Lottie Lucas

I received an ARC of this book to read through NetGalley. All opinions are my own.
How To Lose an Ex in Ten Days by Lottie Lucas is a lighthearted, fun to read rom-com novel. Six years after being left at the altar, Belle Delphine still exists in a stasis state, with no dreams or goals, merely existing and trying to get by. While on the first date she’s had in all that time, Belle catches a glimpse of someone who looks just like her missing ex, and then unbelievably, Ed turns up in the stationary closet at work. Why now when she’s finally ready to move on, and how does he manage to pop up at the absolutely worst moments? Belle has the ten days until her sister’s wedding to stop Ed from haunting her, deal with her attention-seeking mother, prevent said sister Rosie from turning into a Bridezilla, find out what’s bothering her best friend Tess, and see if just maybe Nate D’Angelo whom she’s spent the last three years crushing on is the one for her. The story has a nice balance of humour and angst with substantial supporting characters that made it, for me, the perfect escape read. Steam Level: Light
Publishing Date: November 19, 2020. #HowToLoseAnExInTenDays #LottieLucas #HarperCollinsUK #HarperCollinsCanada #BooksOfHCC #RomCom #ContemporaryRomance
#GhostStory #OnceMoreChapter #bookstagram #bookstagrammer… (més)

I was excited to be able to review this book for an honest opinion from Netgalley. I was hooked by the title for starters and love how Casper, the ginger cat, is entwined throughout the story line. This is an easy and quick read. For romcoms I do hope for a good mixture of laughter and connection with the characters. Though I did not truly "lol" through the majority of this book I did enjoy the character connections. There were times I wanted to give Clara a wake-up call slap for her obliviousness. She is supposed to be an educated women who hangs her hopes on fairy tale romance. We all know love is blind but there are parts that took this to a level that made her character frustrating at times instead of quirky and lovable. With a little more comic relief I could come to adore this author as much as I adore the writings of Sophie Kinsella.… (més)

Ten Things My Cat Hates About You by Lottie Lucas
Source: NetGalley and One More Chapter
Rating: 4/5 stars

“In retrospect, putting my fate in the paws of a raging sociopath wasn’t perhaps the wisest move I’ve ever made.”

Clara’s track record with men isn’t something to write home about. In fact, each time she thinks she may be getting in deep with a man she quite likes, her furry little terrorist, Casper, steps in and makes his feelings known. From biting to clawing to a general angry disposition, Casper has yet to like any man who has crossed Clara’s threshold.

With yet another man sent scurrying out the door thanks to the furry mafia boss, Clara is at her whit’s end. After years of failed romances and in yet another fit of despair, Clara whines to her best friend about Casper and the loss of yet another seemingly perfect man. Also, at her whit’s end with the repetitiveness of Clara’s whining, Clara’s best friend jokingly suggests Clara start paying more attention to Casper and his attitude as, like small children, animals just know things about humans. Though the idea seems ludicrous, Clara has tried everything else to make her fairytale dreams come true and they simply have not.

Clara’s first experiment in listening to Casper comes far more quickly and scarily than Clara would have liked. Following yet another fight, Clara rushes Casper to the vet and though she is told by the surly receptionist there isn’t a doctor on staff who will continue to treat her terrorist, the new guy steps up to the challenge. As it happens, Casper not only behaves for the new guy but actually seems to like him. Will wonders never cease?? Determined to heed her cat’s signals, Clara dives headlong into a relationship with the hot vet. Casper is content, healthy, and even happy when the vet is around which makes Clara exceedingly happy. Lost in the throes of new love and lust, Clara feels her personal dreams are finally on the road to the longed for HEA.

Meanwhile, in her professional life, Clara is struggling with her micromanaging boss and a surly yet strikingly handsome professor who spends many days per week in Clara’s museum doing research for a new book. Though the professor is handsome and clearly brilliant, he is somewhat off-putting and always seems to say precisely the wrong thing to Clara. What’s more, through no fault of his own, the professor has accidentally met Casper and the meeting went anything but well. Even if Clara were to like the professor, she’s got the hot vet and she’s listening to her cat when it comes to men these days. With nothing but sheer determination, Clara decides no matter how handsome and brilliant the professor may be, she’s only going to be his friend as that is all her cat will allow.

And then it all comes to a colossally humiliating and very public end . . . . . .

The Bottom Line: Ten Things My Cat Hates About You is one of those books I simply adored. It is utterly ridiculous at every level – Clara bases her love life choices on a terrorist cat! – and I loved every minute of the ridiculous. Clara is at once intelligent and completely naïve; she wants the fairy tale romance and has spent her life trying to turn every relationship into that fairy tale which has resulted in nothing but heartbreak and frustration. When the right one finally presents himself, Clara is so wrapped up in her cat-related experiment that refuses to see or acknowledge what’s right in front of her. Clara is one serious hot mess and I just couldn’t help but like her and root for her. Though she makes some truly stupid decisions along the way, I still found myself wanting nothing but the best for she and Casper. I liked the competing romance aspects of this book, the wonderful settings (the town, college, and museum!), and the dialogue that is wildly varied and very the strength of the book. Banter and barbs, wit and snark, and truly heartfelt conversations populate this book and keep it moving at a fair pace. Plus, there’s a terrorist cat!… (més)

I received an ARC of this book to read through NetGalley in exchange for a fair review. Ten Things My Cat Hates About You by Lottie Lucas is a madcap romp of a novel that takes place in Cambridge, England. We meet the heroine Clara Swift just as her obnoxious rescue cat Casper has scared off another date. When her brother Freddie and best friend Heather suggest that perhaps Casper has better taste in men than she does it’s something to ponder and maybe dating someone Casper approves of will work better than the way things are going now.
Enter handsome veterinarian Josh and curmudgeonly Professor Adam Warwick one of whom Caspar adores. I found this story to be a very enjoyable read with a rich cast of supporting characters and highly recommend it. Medium Steam. Publishing Date November 20, 2019
#NetGalley #TenThingsMyCatHatesAboutYou #LottieLucas #Bookstagram #ContemporaryRomanceNovel #BritishChickLit… (més)