Not That Easy

Virgin #2

by Radhika Sanghani

“Even Bridget Jones’s Diary could take a page from this novel.”—Joan Rivers (on VIRGIN).

Ellie used to be a virgin, but now she’s a woman with sexual experience. Well, some sexual experience. She also has debt, an unpaid magazine internship, and three flatmates who left her with the single room to match her single status.

That’s okay. She doesn’t want a boyfriend anyway—she wants several. And if the sex is exciting enough, her ruthless magazine editor boss can exploit her dating life for a column.

After countless hook-ups, a disastrously fiery encounter with some heat lube, and one orgasm class, Ellie is faced with the sad reality of her sexual ineptitude. But when she starts to witness the emotional wreckage she’s leaving in her wake, Ellie realizes that sex can be hard, and there’s a down side to giving it up too easy.

Genres: New Adult, Chick Lit, Romance, Contemporary, Fiction, Humor, M F Romance

309 pages, Paperback

First published November 3, 2015

About the author

I'm an author, journalist and screenwriter. My latest novel THIRTY THINGS I LOVE ABOUT MYSELF is coming out in January in the UK and US. I've also written two YA novels VIRGIN and NOT THAT EASY.
I'm a freelance journalist for publications like the Telegraph, Daily Mail, Grazia and Glamour. I'm also a body positive campaigner and founded the #sideprofileselfie movement. In my spare time, I also teach yoga and created a volunteer initiative to paint elderly ladies' nails for Age UK.

Reviews

[Tea Jovanović · Rating 5 out of 5]

Nije tako lako - Čarobnjaci

Nastavak "Device"... zabavno, duhovito, iskreno i razgolićeno bavljenje "ženskim" problemima, nedoumicama, strahovima mladih devojaka... Nas starije će podsetiti na "muke" koje smo preživljavali... :) Iskreno se nadam da će autorka nastaviti da piše romane o Eli i njenom odrastanju i sazrevanju i mukama koje svako novo starosno doba donosi sa sobom... :)

[Angie · Rating 5 out of 5]

**I received an ARC through Netgalley courtesy of the publisher in exchange for an honest review.**

Bravo. What a great follow up to Virgin. I loved it even more. I have so many highlights from all the laughing I did. Here are some of my faves:

I felt his penis harden against my vagina. It rubbed against it and I moaned in pleasure. "Ow," he cried out. "What?" I asked in surprise. "Nothing, just a bit spiky," he said, and carried on kissing me. "Sorry?" I said in a strangled voice. He thought my pubes were spiky. They hurt his penis. My motherfucking pubes were ruining my life yet again.

It reminded me of the excruciating agony of getting a full Brazilian wax. Thank God I had eschewed those porn-originated pubic styles in favor of my trimmed, spiky little hedgehog. I gazed at it fondly and gave it a small stroke. Eight fifteen wasn't too late. I definitely had time for a quick wank.

"Is it okay?" I asked uncertainly. I was doing the Pilates table pose above him. My head was hovering by his penis and my entire nether regions were inches away from his mouth - and his nose. Oh God, his nose. He would be able to smell everything and I'd pooed just before our date. I started to wonder if this was a good idea.

It was kind of nice to be home alone. It was fun spending time with Nick, but I still didn't feel like I could a hundred percent be myself in front of him. I hadn't farted in days.

Now that Ellie has lost her V card, she thought that would be just the beginning to having an enviable sex life. But she's still plagued with insecurities and men are not beating down her door. So she tries Internet dating sites and we're treated with the hilarity of those disasters.

While Ellie and her girlfriends are out being fabulous, Ellie meets Nick. He's a fit banker and he's easy to talk to. But he's still kind of obsessed with his ex. Ellie doesn't make this a problem though, she sees Nick as the perfect guy to have casual sex with. She's sworn not to get attached too soon like she did with her first. Ellie and Nick's sex life is very "real life." That's what I loved so much about this book. All of Ellie's ramblings in her head have gone through ours as well at some point. Ellie makes her fair share of mistakes but I absolutely loved her transformation.

This book is not about finding The One, it's about finding The O, loving yourself and all of your flaws, friendship, and empowerment. If you're a fan of girl power movies like Bridesmaids and Trainwrecked you'll love Not That Easy. Well fucking done!

[Lekeisha · Rating 4 out of 5]

*3.5 Stars*

I liked Ellie in Virgin, but here she is kind of annoying. She thought too much, her actions were dumb, and someone needs to get this girl to wax or show her how to groom properly. But hey, it was funny as hell reading this one. Full review to come.

