This novel was more about four wonderfully close friends than a romance novel. Tricia is pregnant and there are two possible fathers, neither of whom seems like any great prize. But her three girlfriends are helping her and are ready to drop everything any time she needs them. She has also met Scott, a great too-goood-to-be-true guy, on a plane who just happens to live close by and who pops up to be wonderfully supportive. Tricia has problems with depression and dealing with a cold, loveless childhood taking care of her manic-depressive mother. She’s prickly and doesn’t let people in or let them help her. She has a lot going on which makes it hard to believe that her friends love her so much and that Scott would instantly fall for her, but it’s a romance novel so we just have to accept this. I ended up really enjoying the book. It wasn’t what I was expecting from the cover and description. I expected a lot more drama about which guy was the father, but that turned out to be rather minor compared to Tricia having to come to terms with who she is and learning to open up.

I voluntarily reviewed an advanced reader copy of this book that I received from Netgalley; however, the opinions are my own and I did not receive any compensation for my review.

A Bump Year was such a fun read!!! Reminded me a lot of my recent pregnancy.

I fell in love with the main character Trish and the stranger she met on the plane named Scott.

Trish friends are the best friends ever. Supportive and fun. They always have your back. Everyone needs friends like hers.

If your looking for a fast paced witty romcom this is the book for you!! I didn’t realize there is a book before A Bump Year that follows Trish friend Emma. I bought it this morning and can’t wait for it to arrive. Olivia Spooner is my new auto buy Author!!

Follow me @heathersbookaddiction to see my full review on pub day June 16!!

I absolutely loved this! The storyline was exciting, and I just loved the friendship group. I didn’t realise this was a 2nd book and haven’t read the first. You don’t need to have read the first to enjoy this one!

Trish used to have everything together. But now, she finds herself pregnant with two possible fathers for her baby. When a chance encounter on an airplane puts another man in the mix, Trish will have to discover what she truly wants and who she wants to be.

I liked this book (3 stars is a liked in my book). I enjoyed Trish's journey to motherhood. I loved the relationship between Trish and her friends - they were so supportive of each other. I also appreciated the book's frank look at mental illness (specifically depression). It was deeply moving and I appreciated that this book was willing to explore that more.

I appreciated the lighthearted romance (no spice in case that is a need for folks) but really this was a book about a woman figuring out who she really wants to be after the ultimate curveball. Would definitely read another book by this author.

Thank you so much for allowing me to read and review your titles. I really not the opportunity!


I do appreciate it and continue to review books that I get the chance to read.
Thanks again!

Trisha is pregnant and has narrowed down the father to 2 choices. She doesn’t really want either of them to be the father and k planning to raise the baby on her own, having come from a family with major issues, she is ready to be the best mom she can be. She has a phenomenal group of friends to support her and somewhere along the way she might even meet Mr, Right,

I really enjoyed this little romance, it was a cute, quick read. The characters were fun and entertaining!

2.5 stars.

I was suckered into the cute cover and the description really intrigued me. However the novel struggled to find it's path and it felt like everything was thrown into the plot. I wasn't sure if this was suppose to be about a romance, self discovery or repairing family relationships.

I wasn't a fan of the main character, Trish. I did like that she was independent and from the beginning was ready to raise her baby on her own. I also really liked her female friendships and loved how they were all there for each other. There were a lot of times where I struggled to like Trish. She had a very strong view on body image, both hers and other women's, that I didn't agree with.

Thank you to Netgallery and Head of Zeus, Aria for an ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Thanks to Net Galley for making this arc available for an honest review!

I genuinely enjoy reading romance novels, and everything typically works out in the end.

In this romance novel, the pregnant woman, Trish is single and doesn't know who the father of her baby is, but another guy steps into her life, who she meets on a business trip. This leaves her wondering if the feelings she starts to develop are real or are they because of her hormones? Who knows?
Trish takes a DNA to discover who the baby of her child is and this novel describes the struggle of doing so and the expectations the father says they will/or will not do. But the real question is, will the real father choose to remain in the baby's life?

