Thank you Netgalley, Lake Union Publishing and Camille Pagan.
This is a cute, funny, quick read.
Story of Annie Mercer  who is forced to quick her job because of her boss and at the same time her fiancé needs to find himself months prior to their wedding.
I loved Annie and the new friends she makes during this difficult time in her life.
Loved the adventures. Delightful read.
Recommend. 4 stars

Thank you Lake Union Authors and Netgalley for a copy of This Won't End Well by Camille Pagan for review.

Annie is back at her mother's house after losing her much loved job and her fiancée disappearing to France to "find himself".  While she is there she vows to not get involved with any new people because they are too much work.  Annie is a little socially awkward but mostly just not sure how it all went so wrong all at once.  When a new woman moves in across the street and Annie finds a PI following her, her vow becomes harder and harder to stick to.

I liked Annie, she was a little awkward and shy but she was strong when she needed to be.  Her social skills meant that she was a little slow to notice some things but I liked how she stuck up for what she wanted by the end,

Okay, listen, this was a total cover "click". I was so caught up in the gorgeous cover that I didn't even read the synopsis before going in - and I'm weirdly thankful for that! I really enjoyed this story and Annie was such a relatable and heartwarming character! Following her discovery of herself and her coming to terms with who she is and who she wants to be was beautiful. I loved the light-heartedness Pagán brought to the page and the writing flowed so well that I could not put this down. Definitely recommended for anyone searching for their place in life and wanting to discover themselves all over again.

Firstly I’d like to thank NetGalley and the publisher of this novel for the opportunity to read it in return for an unbiased review.

This was my first book by this particular author and at the reviews had been good. For some reason - although the books are very different- I had a feel of Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine when I read it, probably because of the single female character and how her relationships with others blossomed as the story progressed. I enjoyed this book and would recommend it; It is an easy, gentle read but it has a fairly obvious trajectory and a very predictable ending.  I admit I smiled to myself about one of the minor storylines regarding hand sanitiser, particularly in these times of coronavirus!

I would give it a solid 3.5 stars out of five and I would read others by this writer.

Annie Mercer is going through a rough time.
She lost her chemist job due to a handsy boss, and now her fiance has decided to take off to France for some "me" time before their wedding 
When the mysterious Harper moves into the neighborhood, Annie can't help but be drawn to her. 
Then she stumbles upon private investigator Mo who is following Harper, and gets pulled in to helping him with other cases.
And this is after she vowed not to let any new people into her life!
She begins to think this won't end well...
An eloquent, charming and humorous contemporary fiction story. The slightly eccentric characters are thoroughly engaging.
My first book by this author was a pleasure to read.
Thank you to Lake Union Publishing for the e-ARC via NetGalley.

Deeply relatable and brilliantly witty!  Pagan is a go to author for me and brings real life and makes it clever, funny and true. You'll get sucked in to Annie's world and her journey. Do not miss this one!

When was the last time you read a book that absolutely delighted you? That left you feeling enchanted and captivated? 

Run, don't walk, and read This Won't End Well. 

You will love how flawed Annie is as Camille Pagán shows you how Annie's scientific mind cannot process human error. Annie is a planner, a plotter, a pattern-seeker. When the vagaries of life throw those plans, plots, and patterns askew, she struggles to adapt. She thinks she's fine. Her fiancé Jon tells her he's heading to Paris for a month without her so he can find an internal reset? She grants him permission, not bothering to ask herself what she thinks. She gets fired from a job she loved due to others' duplicitous behavior? Create a new job as a housekeeper. Her former best friend is caught up in a wacky pyramid scheme? Exit the friendship. Her new neighbor appears to be under some sort of personal siege? Do not get involved. 

Annie decides, in fact, to remove herself from people. No new friendships. No new relationships. What have people done for her? Leave her for Paris? Try to sell her crystals and essential oils? Demand she take social media photos? Who needs that?

When she finds an unused journal, she decides to write down her thoughts, feelings, and what is happening to her. Ever the scientist, she needs this data collection. Camille Pagán tells Annie's story through her journal entries, texts, and emails, developing the sense that Annie uses these inputs to analyze and understand what is happening to her and how she will repond. 

