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The Spare Bedroom
**Listed Today**: Fun and friendly professional just arrived from London seeks flat share in central location, double bed preferred, ex-boyfriend optional extra.
Armed with a super-sized backpack full of optimism, Jess sets off in search of sun, sea and a much-needed new beginning.
Things don’t get off to a good start.
Instead of sunshine, she’s met with torrential rain. Her job prospects are as dismal as the weather and that friend-of-a-friend she was meant to stay with has fallen through. Just as Jess is homeless, jobless and wishing she’d gone for the waterproof mascara, she runs into the last person she expected to see. Sam. The ex she never got over. Jess always believed that one day fate would bring them back together. Now he’s here, more gorgeous than ever.
Before she knows it, Jess is accepting Sam’s offer to stay in his spare room. But while she may have been less than truthful about the mess she’s in, there is also one rather important thing Sam has neglected to mention.
Suddenly Jess isn’t just living with her ex, but with his new girlfriend too. All of that baggage she thought she left behind may have caught up with her…
A touching, funny and uplifting look at how finding and losing love can lead you to discover yourself along the way. Fans of The Flatshare, Sophie Kinsella and classic rom coms like My Best Friend’s Wedding will love Elizabeth Neep’s wit and warmth.
Armed with a super-sized backpack full of optimism, Jess sets off in search of sun, sea and a much-needed new beginning.
Things don’t get off to a good start.
Instead of sunshine, she’s met with torrential rain. Her job prospects are as dismal as the weather and that friend-of-a-friend she was meant to stay with has fallen through. Just as Jess is homeless, jobless and wishing she’d gone for the waterproof mascara, she runs into the last person she expected to see. Sam. The ex she never got over. Jess always believed that one day fate would bring them back together. Now he’s here, more gorgeous than ever.
Before she knows it, Jess is accepting Sam’s offer to stay in his spare room. But while she may have been less than truthful about the mess she’s in, there is also one rather important thing Sam has neglected to mention.
Suddenly Jess isn’t just living with her ex, but with his new girlfriend too. All of that baggage she thought she left behind may have caught up with her…
A touching, funny and uplifting look at how finding and losing love can lead you to discover yourself along the way. Fans of The Flatshare, Sophie Kinsella and classic rom coms like My Best Friend’s Wedding will love Elizabeth Neep’s wit and warmth.
380 pages, Paperback
Published April 28, 2020
371 people are currently reading
1171 people want to read
About the author
Elizabeth Neep
4 books38 followersElizabeth Neep studied Law and Australian Law (University of Nottingham, University of New South Wales) before getting into publishing, where she now works as a senior commissioning editor for an independent press. She has written features for numerous publications including Cosmopolitan, Dazed Digital and PETRIe, is a trustee for a mental health charity and draws and paints in her spare time. She can usually be found with a flat white or glass of wine in hand around her home in London Bridge.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 152 reviews
May 4, 2020
SO much fun! Elizabeth Neep’s debut is uplifting and charming. An engaging romcom with a wonderful life lesson. Jess needed a fresh start so she packed her bags and headed to Australia. But her accommodations weren’t exactly what she was expecting. So when by some crazy coincidence she runs into her ex-boyfriend in a grocery store in Sydney she takes him up on his offer to stay in his spare bedroom. Jess is thinking perhaps they are destined to get back together, that is until she finds out he is living with his fiancé. Not wanting her life to look quite as tragic as it is Jess starts to spin some tales and tell some lies, that keep digging her into a deeper hole. Not to mention she is still kind of convinced that she and Sam will eventually get back together. What follows is a lighthearted fun story with some moments of truth.
This story was just tons of fun. Just what I needed a book to whisk me away to Australia and to deal with someone else’s Hot mess. Jess was likable and relatable, but boy did the girl make some big mistakes. There was so many times I wanted to reach through the pages and talk some sense to her. But I really think Jess had to live through all of this to come out of it with a good understanding. That’s what I liked most about this book, we really got to see what happened after everything hit the fan. A fun storyline, a beautiful setting, and engaging real characters. I am super excited to see what is up next from this debut author.
This book in emojis 🏖 🏄 💍 🎨 ☕️
*** Big thank you to Bookouture for my gifted copy of this book. All opinions are my own. ***
This story was just tons of fun. Just what I needed a book to whisk me away to Australia and to deal with someone else’s Hot mess. Jess was likable and relatable, but boy did the girl make some big mistakes. There was so many times I wanted to reach through the pages and talk some sense to her. But I really think Jess had to live through all of this to come out of it with a good understanding. That’s what I liked most about this book, we really got to see what happened after everything hit the fan. A fun storyline, a beautiful setting, and engaging real characters. I am super excited to see what is up next from this debut author.
This book in emojis 🏖 🏄 💍 🎨 ☕️
*** Big thank you to Bookouture for my gifted copy of this book. All opinions are my own. ***
April 29, 2020
The Spare Bedroom. A story about a girl named Jess who moves to Sydney on a whim to re-start her mess of a life. After running into some issues and being left with no job and nowhere to stay, Jess happens to run into Sam, the love of her life, who broke up with her years ago in England. Not only is Jess shocked to see Sam in Sydney, she's even more shocked when he invites her to come back and stay at his place-in his spare bedroom, to help her get back on her feet. Jess is thrilled-until she finds out that Sam has been keeping a secret. He actually lives with his fiancé Jamie. Now Jess has to figure out how to live with both of them, while looking for a job and most importantly, figuring out all her feelings that are returning for Sam.
I really did not enjoy this book. It started well for me, I was interested, but around 35% I wanted to put it down. I trudged through because I did want to find out what happened but I skimmed over large parts and just sped read until the end. While I think the premise could've been interesting, the book missed the mark. Jess is extremely unlikeable as the story goes on. She's selfish and immature, it seems odd that she just decides to move to Sydney with no money and no back up plan, and she has not moved on whatsoever from Sam, at all. I understand it is really hard to move on from a great love, but if you're in that situation, the last thing you should be doing is staying with them and their fiancé and lying about everything. That's another thing, Jess lies about everything! She gets mad for unfounded reasons and blames others for her problems. What broke it for me was her judgement about Sam and Jamie being religious-which was a very odd side plot, and a sentence where she states something along the lines of having to save Sam from this relationship that he's not into, because he's interested in her-both of which are completely unfounded. Sam himself was another unlikeable character, inviting her over, having her stay, using the same nickname for Jess and Jamie, also hiding things from her, and then getting mad and freaking out at Jess when she drunkenly climbs into bed with him. Talk about playing with fire.
I found the book dragged on and on and I didn't care about anything that was happening. Jess was overly critical, kept messing up over and over but was still shown kindness at the end. I hope others find a good story in the book! Thanks to NetGalley for the free preview in exchange for an honest review.
I really did not enjoy this book. It started well for me, I was interested, but around 35% I wanted to put it down. I trudged through because I did want to find out what happened but I skimmed over large parts and just sped read until the end. While I think the premise could've been interesting, the book missed the mark. Jess is extremely unlikeable as the story goes on. She's selfish and immature, it seems odd that she just decides to move to Sydney with no money and no back up plan, and she has not moved on whatsoever from Sam, at all. I understand it is really hard to move on from a great love, but if you're in that situation, the last thing you should be doing is staying with them and their fiancé and lying about everything. That's another thing, Jess lies about everything! She gets mad for unfounded reasons and blames others for her problems. What broke it for me was her judgement about Sam and Jamie being religious-which was a very odd side plot, and a sentence where she states something along the lines of having to save Sam from this relationship that he's not into, because he's interested in her-both of which are completely unfounded. Sam himself was another unlikeable character, inviting her over, having her stay, using the same nickname for Jess and Jamie, also hiding things from her, and then getting mad and freaking out at Jess when she drunkenly climbs into bed with him. Talk about playing with fire.
I found the book dragged on and on and I didn't care about anything that was happening. Jess was overly critical, kept messing up over and over but was still shown kindness at the end. I hope others find a good story in the book! Thanks to NetGalley for the free preview in exchange for an honest review.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
May 1, 2020
What a fun book!! From messed up decisions of a pining heart to adulting, from the depths of defeat to growing up, from thrown into the streets to finding suces. This book had it all. Author Elizabeth Neep with her words had penned a story which so many of us have gone through, some of us are still going through.
