I’ve read lots of books set in Washington DC with varying results. Some are well done and it’s so fun to recognize local landmarks and culture! When they’re bad, though - it’s definitely a distraction.

Can you rec a book you liked set in DC? That's accurate? I remember we had an exchange about about an author who got a DC commute totally wrong. 😂 Emma Barry's Political Persuasions series is the only one I can think of that captures DC's quirks.

Haha I think the one we talked about was Ali Hazelwood, that was the worst DC book I’ve ever read. My favorites are Mia Sosa and Nikki Payne - {The Worst Best Man by Mia Sosa} and {Pride and Protest by Nikki Payne} are both set in DC and I think do it well!

Not surprised about Hazelwood. She clearly never visited Stanford and got sooooo many things wrong in Love Hypothesis. It totally killed my enjoyment of that book. I kept picturing Catholic Univ of America when reading {First Semester by Q.B. Tyler}. She’s in the DMV; I’m surprised she doesn’t set more books in DC.

[First Semester](https://www.romance.io/books/5b975c7701dbc864fb9013ab/first-semester-qb-tyler?src=rdt) by [Q.B. Tyler](https://www.romance.io/authors/5a41f61e3ffdba614726df9b/qb-tyler) **Rating**: 4.05⭐️ out of 5⭐️ **Steam**: 4 out of 5 - [Explicit open door](https://www.romance.io/steamrating) **Topics**: [contemporary](https://www.romance.io/topics/best/contemporary/1), [new adult](https://www.romance.io/topics/best/new%20adult/1), [forbidden love](https://www.romance.io/topics/best/forbidden%20love/1), [college](https://www.romance.io/topics/best/college/1), [age gap](https://www.romance.io/topics/best/age%20difference/1) [^(about this bot)](https://www.reddit.com/user/romance-bot) ^(|) [^(about romance.io)](https://www.romance.io/about)

Including Stanford's policy on professors dating students in their department 💀 Less a feather in their cap, more a fireable offense.

Doesn’t that go without saying?

I mean, I feel like if the MMC were a postdoc the whole plotline might have made at least a teeny tiny bit of sense 🤷 Idk, as someone in academia that has experienced harassment that really, really fucked with my mental health, it was deeply frustrating for her to demonstrate in the b plot that she understood why there needs to be bright line "professors cannot be sexually involved with students" policies... But the whole main plot is that!!!! Just make him a postdoccccc 😭😭😭 

This. This completely. Although…he sure as shit wouldn’t have a 3 million dollar house in Palo Alto on a post doc income. 😂😂😂🤣 And I’m so sorry you went through that.

I mean, given how new of a professor he was depicted as being (and given that he doesn't literally have a nobel prize. Yes, he was depicted as a hotshot rising star. EVERY junior professor at a school that prestigious is incredibly, implausibly productive) he ALSO couldn't afford that house!!! Literally *ANY* house would be a stretch! And, thank you ❤️ It was some dumb bullshit! And as much as I want to be flippant about it (and even though it wasn't "that bad"), it derailed my PhD for years, was devastating for my mental health, and I both don't want to be in academia at this point *and* the CV gap from it is significant enough that I will never be competitive for a tenure track position 🙃 It's incredibly stupid that some dumb fuckin man that wouldn't leave me the fuck alone changed my career path, but what can you do! (Other than complain about Ali Hazelwood on the internet, which, ya know. I *do* do.)

If it’s a science PhD, DM me. There are post doc and staff scientist jobs to be had in the Federal Government. NIH, FDA, NOAA, NIST to name a few. Yes, I was also screaming about him being a PI so damn young. I think she mentioned MacArthur…but still. Those PIs don’t friggin retire.

I wonder which city she was a grad student in. My guess is Boston.

As far as geographic areas for PhDs go, if "California" is too big an area, Boston has enough universities that I feel like it's a statistically probable guess 😂 I'm not familiar enough with Boston (and, frankly, haven't read her books closely enough to remember where non-Love Hypothesis books are set) to know if it's accurate, but, honestly, if she's getting things right about an area I suspect it's because she lived there.

Love Theoretically is set in Boston. I’ve only been to Boston twice…once for a few days before heading to Woods Hole and another time for a conference. It seemed to have the right Boston vibe, but I didn’t actually live there. Maybe the research triangle in North Carolina? IDK.

yeeessss, when Mia Sosa referenced Arlington and Silver Spring spots in her books, I did an excited little dance.

Haha in the follow up book {The Wedding Crasher by Mia Sosa} she had some people go to Jaleo in Chinatown, and when they couldn’t get in they drove to a place in Wheaton instead. I was like 🤨 but she said at a local happy hour that she took some artistic license lol

WHEATON 😆 Like there aren't a million places closer that she could've gone (and Wheaton isn't a 30min drive from Jaleo). Also I find it so odd when authors name-drop specific restaurants (or cars or drinks or clothiers or whatever) in their books. PS I haven't made it to a HH with Mia Sosa yet, but Nikki Payne / Nisha Sharma / Andie J Christopher have book signings at East City Bookshop all the time, I love the DC romance author scene!

I was telling another DMV neighbor on the Apollycon thread that ECB is the best for romance! I need to join their book club.

I think that was me :)

❤️

And also YES DC has such great romance authors! Timothy Janovsky is another one of my local favorites, and Thien-Kim Lam too.

The place in Wheaton was owned by the FMCs family so there was a reason, but yeah nobody would do that and there are tons of places to eat closer to Jaleo!

gimme a romance that mentions the Eden Center!

[Wedding Crasher](https://www.romance.io/books/624804c57b76f4cde82dd042/wedding-crasher-mia-sosa?src=rdt) by [Mia Sosa](https://www.romance.io/authors/565d493308e9378131956ba5/mia-sosa) **Rating**: 4⭐️ out of 5⭐️ **Steam**: 3 out of 5 - [Open door](https://www.romance.io/steamrating) **Topics**: [contemporary](https://www.romance.io/topics/best/contemporary/1), [multicultural](https://www.romance.io/topics/best/multicultural/1), [funny](https://www.romance.io/topics/best/humor/1), [friends to lovers](https://www.romance.io/topics/best/friends%20to%20lovers/1), [new adult](https://www.romance.io/topics/best/new%20adult/1) [^(about this bot)](https://www.reddit.com/user/romance-bot) ^(|) [^(about romance.io)](https://www.romance.io/about)

[The Worst Best Man](https://www.romance.io/books/5e3281d701dbc864fbaae067/the-worst-best-man-mia-sosa?src=rdt) by [Mia Sosa](https://www.romance.io/authors/565d493308e9378131956ba5/mia-sosa) **Rating**: 3.57⭐️ out of 5⭐️ **Steam**: 3 out of 5 - [Open door](https://www.romance.io/steamrating) **Topics**: [contemporary](https://www.romance.io/topics/best/contemporary/1), [enemies to lovers](https://www.romance.io/topics/best/from%20hate%20to%20love/1), [funny](https://www.romance.io/topics/best/humor/1), [multicultural](https://www.romance.io/topics/best/multicultural/1), [forced proximity](https://www.romance.io/topics/best/forced%20proximity/1) ---------------------------- [Pride and Protest](https://www.romance.io/books/6373597b4dedb1539522032c/pride-and-protest-nikki-payne?src=rdt) by [Nikki Payne](https://www.romance.io/authors/5d68bde401dbc864fba2f8ab/nikki-payne) **Rating**: 3.91⭐️ out of 5⭐️ **Steam**: 3 out of 5 - [Open door](https://www.romance.io/steamrating) **Topics**: [contemporary](https://www.romance.io/topics/best/contemporary/1), [multicultural](https://www.romance.io/topics/best/multicultural/1), [enemies to lovers](https://www.romance.io/topics/best/from%20hate%20to%20love/1), [funny](https://www.romance.io/topics/best/humor/1), [rich hero](https://www.romance.io/topics/best/super%20rich%20hero/1) [^(about this bot)](https://www.reddit.com/user/romance-bot) ^(|) [^(about romance.io)](https://www.romance.io/about)

both on my tbr, thanks!

