Jake, the swoony romance author, may throw in a cheesy line here and there, but that just adds to his charm. And Freya? She’s an absolute ray of sunshine—strong, warm, and impossible not to love. Their dynamic had me grinning and kicking my feet more times than I can count.
I also adored the clever nod to Turn the Pages from The Plot Twist (another one of Victoria’s books) and the little plot twist that came with it—it made me love this even more.
It’s safe to say Long Story Short was exactly the drop of swoony romance I needed. If you’re in the mood for a romance that’s heartwarming, a little over-the-top in the best way, and guaranteed to make you swoon, this is the book for you. 💕
This book is unapologetically cheesy… and honestly, I loved every bit of it. Sometimes, that extra cheesiness is exactly what we need to feel swoony again. Yes, some lines were over the top and a little cringe—but instead of putting me off, they gave me butterflies, something I’ve been missing in romance reads lately.
Jake, the swoony romance author, may throw in a cheesy line here and there, but that just adds to his charm. And Freya? She’s an absolute ray of sunshine—strong, warm, and impossible not to love. Their dynamic had me grinning and kicking my feet more times than I can count.
I also adored the clever nod to Turn the Pages from The Plot Twist (another one of Victoria’s books) and the little plot twist that came with it—it made me love this even more.
It’s safe to say Long Story Short was exactly the drop of swoony romance I needed. If you’re in the mood for a romance that’s heartwarming, a little over-the-top in the best way, and guaranteed to make you swoon, this is the book for you. 💕
April 20, 2025
Okay, grumpy-sunshine/enemies to lovers, eat your heart out!
I've read a few of Victoria Walters' books now, and this was precisely the kind of story I would have expected.
Another story in the publishing world which I LOVE!
Our FMC is Freya. She's a true romantic, as well as a romance fan. Working as an assistant at a Literary agency is a dream for her, and she aspires to be an agent one day.
Enter our MMC, Jake, a grumpy but popular romance author who is one of Freya's boss's biggest clients, and also out of favour with the romance community at this stage, because of some unsavoury comments about the genre.
By a twist of fate, Freya ends up on a business trip to New York, a place she has dreamt of going to, accompanying Jake, with the sole goal of repairing his reputation at a Romance conference.
OMG! So much to love, here!
We always go into a romance expecting a HEA or HFN, and the journey to that ending makes or breaks a story.
The difficulties that both Freya and Jake go through during this trip make for gripping reading. I finished this in one day! Plus, there is a bit of a spice factor going on!!
And featuring a previous book's character was another little bonus. I love revisiting characters and hearing how they are getting on. :)
I've read a few of Victoria Walters' books now, and this was precisely the kind of story I would have expected.
Another story in the publishing world which I LOVE!
Our FMC is Freya. She's a true romantic, as well as a romance fan. Working as an assistant at a Literary agency is a dream for her, and she aspires to be an agent one day.
Enter our MMC, Jake, a grumpy but popular romance author who is one of Freya's boss's biggest clients, and also out of favour with the romance community at this stage, because of some unsavoury comments about the genre.
By a twist of fate, Freya ends up on a business trip to New York, a place she has dreamt of going to, accompanying Jake, with the sole goal of repairing his reputation at a Romance conference.
OMG! So much to love, here!
We always go into a romance expecting a HEA or HFN, and the journey to that ending makes or breaks a story.
The difficulties that both Freya and Jake go through during this trip make for gripping reading. I finished this in one day! Plus, there is a bit of a spice factor going on!!
And featuring a previous book's character was another little bonus. I love revisiting characters and hearing how they are getting on. :)
May 10, 2025
Thank you to Boldwood books for the advanced copy of this novel.
It started with a penis pencil and ended with Freya saving Jake's a$$ when his mouth caught up to him.
