Don't miss this brand new rom-com perfect for fans of Bridget Jones's Diary and Emily Henry!
I manifest… The perfect man (Guy Carmichael) falling in love with me.
I am letting go of… My rat-infested flat (to make way for my dream home, ideally central and cheap).
My intention is… Landing a better job (more money, people bringing me coffee, no one getting my name wrong).
Alice Carver’s decision to start a manifestation journal the day after attending her ex’s wedding might earn her the scorn of her family – and, worse, the patronising concern of the irritatingly handsome and successful family friend Matthew Lloyd – but what do they know?
You hardly need to manifest when you have everything already. And there is certainly a lot that Alice needs to change in her life…
Will manifesting help make her dreams come true?
A bet with Matthew says that it will – and sometimes the universe needs a helping hand…
Given how unlikable Alice is (lacking self awareness and insanely selfish) it's surprising how well Hannah has us rooting for her...insanely well written from that perspective. As always there's an unlikely rich windfall and an unsuitable lover waiting at the end.
3.5⭐️💫 Alice Carver’s decision to start a manifestation journal the day after attending her ex’s wedding might earn her the scorn of her family – and, worse, the patronising concern of the irritatingly handsome and successful family friend Matthew Lloyd – but what do they know?bYou hardly need to manifest when you have everything already. And there is certainly a lot that Alice needs to change in her life… Will manifesting help make her dreams come true? A bet with Matthew says that it will – and sometimes the universe needs a helping hand…
This is a book with a very lovely lead character, Alice may be a little naive at times but her honesty and belief in proving what she can do is very endearing. It definitely gave me Bridget Jones type vibes, which is never a bad thing, but did feel Alice acted a lot younger than her actual age which threw the story a bit as it came over a bit immature & needy rather than independent.
Yes it is a little predictable but that doesn’t mean it’s not enjoyable, although I was wishing Alice to open her eyes a little bit when the obvious was right in front of her. The journey is a humorous one meaning this book definitely leaves you with a smile on your face, just remember it’s not to be taken too seriously and you won’t be disappointed.
Whilst I may not be totally convinced about the theory of manifesting, this is a lovely, positive, easy-going, enjoyable read with a character that takes us on a very special journey of self-discovery, with lots of laughs along the way.
3.5 rounded up to 4 because the slow burn was good.
Gotta say this got me frustrated as I thought I loved a slow burn, which I do, but this was a whole different type.
First off the whole relationship between Alice and Matthew is a sort of focus but not like one I've read before. There's tension there, mainly from Alice since we only get her perspective through her entries etc. but you find out why later in the story. Matthew and Alice hardly interact in the first part of the book other than some short meetings and scenes but yet I found myself rooting for them. I was reading purely to see more of them together and to shake Alice with some of things she would do or choose to manifest.
The main focus is Alice trying to make changes to her life but I was mainly focused on a slow burn that was simmering away in the background that I was hoping would engulf oxygen and just burst lol
Thank you NetGalley for this ebook in exchange for an honest review.
Got a lot to say about this one! Honestly this had a strong start with witty british humour I love, and I was excited for how it was gonna go but it very quickly ended up being an exhausting read.
For me the main character didn’t come off as a 37 year old, but more a bratty, irresponsible, ungrateful, negative girl in her twenties who does nothing but complain. On top of that, which was already a lot and enough for me to dislike the book, all of the side characters were insufferable as well.
Besides Alice complaining the whole time, her mom and sisters were absolutely unbearable. None of the characters including Alice had any depth either. Only two decent characters were Alice’s dad and Aziz and even Aziz, halfway through the book, turned weird and stopped being pleasant.
The manifestation aspect, which I usually enjoy, fell flat for me as it felt superficial and like Alice was only doing it out of spite, or to prove a point. This had so much potential to be a really good book.
Not to mention this was very predictable from the start, which is not always a bad thing, but when the book is not enjoyable you start wanting more to make up for it, which didn’t happen for me.
This read was very awkward but insanely funny. If anything could go wrong, it definitely would for Alice, she had me crying with laughter.
