This was a cute read! As a fan of Love Island I enjoyed the dating show set up and the chaos that unfolded because of it. The romance between Molly and Ben was sweet and enjoyable to read

Thank you to HarperCollins UK for providing me with an ARC of this book.

This novel follows single divorce attorney Alex Turner and gifted chef Will Harkness. When Alex stumbles upon her latest ex-boyfriend’s new girlfriend picking out a wedding dress, she embarks on a quest to understand why her exes move on to serious relationships immediately after breaking up with her. Will, her long-time friend and sometimes adversary, decides to join Alex and her two friends, Lana and Jane, on this eye-opening journey.

This book was fun with a great plot concept and it was a quick read for the start of summer. I loved the characters in this story, our main romantic couple and all the side characters were masterfully crafted and stood out among the text. However, I was hoping for some more depth to each interaction between Alex an her exes, leaving me wanting a little more.

Despite some pacing issues and far too many inner monologues for my liking, "Thank You, Next" is a charming read. The second-chance romance between Alex and Will is sweet, even if you might want more glimpses into their future and less reflection on their past.

While the novel had the potential to be a favourite, it just didn't stand out to me. If you're into introspective romantic comedies with well-developed characters and a dash of humour, "Thank You, Next" might be your next great read.

I received this book from NetGalley but for some reason I couldn’t actually download the book :(

I will be reading it once a it releases and reviewing then.

Loved this one! Great and fun read. Highly recommend.
Many thanks to the publisher, Netgalley, and the author for my ARC.

This was a pretty quick read, great choice for a summertime release; if you like reality shows (i.e. the bachelor/ette style), then you will enjoy this book. It felt like you were binging a tv show, just the book version. There is a good amount of drama and spice, which keeps things interesting. The author had a fun writing style that kept you engaged throughout. I am looking forward to reading other Kathryn Freeman books.

Thank you NetGalley and HarperCollins UK, One More Chapter publishing for sending an eARC of this book for review consideration. All opinions are my own.

Call me crazy but I loved this book. Second chance romance. Smutty dating show premise. Exes. Drama. What's not to love?

Follow Molly and Ben as their story unravels in front of the camera. If you love a good romance themed reality show you'll love this summer hit!

3⭐
Genre ~ contemporary romance
Setting ~ England
Publication date ~ June 30, 2024
Est Page Count ~ 371 (37 chapters +e)
POV ~ dual 3rd
Featuring ~ reality dating show, forced proximity, lack of communication, second chance, minimal steamage

Author Content Warning: Some sex scenes, heroine adopted after being abandoned by mother as a seven year old. Hero’s first love addicted to drugs, depressed, died of drug overdose or potential suicide.

Molly & Ben
Molly and Duncan have been dating for a year. He’s asked to go on the dating show The One and he agrees in order to promote his fitness business. He breaks up with Molly before he leaves, but promises she’s the one he wants to be with and marry one day. The producers get wind that Molly is his ex so she’s invited on the show, too, in order to beef up the drama. Molly gets to the show and lo and behold her ex before Duncan, the one that broke her heart, is a contestant too, Ben. He's anti-commitment and not thrilled to be there. Can you say disaster waiting to happen?

I am not a reality dating show watcher, but it pretty much seemed to be what I expected one to be. It’s full of drama, gossip, drinking, and fun dates. Pretty much all of the characters frustrated me a time or sixteen. Ben’s reasoning for giving her the boot back in the day was perfectly valid, however I just wish he had better communication skills. But at least he never denied he sucks at it. Perhaps if we had a couple of chapters when they were together back in the day we could have gotten a better feel of their relationship instead of just being told about it.

It is obvious who is going to end up together, but I just didn’t care for the stringing us along with the back and forth of ~ is it going to be Ben or Duncan, which was repetitive. It wasn’t a love triangle per say, since they’re not attached, attached, but it kind of gives off the vibe of one. The ending didn't feel authentic to me either.

Overall, there were some fun moments and I really love the cover. I do think this would appeal to those that do enjoy watching these types of shows, or those that like drama filled fiction.

Thank You, Next is a fairly cute and easy read. It deals with some heavier topics, but overall it really did seem like you were getting to watch the contestants on a dating show with a little bit more of the background.

My one issue was that although we got to know the big things affecting Molly and Ben, we got to know some of the small things but overall I didn’t know too much about them. They did a great job showing the growth between them, but there was not a ton of information about the characters themselves.

I absolutely loved reading this book. I hadn't read anything by the author before, but I will be after this.

I liked that it immediately got into the story. I read 48% in one sitting, it just completely yanked me in. I sort of disliked Duncan, but it was interesting how Molly's relationships evolved as she learned more about herself. I definitely felt like the characters were real and relatable and that made the experience better for sure.

