Review: Meet Cute (Helena Hunting)

Meet Cute
Author: Helena Hunting
Publication Date: April 9, 2019
Publisher: Forever
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Note: This review is for an ARC and is my unbiased opinion.

Rating: ★ ★ ★

Synopsis:

The New York Times bestselling author of Pucked and The Good Luck Charm delivers a Hollywood happily-ever-after where a famous heartthrob falls for his ultimate fangirl in this sexy standalone romantic comedy.

Talk about an embarrassing introduction. On her first day of law school, Kailyn ran – quite literally – into the actor she crushed on as a teenager, ending with him sprawled on top of her. Mortified to discover the Daxton Hughes was also a student in her class, her embarrassment over their meet-cute quickly turned into a friendship she never expected. Of course, she never saw his betrayal coming either…

Now, eight years later, Dax is in her office asking for legal advice. Despite her anger, Kailyn can’t help feeling sorry for the devastated man who just became sole guardian to his thirteen-year-old sister. But when her boss gets wind of Kailyn’s new celebrity client, there’s even more at stake than Dax’s custody issues: if she gets Dax to work at their firm, she’ll be promoted to partner.

The more time Kailyn spends with Dax and his sister, the more she starts to feel like a family, and the more she realizes the chemistry they had all those years ago is as fresh as ever. But will they be able to forgive the mistakes of the past, or will one betrayal lead to another?


What is the first thing that comes to mind when you look at the cover and title of Meet Cute?  Is it adorable romantic comedy? That’s what came to my mind when I looked at it. As amazing and adorable as the Meet Cute cover and title are, I feel like they did a disservice to the story inside. Meet Cute isn’t a romantic comedy. It’s an emotional contemporary romance with a couple of funny moments. I guess the blurb kind of lends itself to that, but based on the cover I was expecting a more upbeat story. I’m writing all of this because I think a lot of Helena Hunting fans are going to be surprised (and maybe slightly disappointed) like I was. Not that there weren’t some great things about this story. I was just expecting something happier.

Meet Cute started off funny and cute enough. I loved how Kailyn met Dax. I would have loved more of the start of their friendship-ish relationship in college. Things took a turn quickly and fast forwarded to their adult lives, which became complicated and entwined with the death of Dax’s parents. At this point, things became sad and depressing. Dax and his teenage sister were left behind. The things they had to go through were tough — like I would expect. Even though there was a sadness, I actually really enjoyed this scenario. I loved seeing Dax become a father figure to his sister and realign his priorities. Their bond was very sweet. I liked how Kailyn fit into this as well, but that also kind of leads to my biggest issue with this book…

Kailyn and Dax are supposed to be lawyers at the top of their law school class. Both have shown in their fields. They are smart adults who should know how and strive to make ethical choices. They don’t in this book. I was shocked and frustrated by the choices Kailyn and Dax made. I was shocked that both would make decisions that could have and should have affected what was going on with custody of Dax’s sister. It all made me so mad and irritated. I was especially frustrated with how Kailyn handled the situation. I was so irritated that I just wanted to be done reading the book at times.

I want to say I loved Kailyn and Dax together, but I didn’t care about their relationship that much. I loved what made Kailyn truly start to fall for Dax and some of the moments they had together, but Kailyn’s actions drove me nuts. Their relationship was also overshadowed by other relationships in this book. I loved the supportive relationship Kailyn formed with Emme. I loved Emme and Dax’s relationship. I loved how the three of them made a family at times. Those relationships put Kailyn and Dax on the back burner for me.

One of the things I loved about Meet Cute was the custody dispute between Dax and his aunt Linda. I knew where it was going, but that didn’t bother me. I thought it was well written and executed.

As you can probably tell, Meet Cute had a lot of ups and downs. By the time I got to the end of it, I was ready for it to be over. Then, came the epilogue. It was like being transported back to the beginning of the story where all the cute and fun stuff happened. The ending was adorable, but it didn’t fit. To be honest, it felt like an entirely different book was wrapping up. It was a shock to the system. One that I enjoyed but felt out-of-place. It made me wish the entire book had been like the beginning and the end. Which is sad because while I wouldn’t say I loved Meet Cute, I felt the emotional story of Dax and Emme was important. I don’t know. I guess I just wish Helena Hunting had decided which direction to go with this novel and stuck with it. Emotional and funny can go together, but they need to be better infused for that to work.

23 thoughts on “Review: Meet Cute (Helena Hunting)”

    1. Thank you! I think I just went in with the wrong expectations. If I had gone in with the right ones, maybe I would have loved it? I don’t know.

  1. Pity this one didn’t totally work out for you. Based on the title and cover I would have expected romcom too. Thank you for the warning. I don’t think I’ll be rushing to read this.

  2. I’m sorry you didn’t enjoy this as much as you were hoping! It definitely looks (and sounds!) like it would be a great romantic comedy, so I can see why you were a little bummed out.

    1. Yes, especially since this author is known for romantic comedies. I think that is why it was extra shocking!

    1. Eh, we can’t love them all. Right? Going in not expecting a rom-com will save you some frustration I think!
      Thank you!

    1. Thanks for reading it! 😉

      Yes, I was really hoping for romantic comedy based off that cute cover.

  3. Thank you for an honest review. It sucks when a book lets you down.
    I think it would be better if they marketed it dfferently, so the right people will find it. Instead of disapointed fans.

  4. Love your review!
    I haven’t read the book but I agree with you that the cover makes it seem like you’re in for a romantic comedy, something fun and light.

    1. Thank you! I hope pointing this out will help others go in with the right expectations and enjoy it more.

  5. I won’t lie, I was expecting rom-com, though, Hunting is hit or miss for me. Sorry this didn’t live up to your expectations.

    1. It’s okay. I think if you go in expecting a more somber book, you will be better off than me.

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