User Reviews
Rating: really liked it
Oh lord! What a fantastic, enjoyable, witty, energizing, heartwarming, joyful, humorous reading I had! I was about to cut some points because of the indecisiveness of heroine (She couldn’t choose between a hot English teacher and hot doctor! Okay, when I say it loudly, I know most of you think she is so right! I think I invested our hero so much! But when you read more, you found out it was never a love triangle, wasn’t it?) so for the love those vivid characters, gripping story-telling, amazing word building, all the sighs and “aaawwww” sounds I made, let’s round 4.5 stars up to 5 irresistible charm of the small town stories stars!
First I had to give the awards to those characters perfectly rounded, created and stole my heart, stay in my heart forever:
GIGI is the bat shit craziest, funniest, dreamy, best supporting grandma/housemate character: I
think this diamond girl grandma who is in her 90’s, addicted to Apple products, sarcastic, funny, down to earth hippy is my future self (If I could make it after all those delicious white wine, greasy burger consumptions!)
EMMA is the smart, determined, loyal, honest, best supporting adorable friend.
NICK is the hot, trouble maker, entertaining, cupid, Cyrano De Bergerac version of matchmaker, best supporting friend of hero.
HENRY is the shy, golden-hearted, intellectual, cute, devoted best hero/ book-boyfriend.
And CHARLOTTE: even her indecisiveness and some actions she took made me fantasize slapping her forehead several times, I think she is quite fine, talented, genuine, sweet heroine. She just lost her way, her life direction. She just only needed to remember where she belongs.
The book makes you smile so much. At some parts I laughed aloud and got thrown away from the coffee shop so yes I got banned from another place. Dammit! They said I terrorized people because my laughter tunes are hysterical and I terrorized the young mothers and their sweet kids. (Come again?)
Anyways, my cheeks still hurt for too much smiling but this small town story miraculously captivated my heart. It is fast pacing, swoony, romantic page- turner. Especially final revelation about Charlotte and her mom’s story finally made me cry.
And Henry… He was one of the most amazing, loveable, gentle, honest, caring, sweet heroes that you cannot easily find lately on rom-coms. (I’m sick of know-it-all, cocky, pretentious douchebag kinds of Alpha heroes, treating the women like they’re dirt under their shoes!)
If you want to take a break from heavy dramas, angsty fictions, heart throbbing thrillers, this book is AMAZING ESCAPE AND FRESH BREEZE FOR YOUR SOUL, SUNSHINE FOR YOUR HEART!
It’s about friendship, family bounding, discovering yourself, facing your past and finally an epic book about finding your soul mate again!
I think I’m looking forward to read Parker and Nick’s upcoming book. And of course I already added “Roman Crazy” (She co-wrote this book with Wallbanger’s author! I cannot wait to get my hands on it!)
So much special thanks to NetGalley and Gallery Pocket Books for sharing this lovely ARC COPY in exchange my honest review. And of course special thanks to Nina Bocci for creating this fantastic, heartwarming, memorable story!
Rating: really liked it
3.5 stars 
Meet Me on Love Lane is the second book in Nina Bocci’s ‘Hopeless Romantics’ series, and it was one I was really looking forward to. I loved Henry in the first book and I couldn’t wait to get his story!
Charlotte Bishop is Doctor Bishop’s daughter and is back to Hope Lake for the first time in a few decades. Charlotte moved away when her parents got divorced and never came back. Now, she’s back temporarily to get her life back together. She doesn’t want to connect with anyone, she doesn’t plan on staying, but she quickly falls back into her friend group and starts running a flower shop.
Charlotte is torn between going back to NYC and staying in Hope Lake where she is starting to feel like she’s truly at home. She’s also deciding on if it’s the time for love… she has the attention of her father’s partner, Dr. Maxwell, and Henry, her childhood best friend. As much as I liked Maxwell, I rooted for Henry. I loved him so much from the first book.
I honestly wasn’t expecting this to be a love triangle of sorts. I feel like this was less of a romance (the couple didn’t get together until VERY late in the book) but more a chick lit story of a woman finding herself. It’s not that I didn’t love that aspect, it’s just that I really wanted Henry to have an epic love story that was all his own.
