A cutie rom com about a girl, Gem, who goes on dates with people, only to get ‘the ick’ and never see them again. Her best friend Shanti is studying clinical psychology, and wants to do a study on if this intuition is real or not. Gem needs the money, so she agrees to do the study and go on a subsequent dates with a guy named Atlas. Little did she know, the ick was something bigger.

I really enjoyed this read because of how realistic it felt. It helped that the friend was essentially a therapist, but the main characters have some depth to each of them that make them feel relatable. I appreciated that Shanti and Gem pushed each other in a way that felt like real friendship would.

Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC!

4.75⭐️

no i’m sorry but the first initial ick of someone eating soup by choice resonated so personally with me it’s unhinged how valid i thought gem was

i genuinely just really loved this story, at the beginning the fmc was getting on my nerves but the more i read i could understand her thought process and where she was coming from, and seeing her battle with her feelings humanised her more as she genuinely felt like she was doing the right thing - and on the other end, i love how those closest to her held her accountable and she accepted it

moving on, i think i might be a teeny tiny bit in love with atlas too tbh, i can’t explain it but the way that man is not afraid to show his emotions and wear his heart on his sleeve?? i was eating GOOD thank you miss holly, he is such a sunshine man with a sunshine heart and i think he was just so perfect for gem
it’s only small, but i wish we found out what his tattoo was and the meaning behind it because i feel for him it would be sentimental - also, how his brownies were??

the relationships in this book were really wholesome and felt realistic, the friendship between tee and gem was imo beautifully done, i like how there they are for each other. the family dynamics with gem, her mum and uncle mike were such an entertaining read too i’m really glad we got to experience them

as someone who grew up with a family member in a wheelchair i know all too well the anxiety of anticipating how other people will perceive the disability, the three reactions gem notes, and the sadness of that realisation as a whole as it shouldn’t be a factor to treat someone differently

the reason this just missed 5⭐️ for me is i wish we had a tiny bit more growth for gem in her workplace - i know her last interaction with martin was a step in the right direction but i wish we got to see her get her credit where it was due

thank you so much to dialogue books and netgalley for the arc, i feel better knowing i got to live life reading this one 💌

First book of Holly’s I’ve read. It was a slow burn romance which was very enjoyable. I was really intrigued by the title knowing that a lot of discussion is often had about being given the ‘ick’.
I cannot wait to read some more by Holly and thank you for the eARC to do so!

I'm really struggling to think of anything positive to say so that I can do a complement sandwich but all I can think of is that I liked the character of uncle Mike.
I couldn't bring myself to like Gem. Her overdramatising everything out of all proportion was just irritating rather than humorous or endearing. I didn't understand why Atlas would want to spend more time with her as she was never particularly nice to him and we never really got to know him well enough to understand him.
The whole premise was that she got an ick feeling from him based on the size of his bag but she apparently had no issue with the fact that he was winking at everyone left right and centre (admittedly she did reference that about three quarters of the way through but only in passing and was still fixated on the bag).
I kept thinking of the writing advice to show not tell and I wish the author had taken this on board more. There were several times it felt like she just didn't know how to address a scene she wanted to write so skipped it and told us what happened instead (the sex scene is a perfect example of this and talk about giving someone an ick - even thinking about it is making my skin crawl).
There are more things I didn't like but don't want to go on so now I need to think of something nice to finish my sandwich...I still like the concept, which is why I picked it in the first place.

Thank you to Dialogue Books, Holly McCulloch and NetGalley for providing me with an ARC of this book.

The premise of this story is what drew me in at first to this book. However, I am saddened to have had to DNF this at 20%. Being written in third person, I knew I would struggle when I started reading but I felt the story was dragging and overall I was just not enjoying it, however I’m certain there will be others that will devour this book and love it. Unfortunately, this was not the book for me but I am grateful for the opportunity to read it ahead of the release date.



