This book just wasn't for me. The writing was fluid, the characters were well-developed, and the story was detailed - however, it was missing that *spark* that made me want to read and re-read. Although the story was nice, there wasn't much to keep my interest - no major storylines or climatic plot elements and it felt like it took a very, (very!) long time for Ollie to finally reach her happy ending.
Thank you to NetGalley and Boldwood Books for the ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review.

This one is SO CUTE! THE COVER, the story, and everything in between! I absolutely love it. I highly recommend.

The story of Ollie, who moves out of home in the run up to her 30th birthday. She is determined to complete her Dream List on her own, without a man. Will that change when she meets Sam?

A great read - I liked all the characters, especially Joan!

As someone who just turned 30 I really resonated with this book! Just the way you are is a story about taking back control of your life. Ollie Tennyson wrote a "dream list" as a teenager, only to realize none of her dreams came true, mostly in part to her manipulative mother. Ollie decides to move out and take matters into her own hands. Along the way we meet a cast of characters including a handsome forest ranger. Can Ollie create the life she not only wants, but deserves? I thought this book was sweet and charming. The characters were relatable and fun to root for.

3.5/5

Ollie Tennyson wrote a Dream List when she was sixteen, fourteen years later none of her dreams have materialised because her manipulative mother won't let her have a life. Every time Ollie tries to go on a date, or on holiday with friends, her mother fakes a panic attack, or heart palpitations or some other illness to keep Ollie firmly by her side.

But when Ollie discovers her mother has ransacked her bedroom drawers, opened her diary and dug out her Dream List, proposing the two of them do many of the things on the list for Ollie's impending thirtieth birthday, something snaps and Ollie decides to move out.

Ollie's best friend has her own burdens (I assume she had her own book) and challenges Ollie not to swap catering to her mother's very need to do the same thing for a man, persuading her to sign a Man Ban until Ollie has completed all the things on her list (many of which she dreamt of doing with her dream guy) solo.

Ollie loves into a tiny end of row cottage, her two neighbours being an elderly, bad tempered, man and a single mother with a pre-teen daughter. Oh, and there's a hunky forest ranger who patrols Sherwood Forest which extends just beyond the cottage's shared garden.

Can Ollie become her own woman without a man?

This is a sweet, fun, contemporary romance. Ollie's Pollyanna-like charms soon help her befriend her new neighbours, foster romance between her adult-literacy clients, and melt the heart of the prim and proper local librarian.

I received a free copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley in return for an honest review.

This was such a delight to read. I went in expecting a light romance/women’s fiction about Ollie completing her Dream List after moving out of her manipulative mother’s grasp, and while this story was that, it also delved much deeper into harder-hitting themes which I greatly appreciated,

Ollie’s work for the charity ReadUp, helping people learn how to read and write, is one of the central points of the story. I loved that this book furthers awareness of this important issue. It also did a great job in portraying the diverse group of characters that sought help from ReadUp and made them an integral and fun part of the story.

Ollie’s relationship with her mother was another deeper theme of this book. I really liked that their story didn’t just end with Ollie moving out and that it showed their progress and set-backs in trying to develop a healthier relationship with each other.

What I enjoyed most about this book though was Ollie’s relationship to all her neighbors, especially to Leanne and Joan, as well as Ebenezer (whose reluctant helping and communicating through notes really cracked me up a few times). A lot of important points about friendship and found family were made here, and I really liked that Ollie found a way to stay true to her personality of being a helper while also developing healthier boundaries.

While I did like Ollie’s romance with Sam, I sadly found him to be one of the lesser fleshed out characters. But I still was invested in their relationship.

All in all, I found this book to be really insightful into many different types of relationships and I loved reading about Ollie’s journey towards becoming a more independent person.

TW: I would issue some trigger warnings for toxic relationships, manipulation and abandonment. Also, if you suffer from medical anxiety or have similar triggers, please be aware that at one point a side character is hospitalized for a pretty serious illness and that this is a part of the plot.

(Thank you to NetGalley, Beth Moran and Boldwood Books for providing me with an eARC for this book in exchange for my honest feedback. All opinions in this review are my own.)

I received an ARC of, Just The Way You Are, by Beth Moran. This was a nice story. I loved Ollie, starting over is never easy, and never without pitfalls, but she just went with the flow.

Ollie Tennyson is twenty-nine years old, and she has never lived on her own. With a controlling and manipulative mother who guilts Ollie into staying in a toxic environment, Ollie finds it difficult to make the jump towards independence. However, when her mother foils a Valentine’s date, Ollie decides she’s had enough. She purchases a home, moves out, and blocks her hounding mother, determined to complete her bucket list before getting involved with anyone. But then Ollie meets her neighbors, and she soon realizes that her journey has only just begun.

Ollie is such a dynamic and likable character, and her story is relatable and interesting. The book focuses on Ollie taking control of her life and learning to live on her own without the destructive influence of her overbearing mother. Emotionally controlled for her entire adult life, Ollie makes some major changes and puts herself first for the first time in her life. It’s great to see her embrace life, learn what is important to her, create boundaries, and cultivate new and fulfilling relationships, which stands in sharp contrast to the toxic relationship she has with her mother.

The story touches on difficult subjects, including death, toxic and abusive relationships, mental illness, physical illness, money issues, and more. Faced with so many new experiences and new relationships, as well as some concerns regarding said relationships, Ollie is lucky to have a great support system in place. Her long-time best friend, her aunt, and others prove encouraging and supportive of Ollie’s new life and act as strong sounding boards. Moving away from a parent can be difficult at any age, and when you have a manipulative and abusive mother like Ollie’s, I would imagine the feelings are very complicated. I thought the author addressed these conflicting feelings well – the relief and guilt, the sadness and happiness, the sense of freedom and fear of being alone. There’s so much to unravel, and Ollie learns a lot about herself throughout her journey.

The relationship Ollie develops with Joan is one of my favorite parts of the story. I think both Joan and Ollie learn a lot from each other, and their connection is so sweet and lovely. They have a shared love of reading, which is the kind of neighbor I would love! Ollie also develops a great friendship with Joan’s mother, as well as several other people in the story. Ollie has a way of breaking down others’ walls. From Joan’s cynical mother to her introverted and curmudgeonly neighbor to the people she helps with literacy struggles to the ornery and unwelcoming librarian, Ollie sees past the surface and tries to befriend these seemingly friendless people. I think Ollie learns what it means to be connected to people without being manipulated and burdened by relationships. She also learns how to set boundaries and stick up for herself, which is fantastic! And these secondary characters are great (except Ollie’s mother. She’s a troll.). Each character is layered and dynamic and has a compelling story to tell. I could easily see a sequel that focuses on several of these interesting people.

The love story is another wonderful part of the story, though it did not dominate the plot. The story focuses more on Ollie’s transformation, which, in turn, contributes to the development of new relationships, including her relationship with Sam. It’s too bad she has a no-man mandate because this ranger is hunky and sweet! He has such a great personality, and he is so calm and patient. He and Ollie both have complicated relationships with members of their families, and it’s interesting to see how they each deal with these issues. I like how their relationship slowly builds, and I rooted for them to find happiness together despite the obstacles in front of them.

A story of self-discovery, self-acceptance, and finding love when you least expect it, Just the Way You Are is a heart-warming and thought-provoking read that I would most definitely recommend to readers of contemporary fiction or romance.

Just the way you are is a story about a woman who has to learn how to live on her own.
Ollie is 29 and suffers from smothering mother syndrome. When enough is enough and she has to spend another Valentine’s Day with her mum who so conveniently always gets sick when Ollie has plans outside of home, she decides to move out and get it together.
With the help of her best friend Steph she starts to fulfill things on her bucket list. She buys a house in a small village, befriends her neighbours and step by step learns that not only that she doesn’t have to burden herself with other peoples’ worries but that the things on her bucket list can be done in different ways than she imagined.

I’m going to say this first: I HATED Olli’s mother. I will never understand why and how you can treat your own child like this and then make a surprised pikachu face when that child leaves and blocks you. And the guilt tripping, oh my lanta. What a c u next Tuesday.
I loved the description of Ollies cottage and I will try to build it in the sims lol.
Ollies support system was so likeable and I loved that they were so patient with her. The neighbours were adorable and it was predictable how those relationships were going to end.
The love part was also nice. Not too fast, not too slow, just right.
But I was kind of disgusted at how dirty Ollie was. How can you go outside without showering for so many days? Urgh.

I hope this story opens the eyes of other people with overbearing family members because just because they’re family doesn’t mean that you have to put your own life on hold for them.

Wow!, what a fantastic read, I thoroughly enjoyed this, tue best book I I’ve read for a very long time.

I would recommend this to all my friends…. A must read!!

“This world is crazy, that’s why I prefer books, because they make more sense”.

What a happy little story!

Synopsis:
Ollie has spent her entire life under her mother’s thumb. Smothering mothering, as her best friend Steph would say. In this gem of a story, we will follow along as Ollie breaks free from the restraints to find herself. By completing her ‘dream list’. A list she created when she was 16 years old full of things she wants to accomplish with the man of her dreams. But nearing 30, there is no man. So she sets out to accomplish these on her own and learn how to depend on herself for happiness.

My thoughts:
A book for everyone. A reminder that our own happiness lies within ourselves. No one else. Relating with Ollie was easy. As an only child, I have never ventured far from my parents, knowing that I am all they have.

The characters are all lovable (except maybe her mom). Ollie is strong, brave and so kindhearted. Her relationship with 11 year old Joan is beautifully displayed. The story behind Joans’ life, heartbreaking. Ebeneezer, the the elderly gentleman next door, his own story to tell. Sam, the handsome ranger who sweeps in at every turn. Irene, the local Library Lady. This is a very character driven book and it was done wonderfully.

Thank you to NetGalley and Boldwood books for my E-Arc of this book in exchange for my honest review.

I've really enjoyed a couple of Beth Moran's previous books and so I was excited to get this ARC, it felt like the perfect antidote to the New Year January blues, and it really was. It was funny and sweet and empowering and charming. I loved Ollie's bravery in breaking away from her toxic relationship with her mother, but I also really appreciated how deeply she still loved her, and how the book showed her repeatedly stating her boundaries and holding to them. It wasn't as simple as walking away, but the ongoing relationship between them was really satisfying to read. I also adopted Joan, and the cast of village characters, it was such a delightful book. My only downside was that I would have like some more time developing the romance, but I did really love all the development of the various friendships so I was happy to take that instead! All in all a delight to read.

A lovely story about discovering yourself what ever your age. I have enjoyed a couple of Beth Moran books and wasn't disappointed in this one. Loveable characters relatable plot, an enjoyable book.

What a sweet and fun story about learning to be an adult and to create healthy relationships. I especially enjoyed the character development of some of the secondary characters.

I blitzed through this book over the weekend as I just could not get enough. Light and witty I enjoyed every second. Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Loved this book. I kept imagining it as a film with a young Meg Ryan playing Ollie and Tom Hanks playing another character (I can’t say who as I don’t want to give the story away). I loved that there are many plots going on, but it wasn’t difficult to follow who everyone is and what they are doing. I didn’t want it to end, but not just because I wanted to know what happened to Ollie, but to Leanne and Joan, Trev and Jasmine, and Irene ( no more said!)
It must be fun to live in Bigley Bottom, and fantastic that there is a thriving soft craft shop; I’d be there.
I will definitely, be reading more of Beth’s stories.

Massive thank you to Net Galley for allowing me to read and review this ARC!
The characters are so lovable and the story was very relatable. The author talks about some sensitive subjects in such a respectful way. It definitely enabled me to see things about my own life that I hadn’t quite seen before. I genuinely felt as if this book had been written for me in some parts. I often found myself telling my partner about what was happening because we had experienced similar!
I was constantly in awe of Ollie, her journey in the story is such a significant one and I think it was such an uplifting story that everyone needs to read.

Look no further than Just the Way You Are if you're seeking for a warm, cosy, life-affirming hug in book form. We follow Ollie as she stands on her own two feet and learns who she is by accomplishing a list of 12 dreams, breaking free from a difficult relationship with an overbearing and controlling mother (a bucket list of sorts). Without the lovely characters that supported (and at times thwarted) Ollie in her quest, this book would not have been as healthy as it was. Each of the individuals is important in Ollie's development, but they each have their own tale and unique arch. All micro stories are wonderfully written and given full attention, whether it's Joan and her mother (Leanne) finally coping with their difficult past (and present) or Irene opening up at the library.
Just the Way You Are made me laugh out loud (Joan is clever, Ebenezer is a hoot, and Ollie's views are delightfully identifiable) and break my heart (Leanne's storey line isn't a walk in the park, and I appreciate the care that went into handling it). This is the ideal book to read on a rainy January day.

As Ollie’s 30th birthday is drawing near, she decides to take the leap and move out on her own and away from her co-dependent and controlling mother. Desperate to find herself outside of who her mother wants her to be, Ollie takes on the journey of completing her dream list solo.

Beth Moran writes her cast of characters in a deeply relatable way so you connect emotionally with them. While the mother aspect of the novel is what sets up the whole storyline, I really hated the character and it felt like everyone else was also enabling while criticizing Ollie for not just leaving. The town is written in a way that honestly, I’m still not sure of how big it is but the characters fill every hole. The story is simple and casual with no desperation feel to speed along the story and rush to the end. It’s written in a way that you feel like you’re just along for the ride, watching Ollie’s life unfold.

I had never read a book by Beth Moran but after reading, and loving, Just the Way You Are I plan to read more!

The story is well written and the main cast of characters are easy to root for. The pacing is good up until the end when it seems a bit rushed with a couple of clichéd situations that didn't go well with the story of a young woman finding herself and her own way.