Sophie Cousens has built a reputation for crafting romantic comedies that balance heartfelt emotion with clever premises, and her sixth novel, And Then There Was You, proves she is willing to take creative risks. This 2025 release ventures boldly into sci-fi-tinged territory while keeping its emotional core firmly rooted in the relatable anxieties of modern womanhood. The result is a novel that feels simultaneously whimsical and thought-provoking, though not without a few stumbles along the way.
The story follows thirty-one-year-old Chloe Fairway, a production assistant stuck in professional limbo, living with her parents in Richmond after escaping a controlling relationship. When her ten-year college reunion email arrives, threatening to reunite her with overachieving former classmates and her estranged best friend Sean, Chloe finds herself spiraling. Enter Perfect Partners, a mysterious dating service that promises to deliver her ideal match. The catch? Her handsome, eloquent, impossibly charming date is not human at all.
What follows is a delightfully bonkers exploration of love, technology, and the uncomfortable question of what we actually want from romantic relationships. Cousens handles her outlandish premise with a knowing wink, never taking the sci-fi elements too seriously while still mining them for genuine emotional insight.
Character Development That Resonates
Chloe Fairway emerges as one of Cousens’ most fully realized protagonists. She carries the particular exhaustion of someone who once had big dreams and now wakes up wondering where they went. Her voice rings authentic throughout, self-deprecating without becoming tiresome, ambitious without being insufferable. Readers who have ever felt intimidated scrolling through former classmates’ accomplishments will recognize themselves in her particular brand of insecurity.
The supporting cast sparkles with personality. John, the eccentric archaeology enthusiast with his beloved dog Richard, provides an understated counterweight to the novel’s more flamboyant elements. His quiet brilliance and dry humor steal scenes without demanding attention. Sean, now a successful Hollywood director, represents the life Chloe believed she wanted, forcing her to confront whether nostalgia has been steering her in the wrong direction.
Rob, the AI boyfriend, presents a fascinating literary puzzle. Cousens writes him with genuine charm, making readers understand why Chloe finds herself drawn to his uncomplicated devotion. He quotes literature, provides unwavering support, and never forgets a detail. His characterization raises uncomfortable questions about what women are conditioned to want from partners and whether perfection can substitute for genuine human messiness.
The Oxford Reunion Setting
The decision to anchor this story at an Oxford college reunion proves inspired. The dreaming spires and formal halls provide atmospheric contrast to the futuristic technology at the novel’s heart. Cousens captures the particular discomfort of reunions with precision, the performative confidence, the comparing of achievements, the strange sensation of being nineteen and thirty-one simultaneously.
The flashback chapters illuminating Chloe’s university years add necessary depth to her present-day relationships. These glimpses into the past reveal how friendships fracture through miscommunication rather than malice, and how a single moment on a stage bridge can reverberate through an entire decade. The collegiate setting allows Cousens to explore themes of unfulfilled potential without becoming heavy-handed.
Strengths Worth Celebrating
Cousens excels in several key areas throughout this novel:
- Dialogue that crackles – The banter feels natural and genuinely funny, particularly Chloe’s internal monologue when confronted with absurd situations
- Pacing that propels – Despite juggling multiple timelines and a complex premise, the narrative never drags
- Emotional authenticity – The protagonist’s vulnerability regarding career disappointments and relationship failures reads as honest rather than manufactured
- Thematic ambition – The novel genuinely grapples with questions about AI, authenticity, and what constitutes meaningful connection
The romantic elements satisfy without following predictable beats. Cousens understands that the best love stories are really about self-discovery, and Chloe’s journey toward understanding what she actually wants proves more compelling than any kiss.
Areas That Fall Slightly Short
For all its charms, the novel occasionally stumbles. The pacing in the middle section loses some momentum when the reunion activities begin feeling repetitive. The croquet match, the formal dinner, the punting excursion, each provides lovely atmosphere but occasionally feels like padding rather than purposeful storytelling.
Perfect Partners, the shadowy corporation behind Rob, never receives the development it deserves. Avery, their representative, remains more cipher than character. Given the genuine ethical questions the premise raises, the novel could have benefited from exploring the sinister undertones more thoroughly rather than keeping them mostly in the background.
Some readers may find the resolution arrives somewhat quickly after considerable buildup. The final act condenses significant emotional revelations into a relatively brief section, leaving certain relationship dynamics feeling slightly underdeveloped. This proves particularly noticeable with Sean, whose trajectory feels truncated compared to the attention devoted to establishing his importance.
Thematic Depth Beneath the Humor
What elevates this novel beyond simple romantic comedy is its willingness to sit with uncomfortable questions. Through Rob, Cousens examines our cultural obsession with optimization, the idea that somewhere out there exists a perfect partner who will solve our loneliness and inadequacy. The novel gently suggests that perhaps the imperfections, the disagreements, the genuinely human friction, constitute the substance of love rather than obstacles to overcome.
The book also thoughtfully addresses:
- How nostalgia can imprison us in imagined pasts
- The difference between being supported and being truly seen
- Why vulnerability, rather than perfection, enables authentic connection
- How external measures of success often obscure internal fulfillment
Similar Books for Your Reading List
Readers who enjoy And Then There Was You should consider exploring:
- The Love of My Afterlife by Kirsty Greenwood – Another British rom-com blending supernatural elements with genuine heart
- Nora Goes Off Script by Annabel Monaghan – Features a protagonist rebuilding her life after relationship disappointment
- A Novel Love Story by Ashley Poston – Plays delightfully with the boundaries between fiction and reality
- First-Time Caller by B.K. Borison – Offers similarly cozy romantic vibes with quirky premises
- The Authenticity Project by Clare Pooley – Explores themes of honesty and connection with warmth
Fans of Sophie Cousens’ earlier work, particularly The Good Part and Before I Do, will find familiar pleasures here alongside welcome experimentation.
Final Thoughts on This Unconventional Romance
And Then There Was You represents Sophie Cousens stretching her storytelling muscles while retaining the warmth and wit that characterize her writing. The novel succeeds more often than it stumbles, delivering genuine laughs alongside surprisingly thoughtful meditations on technology and human connection. It asks readers to consider whether our algorithmic approaches to love might be missing something essential about why relationships matter.
For those seeking beach reads with substance, romantic comedies that challenge while entertaining, or simply a novel brave enough to ask what happens when a woman falls for someone designed to be perfect for her, this book delivers abundantly. Its imperfections, like those of a genuine human partner, ultimately make it more lovable rather than less.