this book was so cute and funny. I love Evie's books. and this is no different. Libby is just so funny and sweet. the perfect sunshine to the grumpyness of Henry.

I found the characters annoying and the storyline lacking. I ended up not finishing this one at about 42% unfortunately. I had high hopes for it.

What a sweet romance!

This book follows reserved Lord Henry Foxbrooke who is levelheaded amongst the chaos of his outrageous and eccentric family. At a work event he meets a loving and outgoing woman named Libby who is really down on her luck. When they cross paths again an opportunity arises that seems to benefit both of them. When they enter into a fake relationship and go to see his family chaos ensues and the story heats up. They are a couple you find yourself rooting for and it is sweet and silly. I genuinely really enjoyed this book and it helped get me out of a reading slump!

This felt like it could be the start of a series of standalones and if that is the sase I will definitely be reading others! I loved the style of writing as well as the pace of the story. The characters were funny and really kept the story going. Despite having people who were really out there personality wise there wasn't anything that felt unreal or unrealistic.

I recommend this book to any lover of Sophie Kinsella books and stories! Thank you NetGalley for the opportunity to read this story!

This book was unexpectedly funny but so very British. The characters were so fun but also falling over themselves trying to be polite to each other instead of talking which is somewhat infuriating but also the source of the comedy. This book made me laugh so hard and such an absolute escape.

#arc
#netgalley
#loveadlib

3 ⭐️

Lord Henry Foxbrooke just wants his eccentric family off of his back and needs a fake girlfriend to attend his 30th birthday celebration. Needing someone who can tackle the craziness of his family dynamics, Libby Fletcher, improv extraordinaire, steps in as her life is falling apart. Together, they try to prove their relationship to his family and it quickly goes from fake to very, very real. A classic Elizabeth Bennett/Mr. Darcy romance comes to life as Henry and Libby try to reconcile their lies with the truth of their relationship.

Right off of the bat, I loved Libby’s energy and creative personality. Henry’s life was so intriguing and his family was one of my favorite parts of this book. The grumpy/sunshine trope was in full force and Evie Alexander delivered! As a Mr. Darcy fan myself, I loved every reference to Pride and Prejudice. It was wonderfully and creatively incorporated into this romantic comedy!

I personally, really enjoyed the narrator and thought she did a wonderful job with dual POV. I could listen to her all day long!

Overall, my rating was probably lower than my usual just because some of the later hurdles didn’t fully seem necessary to me and were only caused from lack of communication. Normally, I don’t hate miscommunication tropes, but I just didn’t fully buy the directions both Libby and Henry went at times. Also, I was waiting for more of a comeuppance for certain characters that we didn’t fully get.

I loved listening to the audiobook and I am definitely interested in the next book about Evelyn. While I may not have been fully invested in this book, it was still a cute romance with bits of Jane Austen thrown in that really made this one enjoyable.

Thank you to NetGalley and Victory Editing NetGalley Co-Op for providing me with an audio ARC in exchange for my honest review!

I knew from the start that this book was going to be different, memorable, and unique... after all, it's not every story that begins with a woman in a red catsuit, leading a man on a leash around a family's major, now is it? 😅

Libby was a doll, and Lucas was an *ss. No, really...total BEHIND and a sorry excuse for a person. She was so out of his league, it's not even funny, but her improv routines, now those were a hoot! Watching her put her people skills into action was like poetry and the perfect balance to our unsuspecting, yet desperately in need of a life, Henry. Loved him to bits, even his aggressive/protective side, and his need to control things was self explanatory once you met his parents, but despite his lack of communicating clearly, he had a lot of love to give.

Beyond the potential couple, I rather liked the extremes the author explored and yet made the effort to show how they could still work together. Like with Henry... from the posh background, but with fairly wackadoodle parents, making his own way and steering clear into the next country to avoid the antics his folks get up to... and yet they still love him in their own way. Libby from the other side of the poshness with a heart the size of a small town, enthusiasm enough to carry an entire cheer squad, naive enough not to see the forest for the Henry, I mean, trees, and yet still able to square off with his Gram-Gram. Chalk and cheese... maybe but together they could be something special!

My only caution would be for potential readers to have an open mind, not easily embarrass or blush, and be prepared for all the innuendo...or even straight out TALK because there's definitely no shortage!


