QOTD: 'Don't get me wrong, they were both lovely people and attractive. But... umm... I'm not sure I should tell you this...'
'Go on,' I urge. 'What's wrong with them?'
He looks at me, and his eyes glitter in the darkness. 'They weren't you, ' he says, simply. (Charley and Ed, Someone Else's Honeymoon)

Ed was the sweetest guy, and this quote depicted that whoever and whomever he went out with, they simple weren't Charley 😊.

BOOK REVIEW 📚

BOOK Featured:
- Someone Else's Honeymoon by Phoebe Macleod

Rating:
- ⭐⭐⭐⭐ 4/5
- 🌶🌶🌶 3/5.

This book was a darling, it had a wonderful ratio of romance, spice, drama and comedy 💗. Charley's brutal break up with Josh has driven her to make changes in her life, but she changed for the best. Ed's solo honeymoon was something he did not see coming, but when he meets Charley, she was everything that he wanted in his life partner 👀. Ed brought out the adventurous and fun loving side of Charley, and together they were wonderful for each other ☺️. When destiny pulled them apart, we got to see many diversions but they didn't want to be with anybody else besides together 😍. However, destiny has other plans. Charley and Ed are now face to face, and even more in love 🥺.

Newly single Charley moves in with her parents and when they ask her to go on their annual tropical holiday with them she decides a holiday is just what she needs.
While on holiday she finds herself sunbathing on one of the lounges reserved for the honeymoon sweet and after discovering that the groom is their by himself they strike up a friendship/relationship.

This book had so much potential. The initial storyline was great, I liked the characters and even though it was predictable I enjoyed their getting to know each other period. However the writing felt a bit hurried at times and the Insta-love trope was out in force even though they seemed to be lacking in chemistry.

Overall the story fell a bit flat. The first chapter was humerus but unfortunately it didn’t carry on throughout the rest of the book. It was a quick lighthearted read though.

This was actually such a fun, quick and enjoyable book. Typical rom com (which is a good thing, I love a rom com). There is also mention of Aberdeen which I was like woaaah as I live in Aberdeen and NEVER see it mentioned. The characters were very lovable (apart from Josh, fuck Josh (obviously his name is Josh)). I think the characters and story maybe lacked a bit of depth but I still genuinely really enjoyed it and it flowed really well, it was quite fast paced but I liked that. I loved the incorporation of Married at First Sight as that show is so fun to watch. Although the only think that confused me is that if she found him on LinkedIn why not just message him on there???? Although I'm not a LinkedIn pro so maybe I'm missing something. Yeah if you're looking for a fun, quick, summery rom com, I think you'll really enjoy it!

Thank you to Boldwood Books & Netgallery for this eARC in exchange for an honest review!

Honestly did not enjoy this book. It was weirdly paced - the unimportant parts were given so many pages, but the important parts happened in mere paragraphs. And she didn't even meet the guy until 45% of the way through the story. It just didn't hit for me.

Great potential, bad execution. I felt that the book moved far too fast. The writing style was definitely not my favorite.

Quick and anticlimactic.
No spice, multiple mentions of cheating partners.

This wasn’t very intriguing at the beginning. Some funny parts but not a lot. I mainly pushed through because it is a relatively short book and told myself I could get through it quick. I had some hope at about 70%, thought it was going to be a grand gesture type of finale. I balked at the poor attempts by Charlotte to find Ed. Any teenager with a phone could have been more efficient. The PA dilemma made things more believable. If it wasn’t for the badass best friend, no resolution would have been reached.

Overall I didn’t enjoy this “romance.” Had a lot of potential, but fell short.

PS-Charlotte will traumatize you when she talks about hearing her parents banging, then proceeds to visualize it. Just a warning. Wish I had it.

Special thanks to Netgalley and Boldwood Books for this digital ARC.

*I received a free ARC of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review*

3.5/5 stars

If you're looking for a fun, quick summer read, then this is the book for you! I read this book in an afternoon. I loved watching Charley's journey of self-discovery and growth, and while the plot was predictable it unfolded in a logical way that kept the book's momentum going. A great debut, and the perfect book to bring to the beach or the cottage!

