You Only Live Once is a book that I instantly fell in love with.

Get ready for some major gushing on my part! I love Maxine’s storytelling abilities, and You Only Live Once just had me squealing with joy. I loved this book so much that I bought my own copy, and when it came in the mail, I proceeded to re-read the whole book.

I knew right from the first chapter that I would be falling hard and fast for this book. Maxine always creates characters that I instantly love. I think it is because they are just so genuine, fun, and charming. Lily is one of those characters I know I would be friends with if she existed in real life. I think it is her love for books (she is a romance author), food, and everything Jane Austen that had me imagining sitting in her backyard chatting away for hours. I loved Lily’s heartwarming journey of learning to live again. I could understand Lily’s need to hide from the world and its social pressures after the death of her husband. But it was truly incredible watching as she took steps to start going out of her comfort zone and engaging with society again. I don’t know how Maxine does it, but she makes the most dreamiest, gorgeous book boyfriends. I fell head over heels for Luca from Living Your Best Life and didn’t think she could create a book boyfriend I would love even more than him. I was wrong; Jack just had me swoony and acting like a giddy teenager. Jack is so kind, understanding, and of course, tall, dark and handsome. I lost count of the times he had my heart racing.

The story and setting had this incredible fun, cozy feel to them. It has just the right amount of those lovely qualities in Hallmark movies to give the story a heartwarming, charming feel without becoming cheesy and unrealistic. That balance between realism and charm makes this story stand out for me. It’s just such a fabulous book! Lily’s house and the garden surrounding it were lush and enchanting. I fell in love with all the garden talk in this book. And it was really perfect timing because I have been spending all my spare time working and tending to my own garden.

The romance between Lily and Jack was oh so freaking fabulous. These two are brought together when Lily’s brother suggests (or manipulates) Lily into having Jack stay with her until he can get his business up and running. Lily has been avoiding Jack since she awkwardly confessed her feelings to him when they were teenagers. As most love stories go, the more time these two spend together, the stronger their feelings for each other grow. I admit I think this is my first brother’s best friend’s love interest trope, and I really enjoyed it. I am also a huge fan of forced-proximity love stories, which is a bonus. The romance between these two is sweet, swoony, and just oh so perfect! It’s not smooth sailing for them; they have ups and downs. Their love story has just the right amount of drama to keep me entertained and not drive me crazy.

You Only Live Once is one of those books I will be reading again and again.

I really loved this book, although I found Lily a little bit too cold at times. I know she had been through an awful trauma and had built walls around herself but still! I loved seeing the relationship between her and Jack develop and although the plot was a little predictable at times I was actually sad when I finished this book. Lovely story.

This definitely has potential to be my new favourite Maxine Morrey book. I absolutely adored it and devoured it from cover to cover.

Lily was a brilliant character, and not just because that is also my daughter’s name 🤣 She is a brave character, and there is something about characters with a reclusive nature that really draw me in and intrigue me. In some ways, she reminded me of the main character from my favourite book of 2021, Everything Is Beautiful, which is testament to how likeable and well-developed Lily was as a character.

Jack is also a really endearing character. Funny, charming, helpful and generous: in so many ways he encapsulates the perfect man. But he’s starting over after a messy past, and for someone like Jack to put his feelings in front of his family’s wishes and traditions, is quite a big ask.

Therefore, this is definitely not a clear-cut or plain sailing romance, and the realism of it, as well as the unexpected twists, really kept me hooked.

This is a beautiful, uplifting read, reminding us of the joys of social interaction and human connection, and showing that it’s never too late to start over, and be happy. This is undoubtedly worth all the stars.

