Things Are Looking Up: An uplifting, heartwarming romance for 2021
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- Create Date：2021-05-26 23:31:15
- Update Date：2025-09-06
- Status：finish
- Author：Maxine Morrey
- ISBN：B08TBKJKR9
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Reviews
Pam Robertson
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This is a hugely enjoyable read from Maxine Morrey。 She has created some characters you actually care about， none more so than Milly。 Because of a catastrophic accident， she is compelled to take a fresh look at the choices she has made and the life she has been living。 She seems vulnerable and increasingly aware of the changes she has to make。 You can absolutely visualise her family and the people she meets once she has started tp look around her rather than burying herself in her work。 This is This is a hugely enjoyable read from Maxine Morrey。 She has created some characters you actually care about， none more so than Milly。 Because of a catastrophic accident， she is compelled to take a fresh look at the choices she has made and the life she has been living。 She seems vulnerable and increasingly aware of the changes she has to make。 You can absolutely visualise her family and the people she meets once she has started tp look around her rather than burying herself in her work。 This is a message which chimes well after all these months on lockdown， as well as living in a world in which social media creates a fake picture of what is important。Second chances， friendship， family and a sense of belonging all are threads which run through the storyline。 Milly's brother and his family have never given up on her and their sibling relationship is warm and familiar。 Of course Jed coming back in her life is a massive shift for Milly。 Whether they can come to terms with their rift however， remains to be seen。Thanks to the publisher for a copy of the book。Starting over， learning to trust again。 。。。more
Grace J Reviewerlady
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A fabulous up-to-date novel about life， love and mistakes made along the way。Milly has worked long and hard for her dream job， committing herself 24/7 to her career and， finally， she is on the verge of achieving success – a position at Vogue magazine。 Then they change the time of her interview and she has her head down， focusing on her mobile phone and misses the bus bearing down on her。 When she next opens her eyes， the reality of her situation comes crashing down; she has lost everything she’s A fabulous up-to-date novel about life， love and mistakes made along the way。Milly has worked long and hard for her dream job， committing herself 24/7 to her career and， finally， she is on the verge of achieving success – a position at Vogue magazine。 Then they change the time of her interview and she has her head down， focusing on her mobile phone and misses the bus bearing down on her。 When she next opens her eyes， the reality of her situation comes crashing down; she has lost everything she’s worked for and her life has imploded。 Then her ex， Jed， re-enters her life and as she convalesces， Milly wonders if she can work her way back to where she was or， then again， if life has more to offer？This is a touching read from an author with a good insight into the life of a modern woman。 Milly is easy to identify with; we’ve all known someone who commits everything to their career to the detriment of everything else in life。 I admired Milly – she’s a very loveable character but not without her flaws – well， let’s face it， few of us are！ This is a lovely story， beautifully told but there were a couple of inconsistencies which niggled at me。 However， it was still a delightful， entertaining read and one I’m happy to give four stars。 。。。more
Katie Schmidt
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I really enjoyed this book and it contained a good reminder to focus on what really matters。 I also liked that each of the chapters picked up the conversation or the story where it left off on the last page of the previous chapter， rather than changing the scene and subject completely。 It created a nice flow within the story。
Skahns
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Thanks to NetGalley for my gifted copy of this book。 Things Are Looking Up is the story of Millie， a women trying to climb the ladder of success in the fashion world。 She is a workaholic who is constantly glued to her phone。 After she gets hit by the bus （while too busy to look up from said phone） she ends up in the hospital with major injuries and major regrets。 Her old boyfriend and love of her life， Jed， is still listed as an emergency contact so when she wakes from her coma she finds him the Thanks to NetGalley for my gifted copy of this book。 Things Are Looking Up is the story of Millie， a women trying to climb the ladder of success in the fashion world。 She is a workaholic who is constantly glued to her phone。 After she gets hit by the bus （while too busy to look up from said phone） she ends up in the hospital with major injuries and major regrets。 Her old boyfriend and love of her life， Jed， is still listed as an emergency contact so when she wakes from her coma she finds him there waiting for her。 While she’s stuck recuperating in the hospital she ends up losing her job， getting kicked out of her rented room by her roommate， and then realizes she has been so busy working that she doesn’t even have real friends。 This is an adorable rom-com that has a notable new book boyfriend found in Jed。 I loved his character but I also loved seeing growth in Millie as she rediscovers the simple pleasures in life， learns to live in the moment， and sees and enjoys the world around her。 。。。more
