The New Me

by Elizabeth Neep

What if you meet the love of your life, but he thinks you’re someone else?

Anna and Marley are best friends. So when Anna rings Marley, panicking because she has to miss a tour of an exclusive wedding venue, Marley agrees to go in her friend’s place.

After being totally ignored by the glamorous receptionist who can tell she doesn’t belong there, Marley meets handsome hotel manager Cameron. He assumes she’s Anna and instead of admitting that she’s not the blushing bride, but the unlucky-in-love single friend, Marley plays along to see what it’s like to be Anna for a day.

After all, Marley is unemployed, single and was woken up that morning by her flatmate playing the bagpipes. Anna has a high-flying career and is planning the perfect wedding. Why wouldn’t Marley want to be her?

Only she wasn’t counting on Cameron being so smart and funny. Or this spark between them that she can’t ignore. She hasn’t felt this way about a guy in forever. But he thinks she’s somebody better.

Marley needs a way out of this mix-up to get her shot at true love. But her fictional fiancé is now standing in her way and it’s harder than she thought to stop living someone else’s life…

A funny, uplifting and poignant story of friendship, love and finding your way. Fans of Mhairi McFarlane, Holly Bourne and Bridget Jones will adore Elizabeth Neep’s wit and warmth.

Genres: Fiction, Romance, Chick Lit, Rom Com

350 pages, Kindle Edition

First published May 27, 2021

About the author

Elizabeth Neep studied Law and Australian Law (University of Nottingham, University of New South Wales) before getting into publishing, where she now works as a senior commissioning editor for an independent press. She has written features for numerous publications including Cosmopolitan, Dazed Digital and PETRIe, is a trustee for a mental health charity and draws and paints in her spare time. She can usually be found with a flat white or glass of wine in hand around her home in London Bridge.

Reviews

[Kat · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have to admit I was nervous about this one. The initial ratings were pretty ho-hum, and I wondered why it wasn’t getting more love. Perhaps those who read more rom-coms felt it was missing some pizzazz. All I can say is: I liked it and thought it was charming.

Marley Bright is a 28-year-old struggling actress in London who has yet to make any real mark in her chosen profession. Her parents are pressuring her to get a “real” job, her long-time best friend, successful real estate agent, Anna, is relying on her to spearhead her ridiculously overpriced upcoming wedding to Jake, and she’s living with a weed-smoking, bagpipe playing roommate, Xavier, who seems one penny short of a pound on his best days. (For those of you who saw Notting Hill, he initially reminded me so much of Spike!) When Anna is tied up with business and unable to go check out her dream wedding venue at the Hotel Hyde one day, she asks Marley to go in her place. Simple enough, right?

Not so much.

The receptionist at the hotel assumes Marley is Anna, which, in an insecure moment of wanting to be seen as successful, Marley decides not to correct her on, especially after the handsome and kind single hotel manager, Cameron, takes particular care to spend time with her and show her around. He, in turn, introduces Marley to one of his employees, Reese, a hip budding writer with black and pink hair who wants “Anna” to act in a TV pilot competition she’s entering. Reese then introduces “Anna” to her friend Will, who will play her love interest in the TV pilot and may have his own interest in her, not knowing “she’s” engaged. To make matters worse, the real Anna doesn’t even know Marley is using her name, and as Marley gets further enmeshed with all these people, her ability to sustain the “Anna” lie becomes more and more difficult.

Talk about an identity crisis!

There’s so much more to the story plot, but this really is a tangled web to unwind, so I’ll let my fellow readers do that part. I thought the characters, even when they weren’t at their best, were interesting and engaging, the storyline was a lot of fun, and there was a nice overall humor to it. Being a rom-com, there was the requisite, ‘which guy will win her heart?’ aspect, and there was a fair bit of sexual tension, but it didn’t go all play-by-play on me, so I appreciated that.

All-in-all, Elizabeth Neep has written a warm-hearted, fun story that I could totally visualize on the big screen and was the perfect balance for a looooong month of moving!

★★★★

Thanks to NetGalley, Bookouture, and author Elizabeth Neep for this ARC in exchange for my honest review. It will be published on May 27th.

[Berit☀️✨ · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was so fun! Marley is a down on her luck actress with plenty of time on her hands. So when her Bestie Anna asks if she can check out a the venue for her she thinks “why not”? When Marley gets there she’s feeling a little inadequate so she decides to take on the persona of BFF Anna. Of course this backfires. Not only does she meet The man of her dreams Cameron but she also is given the opportunity of the acting role of her life but everyone thinks she is Anna, and engaged. Marley was a likable character even though she was frustrating at times. I mean the girl got her self into a serious mess. Her roommate Xavier and screen writer Reese were definitely my favorite secondary characters. BFF Anna was a bit of a bridezilla and we didn’t get to know Cameron love interest as much as I would have liked. A fun uplifting story filled with loads of wit and charm!

*** Big thank you to Bookouture for my gifted copy of this book. All opinions are my own. ***

[DJ Sakata · Rating 4 out of 5]

While I enjoyed the premise and humor of this women's fiction story, I struggled some with most of the main characters and their immature behaviors. They were annoying me I didn’t find them all that likable, yet I was invested in their tale and was curious to see how their story would unwind.   I'm glad I stuck it out as it was well worth the effort when it all came together with some clever sleight of hand.   The set-ups were often humorous with the characters' duplicities snowballing and compounding, as lies tend to do. There were a few unexpected twists and curveballs I would never have seen coming that were quite ingeniously contrived. My favorite of all was the caped crusader stoner, he was brilliantly developed to be underestimated.

[Trisha (semi-hiatus) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Blog Review: https://trishadoeseverythingbutstudy2...

I received a free e-ARC from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review!

Review:
I enjoyed it, but I was very frustrated throughout it.

Let me start off by saying that I was under the impression that this was a romance book when I requested this, so I wasn't exactly pleasantly surprised when this turned out to be, not, in fact, a romance book. And I get what the message of this book was with the ending, but still, I was advertised a romance, the synopsis says romance, this should have been romance.

Like the romance was there, but it was lesser than a side plot. It was a sub plot. No, what's lesser than a sub plot. Like just a small thread. Lesser than a small thread.

This was more a book that explored the MC as a person. It was about the MC, about her struggles, about her relationships with her best friend, parents, flatmate, new people, potential love interests, etc. This was so much more about the MC than it was about anything else.

Which is alright, and makes for an amazing plot, unless you've been waiting for a romance to strike but you're more than halfway through the book already and it hasn't happened. Which I was.

This book is bettered described as a comedy, a comedy of errors, kinda like that hindi movie with the twins which is based on that shakespeare play, can't remember the name. Wait I should google it. *googles* It was named A Comedy of Errors, and yes, here it is, it was Angoor! I'd got tired of the plot so fast.

