This book had a lot of things that really worked for me, and quite a few things that didn't, I think it's going to be a YMMV book where it really works for some people and not for others.

I think the stuff that didn't work for me is obvious: given the title, the love coupon part of the plot doesn't really happen until the back half of the book. No one hikes in Chicago, and the many references to mountains---and there were many---completely took me out of the book.

The things that did work: I think the narration and writing style, although quirky, really worked for me. I enjoyed their relationship with its fits and starts. Ultimately, I liked Flick and Tom.

Although uneven, I think this is a book that many readers will enjoy.

4.5 stars

I really enjoyed the first book in this series THE LOVE EXPERIMENT and I was super excited to see if the same quality of writing and characters could be replicated but differently. I can report that the answer is yes. THE LOVE COUPON has two rather different characters (thankfully) but they have the same level of chemistry, hilarious connection and banter. I am of the mind that Ainslie Paton writes some of the best dialogue out there.

Flick is an acquaintance of Tom’s and she wrangles an agreement out of him to rent his spare room for a fixed term till she moves for her new job. Tom is organisation and tidiness epitomised whilst Flick is spontaneous and a little messy.

“Landlord and roommate with extracurricular activities on the side. You cook and ***k like a god. I try to stay tidy and be your ***k goddess. We get to have a good time before we got our separate ways.”

The build of their connection was fun and hot to observe. Their banter was electric and kept me so very entertained. Sometimes side characters are important in a story, but with this book, there is only Tom and Flick. I could be a fly on their wall forever. I loved the concept of love coupons, it worked brilliantly and I waited for each to play out.

“It was unclear what kind of relationship they had. Tormented and victim, maybe.”

I am here for what Ainslie Paton has to offer next, she has talent, she needs more exposure.

I voluntarily read an early copy of this book.

Reviewed for Jo&IsaLoveBooks Blog.

The Love Coupon probably has one of the most memorable quotes I have read for awhile " This coupon entitles us to be together. Time, place manner of your choice. One night or every night. No limits. No expiration. I love you and the only ambition I have is to be wherever you are. Redeemable forever."
Tom and Flick seem the most unlikely of couples, for one they have totally different life views. Where one is completely restrained the other refuses to be defined by circumstances. They both have long-range plans which involve, for the next three months, living together as roommates. Pretty soon the roommate situation becomes a hook up, then friends then lovers. Tom and Flick have plans and dreams and ambitions within their reach but it also means that their happily ever after has an expiration date. The Love Coupon had a slow start but it really did lend some depth on how Tom and Flick's relationship progresses. It has all the elements of a romantic comedy I love, the opposites attract trope, the undeniable chemistry between the leads, witty bantering, humor and an insightful and useful plot device. The Love Coupon will definitely give a reader all the romantic feels in one humorous and very sexy package.

I loved this book. It was funny, witty but also story with depth and start really living your life. Tom and Flick cannot be more different but that is at the end that makes them a great couple. They complement each other in the areas that they need. Both are great developed and in instant likable. Tom had me positively surprised because he was so much more than when we first saw him. Flick (the nickname I didn't like) is also very interesting, strong but when it comes to her family she is, in my opinion, weak, but there is where Tom helps her set boundaries. The attraction between them is off the hook and every next coupon is hotter and hotter. Loved the book.
I volunteered to review an ARC of this book for Netgelly

The Love Coupon confused me like no other. It’s been two weeks (maybe more) since I finished reading it, and I still have no idea what the rating will be. What is it that is troubling me so? The writing style.

If you know me, then you know that the writing style is my holy grail; the determining factor; I may be meh about the plot, but once the writing has me, I’m in heaven. And this writing style, sadly, was not for me. I had a hard time connecting with the characters and the plot and therefore found it difficult to sympathise with their situation.

Having said all that, I LOVED THE PLOT! That is the paradox; I loved the plot but hated the writing style.

The story is told in a dual perspective; Flick’s and Tom’s. Flick is a total extrovert: she is outgoing, fun, lives life to the fullest. Tom is a total introvert: he is guarded, not taking risks, he is a rock of a man. They have one thing in common: their ambition.

Let’s talk a bit about the romance; it was totally swoon worthy and H O T! I loved their relationship and their banter was hilarious. Tom and Flick’s relationship is absolutely a very healthy and consensual one. I was giggling like a fool for the most part.

I also liked that it discussed the inequality of the genders in the workplace. Flick always had something to say about how she is treated in comparison to men and I am so here for this.

BUT, but, but. The writing style couldn’t let me live. Seriously it was so frustrating, because I was so immersed in the story, and just as I was ready to feel all the feels BAM! I got detatched. I’m telling you if not for the writing, the story itself could potentially get 5 stars. Yep, THAT good.

