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A fabulously funny, feel-good novel that will make you laugh until you cry, for anyone who’s ever presented a perfectly-filtered life online to hide the unglamorous reality.
Izzy Brown has always dreamed of being an Instagram influencer. So when her colleague and fellow Instagrammer Luke suggests they ‘fake date’ to boost their profiles, Izzy says yes – against her better judgement. Now Izzy’s profile tells the story of a confident, glamorous thirty-something with the perfect boyfriend, and her follower numbers are shooting upwards. So what if Izzy can’t stop bickering with Luke, his habit of checking his quiff in every single mirror is driving her insane, and behind the scenes she’s hiding a secret heartache? Everyone tells a few fibs on social media, right?
But when Izzy runs into Aidan, the mysterious stranger who saved her the day her world fell apart two years ago, major sparks start to fly between them. Izzy’s sure she can have the online success she’s always dreamed of, whilst continuing to fall in love – and heal her heart – in real life. After all, Aidan doesn’t use social media… what could possibly go wrong?
If you loved Sophie Kinsella’s My Not-So Perfect Life, Laura Jane Williams’ Our Stop or Sophie Ranald’s Sorry Not Sorry, you will fall head over heels for this touching and hilarious new novel from Anna Bell, the bestselling author of The Bucket List to Mend a Broken Heart.
***
Readers love Anna Bell:
‘What an amazing story! A brilliant, unputdownable read.’
‘A hilarious and heart-warming story… I nearly choked on my own laughter in one scene!’
‘Absolutely fantastic, I loved it. A**’
‘I couldn’t put this book down – I fell in love with the characters instantly.’
‘A fun, feel-good read guaranteed to put a smile on your face.’
‘A funny, fresh, fast-paced romance full of twists and turns.’
‘Beautifully written and paced. Just lovely.’
Izzy Brown has always dreamed of being an Instagram influencer. So when her colleague and fellow Instagrammer Luke suggests they ‘fake date’ to boost their profiles, Izzy says yes – against her better judgement. Now Izzy’s profile tells the story of a confident, glamorous thirty-something with the perfect boyfriend, and her follower numbers are shooting upwards. So what if Izzy can’t stop bickering with Luke, his habit of checking his quiff in every single mirror is driving her insane, and behind the scenes she’s hiding a secret heartache? Everyone tells a few fibs on social media, right?
But when Izzy runs into Aidan, the mysterious stranger who saved her the day her world fell apart two years ago, major sparks start to fly between them. Izzy’s sure she can have the online success she’s always dreamed of, whilst continuing to fall in love – and heal her heart – in real life. After all, Aidan doesn’t use social media… what could possibly go wrong?
If you loved Sophie Kinsella’s My Not-So Perfect Life, Laura Jane Williams’ Our Stop or Sophie Ranald’s Sorry Not Sorry, you will fall head over heels for this touching and hilarious new novel from Anna Bell, the bestselling author of The Bucket List to Mend a Broken Heart.
***
Readers love Anna Bell:
‘What an amazing story! A brilliant, unputdownable read.’
‘A hilarious and heart-warming story… I nearly choked on my own laughter in one scene!’
‘Absolutely fantastic, I loved it. A**’
‘I couldn’t put this book down – I fell in love with the characters instantly.’
‘A fun, feel-good read guaranteed to put a smile on your face.’
‘A funny, fresh, fast-paced romance full of twists and turns.’
‘Beautifully written and paced. Just lovely.’
414 pages, Kindle Edition
Published May 1, 2021
246 people are currently reading
2762 people want to read
About the author
Anna Bell
49 books455 followersAnna is represented by the Marsh Agency and published by Quercus. 'Don't Tell the Groom' is released in paperback 5th December 2013.
Anna also writes new adult fiction under the pen name Annabel Scott.
Anna also writes new adult fiction under the pen name Annabel Scott.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 311 reviews
December 19, 2025
This is... just not for me. I've read the authors' Don't Tell the Groom series, and it's one of my favorites, but this is completely different than that and a lot more emotional and dramatic than I imagined.
August 7, 2020
Izzy Brown has always dreamed of making it big on Instagram, but her followers just aren’t growing. So when her colleague and fellow ‘influencer’ Luke suggests they fake date to boost their profiles, Izzy says yes – against her better judgement. Now Izzy’s profile shows a confident, glamorous thirty-something with the perfect boyfriend, and her followers are shooting up by the thousands.
So what if behind the scenes, things are a little different? Izzy can’t stop bickering with Luke, his habit of checking his quiff in EVERY SINGLE mirror is driving her insane, and she’s hiding a secret heartache. But everyone tells a few fibs on social media, right?
Then Izzy runs into Aidan, the mysterious stranger who saved her the day her world fell apart two years ago – and major sparks start to fly. Izzy’s sure she can have the online success she’s always dreamed of, whilst falling in love in real life. After all, Aidan doesn’t use social media… what could possibly go wrong?
