This had some cute moments, but it wasn’t very relatable for me. The relationship between Anna and Will felt like they had more of a physical attraction rather than emotional, and I didn’t feel like there was much of a connection between the two. I liked how Anna found the good in most of the people she went on dates with, and formed friendships because of that.

I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for letting me read this ARC in exchange for my honest review!

I loved this book! Anna is really relatable and I enjoyed following her on her journey. Her experiences rediscovering herself really resonated with me, and I especially enjoyed how she was able to find some kind of connection or silver lining with almost every one of her dates. This book also does a great job of balancing its two main themes- finding yourself again after divorce and a workplace rivals to lovers romance! The banter and tension between our two main characters was great and I really enjoyed how their connection developed over time. Their ending felt true and authentic, and I loved that neither character sacrificed themselves or their goals for love.

If you love a rivals to lovers romance, lovable characters, and a heartwarming and realistic self-discovery journey, this book is for you! This was one of my favorite books from Cousens to date and I can’t wait to read more from her!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the advanced reader copy in exchange for my honest review.

4.5 stars rounded up!

I enjoyed the storyline, but I wasn't a huge fan the female main character and of how quickly things progressed. I found the FMC to be a bit snobbish - given that she had gone through a lot with her marriage and divorce; her husband was honestly a douche with her and how he handled things between his ex wife and new partner. Back to the FMC, I really didn't like how treated a lot of people in the book as if she was entitled - she was really mean and belittled Will because he was younger and new to their office.
I also felt like all the relationships in this book rushed into things. The ex husband with his new partner, the FMC & Will - and honestly Will has a history of being too quick to changing his whole life for people he hasn't known that long and that is a huge red flag.

Overall it had it's fun moments - I enjoyed the approach the FMC took to dating after her divorce - it was new and fun - perfect for starting over.

Thank you NetGalley

This was greatly anticipated by me and it did not disappoint! I am highly recommending to the book club!

Journalist Anna Appleby is recently divorced but is managing her newly single status with her two children and her cat when she has a new challenge at work. The new owner feels their print magazine is old and dated and he needs more from her. She ends up having to do a dating column, with her dates being picked by her children, which will coordinate with her annoying co worker Will who seems to be out for her job, and will be picking his dates on line.

I found this enemies to lovers romance sweet and charming and fun. The side characters were interesting and engaging including the children, and even the ex husband is not awful. Each Date Anna goes on has a different theme and allows the reader and Anna to learn something about herself. If you have enjoyed other books by this author you will love this one too. Thank you to the publisher and net galley for an e galley of this book in return for an unbiased review.

Rating:⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5
Format: eBook
Release Date: Nov 19th, 2024

Themes:
💍 Life after Divorce
🇬🇧 UK setting
❤️ Enemies to lovers

Review:
The perfect blend of contemporary romance and a character development driven storyline. Anne is somewhat recently divorced and working as a columnist at a failing company, she recovers her position at the company by committing to 7 dates with strangers all hand picked by her children, whom she has to find the old fashioned way- in person which lends really well to fans of How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days. Anne is so loveable it hurts, I just wanted to protect and root for her at all costs even though she underestimated herself until the very end. If you’re a fan of British comedies, rom-coms, or British culture in general this book is chalked full of all of the most charming pieces of it. I did feel like the pace slowed down dramatically around the 50-75% mark of the book and wrapped up at a pace, I felt, was perfect. There was a lot going on in that window of time between her dates, an unexpected love interest, and her personal life with her divorce and children that felt like it really slowed down the storyline but I imagine many will love and appreciate for the character journey it takes you on. Highly recommend checking this book out, which releases in a little over a month from now!

Thank you to Net Galley and Penguin Group for the opportunity to read and review this advance copy. All opinions and reviews expressed are my own

Thank you, Penguin Group Putnam and NetGalley, for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

This is the story of Anna, a columnist whose messy divorce left her with mantra "I'm happy on my own." She has her job, two kids and a cat to keep her company.

