Unlikely Story

By: Ali Rosen

Narrated by: Carly Robins

From the author of Recipe for Second Chances comes a swoonworthy romance bursting with wit about a therapist who falls for the wrong man…but perhaps the right one was hiding in the margins all along.

As a relationship therapist, Nora helps patients explore their feelings honestly. But she’s hiding an embarrassing relationship secret of her own: she’s in love with someone she’s never even met.

J edits the advice column Nora’s been writing anonymously for the last seven years. He’s in London, she’s in New York, and they communicate solely through shared files. When he confides that his girlfriend’s out of the picture, and her boss asks her to come to London, Nora takes both as a sign.

But that’s not the only thing on her mind. A client’s ex-boyfriend just moved into her co-op, directly beneath her. Eli blames Nora for his breakup and seems determined to make her life miserable, gleefully planning a noisy renovation.

Yet despite all his bluster, Nora eventually starts to see the softness behind Eli’s brusque, charming exterior…and after a slipup reveals a startling secret, Nora wonders whether someone can be two things at once.

©2025 by Ali Rosen. (P)2025 Brilliance Publishing, Inc., all rights reserved.

Critic reviews

“Carly Robins's warm, expressive narration suits this delightful rom-com set mainly in New York City.… Robins seamlessly shifts from Nora's hesitant persona to Eli's brash but kindhearted demeanor and to a lively supporting cast, including the elderly residents of Nora's building. This heartwarming rom-com is full of poignant moments, as well as laugh-out-loud scenes.”—AudioFile Magazine

“A swoonworthy romance reminiscent of a Nora Ephron movie. Rosen’s enemies-to-lovers romance is a delightfully modern take on You’ve Got Mail, mixed with the kind of will-they, won’t-they sort-of love triangle that’s the bread and butter of all rom-coms…Readers will be eating it up happily.”—Kirkus Reviews (starred review)

“A fun read from cover to cover. Exceptional and memorable, Unlikely Story is a very highly recommended and popular pick…”—Midwest Book Review

Stopped listening after 30 min.

nothing but silly boring chatter. i will not consider books by this author. Waste of my time.

Not interesting

Overall performance is OK, I like the pace of reading. The story is predictable, not very interesting. Some cute moments but had to force myself to finish the book.

So Sweet and Cute and Funny

4 ⭐ 2 🌶️ 5 🎧

This was super cute and a fun listen. I loved the secret pen pals via cloud docs angle, especially with how their professional and nicknames were different so it made sense they wouldn't know. The ending was wraught with miscommunication tension, but thankfully ended up fairly low angst.

I loved all the side characters too, it was quite the found family they got themselves. When they stuck up to Nora’s mom for her, it was so dang sweet. And then the perfect epilogue that included them as well.

The audio was great. Carly Bloom is just fantastic in this one and I really enjoyed this audiobook.

Cute romance!

This cute romance was modern and included a therapist main character, which I thought lent to the feel of the plot. There was a sweet surprise in the middle, too. The reader hops in and out of British and American accents well!

So enjoyable

Thoroughly enjoyed. Well written. Well spoken. Kept me entertained throughout. Trials and tribulations resonated with me.