Thank you to publisher and netgalley for allowing me to read and review an early copy. The story was full of friendship, love and finding yourself. The charchter of Polly dreamed of more in her life and through mishap was able to find the change she would be yearning for. This book showed how the power or love and friendship can help forge the path to happiness . Great, light read!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read this arc.

I DNF at about 30% after picking up and putting down multiple times.

I had a hard time getting into this book and just felt no connection to the characters or story.

I found the story very hard to get into. I couldn’t emotionally get invested in any of the characters and I found the structure and the pacing and the dialogue. Very hard to follow. I will try some other books by this author and see if there are any better.

Thanks to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for an advanced reading copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

The Accidental Rewrite

Milly Johnson

🌟 🌟 🌟 🌟

Sometimes nail biting and always cozy!

I have been reading and loving Milly Johnson books for years and this one did not disappoint. In typical Milly style this is a story of second chance and sliding door moments.

Polly's work life has taken a turn after the passing of her former mentor and employer and the appointment of a misogynistic, corner cutting new boss. Work used to be a place to escape for Polly from her partner who also takes her for granted. An chain of events occur which then lead Polly into a life changing situation.

At times, I was on the edge of my seat at the various dramatic, unexpected twists and sliding door moments. At other times I found the storyline a cozy, romantic depiction of a small seaside UK town.

Thank you Netgalley and Milly Johnson for this lovely read!
I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

DNF @ 48% re: skimming.

The question I kept asking myself as I read Milly Johnson’s <i>The Accidental Rewrite</i> was whether or not this book was self-published. Given the amount of unreasonable and unnecessary filler and fluff that permeated literally every aspect of this novel. I’m honestly baffled that no editor thought to insist upon cutting out a significant portion of scenes. As a reader, I spent far too much time in random and dull experiences of the main character and never once did this ease up.

The number of times I found myself questioning the purpose of a sene was mind boggling. I spent so much of my time just straight annoyed at the fact that the author could never seem to get to the point, but circled around the overall plot goals again and again. As a result, I never actually felt emotionally connected to any of the characters and I also don’t buy the romance one bit.

I can’t even say whether or not the plot, the twists, and the resolution would have even been good in a novel with better writing and pacing because everything is so caught up in all the wasted time. This book is far too long, longer than it ever needed to be. The pacing is so off-kilter that I can’t imagine a way in which the book could have been saved other than massive scene cuts and adjustments to said pacing. The multiple point of views we end up falling into as the novel progresses all feel useless—more like a writing activity the author was doing to understand her characters rather than anything that should have ended up in the final product—and I only grew more and more irritated as I continued.

Admittedly, I began skimming around 48%, at times only reading the dialogue since it was pretty tough to miss what was going on when so much of the novel was unnecessary. In the end, I was so painfully bored reading this book that I almost put it down entirely. Frankly, I think it’s kind of a miracle I got through it.

Finally, the resolution was ridiculous on a number of levels—beginning with the return, moving to the reveal, and ending up with the resolution. It felt very deus ex machina on occasion and, since I didn’t buy the romance in the slightest, the ending felt very anti-climactic.

Despite living in the US, I've been reading Milly Johnson's writngs for years. I have a deep love of nrotosh womens fiction. This one didn't disappoint. We watch Pollu, disenchanted with her current life, make so many changes to become the woman she was destined to be. Enjoyable!

A charming and uplifting read about reclaiming your life. Polly, stuck in a dead-end job and relationship, finds escape in her writing—until a twist of fate leaves her believing she is her fearless fictional heroine. Set on the Yorkshire coast, the story blends humour, heart, and a touch of magic as Polly discovers who she truly wants to be. Warm, witty, and quietly empowering.

4 Stars! Slow at the start and I almost stopped reading because I just couldn’t get into the book and the main character was annoying me with how she let people treat her, but I’m so glad I kept reading as it got a lot better after the first couple of chapters. The wedding scene was where it really gets good and I didn’t want to stop reading. The main character is Polly/Sabrina and I really loved her when she wasn’t letting people get away with stepping all over her. The main male character was Teddy and he was great too. I actually cried because I felt so bad for Polly/Sabrina and I don’t cry at books easily. Maybe I’m just overly emotional this time of month but it’s a pretty good read. The book might be a tad confusing at times for Americans because it uses a lot of British terms and references but it’s still a good read and worth checking out.
*I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.*

Review of ‘The Accidental Rewrite’ by Milly Johnson due to be published on 30 September 2025 by Harper Muse.

I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own

Our main character, Polly, is unhappy with nothing going right. Her partner, Chris takes her for granted, she’s not respected in her workplace and to top it off, she has her sisters vow renewal to contend with, featuring a horrific dress choice!

