Let's Not Be Friends

by Phoebe MacLeod

The course of true love never did run smooth, but with Phoebe MacLeod it always gets a second chance. Perfect for fans of Jo Watson, Mhairi McFarlane and Portia MacIntosh.

What's a girl to do when Prince Charming turns into a frog?

City girl Sophie has married the prince (or landed gentry - close enough), moved to his pile (which is more accurate a description than she’d anticipated) and is set to live happily ever after with the love of her life . . . until she finds the other half of her perfect life in the stables with the stable girl, and they’re definitely not grooming the horses.

Shocked and appalled, Sophie’s no happier to learn that she’s supposed to 'just get on with it'. After all, according to her mother-in-law, she got the title . . . they even overlooked her family’s ‘new money’ status.

But Sophie is no one's doormat and there's no way she's going to turn a blind eye to her husband's infidelity. There may be some bumps on the road, but Sophie is going to find the life she deserves

Genres: Romance, Audiobook, Chick Lit, Contemporary, Fiction, Rom Com, Contemporary Romance

256 pages, Paperback

Published November 23, 2022

About the author

Phoebe MacLeod is married and lives just outside Sevenoaks in Kent. She has two grown-up sons at university, and a disobedient dog. She enjoys reading, cooking, playing the piano and walking the dog. She’s also keen on vintage and classic cars and can often be seen behind the wheel of her own classic - a 1928 Ford Model A.

Reviews

[Nina (ninjasbooks) · Rating 2 out of 5]

There were no laughs for me reading it, just an unremarkable story with forgettable characters. I didn’t feel anything much reading unfortunately, other than wondering why I kept at it for so long.

[buket · Rating 1 out of 5]

i'm not gonna rate this because i don't want first rate to be 1 star

i don't know if i'm the problem but this wasn't romance 😐 the heroine's husband cheated on her and they tried counseling (first 1/3 of the book) then they tried to get a divorce. the hero got introduced with us at %54 briefly and next time we saw him was %62 and their conversations were limited. husband's family degraded heroine constantly and husband keeps cheating her while counseling

when i decide to read romance i wanna see some ROMANCE....

also this one doesn't have an epilogue so the ending was abrupt.

thanks to netgalley for the arc in exchange for an honest review!

[anouk♡ semi-hiatus · Rating 1 out of 5]

oh god, I feel a rant coming..

[V · Rating 4 out of 5]

A great read following a woman dealing with a cheating husband and rediscovering life for herself. The writing was so easy to read and had me hooked throughout. I liked how it was more of a discovering herself type of novel rather than a romance but it is a bit strange that its being advertised as a romance. That's not what I would label it as.

4/5 stars. Thank you to NetGalley and the author for this copy to review.

[Rach Douglas · Rating 3 out of 5]

The title of the novel was slightly misleading… the story was more about Sophie’s life post leaving her cheating husband and only the latter stages involved her seeing him again so yeh the title confused me slightly. I was always waiting for something to happen to “not be friends”. But all in all a nice story. I liked Sophie and her braveness to leave James and make it on her own! The friends, work colleagues and guy she meets along the way were good character additions to the story! 3.5*

[Bevany · Rating 4 out of 5]

Cute book for anyone who's had a bad breakup or divorce and could use a romantic uplifting story about second chances.

[Christy Hagelthorn · Rating 2 out of 5]

Probably one of the most boring books I’ve ever read

[Melody Alms · Rating 4 out of 5]

Easy read

Easy read a little dry in the middle. The ending was good but abrupt. Loved the strong female lead and of course the farm.

[GracePackman · Rating 4 out of 5]

Such an easy read, fell in love with the characters!!

