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Amy Perry's Assumptions
Don't miss the hilarious and feel-good second book from Laura Starkey, author of Rachel Ryan's Resolutions.
Amy Perry is driven, ambitious and proudly unromantic. So what if she's more passionate about her career than she is about her handsome boyfriend? It's all about priorities when you're young.
But when she is forced to leave the city and go back to the village she once called home, Amy faces her worst work nightmare - setting up a romance imprint for the publishing house she works for.
As Amy adjusts to life with no bars, boutiques or dairy substitutes, she also comes face to face with someone she's spent years trying to forget. Before long she's as swept up in village life as she is in the romantic manuscripts she has to read - and finds herself discovering unlikely parallels between the characters' lives and her own.
Perfect for fans of Beth O'Leary and Ruth Jones.
Amy Perry is driven, ambitious and proudly unromantic. So what if she's more passionate about her career than she is about her handsome boyfriend? It's all about priorities when you're young.
But when she is forced to leave the city and go back to the village she once called home, Amy faces her worst work nightmare - setting up a romance imprint for the publishing house she works for.
As Amy adjusts to life with no bars, boutiques or dairy substitutes, she also comes face to face with someone she's spent years trying to forget. Before long she's as swept up in village life as she is in the romantic manuscripts she has to read - and finds herself discovering unlikely parallels between the characters' lives and her own.
Perfect for fans of Beth O'Leary and Ruth Jones.
329 pages, Kindle Edition
Published January 10, 2023
489 people are currently reading
594 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 141 reviews
January 24, 2023
I don’t think I’ve ever hated a character more! What. A. Bitch.
Amy is a selfish, immature and rude individual who seems to have no concept of how to behave as a grown-up. I’m afraid she did not deserve her happily ever after, and why Sam even tolerated her, I can’t think. The course of true love never did run smooth, but there’s no need to be that rude to someone without any reason whatsoever. Yes she’d had a pretty tough life, having been abandoned by her mother and losing three men she was close to within a few years, but there is no need to behave like that towards other people.
That said, overall I enjoyed the story. Very much a Bridget Jones retelling (we even had a Hugh who worked in publishing), but there’s nothing really wrong with that. Some of the characters, like Meg, Nisha and Philippa were excellent and really helped to move the story along. Grace and Ken were very sweet and I do love a granddaughter-grandma relationship. Hugh was your typical privileged idiot, the epitome of what Amy thought she hated in Sam.
Despite enjoying it, I did find it entirely implausible. Kudos to setting up a large scale event in such a short time (I’ve worked in events); it sounded both amazing and quite lame so I would have liked more information on the event itself.
I did enjoy the writing (and Amy is clearly intended to be a marmite character); Starkey does not take herself too seriously, effectively poking fun at those who enjoy romance, the cheesiness of romcoms and briefly exploring its lack of respect in the literary world. There was no steam in this one, but otherwise it had all the marks of a good romantic comedy, complete with long car journey, one bed, emotional wedding, cute pet and a gay best friend.
Enjoyable, but I just couldn’t get over my hatred of Amy who needed a good slap. And what the hell is grit-grinning?
Amy is a selfish, immature and rude individual who seems to have no concept of how to behave as a grown-up. I’m afraid she did not deserve her happily ever after, and why Sam even tolerated her, I can’t think. The course of true love never did run smooth, but there’s no need to be that rude to someone without any reason whatsoever. Yes she’d had a pretty tough life, having been abandoned by her mother and losing three men she was close to within a few years, but there is no need to behave like that towards other people.
That said, overall I enjoyed the story. Very much a Bridget Jones retelling (we even had a Hugh who worked in publishing), but there’s nothing really wrong with that. Some of the characters, like Meg, Nisha and Philippa were excellent and really helped to move the story along. Grace and Ken were very sweet and I do love a granddaughter-grandma relationship. Hugh was your typical privileged idiot, the epitome of what Amy thought she hated in Sam.
Despite enjoying it, I did find it entirely implausible. Kudos to setting up a large scale event in such a short time (I’ve worked in events); it sounded both amazing and quite lame so I would have liked more information on the event itself.
I did enjoy the writing (and Amy is clearly intended to be a marmite character); Starkey does not take herself too seriously, effectively poking fun at those who enjoy romance, the cheesiness of romcoms and briefly exploring its lack of respect in the literary world. There was no steam in this one, but otherwise it had all the marks of a good romantic comedy, complete with long car journey, one bed, emotional wedding, cute pet and a gay best friend.
Enjoyable, but I just couldn’t get over my hatred of Amy who needed a good slap. And what the hell is grit-grinning?
April 9, 2023
I really enjoy Laura Starkey's writing. This one didn't land as well as her previous book did for me. But I still really enjoyed it. I especially love how realistic the interactions between her characters are. Amy and Sam were both great main characters and the setting of being in a small rural English town was perfection.
June 8, 2023
After reading the reviews, I had expected more romance, but the main characters seemed to spend very little time together. The plot was slow but steady, though the more it progressed the more I found myself disliking the female protagonist. I know that you can't always identify with every character that you read, but it's not often that I actively *dislike* a main character. I considered giving up on this book a few times, but I don't like to leave books unfinished.
Amy just came across as increasingly unpleasant and rude, didn't redeem herself like I was waiting for. It's not at all clear why Sam likes her even a little bit, given how downright rude and nasty she is about him, his family, his personality. She is incredibly prejudiced and I kept waiting for some sort of flashback or reveal to make clear why she was so unkind and biased against him, but it was for no other reason that he was born to a well off family. Something he had no control over whatsoever.
Even after not having seen him for 10 years she is adamant that his is evil, despite the fact that he has spent those 10 years being kind and generous to the community. I was glad when her grandma points out that his friends and family know him better than she does, seeing as she hasn't seem him in 10 years, yet Amy just she seems baffled by this, and is so arrogant in her belief that every single person in the entire village must be fooled by his acts of kindness, which he is clearly only doing for some self serving reason that is never quite puzzled out. She is also rude to others whenever she is unhappy or slightly inconvenienced, such as Tilly for example, for no other reason than she saw the woman with Sam once.
I will say that the writing itself is perfectly fine, the premise could have been interesting and the community feel that Laura created was warm and recognisable, it was just a shame that the character at the centre of the story wasn't likable. So by the end of the story I had little interest in Amy. I knew where the ending was headed, but to tell the truth I was hoping for Sam to end up with someone else, however unlikely.
It was a free eBook which meant I could listen to it sped up while I was working and doing other things, which was just as well, as I would have felt very short changed has I had to pay.
Amy just came across as increasingly unpleasant and rude, didn't redeem herself like I was waiting for. It's not at all clear why Sam likes her even a little bit, given how downright rude and nasty she is about him, his family, his personality. She is incredibly prejudiced and I kept waiting for some sort of flashback or reveal to make clear why she was so unkind and biased against him, but it was for no other reason that he was born to a well off family. Something he had no control over whatsoever.
Even after not having seen him for 10 years she is adamant that his is evil, despite the fact that he has spent those 10 years being kind and generous to the community. I was glad when her grandma points out that his friends and family know him better than she does, seeing as she hasn't seem him in 10 years, yet Amy just she seems baffled by this, and is so arrogant in her belief that every single person in the entire village must be fooled by his acts of kindness, which he is clearly only doing for some self serving reason that is never quite puzzled out. She is also rude to others whenever she is unhappy or slightly inconvenienced, such as Tilly for example, for no other reason than she saw the woman with Sam once.
