This story of second chances starts how most romance novels end, with a wedding.

Sophie, an event planner, has her perfect wedding day. She married her prince charming - okay, he's only landed gentry, but that's close isn't it? That was four years ago. Their happily ever after took them to a crumbling country estate and figuring out how to keep afloat. Sophie gave up her job and has become a tweed and Wellingtons wearing housewife. When Sophie finds her husband in the hay with the groom, she first blames herself for the situation, then seeks professional help and gives her husband a second chance. But he blows it, of course.

Here's where the story really starts. Sophie has had enough and starts over in London. She meets a handsome stranger on the train and soon finds out he's her new neighbour and a very shy one at that.

I'm not sure how to rate this story. I liked that Sophie was a strong woman standing up for herself. She gave her husband a second chance, but made it clear that there would be only one chance. This was more a book about a strong woman who had to pick herself up and find back to herself than a romance story, though.

Sophie catches her husband in flagrante and walks out. She gives him a second chance but another incident makes her seek a divorce. Can she start again and find someone to heal her heart...?
Let's Not Be Friends is a wonderful mix of female strength, friendship, and a second chance at romance. It is the first book I have read by this author and I can't wait to read more!
Sophie is betrayed and humiliated. I was absolutely incandescent with rage at Sophie's feckless cheating husband and his vile mother. Their behaviour towards her is appalling and I was firmly on her side throughout the book, bristling with indignation every time they appeared.
Luckily, Sophie has her family and her own sense of self worth to make her stand up for her rights. She makes a fresh start and I was cheering her along every step of the way. Halfway through we are introduced to a character and I kept my fingers crossed that a new romance would ensue.
The style of writing is light hearted although the infidelity was despicable but handled well as Sophie attempts to move on. I loved her integrity in her personal and professional decisions and wanted her to find happiness. The ending was a little abrupt but I didn't want the book to end! It finished on a note of hope which gave an appropriate sense of closure.
Let's Not Be Friends is an completely captivating modern novel with a strong lead character who I deeply cared about.

Sophie got the life she had always thought she wanted....but surprise.....happily ever after didn't include the happy. After setting everyone straight, she finds that maybe what she really needed would find her. This was definitely a much better read than what I had expected. My friend recommended it so I picked it up and found myself pulled right into Sophie's adventures. I would have happily been a cheerleader on her team. Now I'm recommending to the rest of my reading circle.

I really loved reading this book. The premise of the novel, is Sophie, who had left her life in London behind to live with her husband, on his family’s farm. Sophie’s simple farm life comes to a complete halt when she catches him cheating on her with one of his employees. I really loved reading this novel because Sophie was so real and relatable. Firstly, (don’t worry not really a spoiler) her first instinct is to try and make her marriage work. Sometimes when reading stories, the character’s take this “holier-than-though” approach and will be depicted as leaving the cheater, no looking back kinda thing. Which I will admit is bad ass, but very difficult to do in real life. I am super happy that MacLeod decided to talk that approach and have Sophie try and work things out. When they didn’t, Sophie goes back to her parents and tries to rebuild her life. This I also found to be super relatable and wonderful storytelling. There is nothing embarrassing about looking back and going to family for help in time of need. Especially post-pandemic, this is a sentiment I think many can relate to as well. While there is a lot of luck with Sophie’s story, mainly the amount of wealth her parents have and their ability to loan her money, and get her on her feet. I think it is important that Phoebe MacLeod included that aspect in Sophie’s life. While Sophie’s emotions and situation are relatable, the ability to pull oneself together is severely limited without the finances she had access to. With that being said, this was a solid 4-star read, and I recommend to all who may have recently been in a situation where a partner cheated or even a hard break up. This novel is really about finding oneself before being in a relationship, and finding hope and moving forward.

Loved this so much, a feel good Rom-Com
A lesson in Self Love, strong friendships and family dynamics. This was so well written, after reading Someone Else's Honeymoon I was so desperate to read this and it did not disappoint. @bookandtonic @phoebemacleod21

I think it was a combination of the intriguing title and the insane brightness of the cover that attracted me to this book. I haven’t read Phoebe MacLeod before but the book was touted as ‘for fans of Portia MacIntosh and Mhairi McFarlane’, so I guess I had a general idea of the vibe.

Sophie is a city girl at heart but her marriage to James means she is now of nobility and living on a large country farm. She thought her marriage was a happy one but then she finds her husband having sex with the stable girl and her life slowly unravels. The crazy thing is that her mother-in-law expects her to just put up with it because apparently Sophie is unlikely to get a better offer of life than the one she has. But Sophie is determined to ditch her cheating husband and make her own way.

Sophie’s mother-in-law is incredibly infuriating but sadly, I did believe that she was a real person. I know that there are wealthy wives who will literally allow themselves to be treated worthlessly because of their deep-seated fear of being alone or losing their ‘social status’. I was relieved that Sophie wasn’t swayed by her mother-in-law’s words and knew that she didn’t need them to get by in life. I should note that Sophie is also from a wealthy family albeit ‘new money’ versus James’ ‘old’. I wonder whether her mindset and decision about whether to stay or leave might have been different if Sophie literally had nothing to return to or fall back on. I’d hope that a working class girl would make the same choices but perhaps the need for a life without severe hardship would have won out.

The fact that Sophie watches her husband have sex with the stable girl and takes a critique’s viewpoint was quite amusing. It wasn’t really laugh-out-loud funny because it was obvious how much she was hurt by what she was seeing but it was certainly an interesting take on being betrayed in the worst way.

My favourite part of the book were the female friendships that are formed. They are really healthy with Sophie and Emily’s friendship acting as a great demonstration of how women could be rivals but choose not to be. Sophie becomes a great professional mentor to Emily and it was lovely to see her protegee gain career confidence and become a good friend.

For the most part, I liked Sophie but there was one time when I felt that she was quite judgemental. Something happens that makes her ‘worried’ that her love interest is into cartoons and comics. I couldn’t help but wonder how that might sound to a neurodiverse reader who retreats to nostalgia for comfort and familiarity in a scary, confusing, adult world. It’s not a bad or childish thing to love comics and animation, so I didn’t like how this was framed.

Elliott isn’t really introduced until we’re over halfway into the book. Although he and Sophie don’t fall for each other straightaway, it still wasn’t really the kind of slow burn romance that I enjoy. In fact, it felt a bit rushed and it certainly wasn’t the focus of the book. I’m not sure whether it was supposed to be but the book was definitely marketed as a romance and I’m not sure I’d say it really is that.

Let’s Not Be Friends is an easy read and shows some probably very real reactions to a marriage breakdown. On the whole, the characters are likeable and the story of a woman recovering from infidelity is easy to get behind. I think I wanted more from the romance aspect but it was generally a very enjoyable read.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of Let's Not Be Friends by Phoebe Macleod. All thoughts and opinions are my own. Thanks to NetGalley and Boldwood Books for this ARC.

The best part of this book was the first quarter when Sophie had to deal with a cheating husband and where she wanted to go after discovering his roving eye. The idea of marrying nobility and being "worthy" to be part of the family is a little overdone but I didn't feel like it was a chore to keep reading. Once Sophie left her husband and had to restart her life, I got bored. She just isn't a dynamic enough character for me to care. And the follow-up romance was boring. I give this book 2/5 stars.

DNF at 40%. I just couldn’t get into this book. I also don’t really understand why this is marketed as a romance, it seems more like a self discovery for the main character. Not a bad book, just not my thing!

My Review: 5 Platinum Stars, I 100% could not put this gem of a book down. so funny, even when it was heart breaking, as the title suggests Sophies marriage to James hits some bumps after a dream wedding and her escape from the city to the countryside. Some parts take me back to Bridget Jones. The things we do for love and self preservation.. Sophies life takes some knocks but she is never down for long, her mum and dad and her girlfriends from her younger days are there to keep her inspired and celebrating life.

This is a story about self love, self respect, independence, boundaries, self worth, it’s far more important than romance, because without any of these is anything really love If you can’t say you have the rest. It’s 100% about healthy relationships be that with a partner, family or friends. It was a delight to read and share in Sophie’s journey to herself.

When Sophie fell in love with James and got married, she bent over backwards, giving up her job and her city life, to move to the countryside and work alongside him on his property. But apparently, this wasn’t enough for James – she found him cheating on him. When he apologized, she agreed to give her marriage a second chance, if they met with a counselor. But unfortunately, he couldn’t keep his end of the bargain! What’s more, her mother-in-law berated Sophie and let slip that James had only married her for her father’s money. Sophie finally leaves and with the support of her parents, starts rebuilding her life again.

Sophie has the courage and the self-respect to walk out. While the support of her parents and the fact that she could walk back into her old job cannot be discounted, she actually took a stand for herself and her future.

Sophie gradually begins to make friends with the people in her building, including the mysterious Elliot. Will she find love again?

Told in the first person, the story is told with humour and doesn’t drag at all.

I enjoyed reading this story of how it’s possible to build your life again even from pain and heartbreak.

Let’s Not Be Friends
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Genre: Romance
Format: Kindle eBook
Date Published: 11/23/22
Author: Phoebe MacLeod
Publisher: Boldwood Books
Pages: 268
GR: 3.73

I requested a digital advanced readers copy from NetGalley and Boldwood Books and providing my opinion voluntarily and unbiased.

My Thoughts: Content warning of cheating. Sophie got burned with a cheating husband, she was left to mend her broken heart, while starting over. Sophie had a very toxic relationship, not only with her cheating husband, but with his mother as well. Sophie was able to stand in her truth and come out a stronger, more resilient woman. Sophie made you believe in her, her confidence, her no nonsense attitude. The issues presented in this story happen everyday and are extremely relatable. Enter Elliot about halfway through the book, he was the perfect hero. He was shy, had been hurt before, cautious, but yet strong and independent. MacLeod does a great job of the history between Sophie and James, where it went off the rails and then introducing Elliot. The book ended kind of abruptly, I wish there was a little more focus on Sophie and Elliot’s story and where they ultimately ended up. Having said that, I still feel like this was a wonderful story that I enjoyed. The characters were well developed with depth, witty banter, chemistry, and creatively woven. The author’s writing style, which I love, is complex, creative, funny, intriguing, and absolutely engaging. I love MacLeod’s books and have read a few. I highly recommend picking up this book!

I have to admit I thought there would be more romance in this than there was, but I was delighted by what the story had in store for me beyond this and I found I didn’t miss the romance I thought I had wanted, because what I got in return was so much more than I knew I wanted or needed from a story.

This is a story about self love, self respect, independence, boundaries, self worth, it’s far more important than romance, because without any of these is anything really love If you can’t say you have the rest. It’s 100% about healthy relationships be that with a partner, family or friends. It was a delight to read and share in Sophie’s journey to herself.

That’s not to say there’s not romance, or humour (don’t want to make this sound like a self help book 🤣) but it’s so much more. I love Sophie’s mother-in-law so much she’s got no tact, speaks her mind and although I’d want to kill her in real life, as a character she’s a great antagonist.

Overall this is a fantastic read, one I’d thoroughly recommend when you need an uplift, a confirmation of the good in life, the strength we can have, especially when we have friends, a community support, self love and boundaries, simply fantastic read.

Thanks to netgalley, Phoebe MacLeod and Rachel’s Random Resources for a free copy in return for an honest and voluntary review, all opinions are my own and freely given.

Sophie thinks she is living her best life; Newly married, with a new title to her name, and a loving husband, but when she finds him cheating on her life isn’t what it seems.

I loved the attitude of the main character and how she always stood on her own feet, also focusing on her ambitions and accomplishments.
I do not like the mother-in-law but I do not believe MacLeod really wanted us to. This isn’t your stereotypical romance novel, this is a novel about second chances, finding yourself, and very human situations.

I admit this isn’t what I expected as it is described as a romance but it was an easy read and I did enjoy it.

What's it about (in a nutshell):
Let’s Not Be Friends by Phoebe MacLeod is a women’s fiction story of empowerment mixed with a bit of romance and light-hearted moments. It’s billed as a romantic comedy in the book description, but it really isn’t. It is a somewhat realistic tale of breaking free from a cheating husband and rediscovering yourself.
Initial Expectations (before beginning the book):
In the title, the book says that it’s a laugh-out-loud, feel-good romantic comedy and the cartoonish cover corroborates that statement. So, that’s precisely what I’m expecting.
Actual Reading Experience:
Let’s Not Be Friends is nothing like what I expected, but I was okay with that. Instead, it is a relatively light women’s empowerment story about a wife who finds out her husband is cheating in the worst possible way. She agrees to stay and work on the marriage, but only if he agrees to counseling and with the understanding that if he cheats again, that is the end of their marriage. And ultimately, she had to walk away and rediscover who she is as an adult and what she wants to do. There is a very light romance in the story, and there are no surprises in the turn of events, but still, I enjoyed this story very much.
I enjoyed watching Sophie develop a backbone most of all and finding out how much strength she had. It’s so refreshing to have a story go in this direction rather than the other way. I loved her attitude and how she made life happen rather than wait for it to happen. I also loved how she figured out how to create a better situation with one co-worker. That was very inspiring.
Lastly, the romance - To be honest, everything about it was super predictable to the point where Sophie’s cluelessness over what was so apparent to me became a little annoying. But it is still an excellent pairing, and I love how Elliott is in every way James’ opposite.
Characters:
Sophie is raised by wealthy self-made parents – one of the nouveau riche set. She has never wanted anything, but she was presented with the reality that you need to provide for yourself as an adult, not try to live off her parents’ money. This directly conflicts with how her husband, a landed gentry, looks at her.
James sees dollar signs when he looks at Sophie. In his mind, as well as that of his mother, he has the title, and she has the cash, so he feels that makes an equitable partnership. He doesn’t seem to understand that Sophie doesn’t want an arrangement; she wants a true marriage in every loving sense of the word.
Narration & Pacing:
The narration is in first person, and the pacing is rapid, both of which I enjoyed. First-person narration often aids in keeping the pace fast, which is the case in this novel. Sophie makes a pretty good narrator. At first, I grew a little weary over James;’ infidelity, but her strength grew as time passed, and I enjoyed the front-seat ticket to experiencing that with her.

Setting:
The setting is around London – primarily outside the city for half of the story, and the other half is the estate where Sophie lives with her husband and his widowed mother. The estate is run down and requires many repairs, but it is also hemorrhaging money, so they can’t afford the upkeep.

Read if you like:
• Women empowerment stories
• Light romance
• Hopeful tales

This was an entertaining, well-written book. It was fun, sweet and held my interest. I wanted to find out what would happen. I enjoyed this book and would recommend it to others.

I was sucked into this book immediately and thoroughly enjoyed this story of second chances and rediscovering who you are.
The novel opens with Sophie, a wedding planner, finally organising and participating in her own wedding to the man of her dreams. Forward 4 years in time and Sophie is blissfully living the country life until she finds her husband cheating on her. With very little comfort from her in-laws, Sophie embarks on a journey to repair her life and find herself again.
I enjoyed the way the author explored some very real responses to a marriage breakdown and that Sophie wasn’t over it and moving on in a few days. The way she sought counselling and solace and tried really hard to repair the damage was heartbreaking but really realistic.
I love a book with a community vibe and this is a theme here. Sophie was so wronged by the people she thought she could rely on but people of the village really came together to support her. I adore stories that restore my faith in humanity.
I thoroughly enjoyed being part of Sophie’s journey and really loved reading this book. It’s a great uplifting read that is fun in places and heart-warming in others.