The book is written 1st person with Izzy being our narrator. Its a pretty easy read in terms of style and the chapters were short - averaging about 8 minutes per chapter. So it can be a very quick read. The book touches on many issues, mainly grief and the impact of social media on our lives and the need to lie on social media to convince others that we are leading our best lives. The book is not explicit, sex is implied, so its a pretty tame read.
I'm in 2 minds with this book. Parts of it I really liked, such as the social media adventure- it was interesting reading what Izzy was getting up to. I also liked the focus the book had on grief, I think it was realistic and done just right, as I never felt overwhelmed by the focus on it. I really liked the character of Mrs Harris too.
But, I found the editing of this book a jarring, for example at one point Izzy wants to arrange to see a film with Aidan, but can't, as she doesn't have his number. Yet the next chapter she texts him, with no explanation of how she got his number. I also found it difficult to connect with the love story, I just didn't really see the appeal on either end really.
But I did finish the book and I think the author did a good job of exploring grief, reliance on social media and how difficult moving on and trying to be happy can be.
So what if behind the scenes, things are a little different? Izzy can’t stop bickering with Luke, his habit of checking his quiff in EVERY SINGLE mirror is driving her insane, and she’s hiding a secret heartache. But everyone tells a few fibs on social media, right?
Then Izzy runs into Aidan, the mysterious stranger who saved her the day her world fell apart two years ago – and major sparks start to fly. Izzy’s sure she can have the online success she’s always dreamed of, whilst falling in love in real life. After all, Aidan doesn’t use social media… what could possibly go wrong?
The book is written 1st person with Izzy being our narrator. Its a pretty easy read in terms of style and the chapters were short - averaging about 8 minutes per chapter. So it can be a very quick read. The book touches on many issues, mainly grief and the impact of social media on our lives and the need to lie on social media to convince others that we are leading our best lives. The book is not explicit, sex is implied, so its a pretty tame read.
I'm in 2 minds with this book. Parts of it I really liked, such as the social media adventure- it was interesting reading what Izzy was getting up to. I also liked the focus the book had on grief, I think it was realistic and done just right, as I never felt overwhelmed by the focus on it. I really liked the character of Mrs Harris too.
But, I found the editing of this book a jarring, for example at one point Izzy wants to arrange to see a film with Aidan, but can't, as she doesn't have his number. Yet the next chapter she texts him, with no explanation of how she got his number. I also found it difficult to connect with the love story, I just didn't really see the appeal on either end really.
But I did finish the book and I think the author did a good job of exploring grief, reliance on social media and how difficult moving on and trying to be happy can be.
September 8, 2021
We Just Clicked was a fun, easy and enjoyable read. I read it before reading something intense (which I usually do go break things up) and ended up really enjoying it, loved the ending too!
March 22, 2021
Now I have to admit when I first started reading this book I found it really cringeworthy... but I think this was partly because it made me come to grips with my Instagram obsession, through reading about Izzy’s and how she would do things just for the gram. When I got to around half way I just couldn’t stop reading, I really liked the storyline. I laughed and felt sad and just generally enjoyed it. Genuinely was a bit gutted to finish the book, I’m now so invested in the characters and want to know what happens next!
September 4, 2020
One plot line was good, the other was not: Izzy’s history and the main story line with Aidan was really enjoyable to read - I liked how they met up at the classic movie night, years after he’d helped her.
The office bake off competition was pretty funny & the banter between Izzy & Mrs H was good comic relief. And the difficulty of Izzy’s family dynamic after the death of her brother, and her relationship with her friends were also pretty well done.
The secondary story line / the obstacle between her and Aidan — of Izzy’s great desire to become an instagram influencer — was ridiculous and utterly over the top. It did not fit with the rest of Izzy’s character the way she aligned with Luke, his overpowering personality and went along with his absurd ideas. It was predictable what was going to happen and thus not enjoyable to read much of the middle section of the book. The contrived ‘going to stay at the same hotel’ with Aidan as with Luke and doing all the same things just didn’t ring true either. I wish the author would upend the trite story ‘caught in a ridiculous lie and try to hide it for as long as possible’ that seems to happen in so many rom-coms and is infuriating to read. If the Insta-obsession were done more in a way, as Izzy’s mom describes, of her ‘losing herself in an imaginary world’ to escape the grief present in her real world, that would have been more believable. As written, it was a grab for fame and money that went beyond belief and just became annoying to read.
There were a few small but glaring errors - Aidan’s dog is introduced as a chocolate lab, but later Izzy gets excited Aidan might be coming up a trail she’s sitting on when she sees a yellow lab. Aidan ‘bought’ her a book, then says that was his childhood copy of The Princess Bride (Think they mean ‘brought’).
Liked 1/2, disliked 1/2.
The office bake off competition was pretty funny & the banter between Izzy & Mrs H was good comic relief. And the difficulty of Izzy’s family dynamic after the death of her brother, and her relationship with her friends were also pretty well done.
