3.3 Stars 

One Liner: A decent timepass read

Raffe and Gaby are best friends and work in the same team for a marketing company. When his passion for baking brings him the title of Britain’s Best Baker, it seems like a good time to help him find the love of his life. Enter, Ever After Agency, a matchmaking company run by friends. 

Gaby is happy to help them find the right woman for Raffe but soon she realizes her feelings for him might be more than just friendship. However, when Raffe falls for one of the selected candidates, Gaby has to decide if she wants a chance at love at the risk of ruining her friendship. 

The story comes in Gaby and Poppy’s first-person POVs. 

My Thoughts:  

This should work as a standalone (I haven’t read the previous books). However, I was unprepared for Poppy’s POV in a story that didn’t belong to her. 

Firstly, the premise of friends-to-lovers with some supposed third-party drama is not only interesting but has much potential to explore the MCs’ friendship and the realization parts. Unfortunately, the book succeeds only to a point. 

The second half is decidedly better and more entertaining than the first. Once the setting changes, the story ups the ante with ease. The main reason for this is the focus on Gaby and Raffe even though there are a bunch of people around them. 

The first half takes time to establish the dynamic, which is good but I was so annoyed by Freya (until she redeemed herself to an extent). Also, I needed more of Aunt CiCi. She sounds wonderful! 

  All of it could have been condensed and told to us in a couple of paragraphs. Her POV should have been in the third person. 

Instead of limiting Raffe’s POV to the prologue, it should have been included more (at least 3 chapters) in between by replacing Poppy’s home scenes. That would have given us more insight into his feelings and the exact moment of realization. This part has been settled in a single sentence. 

I enjoyed meeting Gaby’s family a lot (even the aunt, lol). Seeing how this ended, I feel they will feature in one of the upcoming books as well. I might try that one just to meet them again. Lovely family vibes with chaos, banter, love, and laughter. 

Though the book explores another trope (forced proximity), it doesn’t do much except make one of them feel sadder. This is where Raffe’s POV would have elevated the narrative and later too in the supermarket. 

I wouldn’t really call this a romance read. It’s more of a women’s fic with a bit of romance. The wait is long (which I don’t mind) but the journey could have been better. 

To summarize, Someone Like You is a sweet story about not just love but also about family, friendships, and being there for those who matter to you. 

Thank you, Rachel’s Random Resources and Boldwood Books, for eARC. This review is voluntary and contains my honest opinion about the book. 

#NetGalley