Samantha Young always manages to create engaging characters in comfortable European settings. With a bookstore to be run, a village full of interwoven lives and drama to be untangled, a sexy farmer to avoid, and the possibility of a happily ever after if she's willing to take it--a simple getaway to clear her head may actually change Evie's life forever. Sweet and funny with steamy moments and lots of heart, Much Ado About You is not an entirely perfect book, but it remains an enjoyable contemporary romance from an always dependable author.

There's an Airbnb in Scotland which offers tourists the chance to live above a bookshop and work there during their vacation. When I heard about it, I was captivated; talk about a book lover's dream come true! As of this writing, it's sold out through 2023 (!). "I expected it to be MAGICAL and it was," writes one former guest.

In "Much Ado About You," Chicagoan Evie, unlucky in love and in her career, decides to shake things up by spending a few weeks at a vacation rental/bookstore, but fortunately for her, she is immediately able to book it and flies right over to Northumberland. She decides she's going to swear off men during her trip, but of course a ridiculously handsome local, Roane, comes along to threaten that pledge.

I found it quite unrealistic that Evie became accepted by the locals as quickly as she did, considering that she'd only planned to spend a month in town. Everything just went a little too smoothly for her. I can see how this would be a real comfort read for some people, but I longed for a bit more edge.

I've loved almost every book I've read from Samantha Young, which includes the entirety of the On Dublin Street series. Samantha creates real and relatable characters, which she accomplished in this book. I was right to be excited!

I love the small town, everyone in it, and their antics. I especially love the presence of a dog because they're always awesome additions in books. Everyone's story was captivating and I couldn't help but root for these characters.

My problem was with the quality of writing. There were way too many exclamation points in Evie's thoughts, making the narration sound unnatural. A lot of conversation also sound stilted, especially when characters use words like "moreover" and "furthermore." As a writer myself, one of the things my editors have drilled into me was that these words don't come up in normal conversations unless we're in the 19th century or writing an academic paper. Since this is a contemporary romance, albeit set in the English countryside, words like "but" and "end" would have made dialogues flow better.

Anyway, I still liked the story overall. Just don't be fooled by the cheery cover. Samantha Young books are not very lighthearted, but they're full of heart.

Thanks to Berkley for the digital ARC.

After a few failed attempts at love and work, Evie up and rents out a bookshop/apt combo in a charming small village 1000 miles from home. Enter a hot farmer and his Dog, a local pub and a cast of lovable villagers.

This book was such a lovely read! It was sweet, cute, funny and a wonderfully feel good novel. It definitely had it's cheesy, sappy and predictable parts but what's a good rom com without a few of those right?

I'm so thankful to Netgalley for the ARC, this one definitely put the biggest smile on my face.

A fine romance (literally, not a reference to the song). The setting is idyllic and the characters are mostly likeable. However the dialogue is overly formal - almost like they're all using therapy speak. That left the book wanting in terms of warmth and connection for me. Overall enjoyable, but not something I would push into the hands of contemporary romance readers.

Much Ado About You whisks readers away to the quaintest seaside village in Northern England where our heroine Evie finds herself, a new community, and the swooniest farmer.

Fed up by misogyny at work, disappointing romances, and friends moving on with partners and children, thirty-something Evie impulsively traders Chicago city life for an adventure in the UK. However, Evie quickly is folded into the local’s village life. She’s also fighting an attraction to a seemingly perfect farmer...but can Evie even begin to fathom a transatlantic move?

This book is such a cozy escape anchored by well-rounded characters, a friends-to-lovers romance, and an adorable dog. Readers who can suspend their disbelief, and just enjoy all the swoon and quaint charm will adore this book!

Sweet story and the dream of everyone who has lived past the age of 25! Oh, that I could run away to a bookshop some days! True to Young's style, the dialogue was masterful and engaging. I adored Evie's confidence and bravery. My "Fight or Flight" fans will be eager for this title!

BRB, booking my trip to Northumberland now.

This book was a pure delight. Evie is a great main character and Northumberland is a great setting for a romance. You can easily picture the seaside cottages and charm of an old English village.

It definitely seems like the perfect escape from city life where everything seems to be going wrong, which is where we find Evie at the beginning of Much Ado About You. She's quit her job, her most recent of what seems like a thousand first dates has gone wildly wrong, and her friends all seem to be lapping her at life. So it's clearly time for a vacation. She finds a dream ad to vacation in a small English village with the bonus of getting to run the local bookshop - it's any book lovers paradise. In this tiny Northumberland village, she finds your typical small-town people with all the typical small-town gossip. But Roane might just make it worth it...if she were looking for romance, that is. Which she's definitely not, right?

Wrong. Everyone knows when you find a hot many in a small-town you jump on that.

This romance builts perfectly. Evie and Roane start as friends but their connection is clear to any reader right from the start. It's an inevitability that they'll get together, but somehow that only makes the journey to get there more fun. Evie grows a lot along the way and while she's found a partner, she finds herself just as much.

This story is full of charm, whether it's the banter between Evie and Roane, the dimensional side characters, or literally just the charming British setting. I would recommend this book to anyone looking for a book that just makes you feel cozy inside. I need about three sequels to this book as soon as possible.

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

2.5 stars

I’m not exactly sure where this missed the mark but it fell short for me. I didn’t feel drawn in by the characters (except for the side characters, Viola and Lucas who maybe should have been the focus of the story). There wasn’t a great deal of intrigue generated in this story and in those moments when it seemed like we might be on track for something interesting, the resolution came about quickly and it was done. Some missed opportunities here might be the best way to sum this up.

Really sweet story! Perfect read for a cozy weekend and anyone who loves books. All of the side characters and the small life was entertaining and added a lot to the romance.

ARC received for an honest review

Over the years, every now and again a story pops up on my Facebook feed about a little book shop in Scotland where you can hire out the accommodation and you get to run the book shop for the duration of your stay. And every time, I tell myself I want to do that!

Ms Young has given us an completely cute and adorable story of Evie, who does just that.

Add in a bit of Farmer Wants A Wife-ish action with the delectacble Roane, and I found myself loving this book completely.

From the meet cute, to the inhabitants of the town, I found myself enamoured with them all (well, maybe not one person, but we don't like everyone we meet!!).

Evie does tend to stick her nose where it doesn't belong a lot though, and at times I was thinking "just shut it woman!" but I couldn't dislike her for it.

This book made me want a lot of things: made me want to get a dog again, made me want to hire that Scottish book store (when this 'Rona crap is all over) and made me want to fall for a farmer (though I can tell you, I live in a farming community and they're not like Roane!)

I hope we get more books like this from Ms Young in the future.


BIANCA
That was soo cute!
Everything about it was just so adorable and sweet. The town, the people, the dog. And of course Evie and Roane.
Evie's life in Chicago was just bubbling along. And now here in England, she immediately belongs. She loves it here. And the reader loves it there for Evie and for ourselves!
I just adored this story.
The scenery, the books, the sexy banter and sparkage between our darlings. Evie's meddling all over town. The little mysteries about some things. Just perfect.
I want to be Evie and live and work and love in this town with these people!
I so need to see this on Netflix one day!!!

If I had to complain about a tiny thing. Maybe Evie meddled a bit too much in other people's lives. I think we could've gotten books for at least 2 or 3 or 4 more people out of the material ... that way more time in this book could've been used for book shop scenes and her relationship with Roane. But I also really loved all the meddling and the other people's stories! ☺

MUCH ADO ABOUT YOU was such a beautiful and adorable city-girl-meets-farm-boy-love-story! But it was also so much more! Run to your nearest amazon for your own Roane & Shadow - these two are MINE!!!

A really delightful read! I loved the setting. The town really comes to life in this book. Evie and Roane are adorable and have great chemistry.

This book was so adorable. Seriously, one of the most fun and feel good books I've read in a while. It's been some time since I've read a Samantha Young book and I forgot how much I love her writing. This one was a real treat!

Evie is having a rough time. She's in her thirties and back in the dating pool and things are not going well. After quitting her job, she decides to take a chance and do something new. A small village in England where she can work at a book store and live in the apartment above for a month seems like just the thing she needs.

Evie ends up falling in love with Northumberland, and what's not to love? It's one of those places where everyone knows everyone and she starts to make a place there for herself. The last thing she wants is to fall for someone, but after meeting and becoming friends with Roane, it's impossible not to love him.

Roane is the absolute best. He cares about Evie so much and is so loving and patient with her. Evie was great as well. I loved watching her grow and change on this journey of hers. There were also some fabulous secondary characters that added so much to the story. I truly hope Young writes more about this group because I'm dying for a Lucas and Violet book, and I'd also love one about Caro.

Much Ado About You is not only a romance, it's a story of starting over and of self discovery. This is one of those books I could easily see being made into a film. I loved so much about it and highly recommend it for all lovers of contemporary romance. It made me so happy while reading, and that's just an amazing feeling! This was an incredible friends to lovers romance with the swooniest hero.

Super cute, great characters. I'd love for this to spawn a book for Caro, because she has so much to tell. Only downside was Greer and Evie felt a bit toxic at times

Well, Much Ado About You is a delight. It's a confection of wanderlust and electric chemistry that I didn't even know I needed.

When 33-year old Evangeline finds herself unemployed, single, and ready for a change; she rents an air BnB in North Umberland, England that includes the responsibility of a local bookstore. Enter the adorable villagers who befriend her, the crusty locals who hate her, and one SUPER hot local farmer who wants her, and you have my kryptonite.

BRB, booking my flight to England.

I loved everything about this book! I found it fun and realistic to a T!
Evangeline Starling is questioning her life. Being alone, not married and no kids when all of her friends have gotten married, had kids and moved on. When she sees an opportunity to move to a small village in England and run a bookstore, she jumps at it.

This is a romance per se, but also so much more. I loved all the secondary characters. I loved the feel good aspect of this book. I loved that Evie found herself when she needed to! I loved this book!

Trigger warnings for alcoholism, death of a parent.

I absolutely adored Much Ado About You. It was whimsical, cute, and everything that I could ask for in a whirlwind travel romance. While I figured out the entire plot very early on, I didn't mind at all, as it was done in a way that made sense. Much Ado About You was an incredibly easy read, and I found myself chuckling along again and again. Evie is a reliable character that I just couldn't help but love and want the best for, and I found her chemistry with Roane so believable. I was incredibly charmed by all the other villagers as well, and thoroughly enjoyed the storylines that they were given. Young does a wonderful job of interweaving them and making the reader fall in love with Evie, Roane, as well as the entire town.

Thank you to netgalley and the publishers for providing me with the opportunity to read this ARC!

Samantha Young was one of the first romance authors I ever read, and her series, On Dublin Street - set in Edinburgh - holds a special place in my heart (for obvious reasons). I was very excited to see that she had a new romantic comedy coming out – and one with such a dreamy premise!

“Much Ado About You” follows Evie Starling, a thirty-something woman living in Chicago who, after getting fired from her job and stood up on a date, decides it’s time for a break. Looking for a change of scenery, she impulsively plans a holiday to a quaint seaside village in England. The flat she rents includes a temporary position managing the bookstore below it, Much Ado About Books. As she settles into small-town life, she becomes acquainted with the various villagers and their drama, including sexy farmer Roane Robson. And when she saves his Great Dane, Shadow, from an accident, he becomes smitten. Evie has sworn off men for the holiday, as she believes it can only lead to heartbreak, but can farmer Robson convince her to try a whirlwind holiday romance?

With such a fun premise and promise of a comfort read, I was excited to read this story. However, it fell a bit flat for me, mainly due to the primary romance. I couldn’t really see the reason behind Roane’s “insta-love” with Evie, and that carried on throughout the book as I could not see any real chemistry between them. This also could have been because I didn’t feel an emotional connection to Evie, and couldn’t see why everyone in the village was automatically drawn to her. That being said, I did love all of the villagers, and the B-storylines about them. My favorite part of the book was the Romeo and Juliet-esque (or Benedick and Beatrice-esque, as Evie describes it) relationship between the son and daughter of rival pub owners.

Overall, it was a fast and easy read – but a slightly frustrating one. I think that if you are looking for a comforting vacation rom-com set in a small town, you would enjoy this book!

Thank you to Berkley Romance and NetGalley for access to this ARC!

4.25/5

I had high expectations going into this book, and I was not disappointed. After yet another failed date, another one of her friends getting pregnant, and abruptly quitting her job, Evie Starling decides she needs a change. When she finds a Bookshop vacation in the idyllic small town of Alnster in Northumberland, England, she jumps at the chance to find peace and direction in her life. She doesn't go looking for love or friendship, but when she meets a hot farmer... well, you know where this goes.

This book was such a breath of fresh air. With fleshed out, quirky side characters, the town on Alnster was perfectly populated and became a character of its own. At first I was concerned that this story would be a bit too Hallmark (outsider comes in an shakes up the town for the better) and not enough HBO (*cough* spicy scenes *cough*) but the friendship building at the beginning of the novel really solidified the love story and made it more believable and lovely. And as expected, it got a little spicy too. All in all, this book was pure escapism and I loved every minute of it.

*ARC provided by Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

Much Ado About You has all the elements of a delightful bookstore romance: a windswept British setting, book-loving but searching heroine, a Renaissance farmer hero, and a cast of characters that are quirky and in each others' lives. It''s a cozy and contemporary tale and a wonderful place to spend a few hours. I suspect there will be more tales to come from the Much Ado About Nothing Bookstore and I'm ready for that. Cheers.