Do you believe in fate?

An accidental and fateful phone conversation between Hannah in London and Davey in Texas leads to a transatlantic relationship that is just about perfect, even though they’ve never actually met. But just as they are about to get together for the first time in person, everything changes.

As Hannah and Davey ‘move on’ and go their separate ways, is that it for the couple, or has fate got another trick up it’s sleeve?

I loved reading ‘The Man I Never Met’ and found it to be charming, heart warming, moving, relatable, funny and very romantic. I liked the fact that although the book was mostly written from Hannah’s point of view, we did have some chapters in Davey’s voice so that it was not just a one-sided account.

I found myself rooting for both the lead characters and also enjoyed the many side characters in the story. I very much wanted to live and be in Hannah’s world. The book was a joy to read and flowed easily and whilst it was mostly light hearted, it was also thought provoking. I kept thinking at various points, ‘what would I do or what would I have done in that situation?’ The Man I Never Met is one of those stories that stays with you long after you’ve finished it and would make a great film.

Finally, thank you to Penguin Books and NetGalley for allowing me to read an advanced copy.

An absolute corker. I just loved both Hannah and Davey and their friends, their rallying round, their messages and calls. The book is beautiful, sometimes silly, sometimes sad and just oozing with joy as we follow the central characters as they live, fight, love and try and make their lives happy.

3.75⭐️

A big thank you to NetGalley, the publishers and the author for sending me this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Hannah is a twenty something woman living in London, leading a rather peaceful - if sometimes a bit lonely - life. Until a certain misdial from this cute American guy, Davey, who thought he was calling for a job interview in London. After finding the right number, he lands the job. Hannah and Davey decide to keep in touch, and they make plans for when the latter moves to London. A romantic spark ignites and grows with every conversation, every video call - and yeah, all this has the potential for a very cute romance. You await them meeting in real life with bated breath. But then, life happens. Unexpectedly, Davey gets diagnosed with testicular cancer - therefore postponing his departure indefinitely - and makes the annoying “noble” thing to do by “breaking up” with Hannah and asking her to never contact him again. Sigh. Despite this tragedy, life goes on. But is this really the end of this potential love story?

I really liked Hannah and Davey as individuals. His point of view doesn’t come as often as I would have liked, and when it does, the chapters are kind of short, and that’s one of the only things I deplore about this book. The other being my own selfish expectations. I expected this book to be the cutesy - if stereotypically dramatic - romance book, but it ended up tackling heavier subjects, like cancer. Granted, it’s not as heavy as it could have been, and the cancer is only mentioned nned a few times out of Davey’s point of view, but it still hurt. That’s my own fault. I really should do my own research sometimes. But that’s not to say I didn’t like this book - I really enjoyed it.
Another thing I disliked : George’s character. Oh, at first, I liked him just fine. But right after he and Hannah came back from their little vacation, I could tell he wasn’t as pristine as he seemed. He was a passing fancy, and frankly, the red flags were here and there. This guy is a personal trainer, and you can tell body image means too much to him - the occasional passive aggressive comment let up on that. He also kept Hannah at an unnecessary arm’s length and that was so suspicious. What do you mean, after so many months of dating, you’ve never been to this place and you don’t even know where he lives? Dude. This man doesn’t even like dogs (or any animals I assume), that should tell you everything you need to know about George. I wasn’t sad to see him go. Charlotte’s character also was a big no-no. I might be slightly biased - I was rooting for Hannah and Davey so much - but that doesn’t change how unlikable this woman was. Thanks to the author for making it so easy to dislike the other love interests. I don’t like love triangles and I hate feeling torn about characters. This wasn’t the case here.

I’m not going to spoil the ending so I’ll just say the small amount of actual romance will probably disappoint some people if they went into this book expecting it - but it did end up being kind of cute, so I am happy about that.

Let me start off by saying I went into this book without expectations and It entranced me from the first page.. Elle/Lorna you are an amazing author.. you made me fall inlove with the characters and you made me smile... you also broke my heart and then slowly put it back together again and I need more please😊

Okay so back to the review, this book is just so amazing I really enjoyed it. It starts with Hanna receiving a call from an unknown number so she ignores it but the unknown number called again so out of curiosity she answered the call, on the other end was a man from Texas .. his Name is Davey, he wrote down the wrong number and was having an interview with a big architectural firm in london.. so that is where this story starts..

Davey let's Hannah know that he got the job and they start calling and texting one another and later their friendship grew they started video calling. They build this open and honest relationship that is so refreshing while counting down the days to when Davey finally immigrates to London... but life has other plans...

The story is mainly written from Hannah's POV but there are also some from Davey's POV.

Thank you to NetGalley, the publisher, and the author for giving me the opportunity to read an advanced copy of this book in return for an honest review💛

‘It’s how all romances start: with something nice, something easy that brings two people together.’


I had such high expectations going into this story, and it met every single one of them and more. This is definitely one of my new favourite new adult, romance books; one I’d unthinkably recommend to anyone who anyone who is looking for an equally lighthearted yet thought-provoking story which is told just as realistically as it is hilariously. I think Hannah, our main character, is so relatable and real in the way she is portrayed, and her voice is so distinguished… you have no option but to feel close to her.

‘The Man I Never Met’ is a book that does everything well, and the only thing that could have kicked my rating to a full five stars was if there was a bit more of in-real-life Hannah and Daley content. But other than that, perfect!

Ooh I liked this one.
This went to more emotional levels than I expected but was well worth the read.

I felt so invested in Hannah and Davey's relationship from the off. Their video calls were simply adorable. As this progressed I got so frustrated that things weren't working out for them and wanted the resolution.

A fun story with a great ensemble cast.

This does have a delicate storyline and is dealt with so sensitively.

