[Actual Rating 4.25] I am always excited to read a new Portia Macintosh novel as they are easy reads while still having depth and enjoyment within the pages. No Ex Before Marriage is another excellent novel that was a heartfelt exploration of romances and friendships. The story follows 30-years-old Poppy, who was the first in her core group of friends to get married when she was in her twenties. Now that her friends, Sally and Lindsey are married, it is time for the remaining friend, Rachael; however, all of them will not be married at the same time as Poppy is now divorced. Poppy’s journey in the novel begins as she is attending Rachael’s wedding.

When Poppy arrives at the reception, Rachel informs her that she is placed at the singles table and not at the head table because she no longer has a plus one. This was a great introduction to the friend group, as I really did not like them throughout the entire story, although some readers may not mind them as much. The best thing that comes out of Poppy’s new seat assignment is that she meets Kat, who initially appeared as the super outgoing personality type, but gained a lot of depth as the story moved forward. Kat and Poppy bond at the wedding and end up becoming friends. Kat even agrees to accompany Poppy when she discovers that she is still married and her divorce was never finalized. Her “ex-“husband Zac is actually getting married soon in Scotland, so Poppy and Kat head there to “crash” the wedding and have Zac sign the papers so he can legally marry his new fiancé.

At the Scottish castle, which is Zac’s wedding location, Poppy and Zac reconnect and it was bittersweet as there is a lot in their past that still weighs heavily on their minds. Initially, the reader is in the dark about their relationship, but eventually, there are flashbacks chapters that weave together their story. Initially, I was not a fan of Zac, as he did not disclose his previous marriage to his fiancé, which just seems like a red flag. He may not have been my favorite character (that title remains with Poppy and Kat for a tie), but he did grow on me by the end. Throughout the story, Poppy begins to reevaluate her life to see how she wants to proceed in the future. There are many ups and downs with a nice central theme of the importance of communication. Overall, this was a very entertaining escape read and I cannot wait to read more from the author!

**I give a special thank you to Rachel @rararesources, the publisher, Boldwood Books, and the author for the opportunity to participate with this enjoyable novel. The opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.**

Portia Macintosh book are such great reads.

Fun characters, lots of laughter and heartwarming moments and great dialogue.

Poppy is reaching a crossroads in her life as the last of her best friends gets married she is already divorced while everyone isncoupled up and settled down she is single and starting over. She no longer feels like she fits in as she gets relegated to the singles’ table at weddings.

But she teams upwith fellow singleton, Kat, who is out to enjoy life. Skipping out of the wedding and heading to a New Year’s Eve party instead, Poppy meets gorgeous Fred and things might just be going her way.

And then her dad calls with the news that her divorce paperwork was never finished. Legally she is still married. Her ex-husband, Zac, is about to remarry and Poppy has no choice but to head up to the wedding.

Old feelings are rekindled, misunderstandings happen and there’s lots of fun to be had along the way.

This is such a fun read with a great characters. I loved Poppy and Kat’s growing friendship. Theres a great balance of heartwarming fun and really poignant moments and I thoroughly enjoyed it.

Reading this book was like having a good girly gossip with a friend. It had so much I loved going on, a great storyline, powerful female friendships and a twist on the traditional romance story. The author had such a raw, honest and authentic voice when it came to discussing the life of a thirty-something woman. It had such a sense of realism; I could imagine Poppy’s story happening to a friend.
The book had me laughing out loud, or sympathising with Poppy, or even on the verge of tears for her at times. Overall, the book struck a good balance between working well as a rom-com and dealing with real life issues.
Whilst the romance was at the heart of the story, for me the whole book was about Poppy’s journey as a woman getting closure on one part of her life and moving onto the next. That was where the writing really shone. A rollercoaster of emotions that didn’t disappoint. With thanks to Boldwood Books, Rachel’s Random Resources and NetGalley for this ARC I received in exchange for an honest review.

✨BLOG TOUR REVIEW✨ No Ex Before Marriage by Portia MacIntosh.