I recommend it to all romance lovers out there. Who knows, maybe you will love the writing style and get to fully experience the book and the story. The reason I am a little meh is very subjective so give it a go!

General Thoughts: The Love Coupon is a hot and steamy romance between an introvert male and an extrovert female. Opposites collide and steam rises! My main issue is subjective and has to do with the writing style; so give it a try and see for yourselves!

I received this e-ARC via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

This review also appears on my blog: https://mariannascorner.wordpress.com/2018/03/19/book-review-the-love-coupon-ainslie-paton/

I hate writing negative reviews, so this isn't a negative review. Maybe it just wasn't my cup of tea or maybe I still had a book hangover from my previous read, but either way, I was really thinking this book would be a blast to read after reading the blurb, but unfortunately it kind of fell short. It was okay, not bad, but not great either. I voluntarily read and reviewed an ARC for NetGalley.

this story was exhausting. I am sure a bit of crazy is fun but too much is too much.

The Love Coupon is a wild, crazy ride with redeemable coupons for fun, laughter and sexy shenanigans. It's deep, emotional and will rock your world as you dive headlong into Flick's antics and Tom's reticence. It will crush your heart, delight you and make you think about what really matters in life and love.
I love Ms Paton's writing. She's the only author I read who has a very unusual, almost poetic cadence to her writing. It's like reading to a beat of something playing in the back of your mind. I find this utterly unique even if it does take a little getting used to if it's not something you've encountered or if you haven't read one of her books in the past. It's what attracted me to her writing in the first place way back when I read my first book she'd written.
When you look at the cover for The Love Coupon and read the blurb, you think this is a fun, light read. In part, it is. But mostly, it's not. It's a deep emotional exploration into the lives of two completely different people and how they come together to play and to love. How people can grow in their relationships from barely tolerable, to friendship, to love. Ms Paton has a tendency to pull the rug out from under the heroes in this series, to shake them up and inject some vulnerability into them. She empowers the heroines to be bigger than themselves and what the world expects of them. It becomes an exercise in learning to live and learning to love when there are obstacles in your way. It's worth taking the time to read it and examine the exploration into human nature.
"Look at the two of them. Many talking. Much relationship. Who needed thirty-six questions designed to create intimacy like Jack and Derelie? They had honest distrust, mutual necessity and grudging sexual awareness."
On the point of the coupons, it doesn't happen till later in the book. It's Flick's way of making Tom loosen up and live more in the moment. I think they are a fantastic idea in the way they got Tom to get involved and ultimately fall in love. And for that reason, they worked perfectly. The coupons are cute and fun, but that's not what this story is all about.
Flick makes me dizzy. She is this roller coaster ride of chaos and color but underneath that she's ambitious, professional and responsible. At first glance, Flick is all cotton candy and sugary sweet. Too much of her and you'll throw up on your own shoes. Then you get to know her and find out there's surprising depth to her. She struggles with an ungrateful family, cares for someone who means a lot to her, grieves with heart-wrenching painfulness when something tragic happens, and she is open and honest with her heart. Yes, she probably took Tom on as a challenge but along the way, she got to know him. She was brave when she confessed her feelings and reasonable when things didn't work out exactly the way she hoped. She has her insecurities and pain, but she's also fire and flame and zest for life. I started off being uncertain about Flick and ended up loving her. She'll probably still make me dizzy if I ever met her because I can't handle people like that. They make me want to hide in my room, but for short periods of time, I think she'd be fun to hang out with.
"“I think you’re part fun fair, part wrecking ball. I think you have an on switch but no off. I think you’re good at your job. Ambitious. Pushy. You’ll play rough if it gets you what you want, but you’re a politician too, so you’re not above manipulation, razzle-dazzle ’em, move fast so they can’t see you coming and don’t see the trail of destruction you leave behind till it’s too late. I think you’ll burn out hard because you can’t pace yourself."
"Flick bowled like she lived. She learned the rules, she got expert at interpreting them. She knew when she could break them and get away with it and she never held back. She took professional and personal risks without being reckless. Tom had bowled like it meant something to lose and so he’d been cautious, restrained."
"Flick Dalgetty was made of ants and bees, fear-inducing roller-coaster bends, and gravity-defying Gravitron revolutions. She was the spun sugar of fun-fair cotton candy, and right now standing in front of him, she was made of disappointment and doubt and it was killing him."
"He thought he’d begun to understand her, less a whirlwind, erratic and out of control, and more a storm front, deliberate and direct. He had no right to question her choices, but the anger he felt wasn’t only for Flick, it was for all women who had to play by different rules to be in the same game, and for how little he’d recognized that."
I adore Tom. He's the kind of hero I love to read about. He's so stoic, controlled, cautious, reliable and responsible. He's all rock solid steadiness and steadfastness. He's the kind of man you can depend on. The person you call when you need help. The one you turn to when there's an emergency. It takes Flick's spontaneity to shake him loose a little and open up to the possibilities of fun. They say opposites attract, and perhaps that's the case along with the way Flick so aggressively pursued him, and got him to play. Tom needed the fun and play in his life. Without it, without Flick, he's a boring old stick in the mud. But I loved him anyway. I also loved his reaction to Flick. Oftentimes bewildered, mostly confused, a lot befuddled. Flick is this hurricane that blew into Tom's life and left his reeling. It does him good to be shaken up.
"All of his successes had come from plain old-fashioned hard work, application, diligence and the luck of having been born a white male. He was decisive but he wasn’t a risk-taker. He had a comfort zone and he was happy in it, didn’t like disruption or change not of his own making. "
The ending is wonderful, if a bit too much "happy for now" for me. That seems to be the norm with the books in this series. I need to know things work out permanently for Flick and Tom, that they have a happy future ahead of them, life, love, work, home. All of it. I hope Ms Paton satisfies my curiosity and need for completion with the next book or a short story.
I loved this book. It might have taken me a little while to warm up to Flick and fall into the story but I'm glad I did. Ms Paton topped it off with an epic love coupon at the end which was swoony, melty, and just oh-so-perfect. I hope everyone reads this book. It's worth reading.

