*3.5/5
this book went beyond my expectations in an absolutely good way. i loved reading about aly and seeing her character development throughout the book, her relationship with her mother, her story with dylan, and her friendship with eric and tola, who i really liked as side characters. this book can be described as a childhood friends to strangers to lovers with miscommunication, which i actually didn't mind, but it also tackled themes like how how women are treated in the workplace compared to men. i do wish there were more moments with aly and dylan as a couple, and i would totally read a novella about them!

This was such a cute rom com! I was a bit discouraged with the start of the book being the single woman eating in a restaurant alone trope. But I really enjoyed how the story progressed and it did set a great platform for the story to set off! It definitely felt like a comfort rom com read, no spice. If you like The Layover, I think this book is for you! definitely PG

Publication is set to be August 2022!

I really struggled with this book unfortunately. The synopsis seemed right up my alley- romance, witty, "feel good" feeling while reading. I definitely loved Tola and Eric- their friendship with Aly really carried the story. Unfortunately, this is the only positive to this book.

The other issues are negative per say but a hinderance with my enjoyment of the book. First off, there is pretty much no romance. There was so much potential to go this route but Forsythe chose not to. This book should be classified as "women's fiction". This really focused on Aly and her growth. A positive note- Aly does grow a lot from the beginning of the story to the end, which had me rooting for her.

There wasn't much "wit and humor" in this story so I wouldn't classify it as a "rom-com" either. As I said earlier, Tola and Eric really carried this for me. I loved watching their relationship as the three of them and one on one with Aly.

Overall, it was a cute read and enjoyable- just a bit of a let down for me personally. Perfect for fans of- Failure to Launch movie, women's fiction, friendships

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for giving me an ARC in exchange for my honest review.

I found it deeply predictable but enjoyable in a Hallmark movies sort of way. From the second we meet Nikki I knew Aly was going to fall for her guy.
I couldn't stand her parents. Luckily they mostly stay in the B plot, but every time they popped up the sadness and anger roared within me like a depressed lion.
But again, I loved it. My name is Ally. I've been at my day job for 5 years without a raise or a promotion so I was thoroughly invested and I needed a win for Aly, if not myself. A fast-paced British romance with well- written, quirky side characters, clear cut villains, and a nice childhood friends- enemies- lovers plot was good for the soul.
I gave it 4/5 stars. It's gonna be a perfect beach read for fans of Josie Silver when it comes out 8/2/22.

Oh how I wanted to love this one! The premise sounded so cute but everything about the novel was over the top. The characters, their exchanges and their banter, as well as the plot itself. I simply couldn’t get past any of it.

This may have simply been a case of my being the wrong reader for this novel.

Thanks to Penguin Group Putnam GP Putnam’s Sons for the arc.

Rating: 4/5 Stars
Spice Level: 1/5 Peppers


The main protagonist, Alyssa, is my favorite character.She is selfless, hardworking, and She always wants what’s best for people and for them to take control of becoming better versions of themselves. Her selflessness has hindered her from seeing her own potential to further her career. As the book progresses Alyssa understands it’s time to put herself first and make tough choices concerning her career and her love life.

Overall,this novel was a short read, but the characters are lovable, hilarious and well developed.

This was a fast paced, second chance romance between Aly, who fixes peoples relationships for a living and is an influencer and her old best friend Dylan. I enjoyed watching their relationship come alive. This is a closed door, Pg romance with can be refreshing and know many people enjoy.

Trading Spaces becomes a therapist?? Thats all I can think of when I read this book! I absolutely love the premise of this book, because i feel like I have been in Aly's shoes before, feeling like I could fix everyone around me, but could never quite get what I wanted. I love that It showcases a different type of relationship than we see in most books, as Dylan has reentered Aly's life, and they have to navigate her old feelings for him, and him being in a relationship. I think this book will become one of this years hit books!

This was a funny book. I liked the premise. Nothing ever goes right love-wise for the main character. Who wouldn’t jump at the chance for love? Who wouldn’t want a man who changed? This book will refuel your belief in love.

I enjoyed reading this book and loved the plot. It was a great beach read that I brought on vacation!

I'm going to be honest, I didn't care much for this book. There was a lot of telling and not showing in the writing style, and there was just too much going on plot wise. Reading this, I didn't get a chance to breath in the scene. The characters jumped from one moment to the next and I felt time flew way to fast with a couple short sentences of dialogue.
The characters also seemed a little too generic, though I loved the LGTBQ+ aspect added. It's not often a bi character is added in a book and done like it's a normal thing. I liked that this was a very present theme in the book without it being annoying.
I also felt the level of swearing in the workplace was very unrealistic. No professional workplace has employees that swear around their higher ups and expect that to be okay. Or have some of the very explicit conversations that these characters have at work with other coworkers around. I find it hard to believe everyone in that job can just go around calling each other 'Babe' all the time without someone reporting sexual harassment.
Overall, I think this was a two star read for me. Just because I wasn't a fan, doesn't mean someone else won't be. I hope this review helps, and thank you for the opportunity.
Lily Ashtree

I was disappointed in the "what a surprise" insight that is laid bare in the opening chapters- that the main character is a transformative force for all her exes and that everyone benefits except her. I was hoping for a bit more subtlety. Thanks Netgalley for a chance to read this book...every book, it's reader, as we librarians say and this one will likely appeal to many others, even if it wasn't my cup of tea.