Jesse left UK for Sydney to forget her live. But lo and behold Sam was the first she met when down on her luck who offered his spare room without telling her he had his girlfriend in his main bedroom. An icky situation if ever, especially since Jess had not really got over him.
My first book by this author, the situations that Jesse got herself into were humorous. There were many times when I wanted to poke her into looking the other way. But some part of me understood her longing. Been there, done that. The author had written realistic characters whom I could identify with. Her desperate lies had me cringing as well as nodding through them.
Sam was a great guy though I too felt like any guy he didn't recognize his own signs. A girl could be mistaken on them. Past and present alternated the chapters giving me their complete incomplete story with their break off.
The sections which touched my heart was when Jesse grew up after being thrown out. I could see the beautiful and brave soul that she was, honest to herself, and eager to redeem and prove herself. Fate and friends gave her a helping hand, and my heart soared when she flew high in the wings of success, paving her own way.
A fun evening read, I would say.
Jesse left UK for Sydney to forget her live. But lo and behold Sam was the first she met when down on her luck who offered his spare room without telling her he had his girlfriend in his main bedroom. An icky situation if ever, especially since Jess had not really got over him.
My first book by this author, the situations that Jesse got herself into were humorous. There were many times when I wanted to poke her into looking the other way. But some part of me understood her longing. Been there, done that. The author had written realistic characters whom I could identify with. Her desperate lies had me cringing as well as nodding through them.
Sam was a great guy though I too felt like any guy he didn't recognize his own signs. A girl could be mistaken on them. Past and present alternated the chapters giving me their complete incomplete story with their break off.
The sections which touched my heart was when Jesse grew up after being thrown out. I could see the beautiful and brave soul that she was, honest to herself, and eager to redeem and prove herself. Fate and friends gave her a helping hand, and my heart soared when she flew high in the wings of success, paving her own way.
A fun evening read, I would say.
July 8, 2020
I suspected this book was going to be a mess but it ended up being a different mess than I'd expected. The premise of this book sounded messy indeed - Jess, a young British woman, goes to Australia, has nowhere to stay, and bumps into her ex-boyfriend named Sam, who she's still not over yet, although they broke up several years ago. He tells her she can stay in his spare bedroom but omits the fact that he lives with his girlfriend named Jamie. He isn't the only one lying - Jess keeps lying to the people around her throughout the book and getting deeper into trouble because of it (while being judgmental of other people), which was far from cute or relatable.
Well I really didn't like this book. It wasn't fun to read about these characters at all. Jess was incredibly immature and annoying, she was obsessed with Sam and kept analyzing every word he said and didn't stop hoping that he would see reason and dump his girlfriend, soon to be wife. She made it her mission to remind Sam "who he really was" and convince him that he was about to make the biggest mistake of his life marrying this other woman. No girl. No no no no no. We also got the casual vegan shaming/"jokes" ("Of course Jamie would be a vegan. Typical."), which I'm just very tired of seeing in books.
We saw no character growth in Jess for the majority of the book, which was painful and boring to read. Picking up this book started to feel like a chore. Shortly before the end of the book, the people around her finally got fed up with her behavior and she started to turn her life around but at that point, I didn't care much about any of the characters.
So this ended up being very disappointing. I expected a questionable fun story but got highly unlikeable characters and a boring plot that dragged. I was happy to be done with this book.
Well I really didn't like this book. It wasn't fun to read about these characters at all. Jess was incredibly immature and annoying, she was obsessed with Sam and kept analyzing every word he said and didn't stop hoping that he would see reason and dump his girlfriend, soon to be wife. She made it her mission to remind Sam "who he really was" and convince him that he was about to make the biggest mistake of his life marrying this other woman. No girl. No no no no no. We also got the casual vegan shaming/"jokes" ("Of course Jamie would be a vegan. Typical."), which I'm just very tired of seeing in books.
We saw no character growth in Jess for the majority of the book, which was painful and boring to read. Picking up this book started to feel like a chore. Shortly before the end of the book, the people around her finally got fed up with her behavior and she started to turn her life around but at that point, I didn't care much about any of the characters.
So this ended up being very disappointing. I expected a questionable fun story but got highly unlikeable characters and a boring plot that dragged. I was happy to be done with this book.
August 20, 2020
Everywhere I looked this has been classed as a romcom or a romance novel, and this is definitely not a romance novel, it’s women’s fiction. I wish it had been classified properly because it definitely coloured my expectations and reading experience.
May 4, 2020
Jess accepted her ex-boyfriend's offer to stay in his spare bedroom, but she was not counting on his plus-one.
The Spare Bedroom is Elizabeth Neep's debut novel, and it is surprising in many ways.
I chose this book because I wanted to escape to Romanceland, and forget all this dreadful news about the Corona Virus. The title and the blurb seemed the perfect combination of fun, romance, and a tiny bit of angst I was looking for.
The first third of the book was hilarious! The whole situation the heroine found herself in was so outlandish that I could not but feel for her and hope she would find a way to bounce back with her dignity intact.
The author has a special talent for witty dialogue and I just could not put the book down.
Towards the middle of the book, the story takes a serious turn. The heroine starts to show her many layers. She is interesting because she is very flawed.
Jess is the kind of friend that you invite to crash on your sofa for the night, and she never leaves (lol).
The book has two facets. The first, a lighthearted comedy, the second, an interesting story of a person blinded by heartbreak struggling to move on.
The story is focused on the heroine's quest to rebuild her life, so it is not romance centered.
I would recommend this book to those in search of an uplifting story of soul-searching and forgiveness.
I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
The Spare Bedroom is Elizabeth Neep's debut novel, and it is surprising in many ways.
I chose this book because I wanted to escape to Romanceland, and forget all this dreadful news about the Corona Virus. The title and the blurb seemed the perfect combination of fun, romance, and a tiny bit of angst I was looking for.
The first third of the book was hilarious! The whole situation the heroine found herself in was so outlandish that I could not but feel for her and hope she would find a way to bounce back with her dignity intact.
The author has a special talent for witty dialogue and I just could not put the book down.
Towards the middle of the book, the story takes a serious turn. The heroine starts to show her many layers. She is interesting because she is very flawed.
Jess is the kind of friend that you invite to crash on your sofa for the night, and she never leaves (lol).
The book has two facets. The first, a lighthearted comedy, the second, an interesting story of a person blinded by heartbreak struggling to move on.
The story is focused on the heroine's quest to rebuild her life, so it is not romance centered.
I would recommend this book to those in search of an uplifting story of soul-searching and forgiveness.
I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
May 15, 2020
This had potential, but the characters were just too unlikeable and the story started dragging very quickly. Jess, the main character, constantly lies and judges the other characters for their life choices. Maybe this could have been better with younger characters, maybe in the new adult category. Jess was definitely immature enough that it wouldn't have been outrageously difficult to just make her younger. But for a story revolving around actual adults it was fairly ridiculous and far-fetched. I consider it somewhat of a miracle that I finished this book, although I started skim-reading after ten or so chapters.
(I received a copy from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.)
(I received a copy from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.)
April 23, 2020
Finally, finally, FINALLY.
The Spare Bedroom does something that many books have failed to do, write Christian characters realistically. Not all Christians are Fox News loving crazy people who act like living angels. Christians curse, and as in this book, call our friends dickheads. Some drink alcohol, have sex, and make terrible mistakes. Some pretend to be living angels and they frustrate everyone else to no end. So, thank you Elizabeth Neep for seeing the real people under all of the fake stuff.
As for the story, I freaking loved it and let me explain why.
In Spare Bedroom, our heroine, Jess, is a freaking mess when she runs into her ex, and then proceeds to become and even bigger freaking mess. At times, I wanted to shake her, because she was obviously making mistakes, but honestly, that's how people change. We make mistakes, acknowledge them, and learn from them.
She was an unreliable narrator, but Jess did what we all do, which is see what we want to see and not what actually is. Then trying to get what she thinks she wants in life, she get desperate, lies, and pretty much misses every clue thrown her way.
