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The Debt & The Doormat #1
The Debt & The Doormat
Poppy has spent her life as a people pleasing doormat. So when her best friend Jazz get into financial trouble she insists on offering to help. Even if it means uprooting her own life for a bit of crazy…
New roommate Ryan might be gorgeous, but he’s incredibly moody and mysterious. Could there be more to him than the playboy that dates models?
It doesn’t matter anyway. She’s far too busy trying to deal with the rest of her life; her bullying boss, pushy mother and three brothers, each with their own dramas.
But Jazz will always find the time for a bit of trouble…
Will Poppy be able to get back to her orderly life? Or will she prefer the unconventional set up she’s found herself in?
New roommate Ryan might be gorgeous, but he’s incredibly moody and mysterious. Could there be more to him than the playboy that dates models?
It doesn’t matter anyway. She’s far too busy trying to deal with the rest of her life; her bullying boss, pushy mother and three brothers, each with their own dramas.
But Jazz will always find the time for a bit of trouble…
Will Poppy be able to get back to her orderly life? Or will she prefer the unconventional set up she’s found herself in?
489 pages, Kindle Edition
First published July 23, 2013
104 people are currently reading
955 people want to read
About the author
Laura Barnard
19 books514 followersAmazon Bestselling Author Laura Barnard lives in Hertfordshire, UK and writes British, quirky laugh out loud romantic comedy.
In her spare time she enjoys drinking her body weight in tea, cuddling dogs, matchmaking her friends, binging True Crime, dancing in Popworld, indulging in the power nap and reading past her bedtime.
www.laurabarnardbooks.co.uk
In her spare time she enjoys drinking her body weight in tea, cuddling dogs, matchmaking her friends, binging True Crime, dancing in Popworld, indulging in the power nap and reading past her bedtime.
www.laurabarnardbooks.co.uk
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 204 reviews
October 14, 2020
The debt and the doormat is the funniest audiobook I’ve listened to. I absolutely loved it. Poppy and Jazz are a riot.
Poppy needs to learn to live a little while Jazz needs to pay off her credit card debts. This is a book about swapping lives. Poppy moves into a shared house and Jazz learns to live alone. There’s a good moral to this story but it’s supposed to be funny. It’s a comedy which as an English lady I can relate to (not that I’ve been arrested lol). It’s about balancing the white fence dream and having a good time.
This is kinda a women’s fiction book but it’s also a romance. I totally loved Ryan. He’s such a cool calm bloke.
This is part of a series but each book can be read as a standalone. They centre around two women’s lives. Ones rich and poor. It’s a light hearted comedy with plenty of drama.
I received the Audiobook as part of the book tour. My review is honest and my own thoughts.
Poppy needs to learn to live a little while Jazz needs to pay off her credit card debts. This is a book about swapping lives. Poppy moves into a shared house and Jazz learns to live alone. There’s a good moral to this story but it’s supposed to be funny. It’s a comedy which as an English lady I can relate to (not that I’ve been arrested lol). It’s about balancing the white fence dream and having a good time.
This is kinda a women’s fiction book but it’s also a romance. I totally loved Ryan. He’s such a cool calm bloke.
This is part of a series but each book can be read as a standalone. They centre around two women’s lives. Ones rich and poor. It’s a light hearted comedy with plenty of drama.
I received the Audiobook as part of the book tour. My review is honest and my own thoughts.
November 22, 2013
For a chick lit, this is quite chunky with its almost 500 pages. But I still managed to read it in two days. And that says something about how fun and addicting The Debt & The Doormat is.
After Poppy's best friend Jazz gets into money trouble, they decide to switch lives for a while. They make a deal that they'll have to do whatever the other wants them to do, be it having an one-night stand for the first time or saying "yes" to everything for a day.
Even though this is pretty much the basic of the story, in the end the life switch ends up being less about helping Jazz out of money trouble and more about Poppy having her best friend challenge her to step out of her comfort zone and do stuff she normally wouldn't.
At times this reminded me a little of The Dr Pepper Prophecies because our main character Poppy is just as much of a klutz as Mel from TDPP, if not even a bigger one. Though if I'm honest, when comparing the two books, ultimately The Dr Pepper Prophecies wins.
Was this fun? Sure. Was the love interest swoon-worthy? Yes. Was it everything I look for in a chick lit? Yesyesyes. Did I love the fact that I, again, discovered a freebie-on-Amazon gem? Yesyesyesyes.
But in the end, I just can't give this book more than 4 stars. Poppy is so extremely judgmental at times, slut-shaming women left and right who either have/had a thing with Mr. Love Interest or those who are beautiful and/or showing a little skin. And I'm just not the biggest fan of that.
Even if utter bullshit leaps out of Poppy's mouth at times (she thinks quite a lot of crap as well), I still couldn't help but love her. Maybe I would be less forgiving if this book wasn't exactly what I needed when I read it but I don't care, I loved it and I'm not ashamed to admit it.
I thought about writing that toward the end, the story started to drag a little but when I think about it, it actually didn't. I enjoyed every of the almost 500 pages, even if Poppy's slut-shaming/judging at times frustrated me to no end but I was kind of able to forgive it.
The cast of characters are so much fun and I laughed out loud so many time while reading this, which is why this still gets 4 stars from me. I don't know how I'd feel about it on a reread but right now, I can safely say it's among my favourite chick lits.
Overall, slut-shaming and the judginess of our main character aside, this is quite the awesome chick lit. If you're looking for a fun laugh-out-loud kind of read, I highly recommend The Debt & The Doormat. Even if this is quite chunky for a chick lit, the pages fly by like nothing and in the end I wished there were more. So hearing that there's going to be a sequel makes me quite happy. If there's less (or ideally NO) slut-shaming, it might even get 5 stars from me.
