This book was cute. A story about a twenty something year old Lucy who ends up saving her job by coming up with an Ask Adam column for the male version (Max!) of the magazine Fab! she worked for when her job was in jeopardy. Lucy would be the one answering all the Ask Adam emails. At first the head her sister Amelia to help her, but then she backs out when she gets married and moves to NYC from London. Lucy is on her own and use GeneBot (a ChatGPT) to help her answer some of the Ask Adam emails. All while falling for her coworker Ross.

Overall, this book was a cute summer read, not as fast of a read and most books I read but I would definitely recommend this book to a friend.

Thank you NetGalley for this eARC and Storm Publishing for my honest review.

3.75

If you love Slow Burns then this would definitely be up your street. And an Office based setting which I don't usually tend to read but enjoyed.

I do however wish there were more Lucy and Ross scenes because we only really got to read about them near the end of the book. At first I was also confused at her past being thrown into the mix but once I read it a second time, I found that it made sense based on how Lucy felt at the time.

Lucy writing a Ask Adam column pretending to be Adam was a very interesting subject and with the added AI I felt as though it showed the truth behind what we are currently seeing in our day to day lives.

Overall, the book was enjoyable and it was nice to read a slow burn romance that had no Spice!

Thank you Netgalley and Storm Publishing for allowing me to read and review this book for an honest review.

Thank you to Netgalley, the publisher and the author for the ARC of The Love Hack by Sophie Ranald. I flew through this book in one day and thoroughly enjoyed it. I loved the FMC and MMC. The storyline was interesting and sometimes the awkward dynamic in the office reminded me of Bridget Jones Diary. I found myself laughing throughout the book and couldn't wait to find out what happened. The relationship between the FMC and her sister was great. Only bit I didn't like about the book was the flashbacks to the FMC and her previous office relationship. Overall, this book was a 4 Star read for me.

Thank you NetGalley, Storm Publishing and Sophie Ranald for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

3.5⭐️
Lucy is devastated when she learns her role as Tech editor is being eliminated. Her and her sister think of a way to keep a job - being an advice writer for the men’s publication. Only problem is Lucy has sworn off men and is clueless about them after a bad experience with a previous coworker.

As Lucy begins to get comfortable she creates friendships with her coworkers - specifically Ross.

Ross is out the night of Lucy’s sister’s bachelorette party and meets one of the other bridesmaids. Lucy doesn’t love this but tries to tell herself it doesn’t matter and he’s off limits.

Overall it was a cute story. Lucy was a little frustrating but I’m glad she gained confidence in her personal and professional lives.

Thank you so much to netgalley and Storm publishing for the arc of this one in exchange for an honest review!

Unfortunately, this one was a DNF for me. I really disliked the main character. I can’t stand a cynical and whiny character and that was Lucy. I don’t feel like the romance was really there either.

I just really couldn’t get into the story.

I hope others love this one but it wasn’t for me.

Includes - work crushes, using AI for relationship advice, love triangles, and some history of power imbalances/abuse of power in relationships. Cute enough!

˚₊‧ ୨୧ ‧₊˚𝗔𝗥𝗖 𝗥𝗘𝗩𝗜𝗘𝗪⋅˚₊‧ ୨୧ ‧₊˚

📚 The Love Hack
⭐ 3/5
((Releases on 7th June'24))
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💌 REVIEW:: this isn't your typical romance book. This is a story full of real life experiences about love, heartbreak, friendship, insecurities and navigating through it all. 💛

Lucy isn't your regular romance girlie. When she's desperate for a job, she ends up becoming a columnist, advising men on their love life by pretending to be a man. She gets help fr AI and her sister but when it comes to her own love life, she has no one to turn to- except for Astro, her cat. She develops a crush on her coworker Ross but then gets to know Ross is definitely not single. She receives an email which she is sure is from Ross which further helps their story develop.

Romance isn't the main plot of the story (in my opinion) . It's about Lucy dealing with her relationship and friendship with Ross and her relationship with her sister. The banter was great. I loved how the story shows the struggle to maintain a personal life along with job and a love life. Lucy just wanted to get to know men better through her column and that's how her and Ross started becoming friendlier and they developed a cute relationship from their friendship. 💕✨

Great fun! I loved this low key romance that explores sisterhood, loyalty and journalism in the time of chatbots and AI.

