Member Reviews
Thank You, Next is a fun romance novel by Sophie Ranald. Zoe has decided to start dating men based on their zodiac signs. Many frustrating dates occur due to this method. This was a humorous, light-hearted read that I enjoyed and would recommend. Thanks to NetGalley for the free digital review copy. All opinions are my own.
This book delves into the weirdness of online dating and explores its hilarity. Following Zoe find her way around Tinder and Stargazing was very funny and light-hearted. It wasn't hard to love her because reading from her voice was like having a conversation with a friend. The writing truly sells the whole book. From the way that Zoe narrates the story, to getting the whole story of each date when she tells it to her friend Dani. It's like the reader is being let in to a very special, hilarious, gossip. This story is perfect to have a laugh and a thought or two about how we view dating or looking for a relationship as a whole.
I'd like to think that's actually the theme of the book overall, rather than it being a romance. The actual romantic interest is not introduced until later later on, well advanced into the story. Even though I found the romance cute, I still feel like the commentary of Zoe navigating relationship shone much more.
It really did have a lot to say about romantic relationships and I appreciate that a lot. Especially with some characters Zoe encounters, the feminist messages were great.
Nevertheless, the main plot of the story, because while we're going through all of these dates and people we don't really who is the main love interest, is sort of unclear. I would say it's more of a comedy about romance than a romantic comedy per se. I know it sounds redundant, but there's a difference, and in my point of view, knowing that difference before going into the book might work wonders. This way the first chunk of the book may be less confusing, the readers may find themselves feeling less lost and more focused on enjoying the outrageous ride. Moreover, I feel like sometimes the whole storyline about Zoe's ex, Joe, and Alice was a bit forgotten by the book itself, so everytime it resurfaced I was just confused.
The characters were nice and very well distinct between each other. One could say they were very well constructed and thus, the dialogue was entertaining because it worked really well. Again, the themes and the characters' arcs feel like they have more to do about how we view a search for a relationship and not with the main romantic couple itself.
In conclusion, it was a nice read, it made me laugh out loud a couple of times and it really kept my mind off of anything else going on. That will always be appreciated. Great comedy with some great commentary. However, I'd have to say this is not really a Romance® with a big R, official and authorized. Either way, I'd recommend giving it a try when it comes out at the end of the month. A well done novel.
This is a sweet, quick rom com, and pretty enjoyable. In some ways, Zoe felt utterly unrealistic, but I liked her blend of insecurity and confidence, and the desperation of dating by star sign only because you have no clue how to go about dating was pretty funny. I know Ranald also has several other books in this universe, and I'd happily give them a read next time I need some lighthearted fun.
Zoe’s Tinder dates were funny to read about and, sadly, too familiar to many folks. Zoe tries to find her ideal guy by choosing prospective dates based on their zodiac sign. I have to admit, this is something I could see one of my friends doing, but I know next to nothing about zodiac signs. I felt that Zoe was relatable in the sense that she made bad decisions, but was also sensible in standing up for herself when she starts to come to terms with what is happening.
This was a different kind of romance read, in the fact that you don’t read about the final love interest until late in the story. In a way, I liked this change of pace but I also wanted more time with Zoe and the man that she finally ends up with. Zoe’s true love is sweet and likable.
All in all, the nerd inside of me loved the D&D references and the gameplay in the book! I would recommend this to anyone looking for a quick read, with some funny dating stories.
A charming story of finding love in the modern world.
Zoe is sick of her lack of a love life and is worried about ending up dying as a crazy cat lady. Her co-worker/friend challenges her to start dating again, so she ends up deciding to date her way through the zodiac. She decides to start with the least-compatible sign and work her way up, hoping to find Mr. Right along the way. This doesn't go as well as she hoped...
This book is full of wonderful characters and one very-special cat named Frazzle.
This should have checked a lot of boxes for me - it involves astrology, d&d, and the schadenfreude of terrible tinder dates - but it was an absolute chore to read. I would have DNFed this early on if I didn't feel obligated to finish for netgalley.
Really, the problem is the pacing. Your mileage may vary here but for me, if I'm reading what's billed as a romance, I'd like to see a strong connection between the leads develop throughout the entire book. At the halfway point I couldn't have even said with 100% certainty who The One for her was going to be! My guess was right but I feel like it shouldn't be a guess at that point in a romance. There is then practically no time for development when they do get together which always frustrates me. And especially in terms of Zoe, who lost herself a bit along the way with other guys, it would have been nice to see more of how she had become more confident in herself and how that translates to this new healthier relationship.
This book made me laugh so much. I love Zoe, but man is she a hot mess. I’m so glad I’m married and don’t have to deal with this world of online dating because Zoe’s dates made me cringe because they were so disastrous. I’m not sure how realistic they were but they do but a smile on your face because of the cheesiness. I feel like I wanted more at the end, it seemed rushed but overall this was a good read to get you laughing.
This is a second book but that fact is advertised nowhere, not even on GoodReads So I read this book without having read the first. The weird thing is that if I read the first book, Just Saying, I don't think I would have enjoyed Zoe as much as I do. This is Schroeder's cat or book or character.
Zoe has decided trying the dating pool after she's done pining for her last boyfriend. She decides to run an experiment to see if astrology signs make a difference or not with her compatibility with the men she meets. Halfway through the book she meets the perfect man. Right?
I really like Zoe and the dates she ends up on are hilarious. For a book that is humorous, it doesn't have a problem looking into the way the dates are hurting Zoe's feelings. Like she questions herself after a Nice Guy calls her a bitch for rejecting him. I loved that Zoe is a great friend to Dani, who is her gym buddy and is dating a man that Zoe has a horrible professional experience with. Instead of Zoe just telling Dani about her horrible dates, she always listens to Dani's relationship problems. There are many romances where the friend is only there as a sounding board.
The man that Zoe ends up with is very endearing and their buildup is very sweet. It's a spoiler to say who it is but as soon as he was introduced, I knew.
This book isn't perfect. The only gay character is quite the stereotype. Plus, every time Zoe brought up incidents from the last book I kept on thinking that I wouldn't have liked her.
The is based on an advanced reading copy provided through Netgalley for an honest review.
DNF at 50%. I skimmed it until I just couldn't any more.
Zoe has been stuck on her college boyfriend for years. Finally she has let go and ready to find herself someone to love. With the help of her sous chef, Zoe creates a Tinder profile. She isn't just looking for love - she is sampling the Zodiac signs in an attempt to determine which is best for her.
At the gym, Dani meets Fabian and gives up herself to have a relationship . At least Zoe realizes this is wrong and tries to help her friend.
The idea of using astrological signs just made this attempt at a rom com irritating. And it isn't a rom com. Zoe retelling her experiences does not grant humor to the situations.
This is my first Sophie Ranald read and oh my!! What a read it is ☺️ Haven’t read such a witty, humorous rom-com in a while! Zoe, our main character is in the market to find love of her life after being hung up on her ex Joe for a long time. After some advice from her colleague Robbie, our Aquarian Zoe works her way through all zodiac signs to find her ideal zodiac match!!
Author Sophie takes us through Zoe’s hilarious experiences with her different zodiac sign dates with such a humor and twist, you can’t help admiring her witty side and I swear I laughed out loud at many occasions to the point where my spouse was like ‘What’s so funny you are reading?’😄
Read this amazingly funny and witty book to find out if Zoe finds her Mr. Perfect or gives up her endless search!!
Thank you @netgalley, @bookouture and @sophieranald for my copy of Thank Yuo, Next e-ARC in exchange for my honest review!,
Really Enjoyed this one! It was cute and funny! Took a little while for me to warm up to it but once I was in it was very enjoyable.
Overall a cute read! As someone who has never been on Tinder, but loves hearing the ridiculous dating stories from my friends... I felt like I was listening to the same kind of stories in this book! Zoe and Dani and Zoe and Robbie's friendships were great, they might've been my favourite relationships to read of them all.
