A case when the blurb sounded interesting, but the book did not live up to the expectations. I found When Polly Met Olly to be disappointing. I must confess I had a few expectations from the book just from the blurb and cover, but the book did not hold my interest. It was not well devoid of passion. The characters sounded flat, and the plot itself seemed out of a 90's rom-com, just without the charm. I did not enjoy this book as much as I thought I would.

This was the first novel I have read by Zoe May and so I didn’t know what to expect. What I found was a quirky, unique look on the dating world. You never think about the dating agency staff and their love lives. It was good to see it from the point of view of the matchmakers.

There is an ease to Zoe’s writing style that I loved. It wasn’t hard to want to continue to read. There were a couple of times where I couldn’t figure out where the plot was going but that’s one of the things that made it a fun read for me.

There is a lovely optimistic feel to this novel that I loved.

Polly and Olly are wonderful characters – both real, flawed and relatable.

I adored the setting for this novel. I went to New York for my honeymoon over ten years ago and it was as though I had stepped straight back there.

A great, feel good novel about finding love in unusual ways. Zoe, you certainly have a new fan.

Really enjoyed this book. It reminded me of a 90s romantic comedy which is a good thing! It was light hearted and fun. I would definitely recommend if you want to read something that lifts your spirits, is romantic and funny!
Thank you for letting me review this book, I plan on doing a more in depth review on my blog shortly.

My mixed feelings came from sometimes feeling like Polly judged people a lot and could be a little woe is me, however at the same time, she did often tell herself that she was being judgy and learnt lessons from her behaviour. The other thing and this is me being judgy now, but I couldn't quite get my head round the age gap between Polly and Olly. But maybe that's just me. Saying that though, I did think Olly was very cool and I could imagine him being incredibly sexy and intriguing even if I often pictured him younger in my head. *Updated thoughts* I may have changed my mind on this after watching movies over the weekend because...Paul Rudd!!! ;)

However, I did really enjoy the story and how I never knew what was going to happen. I laughed because the twist at the end I completely didn't see coming. I kept wondering what the deal with Olly and Polly was going to be and it totally surprised me. That's what Zoe did amazingly well; she kept the story entertaining throughout, hence me not being able to put it down.

Having been to New York twice and often picturing what life would be like working in the Big Apple it was fun being on Polly's journey and nipping out for lunch at cafe's, or grabbing cupcakes. It was exciting exploring the streets of New York with her and definitely made me want to visit again. I also loved that it was her dream to live there and the fact that she had put a poster on her bedroom wall when she was younger, so that she would never forget her dream. Even when life got tough for her there she never became disgruntled about New York because it was always her goal. I liked that about her and actually found myself wanting to do the same poster/picture idea with my goals! :) It was very inspiring.

If you're looking for a fun read that will have you: laughing out loud at the craziness of online dating, daydreaming about New York and learning a lesson in love then 'When Polly Met Olly,' is just what you're looking for! :)

Not your usual, run of the mill, love story.
Polly, a basically broke photographer, takes a job as a matchmaker to pay the bills. She has to try find the perfect match for clients by pretending to be them and messaging potential matches.
Her boss, Derek, sends her to check out his biggest competitor, Olly - undercover as a potential client. And that's when things start getting weird for Polly. She strikes up a connection with a potential match (for a client) via messages and starts to find interesting bits of wisdom from this potential match that have far-reaching, positive impacts on her professional life. And she can't get Olly off her mind, she finds herself deeply attracted to him, but there are a few stumbling blocks - foremost of all she works for his competition. She keeps running into him as their offices are in the same area, and he figures out she was a spy!
When she eventually meets the match she was chatting to online, the online personality and the real-life personality are worlds apart and that's when she makes a startling discovery that changes her world - both professional and personal worlds.
I enjoyed seeing the development of Polly through the chapters. She grew so much personality and experience wise.
This was a lovely, light read with cute characters and a realistic story-line.
The one minor editing error I found was the floor Olly's offices were on. When she went as a spy they were on the 6th floor but when she went to confront him for sending a spy to her office, they were on the 10th floor.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for allowing me the chance to read the book.

