This book was a quick easy read, but I really enjoyed this story and would love to read more from this author.

Just Saying by Sophie Ranald a three star read that is just getting that. I had high hopes for this one and maybe that was my issue, it just didn’t live up to what I was expecting, I was just annoyed for most of the story and I usually like angst in my story but this just made me want to grab some people and tell them to talk to each other. It was as if the author threw a bunch of issue dealing story lines in and shook them about instead plotting them out and making the most of it. I have read the author previously and enjoyed their work and will maybe try it again but only if it looks worth it.

Alice was on the fast track to legal glory (of sorts) when poof- it all fell apart and she finds herself working in a pub. Luckily, she's still got her boyfriend Joe, who she lives with. Or does she? Joe does ask- yes he does- if it's ok if his ex Zoe moves in with them (along with her cat). Not smart because even if there isn't anything between Joe and Zoe, Alice can't get the possibility out of her head. You know how this is going to go but it does take a bit of a swerve into a serious topical issue that made me stop and reconsider. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC. It's a fast read that will be perfect for the beach or, better, the back garden.

This was my first book from Sophie Ranald and it won't be my last. I thought it was like a breath of fresh air and just a really fun read. If you are a fan of chick lit or romcoms, then this is for you! It was funny in all the right places and had romance that wasn't overdone or cheesy. It was cute, engaging and a quick read.

Alice and Joe are a couple who are both totally happy, in love and climbing the corporate ladder. A chance run in with Joe's ex girlfriend Zoe sends things into a bit of a spiral. Alice suddenly loses her position at the law firm she was working at and Zoe also ends up down on her luck with no place to go. So, needing the extra cash, Joe invited Zoe to stay with them and it is obviously not an ideal situation!

I liked Alice as a character. She was spunky and funny and I like that she wasn't the type to fall apart. I liked how she handled all of the situations that were thrown at her. I didn't really like Zoe. I found her annoying and hated the way she imposed on their relationship! But I guess that's part of what made the story good so I can't complain too much!

Overall, this was a very fun romcom to read and I liked it! I would read more titles from Sophie Ranald for sure! It is coming out the first week of July so be on the lookout. It would be a great summer read. Thanks to Netgalley and Bookouture for my review copy!

You know it’s a good book when you want to be friends with the main character and after reading Just Saying I want to be BEST friends with Alice!! This is the first Sophie Ranald book I have read and it definitely won’t be my last. The whole cast of characters were written so well that they felt like real people I actually knew and it was a such a beautiful and heartwarming story that had me laughing, and sometimes crying, along with Alice on her journey! I just adored this book!!
.
.
A big thank you to Netgalley and Bookouture for this digital advanced copy to read and review!

Thank you #Netgalley for the advanced read!

Alice and Joe live a great life working their way up the corporate latter. When they run into one of Joe's ex's after Alice lost her job...things took a turn. Alice began helping out at a local pub and Joe welcome's his ex into their home to live. As you can imagine, things got complicated. A nice quick read.

Alice has a good life, a loving boy friend - Joe, a soon to be lawyer and an amazing best friend - Heather. Her life is headed in the right direction and is going according to a plan. She just got confirmed at her office, Joe gets promoted and life couldn't get any better than it is. But everything begins to tumble and Alice feels like an utter failure in her life.
Alice's boss gets fired for inappropriate behavior and with him gone, her job is gone too at the Law Firm. Well on her way to success, she suddenly has tumbled down right to the bottom. Not enough on her plate, Joe decided to rent the spare room in their house to his ex and uncannily Alice agrees to it.
Alice starts a new job at a bar. Meets a hot guy who owns a store opposite the bar.

- Does Alice go back to her Law Firm job?
- What happens when Joe's ex Zoe begins to live with him?
- Do sparks fly again between Joe & Zoe?
- Does Alice develop feelings for the new guy?
- Does Alice have her happy ending with Joe?

Well, you should read this lovely book to know how it all cohere in the end.

Rating - 3/5 stars
Recommendation - Moderate

Conclusion,
A sweet romantic comedy which takes us through Alice's highs and lows in life. Depicts her professional passion and her personal esse. A quick and joyous read. Has it's elements of comedy that keep you in splits in between. All in all, a good read.

