This is an okay book. I wasn’t thrilled with it on a couple of points. I was expecting a more carefree read and it was a bit darker than I was expecting. I like all types of books but when one is marketed as a light hearted romantic comedy - that is what I am expecting. The main characters were a bit too sugary for me as well. This isn’t a bad book - it just wasn’t up my alley

Loved it. This is my third Sophia Ranald book and my favorite so far. After back-to-back mysteries and thrillers, I needed a change of pace, a palate cleanser, and this hit the spot. There are plenty of light moments that will make you smile and chuckle quietly to yourself, but it’s not all romance and humor. An unexpected plot twist sets this book apart from the usual romance/humor novels.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the arc.

This was a good, cute, book. It held my engagement and was likeable, but not loveable. The beginning was probably my favorite part of this book. From there it did seem to drag slightly.

* I received the book by the publisher in exchange of an honest review. All thoughts and opinions are unbiased. *

Just Saying by Sophie Ranald revolves around Alice and her boyfriend of two years Joe who are living together. When Alice has a career set-back and can’t afford to pay her share of their rent, he asks about his ex Zoe living with them. Alice agrees unwillingly and the whole time wonders if Zoe is doings things in order to get back with Joe. Alice starts working at local pub and starts to wonder about what she really wants. Complicating things a bit is the next door brewery owner named Archie that she is starting to feel something for over their games of Scrabble. On top of all of that, Alice has a secret that she has kept from Joe that she worries about throughout the book.

The plot was like a roller coaster ride it had many ups and downs in terms of engagement and interest. It began on a simple and plain note then suddenly surprised me by the unexpected twists and then again became too plain and uninteresting. Overall, it was quite hard for me to invest myself solely in the plot due to it’s fickle nature.

The characters were quite interesting to read about however, to me they seemed to depend on the plot too much and had no spark of their own. Alice’s character had no developments and throughout the book she was shown to care only about her falling relationship while Joe had no idea about his girlfriend’s insecurities. While Zoe on the other hand no personality which was worth the scare for Alice.

The writing style was the only thing that kept me engrossed in this book as I love Sophie Ranald’s old books. I am familiar with her writing style and was glad to have a chance to read it again!

' Just Saying ' is an emotional ,heart warming novel with plenty of love and laughter.

When your boyfriend wants to share your flat with his ex girlfriend - shouldn't you have something to worry? Well I found myself siding with Alice so much throughout the story. I am happy she didn't turn mad living with her boyfriend and his long lost ex girlfriend - the one who still has hots for him.


Joe is my new favourite. I was rooting for Alice and all the right choices she made and mentally scolding her for doubting Joe and keeping secrets from him - understanding , such caring and supportive soul.

I liked the raw emotions felt from the characters in this book, given the situations were very realistic. We are flawed beings and it is quiet normal to feel insecure and jealous. I also loved the way while Alice got pushed out of her prestigious job ,she found something she actually loved , instead of something she felt she should.

This is not actually a rom-com there was this bitter undercurrent to the whole book and left me a bit anxious while reading the book amd the fact that the female protagonist was living with the ex of her boyfriend left icky feeling in my mind - it was funnily weird (if that makes sense).

Trigger Alert: This book contains Scenes of Sexual Assault in Workplace and the mental trauma one has to go through.

Overall it was a okay-ish read . It was not like the other books by the author - I found it less funny though.

I am grateful to NetGalley and the publisher to provide me with the review copy.

Although this was a quick read and I enjoyed a few moments, most of the time I was annoyed. Annoyed about what, you wonder? about the main character. This is just a book about a girl being paranoid.

Bonus points because despite containing some heavy topics that I didn't expect in this book I liked how they were handled.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC in exchange for an honest opinion.

The summary is misleading. It made the book about Alice our heroine gets even or rival with Zoe the ex girlfriend of his "perfect boyfriend" Joe. But to be honest all throughout the book Zoe didn't made any move or any hint of flirting with Joe (will except those letters from their past) its really just about Alice being paranoid. The book has so much more than what the summary entails and I was surprised and not a good way. A little heads up would have been great!

trigger: sexual assault

The actual rating would be 2.5 and I will link the full review about this.