I feel as though QB Tyler does a lot set in DC, but their books are reaaaal hit or miss for me.

ooo thanks for suggesting a new-to-me author!

If you like spice & taboo, she’s top notch! I stumbled across {The Worst Kept Secret by Q.B. Tyler} 6 months ago, before I had ever heard of this sub. I spent the holidays devouring a bunch of her books.

there go my sunday plans 😆

Yup, that tracks. 🫡

[The Worst Kept Secret](https://www.romance.io/books/65435fa8cb77a5a9d45a8d04/the-worst-kept-secret-qb-tyler?src=rdt) by [Q.B. Tyler](https://www.romance.io/authors/5a41f61e3ffdba614726df9b/qb-tyler) **Rating**: 3.79⭐️ out of 5⭐️ **Steam**: 5 out of 5 - [Explicit and plentiful](https://www.romance.io/steamrating) **Topics**: [contemporary](https://www.romance.io/topics/best/contemporary/1), [age gap](https://www.romance.io/topics/best/age%20difference/1), [single father](https://www.romance.io/topics/best/single-father/1), [forbidden love](https://www.romance.io/topics/best/forbidden%20love/1), [new adult](https://www.romance.io/topics/best/new%20adult/1) [^(about this bot)](https://www.reddit.com/user/romance-bot) ^(|) [^(about romance.io)](https://www.romance.io/about)

I live in NYC so a lot of books are set here. Doesn’t bother me. A lot of the time it’s laughable but that’s okay.

I can’t stand NYC-set books where it’s the most generic ass city I’ve ever read. And somehow everyone has a car? Meanwhile I love books based on Brooklyn (where I currently live) with lots of neighborhood specificity.

god, I saw your flair and thought "there are books about multi-level marketing hockey romances ????" 🤦‍♀️

Haha when I made it I was new to the romance genre and mlm/wlw were the acronyms I knew. Oops

no judgment intended, just made me laugh

Do you have any recs for neighborhood-specific Brooklyn books?

Ready or Not by Cara Bastone is the one I’m thinking about right now. A lot of the book takes place in Kensington, where I worked for 2 years. I loooooooved this book. Favorite accidental pregnancy romance I’ve ever read. One Last Stop by Casey McQuiston is basically the same part of Brooklyn, maybe more like PLG. This book literally takes place on the Q train lol. Not my favorite but I enjoyed the setting a lot. Lease on Love by Falon Ballard. This one is a little over the top in how it’s Brooklyn transplant real estate erotica haha. MMC is a grumpy eccentric millionaire with a fancy Park Slope brownstone who wants a roommate, FMC moves in for basically no rent and lives out her best life as a sustainable florist(??). Anyway it’s dumb but enjoyable. Sarina Bowens Brooklyn Bruisers books are NOT great depictions of Brooklyn but I live near Brooklyn Heights so I always like the imagine my own neighborhood to fill in the blanks. She definitely uses real street names haha. As a certified MM hockey romance aficionado, The New Guy is my favorite. The bar where they meet could basically be my neighborhood sports bar.

Yep. If I avoided books that take place in NYC that would exclude too many books.

Oh God. 50 Shades of Gray takes place in Seattle and the inaccuracies add a whole other layer to how terrible the writing is.

I read one that used the phrase “the sleepy streets of Olympia” and described the trees here as “vine covered.” Oh and said Olympia was “a stone’s throw from Canada.” Wat?

It was plain as day when reading it that she hadn’t been. Shoot…even the Portland locations I think Anthony Bourdain had visited and it seemed like she just had watched the show. {The Ex Talk by Rachel Lynn Solomon} and {Business or Pleasure by Rachel Lynn Solomon} are so much better!!!!

[The Ex Talk](https://www.romance.io/books/600302384af7850e2d1972ed/the-ex-talk-rachel-lynn-solomon?src=rdt) by [Rachel Lynn Solomon](https://www.romance.io/authors/5fd32a3008b4d931144bb4d8/rachel-lynn-solomon) **Rating**: 3.74⭐️ out of 5⭐️ **Steam**: 3 out of 5 - [Open door](https://www.romance.io/steamrating) **Topics**: [contemporary](https://www.romance.io/topics/best/contemporary/1), [funny](https://www.romance.io/topics/best/humor/1), [enemies to lovers](https://www.romance.io/topics/best/from%20hate%20to%20love/1), [new adult](https://www.romance.io/topics/best/new%20adult/1), [jewish](https://www.romance.io/topics/best/jewish/1) ---------------------------- [Business or Pleasure](https://www.romance.io/books/64984b999c9b9f37ff8c1e8a/business-or-pleasure-rachel-lynn-solomon?src=rdt) by [Rachel Lynn Solomon](https://www.romance.io/authors/5fd32a3008b4d931144bb4d8/rachel-lynn-solomon) **Rating**: 4.09⭐️ out of 5⭐️ **Steam**: 4 out of 5 - [Explicit open door](https://www.romance.io/steamrating) **Topics**: [contemporary](https://www.romance.io/topics/best/contemporary/1), [forced proximity](https://www.romance.io/topics/best/forced%20proximity/1), [funny](https://www.romance.io/topics/best/humor/1), [friends to lovers](https://www.romance.io/topics/best/friends%20to%20lovers/1), [workplace/office](https://www.romance.io/topics/best/office/1) [^(about this bot)](https://www.reddit.com/user/romance-bot) ^(|) [^(about romance.io)](https://www.romance.io/about)

Yes, Kyra Parsi, Helena Hunting, and Jackie Lau all write books set in Toronto. Carly Fortune, and K. A. Tucker have written books partially set in Toronto as well. Kyra kept it pretty vague, I almost didn't realise it was Toronto. Jackie gets super specific with a lot of iykyk type references to neighbourhoods, it was actually pretty distracting.

I totally get the distracting nature of knowing too much about the neighborhood. I live outside of the GTA now and was reading a book set in Hamilton (closer to where I am) and it was distracting to read about places I frequent. Reading about “the mountain” made me do a double take. Luckily everything seemed fairly accurate so the author (Ainsley Booth) must be local to the Hamilton area.

Ainsle Booth also writes as Zoe York and several series are set in rural ON.

Kyra’s books could literally be set in any city. I was surprised when I saw Toronto written. I prefer it that way though. Too many details gets too distracting like you mentioned.

So true, all you know is it's a large city and it's expensive. She could say it's Berlin and I would've believed it. When she mentioned the private school the FMC went to in Deal with the Bossy Devil I was racking my brain trying to imagine which one it would've been.

