Cover Image: Just Saying

Just Saying

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Member Reviews

Totally brilliant! This is funny and heartwarming whilst also having serious issues running through it. I read it over 2 nights during lockdown and loved every page of it

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This book is about a woman who has spent the last two years in training to become a lawyer, and is well on her way to fulfilling that training and continuing on in a placement until it is all taken away. Thus commences her journey of self-discovery and her tip-toeing around the new living arrangement she finds herself in when her boyfriend Joe and her decide to invite his ex to live with them to help foot the rent.

I absolutely loved this book. I loved the voice of Alice. It brought me to England, and I loved reading all the common language that is used! It made me feel like I was truly there. I laughed with Heather, and swooned with Drew. Joe, I loved and hated and broke with. And Alice? I felt like she was so real!

This book, I personally found, was relevant to a lot of topics discussed today. I would have appreciated a small *Trigger Warning* at the beginning of the book due to depicting assault. But in all, I personally thought the topic was addressed sensitively. And I liked how it wasn't the center attention of the book. It didn't take away from the main plot line which was about Alice and her growth as a person, her changing desires in life, and her evolving relationship with Joe.

And Zoe? Yea. I see you, you conniving woman. Somehow, there were redeeming qualities about her too, that in the end I shockingly was able to forgive.

I'll definitely be putting more books from Sophia Ranald on my TBR's! Especially for the laughs!

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This book was just ok for me. The cover, title, and tagline really have nothing to do with the story and are pretty misleading. Just Saying is not a frothy romance or chick lit. It's full of angst caused by people who just don't talk to each other! There's so much miscommunication and total lack of communication, as well as bad assumptions and misdirection. I also struggled to relate to or love any of the characters. There's also a sub-plot about sexual assault that felt shoe-horned in and, ultimately, not well-handled. My biggest complaint is a spoiler for the ending, so I won't go into detail, but I was hoping for a different resolution between Joe, Zoe and Alice.

All that said, I mostly enjoyed reading the book, even despite its flaws. The writing was good, and I loved the main plot, of a woman walking away from a career where she is unsatisfied and stumbling into a dream she never knew she had. I liked the pub regulars, and I rooted for a happy ending.

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Overall, this was a decently enjoyable read, but not what I had expected from the blurb. I had assumed this would be a funny story about a woman stuck in the same apartment with her boyfriend's ex-girlfriend, but it was actually mostly a story about a woman trying to figure out what she wants with her life while also dealing with trauma. That's fine, but definitely not what I had expected.

That being said, I had an okay time reading this, but this story is definitely not without its problems. It felt very long to me because it's filled with side plots that felt forced and didn't really add much. I think there were a lot of repetitions as well and Alice over-explained everything to the reader. The story moved slowly, particularly the large sections about Alice's work at the pub, and what I thought would be the main story (Alice's problems with her boyfriend Joe and his ex, Zoe) was sidelined throughout most of the book, so when the conclusion finally came, I just didn't care much.

The characters weren't very well-developed. I didn't really feel as if I knew who Joe was, aside from being athletic and making romantic gestures, Zoe felt like a stereotypical hipster character, Drew was almost lazily created ("Oh, this is my brother Drew. He's hot, flighty and really good with social media), and Heather who? The pub patrons were seriously underdeveloped as well - the only one I got a feel for was Maurice and I didn't really care for his side plot (it felt both forced and underdeveloped).

Also, I don't think this book will age particularly well. It's very much a product of its time with references to the (at the time) current political landscape, but also references to what's trending in the pub world and so. I thought the #MeToo thing could have been handled better, but I didn't mind its inclusion.

But again, I thought this was perfectly okay. The writing was fine, I appreciated Alice's struggle with her career path and I do have a soft spot for this kind of setting. I also liked Frazzle the cat.

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Alice is in love, with her perfect boyfriend Joe. She gave up nights out for romantic evenings in, spent hungover mornings in bed together and blissful Saturday afternoons wandering around food markets. Then one day Joe runs into his ex Zoe and sparks seem to fly between them. That same week Alice looses her job and Zoe needs a place live, put two and two together and Zoe moves into their spare room to help with the rent. However Alice starts to feel threatened with the beautiful ex living in the spare room. At the same time she coming to terms with loosing her job and thinking of starting again. Can Alive come to terms with her new living arrangements and keep her boyfriend Joe?

I absolutely loved this book.
This is the third book I’ve read by Sophie Ranald and it’s her best yet. It’s got everything you look for in a chick lit; one moment you are laughing out loud the next being filled with emotion for Alice. It is brilliantly written, there is a deeper more relevant issue that was subtly written into the story and covered so well (no spoilers). I couldn’t put this book down and highly recommend to anyone looking for a book that has it all. Truly deserves it five stars rating.

