This book was not as light-hearted as I expected going into it. It took quite a while to finish this book, as I had a very hard time getting into it. There seemed to be too much about the pub, and not enough about the Zoey/Alice/Joe triangle. Probably would not recommend.

This was a thoroughly enjoyable and relatable story.

I connected with Alice almost immediately, In a job she doesn’t enjoy and then a debacle with Zoe, her boyfriend’s ex. Alice’s reactions to these situations are so realistic they are what makes a connection so easy. It is like reading about my own experiences. I also like that too much wasn’t given away at once as such, you could expect some of the things that happened but you couldn’t with others. The story flowed and all the characters were brought to life and were all relatable and likeable in their own way.

As the story went on I was pleased that how I expected it to go, wasn’t quite how it went. I escaped into the story and read it really quickly. It was an easy read and made me laugh out loud too.

This was the first book by Sophie that I have read but I will definitely be reading more and I recommend it to anyone who enjoys rom-coms and needs a lift.

I laughed, I cried.... I absolutely loved this book!. The main character was so likeable and had me laughing out loud at times, and the story itself was so perfectly paced... just wow! You need to read this book!.

Alice is a trainee lawyer at Billings Pitt Furzedown. Her life is on track with an upcoming permanent job offer at Billings and having found love with Joe. Life takes a few turns, and Alice ends up losing on the job offer and working at a pub. Enters Zoe. Zoe and Joe briefly dated years ago, and even though Joe says she is just a friend, Alice can't help noticing the shift in their behavior towards each other.
Out of the blue, Zoe needs a place to stay, and Joe believes it is a great idea to invite her to be their roommate. Alice tries not to feel threatened, but it is difficult to feel otherwise as Zoe cooks fabulous home-cooked meals and glides around the house with her glossy mane of hair.
The book is a fun ride, and I enjoyed Alice's journey. As a reader, I especially liked the author's exploration of Alice's professional choices. Ranald makes you believe that you are on a journey with the protagonist, and discover things as the story progresses. Alice's character is well-developed, and the author has combined multiple aspects, making it relatable. Alice's jealousy when Zoe moves in, her confusion regarding her career choices, and her struggle to discover herself are all relatable and humanizes the character.
The plot is enticing, and the author manages to keep the reader engaged. Usually, in the Romance genre, the reader can anticipate the ending, but Ranald manages to keep the reader guessing. All the characters in the book are engaging and add flavor to the book. They represent a tight-knit community and add value to the story-line. The book cover is fabulous and has the use of vibrant colors and catchy design.
I felt the character of Joe was severely underdeveloped. There was no real conversation between the protagonist and Joe that could showcase the bond they share. As a reader of romance, I want to root for the hero, but I did not feel that way for Joe. We never get an opportunity to know and understand Joe, and that thoroughly disappointed me.
I give the book 3.5/5. I strongly believe that Joe's character is pivotal in the story-line and shouldn't have been ignored. Hence, the 3.5 stars. For readers who connect with books written by Sophie Kinsella, you will like this book.
I received an advanced copy of this book from Net Galley and the publisher in return for an honest review.

I finished Just Saying by Sophie Ranald last week. It did take me quite a long time to finish this one. Usually I do enjoy these kind of book and do find these so easy.

Firstly, thank you to @netgalley for the early release copy! I always enjoy a story which involves a lawyer as we all know. This story revolves around a trainee solicitor Alice and her journey on realising she has chosen the wrong career for her.

I found it a realistic and relatable story as you hear a lot of people just going along with the idea of a career in law and hating it. It wasn’t the typical romantic comedy! I won’t say how the relationships end as that’s a spoiler!

I wouldn’t say I found this story funny really but it did address different issues along the way. I know a lot of Sophie’s books are really popular though! This one just wasn’t as funny! I would rate this one as 2🌟.

Just Saying is perfect for fans of Lindsey Kelk or Sophie Kinsella! This rom com tells the story of Alice and Joe, two lawyers who are in love and almost certified. Trouble comes when Alice has to leave her job and Joe’s college ex-girlfriend, Zoe, shows up. This story is full of Scrabble puns, love triangles, alcohol, and cute British sayings. Just Saying is a feel good novel that will prove to anyone who is going through a rough patch--it will get better. Alice is able to turn her life around and find meaningful work and love despite enduring challenges we all hope we never have to face. *Trigger warning for sexual assault*

****ARC provided by Netgalley for free review*** Alice hasn’t been the luckiest in love, until she meets a helpful coworker, Joe. He comes to her rescue during a really trying time in her personal life. They just fit together. Everything is going great until Alice’s career is in jeopardy and on one perfect day date, Joe runs into an ex! His ex is Zoe and she needs a place to stay. Alice needs to help pay her half of the rent so she agrees Zoe’s money would help cover expenses. But at what cost? Alice is questioning everything- her relationship with Joe and her career especially. This book is a little more in depth than I was expecting but really good! What career path will Alice choose? Will she and Joe’s relationship survive living with Zoe? I enjoyed it and can’t wait to read more of Sophie Ranald’s books!

I liked this book, it improved as the book progressed so don't be put off by a slow start. It's a rom-com with some serious storylines, which made it different from your typical chick-lit book. It's worth reading for the character's journies, and I think you'll enjoy it. 4 stars.

Thanks to NetGalley and Bookouture for the ARC of this book, the opinions are my own and are freely given.

This was an okay book. It was hard for me to get through the first 50 pages or so (hence why it took me so long to finish the book and write a review). I honestly thought that this was setting up to be a funny book about a woman, Alice who has a career set-back who now has to live with her current boyfriend's ex.
But the whole book is full of a lot of angst. And I wasn't ready for it. Do you know what I also wasn't ready for? The dark turn of sexual assault. I wasn't prepared,-so trigger warning !!
.Another thing that irked me was the fact that Alice and her boyfriend barely talked !! Honestly, 90 percent of the issues in this book would have been resolved if they had an actual conversation.
The ending read as very incomplete to me. It just kind of plops out and that's that.

This book is not bad, it definitely is entertaining and if you're ready for something heavier with a lot of angst, then this book is for you. It wasn't my favourite book and I had a few issues with it, the main one being that this is not a real rom-com for me! I recommend the author's other book though

Sophie Ranald has a string of novels released over the past two years. Previous titles include Sorry Not Sorry, It's Not You It's Him; and No, We Can't Be Friends. Just Saying is the latest publication for Ranald and is delivered in the same sassy attitude.

Alice is on the fast track to become a lawyer at a prestigious law firm. She has a slot waiting for her in an excellent department, she has a handsome also-lawyer boyfriend she adores (whom she met at the office), and they recently got a pretty swanky place together. All in all, things are falling into place and it is oh so sweet. Until it isn't. It is as if Alice suddenly woke up from a dream. Her would-be boss is under suspicion for unwanted sexual attentions which has made that offer for a slot on his team at the firm null and void.

With the decrease in income Alice if forced to make some decisions she would like to say she can handle. In order to bridge the financial gap, Joe's offered the spare room up to Zoe, who just so happens to be Joe's ex. Alice would like to be the bigger person and not let it bother her, but it does, and who can blame her? Joe and Zoe are giggling over inside jokes, appear to be sneaking glances at one another and hiding exactly how close they were pre-breakup.

The book is told from Alice's viewpoint and I think this is important because there are a lot of things that would not be delivered as well otherwise. Alice tends to be oblivious and there are also misunderstandings which is why her viewpoint hammers home these themes.

This book was not for me. I know exactly the type of reader that would enjoy this and to those people I say, "grab this book, you will love it." Readers of Jasmine Guillory, Helen Hoang, and Christina Lauren will love this book. This is the type of book you enjoy with a glass of something fruity while you lay out and tan.

This book is billed as a romantic comedy, and while it is funny and it is a romance, it's far more emotionally intense. Sophie Ranald captures more than a couple forced to move in with one of their exes; she also touches on sexual harassment and its effects. So if you're looking for something light and entertaining, this may not check your boxes. But if you want a deeper look at how a despicable act can make us question everything we hold true, this is a solid choice.

Alice narrates her story, showing you the gentle happiness she shares with boyfriend Joe, a guy who rented an inflatable hot tub for her birthday (a gift that goes comically awry). He clearly adores her, and they're clearly committed. When she loses her job as an attorney, however, it causes financial ripples that lead to them moving in with Zoe, Joe's comely ex-girlfriend. It's a device that feels a little stretched. Alice compares herself to Zoe, finding herself wanting, yet she sort of allows this arrangement to happen. Did they--would they--have other options? You can't help but think so, but then you wouldn't have this story.

The supporting cast fills the roles of requisite quirky bunch of friends and family (Drew, I love you), and I wanted more out of Joe and Zoe, particularly her. She reveals more about herself toward the end, but even then, she's pretty predictable. You aren't as suspicious as you're supposed to be because Zoe is so transparent.

