I’m very ashamed to admit that, when Giovanna Fletcher’s first book was published, I thought that she was probably riding on the coat-tails of her husband’s fame. How wrong I was! I read that book and was immediately hooked on Giovanna’s style and imagination. She is a fabulous author whose stories hook you in right from the first few pages, and keep you wanting more.

Lizzy and Ian have been together for ten years but, suddenly, they’re not any more. Lizzy returns to live with her parents and has to start all over again, something that has happened to a lot of people. The story is very realistic and believable and I was really disappointed when I reached the end of the book!

I’ve now read all Giovanna’s book and look forward to more titles from her.

Thank you to NetGalley and Penguin UK-Michael Joseph for an ARC in return for a fair and honest review.

I've read some of Giovanna Fletcher's books before and always found them delightful. They are fun and really well written. 'Some Kind of Wonderful' was no different but I definitely noticed a change here. Something was slightly more mature and a bit naughty, which I really liked. It seems that Giovanna is injecting more of own self into her writing.

This book felt short and sweet, which makes me think (and hope) that the story will continue in another book. The characters are all just super nice and even the antagonist of the story isn't that evil. I'd love if Giovanna included a real villain in one of her next books.

This is perfect for a cold night where you just want to smuggle up under a blanket with a warm drink and read a nice book.
The writing style makes it so easy to become engrossed in the story.

Some Kind Of Wonderful by Giovanna Fletcher a wonderful five-star read. This book was just what I needed, it’s a cold wet and windy day in Wales, I was having a rubbishy day and this was the pick me up I needed. It was like reading a lovely warm hug. The characters were all people I would have enjoyed meeting and the situations believable, what I liked most was the fact that I didn’t like everyone to begin with, much like in real life I warmed to Lizzy

I've read all of Giovanna's previous books so I was thrilled when I was approved for this title . What can I say , I loved it , typically Giovanna , warm and comforting like a big mug of hot chocolate , with some laugh out loud moments mixed in with the bits that bring tears to your eyes !
Lizzy and Ian have been a couple for 10 years since they were both at University and Lizzy is desperate for him to pop the question . She is convinced is coming when they go on a luxury holiday to Dubai and she's right . Ian treats her to a lavish dinner on the beach whee he tries to propose , it goes hideously wrong and they break up . Lizzy then re-evaluates her life and realises how much she has changed to fit in with their life , surrounded by her best friend and family she rediscovers all the things she's been missing and a few new ones along the way . Brilliant , heart warming and I loved it .

Lizzy starts the book desperately wanting to get married to her boyfriend of ten years, Ian. On holiday, Ian finally proposes but bottles it at the last minute and dumps poor Lizzy. Lizzy goes back home and has to learn how to find herself again. The message of the book is to find self love for yourself and make sure you have love for your friends and family as well. Lizzy starts to realise she isn't satisfied with her own career and after a fortunate meeting with Natalia bags herself a brand new job. Lizzy joins the local choir and brings joy to the community, she reconnects with her Dad and finds a new love. Although, she puts off the new love until she has fulfilled one of her dreams - to go travelling alone. Lizzy turns out to be an independent, go-getting character who certainly doesn't need a man to complete her. The humorous relationship between her sister, Michelle and herself was hilarious and true to life. I really enjoyed reading this book, filled with positive messages and a likeable heroine. Thank you to Netgalley and the publishers for allowing me to read this book.

A romantic, warm read with plenty of laughs throughout. Lizzy's journey of self discovery is refreshing. I love Giovanna's style of writing and always enjoy reading her books.

Thanks to NetGalley, the publisher and Giovanna Fletcher for the ARC copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Having only read one of the author’s previous titles I jumped at the chance to read her new offering. Now everyone knows with that much build up in the first couple of chapters that it isn’t going to be a happy -go-lucky read but I enjoyed the realism brought to the situation. Everyone knows that starting again is tough and Fletcher shows that with a little bit of Dutch courage and sense of humour new beginnings and happiness is possible.... and best of all not with another man or woman but just in the rediscovering of family and friendships that are meant to last the ages!

Lizzy and Ian have been together since University, all their friends are getting engaged and as they have been together for 10 years, Lizzy feels her turn is just around the corner so when they go on a romantic holiday to Dubai she thinks the time has come and a proposal is in the near future but instead of proposing Ian tells her he does not want to be with her any more.

Lizzy is heartbroken and on return from holiday goes to stay with her mum and begins to reassess what she wants from her life. We follow Lizzy’s journey of self discovery from her teenage years through her relationship with Ian. Lizzie feels she needs to discover what opportunities she might have missed as Ian’s girlfriend or did she let his influence have too much control in the way she lived her life.