Annie has quite a bit to process: her relationship with her mother, her memories of her father, her friendships, her love life, and her former career. Some of this processing seems like it moves a little quickly, yet Pagán makes you feel its authenticity. After examining her data collection, Annie is able to react, to solve the hypotheses. 

I love Annie Mercer. I love her growth, and I love her openness, however unwilling, to broach her own boundaries. She delights me. This book delights me. I need to be delighted by Camille Pagán more often.

I love quirky, and this novel delivers. Scientist Annie Mercer is a little odd -- geeky and just a tad OCD, not super good at human warmth. She has a best friend -- but they have quarreled and can't seem to mend it. And she has a job -- but she quits after her boss makes a move on her. And she has a fiancee, Jon -- but he fled to Paris without telling her and has asked her not to contact him for a month, while he tries to figure out what he wants.

Consequently her life is sort of in tatters. She lives with her mother, a hoarder. Her father departed the scene long long ago and has left Annie a bit afraid of commitment. 

After her job fiasco, Annie starts a house cleaning business to bring in some money and ends up meeting the young woman who just moved in next door. There's a mystery about her, and Annie isn't sure what is going on. This is made even more intriguing when Annie surprises a private investigator who is keeping tabs on the neighbor. And against all logic or her personal behavior code, Annie begins to feel close to both her new neighbor -- and to the investigator.

Much of the story is told via e-mails to and from Annie and various characters. Annie is finally persuaded to travel to France to see her fiance and discovers that they still care about each other. Even so, Annie can't help but wonder where the spark in their relationship is.

Annie is an appealing character and we root for her as she really tries to solve the confusion of her feelings and think about the direction of her life. This is a very readable upbeat story with charm and humor. Thanks to the publisher and to Net Galley for providing me with an ARC in exchange for my honest review.

This is a new to me author, but not entirely unfamiliar to me. I’ve seen her books popping up all over the Amazon charts, especially her release from last year, I’m Fine and Neither are You.

When this new release, This Won’t End Well, came up for review, I jumped at the chance to read it! Everything I have heard about this book and this author, make it inevitable that I will love this book!

I couldn’t wait to crack open my copy and let the good times roll so to speak! And let me tell you, this book did not disappoint! What a refreshing new voice in contempo lit!

Summary
An ingeniously witty novel about the risks—and rewards—of opening your life to new people by Amazon Charts bestselling author Camille Pagán.

No new people: that’s Annie Mercer’s vow. It’s bad enough that her boss sabotaged her chemistry career and her best friend tried to cure her with crystals. But after her fiancé, Jon, asks for space while he’s gallivanting around Paris, Annie decides she needs space too—from everyone.

Yet when Harper moves in next door, Annie can’t help but train a watchful eye on the glamorous but fragile young woman. And if keeping Harper safe requires teaming up with Mo, a maddeningly optimistic amateur detective, who is she to mind her own business?

Soon Annie has let not one but two new people into her life. Then Jon reappears—and he wants her to join him in France. She’s pretty sure letting anyone get close won’t end well. So she must decide: Is another shot at happiness worth the risk? (summary from Goodreads)

Review
My first thought about Pagan is that she has an amazing talent for conveying humor in her writing. I found myself laughing out loud at many points during this one and frequently chuckled at different plot points and dialogues. Se really has a gift for humor and I loved that the absolute most about this one.

I loved how Annie’s life is going up in flames and her fiancé has jumped ship to Paris to ‘find himself’ leaving Annie alone and lost. What transpires is the beautiful story of Annie’s own self discovery that is heartfelt and funny. She has to navigate her friends, family, career, and love life and I couldn’t get enough of this one, I just loved it so much.

Like I said before, this is a new to me author and now I want to read all of her books. This book in particular was 100% relatable for the modern woman. Annie represents what so many millennial women are going through in their lives and I think many women will find something to like in this one and will strongly connect to Annie. I definitely want to go and read some of Pagan’s other books now because I enjoyed this one so much.