While not overly realistic, "When Polly Met Olly" is a tale of two matchmakers. Their paths cross when Polly tries to find out what Olly's matchmaking company does to succeed, but will the two of them be able to matchmake for themselves?

Prior to reading this book the concept appealed to me. However I was so disappointed in the execution of it.
It just seemed so unrealistic and forced. I couldn’t warm to the characters either.
A huge disappointment

I found the use of exclamation points throughout the story extremely distracting. It also takes place in New York but the majority of the dialogue uses British colloquialisms that make the supporting characters and their interactions unbelievable. I like the storyline but I just struggled to fully engage through the excessive writing and grammar.

I requested this book because I absolutely loved the premise and thought it would make a cute and enjoyable story. The story was definitely cute, but that's about all it was to me. I liked the idea of two competing matchmaking companies and while the concept was cute I didn't think the execution was very good.

I liked Polly a lot and found her relatable, but I was not a huge fan of Olly. Since this is a romance novel (and you see in the title) you know that the two main characters will get together. I really didn't feel like rooting for Polly and Olly to get together for a few reasons. The main reasons being I didn't really think they had chemistry and the age gap was a bit much for me,

Overall this was a cute read. It was pretty quick as well. If given the choice I would not read it again. (2.5 stars)

This was my first Zoe May book and I loved it, so much that I automatically one clicked her other books.
The story is about Polly who starts work at dating agency and when she goes to suss out the competition thats when she met Olly. What then follows is a witty, light light hearted romance as Polly try to not only sort out others romance but also her own. This is well written with a good pace and I read it fairly quickly. Overall a great read for fans of rom com reads.

Formulaic and pretty non eventful romance. The one redeeming scene is the Valentines party which bought some magic and sparkle to the book. It wasn’t a bad story or the telling of it but nothing to cling too or miss when it’s gone. Polly can be pretty irritating at times which does not endear her to readers. Derek however is a triumph although I found myself wondering throughout if his sick wife story was a sham as it was referred to constantly. I think by the time I got into the story it was pretty much ending.

Thank you NetGalley

I’ve not read a Zoe May book before. And When Polly Met Olly is a quirky read that is light and refreshing, an easy way to pass a few hours if you’re a reader. The books is classified as a romance but it’s a little different than what you’d expect.

Polly our h, is a matchmaker of sorts. It’s when you follow her during her interactions with the company’s clients that we see her learning that there is more to love than what she thinks and what’s on the surface. Our H, Olly, doesn’t really seemed to be around a lot until over halfway through the book because it’s more about Polly’s self journey than their romance.

I loved the writing style because each character has their own incisive personality and voice. The storyline maneuvers at a good pace. There was some drama which, I’m not sure if it complemented or hindered. There were childish acts, when Polly was beyond those actions at this point.

At best When Polly Met Olly is a enjoyable with a slightly different romance added.

I received this ARC for my unbiased opinion. Thank you to the authors, publisher and Netgalley for the opportunity.

It’s safe to say that Zoe has become one of my favourite authors ever since I was introduced to her previous books ‘How (NOT) To Date A Prince' and ‘Perfect Match’ last year. Her stories are always so fun and light-hearted, leaving you feeling all warm and happy inside afterwards. Like all of Zoe’s female leads, I felt that Polly was an extremely relatable character trying to make it in the world and catch her big break. She is an extremely likeable character that you will root for from start to finish, whether that be with her photography career, her love life or both. I loved seeing the inside of a dating agency, where Polly sort of 'catfished' her clients in order to find the right match for them. I think that would be a pretty fun job to get involved with, mix and matching people until you find the perfect partner for them - I could totally do that! What I loved the most though, is one of the plot twists was part of Polly talking to someone as her client and I kind of saw it coming before it happened, but that didn't stop me from getting really giddy when I finally got to that moment!

Polly and Olly have an adoring type of chemistry between the two of them, and I would love to think the big age gap has something to do with that. Sure they aren't exactly two people I would immediately put together, but the more you read, the more you realise how perfect they are for each other. Olly is a very typical ladies man, who doesn't have much originality when it comes to taking them out on a date, it's always the same same - literally. However, there is something about Polly that makes him want a change away from the dating world and in the end his gesture is forgiving.

