This is the second book in the series. I really enjoyed the first book so had high hopes for this one and I wasn't disappointed. It could be read as a standalone novel as the story doesn't really follow on from the first book

I enjoy novels with book references and I loved the references to Pride and Prejudice - including What Would Elizabeth Bennet do? Both of the lead characters Verity and Johnny are interesting and I warmed to them although Johnny is annoying in places. I loved the interactions of Verity's family members and enjoyed all of the wedding preparations which made me laugh in places.I loved Strumpet the stroppy cat!

An easy lighthearted read, perfect for the beach or an afternoon in the garden.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest review.

The first thing I will say is this, (full disclosure): I haven't read the first book, so shoot me. I enjoyed this, I really enjoyed this, but it didn't effect the story line in anyway - so don't worry if you're interested in reading this and haven't had the chance to read the first book yet – it’s wonderful on its own, and I thoroughly enjoyed it.

In fact, I loved it. I needed a book like this. It’s full of parties and ridiculous, if not gorgeous, situations. The book was led by Verity and her fake relationship with Johnny. I’d be lying if I said I wasn't attracted to this book for this reason; I live for a fake relationship, and this one didn't disappoint. But Johnny… Johnny did. He was perfect in every respect; he’s gorgeous, an architect, willing to save her in an awkward situation. All these boxes were ticked and I was a very happy lady. Then as the story progressed a problem appeared: his obsession with his ex, now his best-friends’ wife. Yeah, you heard that right. He is completely convinced the pair of them are still in love, and this woman is the ‘love of his life’ - even through she’s married to someone else. But this is ‘Chick Lit’ and to be honest, I like a flaw in a hero, even if this one did grate a bit.

Unlike him, Verity is an absolute delight! The story starts with her having to concoct a fake boyfriend. In a hurry, her actions and her reasoning are both hilarious and recognisable. She's lovable, as are her friends and family - they're funny, warm and irritating. The parts featuring Verity and her support network are as enjoyable (if not more so) than those situated with her and Johnny, which made this book flow really well.

Verity's actions, which lead to the novels’ main plot point for Johnny, are thanks to the creation of her fake boyfriend, and this art of creating a fake boyfriend is one I can sympathize with; I’ve done it. Yes reader, I've created my very own Oceanographer! He's called Aaron; he's a lighting technician with the RSC Theatre, we’re engaged - and very happy, thank you very much! I’ve used this in pubs, trains, and even on a rare occasion, in the loo of a Marks and Spencer's toilet. (I am aware I’m ridiculous.)

I thoroughly enjoyed the Austen element, although I wasn't a huge fan of the slating of the 2005 version. Although, I can live with this! I loved the massive nods to Austen and the ‘What would Elizabeth Bennett do.’

As I said before, I really enjoyed this; it was lovable, if not ridiculous. However, there was something about this book that didn't quite hit the mark for me, and I blame Johnny - his character and the leading for his choices were pathetic and irritating. But that said, I will be looking out for this author in the future.

Thank you to Netgalley for my review copy.

A wonderful, heart warming and addictive read.
Each page was a delight and I couldn't get enough of Darling's beautiful prose.
If only I could visit the shop.

Verity Love is the introverted middle child from a family of chatty extroverts. After a terrible breakup she's been avoiding dating. Sick of the social pressure to be in a relationship she makes up a fake boyfriend. Of course it proves impossible to keep up the facade and when her friends surreptitiously follow her to see what he looks like she throws herself on the mercy of a stranger in her favourite restaurant. Johnny reaches out a couple of days later with the offer to fake-date over the summer to keep both their sets of friends off their backs.
This is a very sweet fake-dating story with a very enjoyable lead character in Verity. Her friends and, in particular, her family are all fun to read about. The lead male is generally likeable except when he's on about his 'one true love'. The fact he's in love with a pretty terrible human being who I could not sympathize with in the slightest counts as a real black mark against him.
I enjoyed this book and will happily read other books by this author.

Perfect holiday reading-feel good,funny and very enjoyable.A great beach read!

This was a romantic read about Johnny and Verity. Verity is a quiet introvert who is afraid of love and makes up a pretend boyfriend. Enter Johnny, who wants to be her pretend boyfriend because he is trying to stop loving Marissa who is married to his bestfriend. Lots of references to Pride and Prejudice. I found the character calling her father, Our Vicar - a little grating. Not sure the two leads had anything in common, and would fall in love with each other. The book felt a little too twee.