With a family like hers I’m not sure how she managed to still be around them, they were all awful. I would have left them in the wind ages ago.
I loved Alice’s character. She knew what she wanted in life and set out to manifest those that she really wanted. Although there were many hurdles along the way she was determined to make them all happen. She may be a bit selfish and lazy but she was also kind and thoughtful at times.
I loved her friendship with drunk Stephan and I loved that she had one ally along the way, one that didn’t put her down or be awful to her. He encouraged her to go after what she wanted.
Her relationship with Matthew was fun, their banter and the back and forth between each other had me completely hooked. I loved every second of it.
Alice Carver Manifests Her Perfect Life is a funny slow burn romance about a woman on her manifesting journey and how she overcomes obstacles along the way of finding her perfect life.
So, I’m not a fan of manifesting, but I’m certainly a fan of Alice Carver! I adored her and this book, she had me in stitches with some of her antics, especially, of course the going viral 😂. At times she was infuriating- Guy 🙄 and I did feel the sisters seemed so much younger than their ages. The banter between them all was fantastic, especially when mum joined in and they all ganged up on Alice 😂
I was fully invested in her career aswell as the manifesting, and was shouting at her to stop being so awful to Matt, she was definitely blinded by Guys supposed charm 🤢.
The ending was perfect and had me grinning from ear to ear, a fantastic debut and I cannot wait to read the authors next book.
This book made me properly laugh out loud which is a rarity. It's a feel good romance which also mercilessly sends up the manifesting industry. Alice is in her mid 30s and in her eyes everything that can go wrong has gone wrong. Single, homeless and in danger of losing her job, she decides to manifest her perfect life. But is what she perceives as perfect really going to make her happy? I loved that Alice is actually far more capable than she perceives herself to be - and she gets the chance to sort her life out without anybody's help. Obviously we get a fab romance too and Hannah Lake gives us some great potential and ex boyfriends. One of the most fun books I've read for a while.
As a fiction novel, I did really enjoy it. I found it easy to read. It was a slow start, but I got more and more gripped as the plot thickened. I did get confused with all of the names in the beginning - Alice, Arrie, Astrid, Aziz, Monty, Minty.
But the inclusion of manifestation was so surface level and really only based on the law of attraction. Manifestation is so much deeper than this. It was painful to read from this perspective as someone who has spent years learning about manifesting. And I thought that Alice was going to do some serious self-reflection, but it was more about her just writing down her experiences and desires and then they magically manifested.
Unputdownable! I absolutely loved this book and spent every spare minute reading it. The story is heartwarming yet filled with laugh-out-loud moments. Alice Carver not being perfect or having her life all figured out, combined with the diary/manifest entries, reminded me of Bridget Jones in the best way possible. The slow burn was perfect, and the banter absolutely hilarious! Hannah Lake’s writing style is wonderful, and I cannot wait to read her next book. I’d also love to see more of Alice, her family, and her friends in the future—or even have them make appearances in other works.
There's a lot of wit and humour to enjoy in this book, but sadly, after a strong start, it just wasn't for me in the end. I found Alice quite frustrating and didn't like Guy at all, which made it quite difficult to care about Alice's infatuation with him. However, I will say that the slow-burn is done brilliantly and I can see how some readers may be able to relate to Alice.
Overall, this is an entertaining read and is great if you're looking for something fun.
A huge thank you to HQ for sending me a proof copy of this one!
This was an interesting read. Funny in parts and a good journey into Alice figuring out what and who she wants for herself. There were times when Alice was incredibly lacking in self awareness and frustrating but there was still something about her that made her relatable and had you rooting for her. I did think too much time was spent with the frankly horrible Guy. I like a slow burn but I wish there was more interaction between the romantic endgame because that chemistry was quite good. Overall 3.5⭐️
I'm gonna be that person who's gonna give this book 5 stars because it made me freaking laugh the entire time.
I already feel empty because of how much joy this book filled me with, not going to lie, reading this was such a good time, like... it's absolutely perfect. Reminds me of Sophie Kinsella's books -and she's my favorite rom com author- story wise, and writing wise.
