What a lovely, LOL romance that explores the world of online dating. When a woman takes a dodgy job working for To The Moon and Back Dating Agency pretending to be clients to woo potential online dates, she realizes her love life may need a little boost. However, her new love interest is the owner of a rival dating agency with a questionable reputation.

Polly is a photographer who needs her big break, but in the meantime, she will be a matchmaker of sorts and help her clients find the love of their life. When she is sent on an errand from her new boss to spy on the very handsome and sexy owner of the rival dating agency, she starts to rethink her own life choices.

I love the slow build-up to Polly and Olly’s relationship. Their first meeting is under false pretenses, but the attraction is instant and not in your face. The story builds on Polly’s life with her new job, her new clients, including the hunky, Brandon, her supportive and hilarious flatmate, Gabe, and her struggles as a photographer.

This is an extremely funny love story with an interesting take on dating. If you enjoy meeting a fun assortment of characters with a healthy dose of love in the air, give this book a try.

Thank you to Ms. May for giving me the opportunity to read this book with no expectation of a positive review.

Before delving into the novel, I read some reviews and was a bit afraid about some of them mentioning a lack of research. I agree that it doesn’t sound authentic that a supposedly American character would speak of height and weight using the metric system. Overall, the character of Olly didn’t sit quite well with me. I felt his behavior and discourse didn’t reflect his age (I was quite stunned when this piece of info was revealed). Having said that, for the most part, I did enjoy this feel-good romantic comedy, even though the love story was not memorable.

The writing style is very good, it flows well. The secondary characters are interesting and fun. I really liked the female lead. Polly is an endearing, relatable character. It is an original chick-lit that will, to some extent, remind you of You’ve got mail, but in a social media Tinder era. Polly could be a good Meg Ryan, but Olly is no Tom Hanks.

In the end, you still get a fun and lovely romance in New York. Just not a legendary love story that will stick with you. It lacked the truly magical chemistry you usually get in great rom-coms.

This was such a cute, fun romcom. When Polly Met Olly is my first introduction to Zoe May's work and it ticked all the boxes for me.
British born Polly has dreamed of living in New York since she was a young girl so as soon as she left school she set her sights on further education in New York. Now her studies have finished, qualifying as a Photographer, she is struggling to gain fulltime employment within her chosen skillset so when a job vacancy crops up at a dating agency she things 'why not' as it's better than the bar work she is currently doing.
Polly's new job at the dating agency proves to be entertaining, although a little odd as she has to send messages acting on behalf of a boy/girl looking for the perfect partner. However, when her boss Derek asks her to spy on a rival dating agency Polly's life becomes a little more confusing when Polly is introduced to Olly, the owner of the rival company.
Olly isn't at all what Polly expected and a frisson of chemistry is felt between them. As Polly continues developing her matchmaking skills she inadvertently keeps bumping into Olly and revelations are discovered.
When Polly Met Olly is such a lovely, cute, fun romcom that will charm and entertain you. My only criticism (although it's not really a criticism) is that I wanted the story to go on and learn how life fairs for our matchmakers and for a few of the sub-characters. A fabulous introduction to a new romcom author for me.

I will admit that I’m not always the greatest fan of books by UK authors that have a US setting, and I did worry a little when I realised this one was set in New York. But I’ve seen some criticism of this book around the fact that the American characters aren’t sufficiently “real”, maybe rather too British – and I’ll admit that suited me just fine.

I loved Polly – and she’s English, rather struggling to make a success of her photography, not wanting to have to go home with her tail between her legs and settle for life as a doctor’s receptionist. She’s feisty and funny – and I particularly liked the warmth of her relationship with her drag queen flatmate Gabe, who has a nice (if incomplete) storyline all of his own around aiming high and fulfilling his goals.

She ends up working at the To The Moon and Back dating agency, for the wonderful Derek (what a great character), dealing with the clients and interacting on their behalf up to the point when they’re ready to meet each other. But they have some serious competition – the considerably more slick Elite Love Match is stealing their business, its flamboyant owner Olly becoming quite a media celebrity – and Derek sends Polly in undercover to find out why they’re having so much more success.

There’s a nice chemistry between Olly and Polly – quite a surprise really, when your initial impression of him is that he’s an insincere, self-obsessed, obnoxious prat. He’s also considerably older than Polly – in his forties, she’s in her 20s – and he does have the most appalling dress sense. Might the gorgeous Brandon, searching for love (but with very precise requirements) not be a more suitable match for Polly? Ah, but Olly has hidden depths – although, it has to be said, that they are sometimes so deeply hidden as to be invisible.

Ok – this book might not be a prize contender for the believability of its central romance, but I have to say that I whizzed through it in an afternoon with a big smile on my face. I really enjoyed everything about the rival dating agencies story-line – the writing’s quirky and very funny, with some lovely set pieces (particularly the big party, and her photography session with Derek), the supporting characters are particularly well-drawn, and the dialogue fizzes and sparkles throughout (particularly in the exchanges between Polly and Olly).

I did like the book’s messages too – that love is more than just a series of checks and balances (and can sometimes be found where you least expect it), that people shouldn’t be judged by appearances or through other people’s eyes, and the importance of living life to your full potential.

Really nicely done, and I’d like to read more from Zoe May – I might have had some minor reservations, but I enjoyed this one.

(Copied to Amazon UK, but link not yet available)

Polly has just landed herself a job at a match - making agency, and while she finds she's good at it, her own love life leaves a lot to be desired. While it's all fun, living vicariously through her clients, she's hoping for a great break as a photographer, and she even took first steps in this direction, taking photos for a cook - book. Then her boss Derek sends her undercover to another agency that seems to be taking their clients away. And this is when Polly meets Olly... when the line between being professional and taking things personally starts blurring...

I am not sure why but I didn't connect with the book completely. There were too many things that felt too forced or too many that were added in, what felt like, an after - thought that didn't bring much to the plot. It was as if the author has tried too much to write a light - hearted but also complex story. Don't get me wrong, it was not a bad read, it had tons of potential and I really appreciate what the author tried to do with the story but it lacked in delivery. The romance was almost not there, and it made me feel confused for the whole time because the title is "When Polly Met Olly", and they met, and then what? And then nothing. Zoe May tried, I think, to pull wool over our eyes, pointing us in some different directions, making us wonder who is the perfect match for Polly, but maybe she should really focus on the real romance, because there were too little sparkles.

The writing style, even though was not as rounded as I'd like it to be, was easy and brisk and Zoe May has a distinctive voice. The banter between characters was friendly and unassuming.

The story is told from Polly's point of view, and while she was a very chatty narrator, I think I'd love to hear the other perspectives as well - I think the characters really have had something to tell, and I'd love to know their insights as well. Mostly we were presented with Polly's monologues, and sometimes the author focused too much on one thing and we were reading about one thought for four pages, and then in the next four pages thousand other things happened.

Altogether, it is a nice, quirky story ticking all the boxes for a chick - lit. The setting was lovely, the secondary characters were jumping off the pages and there were some twists in it. It is easy - going and light read with a promising premise. It touches upon friendship and trust but also it shows how easy it is to have your self - confidence broken. Unfortunately, we didn't click, me and the book.

I’m starting to get the feeling that Zoe is great at coming up with ideas and stories. But personally, I feel like the execution was a little lacking. I never found myself falling in love with this book. Pretty much the whole way through I found it wasn’t bad, but I wasn’t reading it coz I was loving it. I was reading it to bring you this review.

Technically speaking there’s nothing wrong.

You’ve got a strong female lead, Polly. You’ve got a male lead who’s in touch with his emotions, Olly. You’ve got a father figure that helps the female lead find her way and looks after her, Derek. You’ve got a gay best friend only looking out for the female lead and adds an element of flair, Gabe.

Yet I didn’t connect with or fall in love with any of these characters. In fact, I actually hated Gabe. I didn’t think he had a place in the story and felt his character needed more reason to be there other than to critique and push Polly. Even his critiquing and gayness annoyed me. He felt like the type of “friend” that I’d cut out of my life in 2 seconds flat and that he was gay just to have the representation in the book rather than adding value.

