When Rafferty is crowned the winner of the Britain's Best Bakers: Festive Baking Spectacular, he should have been on top of the world. After all, not only did he win the competition, but he was planning to propose to his girlfriend Winnie. Except....she dumped him via text leaving him heartbroken.
Gaby never liked Winnie, but she knows that Raff is happiest when he is in love, so she agrees to their friend Freya's suggestion that they use her work perk to use a matchmaker to find Raff his one true love, once and for all. Freya works at the Ever After Agency, and once a year they are allowed to refer a case. Of course, it would be unprofessional for her to be too involved due to a conflict of interest, so the case is assigned to Poppy Dean, who we have met in the previous books in the Ever After Agency. There is one condition though. Whilst Raff has in theory agreed to this plan, he doesn't want to know that it is happening. So, any introduction can't be on a date. It just has to seem to happen organically.
In order to try to make this happen, Freya calls on Gaby to help fill in the questionnaire that will help Poppy understand what kind of person Raff is and what kind of person he is looking for. When Freya announces that they need to find the right person before Christmas, the pressure is on for Poppy. The only thing is that Poppy sees that Gaby may have feelings for Raff herself, but just doesn't realise it.
Gaby finds herself roped into assisting with the case more than she would have liked. Thank goodness it is only a few weeks before Christmas, where she can go home to Seattle to the warm cocoon of her family, and attend her cousin's wedding which is going to be quite the affair given the bride's mother is going all out. Mom-zilla here we come! In the mean time, there is also the stress of a potential promotion at work. There's a lot going on. She doesn't have time for an emotional crisis when she realises how she feels about Raff.
Raff's family situation is more complicated. He was practically raised by his aunt and uncle but they are going away this year, something that was a last minute surprise and so he has nowhere else to go. Gaby unthinkingly asks him to come home to Seattle with her, to an already overflowing house. So now, she has nowhere to hide as she watches him, start to fall for one of his matches. It's a terrible situation to be stuck in.
I really enjoyed this instalment in the Ever After Agency series. Raff sounds seriously dishy, and seems like a really nice guy, even in the face of his new found baking fame. I liked that he really respected his family (as in his aunt and uncle) and that he was prepared to change his life as he wanted to rather than just do what was expected from him by his distant parents. There was also a lot of delicious sounding baking in this book, and it was also seriously Christmassy. I really liked the way that the action was split between London and Seattle!
Sandy Barker has announced that he next book will be the last in the series and it will be sad to say goodbye to Poppy and her friends. I did read the excerpt for the final book and I now want to read it all! Bring it on, and whatever comes next.
I am sharing this review with the New Release Challenge hosted by The Chocolate Lady's Book Reviews and the Foodies Read hosted at Based on a True Story. Be sure to check out other stops on the tour shown below. Thanks to the publisher, Netgalley and Rachel's Random Resources for the review copy.
Rating 4/5
Someone Like You
What do you do when you realise you've fallen for your best friend, but he sees you as the sister he never had? And to make things worse, you're stuck in the middle of a matchmaking scheme to find him someone else!
Best friends Gaby and Raff are inseparable and know each other inside out. But with Raff's string of disastrous relationships and his newfound fame as Britain’s Best Baker, it's time to enlist the Ever After Agency to help him find true love.
At first, Gaby is all in – Raff is a catch, after all. But as she secretly helps to find his perfect match, she’s hit with unexpected pangs of jealousy. And before she can act on her feelings, Raff falls for one of his dates.
Can Gaby keep her emotions in check, or will she risk ruining their friendship to find out if Raff feels the same way?
Set in London and Seattle, this romantic and festive romcom is perfect for fans of Emily Henry, Mhairi McFarlane and Lindsey Kelk.
Purchase Link - https://mybook.to/someonelikeyousocial
About the Author
I’m a writer, traveller and hopeful romantic, and am currently on a one-year sabbatical with my partner, Ben, living and writing across the world.
As a traveller, I love exploring new places, outdoor adventures, and eating and drinking like a local, and many of my travel adventures have found homes in my novels.
Social Media Links
Facebook: @SandyBarkerAuthor
Twitter: @SandyBarker
Instagram: @sandybarkerauthor
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This series sounds fun! I will see if I can find it and start at the beginning.
ReplyDeleteThis series is being published by a British publisher. Hope you can find it!
DeleteThank you so much for this lovely review and for being on the tour. :)
ReplyDeleteThanks Sandy! And I look forward to seeing you at the Rachael Johns Reader Retreat again next year.
DeleteSometimes you just need a quick, easy read.
ReplyDeleteThat is very true!
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