Sam is a great guy, but with the flashbacks, we can see pretty clearly that he doesn't belong with Jess and Jess doesn't belong with him. He's not perfect but who wants perfect?
The absolute best thing about Spare Bedroom is that it defies its genre expectations. Usually in this type of book, everything explodes close to the end and there's a quick wrap up where everyone gets that Happily Ever after. In Spare Bedroom, the climax happens at 80% giving the reader a lot of time and pages to find out what happens to Jess.
Jess breaks down and has actual growth that we get to watch. She finds herself and it isn't easy, it's incredibly hard, difficult work that takes time and a lot of self reflection. Jess does that work and finally we get to read it. It's not glossed over, or skipped entirely in a time jump. Spare Bedroom shows how tough it is to be a young woman trying to make it without actually knowing what "it" is.
I also loved how she decides to find her own life, in her own way, in her own town. It's hard letting go of relationships, especially when they've been a part of your life for so long, and helped shape the person you are. But, learning that you need to move on and actually doing it is a process like grieving. You have to acknowledge the loss and mourn the changes as you reimagine your life as it is now.
I can't say enough good things about Spare Bedroom. It's a standout book in a genre overfilled with predictable, but pleasing reads.
The Spare Bedroom does something that many books have failed to do, write Christian characters realistically. Not all Christians are Fox News loving crazy people who act like living angels. Christians curse, and as in this book, call our friends dickheads. Some drink alcohol, have sex, and make terrible mistakes. Some pretend to be living angels and they frustrate everyone else to no end. So, thank you Elizabeth Neep for seeing the real people under all of the fake stuff.
As for the story, I freaking loved it and let me explain why.
In Spare Bedroom, our heroine, Jess, is a freaking mess when she runs into her ex, and then proceeds to become and even bigger freaking mess. At times, I wanted to shake her, because she was obviously making mistakes, but honestly, that's how people change. We make mistakes, acknowledge them, and learn from them.
She was an unreliable narrator, but Jess did what we all do, which is see what we want to see and not what actually is. Then trying to get what she thinks she wants in life, she get desperate, lies, and pretty much misses every clue thrown her way.
Sam is a great guy, but with the flashbacks, we can see pretty clearly that he doesn't belong with Jess and Jess doesn't belong with him. He's not perfect but who wants perfect?
The absolute best thing about Spare Bedroom is that it defies its genre expectations. Usually in this type of book, everything explodes close to the end and there's a quick wrap up where everyone gets that Happily Ever after. In Spare Bedroom, the climax happens at 80% giving the reader a lot of time and pages to find out what happens to Jess.
Jess breaks down and has actual growth that we get to watch. She finds herself and it isn't easy, it's incredibly hard, difficult work that takes time and a lot of self reflection. Jess does that work and finally we get to read it. It's not glossed over, or skipped entirely in a time jump. Spare Bedroom shows how tough it is to be a young woman trying to make it without actually knowing what "it" is.
I also loved how she decides to find her own life, in her own way, in her own town. It's hard letting go of relationships, especially when they've been a part of your life for so long, and helped shape the person you are. But, learning that you need to move on and actually doing it is a process like grieving. You have to acknowledge the loss and mourn the changes as you reimagine your life as it is now.
I can't say enough good things about Spare Bedroom. It's a standout book in a genre overfilled with predictable, but pleasing reads.
April 24, 2020
DNF at 34%.
I did not like this book. The main character annoyed me and the writing got on my nerves at times. I just could not get myself to read any more of this book, no matter how hard I tried. The Soare Bedroom will count towards my 2020 reading goal because I read more than 25%. Hopefully, other people will end up enjoying this book more.
I would recommend this book to anyone who finds the premise interesting.
I received an e-Arc of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
I did not like this book. The main character annoyed me and the writing got on my nerves at times. I just could not get myself to read any more of this book, no matter how hard I tried. The Soare Bedroom will count towards my 2020 reading goal because I read more than 25%. Hopefully, other people will end up enjoying this book more.
I would recommend this book to anyone who finds the premise interesting.
I received an e-Arc of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
June 26, 2020
I kinda hate Sam
Hate him! Why tf would you do that?
Damn the drama is strong in this one
God idk how shes going to redeem herself im lowkey hating her and her actions
Ive never been this annoyed by book leads in a long while god
It ended fine but getting there was a feat
I wish jess had a stronger spine and less childish brain at the age if 27 ffs
And sam had more emotional intelligence than a 16 yr old kid
Joshua was good and didnt have enough scenes honestly
Ugh disappointed i wanted to love this book a lo
Hate him! Why tf would you do that?
Damn the drama is strong in this one
God idk how shes going to redeem herself im lowkey hating her and her actions
Ive never been this annoyed by book leads in a long while god
It ended fine but getting there was a feat
I wish jess had a stronger spine and less childish brain at the age if 27 ffs
And sam had more emotional intelligence than a 16 yr old kid
Joshua was good and didnt have enough scenes honestly
Ugh disappointed i wanted to love this book a lo
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
August 24, 2020
Never trusting amazon reviews again
May 10, 2020
Thank you to Net Galley, the publisher and author for an ARC on exchange for an honest review!
Jess, 27, leaves safe Britain that holds seemingly dismissive parents, a best friend who’s begun “adulting” with her new partner and the memories of a love that once was, and adventures to the other side of the world to find new opportunities. She never imagined that she would find herself wandering throughout Sydney broke, homeless and soaking wet...only to run into previously mentioned “love that once was”. Sam, Jess’ ex-boyfriend of 5 years invites her over for a glass of her favorite wine, and then to stay until her “apartment” is renovated. Add a sprinkle of embellishments, a dash of lies and a pinch of underlying emotions, oh and a generous tablespoon of a secret lover, and the tale of The Spare Bedroom unfurls.
I found Jess annoyingly relatable. I loved the ending and how the story unfolded...especially with the development of new relationships. It was light without being too fluffy in my opinion and I really enjoyed it.
Jess, 27, leaves safe Britain that holds seemingly dismissive parents, a best friend who’s begun “adulting” with her new partner and the memories of a love that once was, and adventures to the other side of the world to find new opportunities. She never imagined that she would find herself wandering throughout Sydney broke, homeless and soaking wet...only to run into previously mentioned “love that once was”. Sam, Jess’ ex-boyfriend of 5 years invites her over for a glass of her favorite wine, and then to stay until her “apartment” is renovated. Add a sprinkle of embellishments, a dash of lies and a pinch of underlying emotions, oh and a generous tablespoon of a secret lover, and the tale of The Spare Bedroom unfurls.
I found Jess annoyingly relatable. I loved the ending and how the story unfolded...especially with the development of new relationships. It was light without being too fluffy in my opinion and I really enjoyed it.
January 27, 2021
This was a decent read to start the new year. Jess has relocated to Sydney after being let go from her job and is adamant that this is going to be a new start for her. Unfortunately, she ends up bumping into her ex, Sam, the one she’s never really good over, and through a series of lies, agrees to stay in his spare bedroom until her non-existent flat is ready for her to move in to. What she doesn’t bank on is Sam having a fiancée, throwing her dreams of getting back with him out the window. This didn’t go exactly the way I expect it to, or wanted it to for that matter, and I don’t know how I feel about that. Throughout a lot of the book, Jess seemed quite selfish and intent on destroying Sam and Jamie’s relationship, as she was adamant that he didn’t really love Jamie. I was rooting for Jess and Joshua to get together, although in retrospect I don’t think she deserved him either. In the end, Jess was incredibly lucky that Sam, Jamie and Joshua forgave her, because she definitely made a massive effort to ruin their lives, and the fact that she got to escape scot-free and start again at the end sort of annoyed me. I’d have liked this a lot more if I had related to Jess, which I didn’t - her decisions were just so flawed and based on lies that I found her pretty awful a lot of the time.
Full review on my blog - lornamuses.wordpress.com
Bookstagram - @lornareadsandreviews
Full review on my blog - lornamuses.wordpress.com
Bookstagram - @lornareadsandreviews
May 26, 2020
2.5 stars for me. Decent debut novel but if you're looking for a "traditional" romance with love, flirting, heavy petting & maybe sex, this is probably not for you.
