I was given the opportunity to review an advanced copy of this book. I thought the synopsis sounded cute and that it would be a pretty quick and fun read. Unfortunately, I found myself finding excuses to keep putting this one down. I wanted finish it quickly (to be done with it sooner).

It's not that it's a bad book, I just found it boring.

There are plenty of other books out there that will satisfy better than this.

I dodnt reakky enjoy this book. I found the characters annoying, and just overall hard to get through. Just not for me!

I could not get fully invested in reading this book, as it did not hold my interest. Not sure if it was the main character, or the fact this was supposed to be a rom-com (no laughter for me).
The main character, Lucy, seemed to be blah and the constant “blushing” did not fit her age.
Only the advice she gave to the single dad concerning his daughter did I find as an honest loving response.
I do thank Netgalley and Storm Publishing for the opportunity to read this arc. Perhaps rom-coms are not for me. At least this one was not. The comments and review are my honest opinion.

Rating: 3
Vibe: breezy beach read
Format: ARC eBook

Lucy and Ross should be enemies—when their two magazines merged into an online publication, he got to keep his job while she lost hers. However, in a fit of inspiration, Lucy pitches herself for a new role at the website: that of Ask Adam. She’ll answer questions sent in from male readers, pretending to be one of them, and with help from AI, she might even pull it off. Until her feelings for Ross start to turn more than friendly—and not even Adam has the answers to the questions she’s asking.
 
This novel was a bit unexpected for me—I had thought much of the focus would be on Lucy and Ross’s potential coupling, a will-they-won’t-they kind of situation. However, this book offered much more than that. Sophie Ranald explored how we pick up the pieces after heartbreak, and she also took a very close look at family dynamics. One of the strengths of this book is the relationship between Lucy and her sister Amelie. The love for each other they have is clear, but they are also humans with real emotions that experience differences of opinion; it doesn’t make their family relationship any less strong. Throughout the story, the sisters experienced very real highs and lows in their relationship, and I appreciated the nuance of that. From a romance perspective, I felt the book could have used more conflict as well as additional clarity. I didn’t feel strongly that Ross was into Lucy, so it was hard for me to root for them. I also didn’t follow the subplot of Ross writing to Adam—Lucy brushes it off with a comment about how she imagined it, and it’s not mentioned again until the book’s conclusion, so I wasn’t sure for awhile whether she had imagined it. I would have liked to see more emphasis placed on Ross’s note to Adam and the internal debate it could have created for Lucy. Ultimately, I enjoyed this lighthearted story, but it didn’t quite hit the mark for me in the romance category.
 
Thank you to NetGalley and Storm Publishing for granting me access to this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Having read all of Sophie Ranald’s previous books I was looking forward to The Love Hack but unfortunately it wasn’t one of my favourites. The story is easy to read, but pretty predictable and I felt the characters lack the bite of previous novels. Great for holidays and pool/beach read but not anything to get your teeth into.

I have a mid feeling about this book.

I loved the Ask Adam angle in the book. But it just didn't look like much of a 'work' to reply to one query per week, and I dunno how it would be fulfilling to Lucy. What were her plans for the future? Did she see herself doing the same thing forever?

Their romance was not convincing enough for me. I never could picture why Lucy liked Ross (or Ross liked Lucy). What was so attractive or unique about him/her? I wished to see those subtle hints, conversation, the pining.

I enjoyed the first half of the book while I skimmed the second half just to see how the story wraps up. I enjoyed Amelie's story and the sub-plot about Lucy's past.

The writing style was good though. Easy to read, but not too simple.

Cute romance with heart.

I think it's a very relatable romance with her joy causing quite a bit of the drama in the story. If you are looking for an easy read, this might be the perfect book for you.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for a copy. All opinions expressed are my own.

Lite RomCom heavy on the story.

I enjoyed the reading experience. It kept me engaged the entire time. Love Hack is a witty heartfelt slow burn friends to lovers amidst the chaos of life. It's relatable because life is messy.

This whirlwind story is so much more than your typical office romcom. Its an emotional journey transversing the complexities of relationships while overcoming self doubt and past trauma.

Not just Romantic relationships and not just Lucy's. Family, Friends, Colleagues, and even total strangers.

Thank you to NetGalley and the Publisher for an advance e-copy of The Love Hack, in exchange of an honest review.

In The Love Hack by Sophie Ranald, the story revolves around the protagonist, a writer for a transitioning magazine in the UK as it moves online. Faced with the threat of losing her job, she pitches the idea of writing an advice column for men under the alias "Adam." As she navigates this new role, she grapples with her growing feelings for a colleague who is already in a relationship with someone close to her.
To handle the complexities of the column, she turns to an AI bot for assistance, leading to unforeseen complications.

The narrative unfolds predictably, focusing on light-hearted romance without delving into profound character developments. Despite its lack of groundbreaking revelations, the story maintains a captivating quality and is a delightful read for fans of romantic comedies with a hint of sensuality. This was a 3.75 Star read for me!

The Love Hack
by Sophie Ranald
Pub Date: June 7, 2024
Thanks to the author, publisher and NetGalley for the ARC of this book in exchange for my honest opinion.
I admit this is not my usual genre to read or review so take that into account.
I did not enjoy or like this book. Gentle reader, you may wonder why this is a 2. stars and it is simply because the author has got a good writing style which made this possible to read despite the characters whom I found immature and annoying a lot of the time. This is my first book by this author and probably my last. Life is too short to read books you don;t enjoy.


