I did not did not finish this book, because early on I could see it wasn't for me. I am an occasional romance reader and enjoy pretty much any level of steaminess, but what I didn't like about this book is that sex was the central focus of every character in the book. I couldn't relate to the characters and didn't have sympathy for the narrator's quest.

It’s been a pleasure, Noni Blake! Claire Christian creates a quick and fun summer read. Perfect for any fan of Sophia Kinsella or anyone looking for a steamy romance. I appreciate the representation in this book, by casting a bi-sexual lead. Novels are starting to become more inclusive, but we still have along way to go; so this book was a breathe of fresh air.

This book leads with the vibe of “live life in the moment” and choose things that make you happy. As a plus-size women, I love reading through the lens of someone my size.

This book took me a little bit to get into, but the journey is worth it. If you decided to pick up this book, please be aware of the trigger warnings: fat-phobia, miscarriage, cheating.

I almost put this book down and I’m glad I didn’t. I gave it 3 out of five stars, due to the frustration and almost putting it down for good. No I Blake was an emotional read that took me by surprise. It was sex-positive, body-positive, and dealt with anxiety and grief in a way that I found so amazing. I also loved that Noni was in her mid-thirties and didn't have it all together. Noni changes everything and sends the message that your life isn't over after a certain age. As someone who struggles with anxiety, depression, and a healthy self-image, Noni Blake was relatable but also so inspiring. I learned a lot and am thankful that I got to read this.

I had originally DNF'd this one a few months back because it just wasn't quite what I was looking for at the time, but I decided to pick it back up on a whim the other day and it really pleasantly surprised me! I listened to it on audio during my nightly walks and I found myself wanting to take longer and longer walks so that I could keep listening to the story, lol. Love to read about a bisexual fat woman living her best life and doing the absolute most. This was so much fun!!!

CW: fatphobia, cheating, miscarriage, IVF complications, death of a child

I unfortunately had to DNF this book. I was super excited for the plus size rep, but I just really couldn’t get passed the writing 🙈 I’m sure there are other people out there who will love it!

It's Been a Pleasure, Noni Blake, by Claire Christian, tells the story of a woman who finds herself at the end of a nine year marriage feeling stuck, unsure of herself and what brings her joy, and living a life that does not suit her. She sets off on a "pleasure quest" to figure out what she wants, what she likes, and who she really is.

Noni Blake is, in a word, fine. The premise is cliched, but not offensive. The writing is generally adequate, although the sex scenes (of which there are many) veer into mechanical, often boring, territory. The characters are relatively well fleshed out, though they still tend to fulfill archetypes without much extra to them. Overall, the book was generally just okay, and not much more.

Noni's quest throughout the story changes a few too many times, starting with a "could have slept with" list that morphs into a pleasure quest that switches into simply living her most authentic life. It's a transition that is certainly realistic, but perhaps doesn't suit the novel format quite as well. The ending is a tad neat and tidy for a book with so many messy bits to it, and I found myself pretty disappointed by how everything wrapped up.

At the end of the day, this is not a book I would warn someone off of, but it is not a book I would recommend, either.

Huge, major trigger warnings abound, specifically for miscarriage, infertility, IVF, infant death -- anything close to pregnancy or infants, there is a trigger warning for it here.

Thank you to NetGalley and Harlequin for the ARC!

Thought this one was really cool and cute! The main character is overweight and bisexual, which was SO refreshing and Interesting. I loved her best friend and loved coming along on all her adventures. Definitely give this one a try if you’re into a feel-good read with an unconventional but very likeable heroine. 4/5⭐️

IT’S BEEN A PLEASURE, NONI BLAKE
By: Claire Christian

Thanks to Netgalley and Harlequin, Mira Books for this gifted galley!

