Thanks Storm Publishing and NetGalley of the E-ARC of The Love Hack by Sophie Ranald.

The Love Hack is a modern day closed door office romance story, It follows two colleagues Lucy and Ross, Lucy is the agony aunnor in this particular case uncle for the newspaper they work for. When her column takes off and she gets a "letter" she thinks is from Ross is when the plot takes off ... this is definitely a slow burn romance. I liked the premise, I just felt that it could've been a little more focus on the two MC's. All in all, much as the premise of colleagues to lovers was a nice idea. It was too slow a pace at times, the story took a long time to get into and I felt slightly disconnected from both Lucy and Ross. Great idea, but sadly it was not for me,

Thank you Storm Publishing and NetGalley for gifting me this ARC to review!

The Love Hack by Sophie Ranald follows Lucy, a recent redundant technology columnist who takes on the impossible task of being the 'AskAdam!' columnist and replying to advice seeking emails from men. Why impossible, I hear you ask? Because, Lucy does not know a thing about men. What makes matters worse is that Lucy cannot seem to stop blushing around work colleague, Ross, and it seems as though the feelings are mutual...

My thoughts after finishing The Love Hack are that I'm disappointed to say that I didn't enjoy this book as I originally thought I first would when reading the description of the book. For my personal taste, the plot and the characters lacked depth. It also seemed as though the problems arising within the plot and female lead, Lucy, was too easily and hastily solved. I am aware though, that this is my own personal opinion, and if you are looking for a quick and easy read where the writing is easy to follow and you can escape for a couple of hours, I think The Love Hack can achieve this.

I feel like this book had a lot of potential, so I didn’t DNF even though at times I wanted to. There’s so much going on in this story that the plot doesn’t develop smoothly, and it’s difficult to see the character development. I would’ve liked if it was only focused on 1 or 2 of the main points, as those could have been fleshed out a bit more. Considering it’s also a very slow burn, the end felt really rushed and abrupt. 2.5/5

ARC was provided by the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review

2.5 rounded to 3

Every time I picked up my Kindle to read this, I exclaimed, "I really don't like this book, make it end!" To which my husband would reply, "so read something else." And so I did.

Unfortunately it was an extremely slow read and an eventual DNF. While the premise had some promise, it didn't hold up to the blurb's potential.

The writing - I just didn't like it. I'm finding I don't get along with British authors/characters. It wasn't terrible but it also was not for me.

The story - Was fairly boring and insanely slow moving. Also plenty of parts that seemed not plausible. You can't have a bad story that also requires the reader to expend belief.

Overall this one was a flop, unfortunately. It sucks because you know there was a team of people who worked hard on this, but the reviews don't lie. Maybe if it were marketed as a women's fiction it might have a little more success

The Love Hack is an office-setting romance but also focuses more on other things, such as men's problems in a relationship. Not that I'm saying I love reading about men making useless comments about their partner in some parts of the book, but I like how realistic it is. We witness some misogynistic, sexist, and cheating stories, which are quite hard to digest. 

It sounds like a cute story, but it is not. This book mostly focuses on Lucy's confused feelings and her worry over her sister, who just got married. I have a hard time connecting with the story; the writing and how the plot is developed are quite off for me. The romance only happens in the last part of the book, which means I didn't feel any chemistry at all. I don't feel convinced by Ross's feelings toward Lucy, as throughout the story, we only get a gist of their interaction, and it feels shallow.

Thank you to Netgalley for the review copy.

This book was cute. A story about a twenty something year old Lucy who ends up saving her job by coming up with an Ask Adam column for the male version (Max!) of the magazine Fab! she worked for when her job was in jeopardy. Lucy would be the one answering all the Ask Adam emails. At first the head her sister Amelia to help her, but then she backs out when she gets married and moves to NYC from London. Lucy is on her own and use GeneBot (a ChatGPT) to help her answer some of the Ask Adam emails. All while falling for her coworker Ross.

Overall, this book was a cute summer read, not as fast of a read and most books I read but I would definitely recommend this book to a friend.

Thank you NetGalley for this eARC and Storm Publishing for my honest review.

3.75

If you love Slow Burns then this would definitely be up your street. And an Office based setting which I don't usually tend to read but enjoyed.

I do however wish there were more Lucy and Ross scenes because we only really got to read about them near the end of the book. At first I was also confused at her past being thrown into the mix but once I read it a second time, I found that it made sense based on how Lucy felt at the time.