Jess is a 27-year old woman rebounding from her last relationship. She decides that a change of location is what she needs and moves to Australia with hopes to start a new chapter in her life. What she finds is joblessness, homelessness and Sam, her ex-boyfriend. Ever the gentleman, he comes to her rescue and offers his spare bedroom. What he doesn't mention is that in the three years since they split up he successfully moved on & is getting married to his live in fiancée
I liked Jess in the beginning but as the story progressed she began to annoy me. Her first few lies to save face were understandable but the holes she kept digging were pathetic and immature. I was embarrassed for her thinking no one could possibly be buying these childish lies.
Joshua was probably my favorite character. He's a youth mentor/surfer and the brother of Jamie, Sam's fiancée. He offers to be a shoulder to cry on for Jess and is attracted to her but nothing develops there. I also liked Alice, a friend of Jamie's that rescues Jess after she makes another poor decision and ruins her job, place of residence and budding friendships. In the end, Jess grows up and begins to act like a 27-year old woman with goals and not a 17-year old with a bad crush.
Jess is a 27-year old woman rebounding from her last relationship. She decides that a change of location is what she needs and moves to Australia with hopes to start a new chapter in her life. What she finds is joblessness, homelessness and Sam, her ex-boyfriend. Ever the gentleman, he comes to her rescue and offers his spare bedroom. What he doesn't mention is that in the three years since they split up he successfully moved on & is getting married to his live in fiancée
I liked Jess in the beginning but as the story progressed she began to annoy me. Her first few lies to save face were understandable but the holes she kept digging were pathetic and immature. I was embarrassed for her thinking no one could possibly be buying these childish lies.
Joshua was probably my favorite character. He's a youth mentor/surfer and the brother of Jamie, Sam's fiancée. He offers to be a shoulder to cry on for Jess and is attracted to her but nothing develops there. I also liked Alice, a friend of Jamie's that rescues Jess after she makes another poor decision and ruins her job, place of residence and budding friendships. In the end, Jess grows up and begins to act like a 27-year old woman with goals and not a 17-year old with a bad crush.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
June 17, 2020
This is a funny and fell-good read, and Jess is such a relatable character! I couldn't put down the book and finished it in 3 days.
Jess, 27, comes to Sydney from London looking after a new start far away from everything, only to come across his ex, Sam, the one she couldn't forget. He is so happy to find her, he invites her to crash for a few days at his place... and his girlfriend's.
Told alternating the past and the present, we learn more about Sam and Jess' story. I loved how Jess grew up and faced her problems.
I'll definitely be reading more from this author!
** Thanks to NetGalley and Bookouture for an ARC in exchange for my honest opinion **
Jess, 27, comes to Sydney from London looking after a new start far away from everything, only to come across his ex, Sam, the one she couldn't forget. He is so happy to find her, he invites her to crash for a few days at his place... and his girlfriend's.
Told alternating the past and the present, we learn more about Sam and Jess' story. I loved how Jess grew up and faced her problems.
I'll definitely be reading more from this author!
** Thanks to NetGalley and Bookouture for an ARC in exchange for my honest opinion **
May 23, 2021
Even though I didn't love this book, I have never needed to read any book ever as much as I needed to read this particular book at this particular time in my life. Funny how that happens sometimes.
April 19, 2020
This book was a refreshing surprise! I was expecting a typical chick-lit book (not that there is anything wrong with chick-lit!!) but this had hidden depths that I really enjoyed!
Jess arrives in Sydney set to get her life started, as around her all her friends are settling down, finding careers they love, buying houses and becoming "settled" whereas she is still getting over a tough break-up with the man she thought she would be marrying.
Guess who she bumps into in Sydney? That's right, said "man"!
Who is engaged to be married to someone else, but offers her his spare room until she gets herself sorted.
After many scrapes, including lying to everyone who has tried to help her she finally finds light at the end of the tunnel....
A total "escape from the madness of the real world" book I absolutely loved this!
Jess arrives in Sydney set to get her life started, as around her all her friends are settling down, finding careers they love, buying houses and becoming "settled" whereas she is still getting over a tough break-up with the man she thought she would be marrying.
Guess who she bumps into in Sydney? That's right, said "man"!
Who is engaged to be married to someone else, but offers her his spare room until she gets herself sorted.
After many scrapes, including lying to everyone who has tried to help her she finally finds light at the end of the tunnel....
A total "escape from the madness of the real world" book I absolutely loved this!
April 22, 2020
Have you ever felt like your life isn’t moving forward, like you’re somehow stuck? That’s how Jess feels after being let go from her years long position as a PA at an art magazine. She takes a chance and moves to Sydney from London and runs into her ex-fiance at the market right in the middle of a meltdown. He invites her to stay with him and later Jess realizes he lives with his new fiance. Jess feels so relatable, she’s trying to figure out her life when it seems everyone else is becoming settled. I love how real this story feels. I expected a romcom book, and while there are many relationships in this book, it hits home the importance of following your dreams and working on yourself. Didn’t see the ending coming and was pleasantly surprised! If you’re looking for an inspiring, easy read look no further!
August 10, 2020
DNF at 60%. 90% of what I've read so far is Jess's rambling inner monologue,which did not endear her to me at all.
May 2, 2020
This book isn't horrible, it just isn't my cup of tea. I really wish I could give this book a higher rating, but when looking at this book as a whole, I just can't. I love reading women's fiction books especially ones that have some humor thrown in the mix, too. So when I read the description of this book, I couldn't wait to start reading it. Especially since the book is recommended for fans of one of my favorite rom-com movies, "My Best Friend's Wedding", but I felt like the book was way too similar to the movie with the exception of changing the character's names, the setting, and the very end of the book.
"The Spare Bedroom" is about Jess, an aspiring artist from London who has recently moved to Sydney, Australia in search of sun, the beach, and a fresh-start at life. Only things don't start off the way she was hoping. The job offerings are dismal, the friend-of-a-friend she was supposed to stay with doesn't work out, which leaves her jobless, homeless, and feeling defeated. The last thing she expects is running into her "maybe one day" ex, Sam, who seems to be just as excited to see Jess. He offers her his spare bedroom to stay in while she's "waiting for her non-existent place to be renovated and her non-existent job to start in a week or two." While Jess may have stretched the truth, Sam forgets to mention the fiancé that he lives with, and their wedding that is just a little over 2 months away.
As the past and all it's baggage come flooding back, Jess can't help but feel that her dreams of "maybe one day" with Sam might be possible.
I really wanted to love the main character, Jess, and I was rooting for her in the beginning, but didn't like how she kept pursuing Sam, even after it was clearly apparent that he loved his new fiancé, Jamie. Yes, Sam may have sent mixed signals to Jess, and possibly led her on a little bit but there's still girl-code, plus Jamie, the new fiance was being so warm and welcoming to Jess, her soon-to-be husband.
The one character I really loved was Alice, a friend/next door neighbor of Sam and Jamie's. She showed Jess that all humans make mistakes but that's doesn't automatically make them horrible people. It just meant that no one's perfect, mistakes happen, but there's no need to keep dwelling on past mistakes.
"The Spare Bedroom" isn't a bad book, it's just not a favorite of mine, but that's my opinion. So I'm not going to say don't read it because the book does have some key lessons about life in it. I would recommend this book if you or someone you know needs the lesson of "humans make mistakes, that no one is and that's ok, but there's no need to keep dwelling on it and the past".
I received a free digital galley from Bookouture via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
"The Spare Bedroom" is about Jess, an aspiring artist from London who has recently moved to Sydney, Australia in search of sun, the beach, and a fresh-start at life. Only things don't start off the way she was hoping. The job offerings are dismal, the friend-of-a-friend she was supposed to stay with doesn't work out, which leaves her jobless, homeless, and feeling defeated. The last thing she expects is running into her "maybe one day" ex, Sam, who seems to be just as excited to see Jess. He offers her his spare bedroom to stay in while she's "waiting for her non-existent place to be renovated and her non-existent job to start in a week or two." While Jess may have stretched the truth, Sam forgets to mention the fiancé that he lives with, and their wedding that is just a little over 2 months away.
As the past and all it's baggage come flooding back, Jess can't help but feel that her dreams of "maybe one day" with Sam might be possible.
I really wanted to love the main character, Jess, and I was rooting for her in the beginning, but didn't like how she kept pursuing Sam, even after it was clearly apparent that he loved his new fiancé, Jamie. Yes, Sam may have sent mixed signals to Jess, and possibly led her on a little bit but there's still girl-code, plus Jamie, the new fiance was being so warm and welcoming to Jess, her soon-to-be husband.
The one character I really loved was Alice, a friend/next door neighbor of Sam and Jamie's. She showed Jess that all humans make mistakes but that's doesn't automatically make them horrible people. It just meant that no one's perfect, mistakes happen, but there's no need to keep dwelling on past mistakes.
"The Spare Bedroom" isn't a bad book, it's just not a favorite of mine, but that's my opinion. So I'm not going to say don't read it because the book does have some key lessons about life in it. I would recommend this book if you or someone you know needs the lesson of "humans make mistakes, that no one is and that's ok, but there's no need to keep dwelling on it and the past".
I received a free digital galley from Bookouture via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
April 2, 2020
Jess moves from London to Sydney to get over her ex and also to find herself a career and live independently. Though fate had different plans as she's now jobless, homeless and completely drenched in Sydney's rains. That's when she stumbles upon the handsome Sam, her ex boyfriend whose breakup took 3 years to get over. Sam asks her to move in with him in his spare bedroom and jess has no other option than to accept his offer. She's also secretly wishing Sam might take her back. After all, they were good for each other weren't they? Her one and only true love! Little did she know that Sam is now engaged to be married to his super hot, doctor fiance Jamie!
A heartbroken Jess finds it all too tough to cope up without a job or a place to be and how strange it will be to share a house with your ex boyfriend and his fiance! Luckily, there are friends to help and lift her up whenever she makes terrible mistables. The Spare Bedroom is the story of a woman's journey to find herself a career and ways to live independently. Written with an uplifting and lighthearted premise, I'll have to give it to the author's creativity of such a love triangle. Beautiful characters whom I wish I have met to befriend in my life.
This is not your typical love story with a happily-ever-after ending. It's much more than that but be sure to pre-order it if you want a book to accompany you whenever you're a bit down and in need of a tad bit of humor, romance and motivation to raise your spirits. That's exactly what this book did to me.
Thanks to Bookouture for my galley. All opinions are solely mine.
A heartbroken Jess finds it all too tough to cope up without a job or a place to be and how strange it will be to share a house with your ex boyfriend and his fiance! Luckily, there are friends to help and lift her up whenever she makes terrible mistables. The Spare Bedroom is the story of a woman's journey to find herself a career and ways to live independently. Written with an uplifting and lighthearted premise, I'll have to give it to the author's creativity of such a love triangle. Beautiful characters whom I wish I have met to befriend in my life.
This is not your typical love story with a happily-ever-after ending. It's much more than that but be sure to pre-order it if you want a book to accompany you whenever you're a bit down and in need of a tad bit of humor, romance and motivation to raise your spirits. That's exactly what this book did to me.
Thanks to Bookouture for my galley. All opinions are solely mine.
May 2, 2020
You thought you had found the love of your life and it seems like he feels the same way. You make plans for the future and you put your own dreams on the back burner in order to support what he wants.
There is not much more you could do to please him, right? And once he’s where he wants to be, it’s your turn to go for it, right? Well, no not really.
‘Maybe one day’ are the famous last words that keep running through your mind and when you bump into each other again by accident, those words jump out. Is this the one day you have been waiting for?
The author takes us on a journey from the day Sam and Jessica met right up until the present day with all the ups and downs, the tears and the laughter, the happiness and the sadness.
It’s a story about coming to terms with the past and standing up for yourself, with friends, old and new ones, playsing an important role.
An enjoyable read that takes you from the UK to Australia. 4 stars.
Thank you, Elizabeth Neep and Bookouture
https://bforbookreview.wordpress.com
There is not much more you could do to please him, right? And once he’s where he wants to be, it’s your turn to go for it, right? Well, no not really.
‘Maybe one day’ are the famous last words that keep running through your mind and when you bump into each other again by accident, those words jump out. Is this the one day you have been waiting for?
The author takes us on a journey from the day Sam and Jessica met right up until the present day with all the ups and downs, the tears and the laughter, the happiness and the sadness.
It’s a story about coming to terms with the past and standing up for yourself, with friends, old and new ones, playsing an important role.
An enjoyable read that takes you from the UK to Australia. 4 stars.
Thank you, Elizabeth Neep and Bookouture
https://bforbookreview.wordpress.com
April 17, 2020
This book is a lighthearted read that kept me entertained.
The messes that jess gets herself in to are amusing to say the least. She leaves London to try to make a new life for herself in the furthest place possible... Sydney. Escaping a heartbreak that has lasted 3 years and counting!
She is down on her luck so decides to go to the supermarket and get some wine to drown her sorrows, when life takes a surprising turn in one of the aisles. From here life becomes a rollacoaster for Jessica. The main male character is Ben, the ex boyfriend of Jess. Overall this book was a nice pleasant read. Thank you to netgalley for the opportunity to read this early release book for my honest review
The messes that jess gets herself in to are amusing to say the least. She leaves London to try to make a new life for herself in the furthest place possible... Sydney. Escaping a heartbreak that has lasted 3 years and counting!
She is down on her luck so decides to go to the supermarket and get some wine to drown her sorrows, when life takes a surprising turn in one of the aisles. From here life becomes a rollacoaster for Jessica. The main male character is Ben, the ex boyfriend of Jess. Overall this book was a nice pleasant read. Thank you to netgalley for the opportunity to read this early release book for my honest review
April 19, 2020
There are times in life, when you just need an easy, non complicated read, that makes you completely forget the outside world - and during a pandemic lockdown this is exactly what I needed.
I found Jess the main character instantly likeable, and I could relate to her in many ways.
I sometimes find it confusing when books change their storyline to things that happened in the past, but I didn't get that at all with this book and going back in the past helped me relate to Jess' story even more.
Really enjoyed this book - perfect summer read .
I found Jess the main character instantly likeable, and I could relate to her in many ways.
I sometimes find it confusing when books change their storyline to things that happened in the past, but I didn't get that at all with this book and going back in the past helped me relate to Jess' story even more.
Really enjoyed this book - perfect summer read .
May 7, 2020
This is a fun read based in Sydney, Australia. We meet Jess, who has just arrived in Sydney from London in search of a fresh start. She has nowhere to live and no job, but when she bumps into her ex, Sam he offers her his spare room until she finds herself somewhere. Jess has spent the last 3 years getting over Sam and she cannot believe he is also in Australia! A little bit of Sam is still under her skin, and she begins to wonder whether there may be a chance for them to get back together…that is until his flatmate, Jamie walks in!
I loved the look of this book. The bright, cheerful cover gives the impression of a fun and easy to read book! I loved Jess’s character and couldn’t believe that she’s gone half way around the world for a fresh start. I really felt for her, not just at the beginning when she’s stood there soaking wet with no job or home, but all the way through the book as things never seemed to go right for her. She was such a friendly character though and you couldn’t help but wish you was there to help her out! Bumping into Sam was unbelievable and went to show that the world certainly is a small place! The author kept the wonder of who Jamie was and what her relationship to Sam was going through the story and whilst you knew that they were together, it seemed that Jess was the last one to work that out!
The story wasn’t as fun and light-hearted as I first imagined though. It had its moments, and there were plenty of light hearted humour, but this for me was definitely a journey of discovery for Jess! Some of her story was quite sad and there was certainly an emotional side to this book. The first part of the story was set at a slower pace, building up the characters and their relationships. Once I’d got to know them all, I settled right into the storyline and tore through the pages to get to the end! The ending, for me, was perfect, and completely different to other books in this genre!
