A light cosy read with all the themes you would expect of a romance. McCulloch really knows what she's doing with the way to write a compelling female protagonist with the thoughts and feelings becoming of someone who is relatable. I'd recommend this book to others as a cozy getaway book with just the right amount of pages to be satisfied.

Brilliant book, well written and relatable characters. The story of Paige and how she acts not really having come to terms with what had happened to her really rang bells with me and I related to this. Fantastic love story which didn’t have your typical lovey dovey storyline. Highly recommend this book.

I really enjoyed this book, it was a really cute read and would be a perfect summer/beach read!

I liked Paige as a main character and I understood why she was the way she was and why she found it difficult to trust men and relationships but I did also want to scream at her to stop being an idiot multiple times throughout! Noah was the sweetest, I loved him as a love interest and I think he brought out things in Paige that even she didn’t think she wanted until she had them right in front of her.
Paige’s family, particularly her mum, are really quite awful to her and after the interaction with them it’s never brought up again but I think it would have been interesting to have explored that further. I would have liked for Paige to stand up for herself and tell her mum how she makes her feel.

SPOILER: I definitely think that there should have been some mention of cancer being featured heavily within the story somewhere in the synopsis. I understand it wasn’t mentioned as Paige herself doesn’t like to talk about it and that’s why we, as readers, don’t find out until later on it the book however for some readers a story line featuring cancer is something they would want to know about before going into the book, so they can either prepare for it or choose not to read it.

This was the first book I’ve read by Holly McCulloch but I would love to read more now!

I giggled and swooned in equal measure! The characters really leap.off the page and make it impossible to put the book down!

The book was uplifting and easy to read but like many others reviews on here, I didn’t like Paige. And for me it’s always vital that I like and understand a main character. I just didn’t get her. However, the book and content was still a good read so would recommend

I absolutely LOVED this book. So much so that the moment I finished it I hit the online bookstores, searched for other books by Holly McCulloch and immediately bought her other novel. I'm most excited to have found a new author that I love. So, reasons why I loved this book- it had a twist I didn't see coming, the characters were so incredibly likeable and realistic. I genuinely couldn't put this book down and when I forced myself to go to sleep I immediately woke up and wondered what was going to happen next. I won't ruin the story line, and yes it very much fits in the women's fiction section. Overall it is a lovely read and one of the most memorable stories I have read lately. I would highly, highly recommend it.

The Mix Up
Paige makes wedding cakes for a living but this does not make her romantic.
This story begins with Chris, Paiges ex walking into her bakery with his new fiancee to order their wedding cake. He pretends not to know her. She follows his lead but has no idea why.

Paiges bakery was originally her nan's. It has an apartment upstairs. All Paiges knowledge and skills surrounding bakeing have come from her nan. She feels she owes everything to her.

The business s doing ok but Paige wants to make it more high end. So we are then introduced to Mika a wedding planner. It's her birthday party and Paige goes along mainly because she wants to find a distraction. Mika says she is "going to introduce you to the best distraction I have ever met. He is very good in bed".

This is where the "mix up" begins, we are introduced to Noah. In a simple misunderstanding. She has a great time with Noah but worries that this can't carry on being a long term relationship.

This is a very quick and easy read. Paige and her friend Sara have a good connection, and it's not till the second half of the book that you realise why.. their relationship deals with some serious issues sensitively.

Thank you to Netgallery and the publishers for giving me a digtal copy of this book for a honest review.

This was an enjoyable read but I think similar to a lot of other reviewers I found it difficult to like Paige. As the story unfolded it became more apparent why she was how she is, but by then I don't think I felt strongly enough about her to really want her HEA.

The Mix Up by Holly McCulloch a fantastic five-star read. (Possible spoilers ahead, I hate them but couldn’t write without possibly saying the wrong thing, it’s not a plot spoiler but a possible reveal spoiler) This was a weird one and I didn’t know what to rate it, as I did spend the first half/two thirds of the story wondering if I had missed something, as there is a major thing alluded to but revealed after you have been wondering for ages. That being said, I got it, in the end I could see why, Paige herself admits it after the reveal, that point alone made it five stars for me, the sheer subtlety of the reason blew me away. I didn’t realise until after I had finished just why it had taken so long then boom, like her words playing in my head I realised and had to take a moment. Paige was such a strong character even if she didn’t see it in herself, to create such beauty is a rare thing. Also we all a need a Mika in our lives.

