Book Review & Blog Tour: It’s Not You It’s Him by Sophie Ranald (eARC)

It’s Not You It’s Him

Author: Sophie Ranald

Publication Date: 18 June 2019

Genre: Adult Fiction – Romantic Comedy

Pages: 355

Publisher: Bookouture

New Year’s Eve. The most overrated night of the year, right? I have to get through a night of enforced fun, drink all the prosecco and talk about new beginnings. But I don’t want new beginnings. I want my old beginning back.

It’s been ten days, two hours and forty-three minutes since Tansy got dumped. Two heartbreaking weeks since Renzo, who made her weak at the knees and dizzy with excitement, found out Tansy’s secret – and ended it on the spot.

Since then, she’s spent every evening scrolling through their old photos, drunk texted him twenty-six times (he stopped reading after five), and lost count of how many packets of Kleenex she’s cried her way through.

That’s where Operation Get Renzo Back comes in. She ropes in a new wing-woman, maxes out her credit card and accidentally-on-purpose bumps into him at every opportunity. Oh, and she finds a fake boyfriend, as you do…

But while she’s busy pretending, Tansy’s plan is thrown a major curveball. She has to learn the hard way that it’s not her, it’s him – and that sometimes, a break-up can end up being the making of you.

A fresh, funny and fabulous novel for anyone who has been dumped, got a post-break-up haircut, stalked an ex on Facebook, and then realised they were WAY better off without them. Fans of Sophie Kinsella, Lindsey Kelk and Matt Dunn will love this laugh-out-loud read.

This was my introduction to Sophie Ranald’s writing, which definitely did not disappoint. I will say that this story was tough to get into at first since the author takes the time to slowly set up the story, but once things get going, I couldn’t stop reading.

The story follows Tansy, who was recently dumped by her boyfriend Renzo after he found out that she used to do webcam work. Renzo was Tansy’s world, so rather than accept the fate that the relationship is over, Tansy instead decides that she will do everything in her power to win Renzo back (including enlisting the assistance of her friends). Everything will go smoothly…right?!

I loved Tansy’s character because she is so incredibly relatable. I was able to empathize with Tansy during her heartbreak, which to be honest, I think most people probably can. As we start to see flashbacks of Tansy and Renzo’s time together, it becomes obvious that there may have been issues with the relationship the whole time, but again, when you’re in a relationship, these things usually don’t come to light until after everything is over.

While this book is a romantic comedy, don’t let that fool you. It has plenty of moments that pull on your heart strings. While trying to battle a wounded heart, Tansy also is having issues with her employer (she’s a fashion buyer for an online retailer) as well as struggling financially since she needs to send money home to her family to support them as well. Tansy is also determined to help Chelsea, a young clothing designer who wishes to sell her designs in her own online boutique.

Overall, this is a feel good story that you don’t want to miss. By the end, Tansy will be the girl that you’re rooting for as she not only discovers more about herself but also through helping those she loves as well.

Thank you to Bookouture and NetGalley for providing an eARC of this book. This did not influence my review. All opinions are my own.

Sophie Ranald is the youngest of five sisters. She was born in Zimbabwe and lived in South Africa until an acute case of itchy feet brought her to London in her mid-20s. As an editor for a customer publishing agency, Sophie developed her fiction-writing skills describing holidays to places she’d never visited. In 2011, she decided to disregard all the good advice given to aspiring novelists and attempt to write full-time. After one false start, It Would Be Wrong to Steal My Sister’s Boyfriend (Wouldn’t It?) seemed to write itself. Her second, third and fourth novels followed, and The Truth About Gemma Grey was released in summer 2017. Sophie also writes for magazines and online about food, fashion, finance and running. She lives in south-east London with her amazing partner Hopi and Purrs, their adorable little cat. 

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