Sophie has done it again. This book is equal parts cute easy reading and new twisty vibes. the magical realism really hit on this one. It felt so magical and fun while still portraying a wonderful plot and story line along the way. I was clinging to every word.

After a painful breakup, Chloe moves home to live with her parents. She’s not thrilled with her job, and is feeling rather stuck in life. Of course, this is the perfect time for her 10 year college reunion! Feeling disappointed that she doesn’t have much she wants to show off to old friends and past flames, Chloe turns to an online dating service… with a twist! She is paired with Rob, who is quite literally perfect for her. She brings Rob to the reunion weekend, and a lot of humor ensues.

• Fake dating
• Second chances
• Finding yourself
• Scenes at Oxford!!!!!

I knew I would love this ARC because I love everything Sophie Cousens writes, but believe me when I say that I DEVOURED this book! I read one chapter, and then the next day I read the entire rest of the book! It might have been exactly what I need to read as a single 35 year old, but you will enjoy it regardless of your current status in life. It really makes you think about your choices, why we care so much about what others think of us, and how different life could be based off of every decision we make. Run to read this when it’s available on November 18th!!

3.5 stars

And Then There Was You, as many have already said, is a departure from Cousens' typical plot. The elements of sci-fi fit within the context of the story, but they really threw me off. I love Cousens' writing style and humor, which this book definitely had (see ch. 21 lol). But every time Rob was in a scene, I was cringing the entire time.

Somehow, it was still an enjoyable read, just because I love the writing so much. I especially appreciated all of the theatre references and the flashbacks to A Midsummer Night's Dream. It was certainly a whimsical read. And I understand the point Counsen's was trying to make with AI, but it felt a bit too on the nose.

All in all, it probably won't be a book I read again, but it still had enough of Cousens' wit and sentimentality to make it a fun read.

Thank you, Netgalley and @PutnamBooks, for this ARC in exchange for my honest thoughts.

I came away from this book with a lot of conflicting emotions. On the one hand, I was drawn in by its themes of regret, second chances, and self-discovery; on the other hand, certain elements—particularly the unexpected sci-fi twist—left me unsettled and unsure how I really felt by the end.
Let’s start with what worked. At its core, this story is about Chloe attending her ten-year college reunion and being forced to confront the gap between the life she imagined for herself and the one she’s actually living. Those moments of reflection—thinking about the choices she made, the friendships she lost, and the paths not taken—were by far the strongest parts of the novel. They gave the book an emotional depth that felt honest and relatable. The idea that happiness doesn’t always come from the “perfect” choice, but from learning to embrace who you are and who truly accepts you, was a message that resonated with me.
Where the story felt less successful, at least for me, was in its structure and execution. The love triangle element was already not to my taste, but adding in a speculative sci-fi thread made the narrative feel uneven. Once I adjusted to it, I could appreciate what the author was trying to do—especially in how it comments on the future of relationships—but it still pulled me out of the story at times. The romance itself also felt a bit rushed, and some of the misunderstandings leaned into familiar clichés rather than offering something fresh.
Chloe Fairway is thirty-one, living back in her family home, and helping care for her father as he faces early-stage Alzheimer’s. Instead of the thriving screenwriting career she once dreamed of, she’s stuck in a dead-end job where her talent goes unrecognized. To make matters worse, she wasted years in a toxic relationship with her ex, Peter, and now finds herself swiping aimlessly through dating apps. When she bumps into an old colleague during yet another disastrous date, she’s given a card for a mysterious dating agency that promises to solve her relationship problems. Intrigued, she gives it a try and is quickly paired with Rob—a man who appears to be everything she has ever wanted: attractive, successful, kind, and attentive. But when she returns for her college reunion and reconnects with Sean and John, two old friends from her past, she begins to see that perfection might not be what she really needs. What she truly craves is love that feels real, messy, and authentic. By the last third of the book, I had settled into the story more, and I did appreciate the creativity and ambition in how Sophie Cousens wove the speculative twist into a story about love, loss, and second chances. That said, one particular revelation left me uneasy, and while it didn’t ruin the book, it did keep me from fully embracing it. I suspect some readers will find it thought-provoking, while others—like me—might struggle with it. In the end, I’d call this an engaging yet uneven read. It has flashes of brilliance, especially in Chloe’s emotional journey and the reunion setting, but it didn’t quite capture the same magic I’ve felt in Cousens’ previous work. I’m settling on three stars: a book that entertained me, made me think, but ultimately fell short of my expectations. Many thanks to NetGalley and Putnam/G.P. Putnam’s Sons for providing me with a digital review copy in exchange for an honest opinion.

One thing to know about me, I love me some Sophie Cousens! I've read her entire backlist and her books always just put me in the best mood! They are full of joy, quirky characters, and whimsy!

