This was a good story, it wasn't a light read at all but it was a powerful story. The main character is flawed but that makes her real. It's nice to read about an imperfect character who manages to stay strong to her hopes and dreams. Cleo's journey was a truly interesting one to read and I very much liked it.

Thanks for Netgalley and the Publisher, this is a warm feel good and witty read and I loved Cleo

This book has probably my favourite cover of all Lynsey's books. It's simple, classic and beautiful, which is no wonder why I wanted to review this book for Neverland Blog Tours. Yes, I received a free copy for this review BUT all opinions are my own.

This story follows the story of Cleo Jones as she goes through a journey of self-discovery. We start off by learning that Cleo originally wanted to be a professional dancer (hello inner self) until a tragic car accident caused her to break her leg in two places and her dreams were crushed. To add insult to injury, she keeps getting rejected for the teaching positions she keeps applying for.

Throughout the story, we follow Cleo as she attends her Carb Counters meeting with her friend Emma and fellow weight loser Zara. They're all trying to reach their separate goals and live a better life. Along with Carb Counters, Cleo also attends the gym sometimes, where she meets Scott as he helps her out of an awkward situation with one the machines.

When her school bully, Amanda, gets's in touch, inviting her to a school reunion Cleo thinks about declining immediately. When she then starts popping up at the local pub and gym to steal away Scott, Cleo decided to change things and accepts a lot more than just her invitation to the reunion.

This book is the perfect summer read, full of self-discovery, friendship and unlikely places to find love. There's lots of humour thrown in and I found myself chuckling along with the characters. Overall, a bloody wonderful book that will give you all the female empowerment you need.

Cleo’s life has been tough after the car accident that shattered her dreams of becoming a dancer. Dancing was a big part of her life if not her whole life and not being able to dance professionally affected her life very negatively. She started to binge eat and that was a reason for some people to bully her at school. Now years later she’s still trying to overcome her weight problem and not feeling negative feelings from the school time. The turning point in her life comes, when she finds her old bucket list, gets an invitation to a high school reunion and meets an absolutely amazing guy.

It was the first book by the author, but I’ll definitely going to read more, because it was a fantastic book. I liked how the sensitive topic was handled and showed how difficult life can be sometimes and also the fact that making decision that make you happy are more important than being afraid what other people might think. Even though the main topic was serious and thought provoking, the book itself was rather uplifting and inspiring. I very much enjoyed reading it and I’m looking forward to another book from the author.

I was given a copy of this book by netgalley in exchange for an honest and independent review.

The book is advertised as a romance and although there is a nice little romance going on with Cleo and Scott, I felt there could have been more on the romance side. There's a lot of emphasis on Cleo's body/eating issues, and I think the bucket list is a little overdone. I felt for a chick-lit romance, there was just too little romance. Nice little read though, and good characters who I could relate to.

I was really looking forward to a funny, romantic read after the black-ops thriller which was my last read, but I felt quite let down by this novel. Although there is a bit of romance, it's not that which leads the story, nor the characters but more the body issues which take star billing. Whilst it's an okay read, it feels as though that's what's at the heart of this one, not the romance.
Due to this, some of it was fairly predictable. I would have enjoyed it more if I had chosen to read it as a self help book, but it just didn't make the grade, for me, as the fun romance it's billed as. Several times I wasn't sure if the timeline was right either. And, to top it all, MY PET HATE! Although I don't hold the author responsible for this, the book finished at 93% to allow a glimpse of the next one.
Although it's a nice enough read, it didn't push my buttons and I wouldn't be inclined to recommend it. Back to the drawing board would be my advice.
I received an arc via NetGalley in exchange for my honest, original and unbiased review.

This book covers some serious issues such as bulimia and bullying. I liked Cleo, the main character, and was rooting for her as she battled low self-esteem. For anyone who has ever experienced bullying at school, this story will resonate, as it also will for anyone who has battled with their weight. That said, I felt too much emphasis was placed on the bucket list. This is not a new idea - I've read other stories where the character tries to change their life by ticking off things on a bucket list. The romance was developed nicely. All in all this is a good read, but it didn't need the bucket list idea; the bulimia and bullying themes would have been enough.

From the very beginning of this book I was singing and dancing away, that catchy song 'Cleopatra coming at ya' was in my head and I couldn't stop singing it throughout the whole book.



I absolutely loved the character of Cleo, I just admired her strength and courage as shes had a really rough time and struggled with her weight since the high school bullies called her 'Chunky Monkey'. Then when she comes face to face with head bully Amanda she just puts on a brave face and doesn't show her that she is bothered by what she says when its hurting her, but I think by the end of the book she realises Amanda is just jealous of her and she stands up to her.



Another thing I found really heart warming was the relationship between Cleo and her personal trainer Scott. He just falls in love with her for the way she is and hes a really kind and caring guy and definitely one that Cleo deserves. He makes her feel good about herself and become a stronger person. When Cleo is with Scott she really comes out of her shell.



The whole idea of her having a bucket list and seeing her be able to tick things off her list was great. I think bucket lists are fun and thrilling and something we should all do.



I think this book really helps people become aware of problems like bulimia and body dysmorphia and just how people that suffer from them really feel and what they are going through, it certainly opened my eyes to it.

Overall I thought this is a really easy to read fun book that really is a beautiful story, one that just captures your heart from the very beginning.

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

The story follows Cleo Jones, who crushed her leg in a car accident and had to burry her dream of becoming a dancer. She also struggles with her confidence, but things suddenly change in the summer, for several reasons.

It was great to follow Cleo around and see her grow and getting her confidence back. With the help of a bucket list, she starts getting her life back. High school reunions and other things like Carb Counters help her on the way. And of course there is also a gorgeous male character in the picture. Scott is her personal trainer.

They both have a history, so things might be tricky at times. There are some serious topics in this book two and I like who it’s touching and deep, but also very inspiring and fresh.

Cleo is a great character and I really liked her scenes with Scott.

I warm and fuzzy story, written in a very fresh way!

This was in one respect quite a light-hearted story, but with a quite hard-hitting topic of bulimia running through it.

Cleo works at a bakers but had dreams of becoming a dancer, unfortunately these dreams were crushed when she was in a car accident when she was younger. She then went into a bit of a downward spiral and started binge eating, then dieting, etc. She is really trying to get her life back on track now and has joined Carb Counters, a local group, and even accepted an invitation to a school reunion party, even though she was bullied and ridiculed for her weight whilst there.

Whilst at the gym one day she meets Scott, a personal trainer, who seems to like her just as she is, although she can't actually believe it. But her life starts to turn a corner from here, albeit with a few set-backs along the way.

I did get quite frustrated with Cleo for her insecurities, she was only a size 14 when she was ridiculed behind her back by a shop assistant in part of the story, you would have thought she was a size 20+ the way she went on. But I suppose it wasn't really to do about size, it was to do about self-confidence and being happy in your own body, which she definitely wasn't to start off. But as the book went on she started doing things for herself and gaining more confidence.

A pleasant read with some nice (and not so nice!) characters.

At 15 Cleo Jones wanted to be a dancer but an accident took away her dream. A decade on Cleo is overweight, has no self esteem and when she finds the bucket list she made at 15 she decides to start another one in the hope that it will help her get her confidence back.

Cleo’s list contains several different things, one being losing more weight, she’s already a member of Carb Counters but she can’t resist cake. Another is for her to stand up for herself so when the school bully arrives back in the village and invites her to a school reunion she decides to go. She also meets Jack, a trainer at the local gym who wants to help her find her way but whenever Cleo’s sees him she feels embarrassed and awkward but he will not take no for an answer and a relationship develops between them.

This is a good book, although this is a lighthearted read the author deals with several sensitive subjects regarding weight gain, lack of self esteem and bullying. This was an easy enjoyable read which I would recommend..

Initially as I started this book, I had feelings of deja vu about the broader storylines, in that I felt that I had read very similar things before, even if it was perhaps two books crossing over. However as I started getting into the story, I realised just how wrong I was. Yes losing weight, bucket lists and high school reunions have featured in a variety of books recently, but it is Cleo's story that made me love this book and forget those misgivings before very long.

Well Cleo's story and the fact that the gorgeous male character happened to be named after a character from my favourite soap, Scott Robinson, although having Jason Donovan and Cleopatra music running through my head while reading this could be classed as off putting.

Cleo had a horrible accident when she was a teenager that shattered her dreams, and lead to her having issues with food as a result of comfort eating. Her life after the accident at school was terrible, and now 10 years on, she is still suffering with her self esteem.

Yet finding an old bucket list, and deciding to create a new one, and try to achieve items on it, are parts of the triggers for Cleo to start turning her life around. She has a fantastic best friend in Emma, who even accompanies her to Carb Counters meetings, and encourages Cleo every step of the way.

Cleo and Scot's initial meeting in the gym is memorable as are some of their subsequent meetings. For a gym trainer, he is a lovely guy and thankfully seems interested in Cleo despite some of her embarrassing moments.

Cleo is just really inspiring. Once I learnt her back story, I just became more impressed by what she was achieving. I loved various scenes when she stands up to her old high school bully, and also the various Carb Counters meetings, or anytime Cleo was in the gym, and her interactions with Scot.

There is a more serious topic underlying the book, but it is touched on in ways that are sensitive, and that give you a good insight as to how people with the issue are thinking, as well as how their loved ones are affected.

This is another cracking book from Lynsey James, and one I am delighted to have read. After those initial unfounded doubts, I was hooked on a wonderful story, with a great voice to it. I just love this authors writing and always look forward to reading new books by her.

Thank you to Netgalley and HQ Digital for this copy which I have reviewed honestly and voluntarily.

