I requested this book a little while ago and, having recently read a similarly titled book, put it aside. I wrongly assumed that, having read a book all about a woman saying ‘yes’ to things, this would be a complete 180 and see chapter upon chapter of the main character declining requests. Not a smart assumption, but perhaps understandable?

This book was utterly brilliant. It took me until the 15-20% mark to feel really engaged with the storyline. I don’t normally get this pull until the 40% mark of other romance genre books. I didn’t want to put this down.

The main character Lottie was great. A female lead who I adored. She was normal, really easy to identify with, well written and so likeable. Her love interest, Seb, was everything you want in a male lead. Caring, kind, sensitive, brooding, alpha, compassionate. Every possible character trait of ‘perfect’.

The romance between Lottie and Seb is a slow burner, I normally prefer a bit more action but their story had me hooked in other ways. Their interactions were always friendly and safe, but always a background hint of something more bubbling between them.

This author is on my watch list now. Really enjoyed this and loved the writing style!

Thank you NetGalley for my advanced copy of this book 📚

The cover of this one is so cuteeee! That’s basically why I requested it. And the fact that other members have given it raving reviews did help. And I really liked it too! It was definitely a good book to read during this situation, because at least you could think about something else for a bit: a happy story and frankly quite funny too!

Last year Lotties’ best friend convinced her that she had to say yes to everything. This year she is saying no, even if it is to her long time friend and crush Seb Marshall.

The dynamic betweenLottie and Seb is gorgeous. If you love a slow burn romance, this is definitely going to be your cup of tea.

Such a delightful, sweet book. Loved this rom-com by Ms. Morrey. So great!

Many thanks to the author, the publishers, and NetGalley for the ARC. All opinions are my own.

Just go buy and read this book!!!!! So Awesome. love love loved!!!! A great escape and a big cozy hug all in one book.

Another fab read by Maxine Morrey! I had so much fun reading this one and devoured it. Wouldn’t we all just love to say ‘no’ sometimes?!
Thanks to the author and publisher for a copy of this book. Thoroughly enjoyed.

This is the second book I have read from Maxine Morrey and I really find her style of writing and how she brings her characters to life such a delight.

The best way I can think of to describe this book considering everything going on right now is that it is a ray of sunshine. A really beautiful, effortless read full of the most endearing characters and one extremely bad egg.

Reading this book we get to meet Lottie and Seb and follow their blossoming friendship and possible romance. As with all good things in life nothing comes easily and as we meet more of their family and friends along the way we see how events in all our pasts can influence us for good and bad.

Miscommunications, missed placed guilt, hidden feelings and an array of emotions inbetween are all explored in this lovely book.

I really loved all the friendships and family dynamics that were explored throughout and I longed to be sharing one of Lottie’s Mum delicious Sunday Roasts or share a lovely walk with them.

It was a real joy to be able to witness the various characters strengths and weaknesses as their encounter different situations.

This was such a sweet, funny story. Lottie and Seb had such a great relationship even if they weren't able to admit it to themselves and I loved their friends and families. It was an engaging book with a clean romance and well worth the read.

5☆ A Fun, Uplifting, Witty, Light Hearted Rom Com.... A Book I Urge You to say "YES" to!

My Year of Saying No is a fun, uplifting, heart warming rom com and as the title suggests it's all about changing things up and being ok with saying "No" to people.

Lottie is fed up with always saying yes, when really all she wants to do is say "No" and to be honest I think were all guilty of doing that at some point, I know I am 🙈
So she sets herself a task to say "No" when she wants too. It felt slightly liberating to witness Lottie's empowerment.

Lottie meets the endearingly charming Seb online through work, who she has become really good friends with and grown particularly close to.
But never meeting up is a big mistake as there is clearly chemistry between them!
But when they eventually meet up will they just have a connection online or will it sizzle into real life too?
Either way if your anything like I was, then you will be gritting your teeth willing them to see what's right in front of them!

I adored Seb's character, not only is he incredibly charming, caring, but he is broken, endearing, feels he is unworthy of being loved, and I guess you could say vulnerable. But when you discover he's story then you understand why and my heart went out to him.

Lottie is such a wonderful character, she's relatable, empowering, at times bloomin frustrating, kind, caring and has the most adorable rescue fur baby ever!! Any book with dogs is a winner for me!

My Year of Saying No is a light hearted fun book and I loved the concept of simply saying "No"! It was such a brilliant idea.
There was plenty of witty humour, a will they won't they romantic suspense, fabulous characters and an entertaining plot. What more could you want!
I love Maxine Morrey's books, she's incredibly talented, and this was one book I would Urge You To Say "YES" To Reading!
​

Thank you to Rachel Random Resources for this copy which I reviewed honestly and voluntarily.

My choice for World Book Night 2020.

Lottie used to be the type of person to say yes to everything. Because if she didn’t, she felt sad, uncomfortabe and like she’d let herself and others down by not being outgoing or sociable enough.