With that being said, I know she mentioned she was branching out and doing something different with this one. It wasn't my favorite and I'll explain why. I actually LOVED the AI/robot component. Those parts made me laugh out loud. And obviously it is super relevant as AI becomes bigger and bigger in our world today. Rob was hilarious! His bluntness and one-liners had me cracking up.

Things I didn't love as much:
-I felt like at the beginning John was portrayed as this annoying theater guy and also someone who was going to be annoying about overseeing the reunion. I genuinely did not know who the love interest was supposed to be here until later on in the book which I felt was odd. At first I thought it was going to be Sean, because John didn't have a big footprint in the story for the first like 30%. I just didn't feel like I got to know him because he was rarely on the page.
-I think this one leaned more toward women's fiction than romance/rom-com. Which is of course fine, but with Cousens, I was expecting more romance.
-This is a big one for me -- in my opinion, there was way too much theater jargon. Titles of plays, characters, shows, references to things I had never heard of, kind of took me out of the story at times. Again, I wouldn't have minded if it was here and there but it felt like it bogged down the story because there was so much.
-The past timeline was boring and I felt disengaged and wanted to fly through those chapters

I still love her writing! It was definitely cute at times and I loved the ending. I just didn't think there was much chemistry between the MMC and FMC. Loved the reunion aspect and that it was at Oxford. My favorites by SC are still THE GOOD PART and IS SHE REALLY GOING OUT WITH HIM?

Thank you so much for allowing me to be an early reader! 3 stars for this one and look forward to more from SC!

I will post a review to my page soon.

This is a wonderful twist on a rom com beach read. It totally had me once the twist was revealed. The characters were fun and the scenarios they are in are diverting and amusing at times. I really enjoyed it and plowed through the book in 24 hours.

Sophie Cousens has become one of my all time favorite authors and I eagerly anticipate each of her new books. Her stories are always full of heart with a really sweet romance.

This book was fun and cute, though I will say it’s not as funny as some of her other books. There were some humorous moments, but not as many as her previous releases.

The romance was an interesting sort of love triangle. Very different for sure!

I really liked seeing Chloe grow and change. The author writes relatable characters that grow and change very well. And speaking of relatable!! The pressure to be successful after high school and college, being the only single person when everyone around you has the perfect mate, and being stuck in a job with no advancement were realistic and definitely resonated.

The romance was sweet and cute. I also loved the flashbacks. And I really loved the note to the reader at the end where the author mentioned earlier iterations of this book. It was interesting to see where it started versus how it ended up. I could definitely see where it could have been a much darker story. The little peek into her writing process was neat to see.

While not my favorite of her books, this one is still great and a lot of fun. I loved the dog Richard!

***Thank you NetGalley, the publishers & the author for an arc of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I applied for this book knowing only that it was a romance, but I had no idea what kind of romance it would be…

…AI romance enter stage left…

I did not love this book, and halfway through it I was struggling to pick it up. I would like to say that it really did redeem itself by the end because I became invested during the last 1/4 of the story. I’m not sure how others will feel about this type of romance, but it felt really weird to me. I cannot even put my finger on exactly what it was that turned me off because there was zero spice…🤔

I do appreciate a good love triangle, and this book did not disappoint with the love square (sort of). The characters were well written, and there were many good quotes that I would have loved to include in my review if it wasn’t an arc copy. I am not typically a fan of the fake-dating trope, but this one was a little different lol. What a twist to throw into a fake date 🤣 to keep things interesting.

Overall, I would rate this book 3.5 stars because of the growth of the FMC throughout the book. Chloe learned to find herself throughout this journey, and I really appreciated the side characters who helped her get there by the end. This book will not be for everyone, but the ending was worth the read.

My auto read author is back, and this time with a bit of a sci-fi twist and I am here for it!
This was charming and sweet and dealt with the pressure of not feeling like you are where you should be in life. And as a girl who just entered her 30s, I felt that deep in my soul.
The romance was cute, and without giving too much away, I loved how it takes you on directions you wouldn’t assume, but leaves you swooning nonetheless.
It’s another score for Sophie Cousens, and she solidifies herself more and more as one of the best romance writers of this generation.
(And if I didn’t prove my love enough, yes, I did use a binary code translator….iykyk)

I was so excited for this book but it just did not work for me. The Wall-E sex dreams were too much. DNF’ed at 35%.

I thought I knew what I was getting into for this book but the sci fi twist threw me for a loop at first! As the story evolved, the plot definitely grew on me. The whole idea of Chloe wanting to present a certain image at her college reunion is relatable and the lengths she went to in order to portray that were entertaining. I agree with another review I saw mentioning to go into this book open minded since I found myself getting sucked into the story to see how it ends. It was a fun, new twist, that’s for sure! Thanks to NetGalley and Putnam Books for access to this eARC in exchange for an honest review.

