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Just Say Yes

by Phillipa Ashley (Goodreads Author)

3.39 of 5 stars 3.39 · rating details · 193 ratings · 28 reviews

Praise for Carrie Goes Off the Map

"Engaging...Ashley's charming prose makes the journey enjoyable."--Publishers Weekly

"This tale has its own Bridget Jones-style appeal."--Booklist

"Quirky and fun!"--RT Book Reviews

"Fulfills all the best fantasies, including a gorgeous humanitarian hero and a camper van!"--Katie Fforder, UK bestselling author of Love Letters

There's one quest...more

Paperback, 356 pages

Published 2012 by Sourcebooks Landmark (first published August 7th 2008)

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Aug 30, 2008 Nell rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

A really fun holiday read.

2 likes · like · see review

Jul 11, 2012 drey rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2012-reads, romance-contemporary

Lucy Gibson never expected her life to get quite so out there… After all, she’s just a marketing assistant for a law firm, who just happens to meet a boy working at a bagel shop. They go out a few times (after he stands her up a few times), and next thing you know he’s on a reality TV show to win backing for his very own business venture! Still, it’s all quite ordinary, isn’t it?

Apparently not, because all of a sudden Nick wins the reality TV show contest. And pops the question, while everyone’s...more

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Jun 17, 2012 Judy & Marianne from Long and Short Reviews rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: contemporary, non-erotic

Originally posted at: http://www.longandshortreviews.blogsp...

Lucy Gibson’s life is a muddled mess. A mediocre job, parties that produce miserable hangovers, and trying to sort out her feelings about Nick Laurentis, the gorgeous but unreliable man she has a “sort” of relationship with have her unsettled.

When Nick makes her a prime target for the tabloids, she departs the city with Fiona, to stay at Fiona’s cottage at the sea shore. There, where no one knows who she really is, she seeks answers,...more Originally posted at: http://www.longandshortreviews.blogsp...

Lucy Gibson’s life is a muddled mess. A mediocre job, parties that produce miserable hangovers, and trying to sort out her feelings about Nick Laurentis, the gorgeous but unreliable man she has a “sort” of relationship with have her unsettled.

When Nick makes her a prime target for the tabloids, she departs the city with Fiona, to stay at Fiona’s cottage at the sea shore. There, where no one knows who she really is, she seeks answers, but none seem to be forth coming and the constant worry about being recognized hounds her.

“Not-quite-telling-the-truth’ and not knowing where she's going in her life has Lucy worn to a frazzle. Consequently, when Josh Standring offers her a job cleaning cottages and settling in new renters for the season, Lucy accepts. Josh, a windsurfer and former bad boy, has a relationship with Sara who works at the yacht club, so Lucy declares him off-limits, but convincing her heart and body is another thing.

Fiona, Lucy’s best friend, is a successful author and often uses her “creative” thinking to offer Lucy advice, some of which leads to strife. Her “research” and how she chooses her male companions make for some delightful reading. Of course, her dog Hengist does his part in the humor department as he blunders about and frolics with Tally, Josh’s black Labrador.

Josh has a past that he's still trying to come to terms with. It often colors his view of people. To him trust and honesty are “musts”. He's also working through many other issues, like growing up and accepting the responsibility of taking care of his inheritance if he expects it to make him a living.

Charlie, Lucy’s neighbor and friend in London, creates his own special type of humor, but he also looks after her when things are unpleasant. He injects some clever British humor into this piece. Just Say Yes is full of bathos, irreverence, innuendo and ambiguity, and misinterpreting what is heard. The story sweeps the reader into a fictitious world that bubbles with comic relief as it reveals a love story that thrills the heart.

