What do you think?
Rate this book
Who Wants to Marry a Millionaire?
Single millionaire seeks soulmate…
On paper, Will Turner seems like the ideal man: he’s gorgeous, has a GSOH and looks great in a pair of Marigolds. Oh, and his tech start-up has made him rich beyond his wildest dreams. So why can’t he find the perfect girlfriend?
Stella’s just moved in with Will’s best mate Julian, and she’d love Will to settle down too, ideally with a New Best Friend for her. She persuades him to try online dating – but there’s a catch. Will has to go undercover and pretend to be an average, hard-working bloke. He’ll do the big reveal only when he’s found Ms Right.
What could possibly go wrong?
While Will encounters ticking biological clocks, YouTube pick-up artists and a cat called Muggle, Stella's own fairytale isn’t working out quite as she imagined
Is her heart really in the right place?
And has she left it too late to kiss her prince?
This book was previously published as The Frog Prince
Fans of Mhairi McFarlane, Lucy Diamond and Sophie Kinsella will fall in love with this fresh, funny modern fairytale from Amazon top-10 author Sophie Ranald.
323 pages, Kindle Edition
First published December 16, 2014
535 people are currently reading
585 people want to read
About the author
Sophie Ranald
25 books568 followersSophie 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.
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.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 46 reviews
December 27, 2015
3 stars .... I think?
This one is so hard to review, because while the writing is pretty good, the story itself is so depressing and ultimately just not my cup of tea.
This is a "before we got together" story. It centres around Stella who feels trapped in a warped relationship with a man who, we suspect, doesn't really love her. As she spirals further into insecurity, paranoia and drudgery, her fiancé's mate, Will, struggles through the dating world. There are very few scenes shared between Stella and Will and the book focuses on their individual stories.
It is more of a chick - lit book about how toxic a relationship can be, rather than a romance about Stella and Will (which is fine, but it's not the impression I got from the blurb or the cover... I thought it was a romance.).
Best bit: scenes between Will and Stella... but there aren't many (maybe three or four).
Worst bit: It's depressing as hell with no humour to break up the darkness.
Funniest bit: I was too depressed to giggle at anything.
Most complex obstacle: Wow. This whole book is about one woman's journey through a bad relationship, or at least an all-consuming one, and how it affects every aspect of her life. Stella's mistake was that she put herself in a position where she relied completely on her man: emotionally, financially, physically and eventually her true self began to disappear.
Recommendation: This is tricky, because I don't know anyone who would WANT to read this, even though it's well written. I guess I read this genre for a chuckle, a little drama, and a lot of romance. But this was all drama.. and no romance.
It was a great idea, and if the author had focused on Will and Stella a little more, it would have been a lot more enjoyable.
2.5 Stars for enjoyment
4 stars for writing and capturing Stella's struggle so realistically.
This one is so hard to review, because while the writing is pretty good, the story itself is so depressing and ultimately just not my cup of tea.
This is a "before we got together" story. It centres around Stella who feels trapped in a warped relationship with a man who, we suspect, doesn't really love her. As she spirals further into insecurity, paranoia and drudgery, her fiancé's mate, Will, struggles through the dating world. There are very few scenes shared between Stella and Will and the book focuses on their individual stories.
It is more of a chick - lit book about how toxic a relationship can be, rather than a romance about Stella and Will (which is fine, but it's not the impression I got from the blurb or the cover... I thought it was a romance.).
Best bit: scenes between Will and Stella... but there aren't many (maybe three or four).
Worst bit: It's depressing as hell with no humour to break up the darkness.
Funniest bit: I was too depressed to giggle at anything.
Most complex obstacle: Wow. This whole book is about one woman's journey through a bad relationship, or at least an all-consuming one, and how it affects every aspect of her life. Stella's mistake was that she put herself in a position where she relied completely on her man: emotionally, financially, physically and eventually her true self began to disappear.
Recommendation: This is tricky, because I don't know anyone who would WANT to read this, even though it's well written. I guess I read this genre for a chuckle, a little drama, and a lot of romance. But this was all drama.. and no romance.
It was a great idea, and if the author had focused on Will and Stella a little more, it would have been a lot more enjoyable.
2.5 Stars for enjoyment
4 stars for writing and capturing Stella's struggle so realistically.
September 3, 2025
Easy to read chick lit, just what my brain needs at the moment...
December 28, 2014
Honestly not sure where to put this in terms of stars, so I've gone for the middle. I should preface this review by saying that I have talked to the author (via email) about the issues I have with this book, we've both put our points across. I promised her, during this exchange of views, that I would give the book a fair review, this is my effort at doing so. It was good of her to enter into dialogue with me about this, so thank you Sophie, if you read this.
Good points:
This is unashamedly in the chick lit genre, and does what it says on the tin, to use a hackneyed and inaccurate phrase. It's easy, light reading, the characters are generally nicer (apart from the deliberately not so nice ones of course!) than in the author's first book. Another reviewer said they were the kind of people you'd like to go out for a drink with, and while I'd probably feel horribly out of place drinking with them, they'd have a great time with more sociable people than me!
It's a satisfying storyline in that the right people end up happy. I don't like books where it all goes wrong at the end, well, I don't like the ending bit anyway. The Frog Prince didn't leave me feeling as though there were ends to be tied.
I liked the reinvention of the heroine from drudgery to something she loved and was inspired by. That's pretty feel-good.
Bad points:
My main one is two uses of words referencing the disabled. One's new (romantard) and one's old (spacker) - as I said, I've debated this with Ms Ranald and the latter word, for fairness, is used in the context of historical bullying, so may be justifiable. For a far better explanation of why not to use derivations of retard (e.g. Romantard) than I can coherently give I would direct anyone interested to www.r-word.org I would normally immediately delete a book using this sort of language, and the fact that I carried on is because I've followed this author via the web, blogs, articles and books and like her and her work (Internet only, I don't actually 'know' know her). While I'm not comfortable with either word, some others may find them contextually justifiable, I don't know, but the R-word website is worth a read whether you do or you don't. There is a SEN teacher character who makes a brief appearance, she seems nice, and inspired by SEN kids (who are, in fact, awesome), though a bit desperate for commitment!
There's also a fair amount of swearing (maybe less than the previous book) which I'm personally not keen on, but others won't mind in the slightest.
Good points:
This is unashamedly in the chick lit genre, and does what it says on the tin, to use a hackneyed and inaccurate phrase. It's easy, light reading, the characters are generally nicer (apart from the deliberately not so nice ones of course!) than in the author's first book. Another reviewer said they were the kind of people you'd like to go out for a drink with, and while I'd probably feel horribly out of place drinking with them, they'd have a great time with more sociable people than me!
It's a satisfying storyline in that the right people end up happy. I don't like books where it all goes wrong at the end, well, I don't like the ending bit anyway. The Frog Prince didn't leave me feeling as though there were ends to be tied.
I liked the reinvention of the heroine from drudgery to something she loved and was inspired by. That's pretty feel-good.
Bad points:
My main one is two uses of words referencing the disabled. One's new (romantard) and one's old (spacker) - as I said, I've debated this with Ms Ranald and the latter word, for fairness, is used in the context of historical bullying, so may be justifiable. For a far better explanation of why not to use derivations of retard (e.g. Romantard) than I can coherently give I would direct anyone interested to www.r-word.org I would normally immediately delete a book using this sort of language, and the fact that I carried on is because I've followed this author via the web, blogs, articles and books and like her and her work (Internet only, I don't actually 'know' know her). While I'm not comfortable with either word, some others may find them contextually justifiable, I don't know, but the R-word website is worth a read whether you do or you don't. There is a SEN teacher character who makes a brief appearance, she seems nice, and inspired by SEN kids (who are, in fact, awesome), though a bit desperate for commitment!
