Really fun rom-com with great characters (not just the romantic leads but also the friends). I really appreciate "older" romantic leads having adventures, and I can't wait to read more from this author.

This was a rather heart-warming story by Clare with the ‘happy’ ending that I wanted it to be!
Miranda’s hit middle age, she’s divorced, and the children are grown up. An accident in her home city of London has her chasing her vision of love up to Newcastle. She rents her house out, packs her car up and off she goes up the country. Her two faithful and trustworthy friends stick with her on the adventure even though one approves and the other thinks she’s crazy! Miranda is chasing what she thinks is true love. She meets Matt and develops a friendship that is showing hints of becoming more. Is Miranda going to break Matt’s heart or will she see some reality?
I really felt frustrated by Miranda at times, and it seemed a bit farfetched. Overall though it is a book that is lighthearted and an easy, relaxing read. I loved the description of Newcastle and Jesmond which was spot on. It’s a refreshing read of women who have hit middle age and are facing that crossroads in life.
Many thanks to Netgalley and Clare Swatman for giving me the opportunity to read and review this book.

Divorced Miranda lives alone since her children have left home and settled abroad. She’s bored. She feels like she needs a change and she’s lonely. One morning cycling to work., shes involved in an accident. Almost knocking over a man crossing the road, she swerved and ends up knocked out on the floor. Coming round she glimpses a dark haired man, with a Geordie accent. Waking later in a hospital bed, shes dreamed of this man. Over th course of the next few months, she dreams about him more and more. In her dreams they’re falling in love. If only she knew him in real life.

A short while later after being made redundant she makes the decision to move to Newcastle to see if she can find her mystery man. Renting out her house, registering with an agency, she sets off. With only her dreams to guide her she tried to find her mystery man.


This story had an interesting premise, and the characters were likeable. I enjoyed following Miranda as she settled in her new life, met new friends and then finally met her man, or was he?

Thanks to Netgalley for the opportunity to read this title.

I initially downloaded this when it was titled Five things I love about you, but it has been renamed A Chance Worth taking and I actually think that title works better

In this charming new novel about second chances and moving forward, readers follow Miranda as she deals with the aftermath of an amicable divorce, grown children, and a stagnating career. Life is steady but a bit too predictable, so a bike accident and dreams about the same featureless man seems like a sign from the universe to find this man and take part in the future she had always longed for. Ready to find him and add some excitement to her life, Miranda’s story highlights fresh starts, friends, soulmates, and adventure. The characters are the stars of this novel, and their relationships really do a great job bringing the larger themes and messages of the book to life. Miranda’s trajectory is relatable -- if started in a slightly unorthodox way -- but readers will still resonate with her feelings and hopes for a second start on life. The locations and background characters do a good job fleshing out the larger story and offer nice contrasts and support to Miranda’s character arc, while the obstacles are both realistic and entertaining in the constraints of the story. A fun, feel-good novel about restarting life, readers will love this latest book and its heartwarming protagonist by Clare Swatman.

Overall I enjoyed this book although I felt it was a little slow in parts and was a little repetitive at times. The love story was cute and featured older, divorced characters so different from most romances that feature young characters. I enjoyed the mystery of who Miranda’s dream man could be, although it was predictable. The secondary characters (Miranda’s best friends Sophie and Kirstie) were fun and added an element of support and female friendship to the story which was nice. Overall a cute read.

Uplifting, emotional, and beautifully written ✨💖. A Chance Worth Taking is a heartfelt story about courage, love, and embracing life’s unexpected twists. Clare Swatman crafts relatable characters and an emotional journey full of hope and second chances. I adored the message about following your heart, no matter how scary it feels. Perfect for fans of uplifting, life-affirming fiction.

Is forty-nine a good time to follow your dreams?
For Miranda, that's how it seems!
An accident awakens recurring dreams - could they come true?
She decides the time's right to follow every clue!

Literally following her dreams and the clues that appear
Though friends doubt their support is still clear.
Trying out things she thought she'd never do
Whilst also making friends who are new!

