Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for this digital ARC in exchange for an honest review.

The plot of this book caught my attention. Childhood friends to possibly more, especially when there's a bet involved? Who wouldn't love that?
Me, apparently. The pacing of this book is godawful slow. It's also so British that it's distracting and off-putting. I nearly marked this as DNF on a few occasions. At times, the conversations seem hectic and hard to keep track of. Then other times, my eyes glazed over because the characters are rambling. This book could do with a fair bit of editing. Multiple chapters for one event? Just get to the point already. Simon has been in love with Clarrie for forever and asks her out whenever possible. It's cute in theory but I don't think it was executed as well as it could have been. There has to be a better way of telling your childhood best friend that you've been in love with her for ages than to jokingly ask her out constantly and then turn around and date other girls. The reason this even gets two stars is because when the book DOES get to the point, it's decent. There are great sweet moments with Simon and Clarrie where you can clearly see how much he loves her. Every time she's drunk, she wants him but then doesn't realize that's what she wants once she sobers up? It gets very tiring and boring. The pacing is just too uneven throughout to earn more than 2 stars from me. I really wish this book was better than it was.

This was way fun! I really enjoyed getting to know this group of friends and follow their ups and downs. As a huge fan of pub trivia, this absolutely hit all my right spots. Very charming.

I LOVE a friend turns to more story. I also love the main character having tomboy tendencies. I loved Clarrie and Simon. I feel like they are so relatable and you really are rooting for them. These are the exact books I love reading and will be recommending to my friends

A Question of Us tells the story of Clarrie and Si - two best friends who have known each other since they were 4 years old. Si keeps asking Clarrie out but Clarrie always thinks he is joking. However, once Si bets Clarrie that if they win the pub quiz tournament, she will have to go out with him, Clarrie finally realizes that Simon is serious. But is dating worth risking losing your best friend?

I really liked this book. I loved the British slang and setting. The book was fun and secondary characters were great. I was invested in their lives and wanted to find out what happens to their friend group. The book deals with anxiety and something all grown-ups have to face - when do you actually start feeling like a grown up? I could definitely relate to Clarrie's sentiments about feeling mature. Simon was a great love interest and I loved how he was portrayed as a human - he was cocky, but loving, a sweetheart who was not afraid to show Clarrie his true feelings. I think people who love British romantic comedies will definitely enjoy his book as well.

I received an advanced copy in exchange of an honest review. All opinions are my own.

Clarrie Midwinter may be an adult, but she's not a proper adult. At 26, she's eternally strapped for cash, lives off beer and cigarettes, and hasn't had a date in years. The only constants in her life is her friends, their quiz league and her best friend, Simon, asking her out at every opportunity.

Despite having some hidden feelings, Clarrie refuses every advance because she doesn't believe a guy as handsome and as put together as Simon would ever want a complete mess of a person as Clarrie. But Simon has a plan. He bets her that if their team wins the quiz league she has to go out with him, and if they lose he'll never ask her out ever again. As the weeks go by, and their team is somehow holding on in the top 2, Clarrie must decided what she really wants out of life and confront feelings she's long since kept buried.

This book was so cute and relatable. I saw a lot of myself in Clarrie, especially in the way she approaches relationships. Her and Simon had such palpable chemistry, but also an amazing friendship. The dynamic between them and the rest of their friend group was so great, and all the banter really felt like my own group of friends. That was definitely a major highlight for me. The only tiny aspect of the book I had an issue with was since I'm not British, some of the phrases Baker used I didn't fully understand, but that didn't detract me from the story all that much. All in all, I thoroughly enjoyed this and definitely recommend for any rom-com fan.

A Question of Us is one of those books that hooks itself onto your heart while you’re not looking and ends up dragging you into an emotional investment in its characters. And then it’ll leave you wondering how exactly you review a book you loved to pieces.

At heart, this book is a best friends to lovers story, where the best friends in question are physically affectionate and everyone but them is aware they’re in love with each other and kind of wondering why they haven’t yet got together. So it was already right up my alley. Simon, though, who is quite blatantly in love with Clarrie even though she’s convinced he’s taking the piss, decides that he’s going to bet a date on the outcome of a quiz tourney. Clarrie takes him up on this, and what follows is a slowburn romance that will have you tearing out your hair despairingly just because you want the two characters to get together already.

What I loved most about this book was the central role that friendships played in this story. Obviously there’s Si and Clarrie, but they’re surrounded by other friends and the rapport between all of them is so funny. There was one point I laughed out loud about five times and my sister kept giving me weird looks (to be fair, this book played right into my fairly childish sense of humour. And it was so English with the slang and everything it felt more familiar than about 90% of other romance books I’ve read. Honestly, just seeing the phrase “arse over tit” in a book… Priceless).

