Oh I needed to read a sweet romance and boy did I get one with Zoe Folbigg’s semi-autobiographical debut, The Note.

Maya is in love with Train Man. She sees him every morning. She knew from the first time she saw him that he was the one. But of course the love – much like the London tube system during peak hour – never runs smoothly.

With twists and turns a plenty, The Note really is a heart-warming love story. There were at times that I felt that Folbigg over told the description of thing but I think coming from her background as freelancer in fashion that is something to be expected. Overall though, I was enchanted by this story of will they won’t they.

Even if you just pick it up to read on your commute then you won’t be disappointed. I cannot guarantee that you won’t miss your stop.

The Note by Zoe Folbigg is available now.

For more information regarding Zoe Folbigg (@zolington) please visit www.zoefolbigg.com.

For more information regarding Aria Fiction (@Aria_Fiction) please visit www.ariafiction.com.

I read this book while on vacation in August. I considered not writing this review because I love reading works by new authors and I don’t every want to discourage that when my opinions are negative.

I was very excited to read this book. I loved the premise - “a story of sliding doors, missed opportunities and finding happiness where you least expect it.” These kinds of stories are usually my thing. Maya saw “Train Guy” every day on the train but never had the courage to approach him, until one day, she gave him a note, starting the story.

I had very mixed feelings about this book. I had some issues with the writing and plot that made it hard for me to get through it. On the one hand, I really wanted to get on board with where the author was going but I suppose, even though I finally got engaged at the 75% mark, I wasn’t buying what was being sold.

My issues with this book boiled down to then following:

1. The writing style - This story was told in present tense, third person. As a result, I never really got to see under the hood of any of the characters. I was told what was happening and nothing more. At no point did I really get a sense for what was going on in Maya’s or Train Guy’s head. I feel like this story would have worked better as a movie script. It didn’t work well as a novel. The absolute OVERABUNDANCE of description was also very annoying. Every time we entered a new scene/location, the reader got thirty pages describing every person in the scene, their history, a full description of the furniture and setting and so much extra information that I didn’t feel added to the Maya’s story. Despite all of the really long, descriptive scenes, not a lot actually happened and there were large gaps in between plot points, making it even more difficult to engage in the story or feel any emotional connection at all.

2. The way the “love at first sight” trope was used - I usually LOVE this type of story. Throw in the “sliding doors” aspect and I’m sold. For this story, though, it didn’t work for me because all of the the missed opportunities happen AFTER Maya first sees Train Guy and falls for him. It would have been better if we got to see their stories unfold separately and then they came together at the end. Instead, Maya obsessed over this person she had never met for over a year to an unhealthy degree. After that much time, without actually knowing anything about a person, any “feelings” are made up fantasies in your head and you’ve now slipped into creepy, unhealthy stalker mode. I just couldn’t get on board with “he’s the one” after so much time had passed without her even speaking to him.

3. The number of characters in the book - seriously. SO. MANY. CHARACTERS. And not just supporting characters. Out of the blue we were introduced to Simon and Catherine, with NO CONTEXT, and it is quite some time before we even find out who the heck they are in relation to the rest of the story. It was so bizarre.

4. The odd references and extreme details - several times in the story, flashbacks into Maya’s past showed a passage of time by describing "When Maya's hair turned wavy”, which I just didn’t understand. What does that mean? Who knows, because we were never told.

All this is to say that the story didn’t work for me.

I really wanted to enjoy this book. From the start I found too wordy. Too many characters introduced. Too much business description. After a quarter of the book I gave up. I don't remember the last time I gave one star, but I hope the author takes the reviews to heart for a future book.

The note is an exciting read, one that you get so easily hooked on and cannot put down. I found the story really easy to read and I liked the characters.

Super cute story about a girls day to day, working at a Fashion house, fancying a guy on her commuter train and working up the courage to pursue him and changing her life.

I really liked the writing, not as refined as, but reminded me of the voices of (book: Me before you) and (book: The readers of the broken wheel recommends). Those are two of my favorite heart warmers, so that is definitely a compliment.

I did struggle with the over use of her name: Maya did, Maya said, Maya thought.. And the romance could have had a good bit more fire in it and sparked earlier.

Thanks to Netgalley for the chance of reviewing it.

I received a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. The ebook I received had some major formatting issues which made it hard to become involved in the story initially. Once I pushed on I was able to ignore them but it did not really help my appreciation for the book. I loved the premise but the book did not deliver. There was so little actually about Maya and James together. I liked the character of Maya even if she was the typical too good to be true romance heroine who is good at everything (writing, backing, teaching Spanish, a compassionate friend to all). I wish the book had only been told from her perspective. The sections told from James' point of view did not really add anything to the story and the parts about Catherine I was able to figure out right away and did not fit at all. There was a lot about Maya's work place politics, the usual evil boss storyline that has been done to death and a lot about Maya's friend's romance. I just felt like there was no real direction with the story. We know how it is going to end but man did it meander getting there.

