This was a simple, fun, easy and quick read. The perfect type of book for your holiday, beach, pool kind of read. This is a first for me by the author and one I enjoyed and would read more of their work.

The E-Book could be improved and more user-friendly, such as links to the chapters, no significant gaps between words some text written has been typed in red and a cover for the book would be better. It is very document-like instead of a book. A star has been deducted because of this.

The book cover is eye-catching and appealing and would spark my interest if in a bookshop. Thank you very much to the author, publisher and Netgalley for this ARC.

I must admit I thought this was going to be so predictable but getting into it, it proved to be a fun read, full of little twists, lots of angst, a heartwarming read

Ada returns to Edinburgh to live with her mother when a love affair goes horribly awry and sets up her own PR company, even if at the moment she only has one, rather flaky, client. Ada's best friends are a married couple with two small children, compared to them she feels like she's not really adulting, especially when she is sleeping in her childhood bedroom. Ada doesn't feel she can tell her friends what really happened to bring her back to Edinburgh, she's too ashamed, and they keep trying to get her to go on dates.

Rather than get under her mother's feet all day, Ada rents a space in the back of a local café to work, as do several other regulars. After complaining bitterly when a new man takes what Ada considers to be 'her table', she and the man, Fraser strike up conversation. It turns out that Fraser is a journalist for a local newspaper, tasked to write about unusual local events and attractions. With time on her hands Ada starts to accompany Fraser on some of his wild and wacky adventures. But although they have great conversations, neither of them shares anything very personal.

Meanwhile, while searching through her childhood bedroom Ada finds a pile of Agatha Christie fan-fiction that she wrote as a teenager and after rereading a few, decides they are actually not too bad and submits them to a low-key Agatha Christie fan-fiction website. Imagine her astonishment when one of the other site users nominates her for fan-fiction of the month. Ada and this person Myster-E begin messaging back and forth about their Agatha Christie obsessions and develop a real friendship, exchanging quite personal details about their lives.

This was another riff on You've Got Mail (or The Shop Around The Corner for the old-timers), I have no idea why I have read so many of these book recently. This one worked very well. I liked the way in which Fraser and Ada showed each other different parts of their personalities in person and online. Again, I wasn't pleased that both Ada's friend and Fraser blew things out of proportion and 'hit the nuclear button', although I did like the way in which both conflicts were resolved.

I haven't read any books by this author before, but I will definitely look out for more.

I received an ARC from the publisher via NetGalley in return for an honest review.

This book reminded me of a 90s romcom, I found it utterly hilarious and I honestly could not put the book down. The story follows Ada, unlucky in love after ending a relationship with a man that was actually married. As she tries to make her new career take off as a publicist of an unpredictable z list celebrity, she works in a shared working space aptly nicknamed ‘coffice’ where she meets Fraser, initially seen as her spot stealer but slowly become close friends over shared experiences. At the same time Ada is trying to balance her love life with Neal (set up by her close friends) as well as Myster-E, after meeting through an online forum with a shared love of mysteries.

The writing style of this book made it an easy read, it was to the point, almost conversational and such a pleasant read, it was so funny and witty and I loved the puns throughout.

I absolutely adored Ada’s character, and the way she interacted with Fraser, their instant connection and the hilarious situations they found themselves in. Their chemistry was so tangible and I loved the way their relationship developed as the story progressed. One of my other favourite characters was Amal, a long friend of Ada’s but the perfect, realistic and slightly harsh friend that you need. The way Canning briefly dwells on Amal’s struggles were pivotal in Ada’s character development!

I absolutely adored this book and highly recommend!

Thanks so much to Sam Canning, NetGalley, Zaffre and Bonnier Books UK for eARC, all opinions expressed are my own.

Billed as 'You've Got Mail' meets 'The Flatshare', you know exactly what you're going to get when you go into this book.
As someone who lives in Edinburgh, this almost felt like more of a love letter to the city, than a love story between two people. It was exciting for me to read about places I have been and the city I love. I do wonder if this would hinder any readers who don't live in the city.
I think the book was strongest in the conversations with Ada and her online mystery suitor. The plotline with Neil dragged on far too long and I was disappointed there was not much content with Ada and Myster-E/Fraser actually together, especially when compared to Neil.
I love the injection of Scottishness to the book and it felt really authentic.
Overall, this was a fun, different read that I would recommend to my friends in the city.

