The plot had the potential of becoming a great book, but sadly I was not able to connect with it. There was a lack of humour that made the reading a mechanical endeavour.

This book was hard for me to get through. I just couldn't get into the plot or love the characters. Unfortunately, I picked it up and put it down so many times that it ended up being a DNF for me.

Sadly this is one of those books where the blurb was more exciting than the actual story. While it was just okay for me, the author is clearly a talented writer, I just couldn't connect with these characters and couldn't get invested in their story. I did finish it, but it just didn't hit the mark for me.

Oh, how I loved this book!

Flawed protagonist Cat was so easy to root for, and I loved watching her grow with the support of her friends. Little Arnold was hilarious too and I totally developed a book crush on hottie Harvey.

Really funny, engaging and utterly joyful, Keris Stainton never fails to make me smile with her wonderful, original novels.

The plot line of this book didn’t capture my interest. I picked it up and put it down, hoping to be in a better mood for it and when I came back, I couldn’t even remember what it was about..:and I had been halfway through.

Unfortunately, I just wasn’t interested enough to start over. This book was a DNF for me.

I received this ARC from Netgalley.com in exchange for an honest review. Thank you to Netgalley.com, to Bookouture, and to Keris Stainton for this opportunity.

Five years ago, Cat's life seems to have come to a halt. Her love life has disappeared, her job is unexciting, and she's less than thrilled about her roommates. When she falls for Harvey, her ex's brother, she knows she can't date him. It's the rule of dating. But what would things be like if she could?

This book was yet another delightful read by Keris Stainton. It was a quick, easygoing read that kept me smiling. I can't wait to read more by this author. Highly recommended.

I really enjoyed this book. It was funny and light hearted. The characters were lovely. However, I felt like the story told me more about Cat and Kelly’s relationship than her relationship with Harvey.

Don’t get me wrong the friendship between Cat and Kelly is amazing, they are so close and funny and I love seeing such a strong female bond in a book. But the point of this book was to be a romance about falling for the brother of an ex-boyfriend. I loved Harvey but I would have liked to see more of him in the story. He almost seemed like a secondary character, instead of the male lead.

This was a great read, funny and entertaining, but I would have liked to see a little more romance.

After "It had to be you" by Keris Stainton to which I gave a 5 stars out of 5, I was really excited to read the new book from Keris, "The one who's not the one". To be honest, I didn't really enjoy the first 20 percent of the book, I even considered stopping my reading. But then I continued and it started to be a lot better and then even super good! I am giving this book a 4 starts out of 5! I really enjoy Keris Stainton's writing style, it's very unique. I really enjoyed the storyline and the characters. I will definitely wait impatiently for the next book by Keris Stainton!!!!!

Cat and Harvey had quite the history. She had a lot to work through personally and professionally, and part of that was deciding if there was a place for Harvey in her life. I really enjoyed the journey we went on with Cat, and this book alternated heartfelt moments with humor.

An enjoyable romance with really likable people and a happy ending! Another winner from this author.

Thank you for this review copy! I thought this was a well done book. I enjoyed read it and would recommend.

This is my first Keris Stainton book, and I found it fabulous.

This is the story of Cat, who has been living in a holding pattern for the past five years since her boyfriend went away to do comedy in Australia and failed to invite her along.

Now he's back, and lately, Cat, has also been running into her ex's younger brother, Harvey. A younger brother who is very good looking, and a genuinely caring person.

From the very first scene when Harvey was introduced, I found the sparks between him and Cat and I was rooting for them throughout the book, while hoping nothing developed with the ex. The only low point I found was the speed in which Cat realized and found a career change. I felt this could have been handled with more aplomb, but that's not really why you read these books.

In addition to the romance, I found the strong female friendship between Cat and her bestie Kelly to be charming and realistic.

I enjoyed this book immensely, and would seek out other Keris Stainton books.

Thanks to the author, publisher, and NetGalley.com for my advanced reader copy.

Typical chick lit and romance combo. Didn’t bring anything new to the table but it was a nice read.

I loved this engaging novel for its true to life drama possibilities and for all of the angst that accompanies it. The hesitancy and doubt that crowds and overshadows Cat’s mind are so believable and touching. I found myself repeatedly rooting got Harvey as he waited on Cat to realize that he is the one. I loved it so much that I bought another Keris Stainton novel!

So normally when I pick up a book and it has the tag line of a laugh out loud comedy like most people these days you are a bit sceptical. I mean is this really going to make me laugh out and loud?

Well, it only bloody went and did!

I picked this up at 6 pm and between bedtime and reading some of it to my little lady, watching the semi-final of Dancing of Ice, I finished it in one sitting. And I was laughing a LOT! I love Kelly and Cat!

I read The Invitation by Ms Stainton last year and I just fell in love. This book has reinforced my love for this author! The story is obvious to where we will go but the banter and the conversations are hilarious and make the book worth its weight in gold!! I mean there is so much of this book I want to share with you that had me cracking up but I really can’t you have to read it!

I did find that I did the small leaky eye trick nearer the end of the book but it’s ok, it’s raining if I stick my head out the window no one will know the difference. Cat, is a stand-up comedian and so is her ex, and they are both funny, Cat being better, their little antidotes they introduce in their routines flowed naturally just like this book. Then in everyday life, you see sparks of the comedy in Cats life. Her quips and one-liners were just timed perfectly, I mean I am sure I have used one or two…

Gah man!! Seriously I have a huge smile on my face from reading this book, I flew through it because I just adored the storyline. It was the perfect read for me, I needed after such an emotional and draining week. It is the perfect pick me up. It does make you laugh, it does make you smile and if you are like me an old fashioned romantic it reinforces love and finding love in the most unexpected places. To me this The One who’s Not the One, is like a Hollywood movie, and I live vicariously through them, this could be on the big screen! Lilly Collins as Cat maybe and have Sam Claflin as Harvey…maybe it’s because I loved them two in Love, Rosie great chemistry…anyway, I digress! It is just perfect!