Phillipa Ashley creates fun-to-read fiction while subtly working in humanity’s bent to commit more than a few of the ‘Seven Deadly Sins’. She uses humor in a winsome, wicked way to shepherd the characters past their flaws and foibles to propel them to a happy-ever-after with a sizzle. Just Say Yes is sparkling entertainment!(less)

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Mar 29, 2012 Kat Latham rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: contemporary-romance

3.5 stars

When Lucy meets Nick at a bagel shop in London, she's immediately attracted to him though she's also wary. He shows signs of being unreliable, but she makes excuses for him. When she discovers his unreliability is because he's in the final stages of becoming a contestant on an Apprentice-style reality show, she decides to stick with him. Because hey, he's hot and the sex is great. In fact, their relationship is almost exclusively sex.

But the relationship falls apart in spectacular fashi...more

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Apr 17, 2012 Kimberly rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Review written for www.books-n-kisses.com

This book was “ok” for me nothing more. It never seems to click with the characters Lucy/Nick or Lucy/Josh. The first eight chapters is a look back on what caused the break up from Lucy’s reality TV-star that caused all of England to turn against her. And honestly I think the reader can tell in the first chapter that Nick is just not an all around good guy. I even wondered if he was bi-polar at one point. Then the next few chapters are about Lucy pinning...more

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Jul 05, 2012 Laura rated it 4 of 5 stars

Lucy Gibson meets her new boyfriend Nick at a Bagel deli. Their romance moves along quickly, with not much time together as Nick is involved in “Hot Shots!” an Apprentice type TV series where he is competing to be able to start his own business. When Nick asks Lucy the ultimate question on live TV, she answers the one way that TV audiences will not appreciate. Now hounded by the press, Lucy travels to Cornwall to get some much needed time away and to reevaluate her life.

I enjoy Phillipa Ashley’...more

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Jun 12, 2012 Faith rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: borrowed-from-the-library, romance, romantic-comedy, contemporary-romance, chick-lit

This book was uneven. It started off well and I liked the commentary on reality TV. However, I found both of Lucy's relationships to be puzzling. I know that Nick was attractive but I didn't understand how their relationship really formed. It was obvious to both the reader and even Lucy herself that Nick was unstable and manipulative. However, what was really baffling was Nick's proposal. During their entire relationship, he was always distracted and he seemed to be with Lucy for sex rather than...more

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Jul 16, 2012 Alex rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: contemporary, for-review, net-galley, romance

At First Sight: Lucy Gibson's life changed the moment hunky Nick Laurentis followed her out of the sandwich shop where he worked and asked her out, and soon she finds herself in a 'relationship'.

Lucy has her reservations - she doesn't really know much about Nick and their first couple of dates went really badly (as in they didn't happen 'cause he messed up) - but she tells herself she doesn't really want a relationship, but she's not against taking advantage of Nick's gorgeous body.

Things go wel...more At First Sight: Lucy Gibson's life changed the moment hunky Nick Laurentis followed her out of the sandwich shop where he worked and asked her out, and soon she finds herself in a 'relationship'.

Lucy has her reservations - she doesn't really know much about Nick and their first couple of dates went really badly (as in they didn't happen 'cause he messed up) - but she tells herself she doesn't really want a relationship, but she's not against taking advantage of Nick's gorgeous body.

Things go well enough for a time, until Nick enters Hot Shots - a low-budget reality TV show - and actually wins. Suddenly he's proposing in front of a live audience and Lucy is left in the spotlight.

With the paparazzi following her around, and everyone against her because she turned Nick down, Lucy decides to escape with her best friend Fiona to a cottage in Cornwall.

There she meets Josh, a windsurfer who is trying to make something of himself after spending most of his youth getting by on his looks and doing the bare minimum. Soon Lucy and Josh hit it off, but there is one small problem: Josh's bitchy fiancé Sarah.

Second Glance: Just Say Yes wasn't the kind of book I was expecting - at first, I didn't even realize it took place in England, for example - and for me it was more chick-lit-ish at times than actual contemporary romance.

Lucy was likable enough but the way she acts around and about Nick made me think she didn't have a healthy self-esteem (sure, she tells herself she's using Nick too, but that didn't rub well with me either), plus Nick isn't nice or sharp or anything really, other than good in bed.

Also I felt like the pace of the book was a bit off, it took a long while for the story to get going as the first seven or eight chapters are ALL flashback/recap of Lucy's relationship with Nick, so I felt like I never really saw that relationship develop and a lot of it was glossed over, and part of me just plain didn't care about this relationship that was obviously over and obviously bad for Lucy.

Josh was okay, but I didn't feel anything even remotely swoony toward him (he's not a bad guy, I just didn't see the appeal). He is nicer though, so that gives him points.

I did like Fiona and Lucy's neighbor Charles - I usually found the scenes where he was in to be funny.

Bottom Line: I wasn't crazy about Just Say Yes, I thought the characters needed a bit more development and the pace was a bit off but it's not a bad book and it did have some enjoyable moments.(less)

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Jul 13, 2012 RivkaBelle rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: chick-lit, ebooks, for-review, netgalley

Review originally posted on my blog: AWordsWorth.blogspot.com
eARC provided by publisher for review.

Lucy wasn't looking for a boyfriend. But when the uber-attractive new guy from the bagel shop seemed interested, she found it hard to turn him down - even though he definitely had some less than desirable attributes. She knew he was part of a hot new reality show, but Lucy never thought Nick would win, let alone propose - on live television - mere moments after being crowned victor. In that moment,...more Review originally posted on my blog: AWordsWorth.blogspot.com
eARC provided by publisher for review.

Lucy wasn't looking for a boyfriend. But when the uber-attractive new guy from the bagel shop seemed interested, she found it hard to turn him down - even though he definitely had some less than desirable attributes. She knew he was part of a hot new reality show, but Lucy never thought Nick would win, let alone propose - on live television - mere moments after being crowned victor. In that moment, Lucy found the strength to say "no," and became infamous. All the London papers and gossip mags were talking about her, and every step was hounded by the paparazzi. It got so bad that her boss strongly encouraged her to take a month off and let things die down. So Lucy escaped to the solitude of Cornwall with her best friend Fiona, hoping to avoid drama and attention.

The month she spends in Cornwall, Lucy slowly starts to unwind and relax back into her own skin. Aside from the snarkiness of Sara, the girlfriend of intriguing Josh (who owns all the other cottages on the farm, aside from Fiona's), Lucy finds just what she needs. Except for the minor detail of hiding her identity - Fiona created a pseudo-persona for Lucy as a high-rolling banker from London who cracked under pressure. The deception worries Lucy, but she doesn't see how to fix things. When Josh offers her an alternative at the end of her month's vacation - to stay on and be his seasonal help for the summer - Lucy impulsively decides to take him up on the offer. The next months are even more restorative for Lucy, and there's no denying the chemistry and growing tension between herself and Josh. When things come crashing to a head, and Lucy's world is flipped upside down again, she must dig down deep and find the Lucy she really is. Way down inside. And that's when things get really interesting.

Just Say Yes is a fun, engrossing read. The descriptions of Cornwall made me want to book a flight and spend my own summer there, and it provided a wonderful backdrop for Lucy's season of growth. At the beginning, she's such a "closed" character, but as each new confrontation happened, Lucy had to respond by "opening up," thus growing as a character. While it's a love story (or two), it's also a story of finding yourself and realizing that what makes you a success is doing what you love and are supposed to be doing. (less)

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Jun 09, 2012 Becky R. rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

What is not to love about a Phillipa Ashley novel? Honest. Her heroes make you swoon and her plots feel familiar, have an unexpected twist, but always end up feeling satisfying. In this novel, Lucy Gibson has a shocking situation happen with her reality-star winning boyfriend that has her feeling stunned and in need of some space to think. We've all been there--meaning the needing space thing. What happens when you're not given a chance to think or people jump to conclusions too soon?

Besides mak...more

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Jul 25, 2012 Andrea rated it 3 of 5 stars

My opinion on this book varies. On the one hand, it's a chick-lit love story type that I love. Girl gets heartbroken, girl vows wanting nothing to do with boy, girl meets another boy but fights her attraction to him, boy and girl briefly get together, some disaster happens and boy and girl break up, and then boy and girl realize breakup is a mistake and get back together.

But there was something about the writing that was off-putting to me. It was a little too graphic in the sex area. I don't min...more

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Aug 08, 2012 Chanpreet rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I had a nice long three paragraph review typed up and somehow the browser went back a screen deleting it all. Instead of rewriting it, I'm going to summarize my review.

Lucy turns down Nick on live television after only knowing him for five months, and even then she it's only been mostly them having sex. The backlash is gigantic and horrible and Lucy escapes to Cornwall to avoid the paparazzi. Once there, she doesn't want to leave, but is it because of the change of environment or because of some...more

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Jul 05, 2012 Huong rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Chose this book to read for the car ride to Vegas. It seemed light and fun enough. Unfortunately I got to about 60% of the book before deciding this was a did-not-finish. Just could not connect with the characters much and I thought the plot to be rather blah. I just don't really dig British modern day chick romances.

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May 31, 2012 Book Reviews rated it 4 of 5 stars

A lighthearted and easy read, Phillipa Ashley’s Just Say Yes is a vastly entertaining romance with plenty of substance and depth. To read my review in its entirety, please visit http://www.bookreviewsandmorebykathy....

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Jul 31, 2011 Chrissi added it · review of another edition

A nice easy read. I devoured it on the way to work each morning, it took a couple of days to read as it was so addictive. I adored the character Nick! It's a romantic, quick read...slightly predictable but good nonetheless.

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May 29, 2012 Rebecca Williams rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: romance

I loved this book! The characters are funny and easy to relate to. The plot was believable and at a great pace. The only thing I wish was there was more of the story from Josh's point of view and some more romance.

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May 31, 2012 Kathy rated it 4 of 5 stars

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Jul 06, 2012 Shana rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I really really wanted to love this book. It sounded good but I found myself skimming parts and waiting for the book to really begin. That being said it still kept me reading and was an alright book.

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Apr 11, 2011 Rezita Redzuan rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

After reading 2 consecutive serious novels, I need a light reading and started to read this chic lit. What I think about it? It's a typical chic lit where you can already guess how the ending will be. But it seems like the girl can only think of sex whenever she met guys that she likes.

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Jul 01, 2012 April rated it 4 of 5 stars

I've never read anything from Phillipa Ashley before so I didn't know what to expect. Just Say Yes was fantastic!! I look forward to checking out more of Ashley's books, and if they're as good as Just Say Yes, I most certainly have found another "new" author!!

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Jan 22, 2011 Melissainau rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

The Festival of Chicklit continues. This one was kinda dull. The author broke a few chicklit rules & I don't think it worked as well as she'd hoped.

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Aug 07, 2011 Fab rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I was surprised how well the ending was done. I found myself quite emotional in the last few chapters.

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Nov 03, 2012 Renn rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I really liked this book. A good story line with a woman and the men she likes . A must read

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Sep 09, 2012 Sue rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

An easy read. A predictable story but an enjoyable and delightful one!

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Jun 30, 2012 Sandy Kozurek rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Good summer read. Fluf and relaxing...

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Jun 14, 2012 Jen rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Cute, sassy and a quick read.

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Jun 11, 2012 Marcia rated it 3 of 5 stars

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Mar 06, 2013 Diane Sallans rated it 4 of 5 stars

the style of this story was a bit different and uses a tv reality show as the basis for causing havoc in life.

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Jun 14, 2013 Britney marked it as to-read · review of another edition

Jun 14, 2013 Brenda Schoen is currently reading it · review of another edition

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About Phillipa Ashley

I write lively, sexy, funny contemporary romance. My first novel, Decent Exposure (titled Dating Mr December in the US) won the Romantic Novelists Association New Writers Award in 2007 and was made into the Lifetime TV movie, 12 Men of Christmas, starring Kristin Chenoweth and Josh Hopkins.

My next release is It Happened One Night in June 2013. My previous book, Miranda's Mount won the 2012 Festiva...more

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Quotes from Just Say Yes

“No one messes me around, I don't give second chances and I never waste tears over people who aren't worth it. I save them for the people who are.” — 8 people liked it

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