Easygoing story, makes for a nice enough read. I didn't really click with Ada at any point, to be honest, and the writing never really made me super invested or totally lost in its prose, but it's a good story as far as this trope goes
**ARC provided by Netgalley & the publisher - all views & opinions are my own**

A lovely story about friends, relationship mistakes and being honest.
Moving home after a disastrous romance. Setting up a pr company with only one troublesome client becomes an issue. Using the local cafe workspace and meeting Fraser.
Is he just mate or should it be more?
I enjoyed the book
It made me smile 😁

I was really looking forward to reading this book but unfortunately had an issue with formatting.

I look forward to reading it when it is released!

Ada the leading lady moves back to Edinburgh after finding out that the guy she was seeing is married. Understandably this leaves her with a lot of trust issues. The book takes us through Ada trying to dip her toe into the dating pool, an online connection and a blossoming something with journalist Fraser, who she meets at a cafe. We also see her navigate her way through her long time friendship and moving back in with her mum. This was an enjoyable read, and was easy enough to get into. I liked Fraser and Ada’s friendship and how that developed their banter and the connection with Myster-E. The ending was predictable but still good. I do wish less time had been spent with Neil and that Ada did string him along a bit. Overall worth a read (3. 5 ⭐️).

This is a super easy, light-hearted read following Ada's move back home to Edinburgh after the end of a disastrous relationship. There, she starts her own PR firm, signs her first client and several months later is convinced by her best friend Amal that she needs to start dating again.

The plot was so predictable that I felt like it took away from my enjoyment of the characters, who were really well developed and quite complex for a romcom, but I still found it a cute read overall.

It would be perfect if you want a quick, feel good story with a guaranteed HEA!

Thank you to the publisher & NetGalley for giving me an eARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

A light easy relatable read. Predictable but still enjoyable. Well written and flowed well. The perils of blind dating at their best!

I've come to the conclusion that I'm just getting too old for books like Virtual Strangers by Sam Canning. I should have enjoyed it. It has a tried and tested premise, it's set in my home city of Edinburgh and the plot bounces along nicely. Nothing not to enjoy there. But Ada, the lead character, drives me mad with her immaturity and insecurities. I suspect if I were younger, I'd relate to her more easily.

So I can't give this a bad review, and nor do I want to. All I can fairly say is that everything about the book adds up, but not for me.

Really enjoyed this story and the way it all came together. This was well written and so believable as a story.

This was such a sweet book, I loved the plot and the characters. The main character, Ada, developed so much during the book and I enjoyed following her journey. The romance was so sweet and it was something I knew was coming but it was just a matter of time. I also predicted the twist near the end but it was much so sweeter than I imagined so I’m not too annoyed at myself for guessing.

Ada has been having a difficult time after moving from London back to Edinburgh as her job didn’t work out. She also experienced a difficult relationship which she was lucky to get out of. She was building up her life back in Edinburgh and was searching for some romance in her life. This plot had a good pace and had a good amount of events happen throughout the book.

The plot was entertaining, I loved the setting of the cafe where Ada went to work. I also liked the other characters in the book, I especially loved Fraser (if you know, you know). It did deal with some deep issues surrounding Ada’s friend Amal and her postnatal depression. This was so heartbreaking to read about and I think the author wrote about it in a sensitive way. Apart from this serious topic, the rest of the book was quite funny, there was a lot of situations Ada was in which were hilarious. This was definitely a really good rom-com.

I highly recommend this book, it was a cute and funny read. I didn’t find anything cringey in the book which can happen with some romance books.

💻Virtual Strangers💻

By Sam Canning @yesshescan

Description:

Do you believe in love at first type?

When Ada set up her own PR firm from a coffee shop, she didn't expect to meet journalist Fraser. Also working there daily, he soon becomes a friend. Reporting on interesting things to do around Edinburgh, Fraser ropes Ada into accompanying him on his assignments.