*AD/Gifted ARC in exchange for an honest review*

Thank you to @rachelsrandomresources @netgalley @bookandtonic

If you’ve followed me for a while, you’ll know I adore Portia’s work, and this is no exception!

My favourite scene of this book is the Whisky tasting scene. It reminds me of when me and my bestie Miranda drove 6 hours to the bottom tip of Western Australia to taste whisky for a uni project. Did we need to? No. Do we like whisky? Also, no. But it was a fab weekend regardless!

Poppy was a fantastic female lead and Zac was simply wonderful. I was really rooting for them. I don’t want to say too much and ruin the plot, but there is such an important message in this book which I thought finished the story perfectly

5☆ Highly Compelling, Entertaining and Plenty of Laugh out loud moments.

If I could give this book more ☆s
I would!
I absolutely loved reading No Ex Before Marriage! I don't think I've come across a story quiet like it before!
I'm a huge fan of Portia's books and I think this one could be my favourite!
I could see this being made into a film it was so good.

I'm not going to go into the plot as I don't want to risk giving any secrets away. This is a book you need to uncover for yourselves!

I really liked going from past to present with Poppy and Zac's relationship it was so Heartwarming to see how their love blossomed at such a young age, to their heartbreak that led to their breakup.
I was routing for them the whole way through!

I also loved Poppy and Kat's friendship, Kat certainly bought out the wild side in Poppy and it was a joy to see especially her secret service job lol

There's some juicy Twists, plenty of Laugh out Loud moments & giggles, a stunning location, potential Romances, Crazy Antics, Sabotage,
New Friendships and some Quirky Characters which were a lil like marmite some I loved and some I definitely disliked lol

But one thing is for certain once you start reading No Ex Before Marriage you won't want to put it down!
Portia has written another absolute gem!

I loved Poppy! She was hysterical! I found myself literally laughing out loud several times over the course of No Ex Before Marriage, so that's pretty high praise coming from me! It was a witty, sexy, and very entertaining read!

“Once upon a time I had real love. Is it really worth getting married for less?”

Wow this was a really good read from Portia MacIntosh!

Poppy married her childhood sweetheart, Zac, however things didn’t work out and to her regret she finds herself divorced at the age of 30. All her friends are settled down and married and suddenly all social events with them are now done in couples and Poppy feels more left out than ever. Then suddenly Poppy’s father makes a discovery when doing some tidying up in Poppy’s late mother’s office…. Poppy isn’t actually divorced! Straight after that bombshell another one is dropped….. that Zac is due to get married….. but of course he is still married to Poppy! Cue a rush to Zac’s wedding location with a new (and a little crazy) friend, Kat. Will Poppy get there in time and get all the paperwork signed so Zac doesn’t unwittingly commit bigamy? You’ll have to read to find out!

I really enjoyed reading this story, I have to admit I did feel things were a little slow at the start until we met Zac but once we did, the story just flew. I thought Poppy’s friends were horrific to her at the beginning, but I did change my mind about them later on! I absolutely adored the throw back chapters as they helped the story massively and I loved how they showed how Zac and Poppy got together.

I also wanted to highlight how well written Poppy’s experience was. I don’t want to say too much as I don’t want to give any spoilers but having been through the experience myself, I thought the author absolutely nailed it.

All in all, I definitely recommend this book to any rom-com fans, it was a great little escape from reality. I’m also really glad I discovered Portia MacIntosh and already have got another one of her books on my tbr list.

Thank you to Netgalley, Portia MacIntosh and Boldwood Books for my advanced reading copy. Due out 11th January 2022.

Fun read! Plenty of action and enjoyable characters. This is an uplifting read that I would recommend! Thanks to NetGalley for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I really enjoyed this heartwarming story.
This was an extremely enjoyable read !
I highly recommend this book!
The book is fun, with many laugh out loud moments, it took me from laughing to tearing . So many emotions!

Ahh! My favorite Portia MacIntosh book yet! I absolutely loved LOVED this book. I enjoyed the back-and-forth with the characters so much, I felt as though I was right there with them. The only thing that left me wanting, was that I felt Poppy's chance with Fred fizzled out much too fast, without many answers. But otherwise, I absolutely loved this. The characters were so descriptive and well-developed, and I could picture myself in Scotland. Five stars! I would definitely recommend this. Can't wait to see what's next!

Portia MacIntosh is one of my favourite authors as my local bookshop and my library card can attest. Her books are such a treat-lighthearted but with some serious issues explored on the way, with sweet and loyal protagonists, and incredibly entertaining plotlines. No Ex Before Marriage was no exception- once again five stars, Portia does it again!

The book opens with a wedding scene. The last of Poppy Walker's childhood friends Rachael has joined the Wives' Club. She might have gone a bit over top with relegating Poppy to a sad singles' table, but Poppy is a good sport, she won't spoil her friend's wedding by complaining. Well, Poppy does have some things to be unhappy about. Her best friends have been excluding her from their social life. While Poppy was the first to get married, at the tender age of twenty four, she was also the first one to get divorced. Add her mum dying in a freaky car accident and her dad barely coping with his grief...What Poppy needs is love and support of her friends, but all she is getting is judgy comments. The single table would be an utter disaster, were it not for Kat, a fun-loving fellow pariah who reminds her to take every opportunity to live her life and have a good time. Then out of blue, Poppy's Dad informs her that her divorce was never finalised and she has very little time to correct the situation before her ex gets married in a private ceremony in a remote part of Scottish Highlands and Poppy doesn't think twice- she needs to save Zac, 'the nerdy love of her life', from becoming a bigamist.

The pace was great. Portia hits the ground running with the opening scenes and the road trip and then lets us absorb what actually happened to Poppy and Zac's relationship through a series of flashbacks entertwined with the scenes at the Scottish castle where Zac and his influencer/ daughter of a movies star fiancee are getting ready for their wedding. It isn't difficult to guess what caused Zac and Poppy's breakup and when we finally got to discussing this heavy topic, I was very happy to see it was dealt with in an extremely sensitive way. It did add a touch of real life sadness to this very well-balanced book.

Poppy is a very likeable protagonist, although, unlike Portia's other protagonists, she does come across as a bit weak- defeated by life? in need of a good hug and a fun night out with her friends? She's serious and honest, and takes responsibility for her own actions. She doesn't give up on her friendships, because sometimes life happens and you can drift apart, the important thing is to talk and make time for your lifelong friends. You're probably going to hate Poppy's friends at the beginning of the book and might not find it easy to forgive, but I bet it will make even more appreciative of Kat. Well, the more, the merrier, and there's place in life for all kinds of friend, old and new.

I often see books described as heartwarming and uplifting and I don't always agree with the blurb, but that's exactly how this one felt. The message is great: live your life and do things, even though it might mean making mistakes because no one is perfect, live your life so that you don't have regrets later, have fun and take care of your loved ones.
Highly recommended to anyone who appeciates a good British romcom.

This is one of those books that after you read it you think, boy would this be a fun movie to watch! This was a first time read for me by this author, and now I will be looking for more of her books. I liked the character of Poppy - her circle of friends, not so much. Being the first to get married and then divorced, her friends really do not treat her as a true friend making her feel left out by having things such as "Wives Only" nights out and of course not inviting her and generally keeping her out of their social loop. I do like the new friendship she developed with Kat, though. Everyone should have a friend like her!
Poppy believed herself to be divorced all this time, only to find out the divorce never went through. Now she has to fly to Scotland to tell her ex he can't get married because he is still married to her! If you're looking for a fun romantic comedy that will give you some laugh out loud moments, then I think you will enjoy this delightfully cute story. The characters were lovely (except Poppy's friends!) and the story was entertaining and enjoyable. The story definitely has romance, but I think Poppy's friendships and how they affected and influenced her were also a big part of the story as well. A really nice read!

