Just finished! Ohh I loved it! Samantha really knows how to create lovebale characters! I've read quite a few of her books and I got to love some characters and with every book I put down after I've read it I just suffer.
Well here we are, Evie is the type of woman that gave herself to her job and never been lucky to have by her side a good guy, so one day fed up and disappointed she decided to take time for herself, somewhere far, and here she comes to UK in a small but picturesque village (that really intrigued and I'm adding it to my destinations to see in this country, thank you Sam).
She quickly got to love the place and the people and of course after a brave act of saving a dog from being hit by a car she got to be in the interest of the dog owner, a hard working guy, with beautiful features. Their love story evolves fast and it tangles with the others characters. Evie got to be loved not only by Roane but also the villagers and she is more and more tempted to stay here and for once to never think of others but her one happiness.
Happy reading to all romance lovers out there! The books is so worth it! #muchadoaboutyou

Evangeline Starling has been working hard for years in Chicago as an editor for a magazine where she has been passed over for promotions time and again in favor of men despite her qualifications. After another crushing blow as well as her online dating disasters, Evie chooses to blow up her life by quitting her job and leaving the country. A lifelong lover of all things Shakespeare in particular, and books in general, Evie decides temporarily running a bookstore in a small English Northumberland village is the perfect antidote to what ails her. At age thirty-three, beginning again with a new occupation is daunting for Evie especially doing it thousands of miles from home. While living above the quaint bookstore and enmeshing herself in village life of Alnster, Evie gets quite a boost as she is practically living the dream. She had also been doing some independent editing on the side and is now hoping to make that a full-time job.

Along with that dream job comes hanging out with a very appealing local farmer, Roane Robson, with whom Evie seems to have an instant connection; however, having sworn off men, she keeps resisting any romantic feelings. They hit it off immediately though Evie feels the last thing she needs is a short term romance no matter how appealing Roan despite his perfect looks and demeanor. As Evie spends more time working at the bookstore and enjoying her new friends as well as Roane’s company, she begins to think quaint the English life is the one for her. Leaving family and friends so far away is hard though for Evie, but Roane and the welcoming community make it all worthwhile. As Evie’s favorite author wrote, “the course of true love never did run smooth,” so not surprisingly, Evie and Roane have some obstacles to overcome to be together.

Evie makes some hasty emotional decisions that had this reader groaning, but for the most part, this is a fun read. Roane is not blame free either for the challenges in their relationship, but in his defense, he is quite a bit younger than Evie and less experienced. As expected in a small village where everyone lives in each other’s pocket, there is a lot of drama going on with other folks’ relationships, some decades old. Gossip is the order of the day giving Alnster its own soap opera vibe. Readers who enjoy classic literary allusions, tales set in the English countryside, and second chance starts will enjoy this story that looks as if it might be the beginning of a new series.

Much Ado About You was a very cute, if not very predictable rom-com. While everything was too perfect, I think if that is what you are in the mood for then this is the book for you!

Evie feels like her life isn’t moving, which is something I relate to. To make a change she books a one month “vacation” in the English country side, working at a small bookstore. While there she begins new friendships and relationships and I thought it was all so cute.

Again, this is definitely one of those books if you are looking for a no mess, feel good, love story.

Evie is 33. She has been passed over for a promotion at work, her dating life is in shambles and her best friend's having a baby. She feels lonely and needs a change, she needs to find herself, so she finds a place in a quiet English village to rent. As a matter of fact, it comes with a whole bookstore to run. It sounds like the perfect getaway. While she is there, she decides she will focus on herself, no men allowed on this trip, but this plan is blown out of the water on the first day she is there.
Evie can't help but save a dog who is about to be hit by a car, throwing herself in harms way. His owner is forever grateful and instantly takes to Evie. Roane likes Evie the moment he meets her, she did save his dog after all. Roane never usually likes outsiders, their little town is a close knit family, but Evie really gets under his skin, in the best way.
This book is what I would classify as a slow burn insta-love, and I know that doesn't even make sense but just go with me. The characters are instantly attracted to one another, but with Evie taking a break from men, Roane is determined to still be around her, even as a friend. Of course it turns into more because who can resist his charm?
This book had everything that I thought I wanted in a book, and I was looking forward to it so much. I am not sure where it went wrong for me, but it was very very lighthearted. Even the conflict left me feeling a little let down, I was expecting so much more feels and I got a book that was cute, but didn't pack much of a punch for me. If you want a feel good book with little angst, this is your book. I am not sure if it was just me, and I seem to be in the minority so I would suggest you try this book if you normally love this type of trope. This was a solid 3.5 stars for me.
Thank you to Netgalley, Berkley and Samantha Young for an early copy of this book, these opinions are my own.

Was this predictable? Yes. Does that make me thrilled? Absolutely!

I am not looking for tons of surprises in my romances. And this book is pure escapism. Loved the characters, loved the setting, loved the story. My one annoyance (minor)-the overuse of the cutesy nickname "angel". Just a bit cloying for my tastes.

For Libraries: Definitely worth a place on your shelves.

Much Ado About You was such a sweet and enjoyable read. This was my first time reading anything by Samantha Young and I have to say, I was blown away by her writing. I had an absolute blast getting lost in this story. It really makes me want to open a bookstore in England.

This book has such wonderful main characters. I related to Evie so much! This book is all about her finding herself & her happiness. Roane was so charming and a bit mysterious. He loves his village, friends and family to pieces and he would do anything to protect them. The side characters were great as well. I loved that each of them kind of got their own story. I would honestly give anything for a book all about Caro!

The romance was oh so sweet. I’m a sucker for a friends to lovers story and this one was particularly special. The chemistry between the two was there from the very beginning. I was rooting for them the entire time!

Overall, this book was a delight to read. If you are looking for a swoon worthy romance, look no further!

Thank you to the publisher for the eARC.

This was a sweet little story. I enjoyed seeing Evie’s experience in this cute small town. And I appreciated her journey to determine whether she was actually lonely or whether her feelings were just a product of friends life moving on/culture deeming women of a certain age as needing to be with a partner.

This was an easy read and I would recommend it to anyone looking for a cozy book. It’s also super bookish and set in a small British town.

I really enjoyed reading about Roane and Evie. Roane was such a sweet man. He is for sure book boyfriend material. Evie is feisty and likes to meddle sometimes. Shadow was perfect. No spoilers. This story was witty, some drama, and of course love. I can’t wait to see what’s next from the author. Happy reading! I was given advance copy for a voluntary review.

After recent heartbreak, a woman journeys abroad in hopes of finding herself and finds love along the way too—in Samantha Young’s latest, MUCH ADO ABOUT YOU.

Thirty-three-year-old Evie Starling’s life in Chicago isn’t going too well—she’s been ghosted by the man she was seeing, passed over for a promotion at work, and her days are more of the same without foreseeable silver lining. On a whim, she books a holiday to Alnster—a quaint English village in Northumberland where she’ll temporarily run a bookstore and hopefully, gain much-needed perspective on her life.

Evie falls in love with the town, the villagers and the bookstore—it’s all everything she’d hoped it would be. What she did not need, or expect, however, is to be drawn to sexy local farmer, Roane Robson. Despite her best efforts to keep their irrefutable chemistry at bay, he doesn’t make it easy with his easy charm. Worse yet, as days pass, she begins to set roots in Alnster, with the friends she’s made, with Roane, upending her plans and unearthing truths with the power to break her heart all over again.

MUCH ADO ABOUT YOU is the kind of book you devour in a single sitting—immersive, cozy with a feel-good warmth that lingers long after you’re done. There’s a Hart’s Boardwalk quality to it too, with small-town feels and intimacy, and I hope we see more to come from this world.

Young expertly imbues charm, humor and romance in this must-read friends-to-lovers jaunt which will undoubtedly leave you smiling.

I loved this book so very much. It was simply fantastic and I want to live in this world that this author created. I definitely recommend it.

