Dani Dorfman is in her thirties, still clueless about her life’s direction. After a disastrous office romance leads to her firing, she impulsively applies for a job in Amsterdam, never expecting to actually get it—but she does. By the end of her first week, she’s never felt more lost. That is, until she crashes her bike into her high school ex, Wouter van Leeuwen.
Wouter was Dani’s forbidden love back when he was an exchange student, and though time has passed, the chemistry (and a little bitterness) is still there. But Wouter has a problem—he needs a wife to inherit his family’s stunning canal-side home. And Dani? She needs a visa. So, what starts as a marriage of convenience begins to stir up old feelings—and maybe even a second chance. Dani’s at a crossroads: is this new life just another mistake, or could it be the best risk she’s ever taken?
This novel truly is a love letter to Amsterdam.
As someone who visited Amsterdam for the first (but certainly not last) time last year, this setting felt like an absolute treat. Solomon really managed to turn the story locale into its very own character that influences not only the romance but serves as the perfect backdrop for Dani on her journey to stand on her own. You could tell the love the author has for this place as there went a lot of detail and thought into which places ended up being the setting for important moments in Dani and Wouter’s romance. And speaking of our main characters:
Dani and Wouter took the “running into your ex” trope literally, which made for a sweet and funny re-meet-cute. From the beginning, you could tell how this second chance at their first love was a dream come true for both of them. A fun marriage-of-convenience aspect made for the perfect set-up to get these two in close proximity and turned up the dial on their chemistry.
Dani was an incredibly relatable character. I loved how she tried to make it on her own in a whole new country, a continent away from her family, not because she doesn’t love them but because she needed to forge her own path and show them that she could do it on her own. She’s headstrong and stubborn and funny and smart and really, who wouldn’t fall for her?
Wouter was a bit tougher to nail down, but the more the story progresses, the more we learn about what has shaped him and his behaviour in the years since he’s last seen Danika.
Overall, their chemistry made them a great fit for each other and I really enjoyed the flashbacks we got to when Wouter stayed with Danika’s family as well as seeing them growing closer again as adults who have a whole new outlook on life.
The side characters in What Happens in Amsterdam added a lot to this story, for better or for worse. While Danika’s parents read more like one-dimensional antagonists most of the time (you can tell they mean well but the way that shows is…dubious sometimes, especially in the third act), her new friends and Wouter’s family had a wholesome charm going on that reminded me just how open and genuine people in Amsterdam are. Not to stereotype, but they are just so friendly and welcoming and this is wonderfully shown here.
Really, my only gripe with the story was the miscommunication/cluelessness of the characters. Don’t get me wrong, we all love a good “oh, he probably doesn’t even like me like that anymore” narrative, but there are limits to making this work.
This, of course, pertains to one of my biggest pet peeves—a third-act break up that makes no sense with weird, out of context drama that does not track and that is resolved so quickly that you question the intelligence of certain characters—but also in the story overall.
I had to suspend my disbelief quite a few times to wrap my head around Wouter not thinking their relationship back when they were teens meant a lot to Danika and that he was the only one having real feelings.
Meanwhile, Dani questioning her relationship with and the commitment of Wouter at every turn especially right after he tells her how he feels is fine the first few times and could speak to internal fear of not being good enough (which is in this story, so I do get the intention) but by the fifth time this inner monologue happened, I was frustrated to say the least. There was no growth and no open communication whatsoever until the third act rolled around and then everything (including Dani’s self-growth) was summarized in a few paragraphs in the final two chapters after the big blowout. If this had been spaced out a bit more or shown the progress rather than going from A to B in less than two scenes, the story flow could have really benefited.
As it is, I still had a good time with the characters and their romance but also felt a bit like I was transported back to the early 2000s where unnecessary break-ups just were part of the norm. Still, if you can look past that little trip back into the past, you’re going to love Dani and Wouter’s rekindled romance.
If you’re a fan of second-chance romance, the marriage-of-convenience trope or just really want to immerse yourself in an atmospheric story about falling in love in and with Amsterdam, then What Happens in Amsterdam is sure to make your reader’s heart blossom like a tulip in spring!
What Happens in Amsterdam is available from Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Bookshop.org, and other good book retailers, like your local bookstore as of May 6th 2025.
Will you be picking up What Happens in Amsterdam? Tell us in the comments below!
Synopsis | Goodreads
Falling in love with your husband is anything but convenient in this steamy romance from the New York Times bestselling author of Business or Pleasure.
Dani Dorfman has somehow made it to her thirties without knowing what she wants to do with her life. So when an office romance ends poorly and gets her fired, she applies for a job in Amsterdam, idly dreaming of escaping the mess she’s created, but never imagining she’ll actually get it.
Except she does. By the end of her first week in Amsterdam, she’s never felt more adrift or alone. Then she crashes her bike into her high school ex-boyfriend—and suddenly life is blooming with new opportunities.
Wouter van Leeuwen was a Dutch exchange student Dani’s family hosted, a forbidden love that ended in a painful breakup. Years later, there’s still sizzling chemistry between them, and okay, maybe a little animosity. More importantly, Wouter needs to be married to inherit a gorgeous family home on a canal—and when Dani’s job falls apart, she needs a visa. As the marriage of convenience pushes them together in unexpected ways, Dani must decide whether her new life is yet another mistake—or if it’s worth taking a risk on a second chance.