I went in really excited about this one but found it very hard to get into. I thought I misread the description and genuinely thought it was taking a whole other direction with Rob (yikes, glad that wasn't the case). The flashbacks to college felt like they put the wrong emphasis on the story, especially so early on. I learned entirely too much on the whole class at Oxford and what they were like in college vs later - that was not necessary to the FMC's plot.

Rob had some funny lines and I thoroughly enjoyed the comedic relief of his chapter. I liked John.

Im giving this 3 stars because I love Cousens writing, but I have to say this book was not for me.
The whole AI stuff is miserable to think about - what it’s doing to the planet, what it’s doing to our brains, and I just wouldn’t have picked this one up knowing that it was in it.
Also, a main character we’re supposed to like pretending to use a service dog so he can bring his pet around every where doesn’t sit well with me when I know too many people with actual anxiety and actual PTSD.
I loved her other story, Is she really going out with him? And I love when writers switch up genres but this just wasn’t it for me.
Her writing is still great, still laugh out loud funny at times.

3.75: I’m a Sophie Cousens super fan, so I came into this book with really high expectations.

There were things that I absolutely loved about this book. Something about it felt like an early 2000s romcom in the best way. I chuckled and grinned and felt the necessary secondhand embarrassment required to enjoy a book like this.

The concept itself was interesting and I spent a lot of time trying to figure out how I’d personally handle the situation this book tackled.

And, I won’t say why here, but the epilogue is one of my favorites I’ve ever read. It felt fun and very true to the characters. The central relationship in this book was a testament to honest, quiet love that allows people space to breathe and grow and I loved that.

I do wish we’d spent more time resolving a few things between these characters on page, though. There’s a *moment* at one point, an appropriate over-reaction (is that a thing?), and then not quite enough communication post fallout for my personal taste. I wanted more time on-page of those difficult conversations that Chloe needs and wants to have.

Similarly, I needed more exposition of Chloe’s emotional state and feelings. I know, from reading the Author’s note, that the tone of this book was specifically designed to be very light and fun while still touching on some serious topics. The balance was just a little off for me and I felt like I missed out on some of the token Sophie-Cousens-teaching-me-something-profound-about-humanity moments.

I also struggled with being able to determine how this book was supposed to read at the beginning. I was unsure if it was full sci-fi or just a sprinkle of sci-fi over a romance. While the inclusion of robots and AI gave the book some interesting avenues, we didn’t really explore many for the sake of remaining romance-focused. While that’s not necessarily a bad thing, it did leave me a little confused at the start as I tried to figure out what to expect.

Overall, I enjoyed the book and would recommend it if you’re in the mood for a lighter, but still thoughtful, romance.

I LOVED this and absolutely devoured it. I honestly didn't know what the premise was going in, so at first I was a little thrown off by it. I quickly became completely consumed by it and absolutely fell in love with Chloe and her love story. This is a must read!

This wasn't my favorite of Sophie Cousens books. I felt myself a little bored and not that invested in the main characters. I loved her last book so this was a bit of a disappointment

I love a good Sophie Cousens book, so I was so excited to get this advanced copy. When Chloe's college reunion pops up, she has to accept that her life isn't how she expected it to be. Her classmates all seem to be living fabulous lives in healthy relationships, and Chloe, coming out of a failed relationship and dealing with a dead-end job, just doesn't measure up. How will she handled the weekend?
I enjoyed how this book featured the fake dating trope but with a twist! It had lots of cute humor, and I liked both the female and male main characters. I thought sometimes the plot became a bit silly, but overall, it was a really fun read that I couldn't put down!

Im bummed. I love Sophie but this was a miss for me. The AI twist I didn’t like and wouldn’t recommend this specific book to others. I adore her others books though.

Expect the UNEXPECTED and bring an open mind. If you're like me and start this book thinking it will be a rom com just like Cousens' previous book (Is She Really Going Out With Him?), you will be very surprised. Shocked so much you might put the down. I, however, would tell you to keep going, give the unexpected twist some time and you'll get back to the humorous Sophie Cousens work you enjoy. This book brought Cousens' humor very much to the page and it also brought big life questions of morality and such to ponder which made for an interesting and entertaining combination.

Helpful Comp: Think The Husbands by Holly Gramazio and you'll have a great reading experience.

Rating: 3.75 ⭐
Spice: 1/5 🌶️ Kissing, almost open door in epilogue but skippable
Content warning: Past abusive relationship, not many details
Recommend: Yes!

I recieved this book as an ARC from NetGalley and Putnam publishing in exchange for my honest review. I was thrilled to read this novel and give my thoughts. Give the book a chance! That's all I ask. 😄

Thanks to NetGalley and Putnam Books for access to this eARC in exchange for an honest review. Something about Sophie Cousens writing always puts me in a good mood. It was an interesting premise especially with all the talk about AI that we keep reading about. Overall would recommend to anyone looking for a feel good romance book.