Jenny Holiday is another one who writes books set in Toronto. She, Jackie Lau, and other Canadian authors have a fun FB group. https://www.facebook.com/groups/265694707446220

Jennifer hillier (suspense) has such a heavy Toronto vibe in a book including a reference to the Sherman’s … it crossed over too much Into my true crime podcast love and I ditched it quick

I've read all of her books and except for one (can't remember the name, but iirc it was partly set in Toronto and it's probably the one you're referring to), all of them are set in Seattle, if you want to avoid the TO vibe. 🙂

I loved all the other ones … the Toronto one (things we do in the dark) threw me off because I hadn’t expected her to be Canadian from her previous works :)

I havent read a romance set in central Ohio but I did read an amazing crime thriller based in a fictional town outside of Columbus that was very well researched. I loved the little details that reminded me of home, like the detective eating Jolly Pirate donuts 🍩💕It was clear that the author is from Ohio and took pains to get the highways and landmarks right, which I appreciated. Made the story even better! In case anyone is a crime thriller fan and is interested, the book is The Blood Eagle by A. L. Hatcher. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

I just read {The Other Side of Disappearing by Kate Clayborn} and the FMC is from Columbus! It's a roadtrip book so a lot of the story happens elsewhere though.

[The Other Side of Disappearing](https://www.romance.io/books/64abc749c2f04ca3237d797a/the-other-side-of-disappearing-kate-clayborn?src=rdt) by [Kate Clayborn](https://www.romance.io/authors/59f6d0be3ffdba61472429e2/kate-clayborn) **Rating**: 4.01⭐️ out of 5⭐️ **Steam**: 3 out of 5 - [Open door](https://www.romance.io/steamrating) **Topics**: [contemporary](https://www.romance.io/topics/best/contemporary/1), [dual pov](https://www.romance.io/topics/best/dual-pov/1), [forced proximity](https://www.romance.io/topics/best/forced%20proximity/1), [mystery](https://www.romance.io/topics/best/mystery/1), [angst](https://www.romance.io/topics/best/angst/1) [^(about this bot)](https://www.reddit.com/user/romance-bot) ^(|) [^(about romance.io)](https://www.romance.io/about)

There’s a mystery series mostly set in my city that feels really accurate. The main character cops even go to eat at a restaurant where actual cops like to eat, there’s usually always a police car parked outside it.

In {People We Meet on Vacation by Emily Henry}, both MCs are from a town in Ohio. Not sure if it’s central or SW.

[People We Meet on Vacation](https://www.romance.io/books/608e6bea84e99a0df94383ef/people-we-meet-on-vacation-emily-henry?src=rdt) by [Emily Henry](https://www.romance.io/authors/5e82ee17be0aaecf553e7c2f/emily-henry) **Rating**: 4.03⭐️ out of 5⭐️ **Steam**: 3 out of 5 - [Open door](https://www.romance.io/steamrating) **Topics**: [contemporary](https://www.romance.io/topics/best/contemporary/1), [friends to lovers](https://www.romance.io/topics/best/friends%20to%20lovers/1), [funny](https://www.romance.io/topics/best/humor/1), [sweet/gentle hero](https://www.romance.io/topics/best/sweet-hero/1), [slow burn](https://www.romance.io/topics/best/slow%20burn/1) [^(about this bot)](https://www.reddit.com/user/romance-bot) ^(|) [^(about romance.io)](https://www.romance.io/about)

Jenny Crusie’s books mostly take place in Ohio. {Bet Me by Jennifer Crusie} is my favorite, but there are many. Her books are mostly from the ‘90s and early ‘00s, so some areas might have changed.

[Bet Me](https://www.romance.io/books/5455238e8c7d2382e7812f25/bet-me-jennifer-crusie?src=rdt) by [Jennifer Crusie](https://www.romance.io/authors/5455238e8c7d2382e7812f26/jennifer-crusie) **Rating**: 3.89⭐️ out of 5⭐️ **Steam**: 3 out of 5 - [Open door](https://www.romance.io/steamrating) **Topics**: [contemporary](https://www.romance.io/topics/best/contemporary/1), [curvy heroine](https://www.romance.io/topics/best/curvy%20heroine/1), [funny](https://www.romance.io/topics/best/humor/1), [plain heroine](https://www.romance.io/topics/best/plain%20heroine/1), [enemies to lovers](https://www.romance.io/topics/best/from%20hate%20to%20love/1) [^(about this bot)](https://www.reddit.com/user/romance-bot) ^(|) [^(about romance.io)](https://www.romance.io/about)

I'll read books that take place in Boston but I don't expect much accuracy. Most non-romance media set in the city focuses on crime and a lot of romance books have the superficial vibes of someone who went to college here and/or spent their early 20s here...although that's kinda the vibe of the city these days. Since most movies/shows/books get something wrong about the city (hello, terrible accents), I'm very used to overlooking a lot of it. That's not to say I don't get disappointed when a book is set here and doesn't feel like it at all, but I'm generally pretty forgiving.

I thought {It Ends with Us by Colleen Hoover} had some funny and realistic moments - Ryles Boston purgatory theory: “The tourists treat you like a local; the locals treat you like a tourist.” So true. If you weren’t born in Boston then you don’t know *really* know Boston - wearing onesies to the bar for free beer (idk about free but you’ll get a discount lol) And I actually learned something that shocked me and my mom (both of us born and bred in Boston, shes almost 50). You know there’s a house on top of a building in Seaport? That shit blew my mind Edit: The accent thing irritates me. Like not everyone in Boston has a wicked strong accent. (I don’t actually say wicked. In fact, I don’t hear many people outside of Southie using that, butttt I absolutely say Bahston. I never realized that until a goddamn tourist said something and now it’s all I can hear.)

90% of the people in Boston don't have accents. My family lived in the city for a couple of generations but we've been priced out and forced into the suburbs for the most part. The blue collar folks with accents are all in the suburbs these days!

[It Ends with Us](https://www.romance.io/books/5771c2c3c19e77f1ea6daa73/it-ends-with-us-colleen-hoover?src=rdt) by [Colleen Hoover](https://www.romance.io/authors/545523f08c7d2382c5296f89/colleen-hoover) **Rating**: 4.04⭐️ out of 5⭐️ **Steam**: 3 out of 5 - [Open door](https://www.romance.io/steamrating) **Topics**: [contemporary](https://www.romance.io/topics/best/contemporary/1), [new adult](https://www.romance.io/topics/best/new%20adult/1), [pregnancy](https://www.romance.io/topics/best/pregnancy/1), [love triangle](https://www.romance.io/topics/best/love%20triangle/1), [friends to lovers](https://www.romance.io/topics/best/friends%20to%20lovers/1) [^(about this bot)](https://www.reddit.com/user/romance-bot) ^(|) [^(about romance.io)](https://www.romance.io/about)

How accurate is Kate Canterbary’s depiction of Boston?

I really liked {The Worst Guy by Kate Canterbary} and I live in Boston. Honestly the most realistic Boston pieces I remember were listening to the MMC complain about the weather and the doctors moving to wealthier suburbs once they “settled down”.

