Member Reviews
A Romance light rom-com. A fun read with great dialogue fun and well written characters. and story Thanks netgalley for this read,
In this riches to rags story, Bella Whittington's life comes crashing down when she's outed from her family's company, then comes home to find her fiance and best friend tangled up in bed. Soon Bella finds herself single, broke and lost in life. In need of a job fast, Bella ends up working at the local soup kitchen where she soon finds herself and maybe, even love.
Stone Broke Heiress was a fun and fast read. It really took me by surprise, especially with the twist about 60% through the book. While it started a tad slow, the book's pace soon picked up and I enjoyed reading Bella's internal transformation of self-discovery. She was a likable character, despite her privileged upbringing, and I found myself rooting for her. I adored her love interest, Dan. He was charming, down to earth, and just what Bella needed to realize the error in her ways.
This is a closed door, low steam rom com set in Liverpool, England. Thanks to Netgalley for the advanced copy!
I enjoyed this - though I wouldn't classify it as a romance (and if it is a romance it is the most G rated romance EVER - YA books have more romance focus).
I really enjoyed Bella and this book gave me definite Schitt's Creek vibes (which I'm here for). Bella is spoiled heiress who quits her family company after her dad is forcibly removed from his position as Chairman, and as a result their entire fortune disappears - on top of it, she finds her fiance cheating on her with her best friend that very same day. Practically overnight, Bella's entire world of privilege and extravagant spending is taken away and she becomes a fish out of water in a studio apartment in Toxteth and starts to work at a soup kitchen. Through her experience, Bella realizes the errors of her extravagant spending, becomes vegan, and dedicates herself to helping the less fortunate - all of which somehow doesn't seem preachy (because it definitely sounds preachy the way I quickly summarized it). I really liked Bella's narrative voice, and the scope and evolution of the book is broad - Bella goes through a lot of changes and there are some great narrative developments I wasn't expecting that delighted me. My only qualm is that it totally isn't a romance - Dan shows up maybe 40% of the way into the book, and while he's a part of her story, there isn't much romance beyond one picnic date; Dan primarily is her shepherd in helping her become more aware and realize the errors of her previous life - the focus is more on Bella as a person rather than her romance with Dan (which is honestly more like a subplot - a rated G subplot).
Overall this was a nice read that hits the "chick lit" category nicely and I think would make a great rom-com adaption. If you like Schitt's Creek style "riches to rags to becoming a better person" stories I'd encourage you to pick this up.
3.5 stars
A funny light-hearted book that I would have surely enjoyed if not were for the dumbified protag, predictable plot and the non-existing chemistry.
I was lucky to receive an advance copy of this book from the publisher and NetGalley in exchange for my honest review and opinion. This book was so much fun to read - it's a rag to riches type story. You will find yourself laughing out loud at several parts during this story. Right now with so much going on in the world this is EXACTLY the type of book we all need! Enjoy!
When she started to slowly build her career and life once more I was simultaneously rooting and cheering for her. But then at one point I got so mad at her for some of her decisions. She was rather naive at that moment.
I would say this Bella’s story of self discovery and growth. Athough Bella took a while to endear herself to me, I eventually came to love her for her tenacity and personal growth. She's definitely got the Legally Blond trope going on at the start, which is what took me a hot minute.
Hero Dan was wonderful. I liked him but the romance angle was a little weak and felt more like YA.
Loved the colourful bunch of secondary characters. I didn't particularly feel anything about Dan, given that we hardly saw them interact until he became a love interest. We were told they spent time together but we barely got to see it, so despite his interesting background I didn't really see his appeal. I think he gave her too much too soon. I would like to see their relationship progress as we were reading, not read a couple pages and find out he was already taking her to his sacred place after barely knowing her. I was honestly more interested in reading about Susie and Elsie, as they were fantastic side characters.
And I’m glad the villain got their comeuppance. I also enjoyed reading about all the drama surrounding Whittington Soup and the way it all ended.
This book wasn't for me. I had a hard time believing the premise. I couldn't believe that this girl went from caviar to dumpster diving. Also, I figured out right from the beginning what was going to happen. This was to cliché for me.
This is a funny & heartfelt riches to rags story! Even though the soup heiress may fall from her empire there's much to be gained when you figure out exactly what you want in life.
It's a cute, quick and enjoyable read.
A romantic comedy following heiress Bella Whittington, as she loses her caviar lifestyle, cheating fiancé, and friends. Now single and broke she must pull up her Gucci socks and find a way to earn a living.
