I requested this book from NetGalley because of the interesting sounding synopsis. I wasn't familiar with the author, but it sounded hilarious.

The first couple of pages had me cautiously optimistic. I love a feisty female protagonist, and could really identify with that initial nightclub scenario. Unfortunately, that was as good as it got and I was already rolling my eyes by the end of the prologue. Lucy's behaviour throughout the book was outlandish, over-the-top, and frankly unbelievable.
There's chaotic energy, and then there's Lucy. I have to be able to connect with a protagonist on some level, but I didn't like Lucy at all. She's gobby to the point of rudeness, and over-the-top juvenile in her behaviour (even BEFORE the accident).

I also really didn't like the writing style. I found the vernacular over the top, all of the time, to the point that it felt like the characters were nothing more than caricatures. I also didn't understand why it was billed as a rom-com. It just wasn't funny. I almost gave up several times because I really wasn't enjoying it, and was glad when I finished it. Not for me.

Thank you so much for the opportunity to give an honest review. I will upload my review to Amazon UK on publication day.

I liked this! I went in thinking it was more of a romance but it ended up being a story of sisterhood and finding yourself. With that being said, I liked the premise a lot and it was very funny! Just not what I was expecting. Probably will read more from this author in the future.

Thank you to Netgalley and Bookoture for the ARC :)

What another beautiful book from the lovely Kristen Bailey!
I was so excited to read this and after 35% of the way through I had to message Kristen because I was crying so much!
I am so in love with the women that Kristen writes about in these books and I see myself in all of them.
However, Lucy is definitely the one I relate to the most!

She's just unapologetically herself and I absolutely love that about her. She shocks people, makes them laugh and changes their whole life for the better!
But when she wakes up after the accident thinking she's her 17 year old self (despite turning 30 soon!) and hears all the crazy stories about how the last 13 years of her life have been, she has to learn all about herself all over again.
We all grow so much every year that we live and this book really made me think about how I would feel if I forgot the last 13 years of my life and whether I would be proud of who I am now and what I'd achieved or not achieved.

Kristen, I am so sad that these books are over, they truly have brought me so much joy over the last couple of years but you certainly have gone out with a BANG!
I really look forward to reading what your wonderful brain creates next and I'm sending you all kinds of love as you say goodbye to the sisters for the last time <3

If you haven't read any of Kristen's books, then to be honest, I'm so jealous because you get to live through all their lives all in one go!
Go and read all about Meg's story in "Has Anyone Seen My Sex Life" and I can guarantee you will want to read the rest!

Review from Lauren Oliver - Instagram @mrslaurenoliverreads

Am I Allergic to Men sounds like a fun rom-com, but is more of a contemporary fiction story that includes personal growth and family relationships. The story revolves around Lucy who isn’t interested in conforming and wants to be who she is. I love this idea. Unfortunately, Lucy comes across unlikeable and I struggled to connect with her. I really like the premise of the book but I hoped for more.

Thank you Netgalley and Bookouture for the Arc.

I’ve read several of Kristen Bailey’s books before, and I’ve always enjoyed them. However this book surprised me. I was expecting a romance based on the title and the cover art and instead got a story about a girl who’s been in a coma and has lost 10 years of her life. As she tries to figure out the last 10 years, it turns out that she’s had so many boyfriends she wonders if she’s allergic to men.

The first few chapters were so confusing I almost gave up. I didn’t realize that this book was part of a series either, there were references I just didn’t get.
There’s no romance, but there’s plenty of sex with a random collection of strange guys. The blurb says I’ll hurt laughing. Parts of the story were funny but nothing was hysterical.

The message to appreciate your friends and family resonated, but nothing else. 3 stars.

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

I was expecting a light, funny, and entertaining read. It was ok but the summary made it seem to be something else than what it was. Lucy is made to be an ‘I’ll say what I want, do what I want, and not care what you think” type person. It could have been funnier but sometimes it just didn’t work for me. I liked it, but they should change the summary because it’s a little more about finding yourself and who you are than it is about her past relationships. It’s just being marketed wrong. Again, it was decent, just not what I thought it was going to be.

Thank you NetGalley & to the publisher for an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

⭐️⭐️⭐️STARS

Big miss for me😒

2-2.5🌟 stars
For me, this was not the way to sign out of a good series about the lives and loves of five British sisters. I thought the earlier books were much better and even incorporated some of the LOL moments that the tagline promises. This one, nah, not fun or funny to me and it rambles so. I could not finish as I just found Lucy, especially the Lucy of the reminiscences, too coarse and annoying. The harking back to ten years past because of her amnesia and having to dwell on that or explain what had happened since was not a story I could get into.

And yes, I agree with some other advance readers that the title and cover are deceptive. They drew me in and surprised me with a book focused on the sisterhood which I did not fancy.