Ashley Tyler
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Thank you NetGalley， author Maxine Morrey， and Boldwood Books publishing for giving me a free arc of this book in exchange for an honest review。 All thoughts and opinions are my own。5 starsThis book had me at page one and did not let go until the very end。Milly has always worked hard to achieve her career dreams。 She has given up on spending time with her family and even the love of a good man。 So when she is on her way to an interview for her dream job， she finds herself waking up in the hospit Thank you NetGalley， author Maxine Morrey， and Boldwood Books publishing for giving me a free arc of this book in exchange for an honest review。 All thoughts and opinions are my own。5 starsThis book had me at page one and did not let go until the very end。Milly has always worked hard to achieve her career dreams。 She has given up on spending time with her family and even the love of a good man。 So when she is on her way to an interview for her dream job， she finds herself waking up in the hospital a week later due to the fact she has been hit by a bus。 While recovering in the hospital， Milly starts to reevaluate her life and all the paths that have left her with little to nothing to show for all the sacrifices she has made throughout her life。 After leaving the hospital， Milly starts to really look around and see what all she has missed and given up and decides find herself and what she truly wants out of her life。I was so on board for this book。 Milly was a very relatable character， especially in this day and age， where women have to do all they can to compete in order to make it in their chosen careers， but those especially in the fashion industry。 There were so many laugh out loud moments， but some of my favorite were her newly rented apartment and her trying to convince herself the bullet holes and the noisy neighbors would be a great place to live。I appreciated how much she did not want to depend on anyone， but came to the realization that asking and allowing others to help does not make you less independent， but willing to accept all of us need help from time to time and it does not make us less successful。 Jed was such a sweetheart and only wanted the best for Milly， which meant giving her advice she did not always want to hear。 I can't get over what a down-to-earth guy he was even being as wealthy as he was。 I liked how he would go out of his way to make sure those around him were taken care of even an old man's dog！ There were little hints of romance sprinkled throughout this story， but it was more of a self-discovery journey。 The pacing was a little odd at times due to the time jumps， sometimes of weeks and months later， but they kept the story moving and held my interest。Overall， I liked how well the ending wrapped everything up nicely。 I would recommend this book to those who are looking for a feel good read with enjoyable characters！ I am looking forward to author Maxine Morrey's next book！ 。。。more
Federica
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I really loved this book！Milly gets hit by a bus while she's on her way to the most important job interview of her life and with her eys stuck to her phone。 The following week's she goes through coma， recovery and reavaluating her life。 I loved Milly's journey， discovering the importance of little and valuable things in life （like a cuddle with a puppy） and distancing herself from social media and a kind of superficial approach to existence。At the beginning she is stuck in a sort of self-depreca I really loved this book！Milly gets hit by a bus while she's on her way to the most important job interview of her life and with her eys stuck to her phone。 The following week's she goes through coma， recovery and reavaluating her life。 I loved Milly's journey， discovering the importance of little and valuable things in life （like a cuddle with a puppy） and distancing herself from social media and a kind of superficial approach to existence。At the beginning she is stuck in a sort of self-deprecating attitude that doesn't allow her to grow， but with time she gets out of it and discovers her true self。Definetly a well written， heart warming journey！Thank you to NetGalley and Boldwood Books for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review。#thingsarelookingup #NetGalley 。。。more
Sheri
