This was my first Portia MacIntosh book but it won’t certainly be my last
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Love although not always easy and sometimes messy, will always find its way.

Poppy met the love of her life while school and got married and subsequently -after a tragic loss- divorced at 24. Now 6 years later, she finds out her divorce was never filled and she is technically still married. Having lost contact with Zac, her ex- ex husband, she finds herself crashing his upcoming wedding festivities.

In a fun, sweet, and sometimes silly rom com, Portia MacIntosh delivers an original story line filled with rich and colorful characters, fun and meaningful side plots and relationships and a meant to be love story.

Tw: loss of a parent, miscarriage.

A story of old and new friendships. Coupledom. A road trip to Scotland . It was light , fun and a good read. I was glad Poppy’s old friends came through in the end . Poppies mum was a character re her divorce . A feel good read

Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for an early review copy.

This is a really fun read and one that will have you smiling when you finish it. It’s about life and family, friendships and relationships of a group of women, who were friends since school.

There’s marriages between the friends and divorces too. Portia looks into what those divorcees face when they are left out of activities just because they don’t have a partner, also how friends feel they have to find you someone.

Although a new friendship brings about changes, you never forget your first love, even if it wasn’t a bed of roses.

I thought Poppy was so funny and her antics had me laughing. She finds out that she’s not really divorced and is married still to her ex Zac, apparently the divorce wasn’t completed 6 years ago.

So, she decides to track him down, he’s getting married, she and her friend turn up to get the papers signed, so she can move on, only things don’t go to plan. The bride and her family have no idea who she is, as Zac informs them Poppy and her friend are family relations of his.

So will Zac sign the papers and marry his bride……

Highly Recommend This Book

I randomly downloaded a book by Portia Macintosh during the first lockdown and promptly read four of her novels in a row. This new book does not disappoint. A few genuine moments that happen to so many, how to react if a parent starts dating someone new? How to react if you are cut off by all your friends who now have partners? The story here zips along, is also nicely tied up at the end too. This author has an ability to make me smile on pretty much every page she writes, a real tonic in difficult times.
Thanks to NetGalley and Boldwood Books for providing me with an Advance Reader's Copy in exchange for an honest, unbiased review.

i really enjoyed getting to read this book early. it was so much fun and such a sweet little romance. it made me feel good and that's something i really enjoy in my books. a lovely escape!

Poppy thought she was divorced and hasn't seen her ex Zac for years but while her dad was going through some of her mum's things some years after she died finds out she isn't divorced after all
Cue Poppy going to find Zac to tell him before he remarries. Needless to say things don't go to plan
Won't say any more so it doesn't spoil the story except to say that I loved it. A definite must read

Poppy ends up at her ex's wedding. Will they or won't they? A brilliant unputdownable novel. Loved it.

Thank you Portia Macintosh, Boldwood books and Rachel’s random resources for gifting me a digital copy of No Ex Before Marriage in exchange for an honest review; In no ex before marriage we follow Poppy the only single in her group of newlywed friends. With the shock discovery that her divorce was never finalised, will Poppy be able to get to Zac to sign the divorce papers before his second wedding that weekend.
I absolutely adored this book with the flashbacks to 2006 when I was 16 there was so many references that made me chuckle. The story was entertaining with characters I loved and enjoyed getting to know. This is the second book I have read by Portia Macintosh and it definitely won’t be the last.

WILL BE PUBLISHED December 22, 2021

Thank you to Boldwood Books and NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for an honest review!

A charming in one sitting read, I plowed through this book in a short amount of time. This is the first book I've read of Macintosh's and I have snapped up a few of her other romances which I'll review later.

There is a lot to recommend of this book. It's well written, there is humour galore between the Poppy, her friends both old and new, and her divorced (maybe) husband Zac, and of course there is the romance between Poppy and a few of her beaus as she tries to move on from Zac.

But she can't move on, not really, and that is made ever so clear when she flees to Scotland with her new bestie, Kat. She has a few scant days to get Zac to sign the divorce papers, the ones she thought they had signed six years prior but surprise! The paperwork was never filed because her mom thought they would get back together so why do it?

This book intertwines a few different plots and does it well: Poppy and her "Wife Club" old friends, Poppy and her dad and her dad's decision to start dating after her mother has passed, and Poppy and Zac. It's hard to write well and juggle one main plot and a few sub plots and Macintosh really excels at this. She also gives a lot of depth to the characters which is something that can also be difficult to do. Macintosh has numerous books under her belt and all were well received so practice does make perfect.

tl;dr If you want a sexy romcom with laugh out moments and an in-depth look at old friends and new-old romances, this is it.

I loved this book. The story has it all, love, friendship, laughs, and second chances.
Poppy and Zac ended their short marriage years ago. Poppy has had a hard time finding her way through being single, especially when she finds out all her coupled friends have been leaving her out and treating her differently. One day, Poppy learns that Zac is getting remarried, only to discover that their divorce was never actually finalized. Determined to make this right, Poppy travels to where the wedding is to take place to get all the papers signed and filed in time for Zac to move on with his new wife. But, nothing goes as planned, and Zac and Poppy still have a lot of chemistry between them.
I truly enjoyed the characters, plot, and how easy the story flowed from scene to scene.
I received an advance copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

There’s not much this book doesn’t have- bitchy girlfriends who need a prod to remember how to be supportive, a great love story, not one but two weddings, ridiculous rock stars/reality celebs in a giant castle, a crazy new friend who IS supportive and helps Poppy remember who she was and how to be fun again. I absolutely loved reading it. It was fun and light hearted but also at heart a lovely story about Zac and Poppy remembering why they fell in love and wondering whether they gave up on themselves too easily. Would heartily recommend!

