It is obvious that Bee and Luca belong together. Bee is the bread to his butter; the ying to his yang; the chocolate to his marshmallow. And it makes for an obvious plot. But did that stop me enjoying this story? Absolutely not! Despite the predictable nature of the story, I raced through this book, desperate to see Bee and Luca finally get it together.

This is by far my most favourite read from this author. It was an easy story to slip into and I loved the warmth from both characters. At first I thought it was going to be similar to other romance reads because Luca and Bee are challenged to see whether they can find love through dating apps. Having come across several books with this premise, I thought readers would then see a calamity of dates that the characters experience, before finally realising they are meant to be together. Thankfully, Morrey doesn’t do this.

Instead, we are treated to the warm friendship between Luca and Bee. They clearly look out for one another and, as the remaining singles in their friendship group, I could not agree more that it was high time they found The One. True, readers do see Bee navigate the treacherous terrain of online dating, but this is light-hearted and the story always gravitates back to Luca – a bit like how Bee behaves. However, even when she thinks her relationships are finally turning for the better with Adrian, it simultaneously has an impact on her friendship with Luca. Suddenly they are no longer bickering, but constantly arguing and treading on eggshells. Like their surrounding friends, readers know they are meant to be together – but who is going to acknowledge their feelings and make the first move?

I really warmed to this story because of how fun it was and the romance running throughout. There is no complexities to the plot and this was exactly what I needed. I did suspect Adrian as being the “bad guy” for Bee and was curious to see how this would be revealed. Unfortunately, readers know it will come at a sacrifice for her relationship with Luca which is already under significant strain. Maybe Bee is a little dense at times when it comes to her connection with Luca, but I did love seeing them grow – particularly when Bee ends up in the same office as her life-long friend.

There was nothing to dislike about this book and I raced through it. I couldn’t wait for my happy ever after with Luca and Bee, finding myself impatient that it was taking them so long. Yet, before they can finally come together, both characters needed to grow and I think this backdrop of online dating allowed for this personal growth. Lovable characters with a romantic plot, I finished this book with a great smile on my face. Happy days.

With thanks to Boldwood books and NetGalley for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

A fun sweet read! Highly recommend.

Many thanks to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for my ARC.

"Living Your Best Life" by Maxine Morrey is a delightful exploration of friendship, self-discovery, and the quest for love. Bee, the relatable protagonist, grapples with the feeling of invisibility and the longing for a more fulfilling life. Morrey skillfully weaves together a narrative that combines humor, heart, and the trials of modern dating.

The story revolves around Bee and her charming best friend, Luca Donato, both in search of "the One." The relatable theme of feeling unnoticed despite having a decent life adds a layer of authenticity to Bee's character. Morrey does an excellent job of capturing the challenges many individuals face in today's fast-paced world, where genuine connections can sometimes feel elusive.

The dynamics between Bee and Luca are engaging, and their different levels of enthusiasm towards online dating provide both humor and depth to the plot. The author skillfully navigates the ups and downs of virtual romance, incorporating the familiar saying that one must "kiss a lot of frogs to find the prince." Bee's determination not to give up, despite facing challenges in her quest for love, makes her a resilient and endearing character.

Morrey's writing style is light-hearted and entertaining, making the novel a pleasurable read. The exploration of friendship and the pursuit of happiness is relatable to a wide audience. The setting in London adds a charming backdrop to the story, and the author's descriptions bring the city to life.

While the plot is engaging and the characters well-developed, the reason for the four-star rating lies in the predictability of certain elements in the storyline. Some aspects of the plot follow familiar romantic comedy tropes, which, while comforting for fans of the genre, may feel a bit expected. However, Morrey's ability to infuse the narrative with humor and heart outweighs these minor predictable elements.

"Living Your Best Life" is an enjoyable and heartwarming read that offers a glimpse into the challenges of modern-day romance. Maxine Morrey's talent for crafting relatable characters and entertaining stories shines through, earning this book a solid four-star rating. It's a perfect choice for readers looking for a feel-good romantic comedy with a dose of reality.

Love this book. romantic, realistic and heart wrenching. Fulfilled every wish. Fabulous characters and storyline. Highly recommended. Thanks to netgalley and the publishers and the author for the opportunity to read this book for my honest opinion

A challenge from friends is the start of this tale,
Where best friends vie to find love online - who will fail?
Luca Donato is handsome, wealthy and smart,
Whilst Bee never feels she'll fit in any part.
Both promise to strive to do their best
And see what happens putting the app to the test!

There are plenty of flaws from the dates you'll see
No one quite suits them, I'm sure you'll agree.
There are nasty surprises, betrayal and more
As these two online dating endeavour to explore.
Bee feels invisible but knows she needs somehow
To live her best life in future - and now!

Get ready for laughter and poignant moments, too,
As the story unfolds with a surprise or two.
There are friends to rely on and others not
But the Donato family are the best of the lot.
Searching for their perfect partners online it would seem
Is really not the best way to find the partner of whom they dream.

A heartwarming story of discovering 'you'
How thwarting yourself is what you often do.
The need for honest and open chat
Believing in yourself, being confident and all that.
Sometimes you really need to open your mind and eyes
To discover just where, and with whom, your future lies.

For my complementary copy of this book, I say thank you,
It is such a great read, this is my honest review.

This book is enjoyable but in a predictable manner. Friends to lovers formula used up to notch. Even the male lead is a bit of a jerk as he mansplains and stuff. Overall you see where the story is headed and you go along with it.

This book in 3 words: Realistic. Loyal. Empathetic. 

Bee and Luca, friends since childhood, make a bet regarding online dating: can you find The One or not? Both of them join a dating app to test their theories. 

A bit predictable but still satisfying, Living Your Best Life, focuses on self-worth, friendship, and family. Anyone who loves a friends-to-lovers trope should put this on their list. 

Our main character's voice is strong, distinct, and pliable as the book goes on. There are times you'll be cheering for, frustrated with, and wish you could just pull her in for a hug. The tertiary characters are unique and have a solid place in the plot. 

Deliciously frustrating at times, this book is a deep dive into the bounds of friendship and what it takes to love. My first book by Maine Morry but it won't be my last. 

I received a free copy in exchange for an honest review.

I am a fan of some of the tropes used in this book. I actually detailed it out further but decided that it would be a lot like talking about the entire content of the book instead of just what I thought of it. However, I must mention this one thing that brought down the rating for me. Bee continuously physically describes and talks about this one person she is not romantically interested in but does not question why it is that every single time they walk into the room, she has to talk about features and looks! Once or twice scattered across the narrative, I would have bought, given the description of Bee's insecurities, but I felt like it was every other time!
That aside, I loved the cast of the book and their numerous interactions. There is a core group of friends and then a larger section of people who grew up together and still live in the vicinity, close enough to hang together every once in a while. It was quite realistic in the varied type of people who could possibly be part of such a collective. Bee has had a lot of support in the core group, but her lack of progress in life (as measured against people around her) makes them worry for her. She is a techie without being socially inept, just working on childhood traumas of sorts.
This year has come with a challenge. She is to put herself out there and actually give a shot at looking for her partner. She thinks it will not work and has placed a bet against her own success. The folly of which does come to haunt her.
Finally, it is all about coming to terms with herself and growing in her own small way. The writing is simple and emotional(at times, when required). I found it easy to read in a couple of sittings. The best parts, as I mentioned earlier, are the people and their distinct inputs into the story as it progressed.
I may not rave about the author's works, but I always have a good time with them and recommend this book to others who like this genre.
I received an ARC thanks to NetGalley and the publishers, but the review is entirely based on my own reading experience.

I instantly fell in love with the characters in this book, and while I could quite quickly figure out where it was going to end up I really enjoyed going along for the ride through the story with them!

This book was predictable and boring. The characters were not that interesting and I knew where the story was going from the first chapter. Others might like this story but I didn't.

when I tell you this book had me sooooo anxious and frustrated at the same time; I mean it in the best way. very slow burn but every scene every feeling I felt relatable. .

I enjoyed the previous book by Maxine Morrey that I read, so I was looking forward to reading and reviewing this one for you.

From the outside, looking in Bee appears be living her best life, with a large group of close friends that she has had for years. When it becomes apparent that Bee and Luca are the only two singletons left from the group, they are challenged to try internet dating, until Christmas Day. what can possibly go wrong? Are they ignoring the most obvious solution?

I felt for Bee in many ways – the way that she felt so inferior to any of Luca’s well groomed lady friends, to the way that she felt so comfortable with Luca’s family, yet lacked that warmth from her own family. I just wanted to bang Bee and Luca’s heads together for ignoring what seemed like the most obvious solution.

Meanwhile, Bee and Luca automatically hate each others dates, even resorting to being childish at times. In fact at times they don’t like their own dates even! When will these two wake up

Will this pair ever see what everyone around them can see as obvious? You will have to read this wonderful book for yourself, to find out. Maxine Morrey’s books are the fibrous equivalent to the most comfortable evening in with your PJ’s and the best chocolate – both block and hot.

A fun and light hearted read, perfect for fans of the chick-lit genre. Heartwarming, funny and super enjoyable. Will leave you with a warm fuzzy feeling in your tummy :)

Thanks to #netgalley for the ARC in exchange for a fair and honest review. Bree and Luca have been long-term besties for years. Bree feels stuck in a rut both at work and with her lack of lovelife. Bree and Luca decide to participate in a finding love online challenge. This book was such a delightful and heartwarming read. It had me smiling, laughing and getting caught up in emotional moments. I especially loved seeing the depth and warmth of friendship between both Bree and Luca. A fun read that had me hoping things would work out the way I wanted them too.⭐⭐⭐⭐ #maxinemorrey #livingyourbestlife #tea_sipping_bookworm #netgalley #goodreads #litsy #thestorygraph #amazonkindle #chicklit #bookqueen #bookstagram

This was sorta okay. The story dragged on for no reason. Lots of repetitive words and the romance was cute but I was not a huge fan.

I have been a fan of Maxine’s work for a while. I haven’t quite caught up with everything that she has written, which is something that I hope to rectify fairly shortly. I read the synopsis for ‘Living Your Best Life’ and it certainly sounded like the sort of feel good and fun read that I needed at that time. Well it was certainly all that and more. I thoroughly enjoyed reading ‘Living Your Best Life’ but more about that in a bit.
As with all of Maxine’s books, I was drawn into this story from the very first word on the very first page. As soon as I started reading, I knew that I was reading something special and that I would find it increasingly difficult to put the book to one side for any length of time. My Kindle wasn’t exactly glued to my hand but it might as well have been because it travelled everywhere with me. I think part of the reason as to why I became addicted to this story was because I loved both lead characters so much. I ended up feeling as though they had become friends of mine and I simply had to know how the story panned out and whether or not they got the ‘happy ever after’ ending that both so deserved. I became so wrapped up in the story that I lost all track of time and just how quickly I was getting though the story. This was one of those books that really made me chuckle and really cheered me up. All too quickly I reached the end of the story and I had to say farewell to Bee and Luca.
‘Living Your Best Life’ is superbly written but then I have come to expect nothing less from Maxine Morrey. Maxine has a writing style that is easy to get used to and easy to get along with. In fact the text read more like a chat between friends rather than a story. I hope that makes sense. For me, the story hit the ground running and maintained a gentle pace throughout. I love the way in which Maxine describes her characters so vividly that they seem just as real as you and I. I love the way in which Maxine makes the reader feel as though they are part of the story themselves. That’s how I felt anyway.
In short, I thoroughly enjoyed reading ‘Living Your Best Life’ and I would recommend this book to other readers. I will certainly be reading more of Maxine’s work in the future. The score on the Ginger Book Geek board is a very well deserved 5* out of 5*.

Extremely predictable read, not very thought provoking. However it was a nice bit of light reading to experience.

What a fun book, about the universal topic of seeking love! At the beginning I thought it was going to be a slow paced book, but, boy was I wrong! It's a real page-turner! I really resonated with Bee, as she contemplated how most of all her close friends were all coupled up, but she couldn't seem to find "the one" and after being dared to try online dating, it was great to see Bee come out of her comfort zone, albeit reluctantly, lol. Frustrating as it was to read the way Bee sometimes self-sabotaged some situations, it was hard not to see some patterns that myself and many others have done in the past. The ending is lovely, but I do wish it came sooner in the story, so we get to see a bit more of the Bee in her new lifestyle. A good read overall, get it now!

March 09, 2022
Living Your Best Life by Maxine Morrey #Review



This is another great read from Maxine Morrey. Living Your Best Life was published by Boldwood Books on March 8th.



Some days Bee feels invisible. Most days Bee does not feel as if she is ‘living her best life’.



Sure she has a loyal group of friends, a job she’s good at, and a small London flat to call home, but a lot of the time, Bee feels as if no one actually ‘sees’ her.

Her best friend, the unfeasibly handsome and successful Luca Donato does not have that problem. People are practically falling over themselves whenever they see Luca, but one thing the two friends do have in common, is they haven’t yet found the ‘One’. When their friend Tia challenges them to change all that through online dating, Luca and Bee set about the task with very different levels of enthusiasm.

The saying goes that you have to kiss a lot of frogs to find your prince, and it’s not long before Bee is ready to admit defeat. But with Luca inundated with potential love interests, Bee is determined not to give up. Surely her perfect partner is out there somewhere…

‘Read yourself happy’ with Maxine Morrey’s latest heart-warming, feelgood, page-turning romance, guaranteed to make you smile. Perfect for fans of Lauren Weisberger and Sophie Kinsella.



In Living Your Best Life, Maxine Morrey has created a great cast of characters, who populate the world she has made. Bee is so likeable and relatable. As she looks at the model girl friends who Luca chooses, you can relate to her slightly cynical but also vulnerable take on the dating game. Her childhood has been scarred by the indifference of her self - centred parents. She has a tight group of friends who seem to understand her but no one understands her a swell as Luca, whose family have given her some security and family feeling.

This is a great romcom and romance. Luca is a gorgeous central male character and even better, seemingly unaware of this. There is humour to be had from some of Bee's disastrous dates and you can see where most of them are headed, even if she cannot. Bee's lack of self-esteem has kept her in her comfort zone and held her back in all areas of her life. It is great as the story develops to see her begin to step out of this and to take a risk.

In short: Can they find 'TheOne'?
#blogtour

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the arc.

Granted this was a tad predictable I still really enjoyed it. Best friends to love is one of my favorite stories. I don't want to give too much away, but this was a great refreshing story from all hte heavy stuff I've read!