There's also a fair amount of swearing (maybe less than the previous book) which I'm personally not keen on, but others won't mind in the slightest.
August 2, 2019
Three and a half stars.
Stella meets Julian falling off a lion in Trafalgar Square, six months later after a long-distance romance Stella moves from Scotland to London and Julian moves from Canada to London to live together. But all too soon cracks appear in Stella and Julian's romance, he's always working, she can't find a job, he treats her like his maid, she's morphed into a 1950s housewife.
Julian's best friend is Will. Will is a fellow nerd but used his nerd-powers to found a social media app called Shutterly (think Instagram) and is now seriously wealthy. Of course with great wealth and success comes a series of stuck-up, gold-digging girlfriends more interested in Will's money and being seen in all the right places than in Will himself.
Stella persuades Will to join a dating app pretending to be a run-of-the-mill teacher rather than a tech-millionaire but as they collaborate over his dating profile and gossip about his dates are Stella and Will better suited than Stella and Julian?
I enjoyed this comic romance, however I found Stella to be a bit of a doormat. She seems to buy all the food and do all the housework while Julian swans around doing whatever he feels like. She also becomes myopic as she believes anything that Julian says even if she knows better. I guess this is a classic case of the way that men can manipulate women into feeling in the wrong, even when they are right.
But anyway, free to borrow on Amazon Prime.
Stella meets Julian falling off a lion in Trafalgar Square, six months later after a long-distance romance Stella moves from Scotland to London and Julian moves from Canada to London to live together. But all too soon cracks appear in Stella and Julian's romance, he's always working, she can't find a job, he treats her like his maid, she's morphed into a 1950s housewife.
Julian's best friend is Will. Will is a fellow nerd but used his nerd-powers to found a social media app called Shutterly (think Instagram) and is now seriously wealthy. Of course with great wealth and success comes a series of stuck-up, gold-digging girlfriends more interested in Will's money and being seen in all the right places than in Will himself.
Stella persuades Will to join a dating app pretending to be a run-of-the-mill teacher rather than a tech-millionaire but as they collaborate over his dating profile and gossip about his dates are Stella and Will better suited than Stella and Julian?
I enjoyed this comic romance, however I found Stella to be a bit of a doormat. She seems to buy all the food and do all the housework while Julian swans around doing whatever he feels like. She also becomes myopic as she believes anything that Julian says even if she knows better. I guess this is a classic case of the way that men can manipulate women into feeling in the wrong, even when they are right.
But anyway, free to borrow on Amazon Prime.
August 15, 2015
Maybe my expectations were too high for this book. I really did judge it by its cover and I love chic lit, and from the blurb this book promised to be just that. However I could sum this book up in 2 words, predictable and uninteresting.
I just could not get into this story, I found the characters really unlikeable, the swearing too much, trying to escape the predictability of the story by inserting swear words for shock value - that does not a good story make.
I wouldn't want to read anything else by Ranald after this. Trying to force myself to read it was hard wearing. Its ok, but nothing more than that.
I just could not get into this story, I found the characters really unlikeable, the swearing too much, trying to escape the predictability of the story by inserting swear words for shock value - that does not a good story make.
I wouldn't want to read anything else by Ranald after this. Trying to force myself to read it was hard wearing. Its ok, but nothing more than that.
August 15, 2022
the story was lots better than the title
July 17, 2020
underwhelming and predictable. I was looking forward to tension and the nightmarish delight of falling in love with your boyfriend's best friend. There was no tension, no drama. Don't get excited.
June 15, 2015
Stella met Julian when he broke her fall from the Lion in Trafalgar Square. When he moves to London with his job she feels blissfully happy. As time goes on- their life together doesn’t really pan out in the way she’d hoped for.
She invites his best friend round for a meal with his girlfriend because she’s desperate to socialise and after they break up- she sets up online dating for him to find a new partner.
There are some great friendships in this book – but it dwells quite a lot on Stella finding it hard in the capital to find friends and a job.
