Cover Image: On a Night Like This

On a Night Like This

Pub Date:   |   Archive Date:

Member Reviews

My review of On a Night Like This will be publicly available at giareadsbooks.com on January 11th. You will be able to find it with this link:

giareadsbooks.com/book-reviews/on-a-night-like-this

Genre: General Fiction/Romance
Rating: 2 Stars
Spice Rating: 0 Stars*
*Other than the absolute adrenaline rush you get from pure boredom, there’s nothing particularly noteworthy about the contents of this book. Good, clean, boredom.

A dream is a wish your heart makes, unless you’re Francesca Cooper, of course. After a series of fortunate but strange events, Fran finds herself working as the assistant to the Juliet, an international popstar scheduled to headline at the elite Crystal Ball. At first, Fran can’t believe her luck - Juliet isn’t as crazy as she thought she’d be, she’s on her way to Italy, and she’s being paid to “babysit” a popstar on the biggest yacht she’s ever seen. After a long night of drinks and gossip, however, Fran finds herself stranded in Italy, sans luggage, sans phone, and most importantly, sans Juliet. Fran is then talked into attending the ball where she meets Evan, her ideal “Prince Charming”. There’s only one problem: Fran is engaged to a “not-bad” man back home in England who's already upset with her for leaving. Will Fran be able to face her feelings before the ball forces Evan and Fran apart?

Unfortunately, this book did not impress me. From a technical standpoint, the writing style was fine, though nothing exceptional. Fran was likeable enough as a main character, though, again, not exceptional. Nothing in the plot really stood out to me at all as impressive or necessarily important. The entire book felt like a prequel and a first installment smushed into one long, dragging story. I spent the first half of the novel wondering who was supposed to be the love interest, and the second half wondering if the pdf I was sent was missing pages. I don’t know if this book was in desperate need of an editor or perhaps more pages to fully flesh out the story, but it all felt very rushed to me.

Something that many other reviewers have pointed out is how this book is more focused on budding friendships and self-love, as opposed to just romance, which (for the record) I’m all for in Women’s Fiction. However, as it’s being marketed as a Romance novel, it’s not unreasonable to assume that romance would make up at least half of the plot. Spoiler alert: it barely hits the 40% mark.

This isn’t to say that I don’t like or enjoy Lindsey Kelk as an author – I'm sure she’s great – but this was my introduction to her, and boy was it a weird first impression. I’m not swearing off Kelk as an author, and I’ll likely request her next release because I am curious about her other books, but this one was not it for me. Many people enjoyed this novel thoroughly (a 4.31-star rating on GoodReads at the time of writing this review!), but my advice if you’re thinking about picking this book up would be to understand that this book is not a typical romance novel.

That being said, I think we can all agree that the amount of Cinderella retellings that’ve been released over the last six months is ridiculous, and can we please have literally any other princess in future retellings???

Thank you to HarperCollins/Harper 360, Lindsey Kelk, and NetGalley for sending me a copy of On a Night Like This in exchange for an honest review.

Was this review helpful?

On a Night Like This by Lindsey Kelk was such a delight! While, honestly, I would consider this almost more women's fiction than romance, I still had so much fun reading this. It took me a little bit to get into, but, once we hit the ball, things pick up big time, making it all worth it.

Was this review helpful?

This rom-com take on a Cinderella story was so much fun. Fran goes through so many hilarious episodes and her inner monologue was so down to earth & funny. Lots of pop culture references and celebrity name dropping added to the fun. You have to suspend some belief for the storyline but not in terms of the romance or Fran’s internal struggle to figure out who she wants to be. This isn’t a high steam romance at all but there was enough going on in the story that it never felt slow. I really loved how it came together at the end.

Thank you to #NetGalley & @HarperCollins for the eBook ARC in exchange for my honest feedback.

I will post my review again on IG closer to pub day!

CW: adultery, sexism, abandonment, stalker-like behavior, exposed nudes

Was this review helpful?

I really really enjoyed this book! It kept my attention from the beginning, and had me rooting for Fran the entire time! I enjoyed the romance between Evan and Fran a lot, but I really cared about her relationship with Juliette more. I wish that the closure of that relationship would have been fleshed out a teeny more since I feel like that was the focal point for the first half of the novel. But overall, I loved it, and will be looking for more from the author!

