The Love Hack is an easy and light read that could be easily picked up by most readers. It centres around Lucy, a (sometimes) endearing character who shares many of the self doubts and insecurities that the rest of us share and you can relate to her as a result. She is starting a new job in a world she is unfamiliar with, as well as balancing several things in her personal life; past loves and potential future loves being the key theme. The book doesn't hold many surprises, you know pretty quickly where it's going to go and what is going to happen but I feel you usually know this is the case when you pick up this style of book.

However, I found as the book went on, Lucy started to come across like a serial self-sabotager and self-pitier. Every page she would question herself and things happening around her; be it her job, her sister, her crush etc. and it became a little exhausting. I understand that a lot of this self-doubt comes from a past experience but I felt rather than Lucy experiencing real growth, she just became more irritating. I felt like grabbing her by the shoulders and giving her a good shake half the time!

If you're looking for an easy read that you will speed through, then this is worth picking up but I would go in knowing you'll predict what is going to happen straight away and the characters won't make a lasting impression. I finished it so I think that speaks for itself which is why I am giving it 3 stars instead of 2, despite my feelings I still wanted to reach the end which isn't always the case.

Thank you to NetGalley and Storm Publishing for letting me read this before its publication.

Going into this I expect it to be a cute romance/ romcom. There was very little romance aspects to this book. I enjoyed the story but didn’t LOVE it. Lucy was a good main character who was finding her way through insecurities and past relationship problems/ trauma. I really enjoyed the bond between Lucy and her sister & her cat was an adorable addition!!

Ross was a sweet caring male character who I would have loved to know more about. I wish I got more Lucy and Ross moments.

I don’t love all the mentions of modern technology (AI) and some specific references to people like Andrew Tate.

Overall, the idea was super cute and unique and I enjoyed it. I would definitely read more by this author.

Ok! Is it me or the rom-com plots are all the same?

Probably me,as i haven’t been able to like rom-coms /romance books as i used to. And to me, it's all the same.
Did i enjoy this??maybe only while i was reading the book.but i don't think i will be reading or talking about the book again.

Overall, this was maybe a 3 star read at most for me. I didn't love it, but I didn't hate. I know some people who would love this story, but it was lacking in my opinion.

I found Lucy to be both annoying and relatable. She makes it very clear through multiple mentions that she has no clue when it comes to men, yet somehow ends up writing an advice column for a men's website. She was relatable because she had a bad situationship with a man previously and it had made her reluctant to get involved again. This is an experience that I feel like most woman go through. Ross was just okay. Lucy describes him at first as midling; midling height, looks, eye color. He seems to have an instant connection to Lucy and wants something to happen with her, yet does nothing about it for most of the book. Instead, he writes to the advice column about his current lackluster relationship hoping for Lucy to somehow know it's him and give him a sign that she likes him too, such a middle school move.

The little bit of spice, family drama, and work drama were the things that kept me reading. It was just okay.

TW: Infidelity. Mentions of Terrorism & 9/11.

Thank you NetGalley and Storm Publishing for early access to this arc.

I wish I would have loved this more. It started off with promise, but as the story developed, the main element I was here for (adorable romance) was almost secondary to all the other things happening. While the main characters were likable enough and some of the British wit was charming a quirky, I just wish it gave a little more. I still truly appreciate the opportunity to read this early copy, and I am sure this will be a great hit for the right audience!

This was a fun and lighthearted read for me. The story was fun and kept me engaged. The beginning was a little slow but picked up in the middle. I did feel like the main character was a little too insecure for me at times. The ending also seemed a bit rushed and I felt like there was too much going on. I would consider this more of a women’s fiction rather than a rom-com.

the love hack was a delightful and breezy read, ideal for a relaxing summer afternoon!

while it begins at a leisurely pace, it quickly picks up speed, compelling me to eagerly turn the pages to discover its ultimate resolution and while romance certainly plays a part, the heart of the narrative lies in its exploration of themes such as family dynamics, the bonds of friendship, and the resilience of sisterhood.

the novel pleasantly surprised me with its focus on these deeper connections and i’d love to read more from this author.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for sending me an ARC in return for an honest review.

