I really struggled with this book because I found it boring. I found it had potential. Characters who aren't British should sound like they are when you read it.

I do not recommend this book at all.

Absolutely fantastic had me gripped!!! Loved it! Can't wait for more from.this author. Storyline was great, characters were easy to.connect with

Thank you for the advanced copy

2 stars: This book is hard to rate. For the positives: I loved the main character. This book is more like a Sophie Kinsella/Mhairi McFarlane "General Fiction with a side of Romance" than a true romance book. Yes, romance is a big subject in it, but the actual romance between two characters is more of an (awkward) side-plot. But I loved Polly, and I think May captured really well that feeling of being lost at 25, of constantly feeling like you're not living up to expectations, of wanting more but not knowing how to get it. She felt very really to me and could see her in the countless 25 year olds pursuing their dreams in New York.

Now the negatives: Olly is another story--we never really get a sense of Olly. He's the handsome, cool, romantic lead but has no substance to him. Honestly, I found him majorly suspect and was put off by a lot of his actions.

And the pacing! One minute we've spent three pages describing what Polly did all day, and in the next three pages A LOT happens. A lot of the plot decisions also seemed to come out of nowhere, and so it made it really hard for me to get really into the book. There were chapters that seemed to drag, and then chapters that were crammed with action but not in a good way, because there was no build up to that action.

Bottom line, I enjoyed reading about Polly, but the rest of the book was sub-par. There's better general fiction out there!

**Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for providing an ecopy in exchange for an honest review.**

Polly’s sweet and artistic. Olly is experienced and analytical. Can these two make a go at it? You’ll have to read When Polly Met Olly to find out!

I’ll start with one of my favourite parts of this tale: The New York City setting is descriptively entwined in the narrative giving us readers a taste of the touristy side, the posh life and the simple day to day. I quite enjoyed these little clips as they brought out aspects of the city that are meaningful to a transplanted resident of the city.

Polly’s boss, Derek, is quite a sweetie and a very enjoyable character to read. He’s not perfect, far from with his dodgy past, but he’s got Polly’s best interests at heart. In the beginning I wasn’t too sure about him but time and time again his caring side is revealed and Polly certainly appreciates him.

The romance between Polly and Olly is cute. Their first meeting is awkward yet there is chemistry. Their continued run-ins are funny and their banter is entertaining. The comparison between their relationship and the relationships they help form through their dating agencies is striking and helps develop their characters too.

The story is told from Polly’s perspective, so we get a great look into her life. We meet her parents, get good insight into her life in Cornwall and why she wanted to move to New York, and see different sides of her through her interactions with the varied people in her life. Polly’s dreams of being a photographer and all that she’s done working towards that goal is another interesting element to the narrative.

What I liked:

~Descriptions of New York City including some swanky restaurants.

~All the different aspects of Polly’s life that are explored.

~Polly’s relationship with her boss.

~Polly’s photography work and her commitment to it.

What could be better:

~Story is a bit slow to start.

~A touch much on the typos (but I was able to ignore most of them).

~More background on Olly would help readers fall for him too.

~More exposition of how the romance unfolds would have been icing on the cake.

Dates, love, heartbreak, chemistry and a great city setting… this cute romance is a fun summer read for sure.

What made this such an enjoyable read was the character of Polly, in particular, and the cast of characters who she meets in the story. There is an element of kindness around her, typified in her attitude to her job as a matchmaker. She doesn't judge and her friendship with her boss seems genuine. Her self esteem has taken a knock but she slowly rekindles her passion for photography. All of the characters in the story are well drawn and you can visualise them clearly.

I also liked the New York element. Although brought up in Cornwall, she has had a yearning to live in New York and you get a feeling for the bustle of life there. With some laugh out loud moments and keen observations, it is an uplifting read as Polly comes to terms with her life post University.

Thanks to the author for a copy of the book.

This has a really cute start. Now, it is totally a British story, because I had to look up what an aubergine emoji would be, it is in fact an eggplant emoji. And throughout the story there were a lot of things that were totally British sayings or names for things. This was an issue for me because the book takes place in New York City, and most of the people are not British. I feel like the story was good in a lot of ways though. The way people behaved towards each other was pretty real. The way they reacted to others was realistic in my opinion. I liked that when we got some bad news about the love interest, it was actually true, for the most part, and Olly owned up to his part in it. I enjoyed Polly's foray into the world of dating apps, even as she was using them to help other people find dates. Like her, I really feel like I want to meet someone in real life. Why can't that happen for me? And also like her, I find that when I do get on an app, like Tinder, etc., I spend a lot of time swiping left and right, and it almost becomes like a video game in a way. So I really connected with her on that aspect. The story was really witty and a very quick read, even if the true romance didn't really get started other than a crush until about halfway through.

