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Derivation
During a semester abroad in Amsterdam, Sarai Kaplan was supposed to play chauffeur to the daughter of a family friend, who was visiting the city for a weekend, and her life plan did not include finding herself with a crush on the younger girl at the end of that weekend.
Eleven years later, Sarai runs into Gabrielle Durand at a bar. Gabi has just moved to town, and since one of Sarai’s roommates has moved out, there’s now space for Gabi, who needs a place to live, to move in. When one of Sarai’s friends offers Gabi the room right next door, the only problem Sarai has with that is that her crush didn’t stay in Amsterdam.
Unbeknownst to her, Gabi had a crush on Sarai back then, too, but after trying to convince Sarai to stay in touch, to no avail, she’d all but given up on the hope of them having anything, including a friendship. Now, she lives with Sarai and two of Sarai’s best friends, and as she and Sarai get closer as friends, roommates, and even co-workers, they both wonder if they can finally have it all.
Eleven years later, Sarai runs into Gabrielle Durand at a bar. Gabi has just moved to town, and since one of Sarai’s roommates has moved out, there’s now space for Gabi, who needs a place to live, to move in. When one of Sarai’s friends offers Gabi the room right next door, the only problem Sarai has with that is that her crush didn’t stay in Amsterdam.
Unbeknownst to her, Gabi had a crush on Sarai back then, too, but after trying to convince Sarai to stay in touch, to no avail, she’d all but given up on the hope of them having anything, including a friendship. Now, she lives with Sarai and two of Sarai’s best friends, and as she and Sarai get closer as friends, roommates, and even co-workers, they both wonder if they can finally have it all.
306 pages, Kindle Edition
First published August 14, 2026
About the author
Nicole Pyland
87 books882 followersNicole Pyland is a best-selling author of sapphic stand-alone novels and series.
Since 2017, she’s published over 60 romance novels in different sub-genres (contemporary romance, erotica, mystery, sci-fi, paranormal, historical, fantasy), and more of her books are on their way!
She grew up in Indiana, studying English & Film and then getting a master's degree in Behavior Analysis. She lives with her wife and their opinionated cat, who spends his evenings helping her write stories by occupying half the chair.
"I’ve always had fictional characters trapped inside my head. Now, I’m giving them their voices in my books. I started publishing in November 2017, but out of all the words I’ve ever used to describe myself, writer has been the only constant."
Since 2017, she’s published over 60 romance novels in different sub-genres (contemporary romance, erotica, mystery, sci-fi, paranormal, historical, fantasy), and more of her books are on their way!
She grew up in Indiana, studying English & Film and then getting a master's degree in Behavior Analysis. She lives with her wife and their opinionated cat, who spends his evenings helping her write stories by occupying half the chair.
"I’ve always had fictional characters trapped inside my head. Now, I’m giving them their voices in my books. I started publishing in November 2017, but out of all the words I’ve ever used to describe myself, writer has been the only constant."
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Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews
September 23, 2026
Sarai works with her three best friends in their company they started after college a decade ago, and until recently they all lived and worked in the house they shared. All four of them had met in Amsterdam on a study abroad period from the US ten years before, and they had stayed together.
Gabi had first met Sarai and her friends years before on a weekend visit to Amsterdam from Paris where she was living. But after that weekend she hadn’t seen any of them since. Until now, when she took a new job in a new town she ran into Sarai at a bar.
This is the second book in the series. In the first book, Violet found Stella. Now we return to the same situation only a short while after the events from book one. I did find that I really needed to have read book one first.
In my review of the first book, I liked the story, but I felt it wasn’t Nicole Pyland’s best writing. This second book, however, is much better than the first, pulling us more into the story and the emotion of the two women and their friends.
A really good story.
Gabi had first met Sarai and her friends years before on a weekend visit to Amsterdam from Paris where she was living. But after that weekend she hadn’t seen any of them since. Until now, when she took a new job in a new town she ran into Sarai at a bar.
This is the second book in the series. In the first book, Violet found Stella. Now we return to the same situation only a short while after the events from book one. I did find that I really needed to have read book one first.
In my review of the first book, I liked the story, but I felt it wasn’t Nicole Pyland’s best writing. This second book, however, is much better than the first, pulling us more into the story and the emotion of the two women and their friends.
A really good story.
September 7, 2026
This second installment of the start-up series throws you straight into Sarai and Gabi’s story, without much explanation. Since I had read Semantics fairly recently, I could mostly follow what was going on, but I did wonder how this would work for someone coming into the series without that background.
This book has the same backdrop as the first one, so there are quite a few similarities. Perhaps because I read Semantics so recently, I found some of it a little repetitive. There was once again quite a lot of business-related stuff, and in this book there seemed to be even more of it—and a lot of it was very tech-heavy. That quickly became a bit too complicated for me.
The biggest issue for me was the romance. Sarai and Gabi’s relationship felt strangely calculated rather than natural. There was so much talking, analyzing, discussing and deciding what they should or shouldn’t do. Even their first kiss seemed to require a strategic conversation beforehand about whether kissing each other was actually a good idea. 😅
And honestly… where was the spontaneous chemistry? I want those moments where you can feel the attraction practically jumping off the page. Instead, I often felt like I was watching two people negotiate their way into a relationship.
I also expected a little more from the roommates situation. I thought it might lead to some fun or steamy moments, but instead there were mostly awkward moments and impractical situations.
Another thing that started to get on my nerves a little was the repetition. Certain character traits of the friends were repeatedly emphasized, exaggerated, and brought up again and again. After a while, I really started to get a bit tired of it.
I was actually a little surprised by how much these things bothered me. Perhaps I simply read this one too soon after Semantics, which made the similarities and repetition stand out more.
