A lovely quick easy reading story. Perfect for either a beach read or a wet afternoon. Perfect for those who love the Beatles.

The superb, humorous writing, vivid imagery, and relatable main character made this book an absolute treat to read.

Beverly is a fifty-something mom of three grown-up boys and a love for all things related to The Beatles. She lost her husband a decade ago and her best friend persuades her to dip her toes in the shark-infested waters of online dating. After a few disasters, could it be that she finally found a good man?

That had to be one of the best and funniest first chapters ever. And it set the tone for the rest of the book. The story is told from Beverly’s perspective, almost as if she is telling you her tale or you’re reading her diary. I’m not a huge Beatles fan myself, but I can certainly appreciate Beverly’s passion for the band and everything related to them.

Beverly is content, but she misses having a man in her life. Thus, the forays into the dating world. Some of her relationship details in the middle weren’t all that interesting, but it made sense later on and played an important part in setting up the story. Beverly had a lot to contend with and she didn’t always handle things in a graceful way, but I think we all have crazy moments at times. She didn’t wallow for long and she didn’t take herself too seriously.

This book elicited so many emotions from me. I dipped between laughter, anger, sadness, frustration, contentment. Up and down I went with Beverly on this crazy ride.

Thank you to Netgalley for providing me with a copy. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

This review is also posted on my blog at https://hookedbythatbook.com

3.75⭐️

Thank you to One More Chapter, Harper Collins UK, Netgalley, and Suzan Holder for a gifted copy in exchange for an honest review.

What a fun story! I actually read that this was adapted from a play and I think it would be so much fun to see on stage! Beverly is a wonderful character to follow. She is not afraid to be who she is, and love the things she loves. She certainly has her share of obstacles in this.

The other characters in this story were just okay for me. Nobody else really had a main role per se, and I wasn’t super drawn to them. That may be because we don’t get to know them as well? I really did not like Scott from the get-go lol.

If you are a fan of the Beatles this one is for you! It definitely would scratch that itch and it’s really neat to hear about the places around Liverpool that are Beatles related! I certainly learned more about them than I previously knew!!!

If you’re looking for a fun story with some heavier bits, give it a shot!!!!

Although this was a nice easy romance, it did not peak my interest enough to rave about it.
It was very easy going but didn't really have enough character to grip me. The tale is almost fact like as opposed to flowing.

Had the morning on my own and zipped through this charming book. It is not a book that makes you think, it is a book that makes you smile. It is fun and easy to read and is just the thing to brighten your day.

I love the Beatles aspect of the story as it just added a bit of quirk to the story. I'm not a big reader of love stories but as this one had that humorous aspect and it wasn't your usual handsome boy meets beautiful girl love story it just made it a more enjoyable read.

Fun, entertaining, and full of love and laughter.

I'm not a major fan of the Beatles, although I do enjoy their music, but I still found the historical content of this book interesting. I certainly enjoyed the tours of Liverpool and the sites of particular interest to Beatles fans, bringing them to life for me. There is also a mixture of romance and humour, with many laugh out loud moments, balanced against some really sad ones. As a gentleman of a certain age I certainly would dread ever having to rejoin the mating game, I can certainly sympathise with Bev. The story does have hope in it, it isn't always downbeat, so can be read to cheer you up. Note that there are some spicy, though not explicit, scenes in it if they aren't your thing.
I received an advance copy of this book from the publisher through Netgalley, however this is did not influence my review of the book.

An enjoyable read especially if you are a fan of the Beatles. The story follows Beverly, a middle aged widow, who embarks on the dating game journey.

I was immediately drawn to this story, as I love The Beatles, and I liked that we had a mature main character in a romance.

Unfortunately, at times it read more like a fact book than a novel. I felt as if the author was shoehorning every obscure fact she could into the story without it really adding much to the overall plot. My biggest issue was the tone of the writing. As a proud northerner, I think it's important to be able to read colloquialisms and different dialects in books, however, there's a fine line between dialect and bad writing. The informal 'chatty' tone felt overdone and began to grate on me really quickly.

The plot was pretty standard fayre, and while there were some sweet moments and I appreciated the parts where 'Beatles Bev' negotiates romance as a more mature lady, ultimately I wasn't blown away.

*Thanks to NetGalley for the opportunity to leave an honest review*

I will post this review on Amazon UK on release day

A glimpse in the life of a middle age woman who is trying to find love & a love letter to the Beatles, This was a fun story and absolutely riddled with fun Beatles trivia, descriptions of unique memorabilia and fun locations scattered around Liverpool that were important in Beatles history, as well as song lyrics cleverly tied into parts of the story.

It's time for Beverley, a widower, to get back in the dating game. Her love of The Beatles makes this book particularly enjoyable having been born in Merseyside. Different to your normal dating story as Beverley is middle aged. Thoroughly amusing and entertaining.

Beverley Wilson is a middle aged widower. With two of three sons out of the house, and the third barely there, she decides it might be time for some male company. Dating, however, is much different to how it was when she was younger. Her best friend convinces her to sign up to online dating, and after some disasters, she meets a man who seems lovely - and, most importantly, shares her love of The Beatles. Could things be too good to be true?

I really enjoyed that the protagonist in this book is middle aged - just something slightly different from the norm. As a Beatles fan myself, I enjoyed all the references. I also liked reading about Beverley’s struggles navigating the dating scene and her naïveté with it, which could be quite humorous at times. An easy, feel good read!

Thanks @netgalley and @onemorechapterhc for the arc - this book is out 20th January!

Although this is a fun read and deservedly so, it also has a certain message within its pages that may help woman who are looking for love or friendship after a loss of a loved one. Take heed of what happens and how easily it could happen to you. I wasn't sure if this was a book for me when I went to start reading it but I am so pleased that I did. I enjoyed it so much that I laid in bed for the four hours that I had left to read, I will give this 5 stars and I hope we will see more of this authors work soon.

Thanks to Netgalley and publisher for this e ARC

I still don't know why the press is housing Bev and honestly don't care. I stopped read after chapter 3. DNF


********************I received an ARC for my honest opinion from NetGalley.******************************

Love affair with the Beatles?!🎼🎸

3.5🌟 stars
I liked but didn't love widow Beverley's story of an attempt at a second chance at companionship and romance as she approaches an empty nest. Her foray into internet dating was amusing and then, oh boy, her developing relationship with the "perfect man."🙃

The book gets a really good start with a whimsical introduction to Bev on the job in a house that time forgot(!) and the story arc about Deb, the sister who instilled her first love for the Beatles and died prematurely, added a good deal to my enjoyment of the plot.

What slowed me down and didn't thrill me was TMI about Liverpool and the Beatles. Beatles Bev is entrenched in her lifelong fascination with all things Beatles. Fine. I like the Beatles myself but struggled with all of this information and inserting lyrics from their songs into the dialogue and internal thought struck me as a little corny.

Thanks to Harper Collins UK/One More Chapter and NetGalley for sharing a complimentary advance copy of the book; this is my voluntary and honest opinion.

This was a really enjoyable and impressive debut from author Suzan Holder. As a Beatles fan, I absolutely loved this story!
“Beatles Bev” is a widowed mother of three, estate agent and huge Beatles fan, living in Paul McCartney’s childhood home, with a mass of unique Beatles collectibles and memorabilia. Her life is a little lonely now that her boys are grown and leaving the nest, so her best friend Jools helps Bev “Shake it Up” and sets her up on a Lonely Hearts Club dating site, and much drama and some chaos ensues.
This was a fun story and absolutely riddled with fun Beatles trivia, descriptions of unique memorabilia and fun locations scattered around Liverpool that were important in Beatles history, as well as song lyrics cleverly tied into parts of the story, although sometimes a bit cringingly. Absolutely enjoyable!

Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for giving me access to an e-copy of this book for an honest review.

If you're a big fan of the Beatles, I imagine you would really enjoy this book. Bev is a quirky, outgoing, mega Beatles fan who is looking for love, acceptance and something more to her life.

Unfortunately I guessed both big reveals quite early on in the book, which meant that I just didn't feel surprised when either moment happened. I empathised when her whole collection was stolen however.

I didn't quite 'click' with Bev, she is so outgoing, chaotic and spontaneous and I just couldn't relate to that. This meant that I didn't care as much when something bad happened to her.

Overall, I just found this book a little bit unbelievable. Particularly the last 30% when she was up in top of the building dressed as a yellow Submarine, and all the events from there on.

I enjoyed the writing style though, and would be interested in reading more from this author in the future.

Beverley is a widow with 3 grownup children only one of which is still at home and works part time as an estate agent. Beverley is also mad about the Beatles and knows pretty much everything there is to know about them
With a little persuasion from her friend she decides it's time to start dating again. After a few not so good dates she meets Scott who seems like the perfect man.
Let's just say things don't work out well for her when he turns out to be a conman !

Others might enjoy this more than I did. While I rooted for Beverly, a widow who decides to take a risk and start dating again, I got lost in all the Beatles references and finally gave up. She's an interesting character and I'm sure I would have finished if there had been a few (a lot) less of them. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC.

I really enjoyed this book. It had lots of funny moments but there was also sadness and a friend who sticks with Beverley through everything good and bad. It was very cleverly written when referencing the Beatles, the places. The songs and the history, its all in this fun book. Knowing Liverpool and its people first hand I could almost hear the accent and appreciate the humour. Well done Susan Holder you are a great story teller,

Thank you NetGalley, Suzan Holder and One More Chapter for the ARC of Shake it Up, Beverley. This is my personal review.
I went into this book looking for the laugh out loud part and all I got a few times was me was a little chuckle. I did not really care what happened to Beverly as she traveled the path to finding romance.