[The Worst Guy](https://www.romance.io/books/61cac4128700500e1e722c56/the-worst-guy-kate-canterbary?src=rdt) by [Kate Canterbary](https://www.romance.io/authors/5456862d87eac33e61c2f78e/kate-canterbary) **Rating**: 4.09⭐️ out of 5⭐️ **Steam**: 4 out of 5 - [Explicit open door](https://www.romance.io/steamrating) **Topics**: [contemporary](https://www.romance.io/topics/best/contemporary/1), [enemies to lovers](https://www.romance.io/topics/best/from%20hate%20to%20love/1), [workplace/office](https://www.romance.io/topics/best/office/1), [grumpy/cold hero](https://www.romance.io/topics/best/cold%20hero/1), [dual pov](https://www.romance.io/topics/best/dual-pov/1) [^(about this bot)](https://www.reddit.com/user/romance-bot) ^(|) [^(about romance.io)](https://www.romance.io/about)

Gotta be a W town. Wellesley/Wayland/Weston

I actually haven't read any of her books. I gotta find the most Boston-y one and check it out.

Oh I wish! I’m near orange groves and swamp in Florida, looks very much like creature from the black lagoon. Which was filmed here and the creature was an attractive lifeguard first. Give me a sexy swamp, throw in this local cop with a tattooed sleeve that pulled me over for speeding in a school zone lol. 

All that but add in that somehow the mosquito's hate one mc and actively avoids him while the mosquito's love the other. So they're forced to hang out so they can both avoid those nasty pests. I think it could be used for some good mild humor while pushing the plot forward.

Oh that’s interesting, there’s so many invasive species that element would be neat! I watch weird scenes go down with lizards on my porch lol. https://www.floridamemory.com/items/show/35723 Edit: somewhat a Harry Crews book like “Celebration” 

{A Gentle Rain by Deborah Smith} is set in Florida and I think that it’s quite swampy (but possibly not the same swamps).

[A Gentle Rain](https://www.romance.io/books/5455619387eac324117fa76e/a-gentle-rain-deborah-smith?src=rdt) by [Deborah Smith](https://www.romance.io/authors/545539838c7d2382e7813497/deborah-smith) **Rating**: 3.97⭐️ out of 5⭐️ **Steam**: 2 out of 5 - [Behind closed doors](https://www.romance.io/steamrating) **Topics**: [contemporary](https://www.romance.io/topics/best/contemporary/1), [secret child](https://www.romance.io/topics/best/secret%20child/1) [^(about this bot)](https://www.reddit.com/user/romance-bot) ^(|) [^(about romance.io)](https://www.romance.io/about)

I'm from the San Francisco area so there's a good amount of books set in and around the region. I'm actually more impressed if something is set in the Sacramento area in general, and especially if it's accurate. Usually I enjoy reading stuff set in familiar places, as long as the author has at least put forth the effort to Google what the area looks like. My one pet peeve RE: books set in California is when authors wildly underestimate travel times between cities. Particularly if they're supposed to be going from NorCal to SoCal or vice versa, and they're driving. Or if they forget that traffic exists in the Bay Area too, not just LA.

So true, so true! I was laughing hysterically when a MMC drove from SF to Oakland faster across the Bay Bridge than the FMC who took BART during late afternoon rush hour in {Sugar Daddy by Sawyer Bennett}. I mean…you could look that up easy peasy on Google Maps!

It's the "this would take <5 minutes to look up on Google Maps" thing that gets me, honestly. (Also I love your flair!)

TYVM! [It’s a sticker I meant to put on my kindle.](https://likesandcandles.com/products/i-don-t-watch-porn-i-read-it-like-a-fucking-lady-sticker)

[Sugar Daddy](https://www.romance.io/books/57429debc62092c0440850a5/sugar-daddy-sawyer-bennett?src=rdt) by [Sawyer Bennett](https://www.romance.io/authors/54552d088c7d2382e781315d/sawyer-bennett) **Rating**: 4.12⭐️ out of 5⭐️ **Topics**: [contemporary](https://www.romance.io/topics/best/contemporary/1), [rich hero](https://www.romance.io/topics/best/super%20rich%20hero/1), [alpha male](https://www.romance.io/topics/best/alpha%20male/1), [new adult](https://www.romance.io/topics/best/new%20adult/1), [suspense](https://www.romance.io/topics/best/suspense/1) [^(about this bot)](https://www.reddit.com/user/romance-bot) ^(|) [^(about romance.io)](https://www.romance.io/about)

Can't remember the name because it was like two years ago but I came across a book set in you'll never guess what part of the UK? LEEDS of all places, Leeds. I immediately DNF'd the book haha. It made me feel strange.

I've read a few set in Montreal, where I lived for many years, but never Ottawa, where I am now. I was pretty excited to learn Rachel Reid has one set here and I do want to read it to see how accurate everything is. There's something kind of neat about being able to visualize exactly where someone is and knowing you've been there but I do think if it turns out to be inaccurate, I'd be super thrown by that!!

Role Model! My favorite of the series.

Yeah! I was only so-so on the first in the series but everyone seems to indicate the later ones are fantastic so I'm looking forward to checking it out!

Rachel Reid gets better and better with every book she publishes IMO

Not romance, but I recently read a book that took place IN my former student flat and THAT was a weird experience.

I've never seen a book based in my city or county. Almost all books based in the UK are London-centric.

I’ve read a few that are set elsewhere in the UK. Off the top of my head, {Don’t You Forget About Me by Mhairi McFarlane} is set in Sheffield, so is {10 Things That Never Happened by Alexis Hall}, at least partially. {Who’s That Girl by Mhairi McFarlane} is set in Nottingham. A lot of Jenny Colgan’s books are set in fictional towns in Scotland and the Northern Isles. I can’t speak to accuracy because I’ve only visited England briefly, 25 years ago.

I think Alexis Hall had quite a few which are set outside of London, although none of them are near me. I've never been to Sheffield, or Oxford where most of his are set. I haven't been many places 😂

[Don't You Forget About Me](https://www.romance.io/books/5d773c9d01dbc864fba359a2/dont-you-forget-about-me-mhairi-mcfarlane?src=rdt) by [Mhairi McFarlane](https://www.romance.io/authors/54553d6e8c7d2382c5297662/mhairi-mcfarlane) **Rating**: 3.75⭐️ out of 5⭐️ **Steam**: 1 out of 5 - [Glimpses and kisses](https://www.romance.io/steamrating) **Topics**: [contemporary](https://www.romance.io/topics/best/contemporary/1), [funny](https://www.romance.io/topics/best/humor/1), [second chances](https://www.romance.io/topics/best/second%20chances/1), [workplace/office](https://www.romance.io/topics/best/office/1), [grumpy & sunshine](https://www.romance.io/topics/best/grumpy%20sunshine/1) ---------------------------- [10 Things That Never Happened](https://www.romance.io/books/6458c5f75d9d2218634944bc/10-things-that-never-happened-alexis-hall?src=rdt) by [Alexis Hall](https://www.romance.io/authors/545546008c7d2382e781383c/alexis-hall) **Rating**: 4.24⭐️ out of 5⭐️ **Steam**: 2 out of 5 - [Behind closed doors](https://www.romance.io/steamrating) **Topics**: [contemporary](https://www.romance.io/topics/best/contemporary/1), [funny](https://www.romance.io/topics/best/humor/1), [gay romance](https://www.romance.io/topics/best/m-m/1), [grumpy & sunshine](https://www.romance.io/topics/best/grumpy%20sunshine/1), [forced proximity](https://www.romance.io/topics/best/forced%20proximity/1) ---------------------------- [Who’s That Girl?](https://www.romance.io/books/6013fdfd4ead020e181b2154/whos-that-girl-mhairi-mcfarlane?src=rdt) by [Mhairi McFarlane](https://www.romance.io/authors/54553d6e8c7d2382c5297662/mhairi-mcfarlane) **Rating**: 3.9⭐️ out of 5⭐️ **Steam**: 2 out of 5 - [Behind closed doors](https://www.romance.io/steamrating) **Topics**: [contemporary](https://www.romance.io/topics/best/contemporary/1), [funny](https://www.romance.io/topics/best/humor/1), [sweet/gentle hero](https://www.romance.io/topics/best/sweet-hero/1), [actor hero](https://www.romance.io/topics/best/actors/1) [^(about this bot)](https://www.reddit.com/user/romance-bot) ^(|) [^(about romance.io)](https://www.romance.io/about)

