Two individuals decide to spend time together without sharing any details about their pasts. This choice creates a unique space where every interaction is driven by the present moment, making their connection feel fresh and unfiltered.

As they engage with one another, their relationship develops in unexpected ways. Despite their initial lack of knowledge about each other, they discover surprising similarities and shared experiences that reveal how closely their lives intersect.

The story effectively shows that genuine connections can form when people engage with each other without preconceived notions. It beautifully illustrates how profound and unexpected bonds can emerge when people truly connect in the moment.

Minette (Minnie) Byrne, the youngest of the Byrne acting dynasty, is working hard to earn her place as an actress. She’s a bright, warm, positive character. Unfortunately, she’s managed to become involved with a love rat which has left her seeking professional help to sort out her broken heart. Taking her counsellor's advice, she tries to distract from her misery by attempting to make new friends. In a café/ bookshop she meets illustrator Jesse. It’s not the most auspicious of meetings, but something about her persuades the reluctant Jesse to agree to meet her at the zoo. There he hopes to use the visit to sketch characters for a child's book he and his late father were working on. Ground rules are set. It’s not a date. It’s not the beginning of a romance. It’s merely the start of a possible friendship. Or so they both think.
I loved both Minnie’s and Jesse’s characters. Minnie has been treated badly and although the reader can see Essex restauranteur JP is a total rogue, despite what he’s done she still can’t quite let go. Jesse too has his problems. Separated from his unfaithful wife and sleeping at a friend’s house, he carefully navigates a difficult situation, afraid of doing anything that might jeopardise contact with his small daughter Ida, whom he adores.
The story is a combination of humour, drama, sadness, and the mystery of why Jesse has an app which tracks planes.
Although this book began a little slowly, it soon picked up and I became totally engrossed and unable to put it down It’s a wonderful love story, supported by the magical backdrops of places like Paris and, of course, Provence – written so authentically I could almost smell the lavender!
Highly recommended.
I would like to thank Boldwood Books, the writer and Netgalley for an ARC of Five Days in exchange for an honest review.

Thanks to the Publisher and Netgalley for an early review copy.

I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book, which had me was hooked from the beginning.

Minnie has come out of a bad relationship and been advised by her therapist to meet new people, make friends. She meets Jesse and without sharing numbers or what their full names are, they agree to meet each other.

I loved both characters, who were relatable and how the story wasn’t just about the romantic side of relationships, but also about how taking care of yourself is necessary first.

I highly recommend this book.

At first I really liked this book. It was cute and quirky but not cloying. But it started to go downhill fast and never picked back up. I don’t think the title suits it at all. I get the intention it just didn’t work for me. The ending was so unsatisfying and felt forced and rushed without enough information for the reader to feel the story was completed.

What a great idea for a plot!! It really intrigued me so I had to read it of course!!!
Minnie is a young woman who has been very depressed lately. So bad that her family interjected and put her in touch with a councillor. She’s also trying to crawl out from the shadow of a famous family and make her own way in life.
Jesse is reeling from the death of his father and the breakdown of his marriage. His young daughter Ida is really struggling with the change as Jesse has been replaced with an au pair. She really wants her Daddy.
Jesse is in a cafe and has an explosive incident with a young boy’s mother when the boy’s ball bounces and plops into his coffee sploshing all over his shirt. Minnie steps in to stand up for Jesse, who she feels is being ganged up on!! After calming the situation down, she gives him her hand and introduces herself as Minnie . She wants to have five days to have five platonic meetings to have a new friend with no romantic ties……
I thoroughly enjoyed the idea of this, the reality of this and the ending of this!! Brilliant!!
I f you also like the sound of this story, read this book!!!
Many thanks to Boldwood Books for the opportunity to read this arc copy via Netgalley. My opinion is my own.
#Netgalley, #TheBoldBookClub, #ZoeFolbigg.

Thanks to NetGalley & the publisher for an early access for this book!

