Double-decker dreams: a novel

MacMillan (The Heart of the Deal) delivers an insightful romance about what happens when expectations clash with reality. During a six-month stint in London, high-flying American consultant Kat spots the man of her dreams passing by on a bus and lets her overactive imagination run wild. She assumes he's an upper-crust Brit and plots out an entire fanciful future for them together. Then she actually meets "bus beau," aka Michigan school teacher Rory Cooper. At first, Kat places Rory firmly in the friend zone, still daydreaming of a fairy tale love. For his part, Rory is nursing a broken heart and isn't looking for a relationship. As the pair grow closer, however, Kat slowly realizes that a solid, real-life connection is worth more than swoony fantasy. But when a friend of Kat's innocently mentions Kat's early romantic ideas of who Rory would be, a taken-aback Rory runs scared. Can they make their way back to love? MacMillan keeps readers guessing until the book's heartwarming finale while ably demonstrating both the impossibly high standards set by rom-coms and the messiness of genuine love. A stellar supporting cast, especially Kat's outrageous neighbor, Jules, provide solid underpinning. This appealing tale should win the author some new fans. (June)

MacMillan (The Heart of the Deal) returns with a novel that serves as both rom-com homage and cautionary tale. American business consultant Kat has two big dreams for her stay in London: earn a career-altering promotion and fall in love with a handsome British nobleman. One day, Kat spies the man of her dreams through a window while he's riding a double-decker bus. She instantly falls in love with the idea of him as "Alexander," her perfect fairy-tale boyfriend. After weeks of seeing him ride by, Kat eventually works up the nerve to talk to him. It turns out that her "Alexander" is just an ordinary American named Rory. Crushed, Kat spends a frustrating amount of time sulking about her lost illusion instead of appreciating Rory, who's an absolute sweetheart. Meanwhile, Kat is also discouraged by sexist discrimination and harassment at her work, leading to serious soul-searching about what she really wants in love and life. VERDICT Recommended for readers hooked on Josie Silver's One Day in December and craving another chance-encounter-on-a-London-bus romance.--Kathryn Howe

A high-flying American management consultant working with a London-based oil company develops a crush on a man who rides the top floor of the bus by her home office window. Kat has dreamed of being a CEO since she was a child, and now that she's 31, she can feel how close she's getting. She's confident that she'll make partner soon, and after that becoming CEO is just a hop, skip, and a jump away--and then she'll be able to change the system into one she values. Working a hybrid schedule with a home office that faces the street, she develops a love-at-first-sight crush on a commuter who frequently passes by her window. Her crush knows no bounds, and she develops an entire British backstory for this person. But after she screws up the courage to get on the bus and meet this commuter of her dreams, she finds that instead of being Prince Alexander, as she fantasized, he's Rory, an American from Kalamazoo, Michigan, just like her. Rory, a teacher, is in love with his hometown ex-girlfriend, who wants him to get a higher paying job and break out of his routine. He's teaching in London in an attempt to do this, and the pair will reassess their relationship at Christmas. As the story wends its way through Kat and Rory's friendship and--eventually--burgeoning romance, Kat begins to second-guess the value of being an aspirational businesswoman. Author MacMillan spends much time postulating--through Kat's thoughts--on theories of love, happiness, motherhood, and the importance of a quiet life and a strong nuclear family unit; many readers might find the tone preachy. An alternate fairy-tale love story in which quiet love and routine are held up as best of all. Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.

MacMillan (The Heart of the Deal) returns with a novel that serves as both rom-com homage and cautionary tale. American business consultant Kat has two big dreams for her stay in London: earn a career-altering promotion and fall in love with a handsome British nobleman. One day, Kat spies the man of her dreams through a window while he's riding a double-decker bus. She instantly falls in love with the idea of him as "Alexander," her perfect fairy-tale boyfriend. After weeks of seeing him ride by, Kat eventually works up the nerve to talk to him. It turns out that her "Alexander" is just an ordinary American named Rory. Crushed, Kat spends a frustrating amount of time sulking about her lost illusion instead of appreciating Rory, who's an absolute sweetheart. Meanwhile, Kat is also discouraged by sexist discrimination and harassment at her work, leading to serious soul-searching about what she really wants in love and life. VERDICT Recommended for readers hooked on Josie Silver's One Day in December and craving another chance-encounter-on-a-London-bus romance.—Kathryn Howe

MacMillan (The Heart of the Deal) delivers an insightful romance about what happens when expectations clash with reality. During a six-month stint in London, high-flying American consultant Kat spots the man of her dreams passing by on a bus and lets her overactive imagination run wild. She assumes he's an upper-crust Brit and plots out an entire fanciful future for them together. Then she actually meets "bus beau," aka Michigan school teacher Rory Cooper. At first, Kat places Rory firmly in the friend zone, still daydreaming of a fairy tale love. For his part, Rory is nursing a broken heart and isn't looking for a relationship. As the pair grow closer, however, Kat slowly realizes that a solid, real-life connection is worth more than swoony fantasy. But when a friend of Kat's innocently mentions Kat's early romantic ideas of who Rory would be, a taken-aback Rory runs scared. Can they make their way back to love? MacMillan keeps readers guessing until the book's heartwarming finale while ably demonstrating both the impossibly high standards set by rom-coms and the messiness of genuine love. A stellar supporting cast, especially Kat's outrageous neighbor, Jules, provide solid underpinning. This appealing tale should win the author some new fans. (June)