Just Saying: An absolutely perfect and feel good romantic comedy

Name: Just Saying: An absolutely perfect and feel good romantic comedy
Rating: 4.4210524559021 (19 reviews)

Sophie Ranald

Jul 2020 · Bookouture

4.4

19 reviews

Ebook

350

Pages

Eligible

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About this ebook

‘I absolutely loved this book and devoured it in a matter of hours! The perfect Saturday-night read which I found impossible to put down… I literally laughed out loud.’ Book Lover, ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

When the inflatable hot tub my boyfriend hired for a surprise deflated with me in it, spilling water everywhere and almost flooding our flat, I should have known it was a sign…

Could things get any worse? First Alice gets fired from her job as a lawyer out of the blue, and she has absolutely no idea what to do with her life. Then she and her boyfriend Joe bump into his ex, Zoe, with her annoyingly glossy hair and sparkling smile. And now they can’t afford the rent on their flat and Alice might have to cut back on her gin and tonics, the one thing getting her through.

With her life crumbling around her, Alice ends up ugly crying in the middle of the street, with mascara running down her face. She’s such a sorry sight that a kind old man stops and gives her his handkerchief.

But if that wasn’t bad enough, it turns out that Zoe is looking for a place to stay. And Joe has the bright idea of asking her to move in. Living with The Ex, and her fluffy cat Frazzle who leaves ginger hair everywhere, is Alice’s idea of hell. Especially when she finds Joe and Zoe singing and dancing in the kitchen as they cook chilli con carne together, or sneaking off to the pub without her.

Losing her job was one thing, but now it looks like she might also lose her boyfriend and her home Just how on earth is she going to turn this around?

This fabulous, feel-good page-turner is for anyone who has ever felt a little lost in life and turned to a bottle of wine to get you through! Fans of romantic comedies by Sophie Kinsella and Lindsey Kelk, and TV shows like Crazy Ex-Girlfriend and Jane the Virgin, will love this utterly relatable read.

Readers absolutely love Just Saying:

‘Absolutely brilliant!… After months of struggling to find another author I love as much as I love Sophie Kinsella I have found her!… I devoured this book in a few hours because it was impossible to put down… Packed full of laughs… Had me laughing all the way through.’ Goodreads Reviewer, ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

‘You know it’s a good book when you want to be friends with the main character and after reading Just Saying I want to be BEST friends with Alice!!… Such a beautiful and heartwarming story that had me laughing, and sometimes crying, along with Alice on her journey! I just adored this book!!’ Goodreads Reviewer, ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

‘Totally brilliant!… Funny and heartwarming… I read it over 2 nights during lockdown and loved every page of it.’ NetGalley Reviewer, ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

‘You need to read this amazing comical book by Sophie Ranald! She had me cracking up laughing so many times during this book! It is such a fun read!’ Heidi Lynn’s Book Reviews

‘Stayed up until about 2am to finish it!’ Baltimore Bibliophile

‘I absolutely loved this book! This is the fourth book I have read by Sophie Ranald and it feels like I’m literally catching up with old friends and having coffee!… I loved reading this as I could relate to the characters and they all felt like real people!’ Goodreads Reviewer

‘Made me happy… I dare say I liked it more than a Sophie Kinsella book.’ Goodreads Reviewer

‘I LOVE Sophie Ranald… Just Saying is one of my favourite Ranald novels… Absolutely brilliant.’ NetGalley Reviewer, ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

‘I was supposed to read to chapter 10 with a few friends that were also reading this one, and I just stayed up till 1:30 am and binged till the end.’ Goodreads Reviewer

‘This book was fun!!!… I will definitely be reading more from this author!’ Goodreads Reviewer, ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

‘I adored this hilarious and heartwarming story… I loved it… Happy reading!’ Goodreads Reviewer, ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

‘This was a delightful romantic comedy that I literally couldn’t put down. The characters made me laugh and cry... Highly recommended!’ Goodreads Reviewer, ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

‘Had me laughing all the way though, full of humour and fun, a total joy to read during these difficult times.’ Goodreads Reviewer, ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

