39 Plus One is the debut novel from author Ragh Bir. 39 Plus One is one of those books you fall in love with by the time you reach the end of the first page. Based on real-life events it’s a fantastic debut from author Ragh Bir.

Full of heart, utterly relatable and one of the funniest books you will ever read. 39 Plus One is a joy to read and one you will tell all your friends about.

Unfortunately I didn’t get on well with this book it wasn’t what I expected such a shame as I loved the thought of it.

I so wanted to like this book, but alas...

The first 11 chapters was actually quite okay - aside from the fact that the main character, Rachel, was utterly annoying. She has zero self-respect or any respect at all for the boatload of men she dates...

But something happened around chapter 12 and onwards - suddenly the sentences were incomplete, and the storyline took large jumps forward... I was particularly confused about the man/men in the spa - in one paragraph the man was Enrique, and in the next he was named Aiden...

I do think the book has potential - But an editor really needs to look at the later chapters.

39 Plus One by Ragh Bir is about Rachel Collins. She is 39 and single. She decided to make a pact to not turn down a date no matter what.

Sounds interesting, right?

It sure is. The men Rachel dates are hilarious, unsettling and sometimes downright disgusting. I was entertained by the stories and when I realised they were based on real-life events I was surprised. It left me questioning if there are really men out there like that?

And then I thought about some of my own dating experiences. It didn’t take me long to answer my own question.

‘Another one bites the dust!’

39 Plus One is a fantastic read. Rachel is a vibrant character. Her friends are perfect additions to the story. There is never a dull moment and Rachel has Bridget Jones vibes. So if you enjoyed her dating mishaps, you’ll certainly enjoy Rachel’s.

I highly recommend this book. The laugh out loud moments, the coziness of friendship and the amusing dating disasters (and successes) are well worth you time.

39 Plus One is simply weird and not enjoyable.

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC for an honest review.

Maybe I get this wrong. I hope I missed something really. This book broke my heart. I expected some crazy dating in Bridgets Jones style but even Bridget had more fortune. Here it might be a nice last paragraph but in my opinion that does not suit the book at all. Well for someone that does not attach to the characters that might work well. And I also suspected something like that but really all the bad situations in one year... I was not expecting the last guy was a bad one. I felt betrayed I am really sorry to say this.

Thank you Grosvenor House Publishing and Netgalley fot this arc.

This is the story of a 39-year old woman on a quest to find true love before she turns 40. The rule is she has to go on a date with anyone who asks. Sounds like a fun premise but unfortunately the execution is lacking and I DNF’d this. I’ve read over 150 books this year and the writing is just not that compelling. Combine that with some very fatphobic language and I found it very off-putting. DNF’d at 20%.

Rachel is in the quest to find her perfect soulmate by the time she turns 40. With the help of her friends she is to go on any date. Throughout the book we hear the ups and downs of Rachel's quest to find her person. The stories she had were absolutely hilarious and well written, The story flowed wonderfully and was a great debut novel.

The dates she had really made me laugh, we have all had those!

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for my advanced copy.

A study of over 2000 adults revealed that the average woman will kiss 15 men/women, enjoy two long-term relationships, and have their heart broken twice before they meet “the one”.

Meet Rachel - the new Bridget Jones of 2022.

Rachel decides on her 39th birthday to use this last year of her 30s to find her soulmate. She decides to accept all date offers and try out all avenues of finding a partner. For better or worse, she is giving her quest solid commitment.

If you are looking for a light-hearted, easy read, then this is the one for you.

A huge thanks to the publisher for my complimentary copy and all opinions expressed are entirely my own.

This is my first book by Ragh Bir and the book's title was a dead giveaway of the book. It's a story centered around a woman turning 40 and in need of finding a soulmate before time runs out. It's a love story that is relatable to those searching for their soulmates. The book started slow and slowly picked up and focused entirely on the main protagonist's journey. This book is perfect for Bridget Jones fans .

39 Plus One started out really promising and I flew through the first half. I was really looking forward to see where it would go but the second half fell flat for me. The ending felt like it came really quick and did not fit into the book at in my opinion that being said I was ready for the book to end. While the situations the main character found herself in were at times ridiculous and far fetched they were for the most part entertaining. I wish I had connected more with the main character and her friend group especially since I also just turned 40 this year but didn't find much in the way of similarities between us. All in all it was an entertaining book 2.5 stars I rounded up to 3. I want to thank NetGalley and Grosvenor House Publishing for the digital arc in exchange for an honest review.

