Review & Giveaway: 'You Can't Fall in Love With Your Ex (Can You?)' by Sophie Ranald (2015)

Thirteen years ago, Laura thought her life was over. Now, she’s nailed being a grown-up. Married to the gorgeous Jonathan, she has two wonderful (if high-maintenance) children and a free pass into the school-gate elite. So what if once in a blue moon she still daydreams about Felix, the man who broke her heart? After all, living well is the best revenge. 

But then an unexpected encounter turns everything upside down. How can Laura risk throwing away everything she has for a dream of the past? She can’t be falling in love with Felix all over again... can she?

I've had the absolute pleasure of reading and reviewing some of author Sophie Ranald's work before and I really loved her romantic comedy novels 'A Groom with a View' (click here to read my review) and 'The Frog Prince' (click here to read my review). Sophie's writing style is always a joy to dive back into and combined with a captivating plotline and convincing group of characters I have come to look forward to picking up whatever she has written. So, when I heard about her latest novel 'You Can't Fall in Love with Your Ex (Can You?)', which was released in August 2015, I couldn't wait to give it a shot!

Thirty-something Laura has everything many women dream of: she's happily married to her handsome husband Jonathan, they live in a beautiful home with their two lovely kids, and as a stay-at-home mum Laura fits in perfectly with the elite group of school-gate parents. However, sometimes Laura can't help but think back to her twenties, when she was a promising ballerina and still in love with her ex, Felix. When Laura goes to a modern-day version of 'A Midsummer Night's Dream', the unexpected happens when she bumps into Felix, after all these years. Suddenly, she finds herself questioning her current life and the decisions she has made, wondering what if and whether she really has to let go of the past or not.

From the first few chapters of this novel, I was already fascinated by the characters and storyline and was really curious to find out more, just like with the other Sophie Ranald novels I've had the pleasure of reading. Protagonist Laura finds herself in a situation where she is suddenly confronted with her past and she starts to wonder what many of us asks ourselves every now again: what if? What if she had stayed with her ex Felix? What if things had gone differently? I think Laura is a character many readers will be able to relate to and I personally really liked the fact that as a reader I got to know Laura in both her twenties and her thirties, thanks to the various flashbacks. This really showed what happened to her and what got her to this point in her life. 

There is a realistic and fascinating cast of characters at the core of the novel, such as Laura's ex Felix and her new friend Ze. I liked the fact that there was also more to the story than just Laura's experiences, giving the story more body. However, I can't really put a finger to it, but I was missing something that the author's other stories did have. I missed the humour and I somehow didn't connect with Laura as much as I would have liked. The book was enjoyable and the writing was well-paced and flowed well, but it isn't my favourite Sophie Ranald read. Overall, 'You Can't Fall in Love with Your Ex (Can You?)' is a light and entertaining read which I enjoyed, but just wasn't entirely blown away by. If you're looking for your next women's fiction read, don't hesitate to pick up a Sophie Ranald novel, it'll be worth it!
Rating:8/10

  For more information about this book: Amazon.co.uk / Amazon.com / Goodreads

Thanks to the author for providing me with a review copy in exchange for an honest review.

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Giveaway of 'You Can't Fall in Love With Your Ex (Can You?)'!
I'm incredibly excited to be able to make 2 readers very happy with an e-book copy of Sophie Ranald's latest release! Just follow the instructions on the Rafflecopter below; good luck to everyone! :)
a Rafflecopter giveaway

Review: 'The Frog Prince' by Sophie Ranald (2014)

