I'd say that this is quite cute beach read, but it is also one-time read in your spare time to clean your head (not enough food for thought). It is also quite clichey and predictable. Yet there are also some plus points for the positive message of mending instead of breaking and some funny moments.

Unfortunately, I have not been able to read and review this book.

After losing and replacing my broken Kindle and getting a new phone I was unable to download the title again for review as it was no longer available on Netgalley. 

I’m really sorry about this and hope that it won’t affect you allowing me to read and review your titles in the future.

Thank you so much for giving me this opportunity. 
Natalie.

This book tries hard, but I was so bored after the first few chapters to even pretend to enjoy myself. Bell's story is clearly set in England (with the syntax, references, and spellings bonking you over the head) and the writing is both chatty and stilted. I have a really hard time believing this isn't a debut novel from someone simply following a rom-com, chick lit script.

Stopped at 12%

I enjoyed this book, it was a great summer read! One thing I really appreciated about this story is that I've never read another chick lit story like it before, the premise was fun and entertaining and set up the perfect amount of drama! Just because an older relationship has gone a little stale doesn't mean it's not worth saving, and everyone has a vice--sport addiction isn't too bad to handle! I need to remind myself of that sometimes... :) 

The pacing was a little slow, and I think Will's secret was obvious, but the characters were relatable and there were some moments that made me laugh out loud! Perfect for the beach!

I couldn’t finish this book, I like the author’s writing and have enjoyed many of their books before but this one wasn’t one I could get into. I will try again when the author’s next book is released as I am a fan of theirs.

Although a bit predictable, was still a good read that I'm glad I got to enjoy!

Great story - well written and enjoyable.

Thanks for the chance to read this

My first reaction was that everyone here needed to grow up but Bell wrapped me into her plot with good writing and a cleverly constructed plot.  This is entertaining fluffy chicklit with a good heart.  The sports mad male is generally never going to change but Lexi's efforts to turn Will's head back her way are persistent.  Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC.  I'd not read Bell before so I'm very grateful to Netgalley for the ARC.  This is the perfect book to relax with!

I like it when I join the dots and can guess where a novel is heading (as long as it's not TOO obvious) but I also like it when I think I've spotted what the image is but the author throws a curve ball (mixed metaphors,  I know). In this instance I was taken by surprise, several times.
The story is well written and well plotted and the main character is funny and very likeable. Entertaining and engaging, the novel had my dull attention from start to finish, and there were even a couple of times when I laughed out loud.
The book is a typical, engaging tale of what can go wrong when we aren't honest with each other, and the folly of jumping to conclusions.

Well done Ms Bell!

I did not finish this story as I did not engage with the story on any level.

Anna Bell is one of my favourite authors. Her titles and covers are always fantastic and they are the first two things that draw me into a book by Anna. She always writes about likeable characters and there is no expectation with The Good Girlfriends guide to getting even. 

I did find this one a touch slow to begin with, but once I got into it I was hooked. Lexi has a sports mad boyfriend Will, who whenever she asked if they could do a certain thing, it would depend on whether on not there was sport on at the time. This would drive me nuts, and it did when reading about it. 

Lexi is sick of getting mad so she decides to get even. Lost tickets and a broken television seems to of been the best way for her to spend time together with Will as they become closer. Lexi decides to start a blog about it and she’s thinking that he will never find out so where’s the harm?

This was a really funny book, and made me gasp out loud and the things Lexi does for revenge and the outcome was amazing. 


Thanks goes to net galley and the publishers for providing me with a copy in exchange for an honest review.

What wasn't there to love about The Good Girlfriend's Guide to Getting Even?
I devoured this book in one sitting and found smiling ALOT throughout this book.

Lexi is dating sports obsessed Will and thinks their relationship is going great! That is until Will skips her friend's wedding for a football match and gets busted! Instead of confronting Will about it Lexi decides to get even and plots her revenge to sabotage his love of sport.

I found this book to be full of funny laugh out loud moments and enjoyed following along with Lexi as she carried out her little acts of revenge. I did however in the end start to feel really bad for Will.

It was a great light hearted humorous read and Anna Bell is fast becoming a favorite author.

