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The London Arts Club #1
Handle with Care
Two interns. One permanent job. And one missing art museum exhibit.
Dylan Alexander doesn’t need a boyfriend. Having one will only slow him down.
Freshly graduated from university, Dylan’s arrived in London, England from Vancouver, Canada for a summer internship at the London Art and Design Museum. He’s also looking for strings-free fun and a fresh dating scene. This is Dylan’s dream chance to start his career and land a permanent job in London—or else he must return to Vancouver where museum jobs are rare, and the dating pool is old news. Everything’s going great in his new life—except for one thing. Dylan must put up with rival museum intern William Martin-Greene.
Will is everything Dylan can’t flashy, arrogant, and entitled. Forget that he’s too handsome for his own good and knows it. It’s bad luck that they both started on the same internship program. At least they work safely apart in different departments—until one day, they’re forced to work together when Will unexpectedly joins Dylan’s Curatorial team. So much for the avoidance strategy that had worked so far. Will’s arrival on his team is also not helping his unmistakable attraction. When Dylan and Will end up stranded together while collecting exhibits, with only one bed to share, they can’t deny their chemistry.
Soon, they learn only one permanent job is on offer at the end of the summer, and the competition is on to be the best intern. They both share the blame when an important design exhibit goes missing and risks the unexpected summer romance between them. Then, everything is on the line—including hearts, careers, and a chance at love.
A charming rivals-to-lovers, boy-next-door summer romance.
Dylan Alexander doesn’t need a boyfriend. Having one will only slow him down.
Freshly graduated from university, Dylan’s arrived in London, England from Vancouver, Canada for a summer internship at the London Art and Design Museum. He’s also looking for strings-free fun and a fresh dating scene. This is Dylan’s dream chance to start his career and land a permanent job in London—or else he must return to Vancouver where museum jobs are rare, and the dating pool is old news. Everything’s going great in his new life—except for one thing. Dylan must put up with rival museum intern William Martin-Greene.
Will is everything Dylan can’t flashy, arrogant, and entitled. Forget that he’s too handsome for his own good and knows it. It’s bad luck that they both started on the same internship program. At least they work safely apart in different departments—until one day, they’re forced to work together when Will unexpectedly joins Dylan’s Curatorial team. So much for the avoidance strategy that had worked so far. Will’s arrival on his team is also not helping his unmistakable attraction. When Dylan and Will end up stranded together while collecting exhibits, with only one bed to share, they can’t deny their chemistry.
Soon, they learn only one permanent job is on offer at the end of the summer, and the competition is on to be the best intern. They both share the blame when an important design exhibit goes missing and risks the unexpected summer romance between them. Then, everything is on the line—including hearts, careers, and a chance at love.
A charming rivals-to-lovers, boy-next-door summer romance.
384 pages, Paperback
Published October 14, 2025
19 people are currently reading
6264 people want to read
About the author
Hayden Stone
6 books258 followersMore animal than mineral, Hayden Stone is a writer of queer fiction, especially with kissing. He currently lives in Victoria, Canada, and has previously lived in Vancouver, Canada and London, UK. Hayden likes strong coffee and is owned by two cats.
Pronouns: he/him
Pronouns: he/him
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 55 reviews
December 18, 2025
Over the years, I've become an eager reader of m4m romances... nothing too gushy, nothing too explicit. They should have a few hot scenes, a few moments of romance and love... but the characters need to be real and completely pop out of the pages. Handle with Care is a good example. A transplant from Canada and a local Londoner (or he's really from Cambridge) compete at an internship in a museum. Their meet cute is a disaster in public, but underneath the introductions, something started to smolder.
I loved that we only saw it from 1 character POV. Often the chapters alternate so we see how they feel about each other in the privacy of their own separate lives. A few surprises along the way, some I'm entirely sure I believe... but ultimately, it felt like a potential real-life situation, sans the HEA. Do those really exist? LOL, I'm becoming a pessimist. Enjoyed the story and will check out more from the author now. Thanks.
I loved that we only saw it from 1 character POV. Often the chapters alternate so we see how they feel about each other in the privacy of their own separate lives. A few surprises along the way, some I'm entirely sure I believe... but ultimately, it felt like a potential real-life situation, sans the HEA. Do those really exist? LOL, I'm becoming a pessimist. Enjoyed the story and will check out more from the author now. Thanks.
November 30, 2025
I’m not sure how I feel about this book. I liked the story, the setting, and the characters, even if Dylan was a bit annoying at times and Will was too mysterious. But also, it didn’t help that it was all in a single POV. It has to be said that the plot seemed a bit out there, at least to me. I don’t know how museums work, but I found it extremely random that they would leave 90% of the fate of an important exhibit to two interns. Their supervisor really just gave them a spreadsheet and had them running all around London collecting extremely valuable pieces.
There’s also the issue of the random pacing. There were the typical “a couple of weeks passed,” “two weeks later,” “the next week was the same,” etc., which made it hard to tell how much time had passed. How long had they even been together before the big love declarations happened?
And on a very personal note, I don’t know if it’s just me, but Dylan being Canadian sometimes felt like an afterthought. He often read British, even using British slang in his inner monologues. Also, the fact that he got a job and a work visa after just two weeks of sending out resumes has to be the most fictional part of this book.
Thanks to NetGalley for this ARC!
There’s also the issue of the random pacing. There were the typical “a couple of weeks passed,” “two weeks later,” “the next week was the same,” etc., which made it hard to tell how much time had passed. How long had they even been together before the big love declarations happened?
And on a very personal note, I don’t know if it’s just me, but Dylan being Canadian sometimes felt like an afterthought. He often read British, even using British slang in his inner monologues. Also, the fact that he got a job and a work visa after just two weeks of sending out resumes has to be the most fictional part of this book.
Thanks to NetGalley for this ARC!
December 9, 2025
ARC
eARC recieved from NetGalley.
Handle with Care was a charming read, equal parts cute, funny, and romantic. It’s the classic rivals-to-lovers setup with a museum twist, and I had a good time with it. both our mcs felt relatable to me, which is rare. Dylan with his self-deprecating humor and Will’s struggle with migraines (poor guy deserved all the naps he took 🫂)
the beginning gave me My Oxford Year flashbacks 😭 what a classic way to introduce the characters to each other. guy gets drenched by a driver, they end up working at the same place, and then they’re competing for the same position 🫣 their romance develops naturally, with great chemistry and banter, though I will say the time jumps were a little messy at times and broke the flow.
plot-wise, it’s enjoyable but not without its quirks. and while I understand that fiction does not have to always be realistic, I couldn’t buy into the whole “two interns tasked with collecting 200 pieces of antique fashion” thing. It’s just not realistic for a major museum. that kind of responsibility would NEVER fall solely on interns — too much liability. I get why it was needed for the conflict to work, but it made it harder for me to stay fully immersed. they do acknowledge it later on, but still.
that said, Will’s reasoning towards the end really pulled me back in lol 😭 the speed with which I understood and totally agreed with him was embarrasing. I loved how their relationship resolved and I wish we’d gotten a little more of them after they got together.
pre-read જ⁀➴
╰┈➤ got an arc for this one! this feels like the perfect road-trip read, so I'm saving it for my weekend drive 😚
╰┈➤ this is the prettiest book ever? the cover, first page, and chapter headers?? they're all so pretty!!
eARC recieved from NetGalley.
Handle with Care was a charming read, equal parts cute, funny, and romantic. It’s the classic rivals-to-lovers setup with a museum twist, and I had a good time with it. both our mcs felt relatable to me, which is rare. Dylan with his self-deprecating humor and Will’s struggle with migraines (poor guy deserved all the naps he took 🫂)
the beginning gave me My Oxford Year flashbacks 😭 what a classic way to introduce the characters to each other. guy gets drenched by a driver, they end up working at the same place, and then they’re competing for the same position 🫣 their romance develops naturally, with great chemistry and banter, though I will say the time jumps were a little messy at times and broke the flow.
plot-wise, it’s enjoyable but not without its quirks. and while I understand that fiction does not have to always be realistic, I couldn’t buy into the whole “two interns tasked with collecting 200 pieces of antique fashion” thing. It’s just not realistic for a major museum. that kind of responsibility would NEVER fall solely on interns — too much liability. I get why it was needed for the conflict to work, but it made it harder for me to stay fully immersed. they do acknowledge it later on, but still.
that said, Will’s reasoning towards the end really pulled me back in lol 😭 the speed with which I understood and totally agreed with him was embarrasing. I loved how their relationship resolved and I wish we’d gotten a little more of them after they got together.
pre-read જ⁀➴
╰┈➤ got an arc for this one! this feels like the perfect road-trip read, so I'm saving it for my weekend drive 😚
╰┈➤ this is the prettiest book ever? the cover, first page, and chapter headers?? they're all so pretty!!