[jasi · Rating 3 out of 5]

2.5/5⭐️

this was not it :/

[Janilyn Kocher · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sophie got burned big time in her marriage to James. She caught him cheating on her and her vicious mother in law revealed some truths to her as well. She leaves the cheating slug and lands on her feet.
I liked Sophie’s attitude. She doesn’t wallow in her losses but forges ahead in rebuilding her life.
I liked her confidence and how she set goals for herself and accomplished those. She also didn’t close herself off to a new relationship either.
It’s a solid read with Down to earth situations that are completely relatable..
Thanks to Boldwood Books and NetGalley for the early read.

[Valeria · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 ⭐️

[mrsljgibbs · Rating 4 out of 5]

I would firstly just like to say a big thank you to Rachel’s Random Resources who very kindly forwarded me an arc copy of this book, for my Kindle, in return for my honest review.

Let’s Not Be Friends is a wonderful second chance story and was also very heartwarming.

Sophie’s other half cheats on her, so she finds some inner strength and tries to work things out.

Both her husband and her mother in law were really horrible characters and all the way through I disliked them, a lot! It made me wonder how someone as nice as Sophie could put up with them…..

This was a fun read and included a wonderful journey of self discovery and I loved Sophie - just one thing though, I would have loved an epilogue…….

[Assia · Rating 3 out of 5]

Sophie, a young event planner, left her busy life in London to follow her new husband and live a country life. But a few years down the road, she founds him and the stablewoman in the stables, she's rethinking her place in this life. Will she try to save her marriage or will she leave and start anew?

This book turned out to be more General Fiction than Romance, which surprised me to be honest. It was a fun and quick read, with snarky comments here and there, but it was more a story about a young woman's journey to self-discovery.
Sophie is a confident woman, and it was a treat to see her navigate through life, with her no-bullshit attittude.
The ending was a bit abrupt for my taste. I often expect an epilogue in my books now, and here I find one would have been useful to finish the story properly.

I do recommend reading it if you're looking for a cute little story!

Thank you to NetGalley, Boldwood Books and the author for this eARC in exchange for an honest review.

[Shannon · Rating 2 out of 5]

This British love after divorce and being terribly cheated on just wasn't for me. I didn't particularly connect with the main character and couldn't get into the story. Nothing against the book it just didn't hit for me. The audio quality was good though if you like audiobooks and the cover was cute!

[mica · Rating 4 out of 5]

if you want a book romance, this isn't it. This is a book about a woman turning her life around after she saw her husband cheating... is it good? yeah! is it romance? no... does it have romance? yes! but barely, and at the end so don't read it just because of that. regardless, I did enjoy it!

[Soph 🏎️ · Rating 2 out of 5]

this was borderline painful

[Enya Miche · Rating 3 out of 5]

Perfect for a tub read or a quick escape, Let’s Not Be Friends by Phoebe MacLeod is a sweet tale of do-overs, second chances, redemption, and recovery.

Having continued success as an event planner, Sophie finally gets the ultimate challenge – planning her own wedding to the man of dreams. After saying “I do”, the story jumps four years into the future where we rejoin Sophie with her new title, in her new home, and living her new life. The true glimpse of what happens after the fairytale, we find that not all marriages end with “and they lived happily ever after”. In fact, what Sophie finds is her husband, James, with the groomer on top of a haystack! Distraught and enraged, Sophie seeks comfort in her mother-in-law to only discover how the family truly viewed her and what she could do for them in the long run!

Unlike most books that have the couple break up and the main character move on, Phoebe kept the story true to form. Sophie and James have it out and Sophie decides to give James another chance to redeem himself as a loving, devoted husband. Four weeks later, through a series of events and yet another blow-up, Sophie decides enough is enough and reclaims her dignity and self-respect. Now, Sophie has a second chance at the life she left behind four years ago. Through friends, family, and a chance run-in with a former boss, Sophie has the opportunity to take what she has learned about herself, love, commitment, and community to re-do her life and be the person she knows she is capable of being.

