I'm a bit confused by the cover. It gave me RomCom vibes plus how it states "highly hilarious" when it had no humor to me. Not worth the read, sorry. I begrudgingly finished this book so I could finish my review, but I wouldn't recommend this to anyone I know.

I received this book from NetGalley and the publishers to read and review. All statements above are my true opinions after fully reading this book.

I must have been reading a different book because I found this utterly boring and frustrating. Where was the so-called humour? I felt cheated by the blurb which promised ‘a hilarious and heart-warming romantic comedy.’ No it was neither hilarious, nor heart-warming.

The plot wasn’t particularly exciting and sadly, the main characters Lina and Brown were under-written. I found them unreal and unappealing, The other characters seemed to get more page time than they did.

I found the writing style really clumsy. The prose didn’t flow at all and I kept having to go back and read a paragraph to figure out what was happening. I think some judicious editing might have helped. There was a lot of padding!

I understand the pronoun business is important to some people in real life, but in this book, it was done incredibly clumsily. The constant use of “they/their” when referring to Freddie, continually threw me out of the story as I had to go back and check who was being written about. I really don’t know how a writer can combine the desire to respect cultural norms and avoid offending people, whilst telling a story but I simply found the whole things confusing and frustrating.

I ended up skimming chunks of this book because I just didn’t care. Such a shame and I hate to be so critical when I know the author will have put a lot of work into this book.. this book was just not my cup of tea.

I received an ARC from NetGalley in return for an honest review.

Thank you to Netgalley for an eARC in exchange for my honest review!

This story follows Lina and Brown in their attempts to hide their impending divorce from their friends and fall in love again in the process.

I will start by saying I love a second-chance romance involving currently married or divorced couples because it involves real emotions and situations where love requires work. Lina and Brown's story was pretty simple and surface-level as far as marital issues go, but that is realistic, not all relationships have serious concerns that lead to divorce. This did leave me feeling a little disconnected from their characters because the events and emotions they were going through were not complex, there was nothing to relate to. I did like that they went back in time throughout their relationship, you got a glimpse into how they evolved and you got hints of little disappointments which led to the decision to divorce. I do wish they went a little deeper into those small moments which left a lasting effect on Lina and Brown's relationship which I believe would create a deeper connection with the reader.

One issue I had with the book was the pace. The story felt like it was going through all of these different storylines and it did not sit in one spot for very long. This also contributed to my lack of connection with the book or characters, because I did not get enough substance to relate to. My other issue with the book is how unresolved one of the issues with a member of their friend group was. They briefly mentioned an incident towards the end of the book with their friend Sophie and it brought on feelings of betrayal from everyone, but it was never talked about further or resolved in the end. This may be due to another book coming out at a later date that revolves around Sophie or another character but it left me feeling a little disappointed.

Altogether, this book was a nice, feel-good love story which I would recommend if you wanted an easy read with a happy ending.

I couldn't finish it. I understand pronouns ( he/him, she/her, they/them) but reading it versus using it out loud makes for a very confusing read for me.. Especially with the third person writing. I couldn't get into the story for trying to remember who was who.

This story is full of hope & second chances. I will say I wasn’t quite drawn in, I felt a little detached from the whole thing. The story itself was a little simple for me, not a whole lot of complex situations to keep my interest. If you’re looking for something on the more lighthearted side, this would be a good option for you.

The cover promised a "totally hilarious and heart-warming" read, but I got the opposite feelings with this book.

I found the characters to be insufferable. Lina is a sappy, perfectionist that makes huge decisions at the drop of a hat and is then upset when her husband isn't on the same page as her. As for said husband, I feel as if I don't know him well enough to from a proper opinion. Readers don't actually meet present day Brown until the 5th chapter. He--like his wife--is a poor communicator, but he seems the most like a realistic person out of the entire cast. As for the friends, the only thing I'll say is that part of the reason Lina is afraid to admit the impending divorce to them is because of how "highly opinionated" they are. Extrapolate from that what you will.

The plot focuses more on saving the apartment building than the romance. Worst of all, it isn't even a particularly compelling plot line. Lina and Brown's reconciliation felt so surface level. There needed to be more of a focus on the past and present of the couple for me to believe in their love. The side characters intrude too much into the story as well. Freddie and Mara make a bigger impact than Brown. I wouldn't be surprised to find they had more lines than him.

I have issues with the author's writing too. The first page (at least in my digital ARC) introduces the entirety of the main cast and it took me a bit to keep them all straight. The dialouge is so awkward. The characters don't sound like they could be real people. The story isn't even funny. I was promised humor and I don't think I even smiled while reading this.

Clearly, this is not the book for me. To each their own though.

Lina pretends to remain married to her husband Brown when her best friends come to visit. Of course, along the way, she falls in love with him again.

I like Lina and Brown. I like them together and how they relate to each other. I love how they find their way to each other again. So many funny scenes too! :)

Thanks to the publisher for the arc.