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After getting hit by a bus， literally， Milly spends a week in a coma and then a few weeks in the hospital recovering。 She is forced to make some life changes， partly because her old life moved on without her。This is one a best chick lit books I have read in awhile。 I loved Milly’s humor。 The scene early in book where she is looking at apartments is so funny as she tries to convince herself and her friend that the bullet casing outside， mice running in the walls， creepy neighbor， and a front door After getting hit by a bus， literally， Milly spends a week in a coma and then a few weeks in the hospital recovering。 She is forced to make some life changes， partly because her old life moved on without her。This is one a best chick lit books I have read in awhile。 I loved Milly’s humor。 The scene early in book where she is looking at apartments is so funny as she tries to convince herself and her friend that the bullet casing outside， mice running in the walls， creepy neighbor， and a front door that won’t shut are fine， just fine。Milly’s former life required her to be online all the time， up and in season on fashion （expensive！） once she looked up from the phone and looked around her， she realized there is so much more to the world。 I think this is a great message not to get too involved in work and enjoy life！ 。。。more
Wendy Robey
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I’m not sure being run over by a bus can be counted as a good thing but it definitely makes Milly stop and rethink her previous life choices。 I loved how the mantra for this wonderful read was to stop and look up to see what is around you。 So many times we get entrenched on life’s treadmill and this story is a brilliant reminder to make the most of the important things。 Great characters and Hector， the gorgeous dog， made this story a wonderful way to spend the afternoon。
Liz Kelly
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Things Are Looking Up is a cute， easy， feel-good read。 Millie and Jed are very likable characters， flawed， but trying to overcome the past， Millie in particular。 She's forced to reevaluate the choices she's made that led her to a rather terrible encounter with the front of a bus due to being too preoccupied with her phone and work。 I did feel that sometimes this theme is a little bit repetitive in the book - Millie's preoccupation with technology and the consequences thereof - but it's a worthwh Things Are Looking Up is a cute， easy， feel-good read。 Millie and Jed are very likable characters， flawed， but trying to overcome the past， Millie in particular。 She's forced to reevaluate the choices she's made that led her to a rather terrible encounter with the front of a bus due to being too preoccupied with her phone and work。 I did feel that sometimes this theme is a little bit repetitive in the book - Millie's preoccupation with technology and the consequences thereof - but it's a worthwhile message that I think many， myself included， could take a little more to heart。 There are some great side characters in the book and I think it would have been nice to see those relationships develop in greater detail。 There was a lot of heart in those relationships and I would have liked to see that aspect of the story explored more。 I did think that the story wraps up nicely， if not a little too quickly， but happy to have that HEA。 Overall， more of a redemption story than a romance， but still great！*Thank you to NetGalley， Maxine Morrey， and Boldwood Books for a free copy of this book in exchange for my honest。 review。 。。。more
Tessa Hannah
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Things Are Looking Up is a cute， easy， feel good read。 It was reminiscent of a Sophie Kinsella novel but where is was lighter on humour， it was bigger on heart。 Millie and Jed （on a personal note， I disliked his name） are very likeable characters， flawed but trying to overcome the past， Millie in particular。 She's forced to reevaluate the choices she's made that led her to a rather terrible encounter with the front of a bus。 Sometimes， this theme is a little bit repetitive in the book - Millie's Things Are Looking Up is a cute， easy， feel good read。 It was reminiscent of a Sophie Kinsella novel but where is was lighter on humour， it was bigger on heart。 Millie and Jed （on a personal note， I disliked his name） are very likeable characters， flawed but trying to overcome the past， Millie in particular。 She's forced to reevaluate the choices she's made that led her to a rather terrible encounter with the front of a bus。 Sometimes， this theme is a little bit repetitive in the book - Millie's preoccupation with technology and the consequences thereof - but it's a worthwhile message， none the less。 There are some great side characters in the book。 It would have been nice to see those relationships develop in greater detail， instead of rehashing Millie's workaholic ways and the price she paid for them。 There was a lot of heart in those relationships and I would have liked to see that aspect of the story explored more。 Those were the best， most touching moments of the book。 They even brought on the occasional tear。 The story wraps up nicely， if not a little too quickly。 。。。more
Trisha Tomy
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I can't believe I got approved for this！！ A Maxine Morrey book， and while I don't normally love the second chance romance trope， I have a good feeling about this！ I can't believe I got approved for this！！ A Maxine Morrey book， and while I don't normally love the second chance romance trope， I have a good feeling about this！ 。。。more
