This review is being posted as part of the Someone Like You blog tour hosted by Rachel’s Random Resources.

Someone Like You is the latest feel-good laugh-out-loud romance from author Sandy Barker. Fans of a good friends to lovers romance, this one is for you! Add in brilliant festive vibes and some of your favourite romance tropes (including matchmaking, forced proximity, found family and only one bed) and you have this perfect cute and cosy read, which feels like a Hallmark movie in book form.

This is the fourth instalment of the Ever After Agency series, all focused around the work of the matchmaking agency. This was my introduction to the series, and to Sandy Barker’s books in general, but I loved the premise of the agency. Seeing them orchestrate meet cutes in their efforts to find Raff a match was so fun. It’s made me so excited to read the rest of the books in the series!
Gaby and Raff were the textbook definition of the ‘everybody can see it but them’ trope and I couldn’t get enough of it. This is a real slow burn, perfect for fans of the trope who really have some serious patience as it’s probably the slowest slow burn I’ve ever read. But I promise the pay out is definitely worth it! There is no spice (although there are some references which sit it as more of a closed-door book than an only-kisses book) and this only helped it to feel even more sweet.

Gaby was a brilliant protagonist who felt really relatable. Her POV frames most of the narrative but we also get to see the perspective of some of the matchmaking team which was a nice addition. Raff was a total sweetheart and definitely in the rankings for book boyfriend of 2024. I fell in love with him the second he got an SOS call from one of his female best friends and turned up with food and drink for every eventuality.

The second half of the book was my favourite, with Raff spending Christmas with Gaby in Seattle. This half had lovely festive vibes and we got to see the playout of two of my favourite tropes: only one bed and forced proximity. I loved Gaby’s family and the plot point of the Christmas Eve wedding, it made the book feel even cosier.

This is a really easy read. I also partially listened to the audiobook which was also a really easy listen which was really nicely narrated. The entire narrative is really well paced which had me engrossed from cover to cover in what just felt like a big cosy hug.

Overall, Someone Like You is a brilliant cosy romance read perfect for the upcoming festive season.

Rating:⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5
Spice Level: 🌶️🌶️ / 5 (Closed Door)

I have posted my review on my blog www.yourschloe.co.uk

*Thank you to NetGalley, Sandy Barker, Rachel’s Random Resources and Boldwood Books.

3.5 stars. Thanks to Netgalley and Boldwood Books for the E-ARC. In this book we see Poppy who is the matchmaker from Book 1 working with Gabs trying to match her bestie Raffa. Just like the other 3 books I enjoyed this one so much. I especially loved that it takes place in 2 different locations. I love how they are such easy reads everything just flows together and it always keeps you engaged from start to finish. Cant wait for more books from the Ever After Agency

The first three stories in the Ever After Agency series are delightful, cosy hugs-in-books, and Someone Like You is no exception! The ultimate of friends-to-lovers, the story is told from the POV of matchmaker Poppy, but follows Gaby as she tries to set her best friend Rafe up with the perfect woman… only to realise her feelings for him to beyond friendship.

Gaby had her heart broken years ago and finds friendships far easier to navigate than romances. She very much buys into the “once bitten, twice shy” trope. After her moment of truth, she hesitates about telling Raff – after all, he is her best friend. What if he doesn’t feel the same way? What if she ruins their friendship?

Raff has just won Britain’s Best Baker. He falls in love easily, but his relationships never last. He has a habit of calling his girlfriends pet names and the first indication that he might feel more for Gaby is that he calls her “Gabs”.

Everyone around Gaby and Raff can see how perfect they are for each other. This is where a lot of the comedy comes from, but it’s always gentle and never pokes fun at the couple. There are nudges in the right direction but it still takes a while for them to admit the truth.

To be warned that Someone Like You is a slooow burn. I absolutely love this trope, but if you’re wanting insta-love and mad passion then this isn’t the story for you. If you like a slow burn, you’ll be in your element.