Lucy has a new job writing an advice column for a men’s magazine as the alter ego of Adam, who as Ask Adam answers relationship questions. As Lucy is clueless about men, initially she gets help from her sister, then she uses an AI chatbot. I suspect Lucy is neurodiverse, although this isn’t explored, but the process of replying to the Ask Adam letters gives her insight into the minds of men, and indirectly gives her the courage to begin a relationship with her colleague Ross. Ross is the tech journalist at the magazine, not an Alpha by any means - Lucy’s first impression is that he is ‘the middling-everything’ man. It doesn’t take her long to see so much more in him...

It’s first person single POV so we don’t know Ross well but he’s kind and engaging, and feels like a good fit for Lucy. Lucy is in the shadow of her sister and this forms a big part of the secondary plot as Amelie navigates New York and early marriage. I really enjoyed it! Sophie writes lovely characters and while Lucy is a bit chaotic, it’s not that super messy Bridget Jones vibe that can be so irritating. Lucy is really delightful. She’s so conscientious and loyal, and I really wanted her to be brave enough to put herself out there for Ross. It’s a slow burn, closed door romance and an easy afternoon read.

Thank you NetGalley, Sophie Ranald and Storm Publishing for the the ARC. Opinions are my own.

Lucy is a writer - and the loses her job because the magazine is shutting down. Unless, she can come up with an idea to keep her job. Lucy and her sister, devise a plan - Lucy will write an advice column for men for the companion magazine for men - as a man. When Lucy starts her new job, she realizes quickly she is the only woman there. And then she ends up with an office crush on the man who was her counterpart, Ross.

As the advice column continues, Lucy fields questions of all sorts and struggles answering some of them on her own. In the meantime, her sister has gotten married and moved to New York. Lucy not only misses her sister, but has nearly no contact with her. When she receives a question for the column that she is convinced is her new brother-in-law, she and Ross come up with a scheme to "out" the brother=in-law. As we follow along we see what a mess Lucy is making of everything.

This book is part romance (at least wishful thinking) and part comedy. It was a light read that had a few twists in it as Lucy makes assumptions and messes in her wake.

I received this ARC from NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for a fair and honest review. All opinions are my own.

I got lured in by the cover and the promise of it being perfect for fans of Beth O'Leary and Emily Henry... and it failed miserably! I expected a mix of "The Hating Game" by Sally Thorne and "Dear Dolly" by Dolly Alderton and was looking forward to a cute office romance between two journalists. But once again it failed miserably! 😫

Lucy, our female MC, is still so bound up with her ex "relationship" and in her "all men are evil and out to hurt me" phase that the majority of the book is not about romance, or comedy or anything I expect from a romcom. I'm sorry to say this, but I also felt angry and frustrated with her for the most part, and just wanted to scream at Lucy. Sadly, this book was mostly about her ex and the obviously not-so-perfect relationship of her sister and her partner. The romance? Well, the cute part took up 20 pages, and that was towards the end of the book and felt super rushed...

After having read Dear Dolly in March and basically reading the best articles about relationship advice, the ones in the books just did not do it. The overuse of the book version of ChatGPT was also super annoying and made it very hard to root for her career...

Ross, the male MC, was super cute, and I loved their exchange with Seinfeld quotes and their blushing over everything. But it basically took up like 5-10% of the book, and that is simply not enough for a romance book. 👀💗

So, sadly, this was a total flop for me. This does not mean that it cannot be a lot better for you! The overall premise sounded and still sounds great. But with Lucy as the MC, and the focus on basically anything but her own current life and the romance... it simply was not the right fit for me and I had to push through!

I want to thank Netgalley, Storm Publishing and Sophie Ranald for the arc and leave this review voluntarily!

Lucy, who knows nothing about men, has somehow found herself the face of ‘Ask Adam’ an advice column for men with relationship and personal problems. Enter Ross, who works on the desk across from hers.

However after her last office romance broke her heart, she’s sworn never to get involved with someone she works with ever again. How will she navigate her tricky job situation with the added problems of an office crush?