September 22, 2025
This was my favorite Hayden Stone book.
Dylan is an intern at a London museum, but on his first day he has an unfortunate(disastrous) encounter with another intern. Will is entitled and clearly doesn't deserve to get into the internship because he doesn't have a degree or experience like Dylan. To make things even messiest they end up having to work together in an exhibit. Oh, and in the end only one of them will get a permanent job, and Dylan definitely doesn't intend to get back to Canada.
This was so cute and fun. I love the characters and it was a perfect lighthearted romance to just escape into.
Thank you Netgalley and Hayden for the ARC!
Dylan is an intern at a London museum, but on his first day he has an unfortunate(disastrous) encounter with another intern. Will is entitled and clearly doesn't deserve to get into the internship because he doesn't have a degree or experience like Dylan. To make things even messiest they end up having to work together in an exhibit. Oh, and in the end only one of them will get a permanent job, and Dylan definitely doesn't intend to get back to Canada.
This was so cute and fun. I love the characters and it was a perfect lighthearted romance to just escape into.
Thank you Netgalley and Hayden for the ARC!
October 21, 2025
I received an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
Charming, yet a bit lackluster. First off, the cover is absolutely stunning. But honestly, this book seems to have zero concept of reality. I don’t think the author spent more than two minutes researching anything before tossing it into the plot, and it shows. Most of the time, the plot tries to dodge the "background" details (museum setting, art history, and exhibition) to focus on the relationship and banter instead. The pacing is wildly uneven, with big jumps in time throughout the internship that feel jarring.
The disability representation was a pleasant surprise, but like everything else, it quickly gets overdone and passes into rather unrealistic territory. The “mystery” wraps up in a predictable, rushed, and somewhat messy way. It all felt kind of YA to me, despite being an adult book with “a lot” of spice. It starts off with slapstick comedy, the MCs are immature, and the conflicts come off as teenage drama.
Another gripe: there’s absolutely no supporting cast. Sure, a few other characters show up here and there (the museum manager, Will’s brother, Dylan’s bestie in Canada) but they’re just cardboard cutouts to bounce ideas off of, to push the plot forward, with zero personality of their own. It felt a bit hollow, soulless even, at times.
All in all, the book sometimes read like a generic rom-com with an artsy glossy finish, not a fully realized novel. But if you’re not here for realism and don’t YA novels marketed as Adult for the hanky-panky, this may be for you. It has good banter and believable chemistry between the MCs. It also has a plot that is easy to follow and rather engaging!
Charming, yet a bit lackluster. First off, the cover is absolutely stunning. But honestly, this book seems to have zero concept of reality. I don’t think the author spent more than two minutes researching anything before tossing it into the plot, and it shows. Most of the time, the plot tries to dodge the "background" details (museum setting, art history, and exhibition) to focus on the relationship and banter instead. The pacing is wildly uneven, with big jumps in time throughout the internship that feel jarring.
The disability representation was a pleasant surprise, but like everything else, it quickly gets overdone and passes into rather unrealistic territory. The “mystery” wraps up in a predictable, rushed, and somewhat messy way. It all felt kind of YA to me, despite being an adult book with “a lot” of spice. It starts off with slapstick comedy, the MCs are immature, and the conflicts come off as teenage drama.
Another gripe: there’s absolutely no supporting cast. Sure, a few other characters show up here and there (the museum manager, Will’s brother, Dylan’s bestie in Canada) but they’re just cardboard cutouts to bounce ideas off of, to push the plot forward, with zero personality of their own. It felt a bit hollow, soulless even, at times.
All in all, the book sometimes read like a generic rom-com with an artsy glossy finish, not a fully realized novel. But if you’re not here for realism and don’t YA novels marketed as Adult for the hanky-panky, this may be for you. It has good banter and believable chemistry between the MCs. It also has a plot that is easy to follow and rather engaging!
October 8, 2025
Thank you so much @haydenstoneauthor for the advanced copy to review!
I had the best time reading this book. Don’t you just *love* a lovable nerdy quirky self deprecating mess?? I do. Dylan was so much fun and I had a great time rooting for him with all of the things. From the museum internship to winning over Will to finding the lost exhibit, it was easy to cheer him on.
The banter in this book is fantastic, and Dylan’s sarcastic and joking nature went so well with Will’s more subdued personality. I loved the rivals to lovers aspect and how they became a team. Being vulnerable with each other. We love to see it!!!
I also *LOVE* only one bed moments and this one was SO genuinely sweet and cute and that first kiss was truly electric. Their feelings just took over and it was magic. Their first date turned three dates, pushing each other to do things they were afraid of, figuring things out together… they were so sweet!
I really loved Will’s backstory. There was so much beauty in his story, and I love that we didn’t shy away from the tougher aspects of his life including his disability and migraines. It was wonderful to see this represented so beautifully in a story, and I liked how Dylan fumbled sometimes with it. We all mess up - but it’s important to learn from it.
This one is out on 10/14 and I’d recommend it!!
I had the best time reading this book. Don’t you just *love* a lovable nerdy quirky self deprecating mess?? I do. Dylan was so much fun and I had a great time rooting for him with all of the things. From the museum internship to winning over Will to finding the lost exhibit, it was easy to cheer him on.
The banter in this book is fantastic, and Dylan’s sarcastic and joking nature went so well with Will’s more subdued personality. I loved the rivals to lovers aspect and how they became a team. Being vulnerable with each other. We love to see it!!!
I also *LOVE* only one bed moments and this one was SO genuinely sweet and cute and that first kiss was truly electric. Their feelings just took over and it was magic. Their first date turned three dates, pushing each other to do things they were afraid of, figuring things out together… they were so sweet!
I really loved Will’s backstory. There was so much beauty in his story, and I love that we didn’t shy away from the tougher aspects of his life including his disability and migraines. It was wonderful to see this represented so beautifully in a story, and I liked how Dylan fumbled sometimes with it. We all mess up - but it’s important to learn from it.
This one is out on 10/14 and I’d recommend it!!
October 19, 2025
A fun MLM, rep-disability romance. This is also some kind of rivals to lovers along the way and some fun banters between the pairing.
What I really liked about this story was where it was focus on– the museum workplace romance to be specific, which was quite a fun walk-through for me. I really enjoyed their time here and there.
I think my issues would be on Dylan because, obviously, this is a rival to romance trope, but Dylan's character seemed to be a little insufferable with his issues with Will (or Wil (I'm sorry I easily forget things 😭)) and really seemed to be a little bit unfair to him outside the whole rivalry going on.
Although the romance was okay in general and they managed to cosy up with each other, and they were really cute at some point.
Other than that, the storyline or the development and execution of the stages of the story was messy for my liking, like the organisation was not really well put for a very solid especially somewhere towards the end where it felt a little rush and anticlimactic to me.
Final verdict: 3⭐️. An okay real overall. Thank you, author and publisher, for the e- arc via Netgalley.
What I really liked about this story was where it was focus on– the museum workplace romance to be specific, which was quite a fun walk-through for me. I really enjoyed their time here and there.
I think my issues would be on Dylan because, obviously, this is a rival to romance trope, but Dylan's character seemed to be a little insufferable with his issues with Will (or Wil (I'm sorry I easily forget things 😭)) and really seemed to be a little bit unfair to him outside the whole rivalry going on.
Although the romance was okay in general and they managed to cosy up with each other, and they were really cute at some point.
Other than that, the storyline or the development and execution of the stages of the story was messy for my liking, like the organisation was not really well put for a very solid especially somewhere towards the end where it felt a little rush and anticlimactic to me.
Final verdict: 3⭐️. An okay real overall. Thank you, author and publisher, for the e- arc via Netgalley.
October 16, 2025
My thanks to the publisher for granting me a review copy!
I'm of two minds about this book. Over here, it's a cute, fun read, and over there, some of the context is mind-boggling in its lack of realism.
We get a delightful romance set in London, England, between a Canadian freshly graduated from university with a degree in art starting a summer internship for a few months at the London Art and Design Museum and his rival intern, a Brit who doesn't have an art degree but got the internship anyway, for reasons.