*update* Originally posted here

Sequel to Virgin, but not quite as great. I like this book, but too many things irked me to where I couldn’t properly enjoy it. It is, however, hilariously funny. I laughed so much while reading this, and I may have shaken my head a million times at the main character, Ellie.

In Virgin, Ellie’s mission was to lose her virginity by any means necessary. She accomplished that goal, but went through many failed attempts and grooming mishaps along the way. After contracting an STD from the devirginizer, she has kind of taken a step back. Not That Easy is Ellie trying to figure out her place among society as a twenty-two years old woman. She has the perfect internship at London’s most popular magazine. She’s not getting paid right now, so she’s solely relying on her mother for rent money and food. She has her best girlfriends to unleash all of her worries onto. And she’s crushing on her flatmate Ollie, but he has a girlfriend and she just admires the view. What she doesn’t have is a sex life. She wants to have one night stands and have friends-with-benefits, so that she can have something to add to all the girl talk. She joins an online dating site, and gets more than the ONS she was seeking. A boyfriend. But, they never confirmed an exclusive relationship, so when Ellie does something to break that thing that they have, she doesn’t know how to handle it. Or does she?

First off, Ellie is THE most awkward character that I’ve ever had the pleasure of reading about. I loved her in Virgin because she was this real girl who wanted to have sex, but was so clueless about her body. Here, she thought and did the most awkward things. Even at twenty-two, she still doesn’t know how to properly groom. It was funny, but then it just got annoying. She was awkward while preparing to have sex, during sex, and afterwards. If you shower/bathe properly and keep your lady parts waxed/shaved, then what the flip do you have to be self-conscious about? That’s all the girl had to do. She was so stuck on her pubes, that she may as well have married them. I can’t tell you how many times I “ewwed” while reading this. She thought the most dumb things while in the sixty-nine position. And I won’t even spoil what happened during that scene. I was laughing so hard, just let me tell you. I’m not sure why the author made her more floundering here. She didn’t mature as a character, she just moved into a flat with her friends and stayed the same.

If I hadn’t laughed so much while reading this book, I may not have liked it. I love the supporting characters and what they brought to the story. Emma was actually my favorite here. Maybe it’s because of what happened with her and Sergio. Nick is a great guy. Why Ellie wanted to just use him for sex is beyond me. I’d pick a relationship over one night stands or “booty calls” any day. Did she not learn anything from the “clap”? I like Virgin more because, at least then, Ellie had every right to be clumsy and inexperienced. Sure, she’s just a year older here, but that doesn’t mean she couldn’t grow up and learn a few things.

I’d recommend this simply for the way that it can brighten anyone’s mood. It’s the perfect chick-lit to read on any day. Ellie may annoy you with the things she does, but the girl will have you laughing so much that you will not care. From her thoughts about trimming her pubes, to her clumsiness during sex; you will be laughing your butt off. And if she had snogged and shagged one more time in this book, I probably would have snapped. LOL! Recommended.

[Veronica of V's Reads · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the sequel to VIRGIN and is best enjoyed if read in sequence, though it CAN be read as a standalone.

Ellie is a 22 y/o new uni grad living in a flatshare with her good friend Emma, and two men, Ollie (on whom Ellie has a total crush) and Will. The thing is Ellie's the only single one, and she's not happy to be stuck in the only single room of the flat.

She wants to find men to have sex with, many men, preferably. She recently lost her virginity to a douche, and she is dying to get more experience. She feels as if she's crap at sex, and doesn't get that everyone is, at first. As she's hardly had a chance to experiment, Ellie agrees to sign up for online dating. This is intriguing and disastrous.

Her first date is a bit of a train wreck, with Ellie bolting via a fire escape just to get away from this guy. The second guy was really a good guy, I thought, but Ellie has weird idiosyncrasies that drive her to push him away. Their sex scene did give me a laughter cramp. Ye gads, Ellie's so very uptight.

This is a problem every time she meets a man, actually. She desperately wants to have an orgasm with a guy, yet when she's in the act she's so trapped in her head that she can't enjoy the experience at all. It was honestly painful being in her brain--and the lack of arousal she experiences *almost* put me off sex for more than 24 hours... (It was a near thing!)

