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 .

I loved the romance in this book - it's gradual development as Atlas and Gem learned more about each other and their genuine connection. The only issue being the manufactured start - if Gem had followed her intuition it wouldn't have been able to develop as Atlas gave Gem 'the Ick'.

It's clear that this is Gem's way to protect herself, and it was wonderful to see what happens when she is forced to break down her barriers. And who wouldn't want to be with Atlas - he was wonderful. My real question was why did he persevere when Gem is really rather rude and standoffish initially. I was waiting to find out he was conducting his own study as to how to make someone fall in love with him when they are clearly not into him, but no; it turns out Atlas is just downright lovely.

I'm not a big fan of the third act breakup - I couldn't understand what made Gem's actions such a massive issue that couldn't be resolved by good communication, but that didn't distract from this great little read.

I loved this book! The title instantly intrigued me as ‘the ick’ is so commonly used now. It is the perfect romcom book with great characters. To begin with, Gem really annoyed me! Her ick’s seemed so…petty? But as the book goes on and you learn more about her character and background, I can understand why she was the way she was! Atlas was such a lovely, genuine character who had his own difficulties growing up. Shanti was just fantastic, I’d love to be her friend! All in all, a great book and would recommend to everyone - especially if you love a romcom with some depth to the characters!

Gemma easily gets the ick, leading her to a lot of first dates. Often they're for petty reasosns as hearing they eat soup for lunch or carry an large backpack. Which is exactly why she feigns an emergency to leave her first date with Atlas. A little fed up with Gemma's attitude, best friend and clinical psychology student Shanti offers to pay her to participate in her final study. All she needs to do is agree to dating Atlas for six weeks to see if she can overcome her ick.

This was such a fabulous read. Gemma's fear of emotional intimacy and rejection is relatable, but she was so frustrating, especially at the end when she refuses to tell Atlas about the study. She's someone whose been closed off to everyone except her disabled mum, uncle and best friend after childhood experiences taught her to be disappointed by people. Atlas was such a sweetheart, his backstory was heartbreaking but gives insight as to why he's a solid and dependable man who keeps surprising Gemma at every turn. He knew to give Gemma space while showing he saw her and wanted to be with her. If I had any complaint it would be that I found the research study unbelievable. For any studies involving human test subjects, you need ethics approval well in advance of any study (and I also doubt you'd be paid that much!).

Another heartfelt and charming rom com from Holly McCulloch.

Thanks to Renegade Books and NetGalley for the ARC.

Gem and Atlas... What can I say...
At first I wasn't too sure what to make of them both, but now?
I love them!
I also loved Gem and Shanti's friendship.
Uncle Mike... Uncle Mike... He had me giggling!
I'm off to reread this now!

A fun easy to read romance based on a prevalent concept of modern society - the ick!

I didn’t find the female main character relatable because of these ridiculous perceived icks but it did make for some laugh out loud moments. There is a more tender side for the reasons behind her motives and I found like MC likeable if not a bit intense why he was so interested in seeing this FMC who was so clearly uninterested.

In true rom-com style there were definitely some cheesy moments but it didn’t put me off, a bit too much football in the storyline but that’s me personally, my husband loved that I was reading about main characters that were bonding over football (my personal ick haha)

Overall your typical romcom story which is a good read but nothing exceptional.

TROPES:
🎐Golden Retriever MMC,
🎐Miscommunication Trope,
🎐Stubborn FMC
🎐Disability Rep

I was THIS CLOSE to throwing my Kindle when Gem ditched a date over "soup". But somehow, this book totally won me over.

Gem is the queen of The Ick - every guy she dates has *something* that makes her run for the hills. But when her best friend ropes her into a psychology experiment, she agrees to keep dating Atlas (a guy she already wrote off) just to prove her theory that The Ick is real. Except… it turns out, maybe it’s not.