3.5⭐️ rounded up

I enjoyed reading this slow-burn friends to lovers tale which is also about the main character Lily learning to take chances and live her life again after being widowed at a young age. As it's a romance, it's somewhat predictable but it's feel good easy reading which is great escapism. I was frustrated with the two main characters at times - just kiss already! 😂

Bonus points for featuring a cute doggo 🐶

Big thank you to the author, Rachel's Random Resources, and Boldwood Books for the gifted copy. ❤️

Check triggers**

Read this if you like: Brother's best friend, close proximity, second chance at love, a cute dog

When Lily’s husband dies in a freak accident on their anniversary. She moves to the edge of a tiny village where her only real company is her brother and his family. A quiet life becomes her safe space, with no risk of getting hurt. She's a writer who stays to herself.

When her brother offers her spare room to his oldest friend, Jack, Lily’s reluctant but knowing how much she owes her family, can’t say no. Lily begins to enjoy having Jack around. Slowly but surely, Jack encourages Lily to step outside her comfort zone. He's exactly what she needs in her life. He's a handsome, sweet, landscaper.

I really enjoyed this. Although it's a book about a grieving widow it still manages to be light and fluffy. I love Jack and Lily together. The way their love developed through the book, perfect pacing. He seems to be what she was missing in her life. I love the inclusion of Clive, the dog. So cute. I highly recommend you picking it up! This is my first by Maxine and won't be my last.

The Blurb :
When Lily’s husband dies, she moves to the edge of a tiny village, settling into a solitary life, her only real company her brother and his family. A quiet life becomes her safe space, with no risk of getting hurt.
When her brother offers her spare room to his oldest friend, Jack, Lily’s reluctant – but knowing how much she owes her family, can’t say no.
A lodger takes some getting used to but to her surprise, Lily begins to enjoy Jack’s company. Slowly but surely, Jack encourages Lily to step outside her comfort zone.
But taking risks means facing the consequences, and telling people how she really feels, means Lily might have to face losing them. But as the saying goes - you only live once - and being brave could mean Lily gets a second chance at love…

My Thoughts :
As Maxine Morrey is one of my Favourite Authors, I was excited to get started on her new release.
We meet Lily Thomas, widowed for 10 years after her husband Mike died in a freak car accident in France.
Lily moved from the rat tace of London to a quiet village.
Lily has never got over losing her husband and now spends her time as a recluse alone and not really seeing anyone. The only person she has contact with is her brother Felix, his wife Poppy and their children Ruby and Freddy.
When Felix’s childhood friend Jack Coulsdon-Hart returns to the village after living in New Zealand for 10 years, Felix offers up Lily’s spare room for him to stay in, although she isnt pleased about the idea she feels she cant say no. Hoping its only temporary until Jack finds somewhere to live.
Over time, Jack trys to help Lily find herself again and she soon realises she has been missing out on things in life. After the loss of Mike, Lily finds it hard to let anyone in again.
Will having Jack in her life help her move on or will Lily stay stuck forever?!.
As always Maxine Morrey always writes her stories with empathy, she has a way of drawing the reader into the storyline and making us feel as if the charaters are our own friends.
Once again a great story, delivered by a great Author about hope, family and second chances.
Looking forward to more soon.

Thank you #Boldwood and #Netgalley for letting me read this ARC.

What an absolutely beautiful and easy flowing read. We meet Lils/ Lily a widower and successful author, her brother Felix, his wife Poppy and their kids Ruby and Freddie who absolutely adore their aunt and her whimsical garden.

Sadly, Lily's husband lost his life in a crash on a romantic trip to France, subsequently she has never been the same again.

Out of the blue her brother invites his best friend Jack the absolute hunk and son of local aristocracy to stay at her house, He is looking to restart his life after years away in NZ. Lils certainly isnt happy about this as she has become used to being the local reclusive writer. However, life has other plans.

An inspiring read watching Lily rediscover life and the art of living and feeling herself reawaken. I felt my heart melt.

I will not be reading this due to personal issues. I have a hard time getting into books that talk about grief. Thank you for the chance.

This was a wonderful uplifting story to read to just escape with. I loved Lily right from the start and my heart went out to her for everything she had gone through losing her husband the way she had. Her bond with her brother, sister in law and their kids was so special and heartwarming. I could completely imagine being in her shoes, wanting very little to do with the outside world and just existing, rather than living her life.

