Originally published: 22 July 2021

Author: Hannah Tovey

Published by: Piatkus Books

Genre: Chick Lit

Length: 368 pages

Reading dates: 22-27 July 2021

-Employed (you have frequent nightmares about your job)

-Single and fabulous (swiping Tinder in your pyjamas while your best friend shops for engagement rings)

-Thriving (surviving)

Ivy and Mia have been best friends since the fun, messy, hungover years of their twenties.

Ten years later, Mia has it all – the man, the house, the career. Ivy is skint, single, and scared that she isn’t a ‘hot mess’ any more – she’s a walking disaster.

But one night, Ivy switches her phone off, peels last night’s drunken pizza off the sofa, and makes a list. A list that changes everything . . .

The new Ivy has a proper job. She goes on fancy dates in wine bars. She’s starting to think: maybe ‘faking it till you make it’ is easy?

But then she meets Scott.

Curly-haired, sarcastic Scott.

Sh*t.

I really enjoyed The Education of Ivy Edwards when I read it last summer so when Hannah got in touch to tell me there was a sequel I was really pleased! We pick up from Ivy where we left off…with an overwhelming sense that she really needs to do something with her life. Her sister is expecting a baby at any moment and her best friend is about to get engaged. Ivy realises she needs to put the past behind her and start trying to make a success of her life. Remembering how she enjoyed helping out at a primary school during her University years, she decides she may as well start with teaching as a potential career choice.

Getting a placement at a primary school with Mr Reid, Ivy, although lacking in confidence, enjoys herself and decides training to be a teacher would be something she would enjoy. After making a start on getting a career sorted she tackles her love life. After going on a few dates with men she meets on a dating app (I could so relate to this part of the book!) she meets Scott in a bar and they instantly click. It looks as though Ivy is finally getting her life back together.

I loved Is This It? Ivy is a fantastic character – she is messy, eats the wrong food, drinks too much and occasionally takes drugs but she is genuine, a lovely sister and a wonderful friend and I loved that in this book, she is finding her feet and is becoming a strong, independent woman who grows in confidence as the book goes on. The supporting cast of characters including her mum (who doesn’t always think before she speaks), her long suffering dad, her sister and her two best friends are fabulous.

A great rom-com, I thoroughly enjoyed this. An upbeat, lovely book – I’m hoping this won’t be the last we hear from Ivy!

Thanks so much to Hannah for reaching out and asking if I’d like a copy and Piatkus Fiction for my gifted copy.

About the author:

Hannah Tovey is from South Wales and grew up in Hong Kong. She graduated from the Faber Academy in 2018, where she finished her debut novel, The Education of Ivy Edwards. Hannah lives in East London where she misses Llanelli beach, her mother and cockles. Is This It? is her second novel.

Website: https://www.hannahtovey.com/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/hannahctovey