From the Queen of Holiday Reads, Sophie Gravia, comes a brand new laugh-out-loud novel about friendship, love, and surviving modern dating. Grab your sunglasses, your beach bag and a copy of The Dicktionary Club - the ultimate suitcase essential! Finding the one is just so hard...
Ella, Katy, and Zola are done with Glasgow's dating scene. From ghosting to catfishing to cringe-worthy Tinder messages, navigating love in today's society has become an absolute nightmare! But when one of them is dumped by a guy who saw her as nothing more than a quick swipe, the trio decide to fight back and take matters into their own hands. Creating The Dicktionary Club - an exclusive, women-only website dedicated to exposing Scotland's worst serial swipers with brutally honest reviews.
Their mission is to help women spot the red flags, dodge heartbreakers, and take back control of the dating scene. But as the site goes viral, so does the drama in their own love lives. And when one of them starts falling for a guy she's been warning others to avoid, things get messier-and more complicated-than ever...
Friendship, flirting and absolute chaos, The Dicktionary Club has got it all, from the bestselling author of A Glasgow Kiss and Hot Girl Summer. Don't miss the brand-new BBC podcast Situationships with Sophie and Christine, where Sophie teams up with Christine McGuiness to dive into listeners' dating dilemmas and give their unfiltered advice on love, friendship and everything in between.
I began writing the @sex.in.the.Glasgow.city blogs in 2019 from my Instagram handle. The views shot up quickly and I was encouraged to write a book from my followers. During lockdown having more time than I normally have I began writing ‘A Glasgow Kiss’.
A Glasgow Kiss is about a young woman approaching thirty feeling pressured to settle down. She is single and joins an online dating site to find Mr right- however, her life suddenly spirals out of control.
I wanted to love The Dicktionary Club. The pitch? Three Glasgow women—marketing mates Ella, Zola, and Katy—create a site to rate the city’s worst men, TripAdvisor-style, after a mid-sex dumping. Crude, but potentially cathartic.
And for a while, it was fun. Ella’s voice was sharp, the setup spicy. But then… the humour turned hollow. Instead of taking down toxic men, it punches down—hard. There's casual body-shaming, lazy stereotypes, and a relentless stream of juvenile “jokes” that felt more Mean Girls than feminist rebellion.
The Dicktionary Club wants to be Sex and the City, but it's more like Incel Twitter with cocktails. I'm not shocked, I’m disappointed. This isn’t empowering. It’s petty, nasty, and out of touch.
I was enjoying this at the start when they were discussing launching the website (the Dicktionary Club) because the idea seemed fun, but they didn’t even launch it until 88% through the book before shutting it down 92% in😭 the rest of the book just focused on the 3 (unlikeable) main characters’ jobs at a marketing company
HOWEVER when I say 3 main characters I really mean Ella because Katy and Zola’s storylines were pretty much completely forgotten about until the last 2 chapters. I also found it strange that Ella’s chapters were written in first person but Katy and Zola’s were third person?
Overall it had potential but I just didn’t love it☹️
This was a total hate-read. I can't remember the last time I hated the protagonists from the very first chapter. I raged about the clichés and hypocrisy, I willed the story to be less foreseeable, but to no avail. The author just doesn't seem to be able to make the protagonists or their love interests likable.
This book was brilliant! I could not stop laughing. Absolutely fantastic. I loved the concept, it was so much fun!
I loved the cover. The hot pink is striking as a background to the font colours and golden aubergines (eggplants North American friends).
The book is written so well and flows perfectly. I literally read it in one go. The Glaswegian colloquialisms were brilliant.
I adored the Glasgow setting. I was marking out like a numpty 'I know the EK skating rink and Nando's!!' Absolutely love anything set in Scotland but Glasgow is one of my loves.
The characters were all fantastic. They fit in perfectly. Ella, Katy and Zola were hilarious. I loved how they interacted with each other. Ella's inner monologue when she had her date with Kevin had me greetin' wae laughter. Fanny had me in knots.
I definitely recommend this to you all! This book is a very strong contender for read of the month already!
Following three women, Ella, Katy and Zola, as they launch The Dicktionary Club, a women‑only website dedicated to outing Glasgow’s worst serial swipers with brutally honest reviews.
I’ll start by saying that this book won’t be for everyone. The humour is rude, and occasionally dips into body‑shaming and stereotypical commentary about men. But for me, it had that same cheeky, exaggerated, Sex and the City vibe. It’s light‑hearted, satirical, and genuinely laugh‑out‑loud funny.
I’ve never used a dating app, so I couldn’t personally relate to the chaos these women were navigating, but I can absolutely imagine how many readers will see their own experiences reflected.
The three women were all distinct, which I loved. Their dating scenarios were hilarious, but even funnier were their reactions! Half the time I was laughing more at how something was handled than the situation itself.
