Wanted to love this book, the synopsis sounded like it would be an uplifting read. I couldn't connect with the main character or her pleasure seeking adventure. So many people connected with Noni and her story though, so I think it's just not the book for me. Thank you NetGalley for the ARC.

Never has a character touched my soul quite as deeply as Noni Blake. I’ve read books where I’ve seen bits and pieces of myself in a character here and there. But at 27, I felt myself so utterly connected to 36 year old Noni in a way I never thought possible with a fictional character. Or maybe it’s that I’ve never done so much self reflection at every turn of a page. Noni made me have real conversations with myself that I didn’t know I needed. Sometimes as humans we get so wrapped up in our routines that we don’t realize what we’re missing out on. We go about our everyday life not realizing that there’s more to it. That there is so much out there that can make us happy if we simply allow ourselves to be. Am I happy being unhappy, I don’t necessarily think so. I love where my new career is taking me and being with my family brings a smile to my face. But I could I do more to increase my happiness, to break this cycle I’ve gotten myself in. To be 27 and free, with no one to take care of but myself. To put my thoughts above everyone else’s opinions. That’s what Noni Blake has done. That’s what this author has done, and I have loved every second of it. You should always always have pleasure in what you do with your life and I think that’s the best lesson we can carry around everyday.

I have a lot of thoughts about this book, but I don't know how to articulate them. It kind of rubbed me the wrong way and I don't exactly know why. But, I loved the later bits of the book. This book was just a lot.

Noni is reeling when she realizes that she is happy being unhappy and decides she needs to do something. She sets off to Europe for 6 months on a pleasure quest. Along the way she encounters a variety of interesting people and discovers what makes her happy. This made me laugh out loud and I did not want it to end.

This book read a little more like women's fiction than romance, at least at first. It's a parade of horrible dates, hookups, and misadventures that ends with a romance to a very sweet, worthy man. I liked it quite a bit but didn't love it. However, I am sure there are plenty of folks who will absolutely love it.

I could not stop reading this book. The characters are perfectly written. An amazing personal growth story. We should all strive to be as happy as Noni.

I have very mixed feelings on this one. I I liked the general premise of doing what makes YOU happy in life. I also liked the message that rarely is anyone as critical and cruel to us as we are to ourselves, and that getting past that negative self talk is imperative to living the kind of life you want. I really liked Noni's second list - the one that details what pleasure looks like to her. Things like "someone who wears what she wants to wear, not because they suit her shape", "someone who can go to the movies, or eat in fancy restaurants, on her own", etc. I think this list is a very important distinction from the original idea of "pleasure that centered around all the people she didn't sleep with but wished she had. I just didn't love the execution on this. It took me until about the 40 or 50% mark to get invested in the story. It just wasn't holding my interest in the slightest. While I empathized with Noni's situation, I didn't like that so much of her journey was essentially focused on who she could sleep with. I'm a firm believer in "you do you", so I'm not offended that she slept with quite a few people in a short time span, I'm just disappointed it was so central to her story.

I also think there was a lot of missed opportunity here to delve deeper into things like Noni's desire (or lack of) to have children, her relationship with her parents, etc. I really liked Beau and would have appreciated getting to know him on a deeper level as well.

I was plenty entertained after about the mid-way point, I just wish everything hadn't been so surface level. There was so much potential here to tell a deeper story while keeping it entertaining and romantic, but it missed the boat for me..

"It's Been a Pleasure, Noni Blake" was a fantastic journey for the heart, mind and soul. Noni is a teacher who has just let go of a long relationship, she feels stuck and unsure of herself and is not sure where life will lead her. She feels maybe she has missed opportunities with people from her past and decides to look them up. She follows one to Europe, where her journey slowly evolves into something more fulfilling and Noni discovers more about herself than she ever thought possible. Along the way she begins to love herself and is able to open herself to love from others. A delightful read, entertaining and full of humor, pain and joy. There are tons of cringe worthy moments where I recalled certain situations myself and I enjoyed this journey immensely. Thank you NetGalley and Harlequin for the advanced reader copy in exchange for my honest opinion

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. I’m sure it will be appealing to many readers, but this book was a pass me.