This is a good book, Lizzy is a likeable character whose life gets turned upside down but she comes out of it with a different idea about who she is, her parents and sister are also interesting characters especially her dad who had a secret to reveal. A good enjoyable story about discovering who you really are and being happy with the outcome.

I enjoyed this book. It was quite thought provoking. If in a long-term relationship doe we adjust our behaviours and outlook to suit 'the other person' - probably? When a relationship breaks down how long does it take to 'recover'? It also shows that there are things about people we know and love that we don't know about them. The downside was that it was a bit predictable when Lizzy met the 'new man' who was forbidden to her.

Thank you to netgalley and the publishers for this arc in exchange for my honest review.

Lizzy has been with Ian for ten years and everyone is waiting for the engagement announcement. Whilst on holiday it becomes apparent it isn’t going to happen and lizzy comes home and starts her life again while working out who she is on her own and rebuilding her life doing things for her.

This felt different from Giovanna’s other books which are always happy books but nonetheless this was not a disappointment. The way she described Lizzy from ten years ago to now would contain tick boxes for all women reading this I’m sure. Fabulous read

My (ex!) housemate loves Giovanna Fletcher's books. She waits religiously to pick them up the day they're released and reads them in the space of the same week. Unlike me, she doesn't read constantly - she probably picks up no more than five books a year - but she loves this author enough to devour them; and honestly, I can see why.

Giovanna’s earlier novels did leave me desiring more. I couldn't put my finger on it, but I was disappointed with ‘Billy and Me’. Nothing was obviously wrong with it, and as formerly stated, ExHouseMateAbby loved it. I think it was a case of ‘it’s not you… it's me’. So, I continued with her books. Surely enough, eventually I fell in love with ‘Dream a Little Dream’ and, although my little romantic heart didn't enjoy this one as much, it is still a fabulous read and I will be recommending it to friends.

'Some Kind of Wonderful' was wonderfully light and easy to read. This gorgeous story might have been lacking in drama, but never in substance. It was a coming of age story about someone who thought they had it all. Lizzie as a character was someone who initially I didn't like, but as her life spiralled and the book progressed, her character developed and did things for herself rather than for the potential of getting a ring on her finger.

All in all, this was a fun read and I would recommend it. It’s refreshing to have something come out of ‘Chick Lit’ which isn't focused on a romantic ‘end game’; it was for the heroine, and I enjoyed that.

I couldn't wait to read this book as it's been a while since her last chicklit book. Well worth reading and fun throughout I would say it's not one of her best but still loved it and had great meaning. It was an easy read and full of love and friendship and finding out who she is after heartbreak. Lizzie and Ian have been going out for ages and she is desperate to get married and when they go on a romantic holiday she thinks her luck is in but once he asks her he realises it's not for him and they finish being together. She moves back home but can she be happy and find a new life for herself that she will be happy with as she has always known herself as her and Ian but he's been taken away. Can she be happy in her job or does she make a big decision that will change everything. She really needs to find out who she is in order to move forward and enjoy the rest of her life. Well worth reading and had many laughs on the way.

7/10

I haven't been the biggest fan of Giovanna's fiction in the past (I really didn't get on with Billy and Me) so I've tended to avoid it since then. However, I adore all of her other work, and after really enjoying Happy Mum Happy Baby earlier this year, I was inspired by the title, the more mature cover, the hardback publication and the intriguing synopsis of Some Kind of Wonderful to give it a go. You know what? I'm very glad I did!

Lizzy has been with Ian ever since she was a fresher 10 years ago and she is desperate for him to propose. At every big occasion, every Christmas, New Year and holiday, she is convinced that this is going to be it, this is going to be the time she gets to say yes. After waiting patiently, a romantic holiday in Dubai seems like the obvious setting for the big proposal and it is all Lizzy can think about. The last night comes and Lizzy is worried that she will be disappointed yet again, but a lavish private dinner puts her mind at rest. After an agonising wait, a drunken Ian is inches away from popping the question but then reveals he simply cannot go through with it. A shell-shocked, devastated Lizzy is forced to come home to her family to rebuild her life and her very identity, without the man she thought she would be with forever.

I was drawn in from the start by the indulgence and luxury of Dubai and by Lizzy's infectious nervous excitement. The contrast with her raw emotion following the rejection works very well and propelled me to keep reading.

I absolutely love Lizzy! She is an Essex girl with a big heart and she is so funny and self-aware. She consistently reflects on both her flaws and her strengths and I respected her so much. Her casual slut-shaming and decor snobbery are not cool, but they do not overshadow her positive qualities.