She has a good friend Jess and one New Year’s Eve, they are remembering how the year went. They both want to have a change in the new year but of the two Lottie is more reluctant at first. She’s more comfortable spending her days at home in her PJs when not working as a virtual personal assistant.

With some persuading, she comes round to the idea of wanting change but is not sure how to go about it. Then, she suggests having a year of saying yes rather than no. But can she do it?

Small steps first. She has met a guy called Seb online through work and he’s a client she regularly video calls, but that’s it. They have never met in person.

She feels lonely and decides to adopt the cutest dog who she names Humphry. He boosts her confidence and she keeps chatting to Seb.
He has his own challenges having been in the army. Despite his injuries, he has fought to rebuild his life.

I have to say, I found Lottie’s job as a virtual personal assistant a unique job choice and very fitting for the plot since in a job like this she didn’t have to have much contact with people.

She seemed chatty and sociable but a little unsure still. I loved the spa scenes!

Can she meet Seb? What will happen when she does?

My Year of Saying No is a novel with very short chapters but I did find that it took me a time to get into. There were some parts where there was more happening than in others and some did drag a little. I found Seb’s job choice clichéd, and wanted the characters to be more developed.
I have listened to other books with injured army officers and romance and I have to say I was more engrossed in them.

I think it was the lack of background and atmosphere in this novel as well as the incredibly slow burning pace of the romantic parts that made the book not really grab me.

I felt good that Lottie came up with her own idea to spice up her life and I was rooting for her, but on the whole I would have liked to have connected with the characters more. I liked her and Seb together but wanted slightly hotter scenes.

Humphry was so cute! He was what helped the story for me.
If you’re looking for a very clean, slow-burning romance about two people who are trying to find their places in the world after living traumas, than this is for you.

I prefer more action, description and more fleshed out characters and surroundings. I felt interested, but not sucked in and my mind wandered at the times when there wasn’t much happening. I would have loved more internal dialogue and individual reactions to each trauma.
I loved the cover!

Thanks to Maxine Morrey and Boldwood Books for me ARC in exchange for an honest and voluntary review.

3.5 stars.

I would like to thank NetGalley and the publishers for asking me to read and review.
This story was a wonderful read.
It is well written with some great characters and as a reader you feel you are right there with them. The plot draws you in and keeps you turning those pages.
A brilliant, heartwarming read.

This was a cute romcom, great for a pool/beach read. My issue with the story was that the pace sometimes felt too slow and the ending was not as exciting as I hoped. Overall, not bad. Three chilli peppers of hotness.

I received a free ARC from the publisher in exchange for my honest opinion. All thoughts are my own.

I always enjoy Maxine Morrey's books and this one is no exception. There are some likeable characters in My Year of Saying No, none more so than Lottie. She gets your sympathy from the beginning and shows herself to be an independent and determined character with a kind streak and she shows all her feelings on her face. Her decision to take on a little rescue dog underlines her thoughtful side.
However, Lottie is not the only character who you feel empathy for. Seb is pretty unscrutable at times and it takes time to get inside his thoughts, but you always feel that there is a selfless and kind side to him. Jess and Harry are lighter characters but they have their issues to work through. With family relationships and friendships to discover, this is an enjoyable and feelgood read.

Thanks to the author for a copy of the book.

My Year of Saying No by Maxine Morrey

My Year of Saying No is one of those books that just warms your heart right from the get go. You immediately fall for the chemistry between the two main characters, Lottie and Seb. Talk about a feel good heart Warming feel good story. I'm so glad I said yes to this book. It will have you believing in the good in people!

5/5 Stars

Thank you #NetGalley and #Boldwood for this book in exchange for my honest review.

I loved this book!

This is such a life-affirming, feel-good book. I loved the characters and their dogs!

Lottie is looking for change. A year of saying yes has opened her up to new experiences but she has not not enjoyed them all. So she resolutely declares the next year “The Year of Saying No” – just in time to rebuff the advances of an odious drunk toff called Tarquin.

Lottie is such a lovely, warm person. I would be friends with her. Humphrey the dog is such a cutie too.

Her friendship with Seb is a real, loving, genuine friendship. They have grown so comfortable with each other despite never meeting, that they even binge watch Netflix together from separate homes.

Seb has a tortured past and is still dealing with the impact his military career has had on him and his family. His affection for Lottie is protective and lovely.

I want spoil the romantic element of the book – but it’s not a matter of who, it’s all about if, how and when.

The beginning of this book starts off a little abruptly. We have Lottie Wentworth starting her year of saying ‘No’ on the heels of her year of saying ‘yes’. We go back a bit to see how the latter came about and what the current year means to her. Lottie is a little insecure about a few things, but in other spheres of her life, she is very confident and self-assured. She is a virtual assistant and runs her own business. She has all the functioning parts of an entertaining character: a loving family with a mildly mean sister, a vivacious best friend on the brink of starting a whole new relationship, a new dog, a secret crush she is sort-of pining over.