With the print media industry struggling, Anna knows how lucky she is to have a job she loves, which allows her to pay the bills (sometimes scraping by). Enter Will. The hotshot, young, devilishly handsome writer who wants her column. Anna feels nothing but animosity toward Will as he starts inserting himself into her work, offering unsolicited suggestions, which she doesn't appreciate, but her boss seems to like. We later find out that this was a one-way rivalry and Will was just trying to get her attention.

They come up with the idea to have her write a dating column as a divorced mother of two, but the catch is that it's all done offline, and her kids get to pick the guys. Anna goes on dates with everyone from her next door neighbor to her celebrity crush, then writes about the experience.

In the midst of all this, we meet an excellent cast of supporting characters, experience some hilarious banter and Anna learns who she is, outside of just a mother and writer.

Will is everything every romance reader wants in a MMC. He's gorgeous, funny, kind-hearted, loving and only has eyes for Anna.

Sophie Cousens, please please write a sequel about Noah a couple years in the future. I want to see him get his second chance at love, and I also secretly want to see if Anna and Will make it!

Sophie Cousens never seems to disappoint when it comes to an easy, fun read to take my mind off the day. Cute premise, I loved the kids - predictable but that’s not a bad thing. If you’re looking for a book break in between genres i definitely recommend.

From the outset the reader is introduced to Anna and Will who are coworkers and enemies, he's a know it all and she's a jaded divorcee.
The further into the story you see that there is so much more to each character, Anna is fun, adventurous, and a great friend. Will can be kind, thoughtful, and more than his good looks and perfectly monogrammed clothes. Both characters are a bit misunderstood due to their circumstances yet the more you hang out with them you see they have more in common that they both think. Anna's marriage and motherhood made her set aside her interests and needs and Will's family situation keeps him from seeking out his dream of traveling and working in a more fast paced and fulfilling job. Through the story they grow in their own lives as well as together, creating a beautiful love story that I couldn't put down.

This book was absolutely adorable! I adored this so much. The kids were absolutely hilarious and I just loved this love story

This book is fun fun fun! I loved the storyline of Anna, the main character, getting back to dating again as a single mother. This book had me genuinely laughing at times. Adored the tension and rivalry between Anna and Will as well.

I adored this book! Did I already say I adored this book? It was one of those sweet, swoony romances that make my heart squeeze. I’m not a fan of enemies to lovers, but this book wasn’t as mean and petty as other books I’ve read with this trope. It was more intelligent and snappy comebacks that made me laugh, and it didn’t take long for Anna and Will to at least move into the friend zone.

Anna, a journalist for “Bath Living Magazine,” has been divorced for almost two years. Her ex-husband, Dan, has moved on and moved in with his new younger girlfriend, Sylvie. Anna and Dan share custody of their two adorable children, Ethan, 7, and Jess, 12
.
Will has worked at Bath Living for six months, and Anna finds him intolerable. She thinks he is trying to steal her weekly column. The magazine is about to go under, and Anna and Will are tasked with writing a column on dating to try to increase readership; her children pick her dates, and his are from online dating apps. Anna’s dates are funny and eye-opening, and it’s pretty evident from the get-go that Will has a thing for Anna.

Anna thinks Will is a player, full of himself, until she gets to know him better. Then he becomes perfect boyfriend material… except that he is eight years younger, and they are at different stages of their lives.

What unfolds is the story of Anna finally making time for herself, taking chances, and taking control of her life. She comes into her own while asserting her independence, dealing with Dan, taking on her daughter’s mean girl issues, and becoming more authentic in her writing and life!

Thank you to NetGalley and Penguin Group, Putnam for the ARC!

This Reviewer Received an ARC of this book courtesy of NetGalley and Penguin Random House in exchange for an honest review. Thank you NetGalley and Penguin Random House.