I am a big fan of author Anna Bell, and again was thrilled to be asked to review her brand new book The Good Girlfriend's Guide to Getting Even. I was even more excited to see that Anna had mentioned me in the acknowledgements at the end - it's always lovely to see an author appreciate what us bloggers do! So, I got stuck into this, expecting as usual another brilliantly funny read! The blurb sounded really funny, like the sort of escapist read I could do with, and it didn't let me down!

Lexi was a really funny character, and made me laugh from the very beginning. I know some of the things she did were perhaps a little childish, and yes, she should have confronted her boyfriend Will but that wouldn't have made for a very good or funny book would it?! The fact Lexi did things I would never have even dreamt of meant it made me laugh, and I was sure at every turn she was going to get found out, and make things even worse for herself! I understood she was cross that her boyfriend seemingly lied to her about being poorly to miss a wedding for a football match, and the way she found herself in this revenge spiral was quite amusing, even though her friends weren't exactly supportive of her actions!

Will seemed to be the character that we, as readers, were meant to hate. He was completely sports mad, to the detriment of their relationships at times, and I did feel sorry for Lexi in this regard. He couldn't seem to see that his obsession was upsetting her either, so I think the pair would have benefitted from actually being honest with each other once in a while! However, I did feel sorry for him a little bit when Lexi started to exact her revenge, because he genuinely seemed clueless about how all these unfortunate things kept happening to him, and never seemed to suspect Lexi at all!

Anna Bell's writing in this book is really on point, and she keeps the pace up all the way through the story, allowing the characters to develop well, and Lexi's plan to go as she hopes, while all the time you are aware that at some point she's going to find out, and the longer it goes on, you know the eventual reveal is going to be even worse for her! As the book hurtles towards the end, I almost didn't want to read it because I just knew it was going to get pretty awful before it could attempt to get better! There are some scenes set in Barbados, and Anna writes these wonderfully, it was great to picture the country, the beaches, and the luxury hotel Will and Lexi find themselves in.

While I think some people might find this book a bit silly, and get annoyed with Lexi's revenge plot, I actually found the whole thing really enjoyable, and definitely laughed out loud quite a lot as I was reading! I stayed up late a few nights reading this, because I didn't want to put it down - I was desperate to find out what Lexi was going to come up with next, and if and when poor Will would find out what she had been up to! A laugh-out-loud, funny, escapist read that will surely leave you with a smile on your face... and perhaps a bit of a warning to sports mad men - don't ignore your girlfriend for your sports, and if you do so, it's at your own peril! A great read!

It’s true what they say; revenge really is a dish best served cold. When Lexi discovers her sports-mad boyfriend Will pretended to have food poisoning so he could miss her friend’s wedding and secretly go to a football match instead, she’s mad – really mad.

However Lexi then realises a good girlfriend doesn’t get mad, she gets even. Rather than confronting Will, she carries out acts of revenge, which include ‘lost’ tickets, a Sky box ‘accidently’ soaked in wine and a dead car battery – causing him to miss out on his precious fixtures.

While friends have got married and settled down, Lexi and Will, who have been together for seven years, find themselves stuck in a comfortable domestic no man’s land with no sign of an engagement ring, much to her mother’s disappointment. After her discovery of Will’s lie, Lexi is forced to re-evaluate her relationship, and realises that whether its football or Formula 1, she feels like she always takes second place to sport. Lexi uses her ‘getting even’ scheme to reinvigorate their relationship, but starts to wonder if she is flogging something well past its sell by date.

The genius of The Good Girlfriend’s Guide To Getting Even is that it is so relatable, whether you are a cricket/golf/tiddly winks widow or not. At some point we have all been in that relationship which feels a bit stale and neglected.

As the lead character, Lexi is likeable and again, really relatable. The exchanges between Lexi and her sex-mad best friend Cara are hilarious, awkward mealtimes with her parents are cringe-worthy and the connection between Lexi and her handsome work colleague Robin is intriguing – although he probably does the biggest 180 degree character change ever!

It is a charming novel, full of warmth and wit. Anna Bell’s writing style is snappy, conversational and really funny. Yes, some of the scenarios are a little far-fetched and I was amazed Will doesn’t twig what his girlfriend is up to sooner, but it is a thoroughly enjoyable, feel-good read.

I read Anna Bell’s The Bucket List to Mend a Broken Heart last year (you can read the review here) and loved it so I jumped at the chance of reading her latest book The Good Girlfriends Guide to Getting Even and you know what I think I love this one more.