TheBookstagramBabe
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I loved this book so much！ Milly is a hustler。 She hustles so hard she didn't see a bus coming as she crosses the street and ends up getting hit by the bus。 When she awakes she's in a hospital and has been in a coma for a week， and when her ex boyfriend Jed shows up at the hospital and finds out he is still good friends with her family。 It seems her luck has run out。 Her roommate kicks her out， her freelance work has dried up and she can't come home with her family because of construction。 So wh I loved this book so much！ Milly is a hustler。 She hustles so hard she didn't see a bus coming as she crosses the street and ends up getting hit by the bus。 When she awakes she's in a hospital and has been in a coma for a week， and when her ex boyfriend Jed shows up at the hospital and finds out he is still good friends with her family。 It seems her luck has run out。 Her roommate kicks her out， her freelance work has dried up and she can't come home with her family because of construction。 So where does that lead her？ Back to her ex's spare room。 There he helps her realize that maybe those issues were blessing in disguises and soon they're friends again。 But can they just be friends after all that history？ And can you admit it when those feelings bubble up to the surface。 This wasn't corny or cheesy or soap opera-y。 I couldn't stop turning the page。 I finished it in 24 hours。 I feel like a lot of us are stuck in the hustler harder grind and this was a great read that made me think about changing your perspective and stepping back from that culture。 I loved Milly's relationship with her brothers family。 And somehow when all the bad stuff is happening， somehow it didn't stress me out or be like "geez what else can go wrong" it was the perfect amount of error。 Thanks Netgalley for the ARC in return for an honest reivew。 。。。more
Helen
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So Good。It's the kind of storyline that seems so imaginary - I was hit by a bus！ But in this case it is the reality for Milly。A story that reminds you to not take life for granted and to watch where you're going！ So Good。It's the kind of storyline that seems so imaginary - I was hit by a bus！ But in this case it is the reality for Milly。A story that reminds you to not take life for granted and to watch where you're going！ 。。。more
Rachel Gilbey
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Well I can't say I recall the last time I read a book where the main character is hit by a bus in the opening chapter - possibly because I think this could be the first one。 Milly is so addicted to working and her phone， she literally doesn't see a bus hit her， and parts of her phone ended up really stuck to her in the aftermath。 I promise she lives， as this is a rom com， and she is our main character， and its a story of Milly learning to look up， take in the world around her， recovering from he Well I can't say I recall the last time I read a book where the main character is hit by a bus in the opening chapter - possibly because I think this could be the first one。 Milly is so addicted to working and her phone， she literally doesn't see a bus hit her， and parts of her phone ended up really stuck to her in the aftermath。 I promise she lives， as this is a rom com， and she is our main character， and its a story of Milly learning to look up， take in the world around her， recovering from her hospital stay， and trying to rebuild her life。 For while she is in hospital she is evicted and also loses all her work， contacts she used to be able to rely on， no longer want anything to do with her。 So the last thing she wants or needs really is for Jed to walk back into her life， or hospital room to be precise， much less being the bigger better man， and offering to take Milly in until she gets herself together， despite the fact that their relationship didn't exactly end well。I loved seeing the growth in Milly's character as she re-discovers a love of books， of just enjoying the small pleasures in life， and seeing what is around her when she isn't completely hooked on her phone。 However it was Jed that I kept reading for。 I loved him from the off as as the book progressed I fell further and further in love with him。 Apart from his potentially iffy taste in women that is。 Thankfully his taste in animals is a lot better and I loved the whole storyline involving a wonderful four legged friend。 This is a really enjoyable story， full of will they， won't they feelings， and characters you could be believe in。 I especially loved Ravi and Sunni from the bookshop who seemed so down to earth and lovely people， just the story you would want running your local bookshop！ Definitely brightened up my week while I was reading this。 Thank you to Boldwood Books and Netgalley for this copy which I have reviewed honestly and voluntarily。 。。。more
Natalie Daydream Reader