This is one of those books that sneaks its way into your bones. It starts and you think you know what it’s going to be about, and it is that, then it slowly reveals that it’s much more about loneliness and worrying that you’re enough. It’s a romance where the main character realizes she needs to change her life and manages to do so. If you’re a fan of Beth O’Leary or Mhairi McFarlane, then give this a try.


Received an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This book is great! Would definitely recommend. Thanks so much to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.

A heart warming story set in England about Aly, who can not find her true love. She is great in fixing other men so they are ready when they meet the person they are meant to be with. Aly and her friends turn this into a business, helping women get their men to behave how they want. They are so successful that a social influencer, Nikki, hires them to motivate her boyfriend, Dylan, who happens to be the Aly's boy next door. They do not get along at first, but as they get to know each other again. Nikki realizes that Dylan and Aly have feelings for each other and does her best to make sure that they do not get back together. When Dylan finds out what Aly has done, he breaks up with her but Aly makes sure that she lets him know the 5 things that are important to her and why she loves him.

A romantic comedy with great characters.

This is the modern day, female Good Luck Chuck! Aly has just the right amount of self confidence to know her worth, but not enough to know she deserves better…yet. When she and her friends decide to use her unique ability to snap her lazy, unsuccessful exes into well rounded individuals AFTER she leaves them, she and her friends decide to help women do the same thing with their boyfriends, before the breakup. Everything is going great, until their biggest job yet brings her first (unofficial) project back into her life after 15 years 😲

With romance, it can be hard to enjoy the trope because it can get predictable. Incredibly, this one was a twist on all the tropes you think you know! This story is about fake relationships, enemies to lovers, and realizing your own worth as a boss bitch, but in none of the ways you think!! 🤭 I loved Aly’s development and found myself rooting for her nonstop! Thank you to Net Galley for this refreshing and fun ARC!!

Thank you to NetGalley, Penguin Group Putnam, GP Putnam’s Son, and Lauren Forsythe for the arc of this book and exchange for my honest thoughts.

Whew, this book. It wasn’t a typical romance which I really enjoyed and I loved the heroin of this novel. She is 100% relatable.

Aly has had as many break ups as she has had boyfriends. In retrospect, she realized was dating projects and not people which is how it was described in the book and I loved it. She came in contact with one of her ex-boyfriends and she realized all of her exes became better after dating her. So she realized instead of dating she should help people realize their full potential. Her and her work friends started a “business” to motivate people to improve their romantic, personal, work life, etc. She is then hired to help with her hardest project yet - her childhood best friend and crush who broke her heart. She begins this project and you’ll have to figure out for yourself what happens!!

In my opinion the book started off a little bit slow. But by the 20% mark, I was fully invested. Once you read this book for yourself you’re truly going to want to hang out with Tola and Eric.

Overall this book was a really cute, quick read and I recommend. I thought the ending came too quick but maybe that was because I liked the book so much. will definitely keep an eye out for this author.

This book was such a fun and quick beachy read. It's a very sweet British romcom about a woman in her 30s having to work extra hard in every aspect of her life and never reaping the reward. She puts her all in at work to have been stuck at a standstill for years. Every man shes dated has ended up turning their whole lives around after dating her, they become successful musicians, businessmen, etc while she continuously ends up alone and stuck in her own life.

I found myself caring way more about the main character, Aly, and her friends Tola and Eric then I do any other part of this book. Their friend trio is so well written and you can really get drawn into all their drama and goals and root for their happiness the entire novel. I found myself not caring much about the romance plot line, it focused way to much on the miscommunication trope (past what I myself would deem enjoyable). I couldn't really find any chemistry between Aly and Dylan, and at points it felt like we were leading into a cheating/stealing another girls boyfriend territory.

Aly herself is such a relatable and enjoyable character to read about as she is going through her own journey of trying to find her own worth at work, trying to manage a toxic relationship with her mother, and in general, trying to put work into "fixing" up herself.

I thought this was really cute. I wish somethings were cleaned up a little bit but over all I liked it.

This was a very cute second chance romance, two people who knew eachother as children and had a bad end to their friendship and thrown into each others lives as adults in a really fun way