This book was sent to me directly by the publisher as a widget, and I wish I had read other reviews before downloading it. The opening scene has graphic descriptions of sex and it went downhill from there. I did not finish this book due to the graphic nature. This is not my typical read and isn’t one I would’ve sought out myself.

Not Exactly What I Had in Mind had an interesting start but then.... basically felt like Sally Rooney's "Normal People." Lots of frustrating scenarios that continued to occur but had the main characters just done some simple communication the conflict could have been avoided completely. I did end up really liking the main characters, but this book didn't keep me as engaged as I would have liked.

Overall this book was pretty good. The characters themselves were charming, funny and witty. I loved how they interacted with each other and I loved how strong the friendships and family dynamic is throughout the entire novel. However, this book really tries to tackle a lot and I think it could have been more successful if it picked one topic to stick with.

We see infertility and miscarriage, revenge porn, cancer, strained family dynamics on top of some discussion of climate change. While this is all happening we are dealing with the miscommunication troupe which, if you know anything about me you know I *hate*, and this book is the worst offender of that! This book would not exist if the characters just talked to each other from the beginning. I can appreciate that they acknowledge this wouldn't have happened if were honest from the get go, but it doesn't help my frustrations through the entire first two-thirds of the book.

If you do decide to read this book, I highly suggest skipping the epilogue. The characters make this promise right at the end which isn't acknowledged in the epilogue. Rather, we see the characters in a post-covid world, which feels really weird considering it wasn't a plot point or even thought up until that point.

Character driven slice of life novel that follows two sisters and two roommates as their lives cross paths. Slow pacing at times, well written with interesting characters. I wouldn't call this one a page turner but not a terrible story either.

Not Exactly What I Expected To Read…

…and I mean that in the best possible way! My emotions are all over the land! I didn’t want it to end, and was sad when it did!

Hazel is a 20-something who just had sex with Alfie. The problem is, he’s one of her two roommates. How awkward if they start developing feelings for each other and then things don’t work out. Secretly, they both dig each other, and each of them thinks of the other even when they’re not drunk together, eating nasty food together, and frolicking together.

Alfie is ready to make the next move…but then Hazel’s sister, Emily, and her wife, Daria, come to visit. Emily and Daria are looking forward to starting a family.

These four lives intersect in a powerful and intense way as each of them grapple with the reactions to their thoughts and hopes.

This is being marketed as a rom-com. There are romantic parts and funny parts, but it’s also so much more! I absolutely loved the characterization that author Kate Brook brought to the table. I adored these four main characters, and couldn’t get enough of them. I also loved that it didn’t entirely focus on Hazel and Alfie. This book goes much deeper.

In fact, you’ll get hints of sexism, sex offense, feminism, racism, covid-ism (just briefly), veganism, and climate change(ism?). The climate change sections were the only ones I felt were a little overbearing, and yet honest.

The chemistry between certain characters is evident from the start, and I was frustrated that things didn’t always go as planned at the time when they should have! But this book is more realistic like that. Sometimes there are complications.

At the end of the day, I laughed a bit and cried a bit while flying through the pages, and I think this is a worthy addition to TBR shelves. There is a lot of negativity regarding the epilogue. It wasn’t my favorite either, but it is what it is. I really just wanted and needed ONE MORE CHAPTER!!

4.5 stars

Thank you to Dutton and NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review. Expected Publication Date: 6/28/22.

Review also posted at: https://bonkersforthebooks.wordpress.com

Thank you to Dutton, Plume, Tiny Reparations Books | Penguin Random House for sending me this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I am not sure how to summarize this books. I am honestly not sure it had a plot. The book opens with Alfie and Hazel, two roommates who end up sleeping together. Hazel's sister and her sister's wife are trying to have a baby, and things get complicated when they ask Alfie to be their donor. There were a lot of side stories in here like Daria's fear of having a child, Hazel dating someone else, Hazel and Alfie sleeping with other people and not sharing their feelings for each other. This book was all over the place.

I would only recommend this book to someone who really enjoys messy family situations and doesn't mind immature characters.

With 4 main characters, this book has more than I was used to, but I didn't hate it. There was a found family vibe with tinges of a British Friends. You're dropped into sex by page 2, but this is NOT a sexy book. There was a found family vibe that made it seem almost like a British Friends.
The biggest problem with the book is the epilogue. The whole thing should have been cut, since time in no way plays into the book. All of a sudden, we fast forward and it's now a pandemic book with unnecessary character death and competing tragedies.
Luckily, it didn't stick with me, and in the week since I finished I can't even name who died. It just wasn't memorable.

I’m not quite sure how I feel about this one. I thought it was funny and enjoyed following the four characters, I’m biased to loving the name Hazel cause I named my dog this; I looked forward to seeing where the stories played out; but I didn’t feel fully invested in these characters like I normally would.

The characters were likeable and I really felt for them, but I wasn’t a fan of the epilogues. I’m also just not really ready to read much about the pandemic yet.

3.5 ⭐️
Thank you for an ARC for my honest review.

Very cute, heartwarming romantic comedy! This is a debut novel by this author and I look forward to anything else she writes.

“Not Exactly What I Had in Mind” is the debut novel by Kate Brook. In this book, we follow four main characters. Hazel and her roommate, Alfie, Emily, who is Hazel’s sister, and Daria, who is Emily’s wife. This is a very slice of life book revolving around these characters while they go through their late 20s/early 30s trying to figure out who they are and what they want to be. This is not a book I would have normally picked up, but when the marketing team offered me the chance to read it early, I decided it was worth a try.

