It's official: Elizabeth Neep is one of my best discoveries of the year! I read "the spare bedroom" at the beginning of the year, which I loved, and I was looking forward to reading her second book. Thankfully I wasn't disappointed.

Have you ever wondered what it would be like to have it all? Hailey has been a teacher for some years, same as her long-time boyfriend Dom and her long-time best friend Sophie. But now she's changed careers and has just entered one of the most prestigious law firms, being her new boss the famous Vivian Jones and her colleage the handsome Liam... will she be able to combine her old and her new life?

I loved Hailey, the main character, as she is a strong woman (even if she has her flags) and tries to be there for her friends. I also enjoyed this book a lot because it was not clear from the beginning what was going to happen: I kept guessing and finding my assumpions were wrong.

This book is perfect for fans of "The devil wears Prada", Sophie Kinsella and Lindsey Kelk.

** Thanks to NetGalley, bookouture and the author Elizabeth Neep for an ARC in exchange for my honest opinion. **

This book wasn't what I was expecting and I beleive the title and the blurb to be a little misleading. I was thinking the story would be something similar to the old 'yes man' type plot where the main character Hailey struggles to say no and ends up doing lots of things she doesn't want to, before finding her voice and telling people where to go.

There was some element of this in the book, but really it was more a Devil Wears Prada scenario with Hailey being too busy in her new glamourous job with her new colleagues to remember the important things in her life. The characters were all likeable and I really did enjoy the book, it was fast paced and an easy read. The style was reminiscent of a Sophie Kinsella or a Lindsay Kelk novel.

I give the book 4 stars because it was great - but I really would suggest a more true to plot blurb on the books description and perhaps a catchier title?

Thanks to netgalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review. I will be looking out for more from this author.

‘Never Say No’ by Elizabeth Neep is a contemporary romance novel which explores the themes of infidelity, friendship and love. The novel is about Hailey, a 29-year-old, who after a career change has just started working at a Law Firm. Haley’s boyfriend Dom and best friend Sophie are both teachers. Sophie wants Hayley to run a marathon and for them to train for it together. Dom wants to spend time with Hailey, but she is always too busy for him and it doesn’t help that her boss, Vivian, keeps asking her to stay late at work and attend events. Hailey has a habit of taking on way too many situations at once! This leads to her loved ones being disappointed and constantly let down. The storyline highlights the difficulty of balancing work and home life.

‘Never Say No’ was an enjoyable and easy read. It was fun following Hailey’s journey and I love the twists in the various relationship tangles at work. I felt empathetic towards Sophie and Dom, both being very patient and loyal to Hailey. I didn’t warm to Hailey’s character in the first half of the story but grew to like her more as I started to understand the barriers she faced when various opportunities arise.

The moral of the novel is that you don’t have to say yes to every opportunity. It’s best to tell the truth to someone if you already have too much on your plate.

Thank you Netgalley, Bookouture and Elizabeth Neep for the ARC of Never Say No.

I was amuse with the genre at first: Humor!
And the last thing I know, I couldn't find a ways to laugh at this story.
Which part of the story is humor laughable? Cry? not even a drop.
I've been forcing my self to read until the end... although I lose my mind somewhere after few chapters.
Its dull and tiring kind of life for Hailey Kidd. She's a type of "People-Pleasing" saying YES to something that undoubtedly you can't do. Ughhh!!!!
And slow pacing..
However, Love Vivian characters! Badass Tough Strong women you might want to know.

I received this book free from @Netgalley and the Author in exchange for an honest review. Thank you so much for this ARC

An enjoyable read with some great characters and a relatable premise. After years of people pleasing I spent half the book giving knowing nods at Hailey. I loved her arc and she began to see through Vivian Jones. Good read.

My second book by this author and although I liked the previous one, I totally adored this one. 

I thought Hailey, the main character is great. Who did never feel like 'why do they get those chances and I don't?' or 'What if'? or 'Is this it?'. It makes her very real and she could easily be sitting next to you in a bus or restaurant. 

Never say no. I wish people could do everything they would like to do. Would that not be a dream come true? But life does not happen that way. Never saying no can make you very happy, but sometimes you have to say no to stay happy. What people don't know, can't hurt them. So true, but what if they find out, who will be hurt the most...?

