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The Place We Collide
Not yet published
Expected 20 Oct 26She’s on the verge of getting everything she’s ever wanted… until he shows up at her office.
It wasn’t that long ago when Miranda Mackenzie was dreaming about ways to get revenge on Theo Harris. Their once-friendly competition in a university Spanish class spun out of control for reasons she still doesn’t fully understand. She was all too happy to leave Theo in the rearview mirror. But now he’s back, and Miranda has no choice but to deal with him when he shows up back in her life. Miranda already has enough on her plate trying to earn a promotion. The last thing she needs is Theo derailing it for her. But as it turns out, Theo is the least of her problems.
Theo has made a lot of mistakes in his life, but moving back to Vancouver to take care of his two younger brothers isn’t one of them. Ever since his mom died, his family has been turned upside down, and now his dad is selling their childhood home, dredging up their grief all over again. Theo has had his fair share of surprises since moving back, but running into Miranda is one of the better ones. While he may have imploded any chance he had with her in the past, he’s not that person anymore. This time, he’s determined to get it right.
It wasn’t that long ago when Miranda Mackenzie was dreaming about ways to get revenge on Theo Harris. Their once-friendly competition in a university Spanish class spun out of control for reasons she still doesn’t fully understand. She was all too happy to leave Theo in the rearview mirror. But now he’s back, and Miranda has no choice but to deal with him when he shows up back in her life. Miranda already has enough on her plate trying to earn a promotion. The last thing she needs is Theo derailing it for her. But as it turns out, Theo is the least of her problems.
Theo has made a lot of mistakes in his life, but moving back to Vancouver to take care of his two younger brothers isn’t one of them. Ever since his mom died, his family has been turned upside down, and now his dad is selling their childhood home, dredging up their grief all over again. Theo has had his fair share of surprises since moving back, but running into Miranda is one of the better ones. While he may have imploded any chance he had with her in the past, he’s not that person anymore. This time, he’s determined to get it right.
298 pages, Kindle Edition
Expected publication October 20, 2026
About the author
Vanessa Chase
2 books11 followersVanessa writes cozy, emotional contemporary romance books. Full of good vibes and sweetness, her romances are set in her favorite place on earth–the west coast of Canada.
She is the author of The Place We Begin and The Place We Collide.
She lives on the unceded territories of the lək̓ʷəŋən (Lekwungen) + W̱SÁNEĆ nations on Vancouver Island with her husband and daughter. When she’s not writing or reading, she’s probably baking, crafting, or riding her bike.
She is the author of The Place We Begin and The Place We Collide.
She lives on the unceded territories of the lək̓ʷəŋən (Lekwungen) + W̱SÁNEĆ nations on Vancouver Island with her husband and daughter. When she’s not writing or reading, she’s probably baking, crafting, or riding her bike.
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
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October 1, 2026I went into The Place We Collide without having read the first book and there is always a worry that I’ll have missed something. Whilst there are clearly characters and relationships that began in the previous book, I quickly understood the close friendship group and never felt that I needed to know their previous stories to enjoy this one.
The story follows Miranda and Theo, who knew each other at university but didn’t have the best relationship. In the early chapters I really wasn’t sure about Theo. From Miranda’s memories, he’d made university pretty difficult for her.
As the story moves between the present day and their time at university, we gradually learn more about what had been happening in Theo’s life. He’d been dealing with his mum’s illness without telling anyone and was angry with the world. It doesn’t excuse the way he’d behaved, but helped the reader - and Miranda - understand him.
Present-day Theo completely won me over. He’s taken on so much responsibility for his younger brothers and his dad following his mum’s death, often putting everyone else before himself. The small things were what really got me — the way he cared for Miranda without making a fuss, remembered little details about her and was simply there when she needed him. We all need a Theo.
Miranda’s health is a big part of the story too. What begins with mentions of difficult and painful periods gradually becomes something much more serious. I really felt for her, particularly as she tried to carry on working through the pain and put her career and the possibility of promotion ahead of her own health. Watching her eventually realise that she couldn’t do everything alone was a lesson for all of us.
There’s romance and plenty of chemistry between Miranda and Theo, but for me this was just as much a story about grief, family, friendship and learning to let other people help you. So much of the animosity between Miranda and Theo had come from assumptions and from things that had simply never been.
The epilogue shifts the focus towards Sienna and Rowan, Theo’s older brother and Sienna’s ex, which certainly left me wondering whether their story might be coming next.
My first NetGalley read, and a really enjoyable one. ❤️
The story follows Miranda and Theo, who knew each other at university but didn’t have the best relationship. In the early chapters I really wasn’t sure about Theo. From Miranda’s memories, he’d made university pretty difficult for her.
As the story moves between the present day and their time at university, we gradually learn more about what had been happening in Theo’s life. He’d been dealing with his mum’s illness without telling anyone and was angry with the world. It doesn’t excuse the way he’d behaved, but helped the reader - and Miranda - understand him.
Present-day Theo completely won me over. He’s taken on so much responsibility for his younger brothers and his dad following his mum’s death, often putting everyone else before himself. The small things were what really got me — the way he cared for Miranda without making a fuss, remembered little details about her and was simply there when she needed him. We all need a Theo.
Miranda’s health is a big part of the story too. What begins with mentions of difficult and painful periods gradually becomes something much more serious. I really felt for her, particularly as she tried to carry on working through the pain and put her career and the possibility of promotion ahead of her own health. Watching her eventually realise that she couldn’t do everything alone was a lesson for all of us.
There’s romance and plenty of chemistry between Miranda and Theo, but for me this was just as much a story about grief, family, friendship and learning to let other people help you. So much of the animosity between Miranda and Theo had come from assumptions and from things that had simply never been.
The epilogue shifts the focus towards Sienna and Rowan, Theo’s older brother and Sienna’s ex, which certainly left me wondering whether their story might be coming next.
My first NetGalley read, and a really enjoyable one. ❤️
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Review of advance copy received from Author
Received as an ARC. All i have to say is I'm a romance novel lover when it comes to my favorite type of book. and this book is AMAZING! i loved the story and the frenemy to lovers story line this had.
I couldn't put it down and wish it was longer only due to the fact that i loved it so much. Added bonus that it's Canadian as usually i only find that they take place in the USA. 11/10 would recommend as a romance/easy read love story!
I couldn't put it down and wish it was longer only due to the fact that i loved it so much. Added bonus that it's Canadian as usually i only find that they take place in the USA. 11/10 would recommend as a romance/easy read love story!
October 6, 2026
Vanessa’s done it again!! I didn’t think it was possible to like this book more than her first, but I could not get enough of Miranda and Theo! I love an enemies to lovers trope and this one certainly did not disappoint. It was so easy to connect with the characters and feel what was going on between them as well as with the other characters too. I’d definitely recommend reading this one!!
Review of advance copy received from Author
Loved this book! As somebody who suffered from endometriosis, Miranda's experience felt very familiar and was very well written. Can't wait for the next book in this series...
Review of advance copy received from Author
Thank you to Vanessa Chase for the early opportunity to read The Place We Collide!
I enjoyed reading Theo and Miranda's story, especially since we got a sneak peak in the first book! I loved the moment when they first met, how they became enemies to lovers, and how they slowly grew onto each other. The dual POV made my heart flutter so many times - like when Theo got nervous to ask her out for coffee or on a study date.
Theo's character had great personal growth as he stepped into many different roles. To step up and take care of his brothers was admirable of him. His brothers were fun side characters when they teased him! Then there was this other playful side of him at salsa class!
Miranda is relatable. She is hard working, chasing for a promotion, struggle to say no to more work and is hard on herself. Work life balance is an important topic that many people struggle to maintain.
When Theo took care of Miranda whenever she was on her period, rubbing her feet and cooking for her 🥹 The previous characters showed up in the book and I love the found family feeling. I can't wait for the next book!
Tropes
- Dual Timeline and POV
- Enemies to lovers
- He fell first and hard!
- Forbidden workplace romance
- Grief representation
- He loves to take care of her
- Women's health representation
I enjoyed reading Theo and Miranda's story, especially since we got a sneak peak in the first book! I loved the moment when they first met, how they became enemies to lovers, and how they slowly grew onto each other. The dual POV made my heart flutter so many times - like when Theo got nervous to ask her out for coffee or on a study date.
Theo's character had great personal growth as he stepped into many different roles. To step up and take care of his brothers was admirable of him. His brothers were fun side characters when they teased him! Then there was this other playful side of him at salsa class!
Miranda is relatable. She is hard working, chasing for a promotion, struggle to say no to more work and is hard on herself. Work life balance is an important topic that many people struggle to maintain.
When Theo took care of Miranda whenever she was on her period, rubbing her feet and cooking for her 🥹 The previous characters showed up in the book and I love the found family feeling. I can't wait for the next book!
Tropes
- Dual Timeline and POV
- Enemies to lovers
- He fell first and hard!
- Forbidden workplace romance
- Grief representation
- He loves to take care of her
- Women's health representation
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews