I like to read about messy, awkward situations. So when this story opens with Hazel having sex with her roommate, Alfie while their other roommate turns up his game as loud as it can go - yeah I was interested -especially given that Hazel and Alfie aren’t a couple.

Their romp was a spur-of-the-moment decision. But now that the deed is done, it can’t be undone. Feelings or no feelings, they need to try to live with each other amicably.

But it gets more complicated. Hazel’s sister, Emily, and her wife come for a visit and announce they want to get pregnant; all they need is a donor. I’m going to leave it right there because if you are perceptive, you may see where this leads and how these four lives all get very intertwined.

I’m a little surprised by some of the ho-hum ratings for this one. I will admit that it is somewhat predictable. But some added depth is sprinkled into each character, such as fears of hereditary disease, anxiety, and ex-lovers posting revenge porn videos.

Overall I enjoyed this chaotic romance and family drama. Sure there were a lot of bad decisions made, but I like the support and care shown by these family members and friends.

And what do you think about the cover art? It reminds me of a painting.

Thank you @penguinrandomhouse for the gifted ebook and @RRHaudio for the gifted audiobook.

Heavy on the social commentary and light on the romance, this was a witty novel reminiscent of Sally Rooney’s writing style when it comes to modern relationships (except this one actually uses quotation marks, thank goodness.)
The epilogue was “not exactly what I had in mind.” It was a bit jarring and disjointed from the rest of the novel.
I enjoyed the wit, but found the relationships rife with miscommunication and the whole venture a bit frustrating to read. I hate when my adult characters don’t feel very adult.

dnf at 30%; just could not get into the characters or plot the way i was hoping to. the writing was strong, but definitely not my style.

I love, love, loved this book!
Full of social commentary, and the twist at the center of the book may not be everyone's taste, but for a debut author, I thought the writing was excellent.
Kaye Brook really spears certain personality types - the oh-so politically correct vegan couple who want everyone to reduce their carbon footprint, but see nothing wrong with going through extreme measures to reproduce themselves /The guy you want to hug and the guy you want to punch /The quirky, lovable protagonist and the well developed characters of her co-workers.
The dialogue was delightful and authentic. Parts of the book were laugh-out-loud funny, parts cringe-worthy, but mostly heartfelt and realistic.
Highly recommended for younger adults, but older people (such as myself) will either love it or hate it.

This was such a fun read! I thought the plot lines were witty and all of the characters were very engaging. I read this book quickly and like the serious topics that were spaces throughout.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for a copy to honestly review.

Sadly the title of this book is entirely too apt. It wasn't what I thought it was when I requested it from NetGalley. There are some entertaining parts in Hazel and Alfie's interactions but I just wasn't compelled to keep reading and so scan read to the end.
Thanks to NetGalley for an advance copy in exchange for an honest opinion.

Hazel and Alfie are roommates with feelings for each other. However, they don’t discuss their feelings with each other which leads to bad decisions on Hazel’s part and heartache for both. Hazel’s sister, Emily and Emily’s wife, Daria think the world of Alfie and even ask him to be the Spermien donor for the child they are trying to have.
Not Exactly What I Had In Mind contains likable characters and would work perfectly as a beach read.

No. I briefly DNFed this at the 40% mark and then skimmed the rest, and however bad I thought it was at that point it gets worse. Frustrating miscommunication throughout that does nothing for the plot, no satisfying resolution. The icky revenge porn plot point (like etc, why is that necessary?!?) Then there’s the epilogue - don’t even get me started on that. Beyond unnecessary and undoes whatever few things the preceding novel had done well. This whole book is like a really badly done Sally Rooney imitation. And the fact that was was marketed as a romance is just beyond confusing and completely misleading.

Complicated Relationships

Hazel and Alfie are attracted to each other and sleep together. The complication is that they share an apartment. Now they don’t know how to behave, and this makes it awkward. Then Emily, Hazel’s sister. and her wife Daria come to visit. This married same-sex couple is deciding whether to have a baby. Emily desperately wants one, but Daria isn’t convinced. Of course, the donor they decide on is Alfie which adds to the already complicated relationships.

On the good side, I liked Hazel and Alfie and the writing has amusing scenes. However, it’s not enough to carry the novel. The relationships are complicated and poor decisions make things more difficult, Hazel linking up with Max, who is an unattractive character, is one example.

The epilogue turned me off the book. Covid19 was a difficult time for many people. Now a lot of us, me included, would like to move on. Using Covid19 as a setting to resolve the issues of the novel seemed a poor choice. It changed the feel of the novel from mildly amusing, to frustrating.

I received this book from Dutton for this review.

That was something. Let me start by saying that this is NOT a rom-com in my opinion, which I think lead me to a great deal of my dislike, because I went into it expecting something different. This is contemporary fiction with a bit of wit, a TON of social commentary and about half of a mediocre romance plagued by miscommunication.

This honestly reminded me a great deal of something that could have been written by Sally Rooney. While I think that comparison may work in Kate Brook's favor, being that Rooney is incredibly popular, it did not work for me. I am one of the few who cannot stand Rooney's novels and I could not stop thinking about how much this reminded me of her books, but a tad more witty.

Overall, this was not my cup of tea.

I couldn’t stop screaming “AND THEY WERE ROOMMATES!” the entire time. Iykyk.

But seriously, this was fun. A great debut. I know this is marketed as a romcom, but I don’t know that I’d called it that. It’s like women’s fiction / romance. I really enjoyed the feminism and social issues addressed throughout the plot. My emotions were definitely all over the place with the back and forth. I laughed and cried, but that makes a book so good to me.

This is a quick read, but definitely an emotional one. I struggled though some of the density and plot twists, but other than that I enjoyed this book.

A quick read to pass the time. Enjoyable and light. Several funny bits.
The book was not what I was expecting and I felt the information was a bit misleading.
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I liked but didn’t love! I feel like it was a story that felt familiar/told before but that could be a me issue vs the writing/storytelling. I did enjoy the family dynamics!

It’s kind of funny that the first thing I thought when I finished reading this book was almost exactly the title, that being that it’s not exactly what I had in mind. The description made me think that it was going to be a way lighter read than it is.
It gets 3.5/5 stars because as timely and well done the very serious topics touched are, I found the way they’re told was honestly rather boring.
It took about 3/4 of the book for me to warm up to the characters, which made the heavy topics a little hard to read about. Although I will say that I liked Alfie from the very beginning and his being a big part of the story is what kept me reading after I’d seriously considered just not finishing it.
Overall, it wasn’t what I expected and reading it was a bit of a chore, yet I ended up enjoying how all the threads were tied up towards the end.

Happy thanks to NetGalley and Dutton for the thought-provoking read!

Two London flatmates, Alfie and Hazel, have a one-night stand. They’re both attracted to the other, but unable to be open and honest enough about it to pursue a relationship. When Alfie forms a close bond with Hazel’s sister, Emily, and Emily’s wife, things get really complicated. With openness and honesty about love, romance, family, sex, and life, this relationship-themed novel is, at turns, funny, sharp, heartwarming, and entertaining. I really liked it! If you enjoy books about the complicated relationships between friends, lovers, and family AND love a London-set book, this one is for you.

Thanks to Dutton for an advanced copy of Not Exactly What I Had in MInd.

This was an interesting book and a little different than what I was expecting. There was a little too much going on for me and then the epilogue....

Hazel works at a coffee shop but her passion is to draw. She shares an apartment with Alfie, who is a school teacher that has just gotten out of a long term relationship. After a night together, the two are worried that things will get awkward. Hazel's sister, Emily is married to Daria, and they're thinking about having kids, but Daria isn't sure about their decision. This book follows their lives and the issues that each couple face.

I was surprised by the ending of this book which doesn't usually happen to me. This isn't your run of the mill romance story. I enjoyed reading about the characters, but wasn't super happy with the ending of the book. I think I was looking for something light and fun, and while this book has some of those moments, it wasn't what I was looking for. I thought the writing was great, it just wasn't my cup of tea. The title lived up to its name for me.

Thank you to Penguin Group for providing me with an ARC of this book.

I really enjoyed Not Exactly What I Had In Mind. The title is perfect for the book, this book is not what I was expecting but I still found myself really loving it! I think the characters were really well done and the writing was very sharp and witty. This reminded me a bit of a Sally Rooney book which I loved. I really look forward to reading more from this author!

I really liked the characters in this book! There is definite chemistry which is noticeable from the start. Overall, this book filled me with many emotions. However, I couldn't put it down! It did feel very realistic at parts. I am glad I got a chance to read it.

The story line is what originally caught my eye, it’s so intriguing! I think that overall, this book is well-written.