Thank you to NetGalley UK and Penguin for providing me with an e-ARC in exchange for a review.

4⭐️

I was pleasantly surprised by this book! I enjoyed [book:Set on You|58784485], and gave it 3.5 stars, but I ended up enjoying Tara's book even more. I really enjoyed her character - she was funny and relatable in a way that didn't feel forced.

Her banter with Trevor was so entertaining and I loved their slow burn, roommates to friends to lovers progression. He was a great (if slightly too perfect to be true) love interest, and I had no trouble rooting for them. I've seen some reviews that point out that the single POV makes it a little hard to pick up on Trevor's feelings because his actions are so understated and I do agree. While I was reading, I <I>did</I> manage to pick up on Trevor's micro-signals that signalled his growing feelings towards Tara, which I do think were consistent with his character. So, a look into his head with a Trevor POV would have definitely enhanced the story, I think.

Due to the slow burn, the ending did feel a little quick. I would have liked to see more of their actual <I>relationship</I> blossoming, particularly because of their completely opposite energies, it would have been nice to see how they started to make their relationship work.

Overall, I really enjoyed Exes and O's! A light and fun, sweet and spicy romance - was a perfect way for me to wind down and relax. I felt it was stronger than the last book, and only makes me more excited to read the next one - definitely looking forward to Mel's story!

A perfectly lovely romance which was let down mostly by its single perspective. What I wouldn’t give to read this story with Trevor’s side of the story too.
What’s your Number? Is one of my favourite underrated Rom-coms so I was really excited for this one, but I feel like the interactions with the exes were lacklustre and despite us all knowing the inevitable outcome we were racing towards it felt almost abrupt when Tara and Trevor finally got together. I think this is where it would have been nice to know what Trevor was thinking in the run up. Also what happened to Gabby? The side characters weren’t fleshed out at all and some just seemed to fall away quickly.
That being said I didn’t hate Exes and Ohs, I just wanted it to be more.

Amy Lea is quickly becoming an auto-buy author for me! I loved Set on You and Exes and O’s did not disappoint. It’s an addictive, fast paced, forced proximity romance with the perfect sprinkling of spice ✨

Tara is an avid romance reader (and bookstagrammer!) who has unfortunately had her fair share of heartbreak. She moves in to a new flat share and cue the most embarrassing first meeting for both parties that had me laughing out loud…

What I Loved:
✨fast-paced
✨humorous
✨forced proximity trope
✨the chemistry between Tara & Trevor
✨Tara’s a Bookstagrammer!
✨loveable main characters

Such a new and refreshing take on a romance novel, that I wholeheartedly recommend 🫶🏼

I feel so lucky to have been given the opportunity to read this book early. After reading Set on You, I had ridiculously high expectations for this one, and honestly? .... SHE HAS NOT DISAPPOINTED.

The slow build, the humour, the emotions, the character progression, it all came together into a beautiful romance dream.

It took me less than a day to reas this book, because I just couldn't put it down. If you're looking for a slow burn, roommates, romantic comedy, then this is the one for you.

I really loved this book. Tara was just the most joyful character to read - she’s funny, loud, brave and she has a real vulnerability to her. She’s not afraid to open her heart and open herself up to people, despite the fact she’s been hurt a lot. I related to her in a lot of ways.

The build up between her and Trevor was perfection, honestly. I enjoyed reading how comfortable they were around each other and loved all the little moments that made their relationship feel special - the in-jokes they shared and the routines they found themselves falling into. His personality balanced hers so well, and the moment where he swoops in on her date to save her from being stood up just melted my heart entirely. I was honestly squealing at my kindle and I loved it.

Big, huge rec from me if you want something with a boatload of feel-good feelings!!

This is my first Amy Lea book and I absolutely loved it! Its an easy and fun read. I can relate to Tara the main character and how she loves love and books. The characters were beautiful and their journey together was great to be part of. The love story in this is very emotional and a fantastic journey of self discovery.