(Not giving a rating so as to not negatively affect the overall rating of this book during it’s release week)

Every time Gem goes on a date, she finds something wrong with the man. It might be the tiniest thing, it might not even be logical, but without fail it sends her running. Until it occurs to her flatmate that this congenital case of The Ick makes the perfect case study, and with a little monetary encouragement, Gem finds herself dating the same man more than once. Which leads to quite the predicament.
It took me a while to get into this. Third person present tense isn’t my favourite and it felt slow to begin with, but Gem and Atlas on the page together were a delight, and I enjoyed how their relationship developed, particularly Gem’s gradual realisation of her feelings. The drama is low-key and entirely realistic, the wry observations and sense of humour are very British, and the supporting cast is just quirky enough to be believable. I’m very glad I persevered, because this turned out to be a memorable read and I’m now on the lookout for other books by this author.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

A cute story about intuition, commitment issues, falling in love, and of course, the ick!

This was a fast paced book full of romance and banter.

As someone who all too often suffers from the ick, I found this to be such a funny and relatable read!

I loved the relationship between Gem and her flatmate Shanti, and I loved Gem’s relationship with her family too

I thought the disability representation was brilliant and done very well

Overall, a really lighthearted and enjoyable read. Thank you so much to Dialogue Books, Holly McCulloch, and NetGalley for providing me with an ARC of this book!

An unbelievably cute romance, full of laugh out loud moments that had me kicking my feet and giggling. The characters were lovable and the whole story was just just heart melting!

I really loved this book, so many of us get icks or things that put us off. But this shows that some of these icks can be pre judged or should be ignored before you get to know the person.

Never judge a book by its cover, they say. So, maybe also don't judge your date by your "ick"?

Gem would love to go on a second date with a guy, but whenever she meets up with a potential new man, she soon feels "the ick" which has her running for the hills. Her latest case of "the ick" was soup for lunch. Yes, I rolled my eyes, too. So did Gem's best friend who just happens to need a case study for her studies and manages to talk Gem into going out with Atlas (the soup for lunch eater) again. Maybe, if Gem challenged herself and her "ick" she could actually find love.

It's a cute story about intuition and falling in love, of course. I struggled with the third-person present tense narration though, not my preferred narration style.

I enjoyed the Ick by Holly McCulloch, which has a bit more depth than the average romcom, and is all the better for it. It’s well-written and amusing, though more Rom than Com.

Enemies to lovers in this funny, spicy romantic novel. Relatable characters, brilliant one-liners. Atlas was the swoon ands Gem was too busy with her intuition of The Ick that she didn’t realise she was falling in love. Great storyline, lovely light breadth LOL in all the right places.

Gem has dates. course she does. but she has dates which every time have an ick. it can be anything but its always something. her flat mate Shanti steps in. she doesnt believe Gem is dumping these blokes because of a blink in the wrong direction(i joke but only just). Shanti wants Gem to join her experimental paid study. a study on whether the ick is real. Gem doesnt ponder for long as she needs the money. and so we have Atlas. who she you guessed it find the ick with. but she cant just leave because of the study. so the dates continue. and so does their growing relationship. but what happens when the study ends. or if Atlas finds out.
i was frustrated with our main character because i felt she was just using what she was calling the ick as an excuse. but also i didnt. because she was lovely. and i could see why she was the way she was. and i also really held out hope for her meeting someone. or giving a someone a chance. i thought her relationship with Shanti was great. although i thought Shanti should try and help her in a better way than a experiment which was bound to go wrong!
enter atlas and the 2nd and 3rd dates and i was willing these two to keep going. but then also dreading when Atlas found out what was actually going on here. and didnt like the thought of the "split for a bit" trope because these two just needed to be together.
the side characters in this book all made it was it was. they all had their perfect parts to play and i love when a book has this success to it. where all the working parts go to make it all the better. and that is success in itself as it takes talent to make said side characters not just part of the story to "tick boxes" or move the plot along.