I will say that the writing itself is perfectly fine, the premise could have been interesting and the community feel that Laura created was warm and recognisable, it was just a shame that the character at the centre of the story wasn't likable. So by the end of the story I had little interest in Amy. I knew where the ending was headed, but to tell the truth I was hoping for Sam to end up with someone else, however unlikely.
It was a free eBook which meant I could listen to it sped up while I was working and doing other things, which was just as well, as I would have felt very short changed has I had to pay.
January 2, 2023
I absolutely loved Laura Starkeys previous novel, so I jumped at the chance for a spot on the tour with InstaBookTours.
Ultimately, I felt this was more about Amy's career with a side of romance. I also felt that the beginning of the story was a little long-winded to get into.
Having said that, now the minor negative critique is out the way I actually ended up really enjoying it. I got absorbed into Amy's life and found myself wanting to tell her to give her head a wobble at many points throughout the story. She was clearly on a path of self-destruction when it comes to love.
Sam and Amy were clearly meant for each other. Anyone that bickers that much must be in love, lol.
Also, kudos to Grace the ever independent grandma finding love again. It doesn't get more romantic than that.
I also enjoyed the premise of the story being about a publisher, editor, author, and having the added tropes in there. Who doesn't love reading books about these things.
My spot on the tour is on the 12th Jan which you will find over on IG - @andshe.reads xo
Ultimately, I felt this was more about Amy's career with a side of romance. I also felt that the beginning of the story was a little long-winded to get into.
Having said that, now the minor negative critique is out the way I actually ended up really enjoying it. I got absorbed into Amy's life and found myself wanting to tell her to give her head a wobble at many points throughout the story. She was clearly on a path of self-destruction when it comes to love.
Sam and Amy were clearly meant for each other. Anyone that bickers that much must be in love, lol.
Also, kudos to Grace the ever independent grandma finding love again. It doesn't get more romantic than that.
I also enjoyed the premise of the story being about a publisher, editor, author, and having the added tropes in there. Who doesn't love reading books about these things.
My spot on the tour is on the 12th Jan which you will find over on IG - @andshe.reads xo
June 21, 2023
This was such a comforting read. Predictable, but lovely, and exactly what I needed.
March 13, 2023
Deliciously predictable - perfect read for a weekend after a long week. ❤
February 1, 2023
I need to start this review with a disclaimer… I truly detest most of the romance genre.
There, now that’s out of the way, I LOVED this book so much! I don’t know why I decided to read it, given that the cover is the very definition of a romance cover, but I’m so glad I did. There was no smut - which I’m exceedingly chuffed about as I abhor smutty romance books above all else. No clue why, perhaps I just want an alternative to the movies and TV I watch. If I’m opting for reading time then I want something more cerebral than constant graphic sex…I can watch porn for that. Instead I want something with enough of a storyline to hook me, perhaps some real soul searching, deep diving into a character’s life and motivations and ending up with proper personal growth and learning to be a grown up. Plus a happily ever after…if I’m reading romance - that isn’t Bridget Jones’ Diary (elite tier of books), which ends in MY universe after book 2 - I’m gonna need a textbook HEA thank you very much. If I’m dipping my toe into the genre then I’m getting fully invested and going full romance diva!
Anyway…this book had a little extra on offer to me and I liked that immensely. So much so that it made me excited to get back to reading something in my least loved literary genre. If that doesn’t convince you that this is well worth a read then maybe me deciding to give it ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ will!
Thank you to @emblabooks, @instabooktours and @laura_starkey for giving me the chance to read and review this book. As always, my opinions are my own.
There, now that’s out of the way, I LOVED this book so much! I don’t know why I decided to read it, given that the cover is the very definition of a romance cover, but I’m so glad I did. There was no smut - which I’m exceedingly chuffed about as I abhor smutty romance books above all else. No clue why, perhaps I just want an alternative to the movies and TV I watch. If I’m opting for reading time then I want something more cerebral than constant graphic sex…I can watch porn for that. Instead I want something with enough of a storyline to hook me, perhaps some real soul searching, deep diving into a character’s life and motivations and ending up with proper personal growth and learning to be a grown up. Plus a happily ever after…if I’m reading romance - that isn’t Bridget Jones’ Diary (elite tier of books), which ends in MY universe after book 2 - I’m gonna need a textbook HEA thank you very much. If I’m dipping my toe into the genre then I’m getting fully invested and going full romance diva!
Anyway…this book had a little extra on offer to me and I liked that immensely. So much so that it made me excited to get back to reading something in my least loved literary genre. If that doesn’t convince you that this is well worth a read then maybe me deciding to give it ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ will!
Thank you to @emblabooks, @instabooktours and @laura_starkey for giving me the chance to read and review this book. As always, my opinions are my own.
May 14, 2024
3.5 🌟 this was an unexpected goodie! Stumbled across it on Kindle Unlimited and gave it a whirl. Ended up reading it in 24 hours, very well-written but the trope that this could all be fixed with one convo means I had to deduct points.
July 27, 2024
Unchallenging and predicable and just the brain rot the doctor ordered
June 14, 2025
If you don’t like miscommunication this one isn’t for you lol
January 31, 2025
Strong Jane Austen references, but Amy was way too annoying for way too long.
January 11, 2023
Thanks to Insta Book Tours for an ARC of this book.
An enemies to lovers romantic comedy.
Amy is shocked when her new boyfriend proposes to her, realising he knows nothing about her she refuses & then has to leave her current role at work. She moves back to her home town & finds herself face to face with her school enemy Sam. On the surface their relationship seems to be the same as at school with both showing dislike for each other but is all what it really seems?;
This was a really cute read. I felt sorry for Sam on occasions & wanted to shake Amy!
Both comedic & emotional I'd recommend this hands down.
4🌟
An enemies to lovers romantic comedy.
Amy is shocked when her new boyfriend proposes to her, realising he knows nothing about her she refuses & then has to leave her current role at work. She moves back to her home town & finds herself face to face with her school enemy Sam. On the surface their relationship seems to be the same as at school with both showing dislike for each other but is all what it really seems?;
This was a really cute read. I felt sorry for Sam on occasions & wanted to shake Amy!
Both comedic & emotional I'd recommend this hands down.
4🌟
June 28, 2024
I've read all three of Starkey's books, and I found this one to be the weakest. It's not a bad book by any means: the writing is enjoyable, it has a great setting and I enjoyed the cast of secondary characters, but it falls short by not executing some of the tropes quite right.
- Enemies to lover: when this trope is executed properly it makes for the best romance novels, but in this case the balance is off. The main female character, Amy, spends - and I'm not exaggerating - 85% of the story berating Sam for generally no reason, leaving the reader wonder why this dude would be even remotely attracted to her in the first place.
- Misunderstanding: the misunderstanding that triggers the (one-sided?) dislike is feeble, and nothing any person over the age of 17 wouldn't be able to clarify with two, three conversations tops. The fact that it stays unresolved for so long is crazy.
- Minor tropes (e.g: bed sharing, dance of romance): They fall a bit flat by not being leveraged at their full potential - we keep being told by secondary characters that there are sparks between Amy and Sam and that the sexual tension could be cut with a knife, but it's never truly shown. What these tropes do is detracting from any semblance of realism (was it imperative for them to have a dance in period costume? Really?).
As other reviewers said, it got quite hard to root for Amy and Sam, because as a reader you never felt like she deserved his love and affection.
Not a bad book, but definitely a step down from the debut novel.
(Also calling a romance book festival RomFest when RomCon was RIGHT THERE?)