Some Kind of Wonderful is one of the most relatable stories I have ever read. We may not have been through Lizzy's specific situation but we have all experienced what feels like an earth-shattering event to us, only for the world to keep on turning like nothing has happened. Equally, we have all had times in life when we reflect on what we've done, who we are and the person we want to be, even if it's just making those New Year's Resolutions every December! The plot is so realistic; it isn't about Lizzy going on a grand adventure to 'find herself,' it's about her recovering back home, making lists, questioning every decision and carving herself a new path in a way that we all do after a big change in our lives. At every stage, I kept thinking 'Yep, that's what I'd do!' Her journey is so believable and heartwarming and it had me rooting for her all the way.

Lizzy is surrounded by a fantastic cast of characters. Connie is the most amazing best friend and the support Lizzy receives from friends, family and acquaintances is lovely to read. The way that these relationships are examined and tested adds a whole new dimension to the book, making it even richer.

The one thing that still irks me about Giovanna's fiction is her writing style. She uses dialogue to overtly explain points to the reader, which sometimes makes the words sound funny and unrealistic in the characters' mouths. She often adds unnecessary words and phrases: an 'as a result' here, a needless extra adjective there, and this makes the writing clunky and less pleasant to read. It's like she's writing a uni essay and is trying to bring up the word count!

However, ultimately I was able to look past this, and for me, the story itself is flawless. Some Kind of Wonderful is a gorgeous, warm, easy-to-read tale of a key turning point in an amazing young woman's life and it is one that I would recommend.

I'm so sad to have to leave only 3 stars. I absolutely adore Giovanna and her writing, it's so relatable and I normally fall in love with her characters. This for me was just a little underwhelming. I didn't feel like the story actually went anywhere. It just sort of sailed through the end without anything exciting (bar the beginning part)
It was nice enough, an easy read but for Giovanna I was left disappointed

This was a really gentle and relaxing read that was exactly what I needed after a stressful day. I didn't have to pay too much attention to it to grasp what was going on. The plot that you need on the blurb takes up around of quarter of the story and the rest...well, I guess we follow the recovery of Lizzie as she attempts to redefine herself outside of a relationship. There's not a lot of conflict as things go infinitely well for her.

If anything, it's an uplifting story of a woman's success and taking back her life after feeling slightly repressed in a relationship for ten years. It was really positive to read about such a happy outcome to something quite tragic.

But, honestly, not enough happened to interest me but I was too far into the book before I came to the realisation that I didn't want to not finish it.

The story of a woman piecing her life back together after a harsh break-up should be all about going it alone and doing all the things she was unable to do before. And that's a positive in this book. It's not just a story about a woman needing a man to feel whole again. But because it followed the rom com style so thoroughly it sort of seemed like something was missing. I wanted to love it but I just liked it. Probably a three and a half if pushed!

I think Some Kind of Wonderful is pretty average to be honest. It didn't have me gripped, but it was a light, easy read. Apart from what happened at the beginning of the story, not a lot happened after that. Where was the drama? It was too obvious in parts - there was a lot of telling rather than showing.

I didn't warm to Lizzie at the beginning being as she was obsessed with her boyfriend proposing, but as the story unfolded and Lizzie learnt more about herself, I warmed to her. I didn't like her sister much (and didn't think the Christmas present "plot point" was necessary), nor do I feel that Ian was given enough of a part. For me Lizzie and Ian's story was left unfinished. Although the ending was satisfactory, the door was left open for a sequel. If there is one, I hope Fletcher adds more conflict.

Thanks to NetGalley for the advanced reader copy in exchange for an honest review.

Out of the blue, Lizzie’s world is rocked spinning. She wonders where she went wrong, and is introspective about the loss of her dreams. At 28 years old, she sets out to look at the girl she was 10 years ago, and realises how much she has changed, trying to build on her new uncertain future.
Lizzy is a warm, funny, and humorous character, and has the ability to laugh at herself. Her best friend Connie, sister Michelle, and family try to help her to adjust, and move bravely on. All characters are believable, and add to the humour in the story.
On the downside, not much happens in the story, and it can be quite slow in places. The book is well written, with a quirky sense of humour which I enjoyed. Will certainly look out for more of this author’s books.

Not your classic chicklit novel (but filled with delightfully familiar tropes for lovers of the genre), some kind of wonderful is more a journey of self discovery than it is a classic love story. A funny, awkward, and soul-affirming read -- I inhaled it in a (long) single sitting.