The premise of this book is cute but, I felt the execution really let it down. Charley is dumped on Christmas Day by her boyfriend of 10 years, Josh. Her parents whisk her away on an all-expenses paid business class trip to Antigua to cheer her up where she meets Ed, a man who has just been jilted at the altar. He is on what should have been his honeymoon. They hit it off etc etc. The book spends way too long getting to its titular point - the honeymoon - and not nearly enough time leaning in to the romance of it all. It was a quick, low stakes read but, could have been a lot better.

Dnf'd at 30%

I really don't understand the title of this book. There was no love interest and according to other reviews it's another 10% until he shows up, also no honeymoon.
The writing in this book was terrible like the story. I wouldn't recommend this book to anyone.

Thank you to netgalley and the publisher for an ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review.

Charley who’s recently single got invited to come with her parents on their yearly vacation to Antigua. Where she meets Ed, a handsome and single lawyer. Swipe for the synopsis.

The beginning is really compelling, watching Charley grow into herself is such a joy. She won’t let anybody keep her down anymore and went for the full makeover. Love that for her.

The synopsis is a little misleading. I was expecting vacation romance, a lot of if. And the truth is that’s only like a third of the book. I just wish there was more of the pre catastrophe phase. Where the couple gets closer and are happy to just be together. I want more romance!

“I didn’t deserve him, I realize, and a tear slips down my cheek”

The plot is good, was it just a vacation fling or could it become something more? The novel is told from Charley’s POV, which is fine but I would have loved to know more about Ed. I can’t really figure him out which makes it difficult to root for him and Charley.

Overall it’s a good read I only wish that it leaned more into the romance of it all.

The cover is pink! So me! Which means I HAD to read it.

Charlotte – or Charley, Lots, Lottie, or Oi – is newly single after her boyfriend of eight years buys her an eco friendly toothbrush for Christmas. In his defence, it was also a yearly subscription so they’d send you a new one every few months along with the toothpaste tablets.

So what does a girl do when her world crashes around her and she is suddenly single again? That’s right, MAKE OVER TIME!

Out goes the granny panties, baggy tops and the old 36B Charley. In comes the 34C Charley.

And to make it better, her parents invite her along to their yearly Antiguan all-inclusive holiday where she meets Ed; a successful divorce lawyer who should be on his honeymoon, yet he is there very much single.

Cue cute dates doing couple-y things and being all round CUTE! It’s cute. I feel like it does go in to a lot of detail, I thought we would be on the “honeymoon” much earlier. I thought that was the whole story, but I was wrong. Surprisingly wrong.

It didn’t have spice! I thought it would have! I know stories don’t need it, but it would’ve been nice.

Very easy read. Perfect on the beach or just on your vay-cay somewhere.

I received an ARC of this book on NetGalley and was excited at the start. The premise is fun and this is the type of book I could usually read in an afternoon. Unfortunately in this case, there was just too much dialogue and sharing of unimportant information. I was so shocked at the amount of times spent dwelling on details that had nothing to do with the plot. There’s no reason we don’t meet the love interest until 40% when it’s a romance novel? And he’s actually in very little of the novel. I think the potential was there, but it was just portly executed in this book and needed an editor to help. I think if there was more time spent developing their relationship, I’d have believed the main character when she said she was in love after 3 days. Personally not my cup of tea, but I’m sure some people will enjoy.

How does a woman find herself growing more attached to a man who is on his honeymoon??
That enough was the hook that got me to read this fun book. Charley hits Rock bottom relationship wise and is reinventing herself.
She goes on vacation with her parents and meets Ed, who is ostensibly on his honeymoon.
Of course there are a series of mishaps that lead to other avenues and thank goodness Charley has a persistent best friend.
A great beach read!

I really enjoyed this book, it was a solid 4 star read for me. The only reason it wasn’t a 5 star read was I found the start of the book dragged in a little.
I loved Madison as a character and will be on the lookout for my very own Madison now. What girl doesn’t need a best friend who will pick you up when needed but is still a straight shooter. I would love to see the author write a book about Madison in the future. I think it would be hilarious based on her personality.
Ed was right there when he said she is a force of nature. I really enjoyed how Ed’s and Charley’s relationship developed but I loved how Charley seemed to find herself after the breakdown of her relationship with Josh.