She does meet a great guy, Nick, who's been quite hung up on his ex for too long. Ellie sees the opportunity to get her first One Night Stand out of the way, and does so--only to be stymied the following morning when he wants her number. And further confused when he calls her! And takes her on nice dates! Ellie is really a neurotic mess. She has roughly 3 ounces of self-esteem and cannot fathom how to behave as Nick's "rebound" girl--but her boss sees Ellie's dating nightmares to be fodder for a tell-all column in the online mag that she interns for--on an unpaid basis. The horrors that are Ellie's bad dates and bad pubic hair and further are now out on the 'net for all to read. It's mortifying, and she isn't even getting paid!

While Ellie is a mess, she does get things together by the end. She makes bad, bad, bad decisions that upset her friends, family and flatmates, but she perseveres. She atones the best she can, and she takes control of her future in a way she had not considered before. Some of this is funny--uproariously so--but other points are raw. Ellie doesn't feel good about herself and this makes it easy for people to take advantage of her. She's trying to claim her life, but she really has no sense of being an adult, only a few vague ideas which make her feeble attempts at "adulting" poor. Her naivete is simultaneously humorous and sad, because it continually leads Ellie into poor choices.

I liked how she worked through her issues in the end, becoming a far stronger character. I liked how she asserted her sexual independence throughout the book. She and her feminist friends attempt to redefine "slut" into a positive, which was an interesting concept, even if it didn't quite turn out.

[Suzanne (Under the Covers Book blog) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ellie has moved on since her virgin days and is more living in London with her friends, her new mission is just refining on her previous one, now she has popped her cherry, she wants to keep having sex and gain experience. But more importantly she wants to experience an orgasm, with someone rather than alone. But, nothing in Ellie’s life is ever simple, and the road to self discovery (and orgasms) is strewn with bad internet dates, a difficult boss and family guilt.

Why can’t I get this disgustingly jovial grin off my face? Honestly, every time I think about Not That Easy I can’t wipe this stupid smile off my face, it just makes me happy. Much like Virgin, the first book in this series, Not That Easy made me laugh and cringe with awkwardness in equal measure. And I couldn’t get enough of it.

I don’t really read Chick Lit, in fact this series is the first one I have picked up in years, although I wouldn’t quite call it Chick Lit either, it’s quite hard to define, it’s like Bridget Jones Diary for the next generation, only there’s no real HEA as of yet. So, it isn’t necessarily the romance or even promise of romance that made me pick up this book, no it was entirely down to the heroine Ellie.

I adored Ellie, she is every insecurity and absurd thought you have ever had taken human form and then packed off to London to make her fortune. This makes for hilarious reading, but also allows you to identify and emphasise with the heroine, even when she makes some really selfish mistakes you still can’t help but be on her side a little.

I really recommend you give Not That Easy a try, this whole series is really good and a little bit different to what we would normally review here on Under the Covers. After all it has no HEA and their is not a dashing hero in sight, and yet, it is a great tale full of friendship, laughter and all our modern day insecurities, I can’t wait to read more!

[Christy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Retrouvez mon avis ici: http://lecturepassiondunevie0.blogspo...

[Ptiteaurel · Rating 3 out of 5]

Virgin avait reçu un accueil très mitigé sur la toile mais je faisais partie de celles qui avaient passé un très bon moment avec Ellie . Cette dernière m'avait fait mourir de rire avec ses péripéties afin de perdre sa virginité. Avec son amie Emma , elles avaient monté un vlog qui était à l'image de ces deux femmes : plein d'humour , d'auto dérision et de pensées 100 % féminines.

J'avais donc hâte de retrouver Ellie et l'extrait que nous avions eu avec l'arrivée à la collocation était prometteur. Malheureusement je me suis ennuyée à la lecture de ce 2ème tome. Alors que je trouvais Ellie pétillante et pleine d'humour vis à vis de sa situation. A mon sens, Bitch n'est qu'une redite des gags déjà lus dans Virgin. Ellie est de nouveau embourbée dans des situations qui deviennent pathétiques ( notamment ces deux premiers rendez vous amoureux). Elle attire les ennuis et les tordus. Un nouveau sujet est amené avec l'inscription sur les sites de rencontres et cela aurait pu engendrer de nouvelles situations fraîches et fun mais malheureusement ni JD ni Ben n'ont réussi à m'attendrir ou à me faire ressentir de l'empathie pour ces personnages masculins. Je veux bien que les situations soient loufoques mais je ne les ai pas trouvés fun. J'ai d'ailleurs trouvé assez incohérent l'assoupissement d' Ellie dans les toilettes du bar. J'attendais donc une présence masculine digne de ce nom car elle m'avait manqué dans le premier tome.