I really loved the return to the ‘Happy Ever After’ bookshop to follow the story of ‘Pride & Predudice’ fan Verity Love; the introvert who can’t take the sensory overload of too many social interactions. She manages to avoid social invitations and her friends trying to match-make her by inventing perfect Peter Hardy, Oceanographer. Unfortunately it’s wearing to keep up the pretence and just as she is about to be found out, inadvertently meets a real life fake boyfriend, Johnny. They both need social partners and excuses to avoid being matched up. Verity finds herself being drawn further into the pretence. As their summer’s party attendances proceed, Johnny & Verity learn each other’s secrets. Can Verity save Johnny from his painful, unrequited love? I found it such a pleasure to meet Very’s eccentric family and see the story unfold. Highly recommended.

True Love at the Lonely Hearts Bookshop is the second book in the series by Annie.
I loved the first book and have loved the second book, hope there's more to come as I'm not ready to say goodbye to the characters yet.
An easy well written read, great for reading on holiday.

You just have to love a book that is based in a romantic fiction bookshop, has lots of quotes from "Pride and Prejudice" and features a cat called Strumpet.
Verity is the middle daughter of a vicar from Lincolnshire who gave up competing to get her voice heard above those of her 4 sisters and now relishes peace and quiet and no boyfriend. Johnny is in love with an unattainable woman. Both Johnny and Verity are happy with their single status except that their friends believe that they need a partner and keep fixing up blind dates for them.
After an unexpected meeting Verity and Johnny decide to become fake boyfriend and girlfriend - what happens next is not always predictable!
A fun read and recommended to take on a stress free summer holiday.

Verity Love - Vicar's daughter and huge Jane Austen fan - is perfectly happy being single after her last relationship ended three years ago. She has a great job working in the Happy Ever Bookshop on Rochester Mews in Bloomsbury, good friends, four loud sisters, a love for romance books, a demanding cat called Strumpet and no need for a boyfriend. However, her friends are desperate to set her up with someone. So she has a bright idea to stop everyone from continuously attempting to set her up with men she has no interest in. Peter Hardy Oceanographer - the god of boyfriends and a prime catch. Apart from he doesn't exist and is a fake boyfriend who acts as a convenient excuse for Very.

Her friends are obsessed with him even though they have never even met him in six months, because Verity has an endless list of excuses. The easiest is his job as an oceanographer, meaning he's away an awful lot. However, she was now running out of reasons at keeping her friends away from meeting him and at arms length, it was becoming more of a pain. So she decides it's time they "broke up".

On a Friday night after work drinks with Popy and Nina in The Midnight Bell pub, Very escapes to Il Fornello, the Italian restaurant she frequents by herself every Friday night with only a book for company. She told her friends she was meeting Peter, so when she realises Popy and Nina have followed her, she plonks herself down in front of a guy at a table by himself, and asks him to go along with her. But she was too late. Wires crossed and her friends concluded she was also now dating Johnny, the gorgeous man Verity sat down at the table across from... As soon as her friends left Verity also makes her grand escape.

The following Friday night, when she's back in her usual cozy spot at her little table, with a book in hand and waiting for her lasagne to make an appearance, Johnny sat down in front of her. He suggested that as they're both in similar predicaments - she didn't want a boyfriend, and he was in love with a woman he couldn't be with - that they are each other's pretend other halves to keep their friends off their back.

They make an agreement and Johnny tells Verity not to fall in love with him because his heart his taken. She is adamant she won't. So they start the summer season of weddings and garden parties as "a couple" and fool their collective friends. The only people Verity has told the truth to are her sisters. But how long can the charade continue for? Will the truth out? There are obstacles galore to tackle; crazy exes, nosey friends and awkward situations. Verity finds herself referring to her favourite book of all time - Pride and Prejudice - and asking herself on countless occasions "what would Elizabeth Bennet do"?

This is the second book in The Lonely Hearts Bookshop series. However, "True Love at the Lonely Hearts Bookshop" can be read as a standalone book, I didn't even realise until the end of that it was part of a series. So don't let that put you off this one.

It's a light and heart warming book, that should delight fans of Jane Austen with references peppered throughout.
Some of the characters were lovely and others on the unpleasant side. There were parts of the storyline I found unbelievable and annoying and I wanted to yell at the infatuated and love struck Johnny on more than one occasion. The plus points for me are the setting and descriptions of Bloomsbury and the bookshop Verity works in, the relationship between the five Love sisters and the fact a lot of the story takes place in a bookshop that specialises in romantic fiction is great for bookworms. The downsides for me were parts of the storyline being far fetched and certain characters being rather irritating.