I would firstly just like to say a big thank you to Rachel’s Random Resources and NetGalley, who very kindly forwarded me an arc copy of this book, for my Kindle, in return for my honest review.

Let’s Not Be Friends is a wonderful second chance story and was also very heartwarming.

Sophie’s other half cheats on her, so she finds some inner strength and tries to work things out.

Both her husband and her mother in law were really horrible characters and all the way through I disliked them, a lot! It made me wonder how someone as nice as Sophie could put up with them…..

This was a fun read and included a wonderful journey of self discovery and I loved Sophie - just one thing though, I would have loved an epilogue…….

Let me start this review by saying this is definitely not the romantic comedy as suggested in the synopsis. If you're looking for a 'meet-cute' Let's Not Be Friends is not that book!

However if you're looking for an easy read with a likable MC then this may be the book for you. Although if cheating is a big no-no maybe give this one a miss.

I did enjoy getting to know Sophie although at times I didn't understand her decisions. I willed her to find herself again and kick her lying, cheating husband to the kerb along with his mother and the stable groom - what horrid characters! At times the plot was fairly predictable but that didn't take away my enjoyment. I would have personally liked more of a rom-com element and would have liked more from her new relationship. Overall a nice read about finding yourself again.

Description 🔖

Sophie moved from the city to marry and live with her Prince Charming; or as close to that as she could get. James comes with a title; which Sophie inherits; and a farm, which Sophie would rather leave behind. Of course, Sophie is determined to make her happy ever after work, but that becomes difficult when she finds her husband in the stables, with the stable girl and they were tending to each other as opposed to the horses.

Sophie’s Mother in Law isn’t very supportive when she advises Sophie to just get on with it. After all, she should be grateful to have got the title and to be there on the farm. But what will Sophie choose to do? Is she in love enough to forgive James or will she relinquish her title and run back to the city?

General Thoughts 🤔

From the cover of this book alone, I was expecting a light hearted romantic comedy and thankfully, that is exactly what I got. I am very much into easy breezy books right now and Let’s Not Be Friends delivered on that. I will say that the story wasn’t completely believable and did have me pulling my “really?!” face a couple of times, but once I reminded myself it’s just that, a story, I got over it and just accepted it for what it was. Once I did that, I was able to enjoy and be entertained.

Characters 👫👭👬

So obviously, the story centres around Sophie and by the end of the book, I had really started to like her. I was a little bit worried at the start that she was going to be a timid pushover but I was so pleased when she proved that she had a back bone. I don’t think anyone could say that Sophie did not give opportunity for things to be different. If anything, she was a stronger person than me for sticking around when she did. On reflection, I admired her because she was able to walk away with her head held high.

Rosalind was well and truly the MIL from hell. I don’t think I could have even got to the point of marriage with a mother in law like her, never mind leaving everything I had known to go and live in such close proximity to her. Rosalind had very outdated and sexist views of how a marriage should work and I found it frightening to realise that people like her are still knocking about.

Writing Style ✍️

As I mentioned, there were parts of the story that I found unbelievable (I don’t know of any grown ups that enter into a full on relationship after one night). I would have liked for Sophie’s relationship with Elliot to have been developed a little more as it felt a tad bit rushed at the end. However, that aside, I really enjoyed this author’s tone and I loved that she was able to create lots of scenes that I could envisage vividly and had me laughing out loud. I want a rom com to whisk my brain away from reality to a certain extent and this book was able to do that.

Conclusion & Scoring 🎖

The cover drew my attention to this book as it made me think that what I would find inside would be entertaining, funny and a touch sappy. That’s what I wanted and it’s what I got. There are some delightfully funny scenes in this story and some lovely heart warming romantic ones. This is a fantastic book to lift spirits and it was nice to be reminded that not everything has to be serious all of the time.