Book Review: It’s Not You It’s Him by Sophie Ranald

At this time, when my mind is awash with statistics and news I can’t really comprehend, I’m loving escaping the messy world we’re living in in favour of a funny, romantic book (other just any book, for that matter).

I’ve not read any books by Sophie Ranald but – when I came across this book on my Kindle – I was drawn to It’s Not You It’s Him. 

Blurb

It’s been ten days, two hours and forty-three minutes since Tansy got dumped. Two heartbreaking weeks since Renzo, who made her weak at the knees and dizzy with excitement, found out Tansy’s secret – and ended it on the spot.

Since then, she’s spent every evening scrolling through their old photos, drunk texted him twenty-six times (he stopped reading after five), and lost count of how many packets of Kleenex she’s cried her way through.

That’s where Operation Get Renzo Back comes in. She ropes in a new wing-woman, maxes out her credit card and accidentally-on-purpose bumps into him at every opportunity. Oh, and she finds a fake boyfriend, as you do…

But while she’s busy pretending, Tansy’s plan is thrown a major curveball. She has to learn the hard way that it’s not her, it’s him – and that sometimes, a break-up can end up being the making of you.

Review

I didn’t really know what to expect apart from the fact that this book would probably be a little bit romantic and little bit fun and – based on the suggestion written on the front that ‘Two can play that game’ – featuring just a hint of revenge.

Tansy is a fashion buyer, recently dumped and barely getting through work without some complaint or another. She’s authentic, funny, unsure of herself and, most of all, quite relatable. In her we had a woman who struggled to see the good in her appearance, a feeling we all have from time to time. We also had a woman who loved those nearest to her fiercely, was spiky when she wanted to be but felt so real I had myself wondering if I’d ever passed her in the street before or seen her in Tesco or something.

I liked the way that relationships were presented. Obviously, I had an instant dislike to Renzo (in fact, I hated him from page one) and – as Tansy documented their relationship at its best, and its worst- that only grew. I think their relationship was realistic, because not every relationship is perfect after all, but it was also important in that it made Tansy aspire for something better.

I also liked was the friendships in the book. I loved Adam and Tansy’s relationship, it made me jealous I don’t have a lad friend to go down the pub with. I also liked the early stages between Josh and Tansy, even though the past made their relationship a bit rocky, there was no denying there was definitely something there between them.

Another thing I liked was the fake relationship trope in the book. It’s problematic really but, oh my, I love it. I liked watching all of Tansy’s friends getting themselves involved in the relationship and I liked watching the lie develop into something…much more exciting.

The one thing I wasn’t really bothered about was the sub-plot with the upcoming designer and the work stuff going on. It was good to see how this affected Tansy but, I’ll be honest, it was a little bit boring to me. I just sat there reading those books thinking ‘GIVE ME THE ROMANCE!’.

Either way, I liked this book. It was a weaving of past and present, of old love and new love and how – in reality – the one you’re chasing might just lead you to someone much, much better.

⭐️⭐️⭐️.5 stars

Have you read this book? What did you think of it? Alternatively, what are you reading? I’d love to chat in the comments 😊.