The story of Louisa, an author who is spending a lot of time in Devon away from her life in London.

Although I enjoyed the book, I was expecting more of an end to the book.

This book definitely grew on me the more I read. I very nearly DNF it as I was just so put off by the characters at first. Lulu and Jassy were just not my cup of tea at all. I persevered and I did end up quite liking Louisa - more so when she was away from the awful sounding "Gang." She was kind of amusing, had some crazy little moments that did make me chuckle. Her love interest - Joe - sounds wonderful and very definitely leading man material.
I liked the setting, Devon and imagined a quaint little village..

It turned into quite a sweet, easy to read rom-com - I ended up quite glad I gave it a chance.

Lulu and Jassy are sisters who have retreated to the countryside to write their respective books. Its not a great trip, the weather is bad, they don't get much done, and they get a puncture, which local Joe helps then with! Back to London they go, Lulu back to boyfriend Benedict. But things aren't great between them, and Lulu isn't happy. Off she goes back to the country for while where she meets up with Joe again. Its quite clear from the beginning of the story that there will be a happy ending, despite some twists and turns. A light read that made me smile throughout.

The Mini-Break by Maddie Please is a sweet romance about a romance writer who has writer's block after she starts to reevaluate her life. Will Lulu find the true love she has always dreamed about when she escapes to the country? I found this book to be a sweet enjoyable book, so if you're looking for a nice escape give this book a try.

I reviewed a digital arc provided by NetGalley and the Publisher. Thank you.

I received The Mini-Break by Maddie Please as an ARC from Netgalley. When I first started reading The Mini-Break I didn't like the characters and I really didn't think I was going to enjoy the book. Lulu is a romance writer who is experiencing writer's block. Her sister, Jassy, is also a writer and they decide to take a mini break to Devon to stay in their agent's home. Lulu and Jassy seem very spoiled and self absorbed when the book began but they began to grow on me and I actually starting liking them. This was a fun read and I enjoyed the romance between Lulu and farmer Joe.

This was a fun and flirty read. I really enjoyed it. The characters were lovable and felt like friends that I would want. I love books that make me laugh!

awesome book! It has a adequate pace, does not feels dragged along and has an interesting plot, character has depth. highly recommend don't miss out on this amazing book!

Louisa (or Lulu) Darling is a well known romance writer. She and her younger sister Jasmine (or Jassy) - also a writer - are the Darling Duo. They are living the high life - going to fancy parties, always being invited somewhere and going to numerous book launches. Lulu has it all, even the “amazing” (sometimes frustrating) boyfriend.

Both sisters have book deadlines and in order to finish, Jassy and Lulu decide to go on a 10 day mini break to Devon. Terrible weather, unfortunate circumstances, Jassy’s leg injury and the car having a puncher leaving them stranded makes the holiday a miserable affair. Until a farmer on a tractor comes to their rescue, Joe. Something about Joe makes Lulu hesitate to rush back home.

When she returns home to her boyfriend she finds him entertaining a “friend”. This moment puts her life and life with him into perspective. Realizing that she needs a change. Lulu shows growth in character, becoming more sure of what she wants in life.

Joe is the typical nice guy who trusts easily. While Lulu is an imaginative and a rather random character.

“The Mini-Break” was an easy read. There were bits of the book that made me adore Lulu, particularly the klutzy parts. She showed more of herself to Joe in these odd moments. Joe was a sweetheart through and through.

Although the story was a sweet romantic story, I definitely was not a fan of all the inner chatter. It caused my earlier enthusiasm of the book to turn sower and skimming through the inner POV.

Star Rating: 3

** I received a copy of “The Mini-Break” by Maddie Please via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

#TheMiniBreak #NetGalley

Mini break for us all!

I enjoyed this book where the romance writer needs a break and travels with her friend to the country for a mini break. There she unexpectedly finds an attraction with the neighbour Joe. But she has her boyfriend back home. Benedict is no longer the light in Lulu’s life, but somehow, he just doesn’t get the message and leave!

This is not a typical RomCom. It’s more chic lit, but truly enjoyable!

Thank you to Netgalley for the opportunity to read and review an ARC of this book and I am providing my honest review.

Loved the interplay of these characters and how things that could go wrong, did. Isn't that the way it goes when we are in the midst of breakdown? This was a vacation read for me and I certainly enjoyed it!

In The Mini-Break by Maddie Please, Lulu finds herself in the countryside, very far from her Notting Hill flat. It is a typical “fish out of water” story, but I enjoyed her journey. I did stress out about her getting her book written, though! I also enjoyed the handful of American references and chuckled about the Washington ski hat (seriously, they need a name change!).

Lulu begins to find her voice and makes some very tough life-changing decisions. I appreciate the tension between London and Devon, but I liked getting to meet Devon’s residents and wanted to see more of them. I hope we get to revisit Lulu in the future. In the meantime, I’ll check out other books by Maddie Please!
Thank you to NetGalley and Avon for a copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.