After Poppy's best friend Jazz gets into money trouble, they decide to switch lives for a while. They make a deal that they'll have to do whatever the other wants them to do, be it having an one-night stand for the first time or saying "yes" to everything for a day.
Even though this is pretty much the basic of the story, in the end the life switch ends up being less about helping Jazz out of money trouble and more about Poppy having her best friend challenge her to step out of her comfort zone and do stuff she normally wouldn't.
At times this reminded me a little of The Dr Pepper Prophecies because our main character Poppy is just as much of a klutz as Mel from TDPP, if not even a bigger one. Though if I'm honest, when comparing the two books, ultimately The Dr Pepper Prophecies wins.
Was this fun? Sure. Was the love interest swoon-worthy? Yes. Was it everything I look for in a chick lit? Yesyesyes. Did I love the fact that I, again, discovered a freebie-on-Amazon gem? Yesyesyesyes.
But in the end, I just can't give this book more than 4 stars. Poppy is so extremely judgmental at times, slut-shaming women left and right who either have/had a thing with Mr. Love Interest or those who are beautiful and/or showing a little skin. And I'm just not the biggest fan of that.
Even if utter bullshit leaps out of Poppy's mouth at times (she thinks quite a lot of crap as well), I still couldn't help but love her. Maybe I would be less forgiving if this book wasn't exactly what I needed when I read it but I don't care, I loved it and I'm not ashamed to admit it.
I thought about writing that toward the end, the story started to drag a little but when I think about it, it actually didn't. I enjoyed every of the almost 500 pages, even if Poppy's slut-shaming/judging at times frustrated me to no end but I was kind of able to forgive it.
The cast of characters are so much fun and I laughed out loud so many time while reading this, which is why this still gets 4 stars from me. I don't know how I'd feel about it on a reread but right now, I can safely say it's among my favourite chick lits.
Overall, slut-shaming and the judginess of our main character aside, this is quite the awesome chick lit. If you're looking for a fun laugh-out-loud kind of read, I highly recommend The Debt & The Doormat. Even if this is quite chunky for a chick lit, the pages fly by like nothing and in the end I wished there were more. So hearing that there's going to be a sequel makes me quite happy. If there's less (or ideally NO) slut-shaming, it might even get 5 stars from me.
July 8, 2024
One of the funniest books I've listened to in ages!!
Can't wait to see what happens in the next one.
Can't wait to see what happens in the next one.
March 19, 2014
I can honestly say that there wasn’t a single moment of The Debt & the Doormat that I did not completely love. Poopy, the most random character I’ve ever come across is hilarious. And the things that happen to her had me literally laugh out loud (I might have even snorted a couple times). The things that fly out of her mouth had me covering my own, because omg – this chick is a riot.
She also an amazing friend to Jazz. Jazz is a mess and I absolutely love her. After managing to put herself in huge debt, she convinces Poppy to switch lives with her and pushes Poppy out of her comfort zone. What ensues is a whirlwind of crazy fun with a surprise ending.
Ryan is moody but sweet. A heroic martyr of sorts. He’s protective and is there for Poppy when she really needs him, but then he would turn so cold, I wondered if maybe he had some sort of bipolar disorder. But no, he’s just charming, grumpy, misunderstood Ryan.
Each character was very well developed and I loved how different they were from one another.
This is a 5 star laugh out loud must read. In fact, I think I just may have to reread it.
She also an amazing friend to Jazz. Jazz is a mess and I absolutely love her. After managing to put herself in huge debt, she convinces Poppy to switch lives with her and pushes Poppy out of her comfort zone. What ensues is a whirlwind of crazy fun with a surprise ending.
Ryan is moody but sweet. A heroic martyr of sorts. He’s protective and is there for Poppy when she really needs him, but then he would turn so cold, I wondered if maybe he had some sort of bipolar disorder. But no, he’s just charming, grumpy, misunderstood Ryan.
Each character was very well developed and I loved how different they were from one another.
This is a 5 star laugh out loud must read. In fact, I think I just may have to reread it.
December 9, 2013
Poppy has her life sorted, by not going outside her nice quiet/careful life she is not going to get hurt again, like Stuart hurt her. Jazz her best friend is in a lot of debt. So on a night establishing how much debt Jazz is in they somehow decided that they will swap lives and have to do everything the other one instructs ... So Jazz moves into Poppy's lovely flat and Poppy moves into Jazz's house-share with Grace, Izzy and Ryan (the perceived man whore as Poppy christens him)
To say Poppy is a clumsy girl is an understatement, she also says and does things before assessing the consequences - landing herself in ridiculous situations that could so easily have been avoided!
Poppy's family, well her Mum is quite a character she doesn't listen to poppy and decides her version of reality - telling everyone what she wants - Poppy is too "polite" to say otherwise
A fun frolick, with several laugh out loud parts, and quite a lot of cringing through Poppy's life - I really enjoyed this book and would happily read this author again
To say Poppy is a clumsy girl is an understatement, she also says and does things before assessing the consequences - landing herself in ridiculous situations that could so easily have been avoided!
Poppy's family, well her Mum is quite a character she doesn't listen to poppy and decides her version of reality - telling everyone what she wants - Poppy is too "polite" to say otherwise
A fun frolick, with several laugh out loud parts, and quite a lot of cringing through Poppy's life - I really enjoyed this book and would happily read this author again
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
July 3, 2015
I asked my book buddies to recommend a funny book because I was sick in bed and needed a lift. This is what they told me to read. What a treasure! And lift my spirits it did. I am an Aussie, so the British humor is just up my alley, it's very dry and extremely funny. I was laughing out loud so many times, I nearly spilt my tea!