What I found was a very funny, relatable story that was also heartbreaking at times. At the beginning, our characters are all funny and charming but we soon see that not everything in their lives is perfect. Every character’s struggle in this book felt very tangible. There are a lot of possibly triggering scenes in this book so make sure you look them up if you have sensitivities to any of that.

I really loved Emily and Daria’s story. Daria’s character in particular is in therapy struggling with her fear of pregnancy which I feel is a very really fear that not a lot of books talk about. They are also environmentally conscious and have this constant battle in deciding what to do to be the best advocates for their environment. The book brought up a lot of points that I had never considered before which I really enjoyed.

Alfie is a good character because he just adds to every scene that he is in. His issues that he has in this book are super relatable and I really felt for him at times.
I probably liked Hazel the least of all the main characters. At times, I didn’t understand her character and why she was making certain decisions. I do think the author conveyed Hazel’s pov and reasoning for things well, but I still didn’t love the character.

If you are a fan of the “ships passing in the night” trope in a romance, you will like this book. This book is perfect for anyone who was a fan of “One Day in December” by Josie Silver because the characters felt very similar to that book.

Not Exactly What I Had in Mind is a heartwarming and heart breaking romantic comedy.

I really enjoyed this novel, and getting to know the two main couples. Their lives and relationships felt real and authentic. I felt immersed in their struggles and triumphs. The content concerning climate change and racism were relevant and felt like part of the story and not preachy. 4 and 1/2 stars, rounded to 5.

I really enjoyed this book!

Trigger warning for: miscarriage, grief, revenge porn

Great book. Excellent character development. Lots of twists and turns, and a full range of emotions. I also liked the pause proposed by the female lead. It was a great reminded that one doesn't have to do what is expected or what might feel right in the minute. One should take the time to actually suss out what one needs/wants/can handle, etc. Great story.

Alright, Not Exactly What I had in Mind is exactly that. But not in a bad way. I promise.

It’s funny and relatable. I feel like we’ve all been in Hazel’s situations (romantically, socially, professionally, etc.) so, you can sympathize with her a lot. It has that vibe of I don’t know what I’m doing with my life or where this is going but here I am.

I liked Hazel’s messy and chaotic personality for the most part because she feels real. BUT she has no communications skills which can be frustrating. Spoiler not spoiler: Most of the plot is based on Hazel’s poor communications skills so if you hate that, put this book down now.

On the other hand, the other POVs… Mmmm, I liked them. They added a touch of diversity to the story and they give you a break from the main character which is necessary sometimes. My fave? Alfie, absolutely. He deserved better.

What I liked? The sense of humour, I found myself laughing multiple times.

What I disliked? Not really disliked but I did notice that the author wanted to talk about all contemporary topics possible (revenge porn, toxic masculinity, adoption, trauma, the pandemic…) so I don’t know, most of the times these topics were undeveloped.

What I hated? If you read the book, join my Miles’ hating club. That’s all.

Final rate: 3.5 ⭐️

Ps: Thank you Netgalley & Dutton for the early access.

Thank you so much for an advanced copy this book!

Star Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️
Genre: Women's Fiction
Pub Date: June 28, 2022

This was a cleverly written debut novel, and I think this author has a lot of potential! I found this story interesting and engaging, but there were also times I found myself skipping forward over unnecessary (or uninteresting) details. I liked the characters and found many aspects of them relatable, but I can't say that I related to the main character group as a whole. I felt like I was watching their story from the outside instead of feeling connected to them. I enjoyed the social commentary in the book, but at times it felt overwhelming because there was so much of it.

I liked this book, but I didn't love it. I will definitely still recommend it to people who like a story with some drama, but I probably won't re-read this one.

I did not finish this book. It is essentially plotless, and, with one or two exceptions, the characters are shallow, one dimensional, and annoying, and they do foolish things and spout foolish, self-righteous nonsense. . I was just plodding along and not getting very far each time I started reading until I finally gave up. It is possible that this book is farce or satire. Some of the situations are so ridiculous that it’s almost like the author is taunting us. But when I got to the part about the fake news one of the characters reads about climate change, that was the end for me.

I received this book from NetGalley and the publisher.

This is a very heavy read with many current events going on. I wasn't able to get into it too much, but I did enjoy the book overall. Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for my copy of the book.

First off I would like to thank NetGalley and Penguin Group Dutton for providing me with this ARC. Not Exactly What I Had In Mind is true to the title. It mostly a carefree read, but the more i read, it dealt with tough subjects that might be triggering to readers. Hazel and Alfie are roommates that decide to sleep together, which turns out to be a disastrous mistake on their parts. But they also can’t decide if it was good decision. Then Hazel’s sister and her partner are introduced and the readers are introduced to their dynamics. The book started out promising but it soon became boring. I was waiting for the book to grab my attention but it never did. I appreciated the diversity of the characters, but they were one dimensional. But once I got to the epilogue I was extremely disappointed and disgusted. I feel like I’m being generous by giving Not Exactly What I Had In Mind a 3 star rating.

This book was cheeky, funny, and also at times poignant and heartfelt. The characters were endearing and I was really rooting for them all in their own ways. That being said, this epilogue really came out of left field and left me really wondering how to rate this book and pitch it to others. Sans epilogue, I’d recommend this to readers who enjoyed FUNNY YOU SHOULD ASK.

thanks to netgalley for this arc!
i really tried to get past the 20% mark for this book but i couldn’t! i wasn’t really connecting with hazel, or her sister or the roommate! i really tried to give this a chance but i was ‘t feeling it. maybe in the future i will give it another go and make it past the 20% mark. but for now its a dnf.

I had absolutely no interest in finishing this book. The constant references to politics and COVID were a complete turn off. I read to escape and this was the complete opposite of that.