This story introduces Freya, an insanely honest and stress dressing MFC and broody author Jake,who pissed off his fans and has been cancelled in the literary world. Freya is assigned as his fill in agent to try to restore his reputation and earn back the favor of his romance fans. She is basically the Tree Paine to Taylor Swift. He might as well be climbing MT Everest to save his career. Freya is in a kill or be killed industry and appears to be the only one with an ounce of decency and honesty. She ends up using this to her favor and gains the trust of Jake, who slowly sheds his hardened shell.
The enemies to lovers, slow burn was so worth it and so well played. The cause of Jake's fall from grace is revealed slowly as the author focuses on peeling back the layers of each character and creating a solid foundation for the two.
The main source of conflict comes by Freya's cut throat boss who is basically Miranda Presley and a lion in sheep's clothing. This was enough conflict and propelled the story forward, but at last, we were given a third act breakup that didn't need to happen.
It started with a penis pencil and ended with Freya saving Jake's a$$ when his mouth caught up to him.
This story introduces Freya, an insanely honest and stress dressing MFC and broody author Jake,who pissed off his fans and has been cancelled in the literary world. Freya is assigned as his fill in agent to try to restore his reputation and earn back the favor of his romance fans. She is basically the Tree Paine to Taylor Swift. He might as well be climbing MT Everest to save his career. Freya is in a kill or be killed industry and appears to be the only one with an ounce of decency and honesty. She ends up using this to her favor and gains the trust of Jake, who slowly sheds his hardened shell.
The enemies to lovers, slow burn was so worth it and so well played. The cause of Jake's fall from grace is revealed slowly as the author focuses on peeling back the layers of each character and creating a solid foundation for the two.
The main source of conflict comes by Freya's cut throat boss who is basically Miranda Presley and a lion in sheep's clothing. This was enough conflict and propelled the story forward, but at last, we were given a third act breakup that didn't need to happen.
April 9, 2025
I received this ARC on NetGalley. Freya is our FMC who is an assistant to a literary agent that specializes in romance. She is hopeful to get a promotion to a be a literary agent herself, so whenticed by a trip to NYC to prove herself, she is anxious to prove herself. Unfortunately the job entails saving the dying career of romance writer Jake Richards. I feel this book was quite predictable. The way it built up with her running into Jake just moments after finishing his novel, and discussing it on the phone with her sister while he was as a bystander seems implausible. The writing felt amateurish, “ I left Oxford Circus station and passed by the shops that were a dangerous temptation every day and headed down a side street towards my place of work.” My place of work feels unnecessary when the explanation for her employment is coming up. I was walking to work, trying not to be distracted by the shops in my periphery. At times the story felt too wordy. But the idea is adorable, I like the idea of Freya cracking through Jake’s ice and making him realize romance is for him in the end. Thank you for letting me read this new romance novel, to NetGalley and the author!
May 6, 2025
This spicy, trope-packed romance throws two unlikely characters together in the city that never sleeps—and makes them confront not just each other, but their own messy truths.
Freya Harrison, a literary assistant desperate for her big break, is suddenly tasked with managing the agency’s most difficult (and now most hated) client: Jake Richards, a best-selling romance author who’s just insulted his entire audience. She already thinks he’s arrogant—now she has to drag him through a week-long romance conference in New York, keeping both their careers from going up in flames.
What unfolds is a delicious slow burn with all the good stuff: enemies forced to work in close quarters, sharp banter that shifts from snarky to steamy, and a grumpy-sunshine pairing that somehow works perfectly. Jake may fall first, but Freya’s journey—learning to stand up, speak up, and believe in herself—is what steals the show.
The writing isn’t flawless—some early dialogue stumbles, and a few moments feel more like romcom tropes than true character growth—but the chemistry and emotional payoff still hit hard. If you love stories with redemption arcs, reluctant partners, and a bit of heat under pressure, this one will charm you.
Messy, funny, and heartfelt—Long Story Short delivers on the romance.