Dylan, the Canadian, is a bit acerbic and snarky with Will, the Brit, since Will splashed Dylan with his fancy McLaren the first day of the internship which caused Dylan to show up at the museum looking like a drowned rat. Thus begins the hate-ship Dylan has with Mr. McLaren (Will), which is only exacerbated upon realizing that Will is also an intern who might quite possibly get the permanent job at the end of the summer which means that Dylan will have to go back to Vancouver.
Dylan is grateful that Will is assigned to the Development team instead of the Curatorial team, and thus doesn't have to work directly with Will.
Until he does.
And there began the part of the book that had me wondering in what realistic world two interns, only one of whom has an actual degree in art, are then send unsupervised to collect 252 (!!) artifacts for an upcoming exhibit all over London and other parts of England, putting them under a very short deadline and thus immense stress. Is that really how these things would be handled? Two interns without any real experience of handling such things being given a massive spreadsheet to keep track of everything, and handling in some instances priceless, irreplaceable artifacts, without anyone checking behind them? Are there any other people working at the museum? Now I'm not saying that fiction has to be hyper-realistic - many of us read to escape reality - but I expect it to at least be believable, and this just didn't gel. Obviously, this was a conscious choice here to make the inevitable conflict work properly, but it just felt far-fetched. It is acknowledged toward the end that this was a bad decision, so I was a bit mollified.
I did like the relationship. Both Dylan and Will have their personal issues, and while I certainly enjoyed the initial animosity (snarky snark snark), I did also enjoy their developing romance. Both had quirks, but both seemed to be supportive of each other, and allowing themselves to feel what they feel. As Dylan learns more about Will, I could clearly see him soften and feel even a bit ashamed for how he initially treated and talked about him. Will too begins to change his stance toward Dylan, and I completely bought the explanation of why he was standoffish at first. That's a big thing to trust someone with, and I loved how much of a non-event it was for Dylan, and how considerate he was of Will. The ultimate climactic event was believable, though I did roll my eyes a little at how it came about - maybe don't do that in a storage room, eh?
This is my first book by this author, but I'm interested in checking out more of their work. I appreciate the character development presented in this book, and though the ending felt a little rushed, I enjoyed how it ended. Nicely done!
** I received a free copy of this book from its publisher via Netgalley. A positive review was not promised in return. **
I'm of two minds about this book. Over here, it's a cute, fun read, and over there, some of the context is mind-boggling in its lack of realism.
We get a delightful romance set in London, England, between a Canadian freshly graduated from university with a degree in art starting a summer internship for a few months at the London Art and Design Museum and his rival intern, a Brit who doesn't have an art degree but got the internship anyway, for reasons.
Dylan, the Canadian, is a bit acerbic and snarky with Will, the Brit, since Will splashed Dylan with his fancy McLaren the first day of the internship which caused Dylan to show up at the museum looking like a drowned rat. Thus begins the hate-ship Dylan has with Mr. McLaren (Will), which is only exacerbated upon realizing that Will is also an intern who might quite possibly get the permanent job at the end of the summer which means that Dylan will have to go back to Vancouver.
Dylan is grateful that Will is assigned to the Development team instead of the Curatorial team, and thus doesn't have to work directly with Will.
Until he does.
And there began the part of the book that had me wondering in what realistic world two interns, only one of whom has an actual degree in art, are then send unsupervised to collect 252 (!!) artifacts for an upcoming exhibit all over London and other parts of England, putting them under a very short deadline and thus immense stress. Is that really how these things would be handled? Two interns without any real experience of handling such things being given a massive spreadsheet to keep track of everything, and handling in some instances priceless, irreplaceable artifacts, without anyone checking behind them? Are there any other people working at the museum? Now I'm not saying that fiction has to be hyper-realistic - many of us read to escape reality - but I expect it to at least be believable, and this just didn't gel. Obviously, this was a conscious choice here to make the inevitable conflict work properly, but it just felt far-fetched. It is acknowledged toward the end that this was a bad decision, so I was a bit mollified.
I did like the relationship. Both Dylan and Will have their personal issues, and while I certainly enjoyed the initial animosity (snarky snark snark), I did also enjoy their developing romance. Both had quirks, but both seemed to be supportive of each other, and allowing themselves to feel what they feel. As Dylan learns more about Will, I could clearly see him soften and feel even a bit ashamed for how he initially treated and talked about him. Will too begins to change his stance toward Dylan, and I completely bought the explanation of why he was standoffish at first. That's a big thing to trust someone with, and I loved how much of a non-event it was for Dylan, and how considerate he was of Will. The ultimate climactic event was believable, though I did roll my eyes a little at how it came about - maybe don't do that in a storage room, eh?
This is my first book by this author, but I'm interested in checking out more of their work. I appreciate the character development presented in this book, and though the ending felt a little rushed, I enjoyed how it ended. Nicely done!
** I received a free copy of this book from its publisher via Netgalley. A positive review was not promised in return. **
October 9, 2025
This was a cute little story. The romance was honestly adorable. That said I do wish we got more time with the characters. Once the book ended, I was left feeling like it honestly wasn’t enough. Like, it sort of ended abruptly? And when you think about it the characters have only known eachother for like three months? Don’t get me wrong, I definitely feel their chemistry and love but just give me more, you know? There happened to also be quite a bit of sex in this book which I don’t care much for personally but if that tickles your fancy all the power to you.
I have several issues with the book. Such as the timeline felt off at times. A week or two would pass by without notice. And the intern situation made no sense. These two were tasked with collecting and managing, I believe it was, 200+ fashion antiques/pieces. Which, I’m sorry, is not something that would casually be thrown at interns. It had me wondering what the actual employees at the company were doing the whole time the interns ran the entire operation. They were literally giving the hardest, most stress consuming part and might I add, giving the shortest deadline to, let me repeat, INTERNS! Especially with what happens towards the end of this book, and is the “conflict” of the story. It could have been easily avoided if the boss managed her employees and delegated the tasks to everyone in the office and not just the INTERNS! Also the “conflict” had me side eyeing the main characters because me and them, BOTH know what they did in that room and how they MIGHT have been distracted enough for said conflict to happen. Yeah, yeah… I know what you guys did in there and a real HR department would be flabbergasted.
Overall if you’re looking for something short, sweet and spicy take a little look at this one. I’ll give this book a 2.5!! Cute but lacked realism! And as always thank you Netgalley for the arc!
I have several issues with the book. Such as the timeline felt off at times. A week or two would pass by without notice. And the intern situation made no sense. These two were tasked with collecting and managing, I believe it was, 200+ fashion antiques/pieces. Which, I’m sorry, is not something that would casually be thrown at interns. It had me wondering what the actual employees at the company were doing the whole time the interns ran the entire operation. They were literally giving the hardest, most stress consuming part and might I add, giving the shortest deadline to, let me repeat, INTERNS! Especially with what happens towards the end of this book, and is the “conflict” of the story. It could have been easily avoided if the boss managed her employees and delegated the tasks to everyone in the office and not just the INTERNS! Also the “conflict” had me side eyeing the main characters because me and them, BOTH know what they did in that room and how they MIGHT have been distracted enough for said conflict to happen. Yeah, yeah… I know what you guys did in there and a real HR department would be flabbergasted.
Overall if you’re looking for something short, sweet and spicy take a little look at this one. I’ll give this book a 2.5!! Cute but lacked realism! And as always thank you Netgalley for the arc!
Read
October 4, 2025NetGalley ARC. Ultimately a pretty cute read, but with some fundamental issues for me that kept me from loving it.
You'll like this if you're looking for a cute and mostly light rivals-to-lovers story set in a London museum where once the protagonists fall, they fall hard and fast. And if you don't get stressed out by the idea of overworked interns :)
My issues: The museum's two Curatorial interns (originally one intern! They switched one over from Development, which I'm sure Development was super cool with) have a few weeks to sort out the remaining 252 (!) items for the exhibit, some of which haven't even been purchased or borrowed yet (!!), and they have to physically go get most of these important items (?!?). And even though previous museum experience wasn't required for the internship (??!??), their supervisor just turns them loose to coordinate all of this with minimal supervision (!!!?!?!?!). Maybe that's normal and I'm totally off base, but it seemed pretty outlandish to me. It bothered me through a lot of the book, especially when something goes wrong part way through and the boys get blamed for it. Also, this is a wild line from Dylan: "I might have a museum studies degree, but I only know a little about exhibitions". Literally what on earth else is that degree?
It's rivals-to-lovers, but for me their early banter wasn't fun, just kind of mean, especially from Dylan. Once they stop being rivals they pretty instantly fall in love, and I didn't feel that their relationship was built up enough to justify the deep feelings they immediately had.
