This was a fascinating love story that kept me up past my bedtime. Excellent character development along with a twisty story. Highly recommended.

My Great Ex-scape by Portia MacIntosh is a fun romantic comedy, that I really enjoyed. Rosie Jones gets dumped while she is on tv, looking back she always gets dumped. When flowers arrive at her door, with a note saying he wants her back. Rosie is determined to find which ex sent them. I found this book to be funny, and perfect for a lighthearted escape. I am looking forward to reading more books by this author. Highly recommend.
I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

Well, another delightful read of Portia's ticked off my list! After being dumped live on TV, winning 50k and receiving a bunch of flowers from an ex-boyfriend, Rosie Jones embarks on a cruise to New York, on a mission to figure out which of her ex's want her back, whilst reuniting with them and finding out where life took them. I definitely have to applaud Rosie for taking a trip down memory lane with her ex's, because I definitely wouldn't want to do that with mine! However, her wild decision actually ended up being the best decision she could have possibly made. An ex turned to best friend and an ex turned to boy-friend, once again, Rosie's life will eventually fall back in to place - not before the salt has been rubbed in her wounds though.

My Great Ex-Scape was yet again, an incredible read, that had me giggling to myself many times, with wonderful characters and plenty of entertainment. I'd definitely love to invest in a cruise to New York now!

Rosie gets flowers and since it says "I want you back" on the card, she of course wants to know who has sent them. But instead of simply ringing the guys in question or waiting for the next message from Mister X, she goes in search of all her Ex-Boyfriends. Since there are only 5 of them, that isn't too hard.

The story has not the biggest plausibility (tracking down your Exes so easily, and getting on with them all quite well, too!), but it is a very sweet one! I also liked the setting, I think I've never read a book that is (at least partly) set on a cruise ship!

I enjoyed Rosie's company, her clumsiness is petty enough that it feels cute but not awkward. I just didn't get the feeling that Rosie was looking for 'Big Love' in the first place, she didn't really needed a man in her life at that moment. But that's just my opinion.

After winning a lot of money and being dumped by her boyfriend on live TV at the same time, Rosie's big moment goes further - it's not only shared on the internet but she also finds a bunch of flowers on her doorstep. There is only a message telling "I love you. I should never have let you go. I want you back". Rosie assumes the flowers are from Dave, the one who humiliated her on TV. But they're not. Are they from one of her other ex - boyfriends? She decides to embark on an adventure of finding out who has sent the flowers - and she's not doing it alone but with her parents and one of her exes who has turned out gay, on a cruise to New York.

There was a lot of potential in this novel and I am surprised that Portia MacIntosh has allowed her story to feel so unfinished, so under - developed. Yes, it was a light - hearted, easy read but lacking in execution. And again, the publisher doesn't help, advertising the book as a "laugh - out - loud romantic comedy" while there is little romance and little comedy, to be honest.

The first three exes are really quickly discounted and the main focus of the story switches to Rosie on the cruise ship, and I thought, why? Why so quickly? Portia, gimme more! Some more info on them, some gory details maybe, why give the last two a better chance?
I also didn't understand the Rosie's desperation to reconnect with her ex so much. Why? Yes, she got a bouquet of flowers (once again, why? I didn't get it, why to send flowers without telling who has sent them, I mean, when you really want to win your ex back, then at least bite the bullet and write they're from you), but there is a reason that your ex is your ex, no? And Rosie was extremely, I repeat, extremely focused on reconnecting with her exes. Why, Rosie, why? Are you so desperate to have a man on your side, or you really doesn't know what to do with your life? Are you bored? The author didn't really sell this idea to me. And let's be honest, we all know Portia MacIntosh, we know how funny her books can be, and this one has left me feeling so lukewarm and disappointed that I didn't find this promised and expected fun.

The reason why I didn't warm to Rosie so completely is probably because I simply didn't understand her desire to reconnect with all her ex - boyfriends. However, altogether, she was a brilliant character - relatable, liking her food and not fussing about her weight (finally! What a lovely change!), not knowing what to do with her life. I rather liked how clueless she was, almost in all aspects of her life, it was actually funny and not annoying, which is already a good thing. She really had a big heart and was a kind person, and really, you had to like her after she was so brave to shake off the humiliation, behaving as if nothing has happened - and it was also great. Instead of wallowing in self - pity, Rosie simply takes herself on an adventure - most of the story is set on a cruise ship, which I liked very much, especially, as it turned out, it was not your usual cruise - ship, and Rosie and Eli were actually the youngest guests on board, which led to some of the most awkward scenes.

