Possible trigger - cancer

This was such a cute read about Hannah who mistakenly receives a call from native Texan Davey who mis-dials, not once, but twice for an interview to move overseas.

A relationship builds from there as Davey prepares to move to London. They develop a relationship via phone and video chat. I loved how the relationship was built on a solid foundation versus virtual.

The day Davey is supposed to arrive things happen, but is the connection too strong to keep them apart?

I truly enjoyed this book.

Thanks to netgalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review!

I went into this book hoping it would be a lighthearted read, funny, enjoyable but it turned out quite dull, particularly in the first half which dragged. it felt more like a long conversation than a book and I'm afraid to say I almost dnfed at several points because it was not very interesting to me at all,
- also, completely unrelated but I recently watched [untold: the girlfriend who didn't exist] and the way this book was going I thought it would be the same (which would've been amazing tbh)

things I enjoyed:
- plot picked up later on in the book
- cute ending
- writing felt very conversational, but not entirely in a bad way if that makes sense
- character growth (independently) :)

all in all, this book wasn't bad necessarily, I just feel as if I wasn't the target audience and the plot turned out less enjoyable than what I'd assumed from the blurb. the writing also didn't particularly appeal to me and I felt it was very slow paced.

This was a beautiful modern long distance love story where the author has used some great idea's to make it easier to date from afar! It was a good fun read even the bit in the middle where you just wanted the two of them to stop what they were doing and sort themselves out!
All of the characters were well written including the secondary ones who made for some lovely moments to flesh out the main story and give you some fun along the way.
I found this very easy to read and will be looking out for more by this author in future.

This book is so good! I love it when I’m hooked by the first page and the author gets straight into the story.

Hannah is very much just doing life, living alone in London, working in Marketing and going to the gym… then repeat! One day the phone rings and it’s the wrong number, Davey is calling up from Texas for a job interview in London, he’s dialled Hannah randomly by mistake…. And so begins the most heartbreaking story.

The man I never met is funny, it’s sad, it’s frustrating and it’s uplifting, I thoroughly enjoyed it. Not one character irked me…. Actually there was George from the Gym, he irked me… I would’ve liked to know why he was so secretive but maybe the author wanted us to make our own minds up on that.

Wonderfully written!

Thank you to netgalley and Penguin Random House for a digital arc of the fab book!

A moving story of modern love. Proving that not even the Atlantic stop those destined to be together from finding happiness.

Exploring toxic and healthy relationships as well as highlighting the need to be content in yourself before you can find happiness.

Before I get into the review, I’d advise checking the trigger warnings before picking this up. Don’t let the cover deceive you. This is probably not what you’re expecting.

The first quarter of the novel is everything I look for in a romance: hilarious and passionate, with wonderful supporting players and fantastic chemistry. I thoroughly enjoyed myself and devoured the first few chapters. Davey then fails to arrive at the airport. Now, I read the summary. I knew that he wouldn't show up. I simply wish the reason he wouldn't had been made more obvious. If you don't want spoilers, you should skip the next paragraph.

All of our hopes for a fun romance are dashed when Davey finally gets in touch and informs that he has just been diagnosed with cancer. Since he doesn't want to involve Hannah in his nightmare, they stop talking, and for the majority of the novel, Hannah is with someone else while thinking continuously about the man she has never met. While it was never the intention for us to like George, the middle section felt incredibly slow, and in my opinion, their relationship was borderline toxic and underdeveloped. She truly could have remained single, and it really wouldn't have changed much in the end. I just felt like they didn't make sense together and it didn't add much to the plot.

At Will-They-Won't-They, we have to wait until the last few chapters to learn whether the couple reconciles, and honestly, the pay-off leaves much to be desired. There is a lengthy build-up with many surprises and close calls, and then it ends abruptly in a few sentences. I like slow-burn, but this just wasn’t gratifying.

What I really liked about this book: Davey was a sweetheart and didn't deserve what happened to him; Hannah's friends were the finest; they were amusing and incredibly supportive; and Davey and Hannah's chemistry. The way they interacted was incredible.

What I particularly disliked: Hannah’s lack of a backbone. Someone get this woman a spine from eBay, please!

Long review short, it was alright overall. It wasn't the escapism I seek when reading romance because it was quite heavy. Despite everything, I thought Elle Cook's writing was strong and would read more of her work.

I appreciate Random House UK and Netgalley giving me a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

TW (with spoilers): A character is diagnosed with cancer. Minimal fatphobia.

