** I received an ARC in exchange for an honest review."
One of the things I love the most about this author is her ability to mix spot om banter and wit within a redemption story. In my reading experience, most redemption stories become heavy handed or so focused on the thing the people get lost.
Unfortunately, this book is just boring. The premise of a woman in her mid thirties being left by a long term boyfriend has b=so many great possibilities. However, Laurie wallows a bit, gets pissed about male heavy handedness at work (justifiably), tells her not very good girlfriends, and then she's just there. I am told that Jamie is ladies man. I am told that Jamie is charming. I am told that Jamie is a lot of things but I don't get to see any of these things. Jamie is spotted with various women but does that make him a ladies man?
There is no heat. There is no chemistry. There is a trapped in an elevator hatching of the "fake" dating plan. That is it.
This book was a disappointment to me because other books by this author have been so much fun.

I was pleasantly surprised by this book! It really delved deep into the characters' psyche, which I appreciated. My biggest qualm was that, and I have no great way of putting this, some of the British-ness was just too much. Which sounds strange, I know, but I've read a lot of books that are modern and British and found this one's speed/way of talking just a teensy bit hard to follow. Also, it felt like every bad thing in the world had happened to Laurie - just slightly implausible, but alas, it is fiction. For a romance-y book, however, it was fairly heavy.

Laurie and Dan have been together for 18 years. One day Laurie comes home to a distressed Dan on the couch. Dan then drops a big bombshell that he is no longer happy in the relationship. Laurie figures it’s because they’ve talked and decided they want children. So the thought of children scars Dan. Dan then expresses that it’s “not you it’s me.”
Two months after they split Dan wanting Laurie to hear it from him first, tells Laurie he’s seeing someone else and she’s pregnant.
To get back at Dan she “teams” up with the office playboy Jamie. He needs a girlfriend to impress his new bosses. While Laurie makes Dan jealous. So it’s beneficiary gain for the both of them. All of this started because they were trapped in an elevator.

If you read the blurb you know that Laurie and Jamie are stuck in an elevator lift together. To me that gives me the impression that they are stuck in this elevator for an uncomfortable amount of time where they start to kindle a relationship or their diabolical plan for their own benefits. But the elevator scene barely last a few pages. I figured the book would be centered around what happened in the elevator and how it brought the couple together. ( like half the book was them in this elevator for at least several chapters)

When it comes to authors writing, this is a pet peeve for me, but I hate when they write ha ha or heh he for characters laughing or just a point blank ha before the next sentence. It makes me cringe.

Story line was just plain to me. It seemed to stick to one thing and dwell on it. Didn’t keep me turning pages, left me wanting to hurry up and finish just to get it over with.

I truly enjoyed this book.
It was so witty and fun! Laurie is such a great character and very easy to fall in love with. She’s got great friends and a great head on her shoulders despite her very non-traditional upbringing. She’s the type of woman character we need to read more of!!
I think one of the reasons I loved this book so much was the way the relationships progressed. They were all very realistic. There weren’t any “instantly in love and needs to be together RIGHT NOW” scenarios. It was a slow build, just like it usually is in real life.
The book also covered many real and pressing topics. Things like, ptsd, sexism in the workplace, feminism, racism, uncaring parents, and more. The author did it in such a way that it made you really think about what you were reading and to give it a second thought, which I feel is very important.
Overall, a GREAT and fun book.

I don't read a lot of contemporary romances. Mostly because I find they get sex and men wrong. Yes, broad statement, I know. But in most of the ones I've read, the men are either too assholeish or too passive, and the sex is either too instalust without a plot or virtually nonexistent because it's some sort of romcom book where the sex is implied rather than written. It's ironic that historic romance, with all its constraints, produces better characters and better sex. (Obviously there are exceptions: Helena Hoang, RS Grey, Kayley Loring on a good day).

Yes, I realize that's a controversial open, and a big soapbox.  But anyway, I'll get off said soapbox now, and explain why I chose this book: the interracial romance. I saw the cover and thought, I must read this. So I went to Netgalley and requested it. In other words, judged the book by its cover. Isn't that every publisher's dream? I don't see many interracial romances, or well written ones, at any rate. This one knocked it out of the park.

The book is really three acts:
Act 1: Laurie and her boyfriend Dan break up. Dan says he doesn't want to settle down and have kids. They both work at the same law firm, so it's tricky, but they hide the breakup for two months, until the truth comes out.