Unfortunately, there was a bunch of small things that rubbed me the wrong way in this book. In particular, I didn't like the conflation of 'pleasure' and 'self-enlightenment' with sex and romance at the expense of exploring Noni's feelings about her life and career. I didn't like how cheaply the encounter with the firefighter who kicks off this story was treated. And, I also found the dialogue to be odd. A lot of the characters were too open and brash with each other if that makes sense? I did like that this is a queer book that's not about being queer (Noni's bisexuality is a total non-event), but I wish I'd enjoyed it more.

**Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for providing an e-arc in exchange for an honest review**

It's Been a Pleasure, Noni Blank is a fun, slightly erotic romp through Europe. Our main character, after the dissolution of a long term relationship, decides to begin living her life for... well, herself. She creates a list of people she wishes she had had sex with and begins to cross names off of her list--- but, she meets someone surprising along the way. This book was a fun, not too serious read that was much needed during this pandemic! Thanks to netgalley and Harlequin for the ARC!

OMG!!! This book is amazing. It’s self-help without being preachy. The feelings and actions are realistic even though it’s fiction. It was hard to put down. The sex scenes weren’t graphic, but certainly relatable. This was my first book by the author, but certainly won’t be my last.

DNF at 45%. The synopsis sounded great and I tried really hard to get into it. Unfortunately, it just isn’t for me. I’m no prude but this came across as crass and kind of disrespectful. My thanks to the publisher for the advance reader in exchange for my honest review.

DNF because heroine has sex with a white supremacist/racist at 12%. Not today, Satan. I get messy heroines who make poor decisions but this is too much for me.

I'd like to thank the author, publisher and net galley for providing a free copy of this book in exchange for my review.

This was a great book. It was a fun, sexy adventure of a book, perfect for a summer read. I'm sure it will be well received when it is published in 2021.

Some of the dialog was a bit too wordy for me, but it was just such a fun book vacation, I didn't really mind.

I very much enjoyed Noni's adventure in finding herself. The story was so inspiring and sweet! I also loved how Noni's sexuality wasn't expressly stated.

It's Been a Pleasure, Noni Blake is a must read book of 2021! This is one heck of a novel and readers around the world will be able to relate to Noni Blake! I found this one to be inspirational, charming, and hilarious. I can't wait till it releases because it's going to be one of those books that belongs on my self for re-reading!

Noni Blake is a 36 year old teacher from Australia who is having mid life crisis. She's unhappy, floundering unsure of what the future holds. She decides to go on a six month sabbatical to Europe to hopefully reconnect with Molly, the one who got away. What follows is a journey of pleasure and growth and lots and lots of sex.

This book has SO MUCH SEX. It is a romance after all, but wow. Good sex, bad sex, questionable choices revolving around sex, and lots of one night stands. To be honest, it was a bit much for the first part of the book. But you get used to it while reading.

The characters are fun and interesting. Noni has real issues with body image, love, insecurities and the future. It's very relatable even if you are in a stable relationship. There are a lot of couples in this book that mirror real life: gay men with kids, hetero couples without kids, bi-sexual women with different partners.

The theme of learning to love one's self and doing what makes you happy regardless of society and family pressure is a good one. It's hard to be honest about what we want or are thinking. It's hard to love ourselves and not give in to the doubting voice in one's head. Watching Noni go through this process makes it feel like maybe anyone can do it.

Avoid this book if reading about sex makes you uncomfortable. But you probably wouldn't pick up a romance if it did. Otherwise, definitely worth the read.

Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC!

It turns out that this book did not suit me. This is more a personal bias than anything else. What I can tell you about this title is that the writing style is at times on-going and repetitive. At the same time it throws you into things quickly but without much explanation on what it is going on. This book is for those that do not mind one night stands and jumping into sex whenever possible without much forward thinking about it (I claim I have issues here so this is my bias showing). However, this maybe a great read for those that like different romance then the typical male/female only ones. I admit that I like Noni as a character but could not get past the whole idea of the “pleasure quest.” Yup, this is really my dislike of the novel because no one was bold enough to say that it is a dumb idea. Because in truth there really are dumb ideas.

Well written, and thoroughly engaging! Draws you in from the very first page and makes you want to keep reading. There’s a lot of explicit sex, so if that’s not your thing, steer clear. I found Noni to be a perfectly flawed and relatable woman.

Thanks to NetGalley, the author and publisher for an advanced reading copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.