The secondary story line / the obstacle between her and Aidan — of Izzy’s great desire to become an instagram influencer — was ridiculous and utterly over the top. It did not fit with the rest of Izzy’s character the way she aligned with Luke, his overpowering personality and went along with his absurd ideas. It was predictable what was going to happen and thus not enjoyable to read much of the middle section of the book. The contrived ‘going to stay at the same hotel’ with Aidan as with Luke and doing all the same things just didn’t ring true either. I wish the author would upend the trite story ‘caught in a ridiculous lie and try to hide it for as long as possible’ that seems to happen in so many rom-coms and is infuriating to read. If the Insta-obsession were done more in a way, as Izzy’s mom describes, of her ‘losing herself in an imaginary world’ to escape the grief present in her real world, that would have been more believable. As written, it was a grab for fame and money that went beyond belief and just became annoying to read.
There were a few small but glaring errors - Aidan’s dog is introduced as a chocolate lab, but later Izzy gets excited Aidan might be coming up a trail she’s sitting on when she sees a yellow lab. Aidan ‘bought’ her a book, then says that was his childhood copy of The Princess Bride (Think they mean ‘brought’).
Liked 1/2, disliked 1/2.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
January 26, 2021
Fun, an easy read and one that didn’t take much thinking about!
I totally loved all the planned Instagram posts and it was just fun to read about something I hadn’t before.
I also loved how she realised how fake that world was at the end too!
I totally loved all the planned Instagram posts and it was just fun to read about something I hadn’t before.
I also loved how she realised how fake that world was at the end too!
January 17, 2021
Surprised I stuck with it till end - repetitive and predictable- no laugh out loud as stated on cover for me
November 19, 2021
I got to chapter 6 and I couldn’t carry on. I felt no connection to the characters or the story line…
May 4, 2021
After a life-changing moment, Izzy, riddled with grief, moved back to her hometown and took what was meant to be a temporary job. Now two years on Izzy wants to quit her job and be a full-time influencer, but her profile has stagnated and she isn't seeing growth no matter how many OOTD's she's posting. When her work colleague and fellow influencer Luke suggests the two of them pair up to fake date and boost their profiles, she leaps at the chance and the pair find themselves being labelled as 'couple goals' and acquiring brand partnerships, and followers. But whilst fake dating Luke, Izzy's path crosses again with Aidan - a handsome, helpful guy who helped her when she needed it over two years. Sparks fly between the two, and whilst their feelings develop, her fake relationship with Luke steps up a notch on Instagram with heavily edited doctored scenes of a loving romance. She's due to be caught out sooner or later, right?
You know when you read the premise of a novel and you think it's right up your street, but then you read it and you're like.... okay then. I LOVE fake dating tropes, but in this one, Luke is the absolute WORST, like so irritating. Whilst the story is fun and light-hearted, the fake dating that drew me to the novel is lacklustre at best, and some moments are just so over the top they can feel a tad cringeworthy. Some of the characters are a bit difficult to connect with, but I did enjoy reading the slow fizzle of Aidan and Izzy's relationship, and Izzy's friendships are warm and entertaining.
I did, however, love the central focus of how grief can alter a family, and the different effects it can have on each person. Also, the book looks at how easily social media can be doctored and edited, and how much of an all-encompassing obsession it can become for some people and the pressure influencers face to be living a 'perfect life'.
Whilst, for me, some moments do seem a bit juvenile and there are times where I forgot the protagonist was meant to be in her thirties, it is a great one if you're looking for a predictable, easy read that is silly and fun, and it has funny moments in spade fulls.
You know when you read the premise of a novel and you think it's right up your street, but then you read it and you're like.... okay then. I LOVE fake dating tropes, but in this one, Luke is the absolute WORST, like so irritating. Whilst the story is fun and light-hearted, the fake dating that drew me to the novel is lacklustre at best, and some moments are just so over the top they can feel a tad cringeworthy. Some of the characters are a bit difficult to connect with, but I did enjoy reading the slow fizzle of Aidan and Izzy's relationship, and Izzy's friendships are warm and entertaining.
I did, however, love the central focus of how grief can alter a family, and the different effects it can have on each person. Also, the book looks at how easily social media can be doctored and edited, and how much of an all-encompassing obsession it can become for some people and the pressure influencers face to be living a 'perfect life'.
Whilst, for me, some moments do seem a bit juvenile and there are times where I forgot the protagonist was meant to be in her thirties, it is a great one if you're looking for a predictable, easy read that is silly and fun, and it has funny moments in spade fulls.
January 10, 2023
this was cute and enjoyable i just don’t think i was in the right headspace whilst reading it due to exam prep !! will definitely read more from this author though <3
May 21, 2023
Dass es sich bei der Protagonistin um eine ambitionierte Influencerin handelt, hat mich erstmal angesprochen, weil es was neues ist. Der Blickwinkel auf die Schein-Instagram-Welt eingebaut in eine doch recht klischeebehaftete Liebesgeschichte hat mir sehr gut gefallen.