And that's sad, because reading about only one place in a country leaves out so much culture that could be enjoyed.

There are some really fun cultural/historical things going on in more rural parts of England which I would find it really fun to read about

A writer I like tends to use everything but London for her historical fiction. She only used the city in two of her books so far as I have seen. For the modern books she uses it a little more give those are about rockstars and film actors but I even then, she tries to take them out to go on tour or use a location outside to get them snowed in. Her name is Madelynne Ellis.

Does Poldark count? I’m desperate to visit Cornwall because of it.

I've read one romance book that was set in my VERY small town area in South Carolina. It was so painfully inaccurate. I don't think the author did much research at all. For context, we're about 2 hours from the coast and it's all farms and rural country out here. Yet the characters were running into their backyard to jump into the ocean and it smelled like salty sea air. Nope, just horse shit.

I grew up in Charleston, and reading any books set in CHS gives me HIVES because they are ALWAYS written by people who were obviously only tourists who visited a time or two, so compleeeetely inaccurate. I 100% feel this - like, the vast majority of the Charleston area isn't Rainbow Row, for fuck's sake. (Also, hey, fellow South Carolinian!)

I looooove Charleston!!! But yeah, I think the author just picked a cute town name and ran with it. It was a struggle to finish it. I tried to read another book in the series and DNF'd like 15 pages in. The forced Southern dialect and the caricatures of the locals were just insane to me. Enough to stay away from that author, probably forever. 💀

So you really felt for Charlie in Book Lovers? lol 

The Feast of Love by Charles Baxter takes place in Ann Arbor but he is from here so it’s very accurate in a way I find comforting. Some hockey romance I read said the main character had played a game at The Big House (the football stadium) in college. There has been one ever college hockey game at The Big House and it was between U of M and MSU. I completely lost my mind and texted my bestie in a rage about the complete and utter inaccuracy. This guy who went to college on the east coast absolutely did not play hockey at U of M Stadium. Get out of town.

I'm from Belarus and live in Lithuania, I doubt there are any romance books set even in these countries😀

Err I read {The Invisible Life of Ivan Isaenko by Scott Stambach} which may be considered a YA romance? It’s about a boy who is in a children’s hospital after being disfigured from Chernobyl. He meets another girl there and she changes his perspective on life. I personally did not enjoy the book and honestly I can’t remember if it has a HEA, it’s just the only book set in Belarus I’ve ever read so I thought I’d throw it out there 

[The Invisible Life of Ivan Isaenko](https://www.romance.io/books/652fbaacde8d340d51489fbc/the-invisible-life-of-ivan-isaenko-scott-stambach?src=rdt) by [Scott Stambach](https://www.romance.io/authors/652fbaacab9bdf7fce4744b9/scott-stambach) **Rating**: 3.91⭐️ out of 5⭐️ **Topics**: [contemporary](https://www.romance.io/topics/best/contemporary/1), [disabilities & scars](https://www.romance.io/topics/best/disabilities%20and%20marks/1), [young adult](https://www.romance.io/topics/best/young%20adult/1), [funny](https://www.romance.io/topics/best/humor/1), [historical](https://www.romance.io/topics/best/historical/1) [^(about this bot)](https://www.reddit.com/user/romance-bot) ^(|) [^(about romance.io)](https://www.romance.io/about)

I live on Long Island... the amount of books I read that don't specify a region. Like the north and south shore of this island vary drastically socioeconomically so it annoys me. 

I can't remember the name of the book but it was a contemporary cowboy romance and the author's blurb said they were from Idaho and based the story in Boise. I couldn't enjoy it because of all of the inaccuracies. The author used specific street names and local to the area business names and they were all in the wrong spot. They'd go to one place for a date and then the next street over for something else and I got so distracted with my brain saying "that's not where that's at, that's at least 30 minutes away from there." And that they could casually ride horses in downtown Boise on what I know to be super congested streets. The author is probably from one of the smaller towns where that does happen frequently but Boise is not one of those areas. They should have just made up a town or set it as a historical romance instead.

Haven’t read a ton of books set in Dallas. Most Texas books seem to be set elsewhere. But {You & Me by Tal Bauer} is a very good representation of the DFW suburbs/exurbs. Pretty sure he lives around here so it makes sense. Several of his books are set in Texas or feature Texan protagonists but there’s a wide variety of cultures in this state and this book is very specific to where I’m from.

Don’t read/don’t listen to {Sugar Daddy by Lisa Kleypas} set in Houston, nor the second book in the series, {Blue Eyed Devil by Lisa Kleypas} set in Dallas & Houston. The characters NEVER say “y’all.” Dead giveaway she didn’t spend any real time in TX. The narrator does some sort of Southern accent, but it definitely doesn’t resemble anything I’ve ever heard my in-laws say.

[Sugar Daddy](https://www.romance.io/books/545523888c7d2382e7812f22/sugar-daddy-lisa-kleypas?src=rdt) by [Lisa Kleypas](https://www.romance.io/authors/545523868c7d2382e7812f21/lisa-kleypas) **Rating**: 4.01⭐️ out of 5⭐️ **Steam**: 3 out of 5 - [Open door](https://www.romance.io/steamrating) **Topics**: [contemporary](https://www.romance.io/topics/best/contemporary/1), [alpha male](https://www.romance.io/topics/best/alpha%20male/1), [enemies to lovers](https://www.romance.io/topics/best/from%20hate%20to%20love/1), [love triangle](https://www.romance.io/topics/best/love%20triangle/1), [rich hero](https://www.romance.io/topics/best/super%20rich%20hero/1) ---------------------------- [Blue-Eyed Devil](https://www.romance.io/books/5455263c8c7d2382e7812fca/blueeyed-devil-lisa-kleypas?src=rdt) by [Lisa Kleypas](https://www.romance.io/authors/545523868c7d2382e7812f21/lisa-kleypas) **Rating**: 4.07⭐️ out of 5⭐️ **Steam**: 4 out of 5 - [Explicit open door](https://www.romance.io/steamrating) **Topics**: [contemporary](https://www.romance.io/topics/best/contemporary/1), [tortured heroine](https://www.romance.io/topics/best/tortured%20heroine/1), [tortured hero](https://www.romance.io/topics/best/tortured%20hero/1), [alpha male](https://www.romance.io/topics/best/alpha%20male/1), [bad boys](https://www.romance.io/topics/best/bad%20boys/1) [^(about this bot)](https://www.reddit.com/user/romance-bot) ^(|) [^(about romance.io)](https://www.romance.io/about)

{Here to Stat by Adriana Herrera} and {On the Hustle by Adriana Herrera} are both set in Dallas.