The reason I didn't LOVE this book? I don't think I loved Zoe. I did think the Zodiac way of dating was a little silly, I wish she had a few more good dates that could make you believe she might find someone online, or maybe her real love interest could've come along sooner. I just wasn't drawn into her character's search for love as much as I wanted to be, and sometimes found her slightly annoying?
I also think her and the final love, fell into it too quickly? I don't know... I was missing that draw, the flirty conversations.
While I did find the storyline slightly predictable, but what rom-com isn't! I really enjoyed the ending and who she ends up with. One thing I would've loved even more? A bit more relationship talk than Dungeons and Dragons, but hey! I'm sure D&D fans enjoyed that part!
This books follows the dating journey of Zoe after she discovered that she was ready to date again. With encouragement from her friend Robbie, she makes the decision to join Tinder and starts the quest to date her way through the star signs until she finds 'the one'.
Thank You, Next is actually my first book by Sophie Ranald and I can tell you now it most definitely will not be the last. I thoroughly enjoyed tagging alone in Zoe's dating journey, experiencing the good, the bad and the ugly.
I simply loved Zoe. So much. The dates that she experienced were extremely inventive (the serenader in particular) and they actually had me giggling along at some points. I loved the friendship storyline between Zoe and Dani and their daily gym catch-ups which truly highlighted the importance of having a friendship like that in your life for me. It was so refreshing to read a romance story that didn't solely focus on the romantic storyline but also had other small storylines intertwined within the book.
I have to admit, the D&D scenes went right over my head as I simply feel I do not have the mental capacity to even understand the basics of that game, no matter understand a whole game of it. BUT, that didn't take away the enjoyment I got from this book as the D&D scenes were vital in establishing the chemistry that was brewing between the pair.
This book was simply a breathe of fresh air and I enjoyed it a lot. Thank you so much to NetGalley, Bookouture and Sophie Ranald for an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review!
Unfortunately, three stars is probably a little generous for Thank You, Next. I’ve been married for 14 years, so maybe I’m way too removed from dating to appreciate the bulk of this read. However, as a romance, I really don’t want to read a book where the first 79% is dedicated to the heroine (and her friend) dating losers and then spending weeks or months with one loser in particular for whom they're constantly making excuses. Although, the h openly admits that she’s afraid to be alone, but isn’t good enough. It read pathetic to me. When she finally “sees” the guy she should’ve been dating all along, a really great guy, less than 5% of the story is dedicated to their relationship. That doesn’t feel like a romance to me.
If hot mess is what you’re looking for, you should be all over this one. However, if you want to see a relationship spark, grow, deepen and flourish, I think you should look elsewhere.
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
Thank You, Next by Sophie Ranald is the perfect novel for 2020! It is a romance that makes you laugh.
Zoe decides she wants to date after finally getting over her ex. Her friend and employee Robbie tells her she needs to use a dating app. There are too many people out there, but Zoe needs to find what she likes and doesn’t like in a romantic partner. Robbie decides Zoe will date one man from each horoscope starting with the least compatible horoscopes.
I really enjoyed reading about Zoe’s dating disasters. The dates were all over the top and hilarious. I was cringing so much but also laughing reading about Zoe’s dates and experiences on the app. Zoe really finds out a lot about herself through going out with different men and discussing her experiences with her friends.
Zoe is very kind and never wants anyone to feel bad. This includes when her date is putting her in awkward situations. Zoe struggles through many situations I would run away from (or at least I hope I would).
Zoe goes to the gym regularly and develops a friendship with her workout buddy, Dani. Dani and Zoe are both single and lonely at the beginning of the novel. They both are dating and looking for a relationship. They would recap dates to each other and ask each other if their date’s actions were normal or not. Their friendship and support really added to the story.
Thank You, Next was such a fun and light read. I loved the story and all of the characters.
I recommend Thank You, Next to fans of cute romances that will make you laugh and fans of Sophie Kinsella and Lindsey Kelk.
Thank you NetGalley and Bookouture for Thank You, Next.
I love the Romance genre, being captivated by both our protagonists and their love interests. Unfortunately, I didn't get hooked on the plotline or with the characters. I definitely flew through the book, because it was an easy read, but I didn't love it. I wish I did love it, because dating as a 20-something in the era of technology is hrd and crazy. Unfortunately, this book missed the mark for me.
