The Accidental Rewrite

by Milly Johnson

From the Sunday Times and internationally acclaimed author Milly Johnson comes her charming US debut--a witty, heartwarming tale that combines the humor and charm of 1980s rom-com Overboard with classic British flavor. Dive into this remarkable women's fiction novel and join heroine Polly on her hilarious, touching journey to rewrite her own story.

What if it was possible to start over again? To leave everything behind, forget all that went before, and live the life you'd always dreamed of?

Polly Potter is losing the plot of her life. At work, her jerk of a boss is making her days unbearable. At home, she's trapped in an unappreciated relationship with a man-child of a partner. She's left completely drained by always putting others first. Amid this chaos, Polly finds solace in one place: the pages of her novel, where she shapes the world of the fearless and triumphant Sabrina Anderson, a character who embodies everything Polly wishes she could be. And thus a plan is born: Polly Potter is going to stop writing the life she wants and start living it.

Just as she makes her move--quitting her job, leaving her partner, and embarking on a road trip to start over--fate turns everything upside down. A wild turn of events leaves her far from home along the Yorkshire coast, in the hospital, waking up from a concussion, believing her name is Sabrina Anderson. She doesn't know where she's come from, but she feels she could heal in that seaside town, with the fresh air, seagulls, and a few kind strangers who take her into their lives. And into the heart of their joyful, boisterous Italian family restaurant--run by Teddy, the warmhearted son of her new landlady. When the restaurant is threatened, she knows she has the skills to help--and as her memory slowly returns, she must choose between Sabrina's life or Polly's. With her identity in question, Polly wonders: what if this new life could truly be hers? What if she could rewrite her story with a happier ending?

Previously published in the UK as The Happiest Ever After.

Genres: Romance, Fiction, Audiobook, Chick Lit, Contemporary, Family, Friendship

395 pages, Kindle Edition

First published February 15, 2024

About the author

Milly Johnson was born in Barnsley, raised in Barnsley and still lives in Barnsley. She writes about strong women, often having a renaissance, all ages and has just released her 22nd novel Same Time Next Week. Do check out her website for up to date news and appearance dates.

As well as a novelist she is a professional joke writer, performance poet, newspaper and magazine columnist and also after dinner/motivational speaker.

She is on insta as @themillyjohnson, facebook as @millyjohnsonauthor, Twitter as @millyjohnson and a ridiculous presence on TikTok @millyjohnsonauthor. Do give her a follow - even if it's just out of sympathy!

Reviews

[Jennifer (Jaye) (NOT ACCEPTING FRIEND REQUESTS) · Rating 5 out of 5]

*Heartwarming*

**4.5 Stars**

This is a tale about the stagnant relationship of Polly Potter. Chris her other half had really captured her heart until his affections went elsewhere. He makes hardly any effort and a peace of her heart went with his indiscretion.

Luckily for Polly she loves her job until her mentor passes on. The new boss is awful and continually steals her ideas as his own. Now where can she find solace? She starts a creative writing class. Her imagination takes her to the fictional woman she would love to be Sabrina, who is feisty, stands up for herself and is so much more the person she wants to be. She often thinks about what would Sabrina do in certain circumstances.

Well, Polly gets her wish when a catalogue of things happen and bam she is Sabrina. She has no recollection of her life as Polly. She is in a different town by the sea. A caring woman with a soft heart has a habit of collecting people in trouble. She takes her into her home and due to her track record of people stealing from her etc her friends are worried. Will Marielle live to rue the day that Sabrina comes into her very busy Italian family? Will Polly aka Sabrina ever get her memory back? What happens when her past collides with her present life that she is loving? Is there any hope for her to live her best life ever?

This was a very heartwarming tale, it was full of colourful characters and a local newspaper ‘The Daily Trumpet’ that continually misspelt words in news articles which was hilarious. Like using the word banking and replacing the letter b with a w, much to the person in question’s annoyance but it makes us as readers giggle 🤭🤭🤭

[Claire Howell · Rating 3 out of 5]

I love Milly Johnson’s books. They’re all like a warm hug and she has a really absorbing way of telling a story. My main issue with this book is that I’m around the same age as Polly(and also from Yorkshire) and she comes across as someone from a different generation, it’s a bit jarring at times. I think Polly is probably like Milly when she was in her 30’s, which is grand, she’s lovely. But she doesn’t come across as a millennial and that pulled me out of being absorbed in the story sometimes. But even so, I enjoyed the book and will continue to enjoy Milly’s writing.

[Arunima · Rating 5 out of 5]

I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

I went into this expecting a fluffy, warm yet cringey romance novel. My expectations weren't high and I am so glad they weren't. This was nothing like my pre-read thoughts. This reads more like a literary fiction than a rom-com. I loved the character development of Polly. I admire her. Her journey was moving and heartfelt. This is not a contemporary novel that one will forget easily. The romance was sweet and didn't include insta-love which I hate in books.

Milly Johnson, I am gonna buy and read your other books too.

[Kate · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars!

This was such a cute, heartfelt story! I loved following Polly’s character development—she really came into her own by the end. The cast was full of quirky personalities, though at times it felt like there were just too many of them competing for the spotlight. A few side plots could’ve been trimmed without losing anything important (and maybe even make the story tighter).

One of my favorite touches was the inclusion of The Daily Trumpet newspaper excerpts—they added so much charm and actual laughs. And the ending tied everything together in the sweetest way possible.

Overall, it’s a delightful read that balances heart and humor in a fun way, and I really enjoyed the audiobook narration!

** I received an ARC through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thanks to the author and publisher! **

[Rebekah · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a typical Milly Johnson and that’s more than OK with me. By typical I mean a nice woman or three who are not appreciated and put upon by their partner, their family, or their employer. Sometimes all three. Often they are even emotionally abused by a narcissist and they are totally under their thumb through most of the book. As the story proceeds they gradually see the light and the true character of the man they once loved. But often, and frustratingly, no action is taken until it's last straw time. In the course of the book, she will find a good kind man who is truly worthy of their love. But the point is, we look forward to the heroines triumph and takedown of the abuser and it is usually massive and exceedingly satisfying. Much of this is true of this story of Polly Potter.

However, in this one, I was happy that Polly had her long-term boyfriend’s number from the beginning of the book. She had been too nice and too tolerant for too long, but she was done. She has been planning on leaving Chris but her plans have been delayed by her role in his sister’s renewal of her wedding vows. Meanwhile, Polly is also unhappy with her employer. She has been taken advantage of and discriminated against ever since the business solutions company she works for as a highly successful and talented consultant was sold. On the day before she plans to leave her boyfriend, she reaches the end of her rope with her boss and walks out. The next day, she follows through with her plan to leave Chris, but on her way to the seaside town she has run to she is mugged, hits her head, and loses her memory and her purse with all of her identification. I won’t mention all of the drama she has to go through on the “wedding” day but wow. I didn’t see it coming.

Anyway, she is taken in by Marielle, a kind and generous retired nurse and finds love with her son, a restaurant owner who is being sabotaged by a large chain restaurant that is moving into the neighborhood. As with all Milly Johnson books, there are plenty of side stories going on alongside our main character’s and as always, they doubled my pleasure in this book.
Even though this has suspense and tension as well as cheers and triumph, it didn’t reach quite the highs of some of her former books. After Polly puts her foot down at home and work, she leaves all that pain behind, and although she loses her memory everything is pretty much smooth sailing for her from there. And I was very happy that she did put her foot down. Sometimes Milly has gone a little too far in putting her long-suffering characters through the ringer. Of course, the upside of all that tension and frustration is the power of the catharsis when it comes. Although it was nice, I also was not as invested in the romance. Teddy was not as interesting as most of her heroes have been.

Milly excels in her characterizations. In this book she shows Polly/Sabrina’s goodness while still making her inner voice funny and likable. Her baddies are sometimes over the top, but I sure get a lot of pleasure in hating their guts. Polly’s boyfriend Chris was just a worm, but hoo-boy his sister Camay (!) was something else. Chris’s son Will was a love and definitely not a chip off the old block. Chris’s daughter Shauna was a teenage menace who did her best to undermine Polly at every turn. Her boss was a typical pig (“Polly put the kettle on”) but her pregnant office mate, Sheridan, was a welcome support and ally. And at the end, Marjorie, the scheming female head of HR was a force to be reckoned with. Luckily she’s a good guy. At her seaside haven, Polly meets the funny and quirky Flick, who is as smart as a whip, and one of the restaurant staff she works with as a temporary employee. Each of them is deftly drawn too. The baddie in this setting is the foolish and avaricious Cilla, Flick’s mother, and her kind protector, Marielle’s, cousin. Milly is pleased to offer some hope and redemption for her at the end thanks to Polly’s very much unsolicited words of wisdom.