An enjoyable read with plenty of life lessons learnt. Its storyline will also leave you with a warm, happy feeling and a sense of contentment by the end. Filled with likeable characters and locations which will give you great images for certain moments in the book, this book is perfect for a little bit of Australian escapism!! Would definitely recommend!
I loved the look of this book. The bright, cheerful cover gives the impression of a fun and easy to read book! I loved Jess’s character and couldn’t believe that she’s gone half way around the world for a fresh start. I really felt for her, not just at the beginning when she’s stood there soaking wet with no job or home, but all the way through the book as things never seemed to go right for her. She was such a friendly character though and you couldn’t help but wish you was there to help her out! Bumping into Sam was unbelievable and went to show that the world certainly is a small place! The author kept the wonder of who Jamie was and what her relationship to Sam was going through the story and whilst you knew that they were together, it seemed that Jess was the last one to work that out!
The story wasn’t as fun and light-hearted as I first imagined though. It had its moments, and there were plenty of light hearted humour, but this for me was definitely a journey of discovery for Jess! Some of her story was quite sad and there was certainly an emotional side to this book. The first part of the story was set at a slower pace, building up the characters and their relationships. Once I’d got to know them all, I settled right into the storyline and tore through the pages to get to the end! The ending, for me, was perfect, and completely different to other books in this genre!
An enjoyable read with plenty of life lessons learnt. Its storyline will also leave you with a warm, happy feeling and a sense of contentment by the end. Filled with likeable characters and locations which will give you great images for certain moments in the book, this book is perfect for a little bit of Australian escapism!! Would definitely recommend!
March 29, 2020
The Spare Room is about Jess who moves to Australia for a fresh start. But she runs into the one person she is trying to move on from. Jess has no place to live and Sam offers up his spare room. Untold truths lead to many misconceptions. This is a story of moving on from the past and truly putting it behind you.
Thank you to netgalley, Elizabeth Neep and Bookouture for the advance copy in exchange for my honest review.
Thank you to netgalley, Elizabeth Neep and Bookouture for the advance copy in exchange for my honest review.
August 31, 2020
I sat on this book for a few days after I finished, to gather my thoughts. Jess is a mess. I love a good mess. Dramatic and making the wrong choices, but this felt a little too messy. The characters, a little too unlikable. The story a little too long. In the end I enjoyed the book enough to finish it but I wasn't desperate to get back I'll into the story. I'll agree with many of the other reviews that the Spare Bedroom is much less rom com and much more women's fiction. Nothing wrong with that but it would have changed my expectations of the book if I had known that going in.
July 27, 2020
A funny and light-hearted book. I love how the book ended.
May 18, 2020
I LOVED this book. During this pandemic crazy time, the quick, flirty & fun romance novels have been giving me life and I was overly impressed by this debut title by Elizabeth Neep. As my first book this month, it really helped start my reading month great!
Jess is a heart broken twenty something just trying to find her place in the world, literally. As everyone around her seems to have it all together, she just seems to step all over herself and fail… until Sydney. Jess runs into her ex boyfriend, Sam after moving to a new country with no job, no home and nowhere to go next. So naturally, she moves in with him into his spare bedroom, in the house she shared with his now fiancé.
Is it fate? Or will Jess mess this up for herself too? Will her newfound life turn into what should’ve been? Will she finally find her place in the world, giving her everything she ever dreamed of?
Elizabeth Neep nailed it with this one, with a great plot and characters who kept it interesting and incredibly relatable for me. I FELT for Jess, every step of the way & she had me cheering her on through the very end!
See my extended review on my blog, booksaremagictoo.com
Jess is a heart broken twenty something just trying to find her place in the world, literally. As everyone around her seems to have it all together, she just seems to step all over herself and fail… until Sydney. Jess runs into her ex boyfriend, Sam after moving to a new country with no job, no home and nowhere to go next. So naturally, she moves in with him into his spare bedroom, in the house she shared with his now fiancé.
Is it fate? Or will Jess mess this up for herself too? Will her newfound life turn into what should’ve been? Will she finally find her place in the world, giving her everything she ever dreamed of?
Elizabeth Neep nailed it with this one, with a great plot and characters who kept it interesting and incredibly relatable for me. I FELT for Jess, every step of the way & she had me cheering her on through the very end!
See my extended review on my blog, booksaremagictoo.com
November 11, 2021
my god i have never been so frustrated with a book in my life. im so glad i picked this up in the kindle store for like 2 bucks, because it honestly wasn't even worth that. i would have been much happier if i had just used that to buy myself a damn chocolate bar. at least it wouldn't have wasted 3hrs of my (otherwise relaxing) thursday night.
why i'm so angry? prepare yourself for a long rant full of cursing, because i have receipts.
so i decided to buy this book on a whim. synopsis seemed interesting enough- the mc, Jess, relocates to Sydney, Australia for a fresh start. she basically doesn't have a permanent place of residence and she's currently jobless. looking lowkey homeless in a local grocery store, she runs into her ex, Sam, who's a doctor and has his life together. my expectations for the book faltered a bit when he was being all courteous and friendly in their unexpected meeting, but all she could manage was a 'Hmm,' and a shrug. like you really gonna let him have a one-sided conversation like that?? however, i was only 6% of the way through so i let it slide.
he convinces her to come back to his place. not really convince tho, since she seemed to be incapable of speaking at that moment. he just kinda decides for the both of them. 'kay.
so they go back to his and i just found the whole conversation so awkward and forced. for the record, if i knew how much lies she would be telling throughout the book, i would've grabbed myself a bottle of moscato beforehand. take a drink every time jess lies or, how she described it once, a 'half-truth?' maybe then i could have enjoyed this book. sorry. one of the first thing jess does is lie. she says she has a job at some prestigious art company or whatever and that she has an apartment, its just in renovation right now. ofc, her ex is happy for her. then he ends up offering her the spare bedroom while her apartment is being renovated, and she really doesn't want to, but still has some hope that maybe, just maybe, they'll get close again. and she finds out his roommate's name is jamie and assumes its a dude. its not. ofc its not.
so jamie is her ex's (sam) new girlfirend. and as soon as jamie came into the picture, thats where things took a turn for worse.
THE MC IS SO FUCKING JUDGEMENTAL. I was sick of her shit by the 15% mark.
every time jamie said or did anything, there were always slight comments on how perfect she is, like oh, jamie who's a gorgeous doctor with a perky ass and a slender figure. everything im not. im so fucking unattractive. look at her compared to me. im a piece of shit.
sorry, how old are you again???? like 29? in her late twenties for sure. why are you this fucking insecure? it just didn't make sense, and i wish instead of being perpetually on the verge of tears, that she would grow up and act mature about the whole thing. so, it looks like your ex has moved on. understandable sis!!! its been three years!!! and she said herself she has had a few serious and non-serious relationships, can you not hold him to the same standard? is he not allowed to move on? get a grip. im losing my mind.
jamie comes in and literally calls sam bub. and he says ‘Hey, Bubby,’ Sam replied, casting a guilty look in my direction. What was happening?.
maybe some besties out there be calling each other these, but i personally would not try to convince myself they were just friends.
but ofc, our muthafaken MC deludes herself into doing just that. im about to shed angry tears but i started this rant and i will die on this hill
first off, jamie is sweet. a doctor like sam, she loves playing host. good for her. it takes effort to let someone into your home, especially unexpectedly. she even says:
‘Any friend of Sam’s is a friend of mine, right, mate?’ She turned to look at Sam, who, try as he might, couldn’t hide his smile.
like if i was in the mc's position, bloody homeless and jobless on the other side of the world, i would be thanking my lucky stars for a couple of kind souls like theirs. even if one of them was my ex, the past is the past, y'know?
now. i live in australia myself, so hearing mate just casually thrown around like that is literally my everyday life. you can call your actual mates (buddy/friend) 'mate'. you can call your neighbour that, a stranger on the street, heck even someone you dont like, insult them and then chuck mate at the end of it and its completely normal.
side note: have any of you seen the movie adapation of Jane Harper's The Dry? its australian, and one of the rowdy townsfolk says something along the lines of 'go fuck yourself' to the main character, and then ends with 'have a good one.' oh, i love living in australia. i laughed for a solid five minutes over that.
the mc is from england so maybe yeah, she just wasn't used to the slang around here. but she jumped at the chance that 'mate' really meant 'just friends' and bloody ran with it.
