It Would Be Wrong to Steal My Sister's Boyfriend

by Sophie Ranald

You live together, laugh together, borrow her shoes and eyeliner – is there anything you can’t share with your sister?

Ellie’s younger sister Rose has it all. She’s beautiful, stylish and dates gorgeous, glamorous millionaires, while Ellie is quite happy watching TV on the sofa with her old mate Ben. But when Rose brings her new boyfriend home, it’s lust at first sight for Ellie. And although she knows it’s wrong, everything changes: she’ll do whatever it takes to get Oliver, even if it means abandoning her principles and turning a deaf ear to her friends. After all, would it be so wrong to take up running, put some highlights in her hair and make herself look a tiny, little bit more like Rose? But as Ellie follows in her sister’s stiletto-heeled footsteps, she realises that finding love could mean losing the most important thing in the world.

It Would Be Wrong to Steal My Sister’s Boyfriend... is a warm, witty whirlwind romance. If you’re a fan of Tracy Bloom, Pippa Wright and Mhairi McFarlane, you’ll love Sophie Ranald.

Genres: Romance, Chick Lit, Contemporary Romance, Contemporary, Fiction, Unfinished

232 pages, Kindle Edition

First published August 22, 2013

About the author

Sophie Ranald is the youngest of five sisters. She was born in Zimbabwe and lived in South Africa until an acute case of itchy feet brought her to London in her mid-20s.

As an editor for a customer publishing agency, Sophie developed her fiction-writing skills describing holidays to places she’d never visited. In 2011, she decided to disregard all the good advice given to aspiring novelists and attempt to write full-time. After one false start, It Would Be Wrong to Steal My Sister’s Boyfriend (Wouldn’t It?) seemed to write itself.

Sophie also writes for magazines and online about food, fashion and running. She lives in south-east London with her amazing partner Hopi and Purrs, their adorable little cat.

Reviews

[Megan · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was really intrigued by this book – the title grabbed my attention immediately and the description on the back definitely had me wondering what would happen, and I hadn’t even opened the book yet!

I sat down to read this on a morning and I finished the book in one sitting, I genuinely could not put the novel down! I was drawn in straight away and I was hooked to what I was reading. A bit of a warning – make sure you read this when you have some free time because you will not want to be parted from this!

I really liked the characters, it was so easy to get to know them and by the end of the novel I felt as though I had a new set of close friends. I wasn’t sure from reading the description on the back of the book whether I’d get on with Ellie, after all, she is after her sister’s new boyfriend. But what was great was that Ellie remained SO likeable, her personality came through straight away and I found myself wanting to read on to find out what would happen next for Ellie.

I had so much FUN reading this book – there are moments where I was giggling and laughing out loud, Sophie really knows how to write funny moments! As well as that, Sophie’s writing is very real too, everything felt very true to life.

The plot line was fantastic, there are truly BRILLIANT characters to meet and most of it all it is a story that is a joy to read! It Would Be Wrong To Steal My Sister’s boyfriend is fresh, it is funny and it has lots of emotion and feeling too! I’m really looking forward to reading more from Sophie.

[Ollie B. · Rating 2 out of 5]

This was a book that veered from fun and chatty, to boring with essays of irrelevant backstory, and back again. Dialogue is one of my favourite things to read and unfortunately there just wasn't very much here, and what there was often had 3-4 pages of backstory shoehorned into it which really messes with the pacing for me. Our main character is a bit of a selfish, judgemental mess and while she does learn a couple of lessons (basically that the grass isn't always greener) I would've liked a lot more growth.

I didn't like the way she treated her sister or her friends or the rest of her family. The ending kind of ticked me off a bit too - if you hate your new job so much, just leave, don't scam them! One bright spot was the way the weight loss/image makeover subplot was handled.

Basically, this was a book that told (and told and told and told) but did very little showing, and I think it was the worse off for it. My first Sophie Ranald, and I'm not too sure I'll try again.

[Becki · Rating 4 out of 5]

Quite readable for light chick lit type thing, probably because I relate to the odd bit of swearing. Usual unlikely coincidences beloved of chicklit abound though, and the ending is kind of sudden and very tied up.

I expect the more puritanical goodreads types will bleat about how they keep 'dropping the f bomb'. Doesn't bother me at all, and it's not every chick lit book where someone is described as a cunt!

[Barbara · Rating 1 out of 5]

The whole book was a torture for me, I can't even name one single part I liked.

[Timea · Rating 2 out of 5]

The ending of the book was obvious from page 1. Nothing happens in this book and everyone is shallow. But if you are after a dull chick novel than this is for you.

[Debra Carty · Rating 4 out of 5]

Nice easy read.

[Marina · Rating 4 out of 5]

Original review is posted here:

http://thischickreads.wordpress.com/2...

Ok, I must confess, this book has the longest title I’ve ever seen. Though I’m strongly against stealing boyfriends (yes, even in fiction), I decided to give this book a chance and I’m so glad I did.

Ellie and Rose are sisters and share everything. Physically they don’t have much in common, but they love each other very much. Rose is the beautiful one, the type that all men are attracted to. While, Ellie is the smarter one, always casually dressed, and mostly enjoying her evenings in front of the TV with Ben. Ben, who is not her boyfriend, as she claims.

Then one day, Rose brings home her new boyfriend Oliver, and Ellie falls head over heels for him. She loves her sister very much, and she knows that boyfriends are not supposed to come between sisters. Still she likes him so much and seems she will do anything to make Oliver realize she’s the real one for him. How is she gonna do it?

This is such a fun chick lit read, I literally devoured it in one sitting. I’m not a fan of cheating or any rivalry between family and friends, even in fiction. However, I enjoyed this book even more than I thought I will. I loved both Ellie and Rose.They are different in so many ways, yet they are sisters and love each other so much. I won’t say anymore because I am afraid I might spoilt it, but I’m just gonna say – READ IT! It’s a brilliant book, fun and funny and so easy to read. Once you start reading it, you literally won’t be able to put it down. Excellent debut, one of the best I’ve read this year.

[Jessica · Rating 1 out of 5]

I really did not enjoy this book. It took me forever to read it. I didn't connect with the characters. I thought it was weird that Ellie talks about how much she likes her sister and yet is willing to chase after Rose's boyfriend and almost sleep with him. But then say she doesn't want to hurt Rose's feelings by telling her her now fiance almost cheated on her.
Oliver and Nina being a couple came out of no where and was too coincidental.
Things moved way too fast between Ellie and Ben at the end. I am happy that they got together, but I didn't like how they got engaged after being back together for one night. Yes they've been friends for years, but that doesn't guarantee that they get along now as a couple. Maybe go on a few dates, then get engaged? Also, Ellie got pregnant immediately after they got back together. Which means Ellie and Ben are going to go from being friends to being engaged parents to be in a matter of days.
I've enjoyed Sophie's other books but I really did not like this one.

[Rachel · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this. I'm not usually a chicklit fan but the absence of a pink and mint green cover made me think this might be a cut above - and it is. Ellie has a brilliant narrative voice: funny, opinionated, and deeply confused as all the best twentysomethings are. The contrast between the lefties and the richies was also spot-on.

Be warned: it's quite sweary - but that means the dialogue rings very true (or maybe that's just me and my girlfriends!).

Will definitely be looking for more from Sophie Ranald.

[Shona · Rating 3 out of 5]

I kind of liked this, in spite of myself... It was easy to read, the Kindle edition didn't have lots of typographical errors etc which makes life A LOT easier... The story was sort of predictable - for e.g. I worked out that the child Oliver was banging on about was Nina's child - but I did sort of enjoy it, and found myself smiling at the end...it's a nice ending! Worth a few hours for some smiles and a little bit of feel good factor, but don't expect any sort of profound outpourings!! Worth a read, all the same...

[Laura · Rating 2 out of 5]

I originally gave this 3 stars but I am demoting it to 2 as I have been thinking about it and the ending really sucks and makes me angry.

[Steph Robinson · Rating 3 out of 5]

Easy enough to read but I couldn't relate to the character's or empathize with them really.

[Abi · Rating 4 out of 5]

I quite liked this. Ellie was a fun character, and she was very relatable, what with the changing herself for a guy thing and all. Oliver always seemed too ick for me, and you could clearly see who the right guy was for Ellie. The same with Rose, I guessed that early on. I liked Ellie and Rose’s dad and stepmom, they seemed nice. Rose and her sister had a relationship that I could relate to a lot. I have two sisters, and we have similar dynamics (not identical or anything) but similar in the breakup terribly, makeup in five seconds, commiserate over awful stuff/people together thing. I didn’t love Rose. She was a bit airheaded and annoying. But she was alright, and I was happy for her in the end. Speaking of the end, I’m super happy for everyone, especially Ellie and Ben. 4 star book, as some of the middle was a bit eh, and I wasn’t totally engaged. The rest was great, though.

[Carol Morgan · Rating 5 out of 5]

A brilliant story which contains a warning as well as tonnes of humour , after always considering herself lesser than her thinner ? prettier ? more successful ? sister Ellie see's Rose's new boyfriend & falls head over heels changing herself in so many ways it's hard to find the real Ellie in the end . The saying" you should walk a mile in someone's shoes" has never been truer than in this book . What Ellie sees & what reality is between her & Rose is almost shocking but what is more shocking is that a sister would attempt to steal another sister's boyfriend , it's just a line you don't cross Ellie , question should never of been asked but then again i wouldn't of gotten to read this book if it wasn't lol .