As always with Milly’s novels, the good are rewarded and the bad are punished, and in spectacular fashion. Absolutely nothing wrong with that, in my book. No one does Karma like Milly Johnson.
https://rebekahsreadingsandwatchings....

[Lau ♡ · Rating 3 out of 5]

🩵It’s never too late to live the life you were meant to have🩵

Between the lazy, unfaithful boyfriend who only wants her to warm his food and bed, and the sexist boss who is making her male coworkers take the credit for her ideas, Polly is more than ready to take her suitcase and go to the last place she felt happy in, back when she was a little girl. Before everything started going downhill and never up again.

What she wasn’t expecting was hitting her head and losing all the memories, waking up not remembering anything more than the name of the fictional character she was writing a book about and mistaking it for her own.

The Accidental Rewrite was a pleasant surprise. With that blurb, I thought it was going to be more in the comedy side, but it was never too annoying-I tend to get very frustrated with silly rom-coms, and this one wasn’t one of them. I actually ended up feeling good when I finished reading it, especially because I loved the setting and the found family (the secondary characters were amazing!)

Even though it’s marketed as a romance book, it’s the story of Polly and the romance is pretty in the background. It didn’t hinder my enjoyment, because I love following characters who are trying to put their lives together, but don’t read it looking for a romance-focused book, because it’s not.

The hero, Teddy, is a complete sweetheart. I adored them together and, as much as I liked the book as it was, I would have loved to see more of their love story. He was so dreamy and perfect for her!! Did I mention he’s Italian and has a cozy restaurant by the sea? 😍

The only things that hindered my enjoyment a bit were not connecting more with the characters and that everything was a bit too easy for the situation we were in. However, this is shelved under ‘satire and humor’ in Netgalley, and I tend to prefer realistic stories. I wanted Polly to be more shocked, angry or confused with everything that was going on. I would have behaved very differently if I woke up remembering nothing but my name (and it wasn’t the correct one) and that I have a daughter that I don’t know how to contact. It’s not that I wanted Polly to freak out all the time. But maybe a little more would have been more realistic.

As for the audiobook, I really enjoyed listening to it. I’m not sure if the writing was for me, so the narrator was the one who saved the day bringing the characters to life.

Overall, The Accidental Rewrite was mainly about Polly’s journey, but you also followed the other characters to understand better what was going on (there were several POVs). I loved that they spent the majority of the book in the Italian restaurant the hero owned, in a small town by the sea, as well as the found family and the little love story. I’d recommend it if you want a cozy book with those tropes, and enjoy the idea of following a good-hearted heroine finally getting the life she deserves.


🎧Read as an audiobook.

Audiobook rating: 4 stars.
Book rating: 3 stars.

I kindly received an ARC from Netgalley and Harper Muse Audiobooks in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

[Karen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Polly Porter’s life is not a happy one. At work she is now sidelined and used by her new bosses despite having been a much respected member of staff and excellent at her job for many years. At home her partner Chris treats her like a skivvy and shows her no respect at all and don’t get me started on his family – the only exception to their awfulness being his son Will. Her one escape is her creative writing class; her own secret together with the novel she is writing. The heroine, Sabrina Anderson, has a life that is so different from Polly’s. And very soon Polly will make changes to have the life she wants – and deserves.

Unfortunately, without going into details, the universe has other plans for Polly and instead she finds herself living in a different part of the country with an accidental new identity – that of her own character Sabrina Anderson.

I just loved this latest novel from Milly Johnson. As ever she writes with warmth and wit – the Daily Trumpet newspaper makes a welcome return and its apologies for its many mistakes are as humorous as ever. There are some wonderfully sympathetic characters here including Polly and the Bonetti family who provide the practical and emotional support that she needs. Polly is someone that I could get behind and cheer for with the hope that those who wrong her will get their comeuppance.

I loved this heartwarming and uplifting story and its theme of second chances. Bad things happen to good people but the kindness of strangers and an inner strength can make a difference. There was so much to like about this very entertaining read – a plot with depth and interest, descriptive locations together with superbly drawn characters that made me smile – there were also those that I wanted to punch in the face! I’ve never read a book from Milly that I haven’t thoroughly enjoyed and The Happiest Ever After is no exception.

[Jeanette · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thank you to Harper Muse for this ARC copy of The Accidental Rewrite for my review! This was such a sweet, feel-good story of second chances. I enjoyed it very much.