A heartwarming read about being brave, too,
Taking a chance and enjoying experiences that are new.
A story with friendships, a support network so
You're empowered to give even crazy things a go!

Will she find true love and romance?
Well, at least she's brave enough to give it a chance!
For my copy of this book I say thank you
As I share with you this, my honest review.

This is a lovely, well written romance novel that’s a little different to all the others. I enjoyed the book and found the characters interesting and well crafted. Relatable and warm

I love Brotosh women's fiction. This one is funny, tender, emotive and gloriously written. Witty and moving..

Thank you to Boldwood Books and NetGalley for this e-arc in exchange for my honest review.

This was a super quick read which I really appreciated! I loved the ages of the protagonists, as it was rather enjoyable to read about people in their 40's/50's and I just find myself really loving books with more maturity. The magical realism is also really well done and fun - especially since it was used in part of a dream prophecy which was just amazing! This one is all about the importance of stepping out of your comfort zone and for taking chances and it was just all around a really good story!

Clare Swatman's Five Things I Love About You is a charming and heartfelt story about a woman daring to embrace destiny for a much-needed fresh start. For Miranda, life has become a bit too predictable. Her children are grown, her divorce is amicable, and her career needs a spark. She's ready for a change, and the universe seems to agree.

After a bicycle accident lands her in the hospital, Miranda begins to have recurring dreams of a mysterious, featureless man. These dreams provide five distinct clues to his identity, convincing her that this is a sign—a path to the future she's been longing for. With nothing to lose, Miranda embarks on a journey guided by these clues, searching for the life and love that awaits her. Swatman beautifully crafts a narrative about taking a leap of faith and trusting that the right path will reveal itself. Will Miranda seize the opportunity when destiny finally comes knocking? Fans of heartwarming fiction and those who enjoy a touch of serendipity in their romance will find much to love in this delightful tale.

I received an ARC of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I really enjoyed this book. It's always nice to see romance novels that have an older main character, so I was really excited about this one. And it lived up to my expectations!

I was given this ARC for an honest review from NetGalley. Almost 50 year old Miranda is divorced, kids are grown and she recently lost her job. After a tarot card reading from her best friend, she decided to move to another country, searching for a man who is possible love of her life, from clues received from her dreams. The title threw me off and was left stumped, trying to figure out what those 5 things were that she loved about this man... well, they are the actual clues that lead her to this mystery man.

Thank you for the opportunity to read this gorgeous little rom com, an easy to read ( I consumed it in an afternoon) tale of love, with lots of laughs along the way.

📚 ARC BOOK REVIEW 📚

Five Things I Love About You
By Clare Swatman
Publication Date: April 24, 2025
Publisher: Boldwood Books

📚MY RATING: ⭐⭐⭐⭐✨
(Rounded Up To 5⭐)

Thank you so much to Boldwood Books and NetGalley for this #gifted e-ARC of the book in exchange for my honest review!

📚MY REVIEW:

I needed a palate cleanser from all the thrillers I've been reading lately, so to change it up I grabbed a rom-com from my NetGalley shelf. I'm shocked to see it's been more than 3 months since I've read and reviewed one -- and I'm so happy that I chose Five Things I Love About You. This heartwarming read about taking chances to find the love of your life was such an enjoyable and hopeful book!

49-year-old Miranda is biking to work in London when she swerves to avoid a pedestrian who unknowingly steps into her path, and as she's laying injured on the sidewalk and awaiting the ambulance, she catches a brief glimpse of the handsome dark-haired pedestrian and hears him spell only the J and the A of his name for the police before he says he needs to leave. However, Miranda keeps having dreams about this mysterious stranger for months afterward, so much so that she wonders if he might be her soulmate. When she loses her job and learns her boyfriend is cheating on her, she decides it's time for a change, so she takes a chance and temporarily moves to Newcastle in Northeast England to try and find her soulmate Jay. From there, Miranda goes all in on her decision to change her life and her path is a lovely adventure of unexpected happenstance.

This book was absolutely adorable! I loved Miranda's close friendships with her best friends and I loved all the big chances Miranda took to find what (and who) she was looking for in her life. The book's lessons on feeling the fear and saying yes anyway, were good reminders to me. And I really appreciated the reminder not to miss what's right in front of you while you're searching for what you believe your life is supposed to look like. And that ending?! Swoon. I wanted to keep reading more about what happened next in Miranda's life!

Clare Swatman is quickly becoming a must-read rom-com author for me, as her books always feature characters with moxie and love stories with heart! If you're a fan of second chances at love, happily ever after, and rom-coms that are so much more than just a love story, Five Things I Love About You is one you simply must add to your TBR. Out now!

#FiveThingILoveAboutYou #ClareSwatman #BoldwoodBooks #boldwoodbookclub #NetGalley #NetGalleyReviews #ARC #romcomreads #romcoms #secondchances #booklover #bookaddict #bookreviews #bookrecs

I would firstly just like to say a big thank you to Rachel’s Random Resources who very kindly forwarded me an arc copy of this book, for my kindle, in return for my honest review.

One fate, five clues, and a love story waiting to be told…

An uplifting, magical story about fresh starts, best friends and soulmates…

I thoroughly enjoyed this wonderful book and it ticked all the boxes with what i love from a book. There was a great, addictive storyline and it was wonderfully written and I honestly couldn’t put it down.

It was definitely a warm & cosy cuddle of a book and has feel-good reading and was one to curl up with on a chilly day. It was such an easy story to read and was so heartwarming and emotional and certainly left me with a warm & fuzzy feeling and i was instantly sad when it was all over…..

Another great novel by Clare Swatman. I had a great time reading this. The storyline was unique and thr characters were relatable. Although I wanted to shake sense into Miranda a few times times. I also enjoyed her journey. I would definitely recommend it.

Overall, this chick-lit novel is fair enough. But, I didn't click with the plot and I wasn't that into the style. I was a bit annoyed by the first-person narrative (too limiting), I would've enjoyed a broader point of view. In the end, I see that other readers liked it, so I'm confident it will find its public! ;)

Miranda is looking for the man of her dreams; the literal man of her dreams.

Miranda is riding her bike to work one morning when a man steps off the curb with no time for her to stop. The two collide and she ends up on the ground with a man hovering over her, asking if she’s okay.

As she’s in and out of consciousness, she hears the man talking to a police officer. Next thing she knows, she’s waking up in the hospital after having the most delightful dream of the man she collided with. But she can’t see his face - all she remembers is that the man’s name starts with a “J,” he has a Geordie accent, a dog named Collin, and is wearing a pink tie.

As the months pass, she continues to dream about this mystery man and strangely begins to fall in love with him and learn things about him such as he’s a fan of a blue sports team and he’s been skydiving.

Her friends decide she needs to go look for this man in her dreams. With nothing tying her down, she rents out her home and begins her journey.

Will she find the mystery man? Or is he a figment of her imagination?

I’ve read several other books by Clare Swatman and I always enjoy them! This four-star book is about chasing your dreams, friendship, not giving up on yourself, and giving love a second, third, and fourth chance regardless your age.

I would definitely check this out and it’s available now! If you have Kindle Unlimited, it’s currently free!

Thank you NetGalley, Clare Swatman, and Boldwood Books for the opportunity to read this delightful romcom in exchange for a review.

This is the perfect read if you're looking for a more mature romantic lead as our heroine is a middle-aged school teacher. Miranda is cycling to work one morning when she is knocked off her bike, this leads her to have a series of dreams about the mysterious man who she crashed into but all she can remember is his name! She is convinced it's a sign that he is her one true love so egged on by her friends she choses to leave London and head to Newcastle to find her soulmate as she knows he has a geordie accent.

It was so refreshing to read a romantic novel about a woman who is ready for change as her children are grown and her husband has moved on. It avoids the usual cliches of a beautiful young woman looking for love and shows us that you can find love at any age if fates intervenes. With thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for a copy of this book.