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If you need to laugh your ass off, this novel is for you. I loved the main character alice who decide to give up on love because she never found her true perfect love until she mets jo, MR RIGHT, until the day they bump into Zoe, Joe's old friend who seems to have feelings for him. If you're searching for a good light page turner novel, you need to read this cute rom com .

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Alice and her boyfriend Joe are working in the same law firm. Alice is so close to becoming a solicitor when she finds out one day she doesn't have a job anymore. Now financially uncertain and not knowing what to do, she agrees to let her boyfriend's ex Zoë stay with them until she finds a job.

This book is marketed as a romantic comedy, but the comedy has been sprinkled a bit here and there in trivial amounts. Mostly, it’s just angst. I wouldn’t say the book is awful, but it’s not remarkable either. The writing was simple and fast-paced. There were some cute moments between the couple and people Alice gets to know later. But the author has cramped so many things into it that everything feels like it didn’t get enough attention.

There's subject of sexual harassment, homosexuality, immigration and its laws, the #metoo movement, the housing crisis in London that are simply touched on and left. Even when we get to the point where Alice finally tells Joe about what happened to her before the day she first met him, his reaction seemed so dispassionate. And then it was forgotten.

I’m sure the book would have been a much better read if it was an angsty romance book.

Thanks to NetGalley and Bookouture for the ARC for an honest review.

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Description

Alice thought she’d found Mr Right. Her blue-eyed boyfriend Joe gives her butterflies, makes her bacon sandwiches when she’s hungover, and doesn’t have a nickname for any of his body parts.

She should have known it was too good to be true. Because one day, Alice and Joe bump into Zoe. According to him, Zoe’s ‘just an old friend’. But Alice saw the way they froze, and heard the strange note in Joe’s voice when he said her name.

Then, out of the blue, Zoe needs a place to live. And Joe has the bright idea of inviting her, and her fluffy ginger cat Frazzle, to stay with them.

Alice tries her hardest not to feel threatened. But the thing is, Zoe doesn’t survive off microwave meals, or go days without washing her glossy copper-coloured hair, or accidentally get mascara in her contact lenses.

Joe’s ex might be pretty much perfect, but there’s no way that Alice will let Zoe steal him. She’s on a mission to prove that three (four, if you count the cat) is definitely a crowd…

My thoughts

I’ve already read a Sophie Ranald book before (you can read my review of that one here) so I was expecting a funny, sassy book like that one. Just Saying definitely delivered on this – and more.

The book centres around Alice, who ends up losing her job and – when her boyfriend Joe’s ex, Zoe, moves in – she considers the thought of losing him, too. Admittedly, Alice (or how she handled situations) at times annoyed me. I just wished I could reach into the book, shake her and say please stop doing that! Saying that, she was still likeable (whenever she wasn’t annoying) but also quite vulnerable, too. In amongst Alice though is a series of different characters – various regulars at the pub, Archie, even Frazzle the ginger cat is worth a mention!

It was your typical romance, except with the “other woman” mixed in. I don’t really tend to read books like this but this was a different take on the idea, one that didn’t leave me angry at the end – or heartbroken. The relationship is real, too. Though Joe and Zoe are great together, you can definitely see signs of strain in their relationship- something I don’t think a lot of books focus on.

I liked how Ranald inserted current affairs into this book, too. At times it felt as though she was taking on too much at once but it was good to see how she added in parts about the Windrush Generation, Brexit and #MeToo. Sometimes books have this quality of being so focused on the mushy lovey-dovey parts you almost forget about the real bits and the lives they explore. Luckily, this wasn’t a story all about love.

The one thing I wasn’t too crazy about was the ending. It felt abrupt and I just didn’t feel like it fit with the rest of the story. Saying that, it was still an enjoyable read.

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*Thank you NetGalley, Sophie Ranald and Bookouture for sending me a copy of this book for review. This in no way effect my thoughts and opinions on this book.'

First let me say that the blub of this book is very misleading. I was lead into a false sense of security from the start. From the initial few chapters I thought I was going to be reading a story about a woman who felt like she needed to make some changes in her life and would accomplish these goals in humorous and sassy way. In fairness you do get those themes but they are not the central plot. Instead the author throws you through endless angst.

Alice is our protagonist through this book, a young woman, training to be a lawyer and has a loving relationship with her boyfriend Joe. However, things change when her career takes a major setback. Unable to pay her half of the rent Alice agrees to let Joe’s ex-girlfriend, Zoe move into their spare room. After coming to realisation that a career in Law may not be her calling she gets a job at her local grotty pub (and I don’t mean Weatherspoon’s). However, there is a lot more to Alice's back story than we think and as the story unfolds we find out just how much.