- Enemies to lover: when this trope is executed properly it makes for the best romance novels, but in this case the balance is off. The main female character, Amy, spends - and I'm not exaggerating - 85% of the story berating Sam for generally no reason, leaving the reader wonder why this dude would be even remotely attracted to her in the first place.
- Misunderstanding: the misunderstanding that triggers the (one-sided?) dislike is feeble, and nothing any person over the age of 17 wouldn't be able to clarify with two, three conversations tops. The fact that it stays unresolved for so long is crazy.
- Minor tropes (e.g: bed sharing, dance of romance): They fall a bit flat by not being leveraged at their full potential - we keep being told by secondary characters that there are sparks between Amy and Sam and that the sexual tension could be cut with a knife, but it's never truly shown. What these tropes do is detracting from any semblance of realism (was it imperative for them to have a dance in period costume? Really?).
As other reviewers said, it got quite hard to root for Amy and Sam, because as a reader you never felt like she deserved his love and affection.
Not a bad book, but definitely a step down from the debut novel.
(Also calling a romance book festival RomFest when RomCon was RIGHT THERE?)
February 6, 2023
I found this a lovely light hearted read telling the story of Amy who returns from London after turning down a proposal. She meets up with her past and there is a definite love hate relationship at firsst. Amy is living with her Gran and working for a publishing house and her past comes back with a lovely ending.
December 9, 2022
When I first started reading this book, I found it to be really slow and hard to follow. It took a while to get into the story, and I was really bored by its slow pace. The story got more interesting as it went on, but the pacing was really challenging for me.
I liked the concept of the story, but I was expecting more of a romance. After a breakup with her boss' s nephew, Amy is forced to go back home for her job where she encounters her former childhood frenemy, Sam. Sam and Amy were so competitive and argumentative with each other in high school, but they may have had feelings for each other under all of that hatred. They shared a kiss one night, but they haven't talked to each other since that night.
Amy thinks that Sam is a rich snob, but does she really know him after all of these years? Is Sam the rich jerk that she thinks or is he actually a caring guy? Amy and Sam spend more time together as they work on planning a project for her job. As they spend more time together, do they still have a spark?
I liked reading about Amy's journey with her job, but I didn't think that the story was very romantic. I kept expecting more of a romance or a twist, but it just didn't come.
Overall, I enjoyed the story, but I wouldn't consider it to be a romance.
Thanks to NetGalley and Embla Books for an ARC of this book.
I liked the concept of the story, but I was expecting more of a romance. After a breakup with her boss' s nephew, Amy is forced to go back home for her job where she encounters her former childhood frenemy, Sam. Sam and Amy were so competitive and argumentative with each other in high school, but they may have had feelings for each other under all of that hatred. They shared a kiss one night, but they haven't talked to each other since that night.
Amy thinks that Sam is a rich snob, but does she really know him after all of these years? Is Sam the rich jerk that she thinks or is he actually a caring guy? Amy and Sam spend more time together as they work on planning a project for her job. As they spend more time together, do they still have a spark?
I liked reading about Amy's journey with her job, but I didn't think that the story was very romantic. I kept expecting more of a romance or a twist, but it just didn't come.
Overall, I enjoyed the story, but I wouldn't consider it to be a romance.
Thanks to NetGalley and Embla Books for an ARC of this book.
August 14, 2023
I tried really hard to like this book because the writing style was better than a lot of what's on KU. But ultimately I had to DNF it for a few reasons:
- The FMC was the absolute actual worst. She was extremely immature (apparently 31 but behaved like she was 15). The reverse snobbery thing she had going on was exhausting by 28% and she was childish, rude and overly aggressive for no reason. Also completely self absorbed and selfish. It was hard to root for her.
- The constant references to branding and pop culture. It's not a grocery shop, I don't need to know the brand of everything they're eating and drinking.
- the over explanation of terms used in romance novel land. Your audience knows these terms. You're writing for lovers of romance novels.
My final annotation in this book comes at 36% and says "I can't do it anymore".
I'll try this author again in the future, but this FMC was not it.
- The FMC was the absolute actual worst. She was extremely immature (apparently 31 but behaved like she was 15). The reverse snobbery thing she had going on was exhausting by 28% and she was childish, rude and overly aggressive for no reason. Also completely self absorbed and selfish. It was hard to root for her.
- The constant references to branding and pop culture. It's not a grocery shop, I don't need to know the brand of everything they're eating and drinking.
- the over explanation of terms used in romance novel land. Your audience knows these terms. You're writing for lovers of romance novels.
My final annotation in this book comes at 36% and says "I can't do it anymore".
I'll try this author again in the future, but this FMC was not it.
January 12, 2023
Thank you to @instabooktours for having me on this fantastic book tour and readalong and thank you to @emblabooks for this copy of Amy Perry’s Assumptions by @laura_starkey in return for an honest review.
Description 🔖
Amy Perry is career focused, driven and there is very little that takes priority over that; including her boyfriend. In Amy’s opinion to survive within the publishing world and in London, this is the way it has to be and given that she is the most unromantic person ever it suits her fine.
Until she’s forced to leave London and return to the small village in the Midlands in which she grew up. This is sold to her as an opportunity and career progression, but Amy is struggling to see how that’s so when it feels like her worst nightmare. The girl who doesn’t believe in butterfly inducing love working on an imprint for romance books? Surely this cannot work out. Not only that, but Amy is forced to confront someone she has tried very hard to forget over the years.
It’s not long though until Amy is very much back into the swing of village life and she realises that there are some commonalities between the characters and plots in the romance manuscripts she’s reading and her very own life.
General Thoughts 🤔
Every now and again, I read a book that just speaks to me and it feels like the author has picked things to include that could literally have been lifted from my own life. Amy living in a small village in the Midlands; I’m from a small village in the Midlands. There’s a miniature sausage dog; I have a miniature sausage dog. Ok, that’s pretty much it, but still, it all felt lovely and familiar and I think it contributed to how much I enjoyed this book.
I was a little bit naughty and read ahead of the readalong schedule because once I hit a certain point in this story, I couldn’t stop. I had to keep going and find out how everything was going to unfold. I was dying for these characters to get out of their own way and take the plunge which meant that I was equally frustrated with and in love with these characters.
Characters 👫👭👬
Firstly, there was one character that gave off all the main character energy and stole the entire show in my opinion and that was Bertie. Yep. The dog. I seriously don’t think that there’s another breed like a Dachshund and Bertie was the perfect depiction of their character traits. He stole my heart just like my own little sausage dog did.
With regards to humans; I may be a little bit in love with Sam. He was such a good guy and I found it very frustrating that literally everyone in the village knew it apart from Amy. I think that Amy did know it deep down, but a certain amount of pride and stubbornness meant that she wouldn’t let herself admit it. If I was Amy’s friend, I would have been shaking her at the shoulders and telling her to give her head a wobble. Equally, if I was Sam’s friend, I’d be telling him to suck it up and go grab the girl that he was so obviously in love with the entire time.
Writing Style ✍️
This is Laura Starkey’s second book and from what I’ve read; highly anticipated after the success of her first. I really enjoyed her writing and I think she was great at creating a feeling of authenticity and “home”. The village of Rowton felt like somewhere I’d love to live and I think the way the sideline characters were written into the story helped to create that feeling.
I liked that although this book was a contemporary romance, it was also very much about Amy’s growth. I loved the plot line following her career (I have career jealousy) and I also liked that we as readers got to see Amy develop and mature as a person. The romance and personal growth were weaved together really well and it made for great reading.
