This is such a fun and entertaining read, I loved it! Charlotte is a total nightmare but ultimately with a kind heart and best intentions (however misplaced!) Perfect for a lazy Sunday, you will fly through this story and start to like Charlotte more....promise!

Charlotte was so busy messing with other people's lives that she missed problems in her own marriage. However, she bonds with Meghan and Sam, and finds joy in small things. It's funny in spots and a bit sad in others. Thanks to netgalley for the ARC. For fans of chick lit.

Life doesn’t always go as planned. When Charlotte, Megan and Sam all face betrayal they ban together to recover. What better way to heal your wounds than with the thrill of revenge?

Cooke’s story reads a bit like Clueless (you know, that Alicia Silverstone movie), or the original version, Jane Austin’s Emma. The story centers around Charlotte, who starts out a bit entitled and well, ignorant. Charlotte will take an emotional journey that will teach her the real meaning of friendship and what is truly important in life. The novel contains a few too many coincidences and it’s a little over the top at times but a fun vacation read nonetheless. It could also be a decent manual for plotting against your nemesis.

I read for a honest review.I have to say I didn't like Charlotte very much in the beginning,with all her meddling,but she had good intentions behind it.I love the characters ,the storyline was fun and enjoyable.I would re-read it again.

Great book, witty and laugh our loud funny! An easy read that I didn't want to put down. Would recomment to friends!

It's been a while since I read Victoria Cooke's debut novel 'The Secret to Falling in Love' and I have been meaning to get my act in gear and catch up with her most recent releases, 'The Holiday Cruise' and 'Who needs Men anyway?' for a little while now, as I thoroughly enjoyed her debut. 'Who needs Men anyway?' did not disappoint.


In 'Who needs Men anyway?', we meet Charlotte. Charlotte is in her thirties and has the 'perfect' life. She's a housewife, attends and puts together charity events, owns an expensive wardrobe and has a personal trainer and a dream husband, who is the envy of her friends and 'enemies' a like. She spends her days worrying about her pelvic floor, how she can impress at the latest charity gala and meddling in other people's lives.

I have to be honest and say that at first I wasn't too keen on Charlotte and didn't quite feel a connection to her. She came across a little spoiled and I didn't care for all the things she cared for. She was very materialistic and boasted about having the perfect husband, yet her husband did nothing that seemed perfect to me. Charlotte liked to meddle and know what was going on in other people's lives. She judged the other women at her charity events and everything just sounded very snobbish. In saying that, this made the story all the more heartwarming and satisfying as Charlotte's journey unfolds.

I can't condone her meddling, but Charlotte did get a few points from me for the fact that she was just looking out for her friend, and personal trainer, Megan at the beginning. Though I wish she had been honest and gone about it differently, I did think she did the right thing in wanting to help her. I really loved Megan's character and didn't want her to be stuck in a bad relationship and not knowing her boyfriend was cheating. Megan is too sweet and didn't deserve that, so I was glad Charlotte stepped in.

When Charlotte's gardener is acting subdued and strange, Charlotte can't help herself, she has to come to the rescue. This results in her finding out the truth about her 'perfect' husband and also creating a close bond and real friendship group in Megan, Sam, the gardener, and her, already, best friend Kate. This is when we start to warm to Charlotte. I was suspicious about her husband from the beginning and his actions lead me to understand Charlotte's behaviour. She was incredibly lonely, with no true friends to talk to, a mother in law who put her down at every turn and she desperately wanted a baby. As she starts to open up more and own up to her actions, fears, pain and selfish ways, she becomes a wonderfully endearing character who you are rooting for the whole way.

Charlotte was a whirlwind of strength and independence. When she finds out the truth about her husband, I was a mix of emotions. I was inspired by her belief in giving someone a second chance and seeing the good in people, yet that came with a 'no Charlotte, run, you don't need him, he's horrible,' feeling too. I felt she was a force to be reckoned with as she tried to understand what her life had become and take charge of who she wanted to be. The moments with her friends, when they were there for each other, supporting each other and coming up with crazy revenge plots and ideas were rather lovely and many had me giggling. There was many a moment too where Charlotte talks to herself and has back and forth conversations in her head that made me laugh. She was quite the funny character when she was figuring out how to stop herself from interfering or when carrying out a plan.