Polly has just landed a job as a matchmaker, which is ironic considering the love life leaves a lot to be desired. She gets sent uncover to spy on a rival dating agency as a 'client' where she meets oh-so-handsome Olly (head of the rival company), he reduces love to stats and ticks boxes whereas Polly believes in fatal attraction, butterflies and fireworks.... when fate keeps throwing this unlikely pair together can anyone stop the sparks flying?

This novel is a laugh-out-loud romance with heart! Polly's lacklustre dating tales and her corny matchmaking one liners will not fail to bring a smile to your face. The whole cast of characters are brilliant and engaging, her flatmate Gabe was my favourite. There are touching moments too and you'll find yourself really rooting for Polly to be happy in the end. It just missed out on the five stars because I guessed the ending! Overall it was an entertaining, light-hearted read, perfect for your summer reading lists.

Thanks to Netgalley & HQ Digital for sending me this in exchange for an open and honest review.

Romance? - check!

Humour? - Check!

Quirky characters? - Check!

A fun and fabulous read? - check!

Looking for a fun romance with fabulous characters?  You've found it. 

Polly Wood is an aspiring and talented photographer but taking photographs just isn't paying the bills so she accepts a job working for a dating agency.  Additional to matchmaking, she doesn't realise the job will entail is messaging prospective dates on behalf of clients and spying on a rival, glossier agency.

This is such a sweet romance with adorable characters who capture your heart from the opening pages.  Polly herself is a very relatable character and I love that she is just down to Earth and 'normal'.  Her best friend Gabe (Gabriella on a weekend) provides her with hugs, sound advice and snuggles but cannot give her the big romance and fireworks she desires so much.  Derek the boss is the type of boss we all wish for and the customers of the dating agency are quirky but equally lovable. 

The story is a little predictable but who cares?  You kind of know what's coming but still become engrossed and delighted in the moment when it happens because as a reader you become so invested in the characters. . I think this novel is more about the growth of the characters and the plot development than the actual ending.  I loved seeing Polly grow and find her strengths more than anything else.  

This is my first outing with Zoe May but I'm hungry for more.  Highly recommend this fun and enjoyable read.

What a wonderfully written book. It was both heartwarming and thought provoking. Zoe May is a new to me author but I wish I had discovered her sooner. The way she writes makes the setting and characters feel real. The one thing that really stuck out for me was the age gap between the characters, it's not something that you read about very often so it was nice to see it being portrayed in a positive light. I thoroughly enjoyed When Polly met Olly, I think i'm going to go and hunt down more books from Zoe May because if this book is anything to go by she is an absoutely wonderful writer and this book is an absolute must read for anyone.

Zoe May has written a lovely and heartwarming tale full of love. Polly just landed herself a job as a matchmaker, the irony is she’s not very successful at love herself. I found Polly’s work as a matchmaker quite interesting, I wish there had been a little more of her on the job in the book. Loved her relationship with her roommate Gabe. He was such a great friend and an engaging character. Her boss Derek was also a great character who brought a lot to the story, we all would love a boss as supportive as him. Where the story fell a little short for me was the relationship between Polly and Olly. I am not certain if it is that it didn’t really begin until maybe about 60% in the book? Or that I just didn’t feel the connection between them? Then again I did love the happily ever after? So I realize I am kind of contradicting myself. I think it is because Zoe May is such a wonderful storyteller that even though I didn’t always feel it she made me feel it in the end.

The highlight of this book for me really was Polly’s interaction with all of her friends. I thought it was very strong when it came to the secondary characters. And I would love a future book with any of them. I found a lot of Polly’s past dating escapades quite humorous. I was also definitely surprised by Olly’s little twist, I knew he was hiding something just didn’t know what it was. All in all this was an entertaining story that put a smile on my face. A lovely story that will warm your heart, really made me think about what is important when it comes to love and finding your perfect match.

*** thanks to the publisher for my copy of this book ***

I requested this book from Netgalley because the blurb really took my interest, I'm a fan of a bit of rivalry and this book seemed to present just this, so I thought I would give it a go.

As I said I loved the concept of this story, and found this a pretty easy read, that I got through quite quickly. I found the characters quite relatable, and loved how Zoe May effortlessly added in a message about love and perfect matches.

However, for a book all about Polly and Olly, I felt there wasn't actually all that much Polly and Olly action. In fact there was so little that it seemed odd when the ultimately ended up together. I can appreciate that people sometimes fall in love really quickly, but in a romance book I expected there to be just a little bit more romance between the actual main characters. Furthermore, main dating scenes between the two of them were only briefly touched upon, leaving a lot to the readers' imagination. This probably didn't help the lack of romance that I felt within the book.