First, allow me to say it out loud: Bridget Jones is back!!!
Okay fine, I get your skepticism. I know a lot of books claim to be the new Bridget Jones but I truly believe Alice Carver deserves the title.
This one’s an easy read, incredibly funny, full of silly moments that will leave you in stitches, all wrapped up in an unmissable (and I repeat, unmissable) full-of-tension, enemies-to-lovers, what-is-going-to-happen?, can-they-please-kiss-now? love story.
My honest opinion here is that this kind of books generally do what they say on the tin, but it’s hard to find one that really makes you laugh out loud and truly hooks you. Rom-coms are here to stay and I enjoy reading my fair share of beach reads. This one stood out because it tapped into family dynamics, work grind, misogyny, dating chaos, manifesting (It’s been all the rage for a while but I’m still wondering what manifesting actually means), and basically being a single woman in your thirties… all delivered with hilarious, can’t-put-it-down charm.
It’s a big yes for me, particularly because I love Bridget and Alice is a close second. If you’re looking for something breezy, sometimes silly and I repeat completely hilarious love story, this one’s for you.
I must admit that I found Alice to be an irritating character at times – I had sympathy for her in places (especially in her parent’s garage!) but at other times I wanted to tell her to stop whinging and to step away from Guy Carmichael.
However this didn’t stop my enjoyment of the book. Lots of entertaining characters and comedy moments, an interesting look at how some publishing companies may be run by the ‘old school tie network’ rather than by people promoted due to their skills and experience, and a reminder that often what you think you really want, may not be what you actually need!
Happy to recommend this rom-com, a modern day version of a Bridget Jones style story. I look forward to reading more by Hannah in the future.
Once I started reading it I could not put it down, Alice is not a likeable character but you will find yourself feeling empathy for her throughout. Highly recommend
Absolutely the best book I have read this year! Literally made me laugh out loud. Brilliant debut, didn't want to finish it. Loved Alice Carver, loved the premise of the book, just loved everything
A really enjoyable book. I read over several sittings, and grew to really root for Alice and everything working out for her. I couldn't wait to get back into book each evening.
I enjoyed this contemporary romantic comedy, featuring Alice, a frustrating but lovable female main character. Her life is not what she needs it to be. Manifesting what she wants from life is the way forward, according to her favourite influencer, so she decides to give it a go. Complex family relationships often result in laugh-out-loud or poignant moments. Alice's self-deprecating humour and the story's emotion make it an entertaining read, and you invest in her. Although there are elements of predictability, it still takes you on Alice's immersive and satisfying journey of self-discovery. I received a copy of this book from the publisher.
Alice Carver’s life is a mess, and somehow, it just keeps getting worse, and worse, and worse. Every little thing that could possibly go wrong does. Desperate for change, she decides to take control and manifest her dream life: the perfect boyfriend, house, job, and the respect she’s always craved. When she receives The Guide for Christmas, her journey to self-improvement begins.
Alice knows she’s a bit of a disaster, but she’s committed to change. Her efforts at manifesting do start to bring results, sort of. But she often misreads situations and tends to blame those around her for her problems. Her family doesn’t quite understand her, especially compared to her more successful siblings. There are so many moments where you just want to shake her, she’s ignoring the obvious and making questionable choices.
I found this a genuinely enjoyable read. The format of the story being told through entries in her manifestation journal is refreshing. The journal quotes and affirmations add humour and personality, and some of Alice’s entries had me laughing.
Thank you to NetGalley and HQ for the opportunity to read and review this book. All opinions are my own.
I absolutely devoured this book! FMC Alice is 37 years old and fed up with the way her life is! After watching her ex get married, she is gifted a manifestation journal for Christmas and decides she will manifest her perfect life! This book is really funny at parts and Alice is such a brilliant FMC. I loved the relationship she had with her parents and two sisters, Astrid and Arrie, and this is a massive part of the book. Although Alice was manifesting certain parts of her life, she found out it wasn’t exactly what she wanted. Uplifting, funny read which will make you consider manifesting your perfect life!!