*I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily; opinions are my own.

So I'm not going to lie, this book was just not my cup of tea. The audiobook, narrated by the author, Evie Alexander, was really well done, but I just could not connect to these characters. They weren't relatable to me in any way, the privilege, the dad with the ridiculous sex parties and being way too involved, and how this book was like 3 times too long. I'll give it 3 stars because the writing is well done and like I said, the audibook was really entertaining in the author's voice. I just wish I liked these characters and this story better.

While I hate cancel culture and all that it means, I did not like this. It seems out of time and place and I did not enjoy this one. Sorry.

3.75 stars

This was such an adorable read. It wasn't anything spectacular, but it was cute enough to keep me engaged and smiling/chuckling to myself with how adorable it was and that banter. I'm a huge P&P fan, so the whole Emily Bennett fake identity and all the references were fun for me.

Emily and Henry are adorable together. Henry's family is crazy (and if I'm saying that with how crazy my family is, that's saying something). I think his family was too eccentric for my liking and kinda took away from the story a little for me. I feel like "kiss kiss" or "kiss kiss kiss" was overused and it got annoying by the end.

Fake Dating
Grumpy/Sunshine
One Bed

Those tropes alone made for a steamy good time.

Thanks, NetGalley and Emlin Press for bringing this book to my attention.

Um, I don't really know what to say about this one. Received from Netgalley to listen to and review. It's an audiobook read by the author. Dual POV but she read both parts 🙄

Seriously, what do I say about this one? Here's some plot points with no context:
• Parents who have open orgies around their castle and encourage their son to participate
• Improv show about red squirrels
• Lots of yelling
• Corporate team building

Yeah, idk. I had to DNF. I just couldn't. It might've gotten better if I had kept on.

"Love ad Lib" is the first book from the 'Foxbrooke' series by Evie Alexander.
This novel was so much fun! One of the best of the grumpy sunshine tropes that I've read till now.
With tons of chemistry between the main leads and clear references to Pride and Prejudice this book was the perfect 'romcon'.

Tropes:
- grumpy/sunshine
- fake relationship
- one bed
- steamy scenes

I highly recommend it!

Thank you NetGalley and publisher for this book!

I wanted to like this one so bad. The blurb sounded so cute but I just couldn’t get in to it. I stopped after a few chapters. But it’s a me thing not the book

Unfortunately, I didn't enjoy the book as much as I thought I would.
I couldn't connect with the characters, who at one point I thought were simply too much. Henry does too much for her, and they haven't even known each other for so long, and do things that I think would be unnecessary. And I think that's why I didn't feel anything between them either, because the time was so short between them. I think they look good together, but I didn't feel it.
Regarding his family, I enjoyed getting to know them, but I thought it was all very intense, all the characters' personalities were pushed to an extreme.
The two “plots” that there were, or secrets that he and his family made, were easily misled. I already knew what was going to happen.
I think the book lacked originality or bringing something unique and surprising.
There was a moment when the characters got upset, and they quickly resolved things, and I appreciated that moment, but later in the book, they let the situation spiral…

I liked the narrator, who through her voice gave personality to the characters.

I loved this title! There was a lot of typical stereotypical roles, but I enjoyed how the main characters were switched, of sorts. Henry, who should have been SO self-assured, was not. Libby was somewhat self-assured, but faked it well. Their chemistry was unmistakable. My favorite character was Henry's dad. His whole family was delightful and I found myself rooting for them all. A great tale and I look forward to the next in the series!

“What the hell is wrong with the two of you? How do you even manage to have s*x? It must be like a couple of morris dancers on a F*c*ing trampoline!”

NEED I SAY MORE? okay… if I must! Here goes.

This is a strong case of fun, laughter, finding yourself, and falling in love at the same time kind of story. Must say at first I wasn’t sure I would enjoy it; however, I really did enjoy it tremendously.

It’s a great feel good, summer read, something light hearted and bubbly.

Although the very surprising beginning of the book made me wonder how far in I was going to make, I am so thankful that I kept listening. Love ad Lib was a great play on the Fake Dating trope which I am always a fan of.

When Henry finds himself drawn to the bubbly personality of Libby, he doesn't realize just how she was going to weave herself into his life and how much he would want and encourage her to. When Libby meets Henry's unique family, it just makes him even more drawn to her.