This book was incredibly refreshing. It’s not usually the type of book I read - which was ironic considering Minnie’s therapist had encouraged her to read genres outside of her usuals.

💐 Friends to lovers
💐 Grief
💐 Healing from toxic relationships
💐 Healing your inner child
💐 Slow burn

The world building when they were travelling was magical. The authors depiction of the environment was well done. The Bechdel theory was a really interesting one and I will be trying it in the future movies/books I read!

I highly recommend this one if you want to step out of the usual romance books!

This was such a beautiful read overall, I absolutely loved the characters and I felt so drawn into the world of their lives.

Minnie is heartbroken. Her therapist suggests she make new friends, so she decides to befriend a stranger who is having a bad day. Though Jesse is unsure, he agrees to meet her and just "hang out." The rules are simple: only first names, no phone numbers, have fun, and no falling in love. Five days. No chance of falling in love, right?

I loved this book! In true Zoe Folbigg fashion, things are never what they seem. This book is fast-paced and dynamic; the way she describes the different locations and the characters’ interactions made me feel as if I were right there with them, watching the scenes unfold. I love that her stories have a serendipitous quality to them—it makes for the most heartwarming happily-ever-afters. And those plot twists?! I did not see them coming, that’s all I’m saying.

Jesse was so endearing. His life was in pieces; he was heartbroken and grieving, but he was sweet and flawed, making him quite relatable. Minnie was a bit of a mess, also heartbroken but for different reasons, and she is desperately trying to piece her life back together. They made quite the unexpected pair, falling for the versions of each other they knew—none of them had the full picture—but in reality, who does? In the end, they had more in common than they knew.

This is the perfect summer read, and the blurb doesn’t do this story justice—there is so much that happens in and between those five days.

The book was very good it certainly kept my interest in it and wanted to read more.

Jesse is having a bad day and meets Minnie who is a force to be reckoned with and agrees to be platonic friends they only know each other’s first names and no mobile numbers. Over the course of the weeks they go on outings. Minnie is recovering from a breakup and Jesse has his own personal problems. Will this lead to romance or not only time will tell.

I enjoyed the book and thought it was a lovely book with romance and also heartbreak. It was a easy reading book.

A beautifully written book with characters I fell in love with. Heart-warming and page-turning, this book is a story everyone will emphasise with. This definitely should be made into a movie to rival any of the famous romance ones. My easiest and most loved read of the year so far.

Friendship is a source of strength and comfort.

Minnie and Jesse first encounter one another in a cosy cafe, striking up a conversation that leads to an agreement to have regular and purely platonic "play dates" in order to establish new connections. However, adhering to the advice from their therapist proves to be quite a challenge. Minnie is grappling with the aftermath of a painful breakup while also pursuing her dreams in the acting world, whereas Jesse is dealing with the recent loss of his father, the betrayal of his wife, and the endeavour of writing a children's book. Their shared escapades take them on a journey to Paris and Provence, where they visit Jesse's mother. The narrative of the book incorporates poignant flashbacks and examines the Bechdel test, at times utilizing strong language. Despite the challenges stemming from a difficult breakup, the overall story is deeply heartwarming, and the characters are truly endearing.

#FriendshipJourney #HealingTogether #ResilienceInAdversity #HeartwarmingNarrative #FindingStrength #Boldwoodbooks #BookReview

I really enjoyed "A Fairytale of New York" from Zoe Folbigg so I was really looking forward to getting into a Zoe world. Sadly, this was just to 'cute'.

I tend to avoid romance books. They haven't never truly interested me and I have always found the plots predictable. Five Days is just a little too formula for me.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for the opportunity to read and review this book.

