Review: 'The Girl's Guide to Getting Hitched' by Sophie Hart (2015)

Rule number one: Keep calm and marry on…
When new mum and events planner Julia Crawford is given the opportunity to plan three weddings, she jumps at the chance. What could possibly go wrong? … 
Forget bridezilla, Aimee’s future mother-in-law is the stuff of nightmares – hell bent on taking over the wedding entirely. Worse still, her fiancé, Jon, seems oblivious. Aimee’s starting to wonder if she and her groom-to-be are right for each other after all… 
Body shy Debbie is on a mission. She’s determined to shed a lot of pounds before the big day. As the wedding inches closer, will the new Debbie lose sight of what’s really important? 
Gill loves Mike and their blended family of five kids to bits, but with a house full of teenage hormones and her eldest, Kelly, struggling with so much change, Gill is feeling the pressure... 
As the women bond over cake and a cuppa, can they each resolve their wedding woes before the big day?
When I first laid eyes on 'The Girl's Guide to Getting Hitched', I straight away knew I would most likely really enjoy this novel because of 4 keywords: Sophie Hart (who is a great author), chick lit, weddings (I just can't get enough of books about anything wedding-related), and Bookouture (still one of my favourite publishers). The book was released in the summer of 2015 and is Sophie Hart's third novel. I previously read 'The Beginner's Guide to the Birds and the Bees' which I really loved (click HERE to read my review) and I still plan on checking out 'The Naughty Girls Book Club' sometime. However, for now I had this beauty to focus on and I couldn't wait to get started on it!
Julia Crawford loves being a mum to her new son Jack, but she has to admit she's also missing her job as an events planner. So, when she's provided with the sudden opportunity to organise three different weddings, she takes it with both hands. Shy Aimee has the mother-in-law from hell who freaks out about every single wedding detail; Debbie is determined to lose a lot of weight before her wedding day, but as she gets thinner other things in her life also suddenly start to change; Gill and Mike's decision to get married and combine their families isn't embraced by all 5 of their kids, especially teenager Kelly seems set on making things very difficult. Four women brought together by wedding problems and cake; can they help each other and make sure they all make it to their big day?
If you are looking for a thoroughly enjoyable chick lit/romcom read, no need to look further because 'The Girl's Guide to Getting Hitched' is exactly what you need! I loved this book by Sophie Hart and was sad when I reached the final chapter. The novel focuses on four different storylines, each with a lovely female character at its core. Julia, Aimee, Debbie and Gill are all dealing with their own issues, which are all mainly marriage-related. Each chapter focused on a different character and because of the constant switching between storylines, the novel held my attention throughout and I just wanted to keep on reading. 
Sophie Hart's writing style is really great and fits the genre so well. The chapters were not too short and not too long; everything was just right and the story itself was also really well-paced. I also read 'The Beginner's Guide to the Birds and the Bees' and you will recognise some of the characters in this book if you've also read it, which I thought was a nice touch. However, the novel can also definitely be read as a stand-alone. I don't have anything negative to say about 'The Girl's Guide to Getting Hitched'; it's an uplifting and warm-hearted chick lit read that will have you entertained for a few hours and will most likely leave you with a smile on your face!

Rating:10/10

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

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

Upcoming release: 'The Girl's Guide to Getting Hitched' by Sophie Hart!

When new mum and events planner Julia Crawford is given the opportunity to plan three weddings, she jumps at the chance. What could possibly go wrong?… 

Forget bridezilla, Aimee’s future mother-in-law is the stuff of nightmares – hell bent on taking over the wedding entirely. Worse still, her fiancé, Jon, seems oblivious. Aimee’s starting to wonder if she and her groom-to-be are right for each other after all… 

Body shy Debbie is on a mission. She’s determined to shed a lot of pounds before the big day. As the wedding inches closer, will the new Debbie lose sight of what’s really important? 

Gill loves Mike and their blended family of five kids to bits, but with a house full of teenage hormones and her eldest, Kelly, struggling with so much change, Gill is feeling the pressure... 

As the women bond over cake and a cuppa, can they each resolve their wedding woes before the big day? 

On the 17th of July Sophie Hart's latest book 'The Girl's Guide to Getting Hitched' will be released and it's a release I can't WAIT to pick up! Sophie's novels are amazing reads and I am already looking forward to having a completely fresh new title to dive into. This is definitely one of my personal favourite July 2015 releases and I'm sure any other chick lit fan will end up loving it as much as I hopefully will... Fingers crossed!

Amazon.co.uk / Amazon.com / Goodreads

Review: 'The Beginner's Guide to the Birds and the Bees' by Sophie Hart (2014)

Sex therapist Annie Hall helps couples put the fizz back into their relationships. It’s a shame her own love life is non-existent. When Jamie who works next door catches her eye, she can’t ignore the spark of chemistry.
Most men would jump at the chance to skive off work for an afternoon quickie with their gorgeous wife, but Nick knows Julia is after only one thing – a baby. Sex shouldn’t be a chore. Can Annie help Julia see that?
Newly engaged Zoe and Simon can’t keep their hands off each other. They’ve decided to take a vow of celibacy until their wedding night. Will Annie help them stick to it? 
Roy and Linda have been married for over thirty years but she’s more interested in the family business than getting intimate with him. Can Annie convince Linda to rediscover her passion for Roy after all this time?
While Annie begins to work her magic with the three couples, she soon discovers that she’ll need to take some of her own advice if she’s going to let a new man into her life.
Today is the release date of Sophie Hart’s new novel ‘The Beginners Guide to the Birds and the Bees’ and I’m incredibly excited to share my review of the book with all of you! The lovely Kim at Bookouture made sure I received a review copy of the book and I couldn’t wait to read it. I immediately loved the description of the story, and the cover is lovely as well. Some of you might be familiar with Sophie Hart’s novel ‘The Naughty Girls Book Club’ which was released in 2013. Unfortunately, I haven’t managed to read it myself yet, but I’ve heard so many positive things I really looked forward to getting stuck in her new release!
Sex therapist Annie Hall is there to help couples overcome the troubles in their relationships and it’s something she loves and is really good at. Nick and Julia have been married for several years and are trying to have a baby. This has slowly become an obsession for Julia which is only pushing Nick further and further away. Zoe and Simon have just got engaged and can't keep their hands off each other. To challenge themselves they want to turn their wedding night into something special by taking a vow of celibacy for 6 months. Roy and Linda have been married for over thirty years but the excitement has left their relationship. Roy wants nothing more than to be close with Linda again, but she only seems to care about the family flower shop instead of their marriage. Annie has her hands full with her new three couples, but then she meets Jamie, who works in the same building as her. There are definitely sparks between them, but will Annie be able to follow the advice she has been giving others for years for a change?
Wow, what an absolutely amazing read! I loved this book from the first letter to the last full stop and I never wanted it to end. Sophie Hart is a fabulous author and her writing style is so easy to get into and just the right pace. The topic of the book is sex, but Sophie deals with it in a fabulous way, highlighting everything that comes with this topic, such as relationships, love, comfort, and trust. I really enjoyed the fact that there were several storylines. Annie is a great main character who is understanding, trustworthy, warm and I couldn’t help but root for her from the start. 
The other three couples whose stories we get to follow are different and interesting in their own way, and I fell in love with all of them. There’s a great mix of characters: young and old, male and female, outspoken and shy... Just a brilliant mix. It was great to join these couples on their relationship journeys, and there is even some great advice hidden in the novel here and there. Like I said, this book is fantastic and one of my favourite reads of 2014 so far. “The Beginners Guide to the Birds and the Bees’ is an amazing, uplifting romantic comedy that chick lit fans will hopefully adore as much as I did! Rating:

10/10

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

Weekly Feature: Once Upon a Story...

 'Once Upon a Story' is a weekly feature in which we go back in time and focus  on a specific novel that was released in the same month we're in right now (in this case May), but a few years back! It can be a women's fiction classic from the 1990's or perhaps a great chick lit read from 2011. I thought it would be nice to not just focus on recent releases, but also take the chance to jump back in time once a week and look back at wonderful reads that have been released over the years!

This week, we're travelling not so far back to June 2013 to look back at...  

A quaint suburb. A quiet little book club. A very naughty reading list.
When Estelle sets up a book group in order to increase custom to her struggling cafe, what follows is more mind-blowing than she could have ever imagined...
As the first book club meeting flounders, Estelle suggests a spot of erotica to spice things up.
Inspired by their naughty novels, this group of shy suburban readers shake off their inhibitions and soon discover that their own lives can be just as scandalous...

In June 2013, Sophie Hart's novel 'The Naughty Girl's Book Club' was released and it was one of those books all of the book bloggers seemed to be talking about! I remember seeing the cover of the book everywhere, and it got me really curious. When I was in the UK for my summer holiday, I picked up a copy, but unfortunately it's still lying on my to-read shelf. I still love the idea behind the book, just like the gorgeous cover, so I think it's definitely time to pick it up, a year after its release!

Be sure to visit the blog next week for another blast from chick lit past with 'Once Upon a Story...'!