I really enjoyed this story, although I would hesitate to call it uplifting. While the ending is positive, the characters have an uphill battle from the first page.

Donna, Jaime, Luke, Bryony and Harry are all strangers when they meet for a trivia night at the pub. They all have different reasons for being there and have secret struggles in their lives. As they become friends and their team becomes a small success, they come to understand that they have been avoiding self analysis and they've come a bit unstuck.

While they are all different and at varying stages in their lives, what they share is their propensity to avoid looking inwards so that they can make important changes for the better.

There were moments in this book when I just wanted to scream at some of the characters, especially Harry and Jaime. I found Bryony's character the easiest to identify with. Issues around mental health are also raised, in particular, bipolar disorder.

Overall, the story was enjoyable and, although it wasn't the escapism I was expecting, I ended up liking the characters and admiring their bravery in establishing and maintaining a connection with each other. I loved the trivia as well.

I received an ARC of this book from Alcove Press and Netgalley. All opinion expressed in this review are my own.

Review of “The Lonely Hearts Trivia Night” by Lauren Farnsworth 💛

Thank you so much to NetGalley and the publisher for giving me this E-ARC in exchange for a review. All thoughts and opinions are my own. “The Lonely Hearts Trivia Night” comes out on June 18th 🌸

4 ⭐️

This book was absolutely adorable! I had a great time, from the very start to the very end. I connected to the characters immediately and loved the premise of this book. And, a big plus: I learned some new things to use in my own trivia games, haha! There’s knowledge in here 💁🏼‍♀️

This story follows a group of (mainly) strangers who come together at a pub in London to compete in a Trivia championship. Each of the characters bring their own expertise when it comes to trivia and they team up as the Red Hot Quizzy Peppers. Soon, relationships start forming and the members start getting to know each other better and better. And that’s including the issues and personal problems each of the member faces throughout the championship.

I really thought the characters in this story were very well written, each with their own background, issues and reasons for joining the Red Hot Quizzy Peppers (iconic name) and I had a very good time reading about their lives inbetween all the trivia parts of the story. I thought the focus on the characters was well done, and I really feel like I know these people now.

This is a true recommendation! Trust me, I really want to go to a pubquiz with a bunch of strangers now, and I hate to do social stuff with a group of strangers 😂

Thank you Net Galley for this ARC but i just could not get into this book. I wasn't feeling connected to the characters and I really wanted to. I loved the whole trivia night concept but this was a DNF for me.

A heartwarming debut that follows the journey of five lonely Londoners—Bryony, Harry, Jaime, Luke, and Donna—as they navigate the challenges of making friends as adults. Drawn together by a shared desire for connection, they join forces to form a pub trivia team, the Red Hot Quizzy Peppers. As they bond over trivia nights and strive to compete in the London Pub Quiz League's Grand Final, they find themselves forming unexpected friendships that begin to change their lives in profound ways.

Rounding up from 3.5 stars. Found family, the importance of friendship and connection, and trivia are at the center of this story. The Lonely Hearts Trivia Night was a charming read with a great deal of tenderness. While I enjoyed the multiple perspectives I can see how it could be a concern for others.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the advanced copy.

The book was very tender and charming. We learned how people can create a found family. They show the power for friendship. Also, the trivia aspect was great.

I wasn’t into this. I did not finish it, unfortunately. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for gifting me this arc.

What a pleasant surprise! So tender. So charming. Responding to an ad searching for pub quiz teammates, five strangers join together as The Red Hot Quizzy Peppers. With all sorts of messy interpersonal and intrapersonal conflicts unraveling within the story, I adored seeing this lonely group of unlikely friends gain confidence, follow their dreams, and even find love.

The mental health representation was really heartfelt and candid. These characters had their struggles, and harsh words were definitely shared, but I loved the overarching support underneath their friendship. Each character offered something truly unique. Though there was one storyline I hoped ended differently, I was deeply invested in all their lives!

The trivia aspect was so fun. It added a wonderful touch of levity to the story. And I loved the special addition of opening each chapter with a trivia question, with the answer relating to an upcoming scene. I’m happy I read this! If you love a story of found family, this is a comforting one!

I love a book based on trivia nights. Told by multiple perspectives. To be honest I wasnt expecting much and it really suprised me at how much I loved it.

I was very excited when I read the summary of this book. I really love the idea of a story centered around a trivia contest. And I really enjoyed that part of the book. It was fun trying to guess answers and play along.
The characters relationships with each other and the other team members was ok but sort of sad. I struggled to find anyone happy in this book. It seemed like all of the relationships were a mess and no one was trying to make things better. It is especially hard to read about adults in these situations because they have the opportunity to change things. And it just seemed like they let life lead them instead of them taking ownership and making their life into something they wanted.
For fans of non-fiction or biographies you may enjoy this book as it was more "real life" than "escapism".
Enjoy!