Lucy writing a Ask Adam column pretending to be Adam was a very interesting subject and with the added AI I felt as though it showed the truth behind what we are currently seeing in our day to day lives.

Overall, the book was enjoyable and it was nice to read a slow burn romance that had no Spice!

Thank you Netgalley and Storm Publishing for allowing me to read and review this book for an honest review.

Thank you to Netgalley, the publisher and the author for the ARC of The Love Hack by Sophie Ranald. I flew through this book in one day and thoroughly enjoyed it. I loved the FMC and MMC. The storyline was interesting and sometimes the awkward dynamic in the office reminded me of Bridget Jones Diary. I found myself laughing throughout the book and couldn't wait to find out what happened. The relationship between the FMC and her sister was great. Only bit I didn't like about the book was the flashbacks to the FMC and her previous office relationship. Overall, this book was a 4 Star read for me.

Thank you NetGalley, Storm Publishing and Sophie Ranald for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

3.5⭐️
Lucy is devastated when she learns her role as Tech editor is being eliminated. Her and her sister think of a way to keep a job - being an advice writer for the men’s publication. Only problem is Lucy has sworn off men and is clueless about them after a bad experience with a previous coworker.

As Lucy begins to get comfortable she creates friendships with her coworkers - specifically Ross.

Ross is out the night of Lucy’s sister’s bachelorette party and meets one of the other bridesmaids. Lucy doesn’t love this but tries to tell herself it doesn’t matter and he’s off limits.

Overall it was a cute story. Lucy was a little frustrating but I’m glad she gained confidence in her personal and professional lives.

Thank you so much to netgalley and Storm publishing for the arc of this one in exchange for an honest review!

Unfortunately, this one was a DNF for me. I really disliked the main character. I can’t stand a cynical and whiny character and that was Lucy. I don’t feel like the romance was really there either.

I just really couldn’t get into the story.

I hope others love this one but it wasn’t for me.

Includes - work crushes, using AI for relationship advice, love triangles, and some history of power imbalances/abuse of power in relationships. Cute enough!

˚₊‧ ୨୧ ‧₊˚𝗔𝗥𝗖 𝗥𝗘𝗩𝗜𝗘𝗪⋅˚₊‧ ୨୧ ‧₊˚

📚 The Love Hack
⭐ 3/5
((Releases on 7th June'24))
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💌 REVIEW:: this isn't your typical romance book. This is a story full of real life experiences about love, heartbreak, friendship, insecurities and navigating through it all. 💛

Lucy isn't your regular romance girlie. When she's desperate for a job, she ends up becoming a columnist, advising men on their love life by pretending to be a man. She gets help fr AI and her sister but when it comes to her own love life, she has no one to turn to- except for Astro, her cat. She develops a crush on her coworker Ross but then gets to know Ross is definitely not single. She receives an email which she is sure is from Ross which further helps their story develop.

Romance isn't the main plot of the story (in my opinion) . It's about Lucy dealing with her relationship and friendship with Ross and her relationship with her sister. The banter was great. I loved how the story shows the struggle to maintain a personal life along with job and a love life. Lucy just wanted to get to know men better through her column and that's how her and Ross started becoming friendlier and they developed a cute relationship from their friendship. 💕✨

Great fun! I loved this low key romance that explores sisterhood, loyalty and journalism in the time of chatbots and AI.

Lucy has a new job writing an advice column for a men’s magazine as the alter ego of Adam, who as Ask Adam answers relationship questions. As Lucy is clueless about men, initially she gets help from her sister, then she uses an AI chatbot. I suspect Lucy is neurodiverse, although this isn’t explored, but the process of replying to the Ask Adam letters gives her insight into the minds of men, and indirectly gives her the courage to begin a relationship with her colleague Ross. Ross is the tech journalist at the magazine, not an Alpha by any means - Lucy’s first impression is that he is ‘the middling-everything’ man. It doesn’t take her long to see so much more in him...

It’s first person single POV so we don’t know Ross well but he’s kind and engaging, and feels like a good fit for Lucy. Lucy is in the shadow of her sister and this forms a big part of the secondary plot as Amelie navigates New York and early marriage. I really enjoyed it! Sophie writes lovely characters and while Lucy is a bit chaotic, it’s not that super messy Bridget Jones vibe that can be so irritating. Lucy is really delightful. She’s so conscientious and loyal, and I really wanted her to be brave enough to put herself out there for Ross. It’s a slow burn, closed door romance and an easy afternoon read.

