Member Reviews

I have had this book on my Kindle as a NetGalley ARC for months now and I’m honestly cross with myself for not reading it sooner because it was absolutely excellent!

This is an incredibly moving tale of love and heartache between two characters, Hannah and Davey, who live on opposite sides of the Atlantic. A chance phone call to a wrong number, and so begins the moment that two lives change forever. The book starts with Hannah and Davey’s communication gradually increasing from texts to phone calls to video calls, and of course, their feelings for each other gradually increase too. I loved this part of the book. I loved them getting to know each other and reading how excited Hannah was to speak to Davey. Their long distance film date was swoon worthy 😍

For many, this kind of long distance relationship would be hard to maintain, but not for Hannah and Davey, because Davey is moving to London. The rest of their lives together is about to begin. Until it doesn’t. Because life doesn’t always turn out the way you hope it will. I don’t want to spoil the plot and say too much, but there is a strong theme of illness in this book, which whilst explored sensitively, it is also explored realistically which may be hard hitting to some readers.

I don’t want to discuss the plot from there on much more because I don’t want to spoil anything, but it is very emotional and I certainly felt a rollercoaster of emotions whilst reading it.

I loved everything about this book (except George, I didn’t love him, nor Charlotte!!!) from Hannah and Davey, to the plot itself, to all of the other secondary characters like Joan and Geoff, Miranda and Paul, Grant, Clare etc. It was SUCH a good read. It had much more depth than we are led to believe based purely on the synopsis/front cover. I honestly implore anyone who hasn’t read this book to read it because it is so worth it!

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Thank you to the author, the publisher and Netgalley for an e-ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This book was not at all what I expected ... in a good way.

I expected a light-hearted romantic comedy about a long-distance relationship full of misunderstandings and missed opportunities. While there were funny scenes and a lot of the dialogue was quippy, I'm not sure I would call this a comedy as the main element keeping Hannah and Davey apart is his cancer diagnosis, an extremely serious topic with which the author has personal experience.

I liked both Davey and Hannah - I think Hannah was very relatable, for most of the book she didn't have everything in life figured out and was more-or-less happy to just go with the flow, often to her own detriment. It was nice to see how she matured as the story progressed. I also though the supporting cast of characters were well developed - everyone who should be likeable, was likeable, and those who weren't supposed to be, were not. I would have liked to see more of Davey's parents.

I didn't really like the writing style at the beginning - it is written in the first person, primarily from Hannah's point of view with some chapters later on from Davey's - and the first few chapters reads like the diary entries of a teenager. It got better though.

Overall, I had a good time reading this. It was nice to revisit London, but to also see the characters in other environments and how differently they behaved.

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I wasn’t sure of what to expect when I opened this book. There have been similar premises I have read before which have dealt with the huge “will they, won’t they” topic fantastically. And there are those that haven’t.

What we have here is a novel with characters you will adore. They are really what drives the novel forward.

It is achingly tender and a little bit heartbreaking.

Highly recommended.

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I absolutely adored this book. It made me laugh and cry, and then silently scream with excitement at the end.
Hands down my favourite book of the year so far. Also, Steve’s message (in the acknowledgment section) has been passed on to my own husband, so success all round. Thanks so much to Elle Cook and NetGalley for this ARC copy in exchange for an honest review.

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As an American that met my English husband online this really hit home for me! Hannah and Davey were both sweet and kind and I was rooting for them to finally meet the entire time. Warm, sweet and full of love, this novel is perfect for someone wanting to read a great romance.

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Unfortunately, I did not finish this book as I found it too sad and difficult to read. From what I did read, I enjoyed the main character's friendship with her neighbour.

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Thank you Random House UK, Cornerstone, Penguin and Netgalley. I would give 10 stars to stories like this. The desire to exvperience something unique is really something everyone would love to have.

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This book is absolutely beautiful and so much more than a rom-com! The story is so moving and written so well. The chemistry between the characters is lovely and I couldn't put the boom down.

Love love loved it.

Will certainly be reading more from this author!! Thanks so much Elle Cook for writing such a beautiful book.

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This started as your bog standard chick lit, light and falling in love. A third of the way through it changed. It became dark in the life changing issues it dealt with (dark man got be a bit of an exaggeration).
Then it becomes missed opportunities for what felt like true destiny. It ended with a true deep romance to the ending.
Loved this contemporary romantic story and will be following Elle Cook.

With thanks to #NetGalley for preview read of #TheManINeverMet

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A book for no reason at all I kept bypassing, then randomly opened one evening to be absolutely mesmerised! This is the book of Hannah and Davey, who one day begin to chat on the phone purely by accident. What starts is then a long distance friendship, one that reminded me how lovely long telephone chats can be (we've lost them a bit, haven't we?) When they're finally about to meet ... nobody arrives at the airport (no spoilers, this is in the blurb!)

This had been touted to me as a bit of a weepie and my God it most definitely is, there's some tough going in there, but there's also some fab sparkle, and lovely humour, as well as the will they-won't they perfection I needed.

Very much recommended, and thanks to the publisher for this gem in return for an honest review.

Rating 5/5

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Lovely book. Really enjoyed this. Would recommend
Thank you to netgalley and the publishers and the author for the opportunity to read this book for my honest opinion

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I just could not put this book done. I loved it. Romantic, charming, hopeful and at times sad. Great characters too. One of those books you just don’t want to end!
I cannot wait to read the next book from this author.
4.5 stars

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This was amazing! I really didn't believe the 'Excuse' at the beginning, but was pleasantly surprised. Full of love, anticipation, friendship, discovery and joyous. I put this off a little and im so sad that i did! i wish i could read it for the first time again!

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“I missed you. I missed you so much, and losing you hurt so much and I couldn’t tell anyone. I couldn’t even tell you.”

The Man I Never met lured me with its name and convinced me with its blurb. A good strangers-to-incidental friends-to-somewhat-lovers with a few time gaps here and there.

The characters were enjoyable but not too much. Overall it was good.

Most importantly it’s the Testicular Cancer awareness. I thank the author of bringing more light on the subject with this beautiful love story.

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This story had a great thought provoking premise making this book feel fresh within the romance genre. The characters feel so endearing and relatable and I was instantly hoping for their well deserved happy ending. This book also has an added depth to it with its more serious subplot, I won't go into detail as I don't want to spoil anyone's enjoyment of the story. If you love romance with a twist then please read.

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When a wrong number or a misspelt email leads to a special connection, conversation, realisation that you have a kindred spirit on the other side of the world. If only you lived closer.
This is a story about many planets coming ALMOST into orbit buts never quite getting there.
You will want to read more, know more, wonder what happened to this budding romance that had such a brilliant connection!
It is well written, makes you definitely need to know, it’s a page turner. Is it a happy ending? 🙏
You need to keep turning to find out. I would pay for this book and would recommend it.
This is my honest review of this book for a copy of the book from NetGalley

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I really enjoyed this book and the pretext is something a bit different, though you can imagine there must be true stories like that out there. I found the main characters really likeable and endearing which makes the reader really wish for a happy ending.

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I loved reading this one. I just love this kind of books.
4 stars read for me. I love this author snd her writing style.
Thanks to netgally for this arc.

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I absolutely loved this book. It was just perfect. I was so invested in Hannah and Davey and how they developed from that first phone call. The story had some serious elements which had me holding back the tears but it was equally light and had some humour. I spent any time I wasn’t reading thinking about it and looking forward to picking it up again. It was just utter perfection and I can’t wait to read more of this authors work.

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When Hannah in London receives a misdialled telephoned call from Davey in Texas, there’s an instant connection between the two. They continue to talk despite the distance between them, and when Davey gets a new job in London, they plan to meet. However, Hannah is left confused when Davey isn’t on his flight, but when she finds out the real reason, they both find their worlds turned upside down.

This was my first book by this author, and I absolutely loved it. I was pulled into the storyline right from the very first page, and I similarly found that instant connection with Hannah and Davey that they did with themselves. The story is such an easy read - one which I finished in just under a day - and it tugged at my heartstrings throughout. The characters are likeable, and I could dreamily imagine how lovely Davey was…and even George in some respects! The story is initially told from Hannah’s point of view, but Davey’s storyline is added in as the book continues. It is a little bit of a sad read, all the more so when I read that the author drew from her own experiences, but it also has heart-warming, light-hearted and charming moments scattered amongst the pages.

Filled with love, friendships, hope and second chances, this book had me hooked into Hannah and Davey’s stories. Their will they/won’t-they, do they/don’t they storyline was endearing and delightful! Loved the conclusion to their stories, and to be honest, wished it could have just carried on! Would recommend!

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