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Rabbit Rabbit
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Expected 15 Dec 26Win a free print copy of this book!
14 days and 16:26:02
50 copies available
U.S. only
A life-changing year. One month at a time.
A heartwarming novel about what it means to chase the life — and love — of your dreams, from the bestselling author of The Unsinkable Greta James.
As the clock counts down to midnight on New Year’s Eve, Billie — 39, single, an American film editor on a girls’ trip to Florence — makes a this is the year she’s going to have a baby on her own. Less than an hour later, she meets Arthur — 44, single, a Scottish environmentalist celebrating a friend’s stag party — who seems perfect but for his conviction that kids are not for him.
Over the course of the next year, Billie finds herself pursuing both versions of her life, moving back and forth between visits to fertility clinics and romantic getaways around the world as she tries to figure out what she wants most. But as she approaches the inevitable fork in the road, she’ll discover that it’s not so easy to follow your heart when it’s pulling you in two very different directions.
Full of Jennifer E. Smith’s signature heart and warmth, Rabbit Rabbit is a powerful romantic novel about paths not taken…and what happens when you meet the right person at the wrong time.
A heartwarming novel about what it means to chase the life — and love — of your dreams, from the bestselling author of The Unsinkable Greta James.
As the clock counts down to midnight on New Year’s Eve, Billie — 39, single, an American film editor on a girls’ trip to Florence — makes a this is the year she’s going to have a baby on her own. Less than an hour later, she meets Arthur — 44, single, a Scottish environmentalist celebrating a friend’s stag party — who seems perfect but for his conviction that kids are not for him.
Over the course of the next year, Billie finds herself pursuing both versions of her life, moving back and forth between visits to fertility clinics and romantic getaways around the world as she tries to figure out what she wants most. But as she approaches the inevitable fork in the road, she’ll discover that it’s not so easy to follow your heart when it’s pulling you in two very different directions.
Full of Jennifer E. Smith’s signature heart and warmth, Rabbit Rabbit is a powerful romantic novel about paths not taken…and what happens when you meet the right person at the wrong time.
320 pages, Hardcover
Expected publication December 15, 2026
About the author
Jennifer E. Smith
24 books7,771 followersJennifer E. Smith is the author of nine books for young adults, including The Statistical Probability of Love at First Sight and Hello, Goodbye, and Everything in Between, both of which were recently adapted for film. She earned her master's degree in creative writing from the University of St. Andrews in Scotland, and her writing has been translated into 33 languages. She currently lives in Los Angeles.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 169 reviews
August 22, 2026
A contemporary fiction meets romance novel, I was completely captivated from the moment our MCs meet and “rabbit rabbit” is uttered. This is so much more than a romance and yet it’s ultimately the epitome of the greatest love story.
Offering a sense of maturity both in characters and content, this book deals with some of life’s pivotal decisions, the lifelong trauma of grief, and how important it is to live a big life out of the smallest of moments. It has found family, female friendship, gorgeous travel, laugh-out-loud banter, and an all-consuming romance you’ll think about long after finishing. I loved every single character and every moment I was able to spend with them.
One element I loved, and that felt so unique, is the format in which this story is told. Beginning on January 1 right as the clock strikes midnight in Florence, we are taken on a month-by-month journey with Billie, a New York film editor transplanted in LA, and Arthur, the perfectly perfect environmentalist from Edinburgh, as they meet up across the globe.
For their hearts, it’s an instant connection, but looming over them is one big divergence in their plans for the future. But each meet-up brings something more— a deepening connection. Though, I have to admit that at times I felt incredibly anxious, unsure how our hero and heroine would fare, and wanted to flip to the end (a rare occurrence for me). But as it turns out, the journey was as significant as the destination.
And as we go bit by bit, month by month, learning more about Billie and Arthur as they learn about one another, we are also treated to a marvelous set of supporting characters who create a rich, well-rounded story. Billie’s friends Jane and Talia were a joy to experience, but it was her relationship with Gran that completely stole my heart.
“𝙏𝙝𝙞𝙨 𝙞𝙨𝙣’𝙩 𝙖 𝙢𝙤𝙫𝙞𝙚,” 𝙨𝙝𝙚 𝙨𝙖𝙮𝙨, 𝙨𝙝𝙖𝙠𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙝𝙚𝙧 𝙝𝙚𝙖𝙙. “𝙄𝙩’𝙨 𝙗𝙚𝙩𝙩𝙚𝙧 𝙩𝙝𝙖𝙣 𝙩𝙝𝙖𝙩. 𝙄𝙩’𝙨 𝙮𝙤𝙪𝙧 𝙡𝙞𝙛𝙚.”
As we neared the end, the tears began flowing. And if you know me, you know this means it will be an automatic 5⭐️ rating. Friends, if this isn’t on your TBR, I absolutely implore you to add it.
♾️ stars. Favorite romance of the year 💫
Read if you like:
▪️genre mashups
▪️character driven stories
▪️swoony romance
▪️MCs in their 30s and 40s
▪️great supporting characters
▪️emotional depth
A huge thank you to Thousand Voices x Ballantine for my gorgeous gifted galley and ebook copy.
Offering a sense of maturity both in characters and content, this book deals with some of life’s pivotal decisions, the lifelong trauma of grief, and how important it is to live a big life out of the smallest of moments. It has found family, female friendship, gorgeous travel, laugh-out-loud banter, and an all-consuming romance you’ll think about long after finishing. I loved every single character and every moment I was able to spend with them.
One element I loved, and that felt so unique, is the format in which this story is told. Beginning on January 1 right as the clock strikes midnight in Florence, we are taken on a month-by-month journey with Billie, a New York film editor transplanted in LA, and Arthur, the perfectly perfect environmentalist from Edinburgh, as they meet up across the globe.
For their hearts, it’s an instant connection, but looming over them is one big divergence in their plans for the future. But each meet-up brings something more— a deepening connection. Though, I have to admit that at times I felt incredibly anxious, unsure how our hero and heroine would fare, and wanted to flip to the end (a rare occurrence for me). But as it turns out, the journey was as significant as the destination.