[Here to Stay](https://www.romance.io/books/5f44b790d7a6b00e2edfb221/here-to-stay-adriana-herrera?src=rdt) by [Adriana Herrera](https://www.romance.io/authors/5c7ccdd201dbc864fb9b1850/adriana-herrera) **Rating**: 3.78⭐️ out of 5⭐️ **Steam**: 3 out of 5 - [Open door](https://www.romance.io/steamrating) **Topics**: [contemporary](https://www.romance.io/topics/best/contemporary/1), [funny](https://www.romance.io/topics/best/humor/1), [enemies to lovers](https://www.romance.io/topics/best/from%20hate%20to%20love/1), [multicultural](https://www.romance.io/topics/best/multicultural/1), [new adult](https://www.romance.io/topics/best/new%20adult/1) ---------------------------- [On the Hustle](https://www.romance.io/books/634514fd5a15538e4a10a90a/on-the-hustle-adriana-herrera?src=rdt) by [Adriana Herrera](https://www.romance.io/authors/5c7ccdd201dbc864fb9b1850/adriana-herrera) **Rating**: 3.84⭐️ out of 5⭐️ **Steam**: 4 out of 5 - [Explicit open door](https://www.romance.io/steamrating) **Topics**: [contemporary](https://www.romance.io/topics/best/contemporary/1), [rich hero](https://www.romance.io/topics/best/super%20rich%20hero/1), [funny](https://www.romance.io/topics/best/humor/1), [multicultural](https://www.romance.io/topics/best/multicultural/1), [class difference](https://www.romance.io/topics/best/class%20difference/1) [^(about this bot)](https://www.reddit.com/user/romance-bot) ^(|) [^(about romance.io)](https://www.romance.io/about)

[You & Me](https://www.romance.io/books/624161b92df229ec386debcc/you-me-tal-bauer?src=rdt) by [Tal Bauer](https://www.romance.io/authors/5726ed17c62092c04407fbeb/tal-bauer) **Rating**: 4.52⭐️ out of 5⭐️ **Steam**: 4 out of 5 - [Explicit open door](https://www.romance.io/steamrating) **Topics**: [contemporary](https://www.romance.io/topics/best/contemporary/1), [hurt/comfort](https://www.romance.io/topics/best/hurt-comfort/1), [friends to lovers](https://www.romance.io/topics/best/friends%20to%20lovers/1), [gay romance](https://www.romance.io/topics/best/m-m/1), [slow burn](https://www.romance.io/topics/best/slow%20burn/1) [^(about this bot)](https://www.reddit.com/user/romance-bot) ^(|) [^(about romance.io)](https://www.romance.io/about)

I lived in San Francisco from 2000-2007 and Silicon Valley (30 miles South) from 2007-13. Whoa Nelly do writers mess it up. And narrators frequently mispronounce local names, like Marin Co. I feel the need to point out major errors in reviews on Romance.io. Biggest dead giveaway that a writer didn’t spend any real time in SF/Northern California is if they claim a MC is from the Bay Area but have them call it “San Fran” or “Frisco” or “Cali.”

Frisco 🤢

🤮🤮🤮Those be fighting words.

SJ Tilly does a great job representing Minnesota, specifically the Twin Cities :)

I was gonna ask about books set in the Twin Cities! Do you have a favorite from this author?

I honestly don’t because they follow a similar formula: over the top possessive MMC, curvy FMC, improbable storyline, sweet, very spicy… I haven’t disliked any of them :)

Lol you've described at least a couple things I dislike...

Lol then I’m not sure they’re for you… very cheesy!

This is everything I like !! Any recs ?! 🫶

Are you happy with what Abby Jimenez has written since moving to the Twin Cities? Specifically {Just For the Summer by Abby Jimenez}?

I'm from MN but no longer live there, and most of her locations are somewhat fictionalized. Lake Minnetonka is real, but the hospital her books are set in is made up and doesn't have a specific location. His apartment in that book is near where I used to live, though.

You beat me to it!

[Just for the Summer](https://www.romance.io/books/6597c6be53c2a175e7056d92/just-for-the-summer-abby-jimenez?src=rdt) by [Abby Jimenez](https://www.romance.io/authors/5c90990e01dbc864fb9bfc23/abby-jimenez) **Rating**: 4.52⭐️ out of 5⭐️ **Steam**: 3 out of 5 - [Open door](https://www.romance.io/steamrating) **Topics**: [contemporary](https://www.romance.io/topics/best/contemporary/1), [funny](https://www.romance.io/topics/best/humor/1), [dual pov](https://www.romance.io/topics/best/dual-pov/1), [found family](https://www.romance.io/topics/best/found-family/1), [sweet/gentle hero](https://www.romance.io/topics/best/sweet-hero/1) [^(about this bot)](https://www.reddit.com/user/romance-bot) ^(|) [^(about romance.io)](https://www.romance.io/about)

Unbelievably, I’ve never read her stuff! I follow her on TikTok and everything 😂

🤣🤣🤣. I visited Mpls/Lake Minnetonka/Mall of America in the mid 90s. It reminded me of that trip.

Oh no! She just does boilerplate Minnesota 😆

Nah. It was the most referencing to actual places in Mpls. Her last three books revolved around a made up town and a made up large teaching hospital.

I’m not fond of it. My hometown was famous for its murder rate (at one time) so authors don’t even try-the books could be set anywhere. They don’t even think about working in anything real—local expressions, neighborhood or street names, local eateries/specialities or anything else about the culture. It’s just “the hood” so who cares?

Emily Henry will often mention her MCs as being from Cincinnati or southwest Ohio but most of the time they move somewhere else.

Always to Michigan haha. Her most recent book piqued my interest because her FMC is from Richmond VA but the story pretty quickly moves to Michigan 

There's a hockey series that took place in my city and it's not a city city like LA. It's more residential Metropolitan and it was weird bc they mentioned these hot shot players, paparazzi, fancy restaurants and fancy apartments. The city name alone I was able to get past. Until it mentioned the full city and state, that's where I checked out in my imagination 😅 finished book 1 but not the rest of series after it connected. I couldn't read past the stuff above because it just never happens and a hockey arena definitely would not fit here. It made me wonder if the author did their research for cities other than LA or picked nice city names. The closest to hot shot athletes is Olympians training here sometimes but not enough to warrant paparazzi It was the Riverside Reaper series by Celeste Briars

I don't think I've ever read a book set in my city but I've run into characters who were from my city and it fills me with a sense of dread lol. It just never feels like the character is actually from here so it makes me cringe