Thank you so much netgalley and bookouture for this digital arc!
I read it in two days! I enjoyed how the writer dealt with a women’s insecurities when it comes to dealing with ex girlfriends ! Alice is all set to become a lawyer along with her live in boyfriend Joe - also lawyer bound !
Out of nowhere she is told she is no longer employed at her firm as her boss is currently under some “investigation” .
She is devastated and lost ! To save money on rent - Joe suggests his ex - girlfriend Zoe moves in to help share the cost!
I was proud of Alice but also was like no way girl — this isn’t going to end up well !
This is a story of trust, love and following your heart ❤️
I can’t wait to read more books by this author ! I’m becoming a huge fan of rom coms !

This book was a quick easy read, but I really enjoyed this story and would love to read more from this author.

Just Saying by Sophie Ranald a three star read that is just getting that. I had high hopes for this one and maybe that was my issue, it just didn’t live up to what I was expecting, I was just annoyed for most of the story and I usually like angst in my story but this just made me want to grab some people and tell them to talk to each other. It was as if the author threw a bunch of issue dealing story lines in and shook them about instead plotting them out and making the most of it. I have read the author previously and enjoyed their work and will maybe try it again but only if it looks worth it.

Alice was on the fast track to legal glory (of sorts) when poof- it all fell apart and she finds herself working in a pub. Luckily, she's still got her boyfriend Joe, who she lives with. Or does she? Joe does ask- yes he does- if it's ok if his ex Zoe moves in with them (along with her cat). Not smart because even if there isn't anything between Joe and Zoe, Alice can't get the possibility out of her head. You know how this is going to go but it does take a bit of a swerve into a serious topical issue that made me stop and reconsider. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC. It's a fast read that will be perfect for the beach or, better, the back garden.

This was my first book from Sophie Ranald and it won't be my last. I thought it was like a breath of fresh air and just a really fun read. If you are a fan of chick lit or romcoms, then this is for you! It was funny in all the right places and had romance that wasn't overdone or cheesy. It was cute, engaging and a quick read.

Alice and Joe are a couple who are both totally happy, in love and climbing the corporate ladder. A chance run in with Joe's ex girlfriend Zoe sends things into a bit of a spiral. Alice suddenly loses her position at the law firm she was working at and Zoe also ends up down on her luck with no place to go. So, needing the extra cash, Joe invited Zoe to stay with them and it is obviously not an ideal situation!

I liked Alice as a character. She was spunky and funny and I like that she wasn't the type to fall apart. I liked how she handled all of the situations that were thrown at her. I didn't really like Zoe. I found her annoying and hated the way she imposed on their relationship! But I guess that's part of what made the story good so I can't complain too much!

Overall, this was a very fun romcom to read and I liked it! I would read more titles from Sophie Ranald for sure! It is coming out the first week of July so be on the lookout. It would be a great summer read. Thanks to Netgalley and Bookouture for my review copy!

You know it’s a good book when you want to be friends with the main character and after reading Just Saying I want to be BEST friends with Alice!! This is the first Sophie Ranald book I have read and it definitely won’t be my last. The whole cast of characters were written so well that they felt like real people I actually knew and it was a such a beautiful and heartwarming story that had me laughing, and sometimes crying, along with Alice on her journey! I just adored this book!!
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A big thank you to Netgalley and Bookouture for this digital advanced copy to read and review!

Thank you #Netgalley for the advanced read!

Alice and Joe live a great life working their way up the corporate latter. When they run into one of Joe's ex's after Alice lost her job...things took a turn. Alice began helping out at a local pub and Joe welcome's his ex into their home to live. As you can imagine, things got complicated. A nice quick read.