In the part I did read, my favorite moment had nothing to do with her relationship with protective older sisters Meg, Beth, Emma and Grace, ha ha, snark or crude comments. It was Lucy comforting a sad, bewildered little birthday girl in a ladies lav (restroom). A moment when I could see a worthwhile, compassionate grown-up in a flighty, rudderless party girl. I could have done with more like that and less riffing on the past.

Maybe Lucy eventually changes but I could not bring myself to finish reading to find out.

Thanks to Bookouture and NetGalley for sharing a complimentary advance copy of the book; this is my voluntary and honest opinion.

I think I would have enjoyed this book more in audio form. The MC got a little much at one point that I found it hard to want to continue reading. If it comes up at my library I would definitely listen to it and re-write my review

What a fun, moving, and heartfelt story this was! I wasn't sure where this story was going to go, and when Lucy is hit by a bus, this went from silly and lighthearted to quite serious very quickly! Lucy is such an interesting, vibrant, hilarious person, and when she loses years of memory from the accident, her family rises up in droves to help her in any way they can. All the sisters move back into their parents' house together to help break the memories free.

Can you imagine waking up in a 30 year old body, but thinking you are 17? Sisters are married, relationships have been formed and lost, everything is different. As Lucy goes on a journey to figure out who she was between 17 and 30, we get to come along for the ride. It's hilarious, but also incredibly moving. The family bonds throughout this story make you want to go give someone in your inner circle a hug. It's filled with love and strength, and I loved it!

My only actual complaint about this one is that the cover and the title didn't match the story (at least in my opinion). They feel very rom-com, and this is a women's fic story through and through.

I highly recommend it!

Oh I just love love love the Callaghan clan. They are this mad family that love dearly, fight to the death for one another but tell each other how it is. This is the 5th book in the series and I’m so sad to say it’s the last, say it isn’t so Kristen Bailey 😢. This read focuses on Lucy who is the youngest, most outspoken and free spirited of the sisters. It has a different feel to the others but it’s no less enjoyable and is perfect for how the Callaghan Sisters story should come to a close. As like the other 4 it’s a laugh out loud (to which I did A LOT 😆) read. I’m so sad that this is the last we’ll hear from this loveable family as each time I read the next in the series it’s like getting reacquainted with old friends. I don’t know what I’m going to do without all the relationship antics, no filter speak and the general family dynamics. If your looking for a lighthearted, funny, read that will grab you from the first word then this is a series for you.

Thanks to Netgalley and Bookouture for the opportunity to read and review this ARC that was published on the 3rd of Feb.

This book was a quick read and overall had some very funny lines. Although I appreciate a book with some good steamy scenes (even several steamy scenes), I found myself a little over the many sexual references throughout this one. At one point I said, "Ok, we get it. She likes to have sex with everyone and isn't afraid to talk about it." It was a bit much for me. I did enjoy the family relationships within this book and it had a sweet ending. Although this is a part of a series, it can stand on its own as well.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the arc instead of an honest opinion.

4.5 stars

Am I Allergic To Men? is the last book of the series The Callaghan Sisters. It narrates the story of Lucy Callaghan, who loses her memory of the last ten years after meeting with an accident, leaving her with her memories till she was 17. Lucy, along with her sisters, tries to regain her memories by revisiting old places and acquaints.

Lucy is a wild, spontaneous and energetic woman who is working as a dancer and actress. She loves exploring every single possibilities of life. I was really envies of her. I wish I was like her.

The writing style was excellent. It was absolutely hilarious. I can't recall the last time I laughed so hard. Her relationship with her sisters was just so endearing. I loved Lucy. I loved the book. The only thing is that the title was misleading. The title had nothing to do with story. I started the story thinking it was a romcom, only to know that there was no romance aspect in it. Aside from that, it was really great.

This is my first book of this series, and I would absolutely read the rest of the series, The epilogue's idea was brilliant. It was a nice way to close up the series.

I would absolutely recommend this series and re-read the book sometime later.

OUT 3RD FEBRUARY

arc received from netgalley.

title caught my eye. thought it would be a new, quick, lighthearted read about a woman who either thought she was 'allergic' to men or men are just THAT bad of a species that she just can't bear to deal with them and eventually grows enough to find that men aren't a necessity key to survival--and this book was just... not that.

it was so bad, i wanted to give it a zero. but, that's not possible, so i give it a one.