I just loved Poppy. She is a Bridget Jones type character that unfortunately bad luck follows her everywhere she goes. And it is hilarious. She has a BFF in Jazz who is her polar opposite, but just as funny. Jazz has the idea to swap houses, so she can save money to pay off her debt. Poppy is not totally convinced, but being a "doormat", she goes along with it. Jazz's flat mates, Grace, Izzy and Ryan are a bit shocked, but accept her into their fold. Crazy things will keep you entertained with this book. Some will think the relationship with Poppy and Ryan is a bit annoying, but I didn't. I felt that Poppy was the one who was unsure and gave mixed signals to poor Ryan. But alls well, that ends well, and this finishes brilliantly.
I would highly recommend this book for an entertaining read.
Reviewed for JoandIsaLoveBooks Blog.
I just loved Poppy. She is a Bridget Jones type character that unfortunately bad luck follows her everywhere she goes. And it is hilarious. She has a BFF in Jazz who is her polar opposite, but just as funny. Jazz has the idea to swap houses, so she can save money to pay off her debt. Poppy is not totally convinced, but being a "doormat", she goes along with it. Jazz's flat mates, Grace, Izzy and Ryan are a bit shocked, but accept her into their fold. Crazy things will keep you entertained with this book. Some will think the relationship with Poppy and Ryan is a bit annoying, but I didn't. I felt that Poppy was the one who was unsure and gave mixed signals to poor Ryan. But alls well, that ends well, and this finishes brilliantly.
I would highly recommend this book for an entertaining read.
Reviewed for JoandIsaLoveBooks Blog.
October 9, 2020
These two friends are a hot mess of hilarity!
I sort of split time between the audio and the ebook on this one.
1.) Hilarious!
2.) Poppy needs to learn to speak up.
3.) Jazz is that friend you adore but at the same time want to strangle.
4.) Why is Poppy friends with Lily again?
5.) Your twenties are so confusing.
6.) Ryan is HOT, but also a manslut. (He slept with 2 of 3 roommates, and well, I guess it's now 3 of 3)
7.) Jazz is well intentioned but kinda oblivious to the trouble her intentions cause.
8.) I think I had a hangover reading/listening to this.
9.) Definitely a cautionary tale about drinking too much. lol
10.) Poppy's ex is a douche canoe.
11.) Her brothers...OMG!
12.) Poppy's boss!! Both of them!!
13.) Ryan is a LAWYER?!
14.) Hilarious.
15.) Poppy's mom! She is hilarious! Annoying, but hilarious.
Let's just say, I enjoyed this ALOT! Although if I were Poppy, Jazz might have been slapped a few times. But I guess she punishes herself in the end.
And Jazz's roomies, the ladies, I think I would have smothered the hot beautiful one in her sleep.
All in all, an enjoyable read/listen. I'm ready to move onto book 2.
I sort of split time between the audio and the ebook on this one.
1.) Hilarious!
2.) Poppy needs to learn to speak up.
3.) Jazz is that friend you adore but at the same time want to strangle.
4.) Why is Poppy friends with Lily again?
5.) Your twenties are so confusing.
6.) Ryan is HOT, but also a manslut. (He slept with 2 of 3 roommates, and well, I guess it's now 3 of 3)
7.) Jazz is well intentioned but kinda oblivious to the trouble her intentions cause.
8.) I think I had a hangover reading/listening to this.
9.) Definitely a cautionary tale about drinking too much. lol
10.) Poppy's ex is a douche canoe.
11.) Her brothers...OMG!
12.) Poppy's boss!! Both of them!!
13.) Ryan is a LAWYER?!
14.) Hilarious.
15.) Poppy's mom! She is hilarious! Annoying, but hilarious.
Let's just say, I enjoyed this ALOT! Although if I were Poppy, Jazz might have been slapped a few times. But I guess she punishes herself in the end.
And Jazz's roomies, the ladies, I think I would have smothered the hot beautiful one in her sleep.
All in all, an enjoyable read/listen. I'm ready to move onto book 2.
October 9, 2020
These two friends are a hot mess of hilarity!
I sort of split time between the audio and the ebook on this one.
1.) Hilarious!
2.) Poppy needs to learn to speak up.
3.) Jazz is that friend you adore but at the same time want to strangle.
4.) Why is Poppy friends with Lily again?
5.) Your twenties are so confusing.
6.) Ryan is HOT, but also a manslut. (He slept with 2 of 3 roommates, and well, I guess it's now 3 of 3)
7.) Jazz is well intentioned but kinda oblivious to the trouble her intentions cause.
8.) I think I had a hangover reading/listening to this.
9.) Definitely a cautionary tale about drinking too much. lol
10.) Poppy's ex is a douche canoe.
11.) Her brothers...OMG!
12.) Poppy's boss!! Both of them!!
13.) Ryan is a LAWYER?!
14.) Hilarious.
15.) Poppy's mom! She is hilarious! Annoying, but hilarious.
Let's just say, I enjoyed this ALOT! Although if I were Poppy, Jazz might have been slapped a few times. But I guess she punishes herself in the end.
And Jazz's roomies, the ladies, I think I would have smothered the hot beautiful one in her sleep.
All in all, an enjoyable read/listen. I'm ready to move onto book 2.
I sort of split time between the audio and the ebook on this one.
1.) Hilarious!
2.) Poppy needs to learn to speak up.
3.) Jazz is that friend you adore but at the same time want to strangle.
4.) Why is Poppy friends with Lily again?
5.) Your twenties are so confusing.
6.) Ryan is HOT, but also a manslut. (He slept with 2 of 3 roommates, and well, I guess it's now 3 of 3)
7.) Jazz is well intentioned but kinda oblivious to the trouble her intentions cause.
8.) I think I had a hangover reading/listening to this.
9.) Definitely a cautionary tale about drinking too much. lol
10.) Poppy's ex is a douche canoe.
11.) Her brothers...OMG!