If you love Sophie Kinsella, Emily Henry and Beth O’Leary, you may fall for The Love Hack.

"The Love Hack" is a romance novel that cleverly explores gender dynamics as a journalist , Lucy, navigates a column ‘Ask Adam,’ where she pretends to be a man. She is also navigating helping her sister with her problems. Lucy’s journey, intertwined with falling in love with a colleague, offers a delightful blend of humour, wit, and heartfelt moments. Thank you to Storm publishing and Netgalley for an arc of this novel.

I started this book, while the premise intrigued me and the writing style showed promise, I found myself struggling to fully engage with the story. Perhaps it was the pacing, which felt sluggish at times, or the characters, who failed to resonate with me on a deeper level. Despite my reservations, I'm hesitant to write off this book entirely. It's possible that further exploration will reveal hidden depths and redeeming qualities that I've yet to discover.

I started to read the book, and it's not that it has something necessarily wrong with it, its just not pulling me, I thing it is a very good story, and many people might enjoy it, but its just not my cup of tea. Maybe another book from the writer will pull me more, but this one didn't.

The Love Hack by Sophie Ranald is a fun and easy, with a nice touch of English slang, which was especially enjoyable for this American reader.

Lucy is a problem solver, who pushes her way into a new role as an advice columnist when her post at Fab! is going to be cut. In her new job, she meets Ross, her tech-savvy co-worker who gives her instant butterflies. Does she dare for another office romance?

To start out, I really enjoyed the beginning of the novel, but I found myself losing interest as the book went on. The plot became a bit circular, and Lucy was simply self-sabotaging herself from the middle-point on. As such, I lost the reason I should be rooting for her. Ross, however, was a delight, and I truly liked the depth that his character has in regard to his parents.

Overall, it was a fun read.

The Love Hack is an easy and light read that could be easily picked up by most readers. It centres around Lucy, a (sometimes) endearing character who shares many of the self doubts and insecurities that the rest of us share and you can relate to her as a result. She is starting a new job in a world she is unfamiliar with, as well as balancing several things in her personal life; past loves and potential future loves being the key theme. The book doesn't hold many surprises, you know pretty quickly where it's going to go and what is going to happen but I feel you usually know this is the case when you pick up this style of book.

However, I found as the book went on, Lucy started to come across like a serial self-sabotager and self-pitier. Every page she would question herself and things happening around her; be it her job, her sister, her crush etc. and it became a little exhausting. I understand that a lot of this self-doubt comes from a past experience but I felt rather than Lucy experiencing real growth, she just became more irritating. I felt like grabbing her by the shoulders and giving her a good shake half the time!

If you're looking for an easy read that you will speed through, then this is worth picking up but I would go in knowing you'll predict what is going to happen straight away and the characters won't make a lasting impression. I finished it so I think that speaks for itself which is why I am giving it 3 stars instead of 2, despite my feelings I still wanted to reach the end which isn't always the case.

Thank you to NetGalley and Storm Publishing for letting me read this before its publication.

Going into this I expect it to be a cute romance/ romcom. There was very little romance aspects to this book. I enjoyed the story but didn’t LOVE it. Lucy was a good main character who was finding her way through insecurities and past relationship problems/ trauma. I really enjoyed the bond between Lucy and her sister & her cat was an adorable addition!!

Ross was a sweet caring male character who I would have loved to know more about. I wish I got more Lucy and Ross moments.

I don’t love all the mentions of modern technology (AI) and some specific references to people like Andrew Tate.

Overall, the idea was super cute and unique and I enjoyed it. I would definitely read more by this author.

Ok! Is it me or the rom-com plots are all the same?

Probably me,as i haven’t been able to like rom-coms /romance books as i used to. And to me, it's all the same.
Did i enjoy this??maybe only while i was reading the book.but i don't think i will be reading or talking about the book again.

Overall, this was maybe a 3 star read at most for me. I didn't love it, but I didn't hate. I know some people who would love this story, but it was lacking in my opinion.

I found Lucy to be both annoying and relatable. She makes it very clear through multiple mentions that she has no clue when it comes to men, yet somehow ends up writing an advice column for a men's website. She was relatable because she had a bad situationship with a man previously and it had made her reluctant to get involved again. This is an experience that I feel like most woman go through. Ross was just okay. Lucy describes him at first as midling; midling height, looks, eye color. He seems to have an instant connection to Lucy and wants something to happen with her, yet does nothing about it for most of the book. Instead, he writes to the advice column about his current lackluster relationship hoping for Lucy to somehow know it's him and give him a sign that she likes him too, such a middle school move.

The little bit of spice, family drama, and work drama were the things that kept me reading. It was just okay.

TW: Infidelity. Mentions of Terrorism & 9/11.

Thank you NetGalley and Storm Publishing for early access to this arc.

I wish I would have loved this more. It started off with promise, but as the story developed, the main element I was here for (adorable romance) was almost secondary to all the other things happening. While the main characters were likable enough and some of the British wit was charming a quirky, I just wish it gave a little more. I still truly appreciate the opportunity to read this early copy, and I am sure this will be a great hit for the right audience!

This was a fun and lighthearted read for me. The story was fun and kept me engaged. The beginning was a little slow but picked up in the middle. I did feel like the main character was a little too insecure for me at times. The ending also seemed a bit rushed and I felt like there was too much going on. I would consider this more of a women’s fiction rather than a rom-com.