Mate? Oh, they were just housemates. That made sense. I had always thought Sam was gorgeous but this woman was way out of his league, not to mention completely not his type. Maybe this would all be okay. Jamie and I would become friends and she’d take me out around town, and we’d joke about Sam’s annoying little habits and I could find out if he was seeing anyone and…
MY BLOOD IS BOILING???? and the audacity to make assumptions like how jamie was out of his league and all this shit. wow. you really believe you still got a chance huh? he called her bUBBY, ffs. PLEASE. however, HOWEVER, i still, reluctantly, hoped it would get better.
then, this. this should be IRREFUTABLE EVIDENCE THAT JAMIE AND SAM ARE IN FACT TOGETHER.
Sure enough, Jamie leaned in, pressing her hands on the dining table in the centre of the kitchen, poking her pert bottom just a little further in my direction, before kissing my ex-boyfriend full on the mouth. He tried to hold back – for my benefit, not his own – but softened at her kiss, powerless against it, reaching a hand up to her hair before stopping himself.
do you think they're just friends now??? HUH??? answer me. (also, notice how she had to make a snide comment on her 'pert bottom.' c'mon man. your insecurities are showing)
guess. no, take a guess. do you think that the mc finally accepts that her ex has moved on after watching him kiss another muthafaken woman? well, jamie kindly shows her to the spare bedroom and the bathroom, where she can shower and use whatever she wants. she even lets her borrow a pair of silky pajamas. she really is a good host. meanwhile, our 'delightful' mc:
Not only was I now tan-less, jobless, homeless, I was about to spend the next week trying to solve my mess of a life in my heartbreakingly gorgeous ex-boyfriend’s spare bedroom, whilst trying to work out just what exactly Jamie was to him.
...........
...what... exactly.....jamie was to him......
im in tears right now. im tired. this was only 11% in, btw. what does the mc want, them to raw dog it in front of her before she truly accepts her ex is dating someone else? i cannot take it.
so the rest of the book is the mc continually lying about her nonexistent job that supposedly starts in a few weeks (btw jamie helps her find one 'in the mean time', how can u try to sabotage this woman and sleep at night) and convincing herself that she has to save her ex from his unhappy relationship.
For just a moment their colours dispelled all anxiety, before my pressing to-do list unfolded in my mind: save wages, find apartment, get a proper job. Save ex-boyfriend from living a lie.
just bc suddenly he's a christian, doesn't mean that hes fudgin unhappy in his new relationship girl. THINGS CHANGE. PEOPLE CHANGE. SO WHAT IF HE WAS AN ATHEIST WHEN HE WAS WITH YOU. BE HAPPY AND ENCOURAGE HIS NEW INTERESTS FOR FAKS SAKE.
even when she finds out he and jamie are engaged. she's hurt. ok fine. i'll let u be hurt for a bit.
but then she acts all pissed at sam and shit, and ARGHHHH tf are you expecting???
‘Jess, it’s been years. I know we ended badly but I didn’t think it would affect you so much.’ like thank you, sam. at least you still have your fucking common sense. it. has. been. years. jess needs to learn the meaning of MOVING ON. instead of being so pathetic, feeling sorry for herself, constantly judging jamie's body bc shes so perfect and everything she's not oh woe to be her. seriously. from a grown woman. embarassing.
also, there was a perfectly fine suitor on the side, joshua, one of sam's friends. he taught how to surf and all that and was clearly interested in her. did she take the opportunity to move on??? guys, idk about this one, maybe she will...
NAH. OFC NOT. NOPE.
‘She was hilarious,’ Joshua said, taking a sip of his coffee and shaking his wet fringe out of his eyes. ‘She finally thought she’d cracked it… until she realised the board was beached up on the sand!’ He continued to laugh, caught in a precious moment he had shared with a wetsuit-cladded Jamie. He sure seemed fond of her. And he seemed to know her taste in flowers. Sam should watch himself; wasn’t ‘indie band boys’ her ‘type’?
first of all, when did jamie give any hint of whether that was her type. also, she's engaged. to sam. also, why is the mc always trying to imagine shit that just AINT THERE. she really thought she was on some nancy drew shit, that joshua and jamie secretly had the hots for each other and she could get back with sam.
‘You and Jamie sure seem close?’ I questioned out loud, whilst the other three continued to chat and sip coffee, perfectly at home on the beach. I just wanted to feel at home somewhere, though preferably in an apartment in Randwick. ‘Yeah.’ He beamed at the thought of her; the Jamie effect. ‘I love that girl.’ Did she really need to take all the guys? I gave him a weak smile in return. Poor Joshua. It didn’t even make sense. Here was a gorgeous, adventurous, church-going man who loved her. And still she wanted Sam.
at this point you're just delusional bestie. and i feel sorry for you.
anyways i get second-hand embarassment when she finds out that joshua and jamie are siblings. wow. couldn't be me.
after the 40% mark i was skim reading. every now and then tho, i'd catch a hint of bullshit and die a little more inside. i'll also tell you the ending. i mean, if you've read this far i would hope you still aren't considering giving this book a try.
jess gets drunk and falls asleep in sam's apartment naked. jamie sees, is horrified ofc, and leaves upset. sam is upset that jess did such a stupid thing, which is VALID. and then jess has the AUDACITY to say that she thought that's what he wanted. YOU THINK HE WANTED THAT???? ARE YOU READING THIS????? PLS TELL ME IM NOT THE ONLY ONE WHOSE BLOOD PRESSURE IS RISING IN ANGER.
so naturally sam goes:
‘What I wanted?’ Sam yelled louder than I had ever heard him yell before. ‘What I wanted? Jess, I’m engaged. To be married. To a woman I love. Who’s now gone. What on earth made you think that this is what I wanted?’
exactly.
oh but at the end everything gets magically resolved and she's like im better off on my own for now. wow. *slow claps* after almost sabotaging a relationship, you're like "just me- im enough." good for you. as for me, ive had enough. i wish i didn't have to write such a sour review. i wish jess' character arc was developed better.
but most of all, i wish i bought a fucking chocolate bar instead.
rating: 0.5 stars. only for joshua.
why i'm so angry? prepare yourself for a long rant full of cursing, because i have receipts.
so i decided to buy this book on a whim. synopsis seemed interesting enough- the mc, Jess, relocates to Sydney, Australia for a fresh start. she basically doesn't have a permanent place of residence and she's currently jobless. looking lowkey homeless in a local grocery store, she runs into her ex, Sam, who's a doctor and has his life together. my expectations for the book faltered a bit when he was being all courteous and friendly in their unexpected meeting, but all she could manage was a 'Hmm,' and a shrug. like you really gonna let him have a one-sided conversation like that?? however, i was only 6% of the way through so i let it slide.
he convinces her to come back to his place. not really convince tho, since she seemed to be incapable of speaking at that moment. he just kinda decides for the both of them. 'kay.
so they go back to his and i just found the whole conversation so awkward and forced. for the record, if i knew how much lies she would be telling throughout the book, i would've grabbed myself a bottle of moscato beforehand. take a drink every time jess lies or, how she described it once, a 'half-truth?' maybe then i could have enjoyed this book. sorry. one of the first thing jess does is lie. she says she has a job at some prestigious art company or whatever and that she has an apartment, its just in renovation right now. ofc, her ex is happy for her. then he ends up offering her the spare bedroom while her apartment is being renovated, and she really doesn't want to, but still has some hope that maybe, just maybe, they'll get close again. and she finds out his roommate's name is jamie and assumes its a dude. its not. ofc its not.
so jamie is her ex's (sam) new girlfirend. and as soon as jamie came into the picture, thats where things took a turn for worse.