I'm in love with Molly and Ben and I happily rated this book 4⭐!

I am really bummed I didn't like this one. I have been loving the reality TV show romances lately, and while I loved the concept of the reality show in this book, the characters were so underdeveloped that it didn't matter to me.

The writing just wasn't strong with this one. One of the main characters, Ben, went back and forth so many times with how "ready" he was to be in a committed relationship. Same with Molly. Here's an example: Molly thought, "He’d not intended to hurt her, she could see that now, and she’d not exactly handled things well from her side either, twisting everything he’d said until she’d convinced herself he’d not cared at all. He had, just nowhere near as much as she’d cared for him," but then two pages later, she had almost the exact same realization after she snapped at him for not wanting to be with her. The storyline was just a little too repetitive.

I have seen other readers enjoy this one, however. If you enjoy reality TV, love triangles, and interesting side characters (I did like the character of Ben's sister!), I suggest giving this one a try!

I am not a reality dating show watcher, unless you count the one summer as a teen that I watched every episode of Next, Parental Control, and Rock of Love. However, this was still such a fun read for me!

We meet Molly, who was abandoned and then adopted at 7 years old, who felt blindsided when Ben left her without warning the first time they dated. She is someone who wants a marriage because she needs stability and commitment, someone legally required to stay with her. And then we meet Ben, who was married once before to someone who expected him to save her and he felt he ultimately failed because he wasn’t enough. Ben arguably has stronger feelings for Molly than he ever did for his ex-wife, but feels he will fail her as well, especially given he already did once and believes her to be way too good for him. Add on top of this Duncan, body obsessed workout guru who may be a total asshat but he was the one to get Molly out of her Ben funk the last time they dated and is willing to give her the marriage she wants, and you have the perfect recipe for love triangle drama!

I actually liked the reality dating show backdrop, as I felt that not only was it a super cute way to get our MCs together in a place where they couldn’t leave, but it also allowed for cute day dates and tons of drama between the love triangle participants. I loved how many outings they went on and the tasks they had to participate in as a couple, from the aquarium to the upcycling project that was once Molly’s career interest. It all just felt really cute and had a natural flow for accomplishing all of this mini-connections between the MCs and the other participants in the show, as well as spurring along the storyline.

I also loved that the show, in its own way, really helped our characters to develop and get past each of their own holdups. After being shown what a relationship with someone who wasn’t obsessed with themselves and was now in the right headspace could offer, Molly grew to learn that she didn’t need a wedding to feel confident and settled with someone. Ben made her feel special, loved, and committed without the promise of a ring on her finger, and she was ultimately fine with that. Ben learned that not everyone went into a marriage with the goal of being saved by someone else, Molly especially, and that in order to succeed you need to communicate with each other. As much as he hated the show and its lack of privacy, it did make him go outside his comfort area and actually talk with Molly. In this talking, he was able to see that a marriage to Molly would be the ultimate HEA.

I also cannot express enough how much I loved that Ben supported Molly’s dream career, going so far as to make her a website, business plan, etc. that she could use if/when she wanted without her knowing about them until they were complete. Also, his reassurances about her body after what she went through with Duncan were EVERYTHING!

The person we probably got the most insight into, outside of our three love triangle inhabitants, was Rachel, a producer for the show and Ben’s sister. I definitely thought she gave him the kick in the butt he needed at several different points in the show and she was ultimately the reason for their second chance at love. She seemed like a very cool (older?) sister, and I wish we knew more about her. Other than Rachel, we didn’t get a whole lot of insight into other people in the book. It would have been nice if perhaps Maya and Marcus, a couple on the show who looked like they had potential, could have played more of a role as side characters, given Molly and Ben liked them respectively. If we could have had more one-on-one conversations between these two women and two men and also seen the ceremony for Maya and Marcus before Molly and Ben, it would have been a nice touch in my opinion.

Thank you to NetGalley, One More Chapter, and Kathryn Freeman for the opportunity to read this book. The thoughts and opinions expressed above are honest and my own.

It was cute but I didn't find much depth in the romance!

Kathryn Freeman books have always been either a 5-star or 3-star reads for me & I guess these falls in the latter category.


Thank you Netgalley and publisher for the ARC in exchange for an honest review

Rounded up from 3.5

I loved the premise for this book. A reality dating show where you followed your boyfriend on to, only to find yourself matched with the man who broke your heart. It checked all the boxes for me.

The chemistry between Molly and Ben was great throughout the book. Molly is naïve yet sweet but has a lot of insecurities. Ben is a bit of a grump who finds it hard to communicate because of issues in his past. Initially, they don't seem to get along, but by the end, they seem to bring the best out in each other, which was sweet to read.

Although it's a light-hearted book, the author skillfully addressed the heavy topics of suicide of a loved one and adoption, which enhanced the depth of the characters.