Some of the bad language used seemed unnecessary ( I hate the c word being used in what essentially is a chick lit read). Overall I enjoyed the writing style and although quite predictable it was an enjoyable read.
With many thanks to the publisher and Net Galley for a copy of this book.
She invites his best friend round for a meal with his girlfriend because she’s desperate to socialise and after they break up- she sets up online dating for him to find a new partner.
There are some great friendships in this book – but it dwells quite a lot on Stella finding it hard in the capital to find friends and a job.
Some of the bad language used seemed unnecessary ( I hate the c word being used in what essentially is a chick lit read). Overall I enjoyed the writing style and although quite predictable it was an enjoyable read.
With many thanks to the publisher and Net Galley for a copy of this book.
November 2, 2017
I love Sophie Ranald’s work, but this one was my least favorite (you have to have a least favorite). It was well written like all the others and it is realistic because I suppose there are girls out there that refuse to see something right under their nose, but it just annoyed me so much, even though I did like Stella.
Will sounds like such a catch, but I had trouble imagining what he looked like, and if he was good looking at all, why he had trouble getting a girl, even before he made it rich. I know techies often have a reputation of not being able to pull but I know quite a few techies and they have no trouble finding girlfriends with similar interests.
Still definitely worth a read, and while you’re at it all of Sophie’s other books :).
Will sounds like such a catch, but I had trouble imagining what he looked like, and if he was good looking at all, why he had trouble getting a girl, even before he made it rich. I know techies often have a reputation of not being able to pull but I know quite a few techies and they have no trouble finding girlfriends with similar interests.
Still definitely worth a read, and while you’re at it all of Sophie’s other books :).
February 21, 2020
Not an easy read at times but one I had to finish. Sophie Ranald shows the controlling side of domestic abuse that is all too common.
The realization seemed to be a long time coming then it ended.
Another good story by the author.
The realization seemed to be a long time coming then it ended.
Another good story by the author.
June 26, 2020
There was much to like about this book. It had a great plot (remember it's chick lit so I'm not looking for something to change the world) and I liked many of the female characters. I also liked Will, and the fact money hadn't turned him into a k**b. The book therefore didn't become about his redemption. He'd always been a good, slightly awkward guy.
I appreciated the attempt to show an emotionally abusive relationship. I do wish though it had been called out explicitly (for example by her friends) - especially the financial control, and gaslighting.
Only thing that stopped me giving this book 4 stars was some of the writing. Some of the dialogue, especially Will's was cringey, and made him sound like a 13 year old whiney teenager. The use of filler words such as 'like' or 'totally' were not appropriate for a smart 20 something.
Overall I really liked this book, but did have the urge to edit some of the dialogue.
I appreciated the attempt to show an emotionally abusive relationship. I do wish though it had been called out explicitly (for example by her friends) - especially the financial control, and gaslighting.
Only thing that stopped me giving this book 4 stars was some of the writing. Some of the dialogue, especially Will's was cringey, and made him sound like a 13 year old whiney teenager. The use of filler words such as 'like' or 'totally' were not appropriate for a smart 20 something.
Overall I really liked this book, but did have the urge to edit some of the dialogue.
May 20, 2017
DNF at... 62%? It's hard to say, because somewhere around the middle I started to only skim over Stella's storyline and only read the "good" bits (Will's disastrous dates, for example).
I found the story (as far as I read, at least) slightly depressing, plus, I really didn't like to read about Julian.
I *did* like Will, though (yay! another geeky hero!) and I also liked Stella's interactions with her friends.
On the technical side, there were a couple of proofreading issues, also the formatting looked a bit weird on my Kindle (Chapter would start at the bottom of a new page).
This is the first book I have read by this author, and I'd probably want to read samples of other books by her before I go ahead and buy them.
I found the story (as far as I read, at least) slightly depressing, plus, I really didn't like to read about Julian.
I *did* like Will, though (yay! another geeky hero!) and I also liked Stella's interactions with her friends.
On the technical side, there were a couple of proofreading issues, also the formatting looked a bit weird on my Kindle (Chapter would start at the bottom of a new page).
This is the first book I have read by this author, and I'd probably want to read samples of other books by her before I go ahead and buy them.
June 20, 2020
Only reason this one didn't hit 5 stars for me was the use of the 'c' word in it. I'm not offended by words, but when there isn't much swearing in this at all and suddenly the first 'c' word was used it was really quite jarring. I only remember it being used twice, but each time I thought a different word choice would have worked just as effectively.
July 22, 2020
Sometimes a book makes you want to slap one or more characters - this was one of those books. The cover makes it look like a light read, however, it wasn't lighthearted or fun at all. A little predictable.
February 1, 2021
There are a few bad or mediocre reviews for this book, I really enjoyed it. Just show’s, everyone sees things differently. I read this in something like two days, and found it interesting and thought provoking.
December 29, 2019
Light and Fun
As with all of Sophie’s books this one is a fast and fun read. Good story and interesting characters, and easy to visualize the setting.
As with all of Sophie’s books this one is a fast and fun read. Good story and interesting characters, and easy to visualize the setting.
July 22, 2020
This was an ideal light read while I was curled up in bed feeling sorry for myself. The end was entirely predictable but it was great getting there.
August 20, 2020
Nice quick read for holiday !
August 4, 2022
Stella fell in love with a man who was a math genius but found out he was a cheater
February 6, 2023
Misleading title. Fairly ok book.
November 19, 2025
A really enjoyable story.
November 3, 2019
Light Read
It was a light read. I wish there was more Will and Stella scenes. Stella was overall so aggravating though. She was so submissive, and so judgmental. I truly don’t get why she was so distant from her mom when she had only turned to religion. Big deal. It didn’t mean she was this completely different person. Clearly her parents had a fractured relationship that was the catalyst why her mom had turned to religion. It all seemed SO judgey and so anti Christianity. Stella was just constantly after men rather than trying to fix her broken (unclear why it was broken) relationship with her mom.
It was a light read. I wish there was more Will and Stella scenes. Stella was overall so aggravating though. She was so submissive, and so judgmental. I truly don’t get why she was so distant from her mom when she had only turned to religion. Big deal. It didn’t mean she was this completely different person. Clearly her parents had a fractured relationship that was the catalyst why her mom had turned to religion. It all seemed SO judgey and so anti Christianity. Stella was just constantly after men rather than trying to fix her broken (unclear why it was broken) relationship with her mom.
March 1, 2015
Review first posted on my blog: http://spoonfulofhappyendings.blogspo...
Twenty-something Stella is incredibly excited to finally move in with her handsome boyfriend Julian, who just moved from Canada to London. It doesn't matter that their apartment is quite small and that she will be forced to spend most of her time cleaning up after Julian because he has a full-time job and she's still on the look-out for one... As long as they're together, it's Stella's own fairytale-come-true, right? Luckily, there's Julian's best friend Will to keep Stella distracted. Will is a great guy, but also incredibly rich thanks to his clever tech start-up and somehow this only attracts models who are more interested in his money than anything else. Stella decides it is time for Will to start online dating with a fake profile; if he pretends to be an average teacher, the women he'll meet will definitely fall for him and not just his bank account. But will this really help Will find the right girl? And what about Stella's own happy ending...?
I just want to jump and down with excitement and shout from the rooftops how much I love Sophie Ranald's novels! She really has a knack for writing amazingly entertaining romantic comedies and I honestly think she's one of the most promising voices within the world of chick lit at the moment. I really enjoyed her previous novel 'A Groom With a View', and 'The Frog Prince' is just as fabulous. It has a really fun and enjoyable storyline with great characters; it was so easy to warm to Stella, the main character, and the other characters really added their own special touch to the tale, such as Julian, Will, and Stella's best friends Wizzy and Polly. The storyline really had me entertained from the first page until the last and I honestly think I could have finished this book in one sitting, because I never got bored of it.
What I personally particularly loved about this book is the fairy tale aspect Sophie Ranald decided to include, in line with the title. Each chapter starts with a short message, written in true fairytale style, and I really liked this and the role fairy tales play in the novel. I love the author's writing style; it's comfortable, well-paced, and she's clearly a born story-teller. Fans of authors such as Sophie Kinsella, Carole Matthews and Lucy Diamond will undoubtedly enjoy this as well, and I can't recommend it enough. 'The Frog Prince' is a simply stunning, engaging and fun read; a book you definitely have to pick up if you're a chick lit fan. I'm definitely one of Sophie Ranald's fans, and I already can't wait to read her next work!
Twenty-something Stella is incredibly excited to finally move in with her handsome boyfriend Julian, who just moved from Canada to London. It doesn't matter that their apartment is quite small and that she will be forced to spend most of her time cleaning up after Julian because he has a full-time job and she's still on the look-out for one... As long as they're together, it's Stella's own fairytale-come-true, right? Luckily, there's Julian's best friend Will to keep Stella distracted. Will is a great guy, but also incredibly rich thanks to his clever tech start-up and somehow this only attracts models who are more interested in his money than anything else. Stella decides it is time for Will to start online dating with a fake profile; if he pretends to be an average teacher, the women he'll meet will definitely fall for him and not just his bank account. But will this really help Will find the right girl? And what about Stella's own happy ending...?
I just want to jump and down with excitement and shout from the rooftops how much I love Sophie Ranald's novels! She really has a knack for writing amazingly entertaining romantic comedies and I honestly think she's one of the most promising voices within the world of chick lit at the moment. I really enjoyed her previous novel 'A Groom With a View', and 'The Frog Prince' is just as fabulous. It has a really fun and enjoyable storyline with great characters; it was so easy to warm to Stella, the main character, and the other characters really added their own special touch to the tale, such as Julian, Will, and Stella's best friends Wizzy and Polly. The storyline really had me entertained from the first page until the last and I honestly think I could have finished this book in one sitting, because I never got bored of it.
What I personally particularly loved about this book is the fairy tale aspect Sophie Ranald decided to include, in line with the title. Each chapter starts with a short message, written in true fairytale style, and I really liked this and the role fairy tales play in the novel. I love the author's writing style; it's comfortable, well-paced, and she's clearly a born story-teller. Fans of authors such as Sophie Kinsella, Carole Matthews and Lucy Diamond will undoubtedly enjoy this as well, and I can't recommend it enough. 'The Frog Prince' is a simply stunning, engaging and fun read; a book you definitely have to pick up if you're a chick lit fan. I'm definitely one of Sophie Ranald's fans, and I already can't wait to read her next work!
January 17, 2017
This review can also be seen on my blog I Heart Fictional People
Let me start with the cover. I absolutely loved it! I’ve been dying to read this book because the cover is fantastic and gives off this modern-fairytale-romance feel. Maybe my expectations were a bit high, but I was kind of disappointed in the story. The cover and even the synopsis made me think I was going to read this cute romance, but the lead characters, Stella and Will, don’t have many scenes together. I loved the ones they did have, but it just made me want more, which didn’t happen.
However, the writing is very good. I have never read a Sophie Ranald book, and I will definitely check others out based on the writing. I just wanted more from the story. I wanted more humor and laughs and feel-good moments and less depressing parts.
But I will say this. Women who have been in or are in a similar, unhealthy relationship as Stella and Julian (I don’t want to give too much away) should read this. The things Julian said and did were scary accurate. He wasn’t one of those completely unbelievable characters. I’ve seen and known men like him, and I can tell you from firsthand experience that Sophie Ranald got it 100% right. Their relationship can give women going through this some great advice.
So, I’m going smack dab in the middle with this one and giving it three hearts. The writing was great, the characters were likeable and authentic, and the story did have its moments, but the not-so-happy stuff far outweighed the happy stuff. It should’ve been the other way around. But don’t let this review prevent you from reading this book or any other Sophie Ranald books. I looked at her other books, and they sound pretty good, so I will certainly be checking them out because she is clearly a gifted writer.
*I was provided with an ARC of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.*
Let me start with the cover. I absolutely loved it! I’ve been dying to read this book because the cover is fantastic and gives off this modern-fairytale-romance feel. Maybe my expectations were a bit high, but I was kind of disappointed in the story. The cover and even the synopsis made me think I was going to read this cute romance, but the lead characters, Stella and Will, don’t have many scenes together. I loved the ones they did have, but it just made me want more, which didn’t happen.
However, the writing is very good. I have never read a Sophie Ranald book, and I will definitely check others out based on the writing. I just wanted more from the story. I wanted more humor and laughs and feel-good moments and less depressing parts.
But I will say this. Women who have been in or are in a similar, unhealthy relationship as Stella and Julian (I don’t want to give too much away) should read this. The things Julian said and did were scary accurate. He wasn’t one of those completely unbelievable characters. I’ve seen and known men like him, and I can tell you from firsthand experience that Sophie Ranald got it 100% right. Their relationship can give women going through this some great advice.
So, I’m going smack dab in the middle with this one and giving it three hearts. The writing was great, the characters were likeable and authentic, and the story did have its moments, but the not-so-happy stuff far outweighed the happy stuff. It should’ve been the other way around. But don’t let this review prevent you from reading this book or any other Sophie Ranald books. I looked at her other books, and they sound pretty good, so I will certainly be checking them out because she is clearly a gifted writer.
*I was provided with an ARC of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.*
August 2, 2020
*Discovered on Amazon Prime*
Read this book following finishing another novel by the same author. The Boyfriend was one of those characters you just hated and I wanted to scream at the female lead to get out of there. Was so pleased with the ending of the story however could see it coming a mile away. But overall a good typical chick-lit. Would recommend.
Read this book following finishing another novel by the same author. The Boyfriend was one of those characters you just hated and I wanted to scream at the female lead to get out of there. Was so pleased with the ending of the story however could see it coming a mile away. But overall a good typical chick-lit. Would recommend.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
August 26, 2017
I started off kinda uninvested in Stella, the protagonist. She was flighty and naive, and... 🙄. I'm so glad I'm not in my 20's anymore.
I hung on though and she sunk in. I REALLY enjoyed her ending.
It's written in colloquial UK English, so expect a lot of slang we don't use in the US. (Maybe that added to why I considered her so flighty? Stella wasn't even THAT similar to Bridget Jones, but I just kept coming back to that as a reference point. On the flip side, maybe everyone in the UK thinks of an NYC-based romantic female lead as Carrie Bradshaw. Archetypes much?)
Oh, and the title is 🤷🏼♀️. I don't think it does a great job of covering the real character arc of the MC. Don't judge this one on the title or write it off as yet another rich-guy-saves-desperate-girl story. There's no marriage focus to what happens, and I think the title's set-up does a disservice to Stella's story.
~Semi-spoilery & TW~
I felt like it took her kinda far to catch on to the gaslighting in her life, but I personally know people who took YEARS to catch on (and I didn't see it either), so who am I to judge?
I hung on though and she sunk in. I REALLY enjoyed her ending.
It's written in colloquial UK English, so expect a lot of slang we don't use in the US. (Maybe that added to why I considered her so flighty? Stella wasn't even THAT similar to Bridget Jones, but I just kept coming back to that as a reference point. On the flip side, maybe everyone in the UK thinks of an NYC-based romantic female lead as Carrie Bradshaw. Archetypes much?)
Oh, and the title is 🤷🏼♀️. I don't think it does a great job of covering the real character arc of the MC. Don't judge this one on the title or write it off as yet another rich-guy-saves-desperate-girl story. There's no marriage focus to what happens, and I think the title's set-up does a disservice to Stella's story.
~Semi-spoilery & TW~
I felt like it took her kinda far to catch on to the gaslighting in her life, but I personally know people who took YEARS to catch on (and I didn't see it either), so who am I to judge?
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
July 7, 2015
I love the cover of this book. The colors are popping and eye catching, I won''t lie and say that the cover along with the title were the main things that drew me in firs.t. The synopsis of the book was very misleading however or maybe I was just expecting something different and it took away from the book. The writing was very good I just found the story a bit depressing for my taste at the moment.
The title is appropriate, you learn just how right the title of the book is as you read about Stella's miserable relationship with Julian because be certainly is the frog that didn't turn into a prince when you kiss him.
This is a good warning book for watching a girl get trapped in the cycle of a toxic relationship, the forgiving over and over and the waiting for it to get better. It also shows readers how much a relationship can affect every aspect of your life.
I think my favorite part of this book was how each chapter was started with a little fairy tale excerpt. It really gave the book an edge and some personality.
The title is appropriate, you learn just how right the title of the book is as you read about Stella's miserable relationship with Julian because be certainly is the frog that didn't turn into a prince when you kiss him.
This is a good warning book for watching a girl get trapped in the cycle of a toxic relationship, the forgiving over and over and the waiting for it to get better. It also shows readers how much a relationship can affect every aspect of your life.
I think my favorite part of this book was how each chapter was started with a little fairy tale excerpt. It really gave the book an edge and some personality.
May 27, 2016
love the cover of this book. The colors are popping and eye catching, I won''t lie and say that the cover along with the title were the main things that drew me in firs.t. The synopsis of the book was very misleading however or maybe I was just expecting something different and it took away from the book. The writing was very good I just found the story a bit depressing for my taste at the moment.
The title is appropriate, you learn just how right the title of the book is as you read about Stella's miserable relationship with Julian because be certainly is the frog that didn't turn into a prince when you kiss him.
This is a good warning book for watching a girl get trapped in the cycle of a toxic relationship, the forgiving over and over and the waiting for it to get better. It also shows readers how much a relationship can affect every aspect of your life.
I think my favorite part of this book was how each chapter was started with a little fairy tale excerpt. It really gave the book an edge and some personality.
The title is appropriate, you learn just how right the title of the book is as you read about Stella's miserable relationship with Julian because be certainly is the frog that didn't turn into a prince when you kiss him.
This is a good warning book for watching a girl get trapped in the cycle of a toxic relationship, the forgiving over and over and the waiting for it to get better. It also shows readers how much a relationship can affect every aspect of your life.
I think my favorite part of this book was how each chapter was started with a little fairy tale excerpt. It really gave the book an edge and some personality.
March 8, 2015
While this novel is easy to read and has a fairly okay story. I found it really difficult to accept the female lead, Stella. I felt like she did a head dive into her relationship with Julian and could not see him for his true nature, a manipulative and selfish person who did not respect or really love her. She constantly forgives him for things said when she shouldn't have and very rarely stands up for herself. Even Will, the male lead is also pretty superficial, he wants a meaningful relationship; however, continually ends up with females that are vain and only about looks. I continued to read the book, as it wasn't difficult to read. However, I think my major disappointment was with the main characters I just couldn't connect with them.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
June 22, 2015
Stella is all loved up and moving in with her great boyfriend Julian. Julian's best friend Will is single and loaded due to his clever tech start up but is finding that he is only attracting woman who are more interested in his bank account than him.
Stella decides that he needs to do some on line dating with a fake profile so that women will think he is just a teacher with an average income and fall for him for his personality. Will this work and is Stella's own relationship the fairytale she thought it would be.
A great chicklit book light hearted and amusing and although totally predictable it has great characters and the fun style keeps you reading
Stella decides that he needs to do some on line dating with a fake profile so that women will think he is just a teacher with an average income and fall for him for his personality. Will this work and is Stella's own relationship the fairytale she thought it would be.
A great chicklit book light hearted and amusing and although totally predictable it has great characters and the fun style keeps you reading
Displaying 1 - 30 of 46 reviews