This book started off really light hearted and had the potential to be a really cute read; then a third of the way through the book took a 360 turn without any warning.
For me it became really heavy going. I read as a form of escapism and this just didn’t do it for me

This was such a sweet read.
The idea for how Hannah and Daveys relationship begins is unique.
Hannah, living in London, recieves a call from an unknown number. Davey who is in Texas has misdialled when calling a company in London for a job interview.
After a brief conversation, they hang up and Hannah thinks nothing more of the call, until she receives a message from Davey later that day.
He got the job and is due to move to London.  They start to message regularly, starting a friendship that gradually develops into more.

I really enjoyed the interactions between Hannah and Davey, seeing their connection and relationship grow.
I felt for Hannah when she was left waiting at the airport for Davey who never arrived and she recieved no communication from him for a while. My heart broke for them when it was revealed why.

I was expecting more of an easy, lighthearted book (perhaps based on the cover), but it was definitely more emotional with some difficult topics covered.
The dual POV throughout the book worked really well to understand their thoughts and emotions towards eachother.

After a strong start to the book, I did find quite a bit of the middle slow.
Their was a lot of focus on Hannah and her relationship with someone else and I was just desperate to see if she would meet Davey!
Towards the end of the book, I was hooked again though and I thought it was wrapped up very nicely.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publishers for allowing me to read an advance copy in exhange for my honest review

At first, I thought it would be a romance. Just like many others. He called her by mistake, they stayed in touch and decided to meet in person cause they feel the spark.

But no!

They did not meet. They have a lot more than this. And the story left me heartbroken, cause it was so vivid, so emotional and important at the same time.

Sometimes it reminds me of one of my fav books ever “one day”, cause we can observe people thought long time, see them changing and realizing what is important for them. I like the slow pace, pinch of insecurity and rash decision when looking for own happiness.

Really entertaining and engaging story to discover

Oh wow, I adored this book. Devoured in a night as I just couldn't put it down. I was so angry at first, thought, then upset throughout. You really didn't know which way this was going and it was brilliant. I cried and loved the ending. It is also really good at touching on the subject that had also touched the author's personal life. Knowing it came from there must have been hard, but also rewarding to think others will get checked out.
I just reviewed The Man I Never Met by Elle Cook. #TheManINeverMet #NetGalley

The plot of this novel had me from the start. Rom-com front cover was so delicious it made me read this one as soon as possible.

I really enjoyed the unique take on this one as it was very realistic and by chance type of situation that makes it a bit different for this genre.

The main character Hannah is a character that is relatable to the average person. From the beginning, the fact that this man had misdialled a number and ended up calling her when he was supposed to be dialling a number for his interview was hilarious. Then, they end up chatting, calling and face-timing each other over the duration of the month. It turns out he does indeed get the job and is to move near Hannah herself.
The fact Hannah is sick and tired of meeting guys online for meaningless dates and finding herself wishing she could just once meet a guy in a different way.

The writing style was fun however it was written in a very American way I noticed compared to other novels set in England. I found the entire narrative to be enticing to keep reading more to find out how it goes and to join Hannah and her friends in this journey. Her next door neighbour, her friends, the gym, just the entire set up was so endearing and it was as if we were along with Hannah in person in this enjoyable journey.

If you are looking for a novel to get lost in, to have fun in a unique romance this is the one! Entertaining and relatable.

This ARC was received in exchange for my honest review.

I LOVED this book! It got me hooked in from the beginning - who knew a wrong number could change your life? I felt the conversations between Hannah and Davey were so real, I found myself smiling along with them. It was about 20% through the book when I thought it was all going so well - what was going to be the problem?

I won't spoil the twists and turns that the plot takes but the characters in the book are so well written I felt like they were my friends as well, except for George. I wondered if the dynamic of their relationship could have been explored a little more in the context of a toxic/unhealthy connection?

I agree with some of my other fellow reviewers who said that they thought the ending was a little rushed (although I loved the sunflower scene) and would really have liked some more detail about how it played out.

Overall, a brilliant book by one of my new favourite authors! Many thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for an advanced copy in exchange for my review.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for letting me read this. My opinions are my own.

I would have loved this story if it weren't for the end. The whole story was so drawn out and there was too much focus on Hannah's relationship with George but we didn't really get to see her and Davey's relationship in the end except for a few paragraphs.

