Until I Met You

by Amber Rose Gill

Escape to the Caribbean in this fun, sexy tropical romantic comedy by Amber Rose Gill, winner of Love Island UK! “Fresh and flirty…(a) charming romance.” ― Publisher’s Weekly Will a tropical escape lead to a perfect romance? It was meant to be the vacation of a lifetime for the launch of her travel blog, her best friend’s wedding and – hopefully – her own marriage proposal. Until she finds herself on her way to Tobago – single. Disillusioned with his corporate job on Wall Street, Roman is starting afresh in Tobago. He doesn’t need a distraction, especially a free-spirited travel blogger. But something about Samantha intrigues him. As romance blossoms, Roman and Samantha must learn to risk their hearts. But when secrets are revealed, their new relationship is put in jeopardy. Now Samantha and Roman must decide what they really want. They came to Tobago to find themselves, but could finding each other be what they needed all along? ”Fresh, flirty and gloriously escapist.” Alex Brown, #1 bestselling author of A Postcard from Paris

Genres: Romance, Contemporary Romance, Contemporary, Fiction, Summer, Adult, Audiobook

352 pages, Paperback

Published July 4, 2023

Reviews

[rach⭑ · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.25⭑

Tropes;
Black Romance
Strangers to Friends to Lovers
Reverse Grumpy/Sunshine
Found Family
Third Person
Dual POV

I read this while on holiday in Spain and I have to say, I could kiss my self for making such a great decision. This was the perfect summer read and it was so much fun!

I am not going to lie, I went in with low expectations so it took me by surprise how much I enjoyed it.

This follows our heroine Samantha, who has just been dumped days before she has to fly to Tobago for her best friends wedding. Our hero, Roman, the best friend of the groom, is also one of the only single people at the wedding, so naturally Samantha and Roman were drawn to each other.

For the week that they are both in Tobago, they agree on a week long fling with no hard feelings at the end. But of course, this is a romance after all, they both start to develop feelings for each other.

Truthfully I am not the biggest fan of “insta love” scenarios like this but the author did a great job of making it feel realistic. I hate love confessions after knowing each to her for a week and this didn’t have that!!

I also loved the wedding and Tobago setting of the book. It just made it the perfect summer read.

Thank you Mills & Boon for sending me the ARC of Until I Met You in exchange for my honest review.

[mira]

DNF @8%

i tried but nah not my cup of tea.

[grayce · Rating 4 out of 5]

“what do you think of my tie?”

“it’s nice, i guess. pretty colour.”

“we’re not going to do nice things with it.”

!!!!!

this summer romance was so slay, i read it in one sitting and now i wish i was in tobago 🥲

amber rose gill supremacy. my fave love island contestant ever <3

if you loved the vibes of the unhoneymoons but hated the red flags that ethan practically paraded then you will love this !

when samantha is dumped & has to go to her friend’s wedding alone, the last thing she expects is to feel a connection with the grumpy guy at the resort. after a less than nice introduction, she storms off only to find out that he’s the best friend of the groom and she’s stuck with him.

throw in some drama, rum & sun, sam & roman can’t keep their hands off each other and i’m obsessed.

the fluff & the angst was so good!!!!

samantha and roman are so sweet and i’m so soft for them. the way roman called her pretty girl made me MELT.

this book is genuinely just so perfect for summer and if it isn’t sunny where you are, this book will make you feel like it is <3

thank you so much to mills & boon for the arc !

[Swathi✨️ · Rating 4 out of 5]

☀️🌺🌴 𝓣𝓱𝓲𝓼 𝓫𝓸𝓸𝓴 𝔀𝓪𝓼 𝓵𝓲𝓽𝓮𝓻𝓪𝓵𝓵𝔂 𝓼𝓾𝓷𝓼𝓱𝓲𝓷𝓮 𝓲𝓷 𝓹𝓪𝓹𝓮𝓻𝓫𝓪𝓬𝓴 🌊🍹🧡✨

°❀⋆.ೃ࿔*:･°❀⋆.ೃ࿔*:･°❀⋆.ೃ࿔*:･°❀⋆.ೃ࿔*:･°❀⋆.ೃ࿔*:･

🌞🌊 This book made me want to quit every damn thing, book a one-way ticket to Tobago, drink fruity cocktails on the beach, and accidentally fall in love with the grumpy local. 😭😭✋🏻✈️🌴🍹🏝️💛

I went into this book expecting a cute little vacation romance... and somehow ended up smiling like an absolute idiot for hours. 😭🤭🙂‍↕️🩵

This was everything I wanted from a summer read—sunshine, beaches, wedding chaos, stolen glances, undeniable chemistry, emotional moments, laugh-out-loud banter, and two people who slowly found comfort in each other while surrounded by the most gorgeous tropical backdrop imaginable. 🌺☀️🍍🌊🌴

Every page felt warm. I could practically smell the ocean breeze, hear the waves crashing against the shore, and imagine golden sunsets stretching across the horizon. This wasn't one of those romances that tries too hard to be dramatic—it simply lets you fall in love alongside the characters. And somehow... that made it even more magical. 💛✨🌅

°❀⋆.ೃ࿔*:･°❀⋆.ೃ࿔*:･°❀⋆.ೃ࿔*:･°❀⋆.ೃ࿔*:･°❀⋆.ೃ࿔*:･

🌴🤍 𝓣𝓱𝓮 𝓿𝓲𝓫𝓮𝓼? 𝓐𝓑𝓢𝓞𝓛𝓤𝓣𝓔𝓛𝓨 𝓘𝓜𝓜𝓐𝓒𝓤𝓛𝓐𝓣𝓔.

If summer could be turned into a romance novel... this would be it. 🌺🌊☀️🍹🏖️

Every single chapter made me wish I was lying on a beach somewhere with sand between my toes instead of sitting in my room pretending my ceiling fan was a tropical breeze. 😂😭

The destination wedding, the colorful scenery, the tiny adventures, the relaxed island atmosphere—it all came together so beautifully that Tobago honestly became a character itself. 📸🌴✨

I love books where the setting feels alive, and this one absolutely delivered. It wasn't just a backdrop—it shaped the story, the romance, and the entire mood. By the time I finished, I wanted to pack my bags immediately because HOW AM I SUPPOSED TO LIVE A NORMAL LIFE AFTER THIS?? 😭😭😭

°❀⋆.ೃ࿔*:･°❀⋆.ೃ࿔*:･°❀⋆.ೃ࿔*:･°❀⋆.ೃ࿔*:･°❀⋆.ೃ࿔*:･

💛🌻 𝓡𝓸𝓶𝓪𝓷 𝓪𝓷𝓭 𝓢𝓪𝓶𝓪𝓷𝓽𝓱𝓪 𝔀𝓮𝓻𝓮 𝓻𝓲𝓭𝓲𝓬𝓾𝓵𝓸𝓾𝓼𝓵𝔂 𝓪𝓭𝓸𝓻𝓪𝓫𝓵𝓮.

UGH... THESE TWO. 😭🥹❤️

They had exactly the kind of chemistry I adore—the playful teasing, the accidental vulnerability, the slow realization that maybe this wasn't supposed to be "just a holiday fling" after all. Their relationship felt easy, comfortable, and natural, which made every little romantic moment hit even harder. 🥹🌸✨

Roman may act all grumpy and emotionally unavailable at first, but underneath that serious exterior is one of the sweetest men ever.
The quiet protectiveness?
The soft moments?
The way he slowly lets Samantha see the person behind all those walls?
MY HEART COULDN'T HANDLE IT. 😭🫶

And Samantha was such an enjoyable heroine. She was funny, independent, emotional without being frustrating, and incredibly easy to root for. Together they simply worked. No unnecessary drama for the sake of drama—just two people who unexpectedly became exactly what the other needed. 🤍🩵

°❀⋆.ೃ࿔*:･°❀⋆.ೃ࿔*:･°❀⋆.ೃ࿔*:･°❀⋆.ೃ࿔*:･°❀⋆.ೃ࿔*:･

😂💕 𝓣𝓱𝓮 𝓫𝓪𝓷𝓽𝓮𝓻, 𝓽𝓱𝓮 𝓯𝓵𝓲𝓻𝓽𝓲𝓷𝓰, 𝓽𝓱𝓮 𝓽𝓮𝓷𝓼𝓲𝓸𝓷... 𝓖𝓘𝓥𝓔 𝓜𝓔 𝓜𝓞𝓡𝓔 𝓟𝓛𝓔𝓐𝓢𝓔.

One thing this book absolutely nailed was the balance between humor and romance. 😭😂 Their conversations flowed so naturally that I found myself smiling through so many scenes. The flirting never felt forced, the teasing was genuinely funny, and those tiny moments where they slowly started letting each other in made me MELT. 🥹💛

There were so many scenes where I caught myself kicking my feet like an idiot because these two were just THAT cute🤭🩵. The romance didn't feel rushed despite taking place over a relatively short period because the author gave them time to actually know each other. Every interaction built upon the last until suddenly I realized... oh no... I'M COMPLETELY INVESTED. 😭✋🏻🌺🤍✨

°❀⋆.ೃ࿔*:･°❀⋆.ೃ࿔*:･°❀⋆.ೃ࿔*:･°❀⋆.ೃ࿔*:･°❀⋆.ೃ࿔*:･

🌅🍹 𝓔𝔁𝓪𝓬𝓽𝓵𝔂 𝔀𝓱𝓪𝓽 𝓪 𝓼𝓾𝓶𝓶𝓮𝓻 𝓻𝓸𝓶𝓪𝓷𝓬𝓮 𝓼𝓱𝓸𝓾𝓵𝓭 𝓯𝓮𝓮𝓵 𝓵𝓲𝓴𝓮.

This book never pretended to be something it wasn't. It wasn't trying to reinvent romance or deliver some earth-shattering plot twist. Instead, it focused on giving readers an incredibly fun, comforting, heartwarming escape—and honestly? That's exactly why it worked so well. 🧡☀️

Sometimes you don't need emotional devastation or impossible angst. Sometimes you just need sunshine, good chemistry, beautiful scenery, lovable characters, and a story that leaves you happier than when you started. This was pure serotonin from beginning to end. 🌴🍹🌊💛

°❀⋆.ೃ࿔*:･°❀⋆.ೃ࿔*:･°❀⋆.ೃ࿔*:･°❀⋆.ೃ࿔*:･°❀⋆.ೃ࿔*:･

🌺📚 𝓕𝓲𝓷𝓪𝓵 𝓣𝓱𝓸𝓾𝓰𝓱𝓽𝓼.

Some books leave you emotionally destroyed.

Some books leave you questioning your entire existence.

And then there are books like this one... books that simply make you happy. 🥹☀️🌴 They remind you why romance is such a comforting genre. They make you laugh, swoon, smile like an idiot, and close the book wishing you could spend just one more day with the characters. 💛📖✨

This wasn't just a romance.

It was a vacation.

It was sunshine.

It was salty ocean air.

It was late-night conversations, tropical sunsets, wedding chaos, butterflies, and finding love where you least expect it. 🌊🌺🍍🏝️✨

And honestly...

If someone handed me a plane ticket to Tobago tomorrow... I'd be packed before they finished the sentence. 😭✈️🌴🍹💛🌺

°❀⋆.ೃ࿔*:･°❀⋆.ೃ࿔*:･°❀⋆.ೃ࿔*:･°❀⋆.ೃ࿔*:･°❀⋆.ೃ࿔*:･

⋆˚꩜｡𐔌՞.🩵 𝓹𝓻𝓮-𝓻𝓮𝓪𝓭 🩵.՞𐦯⋆. 𐙚 ˚
My friend recommended me this one😊
And the cover looks cutesyyyyyy🥹🩵🩵🩵
So yeah happy reading to me🤗

[Holly · Rating 2 out of 5]

Let me preface this with the fact that I didn’t totally hate this book, but it also felt like a dumpster fire I couldn’t look away from.

I had no idea Amber Rose Gill had written a book, and if I’m brutally honest that (and the cartoon cover) was the only reason I picked it up on Sunday.

The storyline had so much potential when I read the blurb, but this just didn’t hit the mark for me. It felt rushed in places and unrealistic, even for a holiday romance.

Samantha didn’t have much to her other than the ‘feisty’ comebacks and mildly helpful advice she gave her friends. Roman came across as a bit bland and boring too, I’ve walked away feeling like I don’t know either of the main characters all that well.

That being said, the story was easy to follow, and the spanner thrown in the works at the end was the slight twist that was needed (even though it could have been written better and has still left me with some questions). I would have loved to have seen the one and only sex scene not fade to black, I’m not saying it had to be top level smut, but just a little more than we got.

There are a handful of grammatical and spelling errors through the book, which I can overlook. Rushed editing at its finest! However… don’t get me started on the manta ray.

[Carrie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Review coming soon.

[Kiah Winters · Rating 1 out of 5]

I picked up this book not realising who it was written by. I have big issues with books being written by celebrities because it’s giving you didn’t actually write it. Like when singers act. It’s not good.


This is awful story writing. The characters were completely unlikeable. “His smile waned” twice in a paragraph, it’s giving AI.

Sorry, I’ve just come back from a girls weekend where they didn’t stop saying “it’s giving”.

Yes. Awful book. Would not recommend. Took me so long to get through because it’s just pure drivel? Why was it so long. Got to like 60% of the way through and I was like how is there more to come? What more possibly needs to happen.

Didn’t cry.

[raye x · Rating 2 out of 5]

just wasn’t my cup of tea 😟
⭐️⭐️

[Caitlin Symons · Rating 5 out of 5]

i’m in love! loved the characters loved the storyline just loved everything! i need a second book pls

[Ms. Woc Reader · Rating 3 out of 5]

This one started a little slow for me but ultimately I liked it. In this book we're following Samantha who is busy performing bridesmaids duties for her best friend after a breakup. She meets Roman, who is one of the groom's friends and though they clash at first they soon begin a romance. Samantha wants Roman to open up more but he's reluctant and then drama with their friends as the wedding date gets closer is thrown into the mix. Over all this was an enjoyable story and I thought the depictions of Tobago as someone who has been there were pretty spot on. I just found myself frustrated at Roman at times and thought the backend of the book was a little overloaded with drama.

Full review below
https://womenofcolorreadtoo.blogspot....

[Lily Upot · Rating 3 out of 5]

I wish I liked this more because Amber is so amazing but it just wasn’t that good lol
Would have loved to see more thoughtful character development and also was sad that although the main characters were POC, you couldn’t tell other than from descriptions of their skin colour - it’s lit set in Tobago and I learnt nothing about the place, could have set this in Ibiza and it would have been the same 😃

[marley sookool · Rating 4 out of 5]

this book surprised me! i liked it a lot more than i thought i was going to, only critique would be the mentions of lockdown and the pandemic😣😣😣

[Debra T · Rating 1 out of 5]

This is not a book I’d usually read, I’m not into the romance genre but I wanted to read one write a comment near every cliché or impossible scenarios just for fun.
However I’ve found myself adding a note almost every paragraph because it was an unending succession of lame conversations to pretty serious topics, plots holes and questionable friendships.
It feels like it was written by a thirteen year old girl that published her first fanfic on Wattpad without ever revising it.
The plot is almost nonexistent everything feels wrong and rushed from page one.
Samantha, the female lead, is flat, irritating and stupid. It’s so tiring to keep reading about her overthinking and there’s not the slightest trace of character growth at the end of the book.
It took me a lot of time and energy to finish this book and I ended up hating all of the characters.

[Lucy Aronis · Rating 1 out of 5]

So much potential. Ultimately, a flop.

In terms of representation, I was really looking forward to this book.
It ended up as one dimensional character overload. The plot? Non existent.

If my friend ever came to my wedding and acted like this, they would be on an immediate flight home.

Insta love where the supposed ‘problem’ got solved in the last two paragraphs of the book.

[Olivia Giuffrida]

amber from love island WROTE A BOOK…whattttt

[Amy Gets Reading &#x1f4da; · Rating 3 out of 5]

So I didn’t completely hate the book, but I didn’t completely love it either.

I was actually a bit disappointed, the storyline sounded so good and had so much potential but just didn’t give off the vibes I wanted.

The characters were fine but I wanted more from them, at one point Roman says Sam is feisty but I didn’t see much of that side, and I would have liked to see more traits from them come out.

If I’m honest I struggle to read and keep interested until around chapter 14/15
But I did like the ending it was cute happily ever after end - and that’s why I gave it an extra star

⭐️ ⭐️⭐️

[N.G. Peltier · Rating 3 out of 5]

Well I actually quite enjoyed this. I didn't know what to expect as I had no idea who amber Rose Gill was but knowing the book was set in Tobago intrigued me as a Trini. And learning her father is a Trini definitely made me want to read and see how the rep was. And I can say that Tobago was well portrayed.

There was a lot going on in this one. Samantha and Roman are our main characters but we got drama surrounding their friends who are getting married, things going on in Sam's friend group and a random surprise visitor to the end of the book that had me like ummmm whomst is this???

But I liked it. And can see this as a fun rom com movie with all the shenanigans. The romance was fast but I think it just worked here for me??? And I liked how it wrapped up.

[Chloe Sparks · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved it and fell in love with the characters so easily. Each character had their own marvellousness and I was desperate to see how it all ended up! Highly recommend.

[Lauren MacKenzie · Rating 2 out of 5]

A very meh, skimable read.

[Livvy Smith · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5 stars!!! read it now

[Olivia · Rating 4 out of 5]

quite an easy read, very much a fluffy romance

[Shelley · Rating 4 out of 5]

Omds this was so fun to read! So happy to have gotten this ARC from @millsandboon

Plot:
Samantha, an aspiring travel blogger, is headed to Trinidad and Tobago for her best friend's wedding, and it should be a great and fun trip for her! Or at least it would be had she not been dumped days before she was meant to travel.

Now, she's basically the only single person on what has basically turned into a couples retreat 🙃 That is, until a chance meeting seems to stir something up in Samantha and has the potential for real love 🥺

Thoughts:
At first, I didn't like Samatha. She came off whiny and seemed ready to pick a fight at any given moment. Then I was reminded of her situation and had to let it slide, mostly because she recognised it herself and fixed up 😂. Plus, she did loosen up and grow on me. She's practical, and like a lot of us (me, I am us), is a bit cautious, an overthinker, a worrier. But she has dreams, plans and is loyal to a t!

Roman, the groom's best friend, was probably my favourite character of the lot 😂 He was bold, direct, cheeky and light hearted. Oh and fit as heck! Everything about him screamed 'perfect'.

Though the two's first meet up isn't what anyone would call ideal, they moved past it and here, we get a classic friends to lovers experience that I loved!

The different dynamics between the other couples was also one of my favourite aspects of this book. Some pairs seemed unconventional, some seemed unbreakable, some seemed on the verge of breaking. Through the variety, I witnessed the realness of relationships and I love that this book didn't stray from the downs that can come from being "booed up".

There's also underlying drama and mystery laced all throughout the book, which kept me turning page after page trying to figure out exactly what was going on!

