This story had me cringe, laugh and cry. Sometimes all at the same time. I loved Cher, Sarah and Deb’s relationship with each other, although I also wanted to grab them and shake some sense into them. Their choices in life made me cringe so much. Lol Even through out all that, I still was invested in all the characters so much that I didn’t really want it to end. Also the narrator was amazing and was a key part of why I stayed up late finishing this story. Lol

If Only is a tale of three friends who want what they don't have. Deb, Cher, and Sarah all want something seemingly unattainable. Cher wants her boss, Sarah wants to have a baby with the love of her life (who's married to someone that is not her), and Deb wants her nightmarish mother-in-law to chill the hell out for a bit. One night, after a touch too much to drink, the three friends decide to cast a wishing spell as a joke. What ensues is a typical "wish upon a star" story.

I found this book generally likable, but it definitely skewed a bit out of my interest range as far as domestic fiction goes. The characters could have used a tad more development.

This was an audiobook, and I did find the narrator very enjoyable. I think listening to it was easier than actually reading it. I probably would have fallen into the DNF category had I read it without listening. I think this book is perfect if someone wants a beach read for the summer, but I don't think I'll be packing it in my bag.

Overall rating: 2/5

If Only will be available for purchase on July 6th. Be sure to add it to your Goodreads shelf and see where you can buy it. Also, be sure to check out Angela Marsons’s website!

I was lucky enough to be able to listen to this Advanced Reader's Copy through my partnership with NetGalley. All opinions are my own.

I am sure most girls and young women wished that a certain person might find them attractive, or ask them out, or fall in love with them, but these three women go one step further. Cher has been mooning over her new boss. Even after Dan, another person she works with, warns her off, she still wants him to fall in love with her. Sarah has been having an affair with a married man. She is sure that if she gets pregnant, he will commit to her. The final friend is Deb. Deb is living with the man she loves and trying to plan a wedding. The small affair they want has been hijacked by her future mother-in-law and she is driving Deb crazy. So one summer evening, after several glasses of wine, they find an old book and decide to cast a wishing spell. It’s just three friends having a laugh and throwing some herbs around the garden. They are just having fun, but, be careful what you wish for.

This was a fun story, but had some serious themes. I did not like all of the women, specifically Sarah. I thought she was selfish and was only thinking about what she wanted. She was hard to like and I didn't change my opinion of her. I really liked Deb. She was happy with her life and didn't want a big shindig. She didn't like getting manipulated by her future MIL and I kept yelling at her to stand up for herself. She was willing to put up with her for the sake of her relationship. Cher was in between. She was infuriating and wanted a man based on his looks, not his personality. She did come around eventually. I did enjoy seeing their wishes come true, albeit not the way they wanted them to. Overall this was a fun romcom. I have to say that the narrator was wonderful. This is the first book that I have listened to that was narrated by Alex Tregear. She was able to give each of the characters their own voice by using tone and expression. I will not hesitate to listen to books she has narrated. If you enjoy romcoms, you need to pick this one up.

If Only is a stand-alone romantic, whimsical novel by crime writer Angela Marsons as a lover of her crime books I wasn’t intrigued to give this a go. Whilst it wasn’t her usual style it was a light hearted, humorous novel
Featuring 3 friends Sarah, Deb and Cher. They want more from their lives. Sarah is due to marry her fiancé Mark but has a very interfering MiL to be who has already caused the wedding to be postponed twice as she wants her own way. Sarah must wants to get married and is trying to keep everyone happy and struggling. Cher is in love with her boss Micheal who doesn’t seem to know she’s there and Deb is having an affair with a married man and just wants him to be with her and to have his baby.
One night after a few drinks they experiment with a spell book. You know the old saying be careful what you wish for!

This book follows the 3 friends as they finally get what they wanted from their lives.
I found it light hearted fun and enjoyed listening to the narrator as she told their stories.

