A funny and relatable mom-com!

Thanks Zibby Publishing and NetGalley for the ARC.

Synopsis -

Lucia has roller bladed into her London life - falling in love, getting married and having her baby daughter, she’s figuring it all out as a new mom. But when a job comes up as a Philanthropic advisor at a highly reputed London bank, Lucia has to try to fit into the corporate world. With her one year old teething and getting stretched thin at work, Lucia is struggling to juggle both her family and professional life. Will she find her middle ground?

Review -

Oh this was such a fun and entertaining book! What drew me to Lucia’s character is of course how relatable she is to me as a working mother. I instantly warmed to her like she was my own best friend through our shared experiences.

The author explores all the facets of today’s womanhood - the aspects of life as a SAHM, the feeling of invisibility/taken for granted, the lack of purpose, worthlessness and low self esteem, while also delving into the “mom guilt” once a mom goes back to work - how the feeling would now morph into “ the not doing/being enough”, over compensating and how the domestic burden still weighs heavy. What's more, there’s the overbearing new boss, the long hours and the toxic workplace where you need to prove yourself.

The other highlight of the book is the humor, the jovial tone of the writing that makes it so light-hearted and breezy to read. There’s a huge focus on Lucia’s previous career as a charity fundraiser back in Texas and themes of Philanthropy. It was mindblowing to learn about the kind of impact the gift of giving could have and the difference it makes to the needy.

Towards the end, though Lucia is scrambling to fix her life, seeking that rhythm and balance, I loved that she was determined to do good in the world and make it a better place, however small her role might be.

I really enjoyed this novel and highly recommend it as a breather between heavier reads!

Alisha Miranda steers readers from internships in her memoir, My What If Year, to the fundraising world of London’s elite. Her main character, Lucia is a workaholic whose “life expands as it contracts.” From the ArteAustin Festival in Texas to London’s posh parties, Lucia experiences the daily dilemmas of family life along with the chaos of corporate politics. A challenge corporate moms will recognize at every turn. Zibby Publishing calls it, “A fun and feisty novel about balancing motherhood, love and career all set in gorgeous London!”
Miranda’s debut novel is well-paced and witty. Unlike corporate schemes to gather money from the elite, Someone’s Gotta Give is seeking readers’ support with themes of loyalty, making an impact, and learning the difference between meaning well and doing good.
Alex, I’ll take “Galas and Giving” for $2000!

I enjoyed this book so much!

I mean, anything that contains a scheme called Operation Bridget Jones is a no-brainer, right?

Lucia has met the love of her life, but being with him means moving to another continent and trying to find a place in his world. She loves her husband and precious daughter, but is she losing herself?

In a Devil Wears Prada-esque move, she takes a job in high finance, and things start to change.

This book made me laugh, and it made me tear up. I wanted to be best friends with Sooz and roll my eyes at pompous Belly.

And those touching moments between Lucia and sweet Marley… so genuine and heartwarming.

This is a story about staying true to who you are when life’s inevitable changes come your way, and Lucia is that friend I think we’d all want to get takeout and a glass of wine with.

Lucia’s work means a lot to her; what is your favorite job you’ve ever had?

After a whirlwind lance and a quick Las Vegas wedding, Texas fundraiser Lucia moves to London with her new English husband and has a baby daughter. She’s having trouble adjusting to the life of a stay at home mom, the loss of her career and the general oddities of life in England when she’s offered a dream job. She will be working for a private bank, assisting wealthy clients with philanthropy decisions. On the surface, her life looks perfect. She has a nanny, a new wardrobe, wealthy new friends and a busy job related social life. The reality is that she has no time for her husband and her old friends. Her marriage is in trouble and a childhood friend of her husband, the improbably named Belly, has reentered his life. And Lucia is putting her principles aside to further her career. She is lost.

How she finds herself is what makes Someone’s Gotta Give a delightfully entertaining novel. You can’t not love Lucia! Other characters shine: Sooz, Ollie, the unforgettable Henry and even Celeste. The plot has its twists but what stands out is Lucia’s struggle to do the right thing - at home and at work. 5 stars.