The way that Henry and Libby complement each other was so clear from the beginning and you definitely cheered for them the whole way through. A great story, by an author who also did the narrating and did it so well.

When I started listening to this book I didn’t knew what I got myself into. But it wasss such a great romcom! I couldn’t stop myself from wanting to know more and how these two characters end their story!
The banter, the crazy family (who doesn’t love a crazy family?) and the funny situation they end up made this entire book! It was funny, romantic and I ended up wanting to know more about the Foxbrooke family! Those are something else, that’s for sure!
Now, let’s get into Libby. I was a little unsure about her at first, probably because her improve job makes her a sound a little too excited about anything in general. But she was exactly what Henry needed. And I loved their interactions and relationship. As for Henry, well, how can someone be normal when their family is crazy?? He has his own craziness. And I loved how he tried to be normal when it’s in his blood to be different. ❤️😍
Thanks to NetGalley, Emlin Press and Evie Alexander I had a great time listening to this audiobook!!😍❤️

📖: 🌟🌟🌟.5/5
🎧: 🌟🌟🌟/5
🥵: 🌶️.5/5

Love Ad Lib is the first in the Foxbrooke Manor series, and follows the reluctant heir to the dukedom of Somerset, Henry Alexander Fitzwilliam Foxbrooke, and his fake girlfriend, Libby Fletcher. Henry finds himself in need of a pretend girlfriend after blurting out he was seeing someone when his dad was pressuring him to find love. Libby agrees to attend his 30th birthday celebrations with his over several days in the Somerset countryside with his quirky family.

I enjoyed a lot about this story. It was giving me really strong Bridget Jones vibes, I think largely because of the humour of the characters' inner monologues, but also because of the crazy situations they find themselves in.

I liked Henry, he's a classic case of rebelling against your parents! His wacky parents (thruple, sex parties, and no concept of boundaries), dour Gram-Gram (aka the dowager Duchess), and interfering siblings have led him to flee Somerset for London and eschew any lack of control. He's definitely a bit of a cinnamon roll, a bit tough on the outside but gooey in the middle!!

Libby was completely bonkers but I liked her too! Her fixation with Pride & Prejudice I think was very familiar, and I loved her relationship with Claire. I wanted to shake her with her relationship with Lucas, he was clearly using her from the beginning! I also loved how she stood up for Henry with his family.

I did think the story went on for a bit longer than necessary, perhaps we didn't need some of the full descriptions of parties and days shopping. I also found Henry's dad, Arthur, particularly infuriating, not only because of the lack of boundaries, but also because of his seeming nonchalance at possibly ruining all of their lives!

The narration was performed by the author, and if I'm honest it was fine, but not particularly special. There were several characters for whom accents were attempted but only half-heartedly (northern English, American and Irish!) and that really let the performance down. There was also a lack of distinction between many of the different voices, and as such it was occasionally difficult to understand whose POV we were in! This book would have really benefited from two narrators.

Overall, an enjoyable listen but not the highest quality narration.

I swear I tried with this book, I really did, but it just did not hold my interest or attention. While I like the main character, there were too many of the "extras" that I really disliked and they spoiled the book for me. 3 stars for the main story, 1 star for the rest.

🎧Audio Book Review🎧

Love Ad Lib
Evie Alexander

🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟

I cannot hide how much I love Evie's books.

They are full of great characters, humour and fun, the perfect plots to satisfy our romantic little hearts and of course her trademark spice!!

This is the first Foxbrooke book - although I have also read the mini novella One Night in Foxbrooke - so some of the characters were already familiar to me.

This was lovely coming back to the start of the series and being introduced to everyone properly.
Evie manages to write such diverse characters but they all just jump off the page and you just can't help loving them - even the grumpy ones!

The storyline was perfect and I always love that we never get bogged down in anything too heavy and serious. These are perfect light reads to just sit back and relax in the sun with.

I read this in 2 sittings and am already missing everyone - I'm sure it won't be long before I'll be back with the gang and seeing what shenanigans await us in book 2.


** I love that the audio book is read by Evie too! Obviously knowing the characters inside out, she easily portrayed each different personality to perfection! Loved it!!**