I also found that Olly being so much older than Polly occasionally brought me out of the story. May occasionally reiterated that he was older than Polly at the same time as saying that he was very fashionable for someone his age etc. This combined with the fact the Olly seemed to get very little screen time, it just felt like an unnecessary inclusion that the age difference be so dramatic and emphasised. Although, this was a tiny little part of the story that didn't really have any impact other than making me question its importance.

With a little more actual relationship I think this book would be a major hit, and I would recommend it to anyone.

A fun, flirty and fabulous read that will have you giggling on many an occasion, When Polly Met Olly is the latest delightful page-turner from Zoe May!

Polly might be a professional matchmaker, but her own love life is certainly nothing to write home about. While she spends her days looking for suitable matches for her elite clients at a top New York dating agency, Polly’s own personal life leaves a lot to be desired! While she is a dab hand at finding the one for other people, her own knight in shining armour seems to be taking quite a long time finding her. Still, even though her love life might be a complete and utter shambles, she can at least live vicariously through her clients and enjoy all of the romance without any of the stress and complications – until the line between the personal and the professional starts blurring when she finds herself unable to stop thinking about the very person she is meant to be setting her latest client up with! What is Polly going to do? Should she listen to her heart and throw caution to the wind and grab this unexpected chance at happiness with both hands? Or should she keep her feelings firmly under lock and key and keep things strictly professional?

Olly is handsome, charismatic, intelligent – and her rival! Heading up her company’s greatest competitor should entail Polly giving him as wide a berth as possible. However, when fate seems determined to thrust the two of them together, that proves to be easier said than done! With everything to play for, Polly must keep all of her wits about her and not get distracted by anything or anyone – not even by the one man she seems unable to stop thinking about!

Will Polly finally get the happy ending she has been searching for? Could Mr Right be the last person she expected? Or will there be more surprises in store for her? One thing is certain: the gloves are off in the dating game and all is fair in love and war.

A fantastic feel-good read that is sophisticated, witty and romantic, When Polly Met Olly sparkles with delicious repartee, zingy banter, hilarious one-liners, intense emotion and plenty of heart. Zoe May writes romantic comedies you simply cannot stop reading and When Polly Met Olly is no different.

A breezy and feel-good page-turner I read in a single sitting with a dashing hero, a fantastic heroine and plenty of hi-jinks, charm and mischief, When Polly Met Olly is an effervescent romantic treat that is far too good to resist!

At her time of need, British implant in New York, Polly, acknowledges having the means of paying her rent is more important than struggling to make ends meet as a photographer. The result, she lands a job at To The Moon and Back, a dating agency. When her new boss Derek asks her to check out their main rival, Polly masquerades as a chartered surveyor looking for love. On arrival at Elite Love Match, she's greeted by the charismatic owner Olly and realises she might be in the market to find love too.

The hilarious narrative is set against the competitive dating scene in Manhattan. The secondary characters shone brighter than the protagonists for the most of the story where they support Polly in and around her new job...one she's surprisingly good at. I only felt the connection to her and Olly around three-quarters of the way into the book. Once I passed this mark, I began to feel the attraction between them as I became invested in them as a couple.

I like how the author challenges the reader by making this a May to December romance. Polly and Olly at their point of meeting don't seem like a good match for a potential long term relationship. Yet, as we get to know more about their backgrounds, it becomes clear their differing ages are not an issue as both are at a point in their lives where they are re-assessing what is important to them including the tentative attraction to each another.

Overall, this is a fun and flirty novel full of laugh-out-loud playful banter. If you're looking for a novel with fascinating characters set in an imaginative, yet realistic story, you'll love this. It's a perfect beach read.

***review copy generously received courtesy of HQ Digital via NetGalley***

Polly is a talented photographer, but is struggling to find work after finishing her degree so is starting to work as a matchmaker instead! She didn’t anticipate this meaning her going undercover to check out a rival agency or her finding the boss there attractive! Her usual job involves her using online dating sites to endeavour to find the perfect match for clients – including messaging potential matches pretending to be her client to set up their initial exchanges and see if she thinks it worthwhile them pursuing. It seems very strange when one such series of exchanges finds her growing attracted to the woman she’s messaging . . . . if only she was a man!

This is a fun, humorous romance with romance at the heart of the story. There are plenty of laugh out loud moments, including some somewhat corny one-liner plays on words. It is a story of being brave enough to follow your dreams and there are some inspirational exchanges that actually help both main characters re-evaluate themselves, their dreams and their expectations. Maybe love can find a way to bring the matchmakers to find their own match – but they’ll have to be brave first!