Insgesamt hatte ich aber an einigen Stellen "cringe-Momente" und so wirklich fesselnd war die Geschichte nicht, daher gibt's nur 2 Sterne. Aber ein unterhaltsames Buch, was ich auch als Mängelexemplar ergattern konnte. Ich glaube sonst hätte ich es nicht gekauft. ;)
Insgesamt hatte ich aber an einigen Stellen "cringe-Momente" und so wirklich fesselnd war die Geschichte nicht, daher gibt's nur 2 Sterne. Aber ein unterhaltsames Buch, was ich auch als Mängelexemplar ergattern konnte. Ich glaube sonst hätte ich es nicht gekauft. ;)
August 3, 2020
3.5*
Entertaining romance story. The instagram part was interesting since I'm not really familiar with influencers etc.
"Fake it till you make it" is the golden advice for some, but at what cost...
Entertaining romance story. The instagram part was interesting since I'm not really familiar with influencers etc.
"Fake it till you make it" is the golden advice for some, but at what cost...
July 20, 2020
Any book that can bring out strong emotions is a good one, and this one by Anna Bell had me laughing one moment and crying the next. It was a roller coaster of emotions that I didn’t want to end, I loved every moment I spent with Izzy and her friends.
At its core this is a story of one woman’s struggle with grief. It was always close and affecting her in some way, and at times it was heartbreaking to read about it. I had tears in my eyes reading latter parts as Izzy comes to terms with her emotions, but it was lovely to see her start to make changes and take small steps forward.
It wasn’t all sad though, some parts genuinely had me laughing aloud. The antics Izzy and Luke got up to all in the name of the ‘gram were hilarious. My gosh, some of the stuff they got up to! The bits at the hotel were a particular highlight.
I would probably class this book more as women’s fiction than a romcom because I did find the romance lacking, I never really got a handle on the character of Aidan–yes he was lovely but he only showed up after the first quarter of the book, and after that he only plays small parts in the story. But this really just highlights the fact that this isn’t his story, it’s Izzy’s and the focus remains solely on her and her interactions with other characters. I really enjoyed her friendships with the other women in the story-Marissa and Becca, they shared some really heartwarming moments. Particularly with Becca, their shared history gave more weight to their relationship and it provided for some very interesting tension between them as they both tried to move on in different ways.
And lastly I can’t not mention her office friends and the Great Office Bake Off, they provided some of the best laughs in the story and I loved whenever it came up. I only wish my work was so fun!
Overall this was a lovely, light-hearted, yet deeply emotional story about grief and love and I highly recommend it. I laughed and cried my way through this book and I enjoyed every second of it.
{Many thanks to HQ and Netgalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review}
At its core this is a story of one woman’s struggle with grief. It was always close and affecting her in some way, and at times it was heartbreaking to read about it. I had tears in my eyes reading latter parts as Izzy comes to terms with her emotions, but it was lovely to see her start to make changes and take small steps forward.
It wasn’t all sad though, some parts genuinely had me laughing aloud. The antics Izzy and Luke got up to all in the name of the ‘gram were hilarious. My gosh, some of the stuff they got up to! The bits at the hotel were a particular highlight.
I would probably class this book more as women’s fiction than a romcom because I did find the romance lacking, I never really got a handle on the character of Aidan–yes he was lovely but he only showed up after the first quarter of the book, and after that he only plays small parts in the story. But this really just highlights the fact that this isn’t his story, it’s Izzy’s and the focus remains solely on her and her interactions with other characters. I really enjoyed her friendships with the other women in the story-Marissa and Becca, they shared some really heartwarming moments. Particularly with Becca, their shared history gave more weight to their relationship and it provided for some very interesting tension between them as they both tried to move on in different ways.
And lastly I can’t not mention her office friends and the Great Office Bake Off, they provided some of the best laughs in the story and I loved whenever it came up. I only wish my work was so fun!
Overall this was a lovely, light-hearted, yet deeply emotional story about grief and love and I highly recommend it. I laughed and cried my way through this book and I enjoyed every second of it.
{Many thanks to HQ and Netgalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review}
February 5, 2021
Well I do love a book that features some sort of fake relationship, although not really sure I can explain why that is the case. I also love a book that features social media influences and find it amusing the lengths they go to, to show off their "perfect lives". Oh and I love Anna Bell's books too!
So unsurprisingly with all three of these elements present in We Just Clicked, i had a fantastic time reading it, and found the whole story rather enjoyable.
Especially when you take into account the initially handsome stranger who helps Izzy on the worst day of her life, but only knows the first name for, and the fact that she decided to enter into a fake "showmance" as such with Luke, to increase their followers, and hopefully become higher profile and be able to start making money from Instagram.
Now I've read a fair few books featuring the fake date trope and thus sort of knew what to expect, while at the same time I've also read a fair few featuring social media influencers and kind of knew what to expect but yet what you actually have with this book feels rather different, and not everything you may anticipate as outcomes from the tropes actually happens.
Yet there is also more to it then the tropes, there are memorable characters at Izzy's place of work, her best friend is fabulous and the story with Becca, her flatmate is so important and key and I loved seeing how that developed too.
Between the real and fake dates there are all manner of memorable and entertaining moments, plus one scene that turned my stomach and had me skipping a few pages as it was disgusting. Yet it's that scene that I bet men would laugh their heads off watching, if the book was made into a film!
There is so much to love about this book and I thoroughly enjoyed reading it.
Thank you to HQ and Netgalley for this copy which I have reviewed honestly and voluntarily.
So unsurprisingly with all three of these elements present in We Just Clicked, i had a fantastic time reading it, and found the whole story rather enjoyable.
Especially when you take into account the initially handsome stranger who helps Izzy on the worst day of her life, but only knows the first name for, and the fact that she decided to enter into a fake "showmance" as such with Luke, to increase their followers, and hopefully become higher profile and be able to start making money from Instagram.
Now I've read a fair few books featuring the fake date trope and thus sort of knew what to expect, while at the same time I've also read a fair few featuring social media influencers and kind of knew what to expect but yet what you actually have with this book feels rather different, and not everything you may anticipate as outcomes from the tropes actually happens.
Yet there is also more to it then the tropes, there are memorable characters at Izzy's place of work, her best friend is fabulous and the story with Becca, her flatmate is so important and key and I loved seeing how that developed too.
Between the real and fake dates there are all manner of memorable and entertaining moments, plus one scene that turned my stomach and had me skipping a few pages as it was disgusting. Yet it's that scene that I bet men would laugh their heads off watching, if the book was made into a film!
There is so much to love about this book and I thoroughly enjoyed reading it.
Thank you to HQ and Netgalley for this copy which I have reviewed honestly and voluntarily.
July 19, 2020
Anna Bell is one of my favourite authors. When I saw the cover for We Just Clicked I instantly knew I’d like it as the title alone suggested it was about social media, and I love books about social media. Also love the colours of pink and yellow together as it’s vibrant and and stands out. The friendships and support the characters showed for each other made me all happy as it felt real and I felt like cuddling them. I wasn’t a fan of Luke and I thought it was just first impressions but that didn’t change throughout the book. I loved Aidan and he made me swoon! Izzy is a great main character and loved hearing about her at work and her friends at work we’re so funny! I’d love for a sequel. I have to say I felt my heart tug at certain moments as I relate to some things that happened in the book and I think that’s why it felt more real.
May 27, 2020
I absolutely adore Anna Bell.
This book has been no different. This is one I have found utterly impossible to put down. I love how Anna Bell develops her characters and develops the romance between them. This has been an absolutely fantastic read and one that definitely should be added to everyone’s TBR ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
This book has been no different. This is one I have found utterly impossible to put down. I love how Anna Bell develops her characters and develops the romance between them. This has been an absolutely fantastic read and one that definitely should be added to everyone’s TBR ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
February 2, 2023
Buzzword Readathon - Verbs
3 Stars!
This review is going to be all over the place and I'm not even mad at it! I have to say I just wasn't invested in this for the longest time, I low key was cringing reading it at some points with just how superficial it was, but also it's kind of the point?
I have to say Aidan is such a sweet character and the things he'd do for anyone you just want to put him in your pocket and protect him at all costs, or let him do it. You get what I mean! I really enjoyed the blossoming relationship between the Izzy and Aidan.
Low key did find some of this slightly predictable, but it was bound to happen, sadly I even guessed about Luke but it was more of a "ah so he is a dick..."
I really enjoyed the relationships (friendships) with Becca and her new relationship with Gareth and just how weird/diffiult it would be but also handled in a really well done way. I think with the themes of a death in the family and people moving on with that sense of guilt and then also worried about what others would think.
Overall a pretty cute read! Sadly it took me quite a while to get into and I wish we'd of seen more of Aidan, but there were lots of fun moments and lots of different themes that I enjoyed.
3 Stars!
This review is going to be all over the place and I'm not even mad at it! I have to say I just wasn't invested in this for the longest time, I low key was cringing reading it at some points with just how superficial it was, but also it's kind of the point?
I have to say Aidan is such a sweet character and the things he'd do for anyone you just want to put him in your pocket and protect him at all costs, or let him do it. You get what I mean! I really enjoyed the blossoming relationship between the Izzy and Aidan.
Low key did find some of this slightly predictable, but it was bound to happen, sadly I even guessed about Luke but it was more of a "ah so he is a dick..."
