This is a tough one to review. It's not my jam (I almost DNF'd multiple times and would probably give it 2-stars), but I think there's a place for it and a significant audience for it. If you like Hallmark channel movies but find them a little too saccharine, this book might be for you — character-driven, slow-burn, PG romance that isn't too cloying or overtly religious. I'm fine with all of that, and I did think the overall plot (and the twist) were clever and interesting. My main issue is that I didn't really like the main character. It's hard to root for someone's HEA through a slow-burn, 10-year plotline when you aren't enjoying hanging out with them and aren't sure you want them in another character's life for the long haul.

As we enter the story, Olivia is a 30-year-old, somewhat aspiring screenwriter who likes classic Hollywood movies and serious films. She disdains rom-coms and anything sappy or cutesy, but she supports herself by writing both sappy and cutesy greeting card content for a Hallmarkesque company. (I'm not judging. That's probably the most realistic bit of the book. I'm not sure you could support yourself in L.A. doing that now, but it might have just been possible in 2003). She calls herself a Joan Cusack type — ever a supporting character and never a lead — but Joan is supportive AND interesting, and I didn't find Olivia to be either (or kind or respectful or honest or self-aware). We're told, rather than shown, that she's funny and smart and beautiful. She has clearly captivated her friends, Fiona and Liam, and a charming aspiring actor who helps rescue her from unwanted creeper attention in a coffee shop in the opening scenes. She and the actor make a pact to meet back at the shop in 10 years, on February 4, 2013, to make her film together. For the rest of the book, we check in on each February 4 to see how things are going with the screenplay and life, and to find that there's always a series of coincidences or ironies (of the Alanis Morissette variety, not the Lit 101 variety) involving Olivia, the actor, and her friends. By the tenth February 4, they've been through some ups and downs, and we've covered a lot of fun pop culture territory — but will the meetup and the movie actually happen?

The screenplay/movie thing hardly held my attention. I liked seeing the edits/changes made as time went by, but other than that, I barely cared about it by the end. But I was motivated to stick around to see where these characters ended up. Well, one character in particular. The overall character development wasn't what I wanted, but the last 1/3 of the book was definitely better than the first 2/3, so I'm moderately satisfied that I made it to the end.

Topics, tropes and themes: LA culture, pop culture of the early 2000s, struggling writer, 30-somethings, lifelong friends, sibling rivalry, self-esteem, self-awareness, love triangle, being the star of your own life,
Content notes: love triangle, cheating, controlling behavior via lies of omission, months-long estrangements, all privileged characters (middle class country club set)

My thanks to Net Galley and Thomas Nelson for a digital ARC.