[Julia Nash · Rating 3 out of 5]

Thank you to NetGalley for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I am unsure how to feel about The Accidental Rewrite by Milly Johnson. There’s too much going on and too many characters. The pacing is wonky, and it was not nearly the retelling of Overboard I was promised. That being said, I had a pretty good time.

I loved Milly Johnson’s voice and writing style. It is energetic, witty, and completely charming. Her ability to pepper in humour even in ordinary situations makes the novel highly readable. There are several phrases I have locked away in my brain for later use. Even the intermittent retractions and apologies of The Daily Trumpet had me smiling occasionally, even though I wasn’t one hundred percent certain why they were there- a sentiment I had for a lot of things in this book.

While the writing is lovely, the rest of the book is all over the place. The pacing has issues. It feels like a couple of novels stapled together. The inciting incident didn’t occur until about 30% in (but omg the wedding!!!) and it wasn’t until after that that I even noticed the point of view was omniscient and there didn't seem to be any clear delineation between who’s perspective we were in. The narrative hits a stride in Part 2, but then the ending seems rushed, and I wish there wasn’t so much exposition in the last 20%.

For a book that was marketed as a romance, Polly (a woman who seems 20 years older than her 35 years) doesn’t meet her love interest until the 40% mark. I honestly was hoping for more in the development of their relationship, but I guess we had to spend our time checking in on the criminals, the Mad Cows, Chris’ terrible family, and all of the hundreds of other characters (As a sidenote, I will say that Colleen Prendergast did an excellent job of creating distinct and believable voices for such an ensemble). Now that I think of it, I’m not entirely certain Polly and Teddy ever kiss on page.

After finishing this book, I tried to imagine a friend asking what it was about and then having to parse through everything that happened and try to give them a comprehensive yet sane list of events. This book is a lot. Still, Johnson’s humour and voice are strong enough to carry it through the clutter. For readers who enjoy a chaos, The Accidental Rewrite will be an entertaining ride.

[Alison · Rating 4 out of 5]

Three and a half stars.

Polly Potter is unhappy. Her boyfriend Chris treats her like a doormat, a cross between his mother and a housekeeper, leaving his stuff strewn everywhere and taking her for granted, he even had an affair. She used to love her job as business consultant, helping companies to turn themselves around. But after the business was bought out and a new boss installed she has been demoted, marginalised, and put down. Many of her ideas have been repackaged as those of her new boss and she dreads going in to work. Her only respite is her creative writing class, but she keeps that a secret because she knows Chris, his spiteful daughter, and snobby sister would just ridicule her if they knew. Polly is writing a novel about a character called Sabrina, whose life resembles Polly's, except Sabrina is much braver, and Sabrina's partner Jasper could react violently when he finds out that she is leaving him.

Polly decides to go to the seaside, where her beloved aunt and uncle once took her. However, she is robbed and hits her head - causing her to lose her memory. When she wakes up in hospital she thinks her name is Sabrina and doesn't want the hospital to contact the police because she doesn't want Jasper to find her.

A kindle hospital visitor, Marielle offers to let Sabrina stay in her annex flat. Marielle has a history of helping lame ducks, some of whom repaid her trust by stealing from her, so Marielle's friends and family are suspicious of Sabrina and her amnesia. Marielle's son Teddy owns a local Italian restaurant and is persuaded to give Sabrina a job, cleaning the toilets and chopping vegetables (not at the same time you understand).

Soon Sabrina is thriving in the warm and happy restaurant, finally in the bosom of a close and loving family. But all is not well. A chain of Italian restaurants is planning to open a new restaurant right next to Teddy's and they seem to started a dirty tricks campaign to discourage Teddy's patrons by leaving one star reviews and trying to get a compulsory purchase order for Teddy's car park. Can Sabrina bring her expertise to help Teddy save his restaurant?

I did enjoy this, but I felt there were too many things that were clearly only there as plot devices. For example, some of the chapters are prefaced by a 'humorous' newspaper clipping from the Daily Trumpet where the newspaper has used the wrong words and created an offensive/funny alternative meaning eg referring to someone as Chief Defective instead of Chief Detective, the sole purpose of which seems to be so that when Polly's relatives place a missing person advert in the newspaper and Sabrina's friends do the same neither recognises that they are the same person.

Overall, a pleasant read but not one of my favourites by Milly Johnson.

I received an ARC from the publisher via NetGalley for an honest review.

Bumped for release.

[Tasha]

80s romcom with British flavor? Sounds good to me.

[Laura · Rating 4 out of 5]

4 🌟

Milly Johnson is truly the queen of the heartwarming and relatable romance novel.

Her characters are always well written and realistic and you can't help but get swept up in the wonderful magic she creates from her stories of good, hard working, everyday people.

I did find the beginning a bit slow going and I didn't fully understand what was going on with the Daily Trumpet inserts or what they really add to the book. The surprise wedding concept irritated me because you have to go through a lot of rigarmole to get married it simply would not have happened like that.

All in all this is book is like a hot chocolate for your soul. Sweet, warm and oh so comforting.

With thanks to Netgalley/ Simon & Schuster for the ARC

[Jillian · Rating 3 out of 5]

Solid, but easily forgettable, which is how I've been feeling about a lot of romcom ARCs lately. It took awhile to get going and there’s a lot of filler that does nothing for the plot. Things finally pick up at the wedding, at which point you can start to coast without too many distractions. The FMC does eventually grow a backbone, so I’d recommend sticking it out for that. This book prompted me to google subscription packages for The Daily Trumpet as that's the only newspaper I'd care to read. If only it were real.

[Judith van Wijk · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars Much better than her previous book! I liked this story a lot better. You can see things coming from a mile away, and it’s a bit far-fetched, but that’s okay.

[Mary · Rating 5 out of 5]

Book Title: The Accidental Rewrite
Author(s): Milly Johnson
Publisher(s): Harper Muse
Publication Date: September 30, 2025
Currently Available on KU? 🙅🏼‍♀️
Audiobook? ✅

🍿 𝘍𝘪𝘳𝘴𝘵 𝘐𝘮𝘱𝘳𝘦𝘴𝘴𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘴: I had never heard of Milly Johnson prior to seeing The Accidental Rewrite, but I have officially added all her audiobooks to my wish list on Audible! This was such a sweet and emotional read, and I am so happy to have found such a wonderful new-to-me author in romance.

🤩 𝚃͏𝚑͏𝚎͏ 𝙱͏𝚎͏𝚜͏𝚝͏ 𝙱͏𝚒͏𝚝͏𝚜͏: I could call this entire book the best because it actually was. From start to finish I was attached to these characters, and I adored Polly as well as many of the people she meets along the way. Even the ‘bad’ people have redeeming qualities, and I couldn’t get enough! Johnson knows how to make you laugh in one paragraph then tear right up in the next, and I loved the balance of humor and tender moments that pepper the entire storyline. I also loved the inclusion of the Daily Trumpet’s misprints which were at times so comical, I laughed until I cried.

🎧 𝒜𝓊𝒹𝒾𝑜𝒷𝑜𝑜𝓀 𝒩𝒶𝓇𝓇𝒶𝓉𝒾𝑜𝓃: Colleen Prendergast appears to narrate many a Milly Johnson novel, and I can’t think of anyone better for the job. Her accent is pretty thick, so I did listen to this around a 2x speed in my earbuds and 1.8x speed in the car, but I was able to understand her just fine by slowing things down. My only small quibble would be the number of viewpoints for one narrator, but Prendergast made my listening experience so fun that it wasn’t a deal breaker.

💭 𝘊𝘭𝘰𝘴𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘛𝘩𝘰𝘶𝘨𝘩𝘵𝘴: The Accidental Rewrite is a clean romantic comedy that is so much more than ‘just’ romance. Milly’s author’s note was just as moving as the book itself was, and if you enjoy rom-coms, family drama, and heartfelt women’s fiction – this is the book for you! Words will never be able to express how truly special this book is.

T͏h͏i͏s͏ B͏o͏o͏k͏ i͏n͏ 5͏ E͏m͏o͏j͏i͏’s͏ o͏r͏ L͏e͏s͏s͏: 📰👜🪨🌊🍽️

𝙱𝚘𝚘𝚔 𝚁𝚊𝚝𝚒𝚗𝚐: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
𝙰𝚞𝚍𝚒𝚘𝚋𝚘𝚘𝚔 𝚁𝚊𝚝𝚒𝚗𝚐: ⭐⭐⭐⭐💫
𝙼𝚢 𝚂𝚙𝚒𝚌𝚎 𝚁𝚊𝚝𝚒𝚗𝚐: 🚫 (none)

I received a complimentary copy of this book as well as an advanced listening copy. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

[Anna · Rating 4 out of 5]

Polly Potter has had enough. Her love life is a shambles after discovering her partner’s unfaithfulness. Her job which she once loved has become torture under her pompous and arrogant boss. She turns to a creative writing class as an outlet and musters up the courage to leave everything behind and start again. Except, when she does, things go horribly wrong.

After a knock on the head, Polly loses her memory and wakes up believing she’s Sabrina Anderson, the character in the novel she’s writing. In a strange place and with no recollection of her past, Polly/Sabrina begins to build a new life for herself with the help of some kind people she meets along the way.

I have a fondness for found family and THE ACCIDENTAL REWRITE by Millie Johnson filled my bucket with endearing characters who help Polly/Sabrina reclaim her life. The snippets of copy correction from the Daily Trumpet add a comedic element that is entertaining in the moment and revelatory at the end. My only issue (and it is minor) is that Polly/Sabrina read as an older character than she was revealed to be by story’s end.

I enjoyed pairing the audiobook with the physical copy. The narration by Colleen Prendergast added an element of authenticity that heightened my reading experience.

Thank you to Bibliolifestyle, Harper Muse Books, and Libro.fm for the advance copies. All opinions are my own.

[Bookworman · Rating 5 out of 5]

Colleen Prendergast did her usual awesome narration of this delightful book. She really captures the essence and flavor of Milly Johnson's writing and enhances the whole listening experience. This was just as good as reading the story and was so good that I will purchase both the ebook and audiobook as soon as they're available at the end of September. Then I can read and listen to this wonderful story again!

Thank you NetGalley and Harper Muse for this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

NOTE: This is the U.S. version of Johnson's "The Happiest Ever After" published in the U.K. last year.

So full disclosure: I am a total Milly Johnson fan. She is my favorite modern author and each of her new books is an automatic buy for me. I usually buy e-books but with Milly, I buy the hard cover because 99% of the time it is so worth it. Yes, her writing is that good so excuse me while I do a bit of gushing...

This story was SO good! I loved Polly and I loved the twisty-turny plot. I loved Marrielle, Teddy, Flick, and the rest of the supporting cast of characters. I roared with laughter at the "Daily Trumpet" typos as well as Johnson's snarky turn of phrase while describing the self-centered and selfish characters who I enjoyed hating.

There were heartwarming scenes of friends and family supporting each other, a sweet, slow burn love story, and a wonderful, satisfying HEA.

A smattering of f-bombs.

I cannot wait to read this again and also listen to the audio book.

[Angela Owen · Rating 5 out of 5]

I couldn’t believe my luck when I was able to read this book via an arc as I absolutely love Milly Johnson and it definitely did not disappoint, I could not put the book down.

The story is based around Polly Potter who is having a really hard time in life. I absolutely loved her character and was so invested in her. Ironically life gets better for her after a very surprising turn of events (no spoilers as I don’t want to ruin this fantastic story for anyone) and she starts to find true happiness.

The setting was just perfect and I kept flitting between fancying a bowl of tiramisu or fish and chips on the beach.

The characters were fantastic and described so well, the nice characters all felt like friends, while the not so nice characters I just loved to hate.

The regular Daily Trumpet articles throughout the story made me laugh out loud and really added to the story.

A full five stars for a fantastic feel good story with a perfect ‘happiest ever after’ ending.

Thanks to Netgalley, Simon and Schuster UK and Milly Johnson for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest and unbiased review.

[Maggie Harris · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Happiest Ever After is a wonderful heartwarming read that I absolutely adored. I love all this authors work but somehow this one made my heart sing with joy.
Polly Potter is a character with depth that you are immediately drawn to, treated basically as a doormat by her partner and his family and is completely taken advantage of at work by her boss as he takes credit for her outstanding ideas of how to turn around failing companies. Finally enough is enough and Polly decides she is leaving her partner and changing her life around. There are some jaw dropping moments that lead to this.
This is Polly’s journey to find a life for herself and as a reader you become totally involved, engrossed and cheering her on. A cast of characters that the good you cheer for, the bad whose comeuppance you can hardly wait for.
The exerts of printing mistakes in the Daily Trumpet newspaper often had me laughing out loud. An absolute joy to read and savour, one I’m sure I’ll be re reading again soon.
My thanks to net galley and publishers for the opportunity to review this book honestly.

[Claire · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved, loved, loved this book. Milly Johnson at her finest. I was so lucky to receive an arc of this book and pretty much started it as soon as I could. It follows the story of Polly Potter, who I warmed to instantly. She’s not having the best time in life but you can sense good things are on the horizon for her. Fabulous characters and a plot that sucked me in from the start, I could not put this book down. It’s warm and witty and you felt as if the main characters were old friends. Add in the Daily Trumpet articles and you’ve got an absolute cracker of a book. Thank you to NetGalley, Simon & Schuster and the author for the chance to review.

[Kremena Koleva · Rating 5 out of 5]

С The Accidental Rewrite намерих книга, която представя на страниците си история за куража да отстояваме себе си. Можех да плача по време на цялото четене, въпреки брилянтното чувство за хумор на Milly Johnson. Прекарах пет прекрасни дни с Поли Потър и със собствените си потвърждаващи се наблюденията върху доброто и лошото у хората ! Браво на @themillyjohnson ! По един забележителен начин преплита змийските инстинкти с емпатията и добротата. Мисля, че излизах от кожата си по няколко пъти във всяка глава и после изпитвах мекия нюанс на задоволство.
Атмосферата на работа и в дома на Поли могат да откажат от човечеството и най - твърдия характер. А Поли е мека душичка! Такава, от която може да се възползваме всички, защото не мрънка, способна е, отговорна и не натрапва нуждите си. Улеснява живота и спестява критики. Познавам един - двама такива хора ( не повече в цялото си обкръжение!!! ) и, повярвайте ми, около тях е лесно и удобно да се живее! Но е ясно, че ако не ги забелязваме, не ги признаваме и не им отвръщаме с внимание, те ще се опомнят.
И не харесвам високопарните приказки за това как трябва да сме търпеливи с хората, да не злобеем срещу изяви на гняв, комплексарство или превъзходство! Как трябва да даваме шанс на едно объркано нещо да се оправи. Шанс на сбъркани отношения, сбъркани ситуации и побъркани характери се дава веднъж! Дваж - по изключение! Но трети път.... вече намирисва на чиста глупост и тотална липса на инстинкт за самосъхранение! Както и на себеуважение! И проследявайки характера на Поли, разбрах как живее такъв човек и как постоянно иска да избяга ( буквално) от средата си. Да стане друг, по - смел и по - самодостатъчен. Или такъв, който да привлече любов и загриженост. И да има шанс да гони любимото си занимание... на любимото си място!
" And that there was a right place for everyone, where they could live their happiest-ever-afters. "
The Accidental Rewrite е книга, която ще запомня!
Мисля, че следващите книги на Milly Johnson ще бъдат грабнати от мен на мига!

* " A punctured ego had the same power as a broken heart to make someone volatile..."
* " That it was the worst kind of loneliness, to feel alone when you were with someone, and how tiny scraps of shrapnel could do as much harm as big thunderous bullets, even though you barely felt them at the time."
* "... because there’s no automatic right to love, Cilla, just because you’re related to someone."

[Chuck Jones · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a fun little story this was! It was like a warm lasagna of a novel: full of warmth and all kinds of good stuff that, thrown together correctly, make a wonderful package. I loved all (most of) the characters introduced in this novel, from the realistic main character, the funny hearthrob of a restaurant owner, to the sleezy, slimy hoodrat that starts all the "mess" of this novel in the first place.

While this novel was not my normal 'cup of tea', and not a horror or psychological thriller novel, I had a really good time reading this novel due to the lighthearted story that was riddled with both humor and heart.

Side note: I work in HR, so the added bits throughout the novel about unscrupulous businessmen getting their comeuppance were SO SATISFYING!

I really liked this novel and how the story progressed, and how the author was able to infuse a good bit of humor into a story that also told a really heartwarming story of friendship and being true to yourself.

[Brianna Franklin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thank you NetGalley and the publishers for this eARC in exchange for my review.

This was an easy, warm hearted, Hallmark movie read. We are introduced to Polly Potter coasting through life rather miserably until a wild turn of events lands her getting mugged and concussed. She wakes in the hospital without memory of who she is and is taken in by sweet Mariel, a retired nurse, who hopes she can help Polly remember who she is and where she came from.

As Polly starts to remember bits and pieces of her past life she is convinced she is Sabrina, a fictional character she created in her writing class, and she begins to build her dream life. Is this Polly’s chance to start over, are second chances real?

Also the blurbs from the local newspaper with all of the spelling mistakes were hilarious, I looked forward to them throughout the book.

[Shannon H · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Accidental Rewrite swept me up with its charm, warmth, and humor. Polly Potter is utterly worn out, stuck in a draining job and an unfulfilling relationship, and just when she she leaves, she is mugged, leaving her with amnesia and convinced she’s Sabrina Anderson, the character she's been writing about. While trying to regain her memory, she works at a local Italian restaurant and uses her past knowledge to help it get back on its feet. Watching Polly rediscover herself through this mix-up was such a joy.
What really stood out to me were the shifting points of view, which gave the story so much depth as each thread wove together. And the little snippets from the newspaper sprinkled throughout? Absolutely hilarious, adding extra personality and laughs at just the right moments.
It’s heartfelt, witty, and full of charm, a story about fresh starts, unexpected connections, and the courage to rewrite your own life.

Thank you to NetGalley and Harper Muse for this ARC in exchange for an honest review!

[Síle · Rating 3 out of 5]

Thank you to Milly Johnson and Harper Muse for giving me access to this book in exchange for an honest review.

You know what, this was fine. I’m not entirely sure what I was expecting going in, but I found myself wishing it had more… magic. More flare. More of something to really make it sparkle.

That said, it absolutely had its moments. There were parts that were charming, sweet, and quietly heartwarming, with just enough bittersweet undercurrents to give it some emotional weight. At times, it tugged at my heartstrings; at others, it felt like it was holding back from being truly memorable.

It’s the kind of read you can curl up with on a rainy afternoon. Gentle and pleasant.

[Jeanniehay64 · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a beautiful feel good read The Happiest Ever After is!!! Polly has an unhappy marriage where she feels unloved and unappreciated and a job which mirrors for her home life. Her only escape is on the pages of the novel she is writing where she can become Sabrina Anderson, who has the life she can only dream of. When Polly decides to leave her unhappy existence behind fate steps in and she has an accident which leaves her with memory loss. Polly is suddenly Sabrina living by the sea, and becoming part of an Italian family working in their busy restaurant, where she is welcomed and feels loved. The restaurant owner Teddy has a lot to do with her new found happiness. Will her past life threaten her newfound happiness? Is it possible to start over again? I was rooting for Polly on the journey she took in the book which had me page turning. A lot of people settle for a familiar safe life but Polly’s story gives the reader, hope that with a little courage they can turn their own life around, even when it seems impossible. The characters in this book were so well portrayed, I felt like I knew them personally. The plot was beautifully told, and it left me with a heartwarming feeling This book is perfect to curl up with savouring every page Milly Johnston is an exceptional storyteller I thoroughly recommend this fantastic book

[Jen · Rating 5 out of 5]

An absolute delight. Polly/Sabrina is the best. So much gumption, I was rooting for her so hard. The found family of everyone in that seaside town is like a warm hug, down to their quirks. 5 stars. I loved it so much.

Edited to add review from Netgalley, as I listened to the audio:
This book was absolutely fantastic. The audio - perfection. I was taken in immediately and loved every single part of this book. When it ended, I only wanted more of Polly/Sabrina's story. The found family warmed my heart with all of their good intentions and intense support of each other. The book made me laugh, tear up, and get all warm and fuzzy feeling. The narration by Collen Prendergast was *chef's kiss*. A cozy rom-com to it's core, The Accidental Rewrite is a must read/listen.

[Susan Buchanan · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was champing at the bit to start this book and with good reason. I’ve loved all of Milly’s books, but the warmth that emanates from her characters only seems to improve with each book. Certainly the warm and fuzzy feeling I get when I read them does. Reading a Milly Johnson book is like getting a big hug from your bestie or your favourite family member. And you want to meet the characters - well, the nice ones! You can imagine hanging out with them. Cannot recommend this highly enough. I’m only sad now that I’ve finished it and will have to wait a year or so for her next book!

[Linda Hill · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Happiest Ever After is wonderful.

Imagine you’ve had a really hard, trying day. You’ve now enjoyed a long soak in a fragrant bath and have just slipped into bed in fresh linen and nightwear. That sense of pleasure, comfort and relief is the way The Happiest Ever After made me feel. Gorgeous stuff from Milly writing at her most authentic best. I just loved The Happiest Ever After.

My complete review is on the My Weekly website.

[Naomi Dixon · Rating 3 out of 5]

Full disclosure: I am an AVID Milly fan. New releases are the highlight of my year. But I told my mum (even bigger fan!) yesterday that I'd finished this and when she asked me to describe it and I said "she escapes her rubbish boss and horrible partner and falls in love with an Italian", my mum couldn't narrow it down 🤣 I've got nothing against formulaic tropes, I actually quite enjoy them, but please Milly, your earliest books are up there in the Hall of Rom Com Fame, so what has happened? 😫