It felt like Olly had almost no story time. I think I was about halfway through and it felt like he’d had all of one meetings worth of air time. For a male lead I was expecting much more angst, drama and revelations to happen. When they did, it felt rushed and like it was maybe just meant to be there, but Zoe hadn’t had time to do it earlier.

Personally, what could’ve made this book great was having Olly’s side included in the story. Not every love story needs it. But a lot of the drama, angst and feeling that might have made me fall in love with the story and characters might have happened if Olly’s perspective was included.

For a light, easy to read romance that you don’t have to get too caught up in this is a great read. I just felt like it was missing something for my brain and heart to really engage. My only other issues with this book have hopefully been resolved (I’ve been told they have) and they were caused because I read an advanced copy not a final edit version. So, I won’t be taking those into account with my score.

4.5 stars: I have to say that I have come to the conclusion that British authors write the best Rom Coms.
Polly is a Brit from Cornwall who moved to New York to become a famous photographer. Well, we all know about the best laid plans. She has just started a job with a Dating Agency and is taking pictures of food for free, asking only for credit from the instagrammer when her cookbook is published. She will do whatever it takes to build up her portfolio to make a living with her photography. She lives in a small apartment with a gay, male friend in a rundown area in New York, just hoping for her big break. Polly easily falls in lust with a handsome face, but realizes that there has to be more than that.

Polly's exploits with friends and clients of To the Moon and Back are a hoot. She really is a funny gal, who just can't seem to find Mr. Right. I love her relationship with Gabe, her roommate. They are so good for each other. They kick each other in the butt when they need it, and act as cheerleaders as well. Polly's boss, Derek, was a sweetheart. I would have loved to work for someone like him. Polly and Olly have a very strange relationship and that is all I am going to say about that. This book is full of humour, it had me smiling and laughing many times. There was also some seriousness to parts of it, regarding not giving up and fighting for what you believe in. Overall, When Polly Met Olly is a feel good, humorous romance with some great characters, witty banter, a well developed and quirky plot and even a couple of twists. If you enjoy a good romcom I definitely recommend you pick this one up.

Zoe May is brilliant at creating characters! I've read and reviewed a few of her books now and although they're obviously all different, I've always connected with the central female character. Polly Wood is no different: she's more comfortable in jeans and shirts and she's not very good at dating - May could almost be writing about me! I wanted things to work out for Polly (and Olly) and the story of their relationship kept me turning pages.

Setting When Polly Met Olly within a dating agency allows May to include several laugh out loud moments in the novel  Her sense of humour shines through the pages and I really enjoyed this aspect of it.

As always, May addresses some serious issues amongst the humour. I loved seeing Polly question her sense of worth and build her self esteem as the story continued. This is an important issue in today's society, particularly in the context of dating and May's approach really made me think more about my own circumstances.

This was a fast read, a decent way to spend an afternoon, but I didn’t feel fully engaged with the story. I didn’t see any real chemistry between Polly and Olly. More disconcerting was how British the novel was. As a Brit, it’s understandable for Polly to speak and describe things in certain ways, but all of the characters used British terminology and expressions. Americans living in NYC don’t speak that way. This seems to be something that should have been corrected.

This was a fun and lighthearted read and felt similar to Sophie Kinsella books! When Polly begins working at a matchmaking service, I had no idea if Olly would be a client or a potential suitor through a dating site, but Olly being the owner of a rival matchmaking service really threw a twist into the plot that I thoroughly enjoyed! Between the writing quality and the plot, I knocked this book out in a day! My only issue was I wish this book had been set in London; there was only 1 English character yet all the characters had British vernacular. The American characters used terms like biscuits (instead of cookies), tick marks (instead of check marks), mum (instead of mom) and whinge (instead of whine). And I'm not quite sure what the comment "you'd better buy a hat" refers to (it was mentioned a couple of times by different characters), is it a reference like she should buy a fascinator because that's what Brits wear to weddings? Had the book been set in London, I wouldn't have these minor qualms.

