"My Year of Saying No" by Maxine Morrey is a light-hearted and relatable exploration of the challenges that come with setting boundaries and learning to say no. Morrey’s writing style is accessible and enjoyable, making it an easy read for those seeking a breezy escape. The protagonist's journey of self-discovery is well-paced, and the theme of prioritizing oneself is timely and resonant. However, some readers may find the plot formulaic, and the resolutions a tad predictable, which impacts the overall impact of the narrative. While the book offers moments of humor and reflection, it falls into the realm of a pleasant yet unremarkable read within the contemporary romance genre.
3 stars!

Absolutely delightful rom-com. Loved it. Flew through in one sitting. Would definitely recommend.

I really wanted to like this! I liked the premise and it had so much potential, however it just really fell flat and i was so bored.

Thank you to the publisher for providing an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you to the publisher and to NetGalley for this advanced reader's copy. All opinions are my own. This book was simply delightful! I loved every single second. Lottie and Seb were adorable. So very likeable and watching their relationship and friendship grow was so enjoyable. The entire cast of characters were so fun to read about and I was sad to part with them. I recommend this book to anyone looking for a feel good read that contains wonderful characters and a fun premise. I look forward to reading more of Maxine Morrey's novels.

Sadly, this was another of those books that had an interesting premise but then failed to deliver. This was just an okay book. The romance was a bit slow and I didn't really connect with the characters.

I found this to be an enjoyable read, keeping me on my toes throughout. The storyline was written well and flowed seamlessly. I look forward to reading more by this author!

The premise and the beginning of the book were interesting, but the rest of the story felt flat as not much was happening. So I skimmed most of the second part to finish it

As someone who attempted her own year of saying "no" in 2020, this was a perfect complement to an endeavor that I mostly succeeded at.

The premise of the book is what caught my attention since learning to say "no" to people is a constant struggle in my own life. Balancing between the year of saying "yes" mantra to allow new opportunities while also saying "no" to protect my emotional health will always be a work in progress. The will they won't they aspect between our main love interests sometimes was exciting and sometimes was frustrating. The slow burn slowed down the book too much for me. I didn't connect with the story in the personal ways I wanted to.

I completely enjoyed Lottie's tale. Every now and then I need an adorable rom-com to cleanse the palate of thrillers and angst-filled stories, and this was perfect for that. Warm, romantic, funny and a heroine that I could completely relate to. I think I've been living not just a year of saying no, but a decade of it!! This was a lovely, cozy little escape. Curl up with a blanket, a warm beverage, and spend some time with Lottie.

I fell IN LOVE with My Year of Saying No!! This is the exact read I needed in my life. Everybody always talks about ‘saying yes’, taking yourself out of your comfort zone, being spontaneous and fun. But what about those of us that struggle just saying no to anything?! Constantly being dragged into things we don’t even want to do just to make others happy. Well Lottie is tired of it and she’s playing things by her rules by having a year of saying no!

This is a perfect, fun and witty read that has you rooting for the main character and laughing out loud.

Also: an honorary mention for Humphrey and Scooby!!!! Can they be my furry best friends?!?

Such a fab book, I’m excited to see more from Maxine!

I was so excited to finally get around to reading ‘My Year of Saying No’ It’s been a while since I read a Maxine Morrey book and I just knew I was in for a treat.

Lottie has had a difficult year as she promised best friend Jess that she would say yes to everything including horrendous dates. On the stroke of midnight on New Years Eve she vows to her year of saying no (unless she really wants to do something) Lottie is a virtual PA and one of her clients is Seb Marshall, even the name sounds sexy doesn’t it!?! Lottie holds a secret flame for Seb but what will actually happen between them!?

In this story there are a lot of poignant moments but also a few laugh out loud moments too. It’s lighthearted and witty and just what you need on a winters day to cosy up with. I related a lot to Lottie in the beginning as she’s the type of person to just want to sit in the house in her pjs! Also you can’t forget the dogs, Humphrey and Scooby sound like such loving and caring dogs I want them for myself!