That said, they were cute once they got together, and the second half of the book was stronger than the first, even though everything wrapped up a bit too quickly and neatly for me in the end.
You'll like this if you're looking for a cute and mostly light rivals-to-lovers story set in a London museum where once the protagonists fall, they fall hard and fast. And if you don't get stressed out by the idea of overworked interns :)
My issues: The museum's two Curatorial interns (originally one intern! They switched one over from Development, which I'm sure Development was super cool with) have a few weeks to sort out the remaining 252 (!) items for the exhibit, some of which haven't even been purchased or borrowed yet (!!), and they have to physically go get most of these important items (?!?). And even though previous museum experience wasn't required for the internship (??!??), their supervisor just turns them loose to coordinate all of this with minimal supervision (!!!?!?!?!). Maybe that's normal and I'm totally off base, but it seemed pretty outlandish to me. It bothered me through a lot of the book, especially when something goes wrong part way through and the boys get blamed for it. Also, this is a wild line from Dylan: "I might have a museum studies degree, but I only know a little about exhibitions". Literally what on earth else is that degree?
It's rivals-to-lovers, but for me their early banter wasn't fun, just kind of mean, especially from Dylan. Once they stop being rivals they pretty instantly fall in love, and I didn't feel that their relationship was built up enough to justify the deep feelings they immediately had.
That said, they were cute once they got together, and the second half of the book was stronger than the first, even though everything wrapped up a bit too quickly and neatly for me in the end.
October 4, 2025
4,5 ⭐️
This was my first Hayden Stone book — and I loved it!
I completely fell for Will and Dylan. I just adore them! 🩷
This story is such a cozy, lighthearted romance.
We follow Dylan, a Canadian intern working at a museum in London, where he meets his rival intern, Will. And well… we all know how a good frenemies-to-lovers story goes!
If you’re looking for a heartfelt romance with a few plot twists and plenty of vulnerability, this book is definitely for you.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read this ARC!
This was my first Hayden Stone book — and I loved it!
I completely fell for Will and Dylan. I just adore them! 🩷
This story is such a cozy, lighthearted romance.
We follow Dylan, a Canadian intern working at a museum in London, where he meets his rival intern, Will. And well… we all know how a good frenemies-to-lovers story goes!
If you’re looking for a heartfelt romance with a few plot twists and plenty of vulnerability, this book is definitely for you.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read this ARC!
October 14, 2025
From the description of this book, it seemed promising but it never hit the mark for me.
I liked elements of the story but the main character had a tendency to contradict his actions and his words. The different scenes seemed to move on too quickly without letting the plot breathe and since the duration of the book is only 3 months the amount of things happening left the story feeling a little like a chicken without a head.
The diversity in the book is great but it often fell short of true inclusion and Dylan sometimes strayed into infantilization when thinking about Will’s disability.
The ending is my final sticking point as i wish the conflict lead to something instead of being rushed over to achieve something for their relationship. The last chapter especially left me wanting for a more fleshed out ending but instead was rushed and felt more like a check list.
If you are looking for a short cute read I’d take a look! Thank you Hayden Stone and Netgalley for this ARC!
I liked elements of the story but the main character had a tendency to contradict his actions and his words. The different scenes seemed to move on too quickly without letting the plot breathe and since the duration of the book is only 3 months the amount of things happening left the story feeling a little like a chicken without a head.
The diversity in the book is great but it often fell short of true inclusion and Dylan sometimes strayed into infantilization when thinking about Will’s disability.
The ending is my final sticking point as i wish the conflict lead to something instead of being rushed over to achieve something for their relationship. The last chapter especially left me wanting for a more fleshed out ending but instead was rushed and felt more like a check list.
If you are looking for a short cute read I’d take a look! Thank you Hayden Stone and Netgalley for this ARC!
September 23, 2025
When Dlyan scores his dream museum internship in London the last thing he expected was that he would have competition. Enter Will, gorgeous and well off and there to compete with Dylan for the one spot remaining on the museum staff. If he loses, he has to leave London for good. But whej they are forced to work together to get pieces for an exhibition, they learn that their rivalry might have evolved into something more.
Dlyan is a fun protagonist. Snarky, fun loving, but serious about his work and his passion for the job. He’s kind enough to help Will learn the ropes of the Curation department, despite the several misunderstandings between them and the fact that they are both competing for the same job. The build up to their relationship was pretty cute. My only issue was Will seemed a bit withdrawn and tended to disappear every time there was an issue between them, which became pretty repetitive in the second half of the book.
Overall a fun read in a setting we don’t see a lot in romance novels!
I recieved an arc from netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
Dlyan is a fun protagonist. Snarky, fun loving, but serious about his work and his passion for the job. He’s kind enough to help Will learn the ropes of the Curation department, despite the several misunderstandings between them and the fact that they are both competing for the same job. The build up to their relationship was pretty cute. My only issue was Will seemed a bit withdrawn and tended to disappear every time there was an issue between them, which became pretty repetitive in the second half of the book.
Overall a fun read in a setting we don’t see a lot in romance novels!
I recieved an arc from netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
October 10, 2025
🌟3🌟
Thank you to NetGalley and Hayden Stone for this ARC!
Unfortunately, I didn’t enjoy this as much as I hoped to. Although the romance was sweet, I found Dylan’s character to be truly unlikeable. The main reason for this being his constant poking and prodding at Will (which he calls “teasing”…though it feels too rude to pass as teasing in my eyes) at the start of the book. To me, they just felt like incessantly rude remarks being thrown at Will which cemented Dylan as a very unlikeable and annoying character, particularly in those opening chapters. His annoying nature wasn’t helped by the fact that his hatred of Will felt kind of forced. I understand not liking someone because they splashed you with water as they drove past you, but consistently *hating* them and relentlessly talking about how much you hate them for the generally minor thing they did just felt wholly unbelievable to me. On top of that, there was more talk of Will’s less than appreciated qualities (e.g. “making messes” and “not even bothering to be considerate”) than actual demonstration, which left me with nothing of substance to truly base Dylan’s hatred of him on.
However, Dylan’s teasing does subside once him and Will get closer in work and feelings and Will admits how grating the teasing is (which I’m very glad for). Though, his teasing only stopped because Will detailed how much he hated it…I feel like Dylan should have seen how annoying it was or at the very least seen the incredibly irritated expression on Will’s face and just stopped because his remarks were truly very rude. Though, Dylan did mention that he teases Will to see his reaction, so I doubt Dylan actually cared about what Will’s expression meant as he only cared about eliciting said reaction. And considering once the romance truly kicks off, Dylan resorts to rarely teasing Will or teasing him in not overly rude way, it’s clear he very much could have stopped way earlier but kept going even at the detriment of their working relationship.
As for the romance, it was sweet and nice to see Dylan finally stop picking at Will all the bloody time…omg. I can’t say I saw much character progression, but it was nice to see each character progress in their feelings for one another and their cute moments confessing such feelings. That being said, they did almost immediately fall in love with each other so their romance could have done with a bit more build up, in my opinion - though, as I said, their romance generally was very sweet.
Characters aside, at times the writing and paragraphs felt a tad disjointed or rather it felt like sentences were being misplaced, even though the same topic was being discussed (apologies I’m not very sure on how to word it). Additionally, some paragraphs felt a bit rambly and less relevant to the plot at hand - though this is could a reflection of Dylan’s mental space and the ramblings going on up there.
Other points:
✧ I was confused about the timeline as at times weeks would pass, which had me wondering what they were doing in those weeks that seemingly wasn’t worth writing about.
✧ I could be being stupid here, but Dylan sometimes read as a bit of airhead or just annoyingly inconsistent - there’d be times where he’d describe how awfully attractive Will was and how much he’d love to see him naked and then not even two paragraphs later be wondering why he noticed Will’s graceful side profile…as if he wasn’t just fully fantasising about a naked Will… I guess this could’ve been him battling and understanding his feelings for Will, but it all left me feeling confused as to why he was fine viscerally fantasising about Will but the mere thought of something more tame with Will sent alarm bells off in Dylan’s head…
(P.S. On the formatting side, there were numerous chapters where the first letter of the first word seemed to have not been formatted correctly (e.g. chapter 3, 6, 10, 12, 14, 21 and 36.) This letter formatting issue seemed to particularly occur with only specific letters, namely “W”and “M”, there were other letters too but those two were the most common. Also, at one point in the book, the words in a sentence jumped to line below without finishing the line they were on. And, there were a few typos in the book.)
TW: (Minor Mentions of:) Death of Parent
Thank you to NetGalley and Hayden Stone for this ARC!