And then there were the flashbacks. I normally really like flashbacks, but I prefer them when they interact with and add something to the present storyline. Here, I often felt that the timing was a little off and that they didn't add much in the moment.
3.5 ⭐️ but I'm rounding down to 3 stars, because when I thought about how much I enjoyed some of Pyland’s other books—which I happily gave 4 stars—this one just didn’t feel like the same level for me.
A perfectly okay read, but not one of my Pyland favourites.
This book has the same backdrop as the first one, so there are quite a few similarities. Perhaps because I read Semantics so recently, I found some of it a little repetitive. There was once again quite a lot of business-related stuff, and in this book there seemed to be even more of it—and a lot of it was very tech-heavy. That quickly became a bit too complicated for me.
The biggest issue for me was the romance. Sarai and Gabi’s relationship felt strangely calculated rather than natural. There was so much talking, analyzing, discussing and deciding what they should or shouldn’t do. Even their first kiss seemed to require a strategic conversation beforehand about whether kissing each other was actually a good idea. 😅
And honestly… where was the spontaneous chemistry? I want those moments where you can feel the attraction practically jumping off the page. Instead, I often felt like I was watching two people negotiate their way into a relationship.
I also expected a little more from the roommates situation. I thought it might lead to some fun or steamy moments, but instead there were mostly awkward moments and impractical situations.
Another thing that started to get on my nerves a little was the repetition. Certain character traits of the friends were repeatedly emphasized, exaggerated, and brought up again and again. After a while, I really started to get a bit tired of it.
I was actually a little surprised by how much these things bothered me. Perhaps I simply read this one too soon after Semantics, which made the similarities and repetition stand out more.
And then there were the flashbacks. I normally really like flashbacks, but I prefer them when they interact with and add something to the present storyline. Here, I often felt that the timing was a little off and that they didn't add much in the moment.
3.5 ⭐️ but I'm rounding down to 3 stars, because when I thought about how much I enjoyed some of Pyland’s other books—which I happily gave 4 stars—this one just didn’t feel like the same level for me.
A perfectly okay read, but not one of my Pyland favourites.
August 21, 2026
when life comes full circle..
Know this is only book two but really enjoying this series. These women are funny, obviously hard working and best friends. Sounds like the perfect life!
Gabi was traveling to Amsterdam for the weekend her dad was upset about her staying in a hostel so reached out to a friend of a friend. How Gabi met Sarai for Gabi it was love at first sight. Apparently Sarai felt the same but was concerned they were in different stages in their lives. Sarai was about to finish college. Gabi was taking a gap year to travel before college. 10+ years they happened to run into each other at a bar.
Know this is only book two but really enjoying this series. These women are funny, obviously hard working and best friends. Sounds like the perfect life!
Gabi was traveling to Amsterdam for the weekend her dad was upset about her staying in a hostel so reached out to a friend of a friend. How Gabi met Sarai for Gabi it was love at first sight. Apparently Sarai felt the same but was concerned they were in different stages in their lives. Sarai was about to finish college. Gabi was taking a gap year to travel before college. 10+ years they happened to run into each other at a bar.
August 25, 2026
Boy oh boy I loved this book!
Nicole Pyland continues to amaze me with her writing skills! This story brought me to tears at times and moments later smiling ear to ear. These characters are brilliant, they mesh so well and yet are all so different. The tenderness expressed with each other is envious. Close friends like these are so rare. The genuine love they have shared over the years, so supportive of each other and playful is delightful. As always, Nicole has included just enough spice to heat up the room and make the feelings quite clear! So yes I loved this book and can’t wait for the next one!
Nicole Pyland continues to amaze me with her writing skills! This story brought me to tears at times and moments later smiling ear to ear. These characters are brilliant, they mesh so well and yet are all so different. The tenderness expressed with each other is envious. Close friends like these are so rare. The genuine love they have shared over the years, so supportive of each other and playful is delightful. As always, Nicole has included just enough spice to heat up the room and make the feelings quite clear! So yes I loved this book and can’t wait for the next one!
August 16, 2026
Amazing… as always
Am I surprised this is a 5 star book? Absolutely not. Am I already chomping at the bit for the next installment? Absolutely yes.
Am I surprised this is a 5 star book? Absolutely not. Am I already chomping at the bit for the next installment? Absolutely yes.
August 17, 2026
Can't wait for the next one!
Love these characters. You feel like you live with them and feel what they feel. I love Nicole Pyland books!
Love these characters. You feel like you live with them and feel what they feel. I love Nicole Pyland books!
August 18, 2026
Gorgeous
Sarai and Gabi's story is sweet and romantic. A delayed love at first sight story that will make you cry happy tears. Love this book and the series so far
Sarai and Gabi's story is sweet and romantic. A delayed love at first sight story that will make you cry happy tears. Love this book and the series so far
August 30, 2026
Well written
Well written and super easy to read. I didn't want to put it down, can't wait to the next one.
Well written and super easy to read. I didn't want to put it down, can't wait to the next one.
September 20, 2026
moving onward
I like Gabi & Sarai together. Their long awaited romance is well charted & the usual friends involved are becoming predictable in a good way.
I like Gabi & Sarai together. Their long awaited romance is well charted & the usual friends involved are becoming predictable in a good way.
August 18, 2026
Great series
I’m really enjoying this friend series. This is book two and it was a great read. I loved watching the relationship develop with Sarai and Gabi. Also fun to see their business continue to grow and expand too!
I’m really enjoying this friend series. This is book two and it was a great read. I loved watching the relationship develop with Sarai and Gabi. Also fun to see their business continue to grow and expand too!
Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews