I was initially a bit nervous about reading No, We Can’t Be Friends, after I’d read and loved Out With the Ex, In With the New, which features many of the same characters. But I thoroughly enjoyed this one, perhaps even more! So no worries here.
This story focused on Sloane, the very together boss-babe of the PR agency featured in the first book that I’d read. In that, we see her as always professional and perfectly presented, but we don’t get to know her in much depth. Here she’s the main protagonist, so I found that really interesting: that I’d first met her very peripherally and now I was getting to know her in much more detail.
Sloane has been married to Myles for five years. She moved to a new country for him, and finally, her life feels quite settled. They’re renovating their home, and although right now it feels like they live in a permanent building site and she feels like she’s running a coffee shop for the builders, she knows the end result will be beautiful. They’re also trying for a baby. She’s in a good place until all of sudden … she isn’t. It turns out that her wonderful husband Myles is not quite as wonderful as she’d thought and her life slowly begins to unravel.
Sloane tries her hardest to keep her marriage intact, but when it becomes impossible, she confronts Myles, hoping that he will attempt to fix things. His shocking reaction is the confirmation she needs that it is well and truly over. However, it also makes her second-guess every decision she’s ever made. If she didn’t really know the man she married, then how could she ever know or understand anything in her life?
Supported by the most fabulous cast of characters: eccentric Vivienne, indulged, but warm-hearted client Ruby-Grace, tough interior designer/friend Bianca, and business partner, new mom and close friend Megan, Sloane runs the gamut from falling to pieces to picking herself right up and climbing back to the top of the heap.
There is a particularly excellent scene in a coffee shop, and I must say I gained an entirely new and rather descriptive vocabulary (all within just a couple of paragraphs – thank you Megan), which I think I’ll reserve for those special individuals who I come across on the roads with creative driving skills! Sophie Ranald, you are a tonic for sure!
I thoroughly adored this book. It’s a real pick-me-up, feel-good 5-star read, and now I need to go and look for Sophie’s books, which I’ve missed.
Author Bio:
Sophie Ranald is the youngest of five sisters. She was born in Zimbabwe and lived in South Africa until an acute case of itchy feet brought her to London in her mid-20s. As an editor for a customer publishing agency, Sophie developed her fiction-writing skills describing holidays to places she’d never visited. In 2011, she decided to disregard all the good advice given to aspiring novelists and attempt to write full-time. After one false start, It Would Be Wrong to Steal My Sister’s Boyfriend (Wouldn’t It?) seemed to write itself. Her second, third and fourth novels followed. Sophie also writes for magazines and online about food, fashion, finance and running. She lives in south-east London with her amazing partner Hopi and Purrs, their adorable little cat.
To find out about Sophie’s forthcoming releases and get access to free books and special offers, sign up to her newsletter at sophieranald.com.
Author Social Media Links:
Website:Â sophieranald.com
Twitter:Â @SophieRanald
 https://twitter.com/SophieRanald
Facebook:Â www.facebook.com/SophieRanald.
Thank you once again to the lovely Bookouture team for giving me the opportunity to tour with them. Take a look at what other bloggers have said about No, We Can’t Be Friends …
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