Can a romcom-obssessed romantic finally experience the meet-cute she always dreamed of or will reality never compare to fiction, in this charming debut adult novel from Kerry Winfrey.
Annie Cassidy dreams of being the next Nora Ephron. She spends her days writing screenplays, rewatching Sleepless in Seattle, and waiting for her movie-perfect meet-cute. If she could just find her own Tom Hanks—a man who’s sweet, sensitive, and possibly owns a houseboat—her problems would disappear and her life would be perfect. But Tom Hanks is nowhere in sight.
When a movie starts filming in her neighborhood and Annie gets a job on set, it seems like a sign. Then Annie meets the lead actor, Drew Danforth, a cocky prankster who couldn’t be less like Tom Hanks if he tried. Their meet-cute is more of a meet-fail, but soon Annie finds herself sharing some classic rom-com moments with Drew. Her Tom Hanks can’t be an actor who’s leaving town in a matter of days...can he?
Review:
I was so very, very excited for this book. Tom Hanks being my favorite actor, and starring in 2 of my all-time favorite romantic comedies (You've Got Mail and Sleepless in Seattle), this book felt like it had been written for me.
The main character is obsessed with romantic comedies (uh, hello! me!) and once I started reading, I realized the author is from Ohio and the story takes place in Columbus, near German Village. I just so happen to live in Columbus so it was extra exciting to read a romantic comedy that revolves around a woman who loves romantic comedies living in my hometown. A scene even takes place in The Book Loft, which is one of my favorite places to walk to during lunch. So all of this conspired to get me even more hyped for this story. So you can imagine my intense disappointment at what a let down this was.
Initially, the rom-com references are a lot of fun. Freelance writer Annie is looking for her version of Tom Hanks. Not the real Tom Hanks, but the Tom Hanks we see in his rom-coms. The Sam Baldwin and Joe Fox Tom Hanks. Her mother essentially raised Annie on romantic comedies, and Annie began to cling to them tightly after her mom passed away from a heart attack. There's nothing wrong with this. It's understandable for someone grieving to hold onto the things that bonded them with the person they lost. But after several pages of the rom-com references and Annie comparing her life to one, it became... unsettling. Concerning, even. Because this isn't just a heroine who loves romantic comedies, this is a heroine who is allowing her obsession with them to impact her life. She doesn't give men much of a chance if they don't live on a houseboat, which is really restricting as Columbus, Ohio does not have many options for houseboat living. They seem to have to meet her strict rom-com requirements to consider them as a potential lover, and frankly, that's just not healthy.
After about three or four chapters of the rom-com references and what should/would happen if her life were an actual romantic comedy, I started to feel rom-com fatigue. Okay, we get it. Annie likes romantic comedies. She wants her life to be a romantic comedy. She adores Nora Ephron. We are hit over the head with these details so often that I feel like Winfrey was either trying to beat it into us how disturbed Annie really is or maybe she just thinks we, as readers, are stupid. By now, the book started to feel like a parody of rom-coms instead of an actual rom-com, something I would have embraced if that was the actual point.
When Annie finds out a rom-com is being filmed near her home, some amazing coincidences and luck land Annie as the director’s assistant. In a classic meet cute, she spills coffee on the gorgeous lead actor, Drew. Now you would think that Annie knows so much about rom-coms that she would realize this, but no... she’s terrible to Drew from this very moment on. It was... baffling.
Waiting for Tom Hanks had a fun premise but it got bogged down with an unlikable, immature, crazy pants heroine and an underdeveloped male lead. There's no real conflict but for Annie's preconceived notions about how love should be and her unhealthy obsession for rom-coms. I had trouble seeing what Drew was attracted to in the first place. She was awful to him and jumped to so many insane conclusions about him and their relationship that I just wanted Drew to run. Fast.
I believe this book could have been so much better with a likable heroine, and maybe less rom-com/Tom Hanks references. By the end, I felt like Annie was more Annie Wilkes from Misery than Annie Reed from Sleepless in Seattle. Oof.
Rating: 1.5/5 stars
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