I am conflicted and annoyed writing this review. Why, do you ask. Well, you look at the title, the cover and the blurb and it screams romantic comedy, right? Well, it's DEFINITELY not. And that robbed me of what could have been a wonderful reading experience. Also, nowhere do we see that this is book FIVE in the stories following the Callaghan sisters. It can be read a standalone but you kinda feel you are missing something.
It's very much written like a Marianne Keys novel, which I really like, and it does have that British wit and humor that is so good (apparently not for everyone, but I do love it).
Our heroine is a bit zany, like a very sexually secure Bridget Jones and the amnesia trope is used well. Though she reverts to 2010 and thinks that an iPhone is "magic" (things weren't so backwards back then, right?!)...
Even the "mystery" of figuring out who/what Oscar is is resolved in a cute and sweet way.
So, dear authors and marketing strategists, don't do this. I could have been raving about it and I'm not, exclusively for the fact that I was lead into reading something it wasn't. It was listed in the romance section, guys...
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
Thank you #Netgalley #Bookouture and Kristen Bailey for the advanced copy.

Mixed feelings

This was a very different read for me. The blurb and title were intriguing. So went in with lot of expectations.
But, I felt this did not meet the expectations.

I had not read the previous books in this series - if I had read them, maybe my views would have been different.

I went in not knowing what to expect and as the book went on I kept feeling this way. Lucy is a force of nature, that much is certain but I found her kind of sad too. Call me crazy, but that is the feeling I got, my favorite thing about the book and the whole reason I’m giving it 2 stars is the bond between the sisters. As a sister myself, I found it realistic and oh so beautiful, the way they showed up for each other.

Thanks to the publishers for sharing this one. I absolutely adored this whole series. I'm sad that this is the last book, but it's a perfect ending. My full review appears on Weekend Notes.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the arc!

Well… I don’t have a ton to say about this book. I didn’t really enjoy it, it was just kind of boring. I didn’t like Lucy’s character; I found her to be pretty annoying. She thought that she was pretty hilarious and entertaining, but she really wasn’t. The title was also pretty misleading. I went into it thinking that it would be a rom-com, but it was very far from it. I don’t like dnf’ing books, so I did end up skimming about the last third of it.

The only thing I really enjoyed about this book was the relationship dynamic between the sisters. Overall, I probably wouldn’t recommend this book.

I picked this one up expecting a cute rom com where the amnesiac heroine finds love - that’s the impression I got from the title, cover and blurb. I was disappointed this wasn’t the case!

Lucy suffers from amnesia after an accident and we see her trying to get her memory back and learn about who she has become over the last 10 years (I was a little confused that she seemed to be 17 in 2011 and 30 in 2022!). To do this, she spends time with her family and tracks down past lovers - none of whom she ends up with.

I liked that Lucy is carving her own path in the world and that she was a strong character not looking to settle down or conform, but I did find her to be a little grating at times. Mostly, I loved the relationship she had with her four sisters. This was definitely a tale full of love, but that was through friendship and family rather than romance.

This book was more sad and heartwarming than laugh out loud funny but I enjoyed it and it’s full-of-life heroine, even if it was a different story to the one I thought I’d be getting!

When Am I Allergic To Men? was announced I had mixed feeling about reading it. On the one hand I was dying to read Lucy’s story as she’s one of my favorite Callaghans, but on the other reading it would mean saying goodbye to the Callaghan family and I didn’t know if I was ready for that. They have accompanied me for the last couple of years. I’ve laughed with them, I’ve cried with them, and they’ve become one of my favorite fiction families ever to the point of feeling like real people, so saying goodbye was HARD!

Am I Allergic To Men? encompasses all the things that made me fall in love with this series.

Lucy, the youngest Callaghan, has lost her memory of the last ten years after an encounter with a bus while dressed as Elsa. Her memory got frozen at 17 (see what I did there? Pure genius!), so with the help of her sisters she’ll try to get her memories and her old life back.

Right from the first book, Lucy became one of my favorite characters in the series. She’s unapologetic, funny, honest, no nonsense…Yes, she might use sometimes crass language (love it) and knows more words for genitalia than I thought humanly possible (loved it even more. It’s always good to expand your vocabulary!), but do you know what she has buckets of? Heart. She has a huge heart, especially when she interacts with kids or right at the end (no spoilers here!).

The accident has made her lose sense of who she was, but with the help of her family, whom will leave everything in their lives to help her, she will embark on a self-knowledge journey that made me laugh so hard at times and sob so much at others. That last conversation with her mum was lovely and everyone should have one like that with their parents.

I’ve read some reviews complaining this was not a romance and Lucy had not a romantic interest, but there’s more love in here that in many toxic romance stories. To those people Lucy would say she doesn’t need a man (or woman) in her life to feel fulfilled and to go f*ck themselves! She might be single but she’s definitely not alone.

It is with a heavy heart I say goodbye to the Callaghans but Am I Allergic To Men? was the perfect closing to their story.

Meg, Emma, Beth, Grace and Lucy, from now on you are MY BEST BITCHES.

Thanks to NetGalley and Bookouture for providing an eARC in exchange for an honest review.