3 ⭐️

Synopsis: Lifestyle journalist Anna is post-divorce and finds herself having to fight for her column with newcomer Will. When a new company swoops in and demands a change to her column, Anna finds herself having to go on dates with men her children select for her. Can Anna save her column and her job? Can her children help Anna find another happily ever after?

This was a cute and quick read. I was pulled in from the beginning and, despite having to suspend my disbelief a few times (apparently every man in Bath wants a chance to go on a date with Anna - no one said no!), I enjoyed this book. The characters are good and the circumstances, while a bit over the top at times, kept me reading.

If you’re looking for a fun, light romance, this is a good one to pick up.

Thank you to NetGalley and Putnam Books for an advanced copy of this book.

Remember (shudder) Dating?

Absolutely delightful, from the retro "Leader of the Pack" title*, through all of the ridiculous, yet every day, situations a mother can find herself in, this tale of starting over from The Middle hits all the right notes and kept me laughing. From the British novelist, Sophie Cousens, about a divorced mother of two coming to grips with herself, career, kids, and...dating once more. <--NOT something I hope to ever face again!

*(For those of you not familiar with 60s rock music, find a YouTube rendition of The Shangri-Las tuneful hit. Quite a different ending from the book.)

same procedure as every year…
I LOVED IT! ✨🤌🏻

As soon as I started this book, a modern family reference caught my eye. This was the moment I just knew I will love it.

I don’t even know where to start, but this book had it all: entertaining and deep side plots (work, family, self-development, love, & more) as well as awesome jokes (I did giggle out loud) and really well-pictured scenes (I struggle with imagining book content, however, here it worked!)

As in her previous book, she wrote absolutely adorable children who got to pick out Anna‘s dates for her column at work. Everything was described really realistically because Anna never had it easy in her family-work-love chaos.

Moreover, I can confirm the behavior of her ex-husband who is a triathlon addict, because I am one myself haha.

To me, it‘s fascinating how she wrote so many different men as Anna‘s dates. None of them resembled the others.

Coming to Will (*blushing face*): I am a sucker for enemies-to-lovers stories because I adore the sarcasm. Of course, all my hopes were fulfilled with this book. I can‘t believe what kind of shift Will revealed during the story.

However, I was kept in suspense until the very end (*goosebumps*). And it was so worth it!!

All in all, this beauty gave me all the feelings and I would not only recommend it to you but also read it again ✨

P.S.: Jane Austen fans will devour this book <3

Thanks to NetGalley and Putnam Book for this ARC!

Well, I thought I knew all when it comes to romance and comedy and love but alas, Sophie Cousens proves me wrong and I devoured this in a single sitting (ok I was on an airplane but STILL). Newly directed and in her late 30s, Anna is relatable and normal and just trying to get through her fractured life as a single working mom (she is a journalist). Then we meet Will- her smoldering co-worker but he is younger and crisp and perfect and Cousens makes it clear that Anna is kind of messy and these two don’t mix. Then Anna gets an assignment to write a daring column but plot twist! Will writes a parallel column from a man’s POV. Then so much happens- there are crazy dates, drinks, a tattoo (didn’t see that coming and now I want one?), two weekends away with so much tension I’m surprised my kindle didn’t ignite in flames, and ahhhhhhh- trust me: read. This. Book.

Thank you putnam for the e-arc!

Sophie does it againnnnnnn! This book is funny, the children in it are top notch and the characters are just so dang relatable.

I laughed so hard throughout the book, especially at the beginning of every chapter reading the different searches. Anna is me, I am an Anna. I have read other books with a single mom FMC, and I found it so hard to relate to them because I am not a mom. With Anna, I think you can relate to her as a mom, as a single girl, or just a person trying to date in your 30s.

So much happened in this book and I loved every part of it. At the beginning of this year, I told myself I wanted to find a community, and while Anna and I had different approaches (although I AM INSPIRED), I love that she found a community/found family by putting herself out there and doing things she wouldnt normally do.

I liked Will a lot, and I could see right through him right from the beginning- no fooling me Havers (I also love tht she calls him that).

I normally don’t love workplaces romances but I loved this one. It really worked for me 🙂

I’m sad this one is over and I have to wait for another book by Sophie, I need more!!

I adored this book! Might be my favorite Cousens book yet... though they have all been good and worth reading. Anna and Will are pitch-perfect characters with well-written, witty dialogue. Totally relatable, believable *spoiler alert* love story. These are people I would want to know, could envision knowing. Cousens writes characters you root for and fall in love with.

LORD THIS WAS SO CUTE. The tension was *chefs kiss* adorable. Only Sophie Cousins could write a single divorced mom romance that I actually enjoy and that didn’t feel patronizing. My only complaint is WHERE WAS THE SPICE, SOPHIE, WHERE WAS THE SPICE??? Closed door ain’t for me.

This was SUCH a delight! Thank you Netgalley and GP Putnam's Son for the ARC!

This follows Anna Appleby, a magazine columnist, mother of two kids, and a recent divorcee. While reading this, it gave me similar vibes to Summer Romance by Annabel Monoghan with a dash of The Hating Game by Sally Thorne. It was funny, sweet, swoony, and witty. I absolutely loved Anna's characters and the relationship with her kids. I am such a sucker for single mom romances especially when we really get to explore their relationships with their kids. When you're a mom, you're kids come first and I loved those moments with her children!

