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The Truth About
The Truth about Clicking Send and Receive: A Romance Writer's Email Adventures
"It's great to see a chick lit book set in South Africa, with cultural references we can relate to." Cosmopolitan Wrapped up in the dreamy world of romance fiction and flushed with the heady heat of a tropical Durban summer, Angie Wilson is having a hard time separating fantasy from reality. Struggling to choose between a hopeless crush on her gorgeous trust fund manager and a blossoming cyber affair with an enigmatic writer, Angie turns to her zany new friends for advice on love and life. But what does she really want?A light-hearted romantic comedy.This book was previously published by Oshun as Send and Receive.
372 pages, Paperback
Published November 16, 2018
1 person is currently reading
33 people want to read
About the author
Alissa Baxter
14 books300 followersAlissa Baxter writes historical novels set in the Regency period, featuring women with unusual interests and occupations. Her Linfield Ladies series, a trio of traditional Regency romances, showcases women in trend-setting roles who fall in love with men who embrace their trailblazing ways... at least eventually. Her Dragonblade Publishing trilogy, The Grantham Girls, continues this inspiring theme.
Alissa currently lives in Johannesburg with her husband and two sons.
Alissa currently lives in Johannesburg with her husband and two sons.
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Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
January 5, 2015
Weirdly since I started my library stock take this book keeps insisting that I rate it. Silly touch screens! I barely remember reading it - it's probably been about ten years. I do remember that I finished it though. And it was (at the time) nice to read something light from a South African author. So I'm going to safely aim for the middle. (Randon note: I keep seeing this book in the tween section of bookstores. It doesn't belong there. )
December 5, 2018
I have read Ms Baxter’s historical romance work before, which I though was wonderfully rich with detail of the period with an original story and I am pleased to say that this book is n different. The Truth About Clicking Send and Receive is fresh and equally as original as her historicals, this is one of those books that will keep you glued as you don’t know what will happen on the next page, there are twists and turns that our heroine has to face and endure, a mysterious author hiding behind emails, an unexpected romance and some great secondary character’s.
Set in South Africa – which, I will admit is a whole new setting for romance books for me, but none the less very satiating to read. Angie Wilson unexpectedly inherits a large sum that has been placed into a trust fund for her, one that is looked after by handsome-as-hell trust fund manager who fully believes to be a little too naïve and a bit childish. Once she receives her first payment from her fund she quits her job and moves into a share house so that she can write full time, which is a little harder then she first thinks especially given her housemates. Each of who are as different as people can come!
She sends an email to her favourite author, which something which I have done a few times and I will admit that I could relate to Angie’s apprehension when she first sends it. She is unsure of the response – if any – and she then starts questioning whether sending what is basically a ‘fan letter’ to Vic was the best idea. I have been in that situation myelf and believe me it is a nervous and somewhat daunting feeling pressing that send button, afraid that the author may think your a weirdo – anyway, enough of my babbling 😉 When she receives a reply from author Vic she is ecstatic and is the start of something she never expected.
This is a great coming of age story, Angie is a great, realistic character who a lot of people can relate to in some way. I felt that this whole story wasn’t just about her blossoming romance or her relationship with Vic the author or even about her eclectic housemates this is a story of a woman finding her feet, growing up and making a life for herself in the ‘real’ world.
The writing is wonderfully engaging, the plot in essence is a simple one, but in reality there is far more than that and the characters are amazingly different, each one has his/her own story that you get glimpses of through out. It makes you think about your own relationships, especially those that you have via social media and so on, which in this day and age where we all practically live on Twitter and Facebook that can’t be a bad thing, it opens the eyes. Even though it is a romance, I felt it is far more about Angie’s relationships with others and how she acted.
Over all a thought-provoking and engaging story, one that I highly recommend.
This was a complimentary copy via the author in exchange for an honest review, thank you Alissa.
Set in South Africa – which, I will admit is a whole new setting for romance books for me, but none the less very satiating to read. Angie Wilson unexpectedly inherits a large sum that has been placed into a trust fund for her, one that is looked after by handsome-as-hell trust fund manager who fully believes to be a little too naïve and a bit childish. Once she receives her first payment from her fund she quits her job and moves into a share house so that she can write full time, which is a little harder then she first thinks especially given her housemates. Each of who are as different as people can come!
She sends an email to her favourite author, which something which I have done a few times and I will admit that I could relate to Angie’s apprehension when she first sends it. She is unsure of the response – if any – and she then starts questioning whether sending what is basically a ‘fan letter’ to Vic was the best idea. I have been in that situation myelf and believe me it is a nervous and somewhat daunting feeling pressing that send button, afraid that the author may think your a weirdo – anyway, enough of my babbling 😉 When she receives a reply from author Vic she is ecstatic and is the start of something she never expected.
This is a great coming of age story, Angie is a great, realistic character who a lot of people can relate to in some way. I felt that this whole story wasn’t just about her blossoming romance or her relationship with Vic the author or even about her eclectic housemates this is a story of a woman finding her feet, growing up and making a life for herself in the ‘real’ world.
The writing is wonderfully engaging, the plot in essence is a simple one, but in reality there is far more than that and the characters are amazingly different, each one has his/her own story that you get glimpses of through out. It makes you think about your own relationships, especially those that you have via social media and so on, which in this day and age where we all practically live on Twitter and Facebook that can’t be a bad thing, it opens the eyes. Even though it is a romance, I felt it is far more about Angie’s relationships with others and how she acted.
Over all a thought-provoking and engaging story, one that I highly recommend.
This was a complimentary copy via the author in exchange for an honest review, thank you Alissa.
January 19, 2019
The Truth about Clicking Send and Receive explores the complexities of romance in the modern age in a fun, yet precautionary way.
Angie is a likeable character, a romantic who’s desperately trying to be responsible and chase her dream. I enjoyed how her story played out, adjusting to life in Durban, meeting and entangling with the love interests, despite herself.
One of the things I found interesting was that this was written and set in South Africa. The last book I read set there had a strong political bent to it, but not this one. Instead, it feels more like a regular day-in-the-life story. A taking a chance story. A falling in love story.
Another thing I enjoyed was the email romance Angie sparks up with the mysterious romance writer. One, I was super intrigued and wondering whether they’d get together in real life. Two, I was noticing and disregarding red flags just as swiftly as Angie was. I felt it was built and executed just as well as any “in person” romance I’ve read.
This story is pegged as chic lit. I’m not exactly sure what that entails as I usually do not read chic lit. But perhaps it has to do with dose of realism mixed in with the romance, or maybe it’s the relationship-focused storyline, and not just of the main character. I noticed a couple of other stories emerging and playing out, a method I like in a series like this. It allows the author to build interest in the next without resorting to a cliffhanger.
Anyhow, loved this story and recommend it to folks who enjoy chic lit, romance, and interesting settings.
I received the review copy of this book from NetGalley.
Angie is a likeable character, a romantic who’s desperately trying to be responsible and chase her dream. I enjoyed how her story played out, adjusting to life in Durban, meeting and entangling with the love interests, despite herself.
One of the things I found interesting was that this was written and set in South Africa. The last book I read set there had a strong political bent to it, but not this one. Instead, it feels more like a regular day-in-the-life story. A taking a chance story. A falling in love story.
Another thing I enjoyed was the email romance Angie sparks up with the mysterious romance writer. One, I was super intrigued and wondering whether they’d get together in real life. Two, I was noticing and disregarding red flags just as swiftly as Angie was. I felt it was built and executed just as well as any “in person” romance I’ve read.
This story is pegged as chic lit. I’m not exactly sure what that entails as I usually do not read chic lit. But perhaps it has to do with dose of realism mixed in with the romance, or maybe it’s the relationship-focused storyline, and not just of the main character. I noticed a couple of other stories emerging and playing out, a method I like in a series like this. It allows the author to build interest in the next without resorting to a cliffhanger.
Anyhow, loved this story and recommend it to folks who enjoy chic lit, romance, and interesting settings.
I received the review copy of this book from NetGalley.
November 19, 2018
I loved this book. It was a wonderful light read and I enjoyed trying to guess what was going to happen next. Several times, I thought I had it all figured out only to have it twist and turn. lol I love the humor and writing style of this author and look forward to the next book The Truth About Cats and Bees. The characters are so vivid that you can really relate to them. Check it out!!!! You wont be sorry!!!!
November 1, 2017
This is the first contemporary novel written by Alissa Baxter. It was great fun with a lot of humour thrown in. I really enjoyed reading a book set in a city I spent a lot of time in during my teens and early twenties. I would thoroughly recommend it.
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September 13, 2025I enjoyed the characters and their story lines. There was an unexpected twist when the friends become lovers.
Truly enjoyed this one.
Truly enjoyed this one.
March 26, 2015
Alissa Baxter has penned a book with a unique style, story and message.
I loved this book, and although it was deep and quite philosophical, it was a light, fun read.
The book is set in the early 2000s with some outdated technology, but that actually adds to the setting. It's also set in Durban where I grew up and I loved a familiar setting I could identify with. The author's writing style is crisp, smart and easy to read. The characters were real, three-dimensional and true to life. It would be a great read for young women starting out in life - they would learn a lot from it, but even for an "older" like me, it was still enjoyable - a breath of fresh air. The secondary characters were just as important to me as the heroine and her "heroes." But I didn't see it as a distraction at all to the thread of the book.
I just loved this quote from the book and had to share:
"It's just not cool to admit to being romantic. To be cynical is cool. To be jaded can be cool, but openly saying you're romantic is just setting yourself up as someone without any defences against the world, and if you do that, you go against the secret code that underpins society - protect yourself, don't show weakness, only the tough survive...and that's why a lot of people who read romances, probably would never admit it in public..." Thankfully, the truth of this statement is starting to change, but not in all circles!
Many times, I burst out laughing while reading it and other times I was pondering the deep complexities of romantic relationships and life. Best of all, I couldn't put it down and had to keep going back to it even when I knew I should be working.
I loved this book, and although it was deep and quite philosophical, it was a light, fun read.
The book is set in the early 2000s with some outdated technology, but that actually adds to the setting. It's also set in Durban where I grew up and I loved a familiar setting I could identify with. The author's writing style is crisp, smart and easy to read. The characters were real, three-dimensional and true to life. It would be a great read for young women starting out in life - they would learn a lot from it, but even for an "older" like me, it was still enjoyable - a breath of fresh air. The secondary characters were just as important to me as the heroine and her "heroes." But I didn't see it as a distraction at all to the thread of the book.
I just loved this quote from the book and had to share:
"It's just not cool to admit to being romantic. To be cynical is cool. To be jaded can be cool, but openly saying you're romantic is just setting yourself up as someone without any defences against the world, and if you do that, you go against the secret code that underpins society - protect yourself, don't show weakness, only the tough survive...and that's why a lot of people who read romances, probably would never admit it in public..." Thankfully, the truth of this statement is starting to change, but not in all circles!
Many times, I burst out laughing while reading it and other times I was pondering the deep complexities of romantic relationships and life. Best of all, I couldn't put it down and had to keep going back to it even when I knew I should be working.
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews