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Lily Bennett’s Bucket List: The most uplifting debut romance you’ll read in 2023!

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This was such a cute and charming read! I loved watching Lydia’s growth throughout this book and was rooting for her! Overall, I really enjoyed this book! I look forward to reading more from Katherine Dyson! Definitely add this to your tbr list! This insightful story takes Lydia and Jake to the great outdoors of England on a venturesome quest to complete the list. I loved the excitement of the escapades amid some beautiful settings. Dyson deftly portrayed Lydia, who had faced losses, as a woman with flaws who made mistakes. With themes of new beginnings and personal growth, along with some surprises, Dyson's writing kept me entertained and interested. Genres: Fiction / Family Life / General, Fiction / Friendship, Fiction / General, Fiction / Romance / Contemporary, Fiction / Romance / General, Fiction / Romance / Romantic Comedy, Fiction / Women This is such a lovely tale, with characters I adored, especially Lydia's quirky Polish family and their eccentric circle of friends. I read all night, so caught up in the growing relationship between Lydia and Jake, never wanting to leave their charming world. A must-read for lovers of second chances and readers who cheer when female characters come into their own. Lydia Grey had become so accustomed to bad dates that she didn’t even flinch at the unexpected warmth of someone else’s tongue in her mouth.

So when she meets Jake and begins a friendship founded on complete chance, you know you're in for a journey of discovery, laughter, and inevitably, the best type of love - raw and honest. Jake assumes Lydia is Lily and she doesn't put him right, which later causes a bit of trepidation and wonder about what she is going to do when it comes to it, as they embark on the adventures together. The man smelt nice enough, fresh and masculine, and he kissed with a vigour which she was sure came from a place of passion, but something about the rhythm of his movement and the firm grip of his hand on her shoulder left her cold. His name was Matt, or maybe it was Mark – she wasn’t sure. He’d introduced himself, of course, but Lydia had been so distracted that she’d only half heard him.Lydia Grey is 39 when she’s discarded by her partner of twenty years for an Italian supermodel and ultramarathoner. He tells Lydia that she’s uninteresting which their marriage has become stale. How can she contend?

The most life-affirming and uplifting debut you will read this year. Perfect for fans of Jill Mansell, Fiona Gibson and Clare Pooley. Lydia Grey is 39 when she's dumped by her husband of twenty years for a young Italian supermodel and ultramarathoner. He tells Lydia that she's boring and that their marriage has become stale. How can she compete? Enter Jake Jones, a table tennis pro who has recently retired after breaking his wrist. At their initial meeting Jake assumes that given the name on the list that she is Lily Bennett. Lydia figures it will be ok “because Jake was only going to be her adventure friend. Did it really matter so much if he never knew her real name?”This book is fantastic and shares a great message to its readers. Hold onto those who bring out the best of you and let go of the ones who try to change you. This book gives you strangers to lovers, adventure, love, tears, and so many laughs. I have can’t remember the last time I laughed so hard while reading a book. She also makes a new friend Jake. Together they embark on the list. However, he thinks she is Lilly not Lydia. Will the truth rip apart their new friendship. This is a light hearting book with smiles included. Thank you to NetGalley and HarperCollins for the Arc! I really enjoyed this book! I was drawn to it based off the description and I’m happy to have taken a chance on it! Lydia really grew as a character and I loved her development. I so appreciated this uplifting charming comedy. Prior to starting I had expected its lead character would certainly be called Lily Bennett, yet no. The steps Lydia takes to be someone she’s not helps her to realise what’s really important in life after her world came crashing down, her journey helping her to blossom into someone inspiring, someone who makes the most of every day, and most importantly, someone who is happy.

The end of a chapter was not even a place to stop for a break as it was always a cliff hanger so had to keep reading. Its lead is Lydia Grey, who at 39 has returned to live with her parents following the breakdown of her twenty-year marriage to Adam. Lydia definitely feels washed up and is just going through the motions. In addition her daughter, Ollie, has just embarked on a six-month overseas trip and Lydia is missing her. Thank you to HarperCollins, One More Chapter, and NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for an honest review! This was a decent read but I have to wonder what kind of adult woman Lydia Grey was to spend 1.5 hours to put on a full face of makeup and straighten her hair to go…climb a mountain. Ridiculous really. I tried to overlook it but she was just obsessed with appearances throughout the whole book, then complains about her ex husband being obsessed with her appearance. What? I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.”Now, I won't tell you the whys and the wherefores, but that list is in Lydia's hands, and from afar, her daughter engineers a way for her to complete this strangers list, to feel more adventurous I so enjoyed this uplifting romantic comedy. Before starting I had expected its protagonist would be named Lily Bennett, yet no. Despite her heart aching for Jake, there was another issue that temporarily grabbed Lydia’s attention. And she was accompanied on this adventure by her daughter, Ollie, who was an absolute star and an excellent character all the way through. Ollie had found Lily Bennett. This was also a hugely exciting point for me too, and I loved that it appeared towards the end of the book! I loved how there was much more to the original Lily Bennett than we’d thought throughout the whole book, and I thought how everything came together was very clever indeed. Who knew I’d fall in love with yet another character so close to the ending?! Even though it was a late introduction, Lily’s character appeared at a crucial time for Lydia. It made her realise who she really is, what she can achieve and what she’s already achieved, with Jake’s help of course. And hopefully, their meeting would give her the confidence and the drive to do what is right (and also to right some wrongs!) Thank you to One More Chapter, Harper Collins Canada and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this absolutely delightful ebook. I have mixed feelings about the actual premise of the book. Lydia doesn’t tell Jake that she isn’t Lily Bennett until much later in the book. I’m not a fan of relationships that start out with deception, and I thought that she didn’t have a great reason for not telling Jake who she really was early on in the book. I also wondered how she was able to keep her real identity secret from Jake for such a long time.

The amount of times I laughed at the different ways Jake “broke” his arm, hilarious. Every single one of them. Phenomenal.

The message that this book gave, we can relate to and that is to keep those in your life that like you for who you are, and let those go that try to change you. The book had everything, adventure, tears, love as well as many laughs. I felt empathy for Lydia wanting to become more adventurous, attempting the difficult challenges encouraged by Jake who believes that Lydia is Lily Bennett. But Jake also has secrets of his own. I loved Lydia, the main character, and her friend-but-definitely-not-love-interest, Jake. How their relationship grew and changed over a few short months was written so delicately, but in a way that had you rooting for both of them consistently all the way through. Their chemistry was *chef’s kiss*! I absolutely adore her interactions with her family, and I also really loved that she had a mix of her blood family and found family. It was such a cute and fun read! Lydia’s developing relationship with Jake was fun to see and I liked the direction Katherine went with them.

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