This is definitely in the summer / beach read category. It is a nice light easy romance with the classic tropes and characters. However, unfortunately, I didn't particularly like the main characters - Paige and Noah, to be fair there was nothing to hate but I felt they were lacking in anything to fall in love with and so I wasn't overly invested in them falling for each other.

Paige has inherited a baking business from her gran, and is focused on making wedding cakes. early on in the book her ex turns out to be one of her clients, and so emotional turmoil ensues. She is also introduced to a guy to have fun with, except the guy is not the one meant, and he turns out to be more serious than expected.

This is a light frothy read that I would usually love. In theory, the premise is a perfect beach read, or this year "pretending I'm on a beach" read. However I just couldn't give it more than 2 stars. There were numerous microaggressions about food, and constantly equating the cake she was baking/selling/sharing/eating to 'bad' food. There were also comments that the love interest "looked after themselves" which is supposed to be code for slim/nice muscles etc. So definitely don't read this book if you have any disorder eating patterns. I also couldn't warm to Paige at all - her self -esteem is in the toilet, and I was constantly screaming at her.

Sadly not a book for me.

Thanks to Net Galley for a free copy in exchange for for an honest review

I’m so sorry not to have loved this book more but I couldn’t get past the fact that I couldn’t connect with the main protagonists - and once that didn’t click into place the rest of my reading time was spent in struggle. Great story telling and flow from the author but this was just not my story to fall in love with. Onto the next ...

Paige finds herself facing a situation with her ex boyfriend Chris. She can’t believe he’s walked into her shop to order his wedding cake! Plus she’s also got her current fling Noah to contend with. On paper he’s perfect, a doctor, fantastic kisser and a wonderful romantic but can Paige truly commit?

A easy and pleasant read that I picked up after wanting something to read that was a little lighter. It has drama, dilemmas and family and commitment issues. Can Paige finally confront her past to enable her to move forward with her future?

Thank you to Random House UK and Netgalley for an ARC of this story in exchange for my honest review.

Review of The Mix-Up by Holly McCulloch

This is the first book I have read by this author and really enjoyed it. A great funny and romantic feel good read. The main character Paige bakes wedding cakes for a living, but the last thing is she looking for is her own happy ending. Just after a bit of fun she goes to a party to hook up with the guy in the black top. The only trouble is there are two guys in black tops. Queue lots of hilarious fall out. Recommened

Another book I devoured in one sitting!

The Mix Up of the title appears very early on in the book and also revealed quite soon - this was quite refreshing as the book wasn't just a comedy of errors set around this mix-up. The book dealt with some serious issues and I felt that they were addressed very sensitively and with care. The characters are well drawn and I, for one, would love to have a nosey round Paige's flat and workshop!

I initially thought this was a standard anti-commitment turns into "just needed the right SO" plot romance novel and was tempted to out it down (it was a free unmasked for ebook via Netgalley). However, this was partly because I was pretty slow on the uptake. The narrator has a "breast friend" and goes on dates with fiddly bras that are particularly difficult to take off. And an ex who became an ex after he failed to support her through a difficult time... So rather than being a novel about a humorous misunderstanding over identity, picking up the wrong guy and discovering that commitment is just about the right person, this turned instead into a novel that tries to be about the long term impact of cancer on someone's self esteem and ability to trust. I liked it more than the book I thought it was going to be.I think I'd have liked it more if it had jumped genre conventions altogether, but the HEA/HFN is secure.

This was well written and easy to get stuck into but I did struggle to connect with the main character Paige a little bit. Whislt the reasons for her not wanting to have anything long term made some sense because of her history I did find her unwillingness to budge a little frustrating. I did like her interactions with her friend Sara, with Mike and with Noah who was lovely throughout. I don’t think Piage should have even given Chris the time of day after what happened between them and her family (aside from her Nan) were incredibly self centred. An interesting enough read (3 ⭐️)

Genre: Romance | Womens Fiction | General Fiction

Release Date: Expected 24th June 2021


Paige is not having a good day - her ex-boyfriend and his new fiancee have just walked into her bakery to order their wedding cake ... from her.

