This is a pure delight to read. It’s a love letter to friendship, acceptance, libraries, family relationships and everything inbetween. I loved the twins and their dynamic, the plot is very cleverly mapped out and the addition of the narrator was inspired.
Perfect read.

For anyone who has lived life in their novels, this one is for you. Jemma finds a note from a stranger in her favourite library book – and so begins a handwritten conversation about a love of books and of reading (this has got me already). Clara, meanwhile, is doing whatever she can to reinvent herself, even if that includes falling head over heels for someone she’s never met. Ahem, just like her sister Jemma. Always funny, always astute, this is another beauty from Lucy.

Thanks to the Publisher and Netgalley for an early review copy.

Jemma and Clara are twins, but they are so alike. Jemma is in a relationship with someone who leaves notes in a book which she constantly loans from the library.

Clara dreams of having a film star she sees on TV as her boyfriend and makes plans to make this happen.

The other characters, those that Jessie lives with, her Mum and those that she meets at the library added more drama to the story.

I recommend this book.

A fun romantic comedy, that still gives an important message of how much we need to keep using our libraries, before we lose them!

This was a sweet, entertaining read that had me smiling in quite a few places. I loved the concept—two sisters, opposites in many ways, navigating love, identity, and rebuilding their bond. The dynamic between Jemma and Clara was at the heart of the story, and watching them reconnect and grow closer was genuinely touching.

Jemma, the bookish twin who lives more in fiction than reality, begins to come out of her shell after finding a mysterious note tucked into a library book. The idea of falling for someone through anonymous letters was what initially drew me to this book, and those moments were lovely—gentle, romantic, and nostalgic in a way that really resonated.

Clara's storyline, on the other hand, leaned more into celebrity obsession and escapism, which offered a contrast in tone but added depth to her character as we gradually learn why she’s so desperate for distraction.

That said, I expected the romance through book-notes to be the main storyline, but it ended up feeling more like a subplot. The focus is definitely more on the sisters’ relationship than on the romantic elements, which wasn’t a bad thing—it just wasn’t quite what I thought I was signing up for.

Overall, it's a light, enjoyable read with sweet moments and a strong emotional core, especially for those who enjoy stories about sibling bonds and personal growth.

💭 #QOTD  what book can you read over and over or what's your favourite comfort genre?

Title: Book Boyfriend
Author: Lucy Vine
Pages: 384
Rating: 2.5/5 (rounded up to 3 where needed)
Spice/Romance level: 🩷🩷 FTB sex talk and relationships
#Arc eCopy ( #gifted ) - review left voluntarily
UK publish date - 19th June 2025

This was a fun fluffy laid back filler read, great for the poolside!
The plot is predictable and a sweet romance. The relationships and friendships were silly and funny. It is written with different perspectives and the immaturity of the characters offered a care free light read. The silly jokes and culture references made me laugh. "pivot" reminded me of 90s and early 00s RomCom movies with the narrator perspective and the colloquial comedic style of writing. Were the characters likable? Full of depth and did this book change my life? No. But, It is low stakes, low commitment care free chick lit book that offers some light entertainment escapism.

You'll love this book if you like
- romcom
- library book romances
- slow burn
- friends
- nostalgia jokes and memorabilia
- chick-lit

Will you be reading this? Let me know in the comments

Yayyyyy Lucy Vine is back and with another winner,I love her books but this one just edges it ( just) as my favourite so far

We meet twins, Jemma and Clara who couldn’t be more different,one of them is having a friendship via notes left back and forth in a library book,(she doesn’t however know who with) the other fantasises a current tv film star is to become her boyfriend,(and is intent on making it happen) both relationships are of course going to go nowhere……..probably!

We also meet flatmates,Mum’s and library staff,all brilliantly written and all adding a layer to the story,the occasional narrator ‘talking to us’ is a great addition

It is a romp of a read,funny,real,daring yet at times got to say yummy loved upee,but overidingly it is enjoyable,one of those books you feel you have met people and made friends,ironically as the title would suggest

If someone was to ask me why I love reading so much I would gift them this book and say this is why

Loved every page

This was a sweet read.

I’ll be honest - I really hated Clara. She was selfish, childish, a leech, obsessive bordering on stalking, and just really unlikeable. I know she had character development and so on, but I hated her immediately.

That being said, I liked all the other characters. The ensemble and their relationships with each other worked well. I loved the note format for the romance developing. Pacing was good.

3.75/5 rounded up

Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC

Absolutely brilliant! I thoroughly enjoyed it. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with an advance copy, I will definitely be recommending it.