Alice has a good life, a loving boy friend - Joe, a soon to be lawyer and an amazing best friend - Heather. Her life is headed in the right direction and is going according to a plan. She just got confirmed at her office, Joe gets promoted and life couldn't get any better than it is. But everything begins to tumble and Alice feels like an utter failure in her life.
Alice's boss gets fired for inappropriate behavior and with him gone, her job is gone too at the Law Firm. Well on her way to success, she suddenly has tumbled down right to the bottom. Not enough on her plate, Joe decided to rent the spare room in their house to his ex and uncannily Alice agrees to it.
Alice starts a new job at a bar. Meets a hot guy who owns a store opposite the bar.

- Does Alice go back to her Law Firm job?
- What happens when Joe's ex Zoe begins to live with him?
- Do sparks fly again between Joe & Zoe?
- Does Alice develop feelings for the new guy?
- Does Alice have her happy ending with Joe?

Well, you should read this lovely book to know how it all cohere in the end.

Rating - 3/5 stars
Recommendation - Moderate

Conclusion,
A sweet romantic comedy which takes us through Alice's highs and lows in life. Depicts her professional passion and her personal esse. A quick and joyous read. Has it's elements of comedy that keep you in splits in between. All in all, a good read.

P.S - Trigger Warnings - Nil

If you're a fan of chick-lit, this book is for you. If you're not a fan of chick-lit, read this book and become a fan of chick-lit.

Hilarious, relatable, and down-to-earth. Sophie Ranald brings fun characters and interesting storylines into light-hearted and hilarious reads, while somehow making you think deeper. If you're a fan of the show Crazy Ex-Girlfriend, you'll probably love this read as much as I did.

I didn’t think I would love this book as much I did. Alicia thinks she has finally found the love of her life and is also settling with her career as a solicitor. However, Alicia finds herself leaving her job one day because of the circumstances at work and has started working in a pub. Due to financial problems, Joe and Alicia decide to share their flat but only to find out that their new flatmate is Zoe - her boyfriend’s ex. Alicia naturally feels jealous and is on her toes.

I thought the book would only be another rom-com story but there is so much more. The book covers a sexual assault (trigger warning); and also a brief #metoo movement and pride story which made me love the book even more. The book really does surprise you unexpectedly.

I love the poetry sessions Drew (Alicia’s brother) organised for the pub and also want to play all those board games especially Scrabble (will play online right after this)!

Finished this book in one day. Recommend!!!

This was a cute story but I kind of hate the ending tbh. Zoe and Joe were both pretty awful and I hate that all was neatly and nicely forgiven. I'm probably in the minority with that though as it did give that happily ever after than many people chase.

The story here went into some heavier topics than I had expected it to. I like how the author handled those!

Just Saying is a book that will make you believe in true love .. it has proved that trust and communication is indeed a must to keep a relationship going

It tells the story of Alice who has her life on track ,she’s got the perfect boyfriend ,Joe and about to become a qualified lawyer but when her career comes to an end ,joe comes with an idea of inviting his ex, Zoe who’s still as gorgeous as ever and doesn’t survive on microwave food to live with them in order to afford the rent
Alice begins to work in a pub and with both of them having a busy schedule their love starts to fall apart and to complicate things ,she becomes friends with her hot neighbour at work Archie who’s very good at Scrabble and somehow always appears when she’s in need .

We all need a light romance sometimes and this is the perfect book for that
It also touches sensitive topics such as sexual harassment which is what a lot of girls in different places go through but are way too scared to say anything out loud

Alice has a perfect life: a well-paying job, a handsome and attentive boyfriend (Joe), and a nice flat for the two of them. All of a sudden, she is made redundant, and Joe has the brilliant idea of having none other than his ex-girlfriend come to share the flat with them to cut costs.

This was a well-written story, funny at times, and also more profound at other times. I liked both Alice and Joe and the healthy relationship between them. I also liked most of the secondary characters (there were a lot of them), especially Shirley and Drew (Alice's brother). I also think that the author did a great job addressing the more serious issues in the book.

** Thanks to NetGalley and Bookouture for an ARC in exchange for an honest opinion **