It's February which means I peep my head out from under my typical dark and thriller winter reading for a bit of frothy sweetness around Valentine's before going back under for the rest of the winter. The One Who's Not the One was a perfect pop of color in the grey winter reading for me!

This book is about a slightly neurotic woman Cat who finds out her ex who left her to move to Australia is back in London and is giving a stand up performance she suspects is about their relationship. Try as she might to avoid the siren call to go, she cannot resist the temptation to know if it's really about her and the story goes on from there.

I really enjoyed my time with Cat and her best friend Kelly and honestly the love stuff was a second bidding to them and how fun of a friendship they had. Even if you're not into the love stuff I highly recommend this for their relationship alone.

If you're also looking for some book sunshine in the greys of winter I highly recommend this book!

Thank you to NetGalley and Bookouture for the ARC copy of this novel in exchange for my honest review.

I absolutely adored this book from start to finish. All the characters were so lovable and the story was lovely and totally laugh out loud funny. There were times in the book where my heart ached for Cat as you could tell she was hurting. The friendship she has with Kelly is totally friendship goals lol. I blushed for Cat when she asked Nick out 😲. I love funny and heartwarming love stories so this ticked all my boxes. #MrsCsHonestBookReviews #NetGalley #TheOneWhosNotTheOne #KerisStainton #goodreads #bookblogger #kindle #ebook #reviewer #bookworm #bookaddict

Amazing story! Such a sweet read. really enjoyed it! Great read for anyone looking to find a great one to curl up with!

I had a love\hate relationship with the protagonist as at times she was warm and witty and I could understand why men and Kelly loved her but then she could be so closed that I couldn't understand her allure. It was hard to read her ignoring her father and issues and running away and basing it on what happened to her years ago was immature for an adult woman. I really liked Kelly and Harvey and enjoyed their bluntness and humor.

Thank you NetGalley and Bookouture for providing an eARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This was my introduction to Keris Stainton’s writing, and I am officially hooked. This book is for all of those romantic comedy fans who are looking for that realistic and relatable love. I really enjoyed watching the development of Cat’s character and the struggles that she goes through because I could definitely see a lot of myself in her. Also, the humor was spot on. I can’t recommend this book enough.

Full review posted on my blog: thereadingchemist.com.

I’ve been a big fan of Keris Stainton since I saw her saw her recommended by another one of my favorites, Rainbow Rowell. I was so excited about this book and it definitely lived up to expectations. The character of Cat is so funny and relatable with all her foibles and flaws. I loved the romance and the witty banter, which Stainton does better than most anyone. The One Who’s Not the One is absolutely worth a read for any fans of love stories with humor and heart. Thanks to the publishers for the early copy!

The thing I love most about books set in contemporary London is that the humor is always so different from American humor! I'm not sure what it is, but anyone I talk to agrees - British humor and American humor are just different. And sometimes, that means things are lost in translation, and jokes may go over your head if you're used to one over the other. Not the case in this book! I was laughing a lot, in complete understanding of what was going on, how tragic and humorous parts of the book came across, and I had a lot of fun reading it.

Five years ago, Cat's boyfriend left her to fulfill his dream of becoming a stand-up comedian in Australia. Ever since, she has given up her own similar dream to work a boring desk job, one that gives her stability but lacks the excitement she used to get being on stage. When her ex returns to London, curiosity drags her to one of his shows, hiding in the back and hoping not to be seen. But she is seen, by none other than her ex's brother, Harvey. Charmed by her antics and wanting to spend more time with her, Harvey begins connecting with her and they go out on several occasions. The only problem is that Harvey is off limits due to her history with his brother, and Harvey doesn't want to take no for an answer.

Cat and Harvey were utterly charming in this contemporary romantic comedy! Cat was someone who found herself in a life she didn't want, and things just kept going wrong for her, in increasingly hilarious ways. When her best friend, Kelly, began to help her see the light behind her past actions, she realized that maybe she was the cause of a lot of her problems. Harvey helped her see that too, as he healed some of her old wounds and made her see that could be loved. A gentle lovebug of a man, he was one of those characters I read every so often that make me want to jump inside the book just to give him a hug. Super loveable, caring, and understanding. There wasn't much to really complain about with him. Cat had so many lessons learned in this book, and it was great that Harvey could be there for her. The ending...my goodness, folks. If you want to give up on this book, just read to the end. Trust me.

This is the first book I have read by Keris Stainton, and I look forward to reading future books by her! Anyone that can make me laugh out loud while reading has a gift.

The One Who's Not The One is a fun romcom. Cat has boyfriend problems. Sam, her last boyfriend, abandoned her and went to Australia. Now, she pushes people away. With the help of her friends, she might get a another chance at love. Cat is a flawed relatable character. She's likeable and engaging. The story is a fun read for fans of romcoms. I enjoyed the story. Thanks to NetGalley for an arc in exchange for an honest review.

Five years ago Cat had it all, the boyfriend, the promising career in stand-up comedy. Then Sam, her boyfriend went to Australia and didn't invite her. Since then she's given up on the stand-up comedy. she flat shares with 'The One Who Eats All My Food' and 'The One Who Has Really Loud Sex', she has a job she despises (and that pays a pittance) and she hasn't had sex in two years.

