[Ellie Andrews Has Second Thoughts] [By: Saberton, Ruth] [October, 2012]

by Ruth Saberton

Does a bride-to-be ever know for certain that she's chosen the right man?Ellie Andrews is finally getting married—or she will be if she drinks enough champagne to pluck up the courage for her trip down the aisle. The problem is that after months spent bickering over menus and table placements, Ellie's never felt more distant from the man she's supposed to be spending the rest of her life with. As last minute nerves take hold, a night of soul-searching sees Ellie reflecting back on old flames in a bid to reassure herself she's making the right decision. There's Rupert—adoring but dull; Jay—the teenage crush; Marcus—sexy but toxic; and Xander—a true friend. But as the sun rises and the ceremony looms ever closer, Ellie is still unsure if she's doing the right thing; when an unexpected encounter turns her world upside down. Should she take a chance, or should she stick with the choices she's made? As Ellie makes her way to the church, only one question who will be waiting for her at the altar?

Genres: Chick Lit, Audiobook, Romance, Fiction, Novels

Paperback

About the author

Ruth Saberton is a bestselling British author with over 25 books written under her own and pen names. Her books feature romance and secrets and are set in beautiful Cornwall.
Her latest book THE LETTER is available now!

Amazon UK https://www.amazon.co.uk/Ruth-Saberto...
Amazon.com https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07...

Ruth loves to to talk to her readers. Interact with her on her website www.ruthsaberton.com on Twitter @ruthsaberton

www.facebook.com/ruthsabertonauthor

Reviews

[Celia Kennedy · Rating 3 out of 5]

I love British wit and this book struck an odd balance between tender moments and those that were slapstick. I think that Ruth Saberton did a great job at setting up a variety of characters to engage in... running the gamut from highly successful barrister to overly eccentric environmental rights activists.

When we first meet Ellie Andrews she is caught off guard by an unwanted marriage proposal. Over the course of eighteen months we following her trek in and out of three other romances. What makes this odd is that Ellie describes herself as heavy with frizzy hair. So how she lands three highly successful men who could have the pick of the crop is a complete mystery. Other than the overly developed storyline of having three thin and perfectly groomed sisters, there is no explanation for Ellie's self opinion. Nor is there much dialog between she and any partner that expands upon her warmth of character, sense of humor, joie de vivre, or otherwise that would compel rock stars, barristers, and the like to be attracted to her.

But attracted to her, they are. The on-going storyline between Ellie and Jay (yacht designer) is sweet.

Perhaps it is the lack of a straight forward "happily ever after" that makes this book a three.

[Jelena · Rating 3 out of 5]

I had a very low expectations starting this book, but ended up having a nice time. It's a little outdated, had to check when it was published because I don't think women are still this obssesed with their weight and catching a male partner. It gives strong '90-'00s vibes. I liked how we heard her story in retrospective while she's panicking on her wedding day. The ending was predictable, but desired. However, I feel like the narrator was poor casting choice, I had to keep reminding myself MC was young 20 something, not 45+ divorcee. Her performance was fine, but too serious and voice just didn't match. All in all, it was relaxing and nice romance.

[Margaret · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's the early hours of the day of Ellie's wedding. She should be ecstatic. At last, she will fit the family mold, even if she will never look or act like her 4 sisters. She will be making her mother's dream come true--she will be settled with a "nice catch".

Ellie has had several close calls when it comes to walking down the aisle, but she has always refused to make the big commitment. While all of the men who have fallen hard for her are good men, good-looking, and in good social standing, none of them have been the right one; or at least not the true love of her life. The true love of her life, her best friend's older brother, stole and broke her heart when she was 15 when he made a laughing stock of her by agreeing to be her date for the prom and then showing up with someone else. She's never forgiven him, but she's never forgotten him either. To make matters worse, he keeps showing up in her life and that makes it harder to let go of the idea of him and what she thought could have been.

As the story takes place in only one day, Ellie takes the reader back to all the serious relationships she has had in the past. She begins to wonder about her current relationship. Is she finally ready to make the leap? Is she really marrying the right guy? Does it really matter if she gets married or not?

The idea of keeping the reader guessing was catchy and as Ellie goes down memory lane, we learn more about her...her insecurities, her ability to get herself into some awkward and laughable situations, her reluctance to say yes to marriage. I found her charming and funny and I sympathized with her as she tried to just fit in with her own family. As she kept waffling back and forth about her wedding, I knew which guy I was cheering for. In that respect, I was a bit disappointed when the intended groom was finally revealed. But, I think she will be happy finally; and, after all, no one asked my opinion on the matter anyway. I just hope she was able to conceal that black eye.

[chippyvale · Rating 3 out of 5]

I love the characters in this novel, even Ellie whom I sometimes want to shake her hard on the shoulders for being indecisive. The plot is alright, and Saberton's writing is decent.

But I think the author did not do a good job in balancing the time reversal and the current atmosphere. For instance, one moment the book was talking about Ellie at the airport chasing after Jay, and the following chapter, it was back to her current wedding day. It's very discombobulated for the reader. I've read many books by other authors who also wrote about the past and present and they managed to balance it nicely for the reader. The reader wasn't left guessing if the following chapter was talking about NOW or THEN.

Other than that blip, I really enjoyed reading the novel. :)

[Jen ♡ · Rating 3 out of 5]

I have one question...
We start the book on Ellie’s wedding day and pre-wedding jitters, which then takes us on a journey of all the possible suitors. We don’t find out who Ellie is actually marrying until the last page. Okay, onwards we go.
So...if Ellie is really marrying the perfect man of her dreams, why does she think of climbing out the window and get drunk before the ceremony?
In my mind, she should be happy with her choice, not questioning everything? The way she complains about her life and herself really is a bit of a downer. But the ending felt rushed, and predictable. I wanted more of an ending, an explanation. A full story but unfortunately that didn’t happen. A good, easy read but not overly for-filling

[Rystal · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really liked the way that this book is written! It is really well written and I liked the unusual style at which this book was in! Basically you have to try to guesse who Ellie Andrews is gong to see at the end of the isle at her wedding! The book flits from past and present and I think that this made the book so interesting as I was constantly trying to work out who she would be marrying! This is one book thatI really could not predict the ending!

[Sheena · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5 out of 5. Absolutely loved it!

[Zahra Wragg · Rating 2 out of 5]

I love an easy read which is what I’d say this is. It’s a bit hard to follow I could never determine if we were present or past.
I’m also really confused but Ellie always referring to her ‘weight’ she’s painted to be ‘overweight’ her life story and all the failings seem to be because she’s so ‘unattractive’ she doesn’t deserve any of the men in her life. BUT THEN the writer references her weight as 9.5 stone, instant annoyance.
🙃

[Kirsty Barrett · Rating 4 out of 5]

Comical, and it was worth it.
The downside was the reference to the main characters weight issues. At a size 12 and 9.5 stone this is not a problem. While weight insecurities and body image issues exist no matter a person's size so I can see what was intended by the author I felt the balance was missed here.
There was also some confusion in places between which timezone we were in - past and present.

[Tracy Irwin · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book is full of unrealistic scenarios. The main one being why on earth is she having 2nd thoughts about marrying her Mr Right.

Plus anyone who thinks that a size 12 is chubby and has fat issues is doing absolutely nothing for women's body confidence issues!! The continuous topic of her size being inadequate made me so angry!

[Jennifer Sokolow · Rating 1 out of 5]

DNF after 2 chapters. I was immediately put off by the description of secret binge eating on the first page and the constant references to the MC being overweight and her family criticizing her etc. Cringey and uncomfortable to read. I’m glad we’ve progressed past the idea that negative body image, weight issues, and dysmorphia are funny, because they’re really not.

[Lindsay Kelly · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a light hearted read about Ellie who is the youngest of the Andrews girls. She watches all her sisters get married and have lavish weddings.

Will Ellie ever settle down? Will she get married to the right man?

This is a easy to listen to book and was well read on audible.

[Kara · Rating 3 out of 5]

Re-started this book, after 4 years.

Was able to finish it this time. It was OK.

[Jayne Harris · Rating 4 out of 5]

generally a good book but didn't like the main character constantly moan that she was fat and heavy when we discover she is only 9 stone

[Aishah · Rating 4 out of 5]

A bit here and there, mostly Ellie is having second thoughts on whether or not she'd be married. A bit of guessing too, for who she would end up with. But most of all it's a fun read.

[Tiina · Rating 1 out of 5]

Ellie Andrews may have had second thoughts about her impending marriage but on the whole, her thoughts were incomprehensible. I did finish this book, but only barely.

[Leora · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very cute, the kind of main character I genuinely want to be friends with. I laughed and smiled and cringed along as I reacted in tune with the character just as I would a friend.

[Amk256 King · Rating 4 out of 5]

Nice bit of chick lit!! Amusing story about the marriage of Ellie! Enjoyed this book!

[Chloe · Rating 2 out of 5]

didn’t feel terrible desire to read. a touch too predictable.

[Leah · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ellie Andrews wakes up on the morning of her wedding panicking about the day ahead and wondering if she’s made the right decision about the man she’s about to marry particularly since they’ve barely seen each other since they decided to get married. Ellie then spends the majority of her wedding morning going back over the past few months, thinking over all the men to come into her life. There’s Marcus, a sexy politician, Xander, a rock star turned chef, Rupert, a very dull as dishwater lawyer and finally there’s Ellie’s teenage crush Jay. As the hours tick by, just who will be waiting at the top of the altar if Ellie manages to make it, that is.

Last year I read Katy Carter Wants A Hero, which was Saberton’s debut offering and I fell in love. The plot, the characters, the writing style and Pinchy the lobster all combined to give me a fantastic read. It was one of my favourite books of 2010 and it literally made me laugh. So when I heard Ruth had signed a new two-book deal, there was no one happier than me because I knew Ruth has the potential to become huge in the Chick Lit market. So you can imagine how excited I was to get a proof of her new book Ellie Andrews Has Second Thoughts and it immediately rocketed up my list of to-be-read books.

Ellie Andrews Has Second Thoughts is a fairly simple novel as Ellie wakes up on her wedding morning feeling very nervous about the day ahead. We then go back in time to learn the stories of the four men involved in Ellie’s life: Marcus, Rupert, Xander and Jay and how she met them, dated them, and how it all ended (if it did). We then regularly come back to Ellie on her wedding day before diving into more of the past and that’s how it continues until the end of the book. Like I said, a very simple concept, but with all the misunderstandings, all the stupid things that occur, the book is very much a page-turner. If Ellie wasn’t making a fool of herself by getting wenched up into a tree during an eco-protest despite being terrified of heights, she’s tipping curry all over her sister.

I absolutely loved Ellie. Seriously loved her, and that’s what Ruth Saberton does best, she gives us a heroine to root for. First Katy Carter, now Ellie Andrews, her ability to tap into the mind of a 20-something is brilliant and I always want to be friends with her characters. I did worry Ellie would spend the time moping over the men in her life in some sort of “Oh gosh, which one should I choose” Bridget Jones kind of way, but it’s not like that at all thankfully. Her best friends Sam and Poppy are brilliant, I loved Sam’s eco-warrior ways and Poppy was just downright hilarious. As for the men in Ellie’s life, I didn’t like Marcus or Rupert, I liked Xander just fine but I loved Jay. I wanted Ellie to end up with Jay right from the start, but of all the men Ellie might end up with, her relationship with Jay faces the most obstacles. One thing’s for sure, I didn’t know who Ellie was going to end up with.

Ellie Andrews Has Second Thoughts is written in the first person perspective, as with Katy Carter, and again, it’s written in a very simple format (but I assume despite how simple it seems it’s actually a nightmare to write, particularly when trying to keep it in the present tense – I can barely write my reviews in the right tense all the way through never mind a 100,000 word novel). Ruth Saberton is definitely an author to look out for. Her books are funny (proper laugh out loud funny), her characters are incredibly real and warm, and the writing style makes it easy to whizz through each of her books in a matter of hours. I barely wanted to put the book down and I’m so pleased that it was just as good as Katy Carter because I’d have been gutted if it wasn’t. I hugely recommend Ellie Andrews Has Second Thoughts and I can’t wait to read more from Ruth, she’s definitely an emerging talent in the world of Chick Lit.

[Carrie Ardoin · Rating 2 out of 5]

In a matter of hours, Ellie Andrews is set to walk down the aisle to marry the man she loves...so she thinks. After all, the past year and half of her life has been hectic, and leading her up to this point. But as she sits on the morning of her wedding, drinking bottles of champagne and second guessing her decisions, she begins to flash back to all the men she's loved before. A wedding day is a terrible time to choose who you're in love with.

It's been a little while since I read some straight up chick lit, but I was looking forward to taking a break from the heavier paranormal stuff I usually read. I was into about the first 25-30 percent of the book, then things started really falling apart from there.

First of all, I'm not really sure who approved the book description on the back cover, but it gives away a lot of the story! It lists the four men that Ellie is involved with--even though one disappears after the first 20 pages, and she doesn't meet another until the last 70. It made it so I kind of knew what was coming before it even happened, and I was waiting for Ellie to move on to the next guy, because I was expecting him.

As with so many other books typical of this genre, the main character really has a lot of issues. Ellie is the youngest of five sisters, and allows them to walk all over her and treat her rudely. Even though she loves her mother, she speaks to her in a very harsh manner and Ellie never speaks up on her own behalf. But don't let these facts make you feel sorry for Ellie--she's very annoying in her own right. She's constantly berating herself, calling herself chubby, pudgy, and more...when in the book she says she weighs 9 stone. Nine stone is equal to 126 pounds!! That is fat now?! Give me a break. In addition, Ellie is very wishy washy and finds fault with every man, except for the one she ends up with. She also can't take a compliment. I really just wanted her to shut up most of the time.

The plot moves along rather more like a series of different events rather than one flowing story. It's also kind of difficult to mark how much time has passed in between different sections. This book was written by a Brit, but I'm not sure if it was reformatted for an American audience. If so, it was done very inconsistently. If not, I really don't get this author's writing style. Though they are in Britain, speed is determined in miles per hour, and money is often referred to as dollars. But weight is measured in stone, and there are tons of British slang words thrown in that I had to use context clues to figure out. This made for some very uneven reading at times.

Though there were a couple of mildly funny moments (I loved Ellie's twin niece and nephew), ultimately I found this book to be predictable and not very different from the plethora of other chick lit books out there.

[Hasna · Rating 4 out of 5]

I can't help feeling sorry for Ellie, she is the baby of the family, the youngest among the Andrews sisters. Being the youngest, she should be spoiled, but here nobody in her family seems really care about her. She's not well-loved, maybe that's why she's doing comfort-eating and comfort-drinking. I cringed whenever Ellie manages to drown her sorrow on the alcohol. Those heavy matters such as, binge-drinking, cancer and sibling rivalries are brought lightly by Ruth Saberton in this book. It surely is a funny book, I often smile, giggle, and snort along the read. Ellie is really a walking disaster, she got heaps of mishaps, whenever she did okay, I began suspicious that something bad is gonna happen (ha!) and it always did, it really tore my heart especially during the Ellie and Jay scenes, oh how I really hope they can be together, but it just get harder and harder, and the best thing about this book is that you will keep on turning the pages to know who is Ellie's groom eventually.. ooh it's just so good to reach the end, I literally feel relieved.. (LOL).. call it suspense.. awesome book, Ruth!