Very sadly I must report that I didn't gel with this book. I was so glad to see new Lucy Vine and the synopsis was really not bad, but while reading I was asking myself "what is this at all?".
I didn't connect with the story, I didn't connect with the writing style, that didn't feel like Lucy Vine's, I didn't connect with the characters. The main characters were so dislikeable, childish, their behaviour was not funny, it was sad and tragic and their humour so forced. Overdone situations, stretching into even more overdone. Nothing fitted in this story. There was so much potential that isn't used, the story is very superficial.
The one extra story must be for the cover.

Book recommendation:
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ (4 stars)

Thanks to @netgalley and @simonschusteruk for my advance copy of this book!

When I told my husband what the title and the premise of the book was, he told me it was my perfect read. He was so right!

The protagonists are twin sisters who are complete opposites. I found myself relating to parts of both of their personalities and I really enjoyed their individual and combined journeys. The fact that this book was not just a romance but was focused on their sibling relationship was a really nice unexpected touch.

However, I also loved the “book boyfriend” plot where anonymous notes were exchanged through a copy of a book in the library. And I loved all the literary references and the understanding that the book is always better than the TV show or movie!

I did feel in parts that the characters had moments of being overly silly and also that the narration (which is essentially three mini chapters) was unnecessary and added no value, but overall I did really enjoy her style of writing and humour. My interest in her other books is definitely piqued!

#bookboyfriend #netgalley #bookrecommendation #bookreview #bookstagram

A fun and quirky premise that kicks off with juicy family drama and a shared obsession over a beloved book. While I haven’t fully connected with the story just yet, there’s definite charm in the characters and their banter. A solid maybe — I might come back to it with fresh eyes.

I usually love Lucy’s books but I found this one a slog to get through. The sisters were both very annoying and it felt like the story took a while to get going.

Loved this book from the very funny and talented Lucy. I really enjoyed reading about Clara and Jenna . It is a great and fun read and perfect for the beach!

This book is entertaining and very funny in parts, the love stories are sweet and it’s a very easy read. I did enjoy seeing these 2 twin sisters, who couldn’t be more opposite, rebuild their relationship and learn to understand each other. The reason I haven’t rated it higher is because it’s described as being about a romance where they’re passing notes through the books and I felt that part was more of a subplot of the book. This book is definitely more focused on the sibling relationship which was great but it left me feeling like I wasn’t getting what I was looking for. Also there are a lot of pop culture references within this book which personally I don’t mind but I know can bother some people.

What an entertaining story this was, featuring fraternal twins Jemma and Clara.

These are not overly close twins, and in fact seem to really dislike each other at times, or at any rate they are like chalk and cheese.

Both though have more in common than perhaps they realise, thus causing their clashes.

I loved Jemma and her flatmates, she is bookish, quiet and intriguingly seems to have a book boyfriend that she is exchanges notes with in a copy of a library book.

Clara is rather flighty and after 5 years in the states has returned to the UK rather suddenly. She seems to have very few clues about adulting, and is also fixated on Milo an actor in a new TV adaption of Jemma's favourite book.

And it's Clara's pursuit of Milo that leads to large parts of the humour in this book which was really amusing.

This is light hearted, really entertaining and just a whole lot of fun to read. I had a great time reading this book and seemed to whiz through it fairly fast too.

I'm starting to really love Lucy Vine's books and already curious what her next one will be.

Thank you to Simon & Schuster and Netgalley for this copy which I have reviewed honestly and voluntarily.

I really really really wanted to love this one! However I struggled to get myself to care for either of the MC’s and kind of just wanted to get to the end!

It could’ve just been my mood whilst reading but it just fell a little flat for me when it had a lot of potential!

I really loved this book. The difference between the two sisters was so interesting to read about, and I loved diving headfirst into Clara's obsession along with her. Love an unreliable narrator! A real page-turner, this is definitely one I'm going to buy when it comes out so I can reread it and have it on my shelf.

I kind of thought this would be more a romcom book but it is more about two sisters very different to each other trying to navigate living in the same house again as adults. There is a romance theme for both of them but the book primarily is about their rift and how this brings so much to a head for them both and their family & friends.
It's quite a slow burn and there were a few things that just didn't click with me so it's just not the right book for me.

A cracking read, a book which ends with one of the best epilogues I’ve ever read! The characters in this book are real, they all do daft things and irritate and live their lives in a messy way. There is also a certain charm especially in timid Jemma who isn’t sure about work, life and romance. Her twin Clara is very irritating however the dual point of view adds a tiny bit of nuance, and if not understanding of her behaviour at least a bit of context. 5 stars from me.