The ending was predictable, but that's okay, because I knew what I was signing up for. I did think this was unrealistic at times. For Lily to have been a recluse for around ten years, yet was fine at a large event (even going so far as to stand up to a formidable character), well, that doesn't ring true for me. I felt both Lily's brother and Jack bullied Lily. I know they meant well, but they went about it all wrong. And lovely Clive the dog. One thing, you wouldn't (or shouldn't) take your dog out, then fall asleep on the grass whilst your dog is not even on a lead. Hello? Dog theft. A good read though, and I was rooting for Lily and Jack. With thanks to NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Having read and enjoyed other books by Maxine Morrey, I was excited to see that she had a new book coming out! "You Only Live Once" centers around Lily, a young widower who becomes a recluse after her husband's death, and Jack, her brother's best friend who is recovering from a painful divorce. Having grown up together, they know a lot about each other, but having seen each other in quite a while. Now, they're older and more battle-worn. However, one thing that hasn't changed is the affection they have for each other. Both Jack and Lily are really easy to like and root for, and the sweet chemistry they have together is so enjoyable. And Clive, the golden retriever, is easy to root for, too!

My only complaint is that we never got to see their firsts: date, kiss, night together, etc. The author just set them up preparing for their first date, we get a quick glimpse after it, and then they're a month into their relationship. I would have enjoyed hearing more about them getting to know each other as a couple. Overall, I really enjoyed this book and enjoyed reading Jack and Lily both come back to life. Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC. All opinions are my own.

After becoming a young widow, Lily moves to a large estate and becomes the village’s “reclusive writer”, hardly leaving her home. Other than her brother and his family, she sees no one and likes it like that.

Then her brother invites his best friend, Jack, to stay with her when he moves back to England from Australia. Lily is not happy but she slowly warms to Jack. Jack, the future earl, helps her slowly learn to love again. While the plot may be a bit predictable, the details of the story are not.

My favorite excerpt that summarizes the book best is “Jack had been right when he said I was living in the shadows and I had been for far too long. It was time to step into the light, no matter how scary and bright it felt right at this moment.”

You Only Live Once by Maxine Morrey is an enjoyable read and is well written.

Thank you Netgalley & Boldwood Books for the ARC.

I really enjoyed this heartwarming book and its lovely characters. Lily has hidden herself away for a decade after losing the love of her life, but grudgingly agrees to let her brother’s friend (and Lily’s teenage crush) stay temporarily in her house. Lily is still ravaged with grief and guilt, but slowly the charming Jack begins to break down her walls. I loved these two—Jack was so incredibly patient and caring with Lily, pushing her when he felt she needed it, and also propping her up if she fell. I enjoyed the conversations they had, I appreciated that they took their time, and I cheered for them as they got closer and let themselves love and hope.

This was a lovely read and just what I needed at the moment. The book could have done with the romance starting earlier in thr book, but so many of these types of cosy romances fall victim to that. Jack and Lily worked well together and the supporting characters were entertaining. Good read to curl up with a cup of tea and relax.

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…
This book was SO. DAMN. FABULOUS!…

I loved this . A beautiful gentle love story.. Clive the dog melted my heart.. Lily was a famous author with a sad past. I loved how the story went. It grabbed you from the beginning . A perfect ending.

Sweet and heart-warming tale of love and loss. A second chance romance with the individuals needing to grow up and evolve into mature, understanding adults. Good and bad family relationships. A few tears may be shed. A smattering of interesting slang. I was surprised at the mention of tipping. I didn't think that was a thing in England. Maybe times have changed. Thanks to the publisher for providing a copy via NetGalley.

I always love books that have the main character as a writer. This novel tells the tale of a reclusive writer who is a loner after her husband's death. I liked the theme of the novel. But the characters and the plot were quite dull. As it was always about the main character doing mundane tasks, it wasn't interesting enough.

If rom-coms aren’t your thing but you want a love story, this is a good one for you. It’s heavy and emotional, but a good story of grief and healing.

I didn’t love Lily, but Jack was a sweetheart.

This was a charming and heartwarming read. It follows Lily as she struggles to find confidence and happiness after the loss of her husband. She is persuaded into letting her brother’s best friend, Jack, board with her for some time.

I appreciated the plot of this book, and enjoyed the family dynamic between Lily and her brother, and his wife. I also felt that Lily and Jack worked really well together, and appreciated that he was genuinely respectful to her throughout the novel.

The book was fairly predictable in general, but I didn't mind that one bit. It's a nice little rom com book and was an enjoyable read.

Thank you to NetGalley and the author for the ARC of this novel.

Thank you Netgalley for this ARC for an exchange for an honest review.

So good, highly recommend it.