Evie Sterling is feeling fed up. She got stood up on a date (with who she thought was an amazing guy -turns out he was an ass) and then got passed over for a promotion at work. She decides a fresh start is just what she needs. A move to a quant English town from the hustle and bustle of Chicago sounds perfect. Perks of this getaway - getting to manage a book shop - Much Ado About Books! Evie has always loved reading and is looking forward to this trip. A four week getaway in a different country sounds like the perfect escape and chance for Evie to sort out her thoughts.

As soon as Evie arrives, she's enveloped into the small town's charming eccentricities. The meddling townsfolk who love to know everyone's business, the pub where everyone frequently visits and the hot farmer who Evie can't stop thinking about are just part of the towns charm.

Roane doesn't do casual hook-ups with tourists, but he's immediately intrigued by Evie. They start out friends, but slowly their relationship turns into more. Will they stand a chance if Evie is always looking at the clock ticking down to her time in England?

Much Ado About You was a charming small town romance. I enjoyed the relationship between Evie and the townsfolk as well as Evie and Roane. This was my first book by Samantha Young and I loved the way she described the small town vibe and feel of Alnster. It feels like Young was definitely setting up the premise for the possibility of a series as there were a lot of characters/side stories. I do feel that at times Evie and Roane's story got a bit lost amongst all of the other character storylines throughout Much Ado About You.

One aspect of Much Ado About You that I enjoyed a lot was the friendships that Evie forges. Evie and her best friend Greer had the sweetest moments. I absolutely love friendships in romances and I felt so much kinship with these two. I too have a similar best friend and I would be heartbroken if she moved away. These scenes were immediately highlighted!

Overall I would rate Much Ado About You 3.5 stars.

I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher.

This one started off on a promising note but ultimately the writing style and characters just didn’t click for me.

I liked her initial motivation for taking a trip to England and of course who wouldn’t want to run a bookstore for a month? The cast of characters were mostly enjoyable if not a bit dramatic and I did appreciate that the author touched on prejudice as well.

What lost me was the dialogue. Every bit of longer dialogue sounds like she’s giving a speech rather than taking part in a conversation, it all comes across rehearsed and robotic. And pet peeve, but the “angel” nickname was a major turn off.

This would’ve been a solid three star book but the drama at the end had me so annoyed, I had to take a star off. It follows the traditional romance storyline but no thought is put into how it fits with Evie’s character arc or how it affects the character development. I’m not a fan of grown adults throwing temper tantrums.

Final Score - 5 Stars!

Not going to cheese it but I was nervous about this one. When I got an email stating that the book was available for early review, I rushed to get a copy of the ARC as I love anything Samantha Young. Then I was denied. So, I sulked and said, "Ok. I guess I'll wait for the release." Weeks later, the publisher - same one who denied my Netgalley request to review - sent an email saying "I see you are apart of the Samantha Young ARC team, would you like to read this?" Huh? Uhm, let me see ... YES! So, I requested again. After a bit of an error and emails back and forth - FINALLY! I was approved! And then, I started to read ...

This story made me cheer, laugh out loud, hurt, suffer, cry, but then it stitched me back together and I felt peace. We are all struggling to find ourselves in life - always wanting to change for the better and hope that good and light comes out way. And when love - the very thing you had given up on - presents itself, you question why now? Why not before? And at times, it can muddle and confuse you. But what you have to ask yourself is this - would you have been open to it before or just have shut it out?

This book had a lot of things going for it: a heroine having a dream holiday (I would personally kill to be able to do this), the sweetest town with friendly albeit quirky townsfolk, discovering a new career path (one she previously had no inclination of), and a charming Scottish farmer named Roane. I downright should hate Evie, but I found that while at time, her reasonings did annoy me, I loved that she stayed true to herself and her goals.

Much Ado About You is on my list of top reads for 2021.

This new release by Samantha Young is not just a perfect romantic read with swooning moments, a time for happy and sad tears and just overall amazing ... it is so much more. It takes you to a (book) world you just want to live in and be part off and never leave again.
She manages to make you not only root for the oh so adoring couple to finally get to each other, but for the whole village around them.
This book will make you simply happy because you've read it. That's as simple as it is. Cant wait for everyone to enjoy it!!!

Expectations surpassed

About:
Evie’s life in Chicago wasn’t exactly what she’s expecting for her life and she had enough after getting passed by on a promotion. She needs to get out of all, that’s when she found a vacation Ad to England. The holiday package comes with a temporary position at “Much Ado About Books”, the bookstore located beneath her rental apartment. Evie didn’t think twice and booked it right away. She loves Shakespeare and she loves books, it’s like a dream come true for her. She isn’t only delighted by the store, the village and people there but also by the local farmer Roane Robson. They all made it unforgettable for her. Not to tell about the chemistry between Roane and her. It’s quite visible for everyone but even Evie who isn’t willing to get into a relationship must tell that maybe her feelings for Roane are bigger than she thought.

Opinion:
Every time I think Samantha Young couldn’t surpass my expectations, she shows me the contrary. I am so happy for this read; I couldn’t really express it better: I love it.

Samantha Young just writes incredibly well. It’s fluent and interesting form page one to the last.
The story is full of love and so many stories. I loved to know the stories of all the other people of the village. It was heartbreaking and breathtaking and I’m willingly going back to reread this book more often. I could feel deep with Evie and Roane and I do understand both so much better with their fears and actions. I just can tell I fall in love with all this village, their kindness and all the drama around, I felt like home.

And this book is all about feeling like home. I enjoyed it so much that I can only recommend it with full of my heart.

Conclusion:
A comfortable coming home read that will surpass all your expectations.

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GERMAN / DEUTSCH:

Übertroffene Erwartungen

Inhalt:
Evies Leben in Chicago war nicht unbedingt, das was sie sich vom Leben erhofft hat und als sie dann auch noch bei einer Beförderung außer Acht gelassen wird, ist ihr das genug. Sie muss einfach raus und da findet sie eine Anzeige über einen Urlaub, in der die Touristen in der Zeit eine Buchhandlung in England führen. Evie denkt nicht zweimal darüber nach und bucht die Reise nach England, denn sie liebt Bücher und Shakespeare ganz besonders und die Buchhandlung ist nach einem Werk von Shakespeare benannt. Dabei ist sie nicht nur ganz von dem kleinen Dorf und ihren Einwohnern begeistert, auch der sexy Farmer Roane Robson macht ihren Aufenthalt dort zu einem unvergesslichem Ereignis und dass sie Chemie zwischen ihnen funkt ist nicht zu übersehen, doch eigentlich will Evie keine Beziehung, doch vielleicht sind ihre Gefühle stärker als sie selbst angenommen hat.

Meinung:
Jedes Mal wenn ich denke, dass Samantha Young meine Erwartungen nicht mehr übertreffen kann, zeigt sie mir das genaue Gegenteil. Ich bin daher so froh, dass ich diese Geschichte lesen konnte und es keine besseren Worte gibt um zu beschreiben wie sehr: Ich liebe es.

Samantha Young schreibt so unglaublich gut, Es ist flüssig und interessant von der ersten bis zur letzten Seite.
Diese Geschichte ist voller Liebe und so vieler Geschichten. Ich habe es geliebt über die Geschichten aller Bewohner des Dorfes mehr zu erfahren. Es war herzzerreißend und emotional, es ist so gut, dass ich dieses Buch häufiger lesen werde.

Ich konnte mich gut in Evie und Roane hineinversetzten, sodass ich die beiden in ihren Handlungen und Ängsten viel besser verstehen konnte.

Ich bin einfach verliebt in das Dorf, ihre Bewohner, deren Freundlichkeit und das ganze Drama darum, es hat sich wie zuhause angefüllt.

In diesem Buch geht es genau darum: Sich wie zuhause zu füllen und ich habe es so sehr genossen, dass ich es einfach nur ganzen Herzens weiterempfehlen kann.

Fazit:
Ein Wohlfühlbuch, der alle deine Erwartungen übertreffen wird.

There are times when a book comes along that you end up having such a connection with it’s surreal, the fact that it comes from one of your favorite authors is a major bonus!

