The concept of this book seemed interesting but it just wasn’t for me 😭 I AM SO SORRY

I didn’t like the MCs tbh I could not relate to them and I was not convinced on their romance at all. They barely had any conversations, don’t know each other well, and one minute dating someone else then getting together? Huhhh
Im good with OW/OM drama but for this I was like uhhh nah. I hate seeing MCs get with other people in front of the other MC. It feels icky.
There was a lot of side plots happening, I think there too much going on at once. Amelie’s relationship took up a lot of the book when I wanted development between Ross and Lucy. Honestly was more interested in Amelie’s situation.

Maybe this book could be enjoyed by someone else, just wasn’t for me. I would say it’s more women’s fiction than a romcom. I don’t think that romance or comedy was in the room with us.

This was a book about Lucy and her struggles when she starts a new path in her career surrounded by new people and the way she navigates her feelings for the coworker. Amelie, Lucy's sister is preparing to marry her fiance Zack and that is a big part of this book. I felt like the characters didn't feel like real people, their characterization was superficial, especially Ross the romance interest.
For me this was a good book, I liked the writing and the sister bond between Lucy and Amelie, but I felt like the romance between Lucy and Ross was the weakest part. It felt like they didn't had any chemistry and their interaction didn't made me feel like it could result a romantic relationship. The ending was very unrealistic.
In the end I appreciate the writing and the relationship between the two sister, but if you want to read about a romance workplace this will be disappointing and with no steam.

This was such a fun read! It had me laughing out loud at times. I enjoyed the British lingo. The flashback of Lucy's former employment and workplace romance provided helpful insight to her behavior. I felt that the relationship between Lucy and Ross was too slow to develop. I wish a little more happened early. Small but intimate moments sometimes like the New York conversation soon. I would love to see a book 2 about Lucy's sister.

Thank you NetGalley, Strom Publishing and Sophie Randal for the Arc in exchange for an honest review.

The Love Hack was an incredibly engaging read that I couldn't put down. I read the book within 24 hours of starting it.

The book gives a lot of Bridget Jones vibes, in the best way possible. The writing is fun, vibrant, and interesting. The plot varies a little from the summary provided for the book, however, and I'd argue that in the end, this is a story of family, friendship, and sisterhood more than just a romance, although that is certainly part of the story as well.

There are many funny references throughout the book and a lot of pop culture humor spread throughout. It can be worrisome in some writing, as pop culture references can date some works, but this book did not feel bogged down by the references.

The burn in this book is incredibly slow. There is obvious mutual pining between the main charecters for a very long time that left me wanting to see more between them. The payoff was good. Intimate scenes were mentioned, but brief and not super explicit. They would be easy to skip if you prefer no spice or they are perfect for people who prefer low spice writing.

This book is super enjoyable and an easy, breezy, fun read. This book kept me hooked and laughing throughout. I'd definitely say it is worth the read.

This such a sweet easy read, snuggled up with the dogs and just fell into this. I really enjoyed it. I love a good co workers romance and this was definitely one. The characters are adorable and so relatable.
I also loved the cover it’s so bright and just says pick me.
Loved the story and their slow burn relationship.
A lovely cute couple

This was an enjoyable, breezy romance, set in London and New York City. The characters were believable, the situations felt realistic, and the dialogue wasn't forced. I particularly liked the dialogue with Lucy's co-workers.

Nothing too deep or heavy, I enjoyed this and would read more from the author.

I received a complimentary copy of the novel from the publisher and NetGalley, and my review is being given freely.

I really wanted to like this book - the pop culture references, the magazine publishing environment, the slow burn office romance. But unfortunately this book just didn’t hit the mark for me.

Lucy works at a London magazine publisher, and after a round of redundancies - she ends up the agony aunt of a men’s magazine. But as someone who’s always been awkward and not good with men, she finds it hard to come up with answers to the questions she receives from men. In comes a genAI tool to help her save the day.