But when her ex returns with a golden ticket back to her old glitzy life, should she say yes? Accepting would mean no more box wine and frozen pizza nights with Dan, her new boss at the soup kitchen. But if Dan finds out the truth about who she really is, will she even have the choice?
A riches to rags trope that sparkles with vibrant prose. Sharp lines that will make you giggle — think Schitt's Creek set in Liverpool.
A feel-good read with a sweet romance that will appeal to Sophie Kinsella fans.
If you love Alexis Rose, you will adore Bella Whittington.
An easy romance that was pleasant once the story came into its own. Perfect for relaxing with after a long day!
I adore this kind of storyline - rich girl down in her luck, finds a better purpose in life etc - and I did enjoy this but it took a bit of time to connect to the characters (as expected in fairness - hard to like a conceited character!). I will say that while I warmed to the characters and story in general, I continued to feel a disconnect to the main character and found them to be still mildly annoying by the end. I will definitely look for this authors future work as I like the book overall but look forward to seeing the next book possibly more to enjoy their work fully.
Thanks to publisher and NetGalley for an advance copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
Bella Whittington is the heiress of the Whittington Soup Empire. Until, one day, she isn't. Her super-rich parents move to France and she is left high and dry in Liverpool (gasp!).
How she picks up her Manolo Blahniks and gets on with life is the story.
I don't know how to feel about this book. For one, it reminded me too much of <I>The Undomestic Goddess</i> by Sophie Kinsella which I absolutely love. The love angle in that book felt much more natural than this one. In one scene, Dan is all grumpy and then Bella cooks soup and he is all smiles. Nope. Didn't work.
Bella's transformation into a rags girl from a rich one also seems rushed. In one scene, she is using public transport for the first time and worrying about her dress and shoes and a couple of pages later, she is cleaning and packing herself. She often mentions her shopping addiction but she doesn't buy anything at all - not even furniture.
Also, the problems seem too contrived and the solutions come too easily.
I so wanted to love this book because look at that cover. Sigh.
I have to say that it was a super-quick read, though and I finished it in a day.
2.5 stars.
Thanks to Netgalley and Bookouture for the ARC.
This book was a dnf for me, the beginning already made me cringe and the way in which the "stone broke heiress" goes about her business still smells of privelege. This simply wasn't for me, and that's okay.
Thank you to Bookouture for my copy of this book via Netgalley and for letting me take part in this tour. This is Danielle’s debut book and what a book it was! This book was light hearted, funny but with some real morals behind it.
Bella should have been one of those characters you don’t like. She’s grown up without any money worries and has lived a lavish life not even thinking about dropping what a normal person would spend on a monthly basis for just one meal. But Bella is so easy to love. When she is bumped back down to earth she takes in her stride and learns to appreciate the little things in life. It was really lovely to watch her journey.
Dan sounds absolutely dreamy. I am a bit of a Rege-Jean fan myself so I can see I would have easily fallen for Dan especially when you add in Herbie! I’m a sucker for a cute dog!
This story has some wonderful side characters too. I loved Elsie and Suzie. They really made me chuckle.
It was a pleasure to read Danielle’s debut novel and I cannot wait for more from this talented author!
'Stone Broke Heiress' is a fabulous debut from Danielle Owen-Jones. The Liverpool setting is a breath of fresh air. It's a riches-to-rags story which will appeal particularly to fans of Schitt's Creek. Twenty-four year old Bella loses her lavish lifestyle but gains perspective - and a whole lot more besides. I loved the characters, and the wee unit of friendship formed by Bella, Susie, Dan and Elsie. It's a really fun, uplifting read and I look forward to more from this author.
Oh wow! How is this a debut? This book has just ticked all the boxes for me. It is laugh out loud funny, it’s wonderfully gently romantic, it’s really really touching & and it’s thought provoking. It’s incredible that a debut author has managed to pack all those features into this relatively light read.
On first reading, the image created in my head of this ‘fall from grace’ Whittington Soup dynasty princess scrabbling through the dump truck, had me creased at the seams with laughter. However, as you continue with this book, it really provides a deeper meaning and makes you consider your use of food, food waste & spending on “essentials” such as food. It becomes a stark reminder that we may see ourselves as socialist, but thiz country still has a long way to go.
Maybe that’s just me reading more into it than was intended 😅 but even at surface level you can see the beauty of this book. Bella undergoes significant growth, the development of the romance is organic and the descriptions of Liverpool really help to place the story within the city. It’s nice to read something set in another British city, outside of London, and also one that I’ve not been to for a really long time!