The Note by Zoe Folbigg a thought provoking four-star read. This is such a well written and thought provoking read. I loved that it’s based on the authors story. It took me a few weeks to get round to reading this book, as I seemed to get inundated with a ton all at the same time, probably should plan better next time. But I am so glad I did read it, there were a couple of reviews about how the found it hard to read and took a while to get into to, I don’t know why. I enjoyed it from the beginning, but I am a huge believer in fate and missed chances so maybe that’s why the premise called to me so much. I had a moment like this a lot of years ago and it’s something I have never forgotten so I know why Maya gave the note. If you have ever had a moment with someone you need to read this story. It may be the thing that gives you the confidence to pass a note of your own. Maya was brave would you be that brave? Also, James was reading on a train, that makes him a man to jump on in my eyes. (I love me a man who is widely read)
Zoe Folbigg is an author I haven’t read previously but I will definitely be looking her up again.

Women's fiction is predictable, for the most part. The Note falls into the same trap as thousands of books before it and thousands will fall into later. Maya sees a man on the train and knows he's the one for her. She passes him a note (yes, a note) to only find out that he has a girlfriend.

You can guess what happens next.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read and review this book.

From the get go this story via the writing felt very stale, which is really sad since the blurb was really interesting.

I wish I could have gotten into this book. I'll try it again but for now I have to put it down.

Normally I wouldn`t review a book that I`ve not enjoyed, but through the ARC I gave my promise to write an honest review.

I didn`t enjoy this book, because I couldn`t really connect with the characters and with the story.
Probably the restricted auktorial / camera eye view of the book was one reason that - sorry - I skipped a lot of pages; that this was possible is another reason why I didn`t liked it. I missed the "feeling" for the main characters. I couldn`t connect on a emphatic level.

From my perspective the "romance part" (I wouldn`t name this book a romance novel, because there is just an inkling at the end of the book) lacked completely. It was mere a story about self-realisation and taking new opportunities when there`s a chance.

The note itself was - for me - only a tool to be recognized, because Maya and James had already recognized each other on the subconscious level and the note didn`t directly effect the following choosen decisions. Probably without "the note" the hinted HEA would`ve happend, too.

Maybe the edited script is better than the ARC, so I`ll give this book three stars.

An adorable story of love, friendship, taking risks and following your heart.

It took me a while to get used to the third person narrative but during that time Maya Flowers’ story got under my skin and wormed its way into my brain. We find out about her eight-hour friends, her exotic best friend Lena who is a dancer and a children’s entertainer with a busy love life. Her pupils at the Spanish evening class especially Velma who dispenses advice with tea and cakes on a Sunday afternoon. I loved the fact that Maya’s story is set in London and I can recognise part of my journey into town despite the distance from Euston road to Marylebone and the fact that I know where that Egyptian inspired Art Deco building really is, it makes feel closer to the reality of Maya’s tale which is threaded though with brightly coloured and delicately flavoured Macaroons.

Maya irrevocably falls in love with ‘The Train Man’ who often sits in close proximity to her on her early morning commute to work. She agonises over speaking to the man of her dreams who seems oblivious to her existence. We find out about Maya’s working life and how things change over the year while still not having the courage to speak to James, the man of her dreams. As the story proceeded, I found myself following it with more urgency following the twists and dead ends willing things to come to a happy conclusion. Highly recommended.

I enjoyed this book - took a couple of chapters to get into but then I started to care about the characters starting with Maya and eventually Train Man. The story goes a bit backwards and forwards and you just want to get to the end to see if they end up together. Other characters were interesting and the insight into the world of fashion was quite fun.and also the Spanish class. A quite light hearted read. Thanks Zoe and thanks publishers.

I loved getting sucked into Maya's world... her train ride was a different, beautiful story in itself and FASH offered the glam factor to the sweet story!
The background characters are lovely... I loved Jeremy the most! I loved to love-hate Cressida too!
Ms Folbigg kept the reader hooked on the 'Train man's ' story...
Kudos!

P.S. Especially for readers who like small time lapses/flashbacks.

Maya see's the same man on her train journey but knows he is the one for her, if only her chances didn't slip by and leave her in despair. After leaving him a note, for him to actually to and say he has a girlfriend.

Her work mates lift her mood but she's set on her man after her previous relationships not really taking her mind away from this one man. Said man however, James is in a relationship with Kitty of which soon turns very cold and James often seems to be the one trying to keep the calm and flow.

When the note is delivered to his hand by this woman he can't then not think about, he has a rather big choice to choose between what could be, or what is currently...

This book was very good, I did find some parts unnecessary or scenes a little long and would've liked more into Kitty as her description of character was very emotional and could've been developed into more I felt. I suggest fans of One Day would enjoy this book especially.

Many thanks to the publishers for allowing me to review this book for them!