I loved the fact that the book was based in New York, as it is one of my most favourite places in the entire world and I can finally say that I'm going for the first time ever this year, eek!! Reading all about Polly's time there and walking the streets with her has gotten me even more excited for my holiday there and I felt again, she was relatable in which it is her dream to live there permanently, as that had been my dream since about eight years old.

If you're looking for a light and fun read filled with love and some slight twists, 'When Polly Met Olly' is the perfect read and I highly recommend you also read all of Zoe's other books while you're at it!

I felt like this was quite a bland book.

Don't get me wrong, Polly was a lovely protagonist, a photographer working a series of jobs before she really makes it. The matchmaking business plot line was actually the part of the story that interested me most: while the concept of a rivals-to-lovers romance really appealed, the execution just fell a bit flat for me.

Olly seemed really fake and, although he owned up to being soulless, I never felt like there was enough character development for him to be likeable. I didn't buy into the romance for this reason, probably, because the lead-up and early banter were okay.

Not terrible but didn't really grab me.

When Polly Met Olly is a brilliant modern love story. Not mushy or soppy at all. This is real and fun and fresh! I think Zoe May will be a name to watch for.

When Polly Met Olly is the second book I’ve read from Zoe May. This lighthearted romance read follows how New York matchmakers, Polly and Olly, working for competing firms meet and fall for each other. Overall, it was a decent read. I loved the concept of the story. However, I found myself a bit surprised with the amount of British terms used for someone who was supposedly living in New York for several years and the dialogue from other characters used British term as well. Aside from that, I do like Zoe’s writing style as it kept it me interested throughout the story. I wasn’t a big fan of the chemistry between the two main characters. It seemed a bit too far fetched, but the story came together and had a cute ending. Overall, I’d recommend reading Zoe’s other book, Perfect Match, over this one, but I am looking forward to more of her future work.

This was a very cute contemporary read. I love the relationship between Olly and Polly. They had me rooting for them through the whole book. It made me laugh so often and sigh because of all the cute!
This is a feel good romance with a great bunch of characters. The fact that it takes place in New York adds to its charm.

I really liked the concept of this book, the reason why I requested it, but the execution disappointed me. It's boring leaving the good story concept a waste. I don't like the romance, it's lacking too much and I didn't feel even a bit of a spark between the main characters. The characters themselves are not that interesting which really made me sad coz they sound amazing in the description. The dialogues are forced. So unrealistic and I couldn't feel the characters speaking them. They're just lines written on the page, and not spoken. Also, I think the characters are trying to be funny and witty and smart and cool, but they're not.

I was provided a copy by the publisher/author thru Netgalley. Thank you.

A fun book!

Polly moved from Cornwall to the States at 18. Trying to build a life. The book is from her POV. She was relatable. Her struggles were relatable! She finds a job, not her dream job, at a dating agency. I found it a bit disheartening, dating agencies sending messages to women pretending to be their male clients: men who can’t be bothered to invest a bit of time themselves. And there was a very formulaic approach to matchmaking, to love! Having said that, don’t think this is criticism about the book, because I loved it. She has a flatmate, Gabe, and his struggle with false eyelashes was hilarious! Light-hearted, fun! And for a long time I didn’t know where the story was going. You could interpret that as a lack of direction, but I mean it more as a good thing; a romantic comedy that can surprise! Although the first three-quarters of the book were NOT romantic for Polly WHATSOEVER, and although it’s all about other people finding love at first, the book was highly entertaining and thoroughly enjoyable. For a long while I was rooting for someone else. I didn’t take to Olly that much, at first. Too old for her. Too fickle. Turns out I was wrong. I like that. UK spelling, do take that into account!

This is such a fun and engaging novel with unexpected twists, a little office to office spying and several cute anecdotes relating to the people in the story that try match maker dating. There is a ton of soul searching that the characters engage in that add to the plot and to the relationships.
It is a thoroughly enjoyable novel!