And as we go bit by bit, month by month, learning more about Billie and Arthur as they learn about one another, we are also treated to a marvelous set of supporting characters who create a rich, well-rounded story. Billie’s friends Jane and Talia were a joy to experience, but it was her relationship with Gran that completely stole my heart.
“𝙏𝙝𝙞𝙨 𝙞𝙨𝙣’𝙩 𝙖 𝙢𝙤𝙫𝙞𝙚,” 𝙨𝙝𝙚 𝙨𝙖𝙮𝙨, 𝙨𝙝𝙖𝙠𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙝𝙚𝙧 𝙝𝙚𝙖𝙙. “𝙄𝙩’𝙨 𝙗𝙚𝙩𝙩𝙚𝙧 𝙩𝙝𝙖𝙣 𝙩𝙝𝙖𝙩. 𝙄𝙩’𝙨 𝙮𝙤𝙪𝙧 𝙡𝙞𝙛𝙚.”
As we neared the end, the tears began flowing. And if you know me, you know this means it will be an automatic 5⭐️ rating. Friends, if this isn’t on your TBR, I absolutely implore you to add it.
♾️ stars. Favorite romance of the year 💫
Read if you like:
▪️genre mashups
▪️character driven stories
▪️swoony romance
▪️MCs in their 30s and 40s
▪️great supporting characters
▪️emotional depth
A huge thank you to Thousand Voices x Ballantine for my gorgeous gifted galley and ebook copy.
September 12, 2026
4.25 stars.
What a sweet book about love in unexpected moments and time.
I was looking for something a little bit more lighthearted. After thinking I could read some heavy-handed books and not being happy with them. This is exactly what I needed.
What a sweet book about love in unexpected moments and time.
I was looking for something a little bit more lighthearted. After thinking I could read some heavy-handed books and not being happy with them. This is exactly what I needed.
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
This book found me at absolutely the right time and I am always HERE for that kind of bookish serendipity. Billie, a film editor who is on the cusp of turning 40 and determining if she wants to try to have a baby on her own, as she has a meet cute with a Scotsman appropriately named Arthur. I just found this relationship so DANG endearing and I constantly found myself thinking about this book when I wasn't ready. I'm still wishing for updates on these characters - I loved the setting(s), I loved the premise, and I loved the payoff. I need to check out more from this author as this was my first by her.
July 21, 2026
I fell in love with Jennifer E. Smith’s writing when I read Field Notes on Love. It’s one of my all-time favorites. Rabbit Rabbit was another reminder why I enjoy her writing so much. Plus I can’t pass up my family’s tradition of rabbit rabbit rabbit (one extra rabbit for us) in a book.
I couldn’t relate to Billie as a main character because I have no interest in kids of my own. That piece of wanting children/navigating her life was the underlying theme of the book. I’m more of an Arthur in that way. Rabbit Rabbit was sad at times, but I think the book wrapped up nicely. It doesn’t always end up that way.
I couldn’t relate to Billie as a main character because I have no interest in kids of my own. That piece of wanting children/navigating her life was the underlying theme of the book. I’m more of an Arthur in that way. Rabbit Rabbit was sad at times, but I think the book wrapped up nicely. It doesn’t always end up that way.
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
"Rabbit Rabbit" is a contemporary romance that tiptoes towards a romcom, but with a more serious, realistic edge that middle-aged+ readers will appreciate. Billie, 39, has just decided to have a baby on her own when she meets the potential love-of-her-life — if only he wanted kids, too. The tension is rooted in past trauma rather than a simple-to-solve miscommunication which I appreciated for both its maturity and realism. It's easy to root for Billie and Arthur — I fell in love with both — and while I sometimes feared the story would follow the most obvious, formulaic path forward, I found it took enough quick turns to surprise me and keep it out of Hallmark territory. I breezed right through this as a very quick read. It holds many moral and social quandaries, making it ripe for book club discussion as well. I adored Jennifer E. Smith's "The Unsinkable Greta James" and found this another solid entry into her oeuvre. Read this if you like romcoms with real stakes, later-in-life love stories, or divisive book club discussions.
A big thank you to Ballantine, NetGalley, and Jennifer E. Smith for providing an advance copy for honest review.
A big thank you to Ballantine, NetGalley, and Jennifer E. Smith for providing an advance copy for honest review.
August 23, 2026
𝗣𝗟𝗢𝗧
The story follows Billie, a 39-year-old single American film editor on a trip to Florence, who decides on New Year’s Eve to have a baby on her own. Shortly after, she meets Arthur, a 44-year-old Scottish conservationist who is a great match except for his firm belief that he does not want children.
💕 Second chance romance
🕰️ Right Person, wrong time
✈️ Long-distance relationship
🫶 Coming of age
𝗠𝗬 𝗧𝗛𝗢𝗨𝗚𝗛𝗧𝗦
I really enjoyed this story. It is a contemporary romance, but it is not sappy, yet it is not simple. I didn’t rush when reading it because I wanted to enjoy it as much as possible. I also appreciated the maturity of both characters. They knew what they wanted from life and navigated it very well.
Overall, it is a great story about love, timing, and all the emotions that come with wondering 𝘸𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘪𝘧?
August 17, 2026
I inhaled this book. This is the 3rd Jennifer E. Smith I read and loved and I just realized she wrote the book that “Love at First Sight” is based on, one of my favorite romantic comfort movies. This book was beautifully told, well-paced, dreamy but still somehow realistic, with wonderful depictions of incredible places. The gist of this book is one of my favorite romantic realizations which is realizing when you actually need someone in your life versus when you are truly content and want someone in your life. Truly such a great book.
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
Jennifer E. Smith’s latest, Rabbit Rabbit, is an unconventional love story. Thirty nine year old Billie is in Florence, Italy celebrating New Year’s Eve with her best friends Talia and Jane when two momentous things happen. After years of being single and childless she decides she wants to have a baby. And she meets Arthur.
This initially might seem like fortuitous timing, as it’s clear that Billie and Arthur just fit together, personalities meshing and coming from pasts where they both suffered personal tragedy. The fact that they live nowhere near each other is an obstacle that ends up being surprisingly easy for them to overcome. The fact that Arthur doesn’t want children is a much bigger hurdle in their relationship.