Polly is a photographer who can't find any work. So she applies for a job as a matchmaker, even though her own love life is non-existent. And then she falls for Olly, the suave owner of a rival matchmaking agency and a man twenty years older than her.

This was such an exciting concept, but its execution is disappointing. I couldn't detect any chemistry between Polly and Olly, and the characters aren't really all that interesting on their own. They don't really interact until halfway through the novel. Olly is immature and frankly a bit of a jerk, whereas Polly spends the entire novel saying she wants to do something with photography but it's always other characters who have to point out career opportunities to her.

This book is painfully British, despite being set in NYC. I understand that Polly is British, and since the story is told from her perspective, it's normal that it reads more British than American. But it's as if the author never even bothered to look at NYC on a map. The dating agency Polly works for, is located somewhere in the Financial District. On more than one occasion, she mentions "popping over" to Central Park to take pictures during the day, as if it's just a five-minute walk away.

Add to that the fatphobia (never forgetting to mention Polly's boss's potbelly, heaven forbid one of the clients has a double chin, the thin characters are the only ones described as attractive,...) and I think it's clear why this got only 1 star.

A brilliant light hearted read of pure escapism set in the heart of New York.

Polly is a bubbly vibrant character that you instantly like who is determined to live her dream and be a success in New York.

When Polly is sent to the offices where Olly works he catches her eye and she realises she might fancy him but that goes totally against the reason she has been sent to meet him.

This book oozes characters from the deceitful Alicia, to the charming Olly and her room mate who does drag in his spare time. There is something for everyone as you explore New York and meet these wonderful characters.

A nice easy read that will make you laugh and cringe as you read, my new favourite book from this author!

When Polly Meet Olly by Zoe May is a 5/5 Star quality book!

Such a sweetand romantic story about dating with a modern feel. It will leave you feeling warm and fuzzy rooting for these two characters.

Polly bumps into hot as sin Olly, if a rival dating agency she realizes that maybeall really is fair in love and war aka dating. This is a can't put down book that you will surely read in one day. Total Nora Ephron vibes. Loved!

Thank you #netgalley and #harpercollins for this book in exchange for my honest review.

The book is blah, it feels as though it drags on and on. I'm giving it a little more time to see if I can finish it.
************I received an ARC from net-gallery for my honest review*************

I truly enjoyed reading this book! You fall in love with Polly.
This is a heart felt chick lit book that I didnt want to end.
I've not heard of anything by this author but I sure will be adding her to my list of authors to follow!

I hadn’t read anything by Zoe May, and from the description I was interested in checking this one out.

I found this to be a light hearted, uplifting, humorous read.

Polly and Olly were never supposed to meet…

But then, they did!

I found the characters engaging and enjoyed the way Polly interacted with others.

The story was enjoyable if not a little slow at times but all in all it was a good easy read.

The rivals to lovers trope is such a fun one and the author does it so well in this book! You fall in love with the hero, and want to be the heroine. Such a good book I didnt want it to end!!!

Polly is a photographer but needs money so she goes to work for a company that goes through dating sites and picks people you are looking for so that you don't have to do it yourself. Polly starts at To the Moon and Back dating agency. But another company that does the same thing is owned by Olly, who is a hunk, This is the different challenges Polly has while having a crush on the opposition.
If you are into the chick lit books you will enjoy this one.

I thought When Polly Met Olly was a wonderfully written romantic comedy. It is a cute story about Polly trying to make it in her new job as a matchmaker in NYC, not wanting to have to go back home to her little town and live with her parents. All while also trying to actually make it as a real photographer. She experiences a little bad luck along the way. I really that each character has their own little quirky qualities. They are all likeable: Polly, Gabe, Derek, Brandon, Olly. With dating apps used so much these days, it is funny to see how her job for the agency works. I enjoyed the book. Thank you Netgalley for a copy for my honest opinion.

A refreshing read. Easy to follow, humourous, with likeable characters. I enjoyed this book a lot and would recommend it to others to put on ther reading list.