I thought the premise of this book was good. It reminded me of a story I had read before hand. Two people connecting through crossword puzzles. The story features Ashleigh and George. Ashleigh cleans for George and that’s where they connect. And it starts through crosswords. The two form a sweet friendship. As the story moves, they become closer and closer. Both stepping in for each other when it matters most. They don’t really form a love connection till the end of the story which is okay but I do like when it happens a little earlier so we can see the relationship grow. It is a heartfelt and charming story.

This was a really sweet romance, I loved the notes exchanged between George and Ashleigh before they finally came to meet face to face and the crossword clues!

‘The Life-Changing Magic of Falling in Love' - Eve Devon

Set in New York, Ashleigh is a cleaner with an almost pathological need to clean and create order out of chaos. Meanwhile, George is a new client who doesn’t appear to need a cleaner; his apartment is so sterile and neat. What is going on? And what’s with all the crossword clues that they start to leave each other?

On the face of it, this is a book about two people connecting and falling in love. However, ‘The Life-Changing Magic of Falling in Love’ is so much more than that. It looks at how our experiences growing up and our expectations as adults can often cause us to make the wrong decisions, in an effort to keep going or to run away and hide from our perceived failures. Anyone who has ever had a panic attack or suffered stress at work, will identify with the main characters and some of the side characters too.

I read ‘The Life-Changing Magic of Falling in Love’ in one sitting. It is well written, fast paced and flows really well. I loved Ashleigh and George from the beginning which, for me, is half the battle. The novel is very romantic, funny and witty. It made me laugh out loud and also made me cry. It has a host of likeable characters besides the main protagonists who all add to the charm of this novel. ( I am aspiring to be Mrs Lundy when I am older).

Five stars from me!

Thank you to Chloe Cummings at One More Chapter - HarperCollins

This was a really touching, warm love story. I really enjoyed getting to know the characters and explore their journey together. A great romantic read, I loved the crossword clues sprinkled throughout.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

3.5 stars rounded up!

This was a good book. It was cute. It started out really great.

Ashleigh started working as a cleaner 6 months ago after losing her best friend in a freak accident.  She is hired to clean George's apartment, who just moved to New York from England to be with his girlfriend, and is suffering from panic attacks at work, but they'll go away, right?

These characters don't meet face to face until 45% into the book. So, in half of the book, we get to meet the characters and see them interact through cute notes and crossword clues, which was pretty cute to see. This is the cutest part of the book imo. However, I did not love the OW/OM drama, which there is quite a lot of in this first part. George is in a relationship from the beginning of the book right up until they meet, and even though it was obvious they weren't going anywhere, I still didn't care to read about it. Moreover, Ashley is starting to date this guy Zach because she needs a date for a wedding and someone to share her weekends with (girl, were you wrong). We get to read how they meet and a bunch of their dates. I also didn't care about it much. Zach was the standard "go with flow", "I hate drama dude", so it was pretty obvious their relationship was never going to be serious, either. Still, I wanted to read about George and Asleigh!! This is probably on me, though. I abhor love triangles.

Despite this, I think the first part of the book was great. Ashley and George keep missing each other, and they communicate through little notes where they get to know each other. I love how thoughtful Asleigh was, leaving little presents for George in the apartment. Cute!!

Once they meet, which happens bizarrely with one of them almost naked while the other is having a panic attack, they are really cute scenes and friend-dates in the horizon. They really open up to one another, and there is a  "only you see me as I really am" vibe.

However, I do think this last part was a little disorganized. There was just no clear ending or goal for the book. In the beginning, Ashleig is invited to a wedding in June of next year, which she needs a date for, and is the reason why she starts going out with this guy, Zach. But, then, suddenly, there is another wedding THIS June? And then George also has a wedding in the UK he has to go to and needs a date too? It just felt a little chaotic.

Overall, I enjoyed myself. The characters were cute and relatable. I like how this book dealt with grief, especially when you lose someone so suddenly. I also loved Oz and Carlos, I honestly was more interested in their drama than Ashleigh's sometimes.

Just as a last note, I have to say that I loved that the main character was a cleaner. We don't all have to be CEOs!

I received an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

It's a nice, sweet, easy to read rom com. It is obviously very predictable and you know exactly.where it is going. But it's fun and light hearted and easy to read.

Another rom com that doesn't reinvent the wheel but still has a mindless enough story that can give me a mental break in between other books.