I received a complimentary copy from Netgalley and am voluntarily leaving my review.

I am always so excited when a new Portia Macintosh is on its way as her books just hit the spot every single time. No Ex Before marriage delivers on everything I enjoy in a romance novel and I thoroughly enjoyed it.
Poppy’s life has recently lacked a little sparkle. She was married and divorced within a few years and her married friends are excluding her more and more. Until she realises that she is actually not divorced at all and her ex is about to remarry. Can Poppy race to Scotland in time to finalise the divorce or will old feelings get in the way?
I felt really sorry for Poppy and was actually really angry with her petty and shallow so-called best friends although they do have some sense of loyalty – I was irritated on Poppy’s behalf. I loved that Kat came into her life when she really needed her and she was definitely my favourite character. The pair get up to some fun and hilarious adventures on their trip and I often giggled out loud whilst reading. Everyone needs a Kat as a mate.
This is such an uplifting romance that is perfect to help manage the January blues and the rubbish weather (here in the UK) means you have a perfect excuse to stay in for a one sitting read too. Highly recommended.

Poppy has been friends with Rachael, Lindsey, and Sally all of her life. Now, that her last friend is married, Poppy is being treated like a fifth wheel because although she was married to Zac, she is now divorced. Recently she was a bridesmaid in Rachael’s wedding, however she wasn’t invited to eat with the wedding party, but instead was allocated to the singles table. Rather an insult, however, Poppy met a fun, single gal named Kat and they became instant friends. They even crept away from the wedding party to crash another office party. They danced all night and had a great time.

Poppy manages her family’s framing business. Her Mum, a solicitor, was killed several years ago in a car crash. Poppy and her Dad mourn her still. However, she has just learned that her Dad has just met a nice woman on a widow/widower dating site.

Poppy and Zac met and fell in love in school. They married at a young age but divorced just a couple years later. But when she has a miscarriage, she is unable to carry on with their marriage.

In looking through her mother’s paperwork, Poppy’s father learns that when her mother handled her divorce, she never completed the paperwork convinced that Poppy and Zac would get back together. When Poppy hunts Zac down to tell him so they can get the divorce finalized, she learns he is about to get married to a wealthy woman in a high security wedding in a castle in Scotland. So, she and Kat head out hoping to get with him to sign papers so he doesn’t become a bigamist.

The family Zac is set to marry into is rather kooky and the cat and mouse games they have to play in order to get the papers signed and sent off before the wedding are really cute.

I loved Poppy, her new friend, Kat, and her father. What nice people they are. There are many laughs in this book which made it lots of fun and a clean rom-con as well. Enjoy.

Copy provided by NetGalley in exchange for a fair and honest review.

(Thank you Netgalley and the publisher for the eARC in exchange for a review)

Did I just give this a 5 star? Yes I did! Not sure if it is related to the fact that I recently read Karin Slaughter (the anti-rom com author) factor in an impending snow storm I Was in need of a total light, fluffy, warm, cozy,sweet read! This book was all that plus a Snuggie! Warm fuzzies are still running through my blood
The book opens with Poppy at her friend's wedding and we immediately pick up that she is now the token "3rd wheel". She is seated at the "singles" table at the wedding. She is barely 30 and soon learn that she is divorced. The opening few chapters were a little slow developing Poppy and Kat (who she meets at the wedding) But it was worth it all. MacIntosh I think did this to make you grow fond of the duo. Well, turns out Poppy's ex husband (who we get little taste of through flashbacks--y'all talk about chemistry!) is getting married and *gasp* there divorce never went through because Poppy's lawyer mom never finalized the paperowrork...sneaky sneaky. So the rest of the book is pretty fast as we follow Poppy to her not so ex husbands wedding to sign the divorce papers. Kat is her tag along on the adventure. Let's say when Poppy arrives things get pretty awkward and lovable!
If you ask me this time next year what this book is about I probably won't remember most of the details, but I will be able to tell you it made me smile and put me in a very happy mood!
Thanks Ms MacIntosh!

A big thank you to NetGalley and Boldwood Books for the ARC. I am voluntarily reviewing this book. I believe that this is my first book by this author. I found this book to be ok. I really liked Poppy and loved, loved loved Kat. I felt for Poppy-that her friends treated her differently since she got divorced and left her out of things. I dislike Zac. I never really grew to like him. I am glad she found her happy ending. 3 stars

5 Word Review: Friendship, marriage, grief, secrets, love.

I knew that picking up another Portia MacIntosh book would be the perfect escape for a winters night, and No Ex Before Marriage proved that point. It's perfect for a coorie up with a fluffy blanket and some hot chocolate.

Poppy was marvellous. She is so strong against what she's going through, and how the people around her (especially her supposed friends) treat her. I wanted to give her a big hug, and when she met Kat I was delighted.

I loved Kat, together with Poppy they bring out the best of each other, even with the wild shenanigans. I want them both as friends, it would be such a laugh.

I absolutely detested Poppy's ex-husband Zazc, the lying sack. I don't understand why he felt the need to keep his previous marriage secret. Starting off a marriage with a lie? That's never going to end well.

I will say that it did take me a while to get properly into the story. It was a little unsure until about 20%, it wasn't quite as light-hearted as I had expected, and then all of a sudden I couldn't put it down.

I loved the way the story built, and the way it shaped Poppy. The writing style was so visual. I could practically see this in my head like I was watching a film. And it would make an excellent rom-com film. The tropes of the story really played into the cinematic feel, and even though the themes of the story could get heavy at times, it was so well balanced against the comedy and sheer joy it brought out in me.

I loved the mix of settings, and I feel like everything that came before made me love the island more.

I flew through this book, and it's only made me even more excited to see what Portia MacIntosh writes next.

I have read a few of Portia Macintosh's novels now and I always find them an easy, cute read but I just didn't seem to gel with this one!!

I really enjoyed the dramatics of the beginning of the story, it was a great start and I felt like we got to know our main character Poppy very quickly. The story follows Poppy on her journey of love, heartbreak, healing and friendships!

The book has a great concept and I liked the idea of the story. The story has many layers which is usually a concept I really enjoy in a book but I think for this one it has too many layers!

Overall, I am glad I read this as I do love the authors work and I look forward to reading her next novel already!!

Thanks so much to @rachelsrandomresources and @bookandtonic for the opportunity to read an advanced readers copy of No Ex Before Marriage by Portia MacIntosh in exchange for an honest review!!

This is the story of Poppy and Zac, which is told over the course of 44 Chapters. From the moment the book begins it will intrigue readers as Poppy introduces the characters of the book. Throughout this aspect the odd snippet of comedy will shine through leaving the reader giggling.

Although this book is a pure romcom, it also tackles some sensitive issues such as divorce and bereavement. However it manages to tackle these issues in a way that is sensitive but doesn't lose the overall light-heartedness of the book. This means that readers can still enjoy the book even though the issues are dealt with.

Readers will easily be able to get stuck into this book, to the point that they will not notice the chapters go by. They will soon find themselves engrossed in the book and discover that they wish it was longer for no other reason than they want to keep reading.

Whether this is your first book by Portia or you are a long standing fan, you will adore this book. This has everything that a RomCom requires and so much more. I am glad that I haven't read everything Portia has written, as it give me something to look forward to.

First of all, Kat is the most fun character ever to be written.
No Ex Before Marriage was such a fun, yet touching read. It did take a bit for the story to grab me fully, but once it did, it grabbed me by the throat. There is a sweet romance throughout this book, however what stands out the most in this book is the tale of true friendship and a beautiful, platonic soulmate. The characters complimented each other so well, and even the ones who made me mad were so perfectly written I was able to appreciate what they brought to the story. The plot is sweet and simple in a way that is not over done or predictable. The author writes from a point that is both completely believable and yet also encouraging and hopeful.