Overall I found it a nice and enjoyable read, which fans of chick lit and romantic fiction should lap up.

Thanks to NetGalley and HarperCollins UK, HarperFiction, for the opportunity to read this book in return for an honest and unbiased review.

Perfectly pleasant bordering on bland. I found it readable and interesting enough to finish but there was nothing surprising or new to set it apart from the rest of the genre. I'm not sure I'll remember it in a week. Sorry, it's a fine quick read but it's not a series I'd go out of my way to continue to follow.

If you're looking for a fun, romantic read without a simpering heroine or a controlling alpha male and with an Austen-esque twist, this one's for you.

Verity only needed one bad relationship to prove that love was overrated and she was perfectly happy on her own. If only her friends could see that. Cue Peter Hardy, oceanographer, Very's fictional boyfriend whose existence is only necessary to get her out of unwanted social obligations. After a misunderstanding in an Italian restaurant, Very ditches one fake boyfriend for another, although this one is very much alive. Johnny also needs someone on his arm to prevent dreary evenings spent at the singles table as he's desperately in love with a woman he cannot have. Faking a relationship is their perfect solution.

I really enjoyed this novel, I was quickly sucked in by the humour of the first few chapters and enchanted by the well developed side characters. They all felt very real, from Very's sisters to Marissa, the villain of the piece. I think she was well crafted and never felt over done. We've all come across women like her and I think what made her realistic was her honesty. She never pretended to be anything other than what she was and I think we could all put ourselves in Very's shoes during their exchanges and share her horror at Marissa's vitriol. 

Verity was also super relatable even if her need for alone time sometimes felt a bit much. She was comfortable in her own skin but still relied on the comfort of a good book to get her through tough times. My only issue with this lovely book was Johnny. He went from an aloof Mr Darcy to a delusional Wickham, and never really made it back. Don't get me wrong, I can see why someone in Verity's situation would his good side, but personally I felt his behaviour in the library scene was deplorable. Unfortunately, I don't think he made up for it all. At least Darcy redeemed himself through helping Lydia, Johnny never even apologised to Verity for his behaviour. That said, it still worked out better than I expected after that, and I would still recommend this novel to anyone who wants to lose themselves in a funny, heartwarming novel.

Thank you to NetGalley and HarperCollins for an early copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Thanks to netgalley and the publishers for an advanced copy of this book. I absolutely loved it the first book and the second was just as good, if not better.

This is the story of Verity Love who runs the Happy Ever After bookshop, and the perfect example of an introvert, preferring the company of books and her needy cat, Strumpet, and just a few close friends. She likes having routines and one of those is dining along at the end of the working week in a nearby restaurant.

She has trouble convincing her friends that she's happy with this life and has pretended to have the most fabulous boyfriend, who exists only in her dreams. She unexpectedly meets a fellow single diner who helps her out of a sticky situation, they soon find that they both could use each other as their 'fake other halves' to keep their friends and families from messing into their personal lives.

All the characters are loveable and the story is really enjoyable - I couldn't put the book down.

Great little romantic novel. I like the tone and how it points out the clichés of romantic novels and tries to shy away from them but inevitably comes back to them. I loved the references to Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice, showing that it's story is still relevant today and parallels can still be drawn from it in contemporary times.
I had not read the first book in the series and I didn't feel lost. Very enjoyable!

This is a funny, romantic and delightful book. So where to begin? Our heroine is an introvert and prefers books and quite time to people any day of the week. Her sisters are loud, bossy and extremely talkative to say the least and her colleagues have absolutely no sense of personal boundaries. Faced with all this, she agrees to a real fake boyfriend when she involves him into an impromptu charade at her favourite restaurant.

What ensues next are visits to each other's friends and family gatherings (where they both insist they are only friends, but people say otherwise) and begin to genuinely like each other.

This is one of those light romances that has a fun ride. Its not full of angst and the only angst I felt was for Verity (our heroine) when she was over whelmed by all the people, talking and generally socializing. I think Annie wrote her extremely well and I could genuinely feel for her throughout the book.

I liked it a lot and highly recommend it. I also enjoyed the quotes from Pride and Prejudice spread throughout the book - one for every occasion.

