If I said I wasn’t drawn to this based on the title alone I‘d be telling fibs, I absolutely was, and whilst we all know virgins in romance aren’t exactly a rarity, virgins like Freddie and Kate and their group of new-found friends are, and they were a delight. A diverse, sweet, awkward delight.

Kate and Freddy, once friends at university, meet again after a few years at an adult virgins self help group. They feel like everyone around them is moving on with their lives, and they feel like something is lacking from theirs.

This is a refreshing romance that tackles taboo topics such as, as the title suggests, adult virgins. We live in a society that is hyper sexualized, many people feel pressure to adapt to society's standards and expectations, and what I enjoyed most about this book was its honesty. Thumbs up for diverse rep too. I will definitely be recommending this novel.

A lighthearted romance that is fun to read. Best enjoyed snuggled up with a throw and a cuppa.
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for the opportunity to read this arc.

Tackling a ‘ taboo’ subject with humour and respect combined. Adult Virgins Anonymous didn’t disappoint. Whilst it will not remain one of my favourite books ever, or perhaps one of those reads i will recall years down the line, i thoroughly enjoyed Amber Crews writing. Predictable friends to lovers, who meet at a support group for adult virgins, it was stereotypical but it was equally as heartwarming. It covered sensitive topics well, such as OCD and Anxiety, and the different backstories of the other AV group all were well structured. An easy, humorous but still enjoyable read!

It is hard to not feel good after reading this book, I loved the back and forth conversations of the group, the family dynamic of both characters, the wonderful friendships, and the beautiful awkward moments that got me to roll into intense giggles.

The book is great. I found it a brilliant journey into social stigma and the criticism. Being an adult virgin is something that is very difficult to discuss in public and there isn't enough fiction with characters as real as Kate and Freddie that can be utterly relatable in the downfall of romantic life. Not just them, the whole support group is full of wonderful and interesting characters who can be a person passing you on the street. I definitely felt that it was a cute story and would like to read a sequel if there ever is one. The message of the story for me was that it is never too late to start living your life and have many 'firsts'.

This book had me laughing out loud and cringing in Raquel measure. It’s incredible well written with great a sensitivity, yet incredible insight into crippling anxiety and other mental health issues like OCD and social stigma. I loved the idea behind it and was so emotionally involved with the characters throughout. Willing them on at every stage I really found myself picking it up whenever I had a spare minute to find out if the succeeded with or without the virginity. It raised some great talking points about social and familial expectations and stigma. This would be a brilliant book club read and I would definitely recommend it!

I really loved this book! A quirky modern love story with a difference, Freddie and Kate are so likeable from the start and you are rooting for them to make it work! Such a lovely story to lose yourself in.

When I started this story, I expected to read a light, humorous, and no-brainer story. With a nice romance.
Sure enough, romance is super cute to read.

However, I realized that even though the characters are approaching their 30s, their inexperience with the opposite sex makes them as mature as teenagers. It's fun to read at first but then it gets annoying because they're so busy overthinking and over-analyzing things that they get locked in their heads. In reality, they withdraw into themselves, do not communicate and this leads to misunderstandings which last a little too long for my taste.

Without knowing it, Kate and Freddie met at university. They even crossed paths and noticed each other briefly during the last party given by college, a party they both had high hopes for. Then it was a total fiasco and they moved forward, each on their own. Life went on.

Almost ten years later, they are united again by a secret they are ashamed of and do not share with anyone. Loneliness weighs on them and they feel like less than nothing. It is in these circumstances that they will help each other, unwittingly, to put their minds in order, even if this results in the end of their secret.

They don't know they are falling in love. Indeed, how would they know when they have no point of comparison? How to differentiate the true affection from what is engendered by lust? How do you know when to take the plunge and bare your heart?

By groping through these questions, the heroes show us that sex is ultimately only a factor in any romantic relationship. Of course, it's a very pleasant moment to share but what makes our heart beat is what we feel and make others feel. It is the gaze on ourselves that the other returns to us. It is this feeling of power that we get when we see the other's confidence in us.

From a theme that is not necessarily easy to deal with, Amber Crewe shows us that sometimes you have to take a step back on your life to better appreciate the bigger picture. We can have embarrassing secrets and feel like it rots our lives, but ultimately we ruin our lives on our own by focusing on them.

I did not necessarily laugh and sometimes, I was annoyed by the childishness of the heroes because of their behavior, then finding the story long. However, I appreciated the message conveyed by the story and had a great time. Adult virgins anonymous happens to be a perfect winter tale to read and might be a nice afternoon movie to watch before Christmas.

