3.5 stars

I really enjoyed reading 'The Man I Didn't Marry' and found myself flying through this book as I did not want to put it down because I needed to know what was going to happen next.

'The Man I Didn't Marry' follows Ellie and Max, who have known each other since they were kids and eventually started a relationship, got married and have a child, Sasha, and another child on the way. But one day, Max goes to work and comes back not remembering anything from the past five years, including his relationship with Ellie and Sasha. Max might never get his memory of the last five years back, so Ellie decides to try to get him to fall in love with her again.

I loved the storyline of this book and loved seeing Ellie and Max falling in love with each other all over again. I really enjoyed seeing all their dates and how each one of their dates went wrong in some way but they still found the positives in each situation and how it made Ellie and Max closer to each other and helped them fall in love again.

I didn't enjoy the cheating storyline that was kind of thrown in at the end to cause some drama and force the third act breakup but it didn't effect my overall enjoyment of the story.

I found Anna Bell's writing so easy to read and was able to get lost within this story and the characters because of the amazing writing. I really enjoyed Anna Bell's previous book 'We Just Clicked' but I definitely enjoyed this one a lot more as I liked the characters and the storyline so much. I will be picking up any future books by Anna Bell as I have really liked the two that I have read.

Thank you to HQ for providing me with an advance copy of this book via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

I really enjoyed this book I certainly could not put it down.

Ellie is married to Max her best friend’s brother and they have a daughter and another baby on the way.

Max doesn’t spend a lot of time with his family as he is always working and he has to work on a Saturday when something happens that he loses his memory for the last 5 years and cannot believe he has married Ellie. What happened to him that day will we ever find out.

Ellie decides to recreate some of the dates they went on to try and see if he remembers and maybe he will fall in love with Ellie again.

Will Max get his memory back.

I would recommend this book really thought it was excellent.

Another great book by Anna Bell.

From the start, I was hooked on the story of Ellie and Max. When Max heartbreakingly loses some of his memories, Ellie does all that she can to help her husband regain his missing memories.

I loved the way they explored old haunts to try and rekindle their relationship.

Thanks to Netgalley for the opportunity to read this, in exchange for an honest review.

This book was everything I expected from it and more. I thoroughly enjoyed it and hope to read more Anna Bell books in the future

Okay this book broke me and put me back together again. I couldn’t imagine my boyfriend going to work all day and coming home with no memory. Forgetting how we met and how we fell in love and what’s happened in the world for 5 years. That’s what happens to Max and Ellie and honestly this book has put into perspective how much I forget about the little and big memories we have made together in my relationship. I know they are easy to forget when he leaves rubbish on the side and never empties the bins. But I know I would do what Ellie does when she takes Max on dates to help try to bring back his memories. This book was heartbreaking but funny and I recommend you all to read this book as you will be crying in more than one way. Thank you HQ for sending me a copy of this book.

I really liked Anna Bell's writing previously so was delighted to read The Man I Didn't Marry this year.

Imagine being married to your best friend's brother, your school crush, with a daughter and a little one on the way when suddenly he loses his memory and only thinks of you as his little sisters friend. How heartbreaking must that be? The emotions, the turmoil you would go through.

This is where the author excelled and took us along the emotionally journey our protagonist Ellie goes through. The frustrations, the tension, the bewilderment at such a predicament are all solidly packed in to the pages and I really felt for Ellie.

I loved seeing Ellie try to jog Max's memory trying to recreate some pivotal moments from their relationship. There were some good humorous moments - the Paris hotel bedroom for one!

And the group of friends Ellie had made a mere week before Max's memory loss were wonderful. Their friendship really blossomed throughout the book which I enjoyed reading.

I adored and devoured this book and could really see it being made in to a brilliant British rom-com movie.

Anna Bell’s books never fail to make me smile and The Man I Didn’t Marry was another one of those emotional rollercoasters that had me late night reading hoping for a happily ever after.

Ellie and Max are happily married with their lovable daughter Sasha and another baby on the way. With the birth of their second child not too far away, Ellie and Max are thrown the ultimate curveball when suddenly, one day, Max loses his memory of the last five years.

Five years covers the entirety of Max and Ellie’s relationship. Now, Max’s only memory of Ellie is of her being his sister’s geeky best friend. The idea of the two of them being married, even the thought of them having had sex, never mind conceiving two babies, is baffling to Max and he cannot get his head around everything which has changed in the past five years. He is even told his beloved Brighton are now in the Premier League – so things are definitely not adding up.

As Max tries to make sense of the life he now lives, all Ellie wants is her husband back, so instead of waiting for him to regain his memory, instead she sets out to get her husband to fall in love with her all over again.

The storytelling was bursting with originality and was truly engaging. It was fascinating just thinking about and looking back on how much can happen in five years. All the memories you can miss out on. All the news and politics and how quickly things change even when it doesn’t seem like it at the time. Though I found the book to be very thought-provoking, it was also at times laugh out loud funny and this was the perfect mix for another warm and wonderful book by Anna Bell.

