If I Never Met you by Mhairi McFarlane was marketed as a romcom, but really it's more like a Eat-Pray-Love 'woman finds herself after a bad breakup.
Minimal romance, and honestly it's more about her self discovery. If I would have gone in with that view point, I probably would have loved it more. I expected a sweet, only 1 bed, coworkers fake dating because of the shitty ex still works there. In a very minor way, this was all there, but it was more like the secondary story line.
Ok, so here is what you'll get with this book;
-Inner growth journey
-British humor
-Limited romance
-No spice

Go into it with this in mind, and you'll enjoy it

It’s impossible not to root for Laurie after her partner breaks up with her after a decade. Much of the novel focuses on Laurie; this is compounded by the single perspective narrative, which further cements that the priority is not on the relationship but rather on Laurie moving forward with her life after experiencing a shocking betrayal.

Fake dating is one of my favorite tropes because the parties involved insist that they’re going to keep things strictly professional and they are absolutely not going to catch feelings for each other. And of course, they always catch feelings.

I would absolutely recommend If I Never Met You. This is a romcom but it’s a different sort of romcom. It’s a very thoughtful book, and McFarlane is quickly becoming one of my favorite authors.




I received a digital ARC of this book from HarperCollins/NetGalley.

I’m a huge fan of Mhairi McFarlane’s books and this romantic comedy certainly didn’t disappoint! Laurie and Jamie enter into a mutually beneficial fake relationship which starts to feel more real than fake. Laurie’s motivation is to give the office something else to talk about after her ex-boyfriend’s (of 10 years) ew girlfriend ends up pregnant. Jamie is just trying to impress the higher ups in the company. As their relationship goes public they send the office into major gossip mode especially when their relationship plays out over social media. I enjoyed how things played out and liked how the story ended.

Loved this book and I love Mhairi McFarlane. Would most certainly recommend. So fun. 5 star read hands down. Great romcom.

I went into this one thinking, oh goodness another rom-com, but it was light and breezy and just what I needed to get me through this long week! When Laurie is left by her partner after a decade of dating but they still work at the same law practice she is devastated. What is she to do now? A chance meeting in a broken elevator on the way out of work one evening settles that. She meets a coworker, Jamie, who has a reputation for playing fast and loose but with Laurie he is anything but. With her he is careful and steady. These two are perfection. What starts as a fake dating situation to help them both but ends up as so much more, that is until it all blows up and fake turns all too real and the senior partners get involved. I recommend this one.

This seems like a great read for me but I don't think this author is a good fit. I've tried one other of her books and it just didn't grab me either.

Super cute story that will keep you entertained the whole way through it. Some parts are slow but it picks up quick.

What a fun contemporary romance! I've recommended this to several folks. Not particularly memorable but a fun romp.

This book is exactly why I love fake dating!! Ahh I LOVED this!! The British rom com of it all just had me giggling in happiness. It was a slow burn and I was squealing watching these two fall in love!! The humor just had me laughing then the romance would give me butterflies!!! It was the CUTEST thing!! Then we throw in a little bit of the enemies to lovers and this book gave us all the fun banter! All the angst of it was understandable and their mistakes just made these two seem so real and THE ENDING!! Ahhh I had the biggest smile on my face!! That party scene was my favorite! I really liked how them faking their relationship helped them have a different perspective on their own lives and grow from all the mistakes and ahh it was perfect! I’m looking forward to picking up more from this author!

Super fun fake relationship romcom with a really enjoyable main character and dashing rake, but not really.

About my only complaint is that it felt like it took a while to get to the romcom part- but worth making the way through multiple pages of break-up with the ex to get to the romance.

If I Never Met You

Thank you to @williammorrowbooks for the gifted e-copy and ARC of If I Never Met You!
Y’all know I loveee a good fake romance trope and this one did not disappoint!
Mix that with an office romance and I was hooked!
This book was fast paced and so perfect to read at the beach!
Not much about this book surprised me but I was ok with that as I was in the mood for a lighter read!
On top of how much I loved this read, I LOVE the cover!

I love romantic comedies and this one was a great fake relationship that turned into something more. I really enjoy stories like this and this one was really funny.

Laurie is devastated when her boyfriend of over a decade, Dan, leaves her - . not just because they work together but because his new girlfriend is now pregnant almost immediately after telling Laurie he didn't want to have kids with her. Laurie is doing her best to try and not let it bother her, but her days are rough. One day she gets stuck in an elevator with the office playboy Jamie that she realizes that they have something in common. She needs a way to get over Dan and avoid pity and Jamie needs a steady girlfriend so he can look the part for a big promotion at the firm. Let the shenanigans begin....
I enjoyed the story, it was cute! Laurie was a big spastic and hard to follow at first, but I grew to like her and she ended up being very endearing. Quick read that was definitely worth the time!
Thanks to Mhairi McFarlane, Harper Collins and NetGalley for the ARC.

I really did not enjoy this book. At all. I finished it, but it was a struggle. I wanted to like it - it hits all my catnip romance tropes. But I struggled with McFarlane's writing style.

Lovely, heartwarming story with mostly likeable characters. The conversations between all the characters have a genuine, authentic feel. Definitely will be reading the author's other works as comfort reads.

Read this book in less than a day. My library purchased a copy of this book. I did not nominate for LibraryReads. I wouldn't recommend this as a Book Club read because it was extremely difficult to follow. Too many unnecessary passages. Characters and ending were not in the least-bit believable.

Thank you for the opportunity to read and review If I never met you. This book moved at a slower pace than I expected and focused on the breakup for a long portion of the beginning of the book. I wish it would have jumped into the fake dating sooner, a trope I really love.

Slow burn fake dating and VERY British. 3.5 stars overall. The first third of this book was beyond rough. It kicks off with a breakup and the next 35% of the book is the protagonist’s POV of every thought and emotion about that breakup. It was way too much. Other than a passing conversation in a bar, we don’t meet the male lead until way too late. It picks up after they start interacting but it felt like it too forever to get there. There wasn’t consistent interaction until after halfway through. It put me off and I set the book aside for a long while because of it.

Good commentary on sexism in the corporate world but some misguided attempts at touching on some microaggressions as the main character is interracial.

When Laurie's long term boyfriend leaves her she is in utter shock. She thinks it might just be a temporary break up and he will come back after some time. But when she finds out that not only has her ex moved on, but has also gotten his new gf pregnant she is not willing to take the humiliation without doing anything about it. A chance encounter in a broken elevator with the office playboy gives her an opportunity to get back at her ex. Jamie, the playboy, wants a promotion. But the bosses want him to have a steady gf to prove he can make a commitment. The two make a deal and create a fake romance to achieve both of their goals.

I gave this book two attempts. The first time I was slightly bored that the story was taking so long to get going. When I gave it a second change I absolutely loved it. The story itself although slightly predictable was well written and interesting. Fake romance turned real is a trope I've seen multiple times, but this story made it feel fresh and interesting. The only thing I didn't like was how fast the love interest realized he was in love. For a playboy who didn't believe in love, it was odd that after a few weeks he fell in love. I

I was interested in this novel because of the description of a devoted woman who is burned and a handsome young lawyer who each need a "fake" relationship. Smart, young, Brits in a romantic setting -- what's not to like. Well, the first 3 chapters were a bit off putting and the characters so rude and unlikeable that I almost put it down. I pressed on and the last 2/3 of the novel improved and I ended up enjoying the book. Very contemporary and modern and it should really appeal to young readers.