Happy Pub Day
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Laura is a journalist who is approached by a dating company to use their service and publicity tour - essentially giving her a hot story and them their first match.
Laura is matched with Adam but is drawn to Cass creating a tricky web. Furthermore, Laura makes a discovery about the dating company that’s troublesome.
Also in the book are Laura’s friends, sister and brother-in-law (Jamie and Whit), dog Harrison, and parents…
There was a subplot with Jamie and Whit that was never explored and I felt would have made a great story.
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I love the concept of the story (the wow moment is really thought provoking), and the writing was great, I just prefer more swoon in my romances, and less ‘trying several relationships at once’… but that’s me!
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Thanks to #netgalley #centurybooks for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I liked the concept of this book. I think this is a real winner for people who enjoy a more realistic "romantic comedy". It gave me a few laughs, there were some very likeable characters and some quite annoying ones too. I struggled to find empathy for the main character, I want to shake her most of the time. But just because I didn't enjoy her choices, doesn't mean I didn't enjoy the story.

I found the realistic angle refreshing. Even though my happy ending loving nature was disappointed. I actually thought it would leave a bitter taste but actually I've walked away from the book feeling satisfied

For many people, summer is a time for rom-coms and I always try to read as many as I can during the warmer weather. The cover for this one looked adorable and the story that it houses certainly matches it!

Laura Morrison is an editorial assistant on a Sunday magazine supplement at The Bugle but her job is now under review as a new company is about to take over the company. An e-mail from new dating app Cupid that matches people according to their online activity offers to find Laura her perfect match in exchange for a glowing feature. Imagine her delight when she is paired up with the handsome, kind, environmentalist Adam and things get off to a great start. But then Laura starts to develop feelings for someone else and she perhaps isn’t quite over her ex. Perhaps finding true love and happiness isn’t about having a perfectly curated life after all.

I was really rooting for Laura and Adam to go the distance. I loved them as a couple and I still think that Cupid did an amazing job at hooking them up. Despite this, I had a feeling that they wouldn’t last. Laura has a lot of unresolved issues from her past and it’s clear that she needs to do some work on herself before getting into a serious relationship. Adam has also just come out an almost marriage, so I was worried about their longevity from the start.

Laura’s crush on another character (who I won’t name for spoiler purposes) threw up a thousand red flags immediately. I was willing her not to act on her feelings but I know there will be readers out there who would have been encouraging her due to the sexual thrills. It was always just sexual chemistry though. This connection really didn’t have any depth and therefore, I couldn’t ever get behind it as an option for an end result.

Whit is Laura’s brother-in-law and he is a gorgeously warm cinnamon roll of a guy. He’s a lawyer but his personality is so far away from a typical lawyer that it’s hilarious. I loved being in his company and wondered how on Earth he had somehow got together and married Laura’s sister Jamie, who does come across as a typical lawyer. Their dynamic was so fun to read and I think I would love another whole novel focusing on Jamie and Whit. It would probably be pretty bittersweet but wonderfully heartwarming and romantic.

There is also drama in a secondary plot involving Laura and Jamie’s parents who have recently separated. Both daughters see it as their duty to pick up the pieces and take care of their parents. I think this is quite common behaviour for grown up children, particularly of single parents. Dealing with this fallout seems to bring Laura and Jamie closer together as sisters, which was lovely to see. It also results in Jamie and Whit taking in their parents’ border collie Harrison, which adds a lovely element to the story that actually becomes pivotal to the very end.

As well as Whit, Laura’s best friend Lil is a fantastic source of comedy. She is a young single mum who frequently comes out with hilarious anecdotes and brutally honest opinions. She is the kind of friend that every woman needs in abundance and her conversations with Laura had me howling with laughter at several points.

No Such Thing As Perfect is a funny, uplifting rom-com that explores the science behind finding your perfect match and then throws it out of the window. It’s also full of social satire, commentary on how we live and date today and charming characters. There are also some tricky family issues discussed that are dealt with so sensitively but overall, it’s a smile-inducing, heartwarming read for the summer.

Laura Morrison's life is far from perfect. She is currently sleeping on a blow up bed in her sister’s house and her job as a journalist hangs in the balance as the magazine is being restructured.

When Laura is given the assignment of trialling a new high tech dating service called Cupid she is a little apprehensive but she decides to give it a go.

On paper her match Adam is perfect…or is he?

I’ll be honest from the outset here – I’m not sure if this was the book for me. I was completely captured at the start and it seemed to gather speed but then about half way through it felt like I hit a reading brick wall and the momentum ground to a halt.

I absolutely hated Laura’s sister, thought she had such a cold personality and didn’t seem suited to her husband who came across as a little dim, but lovely!

Sadly this book didn’t hold my attention enough and felt long and drawn out (sorry!)

Laura, a journalist, is getting over an ex, living with fear of redundancy and living with her difficult sister. When the opportunity arises to try a new dating program she seizes the chance. At first Adam seems perfect but all is not as it first seems. An easy going read with not quite a happy ever after.

A thoroughly good story with plenty of humour – what’s not to like?

Laura Morrison doesn’t exactly have everything going for her at the moment; in danger of losing her job and currently sleeping on an air bed in her sister’s home she isn’t exactly setting the world on fire. Then she gets the chance to trial a new dating app and hopes that her resulting article may just secure her position. When Adam turns up as her perfect match, Laura can’t believe her luck but as time goes on she finds herself drawn to another and once more doubt creeps in. Where will it all end?

What a great story! An original take on online dating, this tale is beautifully created and one which led to me explaining to my husband what I was laughing at on several occasions – and he also laughed! The author has a winning way of making characters interact – and well-developed characters they are too. Truly delightful and full of surprises, this is one I’m happy to recommend. I hope to read more from Emma Hughes in future and am happy to give this one 4.5*.

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

Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for an early review copy.

This book was a lovely read, I laughed, so much reading it. Its so funny, and sensitive in places and I was with Laura from the start. Laura

Not everyone’s life is that perfect, even though looking at them it may seem that way.

Laura’s life is not the perfect, as she trying to hold onto her job and her living arrangements aren’t good either, she’s at her sisters, sleeping on a mattress.

Then, she’s given an opportunity to try a new dating service, called Cupid, which is high-tech. This will highlight all she’s done, to find her match(perfect) online. Surely it’s got to be worth giving it a go, you never know what the outcome could be.

When a good-looking Adam comes for her first date, she finds it hard to believe as he’s perfect…. on paper.

Then she finds herself having feelings for the one that told Adam to meet her and the doubt starts to creeps in.

If Laura wants her everything in her life to start fitting into place, she’s got to learn that it’s time to leave things……..

Recommend It

The premise of this book is really interesting, but unfortunately, failed to captivate my attention.

While reading it, I sort of felt like I have read this book before - not in the sense that I am reading something familiar to me and it makes me happy, but just, something that I have already read before in other books and it's not really making me engage. It sort of felt very generic.

I guess I expected something more fast-paced, interesting, funny, but I didn't click with the story. That's not to say that somebody else won't....

Thanks for the opportunity to read this book!

I'm new to Emma Hughes but I would most definitely give another of her stories a go. Laura's life is definitely not perfect. She's lives in her sister's spare room (not guest room mind you) and is looking at the possibility of losing her job (redundancy at it's best). Her love life or lack thereof is in the toilet so why not give this new matching making company a chance, if for no other reason than to write a story about her experience. Her match made, she embarks on an experience that will have her digging deep to find herself and what she wants. A journey to find out why she is the way she is and what she is actually looking for. She will very soon learn that there is indeed no such thing as perfect in life only perfect for her. I laughed out loud and actually saw myself in her a few times. Is it romance? Not in the usual sense but worth the read.

If you are looking for something sweet, funny, lovely, laugh out loud funny and beyond charming - you must pick this up!

I was rooting for Laura and loved this story from start to finish. Such a great read for a summer day in the sun, on the beach!

I really enjoyed this book. Laura Morrison works for a magazine. She is single, so when her employer asks her to trial Cupid, a new dating service, and to write a feature on it, she feels she has nothing to lose. She is matched with Adam, who is good-looking and charming, and she can't believe her luck. But things don't go according to plan and Laura discovers you can't always choose who you fall for.
Thanks to NetGalley for a preview copy.
Copied to Goodreads.

I liked this book but I didn’t love it. The idea and premise of it was very interesting, take a lady who found it difficult to maintain a relationship longer than a few months and see if a data analysis of her internet history could find her perfect match?

The trouble was that the main character Laura was not that likeable. She was shallow and when the possible love
Interests were introduced I wasn’t surprised that these resulted in failure! There were some interesting incidental characters, my favourites being the family dog Harrison and her brother in law Whit, who was the nice guy in the whole strange set up of Laura’s family.

This one wasn’t for me but it was an okay read with a good idea that didn’t match my expectations as the characters were unlikeable and the middle section of the book was slow, where I found my interest waiting. I found myself comparing it to The One, which has a similar plot line but this falls flat in comparison.

Thank you to Netgalley, the publisher and the author for the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest review.

