Member Reviews

WOW, what a great read. It had me laughing and feeling all warm and fuzzy inside. I really enjoyed this book and I am now a new fan of this Author. Cannot wait to see it in my library!

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This book had its funny and sweet moments. Jake is my favorite most level-headed character. I'm not sure if I agree with the conflict being enough to send our main character, Amy, all the way to London but I enjoyed the setting and the scenes with Jake.

However, it was a super super slow-burn and I would have enjoyed some of the romance sooner. This is my first novel by Lizzy Dent so maybe this is just her style.

Thanks to NetGally and the Penguin Group for this advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

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Thank you to Netgalley, the author and the publisher for the opportunity to read this arc.

The story follows Amy after splitting up with her boss/boyfriend where she humiliated herself in retaliation to an awful situation he put her in.

I absolutely loved this book and devoured it in a day. Amy and Jake were such amazing characters, the chemistry building was slow but brilliant and the story line had some depth to it too. There were a few laugh out loud moments and a few heartfelt moments.

The story really highlighted how to overcome moments when we have embarrassed ourselves or felt shame.

This is an absolutely great read for the summer if you are after a fun and light-hearted romance book.

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Absolutely loved this one - I really enjoyed the last Lizzy Dent that I read, but this was even better.

I really enjoyed the story, it started with one of those typically humiliating rom com moments that was clear would act as an undercurrent throughout the story as the fuel for the revenge mentioned in the title.

The romance that did develop over the course of the plot was an agonisingly delicious slow burn - the chemistry and tension absolutely killed me, each tease executed perfectly. The use of the proximity trope and the work relationship between the characters was *chefs kiss* and it had me wholly invested in rooting for them and turning those pages.

There was a great balance between the humour in the story and in creating layered and complex characters through the use of quite sensitive themes - these were sensitively approached and added an extra dimension to this story overall.

Overall I wholeheartedly recommend this one to my fellow romance fans. The balance of all of the elements is just right, but in particular that delectable slow burn was honestly perfection.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for my copy of this read.

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So I'll start by saying romcoms aren't my usual read, but the cover /blub of this had me intrigued, and I'm so glad I gave it a read as I finally got a 5⭐️ read this year!
The book was funny and heartwarming. It had me laughing and shouting at my kindle!
I loved Amy and how she grew and found herself again! I loved Jake (hello new book boyfriend!) and I loved to hate Chris!
The tension between Amy ane Jake we "chefs kiss" This had so many great moments and I seriously need Dry Bones and Trader Town to become actual TV shows! I loved this so much I've added all of Lizzies other books to my TBR

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Amy Dents writing style is enjoyable enough, but it wasn't enough for me to feel that I liked this book. I found it very difficult to connect with Amy. Her actions regarding her fight with Chris were juvenile and disgusting. Especially considering it was her own fault she missed her cousins wedding. This gave me the feeling that Amy isn't whole without a man, and that she us incapable of acting like an adult or caring for herself. And how is it that a disgruntled coworker just happened to be around the night Amy decides to cosplay as the world's grossest car wash? As far as Jake and Amy go, they were amazing coworkers, but the romantic chemistry just wasn't there. I would have enjoyed this more with this attempt at a relationship and with Amy learning to be independent.

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Oh I adored this one from the first page. I felt SO angry for Amy with the whole situation with Chris at the start- how DARE he?!
I then was mortified for her through the aftermath, Lizzy captured so perfectly how drink and emotions can quickly spiral out of control, to the extreme in this case...
Then, following that, how the longer you leave something, the harder it can be to face up to it.
I loved Amy and her friends, they were generally hilarious and I found myself wishing I could join Amy, Maggie and Jake on the terrace for a drink and a laugh.
Washing Amy and Jake's interactions and their relationship develop felt so authentic.
Towards the end I felt genuinely anxious thinking everything might go wrong, but I had to keep reading.

Overall a hilarious and heartwarming read about the power of owning your mistakes- get this on your TBR for summer!

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Amy Duffy embarks on a fresh start in London, leaving behind her job and family following an extremely embarrassing incident. I found it refreshing that the author depicted the main female character as originally hailing from the United States but eventually settling in London.

