I must admit I would never have guessed this book was written by Angela Marsons, having read all her Kim Stone books. A total departure in both style and content, it follows the lives of three best friends, Deb, Sarah and Cher, as they negotiate their way through romance, work, family issues and dreams. It offers an insight into the lives of independent young women in the modern world,with all it's challenges and pitfalls. They each think they have a clear idea of what they want and drunkenly cast a spell one night in Cher' s garden. All nonsense of course ...but is it? This book is funny , insightful, endearing and I think allows a little peak into Angela's more vulnerable side. It starts out a little hesitantly but quickly gains momentum as she allows us into her world. Very enjoyable

When you say 'Angela Marsons', you say 'Kim Stone'. There are few people who don't know them and I have to say I had to read it twice when it was being announced that she had written a romcom. I never saw that coming if I have to be honest, but why not? A lot of authors have written different genres and excelled in all of them.

Romcom, the word says it alI: a mixture of romance and comedy. I think being able to make people laugh is one of the most difficult things and yes, this story has put a smile on my face more than once. Now about the 'love' side: a wedding, falling in love with the one and starting to love yourself again... I'd say this box has been ticked too.

Why did I fall in love with this genre? It's because it gives you a chance to escape the serious things in real life for a while and in my opinion this story was like they wrote them years ago. The heroin(s) was/were naive, they often wanted what was not possible and did not see what was right in front of them. Nowadays romcoms often have a more serious theme too like dead or an illness and I still prefer the 'old fashioned' ones. 

So, yes I liked it a lot. Was it a bit predictable? Yes, but that is typical for this genre and that is something you know even before you open such a book. 

The author has proved, once again, what an amazing writer she is. Thriller or romcom, she just nails both genres. 5 stars

Thank you

Thank You to all involved for the ARC of this book. When I heard Angela Marsons was doing a rom-com I was really excited.

You can expect an as always well written book from Marsons. The plot was fun and easy to follow. Where the story fell short for me was that I found the characters extremely unlikable. I wish that at least one of them would have hooked me in but I didnt find a connection to any of them.

However, it is a nice light and fun read, perfect for a dose of romance and friendships.

Unlikeable characters. Unlikeable book. Liked the cover, that is about it. Sorry, not sorry.

Thanks to Netgalley, Angela Marsons and Bookouture for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Available: 7/6/21

A great summer book full of fun, friendship and love. An easy read following the exploits of three friends who are all trying to discover what they want in life.

Cher, Sarah and Deb I loved these ladies! This was a very down to earth, quick, cute book!
I loved the story it was so heartwarming. And full of love!
The book was well balanced between the fun and the more thoughtful storyline
It was a quick and easy read which I always love!
Looking for a cute love story? Read this one!

A story about wishing for things the women want most. Cher wants her boss to fall in love with her. Sarah wants a child with her partner that is married and Deborah wants a perfect wedding.
One day they are having a laugh and throwing some herbs around the garden and the next day all comes true. But is this what they really expect....

I was reading/ listening the book and I prefered listening to be honest. It is a nice perspective to think about what we really want and how we see the things. We have to be careful what we wish that is sure.

Thanks to Netgaley.com and Bookouture for a chance to read and listen in exchange of an honest review.

I would like to thank the author, publisher and Net Galley for providing a free e-copy ARC of this book in exchange for my review.

I first 'met' Angela Marsons a few years ago when granted an ARC for her then-current Kim Stone book - and I wanted MORE! I was so impressed with the book, well into an established series, that was written in a way that could be well read and understood as a stand alone. I loved her character development and story and pace - it was wonderful. I've gone back to book #1 and am actually buying the books (something I don't often do, usually rely on the library) and read them slowly - enjoying and cherishing - when in a reading slump. So a new Angela Marsons book?! Yes please! New genre - no problem, obviously she's a master and this will be amazing. But - for me - it's not.

Although chick lit/romance isn't my usual type of book, I have been trying some out and do follow a few authors, so I thought this would be a good fit for me, as I already enjoy the author's work. But the characters seemed so superficial and just unlikeable, I didn't care what happened to any of them, really. If this were a debut book, I would just assume the author would have time to grow and perfect their style, but this book does not feel like it was written by the same person who created Kim Stone and all of her characteristics - not to mention the rest of the crew.

As a chick-lit type book, I guess it was ok. Maybe 2.5-3 stars? Thought I do feel like with a little bit of editing, it could be marketed as a YA book, be much more believable, maybe on the level of the movie "13 Going on 30" and more fun. This is difficult for me to do, but I have to rate 2 stars for 'it was ok'. I"m sorry, Angela - please return to Kim Stone!

I love the crime thrillers that Angela Marsons writes, mainly because I really like her characters. So when I saw that she had written outside her usual genre I couldn't wait to get my hands on it. If Only is well written and with good characterisation and characters that I love, but I was just a wee bit disappointed that I didn't like one of the three main characters, and spent most of the book feeling frustrated with another because she seemed shallow rather than disingenuous. I really liked the third character though, and by the end of the book I had warmed considerably toward the other two. There were some genuinely hilarious moments, such as at the swimming pool, that had me cackling away to myself. And a couple of very poignant moments that caught me unawares which I loved. I'm trying not to say too much in case of spoilers, but I really liked how the book ended and I think there is scope for a sequel so that perhaps we find out whether the course of true loves runs smoothly for Cher and what opportunities open up for Sarah and Deb.

Very enjoyable! Not as good as the Bryant and Stone series but a delightful "amuse-bouche" whilst I am awaiting another Kim Stone novel. If Only is written with lots of humour and good strong characters. The three women cast a drunken spell in order to get what they want from life but do they really know what they want?

