A struggling writer is forced to walk down the aisle at her best friend’s wedding with the man who gave her book a very public one-star rating in this fresh romantic comedy from Laura Hankin.
Natalie and Rob couldn’t have less in common. Nat’s a messy artist, and Rob’s a rigid academic. The only thing they share is their devotion to their respective best friends—who just got engaged. Still, unexpected chemistry has Natalie cautiously optimistic about being maid of honor to Rob’s best man.
Until, minutes before the ceremony, Nat learns that Rob wrote a one-star review of her new novel, which has them both reeling: Nat from imposter syndrome, and Rob over the reason he needed to write it.
When the reception ends, these two opposites hope they’ll never meet again. But, as they slip from their twenties into their thirties, they’re forced together whenever their fast-track best friends celebrate another milestone. Through housewarmings and christenings, life-changing triumphs and failures, Natalie and Rob grapple with their own choices—and how your harshest critic can become your perfectly imperfect match.
After all, even the truest love stories sometimes need a bit of rewriting.
As an author myself, I typically gravitate toward books that follow a writer so when I read the synopsis of One Star Romance, I was instantly intrigued. Natalie’s best friend and other half has just been proposed to, and Natalie is less than thrilled. Not only does she not totally love the guy her bestie is supposed to spend forever with, but she’s also afraid of losing that close-knit bond with Gabby. The night of the proposal she meets Rob, the best man to Angus, and while the two have a spark nothing comes of it. They see each other next at the wedding, but everything has changed. Natalie realizes Rob has written a one star review for her debut novel, and feels personally attacked on so many levels. She spent their first meeting talking to him about her nerves around publishing and then he the audacity to tank her reviews? The wedding is awkward and uncomfortable, and then over the years Natalie and Rob keep getting thrown together courtesy of their bestie’s cruising through life. Promotions, buying houses, having babies – while Natalie is still struggling to publish her next novel and can’t keep a steady relationship.
The most fascinating part to me of this book was the time span – stretched over a multitude of years and life events, yet somehow was still fast-paced and a quick read. While you could look at the cover and think this will be a typical romantic comedy, there is a lot of emotional depth that is covered. One topic I found especially interesting was the feeling of loss of friendship when someone gets married, and thought this could make a great book club pick. While I sometimes thought Natalie could come across as a little unlikeable, all the characters felt very realistic and that as readers, we weren’t just getting to their best selves but all their flaws as well. Highly recommend for a beach read!