Thank you to NetGalley, Zibby Publishing and Alisha Fernandez Miranda.

this one was just okay for me. i don’t think i was the target audience because i struggled to connect with the characters and found it hard to stay fully invested in their journey. there were moments that had potential, but overall, it just didn’t hit for me. not bad, just not for me. 🤷🏾‍♀️

SOMEONE’S GOTTA GIVE – Alisha Fernandez Miranda
Zibby Publishing
ISBN: 979-8990630406
August 5, 2025
Contemporary Fiction

London – Present Day

To outsiders, Lucia appears to have it all. A loving husband and a toddler daughter whom she stays home with in their posh London home. But Lucia is restless. She’d left a career behind in the United States, working for a nonprofit that she left to move to London after she met Ollie. She hasn’t yet been able to fill her days with lots of friends, though she did recently meet “Sooz” at a playground where they both take their children.

One day out of the blue, Lucia receives an email from her old boss in Austin, Texas. There is a job opportunity for Lucia at a local London bank working with rich people looking for charities to give to, and the job description is right up her alley. With a recommendation from her old boss, she applies for the job, though the interview is awkward as the potential new boss, Celeste, is a bit of a stickler. However, Lucia gets the job, and her life will never be the same. She is under a lot of pressure, both at home and at work. But it turns out to be rewarding. But the more she begins to enjoy the job, the harder things are at home. Will she have to choose her marriage or her job?

SOMEONE’S GOTTA GIVE is about a modern-day look at a woman juggling a career and family. Lucia loves her family but being a newcomer in a city she barely knows is frustrating. She could be friends with Ollie’s friends, but their lives are different from hers, and they tend to look down on her American ways. The job opportunity literally landed in her lap, and she feels she can’t turn it down. Celeste is a bear of a supervisor. She's tough as nails. But Lucia is soon on Celeste’s good side, though it means giving up time with her husband and child. Readers can see why there is soon marital tension. A family crisis while Lucia is abroad may be the last straw.

Along the way, Lucia meets several rich potential donors. It does turn out that Lucia is good at her job. She gets the confidence of a few, including directing them to good causes, and not ones that you’d think were typical charities. But of course, it runs afoul of Celeste, who thinks charity giving should be what others are doing and not necessarily off the wall or political. But that is why Lucia loves her job, as she enjoys helping the less fortunate in ways that are outside the box. As she locks horns with Celeste, will Lucia find her job in jeopardy? What about her marriage to Ollie? Can she get the right balance between her career and family life?

An intriguing tale that is not a romance, though by the end of SOMEONE’S GOTTA GIVE, a lot of people are happy. See what I mean by picking up a copy today.

Patti Fischer
Romance Reviews Today

“Before she knew it, she woke up one morning a mother, a wife, and an expat. She didn’t regret it—not for a second—but sometimes it felt like she had sleepwalked into a brand-new existence.”

Lucia Gutierrez-Barrow, granddaughter of Venezuela immigrants has moved from Austin, Texas to London following a whirlwind romance with her real-life version of Colin Firth. Once a non profit fundraiser, she finds herself on the other side of the table, working at the philanthropy arm of a major global bank and becomes embroiled in a world of British aristocracy. But spending other people’s money unexpectedly encompasses nefarious acts of greed, sabotage and power.

As Lucia tries to juggle her personal life with her professional passion and deep seeded principles, a cast of characters enter her orbit, complicating her journey toward redefining her purpose.

I was drawn to the premise, especially the London-expat-with-little-ones experience I share with the main character, and appreciated the care and balance the author took with both humorous and serious topics. Well done!

Many thanks to Net Galley and Zibby Books for the early copy in exchange for my honest review.