Just when we think Charlotte can simply be done with her awful husband, her life gets a little more complicated and far from easy. I feel like she handled this, again, like a bit of a rock star. As she learns that it's not money, clothes and social status that is important, her attitude and actions become a pleasure to watch. I love when the real her comes out and she does little things like send Megan and Sam on holiday. I love when she gives her clothes to charity and when she talks at the local school about the children she raises money for. And I loved how she chose to handle and what she decided to do to get 'revenge' on her husband. There was very much a kindness to her throughout.

In addition, I love when she meets a certain teacher that cares for her and treats her the way she deserved to be treated. This meeting also furthers her motivation to do the right thing more and be good to others. He's good for her. Andrew, this aforementioned teacher, is a sweetheart and I adored the banter between the two of them. And their first date, well, you need to pick up a copy of the book to read about the cutest, funniest and craziest first date I could ever imagine.

This book is full of lessons in both life and love, friendships, struggles and laughter. I highly recommend the wonderful and beautiful Victoria Cooke and suggest you check out her awesome book 'Who needs Men anyway?' today! :)

Happy reading!

*claps hands* (side note: no, I’m not a seal, lol - just excited!)

OMG... where to begin?

I’ll admit, I didn’t particularly like Charlotte at the beginning of this story. I found her shallow, and materialistic - enjoying her so-called ‘perfect’ life. Don’t even get me started on all her meddling... But, as we all know, nothing in life is ever perfect *shrugs* And, if we just take the time to scratch the surface of all the pretty, sure enough, we’re bound to find some ugly underneath *frowns*

It’s what we do with that discovery that either makes us or breaks us.

I hate to sound clichéd, but Charlotte goes on a journey in this book. For someone who clings onto control for dear life, events unfold which make her face up to one glaringly obvious fact; control does not equal happy. Life is not a straight road. We have to learn to navigate all its potholes, and the odd diversion route. Where’s a sat-nav when you need one, eh? *snorts*

As the shiny veneer is lifted, we start to see the real Charlotte emerge. And with the help of her friends (her true friends, I may add), she starts to take life by the short and curlies. I have to say I loved her friends. I especially adored Kate aka The Ballbuster #saynomore I felt like an honorary member of their group, lending my own encouragement when needed.

This story was so much more than a rom-com. It had all the drama, laughs, twists, and touch of romance I love in a book.

Life isn’t easy, but we’ll find the sweet when we least expect it.

Second side note: you get extra brownie points if you work out my headline *winks*

Another new-to-me author of 2018, who I look forward to reading more of.

I thought this was nowhere near as good as her othet books. Shame as i really like the authors writing..... but the main character wasnt likeable at all.

4☆ A Fun Chick Lit

Who Needs Men Anyway is a story about relationships, Love, meddling, friendship.

It took a little while to get into the story of Who Needs Men Anyway. It's one of those books that the more you read the more the book comes alive. It starts off as a slower paced read.

Charlotte is married to James. Her marriage seems to be going well until the cracks start to show.

But Charlotte has a big heart and like to get involved and help people. Some might say it's meddling. She see it as helping.

Unfortunately for Charlotte things don't always quiet go to plan. With plenty of mishaps.

Charlotte isn't the most likeable character but she does slowly grow on you as you uncover her vulnerable side, her softer side. She generally has a big heart and thinks she's doing right by her friends.

Who Needs Men Anyway is a charming read, it's not entirely true to it's title as I was expecting a story full of single empowered man hating women but it's not the case.
There is plenty of humour, romance, fun, twists, drama, relationships, friendships.
A fun read I really enjoyed.

This is the first book I've read by Victoria Cooke and I was excited to receive an ARC as the title and summary sounded really good.

However, I felt the title of the box was misleading and I didn't have any sympathy for the main character, Charlotte. She refers constantly to not wanting a man or money but spends frivolously and pines after every man she meets. The other character Megan immediately starts dating the other character too.
It took until 70% of the way into the book for the reader to start to discover the 'real' Charlotte and she became a much more interesting character. I almost wished the affairs and meddling happened quicker at the begging and the book was more focused on her coping.
The plot has promise but I felt it took too long to get to the main storyline or of any drama of real substance to happen.
There were some occasional funny parts, such as the unicorn car motif, but this was glossed over and led to more scenes of Charlotte feeling sorry for herself.

It was a quick and easy read but I didn't think it lived up to the title.