A great all round read.

Thank you NetGalley and CornerStone for this e-ARC. This review is my own opinion.

I give this book 5 out of 5 stars!!! I loved every page and can't wait to read more of Elle Cook's books (specially the ones upcoming).

I am not the best in summarising the narrative so I won't focus on it.
I was so invested in Hannahs and Davids story. I read the book within a few days (and having a baby you not always have time to read) but I made the time. I was desperate to know.

At times I was so frustrated with them and wanted to know what was going on. I was frustrated how Hannah reacted and how insecure she seemed: also hated that Davey pusehd her away due to his circumstances (without giving too many spoilers). But it was so relatable. I wondered what I would have done myself.
I loved the side characters too, beautifully written and described.

When Davey didn't show up to meet Hannah at the airport I thought she just got dumped and thought she would found out that he had cold feet blabla. I did not see coming why Davey did not show up. And I liked it, that I didn't see it coming. If I had read the book as a hard copy I would have been tempted to read a few pages bit further in the book, but with an e book I never seem to to do that. And it was so worth it.

I am glad the details weren't in the book description. Also I usually don't like books that much that stretch over a longer period, but I loved the book. Its not perfect, but it didn't need to be, the storyline is genius and original and I enjoyed reading both sides to the story. I already love Elle Cook after just this one book.

Loved this book. Davey who lives in America misdials a number and speaks to Hannah who lives in England. That phone call changes their lives. The different locations that they travel to are brought to life. Sad at times but inspiring too.

This was far more serious than I had expected.

I liked the main and side characters, they felt fleshed out. I wish we could have seen more of Davey from the start, though. The plot was easily predictable, what I had not anticipated was the reason why the male MC did not make the date. Davey's struggle was portrayed very well, it is explained why in the acknowledgements.

A sweet, yet sometimes very serious, romance. Fitting for this time and age.

I requested this on a whim and I'm so glad I did. This book completely subverted my expectations in the best way. Highly recommend!

Plot: Davey accidently calls Hannah's phone just before Christmas. Davey lives in Texas and Hannah lives in London but they still strike up a friendship. When Davey gets a job in London, they arrange to meet at the airport but instead Hannah finds herself stood at arrivals all alone and with no sign of Davey. When she discovers why he didnt show up both of their lives change.

Review: This was a very thought provoking book that tackles an important subject ( I dont want to give too much away). I loved both Davey and Hannah's characters and there was a lot of great supporting characters as well. It kept you on the edge of your seat and I couldn't stop reading as I wanted to know what would happen next. I would definitely recommend it and I will be seeking out more bòoks by this author as well.

Two lives are about to be changed by one phone call...
When Davey misdials Hannah's number, at first they think nothing of it.
After all, Davey lives in Texas and Hannah lives in London.
But when Davey gets a job in London, their paths are sure to cross. As messaging turns to video calling, this feels like the start of something.
Weeks later, Hannah is waiting for Davey at the airport, but he never walks into Arrivals.
When Hannah finds out why, her world is turned on its head. And with their future so uncertain, each must pick up the pieces of their lives. I would highly recommend this book to… anyone and everyone! This book will stay with you long after you've finished it, and in the most delicious way!

I really enjoyed this book. It was right up my street. The characters were believable and the plot was fun!! I highly recommend it

I really needed some time to wrap my head around this one. It was so impactful for me and I was absolutely surprised by it. It at times reminded me a bit about how it all started for the hubby and me.

Davey accidentally calls the wrong number for his job interview and ends up with Hannah at the other line. They form this incredible long distance bond by just chatting to each other without even having seen each other. Now you might think you know where this leads but you don't.

Seeing Davey's story play out broke my heart as it hit so much so home. Having grown up around people who beat it and having lost people to this horrible horrible disease.

Seeing Hannah grow throughout this story was both heart breaking yet amazing. I love seeing her grow and learn to stand up for herself and just go for it.

This book is by far much deeper than I ever imagined when I picked it up. And the characters are amazing and I felt for them soooo much and found myself rooting for them.

It took me a while to get into this book and even though I did thoroughly enjoy it I felt as though it was missing a little something, hence the 3 stars!

A totally enjoyable read, from this fabulous author lorna/Elle Cook.
Can highly recommend good characters that kept you wanting to read more which is a great sign of a good book .

An enjoyable read, the sort of book that would be fun to take on the beach to while away those hot summer days

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for providing me with an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

3.5 stars rounded down.

I'm not quite sure what to make of this book. I was expecting a cute strangers-to-lovers romcom, something heartwarming and easy and silly. However, the feel good mood is quickly disrupted by the tragic events taking place in the story, and while I devoured this book within a day, I felt uneasy and on edge for most of it. I think the issue discussed in the story is important to voice and I commend the author for an honest portrayal, but for me it kind of missed the mark of what I expected to be an uplifting (if unrealistic and kitschy) love story. The emotions and reactions of the characters to the "tragic event" as well as their development throughout the story was well fledged out and believable, however I felt it left little room to explore the tension/chemistry between them in more detail.

Nevertheless, the story was well written, flowed easily and the characters were likeable. Definitely on the more serious side for a romcom though, so I wouldn't necessarily recommend to anyone who simply wants to escape reality and land in a dream world.

I loved this book. Really invested in Hannah and Davey and couldn't tell what would happen until the very end.

I literally was on the edge of my seat reading the last few chapters. Well written.

5/5

Wow, this book!! It did not go the way I was expecting it to at all - it was much more intense than I was expecting (in the best possible way).

This was one of those books you just can’t put down. With a bunch of loveable characters (and some not so loveable) that had you rooting for them the whole time.

Thank you NetGalley and Random House for this ARC.