I have to be honest with my review and admit, I did not enjoy this as much as I thought I was going to. There is not anything more frustrating when a book starts really well, pulls you in and then nothing! The plot dragged, after the first half, and although I finished it, my pleasure very quickly switched to deflation. There is a lot that could have been done with this plot and the characters, but the second half felt bland. Had this been a screen adaption, I think I would have turned it off. The synopsis was brilliant at selling the book, but unfortunately this just didn't do it for me on this occasion..

However, despite my criticism this isn't a truly awful book, it is just average and mediocre for my personal preferences. Please don't be put off from picking this up, read it and see if you agree with this review!

This book had a good premise, but ended up being lacklustre. The characters were flat and I kept waiting for something interesting to happen.

Are you clued up or clueless when it comes to searching for love? How do you find the love of your life? That’s the million dollar question that mystifies and eludes many of us, myself included! Is it through work, through friends, or more likely these days through a dating app? Cupid is a dating service with a difference, a method of finding love based purely upon your internet search history and Laura Morrison is to be its first guinea pig. Single, unlucky in love and living with her sister Jaime and brother in law Whit at the age of 29 now that her housemates Walker and Sasha have walked off into the sunset hand in hand, Laura is at a crossroads in her life. Her work situation is as diabolical as her living arrangements since she’s currently being forced to prove her worth as editorial assistant on the Bugle’s weekend magazine. With just sixteen weeks to go until the prospect of unemployment becomes a reality Laura feels backed into a corner. The only way of potentially avoiding the push is by agreeing to write up a feature for new kid on the dating block Cupid with herself and her love match, Adam Fraser, revealing all the insider details of their journey from singledom to coupledom. What could possibly go wrong?!?

Well, this isn’t quite the alien concept it would at first seem but given that at least in western culture the heart rules the head when it comes to matters of the heart Cupid’s format for finding love could either be a recipe for disaster or an unexpected resounding success. Adopting this clinical approach to finding the perfect match, rather than giving into the usual randomness of choosing a mate, may be very modern and alternative but can algorithms succeed where good old fashioned chemistry has previously failed? Funny, hopeful, cringeworthy and realistic Emma Hughes observes the highs and lows of the dating game through the eyes of someone who feels as if she is very much left on the shelf. With time running out for finding The One, you feel every inch of Laura’s desperation and vulnerability as she decides to place herself in the hands of the Cupid team and the incredibly annoying pain in the neck Nush. All her insecurities about love, romance and commitment are tossed aside in favour of putting her faith in Adam being a gift from the gods; the gods of technology rather than those of love! From the moment Adam and Laura meet for their excruciatingly awkward first date I was silently praying that in conveniently bypassing some of the worst pitfalls usually associated with dating, Laura could time hop straight towards her happy ever after. But where is the fun in that? Is Laura about to discover her search for Mr Right has been wrong all this time? Her head might be telling her Adam is the safest option but is he the kind of man her heart truly desires? As we all know what works well in theory doesn’t necessarily translate so well in practice so you can expect Laura’s path to finding her soulmate to be riddled with potholes! Whilst this is pretty much typical standard fare for this genre; lighthearted and fairly predictable with no surprises along the way I liked it.

It’s always the characters in these type of scenarios who make the whole experience enjoyable and worthwhile. So, what the plot line lacks in originality the author makes up for with good characterisation. From dependable, handsome Adam to Laura’s uptight, argumentative, straight laced sister and amenable, friendly brother in law to her constantly warring parents and her colourful single friend Lil with her adorable daughter Dora these characters help Laura realise a few salient truths about love, lust and life in general. Many of the scenes are quite amusing, a few are impassioned and one is embarrassingly awkward and slightly tense thanks to Laura behaving rather badly, in a immature but delightfully devilishly wicked way. This particular scene had me snorting with laughter but generally this isn’t a laugh a minute read. Instead there’s a remarkable amount of tension in Laura’s life ranging from the heated exchanges between her and her sister, the ongoing need to act as a buffer between both her parents not to mention the sexual tension that has been lingering in the air ever since Laura welcomed Cupid into her life. But the Morrison family are a genuine decent bunch, warts and all, and it helps that they are glued together by Harrison, their aged canine companion. I liked that the nearer Laura steps towards the finishing line at least some of the family tensions are resolved. Love is represented here in all its guises, good and bad proving to Laura that what works for one couple won’t necessarily work for another. By far the easiest relationship of them all is the uncomplicated friendship that exists between Laura and Lil, a breath of fresh air amongst the maelstrom of emotions that are whooshing through Laura’s heart and mind. Will Laura find herself a winner in the love stakes or has this whole experience been one huge learning curve with no prize at the end? Well that’s for me to know and for you to find out! Suffice to say Emma Hughes wraps up this quest for love more in a “to be continued” style rather than with a resounding full stop which I personally find more appealing and realistic.

