3.5 ⭐️

Such a fun rom-com from new-to-me author Jo Lovett! It’s Not Me, It’s You had all the banter, sparks, and heart I look for, and the opposites-attract angle made it playful and super charming. It followed Freya, a romance author who didn’t actually buy into love stories off the page. She ended up clashing on live TV with Jake, a divorce lawyer who—despite his career—still believed in true love. Their heated debate turned into a bet: Jake set Freya up with her perfect match, while she tried to prove to him that romance was nothing more than fiction. What started as a battle of wits quickly grew into something more complicated and sparks flew as their bet blurred into real feelings.

This book had its mix of positives and negatives. I loved the playful premise and the way Jo Lovett blended humor with heartfelt moments. Freya was a great lead—witty, guarded, and easy to relate to—and her banter with Jake brought plenty of laugh-out-loud sparks. I also enjoyed the fresh twist on the opposites-attract trope, with a romance author who doesn’t believe in love going up against a lawyer who does. On the flip side, some of the plot points were a little predictable, and the pacing slowed down at times with side conflicts that weren’t as engaging as the main romance. Even so, the chemistry, humor, and charm between the leads kept it fun, making this a light and enjoyable rom-com overall.

While not without its predictable moments, the witty banter and sweet romance made this a fun, uplifting story to escape into.

Thanks to Net Galley and Boldwood Books for an advance readers copy in return for my review.

This is the romcom book that made me realize that I really need to pay attention to British English in books when that is a part of it because it heavily impacts my experience. Not only are the jokes going be slightly different but the language used is different and therefore I’m not going connect with it as much, and connection is huge in a romance novel.

I am such a picky romcom reader, so please know that just because I didn’t love this one doesn’t mean you won’t. I immediately need a good hook and a writing style that just pulls me in and this one just wasn’t that for me.

Thank you so much for allowing me to sample this ARC! I made it to 11% before putting this one down. I appreciate the opportunity to leave honest feedback voluntarily.

What can I say, I had high hopes that I’d love it. A romance author, Freya, and a divorce lawyer, Jake, having to work together to complete a challenge where they have to prove the other is wrong and see who would win. Especially after having everyone see their discussion on love on TV, things could not get better. And they don’t like each other.

On page it sounds fun rom com that you would enjoy and have a lot of fun. And don’t get me wrong, there are some fun moments like the beginning, some moments from the dates, later in the book and how Jake tries to get to know Freya, and how Freya gets some character development in the end.

But for me? I couldn’t get into it…at all. I have no idea if it was the writing or the characters but it just didn’t click with me enough to be like ‘yes I can’t wait to read more!!’ And it kind of lost me. Sadly, the third act break up wasn’t good for me either.

However, I strongly believe it’s a me problem and that many would enjoy and love the tropes.

Thank you Boldwood Books for giving me chance to read this arc! I appreciate it!

The premise caught my attention right away: a romance writer (FMC) and a divorce lawyer (MMC) is such a fun setup. But I have to be honest, the MMC really rubbed me the wrong way from the start. He came across as pretty misogynistic toward the FMC, even going as far as blaming her fictional writing for how his clients viewed their relationships and why they chose divorce. That felt shallow and frustrating to read.

I only got through about 10% before this one put me into a slump. I might pick it back up later, but for now, it just didn’t click with me.

This book was hard for me to get into. While I enjoyed Freya’s personality as a romance writer, Jake, the divorce lawyer, really bugged me. The pacing felt a bit slow at times, and it took me a while to stay invested. That said, by the end the characters had grown, learned about themselves, and made compromises. It wrapped up with a satisfying happily ever after, but the journey there just didn’t fully click for me.

3✨
Thank you NetGalley, Jo Lovett and Boldwood Books for providing an eARC in exchange for my honest review - It’s Not Me, It’s You publishes October 28th.

Freya (a romance writer) and Jake (a divorced, divorce lawyer) get off to a bad start when they buttheads during a TV interview about love. After the interview goes viral, the network offers them a deal for Jake to find Freya her perfect match & Freya to prove to Jake that true love doesn’t exist.

This gets off to a fun start, and I enjoyed that it’s dual POV. I particularly liked how Jake wants to get to know Freya to find her the perfect man and in the process becomes obsessed with her books!

You follow a variety of different dates that they go on and although I really loved the premise of this and the first 25%, I found the mid section dropped off and it felt quite repetitive with the dates and I lost interest.

However I found things picked up from the 60% mark onwards with the weekend away and the character growth particularly in Freya.
The third act conflict came pretty late with the ending then feeling rushed which I think could have been paced better.

Overall I enjoyed Freya’s character and I appreciated the time spent working through their issues with relationships, I think this element was really well done. It’s a really good premise and storyline but the pacing and writing style didn’t quite work for me unfortunately.

I enjoyed this, it was really cute but it started pretty slow and felt clunky at times so it made it hard to fully immerse myself in the story

I want to first thank Netgalley for letting me read this book. I did enjoy the story and the plot on the characters. I’m not a fan of the book. But, it’s just okay.

This was a really fun premise, and I loved the idea of a cynic vs hopeless romantic. However I didn't find that I gelled with the characters very well, particularly Jake, and almost wish that we had had only one POV (but this may be personal preference). Overall it was a good light read while on holiday

I appreciate the opportunity to read this title, but unfortunately it didn’t quite capture my interest. While the premise was promising, I found it difficult to stay engaged. That said, I’m sure it will find its audience with readers who connect more strongly with the writing style or pacing.