Love ab Lib is a ridiculous romp that will leave you grinning from all of the antics. Alexander gives you a hint of what you are in for from the very start when poor Henry Foxbrooke walks into one of his father's sex parties. I was immediately wondering what I got myself into. The start of the book sets the stage to show how Henry has become so reserved in contrast to his kooky family.

Libby is a free spirit and a bit of a mess. It was hard to believe she was 'in love' with her horrible friend, who was constantly taking advantage of her. I like my heroines to be a bit smarter and self-reliant, but she grew on me as a lovable mess who cares for others.

In the last 1/4 of the book, you'll be screaming at the characters to just talk to one another (what is a rom-com without a bit of a misunderstanding), especially when it comes to the hellcat that makes its way into their lives. Full of colorful side characters, hijinx, and HUGE grand gestures, this book packs in a lot. And I always appreciate a Jane Austen reference and a man with a wet shirt (or two).

Oh my gosh. I loved this book. It was sweet, funny, all the things. Add in Jane Austen references, and the book quickly went toward the top of my list of favorite books. Libby is so refreshing. She is so happy and lovely. I listened to the audiobook, and the author was the narrator, which added to the magic of the story.

This book was so entertaining. We have a reserved slightly grouchy hero Henry (also a Viscount) and an improv genius with a fabulous sense of humor Libby, who decide to fake date.

Henry's family is notorious and he has moved away from them cocooning himself in a stodgy structured life in London. He meets Libby in a company session (she's the facilitator) and likes her a lot. He asks her to be his fake date for his 30th bday gathering back at his family estate Foxbrooke.

What ensues is chaos, embarassing situations (fathers inappropriate junk hanging out), sibling setups, grandma interviews and just simple chaos. Through all this a romance builds between Libby and Henry and their connection is hot.

Now back in London, Libbys life is still in chaos, she's jobless, broke but Henry creates a situstion for her now to housesit and take care of a monster cat. Everything seems to be heading in the right direction, until the hammer falls and all the lies (fake date, fake job) come out.

Some epic groveling ensues and Henry and Libby get back together for a hea.

Evie did a great job of reading Henry's part, her voice for Libby was not my favorite but I cannot say it was bad. Obviously the emotions and flow were on point as she is the author as well.

Henry Foxbrooke is tired of his off the wall crazy family trying everything to marry him off. After lying about his fictional girlfriend, his family presses him to bring her back to the estate in Somerset for his 30th birthday celebrations. He decides to hire an actress to play the part and who better than Libby, an improv actress down on her luck and, hopefully, desperate for the money! But as time goes on they both realize they have real feelings for each other but are too scared to say anything. How could two opposites ever find love?
I thought this was a cute and funny story with a lot of quirky characters. I had a déjà vu moment when Henry's parents first appeared and then realized that I'd already enjoyed book 3 in the series. I enjoyed the narration all except the high squeaky imitation of Libby which was a bit irritating but over the course of the book I did get used to it.
I voluntarily listened and reviewed an advance copy of this audiobook. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Love Ad Lib is a sweet, fun book. I was surprised and delighted by the characters and their antics multiple times! Libby and Henry are so sweet and tender with each other, you just can’t help but root for them. And the side characters were my favorite part of the whole book! Such big, dynamic personalities!

Unfortunately, I found the author’s narration to be lacking. The voice for the FMC was so high pitched and child-like, it kept me from sinking deeply into the story. I also grew weary of the snowball of lies the MMC told. I wanted to like him, but he lacked depth and lied a LOT. Even if for Libby’s well being, many of the lies were unnecessary and frustrating.

The spicy parts were shockingly spicy and a were a great juxtaposition with the light-hearted goofy antics. They were HOT!

Overall, I would say this is a sweet, fun book that kept me entertained all the way through. I would recommend it to someone who enjoys posh hilarity and Jane Austen references. I would not recommend it to readers easily annoyed by missed communication or lies within romance.

