Sarra Manning just writes the best rom coms - her books always make me feel good. Esme is funny and smart and compelling, and I rooted for her and Theo even as it seemed too good to be true. The ending is sweet and clever at the same time - highly recommended.

I’ve been a big Sarra Manning fan since my teenage Guitar Girl days so I try to keep up with her current adult romcom novels and her newest is every bit as good. It was a little outlandish trying to believe that Esme could have manifested the perfect man for her, but I was willing to go along for the ride.

I thought this would be a bit of a light read and it is but its really gripping. Esme has had no luck with dating and her friends are all settling down. On a hen night she is tasked with making a vision board of her dream partner and out of the blue, he shows up. This has likeable relatable characters and makes for an excellent summer read.

Oh my god! I loved this book so much! Its fun, exciting and whitty! The author has got these characters spot on! They are so lovable! The story itself is relatable. An absolute joy to read this!

Dream, a dream of a five-star read. This was just fab and watching Esme as she goes on her journey was delightful, there just are not enough Esme’s in the world, and I know its not real, but I really, really hope Karma comes for her ex-husband to such an extent that he has to live under a rock, but that’s just my opinion. Theo is just too good to be true, but we all need someone like that in our lives, someone to take care of us, when we aren’t able to ourselves. The pace in this story, is just brilliant, you get the flow, and it keeps you hooked, you feel for Esme as her life falls apart, but when the story comes to a conclusion you just simply adore it. This is a really original story, that has enough heart and twists to keep you going, as well as some amazing bridezilla moments that bring some amazing levity to the story at moments where it could have gone dark, Esme is a great character, she isn’t always likeable, and her story hasn’t always been a good one, but she is someone you can understand and really root for, most of all she is human, and you will love her story.

3.5 stars

I have never read a Sarra Manning before and when I stumbled upon The Man of her Dreams on Netgalley, I thought it appeared to be quite fun judging from the cover and the short but interesting premise. It has quite a great start and the writing isn't unnecessarily complicated. Though some of the humour was not my style, I did enjoy it. The cast of characters in this book was pretty funny and though some fell flat (to me), I liked most of them. Esme was actually a pretty fun main character to have and I enjoyed reading from her point of view a lot.

I did find the pacing of the book to be a bit erratic. At first, it started off pretty okay but by the time I got to the middle, it had slowed down considerably and I was essentially just scanning the pages (barely). And I wouldn't lie; without spoiling, I was about halfway through the book when I figured out the mystery of Esme's 'Man of Her Dreams'

Though I may not have enjoyed this book as much as I wanted to, reading The Man of Her Dreams has piqued my interest in Sarra Manning's writing and I do want to give her other books a try.

Sarra Manning has done it again. Clever, original and heartbreaking, The Man of her Dreams is a perfect romcom.

Esme has trust issues - and who can blame her? Her parents have never shown much interest in her or liking for her, splitting up when she was 16 and dumping her on her resentful older sister, Allegra. As a result Esme grew up fast, working full time when her friends were heading to uni, buying a flat in her early twenties, married at twenty three, divorced at twenty five. Her marriage was brief but the effects long lasting. Esme is better keeping everyone at arms' length, it's better that way. She prefers her men imaginary, the product of her over active imagination. So the last thing she wants to do is be a bridemaid for Allegra's bridezilla of a sister in law -especially as, thanks to covid, Seren and Isaac have actually already got married and she has already suffered through one hen party. Worse, hen party number two contains crystals, mood boards and manifesting, in Esme's case her perfect fantasy man.

But even wisdom tooth extraction won't get Esme out of the full night out, which is how she finds herself exiting a taxi and colliding with an angry cyclist, falling and banging her head and heading to hospital rather than a Chelsea nightclub.. The hospital is overcrowded and Esme has to share her cubicle with Theo - a man who has a strange resemblance to her fantasy man from his accent (Mancunian) to his job as a bar owner. When she bumps into Theo at the bus stop, she ends up offering to share a taxi with him. The more time she spends with Theo the more perfect he is - but is he too perfect? Can he really be the man of her dreams? And just what is it she's not getting?

This is a gorgeous hug of a novel, funny, sexy, warm, poignant and satisfying. Highly recommended.

Sarra Manning is one of my go to authors, I have enjoyed reading her previous novels and was excited to get started on this new one.

For me The Man of Her Dreams had a bit of a slow start but I managed to get in to it midway through and really enjoyed it. I really felt for Esme, and actually at times related to her. I did not warm to Allegra at all.

Even with a slo start this really was a wave of emotions and found it quite emotional toward the end, such a beautiful story and was so happy with the ending!

Thank you to NetGalley for the download.

'm usually not one to get into Rom-Coms, often finding them too cheesy and easy to predict. But "The Man of Her Dreams" turned out to be a delightful surprise. This is my first encounter with Manning's writing tand I'm sure it won't be the last.

Esme, the main character, is relatable and her romantic journey resonates . Manning's portrayal of her is exceptional, and her growth over the course of the story is truly impressive. The cast of characters introduced in "The Man of Her Dreams" adds a lot to the story.

As you follow the narrative, you empathize with Esme as she watches those around her attain the dreams she's always longed for – it tugs at your heartstrings. Yet, the book also brings moments of joy, entertainment, and laughter. It's a wonderful read with a fantastic ensemble of characters and vivid descriptions that truly immerse you in the story.

I really enjoyed this book. Sarra Manning is an engaging writer who creates intriguing characters and Esme is no exception as we follow her in the aftermath of a head injury after enduring a rather surreal hen night experience. Sarra is skilled in making you connect and care about the characters, The storyline with Theo kept me guessing and I found myself reading into the small hours to get to the big reveal. It’s a funny, tender and sexy book - Sarra is one of the few writers who writes romance well and without the ick. I also loved the cameos from Vaughn and Grace and the references to Skirt magazine. I’d say this is the perfect read for evenings at home under the winter duvet. Thank you to NetGalley and Hodder & Stoughton for the opportunity to review this book.

I am a long time Sarra Manning stan, her books got me through my teens, twenties and glad to say I’ll be still be reading what she puts out at 30!

I love that all the characters feel believable and relatable.
Also great to see a Grace & Vaughn cameo!

I would say the pacing slowed down towards the middle mark and found my attention wavering. Luckily this doesn’t last too long and you’re back lured back in.

An emotional and captivating read.

Thank you to NetGalley and Hodder & Stoughton.
5/5 ⭐️

In honesty, I found this book for the most part a little slow - it would benefit by being a bit more pacey. Towards the middle of the book it definitely dragged and I started to skim read - I also started to suspect that Theo really was only 'A Man of Her Dreams', so there were no real surprises and in the end I was left feeling like too much time had been invested in a make-believe relationship. This isn't my favorite Sarra Manning book by far, but it is OK. Many thanks to NetGallery and Hodder & Stoughton for allowing me to get a copy of the book, which is out on November 9, 2023.

Book Review 📚
The Man of Her Dreams by Sarra Manning - 4.5/⭐

I'm not usually sold on Rom-Coms as they can be so cheesy and predictable! But The Man of Her Dreams was absolutely superb. It's not my first Manning book where I'm blown away by her work and it certainly won't be the last.

Esme comes across as completely relatable in her love life and there's so much understanding to what she's gone and going through. Manning portrayed her amazingly and her character development throughout the book was sensational. I enjoyed all the characters introduced in The Man of Her Dreams.

You really start to feel an overwhelming amount of emotions as you work through the story, Esme watching everyone around her achieve everything she has ever wanted. It really pulls at your heart strings. But there's also happiness, fun and laughter! It's a great book with fantastic characters and unbelievable description.

Thank you to NetGalley and Hodder and Stoughton for allowing me to read this ARC - this is an HONEST review from my own personal opinion.

Thank you to the NetGalley and the publisher for letting me read this ARC. This is my honest review of " The Man of Her Dreams" by Sarra Manning.

This story was heart gripping gave all the emotions throughout this read there was many things included including Crystal's which I enjoyed being included in a romance book, Tarot card readings and Esme the main character in this book really using her imagination to manifest Theo and him being her imaginary boyfriend because of her head injury due to a accident at the hen party.
This book had spice that every woman loves , family feuds between her mother and sister, which i think everyone can relate to at some point in life.
And also heartbreak to know what Esme went through and the ending of her having to go hospital and be treated for what was more than just a few stitches to the head bless her I really felt for Esme as a character this book was 5* and such a great heart gripping read with all the emotions would highly recommend to everyone to give this a read.

Sarra’s is one of my favourite authors and I’d been looking forward to this book since it was announced. And it didn’t disappoint. It’s sad and funny, sexy and smart and completely gripping. I didn’t want it to end.

Such an enjoyable read. Am not a usual reader of rom-coms but Sarra Manning really has a great knack of making the characters so relatable and not cheesy at all.
Esme is a young divorcee, still pained by her disastrous first marriage and has given up believing her ideal man will ever exist, unless of course you include Harry Styles and he’s just ever so slightly out of reach. Around her close friends are settling down and having children, but it takes a magical night in A&E to give Esme hope that her dream man is out there after all….

This is a lovely story about Esme and the man of her dreams. Is he real or did she imagine him all along? A clever plot about love, friendship, family and overcoming your past. Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for letting me review this book.

I'm a big fan of Sarra Manning's older books (Unsticky, I'm talking to you) but her newer books aren't hitting the mark the same way.

This was a good story and I liked Theo but it's frustrating to spend 90% of the time with a love interest who isn't real. Esme's brain injury and general sadness was depressing and the 'it was all a dream' trope was disappointing - despite the ending.

It's hard to put into words how much I loved this book. It's heartwarming, gorgeous and funny in equal measure and I honestly adored it. I can't recommend it highly enough – an absolute triumph.

This heartgribbing storyline kept my emotions on edge throughout the whole story.


There was :
Magic crystals
Tarot card readings
Overactive imagination
Imaginary boyfriend
Spice
Family feuds
Heartbreak

I felt connected to esme while reading this story, I felt her hurt over her uptight sister, her anger at her parents. The damage her divorce had been to her heart and thrust in people, and her disconnect from the world around her, but overly the love she felt for theo.

Favourite quotes :
" Being alone is different from being lonely "
" Fantasies are just wishes that you haven't manifested yet! "