THE MC IS SO FUCKING JUDGEMENTAL. I was sick of her shit by the 15% mark.
every time jamie said or did anything, there were always slight comments on how perfect she is, like oh, jamie who's a gorgeous doctor with a perky ass and a slender figure. everything im not. im so fucking unattractive. look at her compared to me. im a piece of shit.
sorry, how old are you again???? like 29? in her late twenties for sure. why are you this fucking insecure? it just didn't make sense, and i wish instead of being perpetually on the verge of tears, that she would grow up and act mature about the whole thing. so, it looks like your ex has moved on. understandable sis!!! its been three years!!! and she said herself she has had a few serious and non-serious relationships, can you not hold him to the same standard? is he not allowed to move on? get a grip. im losing my mind.
jamie comes in and literally calls sam bub. and he says ‘Hey, Bubby,’ Sam replied, casting a guilty look in my direction. What was happening?.
maybe some besties out there be calling each other these, but i personally would not try to convince myself they were just friends.
but ofc, our muthafaken MC deludes herself into doing just that. im about to shed angry tears but i started this rant and i will die on this hill
first off, jamie is sweet. a doctor like sam, she loves playing host. good for her. it takes effort to let someone into your home, especially unexpectedly. she even says:
‘Any friend of Sam’s is a friend of mine, right, mate?’ She turned to look at Sam, who, try as he might, couldn’t hide his smile.
like if i was in the mc's position, bloody homeless and jobless on the other side of the world, i would be thanking my lucky stars for a couple of kind souls like theirs. even if one of them was my ex, the past is the past, y'know?
now. i live in australia myself, so hearing mate just casually thrown around like that is literally my everyday life. you can call your actual mates (buddy/friend) 'mate'. you can call your neighbour that, a stranger on the street, heck even someone you dont like, insult them and then chuck mate at the end of it and its completely normal.
side note: have any of you seen the movie adapation of Jane Harper's The Dry? its australian, and one of the rowdy townsfolk says something along the lines of 'go fuck yourself' to the main character, and then ends with 'have a good one.' oh, i love living in australia. i laughed for a solid five minutes over that.
the mc is from england so maybe yeah, she just wasn't used to the slang around here. but she jumped at the chance that 'mate' really meant 'just friends' and bloody ran with it.
Mate? Oh, they were just housemates. That made sense. I had always thought Sam was gorgeous but this woman was way out of his league, not to mention completely not his type. Maybe this would all be okay. Jamie and I would become friends and she’d take me out around town, and we’d joke about Sam’s annoying little habits and I could find out if he was seeing anyone and…
MY BLOOD IS BOILING???? and the audacity to make assumptions like how jamie was out of his league and all this shit. wow. you really believe you still got a chance huh? he called her bUBBY, ffs. PLEASE. however, HOWEVER, i still, reluctantly, hoped it would get better.
then, this. this should be IRREFUTABLE EVIDENCE THAT JAMIE AND SAM ARE IN FACT TOGETHER.
Sure enough, Jamie leaned in, pressing her hands on the dining table in the centre of the kitchen, poking her pert bottom just a little further in my direction, before kissing my ex-boyfriend full on the mouth. He tried to hold back – for my benefit, not his own – but softened at her kiss, powerless against it, reaching a hand up to her hair before stopping himself.
do you think they're just friends now??? HUH??? answer me. (also, notice how she had to make a snide comment on her 'pert bottom.' c'mon man. your insecurities are showing)
guess. no, take a guess. do you think that the mc finally accepts that her ex has moved on after watching him kiss another muthafaken woman? well, jamie kindly shows her to the spare bedroom and the bathroom, where she can shower and use whatever she wants. she even lets her borrow a pair of silky pajamas. she really is a good host. meanwhile, our 'delightful' mc:
Not only was I now tan-less, jobless, homeless, I was about to spend the next week trying to solve my mess of a life in my heartbreakingly gorgeous ex-boyfriend’s spare bedroom, whilst trying to work out just what exactly Jamie was to him.
...........
...what... exactly.....jamie was to him......
im in tears right now. im tired. this was only 11% in, btw. what does the mc want, them to raw dog it in front of her before she truly accepts her ex is dating someone else? i cannot take it.
so the rest of the book is the mc continually lying about her nonexistent job that supposedly starts in a few weeks (btw jamie helps her find one 'in the mean time', how can u try to sabotage this woman and sleep at night) and convincing herself that she has to save her ex from his unhappy relationship.
For just a moment their colours dispelled all anxiety, before my pressing to-do list unfolded in my mind: save wages, find apartment, get a proper job. Save ex-boyfriend from living a lie.
just bc suddenly he's a christian, doesn't mean that hes fudgin unhappy in his new relationship girl. THINGS CHANGE. PEOPLE CHANGE. SO WHAT IF HE WAS AN ATHEIST WHEN HE WAS WITH YOU. BE HAPPY AND ENCOURAGE HIS NEW INTERESTS FOR FAKS SAKE.
even when she finds out he and jamie are engaged. she's hurt. ok fine. i'll let u be hurt for a bit.
but then she acts all pissed at sam and shit, and ARGHHHH tf are you expecting???
‘Jess, it’s been years. I know we ended badly but I didn’t think it would affect you so much.’ like thank you, sam. at least you still have your fucking common sense. it. has. been. years. jess needs to learn the meaning of MOVING ON. instead of being so pathetic, feeling sorry for herself, constantly judging jamie's body bc shes so perfect and everything she's not oh woe to be her. seriously. from a grown woman. embarassing.
also, there was a perfectly fine suitor on the side, joshua, one of sam's friends. he taught how to surf and all that and was clearly interested in her. did she take the opportunity to move on??? guys, idk about this one, maybe she will...
NAH. OFC NOT. NOPE.
‘She was hilarious,’ Joshua said, taking a sip of his coffee and shaking his wet fringe out of his eyes. ‘She finally thought she’d cracked it… until she realised the board was beached up on the sand!’ He continued to laugh, caught in a precious moment he had shared with a wetsuit-cladded Jamie. He sure seemed fond of her. And he seemed to know her taste in flowers. Sam should watch himself; wasn’t ‘indie band boys’ her ‘type’?
first of all, when did jamie give any hint of whether that was her type. also, she's engaged. to sam. also, why is the mc always trying to imagine shit that just AINT THERE. she really thought she was on some nancy drew shit, that joshua and jamie secretly had the hots for each other and she could get back with sam.
‘You and Jamie sure seem close?’ I questioned out loud, whilst the other three continued to chat and sip coffee, perfectly at home on the beach. I just wanted to feel at home somewhere, though preferably in an apartment in Randwick. ‘Yeah.’ He beamed at the thought of her; the Jamie effect. ‘I love that girl.’ Did she really need to take all the guys? I gave him a weak smile in return. Poor Joshua. It didn’t even make sense. Here was a gorgeous, adventurous, church-going man who loved her. And still she wanted Sam.
at this point you're just delusional bestie. and i feel sorry for you.
anyways i get second-hand embarassment when she finds out that joshua and jamie are siblings. wow. couldn't be me.
after the 40% mark i was skim reading. every now and then tho, i'd catch a hint of bullshit and die a little more inside. i'll also tell you the ending. i mean, if you've read this far i would hope you still aren't considering giving this book a try.
jess gets drunk and falls asleep in sam's apartment naked. jamie sees, is horrified ofc, and leaves upset. sam is upset that jess did such a stupid thing, which is VALID. and then jess has the AUDACITY to say that she thought that's what he wanted. YOU THINK HE WANTED THAT???? ARE YOU READING THIS????? PLS TELL ME IM NOT THE ONLY ONE WHOSE BLOOD PRESSURE IS RISING IN ANGER.
so naturally sam goes:
‘What I wanted?’ Sam yelled louder than I had ever heard him yell before. ‘What I wanted? Jess, I’m engaged. To be married. To a woman I love. Who’s now gone. What on earth made you think that this is what I wanted?’
exactly.
oh but at the end everything gets magically resolved and she's like im better off on my own for now. wow. *slow claps* after almost sabotaging a relationship, you're like "just me- im enough." good for you. as for me, ive had enough. i wish i didn't have to write such a sour review. i wish jess' character arc was developed better.
but most of all, i wish i bought a fucking chocolate bar instead.
rating: 0.5 stars. only for joshua.
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