Oh my God. This book.
It started good. Really good and promising and I even laughed. So the first 12%.
And then it went completely downhill.
There were millions of words. I know, it's a book and they need words, so that we can read them. When they are interesting. And it was just wordy. And not when they feel like one huge long monologue from Frankie and about Frankie. Frankie, Frankie, Frankie. I mean, she was a really good main character. She knew what she wanted, she was not afraid to search for this, she was brave and funny. But the way she spoke and explained. Then the male character, I forgot his name already. Oh my fucking God, quoting Frankie. Never in my life. He was boring, uncertain, possessive and mummy's boy.
I am really glad that I've eventually started to skim - reading, because i'd read this book for another few years.
The descriptions of quilting that dragged on and on for a few pages. The analysis of every single dating app, of what can happen, of different kinds of sexuality - it felt like a guide and not like a novel. Rambling and rambling and rambling on.
I wanted to like it, I really did. The synopsis was brilliant, the title too and I hoped was something extremely light and funny. I got something extremely heavy and overdone. Pity.

Fun & Feisty. Sassy & Sweary - this was my kind of book!! Loved it!!

Frankie is looking to find herself again! Single at 50 after being married for 20 years, it's now time to figure out just who she really is, now that's she free of 'twatface'!! With her son at Uni she's finally free to do what she wants, so the world of online dating awaits her!! If this book isn't enough to put you off that torture then I don't know what is!! Her experiences are horrifying and hilarious with some of the 'dates' she's lined up with and we're taken along for the ride!!

Her saving grace is her sewing shop which she adores, and she soon sets up a quilting club to get like minded folks together and it's really lovely to see people of different ages bonding so well. It gives them a safe space too to talk over their own problems and finding help from those around them.

It was so funny reading about some of her dating encounters and it really leaves her questioning why she's even doing it! It also brings it home that we all have our flaws and that perfect person doesn't exist!! It helps too that her friend Bev is that honest friend we all wish was in our life! She's not afraid to say what needs to be said!! Twatface also comes back on the scene and you can feel her questioning her own sanity when she's left wondering why she spent so long married to someone -she's finally woken up to the kind of person he was!

I will be channelling the mantra of Frankie whenever life gets too much and I think this is one of those books that I'll be going back to when I need a really good giggle! Highly recommended!!

Frankie is finding her feet after managing to escape her marriage to controlling Gareth. She now lives above the shop she runs and is due to start a quilting group there on a Monday night.
At the same time, her long time friend Bel is encouraging her to do online dating, but also points out the pit falls, like catfishing. Frankie find the cat fishers hilarious and often strings them along. She has a few one night stands with a few men and ultimately finds the experience not up to scratch.
Amongst the quilting group is a man called Stefan, who is there because his Mum can only join in by ipad initially as she has broken her hip. There are sparks between them, but his Mother announces he is engaged and they will be moving to Slovakia when he gets married.
With a catalogue of good, bad and ugly dates, Frankie naivetes the dating world. Her ex, although announcing he is moving in with one of their old neighbours, seems to want to control her still. We follow Frankie finding her feet, but will she find her man?
This is very funny, especially the cat fish dialogues.

Recently divorced, after 20+ years of marriage. With her son now left home Frankie decides it’s time to get back in the dating game. Things however have changed a lot since she was last dating and there a many obstacles to overcome within the online dating scene. How to discover if the person you’re talking to really is what they say they are

We meet a multitude of characters as Frankie delves into this with the support of her best friend Abel
It was very funny at times, very focussed on the dating scene as expected given the blurb. I loved watching Frankie develop her independence and flourish and the relationship with her son grow and improve

If you’re not a fan of swearing then you may want to avoid this book, however I have no issue with it

This was a new to me author and I am keen to explore more.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for sharing this title with me

An enjoyable funny and light hearted read. Read this on holidays with plenty of laugh out loud parts. Very relatable and well written.

This book resonated with me on so many levels – I absolutely adored it!

Frankie has escaped a terrible marriage and has set up shop, quite literally, in the little flat above her new quilting store. With her son away at university, she's throwing herself into the world of dating through dating apps.

Frankie is a brilliantly crafted character who immediately clicked with me; we share the same dark sarcastic sense of humour and foul mouth, haha! She made me proper laugh. I loved the relationship she had with Bel, her best friend and new mum, and with her son.

The eclectic ensemble of hotbed quilters added depth and charm.

I couldn't find any flaws in this book; it's a page-turner that leaves you wanting more.

Harper Ford's romcom debut is excellent, and I look forward to see what she comes up with next.

Thank you to NetGalley and Avon Books for the ARC.

Frankie has just got divorced from her husband of 20 years, she has recently started a new business and her son is off to Uni, so she is feeling a little all over the place. With a bit of nudging from her friend Bel, she decides to dip her toe into the world of online dating. She matches with some 'interesting' men, but when Stef appears at her quilting club she is thrown. They are polar opposites in almost every way, but you know what they say about opposites!

This was a funny and realistic look at the world of online dating and the pitfalls you can encounter out there, but that was only part of this story. My favourite side was the quilting group and the wonderful bunch of characters we were introduced to there. Recommended if you are in the mood for a laugh with a side of romance!

If anyone was going to resonate with Frankie it was me. Being 50, divorced and also pretty sure we were married to the same Twatface. I just need a friend with a pot smoking shed ha ha.

This hooked me straight away with its dry and sarky humour (my favourite) and kept me with its feminist slant on how women are judged so very differently for putting themselves out there. Stop the slut shaming and embrace the slut faming, what’s good for the goose and all that!

I will warn any potential readers that this is heavy on the curse words including the dreaded ‘c’. Not a book I can recommend to my mum that’s for sure. But this little potty mouth was fine with it and some of the men certainly deserved that title.

