A fun and fresh story of self-discovery, success, our relationship with technology, and a touch of sci-fi! I can always count on Sophie Cousens for a wholesome read! ❤️👏🏼

This was not what I was expecting. I have read and loved her other books, but this wasn’t for me. The sci-fi ai boyfriend was not what I was expecting.

Thank you to NetGalley for the advanced copy in exchange for my honest review.

I can count on Sophie Cousens to always deliver a rom com that is a fun read and difficult to put down. While this book is not my favorite by this author, it did check off all the positive boxes.

The MFC, Chloe, is not happy with where she is in life at 31 years of age. When she gets invited to her Oxford college reunion and believes that all her former peers are apparently leading far more successful lives, she resorts to a mysterious dating service to provide a plus one that will give her confidence at the reunion.

There is lots of humor as Chloe reexamines the past and grows in confidence and self awareness. The Oxford setting and the bantering among her friends adds to the pleasure of the story. Yes, the AI component in the story took a bit getting used to, but the story is ultimately about love, friendship, and personal growth.

This was a fun read from start to finish! The book is full of themes of second chances and redemption. The plot was well-paced and the characters were charming and witty. This is definitely one I'll read again! Many thanks to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for the advanced copy of the book.

Unfortunately, I DNF this one. I really was looking forward to reading this, but the twist in the beginning was a bit too far out of my comfort zone.

Thank you to NetGalley and Putnam for the ARC!

Full disclosure, I’m a huge fan of Sophie Cousens. I would read her shopping list if she published it. I love her writing that much.

When I pick up Sophie's book, I know I’ll have a great time with unique characters in fun situations. This book is sweet and entertaining, and I easily fell in love with our main character, Chloe, and our leading man. The unique twist with AI felt (in a scary way) very real. And I absolutely loved the secret (is it a secret?) message in the book that made me laugh out loud.

I can’t wait to read Sophie’s next novel.

Thank you to NetGalley and Putnam’s Sons for the ARC.

Spice: 🫑

Tropes:
🥰 Friends to not Friends to Lovers
🏫 School Reunion
🤖 AI

I picked up Is she really going out with him? Last year and loved it! So I was very excited to read another book by Sophie Cousens, unfortunately this book wasn't for me. The book had the same funny and entertaining writing as her other ones, just the twist in this book caught me off guard and it wasn't my thing. I stopped reading around 26% in. I will definitely read her other books in the future though!

I was so happy to receive an ARC because Sophie Cousens is a must read author for me. This book wasn't my fave by this author but I did finish it. Just not a fan of the clankers I guess!

Voted Most Likely To Succeed by her Oxford class, Chloe is stuck in a dead end Production Assistant job, living at home with her parents, and having very bad luck on the dating scene. She doesn’t feel very successful or fulfilled and is dreading her upcoming college reunion.

Chloe runs into a former colleague and is referred to a mysterious dating service where she meets the man of her dreams. He is, quite literally, too good to be true. She decides to bring him as her plus one to the reunion and hopes no one will see through her scheming. When Chloe runs into her college besties Sean and John, she gets nostalgic and old feelings begin to stir. Chloe makes some overdue amends and starts to see each of her friends differently.

I was originally planning to describe this story as magical realism, but with the way AI is rapidly developing these days, the concept here might actually be the way of the future. It was still interesting and entertaining to read about and Sophie Cousens delivered this controversial and potentially uncomfortable subject matter in a lighthearted way. This was a creative premise and I enjoyed it!

Thank you to Net Galley for the opportunity to read and review an advanced copy. Grab your copy on November 18th!

wait lowkey I loved this, like it was crazy but sooooo entertaining.

It went in a way I did NOT expect but the romance was romancing regardless.

When the early twist happens, I legit thought to myself "WTF am I reading" but I'm happy I continued because I was thoroughly entertained.

I am such a Sophie Cousens fan and have read all of her other books. This was probably my least favorite of those. I did not connect with the AI aspects of the book. I actually do not hate the love triangle trope, but this felt like a love square? It was a bit confusing, and I was not sure at times who to root for. I loved the parts of the story focused on self worth and self love. I wish the Author leaned into that more. Overall there was a lot I liked about the story and I will continue to read Sophie's books because she is fantastic.

What the heck was this 😭 but also I couldn’t put it down?! And I don’t know what that says about me. I suggest going in blind cause… it’s more fun that way lol but just know you’re in for a fun ride 😂

Thanks to NetGalley for the arc!