This book had me cackling with its deadpan humor and painfully relatable dating struggles. I loved the chemistry, the slow realization that Atlas is actually GREAT, and the way it captured those early relationship butterflies. Atlas is the ultimate cinnamon-roll hero (seriously, what a patient man), and while Gem frustrated me A LOT, her growth made the journey worth it.

A quick, fun rom-com with a little extra depth - definitely recommend!

Thank you to NetGalley and Dialogue Books for the eARC!
#TheIck #NetGalley

The gradual realisation of The ick ruining someone’s chance at finding love amused me and the rest of the novel did too. I really liked the characters, especially the ridiculously named Atlas (if the name wasn’t icky enough then surely she could have powered through). At first I thought he was going to be awful but he was delightfully normal. I did wonder if the big catalyst for the necessary argument was quite as horrific as it was made out to be but that’s always the way. Just once it would be nice to read about someone who knows they are hurtling towards disaster just sorting it out like and adult but where would be the fun in that I suppose?

3.75 ⭐
The title is was made me interested to read this book, and I thought it was a really clever story line. That Gems friend wants to study her intuition, or as she calls it "the ick". Some of those icks were honestly ridiculous :D I did find Gem a little annoying at times, especially when she didn't tell Atlas the truth, even though Shanti told her multiple times!
The friendship between Gem and Shanti though might have been one of my favorite things <3
I also loved Atlas, he was such a fun character with lots of depth and I loved the chemistry between him and Gem. Him being a soccer fan, player and coach was also cool to read about. I was so happy to see how everything worked out in the end between them, even though he gave her the ick at the first date ;)

So all in all it was a quick and enjoyable read!

Book Review: The Ick by Holly McCulloch
⭐️⭐️⭐️/5

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

The Ick is a fun, lighthearted rom-com that explores modern dating with a relatable twist: Gem, our protagonist, is plagued by the dreaded “ick” that ruins every potential relationship. The premise is fantastic—quirky, unique, and perfect for anyone who’s ever judged a date for something trivial (we’ve all been there).

While I loved the idea behind the story and its exploration of intuition in relationships, I found the writing style (third-person present tense) a bit off-putting—it’s not my personal preference, though others may enjoy it. Some sections felt repetitive, which slowed the pacing for me. That said, Gem’s journey, her growth, and the dynamics with Atlas were enjoyable, with plenty of humor and heart along the way.

If you’re after a charming, easy read about the ups and downs of dating and the ick-factor, this is worth checking out.

Thank you to NetGalley for providing me with the opportunity to read this ARC!

This is a very funny, enemies to lovers romance book about a girl who seems to find an "ick' in everyone! The cover hooked me in previously, who could walk away from a cute dog on the cover and a potential enemies to lovers trope!!

This book was a nice, quick, funny, romance book that I would suggest to anyone looking for a light hearted read! I enjoyed discovering a new author and following the journey of Gem and Shanti!

I'd highlight that it was written in third person, though in the present tense. This often isn't everyone's favourite style, however, I feel it worked well in this book as a reader who mostly only reads first person books.

Gem never makes it past the first date. Everyone she dates gives her The Ick, and Atlas is no different.l and has no intention of seeing him again. Gem then makes a deal with her best friend Shanti who is doing a study on intuition and agrees to keep dating Atlas, to prove that The Ick is in fact real. Spoiler, in this story - it’s not.

I really enjoyed this! The romance was really sweet, even if you knew what was coming. I really liked Gem’s family elements and how that’s impacted her ability to form close relationships.
Atlas’ back story was kind of forgettable, I did feel like it was only there to make us feel bad for him as it was never addressed or aleuded to again but I guess that’s ok.

Overall a fun, cute read - would recommend!

3.5🌟
It has to be said, the characters were written well in this book and intertwined well. From Jay, the corner shop owner to Atlas, the romantic interest, to the friendship between Shanti and her - they're well written and developed throughout. I enjoyed reading it and liked the premise of it being a study and the reason she felt she had to take part. Strong familial ties were evident throughout, and it was clear just how much she truly cared. At times it may have been predictable, but it was heartwarming and cute!