For fans of Bridget Jones’s Diary by Helen Fielding, No, We Can’t Be Friends by Sophie Kinsella and Sorry Not Sorry, by Sophie Ranald

Full review to come. Enjoyed this title so much and so pleased to acquire it. This was such a fun one! I really enjoyed the character of Rachel and could relate to her so much! It was nice to read about someone in he4 age group as opposed to young twentysomething’s ect. It was funny, heartfelt, and made me feel all the things. 5/5

This is the story of Rachel Collins, who, on her 39th birthday, decides to embark on a quest to find her soulmate before she turns 40.

‘Next year I enter the fourth decade of my life. It’s a dirty word for me; known as the ‘F’ word amongst my close friends.’

A study of over 2,000 adults reveals that the average woman will kiss 15 men, enjoy two long-term relationships and have her heartbroken twice before she meets the one. Ragh Bir’s debut novel sees her protagonist embark on just such an adventure. Desperate for romance, Rachel Collins, 39, is forced to put aside her pernickety, critical traits, as she navigates the weird and wonderful world of modern-day dating. Her quest catapults her into situations she never imagined she’d find herself in. Before long, she has no shortage of hilarious anecdotes for dinner parties. But what starts as a quest for love, turns into a journey of self-discovery. Her funny and, at times, desperate encounters, reach a climax on her 40th birthday, when she uncovers the truth about her perfect, imperfect, soulmate.

Thanks to NetGalley and Grosvenor House for the ARC. I voluntarily read and reviewed this book.
I don't know why I didn't DNF this. The main character, Rachel, was immature, selfish, and a total snob. Her dates couldn't have been more ridiculous. Once in a while there were some funny parts and I guess that's what kept me reading, thinking it would get better. And that very abrupt ending that came out of nowhere? What's up with that? I do not recommend this.

In her quest to find the perfect soulmate in the months leading up to her 40th, Rache certainly encountered her share of undesirable men. They may have seemed normal from the outside but wow did she see it all that culminated with David. It certainly provided fodder for her nights with Harriet and Naomi. However, what struck me was that she seemed perfectly content being on her own as shown in her routine of running and clothes selected. She spent quality time with her Mum and Dad. So I think her pursuit of men was pushed a little too hard when she enjoyed her large glass of red alone.

I loved this. Was so easy to read and did feel like Bridget jones diary style sorry. I loved hearing how Rachel got on with her quest. I laughed a lot during this book and story flowed great and the characters brought to life by the authors storytelling.

This book was not my cup of tea so to speak.
I didn't really like many of the characters and the situations Rachel, the main character gets herself into are just a hot mess. The ending was very sudden and didn't really even fit.
It read like a teenage diary at times.

39 Plus One by Ragh Bir

Published: November 24, 2022
Grosvenor House Publishing
Pages: 434
Genre: Chick Lit/Romance
KKECReads Rating: 3/5
I received a copy of this book for free, and I leave my review voluntarily.

Ragh Bir is the author of romcom chick lit. When she isn’t at her day job, you can find her running at Windsor Great Park, drinking wine, and eating dark chocolate.

“Another one bites the dust.”

Rachel decides on her 39th birthday to use this last year of her 30s to find her soulmate. She decides to accept all date offers and try out all avenues of finding a partner. For better or worse, she is giving her quest solid commitment.

I was not too fond of the main character, Rachel, at all. She is not as charming as the author intended her to be, and she comes across as snobbish.

While the concept of spending the last year of your 30s searching for your imperfect perfect soulmate seems like it would be filled with shenanigans, I wasn’t overly amused.

I found Rachel to be shallow. She was judgmental and not very nice. Some of her dating moments were comical, and I did enjoy her dynamic with her friends, but I wasn’t invested in the storyline at all.

For as long as the book is, the ending abruptly left me with questions. I don’t think I was a target reader for this story. I don’t believe in soulmates, and I think when we find our person, it takes effort, work, and understanding to support the relationship.

This was chick lit with bits of humor tossed in. I did enjoy the friendships, and I liked Rachel’s parents. I would have loved reading more about Harry and Vince- they were hilarious and fantastic. The whole friend group was really special.