This was my first introduction to Andy Jones' work and I was not disappointed. Easily one of the best books I have read in a long time, I absolutely LOVED Girl 99!

To be perfectly honest, I nearly passed on this book. However, I was fortunate enough to win a copy from a Goodreads giveaway, and thought I might as well give it a go since I had it. Lucky, lucky me!!

Written by a man and told from a man's POV, Girl 99 is easy to devour. The characters are brilliant, flawed and spectacularly (sometimes painfully) real. The situations grab you and keep you engaged. During my reading this book, I went through so many emotions. I cringed, I cursed, I felt sad, I laughed and I even applauded. And despite his many mistakes, I felt completely vested in the happiness of our main character,Tom. He's human and easy to love.

If you like romcom/chicklit type books, I'd highly recommend this gem.

I am really looking forward to exploring more books by Andy Jones! ( )

I absolutely loved Andy Jones' debut novel, The Two of Us, so I didn't need to think twice before reaching for a copy of Girl 99. There's something so very refreshing and appealing about Andy Jones' style of writing; it's so honest and genuine that it feels like the book is talking to you. Although you don't need to have read The Two of Us to enjoy Girl 99 (but seriously you NEED to read The Two of Us), I was thrilled to see the inimitable character of El make another appearance and welcomed him as if he was an old friend of mine rather than Tom's.

Tom is a very multi-faceted and hilarious character. On one hand he is a lad's lad but on the other he is a loving part of a very close knit family, a family that is stronger than ever after suffering the devastating loss of Tom's mother when his sister was very young. Tom has almost taken on the mother role as he acts as intermediary between his Dad and his teenage sister, Bianca.

Tom gets himself into trouble and ends up breaking up with his girlfriend, Sadie, when he admits to kissing a colleague, Holly. When Sadie is collecting her things from the flat she finds Tom's diary (I know, a man with a diary!) but it's more of a notches on the bed post record than a diary as Sadie sees she is number 85 on Tom's list of conquests. Furious, she then makes plans to get her revenge and it ends up in a superb custody battle over the Mini Cooper!

When Tom meets his friend, El, for a night out to drown his sorrows, El encourages Tom into a bet that he will make it to 100 ladies before a set deadline. It's a gamble that Tom willingly accepts and sets off on his quest to hit that magic number, but he didn't gamble on falling in love along the way.

So warm, witty and all-round good fun, Girl 99 is as charming as it is hilarious. Seeing so many sides of Tom, I thought I would despise him for treating women like a number but that's not who he is underneath. The way he acts with his family and his elderly neighbour, Doug, shows the strength of character he really has. Add to this Andy Jones' ability to make me laugh on almost every page and you have a winner of a book; I should have known not to read it whilst eating as I almost choked on my rice salad when reading at lunchtime about Tom's first 'dorty book'. With hilarious quips about Brighton and Paul Daniels, I could not contain my laughter and I was gutted that I had to stop reading to wipe the tears of laughter from eyes.

Another fabulous book from Andy Jones, who is fast becoming one of my favourite authors. A recommended read for anyone who loves a good romcom with an emphasis more on the realism of lad-lit than the mushiness of chick-lit.

I chose to read an ARC and this is my honest and unbiased opinion. ( )

I must admit that I was ever so slightly dubious about the content of this book. A man sets out to take his tally of conquests to a nice round 100 - what a great guy he must be. Except......Tom is actually a really nice guy and I absolutely couldn't help but like him. I'm not sure how Andy Jones managed it as it could have descended into something quite different, a very blokey sort of read, but instead it's a heart-warming and incredibly readable story.

As he lurched from woman to woman I had the urge to reach into the book and shake Tom but I hoped that he would come to his senses before I got to the end. I won't say if he does or not but suffice it to say that this sort of book usually ends on a happy note.

With a hint of the Mike Gayle to it, I thought this was a brilliant, funny read and I think most people would enjoy it, male or female. It's by no means a frothy love story but it is mostly quite light-hearted. The characterisations are spot on. In particular I loved Douglas, Tom's neighbour and Tom's dad who were quite similar characters actually. Tom works in television advertising and I presume the author drew from his own experiences there as it's described really well and in some detail.

Once I had got into this book I found myself racing through it. I couldn't put it down as I followed Tom on his collision course of a love (or sex) life. It made me smile and it made me sad (his friend, El, in particular).

Whilst I could have expected to enjoy Girl 99, it completely exceeded my expectations and I'm really looking forward to reading more of Andy Jones's work. Just the thing when you need something to make you smile.

Finally, a word for the rather lovely cover. Reading it on my Kindle I didn't spot the detail until I went back to it when I'd finished reading. I then spotted that the numbers are made up of 49 woman with another 1 standing up to make Girl 99. Really quite clever! ( )