Everything Changes But You

by Jennifer Joyce

Ally Richmond is dreading turning thirty and bidding farewell to her youth. And when her husband says he wants to start a family, she begins to panic.

Is this all that life has to offer from now on? Popping out babies and growing old gracefully? She wants a life crammed with glamour and spontaneous adventure, not one full of dirty nappies and night feeds.

When Ally makes a silly birthday wish for a new, exciting life, her wish is granted.

But when Ally is presented with the freedom and opportunities she craves, she soon realises this new life isn’t all it’s cracked up to be and that there really is no place like home.

ebook

First published September 16, 2014

About the author

I'm a writer of romantic comedies who lives in Manchester with my husband and our two daughters. I've been scribbling down bits of stories for as long as I can remember, graduating from a pen to a typewriter and then an electronic typewriter. And I felt like the bee's knees typing on THAT. I now write my books on a laptop (which has a proper delete button and everything).

You can keep up to date with my books by subscribing to my newsletter. The newsletters are packed with book news, exclusive content and giveaways. Sign up here: https://mailchi.mp/310b4ee4365f/jenni...

You can keep in touch with me on Twitter and Instagram (both @writer_jenn) or by liking my Facebook page www.facebook.com/jenniferjoycewrites

Reviews

[Alba · Rating 4 out of 5]

Originally posted on: http://addictivechicklit.blogspot.com...

Review: If you love movies like Big, 14 Again or Freaky Friday, you'll like this book. Ally has quite a pleasant life: nice husband, great friends, a family who love her... but something is missing. Her colleague talks about endless nights partying, posh clothes or steamy "meetings" with their hot boss so Ally wishes she could have a life like hers, fun and carefree. But what happens when she wakes up and finds out she has been given exactly that life by a inexperienced kind of fairy godmother?

Ally finds herself in a life she doesn't understand, sure she has the posh clothes, the parties and the hot boss but where is her husband? And why does everyone hate her? I enjoyed reading all about Ally trying to rediscover who she is in this new life and finding out she is a bitch. In the story, there are some really funny moments that made me giggle. Plus I really liked Jason, Ally's boss, who turns out to be such a sweetie. He helps her so much and is such a gentleman. Prove that first impressions are not always true.

I had the feeling though that Ally's new life went on forever. Weeks and even months passed by and she was just stuck there. Wich was both negative and positive. I mean with a story like this there is the obvious ending that she learns the lesson and everything goes back to normal or the more controversial ending that she masters her new life and stays in it forever. Reading this story I really had no idea which way it would go and this kept the mistery going quite well. I was actually cheering for one of the endings which was not the case, but I'm happy with it because I was left with a big smile on my face.

All in all, a sweet story that will make you giggle quite a lot and will make you realise that sometimes we have to value more what we have and not just take it for granted. You know what they say, be careful with what you wish for.

[Sophie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Posted originally http://www.reviewedthebook.co.uk/2014...

I love films like Freaky Friday and 13 Going on 30 and so the concept of Everything Changes But You really appealed to me. Add to that the beautiful cover to this book and I was sold before I’d even picked it up. What followed was a story I absolutely loved. Jennifer’s writing style was refreshing to read – the book was fast-paced but well-developed too, with a mixture of fun, wit and humour with a heart-warming and emotional feel to it too. I was so heavily invested in Ally’s story that it felt way more tense than most romantic comedies do – purely because I was so eager for this book to turn out the way I hoped that I could not stop reading until I got to the end. Everything Changes But You was brilliant.

This book is the perfect representation of be careful what you wish for. Ally is dreading her approaching thirtieth birthday. Her husband Gavin is wanting them to start a family too and all this just makes Ally feel so old. Why does life have to slow down when you’re thirty? Why can’t she be more like her annoyingly beautiful and equally irritating work colleague Kelly? To be young and carefree… When Ally then wakes up the next morning, she soon discovers that Ally is actually no more. She’s Alana – a party animal who thinks nothing of stepping over her family and friends, although she doesn’t seem to have many of them left… and where’s Gavin? I can’t spoil the plot, even though I feel like I could chat about this book all day. But Everything Changes But You was great fun to read and packed with entertaining characters that brought the story to life.

I really connected with Ally’s character straight away. Everyone at some time has hoped their life could be working out differently and it was so easy to warm to her when everything spiralled out of control. I was rooting for her all the way and I just wanted to dive into the story and bring Gavin back to her and make everything perfect – though that would have probably have been more for my benefit than hers because I was so desperate for a happy ending, even though I knew not to bank on that given some of the unpredictability found in this book. Other characters I really liked were Francine and Jason but actually Kelly was the character that stood out for me the most, especially when Ally had become Alana. Kelly was interesting and her life felt more complex than it had looked originally. I was fascinated by the way her story developed and taken by surprise too but I did love how although both their lives had changed, Jennifer didn’t write it in an over-exaggerated style where they were two completely different people, hard to believe and a little cringeworthy to read.

Everything Changes But You is a difficult book to review because there’s so much you can’t say about it without spoiling the plot. So all I can really do is go on about how much I adored this book because I really, really did. It has everything I love to see in a romantic comedy but the writing was fresh and vivid and didn’t leave me able to guess what was going to happen on the next page. I loved the ending – it completely embodied everything I loved about Jennifer’s writing throughout the whole book. Her charming writing and the way this book always made me smile, even when I was anxiously screaming on the inside (maybe out loud too…) for everything to work out the way I wanted it to, has ensured Jennifer has a massive fan in me now, though maybe I’ll be a little more careful when making a birthday wish this year…

*Book gifted for honest review.

[Ana · Rating 3 out of 5]

Also posted on This Chick Reads

*Copy provided by author in exchange for an honest review*

'Everything Changes But You' is the second book by Jennifer I've read, first one being 'A Beginner's Guide to Salad', which was a great debut and laugh out chick lit. So, having really enjoyed the first book I sure did have high expectations for this one. I can't say I was disappointed at the end, however I still like her first one bit more.

Anyway, the story is very interesting, it might not be the most original plot but that's not important because I always value more the execution than originality. Everyone at some point in their lives thought that the grass is greener on the the other side. Each of us sometimes think how our lives would turn up if we didn't get married, have kids, if we went to different school, etc etc. Well, Ally is no different. Her life is steady but not so exciting and her husband Gavin seems ready for kids. However, Ally is not and she wishes she had a different life. And you know what they say, be careful what you wish for, right? Soon her life changes, her wish comes true and her life is drastically changed, it's more exciting (by this I mean she's a party animal now) but seems to lost Gavin and her best friend.

It really was interesting to see these changes, Ally becoming Alana and there were some scenes that made me laugh out loud. I wish I could see more of Gavin though, I somehow expected that Ms Joyce would show more of how things changed for Gavin too, not just for Ally. Yes, we get to see Gavin's life changing its path, but I wish I get to see more of him than some of Ally's colleagues. Also, baring in mind this was not the first book by Ms Joyce I've read, I expected more humor (by this I mean LOL humor). Overall, it's an easy, quick read which I'm sure many chick lit fans would enjoy. It's an interesting mix of humor, magic and romance with likable characters. If you love Juliet Madison's books or if you enjoyed Nicola Doherty's 'If I could Turn Back Time', then you gonna love this book too.

[Jo Hughes · Rating 5 out of 5]

I would like to thank author Jennifer Joyce sending me a copy of her book in exchange for a fair and honest review.

When we first meet Ally she is disenchanted with her life, frightened of turning thirty and dreading being tied down with babies like her friends. On her birthday she makes a silly wish to be like Kelly who works in her office....

Ally gets her wish but in this life she I known as Alana and her life is a nightmare. Everything is so totally different but Ally is convinced if she finds Gavin she will return to her old life. If only things were that easy.

Ally is a really likeable character and she sets about trying to sort Alana's life and prove she had changed.

There are 2 hot men in this book with Gavin, Ally's husband who is just as lovely in both of Ally's worlds. Jason who originally Ally thinks is having an office affair but once she gets to know him in her new life realises he is a nice guy.

I found Jennifer's writing is easy to read and loved reading this story, Clemetine I loved she was really dizzy for a fairy godmother. Can't say I have watched Freaky Friday, but have watched Big with Tom Hanks and this is on similar lines to that.

It really shows that you should be careful what you wish for, especially with a Birthday wish as the grass isn't always greener on the other side.

[Helen Kay · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fascinating read!

A unique storyline with gripping plot twists. A real page-turner. And a valuable moral lesson in not taking your life for granted or making assumptions about other people's lives or situations.

[Holly · Rating 5 out of 5]

About to turn thirty, Ally is feeling fed-up. She feels her life is missing excitement and adventure and is struggling to put off her husband, Gavin’s, desire to have children. Unsure of whether she’ll ever be ready to start a family with a man who leaves his laundry piled up on the chair, Ally can’t even escape her woes at work, as Kelly, her young and glamorous work colleague is always boasting about her drunken nights out and the raucous parties she frequents. To rub salt into the wound Kelly is also having a not-so-secret affair with their hunky boss, Jason, who Ally quite likes herself. Not that she’d ever do anything about that, she’s married to Gavin after all.

But Ally gets way more than she bargains for when she makes a seemingly innocent wish when blowing out her candles on the thirtieth Birthday. She wishes that she had a life like Kelly’s… After waking up the next day to find herself in a strange house with a huge naked portrait of herself on the wall Ally fears she has been kidnapped. There are photos of her with a strange woman and documents addressed to Ally but in her maiden name. Things get weirder as Ally discovers that an old woman is living in her real house and nobody seems to have heard of her husband, Gavin Richmond. Then deciding that maybe she is really in a coma, and this is all just some weird out of body experience Ally attempts to get on with things as best as she can. At least she does until Clementine shows up. Clementine reveals herself to be a sort of ‘guardian angel’ and explains how Ally wished for her life to be more like Kelly’s…and ta-dahh her wish has been granted. Well, that’s good, right? Ally wanted more fun, excitement and freedom in her life, didn’t she?

Except that it doesn’t exactly work like that. Ally is no longer Ally…she is Alana. Selfish, money-grabbing, shallow, bitchy, image obsessed Alana. Her family are fed up with her, no one trusts her, her best friend Francine doesn’t want anything to do with her, she’s really IS having an affair with her boss, she had debts up to her eyeballs and worst of all…Gavin Richmond doesn’t figure in her life at all. No longer her husband, Alana has no idea where Gavin even lives anymore and soon discovers that she can’t actually live without him…

Rather than having the time of her life as a carefree party girl, Ally finds herself stuck in this weird world where everything had changed and goes about doing her best to put things right and immediately discovers that the grass isn’t always greener…

I was so excited by the sound of Everything Changes But You. I love stories that have an element of magic to them, where something happens to one of the characters and they have to live their lives in some kind of parallel universe until they learn the error of their ways. I always wonder (read, panic) how, or even if, they are going to get back to their original lives and that keeps me hooked on the story until I find out.

Everything Changes But You followed that format perfectly, so needless to say, I loved it! Ally was a fantastic lead character and I completely sympathised with her. Who hasn’t wished that they were someone else at some point in their lives and I think we are all guilty of sometimes taking things for granted. It’s just that none of us actually expect these off-the-cuff wishes to come true in the way that they did for Ally.

I was genuinely scared for Ally when she became Alana…I mean can you imagine? Losing all of the people who you love and not even being aware of what you’ve done. I loved how not only do we get to see Ally as a different person, but also how those around her would have turned out if she’d been Alana. Her parents, her sisters, her husband, even her friends…they would have all been different people if Ally had been someone else and that really sets off a spiral of thoughts.

Everything Changes But You is hugely fun, action packed, brimming with brilliant characters, witty dialogue and has a genuinely heart warming story at the centre of it all.

If you’ve ever enjoyed films such as Big or Freaky Friday then you will LOVE Everything Changes But You, because it’s based on a similar kind of situation. It will make you appreciate what you have and also shows you that not everyone is the person you think they are.

I whizzed through this novel, I couldn’t get enough of Ally’s scary, life-changing adventure and I also fell in love with Jennifer Joyce’s writing. I’m yet to read A Beginners Guide to Salad but I am now even more excited about doing so as I found this novel to be right up my street. Although it may not sound it from the synopsis, I actually found this to be an ultra-romantic story. You want to cry at Ally’s desperation to find Gavin when she’s Alana, and the fact that they can’t be together really does pull at the heart strings. All I wanted was for them to be re-united as plain old Ally and Gavin again and to be back together where they belonged.

There are laughs, tears, romance, adventure and of course, a little magic in this eye-opening, hugely enjoyable novel from Jennifer Joyce.

[kieran james bassett · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good read

Great read fits nicely into the beginners guide series. But can be read as a stand-alone book. Great book to escape into.

[AnnMarie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Really interesting concept

Loved the idea of a birthday wish changing everything. It was a great story and had me hooked. Off to find some more books by Jennifer Joyce.

[Penny Tuson · Rating 5 out of 5]

It was very addictive read. I enjoyed it very much. X

[Joanne Grimshaw · Rating 5 out of 5]

All I cam say is be careful what you wish for. Very good book.

[Lisa Scott 1968 · Rating 5 out of 5]

Brilliant Read

I thoroughly enjoyed the book. Towards the last few chapters I couldn't put it down. Well written can recommend if you fancy a light read.

[Simona · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ally's life changes drastically when she makes a wish on her birthday. She wakes up and doesn't know where she is. Everything around her changes: her family, her friends and she's not married anymore... It takes her a while to figure that out though, all she was thinking about was her Gavin?

She has everything she wished for, but now she has it, it's not what she wants. Yes, she fancied Jason, but she only wants is Gavin. She doesn't like her new personality, or lets say Alana's past. Nobody understands, and she has no one to talk to. I felt really sorry for her, all I wanted for her, was to find Gavin.
But how could he remember her?
She was over the moon when she found him again, but... (I won't tell you anymore here, you have to find out yourselves). Let's just say his life is different after her wish, very different, but Ally is still fighting for him.

Ally just really had to learn her lesson and that took a while, but liked how this all developed. The last few scenes were greatin my eyes.

At times I felt that there was a little confusion between the two worlds and all these characters.

I think the story flows really well and the writing is vivid, which makes the scenes real and believable. It's also very funny and entertaining. It was my first story to read by Jennifer, the other are in my kindle and I can't wait to read them now!!

[kirsty Hall · Rating 5 out of 5]

Good

This was an entertaining read it kept me interested .recommended easy reading good for Holiday's. Will read more from the auther