3.5 stars, rounded to 4. Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for a copy of this book. My thoughts and opinions are my own.

Right off the bat; I'm confused by the title and I really dislike when the character on the cover doesn't match the character in the book.

To the meat of it: Molly and Duncan are on what Molly thinks to be the calm and steady path to marriage when he drops a bombshell - he wants to put their relationship on hold so he can go on a dating show and boost his social media following. When she gets the call to also be on the dating show, she quickly agrees to prove that they're meant to be. During the meet and greet however, The One that Got Away is also there and the one producers intend to pair her with.

I really loved Molly and Ben's growth as a couple. I think the setting maybe isn't for me, and I was often frustrated by how easily Molly was swayed to Duncan. As a reader, I had a hard time covincing myself that she was fine with the security Duncan would've provided when we're seeing him as an objectively awful human. Molly's fear of being alone and desire of security was there and strong, but I just couldn't understand why Duncan was the solution. He was a ultimately a very weak foil for Ben and I found myself more annoyed with Molly than anything.

I thought Ben's turmoil was beautifully done and executed. As someone who'd been married too young and for the wrong reasons, all of his hang ups made sense and he did work to communicate that to Molly. Honestly, Ben was best character in this book and his growth from realizing his steadfast views made no room for a different person to someone willing to change that view was emotional and well done by Freeman.

SPOILER ALERT FOR THE ENDING
SPOILER ALERT FOR THE ENDING
SPOILER ALERT FOR THE ENDING

I really, really wish they wouldn't have gotten married during the show finale - I wish they would've given an epilogue on how Ben proposed privately. I think the ending that would've been better for the characters would've been for Molly's realization that she didn't need marriage to be so clear that they chose to keep it a commitment ceremony and not proceed with the marriage right away. I felt like Molly to quickly realize "oh I don't need marriage I just want it" didn't matter, since the outcome was the same and the burden of the growth was on Ben regardless.

Reality TV & Romance. I thought this was going to be perfection. Unfortunately it fell a little short for me. The story itself was good, I enjoyed the ease of reading and the plot in general.

But there were somethings missing. Mostly in the writing itself and the character development. I think the whole 3rd person thing for me is rough. Maybe it is a me problem!

I really got into this book and the whole reality dating show vibe, a little similar to love is blind/married at first sight if they were blended together. The added variety of her having 2 exes in the house definitely Spiced it up a bit and made it more interesting than just being an ex trying to get back together with her.

Freeman's style of writing was sophisticated and easy to read, making it a nice little romcom to breeze through.

Thank you to netgalley for the E-ARC.

A fun novel combining the old fashioned way of finding the one with modern techniques. Molly is a true romantic, and despite a tricky start in life which leads her to fall in love too easily, she follows her boyfriend onto a reality show (think Love Island crossed with MAFS) where one of the other contestants is a previous boyfriend & definitely the one that got away.
Some of the characters are great and you can relate to them, other characters such as Duncan is just bland. But I did enjoy it and was routing for Molly and Ben throughout. Thanks to Net Galley for the advanced copy

Molly and Duncan have been together for a year. Duncan helped Molly repair her broken heart when she was left devastated by her ex Ben. Duncan is caring, kind, thoughtful and everything she wants in her future. Her Future is Duncan until he drops a bombshell that he’s breaking up with her to go on her favourite dating show… to boost his personal training business.

However, he has a plan, he wants to finish the show and come back to Molly and their life afterwards. Except, the aim of the show is to work towards marrying your perfect match.

Little does he know that the show have also reached out to Molly as the scorned ex and well it soon becomes interesting.

Ben just gave me all the vibes and while the story was full of romance it was also full of honest heart break that made me want to wrap him and Molly up and give them a cuddle!!

I honestly adored this from start to finish, the romance was 100% there for me! I adored Molly and loved the way they built her character and the relationships she had with other characters. It was quite a slow burn story but I think it built well and I didn’t want to put it down.

I was really excited to read this. I loved the idea of the reality TV show, and the premise of the second chance romance. I feel like it was a book that I read the first chapter and was immediately invested, really had a hard time putting this one down. It was a really quick and fun read. I think at some points the arguments became a bit repetitive, however I really liked the story.

It was a quick read, really cute, with a fun storyline. Thank you to NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review this ARC.

This is an incredibly addictive read. I could not put this book down and loved returning to the characters every time I picked up the book. Ex lovers find themselves together on a reality dating show where they must decide at the end of the month whether to get married. Due to past trauma, they both have trepidations about the show and relationships and must work through their own ghosts in order to get through the process. The author's portrayal of their emotional journeys is both heartfelt and realistic, making their struggles relatable. The plot twists kept me reading, and the romance was spicy. The secondary characters aren't as well fleshed out but serve to better understand the leads. The writing is clear and engaging, pulling you into the story from the very first page. Overall, this book is a must-read for fans of contemporary romance and reality dating shows.






