3.5/5
Rather than a guide about how to get even with one’s boyfriend, this really should be a guide about what you shouldn’t do in a long-term relationship. This book introduces us to Lexi Hunter, who on the surface is very likable and easy to relate to. She has been with her boyfriend, Will Talbot, for seven years. Although he hasn’t put a ring on it, they appear to be committed to one another and have a joint mortgage. The only issue Lexi has with Will and their relationship is his insane obsession with all things sport. Football, rugby, cricket, darts and even the Grand Prix. If there’s a match on anywhere, you can guarantee that Will be present to watch it in person or on television or he will have recorded it to watch it later. Additionally, before any plans can be made, Will has to check the calendar to see if there are any conflicts with said sport watching.

Lexi’s best friend is getting married and mere minutes before Will is supposed to be getting ready, he comes down with food poisoning. Lexi is obviously annoyed but she understands that there is nothing to be done and she leaves Will at home and attends the wedding by herself. While at the wedding, one of her work colleagues sends her a text message containing a photo of Will at the football game!

This is where the story went off the rail for me. I completely understood how hurt and upset Lexi was, I empathized with her decision to give it a little time before confronting Will. Giving him the opportunity to confess and come clean sounded like a reasonable plan. Instead, what transpires is an equally insane plan to exact multiple instances of revenge. Situations that she creates to cause Will to miss watching whatever sporting event is on tap for that given day. Maybe it’s just me (and it probably is), but I thought her actions were worse than Will’s. He shouldn’t have lied, but Lexi should have addressed the situation instead of concocting elaborate revenge schemes. It just felt so petty and immature for someone who has been in this relationship for seven years to behave.

As if the revenge wasn’t bad enough, she starts blogging about it as part of an assignment for her writing class! I just kept waiting for this entire mess to blow up in her face once everything comes out.

The pacing of the story was good, overall. I was engaged and invested in wanting to know what would happen next in Lexi’s plan of getting back at Will. Ironically, I found both Lexi and Will very likable and had high hopes for the success of their relationship, though their communication could use a lot of work. I was also surprised at how well Will takes some of the acts of sabotage. I expected him to go ballistic at missing out on some matches.

As expected, when things come to a head, they do in a spectacularly emotional and horrifying way. I really thought it was the end of the line for these two. This story offers some unexpected surprises that I really liked.

My Final Verdict: Overall, I would have liked this book more if Lexi had taken a less devious approach to her problem. However, I understand that if she had done things differently, other amazing things may not have happened and once I was made aware of what really transpired, I was quite happy.

This book is my first by Anna Bell and I look forward to reading more from her. I recommend this book to readers who love chick-lit and contemporary romances and like to see characters who are not perfect and make huge mistakes in their lives but also take giant leaps to go after what’s important.

Thank you to the publisher, Zaffre, who provided an advance reader copy via NetGalley.

I'd say that this is quite cute beach read, but it is also one-time read in your spare time to clean your head (not enough food for thought). It is also quite clichey and predictable. Yet there are also some plus points for the positive message of mending instead of breaking and some funny moments.

Unfortunately, I have not been able to read and review this book.

After losing and replacing my broken Kindle and getting a new phone I was unable to download the title again for review as it was no longer available on Netgalley.

I’m really sorry about this and hope that it won’t affect you allowing me to read and review your titles in the future.

Thank you so much for giving me this opportunity.
Natalie.

This book tries hard, but I was so bored after the first few chapters to even pretend to enjoy myself. Bell's story is clearly set in England (with the syntax, references, and spellings bonking you over the head) and the writing is both chatty and stilted. I have a really hard time believing this isn't a debut novel from someone simply following a rom-com, chick lit script.

Stopped at 12%

I enjoyed this book, it was a great summer read! One thing I really appreciated about this story is that I've never read another chick lit story like it before, the premise was fun and entertaining and set up the perfect amount of drama! Just because an older relationship has gone a little stale doesn't mean it's not worth saving, and everyone has a vice--sport addiction isn't too bad to handle! I need to remind myself of that sometimes... :)

The pacing was a little slow, and I think Will's secret was obvious, but the characters were relatable and there were some moments that made me laugh out loud! Perfect for the beach!

I couldn’t finish this book, I like the author’s writing and have enjoyed many of their books before but this one wasn’t one I could get into. I will try again when the author’s next book is released as I am a fan of theirs.

Although a bit predictable, was still a good read that I'm glad I got to enjoy!

Great story - well written and enjoyable.

Thanks for the chance to read this

My first reaction was that everyone here needed to grow up but Bell wrapped me into her plot with good writing and a cleverly constructed plot. This is entertaining fluffy chicklit with a good heart. The sports mad male is generally never going to change but Lexi's efforts to turn Will's head back her way are persistent. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC. I'd not read Bell before so I'm very grateful to Netgalley for the ARC. This is the perfect book to relax with!

I like it when I join the dots and can guess where a novel is heading (as long as it's not TOO obvious) but I also like it when I think I've spotted what the image is but the author throws a curve ball (mixed metaphors, I know). In this instance I was taken by surprise, several times.
The story is well written and well plotted and the main character is funny and very likeable. Entertaining and engaging, the novel had my dull attention from start to finish, and there were even a couple of times when I laughed out loud.
The book is a typical, engaging tale of what can go wrong when we aren't honest with each other, and the folly of jumping to conclusions.

Well done Ms Bell!

I did not finish this story as I did not engage with the story on any level.

Anna Bell is one of my favourite authors. Her titles and covers are always fantastic and they are the first two things that draw me into a book by Anna. She always writes about likeable characters and there is no expectation with The Good Girlfriends guide to getting even.

I did find this one a touch slow to begin with, but once I got into it I was hooked. Lexi has a sports mad boyfriend Will, who whenever she asked if they could do a certain thing, it would depend on whether on not there was sport on at the time. This would drive me nuts, and it did when reading about it.

Lexi is sick of getting mad so she decides to get even. Lost tickets and a broken television seems to of been the best way for her to spend time together with Will as they become closer. Lexi decides to start a blog about it and she’s thinking that he will never find out so where’s the harm?

This was a really funny book, and made me gasp out loud and the things Lexi does for revenge and the outcome was amazing.


Thanks goes to net galley and the publishers for providing me with a copy in exchange for an honest review.

What wasn't there to love about The Good Girlfriend's Guide to Getting Even?
I devoured this book in one sitting and found smiling ALOT throughout this book.

Lexi is dating sports obsessed Will and thinks their relationship is going great! That is until Will skips her friend's wedding for a football match and gets busted! Instead of confronting Will about it Lexi decides to get even and plots her revenge to sabotage his love of sport.

I found this book to be full of funny laugh out loud moments and enjoyed following along with Lexi as she carried out her little acts of revenge. I did however in the end start to feel really bad for Will.

It was a great light hearted humorous read and Anna Bell is fast becoming a favorite author.

I am a big fan of author Anna Bell, and again was thrilled to be asked to review her brand new book The Good Girlfriend's Guide to Getting Even. I was even more excited to see that Anna had mentioned me in the acknowledgements at the end - it's always lovely to see an author appreciate what us bloggers do! So, I got stuck into this, expecting as usual another brilliantly funny read! The blurb sounded really funny, like the sort of escapist read I could do with, and it didn't let me down!

Lexi was a really funny character, and made me laugh from the very beginning. I know some of the things she did were perhaps a little childish, and yes, she should have confronted her boyfriend Will but that wouldn't have made for a very good or funny book would it?! The fact Lexi did things I would never have even dreamt of meant it made me laugh, and I was sure at every turn she was going to get found out, and make things even worse for herself! I understood she was cross that her boyfriend seemingly lied to her about being poorly to miss a wedding for a football match, and the way she found herself in this revenge spiral was quite amusing, even though her friends weren't exactly supportive of her actions!

Will seemed to be the character that we, as readers, were meant to hate. He was completely sports mad, to the detriment of their relationships at times, and I did feel sorry for Lexi in this regard. He couldn't seem to see that his obsession was upsetting her either, so I think the pair would have benefitted from actually being honest with each other once in a while! However, I did feel sorry for him a little bit when Lexi started to exact her revenge, because he genuinely seemed clueless about how all these unfortunate things kept happening to him, and never seemed to suspect Lexi at all!

Anna Bell's writing in this book is really on point, and she keeps the pace up all the way through the story, allowing the characters to develop well, and Lexi's plan to go as she hopes, while all the time you are aware that at some point she's going to find out, and the longer it goes on, you know the eventual reveal is going to be even worse for her! As the book hurtles towards the end, I almost didn't want to read it because I just knew it was going to get pretty awful before it could attempt to get better! There are some scenes set in Barbados, and Anna writes these wonderfully, it was great to picture the country, the beaches, and the luxury hotel Will and Lexi find themselves in.

While I think some people might find this book a bit silly, and get annoyed with Lexi's revenge plot, I actually found the whole thing really enjoyable, and definitely laughed out loud quite a lot as I was reading! I stayed up late a few nights reading this, because I didn't want to put it down - I was desperate to find out what Lexi was going to come up with next, and if and when poor Will would find out what she had been up to! A laugh-out-loud, funny, escapist read that will surely leave you with a smile on your face... and perhaps a bit of a warning to sports mad men - don't ignore your girlfriend for your sports, and if you do so, it's at your own peril! A great read!

It’s true what they say; revenge really is a dish best served cold. When Lexi discovers her sports-mad boyfriend Will pretended to have food poisoning so he could miss her friend’s wedding and secretly go to a football match instead, she’s mad – really mad.