More than anything, I love the small town vibes, found family, and friendships in these stories. I’m excited to read more from this ‘world’ and I have high hopes that Nick and Parker’s story will be fantastic. If you’re looking for a slow burn romance with a fantastic hero and a story of self discovery, be sure to pick this one up!
Rating: really liked it
This was such a fun and sweet small-town romance. Nina Bocci sure can weave together a heartwarming story. This is the second book in the Hopeless Romantics series, but it can absolutely be read as a standalone. Although I bet after reading this you’ll want to read the first book won’t want to miss Emma and Cooper’s story. When I first got this book I thought what a gorgeous cover! And then I read the blurb and thought, oh no love triangle, not really my thing. Luckily this really wasn’t much of a love triangle, there is an obvious clear winner. There are just a few obstacles in the way, The biggest ones being time and distance. Charlotte has returned home to small town Pennsylvania after some bad luck in NYC. Charlotte left the small town abruptly when she was 10 and her parents got a divorce. Now she is back and Hope Lake is not quiet what she expected and she can’t remember everything that happened here all those years ago. She definitely doesn’t remember Henry who was apparently her BFF when they were kids. As charlottes memories come back her feelings for Henry grow but this is only temporary, isn’t it?
I was super excited that Henry got his own story, I totally adored him in the first book. He is a guy you would want your best friend or your daughter to date, just a super good guy with a huge heart. Charlotte seem to be the perfect match for him and it really did get frustrating at times how long it took these two to figure things out. This was primarily because this book was so much more than a romance, it really was about Charlotte rediscovering herself and where she truly belonged. There are so many strong female bonds in this book, charlottes bond to her friends Emma and Parker. Also charlottes bond to her grandma Gigi who is one of the most spectacular characters ever! It also was about the bond between mother and daughter, and the impact that charlottes mother‘s mental illness had on Charlotte. I liked how the character’s mental health in the story was addressed and made to seem normal (for lack of a better word). At one point Charlotte and her father were talking about therapy, and I believe she said everyone needs to talk to somebody at some point, and I think this is very true. The story ends with a bang (literally there were fireworks) and a promise of a stellar third book in the series!
This book in emojis. 💔 🚍 💐 💌 🎆
*** Big thanks to Gallery for my copy of this book ***
Rating: really liked it
*****3.5 STARS*****{ARC Generously Provided by Author}
If I could rate this book on the last 20%, I would have given it 4.5 stars. What I did love about this story was Henry. He's impossible not to love. The romance between Henry and Charlotte had such great potential, but I just couldn’t get over the fact that things didn’t really start to take off with these two until about the 80% mark of the book. That to me is going just a bit overboard with the slow build. There was too much backstory being provided. I didn’t think there was really even a love triangle. The other character never generated a spark of interest for me. I loved that Henry and Charlotte were the best of friends from kindergarten till about the age of ten and that after twenty years apart, they were inexplicably still drawn to each other. The romance seemed to be the secondary character in this one. Charlotte spent so much more time with Emma and her grandmother than she did with Henry. It was almost up to the halfway mark in the book where he finally had a real presence in the story. I’m sad that I wasn’t able to fully connect with this one because I really did relate to some of Charlotte’s traumatic childhood experiences, but it became bigger than the romance, which is what I crave more than anything in my books!
Here are my overall ratings:
Hero:
5Heroine:
3.5Plot:
3Angst:
3Steam:
3Chemistry Between Hero & Heroine:
4.5”MEET ME ON LOVE LANE” is currently available.
Amazon: http://bit.ly/MMOLLZON
B&N: http://bit.ly/MMoLLBN
iBooks: http://bit.ly/MMoLLiBooks
Rating: really liked it
4.5 Stars!
(ARC provided by Gallery Books)
Charlotte Bishop has lived in New York for years. She suddenly finds herself in a bind. She needs a job, and nothing is going her way. Out of options, she decides to head home to Hope Lake, the small town in Pennsylvania where she grew up. Since she will be stuck there for the foreseeable future, she’s looking forward to spending some quality time with her dad and grandmother. Her father is the town doctor, so everyone knew who she was, and knew she was back.
Charlotte never thought she’d go back, but maybe it will give her some time to figure out her life, and also reconnect with old friends. She lived here for the first ten years of her life, but her memories had faded over time. She decides to make the most of her time in Hope Lake, and enjoy herself.
