My second book by Heidi Stephens and another 5 starer just like her first book I read!

When the nations darling, Daisy Crawford, a much loved presenter of Spotlight, the biggest talent show on TV, and fiancée to Christian Walker, a former professional tennis player, suffers a very embarrassing mishap with her dress at the NTA’s, showing much more of herself than what is decent, she needs to keep a low profile and so escapes to her ex- husbands cottage in Shipton Combe in the Cotswolds. It’s the perfect place for Daisy to hole up and let the news of her bearing all die down. What Daisy didn’t expect was to fall in love with the little rural village of Shipton Combe and get such a warm welcome from all the locals, bar one, Tom, the grumpy local school headmaster. Daisy soon makes friends with many of the locals once they see that she is as down to earth in real life as she is when she is on their televisions. She eventually finds out the heartbreaking reason why Tom seems to dislike her so much from one of the locals and it suddenly makes a lot of sense. However, in such a small village and having the same friends neither Tom or Daisy can keep away from each other and Tom’s dislike soon starts to wan. Daisy finds herself getting involved with a lot of the village’s events and starts to question her glamourised television prior life, to the fulfilling and gentle way of village life, and equally her engagement to Christian, who she finds out has been sleeping around behind her back. Daisy has difficult decisions to make, not only about Shipton Combe and Christian, but also about Tom, the grumpy headmaster who isn’t so grumpy after all. Will Shipton Combe and Tom manage to keep Daisy permanently or once the furore of “The Incident” has died down, will she go straight back to her old television life in London with Christians engagement ring still on her finger?!

Another brilliant 5 star read from the very talented Heidi Stephens! I adored Daisy from the very first page and felt that the way she conducted herself after “The Incident” was so very admirable, she was such an amazingly strong lady especially with the double blow of finding out Christian had been cheating on her as well. I laughed out loud at about 14% into the story and by 22% I was in the territory of “just one more chapter” when life was getting in the way of my reading! I also really liked the characters of Katie (Daisy’s manager) and also Justin, he was such a funny character! Nearing the end of the book one of the characters had been feeding stories about Daisy to the press and I really was so involved with the story I didn’t want to find out who the “mole” was as I liked all the characters. Thankfully once Daisy found out who it was and why they did it, she found it easy to forgive the person in question. Honestly, I didn’t want to finish this book so found myself reading a lot slower than normal as I got near the end, I just wanted to stay in Shipton Combe forever! I really don’t know how Heidi Stephens does it, but I always feel so good when I am reading her books, and they are the perfect escape from real life.

Overall, another smashing rom com book from Heidi Stephens and a really worthy rating of 5 stars. I can’t wait to read another book by her. Highly, highly recommend this one!

Thank you to NetGalley, Heidi Stephens and Headline Publishing Group for my advanced reading copy. Out now.

Oh I loved this much more than I thought I would. Really enjoyed reading how daisy re found herself after being on TV for 25 years, in the last place she would expected to

Another good read
Perfect book to curl up with and to get lost in
Will have you hooked from the first page
Thanks NetGalley

I really enjoyed the small town setting of this book, I love small town cosy romances. There was also fantastic chemistry between Tom and Daisy which made this an enjoyable read. It's a lovely closed door read perfect for wintry nights.

"The Only Way is Up" by Heidi Stephens is a light, fluffy rom-com about finding what truly makes you happy in the least likely place. This cute, fluffy romcom is focused on finding what makes you happiest in life.

I adored most of the characters in this book, especially the main character Daisy, a television star who sees herself retreating to a small community in the Cotswolds to cool down and lay low after an unfortunate scandal befalls her. She is such a great character with a terrific character arc. I also loved Daisy's maybe-possibly love interest Tom, the sweetest, ooiest-gooiest cinnamon roll hero you ever did see, and her lovable but slightly snarky daughter Ruby.

As much as I hated Christian, Daisy's smarmy, sex-obsessed boyfriend, Stephens writes him so well that I just really liked to hate him. One minor critique is that there are quite a few secondary characters, and my brain's wires kept getting some of them mixed up over time. Overall, this is a detailed, mostly fun, well-written-but-slightly-overlong, sweet story with some good banter.