This book touches on the struggles a single woman goes through to bring a child into this world on her own but also her own mental illness that she has been living with her whole life, despite being used to being the woman in control. But does it all unravel?

I really enjoyed how Trish's past was portrayed in this book w

I was expecting a cute and funny rom-com but what I got was an emotional story that captured my attention. From the cover to the blurb this book had the potential to be an entertaining romantic comedy. But the romance let me down. Instead, I found a book about overcoming trauma and the importance of relationships. I went back and forth between 3 and 4. I settled on 3.5. It was a strong book, well-paced, and one that I easily read without ever getting bored. I did feel like the ending was a little to rushed.

At first, I wasn't sure I'd like Trish. She came across as selfish, and too focused on disliking her large breasts. I soon realized that there was more to her and I began to connect with her.

Let's talk about the friend group, they were the absolute best. I was excited to discover that her friend Emma has her own book, A Way Back to Happy….I loved the characters so much that I can't wait to read.

So there was an attempt at romance. During a work trip to Tokyo, Trish meets Scott. Let's just say that he was total book boyfriend material. I honestly, got a little frustrated that this wasn't played out more. They did kiss a few times, but no real spice. Oh yeah, there were the two potentially baby daddies….the jerk and I'm not even sure about the co-worker. I have no words to describe him….I think Trish felt the same way. He was just blah!

I feel like I'm being harsh because I did enjoy this book. I would recommend it to those who like character-driven stories about self-discovery. The book also addresses mental health and the ups and downs that come along with a possible diagnosis. I do recommend it, but don't expect a rom-com.

Usually, when I pick up a book, I don't really care about reading the blurb. I like to be surprised. However, when a book is marketed as a romance, and the words 'pregnant, single, dating' are on the cover, I expect romance to be the main storyline. So it slightly disappointed me in that area.

Don't get me wrong, I still enjoyed reading this book. It's written quite nice, and I rooted for Trish as I do for a lot of characters. I love the support system she's found in her friends as well as her intriguing backstory.

📚BOOK REVIEW📚

A Bumpy Year

Genre: Romance
Format: ebook
Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Pub date: June 16, 2022

Thank you to Netgallery for giving me a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Favorite Quote from the Book:

"What did you think was growing in her belly for the past few months?" asks Lily. "A bloody tapeworm?"

Synopsis One Liner

A pregnancy, 2 potential dads, and a romance on the way!

Thoughts

A Bumpy Year is one of the most heartfelt and funny romances I have read this year. Not so much a full fledged romance but more so a story of friendship, change, family even if it isn't blood, and a sprinkle of romance.

Olivia Spooner, author of A Way Bank to Happy, writes a fluffy, lighthearted book about Trish and her 3 friends, Emma, Lilly, and Mags as they journey through Trish's pregnancy with 2 potential father's and a romance kindling at a Japanese Wedding. Mrs. Spooner's characters are so loveable yet compelling at the same time. The banter is so funny to read and my husband gave me 4 eyes when I was laughing at my kindle. As a reader, you get so investing into all of their stories even though the book focuses on Trish's story. *Please write books for Lilly and Mags!*

The love interest between Scott and Trish was really believable and I appreciated that it wasn't the entirety of the book because we experience Trish's journey through pregnancy. I was very excited that the book touched on post partum depression and depression in general as part of the storyline. It was nice for me to relate with Trish in that way because I deal with depression and anxiety everyday.


Everyone needs to read this book for another smile to their day and pip in their step! Can't wait to read more from Mrs. Spooner! Also, would love to see this as a movie!

@alexlivesathousandlives on Instagram for more book reviews!

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the ARC!
It's a bit messy (at least to me) but I'm glad I finished this book!
Rating : 3 out of 5

Blurbs :
Pregnant. Single. Dating. It's going to be... a bumpy year!

Trish Kirkpatrick never expected to find herself unmarried, pregnant... and not entirely sure who the baby's father is.

With her ex, Pete, and her colleague, Elliot, in line for daddy duty while waiting on the DNA results, Trish finds her complicated world getting even more chaotic when a meet-cute on a plane to Tokyo with gorgeous architect Scott sparks a new flame.

Now, as her bump grows so do Trish's troubles. Between family issues reappearing on her doorstep and the delivery date fast approaching, Trish will need to make up her mind not only on who she wants to be but who she wants to become.

This was a quick read. It was deeper than I thought it would be based on the cute cover and the description. Trish is going through some things this year to say the least.
She is pregnant and unsure who the father is, she is dealing with her body changing and her mental health.
Trish is learning that it is ok to rely on your friends and family. Something she has not been able to do her whole life.
Now throw an attractive stranger she met on a flight to Tokyo while pregnant into the mix.
Scott is kind, smells of lavender and knits and has thought about Trish everyday since they met.

I was hoping for a little more romance through out the book, but overall I enjoyed the read.

I wouldn't say this was a romance, more like a story focused on friendship and family with the romantic interest in the background.
The story takes you through the trials and tribulations of an unplanned pregnancy, focusing on reals issues that many mothers may think but never say aloud.
I loved the friendship between the MC and her friends, that was my favourite part of the book.

I really liked this book! I not only loved the relationships Trish had with her friends, but also how it's okay to have mental health issues after having a child. I wish Trish and Scott would have gotten together way earlier in the book, because I loved Scott! I would recommend this book to anyone who likes a fast romance.

This was a cute rom-com read, with less romance than I expected. I definitely liked it, but I feel like there are a few things that could be altered to make this a 5 star read. I really debated between rating this 3 or 4 stars, but because of the aspect of friendship, I decided on 4.

Things I enjoyed:
Trish has a really amazing support system. I loved reading about her friendships. The plot is truly interesting. I was drawn to this book based on the unique plot. The plot helped me read this fairly quickly because I was excited to see where it would lead us. The approach to the male characters is different than others that are popular right now.

Things I didn't enjoy:
I felt really lost at times. I felt like there were parts that could have been explained better with more details. I feel like Trish's character was really hard (borderline too hard) on herself and her body image, and that could potentially be triggering. The ending was a bit of a letdown, too.

Thank you to NetGalley for allowing me the chance to read this in exchange for an honest review.

Trish Kirkpatrick is single, pregnant and isn't 100% sure who the father is. She's managed to narrow it down to her ex Pete or one night stand from the office Elliot.
While taking a work trip to Tokyo she meets handsome stranger Scott on the plane and sparks fly. But with her growing bump, family issues and mental health issues Trish needs to figure out what she wants from life.

In the beginning of this Trish is a very unlikeable character all she speaks about is her appearance or other women's. From going on about her large breasts to other women being flat chested and she expects every man to fall all over her. She constantly speaks about people checking her out and it gets a bit tedious.

The mental health aspects of this were written well if very brief. The friendship dynamic was very well done too. I wouldn't say this was a romance it's more about Trish navigating her pregnancy and how her life is changing so keep that in mind when picking this up.

Thankyou to netgalley and Head of Zeus for the advanced copy.

Reminded me of Bridget Jones's baby a bit. Slow burn. Cute book, some parts were hard to get through with undertones of fatphobia

Trish is single, pregnant, and unsure who the father is. Her love life gets even more complicated when she has a chance encounter with a man on a plane.

I found Trish to be a very relatable main character, and enjoyed seeing her process what was going on in her life. However, most of the book unfortunately fell flat for me. The beginning was a bit slow, and I wasn't particularly enticed to continue picking up the book.

I think this book would be great for those who enjoy more slow-burn plots with a lot of character development.

*3.5 stars*

Ok I enjoyed this story, just not the ending. I think it was too much of a cut-off ending, and I wish we got an epilogue or even a bit more of the story that shows us Scott and Trish’s life together.

I love the short chapters, they kept me really engaged, but I don’t think this book should be labelled as a romance book. Yes, there was ‘romance’ between characters, but the main focus of the book was about Trish’s pregnancy and not the romance between the characters.