Definitely pick this book up on July 7th if you're looking for a summer of fun, love and a bit of messy drama 😏

[Brontey · Rating 2 out of 5]

I was gifted this book by Mills & Boon in exchange for an honest review.

2.5 stars.

I was really excited for this book. As a love island fan, and engaged by Ambers description of the book I definitely wanted to read it.

The book was light hearted, easy to read and a good summery vibe. I loved the diversity and the way I could sense Ambers personality and manner of speaking through the blog drafts. However, some of the dialogue felt forced and it didn’t really flow. I found characters other than Samantha lacking personality and so struggled through it a bit.
It was very simplistic in its writing style and read like a YA novel.

[booklover · Rating 2 out of 5]

2⭐️ DNF

This had so much potential but it was about as interesting as reading a shopping list – the writing had no personality and had lots of large paragraphs describing characters or backstory that made things feel slow and boring. It lacked finesse and style.

There were also some logic inconsistencies and ultimately that was the point where I stopped reading, I couldn’t see it getting any better.

[Nádia (weebna) · Rating 2 out of 5]

I’m genuinely impressed with how horrible the fmc friends were. Truly. Who need enemies when you have friends like this…?
Didn’t enjoy this book.

[Tasha · Rating 1 out of 5]

I wanted to read this to support Amber. I forced myself to read it because I was sitting on a train for more than 2 hours and had nothing else to entertain myself with.

Right from the start this was not fun for me. Like I said in one of my updates, the general plot wasn’t really for me because I don’t really love instant love or romances about quick flings but my dislike for this goes deeper than that. We immediately see that this is written in the opposite of show don’t tell. Nothing is described for us and we just get statements on how things are or lists of what the characters are doing. Some sentences are very choppy and have THREE words. The descriptions of our characters’ skin tones is annoying because I don’t want to read about someone’s caramel/cocoa/almond skin color. There were entire paragraphs throughout the book dedicated entirely to describing what the characters were wearing. If this was 2013 (and the book reads like it was written by a teenager in 2013), each outfit would come with a polyvore link. Also not a fan of the way the characters talked to each other. I don’t think real people have conversations like that and some conversations really made me laugh because of how ridiculous they were. There were many things teased along the way of being serious problems but when Samantha tried to get more information, someone else would say “it’s not my place to tell” and we wouldn’t find out. After hearing this so many different times about different topics, the anticipation was so built up for massive drama and then I would be disappointed by the big reveal.

Moving on to the characters. Romance aside because I just felt like everything was rushed into a one week timeline, I just didn’t care for Roman. Samantha’s character also felt like she had no direction or depth. I think if we had more descriptions of her actions rather than direct statements, this could’ve helped. There were also way too many side characters in this that I struggled to remember each of them and their role/relationship to our main character. On top of that, each side character brought their own problems that had to be solved and somehow Samantha was the one responsible for solving them, even for people she just met. And then these problems would be quickly resolved because those characters couldn’t clearly communicate without Samantha’s help. Samantha and her friends just don’t seem like people who should be friends based on how much they keep hidden from each other and how they keep gossiping about each other.

Overall, I did not enjoy this and I really wished I did. Genuinely want to know if this was edited and if so, maybe Amber needs to find a new editor if this is a career she wants to continue.

[jenny · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5
not horrible but also not good… the writing style was odd, the couple idk… the whole story stretched. i don’t know it just wasn’t exciting.
i liked the setting though, wish i could go to a wedding in tobago

[Dawn Williams · Rating 4 out of 5]

Felt like I’d been in a bit of reading slump lately and wanted something easy to read… along came this book and as simple as the writing was I throughly enjoyed it. It was just what I needed. Setting, characters, story it was right up my street and hopefully got me out of my slump

[Amy · Rating 3 out of 5]

A decent story with likeable characters, just lacked a bit of excitement and energy.

[Lauren I · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this on the way back from holiday and it makes me want to go on holiday to Trinidad and Tobago, loved the characters and diversity of this story.