My first time reading a Ms. Stainton book and I really enjoyed it. This was such a wonderful, feel good book. I loved it - in fact on finishing it, I could happily have returned to the start to begin reading it again, it was such a good read. I loved the characters and I love the plot. The characters are so lifelike and you find yourself connecting with all of them. The writing was smooth and easy. I was sucked into the story from the first word and I couldn't put it down as I neared the end. The story is lovely, and although the ending becomes predictable as the story goes on, it doesn't stop it from being a very enjoyable read!
It Had to Be You is funny and will have you laughing out loud at moments in there and you can't help falling in love with all (the right) characters! It's definitely one to look out for this year.

3.5 Stars

This was a quick, nice and funny book to read. Exactly what i needed for now.

Who said dreams can't actually come true? For Bea, she literally finds her dream man so everything must be just like a nice fairy tale. Except that dream man may not be exactly what she needed after all.

I enjoyed the funny, uncomplicated story that somehow made me think a lot of our every day life and what we want and expect. The characters were interesting and sometime hilarious.
I only had one problem, the words "obvious, obviously" came out really a lot of time, sometimes repeatedly in just one paragraph and that bothered me a bit.
Other than that it was a nice story.

It Had To Be You promises to be a laugh-out-loud fairy-tale romance and it certainly delivers. I read it in one sitting. There were parts which made me ache (for Henry mostly), and parts where I nearly died from laughter (the pigeon incident was epic). The characterizations were so spot on the protagonists felt like people from next door. I don’t mean just Bea and Henry and Dan, but all the other roommates, too, and Mr and Mrs C, and Bea’s family.
What I really appreciated was how it was simultaneously realistic but also fun and flirty. Dan was not made out to be a jerk, but a truly nice guy, he just didn’t click with Bea. And the Tom storyline was also refreshing, if heart-breaking. Henry felt like the one from the moment he appeared in the book. There was just something endearing about him and the way he connected with Bea.
Despite the satisfying romance tropes, the story was surprising. The characters made me want to be their friends, and I craved more when the novel finished.