Cover Image: The Visa: The perfect feel-good romcom to curl up with this summer

The Visa: The perfect feel-good romcom to curl up with this summer

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Member Reviews

I started this read a number of times but I was never drawn or desperate to pick it up. It is generally a decent story but the plot can dragged at times and just lacked that special something for me to recommend.

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I read this back in January after receiving an e-arc and binged it over one weekend so was so pleased to kindly recieve a physical copy of the book from the publisher.

’The Visa’ was right up my street with a marriage of convenience, heart-warming, easy-going rom-com which has left me desperate to see this play out in a TV show or film!

Lizzie is such a talented author, the dual POV made me forget sometimes that this is a fictional story. Some of the situations Maya and Jack found themselves came across as so realistic and authentic only helped by their narration with their points of view.

My only question is… where can I find my Jack?

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A cute, romantic beach read with warm, engaging characters and well-written dialogue. A thoroughly modern take on a traditional rom-com setup.

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A fabulous novel, and the first I have read from this author, that had me incredibly entertained.

i love how Jack and Maya agree to get married out of convenience for them both, despite barely really knowing each other, in part so that Jack can stay in the UK, and so that May doesn't have to face up to ghosts in her own life.

They are both running from things, both have a lot to discover about themselves and each others, and I really enjoyed seeing them get to know each other after getting married.

Just as amusing is seeing them break the news to their best friends (who just happen to be dating), and seeing their reactions to this out of character development for Maya.

I reckon this would make a great rom-com film for the big screen, it certainly has all the elements, and is a story I feel many would enjoy.

I know I certainly did.

Thank you to Headline Review and Netgalley for this copy which I have reviewed honestly and voluntarily.

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Ah this was a lovely book. I adored Jack but found Maya a bit too prickly to really care about sadly. It took me a while to get into it and found myself skipping through the mid sections to get to about 70 percent when the action and real hints of romance finally started. It seems a bit odd that both Jack and Maya would be hiding exactly the same secret from each other: hiding dead relatives was just a bit too bonkers for me to get onboard with. But it was a lovely book, well-written with beautiful language. I will look forward to the author’s next novel happily.

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This is just an absolute delight to read!!! I have adored everything about this one. I have been completely pulled in and unwilling to put this one down.

I adore Maya and Jack, such a great pair of characters who you can’t help but want the best for. The author has a real talent for making you feel Maya’s emotions- this has taken me on a bit of a rollercoaster.

This is a book with some serious elements as well. These are handled sensitively and in a really touching way. The slow burn romance develops perfectly.

This book has given moments of laugh out loud and also eyes filled with tears moments. There is nothing I dislike about this one. It is a complete gem and definitely needs to be on the TBR. I adore this author, this is a wonderful book and is filled with great characters.

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This book is such an adorable, easy, loveable, cute, addictive read. I absolutely love a slow burn romance book that just keeps you waiting for that first something that you 100% know is going to happen.

I really liked both Maya and Jack. I know Maya had some 'hard to like' traits to begin with but even right at the beginning of the book I could see beyond that and I know she'd be a character I could relate to in many ways. Jack is such a sweet guy that had a lot of unresolved experiences on his plate and I fell utterly in love with him. Watching their relationship blossom was just wonderful, despite wanting to shout through the pages at them both to make them realise how they felt about one another!

I think the slow burn romance was executed perfectly here. The fact that they were living together, sharing a bed, and married very early on was a romance trope I can get fully behind. There were so many cute moments throughout the story and I adored them so much.

I also want to give a shoutout to the extremely hard and sensitive topics that were woven through the story. Grief being the main topic at the forefront. Watching both Maya and Jack navigate their way through their grief experiences was extremely raw and heartwarming and I loved the way Lizzie O'Hagan addressed the topic.

I cannot thank Headline Publishing Group and Lizzie O'Hagan enough for a copy of this book as part of The Visa blog tour!!!

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Jack needs a visa. And Maya believes that marriage is 'just a piece of paper' so is happy to help him get one. But then she starts to fall for him...

This slow-burn, chaste romance is perfect for fans of Beth O'Leary! The background stories and character development for both main characters are entirely realistic and were written in a way that made it seem like your friend was telling you their story. I absolutely loved the dynamic between Jack & Maya and their banter-filled interactions with each other.

I'll certainly be checking out Lizzie O'Hagan's first book and look forward to seeing what she comes out with in the future!

Many thanks to Headline and NetGalley for providing me a copy of this book for review.

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Honestly, this book was a tale of two halves for me. I really struggled to get into the book for the first part; struggled to bond with any of the characters and found the storyline quite hard to follow. Then all of a sudden it switched and I loved the characters and the story. I love how it was written from two points of view and I also love how it wasn’t just the heroine that was in love and you could get that from both sides. It did annoy me when Jack and Maya wouldn’t talk to one another and I just wanted to bang their heads together but the premise of the book was a good one. I hope there is a second book as this was left open-ended and I would love to hear more about Jack and Maya. Thanks to Headline and Netgalley for the advanced reader copy.

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Thank you to @headlinebooks for inviting me on this blog tour, I adored this book! Maya and Jack were just adorable although at times I wanted to bang their heads together! 🤣

Slow burn, marriage of convenience and just one bed are some of my favourite tropes in a romance book and this had all of them!

A must read for anyone who loves a rom-com with deeper emotions.

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Jack needs a visa and Maya might just be the one to give it to him. She doesn't believe in marriage, it's a piece of paper; one piece of paper for marriage, another for divorce.

So when the two come up with the plan to get married what can go wrong, especially when you make a set of rules such as 'do not fall in love.'

What a great read to start my March. This novel is split into different parts showing us the narrative, with a dual character chapter, split between Maya and Jack throughout.

This was a really easy narrative to follow, with short chapters to keep the novel flowing. This is a novel I very much enjoyed and found myself flying through.

I did struggle to like the character of Emmie, I found her selfish, but she was a minor character and you can see she is just trying to be a friend to Maya.

I will be looking out for this author again and wouldn't hesitate to recommend them.

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I liked this book. The premise was great, and I liked the characters. There was a lot of dialogue that didn’t advance the plot much, which meant I skipped forward occasionally. The relationship between the two characters was believable and the best friend characters were strong.

From the Publisher:
“For a commitment-phobe who's never taken a girl on a third date, Jack finds getting married to his old friend Maya pretty easy. He's a New Zealander in need of a visa to stay in the country, and she doesn't believe in marriage anyway. Simple.
Maya and Jack live in wedded, sex-less bliss, until one day Jack starts to get serious with someone else.
Suddenly Maya finds herself falling into a role she never thought she'd be: a wife - and a scorned one at that - who is falling uncontrollably, undeniably, and entirely inconveniently...in love with her own husband.”

I liked that the ending took a realistic amount of time to come together, it made it more powerful. 4 stars.

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

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This was such a an addictive and adorable read. I do admit though to being a massive fan of the slow burn romance and this one is perfect, yes the living together and same bed is been done before, you could say it’s a cliché but there’s a reason it’s done again and again in so many books and films, it absolutely works and it’s funny. I loved watching their relationship grow and both Maya and Jack I loved so much, I admit I did love Jack more because although I did love Maya I found her frustrating a lot with her not being able to express her feelings at all, I know there reasons for this but I still couldn’t help but find it a bit irritating at times. I thought the use of dual POV narrative was done really well and helped add to the story, they both had distinctive voices and I thought it did make a big difference. Overall, an engaging and entertaining read that I would definitely recommend to lovers of romance.

Thanks to netgalley and Headline for a free copy in exchange for an honest review, all opinions are my own.

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I don’t think I need to reiterate my love for a good, character-driven romance. So of course, I said yes when I was asked by the lovely Emily at Headline to join the blog tour for The Visa.

Jack is a New Zealander who has just lost his job and his UK visa is about to expire. Maya has just inherited a beautiful flat from a father who was never interested in her and she doesn’t know what to do with it. When their flatmates enter a whirlwind romance and move in together, Jack and Maya meet and Maya comes up with a simple solution. They should get married! Jack will have the right to stay in the country and she knows that marriage is just a piece of paper that can easily be cancelled. What could possibly go wrong?

I found Maya’s attitude to marriage and long-term love really refreshing. Some readers may find it quite sad and cynical but I loved the fact that a young, romantic heroine was so focused on herself that love didn’t really enter her head. Of course, she is perhaps a bit too dismissive of it but I knew that true love would strike her eventually.

Jack is a tortured soul and I really enjoyed the mystery of finding out what really happened within his family. It is drawn out over most of the narrative, so I kept turning the pages to find out the truth. I just wanted him to confront his demons and admit that he was in love with Maya, which I felt sure he would in time.

Of course, this is a romance novel and the law goes that as soon as characters say that they simply must not fall in love, they are bound to. It’s a very slow burn romance and there were several times, even very close to the end, when I wondered if it actually wasn’t going to happen. I loved it because it meant that I had time to really invest in them as individuals and realise how well suited they were. It made the romance very easy to root for and therefore, I was very satisfied with the ending.

There are some really lovely observations about what real love is and anyone who has experienced it will be able to instantly relate. Jack and Maya both grow a lot over the course of the book and realise that it really is about choosing your person over anyone else. True love is a constant choice not an act of giving yourself up. In fact, both partners should maintain their individuality and grow together.

The Visa is a heartwarming story with some lovely wit, friendship and the most wonderful slow-building romance. Jack and Maya are very easy to ship and I wanted nothing but good things for them. I guess in the end, realising that you’re very much in love with the person you married is the best thing you can ever do for yourself and your future!

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#adprprproduct #BookReview ✨
The Visa by @lizzie_ohagan 📖

Words: Almost strangers, marriage, secrets.

🌟This was a fabulous slow burn romance. A will they, won't they with so much more.

🌟I absolutely adored the Jack & Maya. I was 100% invested in their story. I laughed, I cried & I gasped along the way.

🌟It's pace is spot on making it rather difficult to put down.

🌟I'd highly recommend to fans of Beth O'Leary this plot is reminiscent of the Flatshare.

🌟I cannot wait to see what O'Hagan does next! But luckily in the meantime as she is a new to me author I'm running off to purchase her debut What Are Friends For?

Disclaimer: A huge thanks to @headlinebooks for sending me this title for an honest & unbiased review.

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I absolutely loved this book, so much so that I devoured it in two sittings!

Thank you to Netgalley, Lizzie O'Hagan and Headline Books for this E-Arc.

I am not usually a fan of a slow-burn romance, but this one was just fabulous. It definitely delivered and kept me hooked throughout. I just could not stop reading.

I found the dual POV really helped develop the story and enabled me to connect with both Jack and Maya as characters. I adored the development of their relationship and found their interactions so realistic. Their banter was fab and I found myself rooting for them from the very beginning.

Pleeeeeeease give me a sequel. I need to know what happens next!

Would highly recommend this to everyone.

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Thanks so much to Headlinr for my copy of The Visa in exchange for an honest review.

This one follows the story of Maya and Jack. Jack is originally from Auckland, living in London and his visa is about to expire. Once their best friends move in together and essentially kick the both of them out of their apartments, they decide to live together and get married so Jack can have his visa renewed. The only rule is that the pair are not to fall in love with one another.

I think it’s well known by now that I love a good rom com! I flew through this one, it was the perfect book to pick up in the evening to unwind after work!
I enjoyed Maya and Jack’s banter in this one, and the premise really intrigued me too. If you are a fan of a slow burn romance, this may be the one for you!

There were a few things in this one I wasn’t the biggest fan of unfortunately. Firstly, miscommunication is quite heavy in this one, so if you aren’t a fan I’m not sure I would recommend this for you! Also, I found Maya to be quite unlikeable at times. She could be unnecessarily rude to people but excuse it all under the guise of feminism, which was definitely irritating!
I also feel she made a big deal of not telling Jack the truth about her dad for no reason? But then she also got irrationally angry at Jack when she found out he had hidden parts of his life too, which seemed like quite the double standard!

Jack, however, I loved 😍 His back story was heartbreaking and you could understand why he acts the way he does when everything comes out. Plus he was just the cutest, his volunteering and mentoring work was the sweetest, you could really tell he had a heart of gold!

Overall there were definitely parts of this I really enjoyed, and if you love rom coms and are looking for a fun, light hearted read, I would recommend pick this up. However, there were a few sticking points for me which stopped this being a firm favourite.

3.5⭐️

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The Visa was such a fun romcom that I read in one sitting! Honestly as soon as I read the synopsis I knew I had to read it and it didnt disappoint. ⁣

⁣I really liked the main characters and reading as they learn to navigate this new life and get to know each other more. A big plus for me is that this book is told in dual povs, which if you've read previous reviews of mine know I love multiple povs. Both characters were already dealing with their own issues long before they came together and it was nice to see that these were still at the forefront of this book. ⁣

I'm a sucker for a slow-burn and this one hit the nail on the head. I was constantly rooting for the two of them to have their happy-ever-after! ⁣

The Visa was such a fun and enjoyable read that was so much more than your normal romance. I really recommend picking this one up!

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What a perfect book for the love-filled month of February! This book definitely took me on a rollercoaster of emotions, and while I definitely got frustrated at both Maya and Jack at times, I rooted for their happily-ever-after throughout.
The dual narrative structure of this was just what I needed to really gain an insight into both Jack and Maya's lives, and it was great to be able to watch them fall in love at their own pace with the other. The back and forth and O'Hagan's writing style in general kept me hooked and I sped through this to know how the book ended.
As much as it was a love story between Maya and Jack, I liked how interconnected they were, to their respective best friends who bring everyone together by being a couple. It felt like taking a peek into a friendship group and helped me feel very involved in the story.
Both protagonists had their own obstacles to overcome while also dealing with their feelings for each other, and while it may have been frustrating to read at times, I appreciated that these weren't resolved straight away in order to make way for the romance plot, but rather that these took precedence for Maya and Jack to deal with their issues before they felt they could be in a happy, healthy relationship.
I haven't read many, if any, books with this marriage-for-convenience trope, but it's made me want to seek them out! It really read like a rom-com film, and I think this would be great if adapted onto the big screen.
The slow-burn romance between the two, and the fact that they never get together before things initially end for them, made the final reunion so much more satisfying! It really made me feel that they connected as two beings who come to love one another instead of the typical passion-filled affairs.
I will definitely be looking out for whatever Lizzie writes next, and I hope you give The Visa a chance!

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This was such a good read. I adored Jack he was just such a sweet guy dealing with alot, I loved Maya too although she drove me crazy with her inability to bloody say anything that she thought/felt there's also a moment in here were I wanted to scream at her.

The slow burn in here is done really well, and I loved watching there relationship slowly develop into more, and the living together and same bed trope, yes I loved it, it's definitely one of my favourite tropes in romance. So many cute moments in here that made me love Jack and Maya together.

Although this book definitely deals with some hard topics - grief being the biggest one I loved watching Jack and Maya work through everything that they needed to deal with. This ended up being such great read for me.

Thank you to the publisher who gifted me a copy of this book via netgalley for review.

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