The book is very relatable, funny, emotional but most importantly I felt like I escaped and became part of this story.

To all my romance book obsessed girlies: Tara is us. We are Tara.

This has knocked Emily Henry's Book Lovers off the no.1 spot for my all-time favourite romance book. From the first page, I was laughing due to the sheer relatability of Tara and her love for all things books and love-related. The bookstagram aspect of the narrative was so clever within a social media generation of book lovers and I was agreeing with everything Tara, and her followers, said throughout concerning romance tropes, men, and Trevor.

Trevor gave me Eddie from the TV show, 9-1-1, vibes and I was absolutely LIVING for it. Trevor and Tara are the ultimate depiction of grumpy boy and sunshine girl, but in such a realistic and ambiguous way. Their interactions – verbal and physical – just screamed soulmates and being a part of their journey felt so heart-warming, emotional, and left me happy. Everything about it was perfect – I mean, except Seth.

If I could give it more than 5 stars, I would!

Really enjoyed this fun and easy read!

Tara’s inner monologue was hilarious and so relatable and I loved the contrast between her personality and Trevor’s.

I’m looking forward to Mel’s book next!

This was absolutely amazing! It had all of my favourite tropes, it was filled with banter and steam!

The MCs have such a great chemistry and I'm happy to of read their story! Will definitely read more of the authors other books!

A fun, easy romance following Tara’s dating woes and search for love amongst her (sometimes deplorable) exes. By her side, is her new roommate Trevor, a firefighter with baggage - and one Tara met in unexpected and embarrassing circumstances.

It was good fun watching their relationship develop as Tara encouraged Trevor to open up to her more and become a little less grizzly. Tara is very hard not to love - A perky, romance fiction addict and influencer who has bounced back from heartbreak without letting it defeat her belief in love.

I would have loved a little more chemistry between the main characters, and perhaps a bit more from their friends and family who were introduced, but this has some classic tropes for any romance reader, including forced proximity, he fell first and sunshine vs grump. And what kind of book lover doesn’t want someone to sit and read with on the sofa in an evening? Clearly, these two have hit the jackpot.

This was such a fluffy, sexy, adorable romance. I'm a real sucker for forced proximity so the room mates to lovers vibe really worked for me and I enjoyed the way that friendship developed first, and romance second. That slow burn was delightful to read and really gave a chance to fall in love with the characters as they fell for each other. Just a delightful heartwarming read.

And I'm super excited to hear that Amy Lea is writing Mel's story next!

A great fun and heartwarming read - perfect for escaping into this winter. Loved how Tara and Trevor’s relationship developed from quite an explosive start, not exactly a meet-cute to tell the grandchildren about! Loved all the romance trope in-jokes too, I mean books about books are just the best aren’t they? PS if anyone has Grandma Flo’s contact details please send them my way - she sounds a riot!

Exes & O’s by @amyleabooks

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Thanks to @netgalley & @penguinukbooks for the ARC

Forced Proximity
Friends to Lovers
Slow Burn
Grumpy x Sunshine
Opposites Attract

This is Amy Lea’s second book release, following on from Set on You, Exe’s & O’s is set in the same world following Crystal’s sister Tara’s story.

Tara Chen is a nurse and bookstagrammer looking to create her own romance story.

Opting to go down the second chance romance trope she decides to reconnect with her exes.

Moving in with her sister’s fiancé’s best friend, Trevor, he reluctantly becomes her sidekick on her mission.

The more time they spend together closed off Trevor starts to open up to Tara, but will he realise his true feeling for her and let them be known before she finds a second chance romance in her exes list?

After loving the first book Set on You I couldn’t wait to read this! This is such an easy relatable read and I enjoyed seeing more of Tara and Trevor after their appearances in the first book.

The book releases in January 2023 and if you have not already read Set on You I recommend checking it out.

4.5⭑

Tropes;
Guy Falls First
Friends to Lovers
Reformed Player
Roommates to Lovers
Single POV

This was sooooo good and another great friends to lovers romance. This had a early 2000s rom-com vibe to it and there were some genuine laugh out loud moments for me.