3.5 Stars – Rounded

I’m being completely honest when I say that I hated – yes HATED the main character Charlotte for a good 2/3 of the book. Smug, materialistic, meddlesome, prone to thinking she is the ONLY person who knows what is best for everyone she encounters. She’s so very unrealistic in her view of the world – even though she does work hard for charities and has developed this persona to make up for her rather unremarkable start in life. Even knowing all of that information from Charlotte’s pov – her consistent inability to curb her own meddling impulses was more than frustrating – particularly when things started to go pear shaped.

Married for eleven years, she is finally finding her life isn’t all she hoped: making a ‘perfect’ house for her lawyer husband, purchasing just the ‘right’ dress, and working out regularly with a personal trainer, especially in moments of freak out when an extra dinner roll just may have ruined her perfect figure. Self-indulgent to the nth degree, the ONLY saving grace for Charlotte is her determination to see others happy. When she discovers her personal trainer’s fiance in a compromising situation, then follows the other woman to ‘get information’ – her obsessions look less than honorable. Not surprisingly, the chickens come home to roost as she discovers her own husband’s infidelity with the wife of her gardener – a shock yes, but one she was wholly unprepared for as she felt herself (smugly and wrongly) in the perfect marriage, even with his extra hours of work.

I don’t know how Cooke managed to keep me reading on with such a distasteful character in Charlotte, but her moments of clarity – where you actually saw her good intentions were clearly defined, and it wasn’t until her own calculation and missteps caught up with her – and she saw the result of losing someone she had come to care for with her own manipulations that she starts to see the error of her ways. With a feisty, take no prisoners, bent on revenge friend, a series of ‘getting back their own’ acts, and uncovering the depths of her own husband’s deception, as well as finally having someone and something to call her own in the form of a much longed for baby, Charlotte starts to become the woman she was meant to be – stripped of all pretense she finds the value of a life fully lived – even without the designer labels. An interesting, if difficult read that showed great growth, plenty of heart and a surprisingly wonderful ending.

I received an eArc copy of the title from the publisher via NetGalley for purpose of honest review. I was not compensated for this review: all conclusions are my own responsibility.

Review first appeared at <a href= “https://wp.me/p3OmRo-9I4/” > <a> I am, Indeed </a>

As soon as I realised that this book contained a character with the name 'James', I burst out laughing, especially when it became clear that Charlotte was going to get her own back on James. Why did I laugh? I know, typing this now makes it all seem a bit childish BUT, seeing as I have an ex called James myself and is as much of an asshat as the James in this book, my mind started to get revenge. How daft am I! Look, Charlotte isn't the most loveable character at first, nor is she a very relatable one, but that doesn't excuse James' behaviour in the slightest. I kept thinking what I would do if i were in Charlotte's position, hence why i find it a bit funny. Let's be clear for one second though - I don't find his antics funny, i find the similarities between my ex and this character funny.

I did get a little bit annoyed with Charlotte's interfering, and wasn't at all surprised when things got a little too much in return. It was just a shame that Charlotte felt the need to involve herself in other people's lives, just to create a bit of excitement in her own.

That said, when Charlotte started to show a different side to her personality later on in the book, my opinion of her changed greatly as she became a much more relatable character to warm up to.

I loved how Victoria Cooke showed characters who seemed determined to live their lives without the input of a male companion as it brought the whole 'sisterhood' theme to a brand new level. Okay, there were times where I just wanted the scorned characters to get on with it and hit the other party where it hurt instead of spending the time bitching, however, with the likes of Kate to keep the momentum of the storyline going, I soon forgot the lack of urgency with the characters revenge. Just goes to show how differently people react to certain situations.

Sisters are definitely doing it for themselves in 'Who Needs Men Anyway?'! Well, sisters from another mister but lets not get pedantic about it! I loved the overall theme of this book, and I loved how much strength Victoria Cooke gave to Charlotte later on in the storyline without making those 'types' of people out to be the world's worst women. Vague, I know, but when you read the book it will make a bit more sense and you will understand where I am coming from with this bit. TWG doesn't do spoilers!!

'Who Needs Men Anyway?' is a laugh out loud, modern, relatable and one hundred percent SASS-TASTIC. Yet another addictive enchanting novel from an author who is 'just like us', Victoria Cooke.