Si as a love interest was also so refreshing. Sure, he was a womaniser, and cocky, but he was also happy to confide in Clarrie and cry in front of her and, after having read a book where the male main character was busy holding everything inside and not even confiding in his close friends because he figured they’d pity him? That’s so refreshing. I want more of it, to be honest, because this book has shown me what I’m missing and now I’ll never be able to go back.

So yeah, I hope this has convinced you to read this book. All it’s done for me is make me want to reread.

3.5 stars:

'A Question of Us' is an exploration of love, friendship, and insecurity with the backdrop of a pub quiz competition. It may seem random, but in this instance, it totally works. Mary Jayne Baker creates characters that are flawed, complicated, and three-dimensional, and manages to invert typical romance-y tropes to create a delightful and heartfelt tale of a friendship that could be more.

There were times where I felt a lot of frustration toward Clarrie's (the protagonist) actions; I empathized with the other characters in the novel who continually question her approach to life. And maybe that's the ultimate success of the novel: that it's messy. It feels real. The relationship dynamics and the emotional hangups all feel very realistic. And the ending is a satisfying payoff to a wholly entertaining (if not slightly frustrating) tale. I'm excited to see what Baker comes up with next!

**Thanks, NetGalley, for providing me with an ARC in exchange for my honest review.**

I loved this book! I had previously read Meet me at the Lighthouse by the same author and loved it so I was excited to read this. I fell in love with Simon as a main male character, he was so funny and charming. A great read if you love stories about best friends to lovers.

A great summer read with likable characters and a memorable plot! It took me a little while to get in to it, but once I did, I couldn’t put it down!

Thank you #netgalley for an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

3.5 stars***

This novel took me a while to get into strictly because the author is English, so I kept getting distracted with the language/writing style.

That didn't deter me from reading it though (don't let it stop you either!). This is a rom com between two friends who plays trivia together and a bet that leads to love. It is lighthearted and fun.

One Sentence Summary: Best friends since childhood, Clarrie and Simon not-so-secretly love each other but it takes a bet and a trivia competition for them to finally get together.

I really enjoyed this book! It was from a British author, so I didn't understand all of the slang, but that didn't make it any less enjoyable. The author does a great job creating rich, complex characters, and there were many funny moments. I also liked that even though Clarrie and Simon are the main characters, the other characters get plenty of page time and development, too. Maybe Clarrie's anxiety could have been detailed a little more, and earlier on, but the book works fine as-is, too.

This is a great, easy read that is perfect for lazy vacation days. Thanks to the Mary Jayne Baker, NetGalley, and the publisher for providing an advanced copy in exchange for a review.

There is no question Mary Jane Baker's A Question of Us is a winners. This adorable book had a little bit of everything I love romance and trivia. I could not put this book down and finished it one day. Perfect for anyone looking for an adorable romance book.

I had never read anything from this author before and to be honest, i only requested this because of its lovely cover.
Thank goodness i did because i really enjoyed this story. It was cute, fluffy and perfect for this time of year. I really liked the characters and thought them to be witty and charming.

Can't wait to read more of Mary Jayne Bakers books.

A cute book. Nothing super special but a quick read and some funny parts. A good book if you just want something to read to make you disappear for a bit.

The first thing to know about this book is that it is extremely English, and I don’t think I was prepared for it based on the description. Personally I found this distracting, but I’m sure a lot of people will love this style!

That being said, I love the couple in this book, Clarrie and Simon. It’s the classic friends-to-lovers scenario and Simon has been asking Clarrie out for years. The transition is sometimes awkward in other books, but it felt just right in this one.

And I love the banter, not only between Clarrie and Simon, but also amongst the whole friend group. The secondary characters in the book have their own stories, but it doesn’t feel like it does in other novels, like every other character is just being developed so there can be other books in a series. They have their own stories because the friends in this book are just as important as the main couple.

If you are a fan of friends-to-lovers, and especially a fan of English books, then I definitely recommend this book to you!

ARC provided through Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

This book is the ladette-lit I wish I'd had in my clammy twenty odd year old hands. I love the array of characters and their many quirks, and Simon Dewhirst is my new pin up poster boy. Absolutely laughed my head off through most of the book, and Mary Jayne Baker is a skilful writer - balancing the real life grit of life, the Northern flavour, the heartfelt and the humorous is no easy task, and this book just pulls you in for a pint and never lets you go. I also love how effortlessly diverse the book is, reflecting real life and all of its facets without being there for show or to make a point. These characters could be hanging out in any pub or working men's club you walk in to, and I for one would definitely stay for at least a question or two.

Three words for me. Modern. Amazing. Hilarious.
15 belly laughs, 10 snort laughs, and 5 big shiny stars from me!

Tomboy Clarrie is still struggling to become a 'proper' grown-up. She's struggling financially, but what 26 year old isn't. Then her best guy friend wont stop asking her out and her friends make abet with her and she finds that what she really wants out of her life is to fall in love or find the love of her life.

I thought this book was fun, sweet, and engaging. I think that the author did a great job to relate to the characters. It was an enjoyable summer read!