This is a lovely, light-hearted, quirky and fun read, simply great to escape into. I requested and was gifted a copy via NetGalley and this is my honest opinion after choosing to read it.

As a failing professional photographer, the last thing Polly expects is to end up working in a dating agency; never mind clashing with their competitor, Olly.

I received a free copy in exchange for an honest review.

This follows Polly who, after struggling to make a living with her career as a freelance photographer, resigns herself to taking a job working for Derek at his dating company. As much as she hates to put her dreams on hold, they aren't going to pay the rent, plus Derek is a pretty sweet guy and fun to work for.

Olly is the competition. Where Derek's company is small and personal, Olly's is shiny and corporate, and New York can't get enough of this handsome businessman's every move.
When fate seems determined to keep bringing Polly and Olly together, sparks are bound to fly.

This was another fun and light romance from Zoe May.
I do like how the leading ladies in her stories have more going on than the leading man. Yes, Polly has a crush on Olly, but she's not only thinking of him.
She has her new job which, although it wasn't what she ever imagined doing, she enjoys the challenge and soon picks up Derek's enthusiasm for helping hopeless lovers. It does touch on the ethics of online dating, and how far is too far when you try and get your customer the right dates.
Polly has her best friend Gabe. They support each other, and even though Polly's dreams have stalled, she tries to coax him into taking his singing more seriously.
Then of course, there's the trouble that Polly is having with her own dream. She has put her heart and soul into her photography, and has done some work <i>in exchange for good exposure</i>, and she discovers all the pitfalls that come with that particular agreement.

There is some cheese and some questionable choices, but overall, I enjoyed it and can't wait for more.

I thought When Polly Met Olly was an adorable rom-com book and I enjoyed watching the story unfold. I couldn't get past the fact that while the story was set in NYC all of the characters, who were all American besides Polly, were speaking in British English. It just drew me out of the story every time it happened which I absolutely hate because I think this could have been a great novel. It did take away my enjoyment of the novel, but it didn't make me hate the book. I just would have loved it more if the dialect were more accurate.

I love stories about dating agencies, as they're usually a lot of fun. This one certainly is, as it depicts the rivalry between two companies and their differing methods of matchmaking. 

Polly is feisty but lost professionally. Ollie is successful but cold. And of course, neither of them have had much luck in love. But all that changes when the two pretend to be other people...

Hopeful yet struggling photographer Polly is desperately in need of a job that pays. She’s tired of doing work for free – spending more time and aggravation, not to mention her skills, with little to show for it. To that end, she answered an advert for a matchmaking service – and soon finds herself working to find, connect with, and set up the men who have paid for the service. Her boss has this true desire to help people find love, but it means that his agency is often ‘second best’ to the highly publicized competitor run by the designer clad gem of the press, Olly.

To see what makes the agency so different (and purportedly better) Polly pretends to be interested in the services, and while she finds that Olly is everything she could want (and never aspire to) in a man, their ‘by the numbers’ approach to matchmaking doesn’t account for attration, or even lead the client to feel good. Sure, the agency she’s with may not have the publicity, but the personal touch and warmth they provide is worth more.

This was adorable: from Polly and her roommate – a part time drag queen when he puts away his corporate gig, to her boss, and even the clients and matches. Polly’s actual romantic streak comes through strongly, and her talents with portrait work, may be the key to her using her photography degree. With a dash of humor, a bit of communication with a possible match for a client, and a lovely party that has everyone surprised, the story is truly a balm for the romantic hidden deep within all of us. A clever read that balances the angst with heart, and watches dreams and cupids running amok, the story is the perfect escape read when you want to be left smiling for hours.

I received an eArc copy of the title from the publisher via NetGalley for purpose of honest review. I was not compensated for this review: all conclusions are my own responsibility.

Review first appeared at <a href=” https://wp.me/p3OmRo-atL/” > <a> I am, Indeed </a>

The title is fun and put a smile on my face straight away. It was the first thing that attracted me to the booK.

The title is not the only humourous thing. The author has sprinkled the story with some funny bits but the main focus is on romance.

Everybody is keen on finding the 'one' and we have ticked boxes on a (mental) list with how we want our ideal partner to look, but looks are not everything! Maybe we should delve deeper and extend our list with things we want or don't want our ideal partner to have or do.  Not very romantic though, is it, but it might keep heartbreak at bay. 

Anyway when you (finally) meet your better half it can be quite an eye opener and love can make you make a u-turn. No matter how many people might think you are not suited, the only thing that matters is how you feel about each other.

A fun read and remember there's a lid for every pot. 4 stars.

Thank you, Zoe May and Rachel's Random Resources.

What a delightful book!! Such a sweet love story of two imperfect people making a go of it with each other. A very very good book!