If you like the movie “what’s your number?” with Chris Evans then you will LOVE this book. It has a similar plot; the heroine is contacting all her old ex boyfriends to see if there is perhaps a second chance at romance and the hero helps her with this.

This was such a wonderful romance and honestly my favourite part was definitely the friends to lovers aspect of it. It was so fun seeing their friendship develop from something light hearted to a serious and genuine friendship. And the slow burn of their romantic relationship?? TO DIE FOR and perfectly executed😮‍💨

I also loved seeing the small appearances from Crystal and Scott from Set On You.

Such a fun romance and one I 100% recommend.

My first read by Amy Lea. Thank you for the opportunity to review.
I enjoyed Exes and O's.
Light and plenty of laughs.

EXES AND O'S

🏠 Second part of the series "The Influencer" (The first book is Set on you) They can be read independently, but I advise reading them in order
🏠 Book to be published on January 3 in English 🇬🇧
🏠 Tara is a nurse and bookstagrammer. Trevor is a firefighter
🏠 Cliché roommates and super slow burn romance 🔥
🏠 Romantic comedy. There are several scenes that will make you smile
🏠 That the couple from the first book and Grandma Flo reappear is a success 👌
🏠 It reads super fast and is very entertaining. Also, the second half of the book is tremendously addictive.
🏠 This series of books have become my favorite romantic comedies because in addition to the love story they always bring a message with an important meaning in their stories 👏
🏠 I loved the story of Tara and Trevor 💗

✅ Score: 10/10

Exes & O's by Amy Lea is a sweet rom-com about a book-obsessed social media influencer's quest at finding her 'second chance love'.

Tara is actually the sister of the Crystal, the MC of Lea's previous book, Set on You. There's some crossover in terms of characters, however, it can definitely be enjoyed as a standalone.

Tara is the 'dumpee'. She has been dumped by 10 different men, 10 separate times. Her ex-fiancé savagely labeled her as a "stage-five clinger” and it's obvious from the start that her confidence has taken a serious blow as a result. As an avid romance reader, Tara decides it time to secure her very own trope-worthy second-chance romance by revisiting all her ex-boyfriends. With the help of her new, devastating handsome tattooed commitment-phobe flatmate (yes, we all know where this is heading) she manages to track them all down in the hope they'll reconnect and that she'll finally find her happily ever after.

I loved the playful way this book poked fun at romance clichés and tropes whilst fully embracing them. There were a lot of laugh-out-loud moments and pop culture references that made my book-obsessed millennial heart burst with joy. However, even though I found the inner monologue of our 'adorkable' MC strangely relatable, I also found her a little neurotic and shallow.

Whilst I adored the two-fingers Lea gave to the whole concept of "crazy ex-girlfriends" and the misogyny it's clearly wrapped in, I found Tara's obsession to find a man in order to achieve happiness slightly cringeworthy. Also, yes, she likes books but this quirk become one of her only personality traits. Her family, friends and work were totally glossed over and I really would have appreciated more time to figure out who Tara is instead on focusing solely on her quest to find a man.

Even though I found myself wishing Tara would embrace her own awesomeness and sexuality, Exes & O's was a cute, fun, yet slightly predictable read that I'd definitely recommend to any of my fellow Booktok obsessed romance-readers.

Tara Chen just wants her own happy ending like the heroines in all the romance novels she reads. But thanks to modern conveniences and dating apps, the meet-cute style romance she longs for no longer exists. Determined to find the one, she decides to follow in her Grandmothers footsteps and look into her dating past. Dragging her roommate, Trevor, into her master plan, Tara whittles down her past lovers to try and find 'the one,' but the more time she spends with them, the more she realises why, exactly, they broke up. Dismayed, Tara feels like she will forever be the side character in her own life, but sometimes romance crops up in the unlikeliest of places and if she wants to claim her 'happily ever after' she might have to look a little closer to home.