Sorry but this one just wasn't for me. I just found it to be unrelatable. Usually during a book I find one character I can semi relate to or I can understand a character from the depth of the descriptions but this one just wasn't one I'd read/listen to again.

I have also reviewed it on goodreads

The most unconventional family creates a hilarity of antics for a truly rip-roaring good time. This story was delightful. Fun, energetic and full of shenanigans which I love. Libby is the most joyous, trusting person and is it any wonder that one week with Foxy’s family is all it takes for everyone to fall in love. Foxbrooke is such a great guy. Loyal, loving and utterly adorable. His family may be a little nuts, but they’re his nuts! Beneath the unconventional lies the truest hearts. This audiobook was simply fun, I can think of no better word. Leaves you with all the warm fuzzy feelings.

This was such a cute and adorable tale, I had a great time reading this one book. The characters were penned so amazingly and i absolutely love the protagonists along with the other characters.
The plot was so interesting and amazing, the writing style is so smooth and easy breezy.

Great chemistry between Libby and Henry! I loved the Jane Austen references and that it featured one of my faves when it comes to romance tropes, fake dating, swoon.

I listened to the audio format for review.

Thanks to Netgalley for the gifted copy for review.

4.5 ⭐️

☀️ Sweet RomCom
🐈 Witty
☀️ Grumpy/Sunshine
🐈 Fake dating with a contract
☀️ Pride & Prejudice fantasies played out
🐈 Fun side characters
☀️ Quick read

As an Evie Alexander fan, I loved this read. It’s fun and light hearted with spice. I enjoy her audiobook narrations (it’s very impressive she does it herself!). She embodies her stories flawlessly. I highly recommend her books for fun, witty and banter filled romcom reads.

Thank you to Evie Alexander, NetGalley, and Emlin Press for a copy of this audiobook 💛

📚 Love ad Lib by Evie Alexander
🔖 Series: Foxbrooke
🎧 Format: Audiobook
📕 Genre: Contemporary Romance
📖 Read: June 2024
✨ Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

”Our relationship supposed to be fake, but my feelings for you are very real.”

‎‧₊˚✧ Tropes ✧˚₊‧
ꕥ Grumpy Sunshine
ꕥ Fake Dating
ꕥ Forced Proximity
ꕥ Small Town
ꕥ Opposites Attract
ꕥ Slow Burn
ꕥ Jane Austin References

Hilarious, witty, ridiculous (in the best way possible) and so, so much fun!!

I honestly didn’t know what to expect going into this as it was my first Evie Alexander book. It was AMAZING! I didn’t expect to laugh out loud and I didn’t expect the level of spice that was written in here. Evie herself narrated this book and I love it when authors do this.

Libby and Henry were beautiful characters. Their connection and chemistry was fire! 🔥 I loved Libby’s positive outlook and willingness to help her friends, even when they didn’t deserve it (I’m looking at you Lucas 👀). Henry was such a fierce protector of Libby, always trying to make her life as easy as possible.

The Foxbrooke family were absolute wack-a-doodles, but I want to be their friends. 😆 From the polyamorous parents, to the uptight Gram Gram, to Henry’s gassy twin sister, the entire family had me in stitches. And let’s not forget the grumpy cat Henry decides to name Mr. Pu$$y! Seriously, what’s not to love!! I cannot wait to read the rest of this series!

If you need a good laugh or something to put you in a good mood, read this book! It truly is a lot of fun!

Thank you NetGalley, Emlin Press and Evie Alexander for this audiobook. This is my voluntary, honest review.

I just finished Love Ad lib by Evie Alexander audiobook - Narrated by Evie Alexander and here are my thoughts.

Lord Henry Foxbrooke is heir to an estate he doesn’t want. His father is… eccentric and his reputation is something that would make anyone shudder. His whole family is ready for him to settle down and with his 30th birthday looming and they have a massive party planned, he is expected to bring his girlfriend. A person that does not exist.

