Heartfelt, charming romance that explores love, loss, and second chances. It’s warm and uplifting, though its predictability might not surprise seasoned romance readers.

Someone Like You by Rachel Dove is a heartfelt story of new beginnings and finding love after hardship. When Hannah escapes her troubled marriage and relocates to the quaint village of Leadsham with her daughter, romance is the last thing on her mind. But then she meets Andrew Brody, a compassionate and principled police officer who sees through her guarded exterior. Dove beautifully portrays Hannah’s journey to healing and the cautious hope that Brody brings into her life. This is a tender and uplifting novel, perfect for readers who enjoy stories of resilience, trust, and second chances.

Someone Like You was a cute and was an enjoyable quick read. It wasn't what I was expecting from a romcom/romance, but did enjoy reading through Hannah's story and getting to know the small town characters. Thank you for the ARC.

Rachel dove has a brilliant style of writing that I just love This story has everything you want in a book and I could not put it down.

I really enjoyed the concept of this one but sadly struggled with the writing style and just struggled to finish it.

This was an enjoyable and heart-warming read that tackles sensitive topics while also developing a gorgeous romance between our two main characters.

This covered a very sensitive subject without 'putting your foot in it' per say, which is always a good sign for me. I loved the trope of found family, it is one of my favourites.

For more reviews, please check out my Instagram @blondesbooknook

An enjoyable read, well written with strong and very likeable characters. Tackling a very sensitive topic respectfully and full of compassion for Hannah and her desperate situation.

I really couldn't yet into this, me and the writing style didn't click and I couldn't feel the chemistry 💔

The main tropes in someone like you is small town, single mother, found family.

This was a simple romance, I loved the story between Brody and Hannah. I’ll also read anything with a dog so that was a plus. Their relationship was built on trust and I really enjoyed reading about the Mc not rushing the fmc into like him. It was sweet and endearing

Simply the sweetest story. Great characters and friendly town. Love the relationship between Brody and Hannah but the cutest was Bullet and Ava. You can’t go wrong with a baby and a dog. They bonded right away. The instant protection that Brody and Bullet showed to them was so endearing. This was definitely a beautiful and heartfelt romance. So glad I read it and look forward to more books by Rachel.

I got this on netgalley and although the plot summary pulled me in I didn't feel compelled to finish it. It wasn't exactly what I expected and would give it only 3 stars. As a romance lover it was mediocre.

Very adorable a fluffy light read. It was a little hard to get into and I never felt truly invested but I would say I easily coasted through this novel. It's a perfect "liked but didn't love and thats okay" opinion.

I was very disappointed in this book - whilst you can cover DV in a lighter environment this seemed to have no realism about the situation at all and I found it pretty ridiculous.

The blistering hot romance that smouldered within….. started from the first week she escaped from a life of violence and oppression, it’s way off to suggest this would be unpicked in less time than a short term lease.

Sorry but couldn’t wait to finish.

Heartfelt, Sweet and Touching.

Main tropes you can expect:
- small town
- single mother
- found family

In Someone Like You we follow Hannah's journey escaping her marriage, changing her identity and trying to build a better life for herself and her daughter, Ava, far away from the violence and the constant abuse of her husband Victor.

The abusive marriage theme is quite tough to read about, but it's handled with extreme care. The author does not shy away by the ugly and difficult reality of escaping by an abusive marriage, but the heavy emotions are very well balanced by heartwarming and funny moments all throughout the story.

Despite being new to town, Hannah soon found amazing people who came together to help her and Ava settle in, build a new life, protect them and becoming their 'village'. The whole cast of secondary characters is very well fleshed out and the small town atmosphere was very much palpable, creating a strong found family vibe, which I loved so much!

The romance is very sweet. Andrew slowly but surely tore Hannah's walls down by just showing up, giving her time to trust him, respecting her need for independence and, most importantly, respecting her boundaries.

I really enjoyed the writing style. I was gripped from page one and read it all in one sitting and I think that Hannah's story will stay with me for a long time.

100% would recommend to anyone in the mood for a heartfelt, sweet and touching read. You'll fall in love with Hannah's resilience, Brody's quiet love and the small town's loud and sometimes nosy involvement and support!