Was this review helpful?

Thanks netgalley for letting me read

This isbthe first time reading from this author it's super fairytale for adults that you can get behind and I enjoyed reading it very much

Was this review helpful?

A remarkable romantic novel by the marvelous Lindsey Kelk will make even the toughest cynic believe in love again! I enjoyed every second of this glamorous story, with the protagonists coming from entirely different worlds yet eventually seeking the same thing, a human connection.

Was this review helpful?

I enjoyed reading this book, and I think it’s a pretty good “feel good” book, and while I really wanted to love this story, I think I just liked it. It had a lot of great parts, but I almost felt like I was reading two different books at once. The first half of the book is centered around Fran, her relationship and her job search, and then the second half of the book was her fairytale second chance. I really loved her night at the ball and felt like I could read a whole story just about this night. I love Evan, I loved their meet cute and I loved the magic behind their night at the ball.

This book takes place around Christmas time, is in the UK & Italy, and has a fairytale twist to it. I think if you’re looking for an easy read, then you should check this out. On a Night like This comes out on 1/18/2022. Thank you Harper Collins & Netgalley for a copy of this e-arc in exchange for my honest review!

Was this review helpful?

***ARC Provided by the Author***

I wanted to love this one, I really did.

Unfortunately, I didn't. I liked Fran, and I wanted to know her story and follow on her adventures. But, I never really felt her connection with Evan, and that pulled me out of the story and left me feeling like a large part of the story was left unfulfilled.

I am unable to recommend this title.

Was this review helpful?

A modern fairy tale for adults? Nevermind my swooning, let me instead share how I was almost immediately won over by this lovely, contemporary Cinderella-esque story.

I absolutely adored this one; it was a wonderful read, from the first page to the last, and made me laugh out loud at several points.

This was my first book by the author, if you can believe it; and I’m looking forward to reading her previous titles. After this book, I’m an absolute fan.

Was this review helpful?

I’ve found this book to be a very cute RomCom. It was great for the Christmas season and had a very hallmark Christmas feel to it. I liked the complexity of Frans character and that it went into more information about her and a struggle she had and how to overcome it. Overall, I wish it was a little more about Evan and their actual relationship going forward, as they were only together a very short period and we know next to nothing about him or them as a couple.

Was this review helpful?

I've always wanted to read a modern Cinderella retelling, but I never really found one I liked, until On a Night Like This. It was so magical to read, it felt like being wrapped in a gently warm hug. I wanted to read this book with fresh snow laying on the ground and a cup of hot chocolate in hand. Honestly, I was not expecting the book to start off the way it did, with Fran, our main character being dragged on a ship to who-knows-where, as an assistant. Fran was so lovely to meet and I loved how her character developed throughout the novel, she's such a sweet girl that deserved so much than what she originally started out with. Honestly I felt so satisfied and content with her story and I'm glad I go to go on this twisty-turny story with her, she glowed up and I'm thankful I got to see her shine. Her love interest was an absolute SWEETHEART and I couldn't be more happy for them. They were like two lonely souls who found peace and contentment within each other AND IT WAS SO ADORABLE AND BEAUTIFUL TO WATCH THEIR RELATIONSHIP GROW.

Was this review helpful?

Thanks to NetGalley for this ARC I’m exchange for my honest review.
On a Night Like This is a sweet little rom com about a girl, a guy, and the crystal ball which the THE hottest ticket in town.
Fran cooper is a temp stick in a rut. She’s got a fiancé she’s not sure she should be with anymore. So when the opportunity to take an out of town PA gig comes her way, she jumps at the chance to get a reset and reassess her life. A fun Cinderella style romp, I enjoyed it thoroughly!

Was this review helpful?

On a Night Like This was such a cute read. It follows Fran, a personal assistant as she takes on a celebrity client for a week. As she steps out of her comfort zone for the position and makes new friends and a possible love interest by preparing for a Met Gala-type event, she realizes that she's not happy with the person she was and goes on a journey of self-discovery. Before reading, I read some of the reviews and I was excited about the idea of a Met Gala-focused Cinderella story and it did not disappoint! But for a modern-day Cinderella, it did focus less on the romance aspect and more on Fran's journey of finding herself again (don't worry the romance was still there!). This was such a cute read and I'm now hoping to read more of Lindsey Kelk's writing!