Thank you NetGalley, Sophie Ranald and Storm Publishing for the the ARC. Opinions are my own.

Lucy is a writer - and the loses her job because the magazine is shutting down. Unless, she can come up with an idea to keep her job. Lucy and her sister, devise a plan - Lucy will write an advice column for men for the companion magazine for men - as a man. When Lucy starts her new job, she realizes quickly she is the only woman there. And then she ends up with an office crush on the man who was her counterpart, Ross.

As the advice column continues, Lucy fields questions of all sorts and struggles answering some of them on her own. In the meantime, her sister has gotten married and moved to New York. Lucy not only misses her sister, but has nearly no contact with her. When she receives a question for the column that she is convinced is her new brother-in-law, she and Ross come up with a scheme to "out" the brother=in-law. As we follow along we see what a mess Lucy is making of everything.

This book is part romance (at least wishful thinking) and part comedy. It was a light read that had a few twists in it as Lucy makes assumptions and messes in her wake.

I received this ARC from NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for a fair and honest review. All opinions are my own.

I got lured in by the cover and the promise of it being perfect for fans of Beth O'Leary and Emily Henry... and it failed miserably! I expected a mix of "The Hating Game" by Sally Thorne and "Dear Dolly" by Dolly Alderton and was looking forward to a cute office romance between two journalists. But once again it failed miserably! 😫

Lucy, our female MC, is still so bound up with her ex "relationship" and in her "all men are evil and out to hurt me" phase that the majority of the book is not about romance, or comedy or anything I expect from a romcom. I'm sorry to say this, but I also felt angry and frustrated with her for the most part, and just wanted to scream at Lucy. Sadly, this book was mostly about her ex and the obviously not-so-perfect relationship of her sister and her partner. The romance? Well, the cute part took up 20 pages, and that was towards the end of the book and felt super rushed...

After having read Dear Dolly in March and basically reading the best articles about relationship advice, the ones in the books just did not do it. The overuse of the book version of ChatGPT was also super annoying and made it very hard to root for her career...

Ross, the male MC, was super cute, and I loved their exchange with Seinfeld quotes and their blushing over everything. But it basically took up like 5-10% of the book, and that is simply not enough for a romance book. 👀💗

So, sadly, this was a total flop for me. This does not mean that it cannot be a lot better for you! The overall premise sounded and still sounds great. But with Lucy as the MC, and the focus on basically anything but her own current life and the romance... it simply was not the right fit for me and I had to push through!

I want to thank Netgalley, Storm Publishing and Sophie Ranald for the arc and leave this review voluntarily!

Lucy, who knows nothing about men, has somehow found herself the face of ‘Ask Adam’ an advice column for men with relationship and personal problems. Enter Ross, who works on the desk across from hers.

However after her last office romance broke her heart, she’s sworn never to get involved with someone she works with ever again. How will she navigate her tricky job situation with the added problems of an office crush?

⭐️⭐️⭐️

I think this one was more of a generous 3⭐️, although I did enjoy reading The Love Hack, and it was very easy to pick up and get into, I just felt like the story was rushed in a few places and certain things were glossed over, when it would have been nice to have a bit more.
This is a good friends to lovers romance, with only a little bit of romance really!

Thank you Sophie Ranald, Netgalley and Storm publishing for this advanced reader copy in exchange for an honest review.

I am so sorry I couldn't find myself to like this book. I just felt no chemistry between Ross and Lucy.

3.5 stars rounded up
I haven't read any books by this author before, but I'm keen to try another. I needed a break from WWII historical fiction, and this was just what I needed. I enjoyed getting to know the characters, but found Lucy infuriating at times. There were some cringe moments but also a few laughs. I read it in two sittings, so it was a nice, quick read. Overall, a fun read with some relatable and current topics. Great for a palate cleanser and perfect for a lazy afternoon.

Thank you to NetGalley, Storm Publishing, and Sophie Ranald for an advance digital copy in exchange for an honest review.

This book is pretty mild, there's a minor tension when Lucy keeps referring to having sworn off man for a previous failed relationship, but the revaltion wasn't dramatic at all. It's pretty surface level, the characters are not so deep, and Lucy's brain work three times than normal looking for the worst in every encounter and situations.

Thank you to NetGalley for the opportunity to read this eARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

Thanks to Netgalley, I got to read this fun story early. What a fun premise of creating an advice column for men and learning so much about them in the process. Quite funny, loved Ross so much, give that angel everything and more. Highly recommend!