Unfortunately, the story had the makings of a good romance and it just fell flat. I know it’s a slow burn, but I found it tough that the MMC was still dating someone else halfway through the novel. It made me question his intentions a lot. That being said, Ross came across as a decent guy, and I loved Lucy’s cat Astro. Plus the genAI aspect was a really interesting take - though it did make me a little terrified and I hope companies are teaching staff about ethical AI use!

While this book didn’t tick all my boxes, you might like this book if:
- you love office romances, particularly slow burn
- you love a socially awkward main character
- you enjoy pop culture references - especially Harry Met Sally (iykyk) and Seinfeld references
- strong sister bonding

Shout out to Sophie Ranald, Storm Publishing and NetGallery for granting me the opportunity to read and review this book early!

Thank you for the ARC of this book. It was such a fun, enjoyable read. The characters were lovable, and I flew through this book in a little more than a day. I’ve never read a book with a storyline that was at all similar to this one, and it definitely kept me engaged. I really appreciated that although it was a romance, it focused so much on the main character and her growth, as well as her relationship with her sister. This will be a book I recommend to all my book loving friends who want a cute romance.

2.25 stars!

I’m not sure if I would really call this a romance but maybe more of women’s fiction? the writing is great and the overall story of the characters kept me reading on but I can’t say that I was too intrigued with the romance.

Lucy was giving off very much pick me energy whilst also being insecure and obviously coming to terms with how her last relationship ended I’m not sure she was ready to start into a new one by the time she met Ross.

Ross was a little bland and tbh we didn’t get to know much about him until he came to visit lucy in new york and even then it felt his story was more like a device to make you feel bad for him rather than something that really made his character who he was. He also was just kind of a “dick” as the author loves to say. I need the men in my romance books to be kinda head over heels for the fmc not kissing her sisters best friend on a night out that they’re all attending??

Lucy’s sister. I’m ngl I was more intrigued with her throughout the story and ultimately that was what kept me going. I wanted to see the downfall of Zach though he kind of just disappeared after she left and left them to it.

overall great writing, great drama where the sister was concerned but not a lot of romance.

Thank you to NetGalley and Storm Publishing for sending me this arc

3 stars!

This book did not leave a lasting impression on me.

I could not connect with the MC's romance, as there were few moments between Lucy and Ross. I also felt like Lucy was incredibly immature, making the reader struggle through her thoughts.
The OW drama is something that does not settle well with me.

All in all, it is an okay read.

Thank you to NetGalley and Storm Publishing for this ARC!

The Love Hack was irresistible! I couldn't put it down and literally finished this in less than a night. This rom-com was PERFECT. It had heart, humor, love, and comedy. I felt for these characters. I can't wait to read another novel by Sophie Ranald. I did receive a free advanced reader's copy of this book, but all opinions are my own.

Late bloomer Lucy becomes an unlikely advice columnist for men after her IT editor job is merged with her work crush Rob and she pitches the 'Ask Adam' concept to save her job. Luckily she has her secret weapon - her much more experienced younger sister Amelie to help. Except Amelie is marrying and her new husband Zack wants her to focus on him after they move to New York for a secondment. Lucy is introverted, prefers the company of her cat Astro after a disastrous experience with an ex-colleague. In flashbacks we learn about how she naively fell into a toxic relationship at her previous workplace.

I nearly DNF early on when Lucy suddenly develops an almost obsessive crush on Rob. I'm glad I continued as this was an enjoyable read with some lovely banter with Lucy and Rob and interesting side characters. The reason why I give this 3.5 stars but rounded down is I felt each plot thread didn't resolve itself satisfactorily for what was set up. This meant when the main story was resolved it was anti-climatic for me with no real development. I think there were too side plots so focusing on Lucy in the workplace (without the sister's story) with Rob and their colleagues would've been stronger.

Ask Adam doesn't really go viral except for one post which is a real shame given her ineptitide with men could've had promose that her advice without Amelie's help was successful. With respect to Amelie’s storyline, the giant red flags about Zach were dropped to focus on an affair (and URGH predictably Amelie being sick was for *that* development and I don't understand why abortion was never considered). I also wish Lucy took the work opportunity at the end instead of chosing the remain stagnant. That just seemed to take a step back when she really needed to move forward in her life more.