12.) Poppy's boss!! Both of them!!
13.) Ryan is a LAWYER?!
14.) Hilarious.
15.) Poppy's mom! She is hilarious! Annoying, but hilarious.
Let's just say, I enjoyed this ALOT! Although if I were Poppy, Jazz might have been slapped a few times. But I guess she punishes herself in the end.
And Jazz's roomies, the ladies, I think I would have smothered the hot beautiful one in her sleep.
All in all, an enjoyable read/listen. I'm ready to move onto book 2.
November 4, 2020
I’ve read most of Laura Barnard’s work and have found them to be addictive stories that I’m happy to power through, stories that have me laughing with the antics that occur. I’ve been curious about The Debt & The Doormat for a while and was happy to dive into it to see what this one would offer.
I’ll be honest and say this isn’t my favourite book from the author. It has me hooked and curious to see how the pieces came together, but it didn’t have the level of laughter that some of the author’s other books have offered. Sure, there were some moments when I was laughing. Mostly, I found things were a bit much. A lot happened in this one, and I feel I would have enjoyed it more if there hadn’t been quite so much mayhem in the story – as it was, everything seemed to happen and it lessened the impact of the events.
Although not my favourite from the author, it does have me curious to see what happens to the characters in the next book.
I’ll be honest and say this isn’t my favourite book from the author. It has me hooked and curious to see how the pieces came together, but it didn’t have the level of laughter that some of the author’s other books have offered. Sure, there were some moments when I was laughing. Mostly, I found things were a bit much. A lot happened in this one, and I feel I would have enjoyed it more if there hadn’t been quite so much mayhem in the story – as it was, everything seemed to happen and it lessened the impact of the events.
Although not my favourite from the author, it does have me curious to see what happens to the characters in the next book.
December 31, 2013
Awkward and predictable humour
The blurb gives so much promise and follows the “rules” of a typical chick flick novel. But instead, you are presented with a predictable storyline and humour that just makes you cringe and feel quite awkward. It felt like I was watching a comedy film – you can see where and when the punch line is coming and when it does, you end up feeling sorry for the characters involved, rather than laughing at the predicament.
Don’t get me wrong, it’s an easy read to get in to and you want Poppy to finally sort herself out by the end of the novel (if nothing else, just to relieve that never-ending awkwardness that is prevalent throughout the story). The predicaments she finds herself in are quite lame and unbelievable; it made me question how Barnard was inspired to write this because it becomes quite far-fetched. For example, Poppy tells her mother that she is pregnant in order to escape meeting a pretend boyfriend in the city (they actually end up visiting this poor random bloke’s office and the situation is quite cringe-making), and this is still circling the gossip mill at the end of the story. Each time I wanted Poppy to have the balls to stand up to her unbearably controlling mother and just get on with life. Seriously, how could anyone manage to get themselves in the situations she finds herself in?
Another irritation for this story is that whilst it starts out with Poppy and her best friend, Jazz, swapping lives (clothes, way of living and where they live), this just seems to continue in the story, even though it is evident that this life swap has clearly got out of control. Fuelled, it seems, by going out every night to get drunk, I wonder just how far Barnard’s readers can relate to this. Again, surely common sense and self-belief would prevent anyone from acting in the way that Poppy does?
Perhaps I have missed the point of this novel and taken it far too seriously. Trust me, I could definitely see where Barnard was trying to go with this story but it really didn’t pull me in. The attempts at humour seem reminiscent of Sophie Kinsella and it is this that brought me to the conclusion that either the writer is trying too hard to create a chick flick novel, or has taken elements from different chick flick novels to combine it into her own… just not very successfully.
The blurb gives so much promise and follows the “rules” of a typical chick flick novel. But instead, you are presented with a predictable storyline and humour that just makes you cringe and feel quite awkward. It felt like I was watching a comedy film – you can see where and when the punch line is coming and when it does, you end up feeling sorry for the characters involved, rather than laughing at the predicament.
Don’t get me wrong, it’s an easy read to get in to and you want Poppy to finally sort herself out by the end of the novel (if nothing else, just to relieve that never-ending awkwardness that is prevalent throughout the story). The predicaments she finds herself in are quite lame and unbelievable; it made me question how Barnard was inspired to write this because it becomes quite far-fetched. For example, Poppy tells her mother that she is pregnant in order to escape meeting a pretend boyfriend in the city (they actually end up visiting this poor random bloke’s office and the situation is quite cringe-making), and this is still circling the gossip mill at the end of the story. Each time I wanted Poppy to have the balls to stand up to her unbearably controlling mother and just get on with life. Seriously, how could anyone manage to get themselves in the situations she finds herself in?
Another irritation for this story is that whilst it starts out with Poppy and her best friend, Jazz, swapping lives (clothes, way of living and where they live), this just seems to continue in the story, even though it is evident that this life swap has clearly got out of control. Fuelled, it seems, by going out every night to get drunk, I wonder just how far Barnard’s readers can relate to this. Again, surely common sense and self-belief would prevent anyone from acting in the way that Poppy does?
Perhaps I have missed the point of this novel and taken it far too seriously. Trust me, I could definitely see where Barnard was trying to go with this story but it really didn’t pull me in. The attempts at humour seem reminiscent of Sophie Kinsella and it is this that brought me to the conclusion that either the writer is trying too hard to create a chick flick novel, or has taken elements from different chick flick novels to combine it into her own… just not very successfully.
January 12, 2021
Real rating: 3,5 / 5
This was quite the funny story!
I really liked listening to the audiobook, the narrator was incredible! She voiced Poppy easily as well as Ryan, and other characters of course but it was fantastic to hear her do all these characters, and her story telling was great.
