4.5/5 stars.

I’ve been seeing Portia Macintosh’s books for a long time but I’ve never given one a chance until now and I am so happy I did. This book was funny, sad, and moving all in one. I felt like I was on a journey with my girlfriends the entire time. Some of the characters were a little too outrageous but just a generally fun read.

Content warning below (spoilers):






Infant loss/miscarriage.

This ARC was provided to me via Kindle by Boldwood Books and #NetGalley for my honest opinion. Opinions expressed are completely my own.

Fun read with likable characters.

No Ex Before Marriage by Portia MacIntosh is a heartwarming read that will make you smile. I have loved all of this author's previous books, and this latest is no exception.

Poppy is mourning the loss of her mother, not to mention the end of her marriage, and is coming to grips with the fact that her father is moving on, while she herself seems to be stuck in the here and now. A shocking revelation while on a date sends her racing to Scotland to finalize her divorce before her ex can walk down the aisle for a second time. Everyone seems to be getting on with things as they are, but will Poppy ever find her own happily ever after?

Many thanks to NetGalley and Boldwood Books for an ARC.

This was such a fun kick read! I really liked the humor throughout the story and I found the main character very likeable. I also really enjoyed the whole concept of the story and think it worked really well ovarall.

5 *stars*

Big thanks to Boldwood Books and Netgalley for providing this copy for my honest review!

Oh, with a bit of a mystery in here!

A plot twist at the beginning, I wasn't expecting that at all. I thought that the book would be about Fred and Poppy, but it does get better than that as it is also about the adventures that Poppy and Kat had in this book. If your long lasting friends don't include you in their social married couple circle than you need to find new friends that appreciate you as a person and are okay with you not being married (divorced). There comes Kat, true friend, as they are known for short amount of time.
Short chapters, really enjoyable writing. Ending was predictable, but not in a bad way!

Thank you!
#NoExBeforeMarriage #NetGalley

This is a fun read, very enjoyable. Zac and Poppy were the first of their friends to get married, and then divorced. But not really divorced, due to a clerical error. This book will have you laughing out loud with all the obstacles that get I the way of them getting their divorce officially.

I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own. Thank you NetGalley, Portia Macintosh and Boldwood Books for this edition and hearing my honest review. Looking forward to reading more with you
#partner

This is the 5th book by Portia MacIntosh that I’ve read, and I’ve previously said she’s an auto-buy author for me, and that certainly hasn’t changed. Her writing just works so well for me, she’s definitely become my favourite author. I read this book all in one sitting because I could not put it down.

I think that if this was the first book of hers that I had read, I would have liked it more. By no means am I saying I didn’t like this, I adored it, but there were aspects of the wedding that reminded me a lot of her book ‘Stuck On You’ (my personal favourite of hers) and even a bit of ‘Life’s A Beach.’ But the whole wedding weekend in a secluded luxury hotel with family just felt too familiar for my personal taste.

This was also a lot heavier than her previous books have been, in my opinion. Like, I sobbed. SOBBED. Reading about a parent who has passed (even if it’s been years) always gets to me. The way it was written it was so well done, as were other heavy topics, I think I just wasn’t expecting to have such an emotional response to this story.

One thing I’ve always enjoyed in Portia’s books is the inclusion of family, and while that was nice here, I really enjoyed the very real conversations about friendships and how they develop as people get older. Another thing I loved was the referenced in the flashback chapters. I’m right around the same age as Poppy (7 months older) so when she talked about her outfits and makeup in high school, I knew exactly what she meant and can remember literally wearing the exact same things. I thought that was very fun.

So this hasn’t come out on top for my favourite book of hers yet, but I am still so, so glad that I read it. I will of course continue to read anything and everything Portia MacIntosh puts out, and will be buying a physical copy of No Ex Before Marriage for my shelf when it comes out in January.

Thank you to Boldwood Books & NetGalley for the opportunity to read an advanced copy of this book!

This was the first book I'd read by Portia, despite liking the sound of some of her novels in the past and just not getting around to them, but it definitely won't be my last.

I couldn't put it down! I really felt for Poppy at first because her friends sounded awful. But then she meets a new friend, Kat, at the singles table of her friend's wedding and they crash a party next door together and then it just gets better from there.

I loved Kat, dragging Poppy into funny situations but also being a great friend to her instantly and having her back.

This book was loads of fun and there was time jumps back and forward, which sometimes doesn't work, but I quite liked it in this book because you got more insight into Poppy and Zac's relationship and what led to them breaking up. Although there is funny moments and it was a joy to read, there are also some parts that touches on deeper issues and they were handled sensitively. I felt like it made Poppy such a relatable character at times.

5⭐

Thank you to NetGalley, Boldwood Books and the author for the review copy, provided in exchange for an honest opinion.

this was such a fun read! i enjoyed reading about poppy and zac and the whole crashing-your-kind-of-ex-husband's-wedding situation was at times hilarious. i liked kat as a side character, she always did and said the craziest stuff and she was a nice addition to the story. but what really sold this book to me were the flashback chapters. reading about poppy and zac falling in love when they were teenagers (there's actually a very detailed description of 2006 fashion that made me laugh out loud) but also how they got "divorced", it was heartwarming and heartbreaking at the same time.
there are also also some things that i didn't particularly enjoy, like how poppy's friends behaved at times and the fact that, to me, the first 30% of the book felt too dragged out.
overall, it was a cute story that i recommend if you want a simple and fast read and especially if you're a fan of second chance romance!

3/5 stars!

trigger warnings: mentions of death of a parent, mentions of miscarriage

Portia is one of my favorite authors of all time! Her books are funny, relatable, heartwarming. They are just the best! She always manages to put out a unique storyline and so many books at a time I don’t know how she does it! This was such a fresh and unique concept and I loved every minute. I flew through it!

It's not over until someone says 'I do'...
While her friends join the "Wife Club" one by one, Poppy feels like that part of her life is done and dusted. Already married and divorced she's not desperate to go through all that again.

But what if her divorce never actually went through...?

After a shock revelation Poppy not only discovers she is still married, but that Zac is about to have his second wedding!

Coming face to face with her (almost) ex-husband after six years apart is never going to be easy. And when Zac panics and tells his new wife-to-be that Poppy is family, things can't get much worse as she is welcomed with open arms as part of the wedding party!

As the memories flood back, can Poppy really leave the past where it is? And can she watch the first love of her life walk down the aisle to say 'I do' once again?

A laugh-out-loud romantic comedy from top 10 bestseller Portia MacIntosh, guaranteed to brighten up your day.

This was FUN, it was such a cute feel-good book! I almost stayed up to finish it as it was a quick book. Poppy is so funny that I was laughing throughout. Without saying too much Poppy finds out that she’s still married to her ex, Zac and that the divorce wasn’t finalised 6 years ago, so what does she do? She tracks him down to his wedding weekend and gets stuck there while trying to get him to sign the papers before he gets married. The bride and her family also have no idea who she really is. I love that it served tropes such as: childhood sweethearts, accidentally still married, second chance, stuck together and lots of funny one liners.

This story started out slow, but it's a great story about the second chance at love.Also great characters.

Thank you to Boldwood Books and NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for an honest review!

No Ex Before Marriage by Portia MacIntosh is an adorable rom-com featuring an older woman who has already walked down the aisle. The story revolves around Poppy, who has been divorced from her ex-husband Zac for six years. She hasn't heard from him since. One day, she discovers that the divorce was never actually finalized! She's still married to Zac! Because of a hilarious mishap, Zac ends up introducing Poppy to his fiance as part of his family, and now, she's invited to his wedding. Can Poppy keep up the charade for the rest of the wedding?

Here is a humorous excerpt from Chapter 1:

"The reason we’re drifting apart is the aforementioned Wife Club, and some of us perhaps not being quite as into it as others.
It’s funny that Rachael is the last one in our group to tie the knot because she’s always been the most enthusiastic about doing so. So much so that we had a bit of upset last year when Sally got married.
Well, Rachael was a bridesmaid for me, and then for Lindsey, so when Sally wound up getting married next and asked us all to be bridesmaids, Rachael had a total meltdown because, you know what they say, three times a bridesmaid, never a bride. I mean, they say that, but it’s not true, is it?"

Overall, No Ex Before Marriage is a great rom-com that will appeal to fans of Anna Bell and Sophie Kinsella. Although I typically read fantasy and thrillers, sometimes, I want to read something light-hearted that doesn't require too much thought or emotional output. When I feel like laughing out loud or daydreaming, I specifically look for rom-coms. I did take off 1 star, because I felt that there wasn't much of a plot in this book. If you're intrigued by the excerpt above, or if you're a fan of rom-coms in general, I highly recommend checking out this book when it comes out in January!

No Ex Before Marriage is a laugh-out-loud romance that had me hooked from the start. Popppy is a great character and I loved every minute of this story. This was the first book I read by Portia MacIntosh but it won't be my last. A great storyteller who grabs you from the beginning and keeps you entertained throughout.