The only problem I had was the growth of the characters took a little too long, which meant some of the internal conflict got rehashed over and over, making it a slightly repetitive.

If you're looking for a romance with some reality TV style shenanigans, drama and some steaminess thrown in there for good measure, then I'd highly recommend Thank You, Next to you.

Thank You, Next by Kathryn Freeman 📺
Overall Rating: 3.5/5 ⭐
Release Date: June 30, 2024

I thought this book was so fun! I am such a fan of trash TV and this was a fun mix of those kinds of shows and reading.

I think the first half really hooked me but I did find it got a bit less interesting and a bit more cringey as it went on.

I adore the premise and think this is a great book to add to your summer TBR! Overall, a quick easy read!

Thank You, Next by Kathryn Freeman was highly entertaining and I enjoyed it.
I found the whole read to be well paced and expertly written.

Thank You NetGalley and One More Chapter for your generosity and gifting me a copy of this amazing eARC!

Thank you to Netgalley for providing me with an ARC of this story.
SPOILERS TO FOLLOW

I have to admit, I really enjoyed this story when I first started reading it. I thought Molly and Ben were really cute together and deserved a second shot at romance. I also enjoyed the reality dating TV show aspect of it. It was fun without feeling forced or too cliche. The reason that this story is a three though instead of a 4 star review like I originally planned is because I didn't like how, even when Ben first revealed to Molly that his previous girlfriend had died and that's part of the reason he broke things off with her, Molly gave him ZERO grace time. She told him she was sorry but then it immediately started saying "But what does that have to do with me?" Which I thought was also valid at the time but only slightly. The death of someone very close to you would rock anyone and you'd think she'd know this since Molly's own mom disappeared (though she presumes she's alive). She kept telling Ben that he needed to communicate better and throughout the course of the novel I could see that he was trying, not only in his own POV's but hers too. He was actively trying to open up to her and explain why they'd broken up years ago. When Ben finally decided to sit down with her and explain everything Molly more or less said "You know I want you to talk to me, I've been vocal about that but I only want you to tell me what happened if you're ready". Here she'd been PUSHING Ben for weeks now to open up and then finally says "only if you're ready" it didn't make sense to me that she'd suddenly say this. It would make more sense if she'd told him this way before they finally sat down to talk about it and then ask him again "are you ready to tell me". I don't doubt that hey cared for each other but I'd wished Molly had given Ben the benefit of the doubt. I understand why she didn't at first but after that first revelation about Ben's ex I'd thought she'd have some sense to realize that this was a big thing in Ben's life that wasn't easy for him to talk about, just like how none of the people around her knew her mom had abandoned her. What I also hated was that even after she opened up to Ben, she hated when he couldn't perform for the film cameras. I don't think many people would be comfortable being filmed that way and the fact that she was and he clearly wasn't and didn't respect that felt off to me.

It was a seriously cute novel but I couldn't get past this element of it. I hope it was changed in the final version.

“Yet another reason she and Duncan were a perfect match - like her, he was always on time. ”
Here are reasons to read the Contemporary book:

Reality Dating - Molly and her fitness influencer boyfriend Duncan are a big fan of reality dating shows
Break up- So when Duncan gets the opportunity to go on their favorite one, he decides to breakup with Molly to do it
Another Ex - but Molly soon finds herself on the show as well, but she finds she is also there with her other Ex, Ben.

Lately I have been on a real kick to read books about reality dating shows. Stay tuned because I will have a roundup of all of them I have read this year. This one was cute, and the characters were fine. I wouldn’t say it’s the most entertaining one I have read this year, but it did have some really special moments in it that made it worth reading.

Molly is a romantic looking for a husband. When her current boyfriend, Duncan, gets a chance to go on their favorite reality dating show they break up for him to get his TV break. Surprisingly, Molly is also asked to go on the dating show and hopes to be paired with her perfect match, Duncan. But surprise, Molly gets paired with her ex boyfriend who broke her heart 3 years ago.

This book is a romantic, second-chance book. I went in to this book knowing that it was going to be a little cheesy but this was a little too much for my liking. I got frustrated with Duncan and how he kept coming up even after Molly made her choice. I did enjoy learning more about Ben and Molly's past which helps define their characters and values but I wish there was just more to them and their backgrounds and overall story. If you love reality dating shows, this book is for you.

I'm really starting to become a fan of reality dating shows. I am finding myself completely immersed in the drama, but my excitement peaks when my preferred couple gets together! If you share this sentiment, then I highly recommend this book. The love triangle storyline, centered around Molly, is expertly crafted and truly captivated me.

Thank you NetGalley & HC UK- one more chapter (for the auto approval!!)
I LOVE SECOND CHANCE romance. Its my roman Empire. This was very nicely done and i enjoyed it!! the idea was creative and i loved it! :)