Will and Anna's relationship felt so fresh and I was so giddy for them from their first interaction! I loved their development throughout the entire story. Hearing about their respective dates and getting to read about Anna's was so fun and brought something unique to the story.

I adored this novel and would definitely recommend! This is something I could easily see being a rom-com on Netflix or something!

This book made me laugh so much. The back and forth is so witty and fun. I loved every character! Will and Anna were perfect and the side characters were just as good. I really enjoyed her dates and how they led her to learning more about herself and opening up. I could have kept on reading!

Is She Really Going Out with Him? follows a 38-year-old recently divorced single mother of two as she navigates large changes in her personal and professional life. In order to attract younger readership, she is forced to write a new dating column alongside her younger, attractive colleague with the premise of going on 10 dates with men selected by her children. Some of the best romance tropes are involved: fake dating, one bed, enemies to lovers. As a young single woman, I have been surprised by the amount of romance about recently divorce women that I have been charmed by.

Thank you to NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Is She Really Going Out With Him? By Sophie Cousens is another one of her hits in my book! I’ve loved all her other books and this one is no exception. The book is about the main character’s children picking her dates for her and it is funny and heartwarming. I highly recommend it!

LOVE LOVE LOVED this! Obviously I am a big fan of Sophie Cousens but this was fantastic. I related to Anna so much. I'm not divorced but sooo many other things in our life were exactly the same- down to the name of the son. This was so cute and funny. I read it in less than 24 hours because I could not put it down. Love a middle age romance.

Single Mother Anna goes on a series of dates with men chosen by her children. Her dates are embarrassing and some endearing. She experiences horrific and hilarious things- I found myself laughing out loud at times.

I could not put this book down. I was drawn to Will and Anna and their stories. This was a beautiful story that slowly revealed more about the character. You truly can’t judge someone without truly knowing them.

There is one closed door sex scene that has bizarre dialogue. But it is quick and skippable.

A huge thank you to Sophie Cousens (whose backlog I now need to read), netgalley, and the publishers for this book.

I loved the concept of a divorcee going on dates picked out by her kids, and thought it would be a cute read. It was cute, but it was so much more than that too. What it feels like to be alone, starting over, and the struggles of motherhood were all there.

It was laugh out loud funny too - the dates, the giggle searches at the start of each chapter.

And of course the romance was fantastic too. A must read!

4.5 rounded up. As usual Sophie Cousens doesn't disappoint! Thank you NetGalley for the arc of this book in exchange for an honest review. I loved the plot behind this book and the dates good and bad Anna went on were fantastic. The characters in the book were all quite lovable as well. I also enjoyed the "internet searches" at the beginning of each chapter. It was a fun and entertaining touch. Overall a cute and fun read. I look forward to reading more by this author in the future.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read this arc.

Sophie Cousens is on my ‘must read’ authors list, I’ve read all her books and just like this one; they are all amazing!

Anna is a single mom recently divorced who is having a hard time moving on and finding herself. She is a journalist for a local magazine and begins an article where she goes on dates with men chosen by her children. None of the dates are ideal, but Anna does find love again on her own. I could tell right away that Will had feelings for Anna, but found it cute how Anna was clueless about it. I enjoyed their back and forth banter and found their whole love story to be cute!

I really enjoy Sophie C0usens! It reminds me a lot of her other book "This Time Next Year" where the FMC learns to stand up for herself and take opportunities as they come. It was great to read about someone growing and better their life. I loved that while romance was a focus, so was friendship, personal growth, and family relationships. Good banter!

This is the fourth book that I’ve read by Sophie Cousens and each book is better than the last. I absolutely loved the concept of divorcee, Anna, having to date offline and that her children would choose the potential suitors. The witty banter and endless flirting between Anna and Will is very entertaining and the disastrous date choices keep you wanting more. I could not put this book down and this ended up being a quick read. It is one of those books that you expect to light and entertaining but you get a bit more with Anna’s journey.

A big thank you to NetGalley & Penguin Group Putnam for an advanced digital copy, so I can enjoy another fantastic book by this author. If you haven’t read her books before, then check out The Good Part, I Just Haven’t Met You Yet or Before I Do.

Thank you NetGalley for the chance to read this book early. Sophie Cousens never disappoints me. Anna is a columnist who has gone through a divorce and now has to change her column at work in order to keep her job. Because of her work rival, Will, she decides she’ll go on 7 dates with men her kids choose (an alternative to online dating). These dates force her to meet people she wouldn’t normally choose to date (like her grouchy neighbor) and try new things as well. Besides her column, Will is also writing a column about his dates. They coordinate columns and in the process, have to spend more time together.

Things I really enjoyed:
*Anna making new friends
*Anna standing up to her ex husband
*Anna standing up to her boss who never appreciates her talent
*Anna and Will realizing they might have misjudged each other.

Is She Really Going Out With Him by Sophie Cousins is a fun twist on a workplace romance. I got sucked into the novel at about 30% in and had a hard time putting it down after. I loved the nostalgia of the 2000s era rom-com this novel gave me while reading it. I definitely recommend it to anyone looking for a cute romance novel.