TW: past domestic abuse

***Thank you Netgalley, HQ Digital and Rachel Dove for the eARC of Someone Like You in exchange for my honest review***

Read and reviewed in exchange for a free copy from NetGalley. This was an engaging read and Dove captured difficult themes well. I really liked the characters and setting, and although I wasn't particularly invested in the romance side of the story, I enjoyed the relationship between Hannah, Brody, and Ava, along with the supporting characters.

they meet for the first time -> meet again and become infatuated-> after three weeks, meet her parents/ week after, no contact -> meet his parents -> ruin his parent’s prized possession -> brother gives sister number -> break up -> alcoholism and then reunite

is it bad that i was more interested in the side characters than the main romance? henry and cara are great and all but what really charmed me was the description about cara’s culture and upbringing and I would love a book focusing on that.

i think there is potential for more books explore side characters briefly mentioned as the focus really was henry and cara’s romance and the others were just thrown in for flavour.

i felt that henry and cara’s romance was quite cute but i wasn’t personally invested in it. perhaps it was because we had no reason to invest in it due to the frequent time skips and the fact that we didn’t really see the relationship grow. after meeting for the second time, they were basically obsessed with each other and moved very very fast. after a month, they had already met each other’s parents? that seems awfully quick. plus the fact that they had awful communication, there wasn’t a lot of reason to root for each other. i don’t even think that henry knew that ryan, cara’s on and off ex of twelve years, kissed her while they were still together.

my favourite character of them all was uncle julio. his wild antics really made the book a delightful read. i would love a short story or collection of his wild antics. and exactly why does paula insist on hiring him even though he constantly messes things up? and why is paula like dave so much?

the mother-daughter relationship dynamics between cara & bev and fleur & isobel was explored quite well. through interaction and interaction, i was really rooting for them all.

I feel a bit torn where this book is concerned, overall I did love the story, but there were elements that weren't my cup of tea - nothing huge, but I will mention it later.

You would think by the cute little cover that this would be all sunshine and daisies with an oh, so sweet little rom/com within - wrong! Surprisingly this tackles some incredibly sensitive subjects such as domestic abuse, but don't worry Rachel Dove is a wonderful writer and portrayed Hannah's past and what she is going through now in a sensitive and compassionate way. Aware from the more serious side of the story, this is a really lovely and sweet romance, the characters (especially Hannah) go on an emotional journey and it's a delight to watch her gain confidence and blossom.

I love that Hannah and Andrew's relationship is all about gaining trust, respecting one an other and not rushing into anything which would make the other uncomfortable. Andrew is a decent man, a gentleman a man who can see the pain and hurt and fear and doesn't push too hard, but he wants to help her. He's patient, he has to be Hannah has been let down by so many people; especially men and some were Police too so that goes against Andrew, but he reminds me of a terrier; determined and never gives up.

then we go to what I wasn't particularly taken with and it has to be the dialogue, ti was the lack of 'he said, she said' which confused me and I'm afraid it did take the shine off my overall enjoyment. But hey, that's just me, I'm sure Im alone in this and other readers will love every moment.

Overall, an thought-provoking, emotional and tenderly written story of second chances.

👮🏻‍♂️ BOOK REVIEW 👮🏻‍♂️

Synopsis: One broken marriage. One broken heart. One chance to meet someone new.
Hannah leaves her unhappy marriage with her daughter Ava and moves to the village of Leadsham to start afresh. She plans to keep a low profile, focusing on Ava and making a new life for them, far away from her violent ex-husband.
What she hadn’t counted on was Andrew Brody. A police officer with a strict moral code, he knows something’s wrong as soon as he meets Hannah, and he wants to help. But Hannah has been let down by the police – and men – before, and pushes him away.
But the more Hannah tries to ignore Brody, the more she’s drawn to him. Caring, kind and patient, he’s nothing like the man she’s running from. Can Hannah finally put her past behind her, and open her heart to someone new?

Review: Wow! Okay, usually going into books blind means I’m occasionally surprised by gems such as this one. First and foremost a massive content warning for victims of DV. Check trigger warnings on @the.storygraph and read if you feel okay to do so.
This slow burn, mixed character and plot based love story is different to my usual spicy rom coms. No spicy scenes in this one but the writing and the story of the MC escape from her abusive husband and setting herself up under a new name in a new town really was eye opening. I felt like I can finally have some idea of what DV survivors go through. The walking on eggshells, the emotional turmoil - and even after leaving it’s not all sunshine and rainbows. If you’re looking for an emotional, tense and slow-paced book to mix things up, I highly recommend this. I give my props to the author for having the tremendous courage to write this book. She’s also neurodivergent like me and a bloody brilliant advocate for kids with autism (among other things!). I can officially say I’m a MASSIVE fan.

4/5 stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

#readersofinstagram #bookstagramaesthetics #bookworm #bibliophile #avidreader #bookstagram #auskiwibooksta #ausyabloggers #ausbookishfeatures #ausbookstagram #bookstagramaustralia #booksbooksbooks #bookaesthetic #greads #booksta #bookdragon #bookphotography #bookpost #booknerd #bookishlove #aussiereaders

This is a cute fluffy read, it's a heartwarming read about a single mum that moves to a small town for a fresh start. This book is perfect if  you're looking for a slow romance and rebuilding yourself/fresh start vibes.

There is romance OF COURSE, and the romantic interest is so well written and it's not insta love, you can see how they get to know eachother and develop feelings for one another, it really is just LOVELY.

A big thanks to NetGalley, Team Harper Collins UK, and Rachel Dove for letting me read an ARC of this book for an honest review.