The pace of the story is rather slow. There are some scenes that lightened the whole tone, bringing the long awaited humour and smile. And while the author's sense of humour is absolutely my kind of sense of humour, this time it felt a bit too forced, as if she tried too hard. Overall, it was a light and easy read, with some witty scenes and some great ideas. It's not a bad book by any means, it's just not Portia MacIntosh's best.

f you’ve never picked up one of Portia Macintosh’s irresistible romantic comedies, then you are missing out on a great treat and this talented author is back with a rip-roaring, hilarious and engrossing tale that is totally irresistible: My Great Ex-Scape.

Being dumped is humiliating enough, but being dumped on national TV by a boyfriend who is more belching frog than Prince Charming is enough to knock a girl’s self-confidence for six. Rosie Jones not only has got the shame of her embarrassment broadcast live on national TV to contend with, but she has also received a bouquet of flowers with a note declaring their undying love for her by a suitor who confesses their stupidity for walking out on their relationship and letting her go. Who on earth could possibly have sent these flowers? Rosie has absolutely no clue about who her secret lover could be but she is determined to find out – even if she has to travel to the four corners of the world to find out who her admirer is!

You don’t need to be Miss Marple to figure out that whoever sent her the note is an ex-lover, so with her £50,000 prize money in her back pocket, Rosie begins to take a trip down memory lane and visiting all of her former boyfriends to discover not just which ex-beau sent her the flowers, but also whether they were truly the one who got away. Stepping back into the past means rubbing salt into old wounds and as she goes from visiting the house she grew up in to a transatlantic cruise to New York, will Rosie’s quest be successful? Or will she realise that in order to be happy, she needs to stop looking back and start looking forward?

A fun read that cracked me up with laughter on more than one occasion, My Great Ex-Scape is sure to lift your mood and brighten up your day whatever the weather. Portia Macintosh is on top form once again with My Great Ex-Scape and she has penned a feel-good, uplifting and engrossing romantic romp which I struggled to put down and which I simply did not want to end.

Rosie is a terrific heroine we can all relate to and empathise with. She’s a fun, resourceful, impetuous and kind-hearted character we would love to have in our corner and to have a laugh and a gossip with.

The next best thing to a holiday this January, settle in a comfy chair and get ready to lose yourself in Portia Macintosh’s fantastic new novel, My Great Ex-Scape.

Rosie is convinced that she may in fact be the most unlucky person on the planet. She detests her job, has been broken up with by all of her previous partners and has now been dumped live on television. When Dinosaur Dave breaks up with her live on a game show but also winning her £50,000, Rosie's determined to change the course of her life. She quits her job and receives a bouquet of flowers from an anonymous source with a note saying that they want her back. So begins Rosie's trip back home to her parents on the hunt to find the person who sent her the flowers.

This book starts out by being strong and well written, which I love. Rosie's a very likeable protagonist and makes the story warm and comical. She's determined to find out who her Mr Right is and makes her way to see all 5 of her previous partners with interesting results! The story has good pacing for the most part and it was a light and easy read. The characters are by far the best part of the story.

The only part of the story I didn't enjoy was the cruise section of the story. There is no way that you would only see the atrium on a cruise ship days after you've been on board. The first part of any cruise ship is for them to try and show off their opulence by leading you straight into the heart of the ship - the atrium! Maybe I've just been on too many cruise ships to not appreciate this part of the book.

Overall it's an nice, easy read if you enjoy chick-lit style reads.

Rosie Jones is asked by her work colleague to go with her to a recording of a quiz show where the contestants are chosen from the audience. Luck was on her side when she was selected to play the game. One of the questions about dinosaurs baffles her so she uses her phone-a-friend life-line to call her boyfriend Dave who just happens to be a dinosaur expert.

However, Dave doesn’t know she is on live TV and when she tells him she has a question to ask him he automatically thinks that she is about to propose and dumps her, fortunately, he still gives her the right answer to the quiz and Rosie walks away £50,000 richer but single.