Not all stories end with happily-ever-after… 
On paper, Will Turner seems like the ideal man: he’s gorgeous, has a GSOH and looks great in a pair of Marigolds. Oh, and his tech start-up has made him rich beyond his wildest dreams. So why can’t he find the perfect girlfriend? 
Stella’s just moved in with Will’s best mate Julian, and she’d love Will to settle down too, ideally with a New Best Friend for her. She persuades him to try online dating – but there’s a catch. Will has to go undercover and pretend to be an average, hard-working bloke. He’ll do the big reveal only when he’s found Ms Right. 
What could possibly go wrong? 
While Will encounters ticking biological clocks, YouTube pick-up artists and a cat called Muggle, Stella's own fairytale isn’t working out quite as she imagined. Is her heart really in the right place? And has she left it too late to kiss her prince?
Last year I got the chance to be introduced to author Sophie Ranald's work after she contacted me about being part of the blog tour for her novel 'A Groom With a View.' I fell in love with the book (click here to read my review) and I still can't recommend it enough to other chick lit fans. So, when Sophie e-mailed me about possibly reviewing her latest novel 'The Frog Prince', which was released on the 16th of December 2014, I couldn't shout out 'YES' quickly enough! I straight away loved the cover and the blurb promised another wonderful romantic comedy which I couldn't wait to get stuck in. I definitely had high hopes for this one and sincerely hoped the book would manage to live up to them!
Twenty-something Stella is incredibly excited to finally move in with her handsome boyfriend Julian, who just moved from Canada to London. It doesn't matter that their apartment is quite small and that she will be forced to spend most of her time cleaning up after Julian because he has a full-time job and she's still on the look-out for one... As long as they're together, it's Stella's own fairytale-come-true, right? Luckily, there's Julian's best friend Will to keep Stella distracted. Will is a great guy, but also incredibly rich thanks to his clever tech start-up and somehow this only attracts models who are more interested in his money than anything else. Stella decides it is time for Will to start online dating with a fake profile; if he pretends to be an average teacher, the women he'll meet will definitely fall for him and not just his bank account. But will this really help Will find the right girl? And what about Stella's own happy ending...?
I just want to jump and down with excitement and shout from the rooftops how much I love Sophie Ranald's novels! She really has a knack for writing amazingly entertaining romantic comedies and I honestly think she's one of the most promising voices within the world of chick lit at the moment. I really enjoyed her previous novel 'A Groom With a View', and 'The Frog Prince' is just as fabulous. It has a really fun and enjoyable storyline with great characters; it was so easy to warm to Stella, the main character, and the other characters really added their own special touch to the tale, such as Julian, Will, and Stella's best friends Wizzy and Polly. The storyline really had me entertained from the first page until the last and I honestly think I could have finished this book in one sitting, because I never got bored of it.
What I personally particularly loved about this book is the fairy tale aspect Sophie Ranald decided to include, in line with the title. Each chapter starts with a short message, written in true fairytale style, and I really liked this and the role fairy tales play in the novel. I love the author's writing style; it's comfortable, well-paced, and she's clearly a born story-teller. Fans of authors such as Sophie Kinsella, Carole Matthews and Lucy Diamond will undoubtedly enjoy this as well, and I can't recommend it enough. 'The Frog Prince' is a simply stunning, engaging and fun read; a book you definitely have to pick up if you're a chick lit fan. I'm definitely one of Sophie Ranald's fans, and I already can't wait to read her next work! 

Rating:10/10

  For more information about this book: Amazon.co.uk / Amazon.com / Goodreads

Thanks to the author for providing me with a review copy in exchange for an honest review.

Blog Tour: 'A Groom With a View' by Sophie Ranald

When you’re tying the knot, you can end up in a tangle…
Nick and Pippa have been an item since forever, but they’ve always said marriage isn’t for them. That’s until, in a moment of mad romance, they find themselves engaged.
Pippa knows she’s no bridezilla – and she’s definitely not expecting Nick to get swept off his feet by plans for floral centrepieces, vintage cake-stands and colour coordinated everything. Then Nick’s mum gets involved, secrets from Pippa’s past threaten to surface, and planning their perfect day begins to tear Nick and Pippa apart.
Not too long ago I was contacted by author Sophie Ranald about the release of her second novel titled ‘A Groom With a View’ today, the 20th of June. I hadn’t heard of Sophie’s first book, ‘It Would be Wrong to Steal My Sister’s Boyfriend (Wouldn’t It?)’ but I immediately loved the sound of ‘A Groom With a View’ and was really excited to be asked to be part of the blog tour and check out a new chick lit author’s work. Sophie also was so kind to take the time to do a short author interview for this blog, so be sure to scroll down to read more about her inspiration for her new book, her tips for aspiring writers and her future plans!
Pippa is happy with the life she leads; she has a great job as a chef and she has the perfect relationship with her boyfriend Nick. Everyone always mentions how great the two of them are together, and Pippa knows she doesn’t need a ring on her finger as proof of their love for each other. Yet, after a few too many drinks, Pippa suddenly finds herself engaged to Nick and before she knows it she’s answering questions about invitations, cakes and wedding locations. In order to make things as easy as possible for Pippa, Nick decides to do most of the planning and organising himself, but when Nick’s mother appears on the scene and the wedding slowly seems to take over their entire lives,  things between Nick and Pippa only seem to be getting worse instead of better.
Every now and again I come across a great chick lit novel which is thoroughly enjoyable from the first until the very last page, which has an entertaining storyline at its core, combined with a fabulous cast of characters; basically, a book I didn’t want to put down but at the same time didn’t want to end, and one I’ll be recommending to others in the months to come. ‘A Groom With a View’ is definitely one of those novels and I’m so glad Sophie Ranald contacted me for a possible review of her second book. I loved the storyline, not just because it’s about weddings (a topic I have a soft spot for) but because it gives its own original twist to a chick lit wedding story. Pippa is a great heroine; she doesn’t want a big and glamorous wedding, she just wants to be with Nick and no wedding is needed to put a stamp on their love for one another. I really enjoyed reading about a man who takes on all the wedding planning, and the female character who tries to deal with this. 
Pippa and Nick are a fantastic couple, I couldn’t get enough of them. But that also goes for the supporting characters and the various different aspects added to the storyline to make it even more interesting and enjoyable, for example the visit of Nick’s mother, Pippa’s job, and the troubles Callie, Pippa’s best friend, is dealing with. There honestly wasn’t a dull moment in this novel and I loved returning to it at the end of a busy day, keeping my fingers crossed for Pippa and Nick and their wedding. ‘A Groom With a View’ is a simply wonderful, funny, and thoroughly enjoyable read; I can’t recommend it to other chick lit fans enough!
Rating:

 9,5/10   For more information about this book: Amazon.co.uk / Amazon.com / Goodreads    Thanks to the author for providing me with a review copy in exchange for an honest review.  

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Author interview with Sophie Ranald

I'm delighted to have Sophie Ranald on the blog today to talk more about her new release 'A Groom With a View', her inspiration for the book, and her future plans as an author!
Can you tell us something about your new novel, ‘A Groom With a View’? A Groom with a View is about planning a wedding – but with a bit of a twist. There are so many clever, funny novels about the “bridezilla” phenomenon, but I wanted to play around with the idea of a man becoming obsessed with wedding planning, while his fiancée isn’t sure she likes the way things are going, and the detrimental effect it could have on their relationship. Of course as my characters developed, so did all sorts of other aspects of their stories, which led the plot in directions that sometimes surprised me. 
Is the book in any way based on personal experiences or is it completely fiction? If so, how did you come up with this idea? The idea came from a friend’s proposal story. She decided to ask her partner to marry her, but chose a moment to pop the question when they were both really hungover, and his response was so mumbled and sleepy that she wasn’t sure whether he’d actually accepted! Then the next day, she arrived home from work to find him working on a wedding spreadsheet. As soon as she told me that, I thought, “There’s a book in this.”
Can you tell us a bit more about the main protagonist, Pippa? On the face of it, Pippa’s sorted. She’s got a great job, a gorgeous boyfriend and a shoe collection to die for (although she does struggle with her frizzy hair). But as the novel progresses, I hope my readers will start to see Pippa’s vulnerability – the doubts she has about choices she’s made, the frustration she feels about her life, the complexity of her relationships with other characters. I wanted to make her real, flawed person, but one who my readers would relate to, and I really hope I have cracked it!
There’s a great cast of supporting characters in the novel as well. Which character did you most enjoy writing? Thank you! I adored writing the scenes with Pippa’s parents. Her Dad is a bit of a shadowy figure, but Justine, Pippa’s Mum, just grew and grew in personality as the novel progressed. Whenever Pippa found herself in a particularly dark place, I knew that I could write a scene with Justine in it to lighten the mood.  
Can you perhaps tell us something about your future plans? Are you perhaps already working on a next novel? The first foreign language editions of my first novel, It Would Be Wrong to Steal My Sister’s Boyfriend (Wouldn’t it?), are coming out in the next few months in Germany, Italy and Brazil. I am quite giddy with excitement about seeing them, although of course I won’t be able to understand a word of the translations! As far as writing the next book goes, I have an idea which I’ve been turning over in my head for a while now, and hopefully by the end of the year it will be written. 
Do you have any tips for aspiring writers? I know many writers say they write because they can’t not write. This isn’t true for me – I was a journalist and copywriter in my previous life, which knocked any starry-eyedness about the process out of me. I’m quite pragmatic about it: I love writing, but I’ll only do it as long as there are people out there who will pay money to read my books (which, by the way, is the most massive accolade and privilege). So my advice would be: be realistic about your chances of being published and making a living as a novelist. Approach it like a business – study your market, read books in your genre, work hard to promote yourself and your book. And be lucky!
What is the last book you read that you’d like to recommend to others? This is such a hard question! I read a lot but I have the memory of a goldfish. Once I’ve finished most books, I forget them almost immediately, and I’ve been known to get halfway through a novel before realising I have read it before. But I have no hesitation in recommending the book I’m currently reading: Ray Bradbury’s Something Wicked This Way Comes. He was a simply masterful writer. 
Which book could you not live without? I regularly fly long-haul to visit my family in South Africa. The 11-hour flight (not to mention the journey to the airport, the queue before check-in the wait to board…) would be impossible to survive without something to read. But it has to be a particular kind of book: gripping, not too demanding and nice and long. Anything by Philippa Gregory, Elizabeth Jane Howard or Lee Child will do the trick. 
And last but not least, if you had to describe ‘A Groom With a View’ in just three words, which words would you pick? Don’t get married. (Just kidding!)

Thanks so much, Sophie!