Overall, I absolutely adored this book and devoured it from cover to cover. I love it when a book exceeds already high expectations, and this book has certainly done that! I would recommend this book and author to fans of Bella Osborne, Holly Martin & Cressida McLaughlin.
I am not a fan of rich, over spending, influencers or reality stars who flaunt their wealth, so when I started reading this book, I was a bit worried, but I didn't need to. Bella Whittington is an heiress to the Whittington Soup Empire. She lives a life of luxury, until a disastrous soup convention, leaked emails and stories of excessive spending get her father and herself, turfed out of the company. Not only that, but she catches her fiance in bed with her bestfriend. Her parents sell their home and move to property they own in Italy. Bella insists she is fine, has a new job and will remain in England. Well, she has no job and very little money. She ends up living in a studio apartment in Toxteth and gets a job at a local soup kitchen because she can make a mean pot of soup. She begins to feel at home with a new BFF, a possible boyfriend, and a job she loves. She hates her old life and is finally happy. But, things happen that blow her new happiness out of the water.
As the story begins, I didn't like Bella very much, but as she goes from riches to rags, she changes. There is a lot of humour in her downfall such as her first experience make soup at the soup kitchen, DIY facemasks and more. Dan, Susie and Elsie are all great characters. They are caring, generous, funny, able to make things out of seemingly nothing. Dan is grumpy and gruff, but only to protect himself. Elsie, his grandmother, brings out the real Dan. Keeping secrets is bound to cause problems, but you will have to read this one to find out what happens. This book has themes of excess, homelessness, addiction, ruthless business people, problems with media, self-reflection, friendship, picking yourself up, honesty and community. It was more than I was expecting and I will be watching for Danielle Owen-Jones next book.
Arabella Allegra Whittington is the sole heiress to the Whittington Soup empire build from scratch by her great-grandfather Earnie Whittington. He started making soup in his tiny kitchen during World War II as a way to feed his neighbours and help people stretch their rations. It grew into the company it is today with her father Wilfred as the chairman and Belle herself as the PR manager. Newly engaged and living a life of luxury things couldn’t be better … until one day Bellas life is turned upside down.
This is a true riches to rags story, reminiscent of one of my favourite binge worthy shows Schitt’s Creek. After scandal hits the Whittingtons are ousted from from the company and Bella finds herself living in Toxteth far away from her Albert Dock penthouse with floor-to-ceiling views of Liverpool she had shared with her fiancee. Bella son discovers she doesn’t have many marketable skills but just as she things all hope is lost she finds a job posting for the local soup kitchen – Dan’s Kitchen … if there is one thing Bella knows it is soup. However, the proprietor Dan, who carries a slight resemblance to Jean-Page Rege, isn’t so easily impressed as it turns out there is more to working in a kitchen than cooking, namely cleaning.
Many romance books tend to lean towards the Hallmark sweet as pie type of storyline so I really appreciated that this book shone a light on a serious issue such as homelessness. Overall I thought this was a lovely debut novel by author Danielle Owen-Jones and I look forward to reading more by her in the future.
I received this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.
Stone Broke Heiress reminded me so much of the Rose family from Schitt's Creek. Bella is heiress to a luxury soup brand in London and when her family gets ousted from the company finds herself in a similar fall from grace.
Bella has zero life skills of her own but her positivity is infectious. Instead of bemoaning her losses she see the value in what she has and its impossible not to love her. The irony of her finding work in a soup kitchen actually turned into a very wholesome plotline that tied together at the end beautifully.
I thoroughly enjoyed the slow burn friendship between Bella and Dan. Dan was the typical grumpy workaholic before Bella came along and shook things up. Susie and Elsie were incredible side characters, and I have to add that I loved the diversity in these characters too. I laughed so much while reading this I cried, these characters and this story is truly one of a kind I highly recommend picking this up.
Thank you so much to @netgalley and @bookouture for this ARC, Stone Broke Heiress is out now, make sure to grab your copy!
Why you should read:
✨Schitt's Creek
✨Riches to rags
✨Warm and fuzzies
✨Found family
✨Quirky side characters
✨Britishisms
I really enjoyed this book! It’s fun, heartfelt and the characters are exciting to read.
Laugh out loud moments aplenty, but also a good plot which I appreciated.
Well written and a new favourite
Here’s the plot, ‘ Rich girl works for dad. Dad gets fired from the company that he owns. Rich girl now poor girl working in a soup kitchen with hot guy. Scandal unfolds rich girl keeps a secret from hot guy she was rich.’ I liked the idea behind this book, but I just could not stand the main character. It just wasn’t the type of romcom I like personally, but I know people who would like it!