Zoe is the ex-girlfriend that we all fear; a stunning, carefree and my favorite character. When I say favorite, I mean that I disliked her character from the start, not because she was annoying or had bad character development but because in my head I believed she had feelings for Joe. I believe there I quote that if you hate a character (not because they are annoying or have bad character development but you have feelings of dislike towards there character) then the author/ actor did their job.

What I didn’t enjoy was how many sub plots. This book tries to cover many sensitive subjects including the #MeToo movement, The Windrush generation and even Brexit but yet it doesn’t give enough attention to those subject. I hate to say it, but it felt like some of them were just thrown in there to try and add something to the plot and didn’t give them enough development. These are important subjects that just weren’t given the time and attention in this plot.

This was by no means a bad book. It is fairly simple and easy to follow and with only 300 pages can read in a few days but for me I didn’t enjoy this book. I spent a lot of time thinking about when it would end.

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This was a very moving untraditional love story. I love a book that isn’t predictable and this book was exactly that! I had expected the love story to stay on Joe and Alice ( main characters) but was thoroughly pleased with the depth of their relationship and their friends around them. Especially for Maurice and Wesley. A great read I can’t wait to check out other books by Ranald.

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This book has the humor and romance that the world needs right now. It also includes the #metoo movement and #lgtbq rights. You will grow to love Alice as she figures out if law is what she wants to do with her life. Her relationship with Joe as his ex Zoe is brought into their lives. Her friend Heather and brother Joe are a nice treat as well.

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Thanks to NetGallery for the free e-book to provide an independent review

This was my first Sophie Randall book. I had not heard of her before, which I was surprised by given the number of books she has written. I did have a quick flick through previous books on GoodReads, and she is an author I would choose. I was therefore quite excited that NetGallery had introduced me to a new relevant author for free.

Overall, this book was OK, but I will not be rushing to read any previous publications. I would usually expect to read this type of book quite quickly in a day. This seemed to drag though, and I had to read others before forcing myself to come back to it and finish.

It is chick lit, which is a genre I like and read a lot of – especially during lockdown. I like the easy language, and even enjoy the often-predictable nature of many books within the genre. I state this as I don’t want my criticism to be viewed as a result of being a book snob or anything!

The book felt too simplistic. Not necessarily the plot as such, but for example with Gordon she was dreading speaking about it, and then when she did it seemed to resolve within 2 minutes. If you are going to include workplace inappropriate behaviour in a book, please do it well. I do admire the effort though! Also, HR doing the firing in the situation is not realistic (I used work in HR). HR would be present, but it would be done by a senior manager. Finally denying a female a job because of sexual harassment is extremely dodgy and not something as a HR professional I would ever advise.

I have given it 3 stars as I don’t think it is terrible. If you found it on a swap shelf on holiday for example read it. However, I would not encourage you to go out of your way to find a copy.
I do note other readers have been more favourable, so perhaps I am just in a grumpy mood this week

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Just Saying, Sophie Ranald

Review from Jeannie Zelos book reviews

Genre: Humour, Romance,

My first Sophie Ranald read, and what fun it was. I really enjoyed this, laughed at parts and had tears at others. Its a very apt book with the #metoo still causing notice, and of course stories from the Windrush generation. .

I loved Alice, she was like so many people I know, internalising hurts, showing one face to the world while feeling very different inside. I think what I found so, so sad was her reaction to what happened, to blaming herself for not doing anything to stop it. That doesn't make her complicit, its a natural reaction to shock, and yet still something used as a defence far too often. Victim blaming – despicable defence.

When Alice met Joe it was a perfect match. Joe is wonderful, solid, dependable, a true support to Alice, and when she loses her job and starts at the pub he's very supportive. It means though that their work hours conflict and they see little of each other, just at the time their new, gorgeous lodger, Zoe, Joe's ex, the girl he says he loved and broke his heart, has moved in. Zoe is stunningly attractive, a great chef, and Joe loves to cook. Alice enjoys eating but cooking isn't her thing. Slowly it feels like its Joe and Zoe, rather than Joe and Alice, she's always there, laughing with Joe over their shared past, reminiscing over old mates, singing along as they cook, and of course enjoying the garden. The one Joe and Alice had such plans for but never found the time to do so. Poor Alice, Joe assures her they're just friends when she moves in, but its hard seeing that toned body parading around in sexy, skimpy nightwear. Does she want Joe back ? That's what Alice fears, and feels “less” in comparison to the gorgeous, talented Zoe.

