Early Book Review: Thank You, Next by Sophie Ranald

Thank You, Next by Sophie Ranald is a contemporary romance currently scheduled for release on November 30 2020. Seriously, why do guys on dating apps think I want a picture of what’s in their pants? I could open an art gallery with the collection I’ve got. Zoe really doesn’t want to die alone and surrounded by cats. But it’s not looking good: she’s had sex precisely twice in the last year, and her feline friend isn’t the kind of male company she wants in bed. Her top dating disasters include: the guy who kissed her hand, took out a violin and serenaded her in public, the guy who force-fed her oysters (she can confirm that they’re not an aphrodisiac), the guy who was so hungover he turned up with his t-shirt on inside out, sweating sambuca, and the guy who brought his actual kid on a dinner date. And don’t even get her started on the dick pics, or how on earth you’re supposed to know whether a total stranger is an axe murderer or not. Zoe's ready to give up on the search for love, until her friend has an idea. Robbie lives by his horoscope, and he’s sure she’s got this dating stuff all wrong. He dares her to work her way through the zodiac until she finds The One. Usually Zoe would laugh at such a suggestion, but desperate times call for desperate measures. 

Thank You, Next is a romance that I have mixed feelings about. I liked some aspects a lot. The secondary characters and friendships in the book were very well done. I liked the community around Zoe, and some of the conversations and situations were very well done. There were moments of the story I greatly enjoyed, and I think the ending was well thought out and executed. However, I thought the story was a little meandering. Chapter one is the details of a bad date, that actually happens in the middle of the book time-line wise. Chapter two is the start of setting up the actual story and secondary characters. It just felt a little awkward and stilted for me. I know life often gets jumbled up, and we make bad choices and things go awry- which is often what makes for a good story. However, I felt like Zoe was a doormat and there is little to no information or development on partner in finding a happy ending. He does not even make an appearance until about a third into the book, and even then there is no real information about him, how he feels, or what he is thinking. For me it is the main characters getting to know each other and overcoming something together that really makes a book stand out, in this case it was more about Zoe finding herself and less about the actual relationship. This is something that other readers really look for, but rather missed the mark for me.

Thank You, Next is about one woman figuring out who she is and what she wants, and having some interesting moments along the way.