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Book 41 - What Happens in Amsterdam by Rachel Lynn Solomon

There was a lot I really liked about this book. My favorite character, hands down, was the setting of Amsterdam. It certainly made me want to go visit, wander the streets, and eat all the foods.

Dani Dorfman and Wouter van Leeuwen fell in love in high school, when he was a foreign exchange student from Amsterdam, staying with Dani’s family in LA. After he returned home, the break up was curt and painful for Dani. For some reason she still decides to move to Amsterdam when a work opportunity arises, and then is determined to figure out a way to stay when the work opportunity falls apart. Dani and Wouter run into each other (literally, which seems to happen a lot in romance novels), and forge a hesitant partnership as Dani needs to find a new apartment after the one she initially had floods, and Wouter has a place for rent. Dani will be booted out of the country if she can’t find a job in 90 days, and Wouter needs to be married to inherit his family’s home. The needs-to-be-married-for-inheritance trope seems dated and ridiculous, especially in this case, once you get to know his supportive family. It feels like a weak plot device. 

It was a quick, enjoyable read. I liked the dialogue and their growing chemistry. Open-door romance done well and not cringy. I seek out Rachel Lynn Solomon books. (8.5)

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