Not wanting to hear about his lack of love life, Henry hires Libby to be his fake girlfriend. She’s beautiful, an improv actor, currently down on her luck and open to making some easy money.

Arriving in Somerset is the easy part. Henry is no actor but his complex contract hasn’t left anything to chance. Trouble is the longer Henry and Libby are together, the harder it is to know what’s real and what’s fake. Can Henry keep his feelings in check and his family's expectations to manageable levels or will it all come tumbling down around them?

I already listened to one of Evie’s books so I was super excited to start this one. Her voice creates the exact magic that she has weaved into the pages of her books. You are in for an entertaining time.

***NOTE**** This is the best book title ever!

I love manor house books so I was sold right from the get go. I am not a fan of fake dating but I gave this one a shot because I am already a serious fan girl of the author already and knew it would be done with skill. IT WAS! It’s so cute! So cute! I didn’t find Henry particularly grumpy but you could tell he wasn’t as sunshiny as Libby and they complimented each other so well. The characters are well developed and you feel like a third wheel, not in a bad way, but like you are right there and involved in the magic.

It’s so funny! Libby really has this je ne sais quoi quality about her and tries so hard for everyone around her. Henry is missing so much from his life because he is actively trying to avoid who he is. I loved his family! I laughed so hard at their antics!

I loved the writing, the plot, the narration, ALL OF IT!! I definitely need to find the next installment.

4.5 stars

Thank you @eviealexanderauthor @netgalley and #emlinpress for my gifted ALC

THIS WAS SSO CUTE AND FUN AND DELIGHTFUL.

sorry for yelling, it’s just that i loved it. Books read by authors are always better somehow and this one was just delightful.

The miscommunication/withheld communication trope originally made me hesitant but the opening scene erased all doubts. Laugh out loud funny, and so achingly sweet. I can’t wait to return to foxbrooke, and to see how Henry and Libby are doing. LOVE.

This is a fake relationship romance. Lord Henry Foxbrooke is tired of the pressure to settle down. He decided to pay a girl to be his fake girlfriend. That would be Libby. Which worked out because she just lost her home and her savings.

This was a fun one. Evie Alexander not only writes these beauties but narrates them too! Call me impressed!

Many thanks to Net Galley and Emlin Press for an audio ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Love Ad Lib by Evie Alexander was such a hilarious and brilliant rom-com, with a little dash of steamy spice.

Can you imagine having your modern-day aristocratic family trying to marry you off with a stranger that a matchmaker has found for you? Henry Foxbrooke couldn’t either. The problem was that Henry was a super shy workaholic. And his work colleague lied his way into stealing Henry’s last date and poisoned her against him.

What’s Henry to do when his birthday party is coming up, and he’s alone again? Enter Libby Fletcher, stage right. She an actress that’s come to his work as part of an HR scheme, and she’s the sweetest ray of sunshine that he’s seen in a while.

The idea of her filling in for the girlfriend who went off with the work colleague is absurd…or is it? Will she actually do it?

This book had me in stitches and fanning myself, depending on what part of the story we are talking about. It was an amazing novel with some obvious Jane Austen references worked in that weren’t so overdone as to be tedious. It was entirely fresh and fun… and funny. Grab this book, and fall in love with Libby, Mr. P, and the Foxbrooke clan, like I did.

Thank you so much to NetGalley and Emlin Press for this unforgettable and wonderful audio ARC!!

Love ad Lib was such a fun book! I have read other books with a fake relationship plot, but I thought having the lead be in improv with a really fun, smart twist on it.

I loved Henry’s family! His parents were all such unique characters and I have never read a book with a similar family dynamic. I really liked that even though Henry and his siblings are so different from their parents, they still clearly all loved each other.

The author was the narrator and I think she did an excellent job. She has an overly upbeat voice that worked really well for Libby, and I’m looking forward to see if she narrates the rest of the series as well.

Thanks to Evie Alexander, Emlin Press, and NetGalley for allowing me to listen to a free eaudio ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I didn't care for this one as much as I did Highland Games. Very different stories, save for the bankrupt estate. This isn't necessarily a bad book or even badly written, it's mostly just not to my taste. I don't tend to like corporate blah blah---see, I can't even talk about it without getting bored---so starting out with that wasn't great for me. Plus that workshop went on and on and on---it definitely could have been one annoying exercise shorter. I understand why that scene introduced the narrative, but that doesn't make me like it any better.

In addition to the corporate malarkey that started the book out---actually, even before the corporate malarkey, considering the unnecessary prologue---well, debatably; the prologue could also just have been the first chapter---anyway, in addition to the corporate setting, the Foxbrookes gave me such an icky feeling. Not creepy-icky like Lucas, the Foxbrookes all seemed like very nice, caring people, but rather I-don't-want-to-touch-that-surface-because-you've-told-me-what-happens-on-it-regularly kind of icky. I mean, you do you, love is love, I'm not judging their relationships or what they do behind closed doors. But the walking around without tying your robe while you have guests, speaking freely to your children about fucking their mothers, disregarding any wishes for privacy---those are the icky things. Those are not funny to me. That's just being self-involved and disrespectful of everyone around you. So while I thought Arthur (for he was the main offender) was a genuinely kind and loving man, I also wanted to punch him in the face. And take him to see a professional about his severe sex addiction.

Those two things aside, I enjoyed watching Henry and Libby fall in love. It seemed to go on a bit longer than it needed to---the cat-sitting scenario started to test my patience; I mean jesus, Libby, get a clue; and jesus, Henry, you couldn't just get a nice kitty from a rescue? (nice DOG, actually, because your scheme is one thing, but filling your friend's home with allergens? *beats head against wall*)---but otherwise was a fun journey. Henry's contract was hilarious, and he was so adorkably cute and earnest about making sure she felt safe in the arrangement. Libby's love for Jane Austen, particularly Pride and Prejudice, was cliche but endearing.

So yeah, didn't love it but didn't hate it, either. The Foxbrooke situation is over the top, but you're rooting too hard for Henry and Libby to care overmuch. If you don't mind some over-the-top and love funny rom-coms, this book---and Alexander's work in general---could be up your alley.

Henry meets Libby while she is conducting a meeting at his job, she’s funny and clearly has a knack for performing. So he asks if she would be his fake girlfriend when he goes home and in return he will pay her. She really needs the funds so she agrees and a contract is drawn. Though the contract doesn’t say you can’t fall in love.

I really loved British Comedy, and if this is what Brit-Com is now, then I don't like it.
I mean, if this is the way the Brits want the new generation to think is normal, then I'm sorry, I don't agree.
It tried to hang on, but it didn't do it for me. I DNF'ed at 30 %, I couldn't handle the focus on s.e.x. throughout the few chapters I read.
The audio was not great either, I normally don't trust authors to do their own audio, it's not their profession, but I always try to listen and see for myself. The narrator spoke in staccato with every character, it was a bit annoying. The voice she made for the female main character made her sound like she was a child - I couldn't picture it at all. She did the male characters well.

Shy Londoner Henry is pressured by his eccentric family to return to their Somerset estate and settle down. To escape their matchmaking during the impending birthday celebrations, he hires struggling actress Libby to be his fake girlfriend. Free spirit Libby jumps at the chance for a quick payday, but neither are prepared for the ensuing chaos—or their growing attraction.

SO. MUCH. FUN. This book is absolutely brilliant: emotional and heartwarming while also laugh-out-loud funny. I love Henry’s family and can’t wait to listen to the rest of the books in the series, perfectly narrated by the author.

Thanks, NetGalley, for the ARC I received. This is my honest and voluntary review.