Honestly it was a predictable romance but it was written well and with a different story working in the back ground for our main character which got me emotional. I would read one of Hollys books again

Thank you to Dialogue Books, Netgalley, and Holly McCullogh for gifting me an advanced reader copy of The Ick in exchange for a honest review.

The Ick is a romantic comedy in which Gem is secretly paid to date a guy for her housemate’s study on whether intuition (The Ick) is real or not.

I found that Gem was a hard character to warm up to. Some of her initial thoughts about Atlas were very mean - comparing him to a snail many times amongst many other icky things. Yikes! Only Gem’s love and selflessness in caring for her mother redeemed her for me. In contrast, Atlas was perfection - hot and kind. Truthfully, I wasn’t sure whether I wanted Gem to end up with Atlas or not.

I loved the plot though, and Gem and Atlas’s dates were lots of fun. I loved the dynamics between the housemates and their local corner shop guy. Every Londoner knows about the importance of that relationship - so good to have them on your side!

I also loved the diversity of the characters in the story, and the author’s note at the end was important. I’m glad she included her perspective. I would definitely pick up another McCullogh book - this was a well-written story that won me over in the end.

A delicious slow burn romance, this novel is hugely enjoyable. The characters were funny, well written and it was great to explore their journey.

Gem can never last more than 1 date with men, there's always something to put her off. She says its intuition, her flatmate says she has a commitment problem .Can she overcome Atlas' ick on more than 1 date to prove it's intuition? A fab romcom, enthralling, I couldn't wait to see if their relationship would work out. Holly Mc Culloch never fails to please .

I loved the romance in this book - it's gradual development as Atlas and Gem learned more about each other and their genuine connection. The only issue being the manufactured start - if Gem had followed her intuition it wouldn't have been able to develop as Atlas gave Gem 'the Ick'.

It's clear that this is Gem's way to protect herself, and it was wonderful to see what happens when she is forced to break down her barriers. And who wouldn't want to be with Atlas - he was wonderful. My real question was why did he persevere when Gem is really rather rude and standoffish initially. I was waiting to find out he was conducting his own study as to how to make someone fall in love with him when they are clearly not into him, but no; it turns out Atlas is just downright lovely.

I'm not a big fan of the third act breakup - I couldn't understand what made Gem's actions such a massive issue that couldn't be resolved by good communication, but that didn't distract from this great little read.

I loved this book! The title instantly intrigued me as ‘the ick’ is so commonly used now. It is the perfect romcom book with great characters. To begin with, Gem really annoyed me! Her ick’s seemed so…petty? But as the book goes on and you learn more about her character and background, I can understand why she was the way she was! Atlas was such a lovely, genuine character who had his own difficulties growing up. Shanti was just fantastic, I’d love to be her friend! All in all, a great book and would recommend to everyone - especially if you love a romcom with some depth to the characters!

Gemma easily gets the ick, leading her to a lot of first dates. Often they're for petty reasosns as hearing they eat soup for lunch or carry an large backpack. Which is exactly why she feigns an emergency to leave her first date with Atlas. A little fed up with Gemma's attitude, best friend and clinical psychology student Shanti offers to pay her to participate in her final study. All she needs to do is agree to dating Atlas for six weeks to see if she can overcome her ick.

This was such a fabulous read. Gemma's fear of emotional intimacy and rejection is relatable, but she was so frustrating, especially at the end when she refuses to tell Atlas about the study. She's someone whose been closed off to everyone except her disabled mum, uncle and best friend after childhood experiences taught her to be disappointed by people. Atlas was such a sweetheart, his backstory was heartbreaking but gives insight as to why he's a solid and dependable man who keeps surprising Gemma at every turn. He knew to give Gemma space while showing he saw her and wanted to be with her. If I had any complaint it would be that I found the research study unbelievable. For any studies involving human test subjects, you need ethics approval well in advance of any study (and I also doubt you'd be paid that much!).

Another heartfelt and charming rom com from Holly McCulloch.

Thanks to Renegade Books and NetGalley for the ARC.