I didn’t expect to enjoy this when I read the first chapter, yet it grabbed me somewhere around chapter 3 and I couldn’t put it down.

A proper chick lit, predictable novel with a great heart, characters you’ll love and just full on fun. An easy read, perfect for your own mini break.

[Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest opinion]

Sadly, I couldn't connect with this book. The plot looked very appealing to me (a romance writer in the middle of the country, a handsome and charming farmer, funny scenes...) but I found the story full of cliches and not well developed (of course it's just my opinion). The book seemed endless to me (it's always the same when I read out of the story, my fault), with too much description of things that I couldn't care less. I think my biggest problem with it is that I need some romance, some love story, two lovely characters that spend time together, and I didn't found that in this book. I know it's chick lit but even so, I need something to give me butterflies in my stomach and sadly this was not the case. I couldn't feel the spark, it was all too unnatural to me.
However, I encourage you to give this book an opportunity, this review is just another opinion, and the best way of finding out if you like a book is simply reading it. I hope you can enjoy it more than I did!

Lulu and her friend Jassy head down to Devon for what they think will be a fun getaway from all the stuff happening in London. Lulu's a writer who is living with Benedict but he's, well, he's not a fun person, really. Things don't go quite as planned in Devon (it's kind of a disaster, honestly) but Lulu does meet Joe, a neighbor who tugs at her heart. This is delightful chick lit that made for a perfect light read at the end of the day. Thanks to net galley for the ARC. There are good characters, some scenes that will definitely make you chuckle, and while it might not surprise you, it will satisfy.

Louisa has been finding much of London distracting and far too repetitive: meeting with the “gang’ to show of and be seen, drinking too much, finding every excuse NOT to write, even tired of the constant “lather, rinse, repeat” with live in boyfriend Benedict, now taking even MORE advantage of situations since he’s now paying his share by picking up the electric bill. With her sister now recovering from a knee injury and them both owing their agent / publisher a book, an offer of a house in Devon for a week of heads down work and remove from the distractions of London is just what the doctor ordered.

Well, not quite – mud, rain, cold and no food delivery in sight for two women who regularly order in or use pre-made meals from Waitrose as sustenance: the wine and snacks have gone well -but with a missing laptop cable, spotty wifi and general discomfiture being in “the country’ the two are having a less than productive, or enjoyable, getaway. But being back in London is no joy for Louisa either – and the one glimpse of the neighbor has her thinking of the country again – a few back and forth moments, a decision to sell her flat and some truly fish out of water moments where Louisa has ZERO idea how to cook, function in mud, or even manage to scale a fence – the struggles with life as she tries to sort out plotting, her own life and find what feels right – despite it being a mad choice.

There are no huge dramatic action scenes here – even the romance is rather sweetly awkward and odd as Louisa is facing many choices and challenges she’s never before addressed, and situations that, in her London life, were wholly inconceivable. Please does a lovely job of showing us just how Louisa is changing and seeing her life (and ‘friends’ ) in London as just what they are – not enough to make her happy after all these years. Both in her outlook and in her attitude, Louisa is growing up and changing, and the baby steps she takes are well detailed and feel plausible, even as many are late to arrive in the grand scheme. Louisa is finding her happiness and joy in a small Devon village – with a house on a narrow track, nearest store miles away and iffy (if not downright malicious) weather for many of the days…….

I received an eArc copy of the title from the publisher via NetGalley for purpose of honest review. I was not compensated for this review: all conclusions are my own responsibility.

Review first appeared at <a href=” https://wp.me/p3OmRo-am4/” > <a> I am, Indeed </a>

This is the first time I have read this author and I thought this story was very good. The characters Jassy and Lulu Darling were strong characters and very different. Jassy is married and Lulu although she has a live in boyfriend whose a name is Benedict who was not a nice person and did not treat her right. Lulu and Jassy go to the country for a mini break to do some writing. Anyway Jassy is not a country girl but Lulu falls for the neighbor Joe and keeps going back. Trying to get rid of Benedict is a problem because he just doesn't get. The story easily flowed to the end .

Lovely light hearted right, perfect kinda holiday read, lovely characters, enough to keep you guessing and a happy end, who could want more, a lovely book

Thanks to netgalley and the publisher for a free copy for an honest review

Brilliant holiday read I really enjoyed the light. Hearted romance but it still kept me guessing. A feel good book

Loved this British rom com. A perfect sun lounger read would recommend this to anyone & look forward to reading more by this author.

A delightful look at changing as we age, questioning where we are andhow we got there, and pondering the path we want to take into the future. Lulu is a successful writer who has hit a rough patch but can't quite figure out why. Then a chance trip to tackle a deadline in the company of her sister leads to some unexpected fun in the country. Lulu starts to question the path her life has taken as she becomes increasingly intrigued with Joe Fields. As she starts to accept that the romance she has so easily written about many times over can be her reality, Lulu takes a big leap away from city life into the charm that awaits her in the countryside, and finds her own happily ever after.