[colourinne · Rating 2 out of 5]

Honestly, that was a tough slog. I nearly tapped out about 30% of the way through. There was a lot of movement from character to character & it was hard to keep up with which characters were important/good/preferred. Cute ending, but I feel like we didn’t get enough of a background story on Ellie and Ben from the beginning so it didn’t make it quite as sweet. Also, cliche marriage and baby being the happy ending pisses me off.
Was nearly 2 stars until it all came together and we got rid of Nina and Oliver 👌🏼

[diagnosed bookaholic · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a very fun and witty book. A lovely light read, certainly nothing profound. My complaint is that there was a major lack of depth and character development. The story was enjoyable and all but it was very surface level and the end was overdue and very sudden. If you are looking to read a Sophie Ranald read I would recommend to you another of her books called Sorry Not Sorry. It is the same genre but a much better read overall.

Genre: Contemporary Romance, Chick Lit
Trigger Warnings: death of a parent, pregnancy complications, disordered eating
Typo Count: 4

[Colette O'meara · Rating 4 out of 5]

An amusing tale of how the grass is greener on the other side. Ellie is happy with her life lying on the sofa and watching tv with her mate Ben. Then one evening her younger sister Rosie bring home her new boyfriend Oliver - everything changes. Ellie decides that Oliver is the man for her so she takes up running, going to the gym, gets a new wardrobe and highlights - just like Rosie. But her efforts to win Oliver mean that she is neglecting her friends. But the more Ellie tried to be like Rosie she discovers that the grass isn't always greener after all.

[Tracy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fun chick lit about a two English girls. One is falling for her sister's boyfriend. This is among family problems (their dad is having a baby), friend problems (her best friend has stopped calling), guy friend problems (he's taken up with his horrible ex) and work issues (she would like a new job). All English and funny. If it were set in America, probably three stars, but it's in LONDON so four.

[Rebecca Louise · Rating 4 out of 5]

*Discovered on Amazon Prime*
Having read a previous book by the same author I was excited when I saw this book became available on Amazon Prime. For the first few chapters I found it difficult to get into the story and thought I wouldn’t enjoy it as much as the previous books. However, once I was about a 3rd I’d way through book I couldn’t put it down. Enjoyed the storyline and even more so enjoyed the ending.

[Shreya Mehta · Rating 3 out of 5]

This title caught my eye 😁 and I had started reading it 📖 while reading another thriller 🎭 to take break and then it went on. It's about an ordinary girl, Ellie 💁🏻‍♀️, who wants to be like her gorgeous sister, Rose👩🏻, and has a huge crush on her sister's boyfriend, Oliver👦🏻, which she believes is love but it's not. Her love ❤️ was always by her side which she thought was just friendship👫. So it's a lovely rom-com read.

[Mary Villelli · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was ok

I finished this book but it wasn't one that made me look forward to reading. I felt it had a lot of filler words that really didn't have a story line at all. I always want to finish any book I'm reading but this was hard to get through at times just not much of a story to make me excited to return to. Some people might enjoy this book as it is well written at times and when you get through the filler words to the story it was quite good.

[Larah Yearwood · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was a nice little romantic comedy. Fairly predictable like most chick lit reads are but I thought the character development for the main person was done really well. It provided a much needed boost and many laughs during these trying times. 3 stars cause although it was a good read, as I previously said it was fairly predictable. I recommend.

[Laura · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not a bad read but it did take me a while to really get into it. It wasn't a book I couldn't put down. I'm glad I persevered though as it was a good read. Wouldn't read it again though and it wouldn't be top of my "to recommend" list.

[Suzanne · Rating 5 out of 5]

Funny chic-lit - Fab title, which is the basis of the book. Not everything you covet makes you happy & finding love could mean losing the most important thing in the world. Really well written & a good ending. A very enjoyable read. Would read another by this Author.

[Emily roberts · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fab!!!!!

Couldn't stop reading it, I was on edge at all times and I felt every emotion the character experienced. I would defiantly recommend this book!

[Valerie Stanway · Rating 3 out of 5]

ok but not memorable

[Karl O' · Rating 3 out of 5]

A fun little read but why the accolades? I suppose you could stretch it and pretend there are big messages. Lonisted got the Booker - really?

[Musarat]

Ok. Predictable

[Natasha du Plessis · Rating 4 out of 5]

I am glad that I discovered Sophie Ranald, I really enjoy reading her books. Nice to read some Chick lit for a change. Loved all the characters

[Kelly G · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 - quick, cute read!