Meet Cute is a springy romance with an emotional core

Helena Hunting’s latest novel centers two lawyers, has a pretty decent non-romantic storyline, and might be predictable, but still sweet.

There’s no wrong time to read a romance novel, but springtime seems pretty perfect. It’s all about new beginnings, and if anyone needs a new beginning to a relationship, it’s Kailyn Flowers and Daxton Hughes of Helena Hunting’s Meet Cute, because she’s got a grudge that goes all the way back to law school.

Fortunately, as the romance blooms, Hunting moves on to other things, leading to a pretty snappy novel that moves along for the most part. In previous reviews, I’ve referred to the Inevitable Almost Breakup in romance, and weirdly enough, Hunting really drags this out. It’d be a spoiler to say what it is, but a reader would likely spot it long before it actually happens. If this is an effort to build anticipation, then it fails, because there’s just not enough time for it to sink in before our protagonists are fixing the relationship and hurrying on to the happy ending we’re promised. For a book that otherwise has plenty of hustle, this really sticks out.

However, all that doesn’t change that there are some feelings. At the core of Daxton and Kailyn’s working relationship is Emme, Daxton’s 13-year-old sister, whom he ends up being responsible for. Emme is her own character, with relationships with both main characters that feel natural instead of forced; she’s not just there for the cuteness factor.

Additionally, neither Kailyn nor Daxton are actually criminal lawyers. As a non-lawyer, this reviewer can’t say whether or not everything is accurate, but it sounds accurate, and it’s nice to go to other aspects of law. It’s not all going Annalise Keating in the courtroom. Sometimes it’s lawsuits and setting up trusts.

As for the title, it’s fine; the actual meeting happens in the first few pages, then a flash-forward happens so that our characters are adults. Daxton actually references the trope midway through, and while it’s likely intended to be winking, it ends up being somewhat rough in terms of its execution.

Same goes for Kailyn’s fandom over It’s My Life, which is a show that, in-universe, Daxton starred on when they were both teenagers. As an avid fan of specific shows, it’s not that Kailyn doesn’t ring true so much as you’d think she wouldn’t always refer to the show around Dax now that she’s older. It’s a little off-putting, even though Dax seems to be used to it, and it doesn’t seem like it’s a flaw that she needs to address.

But, overall, this is a fun book that surpasses Hunting’s The Good-Luck Charm with ease, and there are certainly some romantic moments that hit the mark. Props too for having a character who wears glasses — although this writer wishes Kailyn wouldn’t feel the need to put in contacts when she wants to be more attractive.

Meet Cute is on sale now wherever books are sold.