Lucia is a compelling, relatable character whose journey had me fully invested from the first chapter. There's a well developed examination of extreme wealth and the underlying questions of purpose, identity, and whether it’s possible to do good in the world and stay true to yourself. Someone's Gotta Give had great themes that resonated with me and was also a read with hidden depth, a smart, nuanced dramedy that’s equal parts "I feel seen" and "This is good to talk about" moments.

💫 A perfect end-of-summer read for anyone who’s ever wondered if it’s possible to “do it all” without losing yourself in the process.

Someone’s Gotta Give by Alisha Fernandez Miranda is a sharp, funny, emotionally aware novel that hit me right where I live. Thank you to Zibby Publishing and NetGalley for my gifted ARC.

Lucia is that rare kind of protagonist who feels like someone I might actually know—or have been. She’s smart, capable, and restless. A new mother who loves her baby but misses herself. A woman who’s moved across the world for love and found herself isolated and untethered. There’s a real sense of unease beneath her daily routine: the tension of being grateful for what you have while mourning what you gave up to get it. When she accidentally lands a high-powered job as a philanthropic adviser to London’s wealthiest families, it feels like a lifeline. But it’s not a rescue—it’s a whole new balancing act.

The job is as surreal as it is seductive. Lucia goes from baby wipes to black-tie events, rubbing shoulders with aristocrats, boarding private planes, and attending donor meetings in glass-walled boardrooms overlooking the Thames. But beneath all the glamor, she’s still wiping mashed banana off her coat and texting her nanny in a panic. Miranda nails this juxtaposition—the fantasy of power and prestige up against the unrelenting reality of early motherhood. Lucia’s attempts to inhabit both worlds are painful, funny, and deeply familiar.

Miranda writes with a confident wit that gives the novel an irresistible rhythm. The scenes are cinematic and packed with tiny, telling details—awkward curtsies, high-stakes charity galas, absurdly posh conversations. But what grounds it all is Lucia’s inner monologue. She’s sharp, often self-deprecating, sometimes oblivious, and always human. Watching her try to keep it together—even as her marriage cracks, her friendships strain, and her sense of self warps—is like watching a friend unravel in slow motion. Not with drama, but with quiet desperation.

There’s a moment when Lucia reflects, “You can only sell your soul in installments before you realize it’s gone.” That line stuck with me. It speaks to the moral ambiguity of her new world, where billionaires pat themselves on the back for giving away money while expecting social credit in return. But it also speaks to something more personal: the slow erosion of boundaries women experience when they try to be everything to everyone. The “just this once”s that turn into a life you no longer recognize.

One of the novel’s strengths is that it doesn’t flatten its supporting characters into archetypes. Sooz, Lucia’s fierce, no-nonsense boss, is ambitious and complex, not just a workplace villain. Her husband’s ex, Charlotte, could’ve been an easy source of jealousy or drama, but Miranda gives her grace and realism. Even Lucia’s husband, who is frustrating in his emotional distance, is not a bad guy—just someone who’s also lost and afraid to admit it. These layered relationships keep the story emotionally grounded and nuanced.

The novel doesn’t push toward a fairy tale ending. Lucia’s choices come with consequences. Her ambition costs her time with her child. Her silence frays her marriage. Her craving for something “more” leads to detours she can’t take back. But the power of the book is in how it honors those complexities. It doesn’t punish her for wanting. It lets her fumble, regroup, and begin again—not perfectly, but honestly.

There were moments I laughed out loud—Lucia’s panicked scramble to find a decent outfit for a royal brunch, her stilted small talk with people who think “work” is a hobby. And there were moments I had to put the book down and just sit with it—especially the quiet ones, like when Lucia stares at herself in a bathroom mirror, mascara smudged, asking what it is she really wants.

Someone’s Gotta Give is more than a story about motherhood, marriage, or career. It’s about identity—the one you build, the one you lose, and the one you fight to reclaim. It’s about the space between what you should want and what you do want, and the courage it takes to tell the truth about that. Alisha Fernandez Miranda captures this beautifully, with humor, insight, and a lot of heart.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for an advanced copy for an honest review.