While getting reacquainted with everyone she comes face to face with her childhood best friend, Henry Mercer. He’s an English teacher at the local high school, and apparently they were inseparable until she moved away. She felt a familiarity with him she couldn’t place, and he had a calming presence she found comforting. They had a history, and she just wished she could remember it. As she tries to put the missing pieces together they begin to slowly find their way back to one another. They share something special she can’t explain, and before long the place and the people start to feel like home again. She didn’t know all she was missing until she returned. Could what was meant to be a pit stop and temporary become something permanent?
Meet Me On Love Lane (Hopeless Romantics, #2) by Nina Bocci is a wonderful romantic comedy about second chances and soulmates. I adored sweet Henry! He was a delicious, swoony guy with a heart of gold! I really loved this book, and can’t wait for Nick’s story next!
***NOW AVAILABLE***
https://amzn.to/355qjv3
Rating: really liked it
Are you looking for an endearing love story? Look no further!
Charlotte is done with New York City. She’s down and out of possibilities there, so she has to move home to Hope Lake, Pennsylvania.
Charlotte expects it to be the boring place she remembers, but instead, Hope Lake is doing well. While she only planned to stay for a short while, she finds everything falls into place for her. Family relationships, friendships, a dream job; oh, and she even falls for two different men.
Will Charlotte stay in Hope Lake, and if she does, who will she choose to love?
Aww, this was so cute! There are bits of witty humor that had me giggling, and I loved Charlotte. Hope Lake is a charming, quaint setting. Gigi? Well, you just have to meet that fireball!
Overall, Meet Me on Love Lane is such a feel-good story! I am so grateful for books like these- that warm you up and leave you feeling good at the end! Also, don’t miss Nina Bocci’s other book, On the Corner of Love and Hate!
I received a complimentary copy. All opinions are my own.
Many of my reviews can also be found on my blog: www.jennifertarheelreader.com and instagram: www.instagram.com/tarheelreader
Rating: really liked it
Favorite Quotes:
Staring down at him, I could see that he was very well-built, clearly a runner, but I knew he must do more than that. Football? Was there a sport where you needed to be even beefier than that? Something where you tore trees from their roots and tossed them?
His shorts hit a spot on his leg that highlighted calves that looked like he had sewn a softball into each. I admired him for a beat. On a scale of one to ten, what were the chances of hooking up with a guy after you’ve hit him in the business? Probably slim to none, with slim out of town.
“I’m so happy to see you again. I heard you were here and baked cookies for you! Just like I used to do when you were little,” she explained. I looked down at her empty hands, confused. “Oh, I ate them. And then my dog, Whiskey, well, he got the rest. I’ll make more tomorrow."
I get these brief flashes, but it’s like my brain won’t let the memory train fully back into the station…
I’ll have you know I’m like Santa. I always make my list and check it twice.
My Review:
In continuing my total infatuation with the gifted wordsmith Nina Bocci I gleefully picked up and perused Meet Me on Love Lane, which only further convinced me that I must amass and read all of her clever arrangements of words. All. Of. Them. I adore her endearingly flawed characters, snappy banter, snarky humor, and sassy wit. Her writing style was velvety smooth, unfailingly engaging, hit all the senses, and was so effortless to read it felt as if I were watching a movie. Somewhere on the first page, I was off like Dorothy to OZ, having been instantly sucked into a whirlwind vortex, and, honestly, I was enjoying myself so much I was unwilling to pull myself back out and only did so under duress – while deeply resenting the interruption. Nina Bocci has a rabid fangirl on her hands, and I have a new favorite author.
Rating: really liked it
Nina writes characters that are real, which leads me to suspect that her characters live in a town just as she describes.
The novel is funny, it's charming - it will remind you of what is best about small towns and childhood friendships and the kind of love that is permanent. And that family is important.
Recommended.
SR
Rating: really liked it
21 years ago, ten year old Charlotte had to leave her beloved hometown of Hope Lake, Pennsylvania. Her parents got divorced and her mom took her away from her grandma, her dad and her best friends.
Now - jobless and broke - she's back home.
Her dad is still the town's doctor. Her grandma is still amazing.
Her best friends are still all there. But she can't really remember much. Her mother talked so badly about the town and everything in it that Charlotte buried everything in the deepest corners of her memory.