Then there's the pub ( and that picture – I could just visualise it!! I loved Shirley's poem too, Princess Diana has that reaction for some people...). There's Alice's brother Drew, her best friend Heather, landlady Shirley and the locals, and of course handsome Archie, who owns the craft brew shop next door to the pub. They all form a tale that's is cleverly woven together, along with a secret burden poor Alice has been carrying for far too long. Its a fabulous read, well written, paced out just right and

Stars: Five. A great read. Has a perfect blend of romance and jealousy, topical issues, things that affect real people, us with our imperfect lives. And of course a HEA, a romance isn't right without that for me.

Arc via netgalley and publishers

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This ARC was provided to me by NetGalley.

This is the first Sophie Ranald book that I have had the pleasure of reading and I loved it! The main character was so likable and I could really empathise with her situation. Losing a job is never easy and to have your partner's ex move in, well that complicates life a tad. There are moments of laughter and moment where you want to crawl into the book to give them a hug.

Just Saying covers a lot of topics that are not usually in the chic lit genre (like the #metoo movement) and it is all done well. I highly recommend this book to anyone and hope to read more from Sophie.

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Alice has a wonderful relationship going with her boyfriend Joe when suddenly his ex, Zoe, is in the picture. As in, she comes to live with them to save on rent, haha! As this blurb goes I was ready to read a good comedy about all the mishaps when dealing with an ex, sadly it wasn't as comic as I thought it would be. The writing was good and the main character was also developed well about figuring out what she wants to do with her life. Really liked how well her boyfriend treated her right from the start of the book. Plus points for including current topics especially lgbtq and the #metoo movement. Zoe is not a likable character and I guess that's valid. Overall, this was a good read and I feel people would like to read about a strong and relatable female lead.

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An emotional, heart-warming story with plenty of love and laughter.’


This book is absolutely brilliant… I devoured it in a few hours because it was impossible to put down… Be prepared for a rollercoaster of emotions… Packed full of laughs… Had me laughing all the way through…

After months of struggling to find another author I love as much as I love Sophie Kinsella I have found her!’


**Thankyou Netgalley and publisher for providing me a free copy of this book in exchange of a honest review**

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I have to thank NetGalley and the publishers for the ARC.

I thought it would be a lighthearted rom com but like many other Sophie Ranald book its sole focus was not on the heroine. The author did a wonderful job on this story. Its equal part comedy and romance with lots of ups and downs. I adored this hilarious and heartwarming story. If you want to find out what happens when your boyfriend's ex comes to live with you then read it and find out for yourselves. I think readers are going to love it. It was surprisingly realistic with a witty and clever prospective on a seemingly straightforward love story. I loved it and will highly recommend it.

Happy reading!

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Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for an early review copy.

The book is about a beautiful female protagonist Alice.

Alice, who is is relatable, confident and ambitious.
How her relationship with Joe, and how their relationship was depicted was lovely. They had their ups and downs.
Her relationship with her bestie Heather was also relatable and lovely. All those from The Nags Head were enjoyable to read about

.A breath of fresh air Is how I would describe this book.

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Thank you to the author, Bookouture and NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This is the second book I've read from this author, which I didn't realize until I had started reading. The author again centers the story on a strong female character... except I didn't feel Alice was quite up to the role she was given. There's a lot of casting for identity and teenage/early 20s angst, a #metoo plot point, and a BF/GF relationship which is not developed and doesn't seem to exist for much of the book.. A lot of the issues causing Alice uncertainty could have been resolved with an open and honest conversation with said BF - but then the book would have been a lot shorter. The ending was a bit abrupt, but maybe on a par with the underdeveloped characters and loose ends. All in all, not bad, but this author can do so much better.

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3.5 stars

This is my first Sophie Ranald book and I have to admit it was an easy read. However, I found it rather odd in that it seemed to try to incorporate most current societal issues - gay marriage; farm to table and organic foods; the #MeToo movement; crowdfunding, etc. I actually found it a little daunting that so many issues were addressed.

This is the story of Alice & Joe, two legal trainees waiting to complete their program to earn their permanent spot as lawyers. They have been dating for two years and live together in complete happiness. Until one day when Alice loses her job - before her job actually begins. This couple is about to be faced with many changes that will test their relationship.

But the main question I have to ask is WTF? Who would actually let their boyfriend's ex (and the one that he was in LOVE with) move in with them just to save on rent? I think I can come up with other ways to close the financial gaps.

This ARC was provided to me in exchange for an honest review. The opinions above are mine without biases.

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