To say this book is fun is downplaying it by quite a bit. This book was euphoric!!
When can a straight, middle-aged woman delight and cheer on a bi-sexual character with such fever and vigor with no regrets or guilt involved?
When she’s reading Noni Blake…
Life-Sized Noni is on a pleasure hunt. She has a list, and she has an itinerary. She has shit to get done. And she’s not asking if its ok, she’s not asking if you’d like to join her in her journey, she’s not asking for perfection or permission- she’s taking her life back one experience at a time.
Spoiler Alert!
Its not all about sex…
I thought this book was refreshing and delightful, and lascivious in all the right ways. It felt sexy and indulgent, like a truffle. It felt life fulfilling in less than 400 pages. The inner lioness in me growled and purred as I read along and I felt liberated by her choices, her decisions, and of course, in her realizations.
What a GREAT book.
IF you’ve never heard of IT’S BEEN A PLEASURE, that’s truly a shame, and I recommend you purchase the book and read immediately. Follow up with your DR. in a week. If for some reason, you’re still letting others decide your life for you, then you’re reading it wrong!

4/5 Stars
Highly Recommend!

PS> This may not be your typical romance. Its not really about focusing on the relationship dynamics. It's not a love story between Noni and that one person who she’s been looking for all along.
Spoiler Alert!
This is a book and a story about one woman finding out that SHE is, in fact, that person she’s been looking for. When we stop trying to find our prince or princess to complete our fairytale, we will allow ourselves to be our own heroin.
Out Now

I liked the cover for this book and was interested in the synopsis. I just couldn’t strike a chord with this book. Noni is out to seek pleasure for herself and grabs life and sex with gusto. I just couldn’t relate to the story and found too many parts of the book just hitting the wrong chord with me. I’m sure it will be appealing to many readers, but this book wasn't one I'd see myself recommending.

A few pages into this book I ordered my own copy, I new I was going to love it!. The representation in this story is everything and I love it! I was hesitant for a bit because Noni was on a kick about going back on "missed opportunities". At this point in life I have learned that missed opportunities are usually missed opportunities for a reason, so I was not into this phase. I was happy when she moved on and instead made her quest pleasure. I loved the character growth, the sexy escapades, and most of all, the sexy tattoo artist! This will forever be on my list of favorite romances.

This book just did not do it for me, unfortunately. I picked it up and tried to read it about six times, and ended up DNFing it around 30%. As a fellow fat girl, I really hoped to enjoy this one, but it just fell flat for me. I felt bored and couldn’t get into the story.

This book was a solid middle of the road read for me. Noni was charming, but her issues started to wear thin, especially since literally every person she encountered told her how amazing she was. Seriously, everyone was unbelievably enthusiastic about everything she said. BUT, I loved Beau! He was mature and knew who he was and what he wanted from life. He communicated effectively, which is so rare in romance novels, and their relationship felt realistic. I was happy with the ending, but could see some readers being upset that Noni's quest of self discovery ended the way it did.

TW: miscarriage.
I gave this book 4 stars because I find that I can get into the story more when I feel like I can connect with the main character or can imagine myself being the main character - I wasn't able to do that with this book. However, Noni's "pleasure quest" was fantastic and I wish I had the guts to do some of the things she does in the book!
The story is about a woman in her 30's named Noni. Noni and her best friend put together a list of people who they could have and should have slept with over the years. This leads to Noni starting her pleasure quest - a chance for her to do what she wants, when she wants, to make herself happy. She takes a 6 month trip to Europe and has the time of her life. She meets amazing people, makes new friends, tries new things, but ultimately, is happy.
If you're looking for an emotional, funny, sexy and adventurous read, then this is your book!

The story of Noni taking charge of her life and discovering the life she wants to live. I loved the premise of the story and kept coming back to it, even though it took me over a month to read. I enjoyed being in Noni's thoughts and following her quest. Though I mostly enjoyed it this book didn't compel me like I wanted it to. I might try it again in a few years.

I received an advance copy from the publisher via Netgally in exchange for a review.

This book is pretty much perfection. As far as a story goes with a woman who is an averaged sized woman. You get parts where she is a little insecure about her weight, because of the society we live in, but she is confident and loves herself. She never tries to change herself to fit the mold. And she never let anyone talk down to her because of her size. She knows her worth!

