For me this is probably a 3.5star read. It’s the first book I have read by this author and I would happily read another! It had everything you come to expect from a rom com but I also loved how much it focused on friendship and how Stella had to navigate supporting her friend through a tough time.

It was also nice to see new and different friendships form in unexpected places. I’m seeing this more recently in books where younger people connect and develop strong bonds with older people and I’m very much here for it!

An enjoyable read for sure.

Stella Shakespeare lives in a nice flat paid for by her dad, sharing with her best friend. Stella can’t keep a job or a boyfriend but by some strange coincidence she manages to get a job working for a private investigator just as she gets a new boyfriend. However, things don’t always go smoothly. But it turns her life around in so many ways making her a better person and meeting new people along the way including the old man who lives just one floor down from her flat that she’d never talked to before. Thoroughly enjoyed it

Thank you NetGalley for giving me the Arc to looking out for love.

Easy 3 ⭐️ 1🌶 read. It took me a minute to get in. It was a slow sort of story. It was actually slightly random if I am being honest. But before we go into my opinion of this book any further.

This book is written in third person, it’s set in London. I wouldn’t say there is really a trope in this. But we could say friends to lovers if that counts

So we follow Stella Shakespeare who is a bit clueless at 32 years of age. Her life is a bit in shambles she doesn’t have a career and no love life but comes from a wealthy family. Her whole identity is in which ever guy she finds and falls in love with as her goal starts of as wanting to be married.

However, it’s so random in a sort of way that we learn about her whole life kind of like a reality show rather than focusing really on her love life- especially as this is advertised as a woman looking out for love. Anyways she does end up dating someone but even that is kind of in the back burner because something horrible happens to her best friend. I honestly think more that this story was about the evolution of Stella- interms of how she thinks of her self and learning to not be so selfish and wanting more for herself. I guess she didn’t really learn it from being in romantic relationships but more through the relationships around her friendship family.

In the end we don’t really see her fall in love at all loool. She I guess decide that she is willing to allow her self to fall in love with someone “normal”. But we don’t see that development.

This is the first book I've read by Sophia Money-Coutts and I have to say, it won't be the last.

We follow Stella Shakespeare on her quest to find love, with the aim of leaving her disastrous dating days behind her. Not only that, she's been cut off from the bank of dad and needs to find a job too, something else she's not had much success with!

Finally, Stella's life seems to take a turn - she finds a job she loves working for a wonderfully eccentric affair hunter, and meets the man of her dreams.

I found this to be such a lovely read with some genuine laugh out loud moments, alongside teary ones following Billies story.

The supporting characters or Billie, Harold and Marjorie, and Sam were just fantastic and the relationships between them in the book were lovely.

I'll admit that the first half of the book was slightly slow, but I raced through the second half unable to put it down! I did anticipate the ending, but I don't feel like it hampered my enjoyment of this heartwarming story at all.

It takes a while to warm to Stella - she’s monied, entitled and her credit card is paid by her dad. Her taste in men isn’t great either. What does happen over the book is through Stella’s messes and mistakes we come to care for her. Her best friend Billie is amazing, as is her new boss, and they help soften the edges and make Stella someone we want to find love.

A fun escapist romcom read with some more serious themes. Stella is a typical privileged young woman who has never held down a job and can’t seem to hold down a relationship either. There are 2 rival love interests, but the most interesting relationships are with her next friend and their widowed downstairs neighbour.

In Looking Out for Love a poor rich white girl is sad because her fiancé dumped her and her planned life as a spouse has gone down the tubes. Unable to hold down a job and sleeping her way through the male population of London her dad has had enough and refuses to pay for her credit card. Stella must sort her life out. This was ok. It felt a bit like SMC had had several ideas for books and chucked them all at this one so instead of getting one solid book we got bits and pieces of three different books. I thought there would be more private detecting and it would be more significant but it really could have been any job in an office. There also a cancer story line. I hate cancer story lines. And it was hard to feel bad for Stella who is really quite privileged and acts more like a 16 year old than a 32 year old. But of course she doesn’t get on with her family so that excuses all her behaviour. Hmmm? It is still quite funny and I do agree with Stella about the pleather headboard.

I would read a whole series of novels about the detective agency Stella stumbles into in this novel. Once again SMC has come up with the good, it was exactly as I expected in the best possible way. Thanks NetGalley!

I am a huge fan of Sophia Money-Coutts. Her style of writing is brilliant and this new book is no different.