It also read really fast. I mean it took me a few days to read it but only because life got in the way. They story is told through emails and journal entries etc so it went really quick. I enjoy novels written through letters and such so I didn’t find it distracting at all and I think most readers would agree that this style reads very fast.

I am thrilled that I finally got around to reading one of her novels and can’t wait to go back and read some of her others! This is an excellent spring read, it’s a novel you could pick up on a lazy weekend and breeze through or read on the beach or maybe on the plane to your next vacation spot! It’s a novel you will find enjoyable and engaging without being overly emotional and heart wrenching.

Book Info and Rating
Kindle Edition, 295 pages
Expected publication: February 25th 2020 by Lake Union Publishing
ASIN B07TC2XCQC
Free review copy provided by, Lake Union Publishing in partnership with Tall Poppy Bloggers in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own and in no way influenced.
Rating: 5 stars
Genre: womens fiction, chick lit, contempo lit

<b>Because every time I think I'm starting to get my footing, the ground shifts beneath me again.</b>

This book wasn't supposed to make me laugh.
It was supposed to make me cry, test my patience, curse men, bring out my crystals, and rebuke men for wasting the time of women time and time again.

But dear readers I laughed while reading this and I laughed hard.

It's such a good sign.  Because when the the authors weaves a story of a man leaving his fiancee to go on a trip to France mere months before their wedding to "find himself" and asks her to not contact him AND I CAN SMILE NEARLY THE ENTIRE TIME...That is great writing.

Annie Mercer isn't having a great year.
Her career has stalled thanks to her creepy boss sexually assaulting her. Her best friend has truly gone off the deep end and thinks crystals and essential oils are the cure all to all her ailments and now Jon, her beloved fiance has vanished to Paris, he will be back he tells her through email. He just needs time.

Annie decides that she too wants the same.

Ousted from the Chemical company she works at, she takes up her old cleaning company again and settles into a rhythm of sorts. That's when a new neighbor moves in. The glamorous Harper. Who is she? And why does she have an amateur detective named Mo trailing her? Annie's analytical life has been turned upside down and she wonders if it'll ever be normal again. 

This was a fun read and not a normal one because it's mostly told through a series of emails between Annie and the people of her life which isn't as confusing as it sounds. My favorite bits is the Neighborhood Association emails where this dude is increasingly asking to be unsubscribed and is ignored repeatedly.

Annie is such a fantastic character and waaay more patient than I am because I would be absolutely LIVID with Jon.

The dynamic she had with Harper and Mo was fantastic however and it's nice to see Annie come out of her shell.

This is one of those books that make me want to read more of Camille Pagán's books because her writing is something that is unique and refreshing.

Thanks very much to Netgalley and the publisher for this copy of my ARC.

This book is mainly about relationships and though I am not a fan of delving too much into the emotional issues of such, the writing in the form of emails for the most part interspersed with chapters of the story added a variance to this book.

Annie is left nonplussed by her fiancée. He telephones her on the way to the airport, saying he is going to be away for a month in Paris (he loves everything French) and also says he does not want communication from her for this period. This is in the midst of them planning a wedding. To everyone it seems as if he has got cold feet but Annie surprisingly unlike others decides to take him at face value at what he says and thinks she should continue as before. 

Ignoring his instructions not to write, she continues a series of emails to him outlining her views, her feelings on all matters to which there are no replies. When he does reply almost at the end of the month with entreaties for her to join him because what he wants to explain can only be done in Paris (!!) Annie herself is beginning to doubt her feelings for him and whether this relationship is going anywhere or whether she has just got used to him. The fact that there is another man with whom she is very comfortable with and can easily converse on any subject also adds to her change of feeling.

Going to Paris eventually, and returning with her relationship restored. It is after this that she realizes that the spark has gone from their relationship and decides to end it. Definitely better late than never in Annie's case. It seemed to be a relief for Jon too!

The ups and downs of modern relationships - in this case all amicably settled.

I was nervous about this one as I don’t usually  love epistolary style writing, but being the author of one of my favourites, Forever is the Worst Long Time, I still wanted to give it a shot. If you’re like me, don’t let the letter style writing stop you, she makes it work and it’s just sprinkled throughout the story, not entirely written in letters.