#LongStoryShort #RomComReads #BookReview #EnemiesToLovers #GrumpySunshine #RomanceBookstagram #SpicyReads #ContemporaryRomance #BookishLove #SlowBurnRomance #HeFallsFirst #RomanceReaders #BooksCoffeeBrews #RomanceRecs #WeekendR
Freya Harrison, a literary assistant desperate for her big break, is suddenly tasked with managing the agency’s most difficult (and now most hated) client: Jake Richards, a best-selling romance author who’s just insulted his entire audience. She already thinks he’s arrogant—now she has to drag him through a week-long romance conference in New York, keeping both their careers from going up in flames.
What unfolds is a delicious slow burn with all the good stuff: enemies forced to work in close quarters, sharp banter that shifts from snarky to steamy, and a grumpy-sunshine pairing that somehow works perfectly. Jake may fall first, but Freya’s journey—learning to stand up, speak up, and believe in herself—is what steals the show.
The writing isn’t flawless—some early dialogue stumbles, and a few moments feel more like romcom tropes than true character growth—but the chemistry and emotional payoff still hit hard. If you love stories with redemption arcs, reluctant partners, and a bit of heat under pressure, this one will charm you.
Messy, funny, and heartfelt—Long Story Short delivers on the romance.
#LongStoryShort #RomComReads #BookReview #EnemiesToLovers #GrumpySunshine #RomanceBookstagram #SpicyReads #ContemporaryRomance #BookishLove #SlowBurnRomance #HeFallsFirst #RomanceReaders #BooksCoffeeBrews #RomanceRecs #WeekendR
April 11, 2025
Long Story Short was such a cute read! While the explosive chemistry between Freya and Jake starts as dislike, it doesn’t take too long before it morphs into something else. It makes perfect sense to me for two people with writing brains to eventually see all that they do have in common & the power that those shared interests hold.
One of the things I loved in this story was watching Jake soften. He’s cold on the exterior at the beginning but it was so sweet seeing him warm up towards Freya as the story went on. That softer side really makes him a fantastic romantic character.
Victoria Walters has delivered another brilliant cutesy romance story! It was so easy to cheer for Freya and watching Freya find her voice was wonderful to see. This book is so very British in the most charming of ways!
Thank you to Boldwood Books for the opportunity to read and review this book! I received a free advance copy of this book via NetGalley and am voluntarily leaving a review. All opinions expressed are my own.
One of the things I loved in this story was watching Jake soften. He’s cold on the exterior at the beginning but it was so sweet seeing him warm up towards Freya as the story went on. That softer side really makes him a fantastic romantic character.
Victoria Walters has delivered another brilliant cutesy romance story! It was so easy to cheer for Freya and watching Freya find her voice was wonderful to see. This book is so very British in the most charming of ways!
Thank you to Boldwood Books for the opportunity to read and review this book! I received a free advance copy of this book via NetGalley and am voluntarily leaving a review. All opinions expressed are my own.
May 13, 2025
Thank you to Net Galley, the author, and the publisher for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
Long Story Short is a romance between Freya (a literary agent) and Jake (a romance author). Jake gets caught saying he hates writing romance novels and it's Freya's job to help repair his reputation so he can publish another book.
Overall, I found this book to be very predictable but cute. It hit all the notes that you expect from a romance novel. I could have told you the plot without reading it, but even so, I found myself enjoying it well enough.
This is very "grumpy/sunshine" trope-heavy. I didn't understand when they instantly fell in love with each other. I felt like there was no real connection or conversation that moved them in that direction that made it understandable. A few times Jake said that Freya "wasn't like anyone else he ever met before", but why? I still don't know what he found to be so unique. Little things like this could have been more fleshed out.
This is a quick read and a good romance.
Long Story Short is a romance between Freya (a literary agent) and Jake (a romance author). Jake gets caught saying he hates writing romance novels and it's Freya's job to help repair his reputation so he can publish another book.
Overall, I found this book to be very predictable but cute. It hit all the notes that you expect from a romance novel. I could have told you the plot without reading it, but even so, I found myself enjoying it well enough.
This is very "grumpy/sunshine" trope-heavy. I didn't understand when they instantly fell in love with each other. I felt like there was no real connection or conversation that moved them in that direction that made it understandable. A few times Jake said that Freya "wasn't like anyone else he ever met before", but why? I still don't know what he found to be so unique. Little things like this could have been more fleshed out.