This probably isn’t a novel that will remain in my thoughts for long as none of the characters possess that star quality that renders them memorable, but it is well written and an easy pleasurable read. The storyline permits you to ponder over these lessons in love without having to put yourself through the painful process!

My thanks as always to the publisher and Netgalley for giving me the opportunity to read in exchange for an honest review.

Sorry but I didn't enjoy this book as much as I thought I would but saying that others will be well into it and enjoy the story . It was well written but just not for me. 3 stars.

Thanks to Netgalley and publisher for this early ARC

No Such Thing As Perfect by Emma Hughes
Pub Date 5 August 2021
No one's life is as perfect as it looks.
Least of all Laura Morrison's. (Although she's not sure how perfect hanging onto your job by a thread and sleeping on an air mattress at your sister's looks, in all honesty.)
When Laura gets the chance to trial Cupid - a high-tech new dating service which will draw on everything she's ever done online to find her perfect match - she figures it's got to be worth a try.
She can't believe her luck when good-looking, kind considerate Adam turns up for their first date. On paper he's...well...perfect.
But when Laura develops feelings for the person who led her to Adam in the first place, familiar doubt creeps in.
Maybe for life to start falling into place, Laura has to learn to let go...
No Such Thing As Perfect is a must for fans of romance stories. It is a witty, funny, uplifting tale about dating anxieties, family anticipation, and genuine friendships; even though the theme is not unique and the plot is pretty predictable, it still made for an enjoyable read.
I want to thank NetGalley, Random House Uk, Cornerstone and author Emma Hughes for a pre-publication copy to review.

No Such Thing As Perfect has an intriguing premise that immediately grabbed my attention. This is a clever, modern-day dating story, but also so much more.

Laura Morrison’s life was not going as well as she had hoped. At twenty-nine, she was living in her sister and brother-in-law’s house and sleeping on an air mattress, her journalism job was hanging on by a thread, and her romantic life was pretty much nonexistent. When Cupid, a new dating service, offered her the opportunity to be one of the first clients in their pilot project in exchange for her documenting her experience at the newspaper she worked at, she figured that this story could not only save her job, but also find her soulmate.

With all of the dating apps and services out there, Cupid took things in a different direction by taking their clients internet history and using it to find a compatible love interest. Yes, this was an intriguing premise, but also a scary and intrusive one. Think about all of the things that you’ve searched for online: from that WebMD self-diagnosis to the celebrity’s name from that movie that you just couldn’t think of to the multitude of shopping items that you just had to have. I shudder at the thought!

What I enjoyed most about this novel was that the characters were not perfect. I’m not the type of reader who wants to be swept up in an idealistic, too-good-to-be-true scenario. Bring on the flawed, realistic characters! Emma Hughes did just that.

Laura’s life wasn’t picture-perfect. She had been unlucky in love (at a bit of her own doing). Her ideas of love, romance, and marriage were a bit jaded by her own parents’ marriage. They weren’t the best role models of a happily ever after, as their marriage had been tumultuous and on the rocks for years.

When Cupid found Laura’s match, he was everything that she should have wanted: he was handsome, educated, had a good career, and was a family-minded person. But while she tried to find that spark between them, she just wasn’t feeling their connection. She did, however, feel a spark with one of the Cupid employees. Mm-hmm.

There were plenty of highs and lows on Laura’s journey. Her path wasn’t smooth and easy, but she plodded on and persisted. As I mentioned, she wasn’t a perfect character, but she was one that I couldn’t help but root for. I wanted her to find happiness, to be content in her life, to find true love. Did she? I’m not going to say, but her journey was one that I was glad to be on with her.

*4 Stars

I thought I would enjoy this book more than I did. At the start it was an easy interesting read as Laura, a journalist, is threatened with redundancy and so puts herself forward for a new concept of dating by matching you up with someone who meets your internet likes. She meets Adam who seems to be perfect but she is not sure they are compatible even though they are supposed to be. As she is writing an article on the concept she has to feed back to the dating company frequently.

I found Adam's character didn't develop much and Laura wasn't very likeable due to her own issues from childhood. The book started well but then seemed to take a different tack from what I expected and it wasn't as good. Other characters could have been more developed in the main body of the book for a better read.

Thought I'd give this a go, but not what I usually read.
Laura is threatened with redundancy, losing her job is the last thing she needs. Then she is given a lifeline to write a piece on a new dateline service.
A very modern love story, characters didn't grab me but thought family and friends were depicted well.
Fun read, but not for me.