Thank you to NetGalley for providing me with an ARC copy of this book! All opinions are my own, and I was not compensated for my review. Overall, this was a fun read and I will definitely be picking up more from this incredible author.

Life could not get any worse for Daisy. This causes Daisy to go out into the country and stay out of the limelight for a while. During this time, she is able to connect with her mother, daughter, and the people in the village.

What this book has:
~Small Town
~Found Family
~Vacation
~Slow Burn
~Mr. Fix It

There were a couple of grammatical and spelling errors but overall this story was pretty great.

Read and reviewed in exchange for a free copy from NetGalley. This was an enjoyable read. I was invested in the characters and the story.

This is another absolute gem from @heidistephens
I have literally laughed throughout and instantly fell in love with the characters.

I have been transported by the writing and felt as though I was watching this play out in front of me. This has been the perfect escape read at the end of a crazy week.

This is a book that has made me laugh out loud numerous times. I have devoured page after page.

Heidi is definitely a must for the TBR. This is a book that I fell in love with as I was reading.

Beautifully written, fantastic characters and a whole lot of fun. This is a great read from beginning to end.

I really liked it! I would say it is more of a coming of age story about Daisy than it is a romance, but I loved Tom's character, too. Stephens has created a sweet little community and some quirky characters, who I enjoyed reading about.

This cute, fluffy romcom is focused on finding what makes you happiest in life. I absolutely adored daisy as a character, I also loved tom her sweetest golden retriever-type love interest he was the best, on the other hand, Christian (her boyfriend) was the worst I know we are supposed to hate him stephens did really well with aspect because I honestly enjoyed hating him, it sounds awful but it's true I guess. overall this was a fun read and I will definitely be picking up more from 1this incredible author.

This was an adorable rom-com that I absolutely enjoyed reading. I loved the protagonists, especially how Daisy's character was written. It's a perfect cute read if you are looking for a light feel good book.

Thank you NetGalley and Headline for this eArc in exchange of my honest opinion.

I liked the main characters but found myself enjoying the side characters more. This book was both interesting and engaging. This is a wonderful book set in England. A small-town cutesy romance with a bit of heat. Loved it, funny, sexy, fast-paced plot, what's not to love.

3.5 stars (rounded up on a 5-star scale)!

"The Only Way is Up" by Heidi Stephens is a light, fluffy rom-com about finding what truly makes you happy in the least likely place. I adored most of the characters in this book, especially the main character Daisy, a television star who sees herself retreating to a small community in the Cotswolds to cool down and lay low after an unfortunate scandal befalls her. As I was reading, I could *totally* see Hannah Waddingham playing Daisy in my mind! She is such a great character with a terrific character arc. I also loved Daisy's maybe-possibly love interest Tom, the sweetest, ooiest-gooiest cinnamon roll hero you ever did see, and her lovable but slightly snarky daughter Ruby. As much as I hated Christian, Daisy's smarmy, sex-obsessed boyfriend, Stephens writes him so well that I just really liked to hate him. One minor critique is that there are quite a few secondary characters, and my brain's wires kept getting some of them mixed up over time. Overall, this is a detailed, mostly fun, well-written-but-slightly-overlong, sweet story with some good banter.

Thank you to NetGalley, Heidi Stephens, and Headline/Headline Accent for providing me with an ARC copy of this book! All opinions are my own, and I was not compensated for my review.

This book is a lighthearted, warm read and is perfect when you just want a wholesome, happily ever after. I found myself grinning from ear to ear at the end. Overall 4 stars

The Only Way is Up is a sweet and light hearted read. There are several funny, charming characters throughout. I specifically enjoyed the thorough character development of Daisy, Tom and Stella.

Daisy and Tom’s relationship is the perfect example of slow burn. I was disappointed that we didn’t get more towards the end when they finally established a relationship, or a more in-depth glimpse into their future together.

Overall, this was an interesting read and I absolutely adored the characters throughout.