What I liked about the book: I loved how much Phoebe focused on the past and present relationship with Sophie and James. We didn’t fast forward to the divorce and suddenly Sophie was with Elliott, Phoebe wanted us to see the growth Sophie had to go through, the ups and downs, the breaking and rebuild, to be able to protect herself, trust herself, and then trust others before she finally let Elliott in. We also had a chance to learn about the others in her life, proving she wasn’t alone and it takes a village to get you through something that devastating. I also found it remarkable how the rich and those with titles, despite being above most, still find a way to feud. Her father was a billionaire and yet Rosalind still looked down on her and didn’t believe she was good enough for James.

What I didn’t like about the book: I felt there was more of the story to tell. While I understand the primary focus of the book was the journey of rediscovering herself and the lessons she learned along the way, being designated as a romantic comedy, I felt like the book ended right when Sophie’s relationship with Elliott was beginning. We had so much time to look into her work relationship, her family dynamic, her former marriage, that I felt like the door was suddenly slammed shut when we were getting a glimpse into her current love life and the possibilities of the future.

What I am indifferent about but feel I should mention: When I finished this book, the first thing I said was “What did I just read?” Here is why: in most books I feel there is huge character development based on the events that take place, situations that transform them so substantially, you want to stand up and applaud. In Sophie’s case, she just went back to who she always was. She was always capable of standing up for herself, having her own voice, and taking control of situations – her father emphasized the importance of independence all of her life. So when she left James, she pretty much continued the life she had four years prior. She went back to a job she already excelled at and back to friends and family that were always there. Yes, being completely on her own for the first time in years was a step forward but she began spending time with Elliott and the rest of her neighbors soon after so while living alone was fairly new, she quickly rectified that by having folks close to her to support her, as she had before. James never grew – he was an egotistical imbecile and still was by the end of the book. Rosalind never changed, she still looked down her nose at everyone. For this reason, I felt like the story was more event recollection than a prolific journey of self discovery and revelations. Sophie mentioned the way she succeeded at her job was being able to psychoanalyze those around her and use that knowledge to interact. That logic overshadowed a sense of change in the story and promoted her ability to simply adapt.

Let’s Not Friends is a wonderful tale for those who believe it’s never too late to begin again. Trust your inner voice, value your self-worth, and never feel like you have to settle.

[Tessa Talks Books · Rating 4 out of 5]

What's it about (in a nutshell):
Let’s Not Be Friends by Phoebe MacLeod is a women’s fiction story of empowerment mixed with a bit of romance and light-hearted moments. It’s billed as a romantic comedy in the book description, but it really isn’t. It is a somewhat realistic tale of breaking free from a cheating husband and rediscovering yourself.
Initial Expectations (before beginning the book):
In the title, the book says that it’s a laugh-out-loud, feel-good romantic comedy and the cartoonish cover corroborates that statement. So, that’s precisely what I’m expecting.
Actual Reading Experience:
Let’s Not Be Friends is nothing like what I expected, but I was okay with that. Instead, it is a relatively light women’s empowerment story about a wife who finds out her husband is cheating in the worst possible way. She agrees to stay and work on the marriage, but only if he agrees to counseling and with the understanding that if he cheats again, that is the end of their marriage. And ultimately, she had to walk away and rediscover who she is as an adult and what she wants to do. There is a very light romance in the story, and there are no surprises in the turn of events, but still, I enjoyed this story very much.
I enjoyed watching Sophie develop a backbone most of all and finding out how much strength she had. It’s so refreshing to have a story go in this direction rather than the other way. I loved her attitude and how she made life happen rather than wait for it to happen. I also loved how she figured out how to create a better situation with one co-worker. That was very inspiring.
Lastly, the romance - To be honest, everything about it was super predictable to the point where Sophie’s cluelessness over what was so apparent to me became a little annoying. But it is still an excellent pairing, and I love how Elliott is in every way James’ opposite.
Characters:
Sophie is raised by wealthy self-made parents – one of the nouveau riche set. She has never wanted anything, but she was presented with the reality that you need to provide for yourself as an adult, not try to live off her parents’ money. This directly conflicts with how her husband, a landed gentry, looks at her.
James sees dollar signs when he looks at Sophie. In his mind, as well as that of his mother, he has the title, and she has the cash, so he feels that makes an equitable partnership. He doesn’t seem to understand that Sophie doesn’t want an arrangement; she wants a true marriage in every loving sense of the word.
Narration & Pacing:
The narration is in first person, and the pacing is rapid, both of which I enjoyed. First-person narration often aids in keeping the pace fast, which is the case in this novel. Sophie makes a pretty good narrator. At first, I grew a little weary over James;’ infidelity, but her strength grew as time passed, and I enjoyed the front-seat ticket to experiencing that with her.