The thing I love about Camille Pagan’s  writing (and it was the same in FITWLT) is that her characters make some decisions that you might not think are the smartest, but they’re realistic. Her characters feel like real, flawed people. The other thing I love is that her books are so darn readable, and this was no exception. You fly through the story because the writing flows nicely, the story is addicting and you’re kept entertained the whole time. This book is witty, real, emotional and unique. If you haven’t read a Camille Pagán novel, you are truly missing out!

I love this book so much. I read Camille's previous book and was excited to read the ARC of This Won't End Well. This story has heart. It's about a woman who has to find her own way and realize her own strength. The characters are enjoyable and it's an overall easy read. It's not only a cute read, but the story has heart to it!

I enjoyed this story from start to finish as we follow Annie's life which is in a bit of upheaval.  She is no longer working in her role as a chemist, she is living with her mother who has her own life struggles, has a falling out with a friend and her fiance has taken off for unexpected trip.  Watch as she swears off making new friends, follows a mystery with her next door neighbor, and grows to stand up for herself.

This was a fun little read, written in journal entry format with fun little snippets of emails and a neighbourhood listserv. The story is written from Annie’s perspective as she’s going through some major life changes: leaving her job after being sexually harassed by her boss, her fiancé ‘needing some space’ as he travels around Paris, an interesting new neighbour. Will she break her new rule to herself? No new people in her life.

I found Annie to be quite endearing and quirky. She’s a science girl, like myself, and is very analytical when it comes to her life. I found her life very interesting, and would like to read more about this character. 

There were so many laugh out loud moments in this book, which was a nice change from what I’ve been reading lately. The parts about the friend with the MLM business had me cackling 😂.

I read this bad boy in three says, which is really good because I generally avoid eBooks! Thanks to NetGalley and Lake Union Publishing for a copy! This Won’t End Well is out now!

Squeezed one last book in for February (thanks for the extra day, Leap Year!)
.
In This Won’t End Well by Camille Pagan, Annie is a chemist who has recently quit her job when she’s sexually harassed by her CEO and accidentally pushes him into some Petri dishes. To top it off, her fiancé has run off France, but hasn’t called off the wedding and she is having problems with her MLM obsessed best friend.  This Won’t End Well is a smart and quirky little love story that reminded me of a funnier and more romantic Where’d you Go Bernadette. It is packed with positive female friendships, logical romantic choices, and has a bright and refreshing narrator in Annie. Annie learns to forge her own, while still remaining brightly optimistic and had me rooting for her the entire time 🎉 
.
Thank you Amazon Publishing and Netgalley for the ARC.
.
#camillepagan #bookmail #netgalley #amazonpublishing #tessbookoftheweek #romcom #contemporaryromance #justpublished #bookshelf #readersofinstagram

This Wont End Well by Camille Pagan is a charming tale of love, friendship, endings, and new beginnings.

“Why would I open myself up to new problems? By problems, of course, I mean people.”

Things aren’t going well for twenty-seven year old, research chemist, Annie Mercer. A little more than a week after she is forced to resign from her workplace after being betrayed by her lecherous boss, her fiancé, Jon, calls her from the airport to announce he needs some ‘me’ time and is on his way to spend a month incommunicado in France. With her best friend, Leesa, too busy with her new career as a LiteWeight™ Brand Evangelist, and her mother, with whom Annie lives, too emotionally fragile, to lean on, Annie decides to avoid further complications in her life by keeping people out of it.

“I wanted to tell him that I already knew it would end badly—there’s really no other kind of ending, if you think about it.”

Told in an epistolary format through a series journal entries, texts, and emails, This Won’t End Well is a well written and pacy read.

Annie is a delightful character, she has her quirks (her thinking and behaviour suggests she is on the autism spectrum) but she’s honest, loyal and sweet. Quite sensible and serious, Annie is bewildered by the rapid changes in her life but faces them with a quiet dignity. I really enjoyed her character development, which I thought was both realistic and relatable.