‘I felt a heartfelt whirlwind of emotions as I read this story; it made me cry and laugh out loud.’ Goodreads Reviewer, ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

‘Feels like I'm meeting up with an old friend for a great chat over drinks… Ranald has one hell of a sense of humour, which makes reading her books pretty darn enjoyable… So fun to read and seriously brightened the couple of days I was reading it. I may even come back to it sometime just to have a good laugh. I’d definitely recommend to fans of chick-lit and Sophie Kinsella, although I prefer Ranald to be perfectly honest!’ The Reading Love Birds

Ratings and reviews

4.4

19 reviews

Alison Robinson

July 6, 2020

Three and a half stars. Alice seems to have it all. A promising job as a trainee solicitor, an offer of a permanent position in her law firm's Intellectual Property department at the end of her training, a fabulous boyfriend Joe and a small but charming flat. After Joe plans a perfect birthday celebration Alice thinks everything is perfect, and that's when it all goes to pot: her boss is suspended from work; her job offer is rescinded; and Joe's ex-girlfriend Zoe appears on the scene. Almost by accident Alice finds herself working at the local grotty boozer (you know the one with sticky carpets in a swirly pattern, the same defeated-looking regulars, and a menu which went out in the 1980s). Then, to help with the rent, Joe invites Zoe to live with them as a lodger! Suddenly Alice is confronted by this beautiful woman wandering around their flat half-dressed, bonding with Joe over things that Alice has never enjoyed (like computer games). Alice is that super ex-girlfriend of our nightmares, beautiful, exotic, a brilliant chef, well-travelled, and all over Joe. Is Alice taking a break from real life to run a run-down boozer or has she realised that the sensible job in law is not the career for her? Is her perfect boyfriend really perfect, or is there someone else waiting in the wings? What is the truth about Alice leaving her law firm? I enjoyed reading this and I flew through it in less than day. However, I think the blurb is kind of misleading because the Alice/Zoe conflict isn't really central to the plot. Also, I think this novel will date quite quickly because it references a number of recently topical news stories (Brexit, the Windrush generation, #MeToo). More importantly, I felt that the novel trivialised these issues, as though they were easily solvable or not really worth worrying about (deliberately being vague to avoid spoiling the plot). I was struggling to classify this novel, it's not your usual chick-lit, it's not romantic comedy, it's not women's fiction. Then I checked out another Sophie Ranald book I had reviewed Out with the Ex, In with the New and realised that this is a bit of a Bildungsroman, a voyage of self-discovery for Alice who finds out what is important to her. A fun read which touches on some social issues, perfect holiday reading. I received a free copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley in return for an honest review.

Jennifer Kennedy

July 3, 2020

***SPOILER ALERT*** I received this book as an ARC request from NetGalley with a couple friends. We each requested and decided to read together! I mainly requested for the title and then I read the description - “SOLD”! I thoroughly enjoyed this book. I found myself getting concerned and angry and loving along with Alice! Given that I’ve read this with friends, throughout most of the book, I was so, so, SO angry with Joe and she-who-I-will-not-name (she doesn’t deserve it), but I believe the conclusion has left me on the unpopular opinion side 🤔 Once everything was aired out - I forgave him, too! Apparently, I sure do love a happy ending.

Esther Peacock

July 10, 2020

Alice and boyfriend Joe are both trainee solicitors. They live together in a small comfy flat. Alice has an offer of a permanent position in her law firm at the end of her training, but suddenly her boss is suspended and her job offer is withdrawn. She finds herself working behind the bar in a pub to make ends meet. To help with the rent, Joe invites Zoe (his ex) to live with them as a lodger. Alice turns out to be one of those annoying ex-girlfriends that are beautiful, a great cook, well-travelled, annoyingly perfect. What can go wrong? Just Saying is the first Sophie Ranald book I have read, and I thoroughly enjoyed it. I felt a heartfelt whirlwind of emotions as I read this story; it made me cry and laugh out loud. I want to thank NetGalley, Bookouture and author Sophie Ranald for a pre-publication copy to review.

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