However Lexi then realises a good girlfriend doesn’t get mad, she gets even. Rather than confronting Will, she carries out acts of revenge, which include ‘lost’ tickets, a Sky box ‘accidently’ soaked in wine and a dead car battery – causing him to miss out on his precious fixtures.

While friends have got married and settled down, Lexi and Will, who have been together for seven years, find themselves stuck in a comfortable domestic no man’s land with no sign of an engagement ring, much to her mother’s disappointment. After her discovery of Will’s lie, Lexi is forced to re-evaluate her relationship, and realises that whether its football or Formula 1, she feels like she always takes second place to sport. Lexi uses her ‘getting even’ scheme to reinvigorate their relationship, but starts to wonder if she is flogging something well past its sell by date.

The genius of The Good Girlfriend’s Guide To Getting Even is that it is so relatable, whether you are a cricket/golf/tiddly winks widow or not. At some point we have all been in that relationship which feels a bit stale and neglected.

As the lead character, Lexi is likeable and again, really relatable. The exchanges between Lexi and her sex-mad best friend Cara are hilarious, awkward mealtimes with her parents are cringe-worthy and the connection between Lexi and her handsome work colleague Robin is intriguing – although he probably does the biggest 180 degree character change ever!

It is a charming novel, full of warmth and wit. Anna Bell’s writing style is snappy, conversational and really funny. Yes, some of the scenarios are a little far-fetched and I was amazed Will doesn’t twig what his girlfriend is up to sooner, but it is a thoroughly enjoyable, feel-good read.

I read Anna Bell’s The Bucket List to Mend a Broken Heart last year (you can read the review here) and loved it so I jumped at the chance of reading her latest book The Good Girlfriends Guide to Getting Even and you know what I think I love this one more.

I loved the premise that Lexi, being a sport widow, decides to get even. With every punishment she doles out the tension builds and whilst you love what Lexi has done you can’t help but panic a bit as well. You know that the revenge is going to come and bite her on the bottom but that is part of the fun.

Anna Bell has created a fabulous story with characters that are so relatable it almost hurts. The Good Girlfriends Guide to Getting Even is funny, sharp and just plain good fun. I absolutely loved it and you will too!

The Good Girlfriend’s Guide to Getting Even by Anna Bell is available now.

For more information regarding Anna Bell (@AnnaBell_writes) please visit www.annabellwrites.com.

For more information regarding Bonnier Zaffre Books please visit their twitter page (@BonnierZaffre).

I just would like to say thank you to publishers to let me review this book.

Let's start off with I really liked this book I loved the storyline and the characters the description in the book felt so real could picture the setting I was laughing out loud at this book. I was sad to see it end. Will. Be recommending this book to people.

*Book provided by the publisher on NetGalley in exchange for an honest review*

When I saw the title of this book, I was really intrigued and that didn’t change when I read the blurb.

The story follows Lexi and her boyfriend Will. He is obsessed with sports, watches every game and records them all. So when he comes home, he gets to the sofa and watches. Lexi and Will have been together for seven years and all her friends are either married already or engaged and she wants the same.

When she finds out that he missed her friend Vanessa’s wedding and went to a football match, she starts planning revenge. From erasing recorded things, to him missing a game on a weekend out.

Will starts to be different though, which makes her feel bad and happy at the same time, because there is finally some life in their relationship again. Sometimes his behaviour is weird though and doesn’t make sense, especially when they go to Barbados. That’s where everything goes crazy with misunderstandings, surprises and unexpected changes. Of course there is something behind this and I just loved this part of the story.

The book is full of funny moments, I loved flowing Lexi around. Her plans were described so vividly and her feelings were included as well.
Anna Bell’s writing is entertaining, fun, sparkly and exciting! The Good Girlfriend’s Guide to Getting Even is a feel good read with some fab moments and great characters. Lexi is very relatable, Will is just typical and cute. Then there is Lexi’s sex mad best friend Cara and her attractive work colleague, they all added a wonderful mixture to a sensational story.

I’m a big sports fan myself, so I really enjoyed these parts of the book as well.

This story is brilliantly written and funny in so many ways. It will definitely put a smile on your face.

Yeah no. Just could not and did not get into this book. I read right to the end but when I'd finished I felt angry and frustrated. Sadly I wish I'd just put it down when I wasn't feeling it.

It was cute. I personally would have hurt my boyfriend, had he done what he did. But also, I do not think I would have lasted that long with him, in boyfriend-girlfriend status for so long. If he truly loved me, he should have made a commitment sooner, but that is my personal view, others may not feel the same. Lexi's acts of revenge were funny, but had it been me, I would have been yelling, but she was creative and then blogs about it, since she was an aspiring writer. Like that was not going to backfire. But I still think Wil deserved it.