'Fancy Meeting You Here' by Julie Tieu - review

​Fancy Meeting You Here
Julie Tieu

Publisher: Avon Books

Genre: Contemporary Romance

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Synopsis:

Every single one of Elise Ngo’s close girlfriends—Rebecca, Jesse, and Beth—is getting married within the same few months, and every single one of them has asked her to be both bridesmaid and florist. Though it’s a lot for her to juggle, the work and exposure is a boon to her struggling flower shop.

The stakes are high at Rebecca’s high-profile wedding, where the guests are mostly political connections of Rebecca’s parents. Desperate for the event to go off without a hitch, Elise enlists the help of an outside caterer who turns out to be Ben Yu, Rebecca’s elusive younger brother.

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     'Fancy Meeting You Here' by Julie Tieu is a cute opposites attract, slow-burn rom-com about an always-the-bridesmaid floral designer and a grumpy caterer, who turns out to be one of her best friend's younger brother.

Struggling to keep her small shop afloat, Elise has been burning the candle at both ends. Both bridesmaid and florist at each of her little group of friends' weddings, she does it all herself and for a fraction of the cost.. because like any of us.. she feels guilty charging what she's worth amongst those she loves. Rebecca, Jesse, and Beth are all getting married within a few months period and Elise is the only one without any prospects, not that she's looking for them really.

In the midst of one high profile wedding full of Rebecca's parents' political connections, pretty much the worst thing that can go wrong.. does. But once they think that's all behind them, something unforeseen rears its head that relationships just might not survive.

I've seen some readers say things like the "execution" was weak or that the romance and tropes "felt forced," but I have to disagree. I feel like it's a decently realistic look inside a pretty typical slice of life within Asian friend groups. It does lean more into older traditions than a lot of families these days, but that doesn't change the fact it's a good representation for some.

People have gotten too accustomed to 'romance' looking a certain way in media. Even these grumpy-sunshine (though I argue that it's almost grumpy-grumpier at times) stories.. readers have come to expect them to arrive in an exact structure.. like there can be no variances to account for individual or cultural differences. Even regional shifts can cause these things to differ considerably.

Sure, as with all these romance books, there are little things here and there.. that are obviously massaged to move the story one direction or another. A bit of intentional drama to create some gravity and strife or some sensationalized graveling to make up for mistakes that aren't necessarily even mistakes, despite another character's reaction to them. 

But all that in mind, it's all much more well-moderated than most.

Elise is one of the most relatable main character's I have seen in awhile. Her relationships, her friends, even her back and forth, will they or won't they.. with Ben.. is believable. While on paper they may look just like tropes, I've also seen most of them in actual friend groups I've had over the years. The dynamic can sometimes be strained, but people who care about each other.. often find a way forward.

Overall, I thought it was a fun read with some emotional moments. I look forward to trying another Julie Tieu novel in the future and I applaud her subtle hand when it comes to a mix of real body types amongst a group of women who neither shame, nor make specific issue of the others. It's about who they are, not necessarily how they look or how much money they have. Sometimes real friendship crosses those divides seamlessly.