The premise of dating for a column and having your kids pick your dates seemed like a lighthearted way to move through a story. What I didn’t expect was all the emotions tied into it! Most of the side characters were easy to connect with and enjoy. Will and Anna were unexpected for me in how well their romance worked. The chemistry was amazing and I was smiling, giggling, and kicking my feet throughout. 4.5 stars for this one!

First thank you to penguin Putnam for an electronic advanced readers copy in exchange for an honest review.

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Synopsis: Anna is struggling to keep up with being a single mom and her new life after the divorce. Her job as a columnist is threatened by another columnist will she has to be creative to see what she can do to stay competitive. They columns must complement each other and be about dating. Her take is to begin dating again with the men that her kids pick for her.

What I liked: I love the way Sophie Cousens writes and her stories are so fun and heartwarming. This story proved no different and loved the guys that the kids picked for her and how the dates turned out. Anna jumps right in and tries many different things and was honest and transparent with her kids during this process. I thought it was a great way to write it. She also does small steps to reclaim her life like decorating and making time for her hobbies.
Overall I would recommend this book.

Just what I needed to listen to in my post-election processing. This story is sweet, heartwarming, and funny! I adored the premise, and Anna and Will made for the perfect duo. Some of my favorite tropes were also featured-- single parent, enemies to lovers, just one bed, and more! For anyone on the hunt for a romcom, this one was truly perfection and excellent on audio!

I've read all of Sophie Cousens books. This might be my favorite. As someone who is aging and divorced I love a mature heroine. Anna is just that but also exploring and finding herself again after divorce which is so realistic. The story follows Anna as she reluctantly dates men picked for her by her kids. She then writes about them for a column at the struggling magazine she works for. The magazine is pinning all their hopes on the readership of the column. Can it bring more and younger readers?

The love interest isn't who I was expecting going into it. I won't spoil who it is because the surprise is more fun. He's pretty darn dreamy! Somehow this book is super sexy despite being closed door. It had me squealing with delight. One bed!!!

Thank you NetGalley and PENGUIN GROUP Putnam | G.P. Putnam's Sons for this eARC!

This was such a fun read! It was so rom-comy in the absolute best way. The characters seemed so real and normal, making them and their hopes, dreams, worries, problems, and lives very relatable. Sophie Cousens is an auto-read for me and this book lived up to my hopes and expectations.

I had a lot of expectations for this one and sadly it fell flat. It was just okay. The idea was great and reminded me of How to Lose a Guy in 10 days but the love story was rushed and just didn't do anything for me. It felt like the characters didn't have good tension or really any good connection. There was a lot of tell not show.

I really enjoy Sophie's books and this one might just be my favorite!

Anna has been divorced for about 1 year and is ready to get back out there. Well, if "time" means that she needs to save her job and proposes an idea for a new magazine column that is based on her children choosing dates for her! As the weeks pass, Anna and her co-worker Will each go on dates, her set up by her kids and his using online apps. and write dueling columns to document their experiences.

Readers will enjoy following Anna's journey back into the dating world and how she chooses to navigate her ex-husband's new relationship. I think that there will be a lot of people who relate to these dating/divorce struggles which should attract a nice audience.

Sophie does it again! Her books are always guaranteed to cause a good laugh and put a smile on my face. After her ex husband becomes adventurous after their split Anna feels like she’s stuck as the boring single mom. In a competition with her work nemesis for lead staff writer for her own column she sets out in a mission of one upmanship. Constantly being thrown together with dualing articles she is in it to win it. This leads her to the idea of a dating series lead by her kids doing the match making. This brings a series of hilarious first dates. I loved the google searches at the top of each chapter! Will is there every time she turns around proving himself not to be the gigolo she had once thought. With her having 7 years on him he is not on her radar. One weekend away and her eyes are opened to what could be. Thank you to NetGalley and Penguin Random House for this free advanced copy. I am leaving this review voluntarily

I really enjoyed this sweet second-chance, enemies-to-lovers British romance! Anna is recently divorced and the mother of two. She lives in Bath and is a columnist for the local culture magazine Bath Living. She loves her job, but unfortunately, the magazine is struggling to keep up with the digital era. She is forced to go out of her comfort zone in an effort to engage younger readers with a more personal story to follow. Her genius idea? Get back on the dating horse, except her kids get to choose the dates - both the men and the activity! She ends up going out with all kinds of men in her life’s periphery at her children’s choice, and it’s a fun premise. It’s not all light-hearted, either - Cousens brings in some challenges as part of them, showing how Anna handles them and stands up for herself, so there are some real themes of women’s strength throughout.

As all this is happening, she’s also put in forced proximity with her magazine rival, the young and gorgeous Will Havers, when they write contrasting perspectives of the dating column - hers IRL, his online, but themed together. Cue enemies to lovers trope, how I love you so! Will was a great character. He didn’t give off much of an enemy vibe, but their energy and banter were a lot of fun.

The second half was much stronger than the first, and I absolutely adored Loretta and wish there had been more of her in the story. Quirky characters are always a highlight for me with the humor/wisdom they bring to the situation, and she was fantastic. And Anna’s growth arc was inspiring as she gained confidence in who she was and what she wanted.

Thank you, NetGalley and Putnam Books, for sending this DRC for review consideration.

This was my first Sophie Cousens book, and it was a huge hit for me. Both Anna (fmc) and Will (mmc) were endearing and had depth. They were fun and flirty but had substance. Highly highly recommend falling in love with these two and their story.

Short synopsis: After her recent divorce, 38 year old Anna proposes going on dates picked out by her kids for her newspaper column.

My thoughts: Everything about this was just so dang sweet. I loved how it was a competitive atmosphere between Anna and Will, but they weren’t mean or condescending to each other. I loved their chemistry right from the start.