Cleo Jones is a woman whose confidence has been shattered since her dreams of being a dancer were broken like her leg in a car accident. Her problems escalated as she turned to binge eating for comfort which resulted in a cycle of self hate aided by the bullying by Amanda Best who managed to make everything infinitely worse.

She starts in a bad place but we follow her hopeful journey to regain her confidence and her dreams back on track. We will her on as she progresses and through setbacks hoping she gets her happy ending.

Loved the book cover and description. This is what drew me to the book. Gladly I was not disappointed. I loved the book. Great read, and easy to read. Cleo was a great character, and i adored her., You really felt for her. She was very mich like myself. I had an accident when i was 12 and almost lost an ankle, so could relate to what she went through. very real book. and id highly recommend it

Cleo wanted to be a professional dancer until twelve years ago a car crash breaking her leg in two places ended that dream. Instead, a nightmare happens as she keeps getting rejected from any dance teacher job she applies for.
Cleo goes to Carb Counters with her friend Emma and new girl Zara being there too as they all try to lose weight to reach their separate goals.
At the gym however, personal trainer, Scott is always helping her out of situations with the equipment there and soon enough they get friendly with each other.
Amanda then gets in touch, her bully from her school day gone, inviting her to their school reunion. She also starts popping up in their local pub and also at the gym as sure tries and fails to steal Scott away from Cleo!

As their relationship grows stronger, Cleo also becomes the new Carb Counters leader after Marjorie gets sacked by her boss upon Cleo standing up for the groups and their feelings over how she made them all feel week by week.
Reminiscent of Sue Watson's books as reviewed on here previously, this book is a summer read full of love, friendship, humour and a dose of sticking up for yourself during trying times! I really would encourage you to read this one if you enjoy easy read books as the storyline flowed well and didn't lose track of anything happening for onceand Cleo is a strong female after all she has faced but it's made her stronger over the years from being weaker before.

Many thanks to the publishers for allowing me to review this book for them!

ust finished reading this book and it really hit home to me. As a slightly plump, not part of the popular crowd in High School I could totally relate to Cleo and her carb counting. This was a great book for those of us held back negative thinking and a spiral effect of letting the rudeness of others start to control our thinking. I loved the message it shared of chasing our dreams and making them happen and not letting ourselves be restrained by what we hear or even just image others think of us. Being comfortable in our own selves is difficult but this book was empowering and encouraging. Not what I expected from a "lite romance".

Such a beautiful book! Cleo was such a fantastic character. Definitely a must read

Cleo Jones has to be one of my favourite heroines – written with such honesty and compassion that I felt an immediate bond.
While many of the lead characters in books I've read have past struggles that influence their present decisions, very few are still going through them to any real degree - unlike Lynsey James’ creation in The Summer Of Hopes And Dreams.
As she struggles with her weight and self-esteem, Cleo is very much in the thick of it, which makes this story a refreshing read – one that doesn’t shy away from some harsh realities.
I think anyone who battled body and confidence issues will be able to relate to Cleo and will definitely want to see her succeed. That only builds as we find out more about her and her past.
However, while this might sound like a really heavy book, it’s not thanks to the way Lynsey writes. There are some genuinely laugh out loud moments together with references to things that brought on a bout of nostalgia, including Neighbours and late 90s girl group Cleopatra (comin’ atcha).
I love Cleo's supportive bestfriend, Emma, and Scott Robinson, the personal trainer, is swoon worthy.
Most of the ending is fabulous but I was mildly disappointed with the way Cleo dealt with her childhood bully. I won’t give anything away but it just felt too easy.
Having said that this is a great read that had me feeling all the emotions.
Format: Kindle.
Price: £1.99.
My rating: Four stars.
With thanks to HQ Digital for the ARC in return for my honest opinion.

This is the most depressing book I have read in a while. All the characters seem to be stuck in high school (both successful and unsuccessful ones) and cannot seem to get past it. They all seem like tropes from teen movies (FYI nobody uses the term DUFF). Cleo, the main character, suffers from really bad anxiety yet therapists are barely mentioned. She also goes to a Weight Watchers type of group even though she had an eating disorder, which does not seem advisable but we are supposed to hate her mother for not liking it. Also a lot of Cleo's past trauma is alluded to but doesn't always make sense or it is not backed by the story.

Besides it not being an interesting story, it felt very irresponsible.

Cleo struggled through school ; plagued by bullying, poor self esteem and having her dreams crushed by a tragic accident. Ten years on and she's working hard on putting that behind her, but a blast from the past and a handsome stranger bring everything she's been scared of and hoped for to the surface and now it's Cleo's ultimate chance to be the best version of herself.
A bit Mean Girls meets First Kiss this book has that school nostalgia and toxic friendship / love story vibe to it that makes it an easy going, feel good read. There are however difficult subjects touched on particularly body image/self confidence/eating disorders, covered accurately and sensitively I felt but at times emotional to read and Cleo's low self esteem at times was particularly difficult to see.