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First of all， let me start by saying I loved Millie。 Her determination and drive （whilst often a hinderance） was a great character trait but she was also sweet and very likeable。The story itself is adorably uplifting and fun。 It’s about self discovery， mistakes and rekindling old love。A hug of a book💖
Kirsteen
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This book was so easy to read and I was hooked from the first page。 Milly has always been a hard worker- so dedicated that she never pays attention to anything except her phone （which is always connected to work）。 This all changes when she gets hit by a bus and her world is turned upside down。
Robin
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I really enjoyed this book。 Although somewhat predictable， I'm glad it ended the way that it did。 The ending is sort of abrupt though and I do wish there was more of an epilogue to it。 But overall， the story is well developed and takes you on a journey！ I really enjoyed this book。 Although somewhat predictable， I'm glad it ended the way that it did。 The ending is sort of abrupt though and I do wish there was more of an epilogue to it。 But overall， the story is well developed and takes you on a journey！ 。。。more
Ppcfransen
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I didn’t enjoy this story。 I might have， had I been in a different mindset。 But this story reminded me of a Sophie Kinsella story and I read some reviews of that to remind me， and this story has some of the same flaws: bashing ambition in women。Milly Finch is totally focused on her career。 So focused she doesn’t see the bus coming and ends up in hospital， where she is kept in an artificial coma for a week。 When she wakes up from her coma her brother immediately starts arguing with her that she’s I didn’t enjoy this story。 I might have， had I been in a different mindset。 But this story reminded me of a Sophie Kinsella story and I read some reviews of that to remind me， and this story has some of the same flaws: bashing ambition in women。Milly Finch is totally focused on her career。 So focused she doesn’t see the bus coming and ends up in hospital， where she is kept in an artificial coma for a week。 When she wakes up from her coma her brother immediately starts arguing with her that she’s always got her nose to the screen of phone and has put her career before friends， family and her own well-being。 Which is a pretty shitty thing to do - the brother’s remarks， I mean - Milly just woke up from a coma。 You’re not put in an artificial coma to help mend a broken arm; Milly probably had swelling to the brain， she may have brain damage and at the very least have a concussion。 In Milly’s case however， a coma seems to be a nice rather long sleep as she is capable of arguing back at her brother。The message of the book is set: career bad， family and friends good。 At least the family and friends come to your hospital bed and the people you knew through work did not。 It turns out no one told the work people that she was in hospital， so it’s not like they actually got a chance。 And the friend and family only seem to be there to tell her what a bad person Milly’s been。But， no more of that。 After two weeks in hospital， Milly has missed all her deadlines and all her clients have let her know they never want to work with her again because she is unreliable。 From a freelancer with a great network， she has gone to unemployed with nothing。 She even has to move in with her ex-boyfriend because not paying rent is about all she can afford。From then on Milly as a different person。 She makes a few halfhearted attempts at still wanting to be independent and pulling her own weight （or putting casseroles in the oven）， but other than that she’s looking up to appreciate the beauty around her， like making small talk with strangers。A lifestyle most of us can’t afford because we do have to work before we can eat。Not even the main hero can hold my attention， because he suffers from a flaw all Maxine Morrey’s heroes seem to have: they are too darn perfect。 They are absolutely nice and understanding， make a lot of money and all ways have time for their tonnes of friends。 They don’t even leave their shoes in the hallway in a way you can trip over them。Time to just skip to the epilogue。I read an ARC through NetGalley。 。。。more
Ron
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Career-driven woman， on her way to an interview with Vogue for her dream job， gets hit by a bus and wakes up from a coma a week later。 Getting that from the book description was enough to make me want to read Things Are Looking Up。 It made an impact and I was instantly curious。Interesting book description， strong woman character， and an ex-lovers trope？！ SIGN ME IN。 This book made me realize how much I love the drama of a book with an ex-lovers trope。 It's like the feeling of an enemies to lover Career-driven woman， on her way to an interview with Vogue for her dream job， gets hit by a bus and wakes up from a coma a week later。 Getting that from the book description was enough to make me want to read Things Are Looking Up。 It made an impact and I was instantly curious。Interesting book description， strong woman character， and an ex-lovers trope？！ SIGN ME IN。 This book made me realize how much I love the drama of a book with an ex-lovers trope。 