But the connection between the pair is so magnetic that they find it incredibly difficult to quit each other, meeting up and having magical moments around the world.
In Billie’s job of film editing, she makes magic and happy endings happen no matter what kind of film she has to work with, so it’s easy for her to see herself at the center of her own movie, where a happily ever after is inevitable. As she’s increasingly torn between what she wants, she begins to realize that life isn’t like the movies, and it’s quite possible she may have to make a choice between the future she envisioned at the beginning of the year, and the relationship she’s begun.
The story was interesting because it feels so much like Billie and Arthur belong together. I fully admit that from my perspective I wanted her to stop focusing on trying to get pregnant within the year, and see where life with Arthur took her, since he was already a part of it. But her only living family member is her grandmother, who’s starting to lose her memory, meaning that Billie quite likely has a short window if she wants her grandmother to have the opportunity to see and know a child of hers.
Whether you agree with Billie and Arthur’s choices or not, the book is a reminder that not all choices are easy, and that it’s really important for both halves of a pair to be in agreement on things that have a profound impact on their lives. You’ll have to read it to find out what choice Billie makes.
A complimentary copy of this book was provided by the publisher. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
This initially might seem like fortuitous timing, as it’s clear that Billie and Arthur just fit together, personalities meshing and coming from pasts where they both suffered personal tragedy. The fact that they live nowhere near each other is an obstacle that ends up being surprisingly easy for them to overcome. The fact that Arthur doesn’t want children is a much bigger hurdle in their relationship.
But the connection between the pair is so magnetic that they find it incredibly difficult to quit each other, meeting up and having magical moments around the world.
In Billie’s job of film editing, she makes magic and happy endings happen no matter what kind of film she has to work with, so it’s easy for her to see herself at the center of her own movie, where a happily ever after is inevitable. As she’s increasingly torn between what she wants, she begins to realize that life isn’t like the movies, and it’s quite possible she may have to make a choice between the future she envisioned at the beginning of the year, and the relationship she’s begun.
The story was interesting because it feels so much like Billie and Arthur belong together. I fully admit that from my perspective I wanted her to stop focusing on trying to get pregnant within the year, and see where life with Arthur took her, since he was already a part of it. But her only living family member is her grandmother, who’s starting to lose her memory, meaning that Billie quite likely has a short window if she wants her grandmother to have the opportunity to see and know a child of hers.
Whether you agree with Billie and Arthur’s choices or not, the book is a reminder that not all choices are easy, and that it’s really important for both halves of a pair to be in agreement on things that have a profound impact on their lives. You’ll have to read it to find out what choice Billie makes.
A complimentary copy of this book was provided by the publisher. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
Ahhhhhh!!!! This was such a good book!!!!! Truly one that captured my attention and did not let go!! I felt every emotion throughout; I was happy, I was devastated, I was hopeful, I was torn, I was optimistic, and I was joyful!!! Without giving away any spoilers, I cried so hard at the end, it was really an incredible way to wrap the story up 😊
Highly recommend giving this one a try, especially if you like romance with a dash of reality sprinkled in 😊
I received a copy of this book from Netgalley in exchange for my honest review !!! Thank you to the Author, the Publisher, and Netgalley for the opportunity to read and review this ARC!!
Highly recommend giving this one a try, especially if you like romance with a dash of reality sprinkled in 😊
I received a copy of this book from Netgalley in exchange for my honest review !!! Thank you to the Author, the Publisher, and Netgalley for the opportunity to read and review this ARC!!
Review of advance copy received from Goodreads Giveaways
I was grateful to receive an early copy of Jennifer's new novel.
First things first: This was one of my favorite reads of the year.
The main characters were really well rendered, likable and complex, with a legitimately complicated relationship predicament. This careful attention to story structure kept me invested.
BUT I must admit that the narrative did fall into the trap of so many books in this genre, visiting and revisiting (and revisiting again) the same predicament. Sometimes with long stretches of time passing between the revisiting, which made it increasingly difficult to embrace.
I also thought the ending was far too rushed. If we needed to cover that much time in so few pages, maybe we don't need chapter breaks for each stretch of time (giving us chapters that are only one to two pages long). It threw off the pacing for me.
All of that acknowledged, I did really enjoy this narrative. I think it covers an important topic - and does that topic justice (and again... those main characters!)
Definitely worth the read.
First things first: This was one of my favorite reads of the year.
The main characters were really well rendered, likable and complex, with a legitimately complicated relationship predicament. This careful attention to story structure kept me invested.
BUT I must admit that the narrative did fall into the trap of so many books in this genre, visiting and revisiting (and revisiting again) the same predicament. Sometimes with long stretches of time passing between the revisiting, which made it increasingly difficult to embrace.
I also thought the ending was far too rushed. If we needed to cover that much time in so few pages, maybe we don't need chapter breaks for each stretch of time (giving us chapters that are only one to two pages long). It threw off the pacing for me.
All of that acknowledged, I did really enjoy this narrative. I think it covers an important topic - and does that topic justice (and again... those main characters!)
Definitely worth the read.
July 21, 2026
Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC
Arthur is an environmentalist from Scotland. Billie is a film editor from New York, living in Los Angeles. She was raised by her Gran after her parents died tragically when she was 9 years old. Arthur and Billie meet by chance just after midnight on New Years Day in Florence, Italy. At 39 years old, Billie had just made the decision to try to have a baby by herself. Before her biological clock runs out and while Gran still has a chance to meet her baby.
Can Arthur and Billie reconcile their differences and the distance between them and take a chance on love? Will saying “Rabbit, Rabbit” at the beginning of each new year or month, give them enough luck to work things out between them?
The title of this book first stuck out to me and when I looked up the author, I realized I had long ago read The Unsinkable Greta James. I remembered I found it to be too long and drawn out in the middle so I didn’t finish it. I don’t think this book had that issue. It was a quick read, albeit a bit hard to follow.
As someone who loves international adventures and meeting people from around the world, I found the premise of continuing to meet a love interest in different countries interesting. And I thought it was really cool she wanted to take her fertility into her own hands and pursue having a baby on her own.