Anyway, moving on, once you get past the desperation to throttle our MC, Marley, for not coming clean about this absolute disaster, and the frustration you feel with literally everything that's going on, this is actually a very enjoyable book.

The message that it this is a story about our characters, and not men as plot devices for our romance went over very well with me. It was a nice surprise, but it would have been nicer if I had expected it more.

Other than that, this was a very entertaining read. People missing each other, misunderstandings upon misunderstandings, just your usual drama. This book is actually titled correctly. You know what, my first clue that this wasn't exactly a rom-com should have been the cover...the fact that there are two girls on the cover and not the love interest should have clued me in, but I was oblivious. Oh, well.

On the whole, an entertaining read. I would recommend it to anyone looking for a humourous book, with slight romance (remember it's not the main plot point), literal mix-ups upon mix-ups, loads of misunderstandings, awesome friendships that stood the test of time, and just an entertaining read.


Pre-reading review:
I keep getting approved. Then again, I keep requesting. Well, anyway, can't wait to start!

[Brinley · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this one! I definitely expected more of a romance, but that didn't end up being a problem. I honestly liked how this dealt with topics other than just romance.

My favorite thing about this was definitely the shock factor it brought. The way all of the story threads connected had me on the edge of my seat, which isn't something you see very often in romances. The entire time I had a slight suspicion regarding a certain character, but that suspicion culminated in a way I wasn't expecting.

Xavier was definitely my favorite character, but I liked the others too. It was kind of hard to connect with most of the side characters because they were suspicious, but I found myself liking them. Other than Anna of course, I really didn't like her. I appreciated that the author rebuilt their friendship, but I couldn't stand how terrible of a friend Anna was.

I was slightly disappointed by the lack of resolution at the end of this. I was expecting a romance, so I wasn't too happy that that romance never really happened. I liked it, but I wish we could've gotten 50 pages of conclusion.

Thanks to Elizabeth Neep and Netgalley for providing a free copy in exchange for an honest review!

[Maria · Rating 4 out of 5]

I discovered Elizabeth Neep last year and I've read her three books as soon as they have been available! I enjoyed them a lot, especially this one and The Spare Bedroom. They portray strong female characters with their flaws and insecurities, which makes them more real.

In this book, Marley, an aspiring actor, passes herself for her best friend Anna for a day, but the lies become more and more complicated.

I loved Marley, Reese and Anna, and of course the great Xavier! (I had a good laugh imagining him with the bagpipes). The best thing about this book is that it's not only focused on romance (although there is romance in it) but on the power of female friendship, on finding yourself, and the thought that it is ok not to be perfect.

I hope Elizabeth Neep writes another book soon!

[Mary Beth · Rating 3 out of 5]

A fun book about friendship with a little romance mix in. From the very first page I was instantly interested in Marley's story. She is a very realistic and relatable character with a problem that may not be that common but I'm sure many people can relate to her generalized problem of getting in over your head and struggling to get out.
Actually, all the characters are realistic, well written and relatable. I loved how all their relationships were intertwined in some way and how they evolved throughout the book. There was a slight romantic feel about a couple of the relationships but this book was more about the new and established friendships in Marley's life and how one simple lie affects them all.
Over all, this was a lighthearted story full of friendship, laughter, betrayal, and love that left me wanting more. I highly recommend this book and am grateful to Netgalley and the publishers for the opportunity to read an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

[Britt · Rating 3 out of 5]

Thanks to NetGalley and Bookouture for an eARC of this book. The following review is my honest reflection on the text provided.

There are a lot of good things to like about The New Me . It was refreshing to read a book that was more about female friendship than flirting and dating. I love a good romance as much as the next person, and I certainly enjoyed the flirty parts in this book, but it was nice that dating/marriage wasn't the end goal here.

There was an excellent contrast here between the type of relationship between friends we've known our whole life and friends we meet as adults. Anna and Marley have been friends for so long they've become trapped in playing the same roles and acting the same way they always have. When Marley meets Reese, she gets to be the person she wants to be. Disregarding the whole mistaken identity thing, for the most part, Marley gets to be herself. The way these contrasting storylines came together was an excellent example of what female friendships can be with open communication and honesty.

Unfortunately, the whole 'mistaken identity' trope threatened to ruin any enjoyment I got out of The New Me . I honestly almost DNF this so many times because Marley was so obnoxious. It was like déjà vu how many times we have to read the same internal monologue. I don't know how anyone could stand to be around her - the number of times another character had to bring her back to the present because she'd gone off in her head on another tangent would've driven anyone crazy. She came off as ditzy and self-centred, and on top of all of that, it was just so unnecessary. It's not like she pretended to have Anna's job or life; she literally just swapped her name and pretended she was engaged. It made literally no sense and served no purpose - she could've turned to anyone at any time and said, 'Oh sorry, my name is Marley, and I'm single. It's actually my best friend Anna who's engaged,' and the whole story would've still worked out the same way.

I'm glad I finished The New Me but it would have been much more enjoyable without the whole 'withholding information to make the plot more interesting' thing.

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[Alex (Alex's Version) · Rating 3 out of 5]

I received an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. thank you again!

I enjoy a good book rom-com every once in a while, However think describing this as such is a little misleading. There is a romance component but it is more a book about friendship. Which I found refreshing and atypical.

So I liked this but I wouldn't re-read or tell others to read this.

[Vonne · Rating 3 out of 5]

I knew when I took the opportunity to make some selections on which books looked interesting to my eyes -sometimes in Cover, Blurb or even simply it's Title- on NetGalley and then get final approval to read an e-Arc that I was taking a crap shoot.

There would be some wonderful surprises... some not-so great Mehs and then there could be some Wished-I-Never-Started. I kind of made a small promise to myself that I would be a little less harder on the content and try to keep as much of an open mind as possible. I would also push-through and persevere when it would be so much easier to DNF and walk away.

I was making such Blind Choices, never truly guaranteed an outright "approval" from the minute I request a book that I would enjoy reading so yeah every book I will get is going to be read, by ANY means necessary.

Not all these manuscripts will be hidden gems or bonafide goldmines, no matter how hard the PR department tries to sell them.

So, hmmm...when a book like this one rubs me wrong from the very start, I get tense because, "my god, what's the next 200+pags going to look like?"... and "Can I tolerate the set-upon atmosphere for 80% of the book?" Certainly I ask myself this when most of my problem is the POV voice chosen for an MC a reader will be walking alongside of the entire story as her perceived judgments coat all-over the very First Chapter.

I want to fathom a goodness in every character, major or minor. These are utter strangers to me and maybe I am thrown into their lives mid-range where I am unsure of exactly where they are at. In Bookland, if an Author is savvy enough, we can make a snap decision in the first couple of pages---getting to know someone is different in Real Life. But when a reader gets a bad-feeling on the main protagonist, from the get-go, there is a serious problem.

I want to believe, too, that sometimes we become jaded by our markers in life that have bent and shaped us; we grow dents in our body armor over time to protect ourselves from people in our lives, during certain situations and hopefully protective coating allows us to bear the brunt of Life's foibles.

An MC who has a judgmental view of everything in her world, especially what makes her most insecure...even as a "working Actress"... yikes, alarm bells want to ring constantly that, " This is not a great jumping off point. " A reader will hope that this outlook on same-sex counter-parts, whether they be friend, foe or complete stranger would tone-down judgments and preconceived notions and not decide that because someone looks a certain way, one gives them a "name" from the past walks of life and sits in condemnation without even knowing who that person is, deeper, on the inside.

Not a good sign of maturity when we are judgmental of other women we come into contact with. Even when it's our own close collection of people. Like someone who is under the moniker of Best Girlfriend and you are part of her Wedding Party.

I am also wondering...why is this "Mix-Up" Plot being carried out for such a long time when it could be resolved fairly quickly? Especially since the BFF our MC was "faking" for is almost ready to QUIT her own wedding. Why, exactly, is Marley STILL pretending to be Anna when... we really should be postponing the actual event and making DAMN SURE the Groom is not cheating?

I understand we need some Plot to move story, but when the whole point of our Title and our Story CAN BE FIXED... why are we still in the Mix-Up? There is enough now to contemplate a NEW PLOT or "drive" for Marley.

Why is she so stuck in a rut with pretending to be Anna and leading a Falsified Life...especially if she is coming into major contact with possible Love Interests? This really seems kind of... unneeded/unnecessary at this point.

It also really makes Marley appear horribly calculating and childish...the fact she will not own up to the "faked" persona... and keeps allowing people to call her "ANNA" and think she has a fiance named Jake. Look, half the time Marley has to remind herself she is STILL FAKING BEING ANNA... yeah, it's time...like now...30% in at the Chapter 10 mark.... to let go of THE MIX-UP and be brave enough to be YOURSELF, Marley.

It had taken me quite a long time to figure who Marley was. She is kind of Eeyore-esque to me. Just as an example... while FAKING being Anna, Marley meets two people, Reese and Will who went to a formal "acting/entertainment" school...and Both of them graduated. But Marley has to tell us, The Reader, in her own foul mind that OF COURSE she tried to get into this same school. And The Faculty rejected her application... TWICE. So, yeah... never gloss over the little details that tell you so much more about a protagonist. Especially when she has such a negative outlook on Life and The World you will be in for 200+pgs.

Marley spends so much time... pretending and hating on her own life and wanting Other People's lives...one cannot pin her down to really know who she genuinely is.

One thing is...she is way-too attached at the hip with her best friend, Anna, and wishing she had everything Anna does. And it really mars how we can ever view Marley. Without the fog of Anna clouding our way. Even Marley comes to a head, eventually, and realizes how jealous she has been but only because Anna is angry and yelling at her that this is what Marley has been doing for so many years.

But not before this story becomes really REALLY convoluted and messy-as-hell. I cannot even fathom how small a scope of folks it becomes when the core number of characters in this story manage to bump into one another AS STRANGERS and then everyone is keeping secrets from everyone, and it is not just Marley who is LYING anymore.

I'm not certain what the core lesson is here because when Marley had to fess up to her lie [about being Anna] it was weighed down by 3-4 other lies behind it and then we have a FULL-ON Revenge Plot against a Big Bad Guy Villain...

It feels, once again, like we are childish and nasty-for-no-reason. I understand we needed to "teach" Will a lesson but like Michelle Obama says... "when they go low, we go high"...No one forced or coerced Marley and her cohorts to sink to The Bad Guy Villain's low. They ALL conspire to get back at him... Will... in a mild form of revenge that mostly falls short.

More important than anything is that this book is more of a back-burner Romance than a full-on Romance. Even though Marley acts like a horny pre-teen throughout the book...mainly with Cameron and then with Will.

This book may not even be classified as a Women's Fiction or a Chick Lit... because I am still unsure of what important life lessons ANYONE in this book heard or will adhere to.

Most importantly the so-called Life's Journey an MC is supposed to go on feels... unequal to the lengths this story went to not just hold out Marley's lie to nearly THE END, but also wrap her in not one, but 3 mysteries and lies that began to overlap each other, where she simply went deeper and deeper into a rabbit hole of...one miscommunication after another. Never admitting to the Original Lie butterfly effects the next 6 lies and then... when it all comes to a boiling point... man, the resolution or solution to solving the modern problems is just... dumb and a huge let-down to a degree.

Marley messed up BIG TIME. But her mess never would have begun had she never been so jealous of her Best Friend Anna and seemingly wanting to DO AND BE EVERYTHING for Anna because of some ridiculous idea their friendship is in any kind of synchronicity. I never saw Anna giving Marley any equal Best Girlfriend Time because Marley was Anna's BFF about 110% of the book, and maybe even more.

This idea that Anna is ALSO jealous of Marley? Nope. Not buying it. Mainly because Anna was never off the page ONCE... and just in the background... in Marley's life--this whole entire book. Readers spend half the book IN Anna's hijacked headspace because Marley cannot get out of her own way. Marley wants to be the BEST GIRLFRIEND and Wedding Helper she can be, but it is to her detriment and it fouls up and ruins every opportunity for ANY meaningful moment with Marley or ever sincerely learning who the hell she is without...someone else.

I cannot even take Marley's Apology to Cameron for the Mix-Up, who turned out to be her true Love Interest. Because yeah... Marley got sucked into the HUGE VORTEX OF HER LIE... and ended up sleeping with another guy [Will, the Bad Guy Villain] who was NOT-CAMERON...

And, sorry, I have to say this but, man, Marley's whole "Acting thing" is a real problem for me, if I really want to be serious.

I will not be ashamed of admitting that I had long-ago dreams for myself about "acting" and getting the good ole Acting bug bite of my own. It's why I love tropes that involve Hollywood-esque atmospheres and Actors/Actresses... Directors and Screenwriters. It an old secret dream of mine.

The thing is...because I was unable to figure out who Marley was and I can only work with what I am given...I put people who want to be Actors in 2 different categories: Those who want to ACT and LOVE the form of "acting"...and then there are those people who simply WANT TO BE STARS. Ya know Hollywood or Broadway Standouts without ANY hard work nor efforts.

For me, at this point and even by the end... Marley falls into the latter category. She seems to have some kind of Acting talent... an urge and burn for Pretending to BE...but then she seems to WANT STARDOM... and here is where she will never be a long-term working Actress nor will she have a longstanding career. Because she wants INSTA-fame and fortune to get out of her shit hole life. The one she keeps finding issue with because she wants so desperately to BE SOMEBODY ELSE... mostly to BE ANNA.

So, yeah... what I get from this book is... Marley always wanted to BE ANNA. She got to BE ANNA... and then her life went to shit and she almost put herself in serious financial debt, and possibly career ruin, because of her dumb, childish lie and... plainly, her jealousy and insecurities in her SELF... created a catastrophe she easily escaped from with the help of some minor characters.

I think because this book mainly focuses more on this really silly PILOT/Script TV Show competition and having Marley [AS ANNA] act in it ... that we never get to honestly understand or know who Marley wants to BE... besides an actress with subpar talents.

The reasons I say this is because... it seems like with her first "real break" [like everything else she did for auditions and old jobs was not even close to being AS BIG AS giving her quick STARDOM]...she really did all those naive foul-ups one does by sleeping with your Co-Star...allowing ONE lie to snowball into several...then signing "falsified" contracts and believing EVERY WORD that you are told by people who mean you harm or foul.

I cannot see her going far because I never saw a LOVE or a DESIRE for just acting and losing oneself inside of a role or a character because you love characters... and their backgrounds and motivations.

Marley seems to only want the Fame and Fortune and THAT to me is really disappointing and unfortunate. Plus, yeah... if you didn't figure it out by now, I never enjoyed being inside Marley's head or POV for this book...it was often a downer, even when it tried to reach a happier ending, for now.

**I received this e-ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.**

[Cat]

I’m not rating this one because I’m not even sure how many stars this deserves. I’m unable to say, in all honesty, that I liked reading this book.

It was one of those books that failed completely to make me want to keep on reading; most times I didn’t even feel like picking it up and resume my reading. And why? Well, for starters, I didn’t like most of the characters. Marley was quite annoying, especially when she was pretending to be her best friend Anna. Tell me, who decides to pretend being someone else, and then keeps forgetting they’re pretending to be someone else? Marley, for example. Then Anna was not better. For a great part of the story, she only seems to remember Marley exists when she needs something from her. And she was absolutely infuriating with regards to her wedding.

I also felt the situation Marley got herself into dragged for too long, and then was resolved quite fast and easily. From this point, the story was better to read, but too late for me to reconcile with it.

Finally I must say that I don’t understand why the two best characters of this book, Cameron and Xavier, were given so little ‘screen time’.

[Eeva · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed this one very much!
The beginnig was a bit slow and I was on the fence with it whether to DNF or continue, but Im happy I did go on.
It's a lovely story about frienship and love, but mostly about the first. It's about how sometimes we just outgrow our childhood frienships, but also sometimes this freindship can grow with us and change with us.

The book is a bit of a mess at times and it would benefit from some editing, but it's a lovely and enjoyable story overall.



I received this book from the Publisher in an exchange for an honest review

[Bookworm86 · Rating 5 out of 5]

BLOG TOUR REVIEW

Review for 'The Mix Up' by Elizabeth Neep.

Read and reviewed via NetGalley for Elizabeth Neep, Bookouture publishers and Bookouture anonymous

Publication date 27th May 2021.

This is the second book I have read by this author. I have previously read her previous book 'Never Say No' which I would highly recommend.

I was originally drawn to this book by its eye catching cover and its intriguing synopsis and title. The synopsis stated 'Fans of Mhairi McFarlane, Holly Bourne and Bridget Jones will adore Elizabeth Neep’s wit and warmth' . I am a huge fan of Bridget Jones so am looking forward to seeing if this lives up to this statement. I am also a fan of Elizabeth and if this is half as good as 'Never Say No' it is sure to be a great read. I must admit I was also biased due to the publisher being Bookouture. I have yet to read a book published by Bookouture that I haven't enjoyed. Hopefully this won't be the first... Watch this space! (Written before I started reading the book).

This novel consists of 30 chapters. The chapters are short to medium in length so possible to read 'just one more chapter' before bed...OK, I know yeah right, but still just in case!

This book is based in London, UK 🇬🇧. The bonus for me of books that are partly or fully based in the UK is that I live in the UK and have sometimes visited places mentioned in the book which makes it easier to picture. I have actually visited London on several occasions so am looking forward to see if I recognise anywhere.

This book is written in first person perspective and the main protagonist is Marley. The benefits of books written in first person perspective are as long as they are well written it makes you feel that you are being spoken to by the protagonist and it can create more of a bond between yourselves and them.

Well done Elizabeth!! Yet another amazingly successful page turner!!! I absolutely LOVED IT, considering I loved 'Never Say No' though I shouldn't be surprised, your a very talented author!!

The booknis extremely well written and the writing flows beautifully. It felt like Marley was telling me her story from across the table. The synopsis, title and cover work perfectly with the storyline.

I was absolutely hooked from page one until the fantastic ending. I completely absorbed this page turner in one sitting. I've read so many crime novels lately thay I really enjoyed reading something so light hearted that made me laugh out loud on several occasions. The storyline was unique and realistic and it just shows how easy it is for one small lie to spiral out of control. It also proved the saying 'be careful what you wish for' to be very accurate. I seriously could not put it down and every time a chapter ended and I thought I could go to sleep each one left me wanting more. An absolute breathe of fresh air!! The storyline is filled with friendship, envy, love, tears and laughter. The book ended perfectly although I would definitely love to read more about what they all get up to next.

The characters are all realistic, strong and well defined. I really enjoyed getting to know them and was completely shocked by Xavier (love the name too!!), not so much by Will. It most definitely shows that looks can be deceiving. Although this book is light hearted and such a fun read it definitely leaves you thinking. It was lovely to see all the different relationships between the characters grow, develop and change. The only thing I would have loved to know more about is what happens with Cameron, maybe a good idea for your next book (hint, hint Elizabeth).

Another HUGE Elizabeth on this fantastic book. I'm looking forward to your next success!! I would also love to see this book turned into a movie, Bridget Jones watch out!


Overall a beautifully written light hearted breathe of fresh air that is perfect to read anywhere and everywhere.

Genres covered in this book include Romance Novel, Humorous Fiction, Contemporary Romance and Holiday Fiction amongst others.


I would recommend this book to the fans of the above as well as fans of Bridget Jones and anyone looking for a light hearted page turner.


311 pages.

This book is just £1.99 to purchase on kindle via Amazon which I think is an absolute bargain for this book!!!

Rated 5 /5 (I LOVED it ) on Goodreads, Instagram, Amazon UK and Amazon US and on over 30 Facebook pages plus my blog on Facebook.

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[Marisol · Rating 4 out of 5]

Disclaimer: I received a digital arc from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review, so thank you to NetGalley, Bookouture, and Elizabeth Neep for the opportunity to read this book early. All opinions and thoughts are my own!

Marley Bright, a 28 year old struggling actress in London, is feeling the pressure from her parents to get a “real” job since she hasn’t really made any progress with her chosen profession. She lives with a weed smoking roommate, Xavier, who seems like a “loser”. Definitely not the place she wants to be in her life. At the same time her best friend Anna is depending on Marley to help her with her upcoming, overpriced wedding to Jake. Anna is busy and unable to check her dream wedding venue, so she asks Marley to go in her place!

This is were the fun begins! The venue receptionist assumes that Marley is Anna and Marley doesn’t correct this mistake. Why wouldn’t she correct that mistake? Well she’s introduced to Cameron, the handsome and single hotel manager. They spend time together as he shows her around and run into other characters that Cameron introduces her to as Anna. Soon we see how this lie grows and how it becomes nearly impossible for Marley to maintain the “Anna lie”.

What will happen? Can she even have a chance with Cameron after this?

Overall I found this story humorous, fun, and it filled my rom-com needs; although I did expect a lot more of a romance. There is so much to this plot and the situation that Marley puts herself in; it leads to this tangled web of lies and emotions that definitely peaked my interest. I just enjoyed the shock factor that certain situations brought and the way that some topics were dealt with.

I will definitely be checking out more of Elizabeth Neep’s books and look forward to what she brings us next.

[Rah · Rating 4 out of 5]

When Marleys best friend Anna asks her to attend an appointment at a wedding venue for her, what’s the harm in just saying you are Anna and carrying out the day. They will eventually realize that’s not the case if the real Anna picks the location, but for today no one has to know.

This is the premise of the story. However, Marley, as Anna, meets some really great people at the hotel. People she would be both working friends and real friends with. Hey work together to write a screen play for a tv show and enter a competition. How can she break the news that she’s really not Anna, she’s really single, down on her luck, struggling actor Marley. Will they really care if she lied about her name anyways?

I found I really enjoyed he story. Watching Marley have to balance her life as Anna and her life as Marley. Trying to find the right way to come clean to everyone about her true identity. However, there is one big negative terrible drawing of friendship within the book, and when I think of that plot line I really hated the book. I don’t want to give too much away, but toxic friendships and gaslighting are not okay!

I really would read more about Marley, or more from their author.

[Fernanda Granzotto · Rating 2 out of 5]

*Thank you Netgalley and the publisher for providing me with an early copy of this book for review, all opinions are my own*

2.5 stars

This book is a mess, I knew from the synopsis that we would have some kind of confusion and lies involved in the story but I didn’t think it would be as much, and neither it would irritate me as it did.
If it hadn't been such a quick book to read maybe I wouldn't have finished it.
The protagonist irritated me so much that I just wanted to go into the story to shake her up and tell her to stop lying and communicate with others, so much so that when that happened around 70% of the book I started to like the story much more.
I thought that from that part on, the author managed to show how our protagonist can be mature, I really liked how the situation was solved without much drama and in a mature and responsible way, and I loved the friendship that was formed in the end.
I was sad that the romance was not more prevalent, in truth I found all couples meh. Because of the end of the story, I can say that I do not regret reading this book and it was not a bad reading experience, I just expected and wanted more!

[Els · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have to be honest and admit that, when I saw this book was next on my list, I did not feel like reading it. I am much more into thrillers and police procedurals lately, but then I reminded myself how I loved to read romantic comedies before. Maybe it was time to give my brain a day off and enjoy a lighter genre.

As soon as I started reading, I was smiling and sometimes even laughing out loud. I enjoyed the story where Marley makes an on the spur of the moment decision and keeps digging herself deeper and deeper. She promises herself she will come clean as soon as she finds the right moment. The question is: when will this be? 

She more she entangles herself, the more she fears the moment she has to come clean. It seems though she is not the only one who has some explaining to do. 

In the beginning I did not like Anna, Marley's best friend very much, but later on I saw her point of view and I could relate to that too.

I had a lot of fun diving into Marley's life and adventures. 4 stars


Thank you.

[Farah · Rating 3 out of 5]

Anna and Marley are best friends. When Anna can't make a wedding tour for a venue she is keen on, she asks Marley to go in her place pretending to be her. This is where she meets hotel manager Cameron, who is not only handsome but also smart and funny. When sparks fly between the two, Marley knows she needs to stop the charade of being Anna. But things are finally improving in her career since she's become Anna...

The Mix-Up was a fun, easy to read book. I have to admit there were times when I just wanted to shake Marley to come to her senses, especially when things went too far. In saying that though, the book was enjoyable and I look forward to seeing what Elizabeth Neep writes next.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for my complimentary copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

[Mags (mbooksbycandlelight) · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was a lot of fun. When I started it, I thought it would have more romance than it ended up having, but I didn’t mind that in the long run. Marley’s duplicity lasted a bit too long, in my opinion, but it was very satisfying once everything worked itself out. My favorite part was the friendship between Marley, Anna and Reese, and Xavier too. Overall, this was a quick and fun read.

I received an eArc via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

[Rachel Noble · Rating 3 out of 5]

“What if you meet the love of your life, but he thinks you’re someone else?”

That’s what happens when Marley arrives at her best friend Anna’s potential wedding venue to tour it for her and…. pretends to be Anna for a day.

“After all, Marley is unemployed, single and was woken up that morning by her flatmate playing the bagpipes. Anna has a high-flying career and is planning the perfect wedding. Why wouldn’t Marley want to be her? But as the story evolves she realizes “it’s harder than she thought to stop living someone else’s life…”

Based on the description I definitely thought this would have been more of a romance type novel but it’s actually more a story of friendship and self discovery. It’s hilariously written, the author actually had me laughing at loud at moments and I enjoyed the story of friendship and the emphasis on being honest with yourself and your friends. I do however wish the love story was a bit more prevalent (but that’s just me - I love a love story).

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the digital ARC of this book. All opinions are my own.

[Maya Hauer-Laurencin · Rating 4 out of 5]

A sweet British com about friendship, feeling like you aren’t where you “should” be, and the wonderful & messy parts of life.

[Laura · Rating 2 out of 5]

Huge thanks to NetGalley for providing me with an eARC of The Mix Up in return for my honest review.

This book had a fascinating affect on me. I found myself annoyed with the story right from the beginning and that changed the way I decided to read it, I ended up hate-reading it. And so, what you'll get from me is more like a Book Rant as opposed to a Book Review. But let me start by saying, it was a thoroughly enjoyable book to hate read and if you're looking for that kind of chaos and fun in your life, I highly recommend this book. There isn't anything offensive about the book and the writing is good, so it's all about the plot points.

This was the closest I came to DNF'ing a book this year. But I wanted to get through it because I knew that I'd probably enjoy the resolution. And I was right. By the time I got to about 70ish percent through the book and things started to work itself out, I found myself enjoying it more. But before that...

The main plot point is that our main character, Marley, is asked by her best friend Anna to check out a wedding venue for her. And then Marley says she is Anna at that wedding venue. And then she never disentangles herself from that lie, despite getting herself deeper and deeper into new friendships and working relationships with people under that false name. The biggest issue I had with this book, and the part that frustrated me SO much was that I just couldn't understand her motivation for lying about her name. It doesn't make any sense. It's written as it does, but based on the situation as written, there wasn't a single reason I could find to say you were someone else that wouldn't make your life worse. And she did make her life worse.

Not to mention that for much of the first part of the book, she could have very easily said "Oh! Did you think *I* was Anna? What a funny misunderstanding! No, I'm her best friend Marley getting info for her!" And because there were so many opportunities like that she simply didn't take, it was absolutely infuriating, both that she didn't come clean but also because of the mess that she got herself into afterwards because she didn't. Reading Marley was like reading someone whose life choices make absolutely no sense and then they don't understand how their string of bad choices have led to bad things happening. I didn't feel badly when her friends called her dramatic, I wondered why more friends didn't! It's hard to identify with the main character when she was so maddening!

I'm glad this book is over, but I also loved to hate it, so I don't necessarily mean for this review to dissuade you from reading it. If you're looking for a reason for some righteous anger and a source for some snark, then you'll also want to pick up The Mix-Up.

[Trisha Tomy · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received a free 3-ARC form Netgalley in exchange for an honest review!

Review:
I enjoyed it, but I was very frustrated throughout it.

Let me start off by saying that I was under the impression that this was a romance book when I requested this, so I wasn't exactly pleasantly surprised when this turned out to be, not, in fact, a romance book. And I get what the message of this book was with the ending, but still, I was advertised a romance, the synopsis says romance, this should have been romance.

Like the romance was there, but it was lesser than a side plot. It was a sub plot. No, what's lesser than a sub plot. Like just a small thread. Lesser than a small thread.

This was more a book that explored the MC as a person. It was about the MC, about her struggles, about her relationships with her best friend, parents, flatmate, new people, potential love interests, etc. This was so much more about the MC than it was about anything else.

Which is alright, and makes for an amazing plot, unless you've been waiting for a romance to strike but you're more than halfway through the book already and it hasn't happened. Which I was.

This book is bettered described as a comedy, a comedy of errors, kinda like that hindi movie with the twins which is based on that shakespeare play, can't remember the name. Wait I should google it. *googles* It was named A Comedy of Errors, and yes, here it is, it was Angoor! I'd got tired of the plot so fast.

Anyway, moving on, once you get past the desperation to throttle our MC, Marley, for not coming clean about this absolute disaster, and the frustration you feel with literally everything that's going on, this is actually a very enjoyable book.

The message that it this is a story about our characters, and not men as plot devices for our romance went over very well with me. It was a nice surprise, but it would have been nicer if I had expected it more.

Other than that, this was a very entertaining read. People missing each other, misunderstandings upon misunderstandings, just your usual drama. This book is actually titled correctly. You know what, my first clue that this wasn't exactly a rom-com should have been the cover...the fact that there are two girls on the cover and not the love interest should have clued me in, but I was oblivious. Oh, well.

On the whole, an entertaining read. I would recommend it to anyone looking for a humourous book, with slight romance (remember it's not the main plot point), literal mix-ups upon mix-ups, loads of misunderstandings, awesome friendships that stood the test of time, and just an entertaining read.


Pre-reading review:
I keep getting approved. Then again, I keep requesting. Well, anyway, can't wait to start!

[Gaele · Rating 4 out of 5]

Told from the perspective of Marley: an out of work struggling actress with plenty of struggles. Her best friend Anna is simply the opposite: a career that is thriving, a wedding to plan and the world as her oyster: and Marley wonders what it would be like. What would happen if people “thought’ she was Anna, and things were moving forward with everything she wants? It’s not a solid thought until she’s asked, by Anna, to preview a wedding venue that she’s unable to get to. From the moment she entered, Marley felt out of place – so adopting her best friend’s personality and traits and allowing people to think that SHE is Anna brings her a whole new perspective on things.

Suddenly she’s no longer the retiscent and quiet Marley, struggling with her parents’ wishes for her to have more, struggling as a single in a paired-off world. And the wedding planner – he's just GORGEOUS and there are sparks. But – how long will she keep up this ruse?

To be honest, there wasn’t a ton to recommend Anna as a friend (she was pretty terrible) and Marley’s decision to ‘be’ her was immature at best and didn’t consider the consequences. But to see the world when people instantly thought “other’ of you simply by the force of an adopted personality and approach was telling – for Marley and the reader. Where this book proved impossible for me to put down was in the character of Marley – and her clear ‘fish out of water’ emotions when, posing as Anna, she got all that she thought she wanted. And just how (or when) she’d come clean and tell people that she wasn’t Anna – but Marley – as time wore on and her windows of opportunity closed.

This is where Neep excels in her storytelling – giving us characters that we wouldn’t necessarily approve of choices they make, and still we want to know what happens to them as we’ve seen (and understood) their reasoning in their choices. While I really could say that the romance, the other secondary characters and even many of the opportunities for Marley to come clean weren’t the focus here – the overriding muddiness and complexity of Marley – flaws and all, made her worth the read and an enjoyable one. Neep can create a character and let you into all of their emotions and feelings, see how they make choices and decide to rectify (or not) the bad ones, and have you cheering them along the way.

I received an eArc copy of the title from the publisher via NetGalley for purpose of honest review. I was not compensated for this review: all conclusions are my own responsibility.

Review first appeared at I am, Indeed

[Alessandra Bassi · Rating 4 out of 5]

First there is the review in Italian then the English one –
Prima c'è la recensione in italiano poi quella in inglese
4,4
Letto in inglese.
È la storia tragicomica di un’aspirante attrice, che lei ci racconta in prima persona con un tono spesso brillante (“Questa è la vita di una millenial disoccupata che fatica a guardare in faccia la realtà”. “Sono stato rifiutata dalla Royal Central School of Speech and Drama non una ma due volte. E questo prima che il rifiuto diventasse il mio secondo nome”.)
Ma è anche una storia sulle bugie delle brave persone, che realmente non vogliono fare del male a nessuno. Una vera palude di melma, per dirla in modo gentile. La protagonista si rende continuamente conto che dovrebbe dire la verità, ma non le pare mai il momento giusto (“Volevo dirle tutto, ma ancora una volta non mi sembra il momento giusto” ... “Le dirò tutto, dico, devo solo trovare il momento giusto”. ... “So che devo dirle tutto, solo non oggi”), che è proprio il modo in cui ragioniamo quando ci invischiamo in una serie di bugie che funzionano, che vengono credute.
È una storia in cui le relazioni sono complicate anche fra amiche e non solo fra partner: “È una storia di amicizia e di perdono”, continua Reese cercando di fare del suo meglio per mantenere la calma. “Dove gli uomini sembrano centrali all'inizio, ma nel migliore dei casi sono una sottotrama”.