Henry used to be Charlotte's very bestestest friend. They were only ten when they last saw each other, but poor Henry was already halfway planning their wedding.
Now she's back and forgot everything about him and their adventures!
Charlotte wasn't planning on staying in town for long, but the people are so great and she might have found her dream job ... plus Henry .....
What will happen with Charlotte & Henry?
Will there be a HEA?
READ THE BOOK TO FIND OUT! ☺
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Well, that was adorable!You might remember that I had some problems with the first book in the series. This one I liked so much better from the very start. It ended up being almost as slow and just as ... no idea ... concentrating too much on redundant and uninteresting things. But still. I loved it. I loved Charlotte and Henry and Grandma and Dad and all the guys and Emma.
But again - Nina concentrates more on the town and other stuff instead of the romance. I mean - I looove that small town vibe and the shops and events and all ... but ...
We don't even have a conversation between Charlotte and Henry until almost half the book is done?! How can we fall in love with their falling-in-loveness when we don't get to see them together?
I also have no idea why Max had to be in this book?! He was so not needed. It felt like he was squeezed in once the book was already done for 'excitement' purposes - so much of his scenes don't make any sense to me. Without him the story would've been a lot better - not that he is in it all that much, but still. And I hate that he's even in the blurb - there's nothing I hate more in romances than love triangles - not that that is what happens here - but the blurb had me scared it would be!
BUT - this really was a very sweet and adorable and funny and very slow small-town love story.
I adored the whole gang when they were togehter - Nick is hilarious! Can't wait to see him get his happily ever after with Charlotte's city-bff Parker in the next book!
MEET ME ON LOVE LANE was a very sweet and slow-burn small-town florist-teacher kinda-second-chance love story! ☺ Run to your nearest amazon asap for your own Henry - this one is MINE!!!
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Rating: really liked it
2.5 stars rounded down
I just didn't enjoy this book. The MC Charlotte was annoying and the other characters all felt over the top (except for Henry... Henry I loved).
I just wanted a cute and fluffy romance, but what I got was a book I couldn't wait to be done with.
Rating: really liked it
Charlotte returns to her hometown of Hope Lake after being gone for over 20 years. When Charlotte was a young girl, she left town with her mother. Unfortunately, Charlotte's mother was always negative about Hope Lake, and Charlotte has largely lost memory of her childhood in the small town.
Charlotte doesn't expect much of Hope Lake when she returns to the town. She's surprised to find the community has prospered, and has plenty to keep her busy. Her stay in Hope Lake is supposed to be temporary, but with family, old friends (Emma, Cooper, Henry, and Nick), a job offer, and the handsome single men in town, it's hard to leave. Charlotte's main problem is she doesn't remember much about the town or her old friends. As everyone welcomes her back into their lives, she slowly starts to remember.
This is the second book in the Hopeless Romantics series by Nina Bocci, but it can be read as a standalone. The first book,
On the Corner of Love and Hate features the same group of friends (Emma, Cooper, Henry, and Nick).
A lighthearted romance. I enjoy the setting of this series more than the characters, though the characters are growing on me. Charming and sweet.
I received a free digital copy of this book from the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
Rating: really liked it
I was crying happy tears as I finished this last night. What a perfect example of a childhood friends-to-lovers/ kinda second chance romance. Hands down, my heart hasn't felt this full and melted in a while.
---
While I truly did enjoy
On the Corner of Love and Hate, that pales in comparison to this. While I was a tiny bit leery about the possibility of a love triangle and then the person that I liked better NOT being chosen, you don't have to worry about any of that. I knew it from the prologue and was so excited to see how things were going to pan out. You see, I am constantly changing what romance trope I love best. Is it friends to lovers? Is it hate to love? It really depends on the exact situation and the specific writing and characters. While hate to love always seems to be more steamy and explosive once the couple FINALLY gets together, there is something about friends to lovers that ALWAYS takes my breath away and has my heart pounding deep within my chest. And what could make that situation even better? Um, obviously those friends having been childhood best friends, that's what.