Looking Out For Love is such a good read, funny and heartwarming. I particularly loved the friendship with Harold.

The agency Stella worked for was hilarious; however, this kind of gave away part of the storyline for me. Saying that, Fitz was written in such a perfect way that I never wanted him to end up with Stella.

The cancer element of the story was difficult but handled sensitively and realistically for me.

I loved the book. Love the author, and can’t wait for the next offering!

Thank you NetGalley and publisher for my advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review 📚

Well I loved this book. Its funny and fast paced and is a bit of a rollercoaster. A new author for me but I'll definitely follow her on Amazon to keep an eye out for more of her books.

5 stars from me

I’ve become a real fan of this author since ‘What Happens Next’. Her stories are a great blend of character, emotion and smiles.

This one is no different. Although it is not by any means her strongest novel so far (in this instance I did not warm to the characters - particularly the protagonist - as quickly) and the storyline is a bit obvious, it is still a well written, enjoyable read which would be great for holidays.

Recommended.

Guaranteed to make you smile. Trying to find a job and a happily ever after. Stella stumbles in to a job but continues on her hunt for "the one".
You will enjoy the calamity of Stella's life and relationships till the last page.
Sophie Money -Coutts is always spot on and ideal for curling up with and switching off the world.

A quick and easy read that I read in one sitting. I really liked the writing style and I wenjoyed the storyline which gripped me and I couldn't put it down. It made me laugh and made me cry. I loved it,

I really enjoyed this book. I really couldn't put it down. It was funny, sad in part and although you could see where the story was going, it didn't detract from being a great read.

I'm definitely looking forward to reading more from Sophie Money-Coutts.

A nice, easy read with a predictable but enjoyable storyline. I liked the characters and found them to be authentic. The story made me chuckle even when dealing with serious and sensitive issues. My first read from this author but definitely won't be my last.

https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/5093091414

Standard but well done chick lit fare for anyone who wants an enjoyable, non-taxing read.

Thanks to the author, publisher and NetGalley for an ARC in return for an honest review.

I throughly enjoyed this book.
If you like Dawn O’Porter, you will love Sophia Money-Coutts.
I thought it was lovely that Stella and Billie were so nice to their elderly neighbour Harold, in fact the way that everyone pulled together to help one another was extremely touching.

Looking out for Love is a fabulous read giving you plenty of laughter and lots of romance with some scenes a bit steamy!

I absolutely loved ‘The Affair Hunter’ agency and Marjorie was an eccentric character who I adored! It sounds like such a fun and unusual place to work. I think Marjorie and Harold should have their own book of missions they go on following the success of the St Pancras one!

I completely agree with Billie and cannot stand the sound of polystyrene pieces rubbing together!!

Thanks to Netgalley for a review copy of the book. An easy warm read that is classic Sophie Money-Coutts, the novel explores the ramshackle Stella Shakespeare’s search for Mr Right. Stella has lost her job, has been dumped by a boyfriend she’d been certain was perfect and is now cut off by her wealthy father who is attempting to make her take responsibility for her life. Her only saving grace is her bestfriend who supports and guides her through all the dramas that have occurred in her life. Everything seems to start to come round when she obtains a job assisting a private investigator and meets the dreamy, handsome and wealthy Fitz. Soon after though, her best friend faces a life threatening illness and Stella’s ability to value what is true in her life is tested. In the months that follow Stella is forced to confront her failings and her ideas about what is real love and where it can be found. Written with humour and fun, the novel is foremost an escapist read but one that also highlights aspects of life challenges we all face.

I don’t think I’ve started a book so annoyed with the leading lady until this one. Stella at the start of this book has led an easy life paid for out of the bank of dad, she’s extremely self absorbed, material and naive. To start with I really struggled to like her and it put me off the book a little.

However, from the writing style, I knew Stella was set to develop as a character and there was hope for her. Who doesn’t like to see a borderline unlikeable character. And you know what? She did grow on me.

I loved the topics covered in this book and there were a couple of difficult one. Stella’s best friend is diagnosed with Cervical cancer and there is a lot of talk of affairs. If I’m honest, Stella sort of thrived under the adversity of it all. All topics were dealt with with sensitivity and the relationships between the characters really helped add a bit of light in quite dark topics.

I really enjoyed the side characters but wish there was a bit more of Sam in the book. Overall, it was quite an easy book to read.