I have no coherent words for this review it’s just all rambles! I should sit down and write a sensible review but where is the fun in that!

Cat and Kelly’s relationship is such a fun one, and one I would dream of having again, so in tune with each other. Random quips like you humping my cushions again said so nonchalantly were funny! Their friendship was such a strong bond and it carries you through the book, to me this was the best bit over the romance (sssh I didn’t say that really!). I did love the slow build up to the romance with the grand gesture at the end. It suited the book wonderfully and I can not wait to see what follows next for Ms Stanton. If I see Keris Stainton on a book I am picking it up for sure!

So if you are not sure what I thought about the book…well, I loved it!

'The One Who's Not the One' is a contemporary, chicklit novel written by Keris Stainton.

Characters

Cat was previously a stand-up comedian but stopped ever since her breakup with her boyfriend Sam, who was and is still a comedian. She's conscientious, nosy, and somewhat indecisive. She meets people she likes but needs a bit of a push in order to take a plunge into the dating world. She also has a rocky relationship with her father.

Harvey is Sam's brother and is caring and understanding. He works at a theatre.

Kelly is Cat's best friend and the one she confides in. She's supportive but also honest with her advice which is very much needed when Cat faces certain dilemmas. Kelly's husband Sean is shy and her son Arnold is cute and intelligent.

Setting

Most of the story takes place in London - From the workplace, to Cat's apartment, her friend's house, the shopping mall. Some of it takes place in New York.

Romance/Plot

I would say the romance was subtle. It wasn't the main focus of the book. It was more of a positive growth of Cat, the main character. She's not exactly passionate about her job, her love life is non-existent, and she lives in an apartment with a roommate with much to be desired.

Final Thoughts

It is written really well. You see what it's like in a day-to-day life a someone living and working in London. While it had less romance than I would have liked. What was interesting was Cat's interaction with several characters, mainly Kelly and her family. It is a tight-knit group who love one another. She cares deeply for them and it shows. Hilarious moments often occurred with Kelly's son Arnold.

I really wanted to love this book. It’s set in London, has witty exchanges, and there’s a great friendship. However, I felt like I was dropped into the middle of a story that tried to catch me up with flashbacks that just irritated me.
Cat was not terribly likable. Her most interesting relationship was with her friends kid.
There were several times when, from one paragraph to the next, several days passed and the characters were somewhere completely different.
I liked Harvey but there was no real spark between him and Cat.
There was a lot of potential but this book never found its rhythm and it lost me in the process.

This is bloody brilliant and just what I needed. Cat and Kelly are the perfect bestfriends, they felt like my crazy, nutter friends who I've known forever. Brilliantly written. Parts had me laughing out loud!

The prologue is perfect and does link back to the story towards the end. The ending also perfect! I absolutely loved this. It really cheered me up. The whole story was the perfect, must read chick-lit. One not to be missed! A diamond. One I won't forget. Still laughing at parts now while writing this review.

Highly recommend. An easy, well deserved five stars. Brilliant. This book has it all. Very impressed. Short but honest review. A must buy a must read. Perfect.

Cat is a bit of a worry - she is in her late 20's, hasn't had a relationship in several years and thinks she might be in love with her ex's brother. She also shares a tiny flat with inconsiderate flatmates, has a job that she doesn't really love and a non-existent relationship with her dad. She has a best friend, however, Kelly, who is close to sainthood. Kelly has a delish son, whom Cat borrows so she can sniff his hair to get her little boy fix :) Kelly, seriously, is an amazing friend - I want a Kelly in my life too!

This was an easy-read kind of book, very modern, and probably not a great fit for my demographic. I am sure that younger women will probably relate to it a bit better. My main issue with this story is that Cat seems terribly immature and I wanted to slap her once or twice for shooting herself in the foot and for being so reactive to every darn issue that comes her way.

It was a good read, just not a great one, not for me anyway, sorry.

4 stars from me.

Thank you to NetGalley and Bookouture.

It runs in the family

4,5 stars

I was actually surprised how much I liked this chick-lit! I think it was mostly the humour that really appealed to me (Cat and Kelly together are great!), and the story was quite cute as well. Cat keeps bumping into Harvey, the little brother of her ex-boyfriend Sam, and enjoys their time together. But doesn't the inofficial 'Guide to Dating' state that hitting it of with the sibling of an ex is out of the question? Or is it ok to swap brothers?

The characters are very likeable, the writing style and especially the humorous tone of the story was right up my alley. I've never read a scene about a woman in labour that was so authentic and also funny (don't fear, she spares us all the really gory details!). The only thing that bothered me was the constant use of the F-word, especially in places where it doesn't fit the general tone at all. I have absolutely no problem with swear words whenever they are suitable. But saying "Thanks f*ck" or other phrases like that just seemed quite odd to me. (Also I would have thought that the British rather use 'bloody', but when I think about it - there were quite a few F-words in "Four weddings and a funeral" as well).

I didn't find the title of the book really fitting, and I would have loved to get a glimpse at some actual stand-up comedy stuff here, this part of the story could have been way more elaborate. But as I said I really enjoyed reading this book.