Perhaps the biggest weakness of the book is the disconnect between why Alice does not reveal an important detail about her job with Joe and the way their relationship is portrayed in the early chapters. Alice tries to explain it, but it doesn't work for me. It makes me wonder if my initial impression of the two of them was correct.

Let me know what you think of this one.

I was expecting this to be a light hearted rom-com type of book, so I was surprised when things took a turn and it became darker than I thought it would be. I enjoyed the narrative style and the characters, but I feel a little deceived by how the book is marketed versus the actual content. It was an engaging read, however it seemed a little underdeveloped in regards to the story arc. It was a solid 3-star read.

In the first couple of pages, Just Saying felt like a Sophie Kinsella/Suits novel. The protagonist was going to lose her boyfriend to one of his former flames and Alice was going to fall madly in love with a guy who dazzled her with high word counts. It was so much more than I expected it to be. The interwoven threads of parallel stories enriched the plot to be a story with moral meaning. The sexual assault Alice received at work is not too dissimilar from London city mile stories. The scenario described in the back of a cab from a boozy dinner happens to young women in London at an alarming rate. The abuse of power between a senior figure and a junior member of staff is an all too familiar scenario. Sophie managed to also weave into the threads of immigration, gentrification of areas, local communities and environmental issues. Whilst, also keeping a lightness which meant it wasn't taxing to read and easy to pick up whenever convenient.

A wonderful distraction from CoVid.

3,5 stars
I have mixed feelings about this book. well, I really liked the touch of real-life in romance, and all in all the story does have a happy ending with delightful prose.

But as upbeat as it might seem there are some dark elements. Mainly the sexual assault. I was not satisfied with the way it was handled, I mean I understand it's a romantic comedy and the culprit was actually exposed and fired, but what about Alice? It's like the whole thing was just a minor detail and was not taken as seriously as it should.

In general, enjoyed the writing and the descriptions were painstakingly genuine. I felt for Alice and deeply sympathized with her character. Everything about her struggle and insecurities was palpable.

I was truly impressed with the author's way to reveal what happened to Alice with her boss. Her pushing the memory of the assault made her a perfect unreliable narrator. I feel that it would have made the ground for a great thriller 🤷

Thank you to Netgalley and Bookouture for providing an ARC in exchange for an honest review of this book

3.75 stars.

Though there were so many sexual assault moments in this book overall it was an okays book.
i did not really understand why there were so much of drinking happening in this book.

Sad to see so much of pain and grief Alice the main character suffered, just would like it if they were not mean to her!

Thank you for the arc netgallery

This book was exactly what I was looking for! It was absolutely adorable and light. I found myself laughing out loud and agreeing with Alice. I definitely wouldn’t let Zoe move in!

I had a lot of hope when I started reading this book. I enjoy women's lit a lot but this one just was too much for me. It involved a lot of triggers that I wasn't expecting. Overall it was a good book.

Thank you Netgalley, the author and publisher for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Loved, loved, loved this one! Just the kind of chick lit book you need when you want a light, fun read.

I honestly loved this book, but it's not the type of light, fun read I was expecting. There's sexual assault. There's loss and sadness. There's some xenophobia. The overall tone is more serious than Ranald's other works. Maybe that's not a surprise - the author's note at the end said she was writing it during the pandemic. So I get it. It's hard to be funny right now.

Alice grows as a person and finds herself and that's lovely. There's a great cast of supporting characters. If you're looking for an interesting, heart-warming work of women's fiction, this is the book for you. But if you want something light and funny, go re-read Out with the Ex.

TRIGGER WARNING: this book contains a sexual assualt
Alice has her career and love life sorted. But an allegation about her boss results in her losing her job. She immediately falls into a new role in a rundown pub, earning a pittance but much happier. Until her boyfriend Joe suggests they take in a lodger to help with the rent. Only problem is that he want his ex Zoe to move in...
As it turns out, Alice's life wasn't so perfect before. Her new permanent job was a result of a sexual assault that she was too scared to report and never told Joe about. This is gradually revealed over the course of the book and is a dramatic element that contrasts with the light hearted tone of the rest of the book.
Our sympathy is immediately with Alice as she tries to negotiate a change in career as well as her fears for her relationship with the arrival of Zoe. It is easy to identify with Alice's doubts about trusting Joe and Zoe but there is also a potential love entanglement for Alice which muddies the moral absolutes.
The plot is delivered through a humorous narrative which feels very natural and easy to read. The characters are all interesting and engaging. Despite the sexual assault, the majority of Just Saying is warm and feelgood, entertaining and enjoyable. The happy ending for a certain peripheral character left a tear in my eye...