An utter delight of a book, which pairs romantic comedy with self discovery, family-of-origin woes and a wicked dash of satire (the newspaper industry, east London gentrification and tech bro startup culture all get a knowing, affectionate skewering). At the heart of No Such Thing As Perfect, and the glue that holds it together, is Laura, a main character so likeable and relatable that you at once want to shake her and take her out for a drink. I'd have loved to have learned more about Cupid, the data driven dating app that is the book's meet-cute conceit, partly because I'm reading The Age of Surveillance Capitalism as my non-fiction book right now, partly because I'm a big nerd that way - but I guess there's only so far you can go before your contemporary women's fiction turns into another feminist dystopia. Regardless, this was a great read, and one I'd highly recommend for your summer holiday reading list!

Thanks to Netgalley for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Laura's love life is non existent, she lives with her sister and her job as a magazine writer is on the line. Then Cupid, a new dating app, asks her to trial the app and write an article on it for the magazine. On paper, Adam is perfect but sparks soon fly between Laura and the lead data engineer of Cupid.

I loved the dating app idea of this one but the story fell a little flat for me. While not a bad person per se, I didn't like Laura's morals one bit and couldn't really get on board with her. That and the men in this story also weren't anything to swoon over. It was an easy read, like most books in the genre are, but it was all just a bit meh.

Also, the ebook was formatted really annoyingly and there were some bad typos. As someone who has a pet peeve of bad grammer, this really irked me.

2.5 stars rounded up to 3.

This book was refreshing, funny, and relevant. I could really relate to Laura, the writing made me laugh out loud; that combination kept the story light and thoughtful rather than being too introspective. Thank you NetGalley for the copy, and all the best on publication!

Fabulous book. This is Emma Hughes’ first novel but I hope it won’t be too long before she writes more.

This was a thoroughly enjoyable tale of Laura and her search for love. The red herrings in the form of possible love matches are great, this is no formulaic piece of romantic fiction.

The characters are engaging and likeable, the settings familiar but bring a much-needed sense of freedom. Laura’s day out in the park for example, taking her dog on a train - so we’ll written that I was there with her on the platform. Sounds mundane but after a year and a half of lockdown, I was 100% invested!

Definitely one to add to the ‘to read’ pile and an author to look out for in the future.

As ever, thank you to Netgalley and the publishers for allowing me a sneak preview in exchange for a fair review.

This was an OK story, but I really struggled to like the main character, and a lot of her actions just annoyed me, so sorry to say I didn't enjoy this book as I potentially could have.

**Listened to the audio book as well as reading along via electronic copy**

I really enjoyed this reading/listening experience.
I've got the admit, the plot was a little slow to get started and I was a bit lost as to where the book was going plot-wise. It felt a little all over the place and I wasn't sure where it was going.
However, the more the book went on, the more I grew to love Laura and her topsy turvy life.
The book certainly wasn't original and had so many of the usual womens fiction plot tropes - but it was an easy read and enjoyable nevertheless.
I loved Samantha Barks as the narrator, (big fan of her within the theatre - but never heard her narrate a audiobook before) and think she did a great job with the different accents and characters. She definitely added to the reading/listening experience. I think I enjoyed listening to the audiobook far more than just reading and think if I was just reading along I may not have finished it.

Overall it was a really sweet book - nothing new or original, but a 'safe' choice in womens fiction.

This isn't the typical "girl finds love" story. The action centres around Laura and her life with the difficulties of being afraid of commitment, the relationships with her parents and sister, flat-sharing problems, job problems, and the romantic relationships she finds herself in. A lot of the story focuses on her journey to understanding how to accept people (and things) for what they are over the romance aspect.

A super book that evokes laughter, relatable situations and characters, a few winces and a few wry smiles...An easy read that has enough sub plots contained within that you find yourself effortlessly turning the pages and rooting for the family, especially Harrison, the dog!
A nearly thirty year old female who feels as though she's always looking at closed doors finds one that is slightly ajar, and one that she races through only to find that it smashes into her as it crashes into the doorstop wedge (very ugly but so useful). Her family has never been traditionally perfect or happy, but they all love each other and even the picture perfection of her older sister isn't as it seems.
This is the book that you'd dither about leaving behind in a holiday cottage, I wouldn't rave to my friends that they' have to read it, but I would include it in a "Isolation Bag of Hugs" for them to enjoy.
Thank you NetGalley for my Isolation Hug.

This was a fun and cute story about a woman's journey with love and finding herself. It was a nice change from the typical rom-com as the journey was the story. The narrator was witty and enjoyable--definitely recommend!

I'm a bit on the fence with this one.
The premise sounded fun ad the book started great, I was super interested but somewhere in the middle (or maybe even before that) it got really slow, Laura started to be annoying and I lost all interest in the story.
I don't even know how to review this one, as it wasn't a bad book, but it wasn't good either. None of the characters hold my interest, I honestly didn't care whetrer Laura was going to be made redundant or not, I didn't care who's she going to end up with as all possible love interests were just bleh.
Her constant whining about her sister, her ex, was just unbearable.

Other reviewers are gushing over it saying it's a great summer read, and maybe it is. It just not for me.

Laura Morrison is definitely unlucky where her love life is concerned. This story starts when she has to move into her sister's spare room. Her previous flatmates had become a couple and moved out. Finding out she was at risk of redundancy left her feeling low. Her parents were going through a rough patch, and basically life was falling apart.

A glance of what might be came in the offer of finding her a love match on a new dating site who matched you on the basis of your online activity. As a journalist she would be the Guinea pig and could write an article of how it all worked. The only stipulation was they had to stay together for 3 months "to give their relationship a shot".

Nothing is ever what it seems though, and there are some complex twists in the tale. I really felt for Laura. You just want everything to work out for her. Sweet story, though I found it a little difficult to get into at first.

For all the cliched characters, ludicrous plot and sizeable dollop of schmaltz., I enjoyed this chirpy romantic thriller. Good to see a little social realism and class conflict forcing its way on to the pages, as well as some interesting reflections on family, career, self-determination, maturity. The plot centres around a woman who finds herrself lagging behind her peers, single, broke, relying on relatives for support: emotionally wrecked while trying to cope with parents and work colleagues who seem still more wrecked. Will a new dating platform fix all her woes? Of course not. But the premise that it might does keep you interested and guessing.

Nicely observed, with some genuinely witty moments, as well as the odd self-conscious nod to Fleabag, this is a better than average beach read.

No one's life is as perfect as it looks. Least of all Laura Morrison's. (Although she's not sure how perfect hanging onto your job by a thread and sleeping on an air mattress at your sister's looks, in all honesty.) When Laura gets the chance to trial Cupid - a high-tech new dating service that will draw on everything she's ever done online to find her perfect match - she figures it's got to be worth a try. She can't believe her luck when a good-looking, kind considerate Adam turns up for their first date. On paper he's...well...perfect. But when Laura develops feelings for the person who led her to Adam in the first place, familiar doubt creeps in.

This is the perfect, easy, summer read! Perfect with a cocktail around the pool or on the beach!

3.5/5.

Really really enjoyed No Such Thing As Perfect by Emma Hughes. I found myself rooting for the main character from the first page and found the story compelling, funny, and extremely relatable.

Definitely a great read to add to your list!

This was a man easy read that flowed well and was a bit different to the usual romantic comedy with their predicable endings. I enjoyed the way the characters interwove their stories and felt that a number of difficult issues were touched on such as infertility and family history. One to read if you’re after a change from the formulaic comedy romance

I received the advanced readers copy from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. The book was not so much a romantic comedy as it was about becoming an adult and making ones way in life. This book was full of family drama and I can’t say that I liked any of the people. It was an interesting story but because I had no affinity with the characters, I will rate it at three.

Not only has Laura been unlucky in love, recently she’s also been unlucky in life. Single, living in her sisters spare room and facing the possibility of redundancy, life is far from perfect.

But when she’s given the opportunity to trail a new dating company, who find your perfect match from your online data and write a review for the newspaper she works for, things might just be looking up!

An enjoyable read which delves into the world of online dating, family relationships and the realisation that there is no such thing as perfect, but that doesn’t mean you can’t be happy!

Well written, funny and poignant, I loved this book, a fab summer read.

Laura's life is anything but perfect, living with her sister on an inflatable mattress after losing her flat. With her flatmates falling in love and moving out, not to mention that one of the said flatmates was her first love. Add into this mix that she has just weeks to prove that her newspaper job is necessary to avoid being made redundant. So when an opportunity to review a new dating app Cupid comes along she feels that this might be the way to ave her job and possibly her failing love life too.

After speaking with Cupid's director Nush, Laura is matched to Adam. Although things are a little awkward at first they do seem to get on and romance blossoms between them. Needing further information for her article she attempts to speak to the tech team behind Cupid, without much success until Cass (head tech man) offers to meet her. The attraction fizzes between them making Laura question her compatibility with Adam, especially as little niggles crop up between them.

A journey of self-discovery for Laura whilst you learn more about her personal relationships with her family members. There's no such thing as perfect and soon Laura is questioning everything about love and the men in her life.

This was an entertaining, easy read.
I was a bit surprised by the direction the plot took — I expected more of a romantic comedy style of book, but it revolves more around finding yourself. This book delivers the message that a sweeping romance cannot solve all your problems; work on yourself is needed.
Although the plot had potential, it fell a bit short. The plot twist about Cupid was predictable, and I found most of the characters to be a bit irritating. Except Whit; I liked Whit. However, I liked the nice, open-ended conclusion.
Overall, this wasn’t a terrible read, but it was not a great one either.

I was intrigued by the title 'No such thing as perfect.'

Laura Morrison writes for the weekend magazine at the Bugle, When her job is in jeopardy, she has 4 weeks to prove herself. Her assignment is to write an article on the revolutionary new dating app, Cupid. They try to find your perfect match based on your internet searches.

At first, things with her match Adam seem to be going well, until Laura meets American, Cass who lives on a boat. Who will win her affection?

I felt invested in Laura's story. Living with her sister, it seems she hasn't found her own way in the world and I was rooting for her to get her happy-ever-after ending. Does she?

The writing flowed well and was engaging, although there were quite a few different threads- Laura's ex flatmates. marital problems with Laura's parents and the life of her friend , Lil and her daughter Dora. I'm not sure these were all needed, I wanted to know more about how the app worked since it was such an integral part of the story.

This would be a nice easy, beach read.

Thanks to netgalley and the publisher for the ARC.