Firstly I'd like to say thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for allowing me to read an e-arc of this book.
It was an absolute delight from first page to last, I could not put it down and was finished in 4 days! (Quick for me).
The book was well written, the storyline in it's self was gripping and kept me hooked. The characters were fun, and enjoyable, all except George (by the end of his part in the storyline I was ready to shout at him, and give him a piece of my mind.
I'm glad the story ends on the note it does, which I feel also leaves it open for another book in the future (at least I hope that could happen).

Going into this I wish I had known cancer was involved. I wasn't expecting it or prepared. But as soon as I managed to move past that I enjoyed the story.

I disliked George which was the point. But part of me wishes she didn't waste time with him. It just didn't feel natural.
I spent most of the book just waiting for Davey and Hannah to reconnect. I wish it had happened sooner.

The writing was fast paced and after I moved past cancer being part of the book I just flew through this. Not wanting to put it down. I will definitely read more by Elle Cook in the future.

A book that highlights how lives can be changed instantly with a single action. Hannah accidentally receives a call from American Davey who has misdialled her from Texas where he is applying for a new job. They laugh about it and ring off but later he texts Hannah to let her know he got the job,

From here a relationship begins to blossom but it’s not all plain sailing. Davey plans to move to the UK and Hannah goes to the airport to meet him but he doesn’t appear. Why? What’s happened?

There are some sensitive subjects covered in this book but I think they are handled well and with sensitivity. I would have loved a little bit more story at the end of how things turned out but an enjoyable read and grab the tissues!

I loved loved loved this book. Talk about fate. I think the concept of this plotline was amazing. I've never read anything like this previously. I think the idea that two people can fall in love without ever meeting is such a pure and lovely idea. I loved the side characters, I loved the plot, I loved the development.

I absolutely loved it. Was hooked from page 1. I read this while on holiday and bathing by the pool I was sitting with a huge smile on my face one minute then hiding tears behind my sunglasses the next. I would 100% recommend this book amd if your a Paige Toon, Lindsey Kelk, Beth O'Leary fan then this book is definitely one for you to read.

The book just felt so real. British girl gets a random phone call from American boy who is interviewing for job in London. Hannah wishes him good luck and the rest is history. The friendship goes from texting to calling to facetime to arranging to meet at the airport but not all is plane sailing.

Thank you @netgalley for the book

My first holiday read for the week...and this one gets off to a very fast start! By the end of the first chapter I was engrossed!

I loved the concept. Hannah is in East London, going about her normal routine as we all do and she gets a call from a strange number. It is Davey, who has misdialled her from Texas when trying to contact someone else in London. It could have been the end of a very short story...but their relationship develops.

As quickly as the story draws you in, it also throws you around a bit with some unexpected twist and turns and some characters that serve a purpose but are not very likeable...

Overall I enjoyed it, the first few chapters were my favourite and it does leave you wondering whether it is possible to fall in love with someone you've never met 🤷🏼‍♀️

Released in the UK on 24th November 2022.

Thank you to @netgalley and @randomhouseuk for the opportunity to review.

#libraryatsevern #bookworm #book #reading
#bookstagramuk #londonreader #bookreviewfeature #bookreview #bibliophile #bookstagrammers #readersofinstagram #reader #igreads #themaninevermet #bookblogger #goodreads #bookshelf #bookreviewer #randomhouse #netgalley #bookstragram #bookstagrammer

This book was definitely slow-paced. It starts off with a long-distance relationship where Davey has misdialed and reached Hannah. They go back and forth for a bit. The main 'conflict' in this book that the characters need to overcome to have an emotionally gratifying ending is
Details
and that should have been the only 'conflict'.

The crapy partner's plot was not needed for either of them, it frankly didn't add anything for me, and it made me respect Hannah less. If a guy says the only thing I wanted from you was to get on birth control, so I don't have to wear a condom, you walk away. In Hannah's case, she ignores all the red flags and stays for longer than she should have. George sucked. It didn't help that this part of the book felt even slower than the rest. I like slow-burn, but these chapters were boring.

You know how for Spanish Love Deception, the book could've been solved if they just talked to each other at the start honestly - the same could've happened here. The main leads just needed to get over themselves; he thought he was a burden when the people around had made clear he was not (therapy is the answer), and she frankly lacked a spine. The ending was like two lines and an overview of like a year wasn't the emotionally gratifying ending you want in a romance.

Thanks to Netgalley and Random House, as I received an ARC of this book via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Book #189 of 2022.