Having read Set on You by Amy Lea last year and loving it, I was so happy when the publisher offered me the chance to read an early copy of her new novel. Set around the same bunch of characters, Exes and O's follows Tara, the younger sister of Crystal who was the MC in the first book. After being dumped by her fiance she needs a new look on life, and she quickly finds that when moving into her new apartment and being greeted by her new roommate who is completely naked. An avid romance reader and blogger, Tara knows this is about as far away from a meet-cute as you could get but, Trevor, her roommate, is also as far away from boyfriend material as you could get so she doesn't really mind. She is full on in most ways of her life, something she owns and doesn't shy away from, but she is also someone so incredibly desperate to be loved and have someone to spend her time with. She truly grows as a character in this story & I enjoyed following her on her journey.

Trevor is the love interest in this story and it someone who, at the start, is so unbelievably far away from boyfriend material. He spends his nights with one night stands, never being willing to settle down, but the more time Tara spends with him, breaking down his walls, the more we realise his reasoning, and you can't help but empathise and fall a little in love with him. There are also a lot of cameo's from characters in the first book, but my favourite by a country mile was Grandma Flo. I adored her in book one, and the more time we spend with her, the more in love I fall. She is your stereotypical Grandma in so many ways, never afraid to ask the awkward questions, stick her opinions in where they're not wanted/needed, but she's also an incredibly wing woman and I loved all the scenes she was in.

I think one of the reasons I loved the book a little more than the first was the fact that Tara was a book influencer, something I could relate to. She reads and adores romance novels and would love nothing more than to fall in love like one of the heroines in her novels... the smuttier the better. But what I loved was how Lea included little snippets from Tara's streams which she uses to include some much loved tropes from the romance genre, as well as showing how these apply to Tara's romantic exploits. She also shows how unrealistic some of them are and how wanting things to fit a certain mould can leave you with blinders to those things right in front of you.

The romance in this book was so incredibly well done. Slow burn, forced proximity, idiots in love... what more could you want. Both Tara and Trevor are a little damaged from past relationships and, while Tara just jumps right back in determined to find her Mr right, Trevor does the opposite and swears off relationships entirely. They are two very different people, and I enjoyed how Lea showed this and, instead of having one personality take over the other, allowed them the chance to express themselves and learn how to work as they are. Their relationship is filled with tension, drama as well as some truly humorous scenes, their first meeting had me in stitches, but it was such a joy to follow them on their journey and seeing them finally come together.

I truly loved this book. It was fun, fast and filled with some brilliantly written characters you will adore. If you're looking for a wondrously slow burn romance filled with all the tension, a little drama and plenty of laughs then look no further and, while this does follow on from the first book 'Set on You' you don't need to have read it to fully appreciate this book (although you should because it's brilliant.)

i was super fortunate to receive an ARC of this from netgalley for an honest review!!

i loved it!! trevor?! every girls wet dream i swear! the first time him and tara meet?! actually incredible! i found it so funny and couldn’t stop laughing!

i loved tara and her character. i felt for her throughout the book but this GIRL was BLIND when it came to her mr right?!

10/10 would recommend

I was very kindly sent a copy of this by Penguin in return for an honest review.

Amy Lea really knows how to write a mature but well-rounded, sweet, funny, and utterly romantic read. Plus it's a book built around everyone's favorite trope in itself... The Book Boyfriend.

I really enjoyed Lea's inclusion of the pros and cons of social media in both this book and 'Set on You' and that the relationships built through and around it aren't dictated through image or standards.

My favorite character by far was Grandma Flo, who is the most socially in-tune retiree I've ever encountered! But honestly, the roommates-to-lovers trope in real life was handled really well and Tara and Trevors developed a friendship, and then romantic attraction was really sweet. Plus the most unique if not bizarre first meeting of roommates I think I've ever read!

A lovely read for all of those who dream of meeting a person like their favorite romantic book interest in real life.