4,4
Read in English.
It is the tragicomic story of an aspiring actress, which she tells us using the first person, often with brilliant voice “Such is the life of an unemployed millennial struggling to face up to reality”. “I got rejected from the Royal Central School of Speech and Drama not once but twice. And that’s before rejection became my middle name”.

But it is also a story about the lies of nice people, who really don't want to hurt anyone. A real swamp of slime, to put it nicely. The main character constantly realises that she should tell the truth, but it never seems the right time. “I was going to tell her everything, but once again, now doesn’t feel the right time” … “I’m going to tell her, I say, I just need to find the right time”. … “I know I need to tell her everything, just not today”, which is just the way we think when we get caught up in a series of lies that work, that are believed.

It is a story in which relationships are also complicated between friends and not only between partners:
“It’s a story of friendship and forgiveness”, Reese continues trying her best to keep a straight face. “Where the men mat seem central at first but are a sub-plot at best”.

[Mary · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thank you to NetGalley for providing me with an advanced digital copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.
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What if you meet the love of your life, but he thinks you’re someone else?

Anna and Marley are best friends. So when Anna rings Marley, panicking because she has to miss a tour of an exclusive wedding venue, Marley agrees to go in her friend’s place.

After being totally ignored by the glamorous receptionist who can tell she doesn’t belong there, Marley meets handsome hotel manager Cameron. He assumes she’s Anna and instead of admitting that she’s not the blushing bride, but the unlucky-in-love single friend, Marley plays along to see what it’s like to be Anna for a day.

After all, Marley is unemployed, single and was woken up that morning by her flatmate playing the bagpipes. Anna has a high-flying career and is planning the perfect wedding. Why wouldn’t Marley want to be her?

Only she wasn’t counting on Cameron being so smart and funny. Or this spark between them that she can’t ignore. She hasn’t felt this way about a guy in forever. But he thinks she’s somebody better.

Marley needs a way out of this mix-up to get her shot at true love. But her fictional fiancé is now standing in her way and it’s harder than she thought to stop living someone else’s life…

A funny, uplifting and poignant story of friendship, love and finding your way. Fans of Mhairi McFarlane, Holly Bourne and Bridget Jones will adore Elizabeth Neep’s wit and warmth.
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I have been on a British rom-com kick this spring, which is a little odd for me because I am not much of an Anglophile. However, when this book up came up for review, I jumped on it, never having read anything else by this author (but don't worry; I have added her other books to my TBR shelf at the time of this review!).

This book had everything I was looking for. It was fun. It had a great characters. There was humor (humour?). There was a storyline that was just twisty and turny enough that I had a moment where I sat up in my seat and said, out loud, in my empty living room, "What! Is! Happening?!?!" And as I always hope for in a rom-com, there was a HEO, but not in a cheesy, let's-pull-it-all-together-because-it's-the-end-of-the-book way. You can tell that Neep put some thought into it, and it didn't work out just the way I expected it to. I loved that because I have been reading of books like these, and I do try to guess the ending. I can't wait to read more from this author!

[Julie · Rating 4 out of 5]

A wonderfully warm-hearted and wickedly witty tale, The Mix-Up is a delightful romantic comedy guaranteed to make readers laugh out loud.

Anna and Marley might be the best of friends, but the two of them are like chalk and cheese. They couldn’t be more different if they tried – which is why Anna is a high-flying career woman about to marry the love of her life and Marley is single, unemployed and has no idea what the future holds. The two best friends might be polar opposites, but there is absolutely nothing they wouldn’t do for one another – which is why when Anna calls Marley in a panic because she cannot make an exclusive tour of a wedding venue, Marley doesn’t hesitate. But little did Marley realise that her one act of friendly generosity was going to get her in a whole heap of trouble!

When Marley arrives at the wedding venue, she is ignored by the glamorous receptionist. However, hotel manager Cameron is anything but cold or indifferent. Cameron is kind, attentive and drop dead gorgeous – however, he mistakenly thinks that Marley is the blushing bride and that she has a fiancé at home about to walk her down the aisle! Sparks immediately begin to fly between Cameron and Marley, but the more time she spends with him, the bigger the hole she has dug herself in gets!

Marley cannot remember a time when she was this attracted to anyone. Cameron has made her feel things she hasn’t experienced in a very long time and she is slowly but surely falling head over heels in love with him. However, living somebody else’s life could very well end up costing her the happiness that has long been denied to her. Is there a way out of this mix-up? Or will Marley’s lies end up costing her everything she has always wanted?

The Mix-Up is an absolutely adorable read from Elizabeth Neep. Fun, feel-good and so addictive that I simply couldn’t stop reading it, The Mix-Up is a hilarious romantic comedy about the power of friendship, life’s unexpected surprises and falling in love with the right person at the wrong time that sparkles with plenty of charm, heart and wit.

A superbly told romantic read that will brighten up even the most miserable of days, Elizabeth Neep’s The Mix-Up ticks all the right boxes.

[Elise Kleuskens · Rating 3 out of 5]

Terwijl Marley zich behoorlijk gedeprimeerd voelt door de afwijzing voor de zoveelste auditie, belt haar vriendin Anna haar niet om haar te troosten. Nee, ze belt om haar om een gunst te vragen. Anna gaat binnenkort trouwen, maar heeft het veel te druk met haar werk als makelaar. Er komt een plekje vrij op de trouwlocatie die ze het allerliefst wil hebben: het Hyde Hotel. Maar Anna heeft een werkafspraak die ze niet kan verzetten en vraagt Marley of ze in haar plaats naar het hotel kan gaan.
Marley heeft toch niet veel anders te doen en stemt toe. Bij het zien van het chique hotel en denkend aan Anna, vraagt Marley zich af hoe zo’n perfect leven zou zijn. Dus als de manager haar komt rondleiden, doet Marley alsof ze Anna is, de aanstaande bruid.
Een dag Anna zijn is leuk, maar als het weken wordt en ze allemaal aardige mensen ontmoet die denken dat Marley de verloofde Anna is, lijkt alles snel in duigen te vallen. Zal ze in staat zijn om in het reine te komen en haar nieuwe vrienden te behouden? En nog belangrijker, zal de knappe Cameron in staat zijn om haar te vergeven?

The Mix-Up is een prachtig verhaal over het vinden van je weg in moeilijke tijden. Als haar leven saai is geworden en er geen hoop meer lijkt te zijn, kijkt Marley om zich heen en is jaloers op de mensen die het perfecte leven lijken te hebben – vooral Anna, met haar perfecte appartement, haar perfecte aanstaande echtgenoot en haar perfecte baan. Wat heeft Marley in haar bijna 30 jaar bereikt? Ze deelt een appartement met de eigenaardige Xavier, die om de paar dagen een nieuwe hobby lijkt te hebben, maar geen baan schijnt te hebben. Marley heeft een agent die haar naam niet eens kent en haar de hele tijd Mary noemt, en die haar schijnbaar geen acteerbaantjes weet te bezorgen. Dus als Marley de kans krijgt om Anna te zijn, grijpt ze die. Waarom zou ze ook niet?
Naarmate het verhaal vordert, leren we waarom ze dat niet zou moeten doen. Ook al noemt ze zichzelf Anna, ze gedraagt zich toch min of meer als zichzelf. De nieuwe vrienden die ze maakt, maakt ze door zichzelf te zijn. Maar haar zelfvertrouwen groeit niet; in feite lijkt het alleen maar af te nemen met elke dag dat ze denkt dat ze Anna moet zijn om aardig gevonden te worden.
Maar maak je geen zorgen, vriendschap is een sterk iets en dat is ook waar The Mix-Up over gaat: de kracht van liefde en vriendschap. Ja, iedereen maakt fouten, maar je vrienden zijn er om je te helpen weer op te staan en er later zelfs om te lachen.

Auteur Elizabeth Neep heeft een zeer vermakelijke roman geschreven, ook al deed het me af en toe ineenkrimpen. Ik kromp ineen bij de naïviteit waarmee Marley door het leven blundert en halsoverkop in problemen belandt die je van mijlenver had kunnen zien aankomen. Natuurlijk is die jongen niet te vertrouwen, Marley! Laat je niet door hem verleiden! Dat is dan ook een zeer realistisch aspect van The Mix-Up. Ook al voelt het belangrijkste deel, het aannemen van de identiteit van je beste vriendin, misschien onrealistisch aan, alles wat volgt zijn dingen waarvan ik me kan voorstellen dat ze voortdurend kunnen gebeuren. Voor mij is dat het sterkste aspect van het boek.
Van tijd tot tijd voelde het plot een beetje gehaast aan. Soms werden zinnen een beetje warrig, door de constante gedachten die Marley had terwijl zij gesprekken voerde. Deze gedachten liepen door de dialoog heen, dus ik moest passages lezen en herlezen om te zien wat er hardop werd gezegd en wat er alleen in Marley’s hoofd gebeurde. Ja, het liet me Marley’s nervositeit ervaren, maar het voelde ook alsof Neep alles in één keer wilde vertellen, waar het misschien beter was geweest om de tijd te nemen, en misschien een paar extra pagina’s, om Marley’s gedachten en daden volledig uit te diepen.

Maar al met al heb ik The Mix-Up met plezier gelezen. Het originele plot sprak me zeker aan, en ik was tot het einde toe nieuwsgierig hoe het allemaal zou aflopen.

[Victoria Wilks · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you are looking for a light hearted, laugh out loud book that keeps you hooked to the very end, then this is certainly the book for you!. This is the second book I have read by Elizabeth Neep, and I daresay it is even better than the last!.

In this book we follow the story of Marley. She has been rather unlucky of late, she is unemployed, single, and certainly far from being happy with her living arrangements. When her best friend Anna calls her in a panic, Marley offers to help her friend out without a moments hesitation. This is how Marley finds herself standing in the reception area of a swanky hotel, with a receptionist who clearly thinks she is beneath her, and this is what leads her to pretending that she is in fact Anna.

But what Marley hadn’t been expecting was the funny and charming Cameron, the extremely handsome hotel manager, and the spark that would ignite between them. But as Marley is currently pretending to be someone far removed from who she truly is, she can’t see a way forward for her new budding romance, especially as she has a fake fiance and a wedding in the making to contend with!. Marley is desperate to put a stop to the ever growing web of lies to allow herself a shot at true happiness, but now that she has started this journey she has no idea how to step off the path she has set in motion.

This book was an absolute joy to read. It had me laughing out loud at several points, alongside feeling despair for Marley and the way she sees herself. Despite her lack of work and love life, she is a lovely character who has a heart of gold, and in her desperation to feel what it would be like to be her successful friend, she finds herself getting caught up in an ever growing lie.

The storyline is witty and poignant, giving us the perfect combination of humour and emotion as the story unfolds. Cameron is another character who really nestles their way in to your heart. He is humourous, fun and utterly swoon worthy, something that every rom com needs of course!.

A book full of friendship, love and hilarity. I truly enjoyed this story!.

[B.S. Casey · Rating 4 out of 5]

Genre: Romance | RomCom | Womens Fiction | Comedy

Release Date: Expected 27th May 2021

Marley is unlucky in love, unlucky in her acting career, but very lucky when it comes to friends. Her best friend Anna is amazing, although somewhat absent recently and she's getting married! So when Anna calls desperate for wedding help - how can she say no? There is a very exclusive venue tour that Anna can't get to and there is no change to reschedule.

But when Hotel Manager Cameron automatically assumes she is actually Anna, she's far too awkward to correct him and tries to enjoy being confident, successful Anna for the day - until the spark happens. There's a connection there that she hasn't felt in a long time and she's certain he feels it too. But she's spent the day pretending to be a blushing bride - witha fictional wedding and husband in the way. Marley needs to find a way out of this, but being Anna is more fun that she expected and things are starting to get complicated.

"Love always manages to shake everything up, even when it's not you that's in it."
The Mix-Up was a glorious, chaotic mess - as Anna deals with her own relationship issues, Marley becomes more tangled up in her pretend life and the more absurdly outrageous it becomes. This was seething with drama, backstabbing and jealousy but also brimming with life and laughter.

With a cast of amazing people, from her eccentric bagpipe enthusiast roommate Xavier to her accidental friend and writer Reese, everyone was so vibrant and each of their stories were just amazing. This was an adorable romance but the Friendships were the stars of the show - and this was a heartbreakingly real tale about the desperate sadness that comes when your friendship becomes second place in someone's life and not knowing how to move on from that.


RATING: ⭐⭐⭐⭐

Thank you to Elizabeth Neep, Bookouture and NetGalley for this ARC in return for an honest review.