I received an Advanced Reader Copy of this book through NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.
I love a good chick-lit novel and you know one with a name matching a recent song from a pop diva it’s definitely going to be a lot of fun. And this one really is. I barely put it down.
Thank You, Next follows Zoe who having only recently settled down in one place. She lives above a pub called The Ginger Cat with her pet cat, Frazzle and works down in the kitchen. She’s only just gotten over her ex Joe and with the help of her friend Robbie, she decides to give online dating a go. The difference being is that she is going to try to date a man of every sign in the zodiac to see if she can find a man compatible for her.
It’s a lot of fun and unsurprisingly Zoe goes on a lot of bad dates but there’s a lot more of that in this book.
I’ve recently realised that the reason I prefer chick-lit to romance is that I love seeing the stories of the other characters in the main characters life. And this book certainly provided that. You had Robbie who is young and happily playing the field, Dani who Zoe befriended at the gym and Adam, who Zoe asks to be the DM for the Dungeons and Dragons meet up.
Yeah, you heard that, the main character in this plays DnD. She is a newbie to it, curious about playing it after watching Stranger Things. But the group that gets together isn’t just poking fun at nerds. And that was so fun to read about. Especially one of the scenes that happens near the end of the book. That was cute. I won’t lie, I wasn’t sure the DnD was quite accurate. I’ve not played it yet – though I want to – and I’m pretty sure the players are supposed to be doing the rolls not the DM. And the story they were doing was kind of dull. But I really did love this inclusion and it added something to it.
The characters were all varied and fun and I really felt for Dani. She meets a questionable guy and some stuff happens to her but she works through it. She has Zoe’s support and I think they were definitely my favourite friendship.
There were obviously a lot of dates and there’s two longer lasting relationships for Zoe in this. Obviously one doesn’t work and from the off I was like yeah, he’s using you. From the outside it seems so obvious but obviously Zoe is looking for someone to settle down with her. So at first it must have seemed wonderful. But yeah, he obviously didn’t really care. She does end up with a good guy and those last scenes of them getting together is definitely worth it.
There’s a little bit of smut. Not with the guy she ends up with and it’s certainly not long or descriptive but it’s worth noting there’s some sexual content. There’s a lot more talk of sex and definitely some kinks that can be a little risky but it’s talked about honestly. So I definitely didn’t mind the inclusion.
If you love animals there’s a lot of animal inclusion in here. You have the pet cat, Frazzle who is completely adorable though naughty. And there’s a lot of birds too and I learned you can leave bacon rinds out for birds. I think I’ll keep that in mind in the future. Animals being important is always a cute bonus and I love it.
This was an incredibly enjoyable book and I sped through it. I had to make myself put the book down when I needed to sleep as I wanted to read it in one sitting but it was late.
Amazing read and I highly recommend it to all.
Thanks to NetGalley and Bookouture for an eARC of this book. When I see a book from Bookouture, I need to read it,!!
Thank You, Next is a such a fun book on the era of hating game, The kiss quotient. It creates a unique tale about today’s dating scene. The book reads to be a funny, lightheaded read. The characters are fun and easy to fall in love with.
Thank You, Next is a such a fun book! It's depicts dating in this current day and age. I enjoyed this book. It was lighthearted, but a tad rushed at the end. The characters are fun and the idea behind it was great.
Thanks to NetGalley and Bookouture for an eARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.
Wow, this book was very interesting because it was actually different than what I usually read and prefer when it comes to romantic comedies so it was definitely something unexpected. One of the things about this book that got to me was how the love interest for our main character was not actually clear until almost the end, so there was some suspense which sometimes does work for me, but most times I do get annoyed quickly when I don't know who the actual love interest is because it leaves the ending questionable to whether will I end up being dissappointed or whether will I be happy? However, this book was a cute and fun read, I just don't think it had my style or the elements I love in a romantic comedy, but at the same time it was good for a first timer who has never read a book by Sophie Ranald before.