It Had To Be You - an energetic romcom with a nod to the likes of Love Actually in the woven stories of multiple characters and relationships betwixt. A story that remains flirty but also taps into deeper and important issues - this novel will surprise you!

Releasing unto the world at the perfect time - this is certainly a story to pick up and enjoy in the summer sun!

My first thought was "What movie does this remind me of?" Then it came to me. One of my favorite holiday movies is "Love Actually" and this story was reminiscent of that movie. Quirky characters all in different stages of life-of relationships. Love is love is a huge theme in this story and I loved every minute of the journey. Was it steamy? No and I didn't expect it to be. I saw myself in different stages of own life in every single character! From the pain of betrayal to the questions about your sexuality and from wanting to always be free and single to wanting marriage with every breath, I could easily be any of these characters. There are 5 different love stories, while intertwined with a wedding planning company that each have their own focus, lessons and possible HEA's. I found each to be engaging and some made my heart drop.

What an absolute delight! Liv, a wedding planner et al. is mid-event when news comes that her husband Eliot has died. Died in the arms of Savannah, a much younger woman. Then it turns out that he's left half the business to her. Savannah moves from Kentucky to New York and slowly slowly loosens Liv's shoulders and her own life. Henry and Gorman, the florists, are struggling with their own relationship. Zia meets Clay, a movie star hunk at a wedding but he doesn't want to go public with their relationship. Then there's Darlene and Zach, both musicians, who enter into a fake relationship so that he can claim his inheritance. And Sam, the chef. This is a lovely and incredibly diverse ensemble (on so many levels), It has a number of twists and more than a few smiles. THnkas to netgalley for the ARC. I thoroughly enjoyed this, tropes and all, for the good humor and big heart.

It Had to Be You was a charming and wholesome rom-com in the vein of the movie, Love Actually. I enjoyed myself, but there were a few things that I struggled with - mainly the lack of depth when it came to the huge cast.

The book was really well-written with witty banter and laugh-out-loud scenes. I liked how all the classic romance tropes were prominent throughout the novel - fake dating, new love, friends to lovers, opposites attract and many more! Clark did a great job at writing these tropes without making them too cliche.

A huge thumbs up for the diverse cast!! I loved the casual representation. But the cast was so huge that sometimes it was hard to keep track of everyone and their storylines initially. However, I got acquainted with the characters pretty quickly. The one disadvantage of having such a huge cast was that I wasn’t invested in all the couple’s storylines. They were sweet but the characters and their relationships with each other weren’t fleshed out as much as I had hoped.

Serious topics such as racism, politics, privilege and toxic relationships were brought up and handled deftly. It was great to see these topics explored through the characters and how each of them dealt with them.

This is definitely a book to read under the sun - a light and fun read. I recommend it if you’re looking for something like Love Actually in book form.

I really enjoyed this story! It was basically the book equivalent to the movies Love Actually, New Years Eve, and Valentine’s Day. All the interweaving relationships - platonic, familial, and romantic, were so entertaining and wonderfully done. A great RomCom to spend some time with this spring/summer!

You know the movies Valentine’s Day and New Years Eve that came out several years ago? The ones that, if you are like me, no matter how many times I have seen them I still will always stop to watch. ⁣⁣
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It Had to Be You by Georgia Clark felt like the book version of one of those movies. Several stories of love and friendship, all intertwined, overlapping and spanning across the streets of NYC. ⁣⁣
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“Love meant showing someone everything - every awkward, shameful, hidden part of yourself - and the sublime grace and freedom in having those parts accepted, and cherished. How that was, ultimately, the secret to being loved, and loving others. Seeing, and being seen.”⁣⁣
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It Had to Be You, was like a chat with a friend, your old favorite pair of sweatpants, or your favorite movie. I loved every part of it. I loved the varying view points. I loved the overlap of the characters lives. I love the show case of love at so many stages, ages, and with varying people. I loved the tie in of weddings in the city. Most of all, I loved the characters, and all their imperfections. ⁣⁣
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Out today, this gem by Georgia Clark is one I no doubt will read again!

