I was engaged from the first page in these characters and their story. It is a fast paced, fun book to read and whilst it's not the deepest of writing it is enjoyable. Great for book clubs or holidays with lots to think about. I'm sure many readers will find various aspects of their own lives and challenges reflected in the themes explored and will relate to the struggles portrayed.

Unfortunately I was unable to read this book due to formatting issues. My review is based on the blurb.

This novel is a great example of a really good idea that isn't *quite* fulfilled. It feels like Hughes missed a trick or ten here. Narratively, it's clear Hughes can write, but the plot just doesn't ever take off or achieve what it could, and that doesn't leave the reader as satisfied as they should be. It's a great, contemporary idea here and a bit of a disappointment that it seems to go nowhere. My thanks to the author, the publisher and Netgalley for the ARC.

This was a great read. I loved the friendship that Dee, Minnie and Roo had. Sisterhood at its very finest and able to overcome even the most challenging events.
I was so pleased that Dee was able to move on quickly from Nat. He was an unbearable human and it would have been frustrating seeing her continue to waste her life waiting around for him. I loved Andy, and Alice and Ines too. All the characters felt so authentic and it genuinely felt like I was reading about real people and real scenarios. I sped through this and was sorry it was over.

Welcome to Dee Jenson’s complicated mid-thirties. Two amazing friends, one crappy “just about pays the bills” job, and sleeping on the sofa at her bosses flat. Just been dumped by text, but also just found out she needs to get her skates on if she wants to have a family. And she does.... doesn’t she?
It’s a tale about friendships (I would personally LOVE to have Minnie and Roo as my besties) finding love, looking after those close to you, dealing with your parents, and generally finding your way in the world when you’re a bit lost and unsure of yourself.
I absolutely adored this book, I found Dee so relatable and I even cried towards the end.
Thank you Netgalley and Random House UK, Cornerstone for the advance copy. It was a great read!
“It’s Complicated” by Emma Hughes is released on July 6th 2023.

I found this book so relatable and really enjoyed reading it. It was powerful reading as someone who is also going through fertility issues. The characters cover a wide range of experiences and it was engaging to reflect on their personal journeys.

I really loved the premise of this story, but it just fell a bit flat for me. Thank you for the arc in return for the review!

I found this book a really interesting story. I did enjoy the xharaxters but I found myself a little conflicted by the story.

Sorry, I couldn’t get into this, It is absolutely no reflection on the author or the book itself, it’s just something didn’t click and it wasn’t for me. Thank you to the publisher for the ARC, in exchange for an honest review.

5 stars

I don't often read contemporary but I really liked this story. It's very realistic of the delimnas that face people thinking of having children and the problems that can appear. I liked the heroine and her friends. they were so normal. The hero is so centred and delicious :)

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Dee is the 30 something character in this book who is dealt some devastating news about her health at a point in her life when she is already struggling. Stuck in a dead end job, an unfulfilling relationship with her commitment-phobe childhood crush and parent issues, she starts to wonder where her life is going.

There is a lot packed into this book; fertility problems, mental health issues, a woman's right to choose, co-parenting, the importance of friends and choosing your family. For me, a lot of this felt forced, and was definitely at the expense of both story and character development. I would have loved for there to be more about Andy and Dee's attraction to each other and also to explore Dee, Roo and the other friend (see, I can't even remember her name) friendship dynamic. It also felt a little trite that everything was wrapped up so neatly by the end of the book.

Not one for me I'm afraid, but I would like to thank the publisher and NetGalley for the advanced copy in return for an honest review.

Dee is in her mid-thirties and is single, sharing her colleague's flat and in the middle of a friendship triangle with Roo and Minnie, who don't understand each other. Minnie is childfree by choice and wants to keep it that way, Roo is desperate for a baby but struggling to conceive - a tricky prospect when her life so far has been a series of well-executed plans. And Dee, well Dee would just like a better job and a stable relationship. Then she finds out she's running out of time if she wants to have a baby. On the day she gets the news, she bumps into Andy, who they know from a cafe they frequent. Andy recently ended a relationship because he wants to be a father, but at 40 he's also running out of time. Would it be so terrible if they became co-parents together?

This is a look at how childhood trauma shapes us, our friendships, and how we move through the world. I particularly enjoyed the relationship between Andy and Dee, two people with very different life experiences who nevertheless share a common goal. The friendships she has with Roo and Minnie are deftly drawn, and her desire to protect them both from each other shines a light on how we sometimes neglect ourselves in order to try and buffer people from situations they're well able to handle.

Dee is a 34 year old woman who has two amazing best friends and is still holding a candle for a boy she had a crush on when she 16. She very much puts everyone else before herself and seems to willingly bend over backwards to make herself into the person she thinks those around her want her to be.