I really enjoyed the relationships (friendships) with Becca and her new relationship with Gareth and just how weird/diffiult it would be but also handled in a really well done way. I think with the themes of a death in the family and people moving on with that sense of guilt and then also worried about what others would think.
Overall a pretty cute read! Sadly it took me quite a while to get into and I wish we'd of seen more of Aidan, but there were lots of fun moments and lots of different themes that I enjoyed.
August 9, 2020
''This isn't a dream anymore. It's a reality. This is the start of our new life.'
'But at what cost?''
-
Thank you so much to the team at HQ Stories for sending me this ARC to read.
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We Just Clicked by Anna Bell tells the story of Izzy Brown, who has always wanted to make it as an influencer on Instagram.
She fabricates an online romance with her colleague and fellow influencer Luke so they can both boost their following and reap the rewards of their online success. But how far is she willing to go, especially when she meets someone she genuinely falls for?
-
I really enjoyed this book - it was such a fun read, but also had an important moral to it.
How many of us are drawn to the glamour of the world that people show on their instagram profiles, wishing we could have that same glamorous life, sometimes forgetting it's not real.
And how many of us often feel the pressure to 'keep up' with the online persona we've created, always focussing on that next post or perfect photo?
And without giving away any spoilers, how many of us throw ourselves into our online lives to escape the heartaches and realities of our day to day lives; to distract us from things we'd rather forget, to fill a hole when we feel something is missing, or to hide from things we'd rather not have to face.
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'Everyone tells a few fibs on social media, right?'
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This book is due out on the 20th of August and if you're a fan of romances it is one you won't want to miss.
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I'd definitely read more books from Anna Bell as I did enjoy this one.
'But at what cost?''
-
Thank you so much to the team at HQ Stories for sending me this ARC to read.
-
We Just Clicked by Anna Bell tells the story of Izzy Brown, who has always wanted to make it as an influencer on Instagram.
She fabricates an online romance with her colleague and fellow influencer Luke so they can both boost their following and reap the rewards of their online success. But how far is she willing to go, especially when she meets someone she genuinely falls for?
-
I really enjoyed this book - it was such a fun read, but also had an important moral to it.
How many of us are drawn to the glamour of the world that people show on their instagram profiles, wishing we could have that same glamorous life, sometimes forgetting it's not real.
And how many of us often feel the pressure to 'keep up' with the online persona we've created, always focussing on that next post or perfect photo?
And without giving away any spoilers, how many of us throw ourselves into our online lives to escape the heartaches and realities of our day to day lives; to distract us from things we'd rather forget, to fill a hole when we feel something is missing, or to hide from things we'd rather not have to face.
-
'Everyone tells a few fibs on social media, right?'
-
This book is due out on the 20th of August and if you're a fan of romances it is one you won't want to miss.
-
I'd definitely read more books from Anna Bell as I did enjoy this one.
September 10, 2025
A good read with a slow start, but once Aidan enters the picture, it truly clicks into place. Izzy’s journey from fake dating for Instagram fame to rediscovering real connection is both funny and heartfelt. The social media backdrop adds a modern twist, and Aidan - dreamy, grounded, and refreshingly offline - brings warmth and depth to the story. Once he’s on the page, the book has everything you want: chemistry, charm, and emotional payoff. A sweet, satisfying romcom that proves sometimes the best clicks happen offline.
January 15, 2021
Anna Bell is a new to me author, and I was reeled in to reading ‘We Just Clicked’ purely due to the cover and the book blurb. As an active user of Instagram, I was intrigued to see how a romance could be centred around it, and couldn’t wait to read and explore this concept.
This book felt like two stories combined in a way, and I liked this due to the idea of the heroine Izzy Brown leading two separate lives; her online one, and her real one.
Like anyone, Izzy has her reasons for relying on social media, she is determined to make a career of it and become ‘Insta famous’. It is her escapism, her place to show off and something that provides a routine and consistency in her life. There is a desperate need within Izzy to make it work, determined to make good on a dream in order to make her deceased brother proud. But when posting, and seeing likes and follows increase, it becomes an addiction, a one that soon makes it difficult to establish fact from fiction.
This book has some real sad moments, but there was definitely more hilariously awkward moments which I couldn’t help but laugh or cringe at. Izzy takes you on a journey, and at times you really wish she wasn’t digging a bigger hole for herself to jump into.
Luke is a person who shares in her addiction, determined to feed his ego with more content and likes. He is a manipulator, but I certainly found myself questioning whether he was really as bad as he ended up becoming. He is the one to sweep Izzy up and show her a world of which her dream could become reality, and he certainly knows no bounds.
Aiden is my overall favourite, for he is the one fate is attempting to throw the heroines way, and what kind of romance lover would I be if I didn’t swoon at his feet?
This story had a few misspellings, but overall was a well constructed story with lots of drama, twists, and some really good comedic moments which you would die if they were real and happened to you! I loved the emotional undertone of Izzy’s grief, and this story was worth embracing.
