I really loved this book it’s a bit like a film in a book. Obviously a rom-com but with a bit more
It follows the story of Gem and Shanti two girls who have been friends since they were little they know everything about each other and their lives
So when Shanti who’s training to be a clinical psychologist but deep down wants to be a fashion designer but not a normal one, one who takes clothes and turns them into fantastic items of clothing that anyone would be impressed to wear. But Ashantis parents don’t agree and want her to get her degree and a sensible job! So she is doing the trial into wether you having the ‘ick ‘ with someone is a real warning or just plain daft
Gem is her subject but Gem has a number of ick’s like eating a bowl of soup !
Anyway her first date is with Atlas silly name but she will give it a go she chooses a pub which good escape routes and walks in sees a guy leaning against the bar really attractive and fit but then he turns and smiles and he’s really nice. Hi there I am Gem and you are Atlas and off they go until he says does she mind if he orders soup he’s starving! Urgh !
She doesn’t know where she’s going to look whilst he eats it but then to her relief they have sold out so he makes do with crisps.
Then as they move to a nearby table Gem notices the huge bag he’s carrying urgh another ick it makes him look like a snail the bag being his house
Oh no how many more icks can one guy have ?
Gem needs this money desperately her mum was injured years ago and is in a wheelchair hers has broken and she is in a replacement which is terrible so Gem needs the money from the trial to buy a lightweight new chair
How is she going to stand all those weeks with him if he has this many icks in their first meet
It doesn’t bode well for their future

Gem has a rule when dating. If she gets an 'ick', then she doesn't date that person again. It could be something big, like their smell or something small but irritating, like how loudly her date breathes. She thinks that it's her intuition telling her of a hidden red flag.
Her best friend, Shanti, thinks she is just too picky. Gem has just aborted a date because Atlas, her date, said he had soup for lunch, an ick for Gem inspite of eating soup herself. Shantie is needing subjects for her psychologist degree dissertation and persuades Gem to carry on dating Atlas to see if her intuition is correct and she finds that the ick was right. The fee will buy her mum a new, much needed wheelchair.
Light hearted, and frothy. I found the idea a bit silly but liked all the characters whose backgrounds and thinking made sense.

The Ick by Holly McCulloch is a wonderfully fresh and hilarious romantic comedy that dives deep into the complexities of attraction, relationships, and the phenomenon of the "ick"—that sudden, often inexplicable feeling of repulsion that arises when someone you’re initially interested in suddenly feels all wrong.

Gem is a woman who, despite meeting what seems like the perfect man on paper, can’t help but be turned off by small quirks that set off her "ick" radar. It could be something as minor as the way they laugh, their choice of clothing, or their strange obsession with silk dressing gowns. Gem believes it's her intuition warning her that they’re simply not compatible, but her housemate Shanti, who is training to be a clinical psychologist, challenges her. To test the validity of her gut feelings, Shanti offers Gem a deal: participate in her study on intuition, with one catch—Gem must go on a series of dates, including with Atlas, a man who ticks all the boxes on paper but sets off Gem's ick alarm from the start.

What follows is a delightful, often hilarious, and sometimes awkward journey of Gem trying to push past her initial revulsion to give Atlas a chance. As she goes on more dates with him, her feelings begin to shift, but of course, there’s the added tension of Atlas discovering that he’s part of an experiment. What begins as a test of intuition slowly transforms into something more meaningful, and Gem is forced to confront her insecurities and her complicated relationship with her mother, which plays a significant role in her aversion to emotional vulnerability.

McCulloch skilfully weaves a romance that is not only funny but also heartwarming, exploring how we often let past experiences shape our approach to love and relationships. Gem’s journey towards self-discovery is both entertaining and moving, as she learns to confront her fears, open up to others, and challenge her preconceived notions about what makes someone truly compatible.

The chemistry between Gem and Atlas is palpable, with their back-and-forth banter and unexpected moments of tenderness making for a swoon-worthy read. At the same time, the book doesn’t shy away from exploring the deeper emotional layers that drive Gem’s actions and her struggles to navigate her feelings.

If you're looking for a romantic comedy that’s more than just cute dates and funny moments, The Ick is a fantastic read. It’s sexy, funny, and ultimately heartwarming, and McCulloch delivers a refreshing take on modern romance that will leave you both laughing and reflecting on your own experiences with love.

Read more at The Secret Book Review.

A cutie rom com about a girl, Gem, who goes on dates with people, only to get ‘the ick’ and never see them again. Her best friend Shanti is studying clinical psychology, and wants to do a study on if this intuition is real or not. Gem needs the money, so she agrees to do the study and go on a subsequent dates with a guy named Atlas. Little did she know, the ick was something bigger.