I thought Sophie did such a great job at writing a single mom trying to make ends meet while creating a stable environment for her children, while also trying to find herself and her own happiness.

I think each date and situation had such a fun air of awkwardness and humor to it. And I especially enjoyed the relationships Anna was able to create from a lot of their failed dates.

There were so many moments with Will that had me swooning, especially his dedication and care towards his brother and family.

Read if you love:
- A second chance at romance
- Workplace romance
- Failed dates and awkward situations
- Great google searches
- Single parent
- Rivals to lovers

Would you put your kids in charge of choosing your dates? When Anna needs a hook to keep her column, she does just that and ends up in a series of interesting and hilarious situations that just might lead her to love.

4.5 stars. Really loved the FMC’s development arc throughout the book. I thought the writing was really witty, original, and I loved the interactions between most of the characters. Yes, there were tropes but the writing was well-done that I wasn’t rolling my eyes at them.

Is She Really Going Out with Him is a cute romance story that while good, never reaches the level of romance authors like Emily Henry for me.

Adorable. I have read all of Sophie Cousens’s books and love each one. This might be my favorite!

The enemies to lovers trope is usually not my top pick, but I thought this version was creative and enthralling, with a satisfying pace and sizzling tension (though closed door).

Anna and Will are competing columnists at a Bath, England based magazine, and they don’t get on—but attraction is simmering, and once they actually get to know each other, they get on quite well! Mostly.

I loved all the scenes in this book—the dates Anna goes on for her column, the torturous interactions with her ex, with whom she’s co-parenting, and the amazing characters who parade across the pages of this delightful rom-com.

Any romance readers should add this to your list!

Thank you to the publisher,

I've loved Sophie Cousens since I stumbled across Before I Do around this time last year, and since then, I've read every single one of her books. She does such an excellent job of discussing serious topics with humor and wit that it makes you laugh after making you tear up. Is She Really Going Out with Him? is no exception, and after reading it, it's by far one of my top favorites of hers.

The story follows Anna, a 38-year-old divorcee and now single mother of two, as she navigates all the changes in the dating world for her column at the magazine she works for. However, there's a catch. Her children must select the suitors. Not only does that pose a challenge, but the future of her job is on the line as her younger (hot) colleague, Will, vies to take over her column.

Throughout the story, Anna goes on several dates with different kinds of men, each of whom teaches her some pretty valuable lessons. Not only does she learn what she doesn't want in a future partner, but she also learns how to be okay on her own. While I really wouldn't say this is a romance novel, things certainly heat up between her and Will, which definitely makes things a whole lot more complicated for Anna.

At its core, this story is more about growth after life-altering circumstances. Anna really finds herself after her divorce and learns not only how to love romantically again but also how to love herself. There's such a strong theme of hope throughout, and it is truly heartwarming. This is one I will urge all of my friends to pick up!

Okay yeah, I ADORED this book! My first Sophie Cousens novel and now I need to go take a deep dive into all her works!

Anna is a 38 year old divorcee with two kids. In the aftermath of her divorce she is straddling the line between cynical and stuck. She’s happy enough in her work and in her life, but when her job stability is at stake she is forced to confront whether she’s truly content. And this book is not at all a “romantic love is essential, you’ll never be happy alone” sort of book. It’s more of a story of finding yourself and what makes you happy. She’s a bit lost in motherhood and the aftermath of a divorce.

Also, it’s kind of a workplace romance - which I LOVE. Anna is now being set up on dates by her own children, all for the sake of her column at the job she loves. She’s putting herself back out there not for love, but for content, only to find that love can be found where you least expect it.

Both Anna and Will are such relatable characters. I think Cousens did such a great job with characters who feel like real people, I can see myself in both of them, and I’d actually want to be friends with each as well.

I laughed, I nearly cried, and this book like genuinely is making me want to get out of my own rut. Truly, this book made me laugh out loud. And I was rooting so hard for Anna to stick up for herself, both in her work life and her personal life, and for her to find herself again.

Anna’s Google searches are so relatable to me (wink wink Outlander and Poldark) and adding that at the top of each chapter was just delightful.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC!!

Anna and Will work together at a local magazine. Their work rivalry produces witty banter and sexual tension. They write columns about dating , Anna at her children's matchmaking . Charming characters, even the curmudgeonly ones leads to a will they or won't they plot driven by misinterpretation and misunderstandings. A little more meat than your basic romance formula makes for an enjoyable read. I will read more from this author.

Copy provided by the publisher and NetGalley

I absolutely adored this book! It was such a unique fun premise! Anna is divorced and has two children, she’s also a journalist that needs some help zesting up her column. She decides to try and date on a dating app but the idea is a snooze fest so she starts going on dates her kids pick. The dates were fun and so different and out there. I loved them! Anna’s coworker Will is her arch-nemesis and they constantly are snipping back and forth to one another while competing with their columns at work. These two do enemies to lovers so so well!!! Absolute chefs kiss of two characters! When they finally confess at the end to loving each other it just made my entire heart melt! Sophie Cousens books are always amazing, one of my faves! I’ve read all her stuff and this one is very very high up! Thank you so much Netgalley & Penguin Group for my ebook arc! This one hits stores November 19th!

Sophie Cousens has done it again! In my opinion, she is one of the best authors out there right now. Her books are always heart warming and thought provoking, and this was no exception. I loved the main characters, and watching their “unlikely” romance unfold amidst their many complications. It really reinforces the idea that a good love story doesn’t always look the one way and that people need to evaluate what will work for them in their lives instead of focusing on expectations of others. Thanks to the publisher and netgalley for the e-arc.