4.25⭐️

What a fun story! A bit different from what I was anticipating, and I found it really easy to fall into. I love the idea of the bucket list and found Lydia to be a relatable character. I really enjoyed following along with her bucket list adventures and seeing her come out of her shell, both due to the list and her bucket list buddy.

I loved the Polish aspect of the story as well. Not a main part of the story, but it was fun seeing the family dynamics and experiencing some of the culture and traditions.

This story hit a soft spot for me as, like I said, I find Lydia relatable. In similar situations, it really made me reflect on my own life and inspired me to maybe try some new things. I love stories with an impact and this one was certainly that.

Add this one to your TBR if you enjoy reflective and adventure stories all rolled into one!

Thank you to Katherine Dyson, One More Chapter and NetGalley for a gifted copy in exchange for an honest review!!

Lily Bennett’s Bucket List
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Genre: Romance
Format: Kindle eBook
Date Published: 9/9/22
Author: Katherine Dyson
Publisher: HarperCollins UK
Goodreads Rating: 4.10

I requested a digital advanced readers copy from NetGalley and HarperCollins UK and providing my opinion voluntarily and unbiased.

Synopsis: Lydia Grey discovers Lily’s bucket list at the bottom of her shopping trolley. Lydia’s discovery takes her down an unexpected path…and into the company of Jake Jones. Jake mistakes Lydia for Lily when he offers to help her complete the list, but tempted to be someone – anyone – other than plain old Lydia Grey for once in her life, Lydia doesn’t correct him. Now, as each new adventure brings Lydia and Jake closer, her lie threatens everything. To complete the list she’ll need to tackle #9: ‘do the scariest thing you can think of’, but how can she do that when the scariest thing she can think of is telling Jake the truth…which could mean losing him forever?

My Thoughts: The title and cover drew me to this book. I had never seen a premise such as this one and loved it. This was a lighthearted read and would be absolutely perfect for a beach day, this could easily be read in one day. The characters were developed amazingly, they are flawed, but lovable and relatable, they have depth, there is an strong connection between our MCs, the chemistry is spot on and hot, and the supporting characters were wonderful. The characters had amazing growth within themselves and together. I loved how at first Lydia is in a slump, but throughout the story, she really finds herself, even if there was some deception involved. The author’s writing style was complex, the plot was strong and a bit unique, creative, and brilliant. For a debut book, this was amazing. I cannot wait to see what else Dyson puts out, and I will be the first in line for it. This book releases in September and I would recommend that you pre-order now!

An absolute gem of a book, perfect for fans of Clare Pooley and Sara Nisha Adams. A recommended purchose for collections where WF is popular.

Cute and I enjoyed my time reading! I love an easy to read story and this is perfect! Thank you to netgalley and the publisher for the chance to read this book early!

I ADORED this story! It was such a good debut and a fun story about adventure and growth. It was a quick, light hearted read for me and I really enjoyed it.

I was not sure at first then wow. Lydia was a great character . I loved the bucket list without giving too much away. It was set in the north east and I knew so many of the places. The Polish mum was great, good ears. I loved Jake and we got an ace ending. Much enjoyed. Read it

I fell in love with this story. It was so well written that you will get lost in the pages. The characters were amazing and played well off each other,

Thank you NetGalley and the Publisher for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This was such a fun book full of adventure and personal growth. Lydia is blind-sighted by husband's request for a divorce and struggles to find her path as a single woman. Crippled by insecurity, she looks for answers in a discarded "Bucket List" for someone named, Lily Bennett. Lydia feels that if she pushes herself outside of her comfort zone, then maybe she'll win her ex back and become the adventurous and exciting person she believes he wants.

Through a dating app, Lydia finds meets a new adventurous "friend" to do the Bucket List with her. As she completes the list, she starts to question her feelings for her "friend", Jake, while her personal growth helps her realize her worth and what she deserves in a relationship. Perhaps her ex isn't the perfect man after all? However, Jake thinks she's Lily Bennett and not Lydia. Thinking it would be a temporary friendship, she doesn't correct him. What could possibly go wrong?

You'll enjoy the adventure, the ups and downs and the friends to lovers trope in this cute rom-com!

This is such a lovely, feel good, journey of a book about discovering who you are, discovering what you want out of life and discovering your purpose. It's about finding yourself again, learning to love yourself again. Lydia is such a loveable character and the book is so feel good and uplifting.

I just love books like this. They are fun, uplifting, a voyage of discovery. They are just down-right good reads.

I love Lydia Grey and what she does when she finds Lily's bucket list. What would you do in this same situation?
This is the feel good novel everyone needs to read. It really does make you think about life and adventure even. And there is plenty of adventure in this book.

Charming, fun, great characters, so real you can imagine this happening in your life! Light-hearted, adventurous and humourous. I need to buy this one for my mum and my sister as I think they would love it too.

Loved. This. So. Much. In. Every. Way.

Lydia Grey is almost 40, going through a divorce and living with her parents. She still loves her husband and wants him back (he’s dating again). The list (I won’t give anything away there) is her key to becoming more adventurous and exciting to entice him back.

She enlists a Bucket Buddy (Jake) from her dating app (friends only, of course) to keep her on track and encouraged during this journey. As they work their way through the nine items on the list, she (with the love and support of her daughter and their extended hilarious family) begins to see that she has allowed herself to become “grey”, taking a backseat to life (and her husband). As Jake helps her accomplish her goals and find her misplaced self, he also shows her that she doesn’t have to be perfect, just be herself. And they both begin some self-healing (Jake also has some issues), both alone and apart from each other.

