Cover Image: If Only

If Only

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Member Reviews

Deb has postponed her wedding twice to Mark, thanks to her interfering future mother-in-law, Margie.

Sarah has been having an affair with married father of one, David for five years. Will David ever leave his wife for Sarah?

Cher is in love with her boss, Michael Hunter. Can she ever get him to notice her as more than his secretary?

One drunken night, the three best friends make a potion to help with the problem areas in their lives.

This is a lovely tale of love, friendship and a lot of tolerance! Interesting characters and plenty of humour. I found this to be a heartwarming and entertaining read.

My thanks to NetGalley and Bookouture for my copy in exchange for my honest review.

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This novel did not really grab my attention. I finished it rather quickly, but more because it was a simple read than an engaging one. Marsons tries to weave a novel composed of three separate stories of three women who are best friends. Each woman has a 'problem' that needs fixing. Only one of these three women is vaguely likeable. Cher is clueless and immature. Sarah is trying to snag a married man by getting herself pregnant. Deb is trying to beat her coworker out for a job by sabatoging his chances while planning a wedding that is being sabatoged by her soon-to-be mother-in-law. Each storyline could have easily been a separate novel, and probably would have made each woman's story more effective. The novel was not long enough to really have good character development which made the resolution of all three stories rushed and not believable. The relationships between the women and the male characters were not well developed nor was the relationships amongst the three women. I am not certain how to classify this novel...not a romance, not a rom-com, possibly chick-lit, maybe young adult. Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC.

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DNF @ 40%

Well.

My first ARC that I am DNFing.

This book was NOT it. None of the characters were likeable. They acted like teenagers even though they are in their mid/late twenties, and they are just so... awful.

Sarah is having an affair with a married man and her plan is to get herself pregnant by him so he will leave his wife

Cher is obsessed with her kinda asshole boss with whom she's never even had a conversation. Like, she literally moons over him and thinks about their ~wedding~ and whatnot like a 14 year old.

Deb is the only kind of likeable character. Honestly, if this book was just about Deb, her overbearing mother-in-law-to-be, and her wish for her to disappear, I would read that. This did not need to be an ensemble book.

Sorry. I tried.

Thank you NetGalley and Bookouture for the eARC for review.

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Cher, Deb and Sarah each have their own problems, and after some drunken messing around with an old spell book picked up by book-hoarder Cher things start to change. Coincidence? Very probably. But it makes for a fabulous book. It’s light-hearted and very easy to read. And I think everyone will relate to some aspects of the story, be it having a crush on someone at work or a mother-in-law to be.
Some of the antics of Deb’s mother-in-law to be were hilarious and equally cringey, especially the trying on of bridal gowns and bridesmaid dresses.
A lovely book about friendship, such great well-developed characters that I felt I knew the girls so well. Lots of humour and it gave me a giggle. There were some touching parts too.
Angela Marsons is the crime queen, but this softer side is a fabulous read. I loved it.
Thanks to Bookouture and NetGalley for the review copy in which I give my honest review.

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What a cute little read. #ifonly #angelamarsons #bookouture #netgalley this one is to be released on the 6th of July. And it is the perfect ready to grab while on the beach. Three friends. All three with what they think they want and wish for. But. Once their wishes come true they might see it isn’t what they actually wanted. Fall in love with our three friends. You will know their troubles. And their wants. We have all been there. #bookstagram #readersofinstagram #bookrecommendations #readingbuds #booklover #readersgonnaread #booklover

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As a big fan of A Masons crime series, I was really interested to see what this genre will be like and I wasn't disappointed. What a lovely book and although it was completely different to the ones I've read before, I could feel A Masons writing in every page.

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I am a massive fan of this authors crime books so I was so looking forward to seeing how her transition to other genres went and I certainly wasn’t disappointed. This was such a beautiful and amazing read. This was a story of friendship and showing that everything is possible if you put your mind to it and with a little help from your friends. This was a book full of fabulous and relatable characters and a realistic story line and was such a delight to read. If you are looking for a book to escape in that will make you laugh and cry in equal measure then this is for you.

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Thank you to netgalley for an advanced readers copy. I have enjoyed every single one of Marsons books and was intrigued at the premise of this one. I felt that it was an overall decent read, some characters I liked more than others. I applaud Marsons for branching out from the usual dark thrillers that she’s so wonderful at. I am not sure I would read another of the chick lit versions in the future, and look forward to reading more about Kim Stone!

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I am yet to read a book by this author that I haven't enjoyed! I really loved the friendship within this book, and the element of not really knowing what you want. Fantastic book that i absolutely could not put down. Cher was definitely my favourite character, I thought she was so relatable! Really recommended.