And Then There Was You is more than just a love story—it’s a clever, thought-provoking look at the way technology and our own insecurities can shape our choices. Cousens brilliantly uses the concept of an AI-driven dating service to highlight just how much of our world is already being influenced (and at times controlled) by algorithms. It doesn’t feel like far-fetched fiction—it feels like a possible tomorrow.

What struck me most, though, was the emotional core of the story. The heroine’s loneliness and self-doubt made her believe she needed someone perfectly compatible, someone who checked every algorithmic box. But real love doesn’t work that way—it’s messy, unexpected, and rooted in imperfection. Her journey is such a relatable reminder that the answers we search for externally (whether in apps, predictions, or even AI) often distract us from the deeper work of self-acceptance and vulnerability.

Cousens blends humor, heart, and just enough futuristic unease to keep you reflecting long after the last page. It’s not only a swoony read but also a timely exploration of what it means to connect in a world where machines are increasingly telling us who we are and who we should love.

I'm always stoked to see a new Sophie Cousens read. Her books and characters always just feel very cozy to me. This one takes on AI in an interesting way, while also following a more familiar second chance, friends to lovers path. The three potential MMCs made for a bit of messier path and, as a result, made me feel a bit less convinced by or invested in the love story. I still enjoyed the writing and characters and I think she actually tackled AI in a really thoughtful, complex way, but it wasn't my favorite love story by Cousens.

Thanks to Netgalley and Putnam for the eARC! Releases this November!

I was lucky to receive an ARC of this book. While the beginning felt a little slow with so many characters to keep track of, once I settled into the story I found myself truly invested in them. I especially loved how the relationships developed, and the twist involving one of the main characters caught me completely off guard—I’m still not sure how I feel about him, which makes the story linger even more. Read it and you’ll see what I mean. Overall, another engaging and enjoyable read from Sophie Cousens.

This book was not what I expected! I love everything that Sophie Cousens writes and this book is no different. Sure, was it weird that she dated a robot? Definitely. But I thought this was so fun and different and loved the fun character development.

I really enjoyed this one! It was basically the Rom-com version of AnnieBot! If you are in the mood for a breezy, easy low drama book, this is your book!

Chloes life is full of bad bosses, relationships and bad dates. When she gets an invite to her college reunion, she sees, a chance to try to show the world she's not a failure and her life is wonderful. The characters are well written and you can't help but root for Chloe and her perfect mess of a life. Will she find happiness in Mr Perfect or has he been in the shadows all along. An underdog story of love and finding yourself in the midst of chaos. This story shows how perfect isn't always as it seems and sometimes the best things in life are already in front of you!

I have enjoyed previous works by Sophie Cousens. I especially enjoyed Is She Going Out with Him from last year. I was excited to receive an ARC of her newest release.

What in the world did I just read? I finally gave up at 30%. The blurb was totally misleading. I was all about story that was advertised in the blurb. It sounded like an enjoyable rom-com. An AI boyfriend was not what I signed up for and think many readers will be disappointed when they release this is more of a science fiction futuristic romance.

Sorry but I am out.

I received an ARC of this book from NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Sophie Cousens is an excellent writer! I’ll read anything she writes frankly! Fun and cozy reads are where she shines, and this book did have a good bit of that; however, the AI boyfriend situation and “twist” love interest combined with a somewhat dull (while overly convoluted) class reunion plot just didn’t land for me.

There were great moments! And this definitely makes an interesting and lighthearted job of introducing a dialogue around the benefits and dangers (oh the dangers!) of our modern technological landscape moving into the future. I also overall liked John and Chloe, their connection felt real if a little rushed towards the end. I just love that they immediately just seemed to get each other.

But the characters… I liked Chloe but never felt super connected to her, John was mostly charming but some of his actions rubbed me the wrong way (especially when we first meet him and that super dumb and unnecessary revelation at the end), speaking of I love Richard!, the Sean plot felt unnecessary, I loved Akiko and would have loved more of her but instead we got copious amounts of random college friends who we were somehow supposed to be able to distinguish?

All in all, I still got some of the Sophie Cousens charm from this and I’ll still read whatever she writes, but this book was NOT for me. I feel like I’m being generous giving it 2.75-3 stars. But to some degree I blame the synopsis; it bothers me how misleading the synopsis for this is, I understand wanting some sort of twist but when it’s such a big difference it doesn’t prepare readers to make a good decision on whether or not to pick it up as a book they’d enjoy. Still, I can see why this would absolutely work for other people! I see why some love it!

*thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for the eARC in exchange for my honest review.*