I love reading a Portia Macintosh book. Her writing style is perfect for a good laugh, cry, think and sigh story. She carries you away into the world of her characters where you live their lives with them.
My Great Ex-Scape, I think is her best yet. I could envisage all the ups and down as her characters experienced them, and it is one of those books you want to know the ending to...but you don't want it to end.
If I say, opening one of her books is like making new friends, and knowing they won't let you down...believe me, That is a compliment of the highest order.

💕 This book has driven my husband crazy!

I started reading, and not long into it I was laughing out loud. By the end of the first chapter, Lovely Hubby was saying "So, what's so funny?" Cue - me reading bits out of the book to him.
By the end of the sixth chapter it was me saying "You'll never guess what she's doing now!"
At the middle of the book, he was asking me "So how do you think it's going to pan out?"
When I announced this morning that I'd finished it, he looked me straight in the eye and said... "you'll be giving this one a good review then I take it?"

It's fair to say, that although he pretended not to be interested, he was actively participating in my enjoyment of this hilariously funny, delightful story of lost love and a search into the past. We both enjoyed it very much.

Unfortunately for me, there were incidences in the story that we found amusing because they were (according to himself) "just like me!" Hmmm, not very complimentary but I know what he means - Not that I'm telling you which they were!

It has also gone to prove my point that cruises are what I expected them to be... 'full of old people'.
That said, I am now thinking of changing my mind about that statement and giving one a go. Purely for the novelty of finding out for myself whether cruising can be as much fun as Rosie & Co discover it to be. Unfortunately, we would probably be Clive and Linda in this scenario rather than Josh and Rosie!

I recommend this book to anyone who enjoys a laugh, (especially when it involves unfortunate situations) and I hope that Portia Macintosh writes a follow up soon.
Thanks to NetGalley and Boldwood Books for an advanced review copy.

I was so happy to discover that I was approved for this book! It was my first Portica Macintosh book and it did not disappoint. It was both charming and hilarious and I would recommend for anyone looking for a good light-hearted read.

This was a light fun read, like the book version of a British rom com.

Rosie competes on a tv game show and a) gets dumped by her bf on live tv but b) wins 50,000 pounds. So needless to say, her life gets a little bit crazier from there. She receives a bouquet that seems to be from an ex-bf so she goes on a ridiculous (in a good way!) quest to figure out who the flowers are from.

Next thing you know she's on a cruise with her parents and TWO of her exes. While the story is mostly concerned with her past/future relationships, it is not heavy on the type of content you typically find in "romance" books. This is more silly than steamy, but I enjoyed following all of Rosie's antics throughout her journey.

This was such a cute read to curl up with. It was refreshing to see Rosie's lovely relationship with her parents. Usually in women's fiction/romantic comedies the titular character has some kind of problem relationship with her parents so it was nice to have such a close and fun relationship between Rosie and her parents.

And that's not all! I also found the newfound relationship between Rosie and Eli to be sweetly wholesome. Great that they were able to move past things and end up in a loving sibling style relationship, seems fun and healthy for the both of them.

My one problem with this read would be with the abrupt ending and the complete turnaround at the end of the book. Seemed a little bit out of character for Rosie and if the book was lengthened I think it would be best to tell more of a detailed ending to this story. What happens next? Would love to read more about life after Silverline Cruises and what exactly was that big hunk of glass even for?

For some reason I inexplicably love fiction that is set on a cruise trip. I've never been on a cruise myself.

After being dumped by her boyfriend on live TV, Rosie's humilliation goes viral. Next day she receives a bunch of flowers with the message "I love you. I should have never let you go. I want you back". With the money she won on TV she decides to embark on a trip to find out which one of her exes sent the flowers. And she does not do this alone, going on a cruise to New York with her parents and her new gay best friend to reconnect with two of her ex-boyfriends. Chick-lit with a trip abroad?? That's so right up my alley!

One of the best things of this story is that Rosie doesn't present herself as a victim. She could have been whining and wallowing in self-pity the whole story about her bad luck in love and blaming their exes for the break-ups, but she takes responsibility for her actions, making her a likable character with her qualities and faults. I also liked her new found friendship with Eli, making them a great duo.

This was a light and quick read with several laugh out loud moments and a set of quirky and lovable characters. It was my first contact with the author's work but now will definetely check her previous novels.

Thanks to Netgalley and Boldwood Books for providing an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

Really sweet, fun read. The cruise ship journey just had me cracking up the whole way. And the former boyfriend/current gay best friend was the best! I wish I had him in my life!! Actually I pretty much laughed from beginning to end.

This is a quick, sweet read. Rosie’s life is unexpectedly turned upside down. She finds herself up 50,000 pounds and shy one boyfriend in a matter of minutes. In reaction, she quits her job she hates. When she receives a bunch of flowers acknowledging that she was the one that got away, and then runs into an ex at her parent’s house, she starts trying to figure out who is hoping for a second chance with her. Only to find her own second chance on the quest and a genuine anticipation for what comes next in her life. This was a great afternoon read!

I am thankful for the electronic copy of this book I received from Net Galley in exchange for an honest review.

Rosie is publicly dumped on a TV quiz show, although she did win the prize. Afterwards she receives a bunch of flowers from an anonymous ex saying that they regretted splitting up so she decides to try to find which of the five that it was. Quickly discounting the first she finds that it definitely wasn't one of them and when she talks down the second one, Eli, she finds that he actually turned out to be gay. Deciding to meet up with another ex she decides to go on a cruise to New York with Eli, only to find that it is a 50+ cruise.
I did love the interplay between Rosie and Eli, her new BBF on the cruise and having been on several of these I could really imagine some of the characters and situations that she came across. Certainly for me a very pleasant light read.

