What Happens in Amsterdam by Rachel Lynn Solomon
Publisher: Berkley
Genre: Contemporary Romance
ISBN: 9780593548554
Source: Publisher
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What Happens in Amsterdam is a love letter to Amsterdam and it’s clear that Rachel Lynn Solomon delighted in sharing the beauty of the Netherlands with her readers. I usually enjoy Solomon’s work and I did like “seeing” Amsterdam through Dani’s eyes, but overall this book was a miss for me.
Dani is on a quest to find herself and so she uproots her life, leaving California for the Netherlands. She’s flying by the seat of her pants and it’s not going well, but just when things are about to completely fall apart she’s rescued by Wouter van Leeuwen, the Dutch exchange student who broke her heart as a teenager. One green card marriage later and Dani is trying very hard not to fall for Wouter all over again.
I liked that Dani is thirty and didn’t quite know what she wanted to do with her life, that the career she fell into didn’t fit her. However, the way she went about things made her seem kind of juvenile, which is slightly understandable when you see how hovering her parents are but at the same time didn’t make her a particularly engaging heroine. Wouter is a kind and caring hero, but there’s nothing memorable about him. As a couple they felt kind of bland and at times it seemed like the romance was going through the motions before fading into the background to take readers on a virtual trip through the Netherlands some more.
Overall, What Happens in Amsterdam is fine but just not the book for me. The romance was lacking, the situations felt a bit too contrived (even for someone who has no problem suspending disbelief), and there was too much time spent focusing on Dani and Wouter’s relationship in the past rather than the present. So while I normally like Solomon’s books and I did enjoy the highlight reel of Amsterdam, Dani and Wouter’s story was not my cup of tea.
Disclosure: I received this book for free from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.
Publisher: Berkley
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Source: Publisher
Buy it here: Amazon | B&N | Kobo | Audible
Dani Dorfman has somehow made it to her thirties without knowing what she wants to do with her life. So when an office romance ends poorly and gets her fired, she applies for a job in Amsterdam, idly dreaming of escaping the mess she’s created, but never imagining she'll actually get it.
Except she does. By the end of her first week in Amsterdam, she’s never felt more adrift or alone. Then she crashes her bike into her high school ex-boyfriend—and suddenly life is blooming with new opportunities.
Wouter van Leeuwen was a Dutch exchange student Dani’s family hosted, a forbidden love that ended in a painful breakup. Years later, there’s still sizzling chemistry between them, and okay, maybe a little animosity. More importantly, Wouter needs to be married to inherit a gorgeous family home on a canal—and when Dani's job falls apart, she needs a visa. As the marriage of convenience pushes them together in unexpected ways, Dani must decide whether her new life is yet another mistake—or if it's worth taking a risk on a second chance.
What Happens in Amsterdam is a love letter to Amsterdam and it’s clear that Rachel Lynn Solomon delighted in sharing the beauty of the Netherlands with her readers. I usually enjoy Solomon’s work and I did like “seeing” Amsterdam through Dani’s eyes, but overall this book was a miss for me.
Dani is on a quest to find herself and so she uproots her life, leaving California for the Netherlands. She’s flying by the seat of her pants and it’s not going well, but just when things are about to completely fall apart she’s rescued by Wouter van Leeuwen, the Dutch exchange student who broke her heart as a teenager. One green card marriage later and Dani is trying very hard not to fall for Wouter all over again.
I liked that Dani is thirty and didn’t quite know what she wanted to do with her life, that the career she fell into didn’t fit her. However, the way she went about things made her seem kind of juvenile, which is slightly understandable when you see how hovering her parents are but at the same time didn’t make her a particularly engaging heroine. Wouter is a kind and caring hero, but there’s nothing memorable about him. As a couple they felt kind of bland and at times it seemed like the romance was going through the motions before fading into the background to take readers on a virtual trip through the Netherlands some more.
Overall, What Happens in Amsterdam is fine but just not the book for me. The romance was lacking, the situations felt a bit too contrived (even for someone who has no problem suspending disbelief), and there was too much time spent focusing on Dani and Wouter’s relationship in the past rather than the present. So while I normally like Solomon’s books and I did enjoy the highlight reel of Amsterdam, Dani and Wouter’s story was not my cup of tea.
Disclosure: I received this book for free from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.