I actually enjoyed this book a lot more than I assumed I would. I wasn’t feeling 100% sold on the reality TV aspect, but Freeman did an amazing job at capturing the dramatic and humour of it. It felt incredibly realistic to the reality TV you’d watch week to week.

I am not usually a fan of second-chance romance, but this was written hilariously (in a good way). And the will they/won’t they with Ben was SO good! This story kept you on your toes and I flew through this book just to find out who’d she choose! It had me as addicted as reality TV usually does.

This was hugely entertaining and a fairly easy/quick read. All characters were loveable in their own quirky ways.

Thank you NetGalley and HarperCollins for this ARC!

Thank You, Next by Kathryn Freeman is a fake-dating romcom.
 
This story is about Molly who is looking for love, but everyone always leaves her. Her last boyfriend dumped her to seek fame on a dating show and she is a bit depressed. Until she gets the chance to also take part in said dating show. And everything gets even more complicated when another familiar face is on the dating show and it’s none other than her other ex Duncan. Duncan is the one who got away and he is super sweet.
 
I think dating shows are very entertaining because it’s very dramatic and perfect to forget the world around you for a little bit. And the book totally managed to capture this at. At the same time there is this delicious tension between the character and Molly must decide if she wants to reconnect with an ex or try someone knew. The title is accurate for this book and the song by Ariana Grande also fits perfectly.
 
Overall, Thank You, Next is such a fun romcom and if you like dating shows, you totally need to check out this book. 4 stars.
 
(ARC kindly provided in exchange for a review.)

A romance novel set on a reality dating show sounded like the perfect summer read. Our main character Molly loves a certain reality dating show and has the chance to be on the show because her recent ex is one of the contestants. Molly thinks she’s in love with her ex, Duncan and feels being on the show will push them into continuing their relationship. But then she finds her “perfect match” according to the show is Ben, the man who broke her heart years ago.

This book had a fun setup and the characters of Molly and Ben were quite likable. I enjoyed this book but did not love it. I felt myself becoming bored at times with the book and it also seemed very repetitive at times, especially when the characters were first forced back into each others lives.


This was a cute read that I would classify as just okay. Thank you to NetGalley and One More Chapter for the advanced copy in exchange for my honest review.

I love this romance! Im usually not the biggest fans of reality tv dating shows, but in a book form i loved it. I love the tension but still knowing that all will be well. I must say i knew from chapter one that duncan was an absolute *******, so im glad that ended up this way. Also ben <3

It also deals with some heavier issues very well without taking away from the cutesy parts. Really well done!

Thank you to netgalley and the author for sending me the book in exchange for an honest review

I loved the concept of this book with the reality dating show and the second chance romance troop but I just didn't find myself wanting to pick the book up, it was quite slow, just found myself getting a little bored.
I loved some of the interactions especially the first one between Molly and Ben but I felt as the book went on it did become a bit repitive.
I really like concept of the reality TV show and think that characters found themselves within the show as the book went on. Although, I didn't find myself connecting with the characters that much.
I did like the spice in this book, felt like there was just the right amount of the storyline.

This is such an entertaining read. I love the reality show setting and the interactions with the other contestants are amazing. Molly wants to get married so she can feel secure. Her most recent boyfriend Duncan breaks up with her so he can go on a dating show and promote his business. Molly goes on the show to surprise him, and finds out that she’s paired with Ben, her boyfriend before Duncan.

She and Ben have crazy chemistry and she was devastated when he left. For his part, Ben was suffering from a trauma that he never explained to Molly. Now they’ve got the opportunity to clear the air, and they discover their feelings for one another never really went away.

Synopsis:
In this game of hearts, the stakes have never been higher…Molly Harris is used to being left. Parents, boyfriends – she’s the queen of rejection. Her latest boyfriend, gym-fanatic Duncan, dumps her to go on reality dating show The One which sets up hot singletons to date for four weeks before meeting at the altar to say, ‘I do’.

But on the first day of filming, Ben Knight, her it’s-not-you-it’s-me heartbreaker, walks in. The one she loved before Duncan.

Who will she meet at the altar? Duncan, the first person who ever made her feel loved, or Ben, the first person who made her feel?

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley, I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

Thank You, Next by Kathryn Freeman. What can I say other than I really enjoyed it and read in one day. In four weeks’ time, who will she meet at the altar? Duncan, the first person who ever made her feel loved, or Ben, the first person who made her feel?

The setting of a reality dating show had me hooked as I do tend to watch them, think Love Island and
Are you the One. It had everything you could want in a story banter, self discovery, romance and a little spice…

It also kept me guessing on how things would work out, as Ben kept saying he couldn’t do marriage, and Duncan kept stringing Molly along.

I will definitely read other books by this author.

I requested and received an advance reader copy of this book from
Harper Collins UK, One More Chapter and Netgalley. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Was this book a masterpiece l? No. Did I read it in a day because it was a fun read? Yes!

Think Love Is Blind meets Love Island, and this book is the result. It was fun, it was charming, and even I was in love with Ben by the end of it.