En premier lieu, on découvre Will et Ollie les nouveaux colocataires des filles. Tandis qu'Ollie est en couple avec Yomi, Will est le gay du groupe. L'image que l'on a d'eux n'est pas franchement super bonne car un retournement de situation inattendu va conduire à un élément perturbateur de plus. Je trouve leur attitude vis à vis d'Ellie malhonnête et machiste. Au lieu de porter un regard sur leur propre acte , ils se contentent de rejeter la faute sur leur colocataire et je trouve ça trop simple et trop prévisible. On sent arriver les prémisses de ce twist très très vite.

Puis nous apprenons à découvrir amplement Nick , un jeune homme plein de charme , banquier, jeune riche et humble. Il séduit Ellie et leur relation débute comme un moyen d'oublier son ex. Tout irait pour le mieux si ce dernier permettait à Ellie d'atteindre le nirvana. Les scènes de sexe sont nombreuses et elles m'ont fait passer un très bon moment de franche rigolade car en voulant à tout prix atteindre l'extase, Ellie va se retrouver dans des situations complétement fun.C'est l'homme parfait pour Ellie , il est attentionné , prend de ses nouvelles, l'emmène dîner ou prendre des verres. Ils passent de très moments ensemble et nous avons enfin un peu de romance. Nick sera t-il l'homme qu'il lui faut? Est il vraiment amoureux d'elle ou n'est elle qu'un bouche trou pour oublier son ex?

Enfin, nous retrouvons Emma et Lara , la très bonne amie et la meilleure amie d'Ellie. Je n'aimais pas beaucoup Lara dans le premier opus car je trouvais qu'elle était assez égoïste en tant qu'amie et qu'elle ne soutenait pas Ellie comme il le fallait. Dans Bitch, elle étudie à Oxford tandis que les filles vivent à Londres. Elle a gardé ce côté guindé et certaines de ses révélations , pour moi, tombent comme un cheveu sur la soupe et ne servaientt qu'à rendre Ellie encore plus différente des autres. Elle fait un peu plus preuve d'amitié envers elle et se lie également avec Emma. Tous les trois échangent des messages rigolos et très girly. Par contre, j'ai été super déçue d'Emma. Autant je l'adorais dans le 1er tome, autant ici , elle m'a fortement agacée. Ce qui m'a le plus énervé est le jugement qu'elle va porter vis à vis d'un acte fait par Ellie. Elle lui pardonnera mais elle lui en fera baver un certain temps et ça , je n'ai pas compris du tout . Ensemble, elles vont aider Ellie à devenir "une salope" qui s'assume. Je déteste ce mot et je ne comprends pas comment il pourrait être associé avec Ellie qui vient à peine de découvrir sa sexualité.

Un dernier élément qui m'a chagriné sont les chroniques qu'Ellie écrit pour London Mag. Sa patronne Maxine n'est qu'une caricature du Diable s'habille en Prada et un changement radical d'attitude n'est pas crédible. J'avais adoré les articles du vlog et j'ai trouvé ces chroniques trop courtes à l'exception de la toute dernière. J'aurais aimé qu'elles soient plus développées et avec un peu plus d'humour.

Bref, Bitch n'a pas répondu à mes attentes de lectures . Peut être suis je trop exigeante dans ce que j'attendais de la suite de Virgin qui m'avait bien fait rire. Les personnages deviennent des caricatures d'eux mêmes et n'évoluent pas assez pour que je puisse m'attacher à eux. C'est dommage.

[Erica · Rating 5 out of 5]

~ARC from Netgalley~

This book deserves more than 5 stars. It is the Chicken Soup for 20 year olds and sexoligy.

In the previous book, Ellie lost her virginity at university. Now that she is graduated, she interns for an online magazine (unpaid) she is still sexually far behind all her friends. So, she decides to make herself a pack and starts with one night stands and dating apps. Of course, they do not go as planned.

Her dates are so hilarious, her boss finds out and gives her, her own column. Her conscious bugs her because well, the column is not anonymous, and her mother (who by the ways pays all her expenses) is very proper in a sense and does NOT agree with this particular type of writing.

Ellie, is so out of reality when it comes to sex and dating or casual flings. This journey of hers it just laugh out loud hilarious, and this book has you laughing from start to finish!

[JMV · Rating 4 out of 5]

Received from Netgalley for a honest review. 3 1/2 stars. Ellie is finally out of Uni and living with her three flat mates inEast London. She is interning in her dream job at a magazine, even through its for free. Now that she is single and almost employed and now that Ellie's not a virgin anymore she wants more experiences. Her friend are there to help.
No one writes a better point of view from a young woman than Radhika Sanghani. Like her first book I read "Virgin" it is funny and real. She doesn't sugar coat the sexual experience but writes it how women really think and see themselves.
Through it all, Ellie find the truth in the sexual experience in the end. But you need to read it to find out for yourself.

[robbie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Ellie is 100% still up to her bratty, self loathing, whiny ways in this sequel. In my opinion, she is an unlikable protagonist for most of the book. The writing was alright, but if I had to read "I let go of the breath I didn't realize I was holding" one more time from this book I'd most likely rip it in half and eat it. Her friends are total flat twats, for the most part, and I couldn't stand them. Ellie did redeem herself in my eyes with her bit of character grow (thank God), but it wasn't enough in my eyes for a higher than 3 star rating. The situations Ellie got herself in were just as funny as the first book, so that was a definite saving grace.

[Mellisa · Rating 5 out of 5]

I absolutely loved Virgin so was soooo happy when I found out there was a second book following on from it. Ellie is absolutely hilarious, I loved reading her and her friends stories as they tackle self love, slut shaming and sex.

This is such a feel good book - definitely need to read virgin before this though, as it follows on and makes better sense. It's funny, honest and utterly bold. I enjoyed every minute reading it, and I'm going to miss reading more about Ellie's life and her journey to self love and confidence.

[E.A. · Rating 4 out of 5]

Loads of funny moments, but Ellie got to be annoying near the end… she redeems herself but with the way she was acting and breaking the biggest girl code rule, is the reason it dropped a star.

[Kiersten · Rating 2 out of 5]

See more of my reviews at We Live and Breathe Books

Thanks to Penguin Group Berkley for the eARC I received via Netgalley!

It has taken me a long time to write this review, mostly because I was dreading it. I had high hopes for Not That Easy after thoroughly enjoying Virgin. However, while Virgin had a lot of humor, feeling like an episode of MTV's Awkward., Not That Easy was kind of sad and cringe-worthy.

In Virgin, Ellie is a 21-year-old university student trying to lose her virginity. Now in Not That Easy, Ellie is determined to go through her "slutty phase." While there is absolutely no problem with her taking control of her sexuality, it kind of felt more like desperation and seeking validation through something she couldn't even really control. She actually writes a column for an online magazine about her embarrassing sexual experiences, which wouldn't be terrible except for that it was for an unpaid internship. Seriously. Girl sold herself to her job for free. Throughout Not That Easy, Ellie ends up losing her sense of self, eventually making huge mistakes that she really regrets. Despite these mistakes, I think the worst part about it is that at the end, it doesn't feel as though Ellie has changed or learned all that much.

Another thing that bothered me was that at some points it felt like the book turned into a Cosmo article. Obviously this book was about a 22-year-old exploring her sexuality, but it was very graphic and kind of uncomfortable at times. Additionally, Ellie was really shallow and it made it a lot harder to sympathize with her.

Overall, I really wanted to enjoy Not That Easy - I was hoping for all the humor from Virgin - but in the end, it missed the mark for me. Perhaps it's just for people of a different sort of humor than myself.

(On a side note, I just noticed that this book is titled Bitch in France, and I think that's really appropriate.)

[Shayna · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wow. What a fantastic follow-up to VIRGIN. The hilarity and entertainment continue in NOT THAT EASY by Radhika Sanghani. There was so much to love about this book and I got to tell you, I haven't laughed that much in quite a while. Every turn of the page brought more laughter than before. Ellie's journey is one that will stick with me for months on end.

Ellie lost her V card in VIRGIN. She thought once she got past that obstacle her sex life would explode. It turns out, it's not that easy. Everyone around her is having tons of sex, and she is stuck with a single bed with roommates that are in some form of a relationship. So, she is completely surrounded by it, and yet she has already hit a slump in her sex life. Well, NO MORE dammit! She decides she needs to get out there and 'slut' it up! Online dating seemed like a good idea at the time. Add on some peer pressure and the need to have better sex stories to tell her mates...GAME ON!

