Interesting story but found it really difficult to connect to any of the characters and sadly I decided to put it down around the 50% mark.

Hopefully everyone else loves it more than I did.

I tried to get into it but the story bored me and I couldn’t connect with the characters at all.

Much appreciation to the publisher and NetGalley for the chance to review.

This book is really good as the main character is very interesting and I liked the characters and the cultural representation in this book it made for a very interesting read. I have read other books like this and I feel like this one does stand out and I would recommend it to a friend.

NetGalley Book Review

Lucie Yi Is Not Romantic has the classic elements of a light-hearted romcom but also discusses a subject that many women may face. That subject is the ‘ticking time-bomb’ of being in your thirties, single and wanting to fulfil the dream of being a mother. 

Whilst not for everyone, MC Lucie has had enough of the corporate world and wants to start a family. This is where Lucie virtually meets Collin; the beautiful man who wants the same thing without the relationship. With a co-parenting agreement in place, Lucie soon becomes pregnant, and they head to Singapore to begin their journey. 

What could possibly go wrong?

I would recommend this to anyone wanting a quick, easy read that will make you laugh but occasionally a little sad. There are some characters you will adore (Collin 🥰)and some that you will detest (here’s looking at you Mark)! I really loved the Singapore setting and learnt so much about cultural differences. 

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

#netgalley #gifted #earc #bookstagram #lucieyiisnotromantic #kindle #romcom

It was an okay read, but I do think it could have been a bit shorter, i felt like it dragged a bit. I liked the concept, but wasn't such a fan of Lucie, which makes it difficult to love the book overall

The premise of this story sounds absolutely gorgeous but for whatever reason I just couldn't seem to make my way through the first few pages. I believe when the right reader picks this one up, this is one to adore.

I do not thin it was my time to read this book: I put it away for now and I will be coming back to this once in the mood for that genre.

Lauren Ho's previous book Last Tang Standing was one of my favourite romantic comedies. This is still a great and funny read, but not the 100% sparkle that is Last Tang

The idea behind this book was an interesting one but I just couldn't like the heroine, Lucie. She left a bad taste with me and I just couldn't continue reading her bad decisions and attitude.

I really enjoyed this book which I found thoughtful and nuanced. Lucie was a great character, and while at times I thought the pacing was a little off, overall it was a really sharp, funny read.

Overall I found Lucie Yi to be fine, but that's really it and there were no standout moments for me. I quite liked Lucie and her approach to becoming a mother teamed with how she deals with familial expectations, but I thought she was too selfish and not always likeable. Whilst I don't need to like all characters, it resulted in me not really caring what happened.

The pregnancy storyline is obviously at the forefront of the story which I was aware of going in, but it still felt a bit too much. Also due to the length of the book I felt that it dragged a little and could've been shorter (maybe removing Mark?!)

I enjoyed the audio and flipped between that and an e-ARC and I appreciated that the author shared CWs on goodreads.

Thanks to the publisher for my audiobook and e-ARC.

CW: grief, pregnancy loss (in the past), cheating (in the past).

I am sort of tired of books suggesting one thing in their title and meaning else in the plot. As the title suggests, our MC is NOT a romantic, but she absolutely is! She just doesn't want to date anymore and get straight to a child because of previous heartbreaks. Her character definitely loves romance!
Having said that, the pace of the story doesn't make sense to me, like at ALL. One second the MC and her co-parent are saying they want it the "traditional way", which is not by having sex, but some other way, and the other, they are having sex? I can't say much about allergic reactions but the ones in this are SO concerning?
Like, I finished this book in hopes that the characters eventually start acting like 30-year-olds, but I don't know.
Wasn't a fan.

I already went into this knowing I would enjoy it because of how much I loved Lauren Ho’s writing in Last Tang Standing. The concept might not have been something I’d usually go for, as someone who isn’t 100% sure they want children themselves, but I actually found Lucie’s journey throughout the book to be quite moving and special, if chaotic and hilarious at times.

I thought the matching to be co-parents idea to be quite out-there, something I’d never even heard of before, and yet somehow it just worked. I loved the relationship development between Lucie and Collin, navigating differing cultural traditions, parenting styles, lifestyles, and their own feelings for one another. It was a really interesting insight into what it takes to have and raise a child.

The addition of Lucie’s ex and their history added a level of realistic complexity to the storyline that I appreciated, and I loved that it was set in Singapore, a place I know so little about but would love to learn more of.

I definitely requested this book based on the fact that I loved Lauren's first book and was super excited to read this one.

However, at no fault but my own, I've decided that the topics and themes of this book are just too heavy for me at the moment and I'm not in the right mental headspace to read this one.

I'm so sorry and I'm still excited to read more of Lauren's work in the future.

Lucie Yi Is Not A Romantic is the first book by Lauren Ho that I've read, and I'm sure it won't be the last.

After a failed relationship, Lucie Yi has decided that she doesn't need Mr Right to have children and signs up to a co-parenting website to explore a different option. It's through this website that she meets easy-going Collin Read. The two enter an agreement, and when Lucy falls pregnant, they move back home to Singapore, where her perfect plan starts to crumble under pressure from her very traditional family.

I enjoyed the unusual premise of this novel, and it offered a perfect balance between humour and serious aspects, dealing with loss and grief in a sensitive manner. An engaging read, and refreshingly different from other rom-coms I've read recently.

The story deals with the interesting issue of deliberate.co-parenting (choosing a partner for the express purpose of having and raising a child together). Lucie has worked hard all of her life and is conscious of her wish to have a child, and decides not to let a lack of a current relationship stop her from doing so and ends up matching with nice-guy Collin Read on a co-parenting site.

This book wasn't quite what I expected it to be. It deals with a very complex issue and, in fairness, the first half of the book reflects this; it was just heavier reading than I assumed it would be (this is a me problem, as opposed to the book though I would say).
The second half is more typically contemporary romance, and this flowed a lot quicker, but the overall pace of the book was a little uneven for me.

Glad to see more unusual fertility choices being championed in this book, and it definitely makes a change from a lot of other current romance titles.

If you enjoyed Last Tang Standing like I did you have to read this one!I find it refreshing and I love the writing so much it was addictive.It was a cute story!Lucie Yi thinks she has everything she could want - a successful career, amazing apartment and amazing friends .But she wants to become a parent. I loved every character in this storie even the secondary!

I initially picked up Lucie Yi Is Not A Romantic in search of a fun, lighthearted read - while it was not particularly lighthearted, it certainly did not disappoint as a fun read.

This has to be one of the most original plots I have ever read, with Lucie deciding to take the plunge to have and raise a baby with a co-parent instead of the traditional family norms that are present in Singapore. She faces obstacles on the way with her parents' disapproval, not-so supportive friends, her job, her budding romance with her co-parent, and most importantly - her ex.

It was definitely a fun book to read, and its originality made it all the more interesting. I will say, however, that I feel it was more of a women's fiction rather than a rom-com, just because there weren't a lot of endearing and romantic scenes between Lucie and Collin. I would have loved to read more of their budding romance.

Thanks to NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review this book. This was a very enjoyable read with good characters and a premise that was well thought out and developed.

What an adventure you go on with Lucie Yi in this book, I absolutely adored it. It is the funniest rom-com I've read in a very long time! Really different take on a love story, and felt really fresh and different!