It's like the feeling of an enemies to lovers or a friends to lovers but heavier because both characters know they once loved each other。 My heart just shakes from how they deny their own feelings and doubt the possibility of the other person still having feelings for them。Our main character， Milly， annoyed me half the time and I appreciate her character development SO MUCH。 I think that's the main highlight of the book。 Following Milly as she discovers what she really want and what path she really wants to take。 I couldn't connect with the characters that much but I loved the family and friends element。 It was touching to read and I could really feel the love and care between them。 This was an easy read。 It could've been shorter and it would still give the same effect。 I really loved the last-ish part though！！ It has the most exciting parts and I couldn't put it down during those parts。 I honestly would've rated this 3。5 to 4 stars if the good feeling continued until the end but WHAT'S UP WITH THAT ENDING？？ It ended so abruptly like they stopped writing the book then just gave it a random ending。 Anyways， it was still an enjoyable read！ 。。。more
Nancy
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Thank you NetGalley， Maxine Morrey and Boldwood Books for the ARC of Things Are Looking Up。 This is my personal review。 Milly is on her way to a job interview is so excited at Vogue magazine。 This is her dream come to place to work。 She was so focused on her cell phone she lost herself in where she was， and this leads to her getting hit by a bus。Her time in the hospital has made her miss many appointments， deadlines and she has lost all her regular columns she was writing。 This makes her stop an Thank you NetGalley， Maxine Morrey and Boldwood Books for the ARC of Things Are Looking Up。 This is my personal review。 Milly is on her way to a job interview is so excited at Vogue magazine。 This is her dream come to place to work。 She was so focused on her cell phone she lost herself in where she was， and this leads to her getting hit by a bus。Her time in the hospital has made her miss many appointments， deadlines and she has lost all her regular columns she was writing。 This makes her stop and rethink that maybe life has more to offer than her work。 She learns that others are quick to forget about her and her ex-boyfriend and family are the ones she can depend on。This was an a very easy to book to foresee what was going to happen with no big surprises。 。。。more
ʚϊɞ Shelley's ʚϊɞ Book Nook
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3。5 StarsThis book was so sweet I thought I'd get a toothache， usually I hate that type of thing BUT this book was cute AND funny so it got me。。。 It also had a message but NOT the hit you over the head kind。 It's simply get your face outta the phone and see what's around you kind。 AND。。。。。When Milly went into the book store and this happened。。。 "I glanced around， enveloped in that peaceful sense of calm you only ever get from a bookshop。" 。。。I knew she was a girl after my ow 3。5 StarsThis book was so sweet I thought I'd get a toothache， usually I hate that type of thing BUT this book was cute AND funny so it got me。。。 It also had a message but NOT the hit you over the head kind。 It's simply get your face outta the phone and see what's around you kind。 AND。。。。。When Milly went into the book store and this happened。。。 "I glanced around， enveloped in that peaceful sense of calm you only ever get from a bookshop。" 。。。I knew she was a girl after my own heart。 Add in a sexy ex she has to stay with。。。well let's just say he's。。。 So lesson learned and life happily goes on。 I liked this one， it was an uplifting， easy read that made me smile。。。。And we can all use as many as we can get right now。。。also the link for the epilogue was a brilliant treat。 Disclosure:Thank you NetGalley， Maxine Morrey and Boldwood Books for the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an impartial review; all opinions are my own。#ThingsAreLookingUp #NetGalley 。。。more
Lisa Konet
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I am reading some similar-ish stories like this and the struggles and plot are all the same。 I was not blown away ny this because it is a story that has already been told just with different names and circumstance。 Ending predictable too。 Cannot recommend。Thanks to Netgalley， Maxine Morrey and Boldwood Books for an ARC in exchange for an honest review。Available: 5/25/21
Mhughessc
