Quick Synopsis

A struggling writer is forced to walk down the aisle at her best friend’s wedding with the man who gave her book a very public one-star rating in this fresh romantic comedy from Laura Hankin.

Publisher’s Synopsis

Natalie and Rob couldn’t have less in common. Nat’s a messy artist, and Rob’s a rigid academic. The only thing they share is their devotion to their respective best friends—who just got engaged. Still, unexpected chemistry has Natalie cautiously optimistic about being maid of honor to Rob’s best man.

Until, minutes before the ceremony, Nat learns that Rob wrote a one-star review of her new novel, which has them both reeling: Nat from imposter syndrome, and Rob over the reason he needed to write it.

When the reception ends, these two opposites hope they’ll never meet again. But, as they slip from their twenties into their thirties, they’re forced together whenever their fast-track best friends celebrate another milestone. Through housewarmings and christenings, life-changing triumphs and failures, Natalie and Rob grapple with their own choices—and how your harshest critic can become your perfectly imperfect match.

After all, even the truest love stories sometimes need a bit of rewriting.

Book Review

Despite what the cover and synopsis would have you believe, One-Star Romance is a contemporary fiction novel centered around Natalie, who is coming to terms with her roommate and best friend moving on to marriage without her. While Natalie (the maid of honor) eventually enters into a relationship with the groom’s best man, Rob, this romance storyline is barely a b-plot. Over the course of several snippets in time, Natalie tries to come to terms with feeling left behind and unconnected to her bestie who is experiencing life milestones before her own.

This is the first novel by Laura Hankin I have read, despite having several of her previous novels on my shelf. I was excited to see what all the fuss was about and enjoy her first real foray into romance. However, I was very disappointed to find little romance and a story centered on a plot far from my expectations.

I think whether or not you enjoy One-Star Romance relies on two things: (1) your expectations of the book and how you feel about them being unmet and (2) if you have ever had a best friend from which you are inseparable. I do not particularly like picking up a book thinking it is going to be a romance and it turning out not to be. I was further disappointed when the story revolved about a person who is trying (or not trying) to cope with losing their best friend and roommate to marriage – an experience to which I cannot relate. Everything else about One-Star Romance was mostly fine but not particularly engaging.

I found Hankin’s writing to be occasionally humorous and otherwise average. What I had more of an issue with was the protagonist. Natalie is what many people may call an unlikeable protagonist. She is immature for her age and co-dependent on her best friend, Gabby. Rather than being happy and supportive, Natalie struggles with accepting Gabby is moving on with life and hates that their friendship will no longer be the axis to which Gabby’s world revolves. Struggles may be putting it too lightly. Natalie is unaccepting and does not try to be understanding nor does she try to grow up a bit. Essentially, One-Star Romance is like so many recent contemporary novels and focuses on a protagonist who needs to go therapy and confront her issues. Instead, we are given an underwhelming story with an annoying protagonist.

Overall, One-Star Romance is a worthwhile read with a dash of romance on the side if you are looking for a contemporary fiction novel about having a different life “milestone” timeline as your friends and how that can affect you. If you have already aptly navigated this challenge and have no interest in reading someone else’s rather flailing, uneventful attempt to do the same, I would skip this novel.

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