Book Review: No, We Can’t Be Friends by Sophie Ranald

Everyone knows a girl like Sloane. She was always The Single One. She never brought a plus-one to weddings. She was the woman you’d set up with your single cousin. She joined ballroom dancing classes to meet men and was the queen of online dating.

But then she met Myles. Perfect Myles, with denim-blue eyes and a dazzling smile that melted her insides. She’d finally found The One.

Except she didn’t imagine that Myles’s idea of Happy Ever After would include Sloane battling an overflowing laundry basket, buying birthday cards for his family, and ironing his Calvin Klein underpants.

Then Sloane finds out that Myles has a secret.

The fairy tale is well and truly over. Her heart is blown to smithereens. Eating her weight in Ben & Jerry’s and large Meat Feast pizzas can only get Sloane so far before she has to make a decision… Can she learn to love herself more than she loved the love of her life?

[Goodreads]

★★★☆☆

The write up for this book led me to believe I’d read about the perfect love story gone wrong. Except within the first few chapters, I didn’t believe they belonged together at all. I didn’t buy that he was “The One” and I really didn’t buy that he had any perfect husband vibes at all. Right from the start, he was dismissive and acts like a pro gaslighter. I also didn’t get the perfect housewife vibes, either. Although, we are “told” way later rather than shown upfront. And by that point, it didn’t seem to matter anymore. But hey— people don’t cheat if it’s a truly ‘perfect love story’ soooo... I suppose it fits and maybe all it needs is an improved book jacket description/synopsis. 

Based on the book jacket, I expected more. I wanted to know more about Sloane being the single one, I wanted to know the woman who signed up for ballroom dancing classes to meet men. I wanted to know why she was the queen of online dating. I wanted to know more about their story and marriage. Except, it’s just a flashback and like one sentence. I wanted to know what made her believe he was the one. It always seemed like a marriage of convenience rather than love. And I didn’t laugh out loud, at all. 

This book was also written with a lot of exposition. I prefer dialogue and scenes with action instead of just the inner thoughts of Sloane while doing basic things. I also don’t think I love the cheating husband trope and everything that comes along with it.

All of that being said, I absolutely love Sophie Ranald's books. And even though this one didn’t quite wow me, I’m looking forward to continuing to read through the list of her other books. 

If you choose to pick this one up, do not base your decision on the write-up or cover. It’s misleading. Choose this book if you want a great story about how a strong woman takes charge of her life and makes it through rough times without the need for help from her cheating husband (or any man for that matter). This book has a lot of heart, and it’s a good story. Overall, I felt misled by the synopsis.