Out with the Ex, In with the New - Sophie Ranald

Date of Reading: 29/10/2019

Author: Sophie Ranald

Publisher: Bookouture

Publication Date: December 3, 2019

Source: NetGalley

Rating: 4.5/5

About the book:

You know when you sleep through your alarm, trip over running for the bus, and then someone points out that your dress is stuck into your hotdog-print knickers? That’s basically my life right now.

Gemma didn’t expect her life to look like this. She’s still living with her mother, who steals her leggings and tells her off for leaving crumbs in the butter. After twenty failed interviews she thought she’d bagged her dream job as a journalist – except it turns out to be writing articles about cats that look like George Clooney. Luckily she has her wonderful boyfriend, Jack, to help her forget just how rubbish things are.

Then Jack dumps her out of the blue. With nothing but her childhood teddy bear, Stanley, and a whole heap of heartbreak, Gemma resolves to turn things around. She throws herself into her new job and soon she’s hanging out with cheeky, golden-haired hunk Charlie, eating in swanky restaurants and sipping trendy cocktails – and her old life seems like a distant memory.

But it’s not long until her shiny new world starts to lose its sparkle – and Gemma misses the days of wearing battered pink converse and eating peanut butter on toast in bed. Then Jack turns up, backpack in tow, and things start to go wrong with Charlie. ‘Out with the old, in with the new’, the saying goes. But what happens if neither one is quite right?

This laugh-out-loud romantic comedy is for anyone who’s ever cried their eyes out to love songs after a break-up or accidentally drunk-texted their ex. Fans of Sophie Kinsella and Lindsey Kelk will love this unmissable read which is all about falling in love with the most important person: yourself!

Review:

      Since I loved her previous work 'Sorry not Sorry' I didn't think twice before requesting this novel. Previously published as the Truth about Gemma Grey, this tale of self-discovery opens before us the glittering world of vlogging. With unexpected success which her sudden-impulse video garnered, she gets entry to the world of vlogging celebs along with its false charm.

    More than a romance, this novel traces Gemma's path from ruin to instant fame and the prize she will have to pay in order to keep it that way. Sure, we could guess right away who she is going to select at the end but that seems irrelevant in the larger scheme of things. What I loved most is the way Ranald describes the vlogging community and the raw emotions of a vlogger. Anyone who is in the same field can identify with her desire for recognition and the comradeship she feels for the camera. This is a place to reveal your inner goddess and when nothing in life goes according to plan, the likes and comments there is the perfect balm.

     So I wouldn't term this novel as a laugh out loud romantic comedy. This is a light read for sure, but what it offers is something more profound. It is the story of a simple girl finally finding her way. . .

Meet the author:

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.

Sophie also writes for magazines and online about food, fashion and running. She lives in south-east London with her amazing partner Hopi and Purrs, their adorable little cat.