I fully expected this book to be heavy on the romance. Why wouldn’t it be, it is a romance novel after all. I was pleasantly surprised to find the romance was not over loaded and that the wit and humour the main character oozes is what drives this story forward.

Polly lands a job at To The Moon And Back dating agency. She’s actually a photographer, but not landing any lucrative commissions has meant she’s had to take jobs that aren’t anything remotely to do with photography in order to get by.

Derek, her boss, is a sweet guy and when he asks Polly to pretend to be a potential client for one of his business rivals in order to better understand the competition, Polly wants to do her best for him. But when she actually meets Olly, the owner of Elite Love Match there’s a connection between them, leaving Polly feeling a little disconcerted by the obvious chemistry that was sparking between them.

When Polly Met Olly was a lovely read. It wasn’t too heavy on the romance, despite it being set around a dating agency. Polly is the kind of character that you warm to straight away. She’s clever, witty, humble, and genuinely wants to do her best for everyone she’s involved with, in whatever capacity.

The story takes a little while until we see the blossoming of romance between Polly and Olly, but to me, that felt like the right thing. It allowed the background story to tell itself, without the writer having to add bits on here and there for the reader to make sense of what’s happening. The story flows well and the characters all work well together too.

A well written, witty romance novel that doesn’t drown the reader with love and romance.

Highly recommended.

I couldn't get into this one. I got 40% through and had to skim the rest. The writing style didn't engage me with the story. It sounded more like a diary. Today we did this, and then we did this, then this happened, etc. Stop telling me what happened and show me with words and character. Overall, I was not a fan of this one.

When Polly Met Olly by Zoe May is a contemporary romance novel. Polly is a struggling photographer, who moved to New York to pursue her dreams. She comes on an opportunity to work for a small matchmaking agency leading to her meet the handsome competition that is Olly. At first I was not as interested by the description of this book, but I ended up reading it quickly. Polly is somewhat naive and I really thought Derek was going to be a conman (dude, that is corporate espionage). Boy and girl meet in awkward circumstances, boy finds out who girl really is, girl and boy fall in love, girl hears gossip about boy and ignores him, and then they make-up. This book is an okay read, but not unique.

This book was ... fine. I can't say that since I've read it, I've thought a lot about it. I also can't complain that it was a difficult read (quite quick actually) - but it just doesn't really stick out from the pack.

Polly went to school to be a photographer. But she soon realizes that she needs to make some money, so she answers a classified add and becomes a matchmaker. Randomly, she ends up meeting Olly - who is also a matchmaker. And although he figures they should be together, it takes Polly longer to agree with him.

What worked:
Polly isn't a one dimensional character - Zoe May is able to create a sympathetic character who the reader will be cheering on. It's also nice that the book ends with Polly having a game plan for her future that feels authentic to her and her personal growth.

Polly's relationship with her boss. Super adorable. And it was sweet how much faith he put in her abilities.

What was a little lame:
Olly. Honestly he was a little one dimensional and too much of a typical "player gone right" stereotypical character. He was FINE - just nothing to get overly excited about.

I will admit that I read this after I had read Playing with Matches, and this was definitely similar but the better of the two books: the characters were more likable and believable and the story felt more authentic.

If you want a book that is quick, has a cute story line and who's main character proves to herself that she doesn't have to stay "stuck" - then this book is for you.

2.5 Stars

Also - Thank you Netgalley and HQ Digital for the copy.

I received a copy of When Polly Met Olly by Zoe May from HQ Digital and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you!
I give this book 3.5 stars. Although this book was engaging and funny, I feel as though it missed the mark for a full 4 stars. So close. I definitely recommend this author and book for a quick, romantic read.

This was a feel good romance with much wit and humor. It was very enjoyable and made for a great beach read.
Many thanks to HQ Digital and to NetGalley for providing me with a galley in exchange for my honest opinion.