I would like to say that I loved this book but sadly, that was not the case. I found this book really overwhelming and all over the place.

I didn’t enjoy our female lead and her “quirkiness” was like nails on a chalkboard. I, definitely, wasn’t a fan. Other thing I didn’t like was the pacing and the writing style. In my review for her previous book I said I didn’t mind her contemporary-matter-of-fact style, but it took a toll on this story and I guess it was due to her main characters.

The <i>coupon</i> part of the book takes place way too far in the book and that just didn’t do it for me. I know that it was in order to establish the relationship between the MCs first, but I found it tiring and kind of pointless where it came around.

To make this short, I don’t see myself reading any book from this author soon. I like her ideas, but the execution is poorly done.

Refreshing,fun and cute story!I like the premise of this story!The characters of Flick and Tom were full of emotions!Their dialogues were comical and smart.Overall, it was a great story but it wasn't exactly what I was hoping!

This was a DNF for me. I could not get into this book. I tried many time too! The leads name didn't help me.

Quirk is the order of the day each time I read an Ainslie Paton novel, from the (sometimes hilarious) descriptions of her characters to the even odder situations that they find themselves in. But these can also be a refreshing change from the monotony of encountering variants of the same type of plots that have been reworked in so many ways.

Paton’s style however, does take getting used to—from metaphors that never quite occur to you make regular occurrences to odd, long dialogues to hyperboles that give you pause—and I suspect it might put some readers in one camp or the other. ‘The Love Coupon’ safe to say, follows this kind of pattern in what’s essentially, a roommates to lovers story based on Flick Dalgetty pulling Tom O’Connell out of his comfort zone in every direction he’d never anticipated.

Make no mistake, Flick Dalgetty came in with a bang. True to her name (like a fly you want to flick off), Flick was already made out to be a circus-act protagonist who went at everything like the Duracell Bunny and then some—just to read in third person about her was exhausting. As a character who seemed to exist to poke the conservative, routine-based Tom out of his comfort zone, I couldn’t help but at times find her pesky, needy and almost petulantly acting up when it came to the long-suffering Tom—essentially rubbing me the wrong way because she didn’t know how to leave things alone. There were parts about her family though, that made her vulnerably relatable and those were the bits that I enjoyed reading the most.

What I found odd was that the love coupon part of the story didn’t come in until at least half the story later, the first of which felt like long dialogues and Tom/Flick rather quickly feeling their way around each other, at parts literally. I did however, appreciate Paton establishing their odd relationship first, before the coupon idea came in, which definitely helped solidify this weird bond that they had going by then.

Still, while I’m sold on the premise of the story, Tom/Flick felt like a batty idea that I couldn’t quite shake by the end of their tearful declarations that they couldn’t live without each other. There was overall, still an oddity about ‘The Love Coupon’ that felt a tad ‘off’ to me—this is obviously just me—as Tom/Flick abruptly and impulsively rode off into their (Washington) sunset before the credits rolled. It’s definitely rom-com worthy though, so if that’s your sort of thing, ‘The Love Coupon’ is a perfect bet.

Tom can only take so much, “too much attention and I’m not gonna make it inside you. Feels like I’ve been this hard since last night.” Tom could be so considerate, "he’d changed out of his suit into sweats and a T-shirt. “I’m going to be here with you, because you’re scaring me. You look like you’ve had a shock.” When Tom is frisky he's quite the sexy man, "he raised a brow at her peremptory tone, while he took his tie off. “You’re not in any position to make demands.” I liked this book, I liked Tom.