I received an electronic advanced reader copy of this book in exchange for my honest opinion. Thank you to Phoebe MacLeod and Boldwood books for giving me the opportunity to read someone else’s honeymoon before it’s release.

I requested this book as the premise appeared interesting; after a breakup that leaves her back at her parents, Charley begins to reassess her life; her self worth and her image. She soon finds herself meeting Ed, a man who was jilted at the aisle and is on his honeymoon alone!

In practice, this book didn’t quite live up to its concept. I never fully engaged with Charley- every time I’d get close something would happen that would frustrate me. I mean, how many times does she really need to mention her bra size!

I found it dragged a tad getting to the point she met Ed, and while I loved his backstory I did feel some points were rushed due to how far in it was.

Overall, the read was amusing, I just wish the priority of explanations had been slightly different.

I really loved the honeymoon part of this book. I do think it was very insta love and the characters really didn't spend that much time together before they were separated. After the honeymoon was over, the book didn't get them back together til the end and this part of the book seemed a little rushed and not flushed out very well. I really enjoyed them on the honeymoon part of the story though and it definitely gave The UnHoneymooners vibes and kept me laughing. Once home though the story felt a little flat. I did love Charley realizing throughout the story she was not happy and that she deserved to be, but honestly didn't get to know Ed that well so it was hard to connect to him.

When Charlotte gets an environmentally friendly bamboo tooth brush with the year long subscription to toothpaste tablets, that’s also environmentally friendly from her boyfriend it’s more than she can take. She’s tried to be understanding with Josh‘s obsession with his employers earth kind and their products but he has gone too far this time! When she expresses her disappointment and anger it’s such a thoughtless gift and he responds with Charlotte thought it would be a great idea smoke is coming out of her ears and a row takes place. During their argument he tells her they need to take a break and then he’ll go take a walk so she can gather up her things to go stay at her parents home and while doing this she finds a G string under her bed. She instinctively knows it’s from Charlotte and that what they’ve shared for the past 10 years is over. After she goes to stay with her parents her friend takes her on a makeover extravaganza even getting her A bra sizing appointment. Eventually she will have a new look A new car and an apartment lined up but first her parents invite her on an Antigua vacation it’s here where she meets Ed Wells a divorce attorney on his honeymoon along and also where she will fall in love with a coin lawyer unfortunately the way it ends seems permanent to Charlie. Will she ever see Ende again? Does he want to see her again? This book was pretty good but it did take 40% of the book to get to her meeting Ed I also found that somethings were totally glossed over and other things were extremely over explained. Example every excursion they went on on their vacation was explained to us like what the windsurfing guy told him to do while windsurfing AN what to do when learning how to ski all things I found pointless. I also thought explaining every day that she met her parents for breakfast went to the beach then did wind surfing training and then skiing this was every day and I just found it pointless even to the point where she explains how she went got a go pro and put it on the windsurfer and how she put it on the back the boat when she was skiing I just thought it was pointless and added nothing to the story just say she went skiing and went surfing the last week of her vacation I don’t need to know what you did before and after every day. But i’m starting a rant so I will stop. It was interesting enough that I read the whole thing i’m just saying this book could’ve been a lot shorter. I received this book from net galley and the publisher, but I am leaving this review totally voluntarily. Please forgive any mistakes as I am blind and dictate most of my review but all opinions are definitely my own.

This was such a good read! I wish it was a bit longer, I would have loved to dive into things a bit more. So fun and easy to read, loved this storyline.

This was a cute romcom and an easy, light hearted read. The book made me laugh out loud and the I really liked the plot. I just wish that the main characters had met sooner and that the pacing was a bit better. If you loved the Unhoneymooners this one is for you!
Thank you Netgalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This book follows recently single Charley, after a 10 year relationship, it's finally time to find herself again.

This was a lovely romance book that was delivered perfectly.

I love Married at First Sight so that element made the book a lot more exciting!!

Charley was a great main character, she was strong and knew her worth.

I really enjoyed this and rated it 3 stars!