💫Synopsis💫⠀
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Polly wants to be a photographer, having studied this at university, but ends up working for a dating agency when her photography doesn’t take off. Although it’s far removed from what she wants to do as a career, she actually enjoys it and her boss Derek is super loveable.⠀
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Polly’s path ends up crossing with Olly, who is from the rival dating agency, and after several non starters in her love life, she finds herself drawn to Olly, although his reputation precedes him. ⠀
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Although Olly has a terrible reputation as a womaniser, he soon realises that Polly is different, and maybe they both deserve some happiness and might just be what each other needs.⠀
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💭My thoughts 💭 ⠀
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This was a lovely book and I flew through it pretty quickly. I loved Polly and her flat mate, Gabe, is hilarious. ⠀
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It’s a funny book that made me smile and I was pleased with the ending, it gave me a warm fuzzy feeling.⠀
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The writing is fun and full of humour, I love books that make me smile and laugh out loud. All in all a lovely enjoyable read.

Was an enjoyable read. Characters were well written and relatable. Fun ride.Glad got a chance to read. Will pass along to friends and family .

This was a hard book to finish, but I did for the sake of the review. It was not what I was looking for when I think of romcom.

When Polly met Olly is a romance story, or at least, according to the synopsis, it’s supposed to be. But when I get through 80% of a romance book and the romance is lacking, it gets harder for me to consider this a romance book.

Polly is a Brit whose dream has always been to make it in the Big Apple. She moved to NYC to study photography and after finishing her degree she was stuck. She ended up working at a bar to make ends meet and could only get odd photography jobs here and there which were clearly not enough for her to be able to live in the big city for long. So she decided to go to an interview for a job at a matchmaking agency. Here’s her background and where the book actually starts.

Polly gets the job. She needs to get wealthy Wall Street single men dates by finding women who will suit their tastes and requirements and then struck up conversation with them and hope to score these men dates. Shady, yes, but nothing too bad I guess.

Her boss asks her to go undercover to the rival agency and pretend to be interested in their services. That’s when Polly meets Olly.

Now, you’d think this is where things get interesting but other than gazing into each other’s eyes on their first meeting and bumping into each other at a bar - where he realises she lied about who she was - they don’t really meet up again until she finds out someone from his agency pretended to be a new client at her agency to survey the building her boss rents - nothing of real importance for the story other than getting them to meet again without anything coming out of it.

Meanwhile she becomes enamoured by one of the clients but still volunteers herself to find him his perfect someone, which she does.

66% into the book and Polly and Olly meet again at an agency party where they realise they had been talking to each other posing as their clients.
Now, we don’t read much of their bonding over texting, but we’re told they spent hours/days texting while posing as the clients.

They set up a date, it’s cute but we’re 80% into this book and we’re supposed to start rooting for this couple with no chemistry whatsoever and there hasn’t even been much tension or a kiss. Just intense gazing. Like, how about a bit more banter?

Polly cuts contact with Olly after learning about some of his past actions towards other women and this lasts until 91% of the book, and they finally kiss!!!

Keep in mind this is a short book and at 95% I was already reading the Acknowledgements page.

Something else I was “promised” and wasn’t delivered was the “All is fair in love and dating war...” bit. There was no war. When she confronted Olly about his undercover employee, he backed down right away, apologised and promised it’d not happen again. Like I said, absolutely no tension. Or chemistry for that matter.

There were also a lot of spelling mistakes, which I would not have pointed out had I liked the story enough to see past them.

I’m sorry if this review is all over the place, that’s how my thoughts on this book are right now and I’m writing this at 2am and am super frustrated.

Honestly, I’m left super confused and unfulfilled after reading this. I’m really sorry to say but this book did not deliver.

I really enjoyed this story!
Polly takes on a job trying to help individuals create an interesting profile to be matched up with others. She does very well for someone who has not done this before that her boss asks her to spy on a competitive company and this happens to belong to Olly. What happens between the two is hilarious, sweet and a feel good relationship establishes. Of course they have their misunderstandings but for a new author this was an enjoyable read. Thanks Netgalley for the chance to read this ARC.

“When Polly Met Olly” is a sweet, contemporary romantic comedy book that sticks to predictable romance genre tropes but is, nonetheless, a fun book.

The main character was a bit bland at first, but she seemed to grown on me as the story progressed. I loved some of the secondary characters, such as Polly’s drag queen roommate and her amazing boss.

Polly’s annoying habit of explaining every little detail through her thoughts got to me after awhile. I prefer books that show rather than tell. The laugh out loud moments and the interesting secondary characters saved this book for me.

I recommend this charming book for anyone needing a light, fun, romantic comedy book as a form of escapism.

There were a lot of things I liked about this book - I connected with the heroine and thought the dialogue was witty. The pacing was a little slow and I didn’t connect with some of the secondary characters. There were a lot of issues with NYC geography and American phrasing that was really distracting and took me out of the story.

The review will be published on the publication day. The review is going to be a three star review.

Liebesroman mit einem interessanten Konzept

Seitdem ich vor Jahren "Match me if you can" von Susan Elizabeth Phillips gelesen habe, schaue ich gerne in Bücher rein, die mit Partnervermittlung zu tun haben, auch wenn ich das ganze privat sehr skeptisch sehe.

"When Polly met Olly" dreht sich um zwei Partnervermittler, die privat in Beziehungen nicht so viel Glück haben. Die beiden gehören zu unterschiedlichen Agenturen, sind also eigentlich Kontrahenten.

Die Grundidee der Geschichte ist durchaus frisch und nicht die Norm auf dem Gebiet der Liebesromane. Der lockere Schreibstil der Autorin macht es einem leicht den Geschehnissen zu folgen und in das Leben von Polly einzutauchen. Der Humor des Buches hat meinen nicht immer perfekt getroffen und leider sind mir in der Liebesgeschichte nicht genug funken versprüht worden. Hier und da waren meine Emotionen beim Lesen involviert, dies geschah aber leider nicht oft genug.

Von mir bekommt das Buch glatte drei Sterne.

This was a sweet, quick, light read. It follows Polly an amateur photographer and Olly a successful businessman who are running rival online dating agencies.
I can't quite put my finger on what I didn't like about this book but I can only describe my feeling towards it as kinda of Ugh. I wasn't a fan of the romance between Polly and Olly or how Polly seemed to be slightly in love with any good-looking male character she met.
This book was slow and very drawn out, I thought I was getting to the end of the book only to find out I was 60-70% through.
That being said there were some really cute moments, I loved Polly going after what she really wanted to do and incorporating more of her photography skills. The main twist was a little predictable but still sweet.

While it gets off to a slow start, When Polly Met Olly is definitely worth sticking with. Although there a several different sub-plots, they all blend together while simultaneously holding your interest in each of them to keep you wondering what’s going to happen with them.

Polly is a struggling Brit living in New York City whose first love is photography. Knowing she can’t live on the money she isn’t making from that, she accepts a job at a dating service. Derek, her boss, takes Polly under his wing and becomes a father figure to her as she finds her way, ultimately to where she really wants to be.

Olly owns a PR firm and is a New York native. He also happens to own the main competitor to Derek, another dating service that has been named the best of NYC. Some hijinks occur when Polly is sent to check out Olly’s business as a favor to Derek.

Throughout the book we are introduced to other characters like Polly’s roommate, Gabe, who sings in drag on the weekends while working in HR during the week. We also meet some of Derek’s best clients and enjoy Polly’s adventures in finding them the perfect partner on Match.com.

I gave this book 5 stars because I didn’t want to put it down. There were a few parts where I kind of skimmed it but they were short (just a few paragraphs that I felt were non-essential to the story), but otherwise, I loved Polly and reading about her evolution over time. The ending was brilliant and worth taking the journey with them.

This is a cute book, a little quirky, and a light, quick read..

Polly is an out-of-work photographer that takes a job at a matchmaker to make ends meet. Her boss asks her to scope out the competition by signing up for a rival service, which is how she meets Olly.

Polly is a bit unsure of herself and what her next steps are in live. Olly is a bit of an oddball/misfit, but he seems like a good fit for Polly.

This book is really more women's fiction than straight romance, since the focus is really on Polly's development more than Polly and Olly coming together as a couple.

There are some grammatical issues that detract from the story, as does a little bit of the dialog. It is set in NY with American characters except for Polly, but it reads as if a London setting, to be honest. Phraseology, idioms, etc. don't really fit the setting. As long as you mentally change the setting while you're reading, it's not distracting.

One thing I loved about this book where the characters. They were 100% relatable in this readers eyes, which just added to the amazing story. I mean take our main lady Polly, she knows her mind and what she wants to do with her life but that isn't necessarily what she ends up doing. I know a few people in real life exactly like this. Whereas main man Olly has found what works for him and he enjoys it.

