"What Stella really wants is to find love. She wants all-consuming, can’t-think-about-anything-else, can’t-even-manage-to-eat kind of love. What she found beside her in bed that morning wasn’t love. But when a tall, handsome man in a well-fitting suit walks into a Notting Hill pub, she thinks she’s finally found The One."

I have read a few of the author's books and have really enjoyed them and although there was nothing wrong with the story it just didn't grab me like the other ones, which was a bit of a disappointment.

For me, it started off well, you know fairly quickly what way the story is going to go and then it kind of lost it's 'oomph' and just dawdled along until it regained a bit of momentum in the final chapters.

Overall an ok read, it doesn't put me off reading any more of the authors books this one just wasn't my favourite.

Thank you to Netgalley and HQ for the ARC.

This book started off well but as it went on, it was way too easy to predict what would happen. And yes I know these types are books are predictable and cliché at times but I was almost bored because everything that I thought would happen…happened. There were no surprises. Of course, the first guy we meet would be the one but it takes a whole book for her to realise. And of course, the sexy rich man is really dodgy. And of course, the affair hunter being a role in this book would mean one of the guys in her life would be suspicious and have an affair.

The ending was a bit flat too. Maybe because it was predictable but just meh

Stella is trying to find the one, but is she looking in the rights places. She is quite self centred so glad her friend told her so. Some emotional parts to the book, but some great characters, especially Marjorie!

Thoroughly enjoyable new story from Sophia. Absolutely back to her best with colourful and entertaining characters that are vividly drawn with love.

The person looking for love is Stella Shakespeare who is beautiful but a bit feckless and lacking in drive. The love she wants is from a handsome and probably wealthy man but actually Sophia cleverly weaves many strands together in this book, showing us different types of love - as well as relationships that don’t appear to take love into consideration at all.

On the surface, Stella meets handsome and slightly mysterious Fitz, a businessman with a hectic work life who seems to be falling for her after a chance meeting in a local bar. He’s just perfect for Stella and despite the misgivings of her best friend Billie, they seem unfounded.

The reality is that love is all around - and in different guises. Stella’s flatmate and best friend since school, Billie, discovers she has cervical cancer and has to have chemo and radiotherapy. Billie’s live in boyfriend, and Stella, see Billie through some of the toughest times in her life. Their love for her is evident in everything they do. Billie’s parents’ love for her is evidenced in the birthday Parkin.

Billie and Stella make friends with their downstairs neighbour, an elderly man and his ex-police dog companion, and widower Albert’s story of his love for his wife is just another variety of love.

And then there’s Sam - a rather handsome doctor who Stella had a one-night stand with who just keeps appearing in her life.

He drops a night in the pub to race round to Stella’s when Albert is concerned for her….

Throw into this Stella’s new job with a fabulous private investigator who specialises in exposing affairs (or not) and this is story really has it all.

The usual S M-C humour is ever present but this is not superficial in the least and the depth and warmth she injects into her characters elevates the story even more.

Even the uncovering of Fitz’s mysteries evidence different types of love.

Buy it, read it, enjoy it.

Thanks to #netgalley and publishers for an early copy to review.

thank you to the publisher and netgalley for this arc in exchange for an honest review! :)

3.75 stars!

i really enjoyed this read. it follows Stella as she is on the look out for love, which is all she wants in her life. the story begins as she leaves her one-night-stand with Sam who she proceeds to run into throughout the book and as she begins her new job with a slightly sketchy woman she met on the street. i don’t want to reveal too much without spoiling it but the writing style is very easy to delve in to and i found myself really connecting with all of the characters.

Stella’s character is extremely flawed but that made her interactions with the other characters and her relationships even more interesting to read.

just a tw that this book does include cancer and the treatment process - so please be aware of this if you are going to read it.

Looking Out For Love by Sophia Money-Coutts is a wonderfully warm contemporary novel about love.
Love comes in many forms. We all need love. Love is what makes the world go round.
In the novel we witness the love between two best friends since childhood. Their friendship is rocked by a cancer diagnosis. Fear of the thought of anything other than a good outcome. They realise what they have and cannot contemplate life without the other. We see the love and care as they both look after each other’s different needs – from emotional to practical.
We meet Harold who lost his wife of many years and who pours his love into his Alsatian called Basil. Harold has a new lease of life after befriending the girls upstairs. He has a huge capacity for love as he volunteers in the hospital where his wife was cared for. He even tries internet dating!
A former police officer, Marjorie, investigates cheating partners. She believes in love not lies. She is a lively character with a big personality.
And finally, we meet Dr Sam who works in paediatrics and has a big heart and a compassionate nature. He always tries to do good wherever he goes.
This eclectic mix of characters interact, producing touching scenes as well as highly amusing, light-hearted ones. They are all unique but share characteristics of huge hearts, friendly natures and love.
Looking Out For Love is a fun read. It is light-hearted in tone in spite of some serious themes. I always adore Sophia Money-Coutts novels. She leaves me smiling.
I received a free copy from the publishers. A favourable review was not required. All opinions are my own.
A word of caution: there were some bedroom scenes with far too much detail for me, I skipped over these. It did not in any way detract from my overall enjoyment of the book which is charming.

This book is just what I needed at the moment, a enjoyable easy read

Thank you to Sophia Money- Coutts, Netgalley and HQ for the arc in exchange for a review

Reviewed in the United Kingdom 🇬🇧 on 2 February 2023
Sophia Money-Coutts is a new author to me but I must admit that I really enjoyed this book, just the right balance of sadness and humour.
Life wasn't going well for Stella Shakespeare, she had been dumped by her wealthy ex which didn't make her snooty parents happy, her father had stopped her allowance, she didn't have a job and she had yet again woken up, after a drunken night out, in the bed of an, albeit very attractive, stranger.
Stella had always had everything handed to her on a silver platter, the only thing that her parents didn't give her was the affection that she craved.
Stella had no option but to stand on her own two feet, the one constant in her life was Billie, her flatmate and best friend since school , Billie and her annoying boyfriend, Jez would always be there for her ........or would they ?
Stella manages to find herself a job as assistant to the very eccentric Verity Culpepper, affair hunting PI but she was desperate for love, she wanted what Billie and Jez had.
When the devilishly handsome Fitz walked into the pub where Stella was drowning her misery she thought that all her birthdays were rolled into one, Fitz was good looking, attentive and too good to be true.
Life was to throw yet another curved ball at Stella, a huge one, even bigger than her shaky love life, how could she possibly cope with it.
This story follows from Stella being a spoilt, self centered individual that you want to shake and scream at to a grown woman. The author has covered a number of emotive subjects with sensitivity, it brought tears to my eyes but the witty banter also made me laugh.
I received a free copy of this book and my review is voluntary.

Meet Stella Shakespeare… no she has absolutely no relation to the man himself.

Stella is very self centred, unemployed, no ambition and doesn’t see that the very best of what she needs she already has and is in front of her. Her best friend is a rockstar but when she needs Stella the most she isn’t there because Stella is too worried about her love life.

The lessons shown in this book are great. Stella learns to see what’s important and what isn’t just by opening her eyes that little bit more to the reality of things. Things that were once clouded by her own naive beliefs, that could have cost her the most important relationship ever.

With the help of her best friend Billie, and with Stella finally getting a job, she finally sees what’s in front of her and that not everything is as good as it may seem. As the saying goes. If it seems too good to be true, maybe it is.

We go on such a rollercoaster with Stella, you’re routing for her but then yelling ‘what on earth are you doing girl?!?!’

You watch her start as this feeble woman with no direction in life to this strong woman who knows exactly what she wants.

Overall I really enjoyed this book and would recommend!

A truly stunning book from Sophia; her books get better and better. It beautifully written with lovely descriptions.

Looking Out For Love // Sophia Money-Coutts ❤️
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

~ 32 years old, fresh out of a break up and bank of dad has been well and truly cut off. Stella is fed up and craving the one thing she’s wanted her whole life… love! And she wants this now more than ever 💭

~ After securing a ‘temporary’ job as a PI for affairs and assuming she’s found the man of her dreams, all seems to be looking decent. Suddenly her world comes crashing down, unexpected news from her bestie and family drama that will now change her life. Nothing else can go wrong surely? 💔

This was such an easy read! I absolutely loved it and was all here for the drama, I just couldn’t put it down!

‼️ Warning: this will have you shed a tear at very least one and gasping with every kind of emotion ‼️

Looking Out For Love by Sophia Money-Coutts

I received an advanced E-ARC of this book via NetGalley and HQ in exchange for an honest review.

Blurb:
But will she find it where she least expects it?
Stella Shakespeare isn’t having a good day, or month come to think of it. She’s been unceremoniously dumped by her boyfriend,cut off from the bank of dad and at thirty-two years old, she doesn’t know what she’s doing with her life.

What Stella really wants is to find love. She wants all-consuming, can’t-think-about-anything-else, can’t-even-manage-to-eat kind of love. What she found beside her in bed that morning wasn’t love. But when a tall, handsome man in a well-fitting suit walks into a Notting Hill pub, she thinks she’s finally found The One.

Everything seems to be falling into place now Stella has met the man of her dreams and has an actual job working with a private investigator nicknamed ‘The Affair Hunter’. Although sadly, life is never that straightforward and Stella starts to question whether she’s been looking for love in the wrong places all along…

My Thoughts:
Considering I’m a sucker for a bright cover, and I enjoy Money-Coutts’ previous books, I requested this book without hesitation. Once again, the author blends humour and sensitive issues with ease. Despite my initial less than glowing impression, Stella grew on me as the story progressed. She started off one way and, thanks to the cast of wacky and wonderful characters, she grew into a more rounded, likeable character. Whilst the story was predictable, it still proved to be an enjoyable and pretty quick read.

Since being dumped by her aristocratic boyfriend, Stella is stuck in a groove of bad life choices, especially when it comes to men. Her 33rd birthday is on the horizon and it is time to make some decisions about her life.

First of all, she needs a job, as her wealthy father has withdrawn her credit card privileges, and luckily one has just fallen into her lap. It is not quite what she was looking for, but being the assistant to a slightly batty private detective, who calls herself The Affair Hunter, is bound to be interesting, right? Financially things are looking up, and it seems that her love life might also be on the turn when the man of her dreams walls into her local pub in Notting Hill.

But life is never straightforward, and it is about to throw a few more spanners in Stella's direction - ones which will set her thinking that perhaps she has been looking at love in the wrong way...

Stella is at a crossroads in her life. Her thirties have crept up on her as she has drifted from pillar to post waiting for the man who will sweep her off her feet, relying on handouts from her dysfunctional family to fund her chaotic lifestyle. Her obsession with 'happily ever after' is all consuming, and it blinds her to what is going on around her. When her support network falls away, she discovers that she has not only been looking at love in the wrong way all this time, but that she has also been looking for it in the wrong places.

There is a lovely cast of characters here to help Stella along on her journey to enlightenment. The one constant in her life is her best friend, and flat mate, Billie. Billie has a lot to cope with in this story, and is at the heart of many of the home truths Stella has to learn before she can see the error of her ways. I also loved their adorable downstairs neighbour Harold, who is recently widowed and makes a mean curry dip; the eccentric PI Marjorie, with her fancy-dress box and somewhat jaded nuggets of wisdom on marriage and the opposite sex; and of course, the wonderful Dr Sam, waiting in the wings. Stella is so caught up in her self-absorbed bubble for much of the book, and although I did want to give her a shake a lot of the time, the strides she makes really endeared her to me. It is no surprise that she is clueless, given her awful family, who Money-Coutts describes with acerbic wit. Fortunately, she finds her tribe, begins to trust in her own abilities and instincts, and all the enchanting little pieces of the story come together to hit that emotional sweet-spot.

I love the Money-Coutts' brand of rom-com novels. She has such a talent for mixing humour and heart with thought provoking issues, and this latest book does that to perfection. There are threads here that recur through her work, such as the pressure to settle down and have children, but it is what healthy relationships are really about that is central to this story, and she explores this beautifully - along with love of family and the give and take of true friendship.