⭐️⭐️⭐️

I think this one was more of a generous 3⭐️, although I did enjoy reading The Love Hack, and it was very easy to pick up and get into, I just felt like the story was rushed in a few places and certain things were glossed over, when it would have been nice to have a bit more.
This is a good friends to lovers romance, with only a little bit of romance really!

Thank you Sophie Ranald, Netgalley and Storm publishing for this advanced reader copy in exchange for an honest review.

I am so sorry I couldn't find myself to like this book. I just felt no chemistry between Ross and Lucy.

3.5 stars rounded up
I haven't read any books by this author before, but I'm keen to try another. I needed a break from WWII historical fiction, and this was just what I needed. I enjoyed getting to know the characters, but found Lucy infuriating at times. There were some cringe moments but also a few laughs. I read it in two sittings, so it was a nice, quick read. Overall, a fun read with some relatable and current topics. Great for a palate cleanser and perfect for a lazy afternoon.

Thank you to NetGalley, Storm Publishing, and Sophie Ranald for an advance digital copy in exchange for an honest review.

This book is pretty mild, there's a minor tension when Lucy keeps referring to having sworn off man for a previous failed relationship, but the revaltion wasn't dramatic at all. It's pretty surface level, the characters are not so deep, and Lucy's brain work three times than normal looking for the worst in every encounter and situations.

Thank you to NetGalley for the opportunity to read this eARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

Thanks to Netgalley, I got to read this fun story early. What a fun premise of creating an advice column for men and learning so much about them in the process. Quite funny, loved Ross so much, give that angel everything and more. Highly recommend!

A slow pseudo-romance about a columnist, her cat, and her sister. I wasn't fully entertained with this one and was very close to DNF'ing. Lucy is so insecure and way too co-dependent on her sister. I have enjoyed Sophie Ranald's books, but this one was disappointing.

Lucy works at Fab!, a women's magazine and she receives bad news: Fab! is merging with Max!, a magazine for men. The combined magazine is also changing to an online-only format. Her job as a tech writer will be taken over by a man from the other magazine. Lucy has two options—be fired or find a new topic to write about. Her sister comes up with the idea of a dating advice column for men, secretly written by a woman.
Overall, I enjoyed the premise. The advice column added a nice twist to the story. I also enjoyed reading about the relationship between Lucy and her sister. It allowed for a deeper connection with the characters and a better understanding of Lucy.
I didn't like that Lucy's romantic relationship was such a slow burn, and when they finally got together, it felt rushed and too deep too quick.
I love romances, but this one was not great for me.

I'm sorry to offer a negative review, especially considering the effort the author undoubtedly put into their work. However, I must express my disappointment with the book. The main character, Lucy, is incredibly irritating, and I found myself more interested in her sister's life than Lucy's own journey. The book's handling of sensitive topics feels superficial, and the introduction of AI only exacerbates this issue. Moreover, the lack of cohesion in the narrative and the predictability of the plot made it difficult for me to engage with the story, resulting in an unpleasant reading experience. Thanks to Netgalley and Storm Publishing for the chance to read this book in exchange for an honest review.

I found this fun book, and its perfect title, has heart warming and heart catching moments. Not absolutely perfect, but then again what relationship is. Don’t really need to ask a ‘Love Hack’, not needed. Just be honest with ourselves and each other. So, if you pick this up as a laugh out loud romcom then I think you will be disappointed. Though there are funny moments not least the AI bot giving agony uncle relationship advice to humans. However I felt the questions posed by the newspaper readers and the answers given are what gives soul to the book. Relationships are messy. And that leads to problems. But because we want them (for whatever reason) we often fool ourselves. Why can’t we be honest? Why can’t we see what others so easily see? Hush, let people make their own mistakes, but be ready as a friend to help pick up the pieces, and sometimes also share the joy. The human condition at worst and best! That’s what this booked gave me, ultimately leaving a smile on my face. Thank you to Storm Publishing and NetGalley for the ARC. The views expressed are all mine, freely given.

Unfortunately, this book was a miss for me. I did not like the writing at all.

I wouldn’t label it as a romance, and the FMC was unbearable.

I hate to leave a bad review on a book, but I did not enjoy this at all.

Thanks to NetGalley and Storm Publishing for my advanced copy.