Everything about this novel is perfect for anyone “on the wrong side of thirty five.” This was such a beautiful story about finding purpose despite the loss of divorce and searching for yourself beyond motherhood. It is unwavering in its message about hope and adventure. That life doesn’t end when your marriage does. As Anna goes on each date she relearns how to be happy by just being herself. The woman she lost and the new woman she wants to be. This book is so incredibly witty and every moment is warm and heartfelt. As a reader who is around the same age as the protagonist I find it so funny that her google search history at the top of each chapter are a glimpse of my own browsing history. This was such a rich and phenomenal book that I could not put down. I read “This Time Next Year” last winter, but I honestly think this is one of Sophie Cousens golden tickets. I am so grateful to NetGalley and Penguin Random House for letting me read this early.

The literary romance that I just know that everyone is going to want on their shelf! With that beauty of a cover, I wouldn’t expect anything less but the inside is what truly captured my heart. I was rooting for Anna since page 1. She deserves the absolute world.

This book was very enjoyable. I loved Ana’s growth throughout the book. I also loved what her kids brought to the story, too!

Thanks to NetGalley and Putnam for the ARC in exchange for my review.

@sophie_cousens is an author I will always read! I’ve read her last three books as ARCs, in fact! She hasn’t let me down yet, and I love that all of the books are so very different. She writes such endearing characters! I loved all of Anna’s dates that her children picked, I was laughing out loud! I wasn’t sure how I felt about the actual love interest at first, but because of her wonderful character development, I ended up adoring him! What I would love is to see a book with Noah as the male love interest! I ADORED him! This has a US pub date of November 19th and I highly recommend you check it out!

This book is laugh-out-loud funny and so heartfelt. This is my first Sophie Cousens and I am delighted to have fallen in love with her writing.

This has all the magic of my favorites by other romance authors: Cousens combines the coziness and cleverness of The Twelve Dates of Christmas by Jenny Bayliss and the mom life of Summer Romance with the celebrity and rizz of Nora Goes Off Script from Annabel Monaghan.

Cousens covers so much of being a woman in this story, from cyberbullying to cancer and so much in between including favorites like Austen and Sleepless in Seattle. I will be thinking about the observations and critiques in this book for months, especially being “next-generation beautiful.” I am so grateful that there are books like this where the single mom triumphs. I can’t say enough about the humor. Definitely one of my top 5 books this year.

Anna is a newly divorced, mother of two that works as a journalist at a declining magazine in Bath. In an attempt to improve her column and save her job, Anna jokingly pitches an idea to go on dates picked by her kids. Unfortunately, Anna’s bosses love the idea and pair her up with her work enemy, Will; to write a complimentary dating article. What Anna doesn’t count on is finding her way back to herself through these dates. Will Anna’s dates lead to finding a new love interest? You will have to pick up this laugh out loud book to find out!

This book was one of my favorites! I loved the different lessons Anna learned on each of her dates while also finding herself along the way. Her back and forth with Will was so fun and later on, sexy! I loved to see the progression of Anna’s relationship with her ex-husband and his new partner. I think it was very realistic and showed a healthy co-parenting relationship. Overall 5/⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️! This is the first book I’ve read by this author and I will definitely be reading her other works!

Thank you to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for an honest review!

This was a hilarious and very fun read! Anna, a newly divorced mom, finds herself reluctantly thrust back into the dating pool when she receives a new assignment for her lifestyle column. When her first draft isn't hitting the mark for her publisher, things get even more interesting when a crazy idea for a story emerges. Anna will date only men she knows in real life, but they have to be chosen by her children! Her rival at the magazine, Will, will write a companion column each week with dates he meets only online. A competition emerges between Anna and Will as they try to out-do and out-date each other for their weekly column, but their relationship develops unexpectedly in the process.

Read this if you enjoy:
Enemies to lovers
Only one bed
Workplace romance
Closed door

I enjoyed this book so much! The stories from the dates were hilarious, the banter between Anna and Will was very fun, and the cast of supporting characters was a great complement. I thought the backstories for Anna and Will gave them a lot of depth and helped the reader to understand why they fell for each other so quickly. I am not giving this book 5 stars because I did not enjoy the Sylvie storyline, and I felt like the chemistry and tension between Anna and Will didn't build up as well as it could have.

I liked it! Loved the banter, the age gap difference and especially the relatable act of finding love after divorce