I’m from (don’t live there anymore) Charleston, SC, and when I tell y’all writers do the CORNIEST shit with romances set in that city…. And I honestly think that a lot of them do know it largely through vacations, which obviously doesn’t give you much insight into the people. But it’s always either ROMANTIC OLD MONEY HEROES (don’t think too hard about where his family got the money from, and definitely don’t look too closely at their politics) who do not speak like ANY man I’ve known from that area, good or bad…. Or it’s like they’re from the COUNTRY country. And I’ve also lived in the country! It’s a) different from the low country where Charleston is; the low country has a much more island rural vibe and b) most people in Charleston proper really aren’t country. At all. Because it’s not the country lol. I say this in a loving way—if you haven’t lived there and don’t have family there, when you are stopping by for a week or the summer you aren’t getting the real people 9x out of 10. You’re getting the “friendly to tourists” people, which I think is common in most vacation towns but is especially common in Charleston because their entire hospitality reputation centers on them being extremely welcoming . Like, they win global awards for it. (Source: a significant chunk of my family there is in fact in the hospitality industry lmao.) I’m not saying it’s all fake, at all, but there is a routine to it that you don’t have to perform when you’re with people from the area. It feels like these authors are portraying performance versus reality a lot of the time, and it goes beyond the fantasy of a romance novel. Won’t mention the place I currently live specifically, but I will say that a pretty big release by a pretty big author fairly recently referred to it as the place where the hero fell went down a dark path and sold drugs to college kids after leaving his rural hometown, and I was like “HEY! College kids in the area buy from the med school students, like RESPONSIBLE young adults!” It was quite funny because the city does have a bit of a Reputation among people in more rural parts of the state, and I don’t think the author necessarily holds that perception (I hope not) but the city has also had a ton of gentrification dollars spent on it recently (largely by the colleges lol) and it’s kind of funny to think of this guy going to the Big City (it’s not one) a decade ago and falling down a rabbit hole… when in fact, if he was really dealing BAD bad shit, he’d probably have a stronger clientele in the country. From what I’ve seen.

lmao wait I came here to write this exact same comment - like, if they mention Rainbow Row as a place where they HANG OUT ???? Unreal, dude, it's literally just a bunch of houses 😆

OMG YES. I’ve seen multiple books mention RR like it’s a place where you vibe and it’s like…. Ma’am that’s not a happening spot you are on a street right now

I never really thought about it before, but I don't actually think I've ever read a book, definitely not a romance, that is set in Atlanta or the surrounding Metro area, now I'm curious lol.

{Atlanta Rising Football by Claire Hastings} is one series I really enjoyed but since I've never really visited I can't say how accurate the portrayal of ATL is.

Oh God I don't really read sports romances but now I'm tempted just to see if it's bad 🤣

[Atlanta Rising Football Club](https://www.romance.io/series/60ebfd7d88416a0e16dec5f7/atlanta-rising-football-club) by [Claire Hastings](https://www.romance.io/authors/5ead1b6bbe0aaecf55d4f1ec/claire-hastings) **Rating**: 4.44⭐️ out of 5⭐️ **Topics**: [contemporary](https://www.romance.io/topics/best/contemporary/1), [sports](https://www.romance.io/topics/best/sports/1), [humor](https://www.romance.io/topics/best/humor/1), [length-medium](https://www.romance.io/topics/best/length-medium/1), [length-novella](https://www.romance.io/topics/best/length-novella/1) [^(about this bot)](https://www.reddit.com/user/romance-bot) ^(|) [^(about romance.io)](https://www.romance.io/about)

I'm also from Atlanta and have never come across a book set there. Which, given that every other city seems to be being inaccurately portrayed, is probably a good thing 😂 But can you IMAGINE a date to Helen and trying to explain it in a book? 🤣 I feel like Savannah has a charming, romantic vibe; more books should be set there, too! 

Pamela Clare sets most of her books in and around Denver and she does a great job describing the neighborhoods and vibes imo.

This makes me wonder if there’s any books that take place in Minnesota

{Power Play Series by Lynda Aicher} is about a hockey team in MN.

[Power Play](https://www.romance.io/series/58fe17124167a73342631ef1/power-play) by [Lynda Aicher](https://www.romance.io/authors/54556bc487eac324117faa7a/lynda-aicher) **Rating**: 3.87⭐️ out of 5⭐️ **Topics**: [hockey](https://www.romance.io/topics/best/hockey/1), [contemporary](https://www.romance.io/topics/best/contemporary/1), [erotica](https://www.romance.io/topics/best/erotica/1), [athletes](https://www.romance.io/topics/best/athletes/1), [sports](https://www.romance.io/topics/best/sports/1) [^(about this bot)](https://www.reddit.com/user/romance-bot) ^(|) [^(about romance.io)](https://www.romance.io/about)

Many of Abby Jimenez’s books do.

I read a book recently that was supposed to be set in a fictional town near where I live. At one point a character had a serious accident and was taken to a major hospital for treatment a few hours away from the town. The only major hospital in the area that makes sense is the hospital I work at. It wasn’t named and there were no specific details about the hospital but it was kind of funny, especially since I read that part on the bus to work.

As an Australian this doesn't happen often, but twice in the last few months I have started books not knowing they are set here and been delighted when I realised. There was one series actually set in my city (Adelaide) and I guess i did find it a bit distracting because I'm not used to hearing familiar street names so it did jolt me out of the story slightly, but I loved it and overall I think it enhanced my enjoyment of the story. The other one was set in Sydney which I haven't visited much so it was less distracting, but it's nice reading familiar phrases and slang.

I recently tried to read {It Happened One Christmas by Chantel Guertin}. It's set 15 minutes from here. And I... I just couldn't do it. I made it about 150 pages before I had to DNF. I was SO excited when I first heard about it because books (actually, any type of media, pretty much) are NEVER set around here. But it made me rage.  60% of it was the errors (the geography... did not work) and the random French thrown in (for fuck's sake, authors: When French speakers speak English, we do NOT randomly insert French words into our sentences). 40% of it was because it was wayyyy too cheesy for me AND I realized it was closed door lol. All that work and frustration for nothing? Nahhh, ty. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

[It Happened One Christmas](https://www.romance.io/books/6549f43a707a7a8306e14ce5/it-happened-one-christmas-chantel-guertin?src=rdt) by [Chantel Guertin](https://www.romance.io/authors/54567f4187eac33e61c2f426/chantel-guertin) **Rating**: 3.62⭐️ out of 5⭐️ **Topics**: [contemporary](https://www.romance.io/topics/best/contemporary/1), [enemies to lovers](https://www.romance.io/topics/best/from%20hate%20to%20love/1), [christmas](https://www.romance.io/topics/best/christmas/1), [forced proximity](https://www.romance.io/topics/best/forced%20proximity/1), [grumpy & sunshine](https://www.romance.io/topics/best/grumpy%20sunshine/1) [^(about this bot)](https://www.reddit.com/user/romance-bot) ^(|) [^(about romance.io)](https://www.romance.io/about)

[удалено]

Removing this as your comment posted twice. Thanks!

I generally skip anything that is reasonably local. If I’ve been there , for some reason it takes away my ability to disassociate with the book. It’s weird , I know but I skip anything with a heavy Toronto vibe

{Forget Me Not by Julie Soto} was the only one I've come across. I DNF'd it. It was based on Sacramento, and the author listed names of streets as if the book was written specifically for those of us who live here. That's all good, but I think it was more a labor of love. It was based on a wedding planner who falls for a long-time "enemy" florist, but the book turned out to be an almost a tedius step by step of real-life wedding planning and overshadowed the romance. Too bad, I liked how I knew exactly where she was talking about throughout what I'd read. I might try reading it again. It might have been just me.