Lily is widowed by the untimely death of Mike and hasn't laughed since then. Her brother suggests her to move to their hometown to feel a little better. She has to share her room with Jack, the heir to an aristocratic family, who fled home to avoid an arranged marriage. Jack is a teenage friend of her brother and her.
She isn't free of the guilt for her husband's death, two years after the accident. Jack avoids his heirloom and the prospects of arranged marriage with another heiress like plague. He is pretty sure that he isn't made for royalty. To make things better, he brings home Clive, an abandoned Golden Retriever boy. What happens to the trio that met in unforseen and unpleasant circumstances forms the rest of the story.
Jack is a charming gentleman and maintains that image till the epilogue. He has a troubled past himself and understands Lily better than anyone. Lily's grief and reclusiveness are kept real and relatable. Overall, the characters are well-crafted.
As it is a romantic story, the narration is quite slow and descriptive. The english is very simple. It reminded me of the books I would read on wattpad during high school. The story gets predictable after a point. It suits audience who prefer slow and casual romance. You may have guessed it already from the page count.
I liked the book as a one-time read. The title of the book is probably the moral of it - you have only this life to either regret the past or welcome the future. Lily chooses the latter.
I recieved a review copy of this book and I am posting my review voluntarily.

Thank you to NetGalley & the publisher for providing me with an ARC in exchange for my honest review.

I liked the message this book sent of living life to the fullest and learning to find happiness after loss, but overall it lacked plot for me. I felt like nothing really happened expect a lot of dragged out dialogue and explanation of mundane things. It moved slow, especially the romance aspect as it doesn’t fully kick in until the last bit of the book.

Do you believe in soulmates?  This is a difficult question because everybody has a different version of the perfect partner.  However, after reading You Only Live Once by Maxine Morrey, I believe there is someone out there for everyone that emotionally completes them. 

The story starts by introducing the main character, Lily, a successful author.  Years earlier her husband died in a tragic accident and this trauma caused her to withdraw from life as a social recluse.  Her older brother Felix adores her but he can't seem to help her emotional state and is deeply concerned.  Felix is contacted by Jack, a childhood friend, who needs a place to stay.  He suggests Jack stay with Lily in her large empty countryside home temporarily while he gets back on his feet. 

This story has it all!  It is a fun, cute, and feel-good romantic comedy.  The characters are each developed well and I was able to understand each of the characters' personalities and intentions clearly.  I was able to sympathize with Lily and understand her family's worries.  While it does lack the romantic heat it isn't necessary due to the storyline.  I love this book and highly recommend it.

If you like romantic comedies with tropes such as brother's best friend, roommates to lovers, slow burn, small-town romance, and friends to lovers then you need to put this on your TBR list.  You Only Live Once will be out on June 14th, 2022. 

Thank you Netgalley @netgalley and Publisher Boldwood Books @booksandtonic for the e-ARC

It was a overall a good and cute read for me but it depends on the mood. The reason for three stars is that it was too predictable and dialogue at some part seemed to be long. For me it was a kind of light reading.

Cute overall, but a bit long in some of the dialogue-only parts. The talk between two characters in the limo went on for way too many pages. I was, however, getting into the story, when at about 80% it tripped and fell on its face because it felt like we skipped ahead MONTHS in a particular relationship (trying to not give anything away) with no context. It was a bit of a bummer.

The story
Lily is a successful, 30 something author. She lives in the countryside in her large house, really only venturing out to be with her brother and his family. Ten years ago she lost her husband of exactly three years in a freak accident and slowly she has withdrawn from the world. When her brother invites his best friend Jack to stay with her when he returns from New Zealand, Lily starts to live a bit more with Jack’s company.

My thoughts
This is a sweet story which I enjoyed. There is a lot of detail and Lily shares a lot of her everyday thoughts. I felt that this book may have benefited from having a dual POV which would have added some texture to the story. The strangest thing is at one point quite far into the book, Jack and Lily are going out for dinner and then it felt like a chapter’s worth of pages are missing when they are suddenly kissing and the next thing have been in a relationship for weeks. The pace just doesn’t fit it with rest of the story.

A really wonderful, life affirming book, with a wonderful feel good message, a lovely romantic dash, with a smattering of funny moments too. It is splendid. One not to be missed.

This was a very charming and heartwarming read - this novel follows Lily as she struggles to find confidence and happiness after the loss of her husband, and then is persuaded into letting her brother’s best friend, Jack, live with her for some time.

I really liked the plot of this book, and enjoyed the family dynamic between Lily and her brother, and his wife. I also felt that Lily and Jack worked really well together, and appreciated that he was genuinely respectful to her throughout the novel.

I sometimes felt that Jack and Felix (Lily’s brother) were a bit harsh on her and her feelings, but appreciated felix’s wife, Poppy, actually being kind to her after. The novel was also very predictable in general, and when it came to the inclusion of a dog (randomly) that lily originally didn’t want, but as a nice and classic rom com book it was very enjoyable!

Thank you to netgalley and the author for the arc of this novel.