Setting:
The setting is around London – primarily outside the city for half of the story, and the other half is the estate where Sophie lives with her husband and his widowed mother. The estate is run down and requires many repairs, but it is also hemorrhaging money, so they can’t afford the upkeep.

Read if you like:
• Women empowerment stories
• Light romance
• Hopeful tales

[Isabella W · Rating 2 out of 5]

The book is definitely a nice story to read on a quiet summer afternoon, it had me glued to the pages and I finished it in no time. However, there were a few things I noticed the further I got into the story that made it a little superficial.

1. The main character is unfortunately a bit of a Mary Sue. I was waiting for the point were she would show her flaws, mess something up or fail at doing anything. Low and behold, she was generous, well-spoken, thought-through and could do anything from changing a Land Rovers tyre to quad biking to you have it. When she started making little mistakes at work, I anticipated a turn to the story and her problems catching up with her, but then it turns out she was just being sabotaged. I suppose her main fault was that she gave her former husband a second chance in the first place, which sounded a little unrealistic given her thoughts and reactions, as well as her support systems'.

2. The new romance blossoming in the second part of the book felt very matter-of-factly. It was immediately clear to me who he was upon their first meeting, even that he would be the neighbour, and all their conversations, especially after the fire was lit, were very unusually calm and collected. I know from experience that going from friends to lovers messes with your head in ways that are good and bad, but all their conversations about it were just so 'best-case-scenario'. I get that these are two people who got burned and are therefore more outspoken in what they want from a partner, but the way they defined the relationship was very business-like, there seemed to be no doubt or second thoughts at all...

3. I was not impressed with the huge role her parents and money played in the story. It seemed unbelievable to me that someone who had that kind of support would spend so many years in a rather unhappy marriage. While the author tried to portray the main character as an unspoiled, hard-working woman despite her father's wealth, it was still pretty convenient that her parents were there to give her loans to rent an amazing flat, and that their 'butler' set up said flat completely. While she definitely was not reliant on her fathers' money, she was happy to make use of it when offered.
As chance would have it, the new love interest is also pretty rich, and from that point on, I honestly could not relate to any of the characters anymore. Their conversations were picture-perfect, their money troubles not existent besides the question where to put it, and the new romance seemed perfect from the beginning...

While this reads now as if I disliked the book, let me assure you I certainly did not. It was still a great story to read, and the witty dialogue between some of the minor characters often made me smile. I just do not see it as very realistic, but maybe I have become too much of a cynic and should stick with murder mysteries.

All in all, it takes a lot of blood, sweat and tears to publish a book and I would like to congratulate the author on having achieved that, and hope that maybe she might take some constructive feedback from this review (if she ever reads it).

[Emily Christopher · Rating 4 out of 5]

Let’s Not Be Friends
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Genre: Romance
Format: Kindle eBook
Date Published: 11/23/22
Author: Phoebe MacLeod
Publisher: Boldwood Books
Pages: 268
GR: 3.73

I requested a digital advanced readers copy from NetGalley and Boldwood Books and providing my opinion voluntarily and unbiased.