Act 2: Laurie learns more terrible things about Dan. Still devastated. She makes a deal with Jamie, the office "lothario" (or is he?) to pose as a fake couple to make Dan jealous and to help Jamie get a promotion (his reputation for sleeping around is holding it back, he thinks).

Act 3:  Predictably what you'd expect about fake relationships: they become real-- both in the personal relationship sense, and real-world consequences sense.

I enjoyed this book for a bunch of reasons:

1. The humor is devastating. I laughed out loud dozens of times, and I've highlighted maybe 15 percent of the book, I was so amused. (Normally I highlight maybe a quote here or there that strikes me. Here I found everything funny).

2.  I found Laurie's journey really fantastic. She's screwed over by Dan, but she goes through the romcom motions that I find deeply satisfying like getting a makeover, strutting around looking and starting to feel confident. I really enjoyed Dan's jealousy too.

3. The interracial elements are deftly played but not overdone. 

4. The friendships among women, as well as the weird rivalries among women, are nicely drawn out. 

5. There's a nice slow burn build between Laurie and Jamie, with each additional layer and incident showing more depth-- whether it's Jamie's relationship with his parents, Laurie's fraught relationship with hers, their views on love and relationships, etc.

6. A book set in Manchester: Nice to see a book not set in London. 

However! I have one big gripe: where's the love scene? It's relegated to two or three sentences. It's like reading a Georgette Heyer novel: all this lovely build up, followed up by two sentences for a kiss, and poof, we're done. 

Aside from that disappointing exclusion, this is a truly excellent book. The first 80 percent is a 5-star read. The last 20 percent-- maybe 3 and a half? So I landed at 4.

The emotions in this book bring the characters to life. After being left by her longtime partner, Laurie is willing to fake a relationship with Jamie to make her ex jealous and to gain him a promotion. Laurie's emotional journey through the entire book felt very real and relatable. Jamie also becomes a likeable character as more is revealed about him and his family and friends. The secondary characters are fun to love and hate (depending on their relationship with Laurie).

I felt like this got a bit of a slow start, but once it got started, I really enjoyed it. I appreciated that Laurie had to take a deeper look at her motivations for her actions and that the parental relationships were featured and were fairly relatable (though not entirely).

This book was so cute and the perfect book to start the new year. What woman hasn't been blindsided by a breakup? Wondered endlessly about what they did wrong or could have done differently? Then dreamt about revenge? Oh Laurie is my hero. She is such a fun loving relatable character. I love her friendship with Emily and her relationship with her mom. She is the epitome of a strong independent woman who also wants love. 4.5 ⭐ I highly recommend it! Thank you to netgalley and the publisher for an advanced copy in exchange for my honest review.

This is the second book I've read by Mhairi McFarlane, and it did not disappoint! I can't wait for the next.

I adore McFarlane and this was so much fun to read. She's a lovely writer. But this just felt so overdone--the plot was so predictable because we've seen it before in a million other books and movies, and I wish there had been an x factor to shake it up.

This was my first book of the year (the decade!) and boy was it a great one! If I Never Met You had all the ingredients of my kind of romance: love interests with smokin' chemistry, slow, believable burn, humor, depth, character growth, and a heart-tugging/satisfying HEA. This is my second book by the author and in both there was some depressing back-story. At one point, I worried she was taking it a step too far for an otherwise light read, but it didn't go that way and I was relieved. I'm not one to fall in love with fictional book boyfriends, but I was pretty close with Jamie. Some of the British lingo went over my head but it didn't detract from my enjoyment. Really amazing book and I highly recommend to readers of the genre.

I received this book as an ARC from NetGalley and I would like to thank them and the publisher.
This was my time reading anything by Mhairi McFarlane. I have to say that the beginning was slow for me .. I was almost ready to throw in the towel in finishing this book but here come the 4 chapter and I was all .. wait hold on Angela this book is actually picking up. From that chapter on I was hooked and enjoed the book. I did struggle a bit with finding myself thinking .. I thought this book was set in England .. whats with all the US references. But all in all I have to say I enjoyed this read and will definitely be recommending this to all my book followers and readers when this launched.

