Kirkus
Copyright © Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.

True love flares between two people, but they find that circumstances always impede it.On a winter day in London, Laurie spots Jack from her bus home and he sparks a feeling in her so deep that she spends the next year searching for him. Her roommate and best friend, Sarah, is the perfect wing-woman but ultimatelyand unknowinglyends the search by finding Jack and falling for him herself. Laurie's hasty decision not to tell Sarah is the second painful missed opportunity (after not getting off the bus), but Sarah's happiness is so important to Laurie that she dedicates ample energy into retraining her heart not to love Jack. Laurie is misguided, but her effort and loyalty spring from a true heart, and she considers her project mostly successful. Perhaps she would have total success, but the fact of the matter is that Jack feels the same deep connection to Laurie. His reasons for not acting on them are less admirable: He likes Sarah and she's the total package; why would he give that up just because every time he and Laurie have enough time together (and just enough alcohol) they nearly fall into each other's arms? Laurie finally begins to move on, creating a mostly satisfying life for herself, whereas Jack's inability to be genuine tortures him and turns him into an ever bigger jerk. Patriarchyit hurts men, too! There's no question where the book is going, but the pacing is just right, the tone warm, and the characters sympathetic, even when making dumb decisions.Anyone who believes in true love or is simply willing to accept it as the premise of a winding tale will find this debut an emotional, satisfying read. Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.

Publishers Weekly
(c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved

Silver's lovely debut follows two young Londoners after a missed connection alters the course of their lives. Laurie, newly out of university, spots Jack while on the bus one December afternoon. Seated in the bus shelter along the sidewalk, Jack gazes back at Laurie and something electric happens. Over the next year, Laurie contemplates the moment, searching for Jack in vain until he shows up at her door for a holiday party-as her friend's boyfriend. Laurie doesn't mention anything, and neither does Jack. Silver, who is keenly aware of her influences (there is an immediate reference to the film Love Actually, and Laurie has a self-described love of Nora Ephron), divvies up chapters between Laurie and Jack. The story follows them through awkward dinners, double dates, and birthday celebrations that are full of highly flirtatious scenes where the two attempt to keep their mutual affection hidden. As they age, flaws also slowly rise to the surface, such as Jack's cruel streak and Laurie's problematic consumption of alcohol. Silver's propulsive narrative is enjoyable, and the mix of tension and affection between Jack and Laurie is charming, addictive, and effective. Readers who like quirky love stories will be satisfied by this cinematic novel. (Oct.) © Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.

Book list
From Booklist, Copyright © American Library Association. Used with permission.

It's love at first sight when, a few days before Christmas, Laurie looks out of the window of a London bus and spots an appealing guy sitting in a bus shelter. He seems to see her, too, but the bus pulls away. Laurie spends the next year searching for bus boy with the help of Sarah, her gorgeous and more glamorous flatmate and best friend. Then, when the holidays roll around again, Sarah brings home new boyfriend Jack bus boy himself. Silver's novel follows her twentysomething characters over the next 10 years as Laurie struggles with her love for Jack and her loyalty to Sarah. It turns out that Jack, who shares narrative duties with Laurie, has not forgotten that first encounter, but his and Laurie's timing is never right. He and Sarah break up, but not before Laurie has accepted a marriage proposal from dependable Oscar. Silver writes with verve and charm in this debut, and readers will be pulling for Laurie and Jack as they detour through missteps and misunderstandings before their happy ending is finally achieved.--Mary Ellen Quinn Copyright 2018 Booklist

Library Journal
(c) Copyright Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

DEBUT Silver explores the different kinds of love men and women create and share in this sweetly romantic novel. Laurie and Jack spot each other at Christmas while she's on a bus and he's out on the street, but the bus drives off and they don't meet. She spends the next year looking for "bus boy." When they finally connect, he's already her best friend Sarah's boyfriend, so they decide not to acknowledge that first encounter, starting a decade of lies of omission and bittersweet friendship that eventually blows up in their faces. Laurie always puts everyone else first until some interesting choices lead to hard-won independence and self-respect. Plenty of stereotypes and tropes here, with Laurie and Jack's alternating first-person points of view illustrating their Love Actually missed opportunities, complete with second-guessing and could-have-beens on both ends. Family members and friends round out a well-developed and necessary cast of supporting characters. VERDICT Readers who enjoy contemporary romance will root for Laurie and Jack as they work through laughter-through-tears experiences and toward a happily-ever-after worth fighting for.-Charli Osborne, Southfield P.L., MI © Copyright 2018. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.