I cannot remember a book with a more entertaining set of supporting characters. There were so many to mention each with their own memorable side stories such as Anneka, Judy, Graham, Mick, Owen, Rachel and I could go on. The friendship and family relationships in this book were sweet and witty and messy in the best kind of way. They kept the story both light-hearted and at times moving and this had me engrossed as there was never a dull moment. I loved the dynamics between the characters and whilst The Man I Didn’t Marry had me rooting for a happy ending for Ellie and Max, they weren’t the only characters I cared for.

As enjoyable as a book this was, I could also picture The Man I Didn’t Marry as a romcom movie with the original story, the romance, the humour, the secrets, drama and a great set of characters to boot. I prefer books to films but I would still pay to see this on screen!

Overall, Anna Bell’s latest novel definitely did not disappoint. Packed full of love and laughter, this book had me hooked – pure feel-good fiction.

Firstly, thank you to the publishers for sending me a kindle review copy

I enjoyed reading the authors previous book, We Just Clicked, so was delighted to be selected to read this book!

This book is a light hearted, charming read. The dialogue between the characters runs smooth and it’s an all round perfect chic lit book

I found myself laughing out loud with this book and then two minutes later, thinking about life choices! This to me, makes a great book!

I can see this book being made into a movie 🍿

For me, how the book ends is more important than the story. I like to feel satisfied with the ending. Unless of course, it’s going to be a series and it’s just left a huge cliffhanger. The ending was perfect.

Ellie seemingly has it all, the man of her dreams, a young daughter and a baby on the way. Then suddenly husband Max looses all memory of the last five years, including those of his wife and daughter. Can she help him find those memories and will they rediscover each other along the way?

This is a lovely book, that is very well written. You get to know the characters well as the story develops, they all are very likeable. It’s an easy read and you soon find yourself fully immersed in the story. It wasn’t predictable as so many books are, the end could have gone either way.
The ending was lovely.

I would certainly read more from this author.

Thank you to Netgalley, the publishers and most importantly the author, for the chance to read this book, in exchange for an honest review.

I had genuine laugh out loud moments, which is a really difficult thing to achieve, I have high humour standards! I enjoyed the book throughout and there was always something to keep you thinking.

I loved this light-hearted, easy read, and it was the perfect relief for a reading slump I was crawling into before reading this. Loved the characters, the story and the way it was written. A true feel-good romance! Looking forward to reading more of Anna Bell’s books.

This is a lovely easy-read, heartwarming contemporary chicklit book. It has nice characters and an interesting, believable storyline. I've read every one of Anna Bell's books now and really enjoy them, despite it not being my favourite genre. The Man I Didn't Marry gets going quite quickly and I feel the book is well paced throughout. I loved how Ellie was a bit of a geek and loved going to festivals and comic cons too - I could relate to her character a lot. The deeper meanings are also really well thought-out and the underlying message of the book is very sweet! Another great book by Anna Bell!

The Man I Didn’t Marry is the first novel of @anna_bell_writes that I’ve read - I know, I have no idea where I’ve been either! I received an ARC of this one on @netgalley via @hqstories.

This latest release is all about young couple Ellie and Max. They’re expecting baby number 2 but what the don’t anticipate is Max developing amnesia and forgetting his whole life with Ellie and their daughter. The story follows the couple as they work through their new situation navigating all the highs and lows while also preparing for the impending birth of their second child.

What would you do if your partner developed amnesia? I’ve got to say I’d be pretty freaked out. Ellie is remarkably understandable, focussed on Max and ensuring there’s nothing wrong with him. At times she has a wobble but on the whole the support of her eclectic bunch of maternity class friends she makes it through.

As Anna Bell was a new author to me it took me a little while to settle into her writing style - typical for me - and ultimately enjoyed it throughout.

The story focuses on not taking for granted what you’ve got, such an important message and so striking when we’re in this time of the pandemic.

#netgalley #themanididntmarry

Oh my goodness, I absolutely devoured this book! It was so so wonderful. I’m a big fan of Anna Bell but I feel this is her best work yet.

The story follows Ellie, who always had a crush on her best friends brother Max at school. Years later, they run into each other again and a couple of years later they are married and have a daughter Sasha, and another baby on the way. Life seems perfect until one day, Max cannot remember the last five years. He doesn’t remember falling in love with Ellie and having Sasha, he doesn’t remember his sister coming out and he doesn’t remember his dad walking out on his mum for another woman. With their new baby only a little while away from making an appearance, Ellie sets out to make her husband fall in love with her again, which is hard as now he sees her as his sisters nerdy friend again.

I can’t even explain how much I loved this. I read it in one day, I couldn’t put it down. I was desperate to know when or if Max got his memory back and why it disappeared in the first place. The writing is wonderful and the characters are so so likeable, I could really feel what a beautiful relationship Ellie and Max had.

I cannot recommend this book enough! Thanks so much for letting me read it.

The Man I Didn’t Marry by Anna Bell is a delightful contemporary novel about making memories to last a lifetime.
The storyline is well thought out and executed. Anna Bell has a wonderful light-hearted style set around more serious themes. The exchanges of dialogue and situations were highly amusing, certainly making me chuckle on numerous occasions. All the characters were realistic, kind and loyal.
The main premise surrounds a character who has short term amnesia – the last five years are erased from his memory, including his marriage and daughter. The family recreate memories to stimulate his mind but they do not always go to plan. Certain events are kept from him which makes for some delightfully amusing scenes in which the wrong end of the stick is definitely grabbed. Who can forget the early morning mix up at his parents which literally had me laughing out loud.
The novel is about life-long friendships and also new ones. We all need friends to help us journey through life.
Mums to be meet at an ante natal class and then weekly for coffee. As they await their births they support and encourage each other.
There is the theme of trust. We need to be sure our trust is well placed.
I loved The Man I Didn’t Marry. It was positively charming, full of light-hearted fun and amusing situations. I look forward to more by Anna Bell.
I received this book for free. A favourable review was not required and all views expressed are my own.

I know a lot of people have raved about Anna Bell's books but this is the first one I've read - and already I can see why so many people love her writing. Ellie has everything she wanted, her childhood crush who became her husband, her sister in law that's been her best friend for longer than she can remember, a beautifully daughter and another baby on the way. But then her husband comes home from a trip having lost the last 5 years of his memory and her world turns upside down. I felt so much for Ellie throughout the entire story. Not only is she near the end of her pregnancy but her entire support network has suddenly disappeared as her Max can't even remember that they're together, nevermind married with kids. It was such a brilliantly written story, that I was desperate to keep reading in hopes that Max would remember and everything would be okay again. I really loved the way the story played out and how each character dealt with the situation differently and seeing Max and Ellie fall in love for the second time. I also loved how real the relationship was with everything that happened at the end. It was a wonderful story and I can't wait to read more of Anna's work!

A really feel-good romcom with a few laughs here and there but ultimately not thee best I have ever read. I do like Anna Bell and her writing style, having read one of her books previously. This was a tale of a loving husband losing all memory of his grown up life alongside his wife. They fall in love a second time around and all is good in the end. It is predictable and at times silly but heart warming.

I gave three stars only because I didn't gel with the characters as much as hoped, and found the by story lines complicated the main focus. It was a sweet read but not one I would return to again, it wasted a lazy afternoon with a cup of tea and I suppose that is the purpose of such a book.

4,5 Stars

Ellie had a crush on the brother of her best friend for most of her teenage years. When she sees him again years later, he still calls her by her nerdy nickname - but also likes what's underneath this 'Wonder Woman' costume she is wearing.

In a normal book you would now watch the two protagonist doing the dating-game, probably with some hurdles along the way (and most probably one of them would be a blast from the past).
To some degree this is also what you get in Anna Bell's newest novel, but in a totally unexpected way. Max loses his memory and can't remember anything from his life with Ellie. And so she needs to get him fall in love with her for a second time.

I loved the originality of the story, and that Max did not behave like his previous self but quickly adapted to his role as dutiful husband and father. Now we only needed the sparks flying again between Ellie and Max. Although nothing really spectacular is happening, it does not get boring either. I actually prefer it when there are no overly dramatic impediments or constructed interferences. Therefore this story was exactly my cup of tea!

++++++

Review will be spread around different online-platforms upon release date! Links follow afterwards.

I was hooked from the first page, I knew I would love the main character Ellie as she’s a “nerd” and the first pages she’s dressed up as Wonder Woman for comic con. This book centres on Ellie’s and max marriage and there child Sasha, things take a turn for the worse when max losses his memory due to something traumatic, it’s only temporary but Ellie has to try to regain his memory by recreating there first dates etc which doesn’t always go to plan! Which I thought was great as in real life nothing always go to plan. I found this book unpredictable, laugh out loud moments and I loved max as his humour really reminds me of my husband. This won’t be my last book of this Author I can’t wait to read more of hers in the future

Another hilarious romp from the pen of Anna Bell. If you’ve never read any of hers, this is a great one to begin with, and if you have then this one will not disappoint. She writes so well and the adventures are hilariously funny and yet very true to life! Looking forward to the next one already!

Such an interesting premise with the memory loss. The story of Ellie and Max and how they found each other again was very enjoyable. Ellie and her love and appreciation of nerd culture was my spirit animal. I felt so bad for her having to juggle the amnesia, family secrets, the pregnancy and the potential reality of things not getting back to normal. Max’s growth as a partner and father was lovely to watch. There was a question about what happened to Max which added a little mystery element to this romance. Good supporting characters in Ellie’s group of mummy friends, Rachel and Owen. Sweet, funny, emotional book worth a read.