This last bit was surprisingly acceptable. There are multiple upheavals, and each time, Lottie does not obsess about it. She has sad moments, but they are in the background of her regular routine. It does not eclipse her whole being. This rarely happens in stories like this, and it was very refreshing. This is essentially the story of how Lottie gets a fresh lease of life when she decides to say no to things she doesn’t want to do. It is also the prolonged story of how Lottie and Seb end up together ( or do they?). Overall I would recommend this to readers of the genre. I would have liked it even more if it was a tiny bit shorter.

I received an ARC thanks to NetGalley and the publishers, but the review is entirely based on my own reading experience.

Thank you to Rachel at Rachel’s Random Resources for my invitation to the tour and to BoldWood Books for my copy of the book in return for a fair and honest review.

Lottie is really looking forward to the new year. After a year in which she had to say yes to everything she is looking forward to doing the complete opposite this year.

Lottie finds it difficult to say no which is why she ended up in the position she was last year, cajouled by her friend Jess.

Lottie has a colleague Seb who has become a friend and he has become her confidante and she finds him attractive but she is nervous about doing anything. She goes to an animal rescue centre and gets herself a little dog and starts to change her life into how she wants it to look.

This is a lovely read and I liked the characters for Seb and Lottie immediately they are both warm and I wanted them to be happy. Also as someone who also finds saying no a struggle it was refreshing to read Lotties experiences and the outcomes.

I enjoyed getting to know them both and finding out more about their lives which have both had their ups and downs. I loved reading about how their friendship develops but I will leave that for you to find out about.

Another great read for these challenging times when we want to escape from day to day life this was a real treat.

A fun contemporary romp. A great addition to collections where lighter women's fiction is popular, particularly from UK authors.

I cannot stress enough, how much I related to the protagonist of this story. Be it her introverted needs—like staying at home, choosing to say no to things so on so forth—that all her other friends think isn’t a good sign. People automatically presume that staying in is a boring, unhealthy or unproductive thing to do. I love how much the heroine—though I wish she didn’t have to—stands up, even gently, for herself and her choices. I adored her very very much and I teared up at the same moments she did and enjoyed being inside her head so much! It was a safe and loving place to be.

The rapport and friendship between the protagonists was just so heartwarming. It’s not always easy to write about a friendship that’s already developed, especially between a hero and heroine, BUT, Maxine has nailed it. I felt from the first page how amazingly connected, relaxed and comfortable they were with one another. Seb and Lottie were fantastic friends before they were anything else and I’m going to add MYoSN to my now growing list of books that speak of real and gentle love stories that are just so heart-warming and uplifting to read.

The story flows almost tenderly but without feeling forced or slow, the characters find their balance in their own lives and with one another, clearing the air on their pain and misconceptions and encasing the other with love and appreciation.

My only issue, the smallest, is where I felt I wasn’t wholly convinced by the last issue that came up. Maxine had spoiled me by handing issues very well and taking care of my emotions that I would like for them to be, that I expected the same thing at every turn of the page.

Four stars! This was a definite definite feel good book with a clean romance that I would highly recommend to anyone—especially given the difficult times, this is something you can allow yourself to get lost in and cry happy tears.

After a year in which she committed to say ‘yes’ to every opportunity that came her way, Lottie is fed up and just wants a quiet life. So this year, she’s giving herself permission to stop worrying about what other people want. If she doesn’t want to do something, she’s just going to say No. Starting with the drunk jerk who just propositioned her outside the pub…

Working as a virtual PA, Lottie’s biggest client is Seb, who runs a veterans’ support charity. Since they started working together, Seb’s become one of her closest friends, but Lottie works very hard not to let Seb know she has a giant-sized crush on him. Only, after finally meeting him in person, it’s getting more and more difficult!

I’m just going to note here that it’s really nice to read a romance with a disabled protagonist. Seb’s an army veteran who lost most of his leg to an IED in Afghanistan and wears a prosthesis, and he has a few hangups and issues around it, but it never affects how Lottie sees him at all. There’s a nice subplot regarding Seb’s family and some messy relationships where they haven’t really dealt with the emotional fallout of his injury which felt very realistic.

There’s a few misunderstandings which are clearly in service of the plot, but I actually bought into them pretty well because most of them were based in a tenet Lottie was trying hard to stick by; don’t mix work and pleasure. She didn’t want to risk losing her biggest client and one of her best friends by trying to add romance into the mix, and she actually behaved very professionally in turning Seb down when he asked. Of course, it wasn’t going to work because she was already head over heels for him even if she couldn’t acknowledge it to herself, but she was trying.

This is actually the first ‘rom-com’ I’ve read in a while which deserves the label. No, it wasn’t laugh-a-minute funny, but it was charming, amusing and very definitely a romance from early on as we met Seb in the first few pages. I thoroughly enjoyed it and I’d definitely read more books by this author. Five stars!