P.S - Trigger Warnings - Nil

If you're a fan of chick-lit, this book is for you. If you're not a fan of chick-lit, read this book and become a fan of chick-lit.

Hilarious, relatable, and down-to-earth. Sophie Ranald brings fun characters and interesting storylines into light-hearted and hilarious reads, while somehow making you think deeper. If you're a fan of the show Crazy Ex-Girlfriend, you'll probably love this read as much as I did.

I didn’t think I would love this book as much I did. Alicia thinks she has finally found the love of her life and is also settling with her career as a solicitor. However, Alicia finds herself leaving her job one day because of the circumstances at work and has started working in a pub. Due to financial problems, Joe and Alicia decide to share their flat but only to find out that their new flatmate is Zoe - her boyfriend’s ex. Alicia naturally feels jealous and is on her toes.

I thought the book would only be another rom-com story but there is so much more. The book covers a sexual assault (trigger warning); and also a brief #metoo movement and pride story which made me love the book even more. The book really does surprise you unexpectedly.

I love the poetry sessions Drew (Alicia’s brother) organised for the pub and also want to play all those board games especially Scrabble (will play online right after this)!

Finished this book in one day. Recommend!!!

This was a cute story but I kind of hate the ending tbh. Zoe and Joe were both pretty awful and I hate that all was neatly and nicely forgiven. I'm probably in the minority with that though as it did give that happily ever after than many people chase.

The story here went into some heavier topics than I had expected it to. I like how the author handled those!

Just Saying is a book that will make you believe in true love .. it has proved that trust and communication is indeed a must to keep a relationship going

It tells the story of Alice who has her life on track ,she’s got the perfect boyfriend ,Joe and about to become a qualified lawyer but when her career comes to an end ,joe comes with an idea of inviting his ex, Zoe who’s still as gorgeous as ever and doesn’t survive on microwave food to live with them in order to afford the rent
Alice begins to work in a pub and with both of them having a busy schedule their love starts to fall apart and to complicate things ,she becomes friends with her hot neighbour at work Archie who’s very good at Scrabble and somehow always appears when she’s in need .

We all need a light romance sometimes and this is the perfect book for that
It also touches sensitive topics such as sexual harassment which is what a lot of girls in different places go through but are way too scared to say anything out loud

Alice has a perfect life: a well-paying job, a handsome and attentive boyfriend (Joe), and a nice flat for the two of them. All of a sudden, she is made redundant, and Joe has the brilliant idea of having none other than his ex-girlfriend come to share the flat with them to cut costs.

This was a well-written story, funny at times, and also more profound at other times. I liked both Alice and Joe and the healthy relationship between them. I also liked most of the secondary characters (there were a lot of them), especially Shirley and Drew (Alice's brother). I also think that the author did a great job addressing the more serious issues in the book.

** Thanks to NetGalley and Bookouture for an ARC in exchange for an honest opinion **

Grear Book!
What I really like about this book is that is not the typical one.
There is struggles that I feel so real in this time, it can happen to me or any of my friends. Also I fancy the fact that the authot point out the real love.
Not that love that we see in a lot of books, that the characters get caught by pretty faces and amazing bodies.
Not in this book you will find a "real love" that although have struggles can find a way to return to the love ones.
Is an easy reading, fast and without problems.
But sometimes i felt a little bit boring so I pass the pages, but overall i enjoy the book.

JUST SAYING... Who needs a boyfriend when you've got a bottle of wine

Story starts with Alicia and Joe and their perfect life together both were up ahead on their careers and living together happily. the ripple in their perfect life happens with the entry of Zoe the beautiful ex girlfriend and Alicia loosing her job.
As the title suggest it is really a feel good book where everything comes back to normal and everything and everyone is happy and is at peace.
I really like the character building and story flows gently towards end at some points the overthinking looks a bit boring (to me).
Story covers many topics from love triangle, sexual harassment to living situation in London.
Although I was expecting some kind of more twist looking at the Tagline (who needs a boyfriend when you've got a bottle of wine) for me after reading it the tagline was total misgiving
#netgalley #sophierenald

Thank you NetGalley, Bookouture and Sophie Ranald for gifting me an advance copy of this book in exchange for my hjonet review!
Don’t let the synopsis fool you, this is so much more than a romance. Sophie Ranald packed the pages with the right amount of laughs and romance to balance out the tougher topics. This was the perfect summer read to get me in my feels like escaping into another reality. I didn’t think I would end up lighting Alice as much as I did by the end. The same goes for Joe. You know a book is good when an author has you from disliking to liking a character by the end!