I loved the premise that Lexi, being a sport widow, decides to get even. With every punishment she doles out the tension builds and whilst you love what Lexi has done you can’t help but panic a bit as well. You know that the revenge is going to come and bite her on the bottom but that is part of the fun. 

Anna Bell has created a fabulous story with characters that are so relatable it almost hurts. The Good Girlfriends Guide to Getting Even is funny, sharp and just plain good fun. I absolutely loved it and you will too!

The Good Girlfriend’s Guide to Getting Even by Anna Bell is available now.

For more information regarding Anna Bell (@AnnaBell_writes) please visit www.annabellwrites.com.

For more information regarding Bonnier Zaffre Books please visit their twitter page (@BonnierZaffre).

Lexi has been putting up with her boyfriend’s Will passion (obsession) for sports for a long time, but when he pretends to be sick just to skip her best friend’s wedding and sneak off to the umpteenth football match, she decides that enough is enough. And as she is soon going to find out, revenge can be sweeter than she thought…
What happens in a relationship when the ‘happily ever after’ has been going on for a while and two people start to lose sight of each other? How far can a woman go to get even when she feels hurt, and what is she ready to do to save her relationship when love is still in the air? These are the main topics explored by Anna Bell in this terrifically amusing, readable novel. Whether you consider yourself a sporting widow or not, her book will entertain you and make you laugh. Who knows, perhaps, by the end of it, you’ll become Lexi and Will’s number-one fan. This was the first time I came across this author and I am pretty sure it won’t be the last.    

Many thanks to the author, the publisher, and NetGalley for providing a copy of this book in exchange for an honest, unbiased review.

I just would like to say thank you to publishers to let me review this book.

Let's start off with I really liked this book I loved the storyline and the characters the description in the book felt so real could picture the setting I was laughing out loud at this book. I was sad to see it end. Will. Be recommending this book to people.

I am going to start by saying this book was SO much fun to read! We all know those girlfriends who are with sports obsessed men and if we don’t know someone, we generally are the sports widows. Thank goodness that I am not a sporting widow unlike my sister-in-law and my mum! Both my dad and my brother are the sporting fanatics in my family and NEVER miss a game, so I totally got where Lexi was coming from in this book! And oh did I enjoy it!

Lexi and Will have been together for seven years and still there is no sign of a wedding, much to the disapproval of Lexi’s mum, who seems to bring it up at any possible moment she can, which often leaves poor Will a sweaty mess! You see Will has already said he will propose when Southampton win the league…. but let’s face it no one can see that coming. Lexi lives her entire life making plans around the sports channel and not just the football, there is darts…. golf…. cricket…. boxing….you name it and Will follows it religiously. He is one of those fans who starts to sweat and fidget if he doesn’t know what exactly is happening for every second of any game!

The story also features Lexi’s two best friends Vanessa and Cara, Vanessa is soon getting married and the girls are all really excited, and this is where our story really starts!

The day of the wedding has arrived and Will has taken a turn for the worse and ended up running to the toilet every few minutes with terrible stomach cramps, Lexi is upset that Will is too unwell to make it to the wedding but is full of sympathy and makes sure he is absolutely okay before she leaves him. Lexi is sad that she has to attend the wedding herself and worries she should have stayed to look after Will, but there was no way she could have missed her best friends wedding. Throughout the day Lexi texts Will to check in on him and he sounds like he is feeling awful, she spends her time with Cara who has her sights set on having it off with one of the ushers

During the wedding a tipsy Lexi receives a picture message from a work collegue and there on sky sports news is her ‘poorly’ boyfriend Will at the Southampton match! At this point Lexi is so mad she decides to get completely drunk and have it out with him when she gets home…

Only when she wakes up the next day hung over, Will is STILL keeping up his lies of being unwell and that gets Lexi thinking, and even madder. So rather than having it out with him she plans an act of revenge to get even with him. Her first act of revenge involves her stopping Will from seeing a football match, which involves an insane amount of planning, and a LOT of hope that it will come off as bad luck and not like it has been purposely sabotaged! The result of her pulling this off means they spent an entire sport-free weekend together that was really romantic and full of fun.

