We Met Like This by Kasie West (Sept 16, 2025) Thank you @kasiewest, @saturdaybooks, and @macmillan.audio for the #gifted advanced listening copy of this book that quickly became a new favorite! #macaudio2025
Margot Hart is an assistant at a literary agency who lives and breathes romance novels – but she still hasn’t found her own swoony meet-cute. Her love life is more of a cycle of downloading, deleting, and re-downloading dating apps, only to land the same mismatched results. Case in point: Oliver. Three years ago, they had a terrible date (yes, he gave a lecture about menu fonts), but also an unexpectedly great make-out session. Since then, every time Margot re-downloads the app, she matches with Oliver again. He’s become her unofficial “dating app pen pal,” their banter becoming a funny, oddly comforting ritual.
This time, though, things shift. What starts as jokes in the chat becomes voice messages, phone calls, and then plans to meet in person. But their timing collides with the worst day of Margot’s life. And suddenly Oliver isn’t just her font-obsessed mismatch – he’s the person who shows up when she needs it most. As Margot fights to rebuild her career and self-confidence, Oliver’s steady presence might be exactly what she needs. That is…if he doesn’t pull away first.
Margot and Oliver couldn’t be more opposite but are both so likable in their quirks – Oliver’s order and structure to Margot’s chaos and disorder. I deeply related to aspects of both of them – particularly Margot’s bedroom chair covered in clothes to dirty for the closet but too clean for the hamper. Although this story literally starts with a spicy scene prologue, it is an intoxicating slow-burn romance where we see how Oliver begins to loosen up, Margot begins to trust herself and fight for the career she wants. It is also deeply quirky and funny – you’ll never again think of toothpaste, grain silos, toilets or carrots without thinking of this book. There are a ton of fun nods to romance tropes – meet-cutes, trapped together, only one bed (how dare that hotel actually have two rooms available!) Overall, just an absolute charmer. I miss them already and could have read another 100 pages of them.
🎧 Audiobook Thoughts: (10h 19m) This was my first narration by Katie Bloomwood and I really enjoyed it! She brought the humor and heart of this story to life and was able to breathe the sarcasm into every DM. No notes.
Book: 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟
🎧 Audio performance: 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟
🔥 Spice: 🌶️🌶️
Book Smart Kate 