After being rather embarrassingly dumped during a live TV show, Rosie finds a bunch of flowers on her doorstep. The note on it says: 'I love you. I never should have let you go. I want you back.' Rosie assumes the flowers are from Dave, the latest guy to dump her, but they are not. Then perhaps one of her other ex-boyfriends? Rosie sets out on a quest to visit all her exes.

The plot reminded me some what of <i>20 Times a Lady</i> by Karyn Bosnak. Though her character Delilah has to go and visit 20 exes. Rosie only accumulated five. (And in both cases one of them is gay.)

The first three exes are quickly discounted, and the bulk of the story focusses on Rosie on board a cruiseship - where one ex works as a singer - on her way to New York - where another ex works as a photographer. I think I would have liked it better if Rosie had a few more exes to meet up with, rather than her hanging out with her parents and new best friend. (But have five exes all work on the same ship, that would be highly unlikely.)

Nice enough story, but for someone that has got the Rosie Outlook named after her because she's always such an optimistic thinker, she's doing an awful lot of negative thinking in this story.

I enjoyed this book. The story line was somewhat fresh for a chick-lit story, and for me, in this time and place, it worked. It was light and funny and I liked the characters and their quirks. It is perfect for a vacation or holiday read.

I would read more by this author.

As the year slowly comes to a close I have sadly found myself reading another dud. Let's start off by saying that this had potential but it wasn't executed well enough to immerse me into journey of our blonde heroine journey in finding who (re)confessed their love to her and sent her a bouquet of flowers after an embarrassing television event that made her an overnight internet sensation. You would think that with a novel like this being highly promoted as a "romantic comedy" it would actually have some romance and a bit of comedy thrown into the mix, think again my friend. This was a borefest, the buildup to actually finding Mr. Right was lackluster and I was disappointed that this became an another miss in my end of the year reading splurge.

This was such a fun, light romcom. I loved the premise of finding yourself in a 55+ cruise with your parents and an ex-boyfriends as her guides.

Rosie is lost, embarrassed, and recently dumped in the most public way possible. After getting a mysterious gift she embarks on a journey of self discovery and finding little bits of herself with every ex she reconnects with. She was a hard one for me to connect with at times. With her unrealistic thoughts about love and how she idolize certain ex’s and made excuses for horrible behavior during their relationships. I just wanted to shake her and make her open her eyes to what was in front of her.

Josh was a dream. He was the epitome of understanding and patience. He realized what he wanted and didn’t want to jeopardize his future because of past mistakes. How could you not love a true crime, burgers, and Netflix and chill type of dates to win you over.

I liked a lot the write and style of this book. It was such a fun concept and a nice twist of the story to have it mainly take place on a cruise ship. The mystery behind the story kept it interesting and fun. I wanted to find out where this journey was taking her and what she would discover along the way. Her family and Eli make for the perfect romcom characters. They are funny and meddle at all the wrong times. I liked the concept of going through you past to get to your future.

This book had such potential, the plot was intriguing, and the main character Rosie isn't one to play the victim, she owns up to her mistakes, but I quickly lost interest. The plot was boring and overlong. As the saying goes, an ex is an ex for a reason. Rosie had plenty of reasons for the ending of her relationships, and quite frankly, they should have stayed ended. There was no chemistry between her or any of her exes. 

As for the big reveal as to who sent the flowers, let's just say it wasn't a big reveal but an afterthought at the climax of the book. Overall I'd say give this book a miss. 

I received an arc of this book via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

I am a huge fan of Portia's writing style and story telling. Her latest set aboard a cruise is no different. Great story with lots of fun and emotion in equal measure. Having recently been to New York myself, I felt as if she was describing my visit. Loved it.

I thought this started off really well but quickly it lost it's pace and I struggled to keep going with it. A lovely idea and the making of a great love story but I just lost interest in the main character quite quickly and overall nothing about it blew me away

3,5 stars!

This is a perfect room-com novel if you want a carefree, no hassle story that makes you laugh. I liked that the protagonist, Rosie, didn't make herself a victim, but took responsibility for her actions and didn't whine (like all too many characters do in rom-com novels that tries to be funny). She didn't wallow in self pity either, which was even better :)

I really recommend this if you want easy entertainment with some laughs!

Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for the free copy in exchange for an honest review.

A fun read with great humor! It was very much a nice escape :) I recommend this for fans of British humor.

This book had a really cute premise and overall was a decent read. It didn't blow me away, but there were funny parts, cute parts, etc. The writing was pretty simple and straightforward and that made this a pretty quick read as well.

So much love for this book, this was the perfect escapism I needed right now.

I love going on Cruise ships ,I am a big fan of Shuffleboard!!! And New York is one of my favourite city's in the world, so this book had me at the cover!

Rosie's disastrous time on a TV quiz show goes viral after she is dumped on live TV, on the positive side, she is now £5oK richer! When she receives flowers from an ex saying they want her back, she goes off in search of her exes to find out who wants her back, as said ex forgot to sign the card!

We follow Rosie on her travels, which include inadvertently taking her parents with her and her new, gay BFF, who was once her boyfriend!

Everyone needs an Eli in their life!

Thanks to Netgalley for the opportunity to review this book, this is my honest opinion.