This is the perfect read for romantic comedy lovers, and those looking to try something new, fun and entertaining.
This book felt like two stories combined in a way, and I liked this due to the idea of the heroine Izzy Brown leading two separate lives; her online one, and her real one.
Like anyone, Izzy has her reasons for relying on social media, she is determined to make a career of it and become ‘Insta famous’. It is her escapism, her place to show off and something that provides a routine and consistency in her life. There is a desperate need within Izzy to make it work, determined to make good on a dream in order to make her deceased brother proud. But when posting, and seeing likes and follows increase, it becomes an addiction, a one that soon makes it difficult to establish fact from fiction.
This book has some real sad moments, but there was definitely more hilariously awkward moments which I couldn’t help but laugh or cringe at. Izzy takes you on a journey, and at times you really wish she wasn’t digging a bigger hole for herself to jump into.
Luke is a person who shares in her addiction, determined to feed his ego with more content and likes. He is a manipulator, but I certainly found myself questioning whether he was really as bad as he ended up becoming. He is the one to sweep Izzy up and show her a world of which her dream could become reality, and he certainly knows no bounds.
Aiden is my overall favourite, for he is the one fate is attempting to throw the heroines way, and what kind of romance lover would I be if I didn’t swoon at his feet?
This story had a few misspellings, but overall was a well constructed story with lots of drama, twists, and some really good comedic moments which you would die if they were real and happened to you! I loved the emotional undertone of Izzy’s grief, and this story was worth embracing.
This is the perfect read for romantic comedy lovers, and those looking to try something new, fun and entertaining.
April 17, 2020
We Just Clicked tells the story of Instagrammer Izzy forming a fake relationship with a fellow Instagrammer from work in a bid to become an influencer. There is of course more to this book but I know a synopsis is widely available.
Initially I enjoyed this book and raced through it but for me I didn’t care for the way that the plot developed. I love the fake dating trope and I didn’t have an issue with that or even the fact that the fake relationship was to their followers, but I lost interest when the deceit was upped a level and I almost dreaded finishing the book as I could see what was going to happen.
I don’t want to ruin the story or put anyone off as I enjoyed the first half of the book and it was well written, but by the end of it I just wasn’t bothered or invested in any of the characters or relationships and I was glad to have finished it.
I’ve enjoyed other books by Anna Bell and I will definitely read more by her, but this one ended up leaving me with very mixed feelings.
Many thanks to HQ and NetGalley for providing an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.
Initially I enjoyed this book and raced through it but for me I didn’t care for the way that the plot developed. I love the fake dating trope and I didn’t have an issue with that or even the fact that the fake relationship was to their followers, but I lost interest when the deceit was upped a level and I almost dreaded finishing the book as I could see what was going to happen.
I don’t want to ruin the story or put anyone off as I enjoyed the first half of the book and it was well written, but by the end of it I just wasn’t bothered or invested in any of the characters or relationships and I was glad to have finished it.
I’ve enjoyed other books by Anna Bell and I will definitely read more by her, but this one ended up leaving me with very mixed feelings.
Many thanks to HQ and NetGalley for providing an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.
April 16, 2020
3.5* rounded up.
This book actually made me laugh out loud. The real deal.
I loved the references, especially the inclusion of GBBO. The picnic scene was hilarious.
I enjoyed this and was on track to give it 4* but I did think it was slow moving at certain parts, particularly the second half. Izzy took the play-acting too far, like too, too far. She failed to notice the amber lights and stream rolled through the Red. Also, I wanted the revelation to happen earlier so we could have more time to patch things up.
Overall, would recommend for a fun, light read.
This book actually made me laugh out loud. The real deal.
I loved the references, especially the inclusion of GBBO. The picnic scene was hilarious.
I enjoyed this and was on track to give it 4* but I did think it was slow moving at certain parts, particularly the second half. Izzy took the play-acting too far, like too, too far. She failed to notice the amber lights and stream rolled through the Red. Also, I wanted the revelation to happen earlier so we could have more time to patch things up.
Overall, would recommend for a fun, light read.
August 20, 2020
I really enjoyed this book!
In a time where social media is the norm it was a fun take on how easy it is to get caught up with followers, numbers and popularity.
It's important to remember that we only ever see what people want us to see and that numbers don't mean everything.
Whilst social media plays a big part of the book, the author also touches upon friendship and grief.
I loved the characters, you could really picture them. They were well written and entertaining.
This was a fun feel-good rom-com!
In a time where social media is the norm it was a fun take on how easy it is to get caught up with followers, numbers and popularity.
It's important to remember that we only ever see what people want us to see and that numbers don't mean everything.
Whilst social media plays a big part of the book, the author also touches upon friendship and grief.
I loved the characters, you could really picture them. They were well written and entertaining.
This was a fun feel-good rom-com!
May 15, 2020
This book had me laughing out loud but also crying at some parts (I’m a big softy). Such an easy read and I bloody loved it!