Great book! This book will make you genuinely laugh out loud and keep you glued right until the very end.

I received a copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for my honest review and opinions. I thought this was a fun, easy read that will entertain you. Can't say it was my absolute favorite story but all in all a quick easy read. I will for sure read more by this author as she has a great writing style.

If Only is a contemporary romantic comedy about three women in their twenties figuring out what they want in life and love, by the author of one of my favourite crime series. I grew out of this sort of nonsense about twenty years ago, but figured that Marsons is such a good writer that I had to give it a go. Unfortunately the unlikeable characters, predictable plot and cringey set pieces all reminded me that I am definitely too old for chick lit.

Cher is a ditzy secretary with a crush on her arrogant boss, Sarah a scheming cow planning to drag her married lover away from his family by getting pregnant, and Deb is a spineless saleswoman who lets her awful future mother-in-law walk all over her. Over drinks one night, the three friends cast a spell from an old book to make their wishes come true - but will they get what they want - or what they need?

On the plus side, this was well written with some funny moments, and some entertaining minor characters like Cher’s bonkers family, the cover is great and it’s relatively short (the ebook stops at 91% with the rest being promotion of the author’s other books - in this case it was a relief but I’d’ve felt cheated if I were actually enjoying it and had paid for it.) Unfortunately the three leading ladies were like the companions in The Wizard of Oz - missing a brain, a heart and courage, and it was obvious from the start exactly how each plotline would play out, however implausible.

A lot of it also felt quite dated, with all the mentions of cheques, smoking, and the workplace culture - I wondered if this was something Marsons wrote years ago being published to cash in on her popularity now, but according to the afterword, this is not the case. It would’ve been better to put this out under a pseudonym, as I’m sure readers who love this genre will lap it up, whereas Marsons’ legion of crime fiction fans are likely to feel rather let down. 2.5 rounded down for lack of originality.

Thanks to NetGalley and Bookouture for the ARC. I am posting this honest review voluntarily.
If Only is published on July 6th.

I really didn't know what to think when I noticed the authors name on this book. I absolutely, have loved each and every book this author has written. Her writing style is first class.
It may be a change in genre, but Marsons has still managed to create characters that are likeable. This was a fun and enjoyable read.
I couldn't wait to follow these three friends, Cher, Sarah, and Deb on their journey of happiness.
In parts this story has some really fun elements, some real comedy moments that made me laugh out loud. I also found following someone who thinks they know what they want from life great and interesting. fascinating how everyone around can see what you want, yet knows its not the right thing for you.
As they say 'The grass isn't always greener on the other side'
These ladies are off to find what it is that is going to make them happy. It's a fun, fun, fun read following them and seeing if the reality of what they think they want is actually what they really want.
Brilliantly written, well paced and enjoyable easy read.
Just what I needed to rid myself of the trauma's real life is throwing my way.

When I found out that Angela Marsons had wrote a book in a totally different genre, I couldn’t wait to read it.
Although I did find the pace of the book quite slow to begin with, it did pick up once the backgrounds of the 3 friends had been covered and I was hooked on wanting to find out what would happen in each of the girls lives.
I absolutely loved Cher and laughed so much in a scene involving her nephews at the park, the humour really made me chuckle.
The way Angela can just tap into your emotions too with how beautifully she writes the more tender scenes within this story, is just brilliant. I had to put the book down a little bit as I was just so moved with a scene near the end involving Cher and another character (won’t say name so not to give spoilers), as it was such a touching moment.
Thoroughly enjoyable read.

I usually try to be generous and honest with my book reviews. I understand that writing a book is a huge commitment and often an effort that takes years and years. And I can tell many others loved this book.

Alas, I did not.

A book like this (where each of the three main characters is going through a journey where they realize what they think they want isn't really what they truly want and what's good for them) requires the reader to root for the main characters. It requires the reader to care about their dreams, to cheer for them when they win and want to hold their hand when they struggle.

The characters in this book all made me cringe. One woman wants to date her good looking senior boss even though it's super clear he's a total jerk, but she can't see beyond his looks. Another woman wants to lure the man she's having an affair with by secretly getting pregnant. Even though this man is married and has a child. And yet a third woman hates her mother in law who was almost comically annoying in the book.

All of these characters are petty, superficial and just annoying. Even though they each come to their senses in some ways, they behave abhorrently in most of the book and with the exception of a few select scenes (mostly with cher) I found myself getting more and more annoyed with them.

This was not the book for me.

with gratitude to netgalley and Bookouture for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

I liked this book, I was concerned that it might be a bit farcical, but it was just the right amount of quirky. Likeable female characters, a classic office romance and crazy in-laws. It is a fun book.

Sometimes you think that you want something so bad, you don’t see what’s in front of your face. I received this ARC FROM NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. The book is well written with lots of humor and just a little sex thrown in. While predictably, as rom-coms are, I would recommend this to friends. It was that good.

If Only by Angela Marsons is a departure from the author's usual niche of crime fiction and, for me, it just lacked the readability of her previous work, most notably the much loved Kim Stone series. Kudos to Ms Marsons for making this leap out of her comfort zone.

Three friends, Cher, Sarah, and Deb are all having trouble in love, or rather the lack thereof. One night over a few glasses of wine, the women decide to throw caution to the wind and cast a wishing spell, each hoping for a change of romantic fortune. It is all just a bit of a laugh. Or is it?

This is a lighthearted read that did provide some very relatable moments but, for me, it was just a little lacking in that je ne sais quoi. 3.5 stars

Many thanks to NetGalley and Bookouture for an ARC.

This was a fab book, luckily i read it whilst on a staycation....i love love all of Angelas books i love Kim Stone, but it was really nice to read something different from her to, didnt fail to keep me reading from start to finish....