And that's just the start. She is unapologetically sexual! The books starts out with her having sex for the first time with someone new after getting out of a 9 year relationship. She then decides to make a list of all of the people she wished she would have had sex with from her past and contact them to have sex with them.

As she starts this adventure she encounters some hilarious situations. But I loved that so many different types of sexual pleasures were discussed. Noni is a bisexual woman also, so all the encounters are quite different.

However, she starts to realize that she is just getting pleasure from outside sources and needs to find pleasure within herself. So she goes on a pleasure seeking quest. And the whole thing is just fun and a pleasure to read.

I would 10/10 recommend this book.

Thank you to Netgalley and Harlequin for this eARC.

This will be short, sweet and to the point! This is one of the better books about body positivity and how one can perceive themselves. It's about talking life by the horns and just living as loud as you can. Noni is my kind of woman, you'll laugh till you can't. Beautifully written.

What a brilliant book. This book will have you laughing one minute and then crying the next. Everyone can relate to the main character Noni at some point. After breaking up with her girlfriend of nine years, Noni is ready for a change and she’s done pretending to be happy when she’s not. Her best friend and she make up a list of who Noni should have slept with but never got the chance. Noni goes all in and we get a dose of a little smut we all enjoy. After the first two train wrecks, Noni puts her job on hold and leaves Australia behind for a girl who maybe the one. Noni enters England with a new haircut and her list. Noni soon finds nothing is right. She ends up at a retreat with an old friend and comes up with a new quest. The pleasure quest is formed. Noni has always been scared about what she really wants and needs. Off on a new adventure that is truly epic. I throughly enjoyed the novel and would love to follow Noni on her next adventure. Finding you pleasure and happiness within yourself is harder than we all know.

It was truly a pleasure to read this book! Noni Blake is a woman who decides to take a sabbatical from her teaching job and go to Europe to check off items/people on her "should have" list. She's going to revisit past relationships and long-distance friendships. This quickly turns into a pleasure list when an old flame turns out not to be forthcoming and Noni decides to get a tattoo...and her tattoo artist is a gorgeous Viking named Beau.

Mostly this book is a feel-good story that might even inspire readers to go out and do what feels good/right because there's no time like now. There is a lot of adult language and situations - some are cringe-worthy and comical - but most are enough to make the reader swoon (it certainly works for Noni!).

My thanks to Harlequin and NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

It's Been a Pleasure, Noni Blake its the story of Noni, a woman trying to find many answers, that still are making her feel out of sorts.

After a terrible heartbreak, Noni a teacher not so happy with her life was on a quest searching for love, and pleasure, she is determined to find answers and to finally find herself. she goes through a lot of funny moments and situations that eventually will help her find her truth.

I enjoyed this book, especially the funny moments, I literally laugh out loud even my hubby kept looking at me like I was crazy lol, and that's exactly the part that I enjoyed about Noni's story.. but I didn't find a connection with it, I really wanted to like it more but I felt at all times like something was missing. at some point, the dialogues felt too flat for my taste, and that's what made me feel like I wasn't connecting or immerse with the book.

Overall is a good story that I really recommend if you're looking for something light and funny. it wasn't for me but it doesn't mean it not good, I highly recommend giving it a try and make your own conclusions.

Noni Blake is a 36 year old teacher who is ready to start living for herself. After the end of her nine year relationship with her partner, she realizes that she has never made herself a priority, and goes on a journey determined to only do things that bring her pleasure in the moment.

I absolutely loved this book! I found Noni to be amazingly relatable, and her inner monologue is hysterical. The characters in her life and those she meets on her journey are so multi dimensional and well written, that I wanted to read more about all of them. I thoroughly enjoyed watching her missteps and her victories in finding who she is and who she wants to be!

Such a feel good book, I feel like I will miss Noni now that my trip with her is over!

Thank you to Mira, Harlequin Trade Publishing and netgalley for allowing me an advanced copy to read in exchange for my honest review!