‘SIMPLY BRILLIANT… I finished the book at 3:40 am and I was so happy that I lost my hours of sleep over this book. One of my great midnight reads.’ Book Reviews by Shalini, ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐He was perfect. Denim-blue eyes, a dazzling smile. And he hadn’t sent me a picture of his junk. Which is about as rare, these days, as a Dodo.When Sloane met Myles, everything fell into place. He loved a Martini almost as … everything fell into place. He loved a Martini almost as much as she did, shared her passion for four-cheese pizzas, and made her laugh harder than any episode of Friends. She’d found The One at last and she could finally delete Tinder, forgetting all those waste-of-space men she’d never have to date again.
But then she finds out that Myles has a secret. A very big one.
The fairytale is over. Her heart is blown to smithereens. Drowning her sorrows in Ben & Jerry’s can only get Sloane so far before she has to decide… Can she learn to love herself more than she loved the love of her life? And what if, after everything, she’s got Myles – and his secret – all wrong?
No, We Can’t Be Friends is a brilliantly relatable, fiesty and feel-good novel that every woman with a waste-of-space ex HAS to read! If you’re a fan of romantic comedies by Sophie Kinsella and Lindsey Kelk, and TV shows like Crazy Ex-Girlfriend and Jane the Virgin, pick up this unmissable book – you won’t regret it.
Readers totally love No, We Can’t Be Friends:
‘Had me laughing out loud! What a refreshing read… Excellent… If you need a feel-good, funny, witty read, this should be it!’ A Book with Review, ⭐⭐⭐⭐
‘Made me scream with laughter… There are no words to adequately describe how much I adored this book… I read the entire story in one sitting.’ The Bespectacled Bibliophile, ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
‘Had me hooked right through to the very last word!… Had me smiling from ear to ear, I laughed at some of her antics and I absolutely LOVED the ending (and yes, it did make me cry just a little bit)!… An emotional, heart-warming story with plenty of love and laughter.’ Stardust Book Reviews, ⭐⭐⭐⭐
‘Simply brilliant and absolutely unputdownable… So good. Like, so so good… I literally devoured it in one go and that’s never happened to me before… Honestly I can’t praise this book enough.’ Goodreads Reviewer, ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
‘Cracked me up from the very beginning of this book!! I could not stop laughing!… One story that pulled on my heart strings…’ Heidi Lynn Book Reviews, ⭐⭐⭐⭐
‘I LOVED IT!… STRONG, relatable, & a kickass female lead! Guess what the best revenge to a broken heard is??? I’ll tell you it’s moving the HELL ON! I was there for every minute of the narrative. The last part of the book is worth it! It was the best ending!’ Book Sparks, ⭐⭐⭐⭐
‘I absolutely adored this book… Made me laugh out loud.’ Goodreads Reviewer, ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
’Absolutely everything chick lit should be!… Did I laugh? You betcha! Did my self-esteem feel a bit of a boost? Yup! Do I feel a sense of hope that things will work out okay? Absolutely!… I’d say this book ticked all the right boxes for me… Page-turner!’ One Page at a Time, ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
‘I really loved this book.’ Goodreads Reviewer, ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
‘I just adored this book!… A very relatable story as any of us who have gone through a long-term relationship breakup or a divorce will vouch for, but also very uplifting and heart-warming.’ Reading Tonic, ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
’Honestly I can’t praise this book enough.’ Goodreads Reviewer, ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
‘Really loved this book… Devoured it in one sitting. Totally recommended.’ Goodreads Reviewer, ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
‘Has put a smile on my face.’ B for Bookreview, ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
‘UNPUTDOWNABLE.’ Goodreads Reviewer, ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐more
Sophie Ranald is quickly becoming one of my favourite, one-click chick lit authors. This was definitely not a rom-com, as suggested in the subtitle, but it did have that feel-good factor, a completely relatable heroine, and that all-important HEA I adore in a good chick lit story. The story is about Sloane, who’s married to Myles, a guy who seems to be almost perfect. Well, that is until he’s not. This is a tale of recovery, of learning to love yourself, and of moving on. Although sometimes sad, the story is ultimately uplifting, and I found myself thoroughly invested in Sloane, rooting for her every step of the way.
Sloane’s trying times: living through the grief was worth it!
What a delightful story! Not a laugh a minute, but warm and fun because, ultimately, Sloane finds herself (and contented happiness). Her trying times with perfect friend Bianca and demanding husband Myles provide the angst and tension, the hurt and feelings of betrayal, that make the joyous holiday ending that much more deserved for a career woman with a business and partner she loves, a compassionate way with her clients, but a sinking suspicion that her home life is NOT going well at all!
The secondary characters are well-drawn and not too intrusive; after all, this is Sloane’s story and told completely from her perspective. I especially liked Vivienne, the faded actress with her own troubled marital history and the sad, touching story of Sloane’s relationship with her mother Linda.
I can’t think of a single element in this story that did not work for me. I will be reading more by this author for sure!
Thanks to publisher Bookouture and NetGalley for providing a complimentary advance copy of the book; this is my voluntary and honest review.
Sloane, age 34, has been married to Myles for 5 years. She and her friend, Megan, own and run a talent agency and Myles works as an architect. Now, Sloane has decided that she wants to get pregnant but Myles is not convinced.
Currently, they are remodeling their home to give it more living space. Myles is orchestrating the work and his friend, Bianca, is doing the interior design. Sloane has been given little or no input. With all of this going on, Sloane realizes that having a baby won’t be anytime soon.
When Sloane takes a risky step and checks Myles’s phone, she finds some texts between him and Bianca that hurt her deeply – especially the one where he says he never loved Sloane. When she confronts him, he immediately turns the tables on her trying to make her the bad person by invading the privacy of his phone and storms out. Sloane is heartbroken but tries to carry on with her job and her life.
Sloane is a strong character and truly caring about others. In this story, we meet a number of intriguing characters all touched in some way by Sloane. The kindness of her soul seems to draw people to her and to me, that’s the best part of this story. I especially loved the character of Vivienne, but boo-hiss to Myles.
Sophie Ranald is a great author and this is the second book of hers that I have read. I shall be looking forward to reading more by her.
Copy provided by NetGalley in exchange for a fair and honest review.
Thank you NetGalley for allowing me to read this in advance.
When you find your soul mate you hope to buy your own house start a family. I mean that’s what we dream of when we grow up. We give our hearts to our spouse. For Sloane that’s what she wanted. She had her own house with her husband Myles she had a great career only thing left was to start a family, but to Myles what was the rush. At 34 years old it’s not like Sloane’s Biological clock was ticking. It all takes a turn when Sloane finds out her husband May be cheating.
No, we can’t be friends was and is a very relatable story. Unfortunately women do go through this everyday. I like to think with Sloane’s story Sophie Ranald was trying to tell her readers just because you’ve been married for 5, 10, 15 years doesn’t mean there isn’t someone out there that want give you what you want instead of promises that keep being made and never fulfilled.
Sometimes in the book I wanted to yell at Sloane and shake her and tell her do not take that crap from him. Others I want to be here friend and hug her.
Sophie Ranald’s No, We Can’t Be Friends is the perfect blend of wit, romance, and poignance. Sloane and Myles have been married for five years, and have settled into a sense of domesticity and trust. Or so Sloane thought. While in the process of trying to have a baby, Sloane discovers that Myles has a secret, and the life she thought she had ends up taking a U-turn. This novel tracks her journey of self-(re)discovery as she reclaims her life and leaves her old one behind.
I love a strong, yet human, female protagonist, and Sloane fits this bill and then some. Her trajectory isn’t fluid, it’s messy, and you feel like you’re along for the entire ride. There was nothing about this novel that felt overwrought or stodgy; I was there for every minute of the narrative. And, without spoiling anything, let’s just say I found the last third of the book to be wholly satisfying and rewarding.
This is a great read for anyone who loves a hint of romance packed into a whole lot of female empowerment. This is the first novel of Ranald’s that I’ve read, and it definitely won’t be my last. (I also wouldn’t be sad if this got made into a film. Just saying.)
**A huge thank you to NetGalley and Bookouture for providing me with an ARC in exchange for my honest review.**
Sloane Cassidy feels like everything in her life is in the right place to start her family, she co-owns a successful PR agency and she’s been married to her husband Myles for 5 years. After a few months of unsuccessfully trying Slone’s determined to not be discouraged but her once easy marriage starts to feel like more work. After a strange conversation with a friend stirs up her suspicions she decides it’s time to clear the air and find out what’s really been going on.
I really enjoyed this book. Yes, the first half is spent with Slone trying to keep her marriage to Myles together, and yes he’s an absolute jerk to her. Ending a marriage is a massive decision and not one that should be taken lightly, and she doesn’t, it actually seems pretty realistic that the first half was watching their marriage fall apart. You also don’t stop loving someone immediately because they’ve made a mistake (I’m not defending Myles’ choice), Slone needed time to come to terms with it. In the beginning, I found myself pulling for Slone and Myles, wanting the affair to be untrue, and their marriage to be salvaged. As the story progressed I found myself slowly hating Myles, still heartbroken for Slone, but feeling like she’d be better off without him. In my opinion, that’s a sign of a good author, Sophie Ranald was able to completely shift my emotions so that by the ending, I was wishing a pretty terrible fate on Myles. While pretty serious this book does have some humor, great banter, and lovable secondary characters, This is a great read, especially for anyone with a jerk of an ex.