She may spend her days making peoples dream cakes for their dream days - but largely thanks to Chris she is most definitely not thinking about getting married or even trusting another man for a very long time, if ever.

As an anti-wedding enthusiast stuck in the body of wedding cake baker, she's stayed still while Chris has moved on with his life. By chance, at a party her friend points out the perfect guy for her - a total no-strings-attached distraction who likes to be with girls for a good time not a long time - the guy at the bar in the black shirt.

This guy is gorgeous, he doesn't get attached and you should never fall in love with him ... but this guy isn't the one Paige is talking to. She's talking to Noah, an ENT Doctor, great kisser and hopeless romantic.

Could this still the the distraction she needs? Or could the wrong guy be the right guy for her?

'The Mix-Up' was a cute misunderstanding that spiralled into something else - Noah was not at all the guy she was expecting him to be and watching the two of them totally misread the situation was adorably funny.

There was a healthy dose of drama; from Paiges family issues to Chris suddenly coming back into her life unexpectedly and bringing up feelings she is not ready to confront. As the story moves forward we delve into the truth about what happened between them and the real reasons that Paige is so against marriage and love.

This book was a quick easy read but I just couldn't connect with characters and found them a bit flat - after I'd read the book I was happy to find what happened but didn't feel that sense of relief that I expected about our characters destinations.



RATING: ⭐⭐⭐



Find The Mix-Up on goodreads here: https://bit.ly/3sPgjSr

You can check out Hollys debut novel, 'Just Friends' here: https://bit.ly/3dsih4Y

Thank you to Holly McCulloch, NetGalley and Random House UK for an ARC in return for an honest review.

I find this difficult to write because the blurb discloses something that isn't apparent until well over half way through the book and omits something that is hinted at from the start and revealed fairly early in the book.

Paige learned to bake from her grandmother and inherited her cake business (and flat above the workshop) when her grandmother died. Although her business has been doing nicely, she wants to expand into higher end wedding cakes so business is a little precarious as she tries to change focus. Oh, and she is also the least romantic person in the world, something she has to keep quiet from the hopeful brides who make up her clientele.

What she could never be prepared for was for her ex-boyfriend Chris to walk into her workshop with his fiancé Pippa looking for a wedding cake. Chris might have been equally surprised but he gets over the shock quickly enough, and bizarrely still wants Paige to make their wedding cake. Six years ago Chris let Paige down very badly, he wasn't there for her and he put his own needs ahead of hers. But now he's back in her life he seems to be a changed man, wanting to make amends, and it seems as though he is having second thoughts about marrying Pippa.

To get Chris out of her mind Paige goes to a party hosted by a wedding planner that Paige is keen to work with, who promises her a no-strings one-night stand with an ex-boyfriend, a guy who is known for a good time, but not for a long time. The friend doesn't have time to introduce them but points at a group of guys and says its the one in the black top. Of course there are two guys in black tops!

Paige has a great night with Noah, the guy in the black t-shirt, but he doesn't seem to be on the same page when it comes to one-night stands, he says they are having fun and why can't it continue?

As the book continues we see why Paige has this attitude about love and marriage, and the reason why she never cries. Unfortunately this is where the book lost a star for me, because Paige is one of those characters who clings onto a belief, a mantra, a worldview regardless of how stupid it has become. The more ridiculous the belief, the longer they cling to it, despite all evidence to the contrary. Also there was a whole thing with her toxic family that went nowhere.

This was an easy read, I sped through it in a single day, and an enjoyable read, but I don't think the characters will stay with me for long. A beach read (if we ever get to go on holiday this year).

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

Paige is a baker who specialises in wedding cakes. She gets a shock when her next appointment turns out to be her ex. He hurt her in so many ways, and as the story unfolds you realise what actually happened.
Paige goes to a party of a work friend, and is only looking for a good time. She is pointed in the direction of the man in the black top - but there are two of them so does she choose the right one? Noah ends up being more than just a fling, but can she let him in after what happened in her last relationship?
A great read which is emotional at times.