A great story about finding out what you want the hard way. I enjoyed the writing style and different kind of emotions the book evoked. 5 stars

Thank you, Elizabeth Neep and Bookouture

I adored this book. I loved seeing Halie Take on her new role in the law office and learning about herself in the process. The ups and downs of life, work, relationships and friendships is real — and the writer did a great job of showing that in the book. I liked how Halie’s relationship was just a side and not the whole story.

Thank you NetGalley, the author and the publisher for letting me read the ARC of Never say No.
I loved everything about this book. Where to start from?
I live in a very different culture but still I could relate to many aspects explained in this book. I could totally feel and relate to Hailey, I don't mean the changing part but rather for being the one always there for others. I grew along with Hailey. I was so engrossed in the book. I couldn't find any flaw in the book as it beautifully explained human nature and its flaws. I so so wanted to comfort Hailey. She always felt like she was on her own and this is the part to which I can strongly relate. I think I loved her character and I am not in any way angry with her for her decisions. she made mistakes, yes, but she was never smug about her mistakes. She was so strong, kind, polite, ambitious and everything and she often ignored her own needs for others.
As far as Dom and Sophie are concerned, I was quite annoyed with them in the beginning but towards the end of the story I am glad I was wrong about them. Daniel was good too. I am glad I hated Liam but still he had a part in the growth of Hailey's character and the same goes to Vivian and other characters as well.
The best thing about the book was the kind of friendship the characters portrayed and I would really love to have friends like them.
I learned a lot from this book and I think I also grew along with the characters. some of the few wonderful quotes from the book are:
'None of this was laid out on the table, just ours for taking, we had to work for it. We had to win.' (wow awesome, right?)
'Idols always break the heart of those who love them."
Ask for a sponsor, notice who's noticing you.'
But part of being a good leader, a smart leader, is knowing when it is time to move out of the way'.
Sometimes you need to take a few risks to find out what you really want to do.'
There are so many wonderful quotes from this book that I could go on and on but that would need a lot of readers' time so I tried to keep it short. The more detailed review is on my bookstagram though. (https://www.instagram.com/p/CDe7YUdgnbX/?igshid=l2gz2fy3iglq)
I highly recommend it to all readers. It is totally worth it. 5 stars from my side.

I loved reading this refreshing concept! Saying no is such a difficult thing! I loved the characters and how Hailey grew throughout the story!

Thank you Netgalley and Bookouture for allowing me to read this and give my honest opinion.

Vivian certainly followed her own mantra of breaking all expectations and creating her own rules. However, as Hailey learned, a facade has nothing of substance behind it. What Hailey has with Dom and Sophie far outweighed the riches that Vivian had. I can see how she would get caught up in that fast paced and perceived sexy world but it is not sustainable and ultimately doesn't provide joy. Being home matters the most.

I liked Never Say No, but it was listed in the humor and women's fiction categories, which led me to believe that is was a rom-com. I failed to find the humor in it. Hailey is switching careers from teacher to lawyer, and begins training with her idol, Vivian Jones; she increasingly ignores her best friend and live-in boyfriend to the point that she regularly ignores countless texts and phone calls, begins to forget and cancel planned activities with them, and considers infidelity with her married office crush. I enjoyed that she was transitioning to a new career and there was a theme of women supporting women, but couldn't get past the idea that she was always saying no (contrary to the title) to the healthy relationships in her life in favor of duplicity and dysfunction of office politics and hierarchies. Ultimately, if you approach this book as women's fiction with much heavier undertones, you will have a more realized reading experience, than if you expect it to be a lighter rom-com.

Rating: 3 / 5

Advanced reader's copy provided courtesy of the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Triggers: infidelity

Rating - 3.8/5

Never Say No is a story of self discovery, love hope and monogamy.

This is a story of a woman, Hailey Kidd, who has always lived a normal life, caring for her friends, loving the same boyfriend, settling for whatever she gets and not worrying about herself, until she gets to know about Vivian. Vivian is the best marriage and divorce lawyer in London, moving forward with a vision of maintaining her position at the top.

Hailey is really close to her best friend, Sophie and her boyfriend, Dom. When she joins her new job under Vivian, she starts getting influenced by that world. Even after figuring out the real face of Vivian, she doesn't seem to care about anything. The influence of the new world affects her enough to lose her wisdom of wrong and right.

In the company of Vivian and the chaos of divorce cases, Hailey finds herself drifting away from the people who care for her.

I liked this story as it is not just a story of a girl getting influenced by people of big world, but from which one can learn so many lessons. The author has portrayed the depth of relationships through this story so well. Sometimes, people get lost in trying to see whether the grass is greener on the other side, but all they get is nothing because love is the most valuable thing in the entire world.