Overall, I enjoyed the writing and story of this book. Lucia is a new mom, in a new country, without a job and has seemingly forgotten who she is as she is navigating her new normal. When it unexpected job opportunity arises, Lucia finds her back to herself, but not without some challenges and consequences.

I rooted for Lucia throughout most of the book, even when it was clear that she was making some terrible decisions and somewhat being dismissive of her husband’s and Sooz’s feelings. There were definitely several times where I was frustrated at her being non-communicative and letting things fester until things eventually became worse. Ultimately, I’m glad she got things together when it was obvious her life was falling apart.

The writing was good—fresh in a way where I immediately felt like I was taken back to London and alongside Lucia as she navigated the ups and downs. There were also times of hilarity over Lucia’s bumbling performance of an American in London—something I am all too familiar with!

Three and a half stars!

Someone's Gotta Give by Alisha Fernandez Miranda was such a fun read. Who doesn't want to try and have it all? Landing a job when you aren't looking, Lucia is on her way to help people and reap the glamour and benefits of her important new role. Only at what cost to her family, friends and everything that truly matters? Following Lucia's ups and downs made you feel like you were tagging along for the ride, and rooting for her all the way. Pick this one up, it is a great new book and doesn't disappoint.

Thank you to Zibby's Publishing and net galley for the advanced reader copy.

Lucia has lost herself in motherhood, after a whirlwind romance, marriage and move to London. She doesn’t fit in with her husband’s family, friends, or country. Although she loves her daughter, giving up her job securing donations for immigrant causes was also giving up a piece of her identity. Why not get dressed up and go to an interview, just to check it out?!

In a flash, Lucia is immersed in the world of philanthropy again, only this time on the side of the super wealthy. She no longer has to plead for donations, but must entertain old money families, finding places to channel their money and make them look good in the process. She’s torn between the moral issues behind this wealth as well as the demands of her ladder climbing boss.

This novel gives off Devil Wears Prada/ “Younger” vibes. It was interesting to follow Lucia to the events with the rich and famous. It also sheds light on the motives behind some philanthropic endeavors being less than from a true generous spirit. Really enjoyable read. No spice. Loved it!!

Zibby publishing has introduced me to many authors, and this is one I have enjoyed. Miranda’s debut My What If Year: A Memoir was a delightful memoir where she explored many facets of her life.

This one explores Lucia, single living in Austin, Texas and it fast forwards to London, as a married woman with a baby. In England she works with wealthy families while managing motherhood and being a wife.

This one is entertaining as it explores the complex world of fundraising, philanthropy while daily challenges of motherhood. Can she keep it all together? Something of Someone Gotta give? Can she do it all with a smile or will her life come crashing down?

This book is equal parts hilarious and heartfelt. Someone’s Gotta Give by Alisha Fernandez Miranda drops you right into the chaos of new motherhood and a shaky marriage. Lucia’s job has thrown her into the world of the ultra wealthy. The contrast between the glamorous world of philanthropy and the unglamorous reality of toddlers makes for some truly entertaining moments. I loved the authors take on identity and figuring out what matters most in life. I absolutely flew through this one, and can’t wait to see what this author writes next!

Something's Gotta Give is a breezy, entertaining read that ideal spot between heart and humor. Alicia Fernandez Miranda’s writing is polished and engaging, and Lucia's voice is strong, relatable, and authentic. She feels like someone you’d want to talk to—funny, self-aware, and navigating the messiness of life in a way that feels very real.

While the novel felt formulaic, its pacing kept me turning the pages. This is a great readfor the beach or a weekend escape—it's uplifting without being saccharine, thoughtful without being too heavy.

I found this story to be funny, enjoyable, and very relatable! As a mom that has always been searching for the next thing to make me feel complete, I was sucked into this story. I could feel for the main character as she balances motherhood, her marriage, a new town, and her desires for a career. I felt the desires jumping off the pages and the angst that has her wondering how to manage it all. Miranda's writing style is authentic and engaging. Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC.