5/5 stars thank you to netgalley and the publisher for the early copy!

Lately I've found that romance has been a favorite genre and this book definitely did not disappoint. Not only was Evie's character very believable and realistically flawed, so was Roane. The small town vibes and the friendships in this book added to the story. I lived that it wasn't ALL about the romance we also got other characters that were important to the story and not just mentioned in passing. I absolutely adored this book and highly recommend.

When Evie's despair of a dating life becomes too much and she needs to get away, she rents a room above a bookshop in a quaint English village. Soon, the village begins to feel like home, and it doesn't hurt that she's caught the eye of a sexy farmer...

The first third of this book was aggressively fine--neither good nor bad, just kind of there. The undeniable chemistry between the two characters became too much and you're like just KISS already--the reasons they "couldn't" be together were BEYOND stupid. But at about 40% in, this book really picked up! There were subplots galore about other villagers, which really drew me in and kept me entertained. And once the main characters gave in and Evie put aside her idiotic reasoning, I was really rooting for them. I even like the ultimate "hurdle"/twist thrown in towards the end, which I normally find contrived--here I could see the groundwork over the course of the book and appreciated its originality. The last half of this book clawed my rating from a 4 star mediocre read to a 5 star great read (I may have got emotional near the end...).

Thank you to NetGalley and Berkley for my free eARC in exchange for an honest review!

5 stars - 8/10

I really love Samantha Young’s books but this one was a miss for me. I had a hard time connecting with the main character and the love interest didn’t sell me either! I think this just wasn’t for me, but others might enjoy it!

I do love nothing in the world so well as you." - William Shakespeare, Much Ado About Nothing

Evangeline (Evie) Starling decides she needs some clarity in her life. Overlooked for a promotion and with no dating prospects in sight, she finds a holiday booking online and takes a chance. The holiday entails working at a bookstore, Much Ado about Books, over her rented apartment in an idyllic English town.

Evie instantly loves the quaint town, the residents and the bookstore. This is the perfect place for her to get some perspective. Among her new friends is Roane Robson, a local farmer who is sexy, strong, and loved by those in his community. Evie is drawn to his charm, but she has strict dating rules and keeps him at arm’s length even though she is drawn to his personality, charm and good looks.


We all know where this is heading, but it is the journey, people. It all comes down to the journey! It also comes down to the cast of characters in this book. Most are quirky, likeable, and fun while a few are aggravating and stuck in their ways. We get to know their stories and watch as they interact with others. This is a small village where everyone knows your name (like Cheers), you are related to them, or have a past with them. The good, the bad, the messy, everyone knows your business, but they also have your back and look out for you. The setting in Northumberland is wonderful and I could not help but think that this is the type of place I would like to visit.


In addition to the lovely characters and the beautiful setting, the story itself is engaging and drew me in. Again, it is about the journey here. Evie as well as other characters are on journeys, to grow, to get perspective, to get independence, to get acceptance, and to find love. I loved the banter and back and forth between many of the characters. Evie and Roane stole the show of course (as did Shadow). They kept me turning the pages to see how things would turn out. The pacing was perfect, and nothing felt drawn out or rushed in this book. This was a delight and I look forward to reading more of Samantha Young's books. Plus, it turns out there really is a bookshop holiday in the lowlands of Scotland. Samantha Young found the listing for it, while searching vacation listings online. This listing ignited her imagination and thus, Much Ado about You.

Thank you to Berkley Publishing Group and NetGalley who provided me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All the thoughts and opinions are my own.

I stumbled upon this one on Netgalley and couldn’t resist the cover. It also didn’t help that it’s about an English village. I just love books with that kind of setting. Although there were good moments, this book also had it’s issues.

One of the reasons I liked this book was the setting. It was perfect and I liked that all of the minor characters knew each other, although they gossip quite a lot! Most of the minor characters have a side story and they were interesting but also kind of took away from the romance aspect of the plot since it felt like there was a lot going on.

When it came to the main character, Evie, I didn’t mind her but sometimes she could be annoying. Her life in Chicago wasn’t going great so she booked a flight out of there. The vacation was unconventional since she would also be running a bookshop but I was here for it. Yay for an exciting adventure! Before she left she told herself no men while she was away. That lasted one day. The guy uses the line, “let’s just be friends” and she figures why not. Obviously, I knew what was going to happen. She was also jealous a lot and it kind of got old.

The romance in the book didn’t happen quickly when it came to the physical nature but you could tell from the instance they met there was an attraction between them. After that, their friendship moved rather quickly and they were seeing each other a lot. I guess I feel kind of in the middle when it came to their relationship. On one side, it’s great they started out as friends but it also moved rather quickly too. At least their were cute moments.

*Spoilers*

As with any romance, there is a plot twist that has to ruin them. I did not like it at all. Two of Evie’s other rules for dating were that she wouldn’t date a younger man (She’s 33) and that they couldn’t be rich. Well, surprise surprise! Roane is both of those things. She finds out from one of the villagers who isn’t friends with Roane and hell breaks loose. She gives him back the engagement ring and heads back to Chicago saying he isn’t the same man.

I feel like Evie blew this way up too much. It honestly killed the ending of the book for me. She can help all of the villagers with their troubles but can’t deal with her own and runs away again. Except she isn’t gone long and basically forgives him anyways. I just didn’t get the point of it all.

Also, it’s crazy to me that she was so close to her friend in Chicago but was ready to give up her entire life for a guy and a bookstore within a span of a couple months.

*End of Spoilers*

Overall, I liked it for the most part but it could have been better. I know it may not seem that way, haha. I do think other readers will like it and if it sounds good then give it a chance!

Evie decides to make a change in her life. Renting a bookstore in England sounds like just the right adventure for her. She’s not looking for romance, but life has other plans for her! I found this to be a delightful story! I really liked Evie and her perspective on life! I enjoyed this book so much more than I thought I would!

I was hoping to like this more than I actually did. The beginning of the book was enjoyable, but I felt that the side stories were more interesting than the main story. I also felt the author was telling rather than letter the characters reveal things about themselves and the community. It's clear the author is trying to set this up as a series. I will not be reading any more if that turns out to be the case.

Cute but ultimately forgettable. I'm not a fan of instalove and everything in this book happened way too fast. These characters only knew each other for a couple months and I just found Roane to be a bit too good to be true. For the idyllic setting and the basic romance, readers of contemporaries will probably like this - but that manufactured drama near the end almost destroyed this book. I enjoyed Viola and Lucas and even Caro more than Evie and Roane.

So I was kind of hesitant to read this one because I didn't love Samantha's last book, but honestly, I couldn't say no to this title and cover, and overall, I'm glad I gave this one a chance.

Evie is having one of those moments. She just quit her job, got stood up for a date, and found out her best friend is pregnant, making her the only single and childless one among her friends. She feels a bit stuck and needs a change. She decides to take a vacation, signing up to live and work in a bookstore in the countryside of England (hello dream of mine), vowing to focus on finding herself and swearing off men completely. So of course she meets a super hot farmer named Roane basically the moment she arrives in town. There is a clear attraction between the two, but Evie makes it known--early and often--how not here she is for men and the two develop a close friendship instead. Evie finds herself acclimating to small town, bookshop life much easier than she expected, and when she gets a chance to extend her vacation, she does, partly because she loves it there, partly because she can't deny her growing feelings for Roane. But in order for Evie to figure out what she really wants for the future, she has to grapple with her past--and Roane's. Luckily, we know it all turns out well in the end.

This book is basically my catnip. Living in England? Check. Running a bookstore? Check. Hot British dude? Check. Shakespeare references? Check. I went into this not really knowing what to expect, and I came out loving almost every second of it. Even though I am not personally in Evie's shoes, her struggles with finding herself and finding her purpose felt really relatable. And Roane is pretty much my dream hero. This whole book felt like a lovely little vacation and it definitely made me want to open my own bookstore and/or flee to the English countryside. I really enjoyed the setting and the entire cast of characters, and overall this was the perfect getaway in book form.

A lovely story of love, friendship, family & finding yourself in a very unlikely place. I loved all the characters & the description of the town made me want to live there! A quick, fun read!

One of my favorite subgenres is books about books and this one had a unique spin to it that I really enjoyed!. If you love small, charming bookstores as I do, you will be green with envy the entire way through reading this book, but in the best way! Not only does the main character get to spend her vacation staying in an apartment above a bookstore in a foreign country, but she also gets to run it while she's there! And better yet, she meets a very attractive and irresistible man during her stay! What more could a book-loving, romantic girl want from a novel? Nothing! That's why this one is just perfect! Loved it to pieces! Can't wait to recommend this one to my customers next year!

Evie Starling is a women who has been spurned in life and in love and she won't put up with it anymore. After getting stood up by a man she made a connection with and getting passed over for her old supervisor's position in Chicago for a less qualified younger man she quits her job and decides to rent an apartment and bookshop in the north of England to center herself and figure out what she really wants out of life.
Evie finds herself getting drawn into village life, the community there and her new farmer friend Roane Robson. What is difficult is figuring out if she should make the life altering decision of permanently relocating to the village and if she has the courage to be in a true partnership with sweet and charismatic Roane in order to create an enduring sense of home.
This book is a delightful romantic feminist read that doesn't gloss over the fact that love, life, and relationships are messy, that true partnerships with loved ones, communities take work even if they occasionally hurt but that's what makes them stronger. A+ book and an enthralling read that you can't put down!

I've become a complete sucker for these adorable illustrated romantic comedy covers, not going to lie! This one has two of my favorite things - a dog and books - so I pretty much requested it on Netgalley without knowing anything about the story. When I read the description, I was hooked. Holiday romance. Quaint English village. Shakespeare. Sexy farmer. Count me in!

I'm happy to say this book completely lived up to my expectations! There's a swoony romance, found family, English escapism, and some vicarious living imagining life as a bookshop owner (which I think every book loving girl has dreamed of at some point). I really enjoyed that Evangeline wasn't the typical heroine, and I loved watching her grow into a stronger person throughout the novel. Her romance with Roane was just the cherry on top!

Having enjoyed Young’s earlier work, this one was disappointing. Much of the main character’s motivations and thinking were incomprehensible to me and the laughs were few and far between.

I love a take on Shakespeare, and this book that plays on themes from Much Ado About Nothing is a delight. It’s a book about love and confusion around love. There’s a lot of “will they/won’t they?” storylines, and a European bookshop is at the center of the story. I definitely recommend this one.

Many thanks to NetGalley, the publisher, and the author for providing me with a copy of this book. All thoughts are my own.

If you ever wondered how Shakespeare would write Hallmark movies set in England, then this is the book for you.

Our protagonist, Evie, is passed up for a promotion and quits her job. Afterward, Evie decides to go to a small village in England to find herself in a hasty moment. The small town in Northumberland is welcoming to Evie, but Evie starts to doubt her friendship with the local farmer, Roane.

The great thing about this novel is how it reflects many people are trying to figure out their lives. At the beginning of the story, Evie is trying her hand at dating and is stood up but brushes it off as she prepares for a promotion at her job. After learning that the promotion will be going to a younger male, Evie rightfully quits, and the cracks in her life result in her fleeing to a small bookstore in England.

It’s in the small village, Alnster, Evie starts working at the Much Ado About Books. Evie’s goal is to figure out the source of her loneliness. On the first day of her stay in Alnster, Evie runs into the local farmer Roane after saving his dog. From the moment they met, Roane didn’t keep his attraction to Evie a secret. Evie, swearing off men during her stay in Alnster, ignores his advances and writes off his interest in her. As the villagers start to welcome Evie into their inner circle, Evie finds herself getting involved with the locals. It’s because of the locals welcoming Evie that she starts to see her loneliness lessen.

This book’s commentary on loneliness for people approaching their thirties is a problem for people. As people are putting their lives on hold for their career, a career that isn’t as fulfilling or is mentality drains them. During her stay in Alnster, Evie ends up helping the few younger girls in the town navigate themselves in life and love. In the end, Evie is a relatable character trying to find happiness and self-value as she realizes her life is going in the direction she initially expected.

A delightful read. I loved the setting and the secondary characters really gave the story depth and charm. Roan was pretty swoon worthy and I liked seeing the ways Evie got involved with the town.

Full of cozy potential, escapist romance, and book-lover catnip, Much Ado About You is a book that I wanted to love and disappear into for awhile, but it didn't quite work for me. I honestly kept forgetting I was reading it and almost unintentionally DNF'd twice. Yikes.

Thirty-something Evie has been burned by a mother struggling with grief and then addiction, by long-term relationships, by the dating scene in Chicago, and now by a promising online relationship that stood her up at the first planned meetup. She feels like she's being left behind by friends who are married, settled, and having children. And now, after putting in years as a capable, experienced editorial assistant, she's being passed over for a promotion to editor AGAIN. She needs a break. She follows her English-Lit loving heart and impulsively books a getaway to a charming Northumberland village where she'll be working at a bookstore part-time as part of the vacation rental agreement. There's a quintessential pub. Village drama to meddle in. A friendly Great Dane. A sexy farmer to absolutely not get involved with. Perfect.