Conclusion & Scoring 🎖
Amy Perry had obviously never heard of the expression “you should never assume, it makes an ass out of you and me”. Thank goodness she hadn’t, because this enemies to lovers story was frustrating and marvellous all at the same time. I loved reading this story and I particularly loved the characters (Bertie would definitely get best supporting actor if this made it to a screen adaptation). I devoured this book over a weekend and it was a great companion for some cosy, romantic feels. I’ll definitely be reading Laura Starkey’s first book and can’t wait to see what she does next.
Description 🔖
Amy Perry is career focused, driven and there is very little that takes priority over that; including her boyfriend. In Amy’s opinion to survive within the publishing world and in London, this is the way it has to be and given that she is the most unromantic person ever it suits her fine.
Until she’s forced to leave London and return to the small village in the Midlands in which she grew up. This is sold to her as an opportunity and career progression, but Amy is struggling to see how that’s so when it feels like her worst nightmare. The girl who doesn’t believe in butterfly inducing love working on an imprint for romance books? Surely this cannot work out. Not only that, but Amy is forced to confront someone she has tried very hard to forget over the years.
It’s not long though until Amy is very much back into the swing of village life and she realises that there are some commonalities between the characters and plots in the romance manuscripts she’s reading and her very own life.
General Thoughts 🤔
Every now and again, I read a book that just speaks to me and it feels like the author has picked things to include that could literally have been lifted from my own life. Amy living in a small village in the Midlands; I’m from a small village in the Midlands. There’s a miniature sausage dog; I have a miniature sausage dog. Ok, that’s pretty much it, but still, it all felt lovely and familiar and I think it contributed to how much I enjoyed this book.
I was a little bit naughty and read ahead of the readalong schedule because once I hit a certain point in this story, I couldn’t stop. I had to keep going and find out how everything was going to unfold. I was dying for these characters to get out of their own way and take the plunge which meant that I was equally frustrated with and in love with these characters.
Characters 👫👭👬
Firstly, there was one character that gave off all the main character energy and stole the entire show in my opinion and that was Bertie. Yep. The dog. I seriously don’t think that there’s another breed like a Dachshund and Bertie was the perfect depiction of their character traits. He stole my heart just like my own little sausage dog did.
With regards to humans; I may be a little bit in love with Sam. He was such a good guy and I found it very frustrating that literally everyone in the village knew it apart from Amy. I think that Amy did know it deep down, but a certain amount of pride and stubbornness meant that she wouldn’t let herself admit it. If I was Amy’s friend, I would have been shaking her at the shoulders and telling her to give her head a wobble. Equally, if I was Sam’s friend, I’d be telling him to suck it up and go grab the girl that he was so obviously in love with the entire time.
Writing Style ✍️
This is Laura Starkey’s second book and from what I’ve read; highly anticipated after the success of her first. I really enjoyed her writing and I think she was great at creating a feeling of authenticity and “home”. The village of Rowton felt like somewhere I’d love to live and I think the way the sideline characters were written into the story helped to create that feeling.
I liked that although this book was a contemporary romance, it was also very much about Amy’s growth. I loved the plot line following her career (I have career jealousy) and I also liked that we as readers got to see Amy develop and mature as a person. The romance and personal growth were weaved together really well and it made for great reading.
Conclusion & Scoring 🎖
Amy Perry had obviously never heard of the expression “you should never assume, it makes an ass out of you and me”. Thank goodness she hadn’t, because this enemies to lovers story was frustrating and marvellous all at the same time. I loved reading this story and I particularly loved the characters (Bertie would definitely get best supporting actor if this made it to a screen adaptation). I devoured this book over a weekend and it was a great companion for some cosy, romantic feels. I’ll definitely be reading Laura Starkey’s first book and can’t wait to see what she does next.
October 23, 2023
I've mixed opinions on this one but nothing too extreme.
The first thing I liked is ✨️no smut✨️which is extremely rare nowadays in romance books, especially the ones that have main leads in their thirties or twenties.
But..I have to say that the main leads in this book acted like highschoolers even when they're both 30. And the title 'Amy Perry's Assumptions' seems quite fitting for this book. At first, it seemed liked a goofy title for some teen/preteen coming of age story. But makes a lot of sense when u realize that Amy, the femal lead's assumptions are what keeps this story going.
So quick summary (no spoilers): Hari, Amy and Sam ate best friends from highschool who have finished their last exams of school. Sam , our male lead, and Amy have feelings for each other. In the prologue we see Sam confessing to Amy, and then they kiss. Sam is quite obviously not convinced that Hari and Amy (who r inseparable friends due to their common experience of losing a parent) do not have feelings for each other. But Amy is quite vocal that they don't..after the confession we drive straight into a news reporting about Hari's death in a car accident.
Chapter 1 starts with Amy working as a book editor in London, dating the heir apparent ,financial director of her company and MAJOR red flag, Hugh. She is best friends with her bi handsome Co worker Kit. When a horribly timed and a not so thoughtful marriage proposal from Hugh ends their relationship, Amy is forced to move back to her home town, to save her career.
Ofc back in her hometown she crosses paths with old friends, family and obviously Sam.
Old feelings resurface, and annoyingly enough for the readers, Sam and Amy refuse to communicate about their past, while still being into each other.
Now, though this book had interesting, strong and likeable characters none of them were realistic or well-rounded enough for me to get attached to.
Though the backstory with Hari was cute , the author didn't give any flashbacks to make me feel connected or emotional.
The whole story just runs on the fact that Amy and Sam have horribly misunderstood most things about each other.
Seemed like neither of them have heard about this wonderful concept called ✨️communication ✨️.
Except for some fun banter there was nothing swoon-worthy or butterfly-stomach-enducing about their love story. They never seem to confide in each other or have any really MOMENTS. They didn't feel like a comfortable couple. Neither of them seemed like a dream girl or dream boy. Nothing u wud want from a romance book.
The author always succeeded in raising our expectations and then dropping them to the ground. Even when they have to do aesthetic stuff and cliche romance book tropes that r sure to have some emotional/swoony moments like a long drive , unwillingly sharing a room or dance with each other (old Victorian ball room style) we never really get ANYTHING. They share, the room, they dance and that's it. They don't talk , they don't make any confessions. They don't seem to get any closer.
So, while the setting and the backstory where quite promising, the main couple failed horribly at delivering any sort of chemistry and that's where the downfall of this book lies. The author has the right idea about love. I mean, I honestly related with Amy's hesitation at falling in love and taking the risk of being vulnerable and how she overcomes that. The moral was pretty strong and well-thought out. And I loved that there was no smut. But the author has a serious need for reading love stories like , the Do Over and Better Than The Movies to understand exactly what romance booklovers need. Of course we need mature love stories, that teach us about finding love. But we also need moments that make us press our head to the pillow and scream, make us throw the book at a wall and cry, and make our hearts flutter.
While Amy Perry's Assumptions was a good attempt. BUT it lacked both romantic moments and any kind of humorous element. For a book that claims to be a rom-com, it had neither romance, nor comedy.
So 3 stars.
The first thing I liked is ✨️no smut✨️which is extremely rare nowadays in romance books, especially the ones that have main leads in their thirties or twenties.
But..I have to say that the main leads in this book acted like highschoolers even when they're both 30. And the title 'Amy Perry's Assumptions' seems quite fitting for this book. At first, it seemed liked a goofy title for some teen/preteen coming of age story. But makes a lot of sense when u realize that Amy, the femal lead's assumptions are what keeps this story going.
