Best friends Bee and Luca have been challenged to try online dating. Bee has always felt invisible especially when it comes to comparing herself to all of Luca’s incredibly attractive girlfriends. The dating challenge really magnifies Bee’s insecurities. It also magnifies Lucas feelings towards Bee.

Will these two finally admit their feelings for one another and live happily ever after?

This is another great read from Maxine.

One of my favorite storylines centers around friends who become lovers, and Maxine Morrey's newest, Living Your Best Life, does not disappoint. Bee's best friend Luca is gorgeous, kind, and incredibly successful, and he has no trouble getting a date. On the other hand, Bee can't seem to find Mr. Right. The race is on when a mutual friend challenges them both to find their "one" through online dating. What follows is a string of "not the ones" and a realization that sometimes what you want has been right in front of you the entire time. A well-written quick read worth picking up again and again.

The first time I started reading this book, I accidentally saw a review and lost interest. But later started again and it was a good book.

The things I liked are good writing, characterisation, the friendship in the book, Luca and Bee’s equation, also the book had depth and characters and their struggles were very relatable.
You could also feel that hero had feelings for heroine and heroine never saw him in that light.

For once Ending and their reason for not getting together before didn’t feel lame.

(Spoiler ahead)

But the one thing that spoils the book for me is cheating or sleeping with other people during the story. Dear god, I should’ve seen it coming but never thought heroine would go all the way. To be frank it was off-page and I think once. But this happened in the second half and drained all my joy in the book. It also didn’t help that Bee brought up Luca’s exes in almost every conversation they had, though it wasn’t in a spiteful manner.
Hero was also casually dating another woman at the same period as heroine. It wasn’t specified if he slept with the OW but I personally think he did. The OW was a sweet woman so I wanted to know why they broke up other than the lame reason that she doesn’t find him ‘irresistible’.

So if these things doesn’t bother you then you will love this book.

I adore Maxine Morrey books and this one definitely hasn’t disappointed.

I have loved Bee from the very beginning of this one, she is likeable and relatable from the beginning.

This is well-written and an absolute page turner. I found myself racing through this one desperately wanting to find out how it was going to play out. I haven’t been disappointed, this is a gem from beginning to end.

I’ve found Luca a little frustrating. There have been moments I’ve liked him and other moments where I’ve thought he was the biggest douche.

This is a gem of a book, I can say nothing negative about this one. I have loved it and will definitely be recommending this book.

In Maxine Morrey's 'Living your best life', Bee feels invisible. She has a great friendship group, including her childhood bestie Luca, and her own place, but her insecurities stemming from her neglectful parents have left her floundering (including staying in a job that she should've long left).

When Bee's newly engaged best friend Tia challenges her and usually committment phobe Luca to join a dating website, she's forced to undergo a series of dates to find The One. Bee of course scoffs that she will.

Bee and her insecurities are relatable, though at times she could be frustrating (ouch was that a mirror held up to me?!!). Luca was also wonderful, but perhaps too perfect, like Jed in Morrey's 'Things are looking up' which I also loved). He's model handsome, very successful running his own business, and clearly in love with her but hasn't done anything about it? Come on Luca, you keep telling her what to do because you're frustrated she isn't there, but you didn't actually declare yourself!

If you're after a good friends-to-lovers book set in London with a relatable heroine, this one is for you.

3.5 stars
Special thanks to Netgalley and Boldwood.

It's pretty clear right from the start that Bee and Luca are meant to be together, and that Luca is the only one of the two who realizes that. But Bee is stuck in a rut and is definitely not living her best life. She's afraid to let go of what she knows, even if it doesn't make her happy.. This book features some great characters and so many laugh out loud moments. A great read!

I absolutely adore Maxine’s books and this was another great read. Fast paced that kept you turn to the end.

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!

The fabulous Maxine Morrey returns with a delicious romantic comedy that has got winner written all over it: Living Your Best Life.