Follow Ellie on her continued journey of sexual self discovery. There are some ups and TONS of downs, but does she give up? NO WAY! She has guts, I will tell you that. I wish I was that confident when I was her age. Everything embarrassing that you think could happen during a sexual encounter, Ellie went through it. I only wish that my start to adulthood was this eventful. It's messy, humiliating, and hilarious as hell. NOT THAT EASY acts as a guide-book of what NOT TO DO for young women. Other women will be able to walk down memory lane when they read about some of the situations that Ellie finds herself in. Like I said after I read VIRGIN, this isn't a book I would usually choose due to the lack of romance in it, but I'll say it again, I'm so glad I picked it up. It was incredibly entertaining, humorous, with tons of smart and witty banter. This was a definite winner for me.

*Gifted copy provided by the publisher in exchange for an honest review*

[Rachel Gilbey · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is brilliant, I completely identified with Ellie, and the various thoughts she has been having on her journey to having a more involved and better sex life. She is very inexperienced when it comes to men, despite being 22, and has decided she wants to have more experience with a variety of men.

Her various attempts at online dating, are hilarious, but with a bit of luck she can turn her casual encounters into a popular column for the online magazine where she is an unpaid intern.

I loved Ellie's friendship with Emma and Lara, and between them the girls have many discussions as to the workings of the male mind, how to orgasm, and all sorts of other sexual topics. There is a lot of talk about sex in this book, as Ellie is marginally obsessed by it (she has a couple of specific things to do with it, that she is hung up on too).

The situations and thoughts that Ellie has, I think are probably quite familiar to a lot of people, and some resonated a lot more with me than others.

Initially I thought Ellie, being a young, socially awkward Greek girl, reminded me of the main character in "My Big Fat Greek Wedding" film, although they are definitely different, I think you have seen that film, you will understand Ellie's relationship with her family a lot more. Towards the end of the book there was a phrase that had me laughing out loud, and I suspect it could have been a homage to an infamous quote from "Friends".

I found this book to be incredibly funny and relatable to. I was hooked the whole way through, and really enjoyed Radhika's writing style. It was a fresh voice, and one I am looking forward to reading more of. I can't help but suspect that Ellie's story isn't completely over yet.

Thank you to Mills & Boon and Netgalley for this review copy. This was my honest opinion.

[Debbie · Rating 4 out of 5]

First of all, this was one of the funniest books I've read in a long time. This poor girl just wants to give it away and can't find a taker. There were so many laughs in here. And nothing, I mean NOTHING is censored. The author spells it all out for you. Ellie even goes to a class to learn how to achieve an orgasm. I didn't even know they had those!

The poor girl is so naive that when she does get a boyfriend, she doesn't even know it. She just thinks it's an awfully long one night stand. Her dating antics are hilarious though. I thought I had some bad dates back in the day. I can't even compete with this poor girl, not that I would want to.

This is a great book for all women, even those not even dating, because it's just down right funny. You'll either learn something or remember something, or maybe both. I recommend this book for a great laugh!

Thanks Penguin/NAL and Net Galley for providing me with this free e-galley in exchange for an honest review. It was definitely entertaining!

[Karen M · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved Radhika Sanghani's first book Virgin and I couldn't have asked for a better follow-up. Like Virgin, Not That Easy is hilariously realistic and isn't afraid to put its characters in sticky situations. I love the underlying tone of empowerment as well. Loved it. (Full review to come!)

[Terri · Rating 5 out of 5]

ARC from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
This book had me laughing so hard that I was practically crying with laughter! Any real female that's not a perfect Barbie doll would get a kick out of our unfortunate heroine's misadventures.

[Scarlet · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another Radhika Sanhani´s book that kept me laughing throughout!
There were moments that every girl can relate to and I really enjoyed Radhika's writing style. It was a fresh voice, and one I am looking forward to reading more of.

If you want some easy read, this book is perfect for you.

[Frankie Ness · Rating 4 out of 5]

More vagina jokes and toilet humor. I love the crassness, the slapstick, and the awkwardness.

[Eloradana Marlene · Rating 3 out of 5]

Chronique à venir !