Romance wise I didn't mind the various developments with Rob, but I feel like its resolution happened as a bit of an anti-climax as I didn't get to really feel that he was properly crushing on her as well. It really needed more of Lucy and Rob in the workplace and less of her sister's stuff. Yet I really enjoyed these characters, especially once Lucy started to grow out of her willful naivity a bit and start taking charge of her life.

Overall this book was such an easy read that hit the spot for escapist fiction.

Thanks to Storm and NetGalley for the ARC.

This is the absolute slowest of slow burns I may have ever read. I think I was 50 percent into the book and all that happened was some mutual blushing. It kept the pages turning and I suppose we all love to be teased a bit. I liked the slow burn element, but found it hard to connect with the main character. She seemed to have the whole "Marsha Marsha Marsha" Brady Bunch jealousy thing going on with her sister and the way she chose to address the concerns she had was totally unhinged. Nothing was more unhinged, however, than the coworker agreeing to watch her cat during the week he knew he would be gone. Overall, I enjoyed the story, but choices made by characters made me stop and question how realistic the plot was.

I was excited to read this book and the concept of this book was right up my alley.

I liked the way we can see Lucy’s self esteem grow as the book progresses in not just her job but in herself as well. At the start of the book she was so unsure of herself as was constantly needing validation from everyone around her for her work but seeing her more be more comfortable in herself was a definite highlight. This made her a relatable character, that mirror both myself and others.
Lucy, scarred from her last relationship has sworn off guys and refuses to have a repeat of the last relationship. So when she encounters Ross who makes her blush with a look over the computer screen, Lucy has to decide whether she wants to protect her self or go after what she wants.

The book covered a lot of topics that was brushed over quite quickly that I believe needed more attention, or at least a better transition.
In one scene we saw Ross talking to Lucy about his dad and 9/11, in the same conversation he’s then talking about how much he likes her. For a guy that’s distraught about his dad, it’s a shame this was glossed over quite quickly.
Lucy’s previous relationship was TOXIC and I think it should have not have been given the whole “men are dicks” message because it was a lot more than that and I the way Lucy just accepted what had happened made me upset.
I lied the sister bond in this book but and through it, we could see the close bond they had but I did find it a bit strange in the once scene where Lucy’s sister told her to go away was kinda strange. Lucy talks about her sister all the time ns how great of a relationship they are but one little thing and they’re suddenly not talking. Just weird.

Did really like the ‘Ask Adam’ sections and some of the replies were witty and great.
Most definitely was a SLOW burn, but all in all, it was a fun but predictable book.

Thank you to the author, publisher and NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

I was really excited to read an office romance–it's one of my favorite tropes–but unfortunately, this one started out with a lot of potential but kind of devolved into a mess for me. Ultimately, I think there was TOO MUCH going on with this book, so we got very little time dedicated to each thread.

There was the MC's (Lucy) relationship with her sister, her sister's relationship with her husband (and also kind of men in general, and then later with herself), her relationship with work, her almost immediate crush on this guy Ross and then her previous, err "relationship" with a former coworker. It felt like her sister, Amelie, could have been her own book and we could have had less of their relationship and more of Lucy and Ross in this one. Also her sister and that whole situation was so problematic on so many levels, there isn't enough time or energy frankly to get into that.

I found some of the pop culture references... interesting. Like I don't know any 2o something year olds who watch Seinfeld, forget quoting it, nor wearing Nine Inch Nails t shirts. It's not that it's impossible, but it just stood out to me as being really odd because it was like, oh it's not weird that these kids are quoting this show and not something more recent. Or like maybe bonding over, oh I haven't met someone my age who also is obsessed with this older show.