As they work side-by-side Ada can't help but notice how attractive Fraser is, and how well they get along. But, Ada has been chatting to a guy she met on an Agatha Christie fan fiction site, and she can't stop wondering about him. His interests are the same as hers, and the anonymity helps them both be more honest and open. As Ada's messages with the mystery man become deeper, she thinks she's falling for him.

Ada is torn between Fraser and Myster-E - but can you have real feelings for someone when you're virtual strangers?

💻💻💻💻💻

It was the fact that this book is set in Edinburgh that made me request it on @netgalley and I’m not at all disappointed I did.

This was a really nice read with great characters, set against the familiar streets and landmarks of one of my favourite cities.

The main character Ada has hit a bit of a crisis in her life and has moved home to her mum’s house. She’s far from perfect and that could be annoying but the author manages that delicate balance of flawed but still likeable.

Described as The Flatshare meets You’ve Got Mail, you’d have to be pretty oblivious not to instantly work out where the romance plot is going, but despite that, it’s still really fun to watch it unfold.

There’s a good subplot about Ada’s best friend who is suffering from postnatal depression that is sensitively handled and really nice to see being discussed.

I really enjoyed Virtual Strangers and this is a great debut from Sam Canning. Also, if the bars mentioned weren’t total inventions I’m going to be needing their names!

Thanks to @netgalley and @bonnierbooks_uk for the advanced copy in exchange for an honest review. Virtual Strangers is out on the 2nd of February!

Ada is down on her luck. She’s returned to Edinburgh from London to live in her mum’s flat. She’s set up her own PR for that she runs from a local coffee shop and meets Fraser, a local journalist who becomes a friend. Fraser asks Ada to help him on assignments and she quickly realises how attractive he is and how well they get along. However, she’s been chatting to a fellow crime fan, Myster-E, on a fanfic site. They exchange messages and really open up to each other and Ada thinks she may be on for him. She’s torn between them both but can you really fall for a virtual stranger?

I loved this book. I enjoyed the fact it was set in Edinburgh and felt you really got to know the characters. The plot flows well and you’re easily drawn into wanting to read another chapter. Thank you to NetGalley, Bonnier Books UK and the author for the chance to review.

I requested Virtual Strangers because it was a rom-com set in Edinburgh, and even though it's no secret that Edinburgh is one of my least favourite cities, I do spend a lot of time there. I wasn't convinced by this one at the beginning but ended up really liking it! This is very much a resident version of Edinburgh rather than a touristy version, and Fraser is an excellent book boyfriend. It's basically You've Got Mail in book form, so it's a win from me!

A frothy romance over coffee and biscuits set in Edinburgh.

As is the case with rom com’s in general, you know what you are getting with Virtual Stranger’s, but it’s an enjoyable ride just the same.

After things don’t pan out for her in London and still reeling from a bad breakup, Ada moves back home to Edinburgh to regroup and see if she can get her fledgling PR business off the ground. To avoid making her Mum’s living room her Office she shares Office space in the back of a local Coffee shop (a coffice, if you will) and it is there she meets Fraser.

Because rom-com’s tend to be fun and frothy the drawing of the characters is paramount, in this I found I was drawn to the male lead but found Ada, the female lead a tad annoying. A purely personal response but one that I’m sure influenced my star rating.

Thanks to Netgalley for providing an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

Ada is down on her luck, moving back to Edinburgh from london and working out of a coffee shop as she try’s to get her publicist business off the ground with a less than stable client. But what she really wants is a bit of romance in her life - which she finds in the strangest of places.

I really enjoyed this book. I loved watching Ada’s journey on coming back to herself and opening herself up to love again. There were some fantastic side characters (her mom in particular was a highlight) and a romance you couldn’t help but cheer for.

A nice, relaxing and enjoyable read that will leave you with a smile on your face. And potentially the desire to read some Agatha Christie.

Thank you NetGalley and Bonnier Books for the ARC.

This book is a perfect beach read! It isn’t one of those books you can’t put down, but it does hold your interest and you do care enough about the characters to keep reading. In parts it felt a bit long, but overall it’s a good romcom, and I enjoyed the ending, which didn’t feel rushed.