Feeling humiliated Rosie is overjoyed when she receives a bunch of flowers with the message ‘I love you, I should have never let you go, I want you back x’. She immediately thinks it’s Dave, but she is wrong, the only thing he wants is a share of her prize money given that he gave her the answer to a question she didn’t know.

Rosie then writes herself a list of ex-boyfriends, there are just five of them, and decides to try and find out which one sent the flowers and wants her back. Her search takes her back to her hometown where two of her previous partners live and then onto a cruise ship to find another and into New York. But is following your past really a good idea?

My Great Ex-Scape was an amusing, uplifting novel that I thoroughly enjoyed, although I couldn’t think of anything worse than re-connecting with ex-boyfriends and did wonder why on earth anyone would want to do that.

The book’s main focus is on the cruise ship after Rosie discounts the first three boyfriends including one that is married and one that is gay. It is her new gay best friend Eli who offers to go with her on the cruise where another of her ex-boyfriends is working as a singer, and the cruise happens to be travelling to New York where another works as a photographer. However, Rosie asks her father to book the cruise, which he does but includes himself and her mother as passengers too.

There are certainly plenty of giggles along the way and it was lovely to see Rosie starts to learn more about herself in those few weeks than she had ever realised before. If you enjoy light-hearted rom-coms then this is certainly a book to add to your list.

5☆ A Witty, Light Hearted, Fun Rom Com that will have you giggling out Loud!


Rosie hates her job as a journalist, she feels trapped and unable to express herself.
So when she gets tickets to go on a quiz show from her boss, to be part of the audience on a New Quiz Show, she doesn't in her wildest dreams, think she will be picked to play the game (Think who wants to be a millionaire)

But Rosie makes it all the way to the very last question to win £50,000 and she decides to phone her boyfriend David to help her answer the question. But what comes out of his mouth...is him telling her their relationship is Over! On Live Tv... On the Bright side she held her dignity and won the £50,000. Even if he did shatter her heart live on tv!
Then he had the audacity to ask her for his share of the money!... what an absolute jerk! She's well shot of him!

But then there is the gorgeous bouquet of flowers that arrived on her doorstep.... who are they from?... who was the mystery man who loves her and wishes he never let her go!?

So Rosie sets out to find out who her mystery Man is and with just 5 Ex's it shouldn't be that difficult.... should it?

Rosie was such a fantastic character, my heart went out to her, but she dusted herself off determined to find her Mr Right! I can definitely see her character being very relatable to others.

My Great Ex-Scape is a fun, light hearted, Uplifting, laugh out loud Rom Com, and everything I have come to love about Portia's Books.
The story and pace just flowed along beautifully, it was compelling, exciting, very funny and witty and I loved all The Characters, they were wonderfully written, quirky and relatable.
I adore Portia's Books and she is definitely one of my favourite Authors.

So if you are looking for a Witty Rom Com, That's a Light Hearted Romp, that will have you giggling till the early hours then My Great Ex-Scape is most definitely the book for you!

Thank you to Boldwood Books for this copy which I reviewed honestly and voluntarily.

First off I saw Portia take over the book and tonic page the other day and it was so fun!

Secondly this book was amazing! Another romance that was enjoyable, fun fast paced read!

We meet Rosie, the main character on a game show about to win £50000, the inky problem is she doesn't know the answer. She decides to use a life line to call her boyfriend, who happens to be a dinosaur expert. When she calls she says I have one big question to ask, Dave gets nervous and thinks she's going to ask him to marry her, he's not ready. Without even giving Rosie a chance to ask her question Dave dumps her on national tv. Rosie the amazing person she is holds herself together until she gets home. Rosie then receives some flowers that allude an ex is sorry they broke up and would like to get back together. The Flowers don't say who they are from, just her luck. Rosie quits her job, decides to visit her parents and revisit all her ex's to try and figure out who sent them. She visits Dave first which was a horrible mistake. Then Eli, who is now gay, but would like to rekindle their friendship they once shared. Rosie then finds herself on a retirement cruise ship with her parents and new found bestie Eli to track down the last 2 exits. Sounds totally normal life right!
This was such a fun adventurous story. I loved following along with Rosie on her adventures while she was trying to figure out who the flowers were from. I loved the flow of the writing, the quirky and loveable characters, and will definitely be checking out more id Portia's writing in the future.