Thanks for the chance to read this. Unfortunately this story wasn’t for me. I’m not a fan of ‘Love Actually’ type of stories, and I had an extremely hard time keeping everyone straight. I am sure so many people will love this, though.

Love is in the air, and it feels like Valentine’s Day… in the beginning of May. Because of this, I have to share with you the most sprightly and heartwarming book. 𝘐𝘵 𝘏𝘢𝘥 𝘛𝘰 𝘉𝘦 𝘠𝘰𝘶 by Georgia Clark has all the “feels” and I literally can’t stop smiling. Love almighty love is the theme here, and 𝐂𝐥𝐚𝐫𝐤 𝐝𝐞𝐥𝐢𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐬 𝐚 𝐟𝐢𝐯𝐞 𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐫 𝐭𝐚𝐥𝐞 𝐛𝐥𝐞𝐧𝐝𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐚 𝐬𝐩𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐤𝐥𝐞 𝐨𝐟 𝐌𝐨𝐝𝐞𝐫𝐧 𝐋𝐨𝐯𝐞 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐚 𝐝𝐨𝐥𝐥𝐨𝐩 𝐨𝐟 𝐋𝐨𝐯𝐞 𝐀𝐜𝐭𝐮𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐲. This twenty-first century romantic comedy is a ray of sunshine and I can’t wait for the world to read it.⁣
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𝘐𝘵 𝘏𝘢𝘥 𝘛𝘰 𝘉𝘦 𝘠𝘰𝘶 is a must read for anyone looking for love,hope and a happily ever after. 𝐋𝐆𝐁𝐓𝐐 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐦𝐞𝐬, 𝐝𝐢𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐢𝐭𝐲, 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐫𝐨𝐦𝐚𝐧𝐜𝐞 𝐰𝐞𝐫𝐞 𝐥𝐨𝐯𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐥𝐲 𝐰𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐧 𝐭𝐨𝐠𝐞𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫 𝐭𝐨 𝐬𝐡𝐨𝐰𝐜𝐚𝐬𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐩𝐨𝐰𝐞𝐫 𝐨𝐟 𝐥𝐨𝐯𝐞. Clark magically melded together an incredible ensemble of characters that offered a different point of view for each new chapter. The five storylines were distinct in their own quirky way and I was completely obsessed with each and every one of them. As a woman in my 40’s, I personally relished reading about Clark’s characters my age and even older. It is so refreshing to see more mature women and men in romance books. 𝐓𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐰𝐫𝐢𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐭𝐫𝐮𝐥𝐲 𝐤𝐧𝐨𝐰𝐬 𝐡𝐨𝐰 𝐭𝐨 𝐭𝐚𝐩 𝐢𝐧𝐭𝐨 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐡𝐮𝐦𝐚𝐧 𝐡𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐭 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐈 𝐥𝐨𝐨𝐤 𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐰𝐚𝐫𝐝 𝐭𝐨 𝐦𝐨𝐫𝐞 𝐛𝐨𝐨𝐤𝐬 𝐰𝐫𝐢𝐭𝐭𝐞𝐧 𝐛𝐲 𝐡𝐞𝐫. ⁣
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𝘐𝘵 𝘏𝘢𝘥 𝘛𝘰 𝘉𝘦 𝘠𝘰𝘶 is a treasure that belongs on everyone’s bookshelf. 𝐈𝐭 𝐢𝐬 𝐚 𝐰𝐞𝐥𝐥 𝐧𝐞𝐞𝐝𝐞𝐝 𝐡𝐮𝐠 𝐚𝐟𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐚 𝐥𝐨𝐧𝐠 𝐝𝐚𝐲 𝐤𝐢𝐧𝐝 𝐨𝐟 𝐛𝐨𝐨𝐤 and I can’t encourage you enough to read and savor this all inclusive love story. ⁣

WHAT AN ABSOLUTE GEM OF A BOOK.