There are some heavy themes throughout the book that encompass different stages of the fertility process and it seems that each of the three best friends has something they need to deal with, fertility wise. And while I think it's a good idea to discuss these issues in books and have these kinds of characters that readers can identify with, I think the book is marketed the wrong way. It's marketed as a romance when I really don't think this is so much, yes there is a little bit of romance in the story but the main story centres around Dee and her journey figuring out who she is and what she wants.

I did enjoy the book and I empathised with the three women and what they were dealing with but it would have been nice to see Dee's relationship with Andy a little more. To actually watch them grow properly as a couple.

Thanks NetGalley for the chance to review this ARC!

2.25/5 stars! The premise of this book reminded me of the movie "Friends with Kids." The story made some excellent points regarding Pro-choice and was really educational about fertility for women in their 30s+, which I really appreciate. My issue with the book is that it never really came together as the premise described. It felt more like an informational narration of fertility and Dee's journey with it, but not the relationship with Andy. It was ok.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review

Before I start, I just want to say that Emma as an author is someone who is incredibly talented and she should be so proud of herself for turning her writing into a book, she is incredible when it comes to narration and writing characters, along with focusing on serious topics. Thank you for allowing me to read this as an arc.

When I read the blurb to this story, I was intrigued from the get go and was hoping to be approved, and when the email came, I was over the moon, but when it came to reading the actual story? All I could feel was disappointment and sadness. I feel as if my hopes were upped for something that was barely focused on for the main character but more of a focus for Dee’s friends Roo and Minnie. I expected this book to have a lot of time being focused on Dee and Andy becoming co-parents and navigating their lives around a child platonically while potentially gaining feelings however this wasn’t the case.

To put it simply, I felt as if I was waiting for the other shoe to drop and the story to properly begin. In my opinion, there was little romance and absolutely no spice, it was informative but not as enjoyable as I hoped it would be. The story seemed to focus more on Dee and her friends rather than the co-parenting with Andy, it seemed to focus on the shambles that Dee was in and the things she was trying to heal from in terms of her parents. Unfortunately, this book wasn’t for me but I wish Emma the best of luck with her work.

This just didn’t work for me unfortunately. It felt flat and it was really a slow moving story. I felt that it took a long time to get to the heart of the story and when we got there the book was basically over. I loved the idea of the story and the plot, it’s right up my street but for me it felt definitely more womens fiction than romance.

I was prepared to find It's Complicated a bit irritating if I'm being honest. But it was pleasantly surprising. I liked Dee and Andy, the main characters and, although they were a bit too contrivedly diametrically opposed, I thought that Dee's friends added to the book. I don't think I really believed in her work situation though.

The plot revolves around the issue of children. Do we want them? Can we have them? Do we regret our choices? I thought that Dee and Andy's situation was made interesting and there was some tension in the plot line. For my taste the book had too many issues and lifestyle choices in it. Whether or not it reflects real life for a section of the population, it seems like overkill for a fairly short book. However, that's a personal view, and others will take it in their stride.

This is such a lovely book. At the heart of it is a really solid friendship between three girls, but there’s a lot of exploration into romantic relationships, parent and children relationships, and working relationships.

I loved following Dee’s journey from being insecure and with her childhood crush, to becoming far more comfortable in herself and making life better for himself. The friendship between Dee, Roo and Minnie is perfectly adorable, it’s lovely.

Each of the girls has a different issue with regards to becoming a parent, and this is handled with great tact. It’s beautifully written.

I really recommend this book and I will be keeping an eye out for others by this author.

Such a unique book, I loved the plot and oh my god the characters we're so amazing!! I definitely will be recommending it!!

What a rollercoaster. There are some really heavy themes in this book, but at its heart this is a really charming story about building a family and all the different forms that families can take. There are some lovely highs and some emotional gut punches, all wrapped up with a satisfyingly hopeful ending.

I don’t want to give any spoilers, but I’m very glad that this story is pro-choice and explores the fact that everyone’s definition of family and their ideal lifestyle is different—and valid—and that having children isn’t the be-all and end-all of a woman’s worth.

Dee and Andy’s story is really lovely. Dee’s relationship struggles struck a chord with me, especially how dating normally feels ‘like an elaborately stressful tango’. I loved that because her relationship with Andy isn’t ‘real’ to start with, she doesn’t have to perform; she can be herself and have someone love her anyway. It’s one of my favourite tropes and why I love ‘fake relationship’ stories so much, and this book is a delightful example of it.

But whilst the romance is a key thread of the book, Dee’s friendship with Minnie and Roo, and her relationship with her mum and stepmum are the real stars of the show. The characters are all so wonderful and although it’s a little difficult to keep track of them all at the start—especially when we’re given such rich insights into every character’s backstory—by the time you get to the end, you’ll love them all, and all of those extra little details will feel so worthwhile.

(Content warnings for lots of talk of fertility issues, abortion; mentions of suicide attempts.)