Polly feels that the only way she can deal with things and change them, is to run away from it all.

Not my usual genre, but I enjoyed the book and would recommend for a light hearted read.

I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

I went into this expecting a fluffy, warm yet cringey romance novel. My expectations weren't high and I am so glad they weren't. This was nothing like my pre-read thoughts. This reads more like a literary fiction than a rom-com. I loved the character development of Polly. I admire her. Her journey was moving and heartfelt. This is not a contemporary novel that one will forget easily. The romance was sweet and didn't include insta-love which I hate in books.

Milly Johnson, I am gonna buy and read your other books too.

I so enjoyed this read -it definitely has women’s fiction classic potential! Though maybe that’s a given twenty-something books into a writing career. One quick note; this was originally published in the UK as ‘The Happiest Ever After’ and this is Johnson’s US debut.

It’s hard to surmise this without spoiling the plot, but just picture Goldie Hawn’s Overboard as a starting point and then add some British humour and northern warmth.
This book is gloriously humorous -particularly those snippets from the Daily Trumpet which end every chapter with a giggle.
Milly Johnson definitely touches on hard topics but the emphasis is on the warmth of the community and characters you want to root for. There’s not a moment you don’t feel in safe hands about being delivered a happy ending. I think it’s a fine book for sensitive readers.

On that note, it’s a great comfort read; the kind of book that makes a good gift for a friend when you’re not sure what they like but know they need something cheery.

I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

This book was touted to have “Overboard vibes.” I found it to be more of an Overboard knockoff or wannabe. It had none of the romcom, romantic tension, or charm that sizzled between Goldie Hawn and Kurt Russell. Instead, it had filth, history dumps, and nothing memorable. Also, the cover didn’t match the story.

The mother/almost-stepson relationship between Polly/Sabrina and Will was sweet.

The choices Polly/Sabrina made in the climax made me smile.

Content: profanity, expletives, crude sexual talk, living together prior to marriage, bullying, emotional abuse in a relationship

Milly Johnson is my favourite writer of romantic comedy so I was thrilled to get this book to review. Imagine my dismay then when by the end of the third page I knew I had read it before and not that long ago. Checking back through my reviews I discovered that I had reviewed the same book under the title "The Happiest Ever After" in March 2024.. i really hate when publishers bring out the same book under two different tiles. In the past I have spent quite a bit of money on books I'd already read. Having said that I loved the book and gave it 5 stars in my original review which can be found on this site.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for an ARC of this book

I stayed up way too late last night finishing this book. I couldn't put it down till I knew what would happen to Polly.

Poor Polly. Lives with a man that has no life in him. A job in which at one time she was much appreciated and able to grow in. This all changed with the new ownership. Now it's a not so great job that continues to use her creativity while giving the men the credit. What can a girl do but try to make a fresh start?

This book kept me guessing. I could write so much about it, but it would spoil it for those that haven't read it yet. (Hopefully other reviews don't spoil.) There are some very wow moments that kept me hanging on for more.

This was an okay book. It started off kind of strong then seemed to falter the further into the book I got. It was cute and just okay. Nothing bad but nothing great either.

This started off really strong, and I was drawn in at first -but as more characters were introduced, I found myself getting confused. The pacing also felt a bit slow, which made it harder to stay engaged.

I wasn't sure this book was for me at first - but I slowly warmed up to the characters. The gentle pace, the simple lives, and glimpses of goodness in some of the people in Polly's life made me keep turning the pages well into the night. The howlers by the local newspaper were perfect! A sweet story told with empathy and depth - it's wonderful to read about someone who's so positive, even in adversity. No similarity at all, but reminded me of Harry Potter living under the stairs, convinced this was his lot- till it all changed, and magic entered his life!

Milly Johnson is simply fabulous!
Heartwarming cozy read with really likeable main and side characters.
Some moments had me laughing out loud.
The romance was extra sweet but I wouldn’t say it’s the main point of the book.
All in all this book felt like a much needed warm hug, so for that I have to say thank you Netgalley for the ARC🫶🏼

What a brilliant read! Polly is not happy. She’s undermined at work; her partner Chris takes her for granted and she’s making grand plans to leave. She just needs to get through his sisters marriage renewal wearing the most hideous dress ever. The dress arrives and the renewal isn’t quite what it seems…without spoiling that part of the plot (which was genius!), Polly immediately runs away. This is the sort of life from that point onwards and what happens when she finally returns to Chris and her old life. I loved this book.

I love that cover boo. Stunning!!

And this book. Omg. Hooked in. I was a goner from page 1.

A truly fantastic book.

Tqtqtq for this opportunity.