However there was a little too much going on in the book and the writing style did not quite connect each narrative well enough. It would skip forward in time and then tell what happened in flash backs. There also wasn’t much chemistry between the two love interests. I needed to hear more I’m depth conversations from them or maybe his perspective to make it believable.
I liked her relationship with her Gran and friends. The love interest could have almost not been part of the book and I would’ve like it still, if not more.
Over all an interesting premise with meaningful themes, but the structure didn’t quite do it justice.
Arthur is an environmentalist from Scotland. Billie is a film editor from New York, living in Los Angeles. She was raised by her Gran after her parents died tragically when she was 9 years old. Arthur and Billie meet by chance just after midnight on New Years Day in Florence, Italy. At 39 years old, Billie had just made the decision to try to have a baby by herself. Before her biological clock runs out and while Gran still has a chance to meet her baby.
Can Arthur and Billie reconcile their differences and the distance between them and take a chance on love? Will saying “Rabbit, Rabbit” at the beginning of each new year or month, give them enough luck to work things out between them?
The title of this book first stuck out to me and when I looked up the author, I realized I had long ago read The Unsinkable Greta James. I remembered I found it to be too long and drawn out in the middle so I didn’t finish it. I don’t think this book had that issue. It was a quick read, albeit a bit hard to follow.
As someone who loves international adventures and meeting people from around the world, I found the premise of continuing to meet a love interest in different countries interesting. And I thought it was really cool she wanted to take her fertility into her own hands and pursue having a baby on her own.
However there was a little too much going on in the book and the writing style did not quite connect each narrative well enough. It would skip forward in time and then tell what happened in flash backs. There also wasn’t much chemistry between the two love interests. I needed to hear more I’m depth conversations from them or maybe his perspective to make it believable.
I liked her relationship with her Gran and friends. The love interest could have almost not been part of the book and I would’ve like it still, if not more.
Over all an interesting premise with meaningful themes, but the structure didn’t quite do it justice.
August 18, 2026
I just loved this one. It was unpredictable but so sweet! The characters were delightful and full of depth. Highly recommend!
Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC!
Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC!
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
I have enjoyed every single book that Jennifer E Smith has written. I’m so glad she’s writing adult fiction now. I loved this book so much- the full five star experience. We follow Billie on the first day of each month over the course of the year. She’s a film editor in LA who has decided to use a fertility clinic to have a baby. Only on the first day of January, she meets a Scottish man who doesn’t want to have children. The two are drawn together but live far apart and are not on the same page for life goals. Their relationship is doomed before it could even start, yet the two are drawn together over the course of the year. I was prepared for an open ending (like we got in Greta James) and was pleasantly surprised to have some perks into the future at the end. This book was all the feels- I’ll save it a spot on my top 10 list for 2026!
*Thanks to Ballantine and NetGalley for the free copy
*Thanks to Ballantine and NetGalley for the free copy
August 24, 2026
Thank you NetGalley for the ARC! I truly LOVED this book! I loved the characters and felt like I was watching a movie the entire time I was reading this. From the very beginning, I had this feeling of not wanting to rush through because of how much I was enjoying the story and the characters and their adventures. This was a great feel good story with deep conflicts and emotions throughout (📖)
August 4, 2026
I felt lucky to snag the ARC of Rabbit, Rabbit from NetGalley and aptly started it on the first of the month! The superstition of saying, “Rabbit, Rabbit,” has been a part of my routine for decades and wish the characters would’ve leaned in more to the title phrase. The book introduces Billie who has decided she wants a child, and Arthur, who has decided he does not. Unfortunately, they fall in love. Both people are aging out of typical love stories and grappling with grief that seems to pile up. Their conflict isn’t very juicy, because every time things heat up for them, they maturely agree to disagree and part ways (like a long ways apart from each other). Luck, superstition, timing and the choices we make because of grief, all work together to create our life story - this book explains how that works out for Billie and Arthur.
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
This was a beautiful, compulsive read. I loved all of the relationships- Billie & Arthur are central to the story, but the sisterhood Billie had with her friends and the relationship she had with Gran were touching as well. The conclusion felt like lots of epilogues, but I thought it worked. In the end it seemed every character’s story made sense, and the overall story felt tender & hopeful.
Thank you #Netgalley for the e-book ARC
Thank you #Netgalley for the e-book ARC
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
This was a great book. I was a little frustrated with their relationship towards the end because I just wanted them to figure it out!! But this was a heartfelt story and well written. Thank you NetGalley and the author for the ARC! Also, i needed an epilogue of their life together 😭
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
I am not usually a romance novel fan but the subject of a woman’s biological clock ticking down peaked my interest. This was a sweet and easy love story that was a nice diversion and I thoroughly enjoyed it.
September 12, 2026
It’s a novel that teeters the line between contemporary fiction and romance but is just a lovely, heartfelt journey.
The story is about Billie who is 39 and single. And Arthur who is also single at 44. One lives in LA and one is from the Scottish highlands. Which as you can imagine is as different as can be. But dig deeper and you’ll see that both of them have experienced grief and loss, combined with not having found the love story they thought they might have. And a chance encounter in Italy changes it all.
I’m not going to give more details except to say that I appreciated @ballantine gifting me this one because it was just such an escape. Not cheesy. Not simple. But a love story that felt real and complicated at times.
Read
August 11, 2026I can see all the ways this story was crafted to be a sweeping romance, spanning a year and eventually more, but it didn't quite work for me. If anything, Billie's closest friends (who had so many group cries and declarations of platonic love that I lost count) were the stand outs. I liked Billie and Arthur enough, but something I always struggle with reading romance is whether or not I actually believe in the couple. I don't get why they kept coming back to each other. They have such fundamentally different opinions on things, namely CHILDREN, that mean that they'd never work. But because this is romance, I just kept assuming that at some point, it would magically work out anyway. I don't think it makes sense to have a love interest that adamantly does not want children, but we have to keep having that same conversation throughout the entire book, forcing him to in some ways, alter himself for her. Billie's desire for motherhood is rooted in her childhood trauma, and a wish for her grandmother to know her child. I don't know. I didn't feel like there was enough on the page to justify it all. This is probably the fault of the timeline constantly moving forward to give us more meetings between Billie and Arthur- too constant, in fact, where you'd miss chunks of time that I suppose weren't interesting enough to be on page. I don't want to be too cold hearted towards Arthur, but I struggled to picture a modern, in-all-other-ways-perfect 44-year-old that has never sought help to deal with his childhood trauma and lets that solely determine his path in life. Honestly, given his environmentalism work, I was more interested in his argument against having children in relation to the planet. I'm not mad I read this, to be clear. I just don't think the jumpy timeline helped any of the characterization and ended up harming what was meant to be a gut-punch of a romance. Plus, the last 6 or so chapters rush forward so fast in order to force a happy ending that we literally lose YEARS of life experience and development in Billie and Arthur's lives. However, I really liked Smith's last book, so I'm sure I'll read whatever she writes next! Thanks to Ballantine Books and Netgalley for an eARC copy in exchange for an honest review!
August 22, 2026
As she rings in the New Year on a girls' trip to Florence with her two best friends, 39-year-old and very single film editor Billie makes a big decision for her next year: she is going to become a mother. But then minutes later she hits it off with a Scottish guy at the bar. The magical connection they have and their personalities/interests make them seem absolutely perfect for each other, aside from the deal-breaker: he doesn't ever want to have kids. We revisit Billie on the first of the month throughout this life-changing year as she pursues the path she has decided on but as she also continues to connect with Arthur across continents and time zones - and faces the decision about which way to go when her heart is pulled in two equally strong and important directions.
I really loved Jennifer E. Smith's The Unsinkable Greta James - less so the book that followed it because I thought the cast of main characters was a bit big - but she is back to form in this one, focusing on a central character with a believable and easy to love romantic interest and an enjoyable set of supporting characters. I loved that it has some rom-com feels in the banter, the cuteness of the developing relationship, and the dreamy qualities that just wrap you up in their story - but that it is no standard rom-com with the standard tropes and the (usually eye-rollingly avoidable) miscommunication/break-up before the 3rd act and without the alternating perspectives between the two leads - I much prefer having just the heroine's perspective, honestly. It's more about a woman at a crossroads, deciding what she wants the rest of her life to be. First and foremost that's whether she wants to have kids, and then next it's whether that's also going to involve pursuing a romantic partner. Her 39-going-on-40 status makes her feel relatable to me of course, and I love a character who is confident and competent in life and work (plus love an interesting job behind-the-scenes!) but just has this life consideration/decision that she's working through, especially as relates to having reached mid-life. It's a book that's easy to sink into and an absolute pleasure to read, but it isn't flippant or fluffy, written with wit and warmth and some depth of character. In this vein would recommend for fans of Linda Holmes as well.
4.25✨
I really loved Jennifer E. Smith's The Unsinkable Greta James - less so the book that followed it because I thought the cast of main characters was a bit big - but she is back to form in this one, focusing on a central character with a believable and easy to love romantic interest and an enjoyable set of supporting characters. I loved that it has some rom-com feels in the banter, the cuteness of the developing relationship, and the dreamy qualities that just wrap you up in their story - but that it is no standard rom-com with the standard tropes and the (usually eye-rollingly avoidable) miscommunication/break-up before the 3rd act and without the alternating perspectives between the two leads - I much prefer having just the heroine's perspective, honestly. It's more about a woman at a crossroads, deciding what she wants the rest of her life to be. First and foremost that's whether she wants to have kids, and then next it's whether that's also going to involve pursuing a romantic partner. Her 39-going-on-40 status makes her feel relatable to me of course, and I love a character who is confident and competent in life and work (plus love an interesting job behind-the-scenes!) but just has this life consideration/decision that she's working through, especially as relates to having reached mid-life. It's a book that's easy to sink into and an absolute pleasure to read, but it isn't flippant or fluffy, written with wit and warmth and some depth of character. In this vein would recommend for fans of Linda Holmes as well.
4.25✨
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
This book totally blew me away and exceeded my expectations!
𝙍𝙖𝙗𝙗𝙞𝙩 𝙍𝙖𝙗𝙗𝙞𝙩 is definitely a romance, but it mashes genres with contemporary fiction in a way that it comes out as a genuine LOVE STORY vs a romance book with all the typical tropes you'd find in that genre. It's so much more than that though even, it's a personal journey for our main character, a story about love, loss, repair, timing, and so much more.
Billie, a 39, single, American film editor on a girls’ trip to Florence, decides at the stroke of midnight on New Years Eve that this is the year that she's going to have a baby on her own. Less than an hour later, she meets Arthur, 44, single, Scottish environmentalist celebrating a friend’s stag party. They have an instant and powerful connection, but when Billie learns that he does not want kids, she chalks it up to one last hurrah, enjoying their connection but knowing that they could never have a real relationship.
The story is formatted by covering a few chapters over every single month of this extremely pivotal year. Billie knows that Arthur can't give her everything she wants, but she's still drawn to him. She's also simultaneously struggling with the physical realities and emotional turmoil of her big decision to become a mother.
I'll avoid giving any spoilers from there, but suffice it to say that this is an emotional journey and the writing is so gorgeous and gripping that I could not put this one down. I absolutely loved how Smith grapples with these tough decisions in such a way that felt so true to real life. She also weaves in themes of lifelong grief, personal growth, female friendship, motherhood, and so much more.
This one is going to definitely make on my list of favorite romances of 2026. I absolutely loved it. I also want to just mention - the cover is giving a little bit of weird girl lit fit vibes to me (maybe just me!?), but this is not that! It's absolutely so accessible, bingeable, swoon worthy, while still having significantly more depth than your average romance.
Thank you so much to NetGalley, Thousand Voices, and Ballantine for access to this eARC.
𝙍𝙖𝙗𝙗𝙞𝙩 𝙍𝙖𝙗𝙗𝙞𝙩 is definitely a romance, but it mashes genres with contemporary fiction in a way that it comes out as a genuine LOVE STORY vs a romance book with all the typical tropes you'd find in that genre. It's so much more than that though even, it's a personal journey for our main character, a story about love, loss, repair, timing, and so much more.
Billie, a 39, single, American film editor on a girls’ trip to Florence, decides at the stroke of midnight on New Years Eve that this is the year that she's going to have a baby on her own. Less than an hour later, she meets Arthur, 44, single, Scottish environmentalist celebrating a friend’s stag party. They have an instant and powerful connection, but when Billie learns that he does not want kids, she chalks it up to one last hurrah, enjoying their connection but knowing that they could never have a real relationship.
The story is formatted by covering a few chapters over every single month of this extremely pivotal year. Billie knows that Arthur can't give her everything she wants, but she's still drawn to him. She's also simultaneously struggling with the physical realities and emotional turmoil of her big decision to become a mother.
I'll avoid giving any spoilers from there, but suffice it to say that this is an emotional journey and the writing is so gorgeous and gripping that I could not put this one down. I absolutely loved how Smith grapples with these tough decisions in such a way that felt so true to real life. She also weaves in themes of lifelong grief, personal growth, female friendship, motherhood, and so much more.
This one is going to definitely make on my list of favorite romances of 2026. I absolutely loved it. I also want to just mention - the cover is giving a little bit of weird girl lit fit vibes to me (maybe just me!?), but this is not that! It's absolutely so accessible, bingeable, swoon worthy, while still having significantly more depth than your average romance.
Thank you so much to NetGalley, Thousand Voices, and Ballantine for access to this eARC.
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
Title: Rabbit Rabbit
Series: Part of a Thousand Voices
Author: Jennifer E. Smith
Genre: Women’s Fiction
Publisher: Ballantine|Ballantine Books
Pub Date: December 15, 2026
My Rating: 4 stars
Pages: 336
It is New Year's Eve and Billie, who is thirty-nine a single Film Editor in NYC and is vacationing in Florence with her bestie. As midnight nears, she decides that this is the year she is going to have a baby. Shortly after midnight who should appear but single Arthur from Scotland who is also in Florence. He is there for a friend’s stag party. They had a wonderful evening. As the evening moves on Billie is aware that Arthur is forty-four and not interested in having children. They had an enjoyable time but now know a relationship is not going to work.
Billie returns to NY and in February starts the process of choosing a sperm donor. Arthur is in NYC in March.... and she has fallen for him but knows they do not agree regarding having a family.
However, the story continues to follows them every January on New Years Day!
I was looking forward to reading this. I decided to double check the reviews and thought oops I believe this may not be for me. Next thought, I will read and make my own decision. Glad I did – as this turned out to be an enjoyable heartwarming novel about what it means to follow your dream and allow love to happen.
Today is not the beginning of the month but I want to use wish a
‘Rabbit Rabbit’.
In case, you need reminded -
On the first day of every month, one is supposed to say “rabbit rabbit” before saying anything else as it is a way of wishing good luck for the rest of the month.
I don’t know if it works but sounds like a fun thing to say!
I want to thank NetGalley and Ballantine| Ballantine Books for granted me this widget.
Publishing Release Date scheduled for December 15, 2026.
Series: Part of a Thousand Voices
Author: Jennifer E. Smith
Genre: Women’s Fiction
Publisher: Ballantine|Ballantine Books
Pub Date: December 15, 2026
My Rating: 4 stars
Pages: 336
It is New Year's Eve and Billie, who is thirty-nine a single Film Editor in NYC and is vacationing in Florence with her bestie. As midnight nears, she decides that this is the year she is going to have a baby. Shortly after midnight who should appear but single Arthur from Scotland who is also in Florence. He is there for a friend’s stag party. They had a wonderful evening. As the evening moves on Billie is aware that Arthur is forty-four and not interested in having children. They had an enjoyable time but now know a relationship is not going to work.
Billie returns to NY and in February starts the process of choosing a sperm donor. Arthur is in NYC in March.... and she has fallen for him but knows they do not agree regarding having a family.
However, the story continues to follows them every January on New Years Day!
I was looking forward to reading this. I decided to double check the reviews and thought oops I believe this may not be for me. Next thought, I will read and make my own decision. Glad I did – as this turned out to be an enjoyable heartwarming novel about what it means to follow your dream and allow love to happen.
Today is not the beginning of the month but I want to use wish a
‘Rabbit Rabbit’.
In case, you need reminded -
On the first day of every month, one is supposed to say “rabbit rabbit” before saying anything else as it is a way of wishing good luck for the rest of the month.
I don’t know if it works but sounds like a fun thing to say!
I want to thank NetGalley and Ballantine| Ballantine Books for granted me this widget.
Publishing Release Date scheduled for December 15, 2026.
October 13, 2026
Thank you to Ballantine Books for an advanced reader copy of Rabbit, Rabbit by Jennifer E. Smith in exchange for my honest review. All opinions are my own
Rabbit, Rabbit is a moving story about the choices we make to pursue the life of our dreams. It is a lovely novel that unfolds month by month, showcasing a perfect-seeming couple who unfortunately meet at the wrong time. Billie is a successful 39-year old film editor from Los Angeles and Arthur is a 44-year old environmentalist from Edinburgh. Just as Billie decides to take steps to become a single mother, she meets Arthur who does not want children. Over the course of a year, while juggling fertility treatments and global romantic getaways, Billie has to decide which future she truly wants when her heart splits in two directions.
“Every choice you make, every fork in the road, both things are there: joy and grief….Each path has both joy and grief bound up in it. There’s no escaping it either way. But that’s ok. That’s life. You just have to make your choice and see what it brings.”
This was such an entertaining and wholly original novel. The romance is swoon worthy, complete with witty banter, yearning, and humor. The story also thoughtfully explores grief, fertility, platonic love between friends, and aging and loss. I especially loved Billie’s relationships with her ride or die best friends and spunky grandmother. While the ending may have been a bit too convenient for me, the book is overall a well-written, entertaining story with surprising emotional depth
Rabbit, Rabbit is a moving story about the choices we make to pursue the life of our dreams. It is a lovely novel that unfolds month by month, showcasing a perfect-seeming couple who unfortunately meet at the wrong time. Billie is a successful 39-year old film editor from Los Angeles and Arthur is a 44-year old environmentalist from Edinburgh. Just as Billie decides to take steps to become a single mother, she meets Arthur who does not want children. Over the course of a year, while juggling fertility treatments and global romantic getaways, Billie has to decide which future she truly wants when her heart splits in two directions.
“Every choice you make, every fork in the road, both things are there: joy and grief….Each path has both joy and grief bound up in it. There’s no escaping it either way. But that’s ok. That’s life. You just have to make your choice and see what it brings.”
This was such an entertaining and wholly original novel. The romance is swoon worthy, complete with witty banter, yearning, and humor. The story also thoughtfully explores grief, fertility, platonic love between friends, and aging and loss. I especially loved Billie’s relationships with her ride or die best friends and spunky grandmother. While the ending may have been a bit too convenient for me, the book is overall a well-written, entertaining story with surprising emotional depth
October 4, 2026
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️My review: Billie has not met "Mr. Right" and she is 39 and all her clocks are ticking. Then the day she decides to have a baby on her own, she meets Arthur in Italy. She lives in LA, he lives in Scotland. She wants a baby, to make a family she got robbed of, he absolutely does not want to be a parent and risk losing anyone else he loves.
As they both carry on with their lives, meeting up, breaking up, moving on, and coming back together, they are forced to confront what they both really want.
This love story, this "movie of life" was wonderful. I understood both Billie and Arthur and wanted both of them to get what they needed and wanted. Smith created characters at odds and in love and I cared so much about both of them. 5 stars all the way.
Thank you to Ballantine and NetGalley for an advance digital copy to review. These opinions are my own.
As they both carry on with their lives, meeting up, breaking up, moving on, and coming back together, they are forced to confront what they both really want.
This love story, this "movie of life" was wonderful. I understood both Billie and Arthur and wanted both of them to get what they needed and wanted. Smith created characters at odds and in love and I cared so much about both of them. 5 stars all the way.
Thank you to Ballantine and NetGalley for an advance digital copy to review. These opinions are my own.
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
I loved everything about this book. It's a quick read that packs a real emotional punch, and I was hooked from the start. The way the author structured the story around the first of each month, with the "rabbit rabbit" tradition tying it all together, was very clever. It made every new chapter feel like something to look forward to. Highly recommend!
Thanks to NetGalley for the early reviewer copy!
Thanks to NetGalley for the early reviewer copy!
Review of advance copy received from Publisher
At 39, Billie makes a New Year’s resolution: this is the year she is going to have a baby.
Then, on that very same night, she meets Arthur.
Arthur is Scottish, works in the environmental/ecological field, and has made an equally firm decision about his future: because of climate change and his concerns about the world we’re leaving behind, he absolutely does not want children.
And there you have the central tension of Rabbit Rabbit. Over the course of the next year, we follow Billie through her attempts to become a mother and through a series of encounters with Arthur as their connection continues to deepen. Eventually, the question becomes increasingly difficult to ignore: What happens when the life you’ve decided you want and the person you might love seem to exist on two completely different paths?
There was so much I loved about this book.
First, the settings are INCREDIBLE. Billie and her two best friends work in the film industry in Los Angeles, but this story hops all over the globe—New York, North Carolina, Italy, Africa, and beyond. Every time the characters land somewhere new, Smith makes the setting feel completely immersive. This is the kind of book that will have you wanting to book a flight before you’ve finished the chapter.
I also adored the supporting characters. Billie’s Gran, who lives in New York City, is an absolute delight and had some of my favorite lines in the entire book. Billie’s two best friends—one married with children and the other single and child-free—also give the story two very different perspectives on what a fulfilling adult life can look like. More importantly, their friendship with Billie feels genuine, funny, and lived-in.
But the dialogue may be the strongest part of the novel, particularly the conversations between Billie and Arthur. Their relationship reminded me so much of the Before Sunrise/Before Sunset films with Ethan Hawke and Julie Delpy: two people talking and talking and somehow making those conversations feel intimate, romantic, and enormously consequential. This book is incredibly cinematic, and I would not be surprised at all to see an adaptation someday.
And while there are some wonderfully romantic moments, this isn’t entirely lighthearted. Both Billie and Arthur carry trauma from their pasts, giving their decisions about love, family, and the future much more weight.
My biggest hesitation was the ending. Without spoiling anything, I wasn’t completely sold on how the plot ultimately got us to its conclusion. There were also a few moments when behavior that was presumably intended to feel sweeping and romantic landed a little closer to 🚩 for me. Billie and Arthur have SO MANY obstacles between them that I occasionally wondered whether some of the intensity of their relationship comes from the very fact that it seems so impossible.
Still, even when I wasn’t entirely convinced by the plot, I was invested in these characters. Jennifer E. Smith’s writing is lovely, the dialogue is fantastic, the friendships are wonderful, and the central question—what happens when two deeply desired versions of your future can’t easily coexist?—gave me a lot to think about.
A beautifully written, globe-trotting, cinematic love story that has more on its mind than romance alone.
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ 4/5 stars
📖 Rabbit Rabbit
✍️ Jennifer E. Smith
📅 December 15, 2026
📚 Ballantine Books
Thank you to Ballantine Books and Thousand Voices for the advanced reading copy.
August 24, 2026
Jennifer E. Smith did it again!
I could not put this book down once I picked it up and ended up finishing it in a single sitting. I'll definitely be purchasing a physical copy for my bookshelf trophy collection. A huge thank you to Penguin Random House and NetGalley for providing me with an advanced reader copy.
Told over the course of a single year, with each chapter beginning in a new month, this story moves quickly without ever sacrificing depth or heart. It explores grief, loss, infertility, miscarriage, memory loss, and cancer with sensitivity and care.
While on a girls' trip in Florence, 39-year-old Billie begins the new year with a resolution: she's ready to start a family of her own. Tired of waiting for the perfect love story before moving on to the next chapter of her life, she's determined to pursue motherhood on her own terms.
Of course, less than an hour later, she meets Arthur, a seemingly perfect 44-year-old Scottish environmentalist (swoon). They spend a wonderful evening talking and getting to know one another, and it feels as though fate might have one last surprise in store for Billie. That hope is complicated when she learns that Arthur doesn't want children. Still, she doesn't let that stop her from getting to know him, and by the end of the night they exchange numbers "in case of emergency." After all, maybe a great love story could be enough.