Maybe it'll be the perfect romantic escape for you — books! seaside village! meet-cute involving a dog! a Beatrice-and-Benedick side plot! a cameo of the castle where Harry Potter was filmed! slow-burn romance that heats up into a steamy relationship with a kind, charismatic male lead! — but somehow it all felt a bit flat to me. Definitely too long. Maybe too linear. Perhaps relying too much on telling, especially in the main characterization. I didn't connect with Evie (though I definitely should have), didn't like the "meddling American fixes things" vibe, and didn't really buy the way Evie remained ignorant of what developed as the main conflict. Still. A book about a bookish Chicago girl maybe finding true love on a bookstore vacation at a seaside village in northern England? It was worth the effort.

Content notes: body image issues, strong language, steamy sex scenes, backstory death of parent, parent struggling with addiction, abusive and controlling guardianship, racism, heterosexism, family rejection

My thanks to NetGalley and Berkley for a digital ARC.

Chicagoan Evie Starling has been stood up and passed over one too many times. So she decides to book a month's vacation on the coast of England running a bookshop in a small village. Soon after arriving she saves a dog from getting hit by a car and his sexy owner, farmer Roane Robson, is forever grateful ... and a little bit in love with her. But Evie came to find herself, and that means no new romances - right?

This was a fun and charming read perfect for the beach or a cozy afternoon. And really, who wouldn't want to run a small but successful bookshop in an English village while a hot farmer lusts after you? Young introduces us to the quirky cast of characters living in the village who befriend Evie and some of the long-running problems that she seems to have a knack for solving. When it came to Evie and Roane's "friendship," methinks the lady protested a bit too much, but I guess it gave her more time to do some neighborhood meddling, including helping Roane's cousin Caroline break free of her aunt's toxic influences.

I have two quibbles with the book: (1) I would have liked Evie to embrace her size a bit more. (It doesn't come up often here, but it would be nice to see more fat-positive romance novels. Early on Evie declares she hates the word "fat" and Young proceeds to focus our attention on her very thin and delicate legs anytime Evie is feeling sexy or confident in herself - even after Roane tells her how much he likes her *whole* body.) And (2) the ultimate conflict and climax is really a bit ridiculous. I mean, I know Young had to get from one point to another, and I've read other similarly silly blow-ups, but it had me knocking half a star from my rating. Oh well - can't have it all, right? In reality, this was an enjoyable book and I look forward to more from Young. Maybe a sequel featuring another village couple?

“Sigh no more ladies, sigh no more. Men were deceivers ever-One foot in sea and one foot on shore.” —Much Ado About Nothing
Much Ado About You, Samantha Young’s latest standalone from Berkley, will without a doubt be one of the top reads for 2021.

I don’t say this lightly. I’m a romantic comedy lover from way back in the day. Much Ado About You is the perfect rom-com come to life. The description of the characters and the small coastal town, as well as the depth of emotion which are portrayed in so many scenes are all so richly and vividly painted on the page that I became invested immediately in the story.

Evie Starling has the tenacity to rent out a bookstore in Northern England on a whim. Her sudden hiatus from reality becomes a way to find herself. Evie resolves she would focus on herself, especially after a too long streak of dating mishaps. Once she lands in England, her jet lag leads her stumble upon a man—and a dog—that she had never intended upon meeting. Roane is the mysterious, yet enigmatic, and oh so charming farmer that challenges Evie’s resolution to stay away from men on this trip. Roane is the perfect book boyfriend, and honestly I was impressed at the willpower Evie showed throughout the book.

Samantha Young has a way of creating characters, as well as small towns that are enchanting, whimsical, and so delightfully life-like. On more than one occasion I felt like I was sharing a table at the pub with Evie, trying one of Caro’s baked goods, or could feel the soft ears of Shadow the Great Dane. I also felt each and every sexy, silly, and heart-wrenching emotion that Evie went through. Evie is a fantastic heroine, and I adored that she found resolution for her character on so many different levels. Her romance with Roane was a true wonder to watch unfold, and was so easy to get swept away with all the delicious heat between the two.

I honestly cannot recommend Much Ado About You enough. I truly hope that this book isn’t the last we see of all of Evie’s friends in Alnster. I’ve been a fan of Samantha Young since she was writing YA paranormal fantasy and I can honestly say that Much Ado About You is tied with my favorite book she’s ever written. Much Ado About You will become one of those books you just want to read over and over again because reading it is like giving your soul a hug.

Bee on the lookout for Carla’s IGTV review of Much Ado About You in the next few days so you’re all ready for the fantastic Much Ado About You to release on February 2nd, 2021!

This review originally appears on Lit.Buzz.