Personally, this book was really not good. I think it had potential at first, but had a lot of issues with it. Lucy was unlikeable, her personality was very flat and she had a lot of insecurities that seemed easy to get past and issues she kind of brought upon herself. I really disliked the whole 'writing a column about advice for men with women written by a woman pretending to be a man' plot.. It just heightened the toxic masculinity card. Also, Lucy knew nothing about relationships and started using AI??? Huh? There could have been a better plot for sure with that one. Also, I went in to this with the initial intention it was a love story only for it to be so minimal and mainly focusing on Lucy, her issues and her sister/her sister's relationship. Lucy playing detective towards the end with her sister's husband was bizarre. Ross basically seeing Lucy's sister's friend for the majority of the book was annoying to the point where the romance couldn't even grow between Ross and Lucy. The characters really lacked personality, depth and likability. I do not recommend this one.

Lucy is about to lose her job and is only able to prevent this by becoming a (supposedly) male agony-uncle. Now she has to find answers to various men's relationship problems while with struggling with her own love-live and worrying about her sister.
The book was fairly entertaining but the FMC is so insecure she sometimes is almost annoying. Also I kept wondering if in this day and age someone would really earn a living writing a weekly agony column and nothing more? Seems unlikely, especially as Lucy writes her column with the help of AI - and even tells her boss about that. Why wouldn't they fire her and just keep using the chatbot?
I also would have liked to see the love story developing a bit more, as it was it went from a crush on a co-worker to a serious relationship with hardly any steps (or even conversations) in between - that really didn't convince me. Apart from that I found the book to be quite entertaining.

Landing a new job as online agony uncle “Ask Adam” Lucy dishes out relationship tips to men. But when it comes to her own love life, she’d rather spend Friday nights curled up on her sofa with Netflix and her cat, Astro. That is, until she meets Ross, her new co-worker who makes her snort with laughter at his silly jokes and sets off butterflies in her stomach when his hazel eyes meet hers over his laptop.

After her last work boyfriend broke her heart, Lucy swore she’d never fall for someone in the office again. And she’s just about to have two more good reasons not to. An email has just landed in the “Ask Adam” inbox and Lucy is convinced it’s from Ross. He’s most definitely not single.

This was a fun read for me. I enjoyed the humor a lot. As an American, it's always fun to read British authors and learn more about Britishisms. I felt like Lucy's character wasn't really developed as well as it could have been, so the romance fell a little short for me. Overall, it was an entertaining read!

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the advanced digital reader's copy (ARC) in exchange for an honest review!

First off, thank you NetGalley and Storm Publishing for granting me access to this book in exchange for an honest review.

The Love Hack proved to be an enjoyable and light-hearted read, perfect for a leisurely summer afternoon! Although it starts off slowly, it quickly gains momentum, captivating me to keep flipping the pages to uncover the eventual outcome. While romance plays a role, the heart of the story lies in its exploration of themes such as family dynamics, the bonds of friendship, and the strength of sisterhood. Despite being marked as a romantic comedy akin to Emily Henry's style, the novel pleasantly surprised me with its emphasis on these deeper connections. Personally, I would suggest reading this book expecting a general women's fiction novel rather than a romantic comedy.

<I>Synopsis:</I>
The story resolves around Lucy, a magazine writer facing the looming shift of her publication to an online platform. To secure her job, she proposes an innovative "Ask Adam" column, offering advice to male readers. However, she encounters two challenges: Firstly, she develops feelings for a colleague who is already romantically involved with one of her sister's friends. (After her last work boyfriend broke her heart, Lucy swore she'd never fall for someone in the office again.) Secondly, she struggles to provide genuine advice and turns to an online AI assistant for help decoding romantic troubles, including her own. Can her state-of-the-art cupid really help her navigate her feelings for Ross? Or will the truth behind "Ask Adam" turn her non-existent love life into a hot mess?

