Lucy Vine is a British romcom author whose novels are built to be read as standalones. There isn’t a continuing series timeline to manage, so your “reading order” choice is really about vibe (early millennial messiness vs. later high-concept dating plots) rather than spoilers.
If you’re planning to read more than one, publication order gives you the smoothest sense of how her voice evolves.
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A practical way to choose your first Lucy Vine
Start early (peak chaotic, coming-of-age energy): Hot Mess (2017)
Start midlist (friendship + life-shape shifts): Bad Choices (2021)
Start recent (romcom “hook” premises): Seven Exes (2023) or Date with Destiny (2024)
Lucy Vine novels in publication order
Hot Mess (2017): Ellie Knight’s life is in loud disarray, work, dating, flatmates, and the book leans into messy-funny self-reckoning without pretending anyone has it together.
What Fresh Hell (2018): Lilah gets trapped in wedding-admin purgatory after a hen-do disaster, and the story turns modern friendship and obligation into escalating comedy pressure.
Are We Nearly There Yet? (2019): Alice hits thirty in a rut and bolts on a round-the-world trip, where “finding the fun” keeps colliding with the baggage she brought along.
Bad Choices (2021): Two best friends across two decades test how much history can stretch before it snaps, with the humor coming from recognition and the ache coming from change.
Seven Exes (2023): Esther decides her true love might be hiding among her exes and starts working through them like a list, turning romantic nostalgia into a structured, high-momentum search.
Date with Destiny (2024): Ginny approaches the year a psychic predicted for her, good things and bad things, while she’s already engaged, and the premise becomes a collision between certainty and choice.
Book Boyfriend (2025): Twin sisters Jemma and Clara fall for men they haven’t truly met, one through handwritten notes in library books, one through obsession with a screen idol, forcing reality to challenge fantasy.
Good For You (2026): Relationship-therapist Liv goes viral mid-meltdown and lands in anger management with a therapist she can’t stand, building a romcom out of reputation, control, and unwanted self-awareness.
Do any of these require a specific order?
No. These are separate continuities.
Reading earlier books first mainly changes the experience in two ways:
- You’ll see the voice shift from looser “life mess” comedy toward tighter, premise-driven romcom plots.
- You’ll notice how the books become more structured over time (clearer engines, clearer arcs), which some readers prefer.
Recommended mini-routes (pick one and go)
The “start at the beginning” route:
Hot Mess → What Fresh Hell → Are We Nearly There Yet?
The “friendship first” route:
Bad Choices → Seven Exes → Date with Destiny
The “newest first” route:
Book Boyfriend → Good For You → then backfill by publication order
Latest release status
Newest title (scheduled): Good For You (June 2026).
FAQ
Is Lucy Vine a pen name?
Yes. “Lucy Vine” is a pen name used for her romcom fiction.
What’s the safest first book if I only want one?
If you want earlier, rawer comedy: Hot Mess. If you want a cleaner romcom engine: Seven Exes.
Will I spoil anything by reading out of order?
No, each novel is designed to stand alone.
Frank is the editor of BookSeries.blog, focusing on publication order, chronological timelines, and spoiler-free reading guides for book series and fictional universes.