I thought I was really going to enjoy this but it really wasn’t for me, I couldn’t connect with Rosie at all, the pacing was all over the place and I found Rosie to be quite childish and self centred. Just not for me sadly.

Thanks to netgalley and the publisher for a free copy for an honest opinion

Rosie is not satisfied with her life. She writes advertorials for a local paper, but she wants more. Her boss gives her tickets to a game show she can't make. Luck might be on her side as she is picked as a contestant and gets a chance to win 50,000 euros. Just when she thinks her life might be on the right track, she calls her boyfriend for the winning answer. He provides it to her, but also breaks up with her on the air. Rosie becomes an overnight sensation - a viral hit that she wants to escape from. When flowers arrive at her door saying that they miss her and should have never let her go, Rosie decides to track down her ex-boyfriends and she which one wants her back.

This is a cute second chance at love story. Rosie's adventure is full of fun, foolishness, and stubbornness. It kept me wanting to read to see what disaster she might get herself into next. I do think the ending is slightly predictable, but that didn't keep any of the fun from the book.

I adored this book, it was sweet, uplifting and hilarious.

Rosie finds herself humiliated on national tv when she is dumped by her boyfriend, not only was that bad enough - the newspaper she works at wants to write an article on her. So Rosie - takes her prize money and quits her job, around the same time - she receives a bunch of flowers from an ex. So armed with money she never had she heads on a wild ex chase hunting down all her past boyfriends to find the one who sent the flowers.



Rosie was a brilliant leading lady, she was stubborn, strong willed and passionate. She was funny and sweet and my heart was so warmed to her. I loved getting to know about her past, as well as the adventures she was embarking on with her favourite ex. The cast of characters were brilliant, they were all so individual and i literally could picture every seen in my mind as i turned each page.



This really was a feel good book, it made me chuckle - it was escapism at its finest and i loved getting to loose myself in the pages and take a journey on a cruise ship (even if maybe Rosie wasnt the target market) A great bit of chic lit and i love the author anyway and this was just another great read by her.

Rosie always tried to find the good even when it was impossible. Rosie hates her job. When she was a kid she wanted to be a detective- a private investigator. As a teen she wanted to be an investigative journalist. Thirty one years old and Rosie is a journalist but not the kind she wanted to be. She works for the Salford News. She spent most of her days writing paid advertisements . She doesn’t just hate her job she resents it. The plus side to her job is Sam her boss. She really liked her. Rosie just kept doing what she’d been doing and hoped things would get better. Her boyfriend of four months was David. Rosie’s a little down as David canceled their plans for that evening as he had to work late. He was a lecturer at the university. Her boss gave rosie and her coworker two live game tickets as it was her husband's birthday and she wouldn’t be going. Rosie was randomly picked to play the game called One Big Question . She had a last question on dinosaurs and that was David’s field so she called him and he broke up with her over live tv. The host called him Dinosaur Dave. but david did give her the right answer and she won L50,000. This is somehow one of the best and one of the worst nights of her life. The next morning Rosie found a bouquets of flowers outside her door. It had Roses,lilies, and chrysanthemums in it. The note said” I Love You. I should've never let you go. I want you back. “ david had left her a message that said he wanted to talk. She thought he wanted to talk about them getting back together. She went to his apartment and found out what he wanted was half the prize money since he gave her the answer. She told him she wasn’t giving him anything and left. But who sent the flowers? She had only five ex boyfriends and she’d been dumped four in a half times.
I loved this book. It was a fun easy read. I loved how Rosie won the money than went on vacation with Eli and her parents. I loved that she connected with her exs. I love the friendship her nad Eli ended up with. I loved Rosie and Josh and how they interacted. I love the grand gesture Rosie made. I also loved Rosie’s parents- they were so funny. I loved the plot and pace. I didn’t want to put this down. I loved the characters and the ins and outs of this book and I highly recommend it.

Rosie has had little luck in relationships and ]she gets dumped by her latest boyfriend on live TV during a game show. The silver lining? While her humiliation is going viral on social media, she receives flowers with the note "I love you. I never should have let you go. I want you back." She wonders which of her exes sent her the flowers so she makes it a mission to find out. She embarks on a journey to visit each of her ex-boyfriends, which in turn leads to self-discovery.