Unfortunately, I didn’t enjoy this as much as I hoped to. Although the romance was sweet, I found Dylan’s character to be truly unlikeable. The main reason for this being his constant poking and prodding at Will (which he calls “teasing”…though it feels too rude to pass as teasing in my eyes) at the start of the book. To me, they just felt like incessantly rude remarks being thrown at Will which cemented Dylan as a very unlikeable and annoying character, particularly in those opening chapters. His annoying nature wasn’t helped by the fact that his hatred of Will felt kind of forced. I understand not liking someone because they splashed you with water as they drove past you, but consistently *hating* them and relentlessly talking about how much you hate them for the generally minor thing they did just felt wholly unbelievable to me. On top of that, there was more talk of Will’s less than appreciated qualities (e.g. “making messes” and “not even bothering to be considerate”) than actual demonstration, which left me with nothing of substance to truly base Dylan’s hatred of him on.
However, Dylan’s teasing does subside once him and Will get closer in work and feelings and Will admits how grating the teasing is (which I’m very glad for). Though, his teasing only stopped because Will detailed how much he hated it…I feel like Dylan should have seen how annoying it was or at the very least seen the incredibly irritated expression on Will’s face and just stopped because his remarks were truly very rude. Though, Dylan did mention that he teases Will to see his reaction, so I doubt Dylan actually cared about what Will’s expression meant as he only cared about eliciting said reaction. And considering once the romance truly kicks off, Dylan resorts to rarely teasing Will or teasing him in not overly rude way, it’s clear he very much could have stopped way earlier but kept going even at the detriment of their working relationship.
As for the romance, it was sweet and nice to see Dylan finally stop picking at Will all the bloody time…omg. I can’t say I saw much character progression, but it was nice to see each character progress in their feelings for one another and their cute moments confessing such feelings. That being said, they did almost immediately fall in love with each other so their romance could have done with a bit more build up, in my opinion - though, as I said, their romance generally was very sweet.
Characters aside, at times the writing and paragraphs felt a tad disjointed or rather it felt like sentences were being misplaced, even though the same topic was being discussed (apologies I’m not very sure on how to word it). Additionally, some paragraphs felt a bit rambly and less relevant to the plot at hand - though this is could a reflection of Dylan’s mental space and the ramblings going on up there.
Other points:
✧ I was confused about the timeline as at times weeks would pass, which had me wondering what they were doing in those weeks that seemingly wasn’t worth writing about.
✧ I could be being stupid here, but Dylan sometimes read as a bit of airhead or just annoyingly inconsistent - there’d be times where he’d describe how awfully attractive Will was and how much he’d love to see him naked and then not even two paragraphs later be wondering why he noticed Will’s graceful side profile…as if he wasn’t just fully fantasising about a naked Will… I guess this could’ve been him battling and understanding his feelings for Will, but it all left me feeling confused as to why he was fine viscerally fantasising about Will but the mere thought of something more tame with Will sent alarm bells off in Dylan’s head…
(P.S. On the formatting side, there were numerous chapters where the first letter of the first word seemed to have not been formatted correctly (e.g. chapter 3, 6, 10, 12, 14, 21 and 36.) This letter formatting issue seemed to particularly occur with only specific letters, namely “W”and “M”, there were other letters too but those two were the most common. Also, at one point in the book, the words in a sentence jumped to line below without finishing the line they were on. And, there were a few typos in the book.)
TW: (Minor Mentions of:) Death of Parent
November 26, 2025
📚Handle with Care
✍🏻Hayden Stone
Blurb:
Two interns. One permanent job. And one missing art museum exhibit.
Dylan Alexander doesn’t need a boyfriend. Having one will only slow him down.
Freshly graduated from university, Dylan’s arrived in London, England from Vancouver, Canada for a summer internship at the London Art and Design Museum. He’s also looking for strings-free fun and a fresh dating scene. This is Dylan’s dream chance to start his career and land a permanent job in London—or else he must return to Vancouver where museum jobs are rare, and the dating pool is old news. Everything’s going great in his new life—except for one thing. Dylan must put up with rival museum intern William Martin-Greene.
Will is everything Dylan can’t flashy, arrogant, and entitled. Forget that he’s too handsome for his own good and knows it. It’s bad luck that they both started on the same internship program. At least they work safely apart in different departments—until one day, they’re forced to work together when Will unexpectedly joins Dylan’s Curatorial team. So much for the avoidance strategy that had worked so far. Will’s arrival on his team is also not helping his unmistakable attraction. When Dylan and Will end up stranded together while collecting exhibits, with only one bed to share, they can’t deny their chemistry.
Soon, they learn only one permanent job is on offer at the end of the summer, and the competition is on to be the best intern. They both share the blame when an important design exhibit goes missing and risks the unexpected summer romance between them. Then, everything is on the line—including hearts, careers, and a chance at love.
A charming rivals-to-lovers, boy-next-door summer romance.
My Thoughts:
Handle with Care is a cute romance between a posh Brit who'd caught fortune on both sides of the proverbial silver spoon, and a serial-dating Vancouverite interested in making the most of his time abroad. Both find themselves vying for the permanent position available after their internship at a museum in London (England not Ontario) for the summer, and then (surprising no one) catching those sweet sweet feelings after spending loads of time together.I really enjoyed this rivals-ish to lover book about Will and Dylan, two young twenty-somethings working at an internship in a London museum. They first start off with a semi-antagonistic relationship, as Will unknowingly soaks Dylan by splashing him with a puddle on his first day of work, but after a few awkward encounters, they work through that and start to work together. Soon, they acknowledge their mutual attraction and what was supposed to be a "one time date to get over it" turns into more. Overall, I enjoyed the sense of humour of the author
Thanks NetGalley, Hayden Stone Publisher and Author for the advanced copy of "Handle with Care" I am leaving my voluntary review in appreciation.
#NetGalley
#HaydenStonePublisher
#HaydenStone
#HandlewithCare
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
✍🏻Hayden Stone
Blurb:
Two interns. One permanent job. And one missing art museum exhibit.
Dylan Alexander doesn’t need a boyfriend. Having one will only slow him down.
Freshly graduated from university, Dylan’s arrived in London, England from Vancouver, Canada for a summer internship at the London Art and Design Museum. He’s also looking for strings-free fun and a fresh dating scene. This is Dylan’s dream chance to start his career and land a permanent job in London—or else he must return to Vancouver where museum jobs are rare, and the dating pool is old news. Everything’s going great in his new life—except for one thing. Dylan must put up with rival museum intern William Martin-Greene.
Will is everything Dylan can’t flashy, arrogant, and entitled. Forget that he’s too handsome for his own good and knows it. It’s bad luck that they both started on the same internship program. At least they work safely apart in different departments—until one day, they’re forced to work together when Will unexpectedly joins Dylan’s Curatorial team. So much for the avoidance strategy that had worked so far. Will’s arrival on his team is also not helping his unmistakable attraction. When Dylan and Will end up stranded together while collecting exhibits, with only one bed to share, they can’t deny their chemistry.
Soon, they learn only one permanent job is on offer at the end of the summer, and the competition is on to be the best intern. They both share the blame when an important design exhibit goes missing and risks the unexpected summer romance between them. Then, everything is on the line—including hearts, careers, and a chance at love.
A charming rivals-to-lovers, boy-next-door summer romance.
My Thoughts:
Handle with Care is a cute romance between a posh Brit who'd caught fortune on both sides of the proverbial silver spoon, and a serial-dating Vancouverite interested in making the most of his time abroad. Both find themselves vying for the permanent position available after their internship at a museum in London (England not Ontario) for the summer, and then (surprising no one) catching those sweet sweet feelings after spending loads of time together.I really enjoyed this rivals-ish to lover book about Will and Dylan, two young twenty-somethings working at an internship in a London museum. They first start off with a semi-antagonistic relationship, as Will unknowingly soaks Dylan by splashing him with a puddle on his first day of work, but after a few awkward encounters, they work through that and start to work together. Soon, they acknowledge their mutual attraction and what was supposed to be a "one time date to get over it" turns into more. Overall, I enjoyed the sense of humour of the author
Thanks NetGalley, Hayden Stone Publisher and Author for the advanced copy of "Handle with Care" I am leaving my voluntary review in appreciation.
#NetGalley
#HaydenStonePublisher
#HaydenStone
#HandlewithCare
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
October 22, 2025
Thanks a lot to Hayden Stone, the publisher and NetGalley for allowing me to read an ARC of this book. I've been looking for a new mlm story for a while so, when I saw the cover of 'Handle with Care' I just couldn't resist, and when I read it was set in a London museum I was SOLD! So I've started reading this book with the most positive mindset which I mostly managed to keep until the end, but I was not swept off my feet as I would have hoped.
The story follows Dylan moving to London from Canada for a summer internship in a prestigious museum where he unexpectedly finds out that another guy has been accepted for the same programme... enters Will. Do I need to say more? Here's how the classic enemies to lovers story starts unfolding. Their story is very cute and developed nicely, although I felt the ending felt a bit rushed, I would have enjoyed a few more pages not just to enjoy a bit more of their love story but for the plot itself.
I'm not a huge fan of first-person POVs, but in this case I was very glad the author managed to give the reader a good insight of Will's personality and struggles as well. I found him overall nicer and I was more interest in him rather than Dylan, although I wish both main characters' backgrounds would have been explored more.
What made me give this book only 3 stars though was how unrealistic the whole internship is, being an Art History graduate (specialised in Curating) didn't help me keep an objective mind, because I know the work environment and reality way too well, and I appreciate this is not a journalistic insight on the museums job market in London, but this was too far from reality for my liking. The workload and responsibility they've been asked to undertake is just unreasonable and it's very unlikely for an important museum to be this unprepared a few weeks before a major exhibition. I would have overlooked this part if it wasn't so relevant for the development of the plot itself. So unfortunately, this was a miss for me...
That said, I think we need more cute queer stories on the shelves, so I was really happy to enjoy this book before its release date. I enjoyed the romance and the cuteness between Dylan and Will very much and I'll be recommending this book to friends in need of some cute vibes and romance.
The story follows Dylan moving to London from Canada for a summer internship in a prestigious museum where he unexpectedly finds out that another guy has been accepted for the same programme... enters Will. Do I need to say more? Here's how the classic enemies to lovers story starts unfolding. Their story is very cute and developed nicely, although I felt the ending felt a bit rushed, I would have enjoyed a few more pages not just to enjoy a bit more of their love story but for the plot itself.
I'm not a huge fan of first-person POVs, but in this case I was very glad the author managed to give the reader a good insight of Will's personality and struggles as well. I found him overall nicer and I was more interest in him rather than Dylan, although I wish both main characters' backgrounds would have been explored more.
What made me give this book only 3 stars though was how unrealistic the whole internship is, being an Art History graduate (specialised in Curating) didn't help me keep an objective mind, because I know the work environment and reality way too well, and I appreciate this is not a journalistic insight on the museums job market in London, but this was too far from reality for my liking. The workload and responsibility they've been asked to undertake is just unreasonable and it's very unlikely for an important museum to be this unprepared a few weeks before a major exhibition. I would have overlooked this part if it wasn't so relevant for the development of the plot itself. So unfortunately, this was a miss for me...
That said, I think we need more cute queer stories on the shelves, so I was really happy to enjoy this book before its release date. I enjoyed the romance and the cuteness between Dylan and Will very much and I'll be recommending this book to friends in need of some cute vibes and romance.
November 10, 2025
Hayden Stone's "Handle with Care" is an m/m romance set in contemporary London that gets stronger as it goes along; I would give the first half a 3 (solid but predictable, with the exception of one unexpected reveal) and the second half a 3.5 (the plot picks up, generating more tension). The novel is narrated in the first person by Dylan, a Canadian freshly arrived in London for a summer internship at an art museum and some no-strings after-hours fun with London men. As is the way of such stories, there is a second intern: Will is British and of course devastatingly attractive, enjoys the privileges of a well-off and well-connected family, and immediately gets off on the wrong foot with Dylan when his luxury sports car splashes Dylan as they both arrive for their rainy first day at the museum. Only one of the two interns, they learn, can be hired for a full-time job at the end of the summer. Rivalry inevitably gives way to reluctant cooperation and a surrender to unspoken/unacknowledged attraction, and from there Happily Ever After seems like only a matter of time - though not before, as noted above, plot complications in the second half of the novel add some much-needed suspense to the story.
The museum milieu provides a fresh setting for an m/m romance. Stone knows his popular tropes (rivals to lovers, one bed, etc.), but more uncertainty and less inevitability - a greater sense that the couple must earn their HEA - would have been welcome and added more impact to the ending. Will, an object of desire whose past holds some surprises for Dylan and for the reader, is more reserved than Dylan and thus appealingly enigmatic. The handful of supporting characters fulfill their plot functions and then get out of the way.
"Handle with Care" is the first book of Stone's new London Arts Club stand-alone series, with its second installment promised for 2026.
With thanks to the author/publisher for access to a digital ARC on NetGalley. All opinions are very definitely my own.
The museum milieu provides a fresh setting for an m/m romance. Stone knows his popular tropes (rivals to lovers, one bed, etc.), but more uncertainty and less inevitability - a greater sense that the couple must earn their HEA - would have been welcome and added more impact to the ending. Will, an object of desire whose past holds some surprises for Dylan and for the reader, is more reserved than Dylan and thus appealingly enigmatic. The handful of supporting characters fulfill their plot functions and then get out of the way.
"Handle with Care" is the first book of Stone's new London Arts Club stand-alone series, with its second installment promised for 2026.
With thanks to the author/publisher for access to a digital ARC on NetGalley. All opinions are very definitely my own.
September 29, 2025
Wow, what a cute book!
I absolutely loved the premise of interning at a museum in London. The whole book had very cozy fall vibes (despite taking place over the summer). You follow Dylan, a poor Canadian museum studies grad, and Will, an economics grad who's kind of a nepo baby. Dylan is a serial dater who can't take a relationship seriously to save his life, while Will definitely takes relationships a little too seriously. Their personality clash and class differences lead to some very angsty (and passive aggressive) moments. There's one conversion where they are talking to each other about their potential relationship, but are so clearly on different pages they are seeing straight past each other--I wanted to scream at them through the pages to JUST OPEN THEIR EARS (in a good way).
The story is low stakes, and the museum plot isn't that important overall. It was a cozy, comforting read more about the rivals(?), to work colleagues, to lovers relationship between Dylan and Will. I was also a fan of the sex scenes. They weren't too much or over the top, just very sweet.
There were a few quirks that did bug me as I continued reading. One of my biggest pet peeves is using the word "til"/"till" instead of "until", and it's constantly used throughout the book to start sentences. A lot of sentences feel like they start in the middle of what should be a full sentences. I think it is intentional for the "stream of conscious" writing style, but it did throw me off multiple times and I would have to reread back to make sure I wasn't missing something. Sometimes unnecessary information was over repeated, which made parts of the story drag when I felt they could be snappier.
Overall, this was a wonderful fall read that put me in the mood to drink a lot of tea and cozy up in a blanket. Thank you NetGalley and Xpresso Book Tours for generously providing me this ARC so I could write this review!
I absolutely loved the premise of interning at a museum in London. The whole book had very cozy fall vibes (despite taking place over the summer). You follow Dylan, a poor Canadian museum studies grad, and Will, an economics grad who's kind of a nepo baby. Dylan is a serial dater who can't take a relationship seriously to save his life, while Will definitely takes relationships a little too seriously. Their personality clash and class differences lead to some very angsty (and passive aggressive) moments. There's one conversion where they are talking to each other about their potential relationship, but are so clearly on different pages they are seeing straight past each other--I wanted to scream at them through the pages to JUST OPEN THEIR EARS (in a good way).
The story is low stakes, and the museum plot isn't that important overall. It was a cozy, comforting read more about the rivals(?), to work colleagues, to lovers relationship between Dylan and Will. I was also a fan of the sex scenes. They weren't too much or over the top, just very sweet.
There were a few quirks that did bug me as I continued reading. One of my biggest pet peeves is using the word "til"/"till" instead of "until", and it's constantly used throughout the book to start sentences. A lot of sentences feel like they start in the middle of what should be a full sentences. I think it is intentional for the "stream of conscious" writing style, but it did throw me off multiple times and I would have to reread back to make sure I wasn't missing something. Sometimes unnecessary information was over repeated, which made parts of the story drag when I felt they could be snappier.
Overall, this was a wonderful fall read that put me in the mood to drink a lot of tea and cozy up in a blanket. Thank you NetGalley and Xpresso Book Tours for generously providing me this ARC so I could write this review!
October 13, 2025
This book was such a cute read! I found myself really enjoying it and was pleasantly surprised by how different it felt. A lot of MM romances tend to follow similar patterns, but this one shook things up a bit and I really liked that. It’s hard to do that sometimes with contemporary stories, where sometimes it only feels like the setting changes, but this one managed to feel fresh.
If you’re a fan of Divine Rivals, especially the little rivalry between Roman and Iris that isn’t dragged out too long, or if you liked the banter from Red White & Royal Blue, this feels like a perfect mix of those two books. With a bit more spice 😉
We follow Dylan and Will, two interns competing for the same position. Only one can get the job at the end, and after an unfortunate first run in, they’re forced to team up on a big project. What starts as rivalry turns into a sweet “frenemies to friends” dynamic, and eventually, something more. I thought it was adorable watching them get to know each other throughout the project.
The spice level was well done not too overwhelming, but definitely present when it needed to be. I’d rate it around a 3.75/5 for spice. The representation and emotional experiences of the characters were also handled with care (no pun intended), which made it feel authentic and heartfelt.
Overall, this was such a cute and fun read, and I’d highly recommend it. I gave it four stars mainly because, like with a lot of contemporary romances, there were a few moments that felt a little cringey or unrealistic. Sometimes I’d catch myself thinking, “There’s such an easy way to solve this why are you guys freaking out?” lol But even with that, the story wrapped up beautifully and left me smiling.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for allowing me to read an advanced copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.
If you’re a fan of Divine Rivals, especially the little rivalry between Roman and Iris that isn’t dragged out too long, or if you liked the banter from Red White & Royal Blue, this feels like a perfect mix of those two books. With a bit more spice 😉
We follow Dylan and Will, two interns competing for the same position. Only one can get the job at the end, and after an unfortunate first run in, they’re forced to team up on a big project. What starts as rivalry turns into a sweet “frenemies to friends” dynamic, and eventually, something more. I thought it was adorable watching them get to know each other throughout the project.
The spice level was well done not too overwhelming, but definitely present when it needed to be. I’d rate it around a 3.75/5 for spice. The representation and emotional experiences of the characters were also handled with care (no pun intended), which made it feel authentic and heartfelt.
Overall, this was such a cute and fun read, and I’d highly recommend it. I gave it four stars mainly because, like with a lot of contemporary romances, there were a few moments that felt a little cringey or unrealistic. Sometimes I’d catch myself thinking, “There’s such an easy way to solve this why are you guys freaking out?” lol But even with that, the story wrapped up beautifully and left me smiling.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for allowing me to read an advanced copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.
October 17, 2025
i found this to be decent overall but was a bit put off by the rather abrupt ending. before what turned out to be the final chapter i was wavering between 3 stars or something a bit higher, but the ending solidified my rating to 3 stars. i expected a more definite resolution especially with how much of a big deal the conflict was. other than that, i didn't find anything about the plot too egregous. the prose and dialogue, however, was clunky in some places. i also think that the museum aspect could've been developed more because even though the plot did center museum work, it surprisingly wasn't that informative about that 1aspect.
speaking of dylan! dylan was a fun protagonist, although i found him annoying every now & then. while my sentiments regarding dylan lean more toward "like," i ended up preferring will over him. i really didn't expect to enjoy will's character as much as i did. he was just so endearing & honestly way more likable than our protagonist. i'd say that he's the highlight of the novel. i can't comment on the disability representation as i'm not qualified for that, but i didn't find anything immediately offensive. the side characters were fine but clearly weren't the focus at all.
the romance was cute. again, i found dylan's actions annoying at times, but will was into it so what can i really say? dylan learning to accept his feelings & eventually commit to a relationship was pretty nice (it's only what will deserved!!) even if i rolled my eyes at him denying how he felt about will. like, okay man whatever you say. kidding aside, the development was satisfying enough and didn't feel rushed or forced, imo. no glaring issues here either.
tldr; quite decent overall. good for anyone looking for a light, easy read
thanks to netgalley and the publisher for providing this e-arc in exchange for an honest review
speaking of dylan! dylan was a fun protagonist, although i found him annoying every now & then. while my sentiments regarding dylan lean more toward "like," i ended up preferring will over him. i really didn't expect to enjoy will's character as much as i did. he was just so endearing & honestly way more likable than our protagonist. i'd say that he's the highlight of the novel. i can't comment on the disability representation as i'm not qualified for that, but i didn't find anything immediately offensive. the side characters were fine but clearly weren't the focus at all.
the romance was cute. again, i found dylan's actions annoying at times, but will was into it so what can i really say? dylan learning to accept his feelings & eventually commit to a relationship was pretty nice (it's only what will deserved!!) even if i rolled my eyes at him denying how he felt about will. like, okay man whatever you say. kidding aside, the development was satisfying enough and didn't feel rushed or forced, imo. no glaring issues here either.
tldr; quite decent overall. good for anyone looking for a light, easy read
thanks to netgalley and the publisher for providing this e-arc in exchange for an honest review
September 19, 2025
Thank you Hayden Stone and Netgalley for this eARC, these opinions are my own. This is so cute! Dylan has just gotten an internship at the London Art & Design Museum and leaves Canda for London. The internship is three months with the possibility of a permanent position at the end. Dylan has made the calculations of how many dates he can go on while he’s there as well. He doesn’t do boyfriends. Then on his first day, when he’s all stylish and ready to make a great impression a sports car drives by and splashes him. So much for that impression. He’s shocked to find that the driver is none other than William Martin-Greene, who’s also an intern. Will looks like he comes from money and he’s hot! But he’s also a total prat, luckily they intern in different departments. That is until they have an exhibit coming up that needs all hands on deck. Suddenly the two are forced to work together and Dylan can’t think of anything worse. They fight and disagree. But then things change and slowly they develop into more. But there’s still only one permanent position at the end of the internship. Will Dylan risk it all for love? Especially when he doesn’t really believe in long term relationships. Sweet, charming, and absolutely swoon worthy! I loved Dylan and Will! I enjoy a good enemies to lovers and Hayden Stone delivers on this one!
November 17, 2025
This was a really sweet read! I wound up a lot more invested than I expected to be. Our MC Dylan is in London for an internship at a museum, where he quickly crosses paths with Will. Will seems to be your typical rich, privileged, and well-connected snob, which does not bode well for Dylan as they are both vying for the same permanent position at the end of the Summer. Of course, over time the guys are forced to work together and discover that there is a lot more than rivalry between them.
I did find the writing in this to be a little bit distracting at times, though some of that might just be that the MC was a bit immature and that rubbed me the wrong way. Some of the conflict was pretty repetitive, like Dylan's "no boyfriend rule," which seemed really important to him and then suddenly not. I felt a little lost in the weeds at time with that conflict, as well as some of the museum interworking details. However I found Will's character to be really complex, compelling, and heartwarming. I really would have loved to see more from him and his family. In the end, the story and romance were absolutely enough to keep me hooked. Once I was about 25% in I had a hard time putting it down, and I was happy with the way everything worked out.
I did find the writing in this to be a little bit distracting at times, though some of that might just be that the MC was a bit immature and that rubbed me the wrong way. Some of the conflict was pretty repetitive, like Dylan's "no boyfriend rule," which seemed really important to him and then suddenly not. I felt a little lost in the weeds at time with that conflict, as well as some of the museum interworking details. However I found Will's character to be really complex, compelling, and heartwarming. I really would have loved to see more from him and his family. In the end, the story and romance were absolutely enough to keep me hooked. Once I was about 25% in I had a hard time putting it down, and I was happy with the way everything worked out.
October 24, 2025
This was my 1st Hayden Stone book but it won't be my last. American Dylan arrived at a museum in London thinking he was the only intern vying for a spot there. Rich boy Will, a surprise additional intern, started on the wrong foot with Dylan by splashing water on him their first day.. He couldn't get over being drenched. The animosity carried over to work and Dylan was relentless in his complaints about Will, even turning fellow museum employees against him. Not fair but not uncommon in an office setting. After they were assigned to the same project, the tide began to turn.
I enjoyed the build-up to their romance and the setting but the responsibilities the guys took on were unrealistic. Carting around London with priceless objects was going too far for an intern. That would never happen in a museum. It's something I noticed but I don't particularly care. This is a book of fiction after all.
The sex scenes were yummy. Enough said!
Certainly worth a read if you enjoy rival mm romances.
Thank you to @netgalley, the publisher, and author for allowing me an early read of this charming book..
I enjoyed the build-up to their romance and the setting but the responsibilities the guys took on were unrealistic. Carting around London with priceless objects was going too far for an intern. That would never happen in a museum. It's something I noticed but I don't particularly care. This is a book of fiction after all.
The sex scenes were yummy. Enough said!
Certainly worth a read if you enjoy rival mm romances.