If you love reality dating shows, then I highly highly recommend this read!

If you follow my blog, you will know that I love Kathryn Freeman books and her latest novel, Thank You, Next is fun, flirty and a little bit racy. It certainly had me blushing at times!

Molly loves watching reality dating show The One with her boyfriend Duncan and the romance on TV has Duncan hinting at marriage and children. So, Molly is shocked when Duncan decides to join the show 'to gain more followers' or so he says. Well, two can play at that game and Molly joins the show too. Molly is sure that she will be matched with Duncan anyway and she starts dreaming of her wedding...until she is matched with her ex Ben.

Oooh I loved Ben even though he tries to keep Molly at arms length the attraction virtually sizzles off the page. Ben doesn't have any desire to get married though and that's something that Molly really wants, due to being abandoned in her past by her parents and Ben himself. Is Duncan 'the one' for Molly or should she give Ben another shot?

This is a really fun read and I really enjoyed following the couples on the dating show. I was worried that Molly would get her heart broken again, either by Ben or Duncan, as Ben has a past he has yet to reveal and Duncan loves himself so much that he has no love left to give anybody else. Who will be standing at the altar and what will happen next? I couldn't read fast enough to find out!

Hugely entertaining, pulse-racing and very enjoyable, Thank You, Next is classic Kathryn Freeman and I absolutely loved it.

I received a digital ARC to read and review for the blog tour and this is my honest and unbiased opinion.

What a fun story! With a play on the infatuation of reality shows this book was full of laughs. This was full of fun times in front of the cameras and some things not meant to be viewed! Ben was such a lovable character, putting guilt above his own happiness detonating the perfect relationship he would have had with Molly. Fates and arm twisting as a last minute bachelor prevailed. I really enjoyed reading this author for the first time. I’m delighted that this is part of a series. I know nothing of it yet, but this can definitely be read as a standalone. Thank you to NetGalley for this free advanced copy. I’m leaving this review voluntarily

Silly premise, especially for someone (me) who is no fan of reality TV. Molly's boyfriend Duncan breaks up with her (temporarily) to be on a dating-to-marriage tv show, ostensibly to further his fitness career. When Molly has the opportunity to join the show, she sees this as the opportunity to clinch her marriage to Duncan, something they've both professed to want. A win-win. However, her ex Ben, brother of the show's producer, also ends up on the show (because his sister begged him to do it for her). And Molly and Ben have unfinished business. Ben is definitely a hero with a capital H, but he's broody and uncommunicative and doesn't believe in marriage. Duncan is rather self-involved, but he helped Molly pick up the pieces after she and Ben split, and he definitely wants marriage and a family. I have to say I really got tired of Molly vacillating between the two of them. Geez, get off the fence girl! See Duncan for what he is and then sit down and have a real conversation with Ben; stop letting other things distract you both!

Trigger Warnings
This book contains:
• Death of loved ones
• Drug addiction
• Emotional impact of being abandoned and then adopted as a primary aged child.
Characters
Molly has felt a bit battered by life. Starting with her mum abandoning her as a child, and then struggling to find a guy who truly loves her for her. Throughout it all, she’s held onto her dreams of starting her own business and starting her own family that she can love wholeheartedly.
Ben and Duncan are our two love interests. While we start the book with Duncan and Molly together, he prioritises advertising his personal training business by appearing on a dating show over his relationship with Molly. But we quickly learn that Ben has previously dated Molly, is still in love with her but hurt her so badly it’s unlikely she could ever forgive him.
Storyline
Molly’s boyfriend Duncan puts a pause on their relationship to appear on their favourite dating show, The One. He’s up front with her that he wants to promote his business so he can support her and their future family, but the show finds out that she’s his ex and invites her onto the show to add some drama.
What they weren’t banking on was needing to rope Ben into being the replacement for the guy they’d initially chosen for Molly. Or that it’d turn out he’d dating her a few years previously, and things did not end well.
Overall Thoughts
As a sometimes fan of dating shows, I was 100% behind the drama The One would be looking for by having Molly join Duncan on the show. The one thing that surprised me though was the amount of alcohol they were allowed to consume while “filming” and the lack of producer input to create more drama.
Maybe it’s because I’m from Australia, I know in Australia there’s a limit on how many drink you can consume while filming to prevent people essentially making a fool of themselves thanks to being intoxicated. And I know from interviews with reality show contestants that producers here prompt them to say and do things that will outrage another contestant.
So maybe it’s different in the UK, I don’t know. It was just a difference I noticed that kept popping into my head.
Otherwise, Molly’s confidence in herself, and what she wants from life is amazing. Even if some of it took a little bit of prompting and encouragement from Ben!
Ben on the other hand was challenging. Since we don’t find out why he dumped Molly so unceremoniously a few years prior until late in the book. You’re left wondering what the hell happened and why he’s being so damn stubborn!

I absolutely loved this book and I was completely hooked from the beginning. I loved Molly and Ben as characters and I felt like I could connect to them both.