But even more special, were the friendships. Every woman deserves friends they can talk to about absolutely anything, without judgement or awkwardness. My biggest takeaway from the book was how lucky these girls were to have each other.
It’s not really an empowering feminist story, more of a tongue‑in‑cheek look at modern dating, and the women aren’t painted as perfect either, which I liked.
One thing that threw me slightly was the POV change for the different characters. Ella is written in first person, while Kate and Zola are in third. It felt odd at first, but once I settled into it, it made sense with Ella being the main perspective.
This book also surprised me by being more heartfelt than I thought it would be, with moments that genuinely made me smile. And with the second book already released, we’ll definitely be reading the next one! I’ll also be picking up more of @sophie.gravia_author work!
Overall, this was a humorous, fun, easy read that had me laughing out loud on multiple occasions! I really enjoyed it.
Talk about raunchy! I can’t get over the fact they left the office leaving the rabbit still in the drawer, certainly would have been a surprise for Andrea. Some points were predictable with the whole everything is fine in the end, but it’s what we love in a summer read. Kind of hated that the website was only up for one chapter before it got taken down, would have been interesting to see what came of it without the exposure from Natasha. In all a decent read, don’t we all want a tall dark and handsome business hunk like Phillip Khan in our lives.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
This was hilarious! I loved the bestie vibe that @sophie.gravia_author created in this and that each of the friends brought their own unique complications to this book. Chick's before dick's was the central theme here, and it rounded off the premise of this book nicely. The chaos that these three girls created was hilarious and made for a very easy read! Philip was positively swoonworthy, and I can't lie, I wanted to strangle Ella a few times! All in all, this was a crazy yet funny, easy read with enough romance and magic to keep girls dreaming about their Philip in real life. Excellent choice for @bookscape.books July book of the month!
Got me one book closer to my target- but at what cost? Katy, the inspiration for the "project," was ludicrous. To call any of them characters is overselling it, but she was the worst. The sex scenes were graphic without being in any way sexy. The central female friendships were hardly friendships. And they were constantly sipping Starbucks. As though they needed more promotion. Just awful all round.
This book has been on my TBR for the longest time!
Three friends working at a marketing company. One is engaged, one avoids any kind of dating or romance and one falls hard and fast for men who disappear harder and faster. After yet another failed dating site relationship for Katy, her best friends can't help but wonder if there is something they can do to stop serial swipers from trampling all over Glasgows female hearts. And so The Dicktionary Club is born. An index of date reviews from women, for women so that they can search up the men beforehand and know what they are getting themselves into.
It didn't wow me but I did enjoy it. I loved Ella, Zola & Katy's relationship - each of them bringing a different vibe to the group and the female empowerment theme was strong in this one.
But. These women are WOMEN but the entire book they refer to one another and others as "girls" and for some reason that really irked me 😆 I did find alot of the behaviours quite immature and their characters could be very one dimensional, not really helping me to connect with them as much as I'd have expected for the storyline. However, the squirming scene absolutely tickled me, alongside others that were completely ridiculous but funny because of it.
It wasn't a bad read at all, and I will be reading book two to see what they get up to next.
Ohhh this was bloody amazing! I had such a fun time listening to this book. It was funny, witty, and full of charm from start to finish. The story pulled me right in, the characters were so well written and entertaining, and honestly, it had everything I want in a book. I laughed, I related, and I didn’t want to put it down.
The humor was spot on without ever feeling over the top, and the mix of friendship, drama, and romance kept the pace moving perfectly. I could totally see this being the kind of book you’d want to read again just to relive the banter and brilliant one liners.
The only reason I didn’t give it the full 5 stars is because I felt like there could have been something else that pushed it further.
If you want a hilarious, heartwarming, and all round fantastic read, this is absolutely the one to pick up!
I found myself kicking my feet and giggling at the banter between friends, I loved hearing about their time around places in Glasgow I go/have been... which did warm my heart. I loved the Ella character and how she is able to eventually let her guard down... some aspects I could have skipped over, and at times a little misandrist but overall had a good time.
This is the kind of book you read and think … I’d watch this as a Netflix series! 🎬
This book? Hysterical. Heartwarming. Hot. I devoured it in a day and laughed out loud enough times that my fiancé asked if I was OK. (No. I was reading about men being rated online like bad takeaway restaurants.)
Sophie Gravia nails modern dating misery with the most iconic trio of Glasgow girls who are tired of the walking red flags. So they start a review site. Chaos ensues. But behind the giggles and group chats is real heart , friendship, empowerment, and figuring out who you are when love (and life) don’t go to plan. 💕
Sharp, witty, and surprisingly emotional. I’d join the Dicktionary Club in a heartbeat. 🍆
👯♀️ Found family / iconic female friendship 📱 Modern dating reality 💔 Dating disasters to self-empowerment 🌶️🌶️- slow burn 💅 Feminist energy, always 📲 Girl gang fights back (with a website!) 🤣 Laugh-out-loud banter 🎭 Dual lives – career vs. personal drama ❤️ Swoony moments in the middle of the madness 🧨 Men getting what they deserve (with receipts) 🧠 Main character with a strong voice + vulnerability ✨ That perfect blend of heart, heat, and humour
I'm glad I didn't have high expectations going into this - this book was not for me.
I can appreciate that it is a fun, easy read and probably perfect for the beach, but it had so many red flags for me.
I don't know if it's just my circle of friends but I don't know any girls who talk SO explicitly about men and dating like Ella, Katy and Zola. This book did a lot of hating on men and there was quite a bit of unnecessary body shaming.
I also didn't understand why, when the story was told from the three girls' perspectives, Ella's chapters were all in first person, but Katy and Zola's chapters were in third person. That was an odd choice.
However, there were some bits I did find genuinely funny because they were so ridiculous - Katy's sofa, anyone? 😂
Arghhh. I finished this one some days ago but needed some time to think about it… It started pretty good and I liked the idea of the story very much but the characters got on my nerves after about 1/3 of the book. Some chapters were really fun and enjoyable to read and others left me with uncomfortable feelings. This could have been a strong girlhood story but came in the end as average cliche filled story with women bringing other women down and rating men for their d*ck sizes and looks. Meh.
Firstly, thank you to NetGalley and Bonnie Books for a copy of the arc for this book!
When I saw this on social media I knew I had to read it - the plot and the concept sounded incredible! And as a single girl who had recently dabbled in the internet dating scene (and come out of it traumatised) I thought this book would be right up my street. And it was to a certain regard.
I loved the three main characters and their personalities because they so likened to me and my friends and our dynamic. Especially Katy, that’s my best friend to a T. And I loved the general story and flew through the end to find out what happened to the group.
The only downside, and reason for the 3 stars for me, is how almost inappropriate it felt. I’m a Geordie gal who has been through some stuff when it comes to dating but even this made me feel like a bit of a prude and make me feel awkward at points. There’s only so many c**ts you can see in one chapter before you’re like ‘ok hen, calm down’.
It’s the kind of book I’d love to gift my friends and let them read but at the same time I don’t even know how they’d take it. There’s probably one friend who would love it (my Katy) thank goodness so I’d definitely purchase it for her if she wanted a book to read but I can’t say it’s the type of book I’d pass on to other friends or choose for book club
That being said, if you’re alright with a lot of swearing and anger towards men - then 100% grab this book because it is a good story!
This could have been extremely clever and funny but it was lacking. It starts off with a familiar scene (which very much reminds me of one from How to lose a guy in 10 days) and brings to life The Dicktionary Club website - this is where it was chaotic in a kind of fun way but unfortunately it also just got mean.
I think whilst I did enjoy the book I also felt a little uncomfortable with how the website element was portrayed - dates were quickly dismissed or bashed whilst it felt a little like the ladies were setting them up to fail. Don’t get me wrong it’s not like the men were great but the premise of their website should’ve allowed for natural outcomes and their real world encounters not a factory output of dating for questionnaire filling. The book is a little crude but felt realistic of a true friendship group and was certainly sex positive and all for women discovering and discussing their needs / wants and desires. The friendship of the ladies was solid and gave the book its best humour.
Ella was hard to like as a main character and only really felt like she was redeemed in the last 20% or so. Philip seemed like a nice guy from the moment he was introduced and so it was hard to understand where Ella was coming from. I wanted more about Zola and Curtis and their relationship it felt a little added in but was a reality check on long term relationships and how they have their own struggles.
I received this book as an ARC and provide an honest review
Romantic comedy? YES. Hilariously funny? YES. Three best friends that make you feel like your besties? YES.
Such an easy going, outrageously funny and romantic read! For me, it’s the perfect book to slot in between heavy reads.
Ella, Katy and Zola are besties, and I mean BESTIES. Ride or die love they have for each other which is incredibly relatable and took me back to my university days with the banter and fun we all had. They work for a PR Marketing firm in Glasgow and absolutely hate it. Ella and Katy are single and the dating scene is absolutely foul so what do they do? Create a website to review their dates (I would explain it as similar to GoodReads).
There’s so much more to The Dicktionary Club than just the dating, we have trauma from old relationships, commitment issues as-well as finding love. I connected to all the characters so well, I had happy and sad tears! The only one teeny tiny aspect of the book was that I wanted more from Ella’s POV especially with the relationship forming, it just felt a bit rushed.
Things I loved
💖 MULTI POV ✨ SECOND CHANCE 💖 RELATABLE FMC’s ✨ MILLIONAIRE MMC 💖 HILLARIOUSLY FUNNY ✨ WORKPLACE ROMANCE
Thank you so much Zaffre Books for the gifted copy.