4o

When Molly's boyfriend Duncan decides he wants to go onto a reality tv show, he decides that having a girlfriend back home might not look good, especially since said show will have him paired up with another woman, with the potential of a wedding at the end of the season. Molly can't believe her luck when the show contacts her asking if she would like to appear on the show too. Maybe this is the way her union with Duncan will blossom! But when Molly gets there, she finds another of her exes, Ben, is in the competition too.

I always enjoy Kathryn Freeman's books. Everytime I see her name and new book on Netgalley, I snap it up without even bothering to read what it's about. As with all her books, this one left me smiling at the end with the perfect happy ever after. The journey to love had its twists on the way but it was such an enjoyable ride. If you like sweet and funny romcoms, I highly recommend giving her books a go.

Thank You, Next was a light-hearted second chance romance. Molly finds herself dumped (in what she thinks is a nice way!) And on a reality dating show. She hopes to be paired with said ex, but ends up with a her Ex Ben from 3 years ago. A love triangle ensues. There is a lot of past baggage and trauma to unpack, but things get lightly touched on, but never unpacked properly. There is a lot of the same internal dialogue and conversations repeated over and over, but no progression until the end.
I would have loved more depth.
All in all, a good light fluffy read with a lovely HEA.
Thank you to Netgalley Kathryn Freeman and Harper Collins UK for the ARC.

I was intrigued by the premise, but the book fell flat for me. This was a second chance romance where Molly and Ben got paired up on a dating show to both their surprise, where the end of the show will be a wedding where they decide if they want to get married. She was left heartbroken from their previous breakup and doesn’t know if she can trust him again, but she really wants to get married. He is doing the show begrudgingly to help his sister, but is hopeful to regain Molly’s trust, although he absolutely doesn’t want to get married.

My main issues were the repetitiveness - it felt like I was reading the same conversation and same internal struggles over and over again. Which made it feel like nothing really happened.

I also wasn’t a fan of the MMC, Ben. His personality seemed to be hating everything and getting boners at the drop of a hat. Other than their sexual chemistry, I truly didn’t see why they were a good match.

ALL of the relationships in this book just seemed…not fun. Molly had her most recent ex, Duncan, on the show, along with her ex, Ben, and there was a constant pissing contest between the two men. Molly and Duncan’s show partner were pitted against each other. There was no camaraderie or uplifting relationships shown.

And the fact that she was pondering marrying another man throughout the whole book just felt…very unromantic to me.

Lastly, I don’t get how the title relates to the book. They never say it. It’s not a part of the show. It’s a fun title, but I ended the book wondering why that. And the cover shows a blonde man for the MMC but I’m pretty darn positive he’s described as brunette so…?

This was more like a 2.75 ⭐️

I'm sorry to say this but--

I will be DNFing this book fairly early.

When Duncan, seconds after telling Molly that marriage was definitely in their future, says he needs a little break to go on a DATING SHOW that usually ends in a PROPOSAL but that he'll be back with her after that and Molly doesn't question that line of thinking AT ALL (!!!) I had to put this down.

How can I possibly go along with this premise!? And even when discussing Duncan with her friends no one tells Molly, "Wake up, he's just not that into you?"

I was so excited by the cover and synopsis but if this is the lazy way of getting Molly and Duncan on a reality show together I simply cannot abide. I'm all for unlikable characters but if I can't respect Molly's decision making then I don't think I can read her journey.

I somehow fell into a reality show romance read and I’m not mad at it. However, I loved the idea of this book but I felt like it was a little repetitive in the dialogue and goes in circles.

The idea of this book was a good one and it was a simple easy read.

I didn't really like the characters very much but I felt the author had deliberately written them in a way where the reader was being told who to like and who to dislike. I prefer a writing style where the reader is left to make their own decision about a character's likability rather than it being made so obvious so I didn't particularly enjoy this aspect.

The plot was funny and the pacing was good.

In the same way that reality shows are often quite addictive, this book was similar. Its a quick and easy read, I enjoyed my time with it.

i received this arc read from netgalley + publisher in exchange for an honest review of my opinions.

this book took me wayyyy too long to read. there were several instances where i debated dnf’ing but had to force myself to keep going.

what i struggled with most in the book was the 3rd person narrative, how one dimensional the characters are, the dialogue and conflict are extremely repetitive, and the main characters, despite how much they say they have chemistry, they truly don’t have any chemistry at all.

i originally requested this arc because i am a fool for reality tv and thought this concept was wildly fun. however, i am extremely disappointed that this book fell flat for me.

Thank you to NetGalley and HarperCollins UK, One More Chapter for providing an ARC of "Thank You, Next"

"Thank You, Next" follows the story of Molly, a reality TV dating show enthusiast, on her own unexpected journey on a dating show. Molly and her boyfriend, Duncan, are content in their relationship until Duncan is accepted to participate on a dating show to create publicity for his personal training business. Molly is asked by the producers to come on the show as well, where she hopes to be matched with Duncan so they can get married at the end. Will Molly get matched with Duncan? Or will she get matched with her brooding ex, Ben, that left her utterly heartbroken 3 years ago?

