You Don't Have to Say You Love Me

By: Sarra Manning

Narrated by: Julie Maisey

Girls like Neve Slater don’t get gorgeous guys like William. But William’s been in L A for three years, and Neve’s been slimming down in preparation for his return. Then her sister Celia points out that if Neve wants William to think she's an experienced love-goddess then she’d better get some experience - a man to show her the ropes, like Celia’s colleague Max. And since he’s not Neve’s type, she certainly won’t fall for him...

©2011 Sarra Manning (P)2011 W F Howes Ltd

Top of My Favorites List`

Any additional comments?

I love funny chit lit, just about all I listen to, and this book is at the top of my list! It is absolutely witty and laugh out loud funny in some spots. Best use of humor I've seen in any book in this category. The characters are so relatable and lovable, and while romance is the focus of the plot, it's fun to get lost in all aspects of the main character's life - work, social, family, neighbors, diet, health.

It's nice and long, in a I'm-so-glad-I'm-not-getting-close-to-the-end kinda way!

Can't wait to pick out my next Sarra Manning and Julie Maisey books!

Prefect

I use to listen to the radio in the morning on the way to work, but this book has pulled me away from my favorite morning show and that says something. Everything about it is great.

Very good !!!

Would you listen to You Don't Have to Say You Love Me again? Why?

Yes!!! without a dout this is the kind of book that allows you to see your self in the female character (Neve), there were moments in the story that had me laughing, moments of anger and frustration and moments when I knew exactly how Neve was feeling.

What did you like best about this story?

I think the best thing about this story is that it's an honest one, I've read books were the female character has overweight problems and the male character falls in love with the girl, tells her she is beautiful in every way and that he accepts her in all her glory.
Come on people !!!! life is not like that, the truth is that for overweight girls and women in general sometimes life is not that simple and this book tells it like it is.
This book is defenitly realistic but it also has a beautiful and credible love story

What about Julie Maisey’s performance did you like?

Yes I like her performance, I think she did a great job.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

Maybe not in one sitting because it had parts that were a little dificult for me to listen and I had to take a moment to think about them.

LOVE LOVE LOVE THIS BOOK

This book was about weight, love, family, insecurity and so much more. The characters were well written and developed through this story. I really cared about them. This is a book I will listen to again.

And let's not forget the narrator. One of the best I've heard. Her reading was true to the characters.

This is a GOOD book.

Authentic and entertaining

Any additional comments?

Neve and William have an intellectual connection and, while he's been in America the past few years, Neve has been working hard to ensure they have a physical connection when he gets back. She has lost a lot of weight and is no longer obese, but she's still doesn't feel ready for William's not-too-distant return. Aside from shifting the last few pounds, she needs more relationship experience - ANY would be handy - so she comes up with the idea of a "pancake relationship", a first relationship that you can chuck away like you throw away the first mangled pancake in a batch. Her sister's hot but sleazy boss Max is the perfect candidate for her first pancake, and he agrees to try the relationship because he's never really been in one himself, and it's ideal for him coz Neve doesn't care if he sleeps with other people coz she certainly doesn't want to sleep with him.

With this hijinksy set up, I was expecting You Don't Have to Say You Love Me to be a lot of fun. And it certainly was. Charming, funny and completely entertaining. But what I wasn't expecting was just how touching it would be - and how much I would relate to it. Neve is a complete mess, and boy did I see my own messy self in her. She is intelligent and attractive, but so incredibly insecure it's painful to read about at times - all the more painful because it was like hearing my own thoughts repeated back to me. From the way she froze when a guy tried to cuddle her across her tummy, to the way she held up her fingers to indicate she was just a LITTLE bit drunk when she was actually very drunk, it was bizarre just how much I felt like Neve WAS me sometimes. Some readers may find all her insecurities annoying, but they felt completely authentic and relatable to me. She also experiences a lot of character growth over the course of her book, and her journey towards accepting and even loving herself is heartbreaking and heartwarming all at once.

The funniest moments, as well as a number of incredibly moving ones, come when Neve interacts with Max. They are complete opposites in so many ways, and it makes for some hilarious and really fun scenes. Even more fun is the amazing chemistry they have, which gets harder and harder for them to resist. Max is a bit of a douche at times, but of course he has a big heart underneath. He is blokey and messy but he's also sexy and charming and respectful and lovely and a little bit broken himself. It's hard not to fall in love with him by the end.

The secondary characters are really great, and I especially loved Neve's family relationships. The way they hurt each other but love each other so much was realistic and really got under my skin. On a lighter level, Neve's work friendships and the office politics she deals with made for an entertaining subplot. Her career ambitions and growing belief in herself, even when others don't, is an awesome part of her character arc.

The story, characters and writing are all fantastic, but I also really appreciated the exploration of what makes a good relationship, and how your dreams and expectations don't always match reality - which can actually be a very good thing. The contrast between someone who you think is right, but who isn't at all, with someone you think is all wrong, but who is actually totally right, was really well done. The whole book was just so realistic in the most entertaining way.

I listened to the audiobook edition of this, read by Julie Maisey, and she did a wonderful job. Neve's voice was perfect and although I was a little unsure of Max's at first, I got used to it and really liked it in the end. The pacing and expression is spot on and all in all it was very compelling to listen to. This is one of those books where you begin to resent the rest of your life for getting in the way of it. When I finished You Don't Have To Say You Love Me I had a big, goofy grin on my face - and it doesn't get much better than that.

Good Listen

Loved this book. The main character can be irritating at times but the story is cute. It’s a predictable story but you can’t help but enjoy it. The narrator does so many different voices well.

Loved

As a woman who was always concerned about her weight I could really relate to Neve. Neve is smart and funny. She meets Max, who is probably one of my favorite Sarra Manning male characters right below Dylan from the Diary of a Crush books. It is more erotic than any Manning book I've read, but I didn't mind that. Good read.

The Best Book Everrrr!!!

Wow! I don't even know where to begin in review of this book! Let me say, i've never been more captivated, more in the moment, feeling every bit of the anguish and exhiliration of a roller-coaster romance, as I was reading this book. The narrator was perfect, the descriptive detail had me on the edge of my seat, and the characters were so relatable I found myself dreading the end! Out of 15 books I've listened to this year, this, the 16th one, was my favorite of all. This books touches on so many wonderful themes...body-image, self-deprication, feeling unworthy of love...I've caught myself thinking the same things Nieve did throughout, and wishing we could be friends in real life. I definitely recommend this book to anyone who enjoys adult fiction and experiencing the lows and highs of life's journeys in love.

loved it?

I could not stop listening - I listened while cooking,driving and any time I could. I did not enjoy if anyone interrupted.

One of the best I've listened to

Any additional comments?

I just loved this book. The characters were endearing and the relationship felt real. I especially love when you start off not liking a character and then he author shows a nicer side of them and you end up falling in love with them later. Narrator was also wonderful. I couldn't stop listening. I will definitely listen to this one again.