<I> My Thoughts: </I>
It was wonderful to witness Lucy's transformative journey as she evolves into a confident and self-assured individual, navigating the intricacies of being a supportive partner while staying true to her own boundaries. Her growth is beautifully portrayed as she learns the importance of standing up for herself while also fostering meaningful relationships. The bond between Lucy and her sister Amelie shines through, highlighted by Lucy's unwavering support, even across continents. The gradual development of Lucy and Ross's relationship from friendship to something more is a delightful blend of mutual longing, playful banter, palpable tension, and a tiny sprinkle of spice! 🩵💛🩵💛

Overall, it's a charming and light-hearted women's fiction read that I thoroughly enjoyed! I do recommend if your looking for a break from the heavy hitters or a good palate cleanse. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

✨ 3.5 stars rounded up to 4 stars ✨

the premise of this book sounded super cute and reminded me of a book I had read before but I unfortunately just could not get into it. I did not feel very connected to the characters. 💻💛

Thank you to Netgalley & Storm Publishing for the e-ARC of this book.

This book has the lowest rating on goodreads for a book I've actually read - and I'm glad I didn't pay attention and not read it. I definitely think there was room for improvement, but I don't think it was bad. Listen, I read over 300 books a year. Some are excellent, some are good, but not memorable, and some are just bad. I definitely read enough to know a bad book when I see one. The Love Hack had all the makings for a pretty good book, but it just needed some further editing to push it to another level.

The writing itself was not bad. I consider bad writing to include poor syntax, unnecessary repetition of the same words and phrases, lack of clarity, etc. This novel doesn't have any of that. The writing itself was pretty decent. I think where this novel struggled is the content and character development. The author put too much focus on several ideas instead of focusing on one or two and doing those really well. As a result, the entire storyline felt undeveloped or incomplete.

This novel is marketed as a rom-com, but it should be more about women's fiction with a romance subplot. Lucy had a relationship that went bad and hasn't bothered to work through what happened, so she is instead perennially single during a time when her sister is getting married. This brings up a lot of emotions during a time when the single sister could easily feel lonely and maybe start the beginnings of thinking about moving on: enter Ross. A large portion (maybe a third) of the book focused on her developing crush on Ross, her colleague, but we were told not shown a lot of their conversations - so the crush felt pretty one sided. Only a small portion near the end of the novel actually included more interactions with them; had more of them been included throughout the novel, it would have been more believable. Ross had the potential to be a great character, but he just wasn't developed fully.

Instead, another third of the novel follows Lucy starting a new advice column for men by a man (but really, it's actually Lucy) and her use of AI to help her think of responses (the ethics are questionable, and I wasn't impressed with how it was treated near the end). While the last third of the novel follows her sister's relationship (I really didn't understand the strong focus on this).

Based on the authors note, she was really inspired by the development of AI. So, I really feel that had she focused more on Lucy's job and social/romantic life, and edited out the sister drama, this novel definitely would have been more cohesive.

With that being said, I still think it was a decent novel. It kept me engaged. I liked the NYC bit, even though it felt a bit out of left field. I did like the writing, and I strongly believe Sophie Ranald has the makings of a really good author as long as she focuses a bit more on combing together a more complete and cohesive story instead of trying to fit too much into one novel.

3.50⭐

So I managed to select another Single POV story … but I really didn’t hate it.
Okay, bear with me for this one...
Lucy’s story is more than just your typical romance novel where I kinda expect a double POV by now. First there was the Fab! reform which lead to a new job at Max. Not only giving Lucy a new job (or ‘Ask Adam’ personality) to figure out, but also a whole new workplace dynamic to navigate. On top of that, a big part of the book is about her relationship with her younger sister and what is going on with Amelia after her wedding day.

Yes, of course there also is that sparkle of attraction with her new & hunky coworker Ross. Which also brought back memories of a bad office romance from the past. But it was not the main and only focus of the book.
With all the different aspects going on for Lucy, I did enjoy that we only got Lucy’s POV and discover what is next for every aspect instead of only the romance focus of Lucy and Ross.