If Only was a brilliant feel-good romantic story. The story follows three best friends who all have wishes for how their lives will change. You really get to know Cher, Deb and Sarah and how desperate they are to get what they think is the perfect life for them. Without any spoilers it is a case of “be careful what you wish for” at times though. As with most books of this type I spent a lot of time telling my car speakers exactly what each of these characters should do!! The narration for the audiobook was good and the voice was perfect for the genre of story it was. The voice was clear but friendly.
At times there was a bit too much description for me, as they tended to describe outfits and other things in minute detail. I found this a bit laborious after a while but this is just personal preference. There were also a few ‘steamy’ scenes which just isn’t really my cup of tea.
Overall I would recommend it, especially to chick lit lovers. A perfect read for around the pool with a cocktail…

The only other books I have read by this author were the Kim Stone books, which are amazing, so I wasn't sure how someone who writes gripping thrillers could write a "chicklit", but Angela has done it really well.

I enjoyed this book, I flicked between the audio and the book, I liked the way each chapter portrayed one of the three women and then the next one was with the three of them, so almost each chapter consisted of 4 sub chapters, each character was likable.

The person who narrated the audio was just right!

I gave up on this book (for now).
The characters where to exaggerated for me.
Getting pregnant to get a man is a big no for me and I didn't like the way it was done so far. And the other two where also supposed to be smart but not acting like it...
Maybe I'll listen to it another time but not now, to many other books waiting for me.

I had heard good things about the author but I guess her other books are in different genres.

3★s for the text, 4★s for the narration= 3.5★s overall
If Only is a stand-alone novel by British author, Angela Marsons, who is well known for her crime novels. This one is a light romance that features three main female characters. The audio version is narrated by Alex Tregear. Initially, Cher will probably strike the reader as shallow: too dazzled by her manager’s good looks to notice the genuinely decent guy in front of her; Sarah, whose selfish plan to fall pregnant to lure her married lover away from his family, makes her difficult to like; Deb is plagued by a manipulative, controlling prospective mother-in-law and needs to grow a backbone.

It says something about this trio that the only criticism Sarah’s plan to snare a married man with a baby attracts is logistical rather than moral. These women are all wishing for something: to be noticed by a cocky, arrogant male, or for a man to leave his wife, or for a woman to disappear; on their girls’ night in, they consult a spell book and drunkenly try to magic what they want. A few weeks later, their lives look very much like a case of “be careful what you wish for.”

There are subplots to fill out the main stories and distract the women from their primary wants: Cher’s workplace is subject to a management audit; Deb is thrown into competition with her work rival for a better position; Sarah begins to focus on her lifelong ambition to write.

While there are some twists and surprises, overall the plot is fairly predictable. Cher will frustrate with her ongoing blind loyalty to a user; sympathy for Sarah’s situation is hard to muster; and Deb takes way too long to stand up for herself. Three of the four children are obnoxious and only two male characters really impress. This one may appeal to readers wanting a light romcom, but is likely not representative of her usual quality, and fans of her crime fiction will probably be disappointed
This unbiased review is from an uncorrected proof copy provided by NetGalley and Bookouture.

This was an entertaining book that held my attention throughout. It’s a pretty light romcom that also has a large focus on friendship. I loved reading about the different dynamics between the characters. I listened the the audiobook and enjoyed the narrator as well.

I did not enjoy this book. It was like multiple Bridget Jones seeking partners in unrealistic ways. Too corny too. Maybe the younger set would like it so i did give it three stars for that reason

I wanted to like this one but I just couldn't get into it. The characters seem nice enough but so immature and self-absorbed that they were unlikeable. The story didn't draw me in the way I expected me to. There were some funny parts but not enough to keep me engaged. This one just wasn't for me.

Great audiobook. I liked the characters of the 3 girls and the story was well told. I even found myself disliking one of the male characters he was written that well.. The narrator was very easy to listen to. I would recommend it. Thank you for letting me listen

This was a charming audio book, beautifully narrated by Alex Tregear. Cher, Sarah and Deb are three best friends, all of whom are dreaming of love and happiness. Fueled by alcohol, the three 20-somethings hold a backyard ritual, all wishing for something dear to her heart. Funny how wish fulfillment can be achieved...
Sympathetic character development plus a few interesting twists makes this a good entry to the rom coms of the summer.
I received this ARC at no charge from NetGalley and the author, but all opinions are my own.

Loved the narrator! This book was a quick and easy read. Enjoyed listening about these three best friends and how each of them wanted something to change in their lives. Their stories kept me engaged the entire time! They cast a wishing spell for their “if only” wishes to come true and what they get sometimes isn’t exactly what they expected.

Loved this! A fun summer read. I actually listened to the audiobook and it was great! The narrator was amazing and added even more to the story!

Rating: 3.5/5. This Rom-Com follows the story of three best friends: Cher, Deb & Sarah. All of them have their individual quirks, and all of them are dealing with some sort of issue that they need to overcome, individually. Cher lacks confidence when it comes to men and is frustratingly oblivious at times. Deb is struggling with an annoying MIL who won't give her a break and takes over the wedding planning. Sarah is the other woman who desperately wants her man to leave his wife and child for her. There are some cute moments, and I think the voice actors did a great job with the story! There were a lot more cringey moments than I would've liked to endure in a romance. It was cute at some points and a bit annoying at others. Overall, I would say it was a cute rom-com, and it was a fun audiobook to listen to! Thank you to Netgalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

First off let me start by saying thank you to NetGalley and the author Angela Marsons for allowing me An audiobook version to get stuck into!
This book had all my favourite components: Romance, comedy, characters you love, characters you hate and relatable content.
I found myself loving the characters one moment and getting cross with them the next, being completely drawn in and involved in the whole story! It had lot's of laugh out loud moments, and moments people can definitely relate to in one way or another. We work through each of the characters lives and see them almost being blinded by things, making it harder for them to see the true reality, and what is really good for them rather than what they think is good for them and what they want. Each character has their own "Lightbulb" Moment by the end of the book.
The pace in this story was good, and keeps you wanting to know more.
Overall I really enjoyed this book, and listened to it over about 4 days. It made me laugh, it made me cross, and it made me feel empathetic with the characters.
I personally would recommend this book :-)
Happy Reading!

Deb, Cher and Sara are friends and in different types of romantic relationships. Deb is planning a wedding with much interference from her MIL, Sara is hoping the man she’s dating will leave his wife for her and Cher is pining for her unattainable boss. I Love Marson’s Kim Stone series and wanted to see what her hand at a romance was like. Mind you I don't read a lot of romances, but am glad I took a chance on this one. There is good character development and I like the 3 types of relationships. I’d definitely read the author’s next romance novel.

The audiobook is narrated by Alex Tregear. She does a good job of creating an upbeat narrative of the story. And I’m always a sucker for a British accent.

I didn't enjoy the characters here, and since you really are meant to be rooting for them, it made the book a bit painful. I was on the verge of a DNF but I stuck by it and the last 20% of the book redeems itself somewhat but not enough to fully recommend it. The three characters were hard to digest. Deb was the one that I felt more real and likeable. I kind of felt for her and her qualms didn't look petty or distorted from reality. Sarah needed abit more backstory of her relationship with David because from what we saw, you really didnt understand her love. Cher just lives in a fantasy world that was grating. I think a bit more backstory as to them as friends would have been nice as well, their friendship backdrop.
It has a cute - be careful what you wish for storyline that would have been interested if by that point i cared enough.
On a positive note, i really enjoyed the narrator of the audiobook .

If only centers around three women in their mid-20s trying to get a handle on their life. Cher is the average secretary who has an obsessive crush on her boss. Sarah is in love with a man who is semi loves her but won’t leave his wife. Deb hates her mother-in-law’s consistent nagging and phone calls. Cher, Sarah and Deb dad drastically want to make changes to their lives. One magical wish later and their luck has changed. But is life all that they hoped and dreamed of?

I listened to this tale with high hopes. I was curious to see how drastically the characters lives would change after their wish. However; as a story wore on the characters became less likable and more dry. The plot seemed over done and I was rushing to get to the end.