Waiting for Tom Hanks, published in 2019, is a pitch-perfect romantic comedy by Kerry Winfrey. The novel follows Annie—a freelance writer living in Columbus, Ohio—as she lands an assistant job on a movie set come to town. Ever since she was a little girl watching movies with her mom, Annie has loved romantic comedies, and the fact that there’s one being filmed in her hometown feels like kismet. This could be her fated first step towards becoming the next Nora Ephron, and maybe even a chance to have a romance of her own. Now that she’s on set, the only thing holding her back is the cocky, immature movie star Drew Danforth who seems to relish getting in her way. If only her life was a rom com, Drew would be a sweet leading man who sweeps her off her feet… but this is real life, and Drew is no Tom Hanks. Not even close. Annie is content to focus on work, hang out at the coffeeshop with her best friend Chloe, and wait forever for her movie-worthy love, but Drew has a way of getting under her skin that she just can’t ignore. And as Annie spends more time on set and more time with Drew, she starts to wonder if maybe the magic lies beyond the neat and predictable romantic comedy life she’s always planned for herself.
As a lifelong fan of the ‘90s era romantic comedy (I’ve watched You’ve Got Mail approximately one million times), Waiting for Tom Hanks hit all the right notes for me. I loved the many, many references to movies like Sleepless in Seattle, Notting Hill, and While You Were Sleeping, and I found it genius the way Winfrey weaves in aspects of all these movies into Annie’s storyline. And although the plot isn’t groundbreaking—we all know the ‘enemies to lovers’ trope—it’s executed in such a nuanced way that I felt captivated the entire time. Winfrey writes the most convincing banter I’ve read in a while (I especially enjoyed the scenes with Chloe, her boss Nick and the rest of the coffee shop crew), and the chemistry between not only Annie and Drew, but also Annie and Chloe, Chloe and Nick, and countless other pairings, sparkles on the page. Funny, comforting, and endlessly charming, Waiting for Tom Hanks is a winner.
I’d recommend this book to…
- Anyone who loves a good “movie star falls in love with a regular person” story… it’s similar in theme to Nora Goes Off Script by Annabel Monaghan
- Anyone looking for a romantic comedy that feels like a cheeky wink at the genre… it’s similar in style to A Lady’s Guide to Fortune-Hunting by Sophia Irwin
- Anyone in need of a light-hearted and flirty read… it’s similar in tone to Beach Read by Emily Henry