Kate and Freddie are both adult virgins, and embarrassed about it. Wanting to make changes in their lives they both find themselves at a group for people like them, and finding a connection with each other.

This was a sweet, heartwarming tale. It felt very slice of life, it wasn't about grand gestures and declarations but two sensitive people finding a connection. I do wish there was some more pushback against the concept though. At one point I thought a character was going to go more into the concept of virginity but they don't, which was a little disappointing. Kate and Freddie are embarrassed by their virginity, and although other characters tell them not to be the embarrassment doesn't ever seem to be questioned by them, which I thought was a missed opportunity. Being sex positive also means realising not everyone wants to be having it, or has found someone they want to have sex with, and I wish the author had dug a little deeper on that front. It's an easy, breezy read with some good anxiety and OCD rep, as well as a lot of touching moments for people who experience or have experienced loneliness and feeling isolated.

Publication dare: 21st Jan 2021

Adult Virgins Anonymous follows the lives of Kate and Freddie, two adult virgins, who meet at an Adult Virgins Anonymous group.

Kate currently works at the National Gallery after losing her high flying job, whilst Freddie is at the IT company he's been at since university. Both have their struggles in life but at this moment in time they feel that this may solve a number of their problems.

A number of the topics discussed in this novel are not spoken about enough, well done to Amber Crewe for conveying them so well and making the characters situations relatable.

Mixed feelings about this book sadly. When I first saw it and read the blurb I thought this would be right up my street which is why I chose to read it.
Although I did like how the story unfolded and gained pace eventually, I did find it quite slow going up until around halfway through the book.
I did like the characters in the book, but didn’t feel a strong connection to them, except Freddie, I felt more invested in him than the others.
There are some quite endearing moments in this book that did make me smile, but it sadly didn’t have the comedy factor it promised for me, but still some nice moments at some points throughout the book, and overall, a nice storyline.

A cute love story although I found parts quite long and rambling, not really adding much to the storyline. Was nice that the author covered both straight and gay/lesbian relationships but they didn't really develop so felt a little contrived.

An interesting premise to explore and definitely a topic not often touched on.

Was a quick and easy holiday read.

**Thanks to netgalley and the publishers for giving me advance access in exchange for an honest review.

Two virgins. Freddie and Kate. They feel like the only virgins in the world, like they're the odd ones out. That is until they join the Adult Virgins Anonymous where they meet more people like them. They feel more at ease. They decide to lose their virginities to each other. But does their experiment lead to more?

Enjoyable read. The title definitely drew me in and I was pleasantly surprised with the storyline. The book handles Freddie and Kate's desire to have sex really well. But when we look deeper they really desired companionship. We learn that Freddie has OCD and Kate is anxious, but these two decide to become friends and I was content with their relationship.

Theres moments where I was absolutely frustrated at Kate and Freddie because they know how they feel about each other but absolutely refuse to tell the other. This tension builds immensely during the course of the story. There were times I actually wanted to scream, but this tension Crewe plays with makes the story so much more real to me and showed how I connected with the characters.

My favourite character was definitely Freddie. Seeing him go from anxious, very OCD and quiet to knowing what he wants and being brave is the kind of character development I love! I was very drawn to him as a character. Crewe does an excellent job with Freddie, whereas I didnt feel Kate made as much progress.

One thing I am disappointed with was the description of a Black character as having 'deep black skin'. Being Black myself, I have never been so shocked at such an inaccurate description of our skin tone. I had to google what that even meant. I hope the author revises this and uses a better description for Black skin.

3/5

What a great read! Based on feelings of awkwardness but still managing to be funny and entertaining.

Kate's life hasn't quite followed the path she thought it would; approaching thirty, her career plan has imploded, her long term friends are no more and her hopes of marriage and motherhood are just distant memories. After all, if you've never had sex then the rest can't follow on! Freddie is a sensitive soul who has suffered a lot during his twenties and his confidence has taken a real battering because of it. He has become almost reclusive and a relationship with a woman is further away than ever it was. When Kate and Freddie meet up at a group for virgins, they realise that they may just be able to help build each other's confidence enough to introduce them to the world of dating.

Reading this novel reminded me of the teenage years when confidence wasn't my greatest thing (but I did fare better than those two). It's very easy to empathise with both characters; in a world where everyone at least appears to be outgoing, it's hard for those who are shy or have stuff going on in their lives which eats away at what little confidence they have, but this author has her finger on the pulse of these emotions and gets them across clearly. Not only that, she brings in a lightness of tone and a bit of humour making this a really enjoyable read. It's a well-written novel, carefully describing what could be a difficult subject in an easy way. Definitely different and well worth reading, and one I'm happy to give 4.5 stars.