This book started out promising: I liked the meet-cute and was actually very sympathetic towards both of the main characters as they were dealing with breakups. I will say that I found Jesse, in general, to be a much more relatable character. Jesse’s wife cheated on him and is essentially keeping his duaghter from him. Minnie dated a skeevy, gross, old guy and then was upset when the relationship inevitably ended. I think it’s tops that Minnie is seeking therapy and I loved that the book portrayed the therapy as being helpful for her. That was great.

I guess I just didn’t feel any real chemistry between the characters. Their personalities didn’t seem very compatible and they spent much of the book sort of tolerating each other and their different lifestyles.

And then they fall in love. And Minnie gets very angry at Jesse for withholding some information. I agree that she had every right to be mad but she handles it so poorly. She ghosts him completely and totally. And then, after he makes a lot of effort to reconnect with her, she explains that she did it “for feminism” (I am paraphrasing but this is basically the motive). It is admirable that Minnie wanted to lead a life on her own before needing a partner but I hated that she left him without explanation.

I just couldn’t connect with Minnie and the plot pacing and motivations for the characters left something to be desired. I liked Jesse’s plot and arc but it wasn’t enough to totally redeem the story.

I liked it enough that I would read more by this author. The plot was unique even though it didn’t quite work for me.

Based on other reviews and the rating I liked this book a lot more than I thought I would. The premise is amazing and was executed beautifully. It was so refreshing to read a romance where it is a slow burn and they're friends first. Yes, they got kinda googly-eyed over each other very early BUT they realized it and they were mature adults about it. Both of them knowing that recently coming off a breakup is not a good time to start a new relationship and fall instantly in love. One of the characters is actually seeing a therapist and I was so here for it. I loved how real and raw and true to life the plot was.

I adored the two main characters. I was cheering Millie and Jesse on, not just for them to get together romanticly but their lives in general. I felt invested in the outcome. They were both very relatable despite having famous parents. Jesse's secret was an unexpected twist in the best way possible, not in a creepy secret kind of way. It was more in the I don't want to hurt you kind of way.
The book has many locations, London, Paris, Provincial France and Los Angeles. I felt like I was there. One of my favourite scenes was when Millie went shopping in France.

If you're looking for a captivating romance that is so much more than a romance because it deals with not only love but life and family and broken hearts and all that other messy stuff...this is the book for you. This is my fifth book by the author and it's so nice to get a winner every time. I highly recommend The Three Loves of Sebastian Cooper.

Read this is one sitting on my sunlounger. Jesse and Minnie meet by co-incidence. Minnie had been set a task by her therapist to make new friends; and decided that should be Jesse. I’ve the course of five days their friendship develops in a way neither can have imagined or are prepared for. A really lovely read

I loved reading 'Five Days', I instantly connected with the characters and found myself immersed in their world, keen to keep reading to find out what happens to them. The plot is brilliant, quite simple but Folbigg explores a lot along the way. This has ups and downs and every emotion imaginable. This was a truly, fun, delightful book to read.
Thank you to NetGalley and Boldwood Books for an advance copy.

This book bursts from the first page like a horse at the gate and never stops running. It’s a wild ride.
A page-turner from a stunning writer. I adored it beyond words I adored this beautiful, warm, funny novel ... it's so full of heart you can almost hear it pulsing on every page.

Jesse and Minnie agree to meet regularly without exchanging phone numbers or last names. This old-fashioned approach lets their friendship grow and develop naturally. The story spans five key days, showing how this happens.

This is perfect for fans of slow-burn romances and those who love seeing friendships turn into love. However, if you prefer a fast-paced story, you might feel it’s a bit of a slow read.

Another wonderful read from this author, who always seems to find new ways to entertain and bring the romance alive.

There was a lot of time hopping and this felt like an unhelpful distraction to start with, but once I settled into it, I got very invested.

I liked how this went back to traditional dating- no phones, verbal arrangements etc a welcome change from reading masses of text messages that seems to be in many books currently.

Warm, creative and tender.

This was OK, but not a favorite. Characters were a bit meek and it took a while to get into the story.
Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for access to this eARC.