P.S - I SO want a unicorn car....

I was looking forward to reading this as I am a fan of Victoria Cooke's books and I have to say I think this is her best book yet! I absolutely loved this one it was so fun and I really enjoyed it. I really couldn't put it down it was so exciting so much drama.

There are loads of characters in this book and it is so easy to love them all. It was really great to see how Charlotte changed from when we first meet her at the start of the book she is definitely a different woman by the end of it. I also enjoyed the friendship circle in this book and how they got through things together and just had fun.

Even though you think you know what way the plot is going to go there are loads of little twists and surprises throughout which really kept you reading and guessing just how it was going to end.

Such a beautiful, heart warming fun read! One of my favourite books of the year!

Charlotte lives an enviable life - married to lawyer James she wants for nothing, arranging charity dos, shopping and working out. But she’s also got too much time on her hands – so much so that when she spots her personal trainer Megan’s man with another woman, she takes it on herself to do a spot of private investigating. She also springs into action when her gardener Sam wonders about his wife’s long hours on the job. But it seems the meddling Charlotte should be paying more attention to what’s going on in her own life.
This was an entertaining story about unravelling lives, getting even and moving on. Charlotte was a fantastic character – she may come across as shallow on first impressions but she’s actually a sharp wit and a sweet friend. A very funny read, although the ending felt like it was crammed in. You can read the prologue here.

Great book and extremely funny and I was hooked from the start.

As this story progressed I grew to love it more and more. Its not that I disliked the opening chapters more wondering why on earth I was reading about such a kind hearted admittedly but shallow character. In fact Charlotte at the start of the book reminded me in a way of Cher from Clueless (which I may have rewatched a day or two before I started this so was on my mind!).

It seemed like everything had to be about Charlotte, even her friends seemed to call her out on her meddling needs. But when Charlotte gets the shock of her life, it is how she reacts to that and how her friends going through similar situations react that really enticed me in properly.

I loved seeing Charlotte grow in the way she deals with life into a far more rounded character, and the assorted meddling she was doing was all well meaning, and with some great after effects.

What one thing is for sure about the strong women in this book is that they are all convinced they would be better off without men in their lives.

This is a really entertaining story that once I worked out where it was going, I realised I was loving more and more with each page. Although The Holiday Cruise will remain my favourite of Victoria Cooke's books, this one is still a fabulous story and for non cruise obsessed people will probably be a firm favourite of the authors work.

Thank you to Netgalley and HQ Digital for this copy which I have reviewed honestly and voluntarily.

Entertaining chick lit novel. It took some time but Charlotte really grew on me. In a short book, there are important character development arcs and I could see Charlotte learn how to take care of herself and become an independent woman.

A very enjoyable and funny book about coming to terms with reality. Well written, with very enjoyable characters.
Many thanks to Netgalley and HQ Digital

Charlotte believes her life and marriage are in a great state, so she likes to meddle in other people's lives. Charlotte's husband is working long hours and she has a lot of time on her hand, so she tries to help other people, but sometimes having  good intentions can lead to wrong decisions. Charlotte is helping everyone around her, but when she needs help, she'll have to learn who are real friends and who you can trust. When Charlotte's world crumbles, does she have the right people around her to help her build it back up?

Another great book by Victoria Cooke, I've loved both previous books and this one was no exception. At first it was a bit difficult to like Charlotte, but as the story progressed I started to warm up to her and eventually I ended up liking her and the whole group of friends. Just as with other books, I once again found myself nodding along and thinking "Yes, that's so true", which shows how well you'll be able to identify to the issues those characters go through or how they see life. I absolutely loved it and can't wait to read next book by the author!

Another brilliant novel by the lovely Victoria Cooke. I had the pleasure of reading another novel by her earlier last year and I enjoyed it so much I couldn't wait to read this one! It was entertaining, humorous and I loved every page. At first I wasn't a huge fan of the main character Charlotte but the more I read, the more I liked the storyline.

Along the way, we get to know more about Charlotte and start to see her caring and kind side, as opposed to the snobbish side we saw in the beginning. As well as Charlotte, we get to meet a lot more different characters throughout the novel and I found these to be really interesting and I enjoyed reading about them.

This novel was easy to read and lighthearted. It's enjoyable so you'll read it quick! You'll soon be wanting to read more from Victoria Cooke after you've read this!