So quick summary (no spoilers): Hari, Amy and Sam ate best friends from highschool who have finished their last exams of school. Sam , our male lead, and Amy have feelings for each other. In the prologue we see Sam confessing to Amy, and then they kiss. Sam is quite obviously not convinced that Hari and Amy (who r inseparable friends due to their common experience of losing a parent) do not have feelings for each other. But Amy is quite vocal that they don't..after the confession we drive straight into a news reporting about Hari's death in a car accident.
Chapter 1 starts with Amy working as a book editor in London, dating the heir apparent ,financial director of her company and MAJOR red flag, Hugh. She is best friends with her bi handsome Co worker Kit. When a horribly timed and a not so thoughtful marriage proposal from Hugh ends their relationship, Amy is forced to move back to her home town, to save her career.
Ofc back in her hometown she crosses paths with old friends, family and obviously Sam.
Old feelings resurface, and annoyingly enough for the readers, Sam and Amy refuse to communicate about their past, while still being into each other.
Now, though this book had interesting, strong and likeable characters none of them were realistic or well-rounded enough for me to get attached to.
Though the backstory with Hari was cute , the author didn't give any flashbacks to make me feel connected or emotional.
The whole story just runs on the fact that Amy and Sam have horribly misunderstood most things about each other.
Seemed like neither of them have heard about this wonderful concept called ✨️communication ✨️.
Except for some fun banter there was nothing swoon-worthy or butterfly-stomach-enducing about their love story. They never seem to confide in each other or have any really MOMENTS. They didn't feel like a comfortable couple. Neither of them seemed like a dream girl or dream boy. Nothing u wud want from a romance book.
The author always succeeded in raising our expectations and then dropping them to the ground. Even when they have to do aesthetic stuff and cliche romance book tropes that r sure to have some emotional/swoony moments like a long drive , unwillingly sharing a room or dance with each other (old Victorian ball room style) we never really get ANYTHING. They share, the room, they dance and that's it. They don't talk , they don't make any confessions. They don't seem to get any closer.
So, while the setting and the backstory where quite promising, the main couple failed horribly at delivering any sort of chemistry and that's where the downfall of this book lies. The author has the right idea about love. I mean, I honestly related with Amy's hesitation at falling in love and taking the risk of being vulnerable and how she overcomes that. The moral was pretty strong and well-thought out. And I loved that there was no smut. But the author has a serious need for reading love stories like , the Do Over and Better Than The Movies to understand exactly what romance booklovers need. Of course we need mature love stories, that teach us about finding love. But we also need moments that make us press our head to the pillow and scream, make us throw the book at a wall and cry, and make our hearts flutter.
While Amy Perry's Assumptions was a good attempt. BUT it lacked both romantic moments and any kind of humorous element. For a book that claims to be a rom-com, it had neither romance, nor comedy.
So 3 stars.
September 8, 2025
Not a fan of this book at all. I stuck it out til the end because I was listening to the audiobook and doing housework at the same time, but I found myself stopping time and time again to rant to my daughter about the FMC.
I have never met a main character more unlikable. She was rude, prejudice, judgmental and just downright nasty. Her every problem was a result of her own behaviour and she caused more with her unfounded assumptions and lack of communication.
The MMC, Sam, is lovely and doesn't deserve to put up with her.
It was a predictable story and while the writing style was modern and light, I found that I couldn't really engage with the story or the characters, I think part of that was due to it being in 3rd person omnipotent but entirely focused on Amy. Nothing wrong with that style in general, it's my preferred to read and write, but the psychic distance between the reader and narrator was vast.
Huge amounts of telling emotions rather than showing them led to me feeling no connection to the characters and not really caring what happened to them.
And as for the romance part of the story, it was like warm at best. Now I don't always want masses of spice in there, I'm happy with a fade to black, but since we only ever got Amy's side of things you couldn't really tell that Sam liked her at all. She was attracted to him, but there was no heat, no yearning, no growing closeness that I'd expect in a romance.
It felt like the romance was secondary to Amy's issues and her life, and Sam was a side character at best rather than her HEA.
They don't even kiss throughout the entire story, leaving it feeling like they were ridiculous tweens in adult bodies that couldn't talk to save their lives. And, when they did finally kiss at the very very end, were being told what it's like, rather than seeing or feeling it. There was no passion or heat in my opinion.
The whole book felt very much like when someone tells you the plot of a movie or a show, you get the story but have no connection to it and don't really care one way or another.
Sam, to his credit, tried very hard to talk to her, to get her to actually be an adult, but she shot him down at every turn leaving me feeling so frustrated on his behalf that I wanted to smack her at least once every five minutes.
Honestly, I wanted so badly to enjoy this book but I really couldn't due to the main character, and their complete lack of chemistry.
I have never met a main character more unlikable. She was rude, prejudice, judgmental and just downright nasty. Her every problem was a result of her own behaviour and she caused more with her unfounded assumptions and lack of communication.
The MMC, Sam, is lovely and doesn't deserve to put up with her.
It was a predictable story and while the writing style was modern and light, I found that I couldn't really engage with the story or the characters, I think part of that was due to it being in 3rd person omnipotent but entirely focused on Amy. Nothing wrong with that style in general, it's my preferred to read and write, but the psychic distance between the reader and narrator was vast.
Huge amounts of telling emotions rather than showing them led to me feeling no connection to the characters and not really caring what happened to them.
And as for the romance part of the story, it was like warm at best. Now I don't always want masses of spice in there, I'm happy with a fade to black, but since we only ever got Amy's side of things you couldn't really tell that Sam liked her at all. She was attracted to him, but there was no heat, no yearning, no growing closeness that I'd expect in a romance.
It felt like the romance was secondary to Amy's issues and her life, and Sam was a side character at best rather than her HEA.
They don't even kiss throughout the entire story, leaving it feeling like they were ridiculous tweens in adult bodies that couldn't talk to save their lives. And, when they did finally kiss at the very very end, were being told what it's like, rather than seeing or feeling it. There was no passion or heat in my opinion.
The whole book felt very much like when someone tells you the plot of a movie or a show, you get the story but have no connection to it and don't really care one way or another.
Sam, to his credit, tried very hard to talk to her, to get her to actually be an adult, but she shot him down at every turn leaving me feeling so frustrated on his behalf that I wanted to smack her at least once every five minutes.
Honestly, I wanted so badly to enjoy this book but I really couldn't due to the main character, and their complete lack of chemistry.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
February 8, 2023
A rom com that pays ode to romance, while reversing trope genders? Sign me up!
In Laura Starkey's 'Amy Perry's Assumptions', Amy Perry is heroine who is anti-romance and more focused on her job as a literary editor.
That all falls apart when she turns down her boyfriend of a few month's proposal. You see, he's the nephew of the CEO. Starkey creates a wonderful villian reminiscent of a Mhairi McFarlane 'nice guy'.
Thankfully for Amy, her boss detests her ex so she is sent back to her hometown to start up a new imprint dedicated to romance novels. It's Amy's worst nightmare, but a lifeline, as she's now a pariah at work.
To add to Amy's situation, she has to event manage a huge launch event at a grand estate owned by a lord who is the father of the man who broke her heart as a teen, the romance-loving Sam Ainsworth.
Amy is prickly with Sam, holding a longstanding grudge, while conveniently forgetting her own part in it, along with the heartbreaking circumstances which led to their estrangement.
As Sam is from the artistocracy, she holds this against him, while refusing to see that Sam is the antithesis of the snobbery and classicm of his family.
Amy will frustrate you. You will wonder why Sam even continues to serve up his heart for her to wound on a regular basis, but their chemistry and banter leap off the page so you can see why he is attracted to her. That said, I do wish the author made Amy eat humble pie earlier in the book and for longer, with Sam finally hitting his endpoint with her sooner.
Secondary characters were also well written, dosing out a few home truths for Amy as she ultimately had to get over her assumptions and prejudices.
I got so caught up in this book that I almost Googled when the next festival was!
'Amy Perry's Assumptions' is full of sparkly banter and sexual tension. It's about a woman who has been bruised at a tender age finding the strength and courage to truly open herself up to love. Who can't relate to that difficult journey?
As with Laura's debut 'Rachel Ryan’s Resolutions' I loved this book that I bought my own copy and the audiobook.
Thank you to Embla Books and Netgalley.
In Laura Starkey's 'Amy Perry's Assumptions', Amy Perry is heroine who is anti-romance and more focused on her job as a literary editor.
That all falls apart when she turns down her boyfriend of a few month's proposal. You see, he's the nephew of the CEO. Starkey creates a wonderful villian reminiscent of a Mhairi McFarlane 'nice guy'.
Thankfully for Amy, her boss detests her ex so she is sent back to her hometown to start up a new imprint dedicated to romance novels. It's Amy's worst nightmare, but a lifeline, as she's now a pariah at work.
To add to Amy's situation, she has to event manage a huge launch event at a grand estate owned by a lord who is the father of the man who broke her heart as a teen, the romance-loving Sam Ainsworth.
Amy is prickly with Sam, holding a longstanding grudge, while conveniently forgetting her own part in it, along with the heartbreaking circumstances which led to their estrangement.
As Sam is from the artistocracy, she holds this against him, while refusing to see that Sam is the antithesis of the snobbery and classicm of his family.
Amy will frustrate you. You will wonder why Sam even continues to serve up his heart for her to wound on a regular basis, but their chemistry and banter leap off the page so you can see why he is attracted to her. That said, I do wish the author made Amy eat humble pie earlier in the book and for longer, with Sam finally hitting his endpoint with her sooner.
Secondary characters were also well written, dosing out a few home truths for Amy as she ultimately had to get over her assumptions and prejudices.
I got so caught up in this book that I almost Googled when the next festival was!
'Amy Perry's Assumptions' is full of sparkly banter and sexual tension. It's about a woman who has been bruised at a tender age finding the strength and courage to truly open herself up to love. Who can't relate to that difficult journey?
As with Laura's debut 'Rachel Ryan’s Resolutions' I loved this book that I bought my own copy and the audiobook.
Thank you to Embla Books and Netgalley.
January 18, 2023
*3.5 stars*
Thank you to Insta Book Tours for an ARC of Amy Perry’s Assumptions!
This story follows Amy, an ambitious, determined (and very stubborn) woman, that escaped the small village of her teenage years to live in London, working for a publishing house. Amy isn’t particularly keen on love or romance after seeing the pain it has caused others and so she has always settled for practicality. But when her world is flipped upside down, she finds herself back in that cosy little village she has spent months and years avoiding, heading up a romance imprint, and bumping into Sam, the guy she despised most during sixth form, more often than she would like. Before she knows it, Amy’s thoughts, both good and bad, are consumed by Sam. She can’t stand him but she can’t stop thinking about him. Can she put her assumptions aside and finally accept that love isn’t such a bad thing?
Overall I enjoyed this book. I loved how much of the story revolves around publishing and the literary festival Amy is organising. The setting of Rowton-Upon-Arden seemed so cute, and the cast of characters that filled the village were great as well (I would mind reading a book about some of their own stories). I found Amy utterly frustrating because of her stubbornness and inability to have her views changed.. but I guess that is why the book is called Amy Perry’s Assumptions. It was one of those romance novels that ultimately could have been so much shorter if the main character and love interest had just communicated. It felt a little repetitive and took a long time to come to a resolution which made it hard for me to want to persevere through the book.
I think readers that enjoyed Book Lovers would also enjoy Amy Perry’s Assumptions. If you enjoy enemies to lovers, second chance romance and reverse grumpy sunshine, then this could be up your street too!
Thank you to Insta Book Tours for an ARC of Amy Perry’s Assumptions!
This story follows Amy, an ambitious, determined (and very stubborn) woman, that escaped the small village of her teenage years to live in London, working for a publishing house. Amy isn’t particularly keen on love or romance after seeing the pain it has caused others and so she has always settled for practicality. But when her world is flipped upside down, she finds herself back in that cosy little village she has spent months and years avoiding, heading up a romance imprint, and bumping into Sam, the guy she despised most during sixth form, more often than she would like. Before she knows it, Amy’s thoughts, both good and bad, are consumed by Sam. She can’t stand him but she can’t stop thinking about him. Can she put her assumptions aside and finally accept that love isn’t such a bad thing?
Overall I enjoyed this book. I loved how much of the story revolves around publishing and the literary festival Amy is organising. The setting of Rowton-Upon-Arden seemed so cute, and the cast of characters that filled the village were great as well (I would mind reading a book about some of their own stories). I found Amy utterly frustrating because of her stubbornness and inability to have her views changed.. but I guess that is why the book is called Amy Perry’s Assumptions. It was one of those romance novels that ultimately could have been so much shorter if the main character and love interest had just communicated. It felt a little repetitive and took a long time to come to a resolution which made it hard for me to want to persevere through the book.
I think readers that enjoyed Book Lovers would also enjoy Amy Perry’s Assumptions. If you enjoy enemies to lovers, second chance romance and reverse grumpy sunshine, then this could be up your street too!
December 25, 2022
Laura Starkey's previous book, Rachel Ryan's Resolutions, was a pleasant surprise for me. As you can imagine, I jumped at the chance of reading the ARC for her second novel (cheers to Netgalley and Emblabooks for allowing me to do so.) Thankfully, it did not disappoint. At all.
Amy and Sam, once sworn enemies inside the English classroom and forced into almost peaceful coexistence outside of it by their mutual friend Hari, find themselves meeting again years after, when Amy ends up back in Rowton with her career taking an unexpected turn.
Amy is sometimes unnerving, but what can I say? I'm a sucker for imperfect, stubborn female characters. Even when you, as a reader, disagree with her, her emotions read so strong and vivid they almost jump from the page.
I would also like to highlight the role of all the secondary and minor characters, who give the story, and the village of Rowton a feeling of authenticity and a layer of warmth that truly adds to the cosiness of the novel.
To be honest, there is one character that didn't work for me at times, Pearl. There was something in her dialogue, I couldn't put my finger on what exactly, that did not feel right.
Overall, Amy Perry's Assumptions is an entertaining, endearing book that will leave you wishing for a weekend in Rowton and a real-life RomFest.
Amy and Sam, once sworn enemies inside the English classroom and forced into almost peaceful coexistence outside of it by their mutual friend Hari, find themselves meeting again years after, when Amy ends up back in Rowton with her career taking an unexpected turn.
Amy is sometimes unnerving, but what can I say? I'm a sucker for imperfect, stubborn female characters. Even when you, as a reader, disagree with her, her emotions read so strong and vivid they almost jump from the page.
I would also like to highlight the role of all the secondary and minor characters, who give the story, and the village of Rowton a feeling of authenticity and a layer of warmth that truly adds to the cosiness of the novel.