Thank you to @netgalley, the publisher, and author for allowing me an early read of this charming book..
October 26, 2025
Super cute and adorable from enemies to lovers, forced proximity, mix with a little hunt of the missing exhibit.
Dylan, passionate about museum work, landed his dream internship in London of all places. For a Canadian this is a huge deal. Except he was splashed by a sports car by this previledge kid in a red car no less, how much does he needed this internship.
They at first try to work separately, but was thrown in by their boss. And of course, as luck with have it, when they get closer, their boss want them to divide and conquer. It's silly but predictable. I did not care of the missing exhibit was the drive that wedge between them, but expected that to happen. But glad they stood up for each other and in the process realized how much they love each other.
I really enjoy the pacing of these two's story and how they merge together. While everything is super predictable, these two are super sweet in their own way and to have found common ground and taking care of each other, it's adorable to read. It's really cute and I need some tea now.
Thank you NetGalley & Xpresso Book Tours for the ARC.
Dylan, passionate about museum work, landed his dream internship in London of all places. For a Canadian this is a huge deal. Except he was splashed by a sports car by this previledge kid in a red car no less, how much does he needed this internship.
They at first try to work separately, but was thrown in by their boss. And of course, as luck with have it, when they get closer, their boss want them to divide and conquer. It's silly but predictable. I did not care of the missing exhibit was the drive that wedge between them, but expected that to happen. But glad they stood up for each other and in the process realized how much they love each other.
I really enjoy the pacing of these two's story and how they merge together. While everything is super predictable, these two are super sweet in their own way and to have found common ground and taking care of each other, it's adorable to read. It's really cute and I need some tea now.
Thank you NetGalley & Xpresso Book Tours for the ARC.
October 14, 2025
Thanks to NetGalley and author Hayden Stone for allowing me to read this ARC.
Sweet and sexy enemies to lovers story about two museum interns who spend a summer collecting objects for a large design exhibition at a London museum; at the end of the summer only one of them will be hired for a full-time position. Hard-working, working-class Dylan is a recent museum studies grad who has come to London intent on launching his career. Will, on the other hand, is an aloof posh-boy who knows nothing about museums and drives a McLaurin. This is a predicable rom-com set up which is made better with multi-layered characters and the slow and steady bond they form over the summer. As an American museum nerd, I really loved that the London setting felt like a character and the fact that they worked in a museum made me swoon. Yes, it is true that no urban museum would trust two interns to collect priceless fashion pieces on their own but I am totally willing to suspend my belief for the sake of a good love story. Lovely, low-drama read with lovely descriptive writing.
Sweet and sexy enemies to lovers story about two museum interns who spend a summer collecting objects for a large design exhibition at a London museum; at the end of the summer only one of them will be hired for a full-time position. Hard-working, working-class Dylan is a recent museum studies grad who has come to London intent on launching his career. Will, on the other hand, is an aloof posh-boy who knows nothing about museums and drives a McLaurin. This is a predicable rom-com set up which is made better with multi-layered characters and the slow and steady bond they form over the summer. As an American museum nerd, I really loved that the London setting felt like a character and the fact that they worked in a museum made me swoon. Yes, it is true that no urban museum would trust two interns to collect priceless fashion pieces on their own but I am totally willing to suspend my belief for the sake of a good love story. Lovely, low-drama read with lovely descriptive writing.
October 15, 2025
I absolutely loved this!
Hayden Stone had a formula from contemporary romance that is a custom fit perfect balance for me. This one was no exception. Dylan is a chaotic Canadian who has an internship role at an art and design museum in London, which feels great until he gets there and finds out that there is ANOTHER intern who is also at the museum. Who just drips in Nepo-baby vibes. Forced to work together to collect items for an upcoming exhibition, they start to get to know each other, and public transport debacles, road trips to Yorkshire and days out in Cambridge ensue.
Hayden Stone writes really well constructed, 3D, fully formed characters. I find myself delightfully caught off guard when the depths and complexities of characters start to be revealed. I really shouldn’t be, because that depth is consistent across all his books, nevertheless…
Just really loved this world and really felt like one of the cool kids when I was able to spot the Easter eggs!
Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC
Hayden Stone had a formula from contemporary romance that is a custom fit perfect balance for me. This one was no exception. Dylan is a chaotic Canadian who has an internship role at an art and design museum in London, which feels great until he gets there and finds out that there is ANOTHER intern who is also at the museum. Who just drips in Nepo-baby vibes. Forced to work together to collect items for an upcoming exhibition, they start to get to know each other, and public transport debacles, road trips to Yorkshire and days out in Cambridge ensue.
Hayden Stone writes really well constructed, 3D, fully formed characters. I find myself delightfully caught off guard when the depths and complexities of characters start to be revealed. I really shouldn’t be, because that depth is consistent across all his books, nevertheless…
Just really loved this world and really felt like one of the cool kids when I was able to spot the Easter eggs!
Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC
October 10, 2025
Thanks to NetGalley for the arc.
Unfortunately, this book did not live up to my expectations. I was expecting a lot more, given the blurb, but the book never delivered. The mentioned rivalry is brief and mostly based on misunderstandings with no real rivalry in place. The romance is fine. It’s not particularly interesting and I felt there was very little chemistry or buildup before they were sleeping together but it wasn’t terrible. The characters felt a little flat and the dialogue was awkward and all over the place.
The most disappointing part to me though was the missing exhibit mentioned in the blurb. I was hoping for so much more from that but it ended up being hardly important except as a way to get the characters together. The ending felt unsatisfactory and abrupt.
Ultimately this was a sweet but dull book with nothing memorable about it except for perhaps my disappointment in it.
Unfortunately, this book did not live up to my expectations. I was expecting a lot more, given the blurb, but the book never delivered. The mentioned rivalry is brief and mostly based on misunderstandings with no real rivalry in place. The romance is fine. It’s not particularly interesting and I felt there was very little chemistry or buildup before they were sleeping together but it wasn’t terrible. The characters felt a little flat and the dialogue was awkward and all over the place.
The most disappointing part to me though was the missing exhibit mentioned in the blurb. I was hoping for so much more from that but it ended up being hardly important except as a way to get the characters together. The ending felt unsatisfactory and abrupt.
Ultimately this was a sweet but dull book with nothing memorable about it except for perhaps my disappointment in it.
October 13, 2025
Two interns fighting for one permanent position, what could possibly happen?
Handle with Care is about Will and Dylan. The two are the newest interns for the an art museum in England. They are fighting for the same permanent position once their internship ends.
They start off as true rivals, but along the way they develop a friendship. Both men are emotionally closed off, but somehow open up with each other.
During their growing relationship, Dylan is so patient with Will and his hang ups not only emotionally but physically too.
At first I really dislike Dylan’s character. He acted very immature and held a grudge over a something as simple as an accident. I was happy to read his character own up to his immaturities and take responsibility for office rumors.
I really enjoyed reading their love story. I can’t wait to read more Hayden Stone.
Thank you Hayden Stone as NetGalley for this advanced copy.
3⭐️⭐️⭐️
October 15, 2025
I would like to thank NetGalley and Hayden Stone for the opportunity to read and review this ARC.
Handle with Care was a cute romance between a posh Brit who'd caught fortune on both sides of the proverbial silver spoon, and a serial-dating Vancouverite interested in making the most of his time abroad. Both find themselves vying for the permanent position available after their internship at a museum in London (England not Ontario) for the summer, and then (surprising no one) catching those sweet sweet feelings after spending loads of time together.
I wasn't a super fan of the narrative style, and I thought Dylan was…an interesting take. The museum plot was also a bit of a headscratcher, as Dylan and Will's workload was a lot to deal with for interns. I mean, where was mgmt for oversight? smh
Overall, this was a quick, lighthearted read, with a touch of rep and a bit of sexy spice, and a soft, sweet HEA we love to love.
Handle with Care was a cute romance between a posh Brit who'd caught fortune on both sides of the proverbial silver spoon, and a serial-dating Vancouverite interested in making the most of his time abroad. Both find themselves vying for the permanent position available after their internship at a museum in London (England not Ontario) for the summer, and then (surprising no one) catching those sweet sweet feelings after spending loads of time together.
I wasn't a super fan of the narrative style, and I thought Dylan was…an interesting take. The museum plot was also a bit of a headscratcher, as Dylan and Will's workload was a lot to deal with for interns. I mean, where was mgmt for oversight? smh
Overall, this was a quick, lighthearted read, with a touch of rep and a bit of sexy spice, and a soft, sweet HEA we love to love.
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