Annie’s resolve to avoid new relationships makes perfect sense to her, but is soon tested when Harper, a glamorous but seemingly vulnerable young woman moves in across the street, and Mo, a charming P.I., asks for her help. Her burgeoning friendships with these two very different characters, and some well timed advice from her dear friend Violet, and her mother, prompts Annie to re-envision her plans for her future.

It’s not all fun and froth though, Pagan briefly raises the issues of workplace sexual harassment, racism, grief, and PTSD. These subjects are effortlessly worked into the story however and don’t pull focus away from Annie’s personal journey.

Witty, warm, and winsome I enjoyed This Won’t End Well, and I would like to read more of the author’s backlist.

“If you’re willing to look for joy and open yourself to new possibilities, the end is not an ending at all. It’s a beginning.”

R E V I E W - This Won't End Well - Camille Pagán 
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐/⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Readers, meet Annie. She is a logical, straight to the point, chemist who quits her job because she was harassed at work. Around the same time, her fiancé, Jon, decides he needs some time to find himself. In Paris. Without her. Annie decides she's done with people and makes a promise to herself; no new people. But the universe is against her (my words, not hers. She's logical, remember?) because new people are headed her way. Her new, very mysterious and glamorous neighbour, Harper, appears to be in an unsafe situation. Annie, being the caring person she is, naturally has to take it upon herself to keep an eye on her, which of course, leads to her meeting Mo, a very-close-to-being-licensed detective. So Annie has gone from no new people to two. And then her fiance contacts her, asking her to join him in Paris.
Will she rely on logic, something that's never failed her, to help her make a decision? 

Guys, let me just start by saying one word: Wow. For over a year I've been searching for a book that would give me the same feels that Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine did and I think I've finally found it. I was honestly hooked from the first chapter. There are so many things I loved about this book so let me list them for you: 
1) I loved the way the story of Annie was told; through emails and journal entries.
2) Annie has a great inner dialogue. She is witty and so funny without even meaning to be. Her matter-of-fact approach to life is endearing and you just can't argue with her logic. 
3) The relationships between the characters felt honest and realistic. 
4) The chapters are short but there is a lot that happens in them. 
5) I couldn't put it down!

Now excuse me while I purchase all of Camille Pagán's other novels.

This was supposed to be a tester of a read, just to get a taste of the author Camille Pagan and her writing. But zip…zap…zoom… I was sucked into the world of Annie, a chemist whose thoughts and emails and journal entries made me an absolute fan of hers. And of course, the author’s.

Annie was not having a good day. Her fiancé had left for Paris alone to get his head screwed on tight. (I was sure he was going to screw others too) She was being charged with sexual harassment when it was the other way around. And she has moved in with mom. Her decision: no more attachments. Then came the interesting neighbor Harper, who had her own secret issues. Annie had to team up with Mo, an amateur detective. Could you see where the story was going and why I couldn’t stop reading? No? Then let me tell you more.

Author Camille has a beautiful talent of etching real characters who were fastidious, facetious, and unknowingly sarcastic. Humor was in every line of the book written in a delightful manner. The prose consisted of journal entries and emails which revealed Annie’s life brilliantly. The more I knew her, the more I loved her. Now you see where this was going?

The story became more interesting as the pages turned, thanks to the witty writing by a brilliant author. It was ironic that the woman who didn’t want to form attachments soon had many… 😂 😂 I would say she blossomed, not that Annie would agree with me. She would give me a complicated chemical formula and ask me to balance it. She was a chemist in the book who later became a cleaning lady…hmm sorry…a cleaning professional.

There were so many things in the book which caused me to break into a smile and dance a virtual jig in my mind at the antics of Annie and Mo. I am not the one for romance, so I didn’t really bother to read or feel her love. But the rest of her relationships truly made this story.

I loved, loved, loved Annie. I loved everything about her from her scientific, chemical mind to her loving, kind heart. I stood by her as she took her decisions. I supported her when she stood up for herself. The book took my heart by a storm and I JUST COULDN’T STOP SMILING.

A beautiful, funny read.

I love all of Camille Pagan's books and this one is no exception. The format is fresh and kept me turning the pages. The characters are endearing and I hated parting with them at the end of the book.