Here is a Laurie a lawyer who is mixed race and has been in only one relationship for the last 18 years will Dan who suddenly blindsides her by telling her he wants out of the relationship. Oh here's a kicker .. they both work for the same law firm so it's not an easy split she has to see him daily. Well as luck has it she finds herself trapped in the work elevator with the office playboy .. or is he really? The two end up spending two hours in there and get to talking and then it carries over to drinks ... and then it carries over to a plan to help one another out.
This is cute love story of find love when you least expect it and also finding out who you can truly depend on and also forgiveness and finding self worth in oneself. This would make a great summer read by the pool or under an umbrella at the beach.

*ARC received for an honest review*

This ARC sat in my TBR like a gift to myself. Mhairi McFarlane is a favorite author. And it was absolutely scintillating to have her newest book waiting for a rainy day. And it did not disappoint. My first read of 2020 and I’m all heart-eyes.

I felt seen here. A lawyer (and there was no cock-up where something that makes no legal sense was said) in her mid-thirties who feels comfortable with her life but maybe not with herself. Laurie was entirely relatable, likable, and enjoyable.

I think this is the most romancey a McFarlane book has felt, thus far. I went in expecting the personal-growth with a side of she-gets-her-man I’ve come to adore from this author. And I got something far more akin to a standard romance. Definitely put me on a back foot.

On that note - parts of this romance sputtered and flickered. There was some significant holes in the fauxmance set-up that someone as smart as Laurie would certainly have seen. And these carried over - making the relationship grate a bit.

Not the best McFarlane - but still a stellar read. Thrilled to start my year this way.

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I read this expecting a sizzling contemporary but instead got a dull story about a woman trying to piece her life back together after an unexpected breakup. I ended up not finishing.

I love a fake relationship story, and this was a good one! Jamie was awesome from the beginning, and Laurie was great once she got past herself! I was rooting for them, and hoping for Dan's demise from the very beginning! I'll definitely be reading more from this author!

A hilariously heartwarming romance!

Laurie’s world is ripped apart when her boyfriend of eighteen years leaves her. Laurie is holding onto the hope that her ex will return so she can handle seeing him each day at work. That is until she learns that he’s dating someone new and she’s pregnant. Laurie is beyond distraught and when she and the office playboy, Jaimie, get stuck in an elevator they open up enough to strike a deal. They will fake a relationship to help Laurie get back at her ex and for Jamie to get a promotion.

I loved Laurie from the start. She’s smart, funny and just a bit snarky at times. The other characters were well developed and I’d love to hang out with Laurie and her friends. The chemistry between Laurie and Jamie was fantastic. He’s swoon worthy and I wanted more. I’d highly recommend this book for romantic comedy fans.

I enjoyed this read. The main female protagonist is smart and funny. I never felt like she was a victim or conveniently obtuse regarding relationships in order to make the plot fit. The male protagonist was dreamy and not as fully drawn as the female protagonist. I could have done without the slight will they/won't they drama of the last couple of chapters. It seemed out of character, especially for the male protagonist. Overall, a fun read!

I've always been a huge fan of Mhairi McFarlane - You Had Me at Hello was one of my favorite romance books the year it came out and a book I constantly go back to. If I Never Met You just did not hold up comparably to her other works. The main character, Laurie, spends far too much time comparing everything and everyone on her ex, which I get because they dated for 18(ish) years. But after a while, it becomes extremely redundant - we get it!! Jamie, her love interest, is interesting but she compares her ex to him every chance she gets! Boring.

I highly recommend this book! I love Laurie’s transformation into a strong, single woman after her breakup with her boyfriend of 18 years. The fake dating trope was perfectly executed! I loved the chemistry between Laurie and Jamie. Can’t wait to read more from this author!

Trying to get back into reviews, so this is going to be short and sweet. I really loved the main character of Laurie. Mhairi McFarlane did a great job of creating a mixed race romantic heroine and her dealing with the micro and macro-aggression of being a woman of color living in Britain. Laurie though really touched me when you see that she is trying to take the next step with her long-time partner, Dan. She's ready to have a child with him and has her whole world turned upside down when he lets her know he's not happy, he doesn't want to have a child, and he's leaving her. Like today. From there McFarlane follows Laurie as she's off in this new world on her own. We get insights into her history with McFarlane showing us her relationships with her parents and best friends. The really great part though is when we get the character of Jamie and how he and Laurie end up being partners in a scheme to help him with a promotion and Laurie trying to show Dan she washed him right out of her hair.

This is the second romance novel by McFarlance I have read and I am going to have to go and read her backlist soon.