It’s also perfect for lovers of Christmas romances. Set between London and Seattle, it’s full of seasonal cheer, with found families, cosy settings and feel-good vibes. For me, this was a perfect Christmassy read and I await Ms Barker’s next instalment!

BLOG TOUR REVIEW

Review for 'Someone Like You' by Sandy Barker.

This is the fourth book in Sandy's 'the Ever After Agency' series but each book an be read as a standalone.

Love, LOVE, LOVED this absolutely gorgeous page turner!! An absolute must read!!! Another brilliant addition to this fantastic series and this one comes with a festive feeling added!!

OMG!!! I absolutely LOVED this gorgeous page turner and I cannot WAIT for the next book in this series to come out along with getting stuck in to all of Sandy's previous books!! It is just as gorgeous as the previous books in this amazing series and the rest of the books to come are just guaranteed to be stunning!! If you have never read any of the books in this gorgeous series then get started now!! this is the perfect one to read with Christmas just around the corner! I am not normally a fan of reading books out of order, and although I have read all these books in this series, but there is definitely a silver lining! The good thing about reading books in a series out of order is that when you have finished this one then you can go back and read the previous books in this series while you are waiting for the next book!! You may also discover a new favourite author just like I did!! In this matchmaking "episode" we meet Gaby who has moved from Seattle to London and works at Global Reach Marketing with her best friends Freya and Raff. Raff has just wan the award for 'Britain's Best Baker' but despite now gaining fame for this his love life is not winning any awards. Freya works with Poppy at the agency and asks her to find a match for Raff which she agrees to on the condition he is not told and that he cannot go on other dates. The match making plan is put in motion but Gaby objects to many of the matches that are chosen. Poppy is very good at what she does and soon works out that the reason Gaby is objecting is because Gaby has more than friends feelings for Raff but is worried about losing his friendship so keeps it hidden. When Gaby realises that Raff is planning on spending Christmas on his own she invites him to Seattle to spend Christmas with her and her family. Will Gaby get what she really wants for Christmas? Will they be stuck in the friend zone for life? grab your copy of this festive feel good page turner to find out the answers to these and discover much more and I can guarantee you will not regret it and if you have never read any of Sandy's books before now you may even discover your new favourite author! With a storyline filled with festivities, love, gorgeous food, beautiful settings, friendship, family, romance and so much more what are you waiting for? Sandy has done it yet again in this gorgeous book and as well as meeting new characters I loved meeting some familiar faces again including Poppy who I always love catching up with, Freya, Greta, Tristan, Saffy the cat, Gretchen and Chaz to name a few. I absolutely adored the unique storyline which is hard to come by when it comes to romance books as there are so many out there but Sandy has created an absolutely gorgeous storyline which I cannot wait to continue in the next book in this series!!!! Sandy's stunning evocative writing skills really does bring the storyline, emotions and the characters to life. I absolutely adored being swept away into this fantastic feel good book and was so absorbed that on the rare moments I looked up it took me a while to realise I was in Wales at home and not in the book itself next to Gaby and Poppy!! The storyline is stunning and is ram packed with friendship, romance, fun, humour and emotions and is an absolutely stunning escapism romantic read!!! This is one of those books that are very easy to read and perfect for any reading situations whether you are laying on a beach or curled up in front of a fire. It is an absolutely ideal read for anyone who is looking for a gorgeous and relaxing read that will have you hooked from beginning to end. I absolutely LOVED the realism of this storyline which made it so easy to picture everything that was going on which had been helped by Sandy's fantastic evocative writing skills.

I cannot wait to get hooked into more of Sandy's books so I hope she is busy writing her next stunner in this series while I get stuck into her previous books!! This is definitely one of those books that will turn a frown upside down and make life seem a lot brighter. Grab your copy today and fall in love with The Ever After Agency series today!!!

Well done Sandy on yet another absolutely stunning and perfect addition to an absolutely stunning series!!!