This is Money-Coutts' fifth novel, and it is my favourite of them all so far. It made me laugh, it made me cry, and it gave me all the warm and fuzzies my heart desires. I adored it, and cannot wait for book six!

Thank you to NetGalley for providing me with an ARC.

This was such a nice, easy read! I read half on a 2 hour flight and still managed to finish it while on a busy city break!

Sophia's writing is just so comforting and reliable at this point, I always know I will enjoy whatever she writes!

Stella did annoy me at times but I loved her really and all of the side characters who bring her back to reality (especially Harold!).

As always, I can't wait to read what Sophia writes next!

I only discovered Sophia Money-Coutts last year, and whenever I need a pick-me-up or a laugh, she is now my go-to author.

Her writing holds real warmth, and she sets scenes vividly. The best thing about her books is the lovely cast of believable characters that she creates. Reading one of Sophia’s books is like hanging out with a group of your favourite friends.

I really enjoyed Looking out for Love. It was fun, entertaining and engaging, while answering important questions such as where to find the right kind of love, and loving yourself enough to make good decisions.

The ending (no spoilers here) wasn’t a surprise, but it was satisfying anyway and since reading this book I have listened to two of her other titles on audiobook - she’s a great narrator as well as a great writer!

Stella the main character is so unlikable you just want to smack her.
She is looking for love but in the wrong places, hoping the tall dark handsome stranger she meets in a pub is the man of her dreams, while right next to her is the perfect one.
Stella is annoying all the way through the book I don't know how I finished it.

Thanks to the publishers and Netgalley for the ARC
Posted to Goodreads

#adprproduct
Thank you to @hqstories and @netgalley for the #gifted advanced digital copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.

I thought Looking Out for Love was a great read filled with laugh-out-loud moments as we follow Stella navigating life and love.

Stella is a dreamer. A romantic. And is looking for that all-encompassing fairytale love, but she keeps hooking up with the wrong guys for one night stands, until she meets Fitz at the local pub. Can he really be as perfect as he seems?

The friendship between Stella and her flatmate, Billie, is so heartwarming and I honestly wish I had a friend like that! Other great supporting characters were Harold and Majorie, and I loved 'The Affair Hunter' agency that Majorie ran and where Stella worked. Harold was an elderly neighbour with dog Basil - everyone needs their own Harold! Everyone simply fit together so wonderfully.

A brilliantly funny read.

I absolutely love Sophia’s books. They’re always heartwarming and witty at the same time and you’re always rooting for the main character. Don’t get me wrong there are absolutely no surprises here and you could see the storyline coming a mile off but that didn’t spoil anything for me. The sub-plot with Billies illness was sensitively handled and provided some touching moments. Thanks to Netgalley, the author and the publisher for an advance copy in exchange for an honest review.

Stella Shakespeare is a little bit ditzy, enjoys a good time, unemployed living off the bank of Dad and is single yet again. Stella is 32 years old and very aware that time is running out for her to meet ‘the one’. A chance meeting leads Stella into a job, but it’s not the kind of jobs she wants and doesn’t expect to stick at it for very long. Her boss Marjorie is pretty eccentric and runs an agency, catching out people having affairs.
Then Stella meets Fitz who she is convinced was made for her. He is handsome, rich and just has that ‘something’ about him that attracts Stella. Their relationship isn’t straightforward and has Stella eager for more.
At home, Stella lives with her best friend Billy. They have been besties since school and literally know each other inside out. Soon Stella finds herself supporting Billy, both emotionally and physically and Stella rises to the challenge, showing a side of herself previously not seen.
As Stella continues to work for Marjorie, she realises that she enjoys it and is actually rather good at it too. What’s more, she enjoys being self-sufficient. Soon Stella’s work life and romance collide leaving her devastated, whilst making her a stronger person for it.
A lovely story which sees Stella grow and shine. It shows various aspects of her life and the experiences which make her stronger, in so much that she doesn’t quite believe it herself. This book has tones of Bridget Jones, but with some relatable and engaging supporting characters. The plot was quite obvious to me early on, but I enjoyed it none the less.

I liked Stella and she flew off the page which made me want to read her story. Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for letting me review this book.