Rosie is lively and the supporting cast of characters are hilarious. I enjoyed every part of this book!

Loved reading this, it is so funny and you couldn't see what was going to happen along the way. |Everyone needs to read this but I warn you, you wont want to put it down. I wish I could give this more than 5 stars, recommend this highly so grab yourself a copy and enjoy it.

I loved this easy reading chick lit book with lots of humour in. Just what was needed after some intense books.

I really liked Rosie and think a lot of us women could relate to her. We have all been there dumped, brokenhearted and are quick to jump at a new adventure. The dumping was brutal but funny! Dave what an awful guy !!

I felt for poor Rosie who has been so unlucky in love and was interested to know if she could turn her heartbreak around. Lucky Rosie could turn to her parents and run away for a bit. I loved how supportive and lovely Rosie’s parents were. Which somehow ended up on a last minute cruise. I actually really want to go on a cruise now, just maybe not a silver linings one! If you read it you will get why – ha !

It did make me laugh how a bunch of flowers sent Rosie on trip to find all her ex’s especially one to New York! Just hilarious and something girls do when they have been dumped and are not thinking straight. So lets talk about the ex's as Rosie had a right mix of ex's ranging from the lovely one you would totally love as a best friend, the sweetheart marriage material one, to the player you would not want to go near!
Without giving too much away, I loved the relationship and bond between Eli and Rosie.

This was fun, girlie and filled with plenty of laugh out loud moments. Just great !

This was my first Portia book and I really enjoyed it so will definitely be reading more of her books.

This book was very promising in the first few pages. Rosie gets dumped live on TV, just as she wins the jackpot money, and very quickly becomes a viral sensation.
After a bouquet of flowers are delivered to her, proclaiming that 'he should have never let her go.' She decides to track down her ex boyfriends to see who could have sent them.
Rosie quickly tracks down three of her ex boyfriends, and decides to go on a cruise to New York, with her parents, and Eli, one of her ex's to track down the other two.
I loved the character of Eli, although he is a bit of a cliche, he is great fun. After a promising beginning, I thought that the book dragged a little during the middle but it soon picked up, and the ending, although a little abrupt was a surprise.
This is an amusing and lighthearted read. It's fun and entertaining, and perfect for relaxing with.
I've read and enjoyed some of Portia's previous books, and I'm looking forward to reading more books by her. Thank you to Netgalley and the Publisher for my ARC.

I really enjoyed this book. It was a cute romance and an inspiring, yet hilarious, tale about a woman taking her life back. Or at least trying to. After the main character is dumped on live television, she goes on a quest to find the ex-boyfriend who sent her flowers. In true romantic comedy fashion, shenanigans follow.
I really enjoyed following Rosie as she works through her past. She finds out how much some things can change and how others never do. This was a story about family, love and second chances.

I would recommend this book to anyone who loves romantic comedies, especially ones of the British variety.

4.5 out of 5 Stars

BOOK REVIEW⠀
BOOK: My Great Ex-Scape
AUTHOR: Portia MacIntosh
@portiamacintoshauthor

This was one of the quickest reads since the beginning of the year and I gotta say… I AM A FAN. We just went on a cruise at the beginning of December, so I was excited to read a book about cruising.

Rosie gets dumped in a very public way, but ends up connecting with multiple exes. It’s a very simple premise but no less entertaining because of the antics Rosie finds herself in. I personally love these type of books (like the Shopahoic series) which makes you fall in love instantly with a heroine who is definitely human.


Short Synopsis (from Goodreads):
Rosie Jones has been dumped by every boyfriend she’s ever had - most recently by Dinosaur Dave, live on TV, during the ‘phone-a-friend’ segment of a quiz show.
After the footage goes viral Rosie receives a bunch of flowers with a message:
I love you, I should have never let you go, I want you back x
But who sent them?
At a loose end and with £50,000 prize money in her back pocket, Rosie decides to take a trip down memory lane, visiting each of her ex-boyfriends to see not just if they are the one who sent the flowers but if they are the one.
Her journey takes her back to the house she grew up in and on a transatlantic cruise to New York, but can Rosie figure out which ex-boyfriend is the love of her life, or should the past stay in the past?
*****
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own. Received from Netgalley.