Although this is the fourth book in the series I would have had absolutely no problems reading it without the previous three books. Any details or events that have previously happened are mentioned in just the right amount of detail to let a new reader know what has happened and yet not too much to bore a previous reader.

The characters were all an eclectic mix and each one of them were realistic and strong. I was completely invested in them all. It also makes them more realistic, believable and made me feel even more for them than I normally would. I absolutely loved meeting Poppy again who I first met in 'Match Me If You Can' and have met several times in the other books in this fantastic series. She is a friendly, strong, likeable woman and I loved catching up with her and finding out what she has been up to since I last seen her. I also loved our other main protagonist Gaby and I was rooting for her throughout. There were just so many amazing characters that I loved getting to know that I could write about them all day but I don't want to bore you so I'll start to wrap it up here. As always Sandy does an amazing job of weaving multiple protagonist perspectives together perfectly ensuring the reader gets to see the bigger picture of what is going on inside and outside of the 'Happily Ever After' Agency. Sandy's fantastic evocative writing skills ensures each of the characters come to life in front of your eyes as you turn the pages. Each of the characters are memorable and unique in their own ways and they are a group that I wont be forgetting any time soon! I cannot wait to meet them all again and I'm hoping they will all be in the next book in this series!!!

Pick up this book and get lost in this absolutely gorgeous page turner! This has got to be one the most stunning book I have read this year 💜!!!

Congratulations Sandy on yet another absolutely stunning read that I just could not put down!!!

Overall an unputdownable, gorgeous, STUNNING page turning book filled with festivities, romance, fun, laughter, friendship and so much more!! A perfectly relaxing and stunning unique read!!!!

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Thanks netgalley for an advanced copy of this book for my review. So this book is one in a series and I think it's a perfectly good standalone. This is one of those will they,won't they? stories, it's fun,cute enjoyable read.

I liked the plot, but the execution could’ve been better. There was too much tell rather than show, which made reading a bit tiresome. The characters didn’t read as authentic.

Barker displays sensitivity when dealing with a best friend in love with her best friend who isn’t aware of it.
I liked how supportive and close Gaby’s family is.
Raff was a whiz in the kitchen but quite the slow learner when it came to women, including the one right next to,him.
I liked the friends to lovers trope although Gaby had to endure the endless pairings of Raff with other women.
This a warmhearted read with a very good ending.

Someone Like You by Sandy Barker

I received an advance review copy for free thanks to Rachel's Random Resources and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

Blurb

What do you do when you realise you've fallen for your best friend, but he sees you as the sister he never had? And to make things worse, you're stuck in the middle of a matchmaking scheme to find him someone else!

Best friends Gaby and Raff are inseparable and know each other inside out. But with Raff's string of disastrous relationships and his newfound fame as Britain’s Best Baker, it's time to enlist the Ever After Agency to help him find true love.

At first, Gaby is all in – Raff is a catch, after all. But as she secretly helps to find his perfect match, she’s hit with unexpected pangs of jealousy. And before she can act on her feelings, Raff falls for one of his dates.

Can Gaby keep her emotions in check, or will she risk ruining their friendship to find out if Raff feels the same way?

My Opinion

Someone Like You is the fourth book in the Ever After Agency series, and whilst I have read the books in order, I feel that this would work as a standalone. I sat and read this book in one sitting, and I was slightly sad when I reached the end as I wasn’t ready for it to finish. With some very likeable characters, Sandy Barker has once again written a great book.

Rating 4/5

Raff has just had another breakup, but the plan is to help Raff find love without him knowing about it but maybe the person he was meant to fall in love with has been there all along.

This is a great novel within the series. I love that we were back with previous characters and got to see a dual point of view with our main characters.

This novel followed themes of friendship, romance and family and I loved the scene with Gaby's family which just made me want to jump into the page and be a part of the scene,

This book was incredibly fun. I have read the first book in this series too and the interconnecting story to include the other characters made my day. Perfect for reading something light in the lead up to Christmas!

