Ok ... this book ... this book it's hilarious! I had so much fun reading it. The first half I was literally laughing out loud and the second half it was center more in serious subjects but I still enjoyed it so much.

So, we have Kira Murphy who specializes in genito Urinary Medicine and Infectious Diseases (a sex health doctor it's how she describes herself) and then we have this serious and dedicated politician, Barclay Lucas. And as you must expect these two have nothing in common and they are the definition of opposites which only makes everything more fun to read.

I gotta say that I loved Kira, she is one of the weirdest characters out there with an unique sense of humor and I can understand how she can be a little too much for some people but I loved her. She is the kind of person that brings happiness to everyone and takes care of everybody but forgets to take care of herself which drives Barclay crazy.
Overall it's was a great read. I had a good time reading it and I really liked how the author includes sensitive matters through the book.

I got this as an ARC. Thank you netgalley for giving me a digital copy of this book.

I instantly fell in love with Kira and her personality. This was a totally unpredictable romantic comedy, because of her. You never knew what she was going to do or say next. Braclay is a politician, serious and straight-laced. They definitely help balance each other out, with Kira still being true to herself.

Badgeringly farcical and super enjoyable.

Came out this past Sunday. Would like to thank Netgalley and the publishers for this review copy.

I received a free ARC of this book from the publisher in exchange for a review. Anything But Easy hits the shelves on September 13, 2020.

There’s nothing in life that Barclay needs less than a liability. After years of perseverance, determination, and conservative nature, he’s finally made it into Britain’s cabinet as the Minister of State for Business, Energy, and Clean Growth. Some may call him uptight, but he prefers ‘controlled’. Kira is a sexual health doctor with a foul mouth, sassy attitude, and the tendency to accidentally be weird in social situations. Everything about her, down to the pink highlights in her hair, screams ‘liability’. So why can’t Barclay stop thinking about her? Worse yet, why does the world seem so dull and gray without her? As Barclay tries to reconcile his life B.K. (Before Kira) with the vividly technicolor version he experiences with her around, he’s going to need to make some tough decisions if he wants his happily ever after.

The author mentioned on her website that she had a lot of fun writing this book and I can see why...it’s absolutely hysterical. I’m so in love with Kira and how socially awkward and weird she is (hi, kindred spirit) and it was wonderful to see Barclay’s complete bafflement regarding her turn into affection and then love. The main characters really complemented each other and the minor characters were well-rounded too. Once you get into this book, it’s a quick read with a nicely paced plot. No dragging scenes or weirdly abrupt plot points here.

4.5 Stars. ANYTHING BUT EASY was the first Susie Tate book that I’ve read. The story is an “opposites attract” trope and shares an energy along the lines of “Bridget Jones Diary.” I pictured Colin Firth of the latter’s movie version or maybe even a British Justin Trudeau for the part of Barclay. Justin does get a mention. (YAY JT.)

What I most enjoyed about this story were the creative words or phrases that Kira used: “lying wankpuffins,” “bog standard human,” “sexy badger,” “Let sleeping cockwombles lie.” I also liked the supporting characters, especially Mark, Millie and Henry. I liked that in addition to the light comedy, the book tackled important topics like work bullying/sexual harassment as well as sexual health education.

I appreciated that although Kira’s character faced challenges, she remained true to herself when push came to shove.

Last, I loved the Epilogue! The updates using media coverage news was brilliant. I appreciated that Barclay took Kiki’s physical safety seriously as in real life, sketchy neighborhoods with open doors is often a recipe for disaster.

Two complaints: Kiki’s character occasionally became a caricature and the zany went overboard to unbelievable. I know several free spirited hippy types and none are quite this level of eccentric. Second, there needed to be tighter editing or proofreading to catch what seemed at times to be typos or grammar shortcomings. Maybe some sort of Autocorrect was used because there were places where that would explain a wrongly used homonym.

I read a copy of this book courtesy of Net Galley in exchange for an honest review. #AnythingButEasy

This book was actually quite delightful. At first, I thought, "ok, Ki Ki is just WAAAAYYY too over the top," but while that is kind of the point, it's more about how she's her own person and has the confidence to do what she wants. That doesn't mean she doesn't care; on the contrary, she's very sensitive. I'll admit that in the first couple chapters, I wasn't the biggest fan because I found her a little annoying, but I kept reading and she is actually awesome and isn't trying to be anyone but herself. I recommend it as a fun, easy read.

I don't know, but I definitely didn't love it. Maybe not even liked it.

This was anything but an easy read.

I found this so problematic somehow?!?!? Barclay was pretty stalkerish, and constantly throwing his weight around. I didn't like the way he didn't even seem to realise he was insulting Kira, and believing the first person who said anything bad about her.

I also didn't love Kira.....what grown woman living alone lives in a house where the door doesn't lock, and is constantly burgled?!?!?! And her being weird to a certain degree is okay....I felt her weirdness and quirkiness were overdone in this book.