So along with the amazing characters you have the problems they experience, which are very real and relatable. With characters and problems that you can relate to, Zoe has made it easy to fall in love with this book. The whole dating story is intriguing and it pulls you in. You want to see who ends up with who,and whether or not your guesses where correct. This leads to a book you simply don't want to put down.

I completely adored this book, to the point that I picked it up at Chapter 7 one morning and that evening I completed the book. The 30 Chapters of this book really flew by and I found myself wanting more.

When Polly Met Olly by Zoe May is a romantic comedy that takes Tinder and all things online dating to the for front. This is an adorable novel for sure and really shows you what some people go through when dating. This also shows how Polly pushes through everything that is thrown at her even when she feels like she can't. The novel shows you that not all love comes in the simplest of ways and sometimes you really have to fight for it. Polly and Olly are two hilarious characters that drive the story along with the side characters. You fall in love with them all in the littlest of time. If you love a good romance novel this one is for you.

Chicklits work best if you like the main characters. The girl should be someone your recognise yourself in (to some degree) and the guy should be someone you could be attracted too.

I liked Polly until about the third chapter. Then she took a job to photograph food for an instagrammer's cookbook for free. What? She wants to make money as a photographer. She should not be giving her work away. An instagrammer's cookbook is likely to become an insta-hit. The instagrammer can afford to pay for the photos. And this turns out not to be the first time Polly is offering her services for free or very little on the promise that actual paying work will come out of it for her.

I wanted to grab her by the shoulders and shake her. Favours you do for friends; not for people you barely know.

So it's probably a good thing Polly gets offered the job as a matchmaker. She clearly doesn't have a very good commercial head. Which is further evidenced by the fact that her first job as a matchmaker is to find some good photos for a clients dating profile. How is it not the first thing (okay, maybe after a short scroll through the client's Facebook page) she tells her new boss: I'm a photographer! I can take very good professional pictures of this client. I can make him look desirable. (I don't know whether she can, but that's probably how she has to sell this thing to her new boss.)

Alas, no such action from Polly and my mind starts wandering to writing my own chicklit. One where the heroine is more kick-ass and in control (and still makes a mess of her love-life).

As for the love-interest: sorry, not for me. Not even for his age or the age-difference with Polly, but because he is a businessman that meets his clients with rolled up shirt-sleeves showing off his artwork. To me, that doesn't look very professional - neither the tattoos nor the rolled up sleeves. In business it's better to overdress (and I say that working for a company where the dress-code is very relaxed. Still, we roll down our sleeves when meeting clients.)

But aside from not liking the main characters much, there was also barely any romance between them. They meet a few times and Polly for some reason fancies Olly. The forth time they meet, Olly tells her he was chatting with her on behalf of a client, while she was chatting on behalf of a client of hers, and they decide they like each other and should go on a date. A date that is spent the whole night talking and not making out (kind of hard to believe if she really fancied him). Then her boss tells her Olly is a cad and Polly decides to believe hear-say rather than hear the other side and ignores Olly for a week or so until she learns he's quitting his company.

Everything is happening too fast. There's no build up of the romance. I don't see the back and forth attraction and the big fall-out (there always should be a fall-out; I guess that's what makes the relationship stronger in the end) is something that could have been sorted about by replying to a text. What do you mean 'big' fall-out? Pretty much everything I like in a chicklit was lacking.

What was also lacking - and I never knew this was going to be something I was going to notice - Polly only has one heart-to-heart conversation with a female friend. One (1!) in the entire story.

And one final gripe: there is absolutely no reason for this story to be set in New York. It might as well have been set in Manchester for all that it showed of Manhattan. Nothing, save for some name dropping. The story didn't even remark on winter in New York, even tough it is set in February. There was a distinct lack of people being cold or wearing wintercoats and gloves when outside. It also would have saved the author getting the time difference wrong. England is ahead of New York time. So when it's 4 a.m. in England, it's 11 p.m. in New York. I doubt that would be regular office hours for Polly.

1.5*, but rounding it down because of the last chapter. That was too much lessons learned.