Thank you @netgalley for my copy in exchange for an honest review

Gaby and Raff work at a marketing agency; they are best friends with Freya, who now works at the Ever After Agency, an exclusive matchmaking service. Raff is recovering from his latest heartbreak, which happened when he won Best British Baker. As he contemplates a dream career move, Freya decides she needs to find him a match and enlists the help of Poppy, who regular readers of the series will know. It is a glamorous, lighthearted friends-to-lovers romance with many misunderstandings and humorous moments. I enjoyed catching up with Poppy's life and meeting Gaby's lovely family in Seattle. The romance is gentle and often conflicted as Gaby tries to understand her true feelings and what she is prepared to risk for happiness. I love the characters and their relationship dynamics. I also enjoyed the locations and the romance.
I received a copy of this book from the publisher.

‘Someone Like You’ by Sandy Barker is a really fun tale of matchmaking, friendships, baking and love! It’s the fourth book in the ‘Ever After Agency’ series, and focuses on marketing executive Gaby and her colleague/best friend/recent TV-baking show winner Raff… Raff is in love with the idea of falling in love but averse to endless dating. When his friend Freya - a professional matchmaker at the agency - makes it her mission to pair him up without him noticing, will he meet the woman of his dreams, or realise that the key to his romantic happiness is already within his reach?

One thing I really enjoy about the novels is how Poppy (matchmaker extraordinaire and the star of the first instalment) is deeply involved with each would-be couple and gets her own chapters. I adore hearing about her life with husband Tristan and cat Saffron, and even getting updates on her close friends.

The themes of family dynamics and career changes were interesting, and I really liked the chapters from the POV of our romantic leads. Both main characters were likeable, relatable and pretty well-developed.

This gets four stars from me! I would have loved to see a few more chapters at the end versus just an epilogue. The taster of Book 5 has me excited already…

I received an advance Digital Review Copy of this book from the publisher Boldwood Books via NetGalley. The opinions expressed in this review are my own.

Despite loving books one and two in the series (you can read my reviews of those here and here) – I have somehow missed out on book 3. I will remedy this oversight as soon as I can but haven’t had time to do so yet. I was worried this would affect my enjoyment of Someone Like You – What had I missed? Would I be confused? – I should not have been concerned, it didn’t spoil my enjoyment one bit. This works perfectly as a standalone (although I do recommend you read the others too as they are too good to miss!)

The book took a little while to warm up for me, not sure why exactly but, once I was a couple of chapters in, I was hooked and I read the book cover to cover in a single day. I am a bit of a sucker for a friends-to-lovers story and this is one of the best examples of it that i have read recently. The friendship between Gaby and Raff is so genuine and gorgeous that even I was a little worried of her doing something to spoil it. When an author has you this invested in the characters and their relationships, they have got you and they must be doing something right.

Gaby is such a lovely character. You know you have a real friend who they are willing to put their own happiness on the line to further yours and I was totally in love with her quite quickly. In fact, all of the female characters in these books are wonderful – warm, supportive, generous, fun – the kind of people you want to have in your own life. Then we have the male love interest, suitable swoon-worthy but also with a lot going on behind the good looks, because who falls in love with a one-dimensional pretty boy? Certainly not me, or any of Sandy Barker’s heroines.

My favourite thing about this whole novel though was the interlude in Seattle with Gaby’s whole family. The warmth and love and familial closeness oozes off the page and into the hearts of the reader, where it will melt the iciest of hearts. I loved the glimpses we had of Seattle, all the wedding planning and, particularly, Auntie Christine! I could just imagine the scenes exactly and wished I could be in the midst of it all, sounds very like my family tbh!

This is another great addition to the romance canon by Sandy Barker and I can’t wait for her next book. Perfect seasonal reading for the old romantic in you.