Over the following months, Billie navigates her journey toward motherhood while continuing to cross paths with Arthur whenever life allows. Along the way, she's supported by an incredible cast of loved ones, especially her Gran and best friends, who help guide her toward understanding what she truly wants from life.
What I appreciated most was how authentic both Billie and Arthur's journeys felt. Neither character is portrayed as a villain for wanting, or not wanting, children. Smith handles their differing desires with remarkable grace, allowing readers to empathize with both perspectives. Nothing feels forced or unrealistic; these are the kinds of situations and emotions that people face every day.
Another element I loved was the connection between Billie's career as a film editor and her desire to "edit" her own life story. She constantly tries to arrange the pieces into a version that makes sense, wondering what she can cut, reshape, or sacrifice to create the ending she imagines. As someone who often pictures the future and how things should unfold, I felt a deep connection to Billie through this theme.
This book delivers a deeply satisfying conclusion while remaining honest about life's complexities. It's emotional, thoughtful, and full of heart, and I'm so glad I had the chance to read it.
I could not put this book down once I picked it up and ended up finishing it in a single sitting. I'll definitely be purchasing a physical copy for my bookshelf trophy collection. A huge thank you to Penguin Random House and NetGalley for providing me with an advanced reader copy.
Told over the course of a single year, with each chapter beginning in a new month, this story moves quickly without ever sacrificing depth or heart. It explores grief, loss, infertility, miscarriage, memory loss, and cancer with sensitivity and care.
While on a girls' trip in Florence, 39-year-old Billie begins the new year with a resolution: she's ready to start a family of her own. Tired of waiting for the perfect love story before moving on to the next chapter of her life, she's determined to pursue motherhood on her own terms.
Of course, less than an hour later, she meets Arthur, a seemingly perfect 44-year-old Scottish environmentalist (swoon). They spend a wonderful evening talking and getting to know one another, and it feels as though fate might have one last surprise in store for Billie. That hope is complicated when she learns that Arthur doesn't want children. Still, she doesn't let that stop her from getting to know him, and by the end of the night they exchange numbers "in case of emergency." After all, maybe a great love story could be enough.
Over the following months, Billie navigates her journey toward motherhood while continuing to cross paths with Arthur whenever life allows. Along the way, she's supported by an incredible cast of loved ones, especially her Gran and best friends, who help guide her toward understanding what she truly wants from life.
What I appreciated most was how authentic both Billie and Arthur's journeys felt. Neither character is portrayed as a villain for wanting, or not wanting, children. Smith handles their differing desires with remarkable grace, allowing readers to empathize with both perspectives. Nothing feels forced or unrealistic; these are the kinds of situations and emotions that people face every day.
Another element I loved was the connection between Billie's career as a film editor and her desire to "edit" her own life story. She constantly tries to arrange the pieces into a version that makes sense, wondering what she can cut, reshape, or sacrifice to create the ending she imagines. As someone who often pictures the future and how things should unfold, I felt a deep connection to Billie through this theme.
This book delivers a deeply satisfying conclusion while remaining honest about life's complexities. It's emotional, thoughtful, and full of heart, and I'm so glad I had the chance to read it.
August 2, 2026
Thank you to NetGalley and the Ballantine Books for the opportunity to read Rabbit Rabbit in exchange for an honest review.
This is a mid-life story that opens at a crossroad for Billie. She is 39, a successful film editor and on a girls trip to Florence, Italy. She has decided to have a child on her own, through insemination or IVF, without a partner. She lost her parents in a tragic accident when she was 9 years old and was raised by her grandmother in NYC. It is important to her that her child meet her grandmother and time is ticking. Then she meets Arthur, a Scottish conservationist, before the stroke of midnight which sets off a series of meet ups. It is important to note that Arthur has had his own share of grief, losing his brother to leukemia when they were small.
The couple plans meet up at various events in the US, London, Africa and realize they are in love but the sticking point is, due to their own life experiences, Billie craves family and Arthur is afraid to risk his heart on a child. When Arthur learns of Billie’s plans they discuss the options and decide to move forward separately but heart broken. Several Hail Mary attempts leave them still uncommitted. They each grapple with their plans in light of their love. What is powerful is that they both are strong in their convictions but truly want what is best for the other, the best foundation to love, am I right? I found myself pulling for this couple, really hoping the book would lead them to the same path.
I enjoyed how the book is organized, taking us chronologically through their timeline, every year on New Years or at the beginning of a month - months or even years later. This will be a nice read to start near year with the NYE opening. A great time for fresh beginnings and examining best laid plans.
Several twist and turns later we enjoy well earned closure for this pair. It is a rom-com at the heart of it but so much more with a mature couple who have long term goals before they get together, discuss compromise where they can and admit where they can’t set aside their priorities.
This is a mid-life story that opens at a crossroad for Billie. She is 39, a successful film editor and on a girls trip to Florence, Italy. She has decided to have a child on her own, through insemination or IVF, without a partner. She lost her parents in a tragic accident when she was 9 years old and was raised by her grandmother in NYC. It is important to her that her child meet her grandmother and time is ticking. Then she meets Arthur, a Scottish conservationist, before the stroke of midnight which sets off a series of meet ups. It is important to note that Arthur has had his own share of grief, losing his brother to leukemia when they were small.
The couple plans meet up at various events in the US, London, Africa and realize they are in love but the sticking point is, due to their own life experiences, Billie craves family and Arthur is afraid to risk his heart on a child. When Arthur learns of Billie’s plans they discuss the options and decide to move forward separately but heart broken. Several Hail Mary attempts leave them still uncommitted. They each grapple with their plans in light of their love. What is powerful is that they both are strong in their convictions but truly want what is best for the other, the best foundation to love, am I right? I found myself pulling for this couple, really hoping the book would lead them to the same path.
I enjoyed how the book is organized, taking us chronologically through their timeline, every year on New Years or at the beginning of a month - months or even years later. This will be a nice read to start near year with the NYE opening. A great time for fresh beginnings and examining best laid plans.
Several twist and turns later we enjoy well earned closure for this pair. It is a rom-com at the heart of it but so much more with a mature couple who have long term goals before they get together, discuss compromise where they can and admit where they can’t set aside their priorities.
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