Much Ado About You had a lot of things in the story that hit very close to home with me and my family, which created a very close connection for me with this book. For those who have done online matchmaking, you totally feel for Evie and the constant disappointment she endured trying to find Mr. Right, along with being overlooked once again with her promotion, who could blame her for wanting to leave the states for a month in a far away village like Northhumberland. I loved the quaintness of that adorable village, and bookshop, it sucks you in immediately with the people and landscape, and let’s not forget one swoon worthy villager by the name of Roane and his dog Shadow, almost booked my trip right then and there! Loved Evie and Roane together, chemistry was off the charts, and what fun they were together. Loved Milly and Dex and their story, along with Viola and Lucas. There is lots of emotional baggage for Evie to get through which is why she has issues with not settling for a certain kind of guy, but Roane proves he’s the one, or does he? Caro’s situation just made you see red,, but justice was finally done, and seeing her blossom in her own right was fun to watch. Book is full of laughter, emotional situations, lies, heartache, and steamy love scenes, which has made this one of my favorite books this year so far.. I think the only thing I would have changed was how long Evie’s insecurity lasted with Roane. Very well worth the read.

I voluntarily reviewed an ARC copy of this book

This was such a cozy romance. It was a welcome change of pace with a love interest that is open and expressive about his interest. The main character is likable and someone you root for from the start. Both characters were refreshingly vulnerable and the characters in the village were charming and people you'd like to be around. It made me want to move to England and open up a bookstore of my own.

4.5 stars

Ever read a book where you wanted to jump inside and trade places with the heroine?
That was this book for me. Sure, Evie Starling initially seems down on her luck (both in the dating department and in career advancement), but she does a wildly impulsive thing, escaping to a small English town to run a bookstore called Much Ado About Books. If finances weren't an issue, meaning you didn't have to work about the pay, or the inventory, or all of the other finances of running a bookstore, what book lover wouldn't enjoy that (if only for a short period of time)?

The added bonus in the story is how welcoming the small town of Alnster, Northumberland, is for her. And leading that crowd is one very eligible and handsome bachelor, Roane Robson, who Evie meets when she saves his dog, Shadow, from a near accident. Now, Evie did frustrate me at times, coming into this town with a chip on her shoulder about the idea of romance, and constantly dismissing Roane's obvious attraction to her. Had I been the heroine, things would have gone very differently, lol. Nevertheless, Evie is quick to make friends in the town and adjust to what was only supposed to be temporary.

While things seemed to work out a little too easily for Evie, I loved this romantic escape. That's truly how I felt every time I picked up my kindle, like I was escaping into Evie's world and never wanted to leave. Despite wanting to smack her upside the head when she overreacted to some news, I adored this story and all the characters within it. If you love romance and books like I do, this is a no brainer!

3.8 Stars

This book brings a lovely story, with romance, funny scenes and captivating characters.

Here we have the story of Eva, a woman who is having problems in the loving and professional field and deciding to travel to forget a little about her problems, ending up in a charming village in England, and thus begins the journey of this character and throughout the book we can to see her rediscovering herself, growing up and of course finding love during her time there.

The story is nice to read and the romance between Evie and Roane was sweet, but my favorite part of the book was her friendships with several villagers, here we were introduced to so many interesting characters that I hope that one day they will get their own story.

I found the book a little too long and in some parts the story dragged, but apart from Much Ado About You it makes for an extremely pleasant read.

What a warm hug of a romance! I have not read anything by Samantha Young prior to this, but I was sold on this book as soon as I read the description. A young woman, Evie Starling, decides to rent a bookstore/apartment in Northumberland in England after experiences several major disappointments related to career, relationships, and life in general.
What surprised me most about this book was the relationships that were developed outside the main romantic relationship. While the romance was delightful, it was the other friendships that developed between Evie and townspeople and the way she became so engrained in the culture of the town that truly won me over. At the same time the story managed to dip past the surface level fluff and charm that exists in many similar books and provided some real emotional depth.
This was the kind of book I needed to read at the start of 2021 after a tumultuous year. I recommend this book to anyone who needs a mental vacation and a break from the day to day chaos of the world around us. Utterly charming!
Thanks to NetGalley and Berkley for the eARC in exchange for a fair and honest review.