Bee knows that she has got a lot to be grateful for. She has a good job, a great circle of friends and a small London flat to call home, but she cannot help but feel that there is something missing in her life. Far from living her best life, Bee feels invisible at times and as if nobody is seeing the real her. On the other hand, her best friend Luca has the opposite problem. People fall over themselves to be in Luca’s orbit and her friend only has to walk into a room to be the centre of attention.

The two friends both have one thing in common: their relationship status. Neither one of them has found ‘The One’ yet and when they are challenged by their friend Tia to try online dating, Bee and Luca decide to challenge themselves and discover whether their soulmate is just one swipe away. Of course, nobody said that online dating was going to be easy. In fact, the more dates Bee goes on, the more she wonders whether she should just pack it all in and stick to solo nights at home in her flat. Naturally, Luca is having the opposite problem and has potential love interests forming a queue round the block.

Bee is not about to give up just yet. Maybe, she needs to kiss quite a lot of frogs before she finds her Prince Charming – or maybe she has been looking for her knight in shining armour in all the wrong places…

With all that’s going on in the world at the moment, feel-good escapism is absolutely essential and Maxine Morrey delivers this in spades with her latest novel, Living Your Best Life. Charming, heartfelt, witty and a delight from start to finish, Living Your Best Life is a lovely romantic comedy about finding happiness, falling in love and new beginnings that touches the heart and will make readers laugh out loud.

Maxine Morrey’s Living Your Best Life is a fun and fabulous tale readers will love.

Story is told by Bee and I absolutely loved her right from the start. The way she thinks is so relatable and she seemed like the nicest person possible!

Luca was just as easy to love and if Bee (and all other women!) could be believed... he was also rather HOT!

Luca and Bee's friendship was so special and reading about their interactions just kept making me smile.

Brilliant well-rounded characters and lots of humor and romance.... what more can you want?

BOOK REVIEW: Living Your Best Life by Maxine Morrey
2022 Publication Date: March 8

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

T.I.M.E. Recommended Books By Genre | Contemporary Romance
T.I.M.E. Most Anticipated Books of 2022

CONNECT WITH THIS BOOK | T.I.M.E. SIMPLE LIVING TIP
When you are looking for love, don't forget to look for a friend first... ✨😎✨

T.I.M.E. BOOK REVIEW: A perfect and effortless read that will take you on a journey of "why did I not ever see him/her like that"!... Although the "match" seems obvious to the reader from page one, the story is told with that Goldilocks "just right" touch that keeps you engaged and wondering why it is so easy to see the signs and missteps in "them"... Yet we rarely see it for ourselves... ✨😎✨

Pages: 353
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Sub-Genre: Friends To Lovers Romance
Time Period: Present Day
Location: London, England

IF YOU LIKE THIS BOOK THEN TRY…
Book: Before We Grow Old by Clare Swatman
Movie: Made Of Honor

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All my reviews can be seen at This Is My Everybody | Simple Living | Denise Wilbanks at www.thisismyeverybody.com

♡ Thank you to NetGalley for this ARC. I voluntarily chose to review it and the opinions contained within are my own.

I loved loved reading this book
I always enjoy a good friends to lovers trope.
I particularly loved the characters and the friendship shined on in this book
I'd definitely recommend this book to anyone looking for their next read

Firstly I would just like to say a big thank you to Rachel from Rachel’s Random Resources who very kindly forwarded me an arc copy of this book, for my Kindle, in return for my honest review.

One of my favourite tropes is definitely ‘ friends to lovers ‘ and this perfect little rom-com ticked all the boxes for me.
I loved the two main characters, Luca and Bee, they were both written really well - very real and down-to-earth.
Bee is stuck in a dead end job and has no luck whatsoever in her non-existent love life and her best friend Luca is the complete opposite and is very successful with no shortage of dates but neither of them can find ‘The One’. So they agree to change that problem through online dating - let the fun begin!!
This was a wonderful rom-com that i read really quickly as i couldn’t wait to find out what happened next! I loved it!!

Full of wit and warmth…. Luca, Bee, Tia and their friends and colleagues were believable characters, flawed as we all are but with many redeeming traits. The author wrote a story that was interesting and moved at a pace that kept me engaged. The characters were easy to invest in.

While I was reading this book it felt like I was making new friends. It was very easy to fall into Bee’s world. As I experienced her life through her close friendships, especially with Luca. The characters had a realistic edge to them and they wanted the best for each other. Bee was a likeable character even though her insecurities and worries threatened at times to overwhelm her. I did on occasion wish that Bee would stand up for herself more, but that is very easy to say and not so easy to do.

The lovely romantic thread was a delight to see develop. It may have been a slow burn and I admit I wanted to shake the characters at times. However there was such a sweet and gentle way about the relationship. There was this hopeful feeling that wrapped me up tight. The themes throughout the story brought both depth and heart making me root for Bee even more. I liked the way that Bee grew in confidence. It’s safe to say that she went on a journey of discovery and slowly but surely began to find herself.

In Living Your Best Life there was a wonderful heartwarming feel and as I turned the final page I couldn’t help smiling away to myself. I really enjoyed this comforting and romantic escape!

4.5 lovely stars

Bee and Luca have been friends since they were 5 year old, and although they have a big group of friends, their relationship has something special. Falling into a bet, they have to try online dating but as they get into it, "the one" for each of them might come as a surprise.

I just had to read the first pages to know where this was going. But the story is lovely, scene after scene unfolding, actions mixed with reflections harmoniously paced. There is a lot in here of Luca and Tia, their friend, trying to convince Bee to see her potential, to let go of her fears and leave her best life :) This is one of the central points of the book and combined with her hard, stubborn, confidence lacking ways may seem too much, too repetitive. But as I can relate with Bee, I can understand these would naturally look like this.

Both Bee and Luca are lovely characters, but while she has her insecurities, at time justified and endearing, he is just so damn wonderful. All touchy (which is pretty rare for a male character), and supportive and, despite trying to make her see her best traits, giving her enough space to make her own mind.

My half of star is missing because of the ending. As I usually read more of an intense type of romance books, I had waited the whole story for the final meeting, the big realization, the coming together. Which was not as explosive and life altering as I would have hoped. But it was a lovely journey, nevertheless.

I was drawn into this book from the very beginning. I wanted to be part of Bee’s incredible group of friends, straight away! They are clearly a huge support to her, but the banter and light humour shared between them also provides wonderful entertainment within the story.

Bee herself is a complex, likeable and sympathetic character. In fact, I got completely lost in her telling of the story as I identified with her on so many levels. The descriptions of herself and comparisons to other women, really struck a chord with me. The analysis of her self worth and self identity felt quite raw and emotional at times. I thought that the idea of being self-confident related well to the title, as how can you love your life and live life to the fullest if you don’t “love” yourself?

The friendship and relationship between Bee and Luca was completely believable. Through this, you also get a sense of family and a sense of how your work should fit into your lifestyle. Despite both these characters being very successful, they are down to earth and clearly manage to maintain a strong moral code and work/life balance.

I always wonder how the author will manage to pull off a view of “modern dating” as I feel it’s quite unique, brutal at times and even tedious. But this is done very well, and through Bee’s disastrous dates we see some of the drawbacks of online dating!

I loved seeing Bee’s confidence grow as the novel progressed. The ending was satisfying in every way.

Overall, an adorable, feel-good read from a very talented writer. I’d recommend this book and author to fans of Jaimie Admans, Jenny Bayliss and Mary Jayne Baker.

Full of wit and warmth. The chemistry between Bee and Luca is fantastic and I was rooting for their happy ending from the first page! Maxine has treated us to another immensely relatable heroine and it was a joy to watch Bee slowly come into her own. A must read!

This truly was a feel good romance that fits very well in its genre.

This book was cute and kept me engaged through out. I look forward to reading more from Maxine Morrey.

I received an ARC of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

There was nothing about this book that would set it apart from other books in this genre. But it was still an enjoyable enough read.