In the beginning of this book we see Charlotte coming back to Hope Lake after a series of very unfortunate events back in NYC. She moved away when she was really young after her mom and dad's tumultuous divorce and hasn't been back since so in her mind, this homecoming is going to be short-lived and last only throughout the summer while she can get back on her feet. She ends up staying with her Gigi (who, is obviously one of my favorite characters because she's so darn sassy and scandalous and made me miss my grandma something fierce) and immediately falls back into a fast friendship with Emma. One of the most interesting parts about this book was Charlotte's memory. When she gets back to Hope Lake, she basically remembers NOTHING about her childhood there because being forced to leave had been so traumatic on her. That includes Henry. Sweet Henry. Fuck, characters like him are what keep me going back to romance time and time again. He's an ENGLISH TEACHER, sweet, caring, wears tight shirts, and does nice things for Gigi (like gets her secret binge-purchases sent to his house so she won't get in trouble with Charlotte's dad, lol).
Every interaction that they had together had me on the edge of my seat and had my heart in my throat. He was so tentative at first and basically heartbroken at the thought of her not remembering him or leaving him again. *sobs* And then I lost it at the end when Charlotte finds a certain something and realizes stuff because of that certain something. Seriously, tears just ah-streaming down my face the entire time. Basically all you need to know is that this book is really good and will grab you by the heart and not let go. I am so glad I got my hands on it and I can't wait for Parker and Nick's book!
Huge thanks to NetGalley and Gallery Books for the eARC! ♥
For more of my reviews, please visit: 
Rating: really liked it
I thought this book was simply fantastic and so cute! I really recommend you to check this one out. Full review to come
Rating: really liked it
4.25 stars
This Hallmark-esque story was brimming with sweet moments, both romantic and otherwise.
I've "known" Nina Bocci ever since I became a blogger, as she has represented some of my favorite romance authors. However, this was the first book of hers that I've read, and I was really impressed. Sometimes that transition from blogger/PR to author has been a rocky one, but that is not the case here. She featured a slew of likeable characters - Charlotte (the heroine), Henry and Max (two potential love interests), Gigi (Charlotte's sweet grandmother), Emma (one of her BFFs), and Nick (Henry's friend). On top of that, she brought a small fictional town, Hope Lake, to life - a town I wish was real so I could visit it, at the very least.
The story itself is more about the direction of Charlotte's life, having been blacklisted in her NY field of work as a florist/party planner. Short on funds and opportunities, she returns home for the first time in over a decade. Charlotte learns quickly that the town and people within it have changed a lot since her last time there. As an outsider, I was drawn in immediately and don't know why it took so long for Charlotte to see the appeal and potential for her in the town, both career-wise and romantically. There are certainly a lot of people in her corner that try to make the decision to stay, an easy one.
What I didn't understand in the story was why she has lost all memories of her childhood friend, Henry. I've heard of blocking memories, but usually those are bad ones, not happy ones. So, the reconnection between Charlotte and Henry is a very slow one (yes, I'd qualify this story as a slow burn). But ultimately, the memories are impossible to escape, and Charlotte runs out of excuses.
Although Charlotte was a little frustrating at times with her lack of direction, I really fell in love with the town of Hope Lake and its community, all focused on one thing, making the town successful. I loved how the town embraced Charlotte's new venture, making it more than a temporary one.
If you are looking for a book that is full of character, and enjoy sweet reunions, check this one out!
*An ARC was received via NetGalley for an honest review.
For more reviews, visit
Rating: really liked it
Charlotte Bishop had a plan...
So what she screwed up and was fired, broke and blacklisted...
So what she had to return home from NYC and deal with figuring out her life...
And so what her hometown, Hope Lake, will probably make her head explode from boredom...
Charlotte sucks it up, determined to bank some money and hustle herself back to the City that Never Sleeps...
But Charlotte finds herself with a whole other bunch of problems...
Never did she realize reconnecting with her childhood friends would mean so much...
And forget the fact she has found her nirvana, her calling by running the local florist shop...
But the Most Confusing...
The Men!!!
On one hand, the Sexy Sweet High School English Teacher...
Versus The Town's Hot Doctor...
What's A Gal To Do...
Guess she is just going to have to put it out there...
And have the right one... Meet Me on Love Lane-December 10th 2019 
On the Corner of Love and Hate
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
From Hope Lake, With Love
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Meet Me on Love Lane
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...For more Reviews, Free E-books and Giveaways