To be honest, there is one character that didn't work for me at times, Pearl. There was something in her dialogue, I couldn't put my finger on what exactly, that did not feel right.
Overall, Amy Perry's Assumptions is an entertaining, endearing book that will leave you wishing for a weekend in Rowton and a real-life RomFest.
January 13, 2023
Amy Perry left her small village for a publishing career in London and never looked back. Proudly unromantic, when she's forced to return home, tasked with setting up a new romance imprint, she finds herself having to face her past. Sam Ainsworth is the heir to the local country estate. In college, Amy and Sam butted heads on a daily basis, but underneath their arguments, there was a simmering attraction. Now she's going to have to work alongside him to create a festival of romance while facing up to all of her assumptions.
The story starts with a Shakespearean reference that fits the story perfectly. True to the title, Amy really makes a LOT of assumptions and frustrated me at times, but I really appreciated her development, particularly towards the end. On the other hand, I LOVED Sam immediately, and the banter between them was often fun. That said, I actually felt sorry for him at times, because Amy could win a gold medal for leaping to conclusions. Sam had the patience of a saint, whereas (at least for me) Amy was only truly relatable at her most vulnerable, which wasn't until towards the end. The supporting characters were all well-written, and I particularly liked Kit, Philippa, Grace, and Pearl. But this is really a story about Amy's personal growth, and even though the actual romance was secondary, it held my interest throughout.
The ending was adorably charming, and the epilogue really worked. I was also left rooting for Meg and Nisha to find their respective HEAs, plus wanting a ticket to any future RomFests... (please!)
Overall Rating: ❤️❤️❤️❤️
Heat Rating:
Emotional Rating: 💓😢😂😯🤦🏻♀️😒😡😢💔😊🥰😍
*Thanks to NetGalley for the opportunity to leave an honest review*
The story starts with a Shakespearean reference that fits the story perfectly. True to the title, Amy really makes a LOT of assumptions and frustrated me at times, but I really appreciated her development, particularly towards the end. On the other hand, I LOVED Sam immediately, and the banter between them was often fun. That said, I actually felt sorry for him at times, because Amy could win a gold medal for leaping to conclusions. Sam had the patience of a saint, whereas (at least for me) Amy was only truly relatable at her most vulnerable, which wasn't until towards the end. The supporting characters were all well-written, and I particularly liked Kit, Philippa, Grace, and Pearl. But this is really a story about Amy's personal growth, and even though the actual romance was secondary, it held my interest throughout.
The ending was adorably charming, and the epilogue really worked. I was also left rooting for Meg and Nisha to find their respective HEAs, plus wanting a ticket to any future RomFests... (please!)
Overall Rating: ❤️❤️❤️❤️
Heat Rating:
Emotional Rating: 💓😢😂😯🤦🏻♀️😒😡😢💔😊🥰😍
*Thanks to NetGalley for the opportunity to leave an honest review*
January 24, 2023
An enemies to lovers, ex-boyfriend to new-boyfriend story.
Amy is as unromantic as you can get, but she's never been in love. When her boyfriend (and owner of her company) Hugh surprises her after six months of dating by proposing in a hot air balloon, she panics and says no. Hugh makes it clear that things could be quite tricky at work now, so when she is offered the chance to re-locate back to her old neck of the woods and set up a new branch of the company, she leaps at the chance. Moving back gives her time to re-connect with her grandma as well as other faces from her past - including Sam, actual son of actual lord of the manor and whose teenage kiss remains the romantic highlight of her life.
Amy Perry's Assumptions is a well-told light read of a rom-com, it has some deft touches like the introduction of the RomFest (a book festival all about romance); some good side-swipes at publishing tropes, and a host of interesting characters. Amy is a hard character to start to like, she spurns olive branches like they're going out of fashion, but stick with it - you know what's coming as she changes her view on the world and opens her heart up to lurve! - and its well-handled by an author who clearly knows her stuff!
Amy is as unromantic as you can get, but she's never been in love. When her boyfriend (and owner of her company) Hugh surprises her after six months of dating by proposing in a hot air balloon, she panics and says no. Hugh makes it clear that things could be quite tricky at work now, so when she is offered the chance to re-locate back to her old neck of the woods and set up a new branch of the company, she leaps at the chance. Moving back gives her time to re-connect with her grandma as well as other faces from her past - including Sam, actual son of actual lord of the manor and whose teenage kiss remains the romantic highlight of her life.
Amy Perry's Assumptions is a well-told light read of a rom-com, it has some deft touches like the introduction of the RomFest (a book festival all about romance); some good side-swipes at publishing tropes, and a host of interesting characters. Amy is a hard character to start to like, she spurns olive branches like they're going out of fashion, but stick with it - you know what's coming as she changes her view on the world and opens her heart up to lurve! - and its well-handled by an author who clearly knows her stuff!
August 15, 2023
An interesting take on a rom-com with a very headstrong female lead whose blinkered views hold back her chance at romance for quite some time- You might say "the lady doth protest too much!"
Amy thinks she'd escaped the humdrum of her Warwickshire village for the bright lights of London where she had worked for a publishing house after university, so to find herself back home again is definitely not in her plans. And running into Sam constantly - the posh guy who'd shown a keen interest in her years ago - isn't helping matters. Unfortunately, Amy still bases much of her views about Sam and his life on assumptions she made as a teenager. Is she ready for change? Can she put those views behind her and actually give Sam a chance?
Amy is a stubborn character, inflexible for no good reason other than she seems unwilling to accept she was wrong about Sam. I guess if she'd been less stubborn the story would have been much shorter, but even so, sometimes less is more and this felt a little drawn out at times.
Nonetheless, this is a quick read with a lovely glimpse at the Midlands (call me biased :) LOL) as well as a bookish vibe, a witty style of writing after a slowish start. I look forward to reading more by this author.
Amy thinks she'd escaped the humdrum of her Warwickshire village for the bright lights of London where she had worked for a publishing house after university, so to find herself back home again is definitely not in her plans. And running into Sam constantly - the posh guy who'd shown a keen interest in her years ago - isn't helping matters. Unfortunately, Amy still bases much of her views about Sam and his life on assumptions she made as a teenager. Is she ready for change? Can she put those views behind her and actually give Sam a chance?
Amy is a stubborn character, inflexible for no good reason other than she seems unwilling to accept she was wrong about Sam. I guess if she'd been less stubborn the story would have been much shorter, but even so, sometimes less is more and this felt a little drawn out at times.
Nonetheless, this is a quick read with a lovely glimpse at the Midlands (call me biased :) LOL) as well as a bookish vibe, a witty style of writing after a slowish start. I look forward to reading more by this author.
February 14, 2023
When Amy Perry is first introduced to us, she is at the cusp of adulthood. She has spent the last few years in school as an acerbic witty person, pushing away everyone but one person. What happens at the end of that short prologue took me a little by surprise.
The story then jumps into the future with Amy in a job she enjoys and with a boyfriend she tolerates. After her birthday, things start to spiral out of control, and she is offered an out. This plan has her heading home to her grandmother's house and the assumptions of her childhood.
Amy is an editor, and there is some discussion between assumptions of genre fiction and happily-ever-afters. I am a fan of a well-written HEA and found it in this story. There have been times when the tropes deployed in this book have not worked for me. Here, each change in Amy's behaviour and what life threw at her were quite believable. I was cheering from the sidelines as all the characters interestingly played their parts.
Amy has stuck by what she thought was the safe way to live. She felt like she has drawn all the appropriate conclusions from the people around her. This last part proved the appropriateness of the title of the book.
