It’s a delight to be joining the blog tour today for Someone Like You by Sandy Barker – the fourth book in her wonderful Ever After Agency series – and sharing my review. Published on 12th November by Boldwood Books, it’s now available as an e-book (free via Kindle Unlimited), in paperback, and as an audiobook. My thanks, as always, to Rachel at Rachel’s Random Resources for the invitation and support, and to the publishers for my advance reading copy (provided via netgalley).
I just love this series – although, to be honest, I’ve loved every book Sandy has ever written, and you’ll find all my many earlier reviews if you pop her name into the search bar. The Ever After Agency became a personal favourite from the very first book, Match Me If You Can – such an original idea, a fantastic story, the perfect romance, and with such wonderful characters (you can read my full review again here). And did I mention already that I thought the second – Shout Out To My Ex – was even better? Another great story with more than a few dramatic moments, all that glitz and glamour, and both the romance and friendships beautifully handled (you’ll find my full review here). And the third? The One that I Want – yes, you’ve guessed it! – was the best yet, the romance with a charge of electricity I could really feel, the humour, the friendships, the struggles, just tremendous (and you’ll find my review of that one here). But I do hope Poppy, our matchmaker, is on form this time round too – it looks like Gaby really needs her help…
What do you do when you realise you’ve fallen for your best friend, but he sees you as the sister he never had? And to make things worse, you’re stuck in the middle of a matchmaking scheme to find him someone else!
Best friends Gaby and Raff are inseparable and know each other inside out. But with Raff’s string of disastrous relationships and his newfound fame as Britain’s Best Baker, it’s time to enlist the Ever After Agency to help him find true love.
At first, Gaby is all in – Raff is a catch, after all. But as she secretly helps to find his perfect match, she’s hit with unexpected pangs of jealousy. And before she can act on her feelings, Raff falls for one of his dates.
Can Gaby keep her emotions in check, or will she risk ruining their friendship to find out if Raff feels the same way?
Set in London and Seattle, this romantic and festive romcom is perfect for fans of Emily Henry, Mhairi McFarlane and Lindsey Kelk.
Oh my goodness, that back cover summary makes it so difficult to review this lovely book – there’s a lot more to the story and I SO wanted to tell you about some of its later twists and turns, but really don’t want to spoil any of the surprises! But just a quick summary of where it all starts…
Gaby and Raff are the best of friends – but despite his newfound fame as Britain’s Best Baker, his romantic life is a bit of a disaster area. One of their other friends, Freya, works at the Ever After Agency and when she suggests they put plans in action to find him a match, Gaby’s happy to help – although things prove a little difficult when he’s not too keen on the idea, so they need to put the potential matches in his path without him knowing, and with varying degrees of success. But our favourite matchmaker Poppy is on the case, and she sees what’s really going on before they do – Gaby’s realised that she and Raff really are the perfect match for each other, but she can’t act on her feelings because she’s afraid of losing him as a friend.
Now, what can I safely tell you about what comes later? Well, Poppy’s on the case – her point of view punctuates the story, as she quietly lends her expertise to the difficult situation – so we know they’re in safe hands. And it was particularly lovely to see how her own life has progressed – with appearances from friends we’ve met in the earlier books and spending time at home with her gorgeous partner (and diva cat Saffy, naturally), as she has thoughts about what her own future might hold. And there is the most wonderful romance – with times when things are particularly difficult for Gaby, while Raff remains blissfully unaware, until…
And it’s Christmas – with all the feels – and in a beautifully drawn location that the author plainly loves, and with that focus on the warmth of relationships with family and friends that she always does so very well. There’s plenty of her trademark humour throughout, but some really moving emotional moments too – and the ending is so totally perfect that it really can’t fail to delight. The most wonderful addition to this excellent series – and yes, perhaps my favourite so far…
About the author
I’m a writer, traveller and hopeful romantic, and am currently on a one-year sabbatical with my partner, Ben, living and writing across the world.
As a traveller, I love exploring new places, outdoor adventures, and eating and drinking like a local, and many of my travel adventures have found homes in my novels.
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Thank you so much Anne. You are always so thoughtful in your reviews and I am delighted you enjoyed this one. Thank you for being on the tour!
Always a pleasure Sandy! x
I enjoyed being back with the Ever After Agency too.