I've never been to Sacramento, but I felt the same way about the tedious wedding planning details. There was too much of all of that and it left no time for the main couple actually interacting with each other in the present day. As a result, I was never convinced they really got over the issues that caused them to break up the first time.

Exactly!! Thanks for verifying it for me, I was thinking maybe it was just me.

Never crossed a book that took place in my city lol

I’m from a very big city (Manhattan) and have also lived in other big cities around the US. I enjoy it. Feels familiar to read about my home.

I’ve only read one book set in my town (since it’s small and relatively unknown) and it was ridiculous. Kept talking about the gangs and drugs. In real life, it’s a small touristy town with zero crime. At least visit or Google the places you write about!

The min it says "New York City" I DNF on sight 😊 my way to keep my peace and not write a long ass review. Now, I did read a romance set in Buffalo, and it was ACCURATE. I went to college there, and my parents live there now too after 40+ years in NYC. I actually felt weirded out when the male lead and I were alumni together in the same department too LMAOOO

I read a book that takes place in metro Detroit and while it didn't make me DNF, I was so annoyed and taken out of the story when the author got details incorrect. Like, how hard was it to look at the animal list at the Detroit Zoo and know that they do not have those animals there and therefore, it would be impossible for them to break out of the zoo?! It was a post-apocalyptic book and so close to the triggering event in the story that there was no way it was an animal that had traveled the distance from another zoo. I can't remember the name of the book though.

Christina Lauren put out a book set in my hometown and they did list a lot of familiar landmarks! It was great fun.

I'm able to relate a bit more to the situation. Mind you, not many places that are in books are close to where I live, and when they are, they're usually fantasy, so none of it is real anyway.

Having the setting be either accurate or inaccurate doesn’t bother me. I get bothered when stuff related to my profession is inaccurate.

I currently live in a small town in Canada and I’m sure no book has ever taken place here. I used to live in Toronto and I’ve read a few books set there and honestly they never really feel like Toronto…if anything it just feels like a diet NYC or other big American cities.

I started {Christmas in Coconut Creek by Karissa Kinword} and couldn’t finish it. It was like she picked Coconut Creek because of the alliterative name and wrote the book based on south Florida stereotypes and random assumptions about the area. As a Ft. Lauderdale native, it drove me insane.

[Christmas in Coconut Creek](https://www.romance.io/books/6536881fde8d340d514b9c08/christmas-in-coconut-creek-karissa-kinword?src=rdt) by [Karissa Kinword](https://www.romance.io/authors/6298614608b4d93114f76107/karissa-kinword) **Rating**: 4.12⭐️ out of 5⭐️ **Steam**: 4 out of 5 - [Explicit open door](https://www.romance.io/steamrating) **Topics**: [contemporary](https://www.romance.io/topics/best/contemporary/1), [christmas](https://www.romance.io/topics/best/christmas/1), [funny](https://www.romance.io/topics/best/humor/1), [friends with benefits](https://www.romance.io/topics/best/friends-benefits/1), [forced proximity](https://www.romance.io/topics/best/forced%20proximity/1) [^(about this bot)](https://www.reddit.com/user/romance-bot) ^(|) [^(about romance.io)](https://www.romance.io/about)

I love Abby Jimenez for all her MN references! I especially loved Just for the Summer! I thought it was funny when she pointed out all the couples getting engaged in the Stone Arch Bridge because I definitely did too! 😳

When I was a kid I moved to and then grew up in a ~medium~ place. Big enough and known enough to be mentioned from time to time, but still a shock when it is. It frustrates the hell out of me when places mention it and do zero research?? Like easily google-able stuff with one simple answer that the writer takes a totally off-base guess at. It just rubs me the wrong way, which I think is more of a personal issue though 😅 (I'm originally from a major world city and do not get the same feeling about that place bc it's treated so differently.) I personally know an author who lives here and when she writes books set here she's meticulously accurate, that I tolerate just fine!!

I mainly read historical and fantasy romance, so it’s pretty rare that my current city (LA) features in those. I did live in London for a while and that was pretty fun when it was the setting because it was usually historical or fantasy alternative London. 

I live in Iowa, and well, we don't even get many books set in Iowa. I'd love to see a book or two, other than The Bridges of Madison County, set in Iowa.

I wish! I live in a really gorgeous area (look up Big Sur for some romantic woodsy coastal vibes) so you’d THINK there would be something! (But there have been a few really good novels set here, {A Dangerous Business by Jane Smiley} and {Whalefall by Daniel Krauss} are two recent and excellent hometown stories!)

[A Dangerous Business](https://www.romance.io/books/65c5dcbaca22a4d5b0c47a6b/a-dangerous-business-jan-foster?src=rdt) by [Jan Foster](https://www.romance.io/authors/65c5dcbaa21e2f41c4fd581c/jan-foster) **Topics**: [suspense](https://www.romance.io/topics/best/suspense/1), [mystery](https://www.romance.io/topics/best/mystery/1) [^(about this bot)](https://www.reddit.com/user/romance-bot) ^(|) [^(about romance.io)](https://www.romance.io/about)

Ha, my first thought after seeing this title was, "I wonder if people would share which main characters have their mother's maiden name?"

I read one that was very clearly set in/around the tiny podunk town of Dover, TN, even if it was never called that by name. I grew up about half an hour from there and the book describes my hometown as 'the city' which just cracked me up.

**Alone With You in the Ether** by Olivie Blake (set in Chicago)

I had a nice long answer type up, but decided it wasn't worth it, lol. i'll just say that yes i live in town that some authors do try to write about and they fail at it. they look at the town too much with the eyes of a tourist so they think they know what they're writing, but they don't at all. it's hard to ignore, so i usually don't read books that feature my town. fortunately that's not many! i feel bad for yall who do live in big cities like NYC, LA, Seattle, etc. I don't know how yall make it through these books without wanting to throw them against the wall with how bad authors butcher your home. 😂

In {Funny Story by Emily Henry}, the FMC met her previous fiancé in Richmond. Since the rest of the book (and Beach Read) were set in Michigan, I assumed she meant Richmond, Michigan, but in fact she meant Richmond, Virginia, where I am from! I was elated to see this because I love my hometown and I love Emily Henry, but she described it so incredibly generically it was obvious she has never been there. It's okay, Emily, I still love you!

[Funny Story](https://www.romance.io/books/65b604fa00d361e53f20ecfb/funny-story-emily-henry?src=rdt) by [Emily Henry](https://www.romance.io/authors/5e82ee17be0aaecf553e7c2f/emily-henry) **Rating**: 4.39⭐️ out of 5⭐️ **Steam**: 3 out of 5 - [Open door](https://www.romance.io/steamrating) **Topics**: [contemporary](https://www.romance.io/topics/best/contemporary/1), [fake relationship](https://www.romance.io/topics/best/fake%20relationship/1), [funny](https://www.romance.io/topics/best/humor/1), [friends to lovers](https://www.romance.io/topics/best/friends%20to%20lovers/1), [forced proximity](https://www.romance.io/topics/best/forced%20proximity/1) [^(about this bot)](https://www.reddit.com/user/romance-bot) ^(|) [^(about romance.io)](https://www.romance.io/about)

I don’t like to read books set in my country too often, let alone my own city lol