Poppy is such a cute, funny and romantic woman. I loved all her problems and shenanigans that she often creates herself ahah. Her friendship with Jazz is awesome and they're hilarious combined. Ryan is one more book boyfriend I guess, he's kind and hot as usual book boyfriends are. The side characters are well done too, Poppy's family is fantastically fun and Ryan's grandma is a wonderful woman but I think that she hides some things to her grandson (that I will happily discover later on!)...
This book was not long enough and I want to hear more about these characters, there are quite some things that happened at the end that will probably be well-managed (read this sarcastically) by Poppy and her gang!
This was quite the funny story!
I really liked listening to the audiobook, the narrator was incredible! She voiced Poppy easily as well as Ryan, and other characters of course but it was fantastic to hear her do all these characters, and her story telling was great.
Poppy is such a cute, funny and romantic woman. I loved all her problems and shenanigans that she often creates herself ahah. Her friendship with Jazz is awesome and they're hilarious combined. Ryan is one more book boyfriend I guess, he's kind and hot as usual book boyfriends are. The side characters are well done too, Poppy's family is fantastically fun and Ryan's grandma is a wonderful woman but I think that she hides some things to her grandson (that I will happily discover later on!)...
This book was not long enough and I want to hear more about these characters, there are quite some things that happened at the end that will probably be well-managed (read this sarcastically) by Poppy and her gang!
December 28, 2016
Ahhhh what a lovely read. I laughed out loud in quite a few places at poor Poppy who was rather accident prone and always seemed to end up in tricky situations, bless her.
All the characters were great and complimented each other perfectly. This is a super read if you are in the mood for something light that will have you chuckling along the way.
All the characters were great and complimented each other perfectly. This is a super read if you are in the mood for something light that will have you chuckling along the way.
May 21, 2017
Average story and borrowed humour
The book was funny in places but only because so many of the quotes, quips and one liners were taken from the tv series Friends! Disappointing that the author had to use other sources rather than their creativity or imagination. Also noted a fair few spelling, grammar and punctuation errors. Won't be reading any additional books I'm afraid
The book was funny in places but only because so many of the quotes, quips and one liners were taken from the tv series Friends! Disappointing that the author had to use other sources rather than their creativity or imagination. Also noted a fair few spelling, grammar and punctuation errors. Won't be reading any additional books I'm afraid
March 26, 2019
Laugh out loud from beginning to end!
October 2, 2020
I was sent a copy of The debt and the doormat to listen to in exchange for an honest review via the author Laura Barnard.
》》 AUDIO BOOK REVIEW 《《
The debt and the doormat is absolutely hilarious!
Poppy decides to swap homes with her best friend Jaz to help her clear her debt and ends up falling for the hunky Ryan who shares the house with her. All the way through this book I was breathless with anticipation that Poppy and Ryan would somehow get together but spanners are thrown in the mix left right and centre. Poor Poppy gets herself into some crazy but hilarious situations and her friends are just as hilarious as she is.
I listened to this book whilst in self-isolation and it has been just the tonic to get me through the long, lonely, boring days!
I can't wait to listen to the next book in the series - the baby and the bride and see what wild adventures and situations Poppy and Jaz get themselves into next, and I especially can't wait to read more on the delicious Ryan **swoon** .
The narrator is absolutely perfect for this book and does an amazing job at narrating!
》》 AUDIO BOOK REVIEW 《《
The debt and the doormat is absolutely hilarious!
Poppy decides to swap homes with her best friend Jaz to help her clear her debt and ends up falling for the hunky Ryan who shares the house with her. All the way through this book I was breathless with anticipation that Poppy and Ryan would somehow get together but spanners are thrown in the mix left right and centre. Poor Poppy gets herself into some crazy but hilarious situations and her friends are just as hilarious as she is.
I listened to this book whilst in self-isolation and it has been just the tonic to get me through the long, lonely, boring days!
I can't wait to listen to the next book in the series - the baby and the bride and see what wild adventures and situations Poppy and Jaz get themselves into next, and I especially can't wait to read more on the delicious Ryan **swoon** .
The narrator is absolutely perfect for this book and does an amazing job at narrating!
October 13, 2020
The Debt & the Doormat by Laura Barnard is a hilarious introduction to tge adventures and misadventures of best friends Poppy and Jazz. Two young women so incredibly opposite from one another that you sometimes wonder how they can be friends. But I get it... they give each other something the other needs . And for us the audience we are treated to hilarious scenes and dialog.
The story is fun and the characters are somewhat annoying at times, but in 5hat way that still makes you want to hear their story to see them grow and mature. I for sure became dedicated to following these two through their journey of life and love and self discovery. Elisa Hilton does a great job as Narrator and brought tge story to life.
The story is fun and the characters are somewhat annoying at times, but in 5hat way that still makes you want to hear their story to see them grow and mature. I for sure became dedicated to following these two through their journey of life and love and self discovery. Elisa Hilton does a great job as Narrator and brought tge story to life.
July 20, 2016
I really hate to write reviews like this...This was the first book that I have read by this author and I picked it up because I wanted a funny, light hearted read. Unfortunately I didn't like it. I hated it. I hated the characters, the plot, I just didn't get it at all. I also didn't like how there was a few occasions that slagged of disabilities. I know it is supposed to be a funny book, but I didn't like that in it.
The beginning I thought was going to be good, but then it went too far fetched. Only in a novel can someone go from being locked in a bathroom by a guy, to be rescued by her house mate, to be in a armed robbery a page or two later...to then going to a hospital to get told her housemate died, but he was in the next room alive and kicking.
Some of it was funny and could have been a good novel, but I just couldn't get into it. I wanted to jump into the book and slap some sense into the main character. She was so childish and irresponsible.
I do have another two books on my kindle by this author, and I will read them and hopefully enjoy them.
