Unfortunately, I have not been able to read and review this book.

After losing and replacing my broken Kindle and getting a new phone I was unable to download the title again for review as it was no longer available on Netgalley.

I’m really sorry about this and hope that it won’t affect you allowing me to read and review your titles in the future.

Thank you so much for giving me this opportunity.
Natalie.

Struggling to review this one.

Overall the writing style was fine but I struggled to connect with the main character. Each to their own, but their relationship was, albeit intriguing (because I'm nosey), something that I also struggled to connect with due to my own preferences.

It was okay.

A brilliant and refreshing read and totally perfect summer distraction. Having books like this to buffer the wait for Holly Bourne’s next offering is just perfect.

I have no idea where to start with all the things that I loved about this novel.  

This is fresh, feminist at it's most honest and openly discusses aspects of relationships that are not usually explored in mainstream rom-coms. 

From the very beginning of this novel I was overjoyed that our heroine, Jean, is a woman of a certain age.  This is not a novel about a young woman is the prime of youth.  It's a novel about a woman who's had it up to her eyes with her current partner who is hilarious and frustrating at the same time.  She's sick of hiding herself in the shadows so decides on a sexual revolution, marking the beginning of an hilarious but uplifting journey for Jean.  Never once did I pity her!

I adore the fact that this is not a novel of men-bashing and even the ex boyfriend is written about in almost an endearing manner.  The main focus of this is about Jean finding and discovering a side to herself that she never knew.  It's also about a woman who has a little adventure which helps her to realise what she wants.  And yes!  You can be a feminist and want marriage, romance etc.. (despite reading a comment recently that how can a character be a feminist when she wanted these things).

This biggest and most pleasant surprise for me in this novel is that it delves a little into the world of women being empowered by sex.  Not in a seedy way but in a way that shows they can take control over this aspect of their lives and that it's actually ok.  That it's okay to try new things and enjoy them.  To me this is empowerment.  I also loved the exploration of an open relationship - many see it as betrayal etc but I think it's about trust and understanding each other - something never explored in romance novels (that I have read). 

I think Ms Reinelt has really found a fresh way to write a rom-com which is sexually empowering without moving into the adult book market.  I really recommend this novel if you are looking for something refreshing.

This is a fun read…..a modern look at the more free thinking approach to life, sex and relationships.

Jean has a boyfriend, Charlie, a charming, but thoroughly useless POS….when he pees in Jean’s velvet stilettos, she’s had enough…when he drunkenly sets fire to a wedding marquee she finally dumps him….

“On her bad days, which were becoming more frequent, she worried that her only life skill was clearing up clusterfucks left by grown men.”

She decides she’s not a doormat anymore and plans to live life how she wants it to be…… “‘What would you do if you stopped living by other people’s rules?’”

This covers everything from a polyamorous marriage to sex parties and most things in between, marvellously funny, full of sarcastic wit, embarrassing moments, sex and life. A present day tale of female liberation, honest, frank and fun.

Thank you to The publishers, the author and NetGalley for a free copy of the ebook. This is my honest, unbiased review.

I grabbed this book from Netgalley purely on the strength of the 'for fans of Holly Bourne' comment in the blurb, and I really should know better. I'm sorry to say, I didn't particularly enjoy it. I didn't find it funny, and while I'm a pretty open person when it comes to sexuality etc, the whole polyamory thing doesn't sit well with me. I'm sure it works brilliantly for some people, but not me. I appreciated Jean being brave, jumping in and giving things a go, and there were some entertaining moments, but mostly I found her story a bit sad and frustrating.

What a free and liberating book! It's a refreshing change to read about the more forward thinking approaches to life and love. I mean everything but the kitchen sink was thrown into this narration, from sex parties, open polyamorous marriages to multiple partner requests, sex retreats and attempted espionage. It certainly was the eye opener.

The writing was fun and flirty with an extra order of the inquisitive thrown in for good measure. The unapologetic frankness to modern day love was fresh and new to anything I've ever read before and I took it all in with sheer amazement.

Jean was a complex character who transformed before my eyes with each turn of the page. From a people pleaser to the world's most charming boyfriend (aherm.....!!!!) to a liberated woman of the world, she stopped at nothing to flex and stretch her muscles in the arena of sexual liberation.

Strings Attached is a fresh and honest approach to writing that had me glued to its story every step of the way. This is definitely an experience you don't want to miss.

You when you think that you will love a book yet you are sadly disappointed. Sadly this book was not for me.
Thank you to both NetGalley and Orion for my eARC of this book in exchange for my honest unbiased review

I was intrigued by the premise of this novel - I loved In Too Deep that I read earlier this year, that was about a sexual awakening also - but this one just seemed to fall into cliched tropes. I didn't really engage with the main character at all. I was interested in her job and how it ended up mixing with her personal life but this one just didn't quite hit the spot for me (so to speak)

Now this is a tricky book to review, don't get me wrong for the most part I really enjoyed it, and there were elements of the story that I absolutely loved.

Equally though there were some sections that I just didn't really understand at all, and some of the concepts were beyond my comprehension. I didn't really let them get to me, just skimmed and moved onto the parts I was following. Some of the feminist concepts, and theory behind some of the practices just wasn't for me.

What was for me, was thoroughly loving Jean's story, having broken up with her drunk of a boyfriend, she goes on a journey of sexual liberation.

One of the first things that really made me smile, was just a small mention of a nearby to Jean's club which to the unitiated could be seen as seedy - but it is one that I am familiar with, so was nice to see a real place name mention, that I never imagined I'd see in a book.

In fact at times there were all manner of things that Jean was getting up to that I am rather intimately acquainted with, but I'm not going into any specifics!

It was wonderful though for a book with a romantic relationship to deal with what could be seen as more progressive things - such as polyamory, pansexuals, multiple partner,s open relationships, an orgasmic retreat (I really do need to look up to see if these exist), and even a sex party.

All the while that Jean is getting to know herself free from the confines of social norms, she is also working as a political PR, covering up for assorted sex scandals from MPs - some of which I was eye rolling at, and others I really would have loved more details on!

This is certainly a book with a difference, it does have friendships, it does have some sex, there is Jean's sister who is a breath of fresh air to any book that I've ever read, and then there are her parents, who although we don't see much of, are an utter nightmare, and I couldn't help but feel sorry for Jean.

I'd suggest go into this book with an open mind and you will almost certainly enjoy this rather refreshing story, as much as I did!

Thank you to Netgalley and Trapeze for this copy which I have reviewed honestly and voluntarily.