My first introduction to Rachel Lynn Solomon was by reading Weather Girl as this book got a tremendous amount of buzz back in 2022. Fast forward 1.5 years later to when I read The Ex Talk, which didn’t get much hype in the blogosphere, but more so in the Dutch corner of bookish social media. This was this author’s debut on the Dutch market. Earlier this year, What Happens in Amsterdam got published, a romance novel set in, where else, Amsterdam. Solomon is living as an expat in this capital of the Netherlands and uses her own experiences in this novel. How would I enjoy this one as a Dutchie myself?

About the book

What Happens in Amsterdam by Rachel Lynn Solomon
Published by Berkley on May 6, 2025
Pages: 362
ISBN: 9780593548554
Genres: Adult, Contemporary, Romance
Rating: ⭐⭐⭐

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.

My review

Expectations

In all honesty, my expectations weren’t too high. I felt a bit let down by both Weather Girl and The Ex Talk, although I enjoyed the latter one a bit more. I therefore was quite reluctant to pick up this new release. Even though it got a massive positive response. Due to my earlier disappointment, I decided to wait till I was able to find this book for a discounted price. Lucky for me, it was a pick for Book Of The Month, so I could move this to my July TBR. Still, I had no other expectations than to enjoy the vibes, and not so much the story itself. These expectations were indeed met.

Characters

This story is solely told through Dani’s POV. This way, we get to know her to a certain extend. It’s getting clear pretty quickly that she is a young woman that lacks ambition and passion. This leads to her not really knowing what she stands for with the lack of self esteem and the ability to stick up and choose for herself as a result. At first glance, her decision to emigrate to Amsterdam seems to be irrational and rapidly taken. Alas, why should you move to the other side of the world in a heartbeat after losing both your boyfriend and your job at once? It appears that there is much more lying underneath this decision later on. Her parents are really overprotective and therefore keep Dani little. So, this move can be seen as an escape which makes much more sense near the end of the book. Wouter on the other hand is the total opposite of Dani. Even though live has taken him on another route than intended, he developed a passion for what he’s doing. He is less impulsive and actually pretty boring. The chemistry between him and Dani is hardly tangible and whenever it is, it’s unbelievable. Due to their execution, both characters feel replaceable and forgettable.

Writing and plot

This book fits the romance genre pretty well and this has everything to do with the predictable plot. It strongly leans on the popular forced proximity and forced marriage tropes. To secure their future, Dani and Wouter get married after being out of touch for years. For the outside world they act like their marriage is real, even though it’s fake. Dani wants nothing to do with Wouter after he broke off their relationship through text when they were seventeen. But oh well, her residence permit is on the line, so she has to take a drastic decision once again. She doesn’t want to admit it, but Wouter is her only chance to be able to stay in the Netherlands. Wouter on the other hand wants to inherit a canal house that has been in the family for generations. One condition to do so, is that he has to be married. So, they both gain something from this marriage that only exists on paper. Although this trope is quickly gaining more and more popularity these days, it doesn’t bring that much depth to the book. This depth has to be provided by the characters and their development. Unfortunately, this is exactly what else is lacking in this novel. There surely is some growth for both characters, but it’s still rushed and still unbelievable. Solomon mentions several important details for them but never comes back to these to provide more explanations. All loose ends stay loose ends.

The atmosphere is what keeps this book intriguing. We see Amsterdam through the eyes of a migrant, an expat. To me, Amsterdam is packed, full of tourists and dirty. Personally, I avoid this city as much as possible, because it only brings me annoyance instead of joy. To add another element to the list of implausibilities, Dani knows so many popular tourist places, but very rarely takes the time to explore the city. How? As a Dutch person myself, it was interesting to see how expats view the Netherlands and Amsterdam though. Because of the accessible writing style, I was able to finish this book quickly, which was good, because the characters and the plot started to annoy me at some point.

Final thoughts

All in all, What Happens in Amsterdam by Rachel Lynn Solomon is a pleasant feelgood novel. It’s a fast read because of the straight-forward and accessible writing style. The atmosphere is the best part to me as it is interesting to see Amsterdam through the eyes of a foreigner who decides to reside there. Unfortunately, this can’t take away from the fact that there are many plot holes left. The list of implausibilities keeps growing and growing, which is getting annoying and even disturbing at some point. The plot is predictable but doesn’t touch upon several important elements which are necessary to add some depth and growth to the characters whose execution, as a result, is lacking. If you don’t mind character elaboration on surface level, the forced marriage trope and a predictable plot, and read solely for vibes, this book would definitely be for you.