Book Review - The Ex Factor by Eva Woods

Amazon UK

Title: The Ex Factor

Author: Eva Woods

Format reviewed: Ebook

Source: Netgalley

Publisher: MIRA

Publication Date: 8th September 2016

Rating: 4 Stars

Is it possible to freecycle love?

Modern dating is hard, especially when all you meet are liars, oddballs, men who wear Superman pants and men who live with their mums.

So why not date someone who already comes pre-approved? Just because your friend’s ex wasn’t right for her doesn’t mean that he won’t be right for you. That’s Marnie’s new plan for herself and her three best friends, perennially single Helen, recently divorced Rosa and cynical lawyer Ani.

Through bad dates and good, the four friends begin to realise that there are advantages to dating pre-screened men…but there can be some serious pitfalls to falling for your friend's ex

What a different take on a dating fiction, I think this is the first time I've ever seen a group of friends encourage each other to date their exes, possibly due to all the issues that such a possibly radical idea would bring up. 

The Ex Factor, focuses on a set of four friends, who are all approaching the dating scene from very different angles, there is Rosa who is just in the process of being divorced and barely dated before meeting her husband, Ani who is a lawyer, who is sick of internet dating, but has very strict rules and criteria, Helen who works from home on a controversial dating site and hasn't so much as looked at a man for over to years, and then there is Marnie. 

Marnie has been awol for two years and now she is back, this exes dating each other plan  is her idea, and in the past she has been an indiscriminate serial dater. However will she really fit back into her friendship group after upping and leaving without so much as a word for two years. 

The Ex Factor is as much about female friendships as it is about dating, and yes there are some hilariously bad dates in the mix of the book. At times I found the story a bit confusing, just as soon as you are introduced to the four ladies, you are then being not only introduced and given back story on how they met the ex they are setting a friend up with, but you also have to keep track of who is currently dating who. 

Once that is sorted in your mind, it becomes a pleasure to read. It is a wonderfully light hearted story, great for when you don't want anything too deep and meaningful. Of the various men there is one that I found myself most attracted too, and he wasn't the most obvious of them, not the best looking, just the one that talks to my inner geek! 

Personally I wouldn't want to set a friend up with an ex, let alone still be in contact with one, but as I think it was Charlotte in Sex and the City says - "one girl's trash is another girl's treasure!" so its clearly an idea that could work. I also loved reading about the various jobs the girls dd, from the tricky boss Rosa has, to the gorgeous man working in law with Ani. 

If you want to read some chick lit that has a clear dating and friendship angle, and don't mind jumping straight in with a lot of characters you need to be able to follow, then this is a great book to read. 

Thank you so much to Netgalley and MIRA for this review copy. This was my honest opinion. 

Book Review - The Thirty List by Eva Woods

Amazon UK

Title: The Thirty List

Author: Eva Woods

Format reviewed: Ebook

Source: Netgalley

Publisher: Mills & Boon

Publication Date: 18th June 2015

Rating: 4 Star

Everyone has one
That list.

The things you were supposed to do before you turn thirty.

Jobless, broke and getting a divorce, Rachel isn’t exactly living up to her own expectations. And moving into grumpy single dad Patrick’s box room is just the soggy icing on top of her dreaded thirtieth birthday cake.

Eternal list-maker Rachel has a plan – an all new set of challenges to help her get over her divorce and out into the world again – from tango dancing to sushi making to stand-up comedy.

But as Patrick helps her cross off each task, Rachel faces something even harder; learning to live – and love – without a checklist.

I had been really looking forward to this book. It sounded just my sort of thing, plus the main character shares my name, and I'm only a year older than her. I figured it may give me any idea of where my life should be going! Rachel's life though is quite different from mine though, and apart from Patrick, I think I prefer my life. 

I found Rachel to be a hard character to fully like, yes she is going through a divorce, and I appreciate that must be hard, but she seems to be just a bit whiny, and I really didn't completely get to grips with her best friends either. There seemed to be more moaning than anything else. 

What really saves this book  for me though are two things. The List and Patrick (plus Alex & Max). Patrick is a newly single dad, living with 4 year old, and loveable dog, Max. Patrick is struggling a bit by himself so advertises for someone to share his home, and in exchange for no rent, do a few light housekeeping and au-pair type tasks. Rachel being desperate for somewhere to live, after her soon to be ex-husband kicks her out, takes Patrick up on this. 

Rachel's friends have decided the best way for her to get over the post break-up, pre-divorce slump, is to create a sort of bucket list, of experiences Rachel should have, that broaden her horizons. When she is explaining this to Patrick he decides to make his own list. 

A large amount of the book is Rachel and Patrick taking part in the various items on the list. These are my favourite bits, as most of them are really well told, and in the case of their attempts at stand up comedy, are surprisingly funny. 

You will soon discover there is nothing Rachel likes more than a list. She is always writing them for everything, and large amounts of her lists are interlinked into the story, often giving short anecdotes into incidents in her past. These are a nice and easy to follow story telling device, that give you more background to Rachel and her friends. 

There are many comic moments in this book, and The Thirty List is an enjoyable, easy to read book about friendship and picking up your life after a bad break up. For those of you who have taken one look at the publisher of this book (Mills & Boon) and expected a blatant romance of some sort, you will be surprised. There is the starts of a tentative romance, but its more friendship than anything else featured. There are also some attempts at Rachel and Patrick to start dating again, but with hilarious (and somewhat familiar) consequences. 

I will admit I did struggle a bit with the book at the beginning but I believe it was my frame of mind and not the book. I am glad I got past my struggle, and by the final quarter, I was dying to know how everything turned out for all characters. 

Thank you to Mills & Boon and Netgalley for my review copy of this book. This was my honest review.