The beginning I thought was going to be good, but then it went too far fetched. Only in a novel can someone go from being locked in a bathroom by a guy, to be rescued by her house mate, to be in a armed robbery a page or two later...to then going to a hospital to get told her housemate died, but he was in the next room alive and kicking.
Some of it was funny and could have been a good novel, but I just couldn't get into it. I wanted to jump into the book and slap some sense into the main character. She was so childish and irresponsible.
I do have another two books on my kindle by this author, and I will read them and hopefully enjoy them.
September 14, 2013
This story was absolutely awful. The characters were vile, the narrative was poorly planned and the content was dull. Firstly, the characters are really unpleasant. I did not empathise with any of the characters as they were shallow and annoying. The narrative started as quite an interesting story about two girls who swap lives to change up their habits, particularly spending and socialising habits. It ended as a vacuous, pointless romance. I was not impressed with this downgrading. Not only was the content dull (see previous comment) but I felt highly uncomfortable reading some of this - on more than one occasion the main character is in a rape situation and she doesn't report either of the men. I cannot condone a story where that happens, let alone the inanities of the rest of the story.
December 18, 2013
I picked this up basis the 1000+ ratings on Amazon, most of which were high, hoping it was what it promised to be- a light hearted quirky book with generous dose of humour. It wasn't. It was painful and boring. I speed read through it. The protagonist was a sad loser who never recovers from it and whose main charms seems to be her incessant clumsiness. The only thing which was true to the tile was how much of a doormat she was. One can deal with the expected predictability of a book of this kind but what made it insufferable was that none of the characters were endearing, so it was chore to read how they were wasting their lives.
Clearly this book is meant to be under your feet only, never in your hands.
Clearly this book is meant to be under your feet only, never in your hands.
January 20, 2017
This book was absolutely brilliant. I was up until 2am reading as I just could not put it down.
This has now become my new favourite go-to read, when I need a laugh I'll definitely be re reading The Debt And The Doormat.
Poppy is hilarious, she's constantly getting herself, and others, into trouble just by being too nice and not saying no when she should.
Jazz is brilliant, stubborn and deep down I think she's lost.. I'll have to read book 2 to see if I'm right!
Ryan.. swoon! Although he has quite a few mood swings, he's still Hot, funny and loveable and genuinely a nice person.
This book is witty, charming and completely unique. I'm a Brit myself so I adored this dry humour. The character developments are great, the writing was flawless and the storyline was exceptional.
#2OCCAB
This has now become my new favourite go-to read, when I need a laugh I'll definitely be re reading The Debt And The Doormat.
Poppy is hilarious, she's constantly getting herself, and others, into trouble just by being too nice and not saying no when she should.
Jazz is brilliant, stubborn and deep down I think she's lost.. I'll have to read book 2 to see if I'm right!
Ryan.. swoon! Although he has quite a few mood swings, he's still Hot, funny and loveable and genuinely a nice person.
This book is witty, charming and completely unique. I'm a Brit myself so I adored this dry humour. The character developments are great, the writing was flawless and the storyline was exceptional.
#2OCCAB
December 18, 2015
I haven't even finished reading this yet, but there are lines taken almost directly from "Friends" in just about every chapter - not quotes from the show, but actual lines used as if the author has written them herself.
I don't know whether it's a deliberate Easter egg or something but it is beyond irritating.
I don't know whether it's a deliberate Easter egg or something but it is beyond irritating.
April 3, 2016
Loved this book. It was absolutely hilarious. The scrapes Poppy got herself into had me cringing with her and laughing at her at the same time. I adored Ryan and was shouting at the book for him to wise up! Looking forward to reading the rest of the series. Laura has built a host of characters that feel like family friends.
March 27, 2014
refuse to carry on reading a book which takes chunks of the TV show friends and adds it to the book. only 30% in and there have been so many quotes word for word, on one page it was a whole scene almost!!!
May 8, 2014
I stopped reading when I got to the line that said - 'dry as a nun's vagina'. No thanks. Off-putting, crude and pointless. I was looking for light-hearted froth, not the sort of language used by rugby players.
January 28, 2016
Absolute drivel
Worst book I have ever started to read. Glad it was free would have felt cheated otherwise. Spelling and grammar mistakes awful. Don't normally give reviews but this was so bad.
Worst book I have ever started to read. Glad it was free would have felt cheated otherwise. Spelling and grammar mistakes awful. Don't normally give reviews but this was so bad.
November 3, 2013
This was so a cute, fun read. I thought it was a hoot.
September 13, 2015
Plagiarises the sitcom FRIENDS all the way throughout the book, i can't believe it was ever published, the protagonist is very unlikeable too. Terrible book.
Read
September 15, 2015loved this book. was laugh out loud funny. easy to read.
July 6, 2019
So, The Debt and The Doormat, I received this last year. I also read it last year, just haven't gotten around to posting a review. I was supposed to review the other books but it turned out I didn't have any pictures yet so I have to just review another one. I chose this book because this was so fun when I read it. This is a romantic comedy set in the UK. Yes, the voices of the characters when I was reading this were in British.
The main character of the story is Poppy. Honestly, I am not sure if I like Poppy. Her character is not exactly the most admirable book character I have encountered but she had her good points too. Most of the time, I feel sorry for Poppy, especially with her obnoxious Mom. She can't seem to be honest with her Mom or if she did try, she was brushed aside. Yes, it seemed like it's so easy for people to not take her seriously and walk over her. Poor Poppy. Even her best friend, Jazz, seems to not take Poppy seriously sometimes, though she loves Poppy dearly.
All in all, this was a fun read yet there would be times that you would feel irritated with the way the characters are acting. Sometimes you want to knock on their heads to put sense into the them. Poppy and Jazz' characters are not exactly lovable but you will feel like you want to get involved in their lives and help them. That's how the story was to me. I felt like wanting to be one of the characters and tell Poppy to stand up for herself and tell Jazz to grew a pair and start becoming a responsible adult. Good thing that these two actually developed and become better people by the end of the story. But a lot has to happen, mostly to Poppy, to make her see that people have been walking all over her and she just let them.
One of the most delicate situations in this story was the one involving infidelity and the people involved are related to Poppy. She had caught the cheating couple and the dilemma is to tell the partners of these two what's going on. If I were Poppy, I would have told my brother. The truth will surely hurt and maybe destroy their marriage but I won't stand and just let my brother be made a fool.
I think the flaw in Poppy's character is that she was unsure of herself, which most of us are also. But then again, even so, we have to know our strengths also. We have to know our values. What things do we love most and we should stand up for those things. We shouldn't let people just trample on them or destroy them. Somewhere, we have to draw the line where being nice and being such a pushover ends. But then, some people don't even realize that they've been taken advantage of. That they've been made a doormat. I guess, if I were one of Poppy's friends, I would have told her already. Of all the characters here, only one person was honest and cared enough to tell Poppy. It was Ryan. I would have done the same thing Ryan did. I would tell Poppy over and over how she's encouraging people to walk all over here. She should push back. I know her heart is in the right place but sometimes you have to tell people off. I am just happy that at the end, it all worked out for Poppy.
I gave this book 4/5 doormats. As I have said, Poppy is not the best character I've ever read but the whole book was entertaining that even if I have to read it again for the second time to make sure that I write my review right, it still felt like reading it for the first time. It was as entertaining as I remembered it. And that means a lot to me because I don't exactly reread books. To me rereading books either mean two things- one is I didn't understand the story or the book wasn't very memorable. The other is there is a need for me to read the story again because I badly needed to be reminded of how the story made me feel and I needed to feel that emotion in that very moment. There are stories that I have to reread because I needed to feel good about myself. I very rarely reread books. I reread this book because I am unsure of some of the details. Again, not liking Poppy's character so much, I had to be reminded of why I felt that way. With that said, I am not saying that this is not a worthy read. It is. I enjoyed it so much and the fact that Poppy's character bothers me so much is in itself evidence that the story got to me. Me being involved in Poppy's well-being is saying that I do care for Poppy although I wished she were firmer in her convictions.
Maybe it won't be that bad to fancy someone a little bit. It might actually be good for me. He might be like medicine to me, a bit of a remedy. I just hope he doesn't turn out to be poison.
- Laura Barnard, The Debt and The Doormat -
Thank you again, Laura Barnard for the review book. Sorry, it took me a 100 years to write the review.
The main character of the story is Poppy. Honestly, I am not sure if I like Poppy. Her character is not exactly the most admirable book character I have encountered but she had her good points too. Most of the time, I feel sorry for Poppy, especially with her obnoxious Mom. She can't seem to be honest with her Mom or if she did try, she was brushed aside. Yes, it seemed like it's so easy for people to not take her seriously and walk over her. Poor Poppy. Even her best friend, Jazz, seems to not take Poppy seriously sometimes, though she loves Poppy dearly.
All in all, this was a fun read yet there would be times that you would feel irritated with the way the characters are acting. Sometimes you want to knock on their heads to put sense into the them. Poppy and Jazz' characters are not exactly lovable but you will feel like you want to get involved in their lives and help them. That's how the story was to me. I felt like wanting to be one of the characters and tell Poppy to stand up for herself and tell Jazz to grew a pair and start becoming a responsible adult. Good thing that these two actually developed and become better people by the end of the story. But a lot has to happen, mostly to Poppy, to make her see that people have been walking all over her and she just let them.
One of the most delicate situations in this story was the one involving infidelity and the people involved are related to Poppy. She had caught the cheating couple and the dilemma is to tell the partners of these two what's going on. If I were Poppy, I would have told my brother. The truth will surely hurt and maybe destroy their marriage but I won't stand and just let my brother be made a fool.
I think the flaw in Poppy's character is that she was unsure of herself, which most of us are also. But then again, even so, we have to know our strengths also. We have to know our values. What things do we love most and we should stand up for those things. We shouldn't let people just trample on them or destroy them. Somewhere, we have to draw the line where being nice and being such a pushover ends. But then, some people don't even realize that they've been taken advantage of. That they've been made a doormat. I guess, if I were one of Poppy's friends, I would have told her already. Of all the characters here, only one person was honest and cared enough to tell Poppy. It was Ryan. I would have done the same thing Ryan did. I would tell Poppy over and over how she's encouraging people to walk all over here. She should push back. I know her heart is in the right place but sometimes you have to tell people off. I am just happy that at the end, it all worked out for Poppy.
I gave this book 4/5 doormats. As I have said, Poppy is not the best character I've ever read but the whole book was entertaining that even if I have to read it again for the second time to make sure that I write my review right, it still felt like reading it for the first time. It was as entertaining as I remembered it. And that means a lot to me because I don't exactly reread books. To me rereading books either mean two things- one is I didn't understand the story or the book wasn't very memorable. The other is there is a need for me to read the story again because I badly needed to be reminded of how the story made me feel and I needed to feel that emotion in that very moment. There are stories that I have to reread because I needed to feel good about myself. I very rarely reread books. I reread this book because I am unsure of some of the details. Again, not liking Poppy's character so much, I had to be reminded of why I felt that way. With that said, I am not saying that this is not a worthy read. It is. I enjoyed it so much and the fact that Poppy's character bothers me so much is in itself evidence that the story got to me. Me being involved in Poppy's well-being is saying that I do care for Poppy although I wished she were firmer in her convictions.
Maybe it won't be that bad to fancy someone a little bit. It might actually be good for me. He might be like medicine to me, a bit of a remedy. I just hope he doesn't turn out to be poison.