Oh my goodness, that back cover summary makes it so difficult to review this lovely book – there’s a lot more to the story and I SO wanted to tell you about some of its later twists and turns, but really don’t want to spoil any of the surprises! But just a quick summary of where it all starts…

Gaby and Raff are the best of friends – but despite his newfound fame as Britain’s Best Baker, his romantic life is a bit of a disaster area. One of their other friends, Freya, works at the Ever After Agency and when she suggests they put plans in action to find him a match, Gaby’s happy to help – although things prove a little difficult when he’s not too keen on the idea, so they need to put the potential matches in his path without him knowing, and with varying degrees of success. But our favourite matchmaker Poppy is on the case, and she sees what’s really going on before they do – Gaby’s realised that she and Raff really are the perfect match for each other, but she can’t act on her feelings because she’s afraid of losing him as a friend.

Now, what can I safely tell you about what comes later? Well, Poppy’s on the case – her point of view punctuates the story, as she quietly lends her expertise to the difficult situation – so we know they’re in safe hands. And it was particularly lovely to see how her own life has progressed – with appearances from friends we’ve met in the earlier books and spending time at home with her gorgeous partner (and diva cat Saffy, naturally), as she has thoughts about what her own future might hold. And there is the most wonderful romance – with times when things are particularly difficult for Gaby, while Raff remains blissfully unaware, until…

And it’s Christmas – with all the feels – and in a beautifully drawn location that the author plainly loves, and with that focus on the warmth of relationships with family and friends that she always does so very well. There’s plenty of her trademark humour throughout, but some really moving emotional moments too – and the ending is so totally perfect that it really can’t fail to delight. The most wonderful addition to this excellent series – and yes, perhaps my favourite so far…

Someone Like You by Sandy Barker is the fourth book in the Ever After Agency. In this book we learn a new word HE’s which stands for happily ever after.. Freya‘s cousin Raff has won the Big British Christmas Bake Off and on the same day, his girlfriend Winnie breaks up with him in a text. At the viewing party she decides it’s time for him, to find his own HE and lucky for him. That is the business she is in. Because he is her friend she must enlist the help of Poppy. greta, Raff and Freya have been best friends ever since Greta started working with them at the advertising company where they worked and is an American who’s been living in Britain for the past eight years. although she has been best friends with Raff the same amount of time it isn’t until he starts getting matched up unbeknownst to him that she starts to realize she may not want him to find his HE or at least not with anyone else but her. The only question is does wrath feel the same way. I love this series and love that we get to see characters from past books such as Gretchen, Tristan and Chaz. It is like visiting old friends and doing a catch up. this book can be read as a standalone, but reading the books in order in my opinion makes it that much better. however, it is only in regard to recognizing past characters and really nothing to do with the plot line. This book is funny. The characters are lovable, and I always look forward to the next one. #NetGalley, #BoldWoodBooks, #SandyBarker, #EverAfterAgency, #SomeoneLikeYou,

When Rafferty is crowned the winner of the Britain's Best Bakers: Festive Baking Spectacular, he should have been on top of the world. After all, not only did he win the competition, but he was planning to propose to his girlfriend Winnie. Except....she dumped him via text leaving him heartbroken.



Gaby never liked Winnie, but she knows that Raff is happiest when he is in love, so she agrees to their friend Freya's suggestion that they use her work perk to use a matchmaker to find Raff his one true love, once and for all. Freya works at the Ever After Agency, and once a year they are allowed to refer a case. Of course, it would be unprofessional for her to be too involved due to a conflict of interest, so the case is assigned to Poppy Dean, who we have met in the previous books in the Ever After Agency. There is one condition though. Whilst Raff has in theory agreed to this plan, he doesn't want to know that it is happening. So, any introduction can't be on a date. It just has to seem to happen organically.



In order to try to make this happen, Freya calls on Gaby to help fill in the questionnaire that will help Poppy understand what kind of person Raff is and what kind of person he is looking for. When Freya announces that they need to find the right person before Christmas, the pressure is on for Poppy. The only thing is that Poppy sees that Gaby may have feelings for Raff herself, but just doesn't realise it.