I also didn't like the constant nothing-but-sex-on-these-two's-minds thing. seriously, do you think of nothing but sex?!?!??And I didn't like that their relationship was almost completely based on nothing but sex?!?! Like, do you even know things that you should about each other!?!?

Barcley's overprotective alphahole behaviour was seriously making me start hating him, and remember that pushing away talked about in the synopsis?? That happens in the last 50 pages. Which is around 200 pages after when I wanted it.

Beyond all of that, this was a typical rom-com, but dialed up a bit with the enthusiasm....I was exhausted after I read this.

The parts about Sex Education and its importance were pretty good, and I liked how Kira didn't mind promoting it, but in some places I found it a bit inappropriate?

It was okay, and I recommend it to anyone looking for a light and funny read, and does not mind the slightly overprotective trope done too well.

3.5 Stars

What I liked

Except for a few times (where I thought she lacked some plain common sense and self-preservation), Kira was so freaking odd and hilarious, I loved it. She might come off as too much for some but I didn’t mind. I don’t think I’ve ever read about such a wacky character before.

"Life is ten per cent what happens to you and ninety percent how you react to it. Don't waste yours looking back for what you've lost. Move on. Life isn't meant to be lived backwards.”

I really liked how the book dealt with life after having contracted HIV (Barclay’s brother Henry). It was super interesting to read and see what someone might go through. This is something I’ve never read before and I always like it if an author is able to work in something new. After a decade of reading romance, I sometimes get the feeling that I’ve read it all already.

What I didn’t like

Even though the eye-catching cover made me take a second look, the blurb is what sealed the deal for me. It sounded like there’d be some epic grovel in here so of course, I signed myself up for this. Unfortunately, the blurb didn’t deliver what it promised. The groveling does not play a major role in the book. The part the blurb referred to, was only realized near the end of the book, and him using "all his hard-earned political negotiating and maneuvering skills to get her back" were pretty underwhelming and not at all what you’d think it would be. BUT! I did love how the heroine was no pushover, i.e. she knew how to say no to the hero and didn’t immediately accept him back.

For some reason, I lost interest in the couple halfway through, basically when they got together. At this point, I was basically only waiting for the other shoe to drop and for it to create some conflict between them. This might be a me-thing though because the most interesting part for me is always how they become a couple and not the after.


**ARC generously provided in exchange for an honest review. Thank you!

While the synopsis was what drew me in, I quickly started rolling my eyes in exasperation as I read Anything but Easy. The opposites-attract trope is usually a winning one for me but the character of Kira was just too much and for me, totally unbelievable. I love a quirky character but I feel like the author went way too far. While I think the book did get better as it went along and the ending was a nice touch, it was too late for me to fall in love with the story. (Also, there are certain topics that aren't jokes and the author crosses the line a couple of times for me).

2.5 stars.

ARC provided by NetGalley. Thanks!

When Kira Murphy unknowingly meets -- and saves the life of -- her celebrity crush Barclay Lucas's brother, Henry, she is drawn into their world. The tension between them is undeniable -- but can they really make it work, what with Barclay's career in politics and the problems going on at Kira's workplace?

I just glanced at the reviews for this book and it seems that everyone has a polarizing opinion on it. I however am somewhere in the middle -- I enjoyed this book immensely but there were also some instances which I could see were problematic (and some pet peeves of my own).

There were parts where Kira would seemingly use 'btw' in speech and I was unsure whether I was supposed to read it as 'by the way' or Kira had literally said 'btw'. At other times there would also be a mention of what year this book is taking place or a reference to a non-fictional person which jarred me out of the book. Oh, and if I ever read the word 'badger' again I will scream. I am not kidding, it was used far too much for me to find tolerable. The sheer amount of British slang made it slightly difficult to read and I felt like I was guessing at what was being said most of the time.

The characters were very well and believably written. Barclay ... has his problems. Quite a lot of them and I feel like they weren't properly dealt with through out the story. He is very controlling and jealous. At one point, he basically has some people follow Kira when she has told him she doesn't want that, which didn't sit right with me. Kira herself was a great character but my first impression of her (on the first page) was of her punching someone. And through out the story she continues to be violent. I understand that it was all supposed to be in play, but you aren't supposed to do actual harm. Henry was great, but even he was at times borderline creepy. Sam (a bodyguard) and Mark (Kira's friend) were the best, I adore them.

The main romance was okay, I felt like they both really needed to work on themselves (especially in Barclay' case) before they got together. While together, they both made some really ... questionable decisions. For example,

when Barclay made Kira move in with him, the evening after they established their relationship. What were they thinking? Kira should definitely stayed with one of her friends. Also, when he disturbed her work at the prison, a heavily guarded prison, I nearly screamed. Not cool.

All in all, a 2.5, because it made me laugh multiple times and I enjoyed most of the time it but not higher because of all the reasons listed above.