Lovely light hearted rom com book. Was away for the weekend and enjoyed reading it in the hot tub! Cute, funny, emotions all in one

I just finished the best romcom. Five Things I Love About You by Clare Swatman is coming out soon. Pick it up.

3.5 stars rounded up to 4
After an accident almost-50-year-old Miranda keeps dreaming about a man that was involved into the accident. She knows nothing about him other than his names might be Jay but is convinced that he is the One for her and moves to Newcastle in order to find him. There she meets Matt who helps her with her search and is clearly into her and after a while she actually meets a Jay... but is he really the person Miranda fell in love with in her dreams?
I have to say that I had trouble believing a lot of the plot like who would keep dreaming about a man and believe the things they dreamt about were real? Apart from that the story was fairly entertaining and I liked Matt's character a lot. I could not really relate to Miranda especially as she continues to lie about things. Also I liked the ending but the surprise about who Matt was was completely OTT for me.
All in all an unbelievable but nevertheless entertaining book.

After an accident while cycling to work, Miranda begins to dream about the man she almost collided with. Convinced he's the man of her dreams, despite knowing very little about him, she uproots herself and moves 300 miles in the hope of tracking him down.

I tend not to read much romantic fiction. I don't mind a romantic element in uplifting fiction, but as a genre, it's not something I gravitate towards. There was just something about the blurb for Five Things I Love About You from Clare Swatman that caught my attention and I'm so glad it did, I thoroughly enjoyed immersing myself in Miranda's world.

Miranda is approaching the end of her 40s, her children have flown the nest and she's single following an amicable divorce. Life is ticking along until disaster strikes. Cycling to work she narrowly misses colliding with a man and ends up in hospital with concussion. Her recollection of the accident is hazy but when she starts having amorous dreams about the stranger she almost crashed into she's convinced that fate had a hand in the accident.

Problems with work give Miranda the opportunity to do something drastic, so she rents out her London home and moves to Newcastle for six months in the hope she'll be able to track down her mystery man. I became completely wrapped up in Miranda's life; her worry that she was making a mistake, her apprehension in moving to a city where she knew no one and her excitement at the new possibilities that opened up for her.

Early on in her relocation Miranda is befriended by a stranger, Matt, who offers to help her find her bearings in the city and with her search. Matt is a wonderful character, a lovely example of the type of open, warm and welcoming residents of the North-East. I think it was the North-East setting that really made the story for me as I recognised lots of the places mentioned in the book, along with the biting wind that seems to be ever-present along the North-East coast.

As Miranda continues her search, her friendship with Matt grows stronger and stronger. It's pretty obvious to her friends, and the reader, that Matt has feelings for Miranda. It's glaringly obvious where the story is heading but the course of true love never did run smooth so there are some complications to overcome first. The biggest complication of all is when she finds her mystery man. Is the man in her dreams the man of her dreams?

If you enjoy romantic fiction, love books and like dogs then this is the perfect read. I had a massive grin on my face when I read the final page.

This is a lighthearted romcom, a good holiday read, nothing too serious, a fun read about a women who gets caught up in finding her ideal man and moves from London to Newcastle in pursuit of a man she thinks she is destined to be with.

“Five Things I Love About You” is by Clare Swatman. I would call this a light cozy romance story. The book focuses on a nearly 50 year old woman, Miranda, who is in an accident. In some ways this book worked well - Miranda’s friends were great, especially their humor. But I never quite warmed up to Miranda - she wasn’t a bad character, but she made some rather odd choices. The first part of the story focused on Miranda making choices, while the second half focused on her search for “him.” Overall, I think the idea of this book was interesting, but this wasn’t quite executed in a way that I liked. But I do think those who like Ms. Swatman’s other books and cozy romances would find this book a good one.

I liked the idea of this book but found the actual story not as exciting as I had hoped. I was several chapters in before I realised the main character was nearing 50 rather than 20 something and I didn't warm to he character at all.
I also guessed the twist quite early so the book didn't really excited me

Really good book that i will recommend to others.

Thanks for the opportunity to read & review it.

Funny, poignant, endearing characters, a good spattering of relatable everyday truths, a few unexpected plot twists . . . everything a good book should be! ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Five Things I Love About You by Clare Swatman is a book about a woman ready for a second chance. Miranda is 49, divorced with two adult children and even her best friends admit that her love life is somewhat lacklustre. When a cycling accident sees her waking up in hospital after dreaming of a mysterious man she takes it as a sign , especially when the dreams become recurring. A job change seems like the final push to send her in search of the literal man of her dreams, but finding him will prove to be something of a challenge.
This is a cute short read and there were several things to like about it. I liked the fact that the protagonist was a woman in middle age who was willing to try something new and chase her dreams even if I didn't always think she was making the wisest decisions, I also really liked her friends, their banter and the dynamics of their relationships felt very real and added a lot of humour to the book. I did think that the whole search for her dream man was needlessly drawn out, especially after she met Matt and it was obvious to everyone but her that they were meant to be together. I also predicted the ending of the story and was hoping that the author would not go down such an obvious route, I don't think it was needed and it in some ways took away from Miranda and Matt's love story. I think readers who love romance and believe in fate will absolutely love this story.
I read and reviewed an ARC courtesy of NetGalley and the publisher, all opinions are my own.