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I thought this book was cute and a very relaxing/easy read. It was not at all surprising in the directions it took but it was enjoyable to see where the characters ended up. The one part that I struggled with is that I had trouble connecting with the characters. They were all making such ridiculous moves that I would never make it was challenging to connect with them. A cute book that would be perfect to enjoy on a beach towel with a glass of wine in your hand.

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Being a big fan of Angela Marsons Kim Stone series, I had to read ‘If only’ and what a fabulous book this is.
Three friends Cher, Deb and Sarah are in unhappy in different stages of their lives. When one evening after a few bottles of wine, they make a wish for what they want most out in their lives. Not really thinking that it is ever going to come true, and they are just having a bit of fun. But when their wishes are start coming true, but not the way that they want too. Both the girls are having second thoughts are asking themselves is this what they really want?
This is a romantic comedy which to be honest I don’t normally read. It had a good storyline and I liked the characters of the three girls. I found this to be a funny life affirming comedy but, a bit cheesy and cringeworthy too in a good way. That I surprisingly really enjoyed. 4 stars from me.

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I have read almost of all Marson’s Kim Stone detective series and am completely addicted to it so when I saw that she branched off into rom com my first thought was this is a must read.

It definitely had its laugh out loud moments and chuckles. I definitely was invested into the relationships of the three main women in the book to see if they would find their bravado and where they would end up.

I did feel that the story was a little too detailed and repetitive through much of the book and the ending wrapped up so quickly I was surprised.

All in all I enjoyed the story and if Marson’s continued to write in the genre would check out another story by her.

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Congratulations to Angela - what a great book in a new genre!
The best of Angela's writing is her realistic characters. She knows how to make them relatable - like ourselves, people we all know.
Cher fans a secret love for her boss' boss. They have limited exchanges- but Cher is convinced he is the man for her. His character, strength allowing him to make hard decisions. Then he becomes her boss.
Sarah has spent five years in an extra marital affair, as the woman on the side. Their relationship burns hot after five years but Sara wants more. Then she opens her door to find him moving in - he left his wife.
Deb is sick of struggling of her future mother-in-law. She never fails to pass up a backhanded compliment. And now she is taking over planning Deb's wedding. Criticizing her dream dress - Deb can't take the rejection anymore.
Through it all, these women support and love each other. Providing laughter, kindess and encouragement, these women will conquer all - together.

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Had never heard of this author or read anything by them. It looks like this was their first rom-com and I wasn't a fan. I regretted asking for this book as soon as magic and spells were abounding. However, it was nice to see the friendship between the friends, I reckon could be an easy book to read at the beach!

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This breaks my heart to give this score and review - first off let me say, at the end of the book it said Marsons is the queen of Crime and I entirely agree! Her Kim Stone series is one of my faves and I absolutely love her writing style and character development. She will continue to be one of my favorite authors. However, this venture into chick lit just wasn't for me. I didn't find the character development to be on the same level that I'm use to from her. I found Cher to be quite immature and her story was a little irritating to read. Sarah's story was the most readable to me. Deb was my favorite of the 3 women, however I didn't find her story to be that entertaining until the very end. And some details I just didn't care for, I'd elaborate but it would cause spoilers. Those things could just be personal preference of course. I did like the endings for all 3 women.
This book may be better suited for the casual reader. I likely wouldn't recommend it to my friends that frequently read chick lit. I can tell that Marsons' enjoyed writing this so it makes me sad to give a less than rave review. I would probably give another chick lit from her a chance as I know the quality of her writing skills!

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The premise was interesting but the actual book fell short. I found it extremely difficult to finish.

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The cover of this book grabbed my attention. The author is new to me, so I was keen to get stuck in!

The first chapter had me hooked, I loved the description of Cher’s work day; the heavy reliance on her from her boss and her daydreaming.

As I embarked on the second chapter I realised that this was a book that runs several parallel stories of friends lives. For many people this is a good thing and adds to the story. However, I’m not a fan. I never feel fully invested in a story or the characters when I need to follow different storylines, characters, circumstances and personalities.

It’s a shame really as I loved the authors writing and the book started so well…it was just too much for me.

Thank you NetGalley and publisher for my advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review 📚

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A brilliant feel good romance story with episodes of laughter. Once I started reading I didn't want to stop. I look forward to more from Angela

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A fun, easy to read rom com built around the three main characters Cher, Sarah and Deb. After one too many drinks one summer evening they each wish for the one thing they want the most. Or is it?

A laugh out loud story with friendship, desires and well drawn characters. Light hearted and a perfect summer/beach read with a great ending.

Thank you to Bookouture and Netgalley for an ARC of this book in exchange for my review.

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I gave this book a 3.5:4 stars. While I really enjoyed this book I found that there were a few too many characters and lots that I didn’t really connect with. I did enjoy the story line between the 3 best friends and all the drama in it. I love that they all had a wish and you watch it unfold to come true in its own way. But also be careful what you wish for! Thank you NetGalley for this advanced copy of this book!!

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