Sam was a well-crafted counterpart to Amy. He was steady in his own way, had his own life that did not revolve around our leading lady, was supportive, and, despite all the independence, still carried a torch for her.
It was a quick read, with situations and plotlines that I had fun with. I would definitely recommend the book and the author to fans of this genre! I would also read another book written by the author if I get the chance.
I originally received an ARC thanks to NetGalley and the publishers, but the review is entirely based on my own reading experience.
The story then jumps into the future with Amy in a job she enjoys and with a boyfriend she tolerates. After her birthday, things start to spiral out of control, and she is offered an out. This plan has her heading home to her grandmother's house and the assumptions of her childhood.
Amy is an editor, and there is some discussion between assumptions of genre fiction and happily-ever-afters. I am a fan of a well-written HEA and found it in this story. There have been times when the tropes deployed in this book have not worked for me. Here, each change in Amy's behaviour and what life threw at her were quite believable. I was cheering from the sidelines as all the characters interestingly played their parts.
Amy has stuck by what she thought was the safe way to live. She felt like she has drawn all the appropriate conclusions from the people around her. This last part proved the appropriateness of the title of the book.
Sam was a well-crafted counterpart to Amy. He was steady in his own way, had his own life that did not revolve around our leading lady, was supportive, and, despite all the independence, still carried a torch for her.
It was a quick read, with situations and plotlines that I had fun with. I would definitely recommend the book and the author to fans of this genre! I would also read another book written by the author if I get the chance.
I originally received an ARC thanks to NetGalley and the publishers, but the review is entirely based on my own reading experience.
January 5, 2023
The story
Amy Perry grew up in a small Midland town. Her mother Lily left her and her father to discover herself, and when her father was ill with cancer and passed away, Amy continued to live with her grandmother. It’s now years later and Amy’s London life working for a publisher has imploded. Forced to leave London and return to her grandmother, Amy reconnects with her childhood friend Sam. How long can they deny their feelings for each other?
My thoughts
I recently read Rachel Ryan’s Resolutions, Laura Starkey’s debut, and love that this second book has similar vibes with a standalone story. Amy has had an emotional upbringing, but struggles to trust that the love will be there when she needs it. The “assumptions” in the book’s title are the key but Amy grows as a person to face the truth. This story has classic British writing style, lots of activities and a great focus on Amy’s professional career. A lovely read!
Read an eARC courtesy of NetGalley and the publisher
Publication date 10 January 2023
My rating 4/5 - ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️
Amy Perry grew up in a small Midland town. Her mother Lily left her and her father to discover herself, and when her father was ill with cancer and passed away, Amy continued to live with her grandmother. It’s now years later and Amy’s London life working for a publisher has imploded. Forced to leave London and return to her grandmother, Amy reconnects with her childhood friend Sam. How long can they deny their feelings for each other?
My thoughts
I recently read Rachel Ryan’s Resolutions, Laura Starkey’s debut, and love that this second book has similar vibes with a standalone story. Amy has had an emotional upbringing, but struggles to trust that the love will be there when she needs it. The “assumptions” in the book’s title are the key but Amy grows as a person to face the truth. This story has classic British writing style, lots of activities and a great focus on Amy’s professional career. A lovely read!
Read an eARC courtesy of NetGalley and the publisher
Publication date 10 January 2023
My rating 4/5 - ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️
January 16, 2023
Having read Rachel Ryan’s Resolutions at the tail end of last year, I knew this was a must read.
I found the start of the book quite slow and took me a wee while to really get into the book and enjoy the characters and their lives.
It was a very lighthearted, easy read with a bunch of good characters. Amy definitely annoyed me for the majority of the book. She was awkward and very self-absorbed which frustrated me but I did see the change and growth in her towards the end of the book - she grew and matured and it made me so happy!!
The story goes through real time events and was very true to read. Points made are things I can imagine happening in Amys life and the way she chose to navigate them.
It was funny, lighthearted with a pinch of romance - a book I’d recommend if you like those things. If you want something easy and something relatable.
Thank you to @instabooktours for having me on tour and to @laura_starkey and @emblabooks for allowing me a copy of the book!
I found the start of the book quite slow and took me a wee while to really get into the book and enjoy the characters and their lives.
It was a very lighthearted, easy read with a bunch of good characters. Amy definitely annoyed me for the majority of the book. She was awkward and very self-absorbed which frustrated me but I did see the change and growth in her towards the end of the book - she grew and matured and it made me so happy!!
The story goes through real time events and was very true to read. Points made are things I can imagine happening in Amys life and the way she chose to navigate them.
It was funny, lighthearted with a pinch of romance - a book I’d recommend if you like those things. If you want something easy and something relatable.
Thank you to @instabooktours for having me on tour and to @laura_starkey and @emblabooks for allowing me a copy of the book!
March 31, 2023
Today is my stop on the tour for Amy Perry’s Assumptions by Laura Starkey 💖 Thank you so much Insta Book Tours and Embala Books for having me!
This was a very cute read! I love stories where the main character has to go back to their small town and come face to face with how much they have changed. Unfortunately, I was not a fan of the main character Amy at all �� There were so many parts where I just wanted to shout “why are you like this?!” However, I fell in love with all of the other characters in this book! I loved their tight-knit community and Amy’s Nan was amazing! Plus, Sam was a dream!
There were a lot of funny moments in this story and also a great depiction of how to cope with grief. I really enjoyed Laura Starkey’s writing and I am definitely interested in reading more from her!
This was a very cute read! I love stories where the main character has to go back to their small town and come face to face with how much they have changed. Unfortunately, I was not a fan of the main character Amy at all �� There were so many parts where I just wanted to shout “why are you like this?!” However, I fell in love with all of the other characters in this book! I loved their tight-knit community and Amy’s Nan was amazing! Plus, Sam was a dream!
There were a lot of funny moments in this story and also a great depiction of how to cope with grief. I really enjoyed Laura Starkey’s writing and I am definitely interested in reading more from her!
April 10, 2023
***Spoilers***
A few things first: Amy Perry deserves a good shaking! I had such a hard time rooting for someone that is so incredibly undeserving! I could not come around to Amy. This woman has so much to be thankful for; she's so miserable; and yet good, decent people want to be friends with her/work with her/love her? I don't know; imo she deserved the likes of Hugh.
I'm a new fan of Laura Starkey's, and I adore her stories! However, I (mistakenly) read Rachel Ryan's Resolutions before reading Amy Perry's Assumptions (back to back!), and, imo, Rachel Ryan's Resolutions was just *chef's kiss*. That doesn't mean that Amy Perry's Assumptions was not enjoyable, I just connected more strongly to the characters and the story of RR'sR than AP'sA.
I am looking forward to reading more from Laura Starkey in the future! 😊
A few things first: Amy Perry deserves a good shaking! I had such a hard time rooting for someone that is so incredibly undeserving! I could not come around to Amy. This woman has so much to be thankful for; she's so miserable; and yet good, decent people want to be friends with her/work with her/love her? I don't know; imo she deserved the likes of Hugh.
I'm a new fan of Laura Starkey's, and I adore her stories! However, I (mistakenly) read Rachel Ryan's Resolutions before reading Amy Perry's Assumptions (back to back!), and, imo, Rachel Ryan's Resolutions was just *chef's kiss*. That doesn't mean that Amy Perry's Assumptions was not enjoyable, I just connected more strongly to the characters and the story of RR'sR than AP'sA.
I am looking forward to reading more from Laura Starkey in the future! 😊
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
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