Lexi is a wannabe author and attends a writing group one of her best friends Cara, one week at the group they are set homework, to set up a blog and write about anything, it’s all about gaining an audience. Lexi struggles to think of anything when suddenly she jokingly decides to write about being a sporting widow and how Will lied to her and she got her revenge. Only after writing it she thinks it’s rather great and ends up posting it, only for it to become a HUGE hit with thousands of likes and people sharing it all over. And so, feeling like her revenge wasn’t enough and seeing how popular her blog has become, Lexi decides to take out more revenge against unsuspecting Will and use the material for her blog!

But when will Lexi finally feel like she has gotten even with Will?

Oh, I loved this story so much, once I started it, I couldn’t put it down until I had finished it in one lovely go! I loved everything about it, I loved how Will was so sports crazy that he lied to get out of a wedding just to see a game, that is some passion! I also loved how mad Lexi got and that she decided to get revenge in some of the best ways, I was genuinely cackling with glee each time! But, what I loved more than absolutely anything was their relationship, it was actually really, REALLY cute. they were both so clearly besotted with one another, they were crazy for each other and that really did shine through. Will wasn’t an arsehole who deserved to be hated or really needed to have his girlfriend go out of her way to stop him watching sport, because when he did miss the sport, although disappointed, he was always so happy to have time with Lexi and he was so caring and loving towards her, I kind of fell a bit in love with him!

I also loved how Cara called Lexi out for what she was doing, she wasn’t that friend that instantly agreed, she kind of took Will’s side a little and told her to come clean and talk things through with him. I liked that so much, because it would have been so easy to have her help come up with other ways to stop him seeing any sport. Cara as a character was really likable and I was so wrapped up in her story also, she was sex mad and knew what she liked, she always had the upper hand when it comes to men…. but that all changes in this book and I found myself desperate to find out more about her life (next book all about her please Anna?!!).

Throughout the story there is  build up of how far Lexi will go before she regrets her actions and Will becomes… well odd, he starts to sweat randomly and look shifty and he looks on edge, and this mixed with Lexi’s behaviour had me on the edge of my seat just waiting to find out what was going to happen. I read the last half of the book with everything crossed that they wouldn’t break up because they were SUCH A GOOD COUPLE and I adored them together! Anna’s writing is brilliant and had me racing through the pages, laughing like a maniac and desperately sad that the book was over. I wish I had savored it a little longer!

I want to tell you so much, I want to tell you about the revenge but I won’t because it’s just too damn good to spoil!

The Good Girlfriend’s Guide to Getting Even is fun, genuinely laugh out loud funny, sweet and riveting!

You can buy it right now and you absolutely should, instantly!

This was a cute, light-hearted read. However more humorous than romantic. I mean, already when a romantic book treats an existing relationship the reader misses out on the girl-meets-boy feeling, but in this book the romantic bits weren't that many. In short, an amusing read, quick but not swoon-worthy.

*Book provided by the publisher on NetGalley in exchange for an honest review*

When I saw the title of this book, I was really intrigued and that didn’t change when I read the blurb.

The story follows Lexi and her boyfriend Will. He is obsessed with sports, watches every game and records them all. So when he comes home, he gets to the sofa and watches. Lexi and Will have been together for seven years and all her friends are either married already or engaged and she wants the same.

When she finds out that he missed her friend Vanessa’s wedding and went to a football match, she starts planning revenge. From erasing recorded things, to him missing a game on a weekend out.

Will starts to be different though, which makes her feel bad and happy at the same time, because there is finally some life in their relationship again. Sometimes his behaviour is weird though and doesn’t make sense, especially when they go to Barbados. That’s where everything goes crazy with misunderstandings, surprises and unexpected changes. Of course there is something behind this and I just loved this part of the story.

The book is full of funny moments, I loved flowing Lexi around. Her plans were described so vividly and her feelings were included as well.
Anna Bell’s writing is entertaining, fun, sparkly and exciting! The Good Girlfriend’s Guide to Getting Even is a feel good read with some fab moments and great characters. Lexi is very relatable, Will is just typical and cute. Then there is Lexi’s sex mad best friend Cara and her attractive work colleague, they all added a wonderful mixture to a sensational story.

I’m a big sports fan myself, so I really enjoyed these parts of the book as well.

This story is brilliantly written and funny in so many ways. It will definitely put a smile on your face.