[Connie N. · Rating 3 out of 5]

#2 in the Virgin series

Thanks to NetGalley for a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Ellie's back after graduating from college and starting an internship at an online magazine. Now that she's no longer a virgin, she's determined to accumulate more sexual experience, she she sets out to find some one-night stands in search of the perfect orgasm. Ah, I remember now why I didn't care for Ellie in the first book of this series. She's too incredibly needy to be attractive. She becomes totally obsessed with herself, to the detriment of everything and everyone around her. After each date (actually during some of them) she needs to contact "her girls" and tell them every excruciating detail about her encounters. Why would they want to know? And why don't they become completely exasperated with her? I know I was. Instead of enjoying her dates, she overanalyzes everything down to the smallest detail, completely overwhelming herself with anxiety. I understand having self-doubt when you're hooking up with someone new, but she totally sabotages herself, creating scenarios that haven't even happened yet and stressing out about them. I suppose it was meant to be funny and entertaining, but instead I found her whiny and her problems to be almost always self-inflicted. On top of all that, she went ahead and wrote about her dates (without their permission) online. That seemed like a blatant exploitation of the relationships she was supposedly trying to build. That being said, I found myself liking her much better towards the end. Not only did she find some self-enlightenment, but she showed gumption and caring and actually came to some solid conclusions. The fact that they were already obvious to everyone else was secondary to the fact that I was happy that she could finally make some sense of her life. By the end I was actually rooting for her success and happiness.

[Kara · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read the first in this series a while back and while I liked it, it wasn't great. I liked this one from the start and even though it's a couple years old I was surprised that it still kept up with the current times. I liked Ellie and could identify with her quest. I did disagree with her a lot of the time, like when she ran out on the bleeding man or didn't tell Nick about her column or that they didn't talk about their relationship status at all. I liked the part about Ollie in the end because it was very true to life; messy but understandable. The ending was okay, I felt like it was kinda selfish for her but it's fine. Overall, it was a good read and I'm glad I got to know the end of her story.

[Lazy Lovers · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a completely different Ellie than the one we met in VIRGIN. She’s moved on from her virginal days and is ready to explore her sexuality, and when I says explore, I mean Ellie wants to bang everything in sight, referring to this as her “slutty phase”, which I'll touch on in a bit.

Read Full Review @ Lazy Book Lovers

[Mary Collins · Rating 3 out of 5]

I didn’t finish Virgin, this book’s predecessor, as I could never quite get into it. Not That Easy is very similar, but I think Radhika Sanghani’s writing has definitely improved making this follow up much more enjoyable. Ellie is a likeable, although somewhat one dimensional character and I enjoyed the supporting cast of characters. Ultimately fun but forgettable

[Emma · Rating 4 out of 5]

J’ai commencé avec des apriori à cause du titre et de la couverte mais tout s’explique au fur et à mesure de là lecture.
C’est un roman qui fait du bien, leger et qui aborde tout un tas de sujet de la vie d’une jeune femme de 20 ans. Ce qu’elle vit, de qu’elle ressent.
J’ai vraiment eu l’impression d’être dans une conversation avec des copines. J’ai adoré ma lecture !

[Tekayah · Rating 4 out of 5]

more of a 4.25. I found this book a bit better then the first one. The storyline was more interesting and non-predictable.

[Irene · Rating 1 out of 5]

If you are 14 years old. Perfect.

[Keira. · Rating 3 out of 5]

“It doesn’t matter if you’re sleeping with number 2 or 222, or whether they’re The One or just a one-night stand - the only important thing is that you actually enjoy the sex and feel comfortable.”

This is a completely different Ellie than the one we met in VIRGIN. She’s moved on from her virginal days and is ready to explore her sexuality, and when I says explore, I mean Ellie wants to bang everything in sight, referring to this as her “slutty phase”, which I'll touch on in a bit.

When we left Ellie last she had lost her V-card to the worst of the worst, contracting the clap and trying to find some clarity. For the record, she doesn't let you forget that she caught an STD. In fact, I'm fairly certain that she told everyone within a two mile radius. But, that's the type of awkward character she is. There are moments, in fact, where Ellie is so awkward that I had to put the book down to recover from secondhand embarrassment. While I did suffer some of that while reading VIRGIN, something about this felt doubly uncomfortable. Perhaps because, even though she's only a year older, I expected to see some growth in maturity. If anything it only got worse. I had a hard time relating to her. We all go through stages of self exploration, but Ellie’s so naive that I felt she hindered her own progress. She had an excuse before. She was meant to be clumsy and inexperienced. Here it made her feel shallow, despite her own lack of self-confidence.