This was so wonderful! The adventures on the bucket list were laugh-out-loud funny (but also endearing). The characters were quirky, original and just plain lovable (special shout out to Lydia’s family!). And to top it off, there was some serious chemistry going on as well (never hurts!). :)

This book is one of those rare gems that you feel so lucky and tickled to discover. Highly recommended.

*On a side note, I read this in one sitting, which I never do.

My thanks to the author, NetGalley and One More Chapter for providing me the free early arc for review. The opinions are strictly my own.

Thank you so much to HarperCollins UK, One More Chapter, Katherine Dyson and NetGalley for granting me an ARC for 'Lily Bennett’s Bucket List'
Overall rating: ⭐⭐⭐.5

I wanted to like this book so bad, it had all the right ingredients for an amazing feel-good finding yourself love story, but it just didn't meet the mark for me.
I will say that by no means am I the perfect person with incredibly high morals (I mean who is?? 👀) but, the fact that Lydia or should I say Lily, let the lie about her name go on for so long, frankly had me feeling annoyed and left a sour taste in my mouth. I get that the whole moral of the story is that she found who she was, and that she didnt need to use a fake name to achieve that, but this whole plot point could have been left out entirely in my opinion. I also refuse to believe an almost 40 year old woman could be that clueless and naive about her marriage. But also, Adam was a real piece of work, which I'm truly glad she figured out in the end.
Jake was a super fun, interesting and charming love interest who really brought out the best in her and the ending was truly satisfying as endings go.
I'd recommend this book for a light, fun, feel-good (kinda?) read, if you can get over the lying.

Included in this book:
- Fake dating
- Coming of age / Finding yourself
- Alcohol/drunk driver mentions
- Clean romance with implied sexual scenes

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/4842190603
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/p/CgZPnmhP6ZY/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link

Oh my god I don’t know if I could’ve loved this more. An absolute feel-good novel with characters that are real and flawed, who GROW and love each other and support each other and urgh I just want to give this book a big hug. There were so many high points of this book - the writing was excellent, the characters were fantastic, their dynamics were believable and their dialogue was as well, the plot was interesting and not something I’d read before, and though predictable, I enjoyed every second of it.

HIGHLY recommend this. Will be paying $$ to buy this when it comes out, and will also be buying it for my mom! Thank you to NetGalley, HarperCollins, and One More Chapter for the delightful e-ARC in exchange for my honest review.

5/5 stars.

Thank you to NetGalley and HarperCollins for the Arc! I really enjoyed this book! I was drawn to it based off the description and I’m happy to have taken a chance on it! Lydia really grew as a character and I loved her development. I absolutely adore her interactions with her family, and I also really loved that she had a mix of her blood family and found family. It was such a cute and fun read! Lydia’s developing relationship with Jake was fun to see and I liked the direction Katherine went with them. This book was cute, lighthearted and funny and an easy read. Perfect for anyone that enjoys themes of found family, romance, adventure and friendship.

Lydia has just gone through a divorce and after running into her ex husband after a terrible one night stand she finds Lily Bennett's bucket list in the bottom of her trolley and decides to finish the bucket list. She needs someone to accomplish the list with so she finds someone on a dating app to help her. What could go wrong when she never tells him her name is actually Lydia?

This was a quick, witty read and I would tell my friends to read it!

Thank you to netgalley and the publisher for this arc!

Lydia Grey is doing the walk of shame after a disastrous night back on the dating circus. Stopping off for supplies at a local supermarket she bumps into her ex-husband with the new girlfriend. This just makes her feel worse. However, as she retrieves her shopping she notices something in her trolley. Its Lily Bennett's BUcket list. She has no idea who this woman is or why she would want to try ten new things. like climbing a mountain or going on rollercoasters.
She also makes a new friend Jake. Together they embark on the list. However, he thinks she is Lilly not Lydia. Will the truth rip apart their new friendship. This is a light hearting book with smiles included.
Many thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the opportunity to see an ARC

A lovely book - great for a holiday read. Really well written characters and it was lovely watching them evolve. Highly recommended.

What would Lily Bennet do? Following a bucket list and all the adventures and twists and turns along the way make this book a romance novel with a difference. Absolutely brilliant and perfect for a summer beach read or a cosy autumn sit by the fire read.

A really lovely read. Lydia's life is not going well after her husband of twenty years leaves her and she moves back in with her parents,,after she sees him with his new girlfriend she is naturally upset but after finding a bucket list in the bottom of a supermarket trolley she decides to step out of her comfort zone and complete Lily's list.The story is full of humour as she works her way through the list especially as she finds a fine Male friend to join her. Can she get over her husband's betrayal and win him back or will she eventually get over him and find a new love its really fun finding out,

*I received a copy of this book on NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for this opportunity*

Lydia Grey is stuck. At almost forty, she's stuck in a seperation from her husband. She's stuck living with her parents. She's stuck in a job she hates. She's stuck going on awful date after awful date. When she finds Lily Benentt's bucket list in the bottom of her shopping cart-- she figures she doesn't have a lot to lose. So Lydia becomes Lily (at least to the knowledge of her handsome new Bucket-List buddy), and tries to become someone ... if not better, then different.

A delightful rom-com inspired novel, this book is equal parts romance and self-growth-- a balance not always acheived. There's humor, romance, bromance, heartache, and laughter. And who knows, LILY BENNETT"S BUCKET LIST may just inspire you to make a bucket list of your own!