Just Saying is my second book written by Sophie Ranald, having read “It’s Not You It’s Him” last year. Based on the synopsis, I was mistaken to assume this book would be an ultra-fluffy rom-com. This book is so much more.
Alice and Joe have the world in their hands. They are in love and have promising careers as lawyers which will be sure to provide them with the life they’ve been working towards and dreaming of. Then Alice’s career takes a detour and she is forced to examine what is really important to her.

On the day she is given the bad news concerning her career path, she finds herself in a neighbourhood pub that has seen better days. While the decor is something circa 1980, she feels cared for and more in touch with her community then she ever has. She takes a job as a barmaid as a source of income until she figures out what to do next - the patrons are friendly and begin to feel like family. However, her income has decreased and it will be impossible for Alice and Joe to remain in their current home and they will need to bring in a flatmate. Much to Alice’s dismay, that new flatmate will be the first love of Joe’s life - the beautiful and ultra-friendly Zoe. Alice has to think - does Zoe want more then just a place to live?

There are important serious storylines associated with social change in this book that I won’t reveal so as not to give anything away. This book is about valuing relationships, earning and maintaining trust, being honest, and being true to yourself. The characters are likeable, and the storyline engaging. The concept of Zoe moving into their flat was one that I would not have accepted if I had been Alice, and I wonder how many women would? Why would Joe even suggest it?

I’d recommend this entertaining read for fans of Lindsey Kelk and Sophie Kinsella.

Thanks to Netgalley and Bookouture for the ARC of this book in exchange for the honest review provided here.

Heck to the no..That was the beginning to the end with me. Why do you ask? Well let me explain. First off when you read the title you expect (or me) that this would be a rom-com, was it no. So the story is about Alice and her boyfriend whom she has been living together with for 2 years. Something happens that she can't pay her portion of the rent so what does said boyfriend do invites his ex to live with them to help pay the rent. And that my friends was the beginning to the end, I mean what in the world???!! LIke really this sounds as a good solution for you, what woman that you know would agree to something like that? I dont know of a one, yup no..So since at that moment I did not want to read anymore I said to myself let me give a fair chance (yes I know) Anywho I keep reading and did it get better for me? That would be a negative.. If you want something funny this is certainly not it.

The blurb for this book says that it is about Alice, whose boyfriend Joe meets up with an ex, Zoe, who moves into their flat. It is actually more than this, covering working in a job that you don't enjoy against moving your career to something completely different but far more satisfying. Also corporate greed against community spirit and the Me Too movement.
All these threads are blended together with Alice and Joe's relationship under strain whilst she is trying to cope with her new career, with Zoe ever present. As I said more than the blurb leads you to expect, a very enjoyable read but with some serious undertones.
I received an advance copy of this book from the publisher through Netgalley, however this did not influence my review of the book

Just Saying was just what I needed to read. This as someone who has just gone through a hideous break up. It was comforting to read about another woman striking out on her own against all odds. I felt that the slogan on the front of the book was a little misleading and so set very different expectations from the actual content of the story. I feel it did a disservice to the story.
The characters were human and therefore highly relatable in their flaws and feelings. It definitely was not what I was expecting but it was better.
Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed reading Just Saying.

I have read all of Sophie Ranald's previous books and generally enjoyed them. This book unfortunately fell a little bit flat for me as parts of the story just didn't seem convincing or mesh well together. I usually love the romance of a book enough to accept the more unbelievable parts (as I LOVE the drama of it all)! Many of the problems faced in the book could easily have been solved with simple communication (which I completely get is the point) but it turned out to be a slightly frustrating read for me for that reason.

There was plenty to like about the book, with its many supporting characters. I also appreciated the inclusion of many modern issues being addressed. I hope Sophie Ranald continues to write about these and I will continue to read her books in the future but just wasn't fully wowed by this one.