When Jack and later Clive come into her life things really start to change and I was rooting for her and wishing I could be there to help her overcome her self-induced barriers and make the most of the life she still had to live, treasuring it like a gift.

A delightful read for romance lovers. Lily and Jack have great chemistry and you really root for them. The only thing that bothered me was the transition from friends to lovers. It was a bit abrupt. I would have love to know more about their first date.

I got this arc in exhange for an honest review.

I loved this book and read it in a day. Lily had the life she wanted with her husband but a freak accident changed all that. Lily is successful with a beautiful home and a wonderful family but has become very insecure and prefers her own company. When her brother tells his childhood friend Jack that he can rent a room with Lily, the fun begins. Lily knows what her brother is trying to do but she could murder him as Jack was her teenage crush. Jack however has changed for the better and has a habit of speaking his mind and very slowly gets under Lily’s skin. A wonderful story of friendship, trust, love and security with the added benefit of a fluffy friend.
Cannot wait to read more from Maxine Morrey.

I always find it exciting when Maxine Morrey has a new book due for release, and You Only Live Once was no exception to that rule!

We are introduced to Lily, a reclusive, widowed writer who has achieved amazing success with her novels. She is close to her brother and his family, but beyond that she barely leaves her home. She has struggled with the grief of losing her beloved husband for so long, that she has been determined to protect herself from any further heartache.

When her brothers best friend returns to the village, Lily finds herself with an unexpected new lodger. Jack knows and understand Lily's reluctance to have him in her safe space, but as they settle into an unlikely routine, they find themselves becoming more and more comfortable in each others company.

Lily and Jack are both such lovely characters, it was easy to fall into their story. Lily's grief and the ease with which she withdrew from society was both heart wrenching and understandable. Her fear of loss is something that most of us can relate to. Her brother and sister-in-law clearly adored her, but didn't know how to pull her out of her safe space back into the real world. Enter Jack: The incredibly handsome landscape gardener with his own family issues. When pushed together they find themselves able to help each other in ways they didn't realise they even needed help with.

I loved this novel. It was so easy to immerse myself in it completely - I was invested in all the characters, the small village setting was perfect with some lovely glamorous socialising thrown in for good measure! I am more than happy to recommend this novel, so go grab yourself a copy (and when you're finished go to Maxine's back catalogue - there's not a single bad novel in there!).

i feel like it's time for me and maxine morrey books to part ways. i enjoyed things are looking up and disliked living your best life so i decided to give you only live once a chance but it was just so boring, there's no other way to describe it for me.

This is my first book from Maxine Morrey and I read it straight through without stopping!!.Now I have to catch up on some lost sleep!!.
The fabulous story follows poor Lily,a young widow of ten years who has been a huge worry to her family for all that time as she's become more and more like a hermit as time has gone on. She spends time with only her family and goes shopping at the break of dawn in order to avoid everyone in the village!. Her brother Felix asks her to help his old school friend Jack to settle back into the village and start up his landscape gardening company after moving back from New Zealand, by letting him lodge with her until he finds a place of his own to live. All pretty straightforward?. Lily doesn't want to do any such thing but ends up giving in......
What great fun these characters were, the story was very light hearted and funny and I could visualise all the characters,they were described so well!!. All I can say is this story has been a joy to read and I will definitely be reading more from Maxine in the future!.
I received a free ARC book for an honest review from Netgalley.
#Netgalley, #book and tonic, #scribbler-maxi

When Lily’s husband dies in a freak accident, she struggles to cope with losing him and struggles to cope with life in general, and because of this, Lily becomes more and more of a recluse who hardly ever leaves her house. The only person she really sees is her brother, Jack, A very quiet and secluded life becomes her safe space, with no risk of getting hurt. And to Lily, that is exactly what she wants.

That is until her brother offers Lily’s spare room to his friend who needs somewhere to stay for a bit, Lily worries about having someone she doesn’t know in her house, but she also feels like she owes so much to her brother, and feels like she just can’t say no. It takes a while for Lily to get used to having Jack around, but she soon starts enjoying his company and having someone else around. Jack also enjoys spending time with Lily, and slowly begins to encourage her to step outside of her comfort zone, and do more things that she used to enjoy. Lily begins to realise that you only live once, and it is her time to start living again.

The relationship between Lily and Jack is lovely to see – the only thing I feel was missing is witnessing the romance build between the two of them. As the reader, I feel like I have missed out on all the sweet parts of a brand new relationship and all the romance too. You Only Live Once is a sweet, lovely read, and overall I really enjoyed the story.

Lily’s story was absolutely heart-rending. The loss of her husband in a freak accident had left her shell-shocked and unable to function outside of the very small world that she built for herself. Living an almost reclusive life suited Lily; she had convinced herself that it was absolutely fine as she was able to concentrate on her writing. It soon becomes clear that she is an incredibly successful author. Her brother, Felix and his wife, Poppy, are becoming increasingly worried about her behaviour and its effect on her mental health.
When her brother’s best friend announces that he is returning to the UK, Felix suggests that he rents a room from Lily. What may seem like an excellent idea to Felix seems like purgatory to Lily. She still remembers Jack’s rejection from her youth, when she told him how she felt, and he made his disinterest clear. As a result of a video call, Lily accepts that staying with her is the best solution but makes it clear that this is a temporary arrangement.
This wonderful story looks at the lasting impact of bereavement and how even the smallest of tasks can feel overwhelming. Add in survivor’s guilt and it becomes an incredibly difficult cycle to break. Jack’s kindness knows no bounds and he shows her that life is going on despite her ongoing seclusion. My favourite parts have to be the parallels between the garden’s recovery and Lily’s emergence back into the world, and the movie premiere. I think many women would be envious of being a guest of honour on a red carpet wearing a stunning dress with hair and make-up on point. Not me, I look shocking in a frock, but if only that wasn’t the case.
There are no spoilers from me other than to promise a perfect ending with the possibility that everything in the garden may look rosy. Take a leap of faith and escape to a world outside of your comfort zone; you may be surprised by what’s out there.

The title of this book is what drew me to want to participate in this blog tour and of course read this book. After reading it though I would say it exceeded my expectations. Lily's story is one about starting over. As a wife of twelve years, I never stopped to think about what could possibly happen if my significant other is no longer there. In some ways Lily reminded me of myself.

I fell in love with Jack immediately. His rugged , aristocratic charm really drew me more into the story. What was significant too was Clive. I am a dog lover and I never really stopped to think about how a pet can be a genuine companion. That aspect of the book was a nice touch indeed.

This is my first time reading a book from this author and I must tell you that I would be looking to read more of her work in the future. I recommend this book for those who just want to read a good story. It was romantic, meaningful, lovely and most importantly well written.

#blogtour

The description made me get this book as soon as I finished reading it. I loved the plot and the way the characters interacted with each other. Lily and Jack were great and I loved how Jack was so patient with Lily. Definitely going to be reading more from Maxine Morrey.

After the sudden death of her husband, Lily becomes a recluse. Much to the chagrin of her brother and his family.

In an effort to cure her of her loneliness her brother offers up Lily’s spare room to his oldest friend Jack. Lily will do anything for her family so she reluctantly allows this. Jack’s company is the best thing to happen to Lily for years as he slowly coaxes her back into the world.

Maxine Marie is such a beautiful writer and I will read anything she creates.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of You Only Live Once by Maxine Morrey. All thoughts and opinions are my own. Thank you to Netgalley and Boldwood Books for providing an ARC to review.

Lily and Jack had such a sweet and calm romance that I couldn't help but relax when reading this book. They both had emotional baggage to work through, but it was deftly mixed into the story. So it didn't overshadow the slow-burning romance story arc. My only complaint was that I enjoyed the buildup of their relationship a bit more than when they were finally together. But that was a minor thing, and I would happily recommend this to any reader looking for a low angst romance. I give You only Live Once a solid 3.5/5 stars.