As the author says novelty is fine, but intimacy is far more than that. It's a very true.

Dom is my favourite character. I felt so sad for him when Hailey took him for granted.

Talking about the writing style, initially the reader will build up the pace as the words flow smoothly. In the middle of the book there are parts I found boring, but then it was needed to be there to understand the depth of the lessons. But it could have been written in a better way.

If you are having some kind of confusion in your relationship then do read this book. Yes, everyone has different story but this book might help you with one or the other thing.

This ARC not only talks about self discovery but also of characters that haven't had it easy and just handed to them. Working in a predominantly male profession Victoria Jones remains my favourite character of this book. The protagonist of this book takes it time to establish itself in the book and its not your simple self discovery she leaves us with a few questions if you read the last few pages carefully. It's not an all wells that ends well book which is the admiral part of this book. Like the word NO, it too leaves a thing or two you would say NO to the main character Hailey makes.

Take a journey of self-discovery with Hailey Kidd. All her life she has been doing things for others, saying yes to being friends, a girlfriend, moving in etc. However, she has recently retrained to be a lawyer after wanting more from her life as a primary school teacher. Starting at a law firm where the inspiration for why she wanted to become a lawyer works her eyes are opened to a different world.

Is the grass greener or just different on the other side? Is her life really that boring and predictable that she needs to inject more excitement into it?

Struggled with this book, unable to find the laugh out loud moments, instead thinking how self-centred Hailey was with her relationships. Not to mention the undercurrent of normalising adultery throughout the book.

I had never read anything by this author before, but the writing was quite engaging, which made it easy for me to get into the story. A perfect summer read!

This story was able to catch me from the first moment. There is something about the main character and the way her story was told that makes the events feel closer and personal. It was a very fun trip to see her navigate the new challenges she took as a lawyer in her almost thirties. I think the only negative for me were some secondary characters, but obviously that is left to the opinion of each reader...

I definitely got Devil Wears Prada meets Suits vibes from this book (albeit more relatable) - the seemingly unsupportive friends, fabulous but scary new boss, beautiful clothes and potential work related romance.

There’s not much to dislike about this book if you’re looking for an easy to read and beach bag worthy book - definitely one to take with you on holiday.

It touches on infidelity, relationships and modern womanhood - balancing work, play and family life.

Fans of Sophie Kinsella and Mhairi McFarline, this is for you.

this was a cute and charming romantic comedy. i liked reading this one a lot and i think you will, too. you should totally pick it up when it's avail.

Thank You NetGalley/Publisher & Author for this gifted e-ARC!

Summary---
It’s always been yes. Yes, I’ll be your friend. Yes, I’ll be your girlfriend. Yes, I’ll move in with you. Yes, yes, yes. I can’t just change my mind now. Can I?

Hailey has always been told she can have it all. And saying yes to every opportunity that comes her way seems like the obvious way to make sure she gets it.

When she finds an engagement ring hidden in her boyfriend Dom’s closet, she knows she’ll say yes.

Her best friend Sophie suggests they run a marathon together and although Hailey hasn’t done more than sprint for a bus in years, she says yes.

Review---
This was such a fun book to read. That I totally enjoyed.
I feel like a lot can relate to Hailey in life.
The author really holds your attention throughout the entire book.... Which is a plus!
Most of these books are blauhhhh to me, And I hardly ever finish them. But this I loved.
Perfect summer read for sure.

Rating---- 4/5

Never Say No is a fun romantic comedy that will appeal to women in their twenties and early thirties who haven't yet "settled down", so to speak. I found it hard to get into the story because I couldn't relate to any of the characters and I kept wanting to yell at them. I guess I'm too old.
If you liked The Devil Wears Prada, you'll probably like Never Say No. The storyline is very similar.

With thanks to the author, the publisher and Netgalley for the digital ARC.

This book is fab! I've definitely had Devil Wears Pravda meets Ally McNeal vibes from this one. I have loved it from start to end.
Hailey is a wonderful main character and I have really found her relatable. As an adult, it's really easy to say yes to things just to please others or because we think it is the right thing to do.
This book has been an addictive read and one I've devoured in just one sitting. The author has completely pulled me in and this has been a very enjoyable read.
This is completely unique to anything I've read previously and I have read this author's previous book- this is definitely my favourite.