Oh the perils of social media! Melissa finally goes off line when she turns 36 and realizes that she's documenting and not living. In a puff of luck, she meets two nice guys (or are they both nice?). It's a fun light read.

Really enjoyable read. Good characters and a Good story. Well worth a read. Think others will enjoy.

Melissa is 35 and she hopes to find love and start a family. She spends a lot of time on social media and also dating apps, but still her love life isn't going that well. On her birthday, she realizes that she's not getting any younger and as her online dates haven't been successful, she decides to go technology free for a month. At first it isn't easy, but as the time goes by she starts to notice things she didn't before and she also happens to meet two handsome men. What will the challenge change in Melissa's life?
When I read the blurb it piqued my interest, but when I read the book, it turned out to be excellent. I really liked how the author described people being addicted to their phones without seeing what's going on around them as well as how difficult can life be for a 30+ year old single woman, who actually really hopes to find true love. The book was filled with great humor and realistic moments, when found myself nodding along with the main character's thoughts. All in all it's a great book and I'm definitely looking forward to more books by the author.

Thank you to NetGalley, HQ Digital and the author Victoria for allowing to me to read this book in exchange for an honest review.

I really enjoyed this book to start off with. Some of the plot line, i found, just want believable though. Bumping into the 'love interest' in the middle of Scotland and having the sweet lady in the restaurant she met twice end up at her wedding?!? and the bosses 'friend' being implanted into her story line.... it just didn't flow.

Having said that though, i loved the idea of going 'off coms' and getting back to the good old times before technology took over our lives. It was really well thought out in that respect. What a wonderful idea to go around writing and leaving notes for people of what you want to say to them and the suspense of waiting for a letter from them back! Really good writing!

I felt like the main character was well rounded and came across as really likeable and i liked that the book was set in Manchester rather than London. I do love books that are set in London but reading about a different locality for a change was nice.

I would definitely read more from this author.

I enjoy social media so really liked this book because it was so up-to-date with technology. The author made some good remarks about being in the present. "We just need to be careful it doesn't consume us, that we don't miss out on life around us." , how very true this is for all of us.

My thoughts

I kindly received Just The Two Of Us in exchange of an honest review by the publisher via NetGalley.

Melissa is a freelance copywriter and a journalist for a local lifestyle magazine, she knows the best places to eat, drink and be merry in Manchester. For the last four or five years that had been all she ever wanted – a husband and a couple of kids – There had been dates, but it just didn’t happen yet. She wasn’t the kind of girl to give up … she keeps trying. The pressure of being single is high. When you’re in your thirties you need to start thinking about your future.

Her life is so tied up in technology. She relies on the internet for everything: entertainment, reservations, booking transport, ordering takeaway and dating. When she wasn’t doing anything productive she was using it to pass the time, time she could’ve spent doing something useful. Melissa’s boss pushed her into a challenge that will demand a lot of her: Go without technology for a month! Will Melissa find life better when she’s unplugged? When Melissa goes offline and gives up her technology life, she begins to see that there's more to life. Being without technology was proving to have its positives. Without the help of her phone she bumps into two gorgeous men. They couldn’t be more different. Will she go for the glamorous and hollywood like dates or she is she more like for something less showy, down to earth and more heartwarming?

The Secret to Falling in Love was a real eye opener to me as it shows us how much we all depend on technology and on social media. It had got me thinking how consumed I’d become with technology. Maybe a social media break would do me good ;-) Life is like reading a goof book, at first you can’t put it down, eager to see what the next page will reveal, but by the last quarter you want to pace yourself, slow down, because you want to savour the final chapters. That's just how it is with that book. The Secret to Falling is a quirky, entertaining read that you can get through in no time.I found myself smiling in lots of parts because I could realte to Melissa in so many ways. She is older than me and yet I sympathize with her instantly. I love that Machester is used as her home city. A lot of chic lit books use the same places over and over again so it was refreshing that a completely new place.

The closure of the romance seemed a little too rushed for me. It was obvious how the story is going to end but nevertheless, with all the obstacles, problems and dilemmas, which were really well written by the way, but still it is a funny, lighthearted, joy of a book. Exactly what I needed. I loved it!

I was super excited to read this book, as I adored the premise. Can one possibly fall in love in today's day and age without the use of social media, apps and filters? It certainly sounded interesting to me, in addition to the front cover just being way too pretty and cute. This is Victoria Cooke's debut book and it is a rather delightful one at that. I became cozy and content within the first few pages and was hooked by Victoria's writing style. This is something Kelly and I always look for in a book, that 'Ahh' moment when you relax and know you are in good hands.

In 'The Secret to Falling in Love' we meet Melissa, in the midst of pulling off quite the escape after yet another one night stand, might I add. She is thirty something and struggling to come to terms with the fact that she still isn't married and still doesn't have any kids. She's fed up of all the happy families she sees on Facebook and the far from perfect matches she meets on dating sites and she has no idea what to do about it all. When watching The Matrix one night she starts to think about her social media driven life and how infatuated us humans are with our phones, always uploading food pictures or telling people what we are doing. It leads her to write an article for work on the topic. When the article receives high praise, her world is flipped upside down when her boss decides that, for a follow up article, Melissa, will be unplugged...
And so, with no mobile phone glued to her fingertips, a whole new world opens up to Melissa. I absolutely adored reading about how Melissa deals with no social media. I think it's safe to say we have all had those moments where we wonder, after realizing that we have just spent the best half of an hour scrolling through the same three apps numerous times, what more there is to life? I loved that she had to start writing notes, I loved that she saw Manchester in a fresh new light and I loved how she made time for people and became more in the present. Speaking of our leading lady, she is pretty darn awesome. She had me giggling and laughing out loud throughout the book with her sense of humour and often self deprecating ways. I also loved that, though she longed to meet someone, she was incredibly independent and self sufficient. It made me happy that she had her own cool apartment, awesome job, despite her boss, and that she was more than happy going to coffee shops with her friends or on her own. Her friends were a delight too. Again, Amanda had a fierce independence and I could clearly picture her as a fashionable, kick ass lawyer. And Gemma, was so fun too, I enjoyed that the girls had there side stories and how everything intertwined, but they all stuck by each other. It was a really beautiful friendship to read.
Furthermore, Victoria captured my heart with her descriptions of Manchester, my home sweet home, it simply made me happy reading about the places Melissa walked past or ate at. I longed to be walking through Piccadilly with her. Ooh and her descriptions of Scotland...take me there now. It just sounded so cozy and quaint and perfect, and reminded me of all the gorgeous places in my little hometown, where you can snuggle up with coffee and chat to the regulars. My idea of heaven.
As well as picturesque backdrops, a kick butt leading lady and side kicks that you will wish were your best friends too, 'The Secret to Falling in Love' of course has sexy love interests that will have you stomping your feet in frustration and disbelief whilst also swooning and grinning from ear to ear...yes you will have to read the book to find out more! :) This book left me feeling happy. Melissa's revelation on social media made me nod my head in agreement and even had me evaluating my every day routine, I will definitely be putting some of her lesson's learnt into practice going forward.
If you are looking for a heartwarming, romantic read with an incredibly cool and interesting concept, definitely pick up this book today. I'm excited to read more from Victoria Cooke in future.

Funny & poignant and definitely makes you question how much time you spend online!

Journalist Melissa is always attached to her phone but then she gets an assignment to go tech-free for a month – no emails, no social media, no texts, no Google, no Tinder. Shock, horror - she has to resort to actually calling in on friends and family members and sending letters. But there is a definite upside when, instead of having her eyes on her phone screen, she gets chatting to the suave Joseph in a coffeeshop – and scores herself a date.
It’s a clever premise to explore what it’s like living offline – and whether it’s still possible to find love without the help of modern devices. The pace of the story was a tad slow at times and I personally would have preferred more about the experiment and a little less romancing, but overall it’s a cute story. Someone definitely needs to come up with a catchier title though.

This was a very easy book to read. The idea behind the book is brilliant, the story is light and fun yet realistic at the same time, and the characters are well-written. Expertly executed. The style of writing was the best feature of this book though, and I look forward to more releases by Victoria Cooke.

If you’re looking for a feel-good, romantic novel, The Secret to Falling in Love will not disappoint you. It is a lovely, bubbly rom-com about Melissa, a thirty-something journalist who cannot wait to settle down and put an end to an endless stream of fruitless dates. She spends an incredible amount of time online and up until now, it has failed to provide her with a good partner. Has Tinder really killed romance?

The writing style is lively, the characters endearing and the plot interesting — going offline and trying to live life the old-fashioned way. Will Melissa find life better when she’s unplugged? Has technology really become an obstacle to social life? If you’re looking to know what Melissa’s conclusion will be after this enlightening experience, don’t forget to pick your copy of The Secret to Falling in Love due to be released on February 9th.

It is a vibrant chicklit novel that will appeal to those who enjoy a good read with a happy ending.

Melissa hasnt had much luck with men in the past and when she is set the challenge of living a month with no technology, no phone, no social media, it opens up a whole set of doors and she never looks back.

The book is a real eye opener as it shows us how much we all depend on technology, on social media etc.

I LOVE the cover for this book, so bright and eye catching it really makes you want to read the book.

A big 5 Stars from me! This is absoultely fantastic. Hilariously good!

Melissa is single and despite having great friends and her dream job as a feature writer she feels she's hitting a tipping point in life where she's being left behind. Addicted to her social media she becomes disillusioned with the pressures to keep up appearances and online dating and begins to wonder if we spend too much time plugged in. Pushed in to a challenge that stretches her very core way of life she begins to see that there's more to life than swipes and likes; could it be that what you desire most can often be sat there all along while you've got your nose stuck in your phone?
A brilliant concept and a well written story that's a mixture of Bridget Jones and Sex in the city (with a modern twist). I adored how, stripped bare of technology, Melissa gained a greater insight in to her friends and family and appreciated the simplest things in life, despite a series of blunders and challenges.

The Secret to Falling in Love by Victoria Cooke is a novel all women can relate to...I easily read this book. Every page was filled with realities relationship goals and entanglements. Intriguing, exciting, and believable. Sexy men, online dating, set-up dates...The Secret to Falling in Love has it all. I enjoyed reading this romance. Being a single woman of 27-years, the whole emotional rollercoaster of dating was understandable. I knew what it was like to take interest in a man who turned up to be a jerk or not worthy of the heart. It's quite frustrating and crazy. But the main character, Melissa, doesn't give up...she keeps trying. The pressure of being single is difficult. She's older than me and yet I sympathize with her instantly and continuously. Sexy hot men, darting, and trying to find the one is an adventure that will hook readers. I was definitely lured into the plot. The pacing of the book, was slow, otherwise it would have gotten a full five-stars. I felt that the plot lagged behind when it could have speed up in areas. Other than that, it well-written. A real life kind of character with a real-world experience and love life. Interesting...overall, I recommend it to others.