Then one day, travelling home on the tube (train), she sees an article about Sam in the London Metro (newspaper), he's back from Australia, still doing stand-up comedy, and getting good reviews. Obsessed by the one that got away (just one in a long list of people that have left Cat), Cat stalks Sam on Facebook and google and is determined to see his show, especially once she finds out it is entitled 'Cat Amongst the Pigeons' - is that a reference to her? Is his show all about her?

At Sam's show Cat runs into his younger brother Harvey, and then again when she takes her best friend Kelly's little boy to see Father Christmas at John Lewis.

Then sexy Nick at work announces he is moving to the new office in New York and asks Cat to join him - suddenly Cat has three potential beaus - which one will she choose?

I liked this, it was very down-to-earth, very realistic, this is the way that women talk to each other about men and relationships and sex (and willys). However, I did think that this was both very British and very 'of the moment' with references to current events which may make the book less accessible to readers from outside the UK and readers in a few years' time.

The book started a bit slowly for me, so much so that I stopped reading after a few chapters and reread the blurb, worried that I was reading a different book (easy to do when you have a TBR pile as big as mine) but it soon picked up again. reminiscent of Bridget Jones (without the dear diary entries) it was amusing and a fun read. My only criticism was that the ending was a bit too sudden (even with an epilogue) I would have liked there to have been more of a build up to the end.

I received a free copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley in return for an honest review.

I voluntarily read and reviewed this ARC. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for letting me read this book. It was highly enjoyable!
The main character, Cat, has a few issues in her life which has caused her existence to remain stagnant (in her eyes). With a little help from the past and a fiercely loyal best friend, she overcomes these hurdles... eventually. Along the way are funny little anecdotes and quirks which help to make this book a delight to read.
The relationship between Cat and Kelly (and her family) is what makes this book special. What a fantastic friendship.

This was my first Keris Stainton book and I'm actually so angry that I haven't read anything by her before! I read this book in one go, even though I was so tired - I just couldn't put it down! I loved everything about Cat and Harvey and I love that they weren't just two perfect unbelievable characters.
I couldn't stop thinking about them all morning, so I decided that I needed another Keris Stainton book to read and that this time I would savour it. That didn't happen at all. Read it in one afternoon. Thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for helping me find a new favourite writer!

Five years ago, Cat and her boyfriend were both doing stand up comedy and life was moving forward. Then Sam went off to Australia to ‘gig’ and never asked Cat if she wanted to go. She, of course, felt this was the fulfillment of the repeating issue in her life – everyone leaves. And rather than asking Sam to stay, or go along with him with help from friends and his family she stayed behind. Now in a crappy flat share, working as an accountant in a job that bores her, her one real friend Kelly and her husband Sean have always been about to pick up the pieces – and occasionally offer her a bit of tough love.

See, Cat’s been pushing people away since she was 12 and her father left. She never really got an answer from her mother about the specifics, and has never forgiven or even really allowed her father a chance to explain, and with her best work friend transferring to New York and her spotting an ad for Sam performing in town, she’s full of ‘what if’s’ and questions. With her best friend pregnant with her second child, and Cat being ‘honorary auntie’ to her older son, Cat finds herself running into Sam’s brother Harvey and sparks are flying. Kelly thinks that Cat should explore this new thing with Harvey, Cat is in the middle of a push-pull with him, and tossing about the idea of moving to New York. But when she’s given notice on her flat share, and her trip to New York to ‘explore’ options leaves her more intrigued (and confused) than ever, she’s pushed to make some choices.

Cat was a bit of a struggle for me, and fortunately (or sadly) the only one challenging her on the running away and pushing others away was Kelly – and she truly tried desperately to push Kelly away and aside when some hard truths were brought up. Cat was all too willing to quickly dismiss people, confirming her “everyone leaves’ statements, and being butthurt when her overreactions aren’t instantly met with ingratiating adjustments and soothing. As a friend, Cat would have been exhausting and superficial – who needs the aggro of all that ‘making up’ on a near constant rotation from someone old enough to speak their mind and ask for what they want? But, it takes some doing, and a determination from her father that we never would have expected, to get her to finally start to see sense – and take those chances she’d only dreamed of. Stainton brought a lovely story here with a frustrating protagonist who has so much potential all hidden behind a childish wall of fear, with friends who really carried the burden of her misapplied emotions and pushed her to stand and face her problems and see what was presented as an opportunity.

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-ajQ/” > <a> I am, Indeed </a>

I absolutely loved this book. I would have read it one sitting if I could have done. It's warm and funny and the characters are so relatable. There were so many aspects of Cat's life that felt familiar to my own, this only strengthened my love of both her and the book. Her friendship with Kelly is wonderful and made me appreciate the Kellys in my life. And then of course we have the very lovely Harvey, even though I could understand Cat's reluctance I was rooting for them to find their way so hard. Another triumph of a book!

Thanks to Bookouture and Netgalley for the advance copy.