Molly joins the contestants of a reality TV dating show after Duncan, the guy she's been dating for the past year, signs up to the same show, and breaking up with her so he could "promote his fitness business." When he sees Molly at the shows meet and greet he tells her that he's going to give his match a go but he still wanted to marry Molly. But then Molly is matched with Ben, the guy who broke her heart three years ago.

Ben is still in love with Molly but he's carrying a lot of baggage from something that happened in his past. It was the reason he ended things with Molly three years prior but now he realises he can't let her slip through his fingers again.

Molly is torn between her feelings for Ben and the security Duncan can offer her. She believes she needs to get married, to have that legal proof that she won't be abandoned again but she can't stop the way Ben makes her feel.

At the start of the book, Molly is so desperate to have someone love her that she forgets that she needs to be one to create her own happiness. She'll never truly be happy in a relationship until she's happy in herself and Duncan is not the person who will help her who do that. He tears her down at every opportunity, trying to mould her into someone he wants her to be. But Ben sees Molly, and he does whatever he can to help her be her true self.

I thought the character growth for both Molly and Ben was great. They both come a long way in the 4 weeks the book is set over and they're such a sweet couple with unbelievable chemistry, it was hard not to want them together.

Thanks to NetGalley and One More Chapter for the opportunity to read and review this ARC.

2.5 stars that I’ll round up to 3. I loved the premise unfortunately the execution didn’t work for me. I found Ben’s attitude to be off putting at times and Molly needed so much validation, which I could understand why but was exhausting to read. Unfortunately this didn’t work for me as much as I wanted it to. Thank you NetGalley and publisher for this ARC!

this book reminds me of the show ex on the beach which i had a very big obsession with, I enjoyed this even though it had love triangle vobes and i did devour it in one sitting. i love books that read like reality tv shows we all binge in secret

Personally I do not watch much reality tv but I love a romance novel in these settings. It has all the fun tropes, the forced proximity and the idea that perhaps someone else on the show might swoop in and woo the love interests. Thank You, Next follows Molly who is broken up with by her boyfriend of a year Duncan, so he can go on the reality dating show they watched together and promote his online personal training business. Molly does the next logical thing and agrees to join the show as well when a producer calls her - it would only make sense that the producers would pair her with Duncan...right? Nope, Molly is surprised to encounter Ben, her ex from before Duncan, as her match for the show. Their attraction is still there but the communication issues seem to still persist as Ben wants nothing to do with the show.

Overall I really did enjoy Thank You, Next, it was a book I did not want to put down but I was getting so frustrated as their issues felt very repetitive. The love triangle never really felt like a love triangle given the dual POV and at no point did I think Molly would pick the other option. Honestly if it wasn't a romance I would have expected Molly to end up with neither man. Ben felt a little too #troubled at times and he is portrayed a serious adult but he cannot communicate anything. He yo-yos her around and tries to force Molly into situations she is very clearly upset by. I would have loved a bit more of a flashback so we can see how much they did previously work well together because these little snippets did not feel like enough. Also reality dating shows have drama - I felt like there should have been way more wow moments or tricky editing or cameras because it all felt very tame and like a reality show that does not have a wildly passionate fanbase.


Though given how addictive I found this book and my general enjoyment I gave this 3.5 stars.

This is a fun, light second chance romance. It follows the story of Molly, who follows her boyfriend to a reality dating show. But also on the show is an ex-boyfriend. This leads to a rollercoaster of emotions, discovery, forgiveness and self-discovery.

I like the idea of the reality show and getting to know all of the characters-their quirks, qualities and personalities. I didn’t mind the third party narration.

There were humorous and comical moments which made for good reading. I love Ben and how he stood up for Molly every time.

It was too drawn out. Because of the reality show setting the author wanted every detail captured but this backfired as the plot could have benefited from fewer chapters and still made sense.

I didn’t like that it took a while for the characters’ backstory to be revealed.

If you love rom coms and reality shows then you will enjoy this.

I received an advanced copy and the review is mine and voluntary.

When Molly thinks her boyfriend is about to propose, it comes as a surprise that he is about to dump her, so he can promote his business on a reality dating show - The One.

But when Molly is invited onto the show to shake things up, as his ex-girlfriend, it comes as a surprise when he is not the only ex of hers on the show.

But at the end of the show, who will Molly truly walk down the aisle with?

I loved this storyline and was cheering for Ben and Molly from the very start. This was an entertaining novel, with great realistic characters that all had unique personalities and showed real-life characteristics.

I loved Molly and how she worked through her personal trauma and found herself, I felt for the main character Ben who needed to heal and admit to his mistakes. This novel showed how communication is so important in relationships and how the breakdown can lead to misunderstandings and possible missed opportunities.

This romance was so cute! If you are looking for a romance set in a dating show this book is for you! I would highly recommend this book!

I really enjoyed this romance book set around a dating show. I worried that it would be annoying and slow but it had pace and the female main character didn't fall into any traps of going back to the man she originally went on the show for which was great.
Only downside is the name, not sure it suits the book.