I really enjoyed this read because of how realistic it felt. It helped that the friend was essentially a therapist, but the main characters have some depth to each of them that make them feel relatable. I appreciated that Shanti and Gem pushed each other in a way that felt like real friendship would.

Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC!

4.75⭐️

no i’m sorry but the first initial ick of someone eating soup by choice resonated so personally with me it’s unhinged how valid i thought gem was

i genuinely just really loved this story, at the beginning the fmc was getting on my nerves but the more i read i could understand her thought process and where she was coming from, and seeing her battle with her feelings humanised her more as she genuinely felt like she was doing the right thing - and on the other end, i love how those closest to her held her accountable and she accepted it

moving on, i think i might be a teeny tiny bit in love with atlas too tbh, i can’t explain it but the way that man is not afraid to show his emotions and wear his heart on his sleeve?? i was eating GOOD thank you miss holly, he is such a sunshine man with a sunshine heart and i think he was just so perfect for gem
it’s only small, but i wish we found out what his tattoo was and the meaning behind it because i feel for him it would be sentimental - also, how his brownies were??

the relationships in this book were really wholesome and felt realistic, the friendship between tee and gem was imo beautifully done, i like how there they are for each other. the family dynamics with gem, her mum and uncle mike were such an entertaining read too i’m really glad we got to experience them

as someone who grew up with a family member in a wheelchair i know all too well the anxiety of anticipating how other people will perceive the disability, the three reactions gem notes, and the sadness of that realisation as a whole as it shouldn’t be a factor to treat someone differently

the reason this just missed 5⭐️ for me is i wish we had a tiny bit more growth for gem in her workplace - i know her last interaction with martin was a step in the right direction but i wish we got to see her get her credit where it was due

thank you so much to dialogue books and netgalley for the arc, i feel better knowing i got to live life reading this one 💌

First book of Holly’s I’ve read. It was a slow burn romance which was very enjoyable. I was really intrigued by the title knowing that a lot of discussion is often had about being given the ‘ick’.
I cannot wait to read some more by Holly and thank you for the eARC to do so!

I'm really struggling to think of anything positive to say so that I can do a complement sandwich but all I can think of is that I liked the character of uncle Mike.
I couldn't bring myself to like Gem. Her overdramatising everything out of all proportion was just irritating rather than humorous or endearing. I didn't understand why Atlas would want to spend more time with her as she was never particularly nice to him and we never really got to know him well enough to understand him.
The whole premise was that she got an ick feeling from him based on the size of his bag but she apparently had no issue with the fact that he was winking at everyone left right and centre (admittedly she did reference that about three quarters of the way through but only in passing and was still fixated on the bag).
I kept thinking of the writing advice to show not tell and I wish the author had taken this on board more. There were several times it felt like she just didn't know how to address a scene she wanted to write so skipped it and told us what happened instead (the sex scene is a perfect example of this and talk about giving someone an ick - even thinking about it is making my skin crawl).
There are more things I didn't like but don't want to go on so now I need to think of something nice to finish my sandwich...I still like the concept, which is why I picked it in the first place.

Thank you to Dialogue Books, Holly McCulloch and NetGalley for providing me with an ARC of this book.

The premise of this story is what drew me in at first to this book. However, I am saddened to have had to DNF this at 20%. Being written in third person, I knew I would struggle when I started reading but I felt the story was dragging and overall I was just not enjoying it, however I’m certain there will be others that will devour this book and love it. Unfortunately, this was not the book for me but I am grateful for the opportunity to read it ahead of the release date.



(Not giving a rating so as to not negatively affect the overall rating of this book during it’s release week)

Every time Gem goes on a date, she finds something wrong with the man. It might be the tiniest thing, it might not even be logical, but without fail it sends her running. Until it occurs to her flatmate that this congenital case of The Ick makes the perfect case study, and with a little monetary encouragement, Gem finds herself dating the same man more than once. Which leads to quite the predicament.
It took me a while to get into this. Third person present tense isn’t my favourite and it felt slow to begin with, but Gem and Atlas on the page together were a delight, and I enjoyed how their relationship developed, particularly Gem’s gradual realisation of her feelings. The drama is low-key and entirely realistic, the wry observations and sense of humour are very British, and the supporting cast is just quirky enough to be believable. I’m very glad I persevered, because this turned out to be a memorable read and I’m now on the lookout for other books by this author.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

A cute story about intuition, commitment issues, falling in love, and of course, the ick!

This was a fast paced book full of romance and banter.

As someone who all too often suffers from the ick, I found this to be such a funny and relatable read!

I loved the relationship between Gem and her flatmate Shanti, and I loved Gem’s relationship with her family too

I thought the disability representation was brilliant and done very well

Overall, a really lighthearted and enjoyable read. Thank you so much to Dialogue Books, Holly McCulloch, and NetGalley for providing me with an ARC of this book!

An unbelievably cute romance, full of laugh out loud moments that had me kicking my feet and giggling. The characters were lovable and the whole story was just just heart melting!

I really loved this book, so many of us get icks or things that put us off. But this shows that some of these icks can be pre judged or should be ignored before you get to know the person.

Never judge a book by its cover, they say. So, maybe also don't judge your date by your "ick"?

Gem would love to go on a second date with a guy, but whenever she meets up with a potential new man, she soon feels "the ick" which has her running for the hills. Her latest case of "the ick" was soup for lunch. Yes, I rolled my eyes, too. So did Gem's best friend who just happens to need a case study for her studies and manages to talk Gem into going out with Atlas (the soup for lunch eater) again. Maybe, if Gem challenged herself and her "ick" she could actually find love.

It's a cute story about intuition and falling in love, of course. I struggled with the third-person present tense narration though, not my preferred narration style.

I enjoyed the Ick by Holly McCulloch, which has a bit more depth than the average romcom, and is all the better for it. It’s well-written and amusing, though more Rom than Com.

Enemies to lovers in this funny, spicy romantic novel. Relatable characters, brilliant one-liners. Atlas was the swoon ands Gem was too busy with her intuition of The Ick that she didn’t realise she was falling in love. Great storyline, lovely light breadth LOL in all the right places.

Gem has dates. course she does. but she has dates which every time have an ick. it can be anything but its always something. her flat mate Shanti steps in. she doesnt believe Gem is dumping these blokes because of a blink in the wrong direction(i joke but only just). Shanti wants Gem to join her experimental paid study. a study on whether the ick is real. Gem doesnt ponder for long as she needs the money. and so we have Atlas. who she you guessed it find the ick with. but she cant just leave because of the study. so the dates continue. and so does their growing relationship. but what happens when the study ends. or if Atlas finds out.
i was frustrated with our main character because i felt she was just using what she was calling the ick as an excuse. but also i didnt. because she was lovely. and i could see why she was the way she was. and i also really held out hope for her meeting someone. or giving a someone a chance. i thought her relationship with Shanti was great. although i thought Shanti should try and help her in a better way than a experiment which was bound to go wrong!
enter atlas and the 2nd and 3rd dates and i was willing these two to keep going. but then also dreading when Atlas found out what was actually going on here. and didnt like the thought of the "split for a bit" trope because these two just needed to be together.
the side characters in this book all made it was it was. they all had their perfect parts to play and i love when a book has this success to it. where all the working parts go to make it all the better. and that is success in itself as it takes talent to make said side characters not just part of the story to "tick boxes" or move the plot along.

Honestly it was a predictable romance but it was written well and with a different story working in the back ground for our main character which got me emotional. I would read one of Hollys books again

Thank you to Dialogue Books, Netgalley, and Holly McCullogh for gifting me an advanced reader copy of The Ick in exchange for a honest review.

The Ick is a romantic comedy in which Gem is secretly paid to date a guy for her housemate’s study on whether intuition (The Ick) is real or not.

I found that Gem was a hard character to warm up to. Some of her initial thoughts about Atlas were very mean - comparing him to a snail many times amongst many other icky things. Yikes! Only Gem’s love and selflessness in caring for her mother redeemed her for me. In contrast, Atlas was perfection - hot and kind. Truthfully, I wasn’t sure whether I wanted Gem to end up with Atlas or not.

I loved the plot though, and Gem and Atlas’s dates were lots of fun. I loved the dynamics between the housemates and their local corner shop guy. Every Londoner knows about the importance of that relationship - so good to have them on your side!

I also loved the diversity of the characters in the story, and the author’s note at the end was important. I’m glad she included her perspective. I would definitely pick up another McCullogh book - this was a well-written story that won me over in the end.

A delicious slow burn romance, this novel is hugely enjoyable. The characters were funny, well written and it was great to explore their journey.

Gem can never last more than 1 date with men, there's always something to put her off. She says its intuition, her flatmate says she has a commitment problem .Can she overcome Atlas' ick on more than 1 date to prove it's intuition? A fab romcom, enthralling, I couldn't wait to see if their relationship would work out. Holly Mc Culloch never fails to please .