I adored the first book in this series and was excited to read this although it didn’t quite have the same magic for me. This one is the story of Verity Love, an introvert and bookworm who has to place in her life for a boyfriend – or so she thinks. That is until she embarks on a fake relationship with Johnny.
There was so much to like in this story, with a cat, bookshop and parallels to Pride and Prejudice. The whole idea for this book is great. It is a good light romance but without the amazing dynamic of Posy and Sebastian who were so amusing together. I did wish that Johnny hadn’t been such a wet blanket, yet it is redeemed by a good ending. As a stand alone novel this is good but I would recommend the first book as it was fantastic. I hope the third book captures that magic again.
3.5

I found this an enjoyable read. Verity was a sweet character and I completely identified with her need to be alone and have some quiet time after too much socialising and her love of books. Her family sound hilarious and I love how each sister is completely individual and their long-suffering parents. Con's wedding indecision was an enjoyable subplot and I enjoyed how obvious the love between the family and friends were, especially Mery and Verity. I enjoyed how Johnny's friends were shown as different to Verity but no less welcoming and happy about Johnny finding someone. Normally, in books like this, Verity's friends would be shown as good-hearted and down-to-earth while Johnny's friends would be shown as snobbish and stuck-up and it was great to see that wasn't true for most of them. Marissa was the bad guy in this and I did actually enjoy her as a villain who loves her husband but can't let go of the ego boost of having two guys fighting over her.

That said, Johnny annoyed the crap out of me, especially the conversation he had with Marissa near the end. Throughout the book, he read as annoying but then you find out Marissa and Harry have been married ten years and you wonder how all three of them survive as adults. If I was Harry, I would have left Marissa a long time ago. If I was Johnny, I would have given up on her long ago. I wanted to shake him and tell him to get a grip, he was not a teenager in the midst of his first love. The conclusion wasn't satisfying for me considering how annoying Johnny had been and the stuff he said about Verity.

I did like this one. Three stars!

First time I have come across this author, really enjoyed the book. Strong characters, bit quirky. Absolutely loved all the Pride and Prejudice references, (think I may just read that again). Will look out for more Annie Darling

True Love At The Lonely Hearts Bookshop by Annie Darling is the most wonderful and fun contemporary romance which I absolutely adored. It had me hooked from the start with references to Pride And Prejudice, my all time favourite book - a characteristic I shared with the heroine. Having studied Pride And Prejudice for A' level back in 1980, I really appreciated all the references.
Annie Darling has created some wonderful warm characters that were oh so easy to empathise with and they were fun. I 'saw' myself in the role of the heroine. I too, love cats. "I have... an extremely needy cat." Strumpet is a fabulous name for a cat and he really played a starring role in my eyes.
Her family were welcoming. "There was no such thing as a stranger, only a friend you hadn't met yet." As a reader I 'felt' welcomed into their world. The parallels with Pride And Prejudice were wonderful, five daughters in need of a husband. And I loved the way the heroine classed everyone as she met as a character type from Pride And Prejudice. Knowing that book intimately really made me appreciate and 'get' the sometimes subtle references. The more I read, the more I morphed into the heroine.
The catch phrase "What would Elizabeth Bennet do?" is fabulous and has really lodged into my consciousness. I think I may well adapt that attitude in my life.
The novel is about fun and friendship, love and laughter, joy and journeys - some literal, others not. It is such a fun read that it will leave you wanting more.
Excuse me now while I go and search Amazon UK for more fun reads by Annie Darling. Now the novel is ended, I am addicted and I want more, more, more by Annie Darling.
An absolutely delightful fun read that I cannot praise highly enough.
I received this book for free. A favourable review was not required and all views expressed are my own.

Verity was an interesting character and I was glad to see how her character grew, especially when she finally plucked up the courage to email a figure from her past. It was a sweet, easy read with likeable secondary characters. The bee outfit for Poor Alan sounded adorable. The reason I have given it 2 stars rather than a higher rating is due to Very's escape from the art deco house. Although she is a Vicar's daughter, the way she left the island was just too unbelievable and completely brought you out of the story. It could have worked if there had been more of a religious thread running throughout, but it felt like the author had written herself into a corner and couldn't think of another way for Very to get away. It was a pity because I spent the final chapters wondering when someone would explain how the moon had impacted the tides that night, or something similar, and wasn't as focused on the wedding scene as I should have been.