This is a quick read and a good romance.
May 19, 2025
I enjoyed the book
Tropes:
✈️ Grumpy sunshine
✈️ Slow burn
✈️ He falls first
✈️ Enemies to lovers
✈️ Age gap
✈️ Reputation redemption
✈️ Workplace romance
✈️ Spicy
Can Freya fix Jake’s reputation without losing her heart?
Assistant literary agent Freya Harrison never thought her chance at a big break would look like this: at a swanky romance conference in New York, managing the agency’s most insufferable client.
Sure, Jake Richards is a global best-selling author, adored by all his fans. But on meeting him, Freya finds him arrogant, condescending, and, worst of all, a complete phony.
After being overheard calling romance ‘easy money’ and his readers ‘fools’, Jake’s reputation is tanking. And it’s Freya’s job to clean up the mess – and maybe, finally prove her worth to her boss.
But with Jake one slip away from another PR disaster, doubts are starting to set in.
Tropes:
✈️ Grumpy sunshine
✈️ Slow burn
✈️ He falls first
✈️ Enemies to lovers
✈️ Age gap
✈️ Reputation redemption
✈️ Workplace romance
✈️ Spicy
Can Freya fix Jake’s reputation without losing her heart?
Assistant literary agent Freya Harrison never thought her chance at a big break would look like this: at a swanky romance conference in New York, managing the agency’s most insufferable client.
Sure, Jake Richards is a global best-selling author, adored by all his fans. But on meeting him, Freya finds him arrogant, condescending, and, worst of all, a complete phony.
After being overheard calling romance ‘easy money’ and his readers ‘fools’, Jake’s reputation is tanking. And it’s Freya’s job to clean up the mess – and maybe, finally prove her worth to her boss.
But with Jake one slip away from another PR disaster, doubts are starting to set in.
April 19, 2025
Received as an arc from Netgally I loved the premise of this book, I loved the characters Jake and Freya, I thought they had great chemistry together and didn’t want the story to end
Jake is an author who’s been overheard by a reporter saying that he hates romance which is what his books are all about. Freya is assistant to Hayley who is his agent.
Hayley manages to get Jake a place on at the Romance conference in New York, but she’s unable to go as her sister is getting married so suggests that Freya goes instead
Jake shows Freya around New York where things start to hot up between them. Unfortunately things come to an end when someone sees them and some misunderstandings happen. But will they get back to each other before it’s too late….
Jake is an author who’s been overheard by a reporter saying that he hates romance which is what his books are all about. Freya is assistant to Hayley who is his agent.
Hayley manages to get Jake a place on at the Romance conference in New York, but she’s unable to go as her sister is getting married so suggests that Freya goes instead
Jake shows Freya around New York where things start to hot up between them. Unfortunately things come to an end when someone sees them and some misunderstandings happen. But will they get back to each other before it’s too late….
April 4, 2025
Thank you to Netgalley and Bold Book Club for the chance to read this ARC.
This book follows this literary world with our FMC being an aspiring literary agent and our MMC as a romance author.
I really enjoyed this book. I read it in one day! It was the perfect palate cleanser after reading Say You'll Remember Me.
I liked that the first part of the book was set in New York and had a little Serendipity tie in (I love that movie!)
I feel that this book might have benefited from a dual POV. It did get a bit dry sometimes always being the FMC's POV.
Overall, I'm a sucker for a cute ROMCOM and this was just that!
3.5 stars
This book follows this literary world with our FMC being an aspiring literary agent and our MMC as a romance author.
I really enjoyed this book. I read it in one day! It was the perfect palate cleanser after reading Say You'll Remember Me.
I liked that the first part of the book was set in New York and had a little Serendipity tie in (I love that movie!)
I feel that this book might have benefited from a dual POV. It did get a bit dry sometimes always being the FMC's POV.
Overall, I'm a sucker for a cute ROMCOM and this was just that!
3.5 stars
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