Another absolutely fabulous book from one of my favourite authors. All the characters jump off the page and it was a joy to read from start to finish. I would completely recommend to anyone who enjoys a romance with both humour and brilliant characters. Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for allowing me to read a preview copy.

No Ex Before Marriage by Portia MacIntosh is a really fun contemporary novel that will leave you smiling.
The novel is about love and life, friendships and family, relationships and road trips as we follow a group of thirty somethings who have been friends since school. There have been marriages and a divorce as Portia MacIntosh delves into the difficulties divorcees may experience as they are excluded from certain couples’ activities. Being single also gives others the opportunity to match-make.
A new friendship springs up that adds a spark of life to ignite the life of another.
You never forget your first love even if the road was bumpy at times.
Portia MacIntosh has drawn a delightful set of characters. We see all the action through the eyes of the main character as the book is written in the first person.
The whole book is deliciously fun and will warm your heart and make you smile. I loved it.
I received a free copy from Rachel’s Random Resources and Boldwood via Net Galley. A favourable review was not required. All opinions are my own.

I absolutely loved this book! Portia has done it again. Poppy has divorced from her childhood sweetheart and after 4 years she needs to go and see him as her dad has recently found out that they aren’t actually divorced which causes a problem as Zac is about to remarry. She goes on a crazy mission with her new friend Kat (everyone needs a Kat in their lives) to get the right papers signed and filed so Zac can remarry. This book hit home with me for the reason why Poppy and Zac’s relationship broke down, this is what I love about Portia’s stories they are relatable and the characters are likeable. From the POV of Poppy we see her story unfold in a lovely slow burn romance all wrapped up with some good old British humour makes a perfect story.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Poppy is at that stage in life where all her friends are either married or getting married and she's the  one being sent to the singles' table at said weddings. The thing is - she has been married, and to the love of her life no less! But alas, things went south and they divorced. Now, all her friends have basically ditched her and no longer invite her to anything because they mostly do "couple stuff". 

But there is a glitch in the matrix. You see, there were some clerical errors in her divorce proceedings and she just found out that she is very much still married to Zac... and Zac is getting married to his new fiancée in a few days in Scotland. 

Pairing up with Kat, a zany lady she met at the singles' table at the latest wedding, she flees to Scotland with the divorce papers so that Zac can actually get married.

But does she really want to part ways with the love if her life?

This is a hilarious rom com with the delicious British humor. Picture something like Bridget Jones meets Death at a Funeral. We get all sorts of shenanigans expected in this comedy of errors. Poppy is very relatable and the situations are hilarious. I just wanted more development of Zac's character, though. I understand that the book is told solely through Poppy's POV, but since Zac only shows up around 30% of the book, we don't know much about present Zac. Their backstory is told through flashbacks, where we can get a glimpse of how they fell in love and eventually parted ways, but I felt I needed more Zac. 

Still, it's a hilarious story, full of the British humor and wit I love and a great way to spend an afternoon with a cup of properly brewed tea! 

Possible triggers: miscarriage, loss of a parent 

Thank you, Netgalley and Boldwook books for the advanced copy.

Cute book, first time reading a book from this author. The characters are well fleshed out. Poppy is this thirty something woman who happens to have been placed at the single table at her friends wedding. Even though she was one of the bridesmaids just because she happened to be divorced. Then you have Zac, who happens to be Poppy's ex-husband, and who is a session musician. Basically Poppy's dad found letters from his wife while cleaning out her office stating that Poppy and Zac are not divorced. So Poppy has to go to Scotland to get Zac to sign the papers before he gets remarried. The book like I said was cute, and I liked how the author had flashback chapters on the reason that they ended up getting a divorce.
I have received this Advance Reader's Copy from Net galley for a honest and unbiased review.

Loved this book, the characters, the bond between her and kat the way she just took her under her wing when her friends decided to ditch her! Admittedly I didn't like some parts (the look backs mostly) I thought they weren't really needed as the rest of the book went well without them parts. But, overall good quick easy read felt like I was just in the book with them!

Poppy is divorced and her friends are staying away. After being treated almost like an outcast, she meets Kat. When Poppy wakes up to discover she isn’t divorced from her ex husband, shenanigans ensue. A trip to Scotland and 2 friends makes this a great story.

I love Mcinstosh’s books which are a perfect escape from the real world. They are filled with hilarious moments. Never failed to entertain me. This book also has its share of fun filled moments. However, I couldn’t completely connect with the main characters and supporting characters.

At first, liked Poppy, who had been ditched by her close friends following her divorce. She met Kat at the singles table at her best friend Rachel’s wedding. Kat was a handful but lively, laid back person. Her impromptu adventures with Poppy were hilarious. Poppy ropes Kat to go on a crazy trip to an island in Scotland to make her (ex-)husband sign divorce papers before he ties the knot with an influencer.

Remaining story took place on an island filled with eccentric wedding guests. I hated her ex-husband for the duplicity and Poppy being his accomplice. I don’t understand why he couldn’t come clean about his previous wedding to his fiancée and resort to covering it up at every step of the way. On the other hand, fiancée Lilac is no saint but she doesn’t deserve to be kept in the dark.

These issues with the characters had marred my enjoyment a little. Some activities undertaken before the wedding bored me. Apart from my niggles, this was a quick and fun read.

This was so fun to read!! This is part of a series but one of those “standalone series” so i’m adding them all to my tbr!!! I love new beginnings and starting over stories, they always have the best romance!