My Thoughts: Content warning of cheating. Sophie got burned with a cheating husband, she was left to mend her broken heart, while starting over. Sophie had a very toxic relationship, not only with her cheating husband, but with his mother as well. Sophie was able to stand in her truth and come out a stronger, more resilient woman. Sophie made you believe in her, her confidence, her no nonsense attitude. The issues presented in this story happen everyday and are extremely relatable. Enter Elliot about halfway through the book, he was the perfect hero. He was shy, had been hurt before, cautious, but yet strong and independent. MacLeod does a great job of the history between Sophie and James, where it went off the rails and then introducing Elliot. The book ended kind of abruptly, I wish there was a little more focus on Sophie and Elliot’s story and where they ultimately ended up. Having said that, I still feel like this was a wonderful story that I enjoyed. The characters were well developed with depth, witty banter, chemistry, and creatively woven. The author’s writing style, which I love, is complex, creative, funny, intriguing, and absolutely engaging. I love MacLeod’s books and have read a few. I highly recommend picking up this book!

[Natalie Waterworth · Rating 5 out of 5]

I absolutely loved this book, it was funny, relatable and empowering! It's about Sophie, a recently married city girl who moved to the country to live happily every after with her new husband - or so she thought. After she catches him cheating on her with the farm's stable girl, her whole life is turned upside down as she tries to get back on her feet and rebuild the life she deserves.
Sophie is such a relatable character, I've been stuck in some really sh*tty relationships in the past, and reading about her no-bullsh*t attitude was amazing. I wish I'd read this book earlier as it may have given me the courage to leave my ex who also, like Sophie's, thought he was the greatest thing in the world to ever happen to me and that I wouldn't cope without him. I felt myself relating to Sophie at every step of this book, from the heartache, to having to move home, to learning to live alone again, an learning to love again. It is the perfect representation of rebuilding yourself after a failed relationship you invested so much time into. It helps you learn those red flags from the get go, preventing this from happening again, and showing you what to avoid in order to get the love you deserve.
I would recommend this book to absolutely anyone, but especially people who have been in a bad relationship, or are trying out life alone for the first time. Not to sound cliché, but this story shows you how things really do get better, and one failed relationship doesn't dictate your life, but it teaches you what you need t make yourself happy.

[Louise Tutin · Rating 3 out of 5]

I got this book for free from prime, so i had no idea what it was about, but it was a easy enjoyable read. I wish emotions were more explored especially with the divorced and living of her own again and having to start her life all over again.

Sophie’s life seems kind of prefect other then her husband cheating on her, and she does find a new man, so it just feels a little 2D dimensional her life.

All in all, quick easy read! About a women rediscovering her life again after divorcing!

[liza · Rating 2 out of 5]

oh I really, really wish Sophie had destroyed James’s life. He got off way too easily in the end it was almost anti climatic how easy the divorce and everything was?

Enjoyed reading about Sophie hold her ground and not losing her sense of self worth though. Her new romance was sweet if honestly uninteresting. Needed more Bronwyn and Emily time!

[Melissa · Rating 2 out of 5]

I listened to this on spotify and i really liked the narrator. But as far as the story goes i wouldn't call this romance. The story was cute, but it was more the story of a woman overcoming her divorce than the story of a woman falling in love...which is fine. But then don't call this a romance.

[Frances · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is your typical nice girl turns out to be married to a horrible husband…. Finding a new life eventually… but all the in between is interwoven with a nice story.
Pleasant narration

[Sarah Wakeford · Rating 3 out of 5]

Another trash novel. Not bad. Not bad

[Katarina · Rating 3 out of 5]

Listened to this as an audiobook on Spotify

[Connie Johnson · Rating 3 out of 5]

Pretty standard English romance. Wife catches husband cheating. Gives him second chance. He does it again. Kept my interest.

[Adele Shea · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really got stuck into this book but the ending was very anti climactic in my eyes.