Cute story about fate and soulmates. Miranda was riding her bike to school (she’s a teacher) and crashes while trying to avoid a guy stepping off the curb. She gets injured and hears bits and pieces of his info. She then starts having dreams about this mystery guy, but can’t see his face in the dreams. These go on for months and she thinks it’s a sign from the universe to find him. Having been recently laid off, a divorced 49 year old mom of adult kids, she decides to move to Newcastle, where she thinks this soulmate lives. She befriends Matt shortly after arriving, while on her search. This story follows her journey of starting over, and searching for love. It has a brief closed-door scene and is a quick and easy read. Very cozy. Great library pick up.

Thank you Boldwood Books for providing this book for review consideration via NetGalley. All opinions are my own.

This was fun!

I enjoyed reading about a protagonist in her late forties, although there were times when she came across to me as much younger.

While the plot was highly implausible, it did keep me engaged, and I would recommend it to romance lovers who like to think about the role of fate and whether there is such a thing as "Mr. Right."

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read a digital ARC in advance of publication.

I thought that the emphasis was a bit too muvh on love and a bit too little on friendships and I ws there for the friendships. It was still a great read, I would have just liked a little bit more depth in the second half around friendships and growth instead of focusing too much on love.

Absolutely gorgeous fun filled romcom with a heartwarming soul.

I Absolutely loved Miranda's journey and was fully invested in her finding the mysterious Jay. But the chemistry between her and Matt was palpable and swoon worthy.

A really grown up book for lovers of romance.

What a perfect cold day book to read, light, and romantic, I loved the idea of this book how ahe goes looking for her man and what lies ahead of her. Loved the ending but wanted more..lol
Great read

Thanks to the author, the publisher and Netgalley for an early release of this book.

Thank you to NetGalley and Boldwood Books for allowing me to read an ARC of Five Things I Love About You by Clare Swatman, in exchange for my honest review.

I really enjoyed reading this! I loved the dynamics and friendship between Miranda, Kirstie, and Sophie. We should all have friends like this.

I was so proud of Miranda for stepping outside her comfort zone. It's not an easy thing for anyone, and she did it bravely and wholeheartedly.

Lighthearted, entertaining, quick moving, with witty dialogue.

I had a feeling about "J..a.." and was thrilled that I was correct. Everything happened as it should have.

I look forward to reading more by Clare Swatman.

I had never read a book by Clare Swatman until I read her new one, entitled “Five Things I Love About You.” Miranda is in her late 40s and feels like she’s at a crossroads. She’s been amicably divorced for over a decade and her children are grown and finishing their educations in other countries.

After Miranda has an accident while riding her bicycle to work one rainy morning, she begins to have dreams. They’re about the man she almost hit on her bicycle. She believes he may be her soulmate, but she only knows “five things” about him. Determined to find him, Miranda temporarily leaves her life behind to have the life she keeps dreaming about.

For me, the best part of the book was the conversations and relationship Miranda had with her best friends, Sophie and Kirstie. The romance part of the book fell flat for me and felt forced for most of the book. I will say this is one of those books where the ending saved the book for me. It also made me rethink what I had just read, but in a good way.

Overall, I recommend this book. Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for my ARC.

Miranda is divorced and with her adult children away working abroad rethinks he life after falling off her bike trying to avoid a man. This man becomes a part of her never ending dreams which she decides to follow, leaving her life, home and her best friends behind.

She can't remember much about this mystery man, other than his name is Jay, his ascent and he was wearing a pink tie. But during her dreams she starts to add pieces to the puzzle and has included a dog and an interest of skydiving.

Miranda decides to take the plunge and move to where she believes Jay is from. Will she find him?

A fun and witty book that will have you reading non stop until the end!

4.5/5 stars. It was slow to start and the concept of chasing a little man from your haunted dreams all over with just a first name seems bonkers.... but makes for a fantastic read. I love that the characters aren't in their twenties like so many stories in the same vein. I think the main character, Miranda, has some amazing and wildly opposite friends and I the same for her love interests... although the dream man Jay leaves much to be desired. I would absolutely buy this and recommend this. wonderful, quick read. I actually wanted it to be a little bit longer so I could read more about M & M's love life in Canada.

Miranda gets knocked off her bike trying to avoid a collision with a mysterious man, when she wakes in hospital she is haunted by the same featureless man.
Being over 50 myself I had high hopes to be able to connect with Miranda’s character but this wasn’t the case for me personally. I can however see how this could appeal to others though.