This book was a really fun read! I have never read a book that followed a dating show before, so this was a nice deviation from the romance novels i've read previously. As the author intended, it was a nice conglomerate of the dating shows that are on TV now, but it still felt like it's own idea. It didn't feel like pieces of shows. were taken and forced together.

I loved Molly's journey throughout the book! She is a character that I feel a lot of people can relate to, which is what got me invested. During the show, there were points where I was downright frustrated with some of the characters, which to me is a testament to the writing and the plot and how it got me emotionally invested in the outcome.

There were points that it felt a little repetitive, but what dating shows aren't? I don't feel like that took away from the story at all. There were so many more spots in the book where I was shocked by the actions of other contestants, and the little revelations that Molly finds out about both her previous relationships that more than made up for it.

The tension between Molly and her match was palpable and I thought it was written so well. I found myself rooting for one of the matches over the other like I would if I was watching this on TV.

I would definitely recommend this book, I enjoyed it a lot! It was a quick, fun read!! 4/5 stars!

I have read several books by Freeman, some of which I really loved and a few that didn’t work for me. Sadly this book fails into the latter category. A fun premise and intriguing start quickly grew boring and repetitive. It was the same conversation over and over and over. I wanted to put the characters into therapy instead of a relationship.

I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review..

Thank You, Next was a fun, feel good romance based on a reality TV dating show called The One, where at the end of the experience couples walk down the aisle and decide if they have found the one and will therefore marry them. The story wasn't anything ground-breaking, but like your typical reality TV dating show, it was easy entertainment.

Molly, followed her boyfriend Duncan (who broke up with her for the purposes of going on the show) onto the show, with the sole aim to marry him at the end of the 4 weeks. But adding drama, in comes Ben, the one she dated for only 2 months but who truly broke her heart. Ben hates these types of shows but was going a favour for his sister, a producer on the show, when one of their men pulled out. Rachel, Ben's sister, wasn't aware of Ben and Molly's history.

Ben and Molly had sparks, but he wasn't a communicator and didn't want marriage. Duncan wanted marriage and a family, but didn't make Molly feel the same. Ben had a troubled past, which we slowly learn about, and Molly has to decide if she is willing to forgive. Whilst Duncan is giving it a go with another woman, he is still there willing to marry Molly. What's a girl to do??

I really liked Ben's relationship with his sister Rachel. You could tell they cared about each other. I liked they way Ben treated Molly, despite his gruffness, he cared about her too. Duncan came across as being a bit of a tosser at times, but was always willing to be there for Molly. Throw in a bit of spice and it was a fun story to read.

Thanks to Netgalley and Harper Collins UK for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review!

Molly Harris and her boyfriend love the reality dating show ‘The One’. Unfortunately, Duncan likes it so much he breaks up with Molly to go on it. The show offers Molly a spot on the show to win Duncan back, but when a male contestant backs out and they’re short one more person they call … Molly’s other ex boyfriend Ben. I don’t watch a lot of reality tv show but who doesn’t love a good dating show? You watch a relationship building at 6x speed and hope for the best. This felt like that in the best way possible. Molly must choose over the course of the show whether she wants to get back with Duncan (who really only broke up with her so he could build a following for his online personal training business, he swears), back with Ben (who only broke up with her because he wasn’t emotionally ready for a relationship and never told her that), or leave single (honestly probably for the best but who am I to tell Molly what to do).

This book is an easy read. It’s exactly like reality tv, you don’t need to put a lot of energy into following the story, and you know exactly who the ‘bad guy’ and ‘good guy’ are. The love triangle is fully believable, you understand from the start why Molly can’t seem to let Duncan go, and why Duncan is the way he is with Molly. My only wish is that we saw more of Ben dealing with his issues rather than just remembering how bad his life has been. You have to be emotionally ready to talk to a professional, which it doesn’t seem Ben was in the years since he and Molly were together, but he doesn’t start trying to improve himself for her until he sees her again on the show, and I wish we had some evidence that he was putting in that work on his own, unprompted by external forces.

The story is very fun, very reality tv, and despite being very ‘obvious’ about the love triangle the drama runs to the end of the story. Will they walk down the aisle or walk away forever?

“Thank You, Next” by Kathryn Freeman is a delightful rom-com that serves up a generous helping of laughter, love, and a dash of sass. Molly Harris, our queen of rejection, finds herself in a whirlwind of romance and reality TV antics that will have you rooting for her from the start. Freeman’s writing is as effervescent as the bubbles in a glass of champagne, making this the perfect summer read for anyone who loves a good chuckle and a heartwarming journey to happily ever after. So, if you’re looking for your next bookish crush, pick up “Thank You, Next” and prepare to be swept off your feet!

Thank you to netgalley for this ARC! This was a cute rom com and the beginning really intrigued me. I was wanting a bit more detail from the characters and story but overall a cute read.