- Laura Barnard, The Debt and The Doormat -
Thank you again, Laura Barnard for the review book. Sorry, it took me a 100 years to write the review.
January 3, 2022
Had this book in my Kindle library for years left unread and forgotten about. What a gem I’ve been sitting on all this time. As a lover of all things chick-lit and romantic comedy, it was right up my alley. Laugh out loud funny throughout, from Poppy’s hopelessness and unlucky/hazardous nature to the trials and tribulations she faces as a result of this and her inability to stop pleasing others.
I love how opposite Poppy and her best-friend Jazz are and whilst the whole life swap cliche is somewhat played out, the way in which this book executes it is unique and engaging. I like that Poppy has lost herself after spending years in a controlling relationship which has left her a shell of her former lovely and fun-loving self and is very serious and likes to play it safe, whilst Jazz is such a free-spirit who definitely needs to start taking some more accountability for her life rather than constantly allowing her wealthy parents to bail her out of all of her problems.
Jazz and Poppy’s friendship is the stuff of true sisterhood and although it seems quite abrupt how they actually go as far as switching homes with one another, but I love the bond Poppy forms with Izzy and Ryan: her new housemates whilst living as Jazz. I also love how the dynamic naturally becomes Izzy, Jazz and Poppy spending time together - let’s not even discuss the desperate evil (although undeniably beautiful witch, Grace).
As a reader it’s very obvious that there is an instant connection between Ryan (Jazz’s only male housemate) and Poppy. From their instant bickering and irritation towards one another, it’s clear something is going to blossom. It’s becomes very obvious that Ryan (who has previously been described as a player) has real feelings towards Poppy as he shows how much he cares by continuing to bail her out of the wacky and outrageous situations she gets herself into and it is clear he genuinely cares. From the time he rubs her back and holds her hair for her when she’s being sick after too many drinks, to introducing her to his Grandma and inviting him to his work do (all under the pretence of ‘just friendship’; not to mention all of the sexual tension throughout.
Poppy is so damaged from how poorly she was treated by her repulsive ex Stuart and brainwashed by Grace the desperado who can’t wait to try to sink her claws into Ryan at any passing opportunity, that she doesn’t see how much her feelings towards him are reciprocated, although they do bicker as badly as siblings at the best of times - but that’s just their thing which makes me ship them as a couple all the more.
It was so lovely how evening in the beginning of their relationship (although only friends) Ryan pretended to be Poppy’s boyfriend when they coincidentally bumped into her ex Stuart and the woman he had left Poppy for, which came around full circle when Ryan ended up at Poppy’s brother Henry’s wedding as a plus one and fought for his woman. This inevitably ended with them finally admitting their feelings for one another and both being on the same page of being mad about one another and wanting to be together properly as girlfriend and boyfriend.
I was elated to discover this is a series and can’t wait to start reading book two, especially with things ending on a cliff-hanger with Jazz confessing to Poppy that she’s pregnant as we know Poppy has been dating a 19-year old rock-obsessed man-child named Jake as well as being caught up in a friends-with-benefits scenario with one of Poppy’s brothers named Ollie. So it begs the question, who’s the daddy?
I can’t wait to find out…
I love how opposite Poppy and her best-friend Jazz are and whilst the whole life swap cliche is somewhat played out, the way in which this book executes it is unique and engaging. I like that Poppy has lost herself after spending years in a controlling relationship which has left her a shell of her former lovely and fun-loving self and is very serious and likes to play it safe, whilst Jazz is such a free-spirit who definitely needs to start taking some more accountability for her life rather than constantly allowing her wealthy parents to bail her out of all of her problems.
Jazz and Poppy’s friendship is the stuff of true sisterhood and although it seems quite abrupt how they actually go as far as switching homes with one another, but I love the bond Poppy forms with Izzy and Ryan: her new housemates whilst living as Jazz. I also love how the dynamic naturally becomes Izzy, Jazz and Poppy spending time together - let’s not even discuss the desperate evil (although undeniably beautiful witch, Grace).
As a reader it’s very obvious that there is an instant connection between Ryan (Jazz’s only male housemate) and Poppy. From their instant bickering and irritation towards one another, it’s clear something is going to blossom. It’s becomes very obvious that Ryan (who has previously been described as a player) has real feelings towards Poppy as he shows how much he cares by continuing to bail her out of the wacky and outrageous situations she gets herself into and it is clear he genuinely cares. From the time he rubs her back and holds her hair for her when she’s being sick after too many drinks, to introducing her to his Grandma and inviting him to his work do (all under the pretence of ‘just friendship’; not to mention all of the sexual tension throughout.
Poppy is so damaged from how poorly she was treated by her repulsive ex Stuart and brainwashed by Grace the desperado who can’t wait to try to sink her claws into Ryan at any passing opportunity, that she doesn’t see how much her feelings towards him are reciprocated, although they do bicker as badly as siblings at the best of times - but that’s just their thing which makes me ship them as a couple all the more.
It was so lovely how evening in the beginning of their relationship (although only friends) Ryan pretended to be Poppy’s boyfriend when they coincidentally bumped into her ex Stuart and the woman he had left Poppy for, which came around full circle when Ryan ended up at Poppy’s brother Henry’s wedding as a plus one and fought for his woman. This inevitably ended with them finally admitting their feelings for one another and both being on the same page of being mad about one another and wanting to be together properly as girlfriend and boyfriend.
I was elated to discover this is a series and can’t wait to start reading book two, especially with things ending on a cliff-hanger with Jazz confessing to Poppy that she’s pregnant as we know Poppy has been dating a 19-year old rock-obsessed man-child named Jake as well as being caught up in a friends-with-benefits scenario with one of Poppy’s brothers named Ollie. So it begs the question, who’s the daddy?
I can’t wait to find out…
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
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