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by Sophie Cousens
A hilarious love story about a disillusioned divorcée who agrees to let her children play matchmaker.
Columnist Anna Appleby has left her love life behind after a painful divorce. Who needs a man when she has two kids, a cat, and uncontested control of the TV remote? Besides, she'd rather be single than subject herself to the hell of online dating. But her office rival is vying for her column, and no column means no stable source of income. In a desperate attempt to keep her job, Anna finds herself pitching a unique angle: seven dates, all found offline, chosen by her children.
From awkward encounters to unexpected connections, Anna gamely begins to put herself out there, asking out waiters, the mailman, and even her celebrity crush. But when a romantic connection appears where she least expected it, will she be brave enough to take another chance on love?
What’s the funniest book you remember reading?
Dial A for Aunties by Jesse Q. Sutanto. Superb and funny and unexpected. Is she really going out with him? By Sophie Cousens.
-Sam
What are you reading this week? (7/10/2025)
Like water drops - Issa, ARC from Hidden Gems. It's VERY good and different. Is she really going out with him - Sophie Cousens, for Reader's Digest book club discussion.
-Marijana_Bankovic
"Cousens has a well-earned reputation for writing delightful love stories, and this one more than delivers. The enemies-to-lovers chemistry between Anna and Will is both believable and steamy, and Cousens deftly plays with rom-com tropes while crafting a journey of self-discovery in the wake of divorce. It's also refreshing to read a slightly older heroine—Anna is in her late 30s, an age that often seems nonexistent in romances—with an established life, career, and children. A supremely satisfying love story with all the charm readers have come to expect from Cousens." —Kirkus Reviews (starred review)
"Another bright and gratifying love story from Cousens... .She tackles the enemies-to-lovers trope with characteristic humor and thoughtfulness, while injecting it with complex characters and realistic situations." —Library Journal (starred review)
"[Cousens] delivers another refreshing novel that takes readers on an unexpected journey…Through a series of chaotic, charming, and surprising rendezvous, Anna begins to find herself again... . Complete with a cast of well-developed and memorable characters, Cousens expertly weaves together themes of self-discovery, romance, motherhood, and friendship, resulting in a rich story that is engrossing to the end with high appeal to women's lit readers." —Booklist (starred review)
"This is a charmer." —Publishers Weekly
"Three words: rivals-to-lovers, and I'm obsessed! Is She Really Going Out with Him? is a love letter to us messy readers who obsess over gossip columns and all the piping hot tea. It's How to Lose a Guy in Ten Days meets He's Just Not That Into You with all the sizzling chemistry of an Emily Henry novel, and Sophie Cousens does it best!" —Ashley Poston, New York Times bestselling author of A Novel Love Story, The Dead Romantics, and The Seven Year Slip
"Clever, thought-provoking, and oh-so-funny, Sophie Cousens's latest novel will make anyone consider all their potential mates—and the best and worst dates. Original and witty, this novel is a true delight, one that had me reading non-stop to find out what happened and making me miss the characters once it ended. Who says parents can't have fun?!" —Zibby Owens, bestselling author of Blank, host of Moms Don't Have Time to Read Books
"Is She Really Going Out with Him has all the ingredients to become your next favorite read: a protagonist you can root for, a mysterious love interest you'll (eventually) swoon over, iconic dating scenes that will leave you in stitches, and a path to love that's sweet, fun, and uplifting. Cousens is a master at writing enchanting, laugh-out-loud stories that tug at your heartstrings. You will be charmed!" —Mia Sosa, USA Today bestselling author of The Worst Best Man
This information about Is She Really Going Out with Him? was first featured
in "The BookBrowse Review" - BookBrowse's membership magazine, and in our weekly "Publishing This Week" newsletter. Publication information is for the USA, and (unless stated otherwise) represents the first print edition. The reviews are necessarily limited to those that were available to us ahead of publication. If you are the publisher or author and feel that they do not properly reflect the range of media opinion now available, send us a message with the mainstream reviews that you would like to see added.
Any "Author Information" displayed below reflects the author's biography at the time this particular book was published.
Sophie Cousens worked as a TV producer in London for twelve years. She is now a full-time novelist and screenwriter who lives with her family on the island of Jersey, one of the Channel Islands. She is also the New York Times bestselling author of This Time Next Year, Just Haven't Met You Yet, Before I Do,and The Good Part. Her work has been translated into twenty-one languages and her adaptation of This Time Next Year has been produced into a film.
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