Amy's character intrigued me, especially her passion for her career. She is relatable in her accomplishments yet also displays a touch of chaos. The exploration of television production and its associated challenges was captivating. The connection between Amy and Jake, both as romantic interests and collaborators who respect each other as equals, was a notable aspect.

The author seamlessly incorporates her witty humor throughout the novel. I frequently found myself chuckling at Amy's inner musings. I eagerly anticipate delving into more books penned by the author!

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This was a good story! Usually, these light romance novels are very predictable but The Sweetest Revenge had a couple of twists at the end that kept me wondering. I really liked the characters although it was hard to picture the heroine as a power player in her career field. I will definitely keep my eye on Lizzy Dent!

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This book is the best summer read! I absolutely loved it! Binged it!
It has everything you need and more. It made me laugh out loud so many times and I turned page after page trying to find out what's next. Chris is a typical a..hole and I so wanted him to get punched in the face. The revenge was so sweet
And Jake .... 🥰 So handsome and hot! So kind and smart! I rooted for him from the beginning

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4 ⭐️

I thought this book was a really cute and quick read. It starts as a secret workplace romance that quickly goes sour. Amy Duffy was a hot shot developer at a big production company in NY until her secret lover (aka her boss) blocks her script she diligently worked in. In an angry drunken stupor, Amy makes a terrible decision that ends up being recorded by a former employee scorned. Struck with overwhelming humiliation, Amy Duffy travels to London and starts all over.

She meets Jake Jones, fantasy island super star with a lot on his plate… and her new neighbor.

This story follows Amy and Jake through a creative process of working together and catching feelings a long the way. It’s cute and It’s also aggravating at some points.

Jake is a complete heart throb. He is sweet. He is kind. He is incredibly thoughtful.

Amy is a strong willed, career driven, mildly goofy FMC.

Together they are a chefs kiss. This story has so many sweet moments. The inflatable pool on the terrace will forever be my favorite.

Read this book if you like:
-neighbors to lovers
-coworkers to lovers
-career driven FMC
-mini fake dating
-reality star/celebrity

Thank you so much to Net Galley, Lizzy Dent and the publishers at Putnam books for the wonderful opportunity to read this book in exchange for my honest review.

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This book started off so strong!! I was cringing and dying for Amy and the incident that made her leave her job and move from the US to London.
However the book seemed to get bogged down in too much banter and dialogue without much character development and lost it for me. I feel like there was too much reliance on “they’ve both been embarrassed in public and have the same career” as a reason for their connection and not who they are as people.
Overall I think the book is cute. I just hate it took Amy SO long to take back her life.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

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I love Lizzy Dent books, and I was so excited to get to sneak a peek at this one early - I was not disappointed! The story is was sweet, and funny - Amy is hilarious and human and I was a big fan and rooted for her from page one. You will laugh, and maybe cry too. It’s a yes from me for sure!

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Lizzy Dent - you've done it again. You've written a hilarious and yet somehow relatable story about being an adult and having no idea what the frick you're doing in life.

rating: 4 STARS
genre: romance
steam: Fade-to-Black

When I first read The Summer Job a while back, I absolutely loved Dent's FMC and how you could see her struggle, see her insecurities and immaturity, and then you also saw her grow up and bring it all back together again. While I did enjoy her previous novel better than THE SWEETEST REVENGE, I still absolutely loved this one. I read it in one day - if that tells you anything!

I think the biggest thing for me here is that even though Amy irritated me, I was still rooting for her to succeed, get the job, and land the man! And wanting everything for the FMC is important when it comes to a romance.

Things I Liked:
• The banter! Banter is a big thing for me - because you have to toe the line between funny/cute/flirty and just plain mean. Dent nailed the balance here.
• The TV show atmosphere - it was fun to see Amy work her way through different departments
• The tension. Oh my goodness. Before the MCs hook-up, you could feel the tension popping off the page.

Things I Didn't Love:
• That I can't watch the TV show that Amy and Jake wrote. I would be so down for that crime drama.
• Amy ricocheted between being ridiculously immature and tolerable way too many times; Like I get that it helped highlight her growth and healing, but some of it was over the top

TLDR: If you like television, romance, and London, then you should check out this quick read!

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The Sweetest Revenge is my first Lizzy Dent read even though I have been meaning to read her other work, too. The story is described as a mix between Bridesmaids, which I enjoyed, and Emily in Paris, which, unfortunately, I can’t stand, so I was apprehensive before starting. Amy Duffy works in TV in New York. When her boss/ex-boyfriend, Chris, betrays her, she gets drunk and ends up being filmed making a mistake. Seeking a fresh start, Amy ends up moving to London, but her past may soon be catching up to her. The beginning of the story is strong where the reader can feel Amy’s frustration and how she ends up in a spiral. She seems to be getting by making trailers at a British tv show and having some sparks with her downstairs neighbor, Jake, but her life is about to change when Chris reenters the picture.

Jake is a screenwriter with a past of his own who meets Amy randomly as they are neighbors. The two become closer when they decide to work on a tv project together, so I enjoyed their collaboration. The romance that develops between them is a very slow-burn, which was frustrating as it is a lot slower than even a typical slow-burn. Since this is a romance story, or at least that is how it came across initially, this part did not work for me. I felt the two have chemistry, but, for me, there wasn’t enough there to connect to a romance. As this story is also about Amy facing Chris again, I had ideas about the “revenge” part of the title where it could be her just overcoming her past and becoming a success while showing the world (and Chris) what she has become, or it could be a little more over-the-top where the revenge could just be targeting Chris. I am sure there are other revenge plots that could fit the story, but those were the two that came to mind at the start.

The language used in this novel includes a lot of cursing, which can turn-off some readers who prefer cleaner word choices. For me, I don’t mind those, so it did not affect my enjoyment one way or another. There are a lot of tv and other pop culture references, even the names Jake and Amy seemed to be an unofficial reference to a show. The story does its job on delivering a journey about recovering from public humiliation. Amy is not always the most likeable as she came off self-centered a few times, but she was well-written. I still don’t quite understand why Amy stayed away from home for so long even if her moment was humiliating as I did not find it to come across as extreme as it seemed. Overall, this was a fun story about growth. I still am not quite sure if I would call it a romance even though it included one, but it was still an interesting novel.

**I give a special thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read this entertaining novel. The opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.**

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Over all the Lizzy Dent wrote the story well but it was a bit of the struggle of a read.

I loved Jake but Amy was a tad whiney for my taste.

The ending was everything I hoped for and I am glad that I stuck it out.

A slow but worthwhile read for the ending.

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Amy Duffy is washed up, and it's her own fault-- or at least that's what she tells herself. This fluffy rom-com is full of snappy banter and a detestable ex. Working on a project together with a handsome new neighbor pushes Amy to realize she's selling herself short. Neither Amy nor love interest Jake do a lot of work, but I found myself not wanting to put this down.

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this is my first book by lizzy dent & I genuinely really really enjoyed myself reading this! It had humour, sexual tension, chemistry between the character & most of all HEART. A lot of rom-coms miss that extra something that makes them more than just silly-happy-go-lucky romances...this had that something for me. It definitely helps that I love a lil bit of revenge against a-hole men.
I will forever have the scene with the paddling pool & too much wine ingrained in my brain since it made me laugh-out-loud in a cafe at my new job.
I suggest checking this one out if you love Emily Henry, Beth O'Leary or just need something a bit lighthearted with some great characters!

Thanks the Insta Book Tours, the author & netgalley for providing this copy.

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Thank you NetGalley for the eARC!

This was a fun book, and a quick read. I was drawn into the to story fairly quickly, and I was eager to get back to it whenever I had to put it down. My only "complaint" about this book is the fact that Amy's family uses British terms in their conversations, on Amy visit back home, in New York. I can believe that Amy would have picked up certain terms and phrasing in the two years that she has lived in London. However, it really bothered me that her family, who have not lived in the UK, were using British phrasing. I would think that an editor, or someone, would have caught this.

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Amy Duff fled to London after an unfortunate viral moment of her at her worst made the rounds. She's given up her perfect life in New York and switched from being a TV developer to making trailers. She gives herself pep talks in the mirror every day before going to work. Just as she starts to get her mojo back and take control back of her life and dreams...not to mention the flirty moments with her very attractive neighbor/collaborator, the man she ran from shows back up. Can she continue on her new path of awesomeness or will he derail her once again?

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