My thanks to the publisher for my copy via NetGalley; this is - as always - my honest, original and unbiased review.

This book was an important read for me, it was very refreshing to read a book that tackled the conversation of what it felt like to be an adult virgin and the shame and confusing feelings that come with it. I felt that the author dealt with the range of characters in a empathetic way and still told a fun love story. Very well written and a fun little read.

What a truly heartwarming romcom. This dealt with awkward, sensitive issues in such a cute way. Yes, it was a predictable boy meets girl story, but surely that's the reason for reading romance books? There were several times I actually did laugh out loud as I pictured the scene. As a movie, this would be hilarious. This is clearly a sign of a great writer to me, making the book come to life in my head.

Freddie and Kate both have issues of their own including OCD and anxiety, which go way back to their younger years. They are also both virgins and meet at a group for "adult virgins" where they form a friendship. What develops from here is clearly what the book is about so I won't spoil it for you.

I read this over 2 afternoons sat in the garden, so it was a perfect light hearted weekend read for me.

Really enjoyed it so a big thank you to netgalley, the publisher and author for an advanced reading copy.

I would like to start by saying that I read the first two chapters on the 19th of August and then got distracted by various other books and graphic novels. However, I started to actively read this novel on the 3rd of September and I have finished it already despite reading it around work. I couldn't put it down, and I didn't stop thinking about Freddie and Kate and what they were going through.

I personally don't have compulsive OCD or anxiety to the level that they do however I had various other issues that allow me to understand those compulsions and I understand doing something to the point of it hurting - but I don't think I've ever seen that being represented in a book so well before, so I would definitely like to thank Amber Crewe for that.

Seeing someone fight with body image issues is another thing that resonates with me (and being an "older virgin" too) but again, this was tackled really well. Honestly, how many of us have made friends at school because of convenience and then sadly (or not so) lost touch as you drift and move on with life.

I feel this tackled so many issues that come up in day to day society and life that it was a joy to read.

Also, I would be lying if I said I didn't want to hear about their future too! Encore!

Many Thanks to the author and Netgalley for allowing me to read this book before being published in exchange for an honest review.
I did enjoy this book, didn´t love it though. I mostly read it through in a couple of days.
It is a nice romance story about Freddie and Kate, two grown ups that haven´t had sex yet (so what). They met casually in a group of people who get together to talk about why they are still virgin. And they get to know each other through sharing experiences, talking, going out, etc, where friendship is what always matters.

Freddie and Kate are surrounded by different and diverse type of characters in the group where they discuss why they are still virgin. That make the book more interesting. Interesting also read about their families and how different they are.

Anxiety and OCD are also explored in this novel and makes you realise o helps you to understand a bit about that type of behaviour
This was a nice story overall. A different way of talking about relationships making it quite enjoyable.

I will be recomend it to people who like romance books.

It seems that finally we have something that resembles some form of reality in a Romance book. Hoorah! Let's all celebrate the realistic qualities that some of us actually do possess! It is finally nice to see something that I could talk about to another human being and they would just as much appreciate what this book is able to offer to a great part of the population.

Kate and Freddie are shown to be on two varying paths in life. One in IT, the other recently having a rejig of her life, due to her redundancy in a very well paid job and now working in a gallery. So what makes the similar? Having that one secret, that really shouldn't be a secret, they are still virgins. Something that is perceived by both themselves and some parts of society to be weirdly bad. But as luck would have it, they both find the same advertisement of other virgins who meet up and chat about how it bothers them and life in general.

This story in particular has reminded me of so many indie/foreign films in the past that works off a similar premise, but somehow it still has that endearing quality to it. I think that it's because they aren't perfect and they can be susceptible to certain problems that affect them more than most. Kind of reminds me of many people that I have had the pleasure of getting to know throughout my life so far.

I genuinely enjoyed this book and how there wasn't any promise of what is meant to happen. Because that's life right? We never truly know what is around the corner, no matter how much we try so hard to plan. Maybe this is a book that we should all come to read as we are growing up. Taking away those feelings that you have to do anything right the first time, because you can always try again and it could even be better than the other versions before you. Life is not a race. We think it is. It's in our name. The human race. But that doesn't really say anything apart from species that we are all labelled as. Maybe if we all come to realise this, maybe we will be a little kinder to our peers.

So, the reason why I gave this a four star rather than a five, is the stereotypical cat and mouse chase. As much as I love a good old trope as the next, I'm not sure whether I liked it very much. Maybe I've seen too many and now I've become cynical. Either way, I think that it is still a great attempt of showing how life can be like and that it is not as bad as it seems.