I am very much looking forward to reading more of Maxine’s books as they are pretty much all on my TBR pile already 😊 ‘My Year of Saying No’ is about friendship and true love (for a few characters) it’s also about not backing down on things you very much don’t want to do and showing determination in doing so!

I give ‘My Year of Saying No’ 5*/5* 😊
Thank you to Boldwood Books for an advanced copy of this book via NetGalley.

Maxine Morrey first grabbed my attention and kept it with her dazzling "No Filter." She has a lot of my favourite catnip: interesting heroes, slow build chemistry, fantastic settings and an unputdownable voice. I also like that she uses the trope of romantic comedy to spotlight on some of the deeper issues that plague many of us living in the 21st Century. There is a humanity to balance the sparkling the rom com elements: here grounded with Seb's past experiences and Lottie's feelings of unworthiness.

In both fallible, insecure people they find an uplifting chance at love. It is the bright comedy strokes matched with the undercurrents that had to Morrey's layered stories and keep me wanting to read more.



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Such a fun premise! Sometimes it feels impossible to say no but I love how the main character was strong in her conviction to honor her year of no. I liked that all the characters were relatable, even to the point where I would be annoyed with some of their actions at times while laughing out loud at others! Have already recommended to friends.

This was a nice change of pace for me. I am going to buy a couple copies for the library because I already have a whole list of patrons who will love it. Thank you so much!

I am currently in a book slump (it's hard to admit this clearly!) but this was something that really helped! I just flew through it (so it seemed after not reading properly for however long), it was just so light hearted and very enjoyable!

I totally enjoyed this light read. It is the perfect story to read while curled up with a nice cuppa tea or a glass of wine. The characters were easy so easy to love, I wanted them as my friends. ⁣
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There was an interesting twist to this story because the main character, Lottie, was committed to saying “no” instead of “yes”. Lottie’s commitment created challenges that made it difficult to see a friendship bloom into something else in front of her own eyes.⁣
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As a former virtual assistant, I connected with Lottie and her struggles with personal connection as someone that works exclusively from home. Lottie’s client, Seb, is a veteran that has his own challenges and his bravery as he tackled these challenges was so heart warming. ⁣
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This book exudes positivity and good vibes. And as a sucker for a good romantic movies, this one will make a great movie adaptation. I had already started casting actors in my head and would be eager to enjoy this film.⁣

𝘛𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘬𝘴 𝘵𝘰 NetGalley, 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘢𝘶𝘵𝘩𝘰𝘳 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘱𝘶𝘣𝘭𝘪𝘴𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘢𝘯 𝘦-𝘈𝘙𝘊 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘣𝘰𝘰𝘬 𝘪𝘯 exchange for my honest review. Follow me on Instagram (@deedeesbookclub) for more book fun.

Unfortunately I have to DNF this. Nothing was really happening, it was just chapters of dialogue and the conversations felt very similar. I grew bored of it and the pacing was really off and quite slow.
There's only so many times I want to read about this girl video chatting Seb, then chatting to Jess about him, then back chatting with Seb again.
Sorry but this wasn't for me.

This was an instructing read for me and much different then books I normally choose. it was a great read and overall i enjoyed the book. thank you for the free copy in exchange for a fair review

I requested this book a little while ago and, having recently read a similarly titled book, put it aside. I wrongly assumed that, having read a book all about a woman saying ‘yes’ to things, this would be a complete 180 and see chapter upon chapter of the main character declining requests. Not a smart assumption, but perhaps understandable?

This book was utterly brilliant. It took me until the 15-20% mark to feel really engaged with the storyline. I don’t normally get this pull until the 40% mark of other romance genre books. I didn’t want to put this down.

The main character Lottie was great. A female lead who I adored. She was normal, really easy to identify with, well written and so likeable. Her love interest, Seb, was everything you want in a male lead. Caring, kind, sensitive, brooding, alpha, compassionate. Every possible character trait of ‘perfect’.

The romance between Lottie and Seb is a slow burner, I normally prefer a bit more action but their story had me hooked in other ways. Their interactions were always friendly and safe, but always a background hint of something more bubbling between them.

This author is on my watch list now. Really enjoyed this and loved the writing style!

Thank you NetGalley for my advanced copy of this book 📚