This is full to the brim with delightful characters, especially the hotbed of quilters who all had varying sex lives and were more than happy to share their thoughts on poor Frankie’s.

It also opens your eyes to the pitfalls of online dating and does it with seriousness but also humour. A very funny and charming book that hallelujah had an older woman as the main character, not all readers are a twenty something. The only niggle I have and this is probably me projecting is that I wanted a different ending.

Loved this book, the first from Harper Ford. It made me laugh so much and because I know Lincoln, where it's set, it made the story more real to me. Hilarious, confronting and very satisfying!

Hilarious laugh out loud book.Loved Frankie hilarious fun crude had me laughing out loud.A really fun read.#netgalley #avonbooksuk

I suspect I'm not the ideal demographic for this book, but I still enjoyed it for the most part! Frankie and her friends/acquaintances are all very believable, and she is easy to root for. I thought the comedy was well-paced and well-executed, and that the book flowed well. I picked it up as I thought it would be similar to Monica Heisey's 'Really Good, Actually', but found that as it is about, and so geared towards, a slightly older audience, a few bits were repetitive/overly didactic to make sure that readers understood the terminology and situations. This makes total sense, as you need to understand to enjoy, it just grated a bit on me. I'd be happy to read this author's future works.

This book was so funny, so honest and so real! The online dating minefield was shown in such a raw view, complete with the highs, lows and massive dangers it comes with. The main character was so well done, so believable that I was really drawn to her tale of self discovery and cheering her on all the way! This isn’t a book for the faint of heart but it is one for people with an open mind and sense of humour!

It's was a lot of fun but it's also a good description of how the dating world is working and how Frankie grew into an independent woman.
Witty, well plotted, engrossing
Recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher for this ARC, all opinions are mine

This was a perfect hear me roar read. For all the women that have raised their kids and have found it’s ok to start over.. Frankie is the perfect example of rediscovering herself as a person after a much needed push. By starting her own business she finds new supportive friend group of all ages. I found the experiences of her dipping her toes in the world of online dating to be spot on with the highs and lows of it. I thought it was interesting to watch the the turbulent start of a relationship with Stef. I was not thrilled with his attitude toward Frankie’s choices when he didn’t have a say in it. I feel like she took a step back from being her independent self she had grown into second guessing her choices. In the end these two strong willed people found a way to compromise.

Thanks to Avon Books and NetGalley for sending me the most entertaining book I have read in a long time: “Divorced (not dead)” by Harper Ford. This is the author’s first foray into Women’s Fiction and I am so glad she decided to try it. I have not laughed so much or so hard in a long time! Meet Frankie, age 50, recently left her husband, and venturing out as a woman owned small business owner. But she also is venturing out into the online dating scene, and what a ride it is (no pun intended). Frankie is the extroverted, sarcastic, f-bomb dropping best friend we all need. After 20 years in a marriage she nearly lost her entire self in and hated, she comes out of wanting to start her new life. Along the way she meets good friends, has a sexual reawakening, and might find love. The author also shows the downside of online dating and how prevalent catfishing is. Another great part of this story is Frankie’s relationship with her 20 year old son and her best friend Bel. Those two relationships are the rocks that help her navigate the shores of her new life.

I truly did not want this book to end. It’s the book you don’t know you really need to read. I 100% recommend this story.

Oh this book made laugh. Ending a twenty year marriage to a master manipulator and starting a new business. You will cheer Frances on, from her friendship with Bel to the members of the hotbed of quilters and her online dating escapades.

It was wonderful

4 stars

Divorced Not Dead By Harper Ford
Pub date 28.09.2023

WHAT A (romcom) DEBUT! I wasn't really sure what to expect from this one but the title just grabbed me. I loved this book, I was smirking throughout! ❤ Funny, cute, feel good story.

We follow Frankie's post divorce love life and its wild. It's really interesting to get a glimpse of online dating and some funny horror stories. It certainly doesn't encourage me to give it a go 😂
The bond she created with her quilters melted me, I can't even so but I want to join a group like hers.

⭐⭐⭐⭐

Thank you Netgalley, Avon and Harper Ford for the ARC. I had fun reading this one.

I really struggled with this book sadly, the formatting was a bit messy on my kindle despite me trying to sort it changing font etc, this was especially so for the conversations in the book which made it hard to follow at times.
The story itself is fine and enjoyable enough though, 3 star read

"Divorced Not Dead" by Harper Ford is a hilarious and brutally honest romp through the world of modern dating for the fifty-something crowd. Frankie, the witty and relatable protagonist, takes the reader on a wild ride as she navigates the turbulent waters of dating apps, from the search for true love to seeking casual encounters.

With a tongue-in-cheek sense of humour, Ford delves into the absurdities of online dating, highlighting the challenges and pitfalls that come with it. From quirky profiles and ghosting to unexpected surprises and unsolicited explicit photos, Frankie's experiences will have readers laughing out loud.

The story doesn't just focus on Frankie's quest for love but also on her personal growth and newfound independence after her divorce. As she reconnects with her best friend Bel and explores her desires, readers will find themselves rooting for her every step of the way.

"Divorced Not Dead" is a witty and refreshing take on dating in the digital age, filled with laugh-out-loud moments, memorable characters, and a candid exploration of love, friendship, and self-discovery. Whether you're a seasoned dater or just looking for a light-hearted and entertaining read, this book delivers on all fronts.

A lot of laugh out loud moments here as Frankie wades through the online dating platforms at 50 years old!! I’m sure many women of the same age can relate to that and all the relationship aspects of this book. Quilting & Slovakia also make up the topics in this book. #Divorced(NotDead) #HarperFord