The picnic scene was my favourite 😂
The picnic scene was my favourite 😂
May 17, 2020
4.5 stars!
June 10, 2020
Cheesy, Cliché romance, a few spelling mistakes and grammatical errors made it feel unfinished but it was a good read.
August 18, 2020
Izzy has always dreamed of making it big on Instagram, so when Luke (another instagrammer) suggests that they "fake" a relationship online, in order to gain more followers and get more likes, she decides to go along with it. The relationship is a hit and her profile soon takes off but behind her posts is a completely different story. Izzy and Luke barely tolerate each other and she finds herself falling in love with another man, who knows nothing about her online life. When both her online persona and real life start to collide, Izzy soon finds herself in a whole heap of trouble. Can she keep the facade up or will everything come tumbling down around her?
I really enjoyed this book, it was fun keeping up with what Izzy was doing and at times was really funny! Living in a time where social media is ever present, it was easy to see why she got so caught up with her Instagram popularity. I think it's important to remember that Instagram is often a highlight reel, showing the best bits of people's lives and this book showed that not everything you see online is real and that you don't need strangers to validate your life with likes and follows. Social media was a large theme but Bell also focused on grief and friendship too, which I feel came across really well. The characters were the sort you could put a face to in real life and I particularly liked Mrs Harris, who I found rather entertaining! The ending was to be expected, however it was an amusing read that really suits this social media obsessed generation!
Thank you to @HQstories for kindly sending me a gifted copy.
I really enjoyed this book, it was fun keeping up with what Izzy was doing and at times was really funny! Living in a time where social media is ever present, it was easy to see why she got so caught up with her Instagram popularity. I think it's important to remember that Instagram is often a highlight reel, showing the best bits of people's lives and this book showed that not everything you see online is real and that you don't need strangers to validate your life with likes and follows. Social media was a large theme but Bell also focused on grief and friendship too, which I feel came across really well. The characters were the sort you could put a face to in real life and I particularly liked Mrs Harris, who I found rather entertaining! The ending was to be expected, however it was an amusing read that really suits this social media obsessed generation!
Thank you to @HQstories for kindly sending me a gifted copy.
March 6, 2021
⭐️⭐️⭐️3.5 STARS ROUNDED UP!!! I absolutely loved Izzy. She was relatable, funny, and someone I’d want to be friends with in real life because she was just so kind. What this book nailed: Instagram influencers/fake social media lives. I love that the author put it out there that so much of it is fake and the length people go to for recognition on social media. It tied together beautifully when Izzy realized she didn’t need people on social media to validate her life. What this book missed: When I started this book, it was very easy to turn the pages. It was just so light and fun. When she met Aidan, it was so sweet. One of those scenes that gives you flutters in your stomach and makes you smile to yourself. What I didn’t like was you then spend the rest of the book pretty much waiting for another sweet moment like that and it never comes. You wait for them to get together and it doesn’t happen until the last chapter. It made rom part of this rom-com a bit anticlimactic. The author nailed the social media aspect, just not the romance aspect. This was still a fun read and honestly I laughed so hard at one point I had tears in my eyes. Even with the drawbacks, I would still read more by this author.
July 28, 2021
Such a lighthearted read that I just couldn’t put it down! It made me laugh and cry and really grabbed my attention from the first few pages.
We follow Izzy who dreams of becoming an influencer as she misguidedly “fake dates” Luke who also dreams of becoming an influencer. Everything is fine until she meets Aidan, a blast from her past who makes her start to question everything. Aidan doesn’t know anything about her fake relationship with Luke and doesn’t use social media, so he can’t find out, right?
I love the whole idea of this book, and I love that it shows that we really shouldn’t believe everything that we see online. It really brings home that the majority of the content we see on social media really is staged and the “perfect lives” that we covet aren’t always as perfect as they seem.
I felt that some of the last part of the book was rushed, and it really left me wanting more, which isn’t necessarily a bad thing! I could have read so much more about Izzy, Aidan, Marissa and Becca and their lives. They were all so lovable! I’m looking forward to picking up more of Anna Bell’s books in the future.
We follow Izzy who dreams of becoming an influencer as she misguidedly “fake dates” Luke who also dreams of becoming an influencer. Everything is fine until she meets Aidan, a blast from her past who makes her start to question everything. Aidan doesn’t know anything about her fake relationship with Luke and doesn’t use social media, so he can’t find out, right?
I love the whole idea of this book, and I love that it shows that we really shouldn’t believe everything that we see online. It really brings home that the majority of the content we see on social media really is staged and the “perfect lives” that we covet aren’t always as perfect as they seem.
I felt that some of the last part of the book was rushed, and it really left me wanting more, which isn’t necessarily a bad thing! I could have read so much more about Izzy, Aidan, Marissa and Becca and their lives. They were all so lovable! I’m looking forward to picking up more of Anna Bell’s books in the future.
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