I loved all of the different characters. All of the characters were witty, well-rounded, and interesting. I loved the character development, and I loved that each character evolved throughout the book. I loved the small town setting. I loved the banter between the characters. I also thought the book had really good storytelling.

This book was technically classified as a romantic comedy, but this book reads more like women's fiction. There is romance in this book, but the romance is almost secondary to the journeys of the characters. Also, the book's pacing was a bit slow at times.

Overall, this was an interesting read and a really charming book! The story was funny, lighthearted, and fun! I really fell in love with all of the characters.
If you like books with good character development and good storytelling, I definitely recommend this book.

A really great story with fun, interesting characters! I really appreciated the development of the characters and seeing Daisy find herself and seize what she wanted. The story pace was good and I felt like everything flowed really well.

I received an advance reader copy from NetGalley and I am providing my honest review.

I love a good romance novel, particularly if there’s some kind of celebrity aspect. I think it might add to the escapism aspect of why I love rom-coms. I wasn’t sure exactly what to expect from this book but I was excited to find out!

Daisy Crawford has spent 25 years in TV and is delighted when she finally wins TV Presenter of the Year at the NTAs. However, as she makes her way up to the stage to collect her award, she trips and reveals much more than she ever wanted to on live TV. Then her boyfriend announces their engagement to the world without consulting her. To escape the shame, she retreats to a cottage in the Cotswolds that she used to own with her ex husband. Although it hasn’t got the glitz and glam of the city, at least Daisy is close to her teen daughter Ruby now. But it soon becomes apparent that someone in the village is selling stories about Daisy to the press, spreading rumours about her and hunky headmaster Tom.

I really enjoyed the reference to the TV Presenter of the Year award going to the same winner every year. It’s a running thing at the UK NTAs that Ant and Dec win it every year and I suppose it’s only a matter of time before someone else is finally deemed better than them. How awesome would it be if it were a woman who has put the work in over many years?

Daisy’s fiance Christian made my skin crawl. After Daisy ran away (notably without him), he kept showing up and I found myself shouting at him to just go away. I don’t know why the book tried to redeem him by claiming he had a sex addiction because he was clearly just your regular, run-of-the-mill, arrogant creep.

The fact that Daisy hates Tom on her first meeting with him was an instant clue that he would become a love interest. I loved seeing them together because it was a slow burn romance and yet the initial attraction was definitely there for both of them. I loved Tom and thought he’d be a good match for Daisy. I just wanted her to see Christian for what he was and clear the way for a romance with Tom to develop.

I really enjoyed the little Wagatha Christie inspired mystery towards the end. It was all very low stakes but it was a very clever element to throw into the book. I think it would have been great to have this thread start earlier in the book and have the slow reveal, so that I could have spent more time picking up clues, but it was a really fun, unexpected way for the book to come to a close.

The Only Way Is Up is a fun, romantic rom-com with some really lovely characters. I think I would have enjoyed more laugh-out-loud comedy rather than warm smiles but the romance was cute, the friendships were lovely and the conclusion was really satisfactory.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of The Only Way Is Up by Heidi Stephens. All thoughts and opinions are my own. Thanks to NetGalley and Headline for this ARC.

So, there are several tropes I don't like in romance books. Insta love that has no basis for the emotions that suddenly exist and doppelganger romances. This book throws both into the narrative, and they do not work for me. I liked the initial setup of the accidental exposure moment that caused our heroine to avoid the spotlight. Even the cheating ex and the breakup plot points were not bad. But once we got to our OTP (one true pairing) their actions stopped making sense. Even if you take the fact that his dead wife looked very similar to the leading lady, they just don't work. I give The Only Way is Up 2/5 stars. The plot might work for others, but it is a no go for me.

entertaining read for a cosy week. i wasn’t obsessed with the story and it felt lond of flat and i was waiting to get hyped up or even more hotness between the characters.
overall it’s not a bad book at all. i am in a slump and that was the main reason i couldn’t enjoy it as much as i wanted.

small town romance
tv celebrity
closed door

thank you to netgalley for the arc