*SPOILERS BELOW*

Also, the situation with her former coworker was... wow. It felt like we were just treating him like some dick who took advantage of a young girl, but this was like... more like he should be arrested. It felt more like he was a sexual predator who manipulated her and at times felt VERY RAPEY, IN THE OFFICE, but she gets fired (for reasons unclear to me) and then enters a deep depression, and the message is, some men are dicks, but some aren't and we should move on? I feel like he should be reported, fired and put on a LIST.

I think again, the themes and topics were interesting, but there were WAY too many of them, and it felt so melodramatic, especially at the end to resolve them. In one conversation, Ross reveals this whole very traumatic experience with 911 and his dad, but then almost in the same breath we are talking about how he's been crushing on Lucy (unclear as to why) then he was with Bryony, oh but they broke up, and maybe he comes home with her and they hook up?! I was like WHAT? I couldn't even care about their romance, because they had so little time to actually even have a conversation with each other. The only time aside from THE END they had 1:1 was in an escape room (which went on way too long, kind of like this review)

I did love all the British slang/syntax (and no, no American I know has EVER or would ever use the term 'limey' and I'd venture to say that anyone under 50 years old is unlikely to even have heard that term) and her cat Astro.

Thank you NetGalley, Storm Publishing, and Sophie Randal for giving me access to the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you to NetGalley and Storm Publishing for letting me read this book.


At the beginning it was really fun story and I couldn’t stop reading. Lucy’s story was relatable and engaging.

I liked the way her friendship with Ross and the other men in the office developed. But one thing I wasn’t sure about was the way she was around and with Kieran. Also, her feelings towards Ross came out of nowhere and then she was upset about him dating her sister’s friend.

The rest of the book was predictable, but good.

The Love Hack was a fun, relatable, romantic, slow-burn read that had me hooked from page one. Luce and Ross have such an incredibly cute dynamic. It's so refreshing to read about characters that aren't automatically swoon-worthy, and just normal!

Thank you Sophie, for allowing me to read this ahead of publication. It was one of my favourite reads of 2024!

I didn’t like this book. Most of the book was about Lucy complaining she didn’t understand men and her ex. I knew something was fishy with Zack since the beginning. We barely see Ross. The relationship between Lucy and Ross have absolutely no development. One day he’s dating one of Lucy’s sister friends and the next he’s with Lucy ??? That makes no sense. I felt like Lucy was too immature to start something real with someone. I actually for once don’t see the couple stay together after the end of a book and that’s says a lot. I wish I could bring something positive but unfortunately there’s none.

Thank you NetGalley, Strom Publishing and Sophie Randal for the Arc in exchange for an honest review.

This was a solid read! I agree that this is not a romance book and should not be categorized as one but that is still okay! It was a Women's Fiction book that took you through a rollercoaster journey.

The cover was definitely giving "The Hating Game" vibes, which while cute, was not accurate to the portrayal of what the central story was about. The FMC and MMC do a very long extended dance around each other while they figure out their feelings. If anything the FMC reflects on her past and current relationships while facing transitions in her personal life and career.

The author did a good job of presenting insecurities that I don't really see explicitly stated so outright in books. The FMC is insecure about being compared to her "pretty" sister and she's the "smart" one with almost no love experience. Her only romantic experience led her heartbroken and her ego badly damaged. So when she meets the MMC, they start a slow burn friendship that starts to give her the confidence that it could grow into something more. Only to have the MMC wildly disappoint her. Over and over. It was so frustrating to see the MMC (unintentionally?) play these games with the FMC. His explanation about his feelings toward the end of the book didn't fix anything for me. I really dislike that the FMC had to be miserable pining over the MMC until he got his head out of his butt. Why not have the FMC date around or make a connection with another guy in the meantime? For all the talk about not having guys be dicks, he was a dick for playing around like that.

Overall, was a solid read but I can't recommend it as a romance book, especially when the MMC is not a romance lead to root for.

Thank you to NetGalley for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

First I would like to say I really enjoyed the writing and liked the development of the characters over the book. But I would not classify this as a romance novel. It's more just a story about a woman gaining confidence in her life and job. Her relationship with her sister and coworkers. Yes, she does end up with a boyfriend in the end but that's not the central part of this story.