Now that we’ve concluded that I'm not a fan of Ellie, let me tell you what I did love. Firstly, this book made me smile. If you're ever having a bad day, pick up this chick lit; it’s balls-to-the-wall hilarious. There is no other character who does good awkward quite like Ellie. The book does start with her on a quest for as much casual sex as she can find, but she quickly learns that she has trouble being satisfied and looks for ways to remedy it. Her boss gets wind of some of her excursions and puts her to work—for free, as an intern—on a column about her encounters. Naturally this causes problems, but the journey taken is comedic. Radhika Sanghani has a beautiful sense of humor. Secondly, Nick and Emma. Why she was using this man is beyond my realm of understanding. He was genuinely a nice guy and he went above and beyond for her. And Emma was a genuine friend, with a lot of good insight. It was her that wanted to redefine the word ‘slut’, an idea that I can stand behind. See, I was fine with Ellie wanting to get laid. I like the idea that what's right for you may not be right for your neighbor, and it's no one’s prerogative what goes on inside your bedroom. I loved Emma for standing behind her on this.

This book wasn't all laughs and awkward and momentary pauses, however. There were some very raw moments. Ellie doesn't always make the right decisions and there are points where you wish she were standing in front of you so you can grab her by the arms, shake her, and question, “Why would you do that? What is wrong with you?” Friendships were tested, relationships severed, hearts broken. A good balance of emotional elements.

While I didn't like Not As Easy as much as VIRGIN, I appreciate Sanghani’s writing and do look forward to her future works.

[Lesangdeslivres · Rating 2 out of 5]

http://lesangdeslivres.blogspot.fr/20...

La couverture est jolie et tout aussi attrayante que le premier tome ce qui nous donne envie de nous plonger dans l’histoire.


Quand nous commençons, nous sommes heureux de retrouver Ellie. Nous l'avions quitté dans une bien mauvaise posture et nous avions hâte de voir comment allait se dérouler la suite. Ce qui est bien dommage, c'est que nous n’en entendons parler que très brièvement et nous re voilà plus plongés dans la vie sexuelle d'Ellie.
Rapidement, nous sommes embarqués dans sa quête aux relations sans lendemain. Nous sommes un peu choqués qu'elle parte dans cette optique, mais bon, nous voulons quand même savoir où tout ça va nous mener. Ce qui est énervant, c'est qu'une fois qu'elle est partie dans cette optique, elle devient vite pénible et en vient à oublier toutes les personnes qui l'entourent et qui l'aiment. Par moments, elle est aussi adorable que détestable et nous avons envie de lui crier dessus, ce qui donne un mauvais point pour ce roman malheureusement.
Nous sommes confrontés aussi bien à son manque d'expérience qu'à son envie de déballer à la terre entière ses expériences, un tantinet déplacées par moment et nous en venons à comprendre comment réagissent certaines personnes. À vrai dire, ça nous choque beaucoup et ça nous gêne aussi. Ce n'est pas le fait que nous lisions ça qui nous dérange, mais nous nous mettons aisément à la place des personnes qui entourent Ellie et si nous étions à leur place, nous serions vraiment déçus de voir ce qu'elle fait.
Ce qui est un peu dommage aussi, c'est que nous nous doutons de ce qu'il va se passer entre elle et un autre personnage. C'est très prévisible et quand nous voyons ce moment, nous ne pouvons que nous dire : « Voilà, c'est bien ce que je pensais ! » et c'est franchement dommage.
Nous voyons venir certaines scènes un peu trop rapidement et ça ne nous laisse pas trop nous questionner.
Hormis ça, nous sommes heureux de voir qu'un personnage est plus adulte et tiens mieux la route que tous les autres de ce roman. Nous le suivons avec plaisir et à chaque fois que nous ne le voyons plus, nous n'avons qu'une hâte, le voir redonner un coup de maturité dans cette histoire.
Arrivés vers la fin, nous sommes tristes de voir ce qui se passe, mais dans un sens, c'était un peu prévisible et nous ne blâmons pas ce personnage que nous affectionnons tant. Nous savons qu'il a raison de dire et penser tout ce qu'il ressent.
Arrivés à la fin, nous sommes un peu déçus de voir qu'Ellie reste égale à elle-même et qu'elle n'a pas franchement de cœur. À sa place, nous aurions fait d'autres choix et c'est bien dommage que l'auteure n'ait pas trouvé une autre fin pour ce tome.


Est-ce que j'ai aimé ce livre ?


Autant, j'avais adoré le premier tome, autant celui-ci est moins bien. Certes, il se lit vite et c'est une bonne lecture pour changer les idées, mais malheureusement, ça ne va pas beaucoup plus loin. Ellie devient une véritable peste égoïste et ne fait rien pour remonter la note de ce tome, bien au contraire.