Gaby finds herself roped into assisting with the case more than she would have liked. Thank goodness it is only a few weeks before Christmas, where she can go home to Seattle to the warm cocoon of her family, and attend her cousin's wedding which is going to be quite the affair given the bride's mother is going all out. Mom-zilla here we come! In the mean time, there is also the stress of a potential promotion at work. There's a lot going on. She doesn't have time for an emotional crisis when she realises how she feels about Raff.



Raff's family situation is more complicated. He was practically raised by his aunt and uncle but they are going away this year, something that was a last minute surprise and so he has nowhere else to go. Gaby unthinkingly asks him to come home to Seattle with her, to an already overflowing house. So now, she has nowhere to hide as she watches him, start to fall for one of his matches. It's a terrible situation to be stuck in.



I really enjoyed this instalment in the Ever After Agency series. Raff sounds seriously dishy, and seems like a really nice guy, even in the face of his new found baking fame. I liked that he really respected his family (as in his aunt and uncle) and that he was prepared to change his life as he wanted to rather than just do what was expected from him by his distant parents. There was also a lot of delicious sounding baking in this book, and it was also seriously Christmassy. I really liked the way that the action was split between London and Seattle!



Sandy Barker has announced that he next book will be the last in the series and it will be sad to say goodbye to Poppy and her friends. I did read the excerpt for the final book and I now want to read it all! Bring it on, and whatever comes next.



I am sharing this review with the New Release Challenge hosted by The Chocolate Lady's Book Reviews and the Foodies Read hosted at Based on a True Story. Be sure to check out other stops on the tour shown below. Thanks to the publisher, Netgalley and Rachel's Random Resources for the review copy.

I’m really enjoying the humor and banter in the story, but I feel like the pace is a bit slow for me. I'm already 50% through, and I find myself getting a bit bored with the progress.

I want to express my gratitude to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read the ARC, all opinions are my own. Thank you so much!

After Raff is dumped by his girlfriend his friends decide to use the Happy Ever After dating agency to find him the perfect girlfriend. They enlist his best friend Gaby to help set him up with the carefully chosen matches, however she finds that she is developing deeper feelings for him and has to go through the agony of trying to arrange these meetings despite this.
I've read and enjoyed two of the three previous books in this series, although I somehow managed to miss book three, and it was great to catch up with the previous characters again. This is a slow burner, so don't expect a lot of action, but it did work for me. I liked Raff, totally oblivious to his attraction to women and a is a master baker, but I really felt for Gaby, seeing him starting to fall for someone else. It was great meeting her family and how it contrasted with Raff's, and the winter scene brought home to Christmas feel, although it can be enjoyed at any time. There is a sneak peek at the next book in the series and I'm really looking forward to reading it. In summary a nice friends to, hopefully, lovers story.
I received an advance copy of this book from the publisher through Netgalley, however this did not influence my review of the book.

I've loved the rest of Sandy Barker's books, but did I love SOMEONE LIKE YOU? Unfortunately not

I just wasn't a fan of this one - I kept reading because the blurb seemed really interesting but it seemed to drag unnecessarily.

I loved the relationship between Freya, Raff and Gaby, but found the pacing was lacking.

I also loved the hints of Poppy throughout and loved seeing all my favourite characters throughout.

This is a great friends to lovers book but just didn't hit the mark for me!

Thanks to Boldwood Books and NetGalley for the ARC! Opinions are my own

Back to the matchmaking agency with Polly and her coworkers including Freya. Freya wants to matchmake one of her best friends, Raff and Polly takes on the case. Polly enlists the help of Freya and Raff's other best friend, Gaby to help since Raff doesn't want to know anything about how this will happen. While searching for Raff's match, Gaby discovers she herself is in love with Raff, just as he starts dating the agency's third option, Gaby doesn't want to reveal her feelings and possibly ruin Raff's new relationship and their friendship if he doesn't return her feelings.