Thank you to Harper Collins and NetGalley for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Was this review helpful?

Meet Fran, a wonderful English woman who has moved from the heart of London to live out the life her fiancé wants in his home town. We start the book with Fran out of a job and with a surprise offer to work for someone that is so famous that she has to sign an NDA prior to the interview. She ends up getting the job and leaving for a quick trip with the job and her world is changed for the better.

This book was really good. I feel in love with not only Fran but Juliette as well. Also, if Fran does not end up with Evan forever and ever amen then I think we need to have a heart to heart with her because he is very swoony. But Frans fiancé, Stew, ugh he is literally the worst. I fell in love with the characters even the ones that were only there for a short time. The writing was just so good. It was a good read but honestly not a book I’m going to buy only because I think I wanted a more complete ending.

Was this review helpful?

This book was like a warm hug in December! It was magic and sparkly and so sweet. Fran is an amazing protagonist- fully in control of her own narrative. I loved the way the story progressed, and the play on the Met Gala was truly so good. I liked that, despite the unnatural circumstances, Fran's perspective and character made the story still believable and grounded. The love interest was charming and the chemistry was spot on. I really enjoyed this book and it got me out of my reading slump!

Was this review helpful?

***4.5 STARS***

“I want a love that is so sure of itself, it doesn’t have to shout.”

I adored this story. First of all, Fran is a riot. I laughed out loud several times at her wit. We find Francesca Cooper jobless, engaged to Stew, and wondering when she will figure out what she wants out of her life. Fran is a people pleaser, always saying and doing the right things for others. A new job will open her eyes and her heart…and take the reader on a wonderful, hilarious ride watching it all unfold. The antics, the people, the situations, the friendships were all a fabulous backdrop to this story.

I loved watching Fran’s character become stronger and confident. A Night Like This is pure romantic comedy gold. Evan is pure romantic comedy SWOON. You will laugh, you will fall in love, and you will close this book with a huge smile on your face.

“I would believe anything you told me…”

***Special thanks to NetGalley and Harper 360 for sharing this ARC with me in exchange for an honest review.

Was this review helpful?

This is a modern day Cinderella story. This one fell a little flat for me. It was interesting enough, but I felt like the first half and the second half of the book were completely different stories. The Cinderella theme got a bit much for me.

Fran and the characters were all great - but I really loved the friendship between Juliette and Fran and Jess and Fran!

If you love a princess story retelling, than this is the book for you!

Thank you NetGalley and HarperCollins for the book. On a Night Like This is out January 18th.

⭐️⭐️⭐️

Was this review helpful?

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own. For me this book had a little of a slow start , but once I got into it the story flew bye. It’s a cute Cinderella retelling, full of friendship and laughs and love. It was the perfect happy room-com for me.

Was this review helpful?

I cannot tell you how quickly I devoured this book. I think I read it in 2 hours on a train from Venice to Florence, and I laughed out loud so many times in the train that my husband actually asked me at one point just what I was reading.

You see, nowadays lots of romance books like to call themselves romantic comedies, when really they are simple romance books. Which is fine! I love romance books. But this was a legitimate romantic comedy. It was so damn cute. The back and forth between Evan and Fran was so adorable I couldn’t stop smiling. It was quick and funny and really poked fun (in a good way!) of the Uber rich and all of their ridiculousness. This book was also sweet, with a lot of heart, and even though it was a quick read I didn’t want it to end. I would absolutely recommend this to a friend! I got such good vibes. And I can’t wait to skate all about it on my bookstagram. Thank you so much for giving me the chance of a sneak peek!

Was this review helpful?

Really enjoyed this swoony romance from Lindsey Kelk - the Mediterranean setting was great, and I desperately wanted Fran to get away from her terrible relationship. I love reading romance/women's fiction from a British POV and this was no exception. Fran's voice was so strong and I loved her take on the opulence around her as a seasoned professional assistant, and how she handled herself amongst celebrity and wealth.

Was this review helpful?