[Agi · Rating 4 out of 5]

So. My kinda book:))) A girl in love with her school sweetheart, she is a little naive, a little baby of the family, he looks good, a lot of troubles to get together after many years... I think the first book of Ruth was funnier, what with the lobster and Katy:) This one is funny as well but in the other way, we read here about other things, such like cancer (which was mentioned in the first book too) and environment, but it's still light and easy to read. The action is very dynamic, the retrospections are very logical, one warms to the characters immediately, they are all (OK, almost all, I didn't like Marcus at all:) ) so, so nice, and Jay is just... well, my type, from head till toes:) I had moments that I was angry with Ellie that she doesn't punch her "lovely" sisters in their faces, but all in all I just loved her, she was such a normal girl, a girl from the neighbourhood, and I was so curious to know what had happened in the past and how is she going (and with whom!!!) to end. It was a really nice reading and page - turner, and I want more:)

[Bluberry · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book captured my attention pretty much from beginning to end and was read within a day, with the suspense of finding out the actual groom, whilst enduring the love-life of a less than perfect woman. The book depicts a character who has poor image of her own body, but probably average and more real than what media depicts, but somehow attracts several good looking guys. The story takes you through how her heart gets broken time and time again by the one same guy. The meeting of some good men. When you think some parts are predictable, the story sometimes suddenly throws you off track. The story is thrown in with comedy, although times were sad for the main character, it didn't quite manage to make me cry. There are moments of frustration, and perhaps some people would become annoyed with the way the character behaves or thinks, but I could see the character being a real person (except for the romances she has). Possibly a fantasy which readers would like to engage with

[Preet · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed Ruth Saberton's first book, so I was extremely eager to read her latest release. As much as I liked the story there were one or two things that bothered me. It seemed like the whole book happened in an extremely short period of time. This wasn't helped by the fact that the flashbacks that were interspersed in the story weren't clearly demarcated from the present. Every time a time stamp appeared, I wondered why I was lost. That's the only reason this book didn't get a 5 star rating.

Beyond that, I was really pulling for Ellie. For someone who was the odd one, she had a lot of guts. She just kept forging on. I related to her quite a bit. She was also getting into a whole bunch of scrapes which either made me go aww or laugh. Plus for the "ugly duckling" she had some gorgeous men after her! Talk about luck!

[Amanda · Rating 2 out of 5]

Listen, I like Bridget Jones and Sophie Kinsella's books as much as the next person, but the whole "slightly overweight, disaster-prone, overspending heroine who always saves the day!" really has to be done right and this book does not. I tried it for the whole guess-which-guy-is-the-groom schtick, but that was way overdone and the whole plot was shoehorned into it. The characters are all cardboard and stereotypes, and it is impossible to believe that there are FOUR super hot, rich, age-appropriate, wonderful men who want to marry this girl. Pass.

[Darcy · Rating 4 out of 5]

This one is more like a 4.5. I thought it was cute and typical chick-lit, and there were times I couldn't put it down. There were plenty of English references that I couldn't relate to, and I found it crazy that Ellie would attract two well-known English men to be her boyfriend so quickly, but that's what I expect while reading chick-lit. I had a feeling that the ending would be what I expected, but it was a fun, quirky read to get to the end.

[Chev E · Rating 4 out of 5]

While there were several things I didn't like about this book (namely Ellie's lack of self-confidence), I enjoyed the format. In the first chapter and throughout the book, we get a glimpse of all the crazy things happening on the morning of Ellie's wedding, but it isn't until the last chapter that we know which man she is marrying. Not that I was very surprised about who she chose in the end, but it was still a fun twist on the ordinary chic lit novel.

[Laura · Rating 4 out of 5]

Call me a sucker, but I liked this book. Perhaps I caught it on just the right mood, or perhaps I was jonesing for some Sophie Kinsella. It was easy, fun, funny. My only complaint was how Ellie was a hot mess, but seemed to date hottie after hottie after hottie.... But overall, I really enjoyed it.

[Jessica · Rating 3 out of 5]

I couldn't get sucked into this book. At any given time I could put the book down. There was no real draw other than the Brit lingo and the colorful cover initially. I would not read this again not would I recommend it. I did not agree with the ending. I hope Saberton's other books are better.