The characters felt real and relatable, with some awkward situations and quirky thoughts. Some of the internal dialog or thought process felt quite recognizable, just like the blushing and a bit of cluelessness.
Plus all the contemporary settings and current trends like AI, made this feel like a real life story that could be happening in the office next door.

In short, this is an enjoyable read for anyone who likes the story to go beyond just a romance.

Thank you to Storm Publishing and NetGalley for the chance to read a free advanced copy of this ebook in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you #Netgalley

Another hilarious Sophie Ranald read! When Lucy is about to lose her job, she quickly comes up with an idea to save her career, "Ask Adam" where she behind a screen poses as a man answering community questions. During this time she is forced to question her own takes and those from a male perspective. All while working in her new office and learning the people dynamics. Rom com vibes, mixed with laugh out loud moments.

Meh

I didn’t love this book but I didn't hate it either. it fell a little flat for me and couldn’t really connect with any of the characters.
I will give another book by this author a go because it might just be this book for me.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for allowing me to have an ARC in return for an honest review.

The title is a bit deceptive. The protagonist, Lucy, is a journalist for a women's magazine tech column who finds herself in a bind when her magazine decides to downsize. To save her job, she pitches a new column and finds herself navigating a new office environment with a group of male colleagues. Settling into her new role Lucy grapples with an avalanche of readers' dilemmas with no idea how to deal with either them or her new co-workers. The characters are drawn a bit too stereotypically. The interactions between Lucy and Ross resemble a comedy of errors largely due to their disastrously poor communication skills. This dynamic, while frustrating, does add a relatable and humorous touch to the story. The romantic element is extremely thin, mostly focusing on non-romantic relationships such as family and pets. It was an easy read, but just not the expected story based on the description.

A delightful journey into the complexities of modern dating, wrapped in humor and heartfelt moments. This novel is a smart, contemporary romance that cleverly uses the theme of technology and dating apps to explore relationships and love in today's digital age. The protagonist's experiences with online dating apps were both hilariously and painfully relatable, making me root for her throughout her ups and downs. The narrative strikes a fantastic balance between light-hearted fun and touching on deeper, emotional issues related to seeking connection and companionship.

Lucy Masters has lost her job as a columnist at a women's magazine and seeks help from her biggest support and sister, Amelie. Amelie and Lucy are very close, and Lucy is starting to feel the strain of her sister's upcoming wedding and fears losing her altogether. Amelie does her best to have things remain as they are (as much as she can, at least) and helps her brainstorm new career paths. Together, they come up with the idea of Lucy starting an advice column for men called "Ask Adam". This seems to be a great idea. The only problem is Lucy knows absolutely nothing about men! How can she pull this off?
As emails start rolling in, Lucy finds herself turning to her sister for help. Amelie is happy to give her sister advice, however, at some point she decides she needs to stop. Now Lucy is forced to do her job, by herself- it wouldn't be that big of an issue if she wasn't so clueless! On top of this, Lucy had the biggest crush on her colleague, Ross. Ross is handsome, funny, and seems to be attracted to Lucy too.. until she sees him hooking up with one of her sister's bridesmaids. This puts Lucy in an awkward 6 is she reading the signs wrong? Are there even signs? She has no idea, most of it being because she doesn't know men!
I enjoyed reading this book. I loved the sister dynamic and love how they supported each other (Amelie with Lucy's column/ guy problems and Lucy with Amelie's wedding planning). Yes, Lucy signed up for a job she didn't know how to do, but watching her grow from being placed in that position was refreshing. Lucy went from swearing off men after being hurt from her last relationship to willingly and openly giving it a shot, and learned a lot about relationships along the way.
Thank you NetGalley, Storm Publishing, and Sophie Ranald for this ARC!

The love hack by Sophie Ranald follows the story of Lucy. Lucy becomes a columnist offering relationship advice to men. In her new role she encounters Ross, her new colleague, to whom she is very attracted to. However, her past experiences prohibit Lucy to pursue him.

I did enjoy the book overall, and I did think the development of their romantic relationship was well paced and the writing style was great. It was everything I would expect from a romance book and I thought the concept of the book using AI as a tool was very new and interesting.