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"Things Are Looking Up"， by Maxine Morrey， is an adorable， feel-good romance。 Milly， a workaholic fashion editor， learns the hard way （literally， she gets hit by a bus！） that life should not revolve around her work and her phone。 While recovering in the hospital， her ex-boyfriend， Jed， stops by to check on her and sparks fly once again。 When she's released from the hospital， she finds that her roommate has already rented out her room and she has nowhere to live， so Jed offers to let her stay in "Things Are Looking Up"， by Maxine Morrey， is an adorable， feel-good romance。 Milly， a workaholic fashion editor， learns the hard way （literally， she gets hit by a bus！） that life should not revolve around her work and her phone。 While recovering in the hospital， her ex-boyfriend， Jed， stops by to check on her and sparks fly once again。 When she's released from the hospital， she finds that her roommate has already rented out her room and she has nowhere to live， so Jed offers to let her stay in his spare bedroom。 As the book continues， we'll find out that Jed isn't just doing this out of the goodness of his heart （although he is a very nice guy）， but because he's still in love with Milly。I enjoyed watching Milly as she grew as a person， and I really enjoyed the interactions between Jed and Milly。 This book was fun read and it was hard to put down once I started reading it。 I do wish the ending had a better pay off， so I'm glad the author added an epilogue。Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC。 All opinions are my own。 。。。more
Alison
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Milly is a freelance fashion writer on her way to the interview of her life with British Vogue when her pre-occupation with her mobile phone leads to her being mown down by a London bus。 Fast-forward a week and Milly comes out of a coma with cracked ribs， a broken arm， cuts and bruises。 Worse， a week in hospital has meant that Milly has missed numerous deadlines and she has lost all her regular columns and writing work。 Then to put a cherry on a really poobah week， her landlady serves her notice Milly is a freelance fashion writer on her way to the interview of her life with British Vogue when her pre-occupation with her mobile phone leads to her being mown down by a London bus。 Fast-forward a week and Milly comes out of a coma with cracked ribs， a broken arm， cuts and bruises。 Worse， a week in hospital has meant that Milly has missed numerous deadlines and she has lost all her regular columns and writing work。 Then to put a cherry on a really poobah week， her landlady serves her notice on the awful flat they share， because Milly clearly won't be able to pay the rent with no work coming in。Only through her time in hospital does Milly realise that she has prioritised her career over friends， over family， and over love。 But when the chips are down the only people there to support her are her family and her ex-boyfriend Jed。I can only describe this as a mash-up/retelling of A Little Princess， with a smoosh of the film Overboard （which actually is probably a modern， grown-up version of A Little Princess anyway）， a whisper of A Christmas Carol and just about every Hallmark movie ever made。 Milly was clearly a 'bad person' pre her encounter with the bus， she even missed her nephew's sole speaking line at the school play。 She is glued to her phone 24/7 and pays no attention to friends and family。 Unfortunately， for me， Milly's road to enlightenment is less of a road and more of a doorstep。 Within a day or two of waking up （it seems） bad Milly is no more and now we have caring sharing Milly who wanders around London with her eyes wide open seeing all the parts of London she never had time for before。 She talks to random strangers on the bus and in a church （TBH at this point I suspected that there might be some woo-woo higher power at work， but luckily that fear was unfounded）， she enters into conversations with the local bookshop owner and the Italian who owns the deli round the corner。 And now Jed， Jed is a self-made millionaire who devotes a lot of time to charity and other good works， he dates a super-model heiress and seems to work from home an awful lot。 A self-made millionaire under the age of 30 who only seems to work part-time - He must be a unicorn。 I'm writing this with raging insomnia and so I am being particularly snarky but this novel relies on a series of coincidences to make things work。 Is it really likely that one week in a coma would mean that Milly would have missed every single deadline， surely some of her columns would have been monthly？ Is it also likely that the entire industry would completely blank her， even after she explained about the coma， and especially when she was always quick to help others out in the past （surely in the Hallmark film this is where all her former clients and mentees would turn up with offers of work， or at least a box of chocolates）？ Then because of the aforementioned landlady and having no money and her brother having building work done the only place Milly can stay is in Jed's penthouse apartment？ And there's more but I won't spoil things that happen later in the book。Overall， this was a pleasant enough read， but totally predictable from start to finish， it needed more subtlety， more light and dark。 The characters felt too one-dimensional。 For example， Milly's brother confiscates her phone， rightly blaming her accident on Milly's obsession with emails and social media。 But then later when she doesn't answer four calls from him he isn't the least bit concerned - if I called someone who was glued to their phone and they didn't answer/call me back within a few hours I'd be contacting the police！ I received a free copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley in return for an honest review。Bumped for release。 。。。more
Hillary Bazyk
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