I just feel like there’s too many points of view too quickly in the book. It would’ve been better to focus the first chapter or two on one specific character and then bring in other characters as needed and kind of as introduced. I feel like jumping in quickly with all of the characters just made it feel too cluttered and like I needed to take notes on every single character. While I’m reading I’m trying to read to have fun not to do clinical diagnosis of the book. Once I got through the first half, the book got better for me. I enjoyed the characters and loved watching them grow as friends. I did feel frustrated with a lot of the storylines and the way it took so long for them to get out of their bad habits. But I do believe that made them more realistic. Overall it was good but I don’t think it was anything spectacular.

I found this piece to be exceptionally well-crafted, and I'm eagerly anticipating the opportunity to delve into more works by this author. Given its potential popularity among our library patrons, we're certainly looking forward to adding it to our collection

From the start I had a hard time relating and caring about the characters. It was a struggle to get through the book and was often bored.

The story is really interesting and unique. Kind off like found family as the female lead looks of team members for her trivia team. Each member with their area of expertise and personal issues. I did not relate with all characters but that's obviously possible. Also, liked the fact that the book is not a typical romcom.

The Lonely Hearts Trivia Night is a bittersweet heart-warming story of strangers to friends with the twinge of reality sprinkled in

The book is perfect. As I began reading I found myself getting confused on characters but as I progressed I eased into the familiarity of characters in their day to day lives. The story set in London centres the life of chaotic Donna who having lost her friends decides to advertise for quiz team members. Harry recently single and unemployed, couple Luke and Jaime having recently moved from the north and married mum of two Bryony join. Alongside the regular quiz nights Farnsworth delves deep into the characters backstory, one in particular giving an Emily and Lorelai Gilmore feel from the Gilmore Girls. I especially enjoyed the writing format of paragraphs and pages for the certain dynamics and storylines to give a more personal feel outside the quiz life. The story although rather positive did have topics of teen pregnancy and mental health which I found quiet enjoyable and unexpected from the book description. Overall I adored this book and will be most certainly buying in when it’s released and reading further works of Lauren Farnsworth (sequel possibly ?)

Thank you Netgalley for the ebook!

In this book we follow five characters in four POVs and it’s really hard to read a book when you basically don’t care about them for the biggest part of the book.

I’m getting closer to thirty myself and the characters were all roughly around my age and I just can help but mirror myself to how they act in certain situations and how childish they often seemed.

They know that what they’re doing is the wrong thing to do and yet they still do it and then mope about the consequences? Of their own actions???

Now, I may seem a bit harsh about this book, because it did grab me at certain times and I even chuckled now and then. I enjoyed the writing style and how often we switched between the characters and how they’re always drawn back together because of some trivia quiz.

A very interesting premise. A lonely woman, Donna, puts an ad up for a trivia team. 3 other lonely people respond. Each chapter begins with a trivia question, the answer corresponds to what will happen in the chapter.
The book takes place in London, so there are some cultural differences that confused me a little, such as unemployment insurance, the school system, the real estate system and the health system, each of which intersects with the characters.
Donna seems to have a very good job, and they seem to put up with her moods. Harry has lost his job yet seems in no hurry to get a new one.
The other characters have many problems, and they begin to help one another. It is heartening to see the bonds between them grow as the win one trivia contest after another.
This is not your typical rom com as each character struggles in their lives.
Mental health issues, as well as relationships, feelings of self worth or lack of it, marital issues, parental problems, are all dealt with.
I received an EARC from Netgalley and the publisher for an honest review.
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Five lonely and unhappy strangers meet up in a pub, answering an add to form a trivia team. Donna, the leader of the endeavour, feels like nothing ever sticks in her life and she has been noticing more and more that there are fewer people in her life. Harry’s girlfriend left him right after he lost his job and he has been struggling to get out of bed everyday and doesn’t know if he will ever be happy again. Bryony has been a mum since she was seventeen, her kids are older and need her less and she is trying to find herself outside of being a wife and mother. Jaimie and Luke moved to London from their small town to have a wonderful life, but life in London is lonely and they seem to be drifting further apart. The five unlikely friends will enter the Pub Quiz tournament as they try and turn their lives into something that brings them happiness.
This is very much a book about regular people facing everyday problems, coming together for a normal activity and it’s beautiful. These are the type of characters you see parts of yourself or your friends in. You know some version of these peoples problem and have seen it play out to whatever conclusion. I found it fairly easy to relate to all the characters on some level and that made it so easy to be invested in their outcomes. I adore trivia, I found the trivia questions sprinkled throughout the book a delight.
Thank you to @laurenfarnsworthwrites @netgalley and @alcovepress for letting me read this one early in exchange for a review. Look for it June 18, 2024
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I'm sorry, but I won't have the time to read this book by the archive date. Thank you for access to the arc. If you have an audio version, I could probably get it finished in a few days. Thanks!

5 stars to make up for my lack of participation

"The Lonely Hearts Trivia Night by Lauren Farnsworth is a heartwarming tale of unexpected connections and the power of trivia to unite even the most unlikely of companions. Following the journey of five strangers thrust together on a trivia team, the story beautifully unfolds as they navigate life's twists and turns, forging deep friendships along the way. Farnsworth's skillful storytelling captures the essence of romance and the beauty of human connection, making this a delightful read for anyone seeking a book brimming with love, friendship, and the joy of life's surprises."