The comparisons to Love Actually are spot on. Georgia Clark brings us a cast of characters that each felt fresh, fleshed out, and most importantly, real! While it felt a bit overwhelming in the beginning getting a hang of who everyone was and how they know each other, there's definitely a moment when it all "clicks" perfectly.

From the get-go, I loved the premise of a widow's mistress showing up to help run their wedding planning business. It's a fresh plot that perfectly balances the grief and substances with comedy and hopeful positivity. There are some moments that will definitely have you laughing out loud or felt a bit cheesy (as it's supposed to) but this isn't a rom-com full of fluff. There are so many important issues Clark highlights through the various relationships and friendships including - marriage and commitment, privacy and the costs of fame & entertainment culture, media, sexuality, family dynamics and divorce, racism & anti-racism education, and coming into your own, no matter your age. While of course not every one of these themes and topics can be addressed in-depth, gaslighting and verbal abuse, each of them is used respectfully to create a circle of friends and relationships that reflect our real world today, which was incredible to see! There needs to be more of this diversity and representation in the genre and I applaud Clark for giving us so much of it without fetishizing any of it!

The big misunderstanding or trying moment for each couple was very distinct and again, felt authentic to their specific relationship - whether it was coming to terms with the fake relationship, a betrayal by someone in the inner circle, or overcoming grief and death, each couple's arc felt complete and grounded. My heart absolutely broke for Zia and Clay, and I audibly screamed and cheered for Zach and Darlene, I cried for Liv and Sam, and couldn't help but smize at Gorman finally realizing he's an idiot for ever wanting more than Henry. I truly loved each of the couples on their own and saw bits and pieces of all my best friends reflected in them.

Given the number of couples and all the misunderstandings that need to be overcome, I did think the ending was a tiny bit rushed, but the epilogue was perfection! There were just enough specifics sprinkled in to feel like I got a piece of everyone's happily ever after's. In the same way you want to see 'what happens next' in Love Actually, I wanted that here but, alas, that just shows how well Clark built this circle of friends and family.

I highly recommend this to any lover of the genre or those looking for a break from their usual reading. This is a funny, inventive, and creative romcom that adds substance to a genre that has felt stale and formulaic for far too long. I haven't read anything like this before and I know many will love it!

Huge thanks to Georgia Clark for reaching out with an ARC in exchange for an honest review. I can't wait to see what else she dishes out!

"Love didn't have a sexuality or gender. Or an agenda. It was just love, wasn't it?"

It Had To Be You follows a group of coworkers in NYC's wedding planning business who are all trying to find their way in the dating world, marriage and love in general.

This book was described as a nod to Love Actually and I couldn't agree more. This books follows various stories of various characters along the same timeline. The book starts with "main" character Liv as she deals with the fact that her recently dead husband not only cheated on her, but left his half of their wedding planning business to his mistress. We then move into her various vendors and become intermingled into their love lives as well.

This book was adult light, low steam but still adult enough to not be "cute". It dealt with heavy themes and the vast of characters and stories were incredibly diverse (race, sexuality, age, etc.). I also love that this book wasn't just about love in terms of dating, but dealing with marriage and an actual partnership as well as what it takes to actually keep these things going. It goes a bit deeper than your typical rom-com and it handled it incredibly well.

And in terms of my favorite love interest? Darlene and Zach, all the way. This author can write a swoon worthy kiss!

I am a sucker for all novels described as ‘rom-com’. IT HAD TO BE YOU is a wonderful novel, with many stories following all kinds of couples, and wonderful characters, that I just couldn’t get enough of. IRL I am getting married this year, and rom coms are hitting me differently. I felt all the feels for this book a little extra maybe than most.

I love the ‘too good to be true’ aspect, because you know what? With love.. ANYTHING is possible! And sometimes, books like this is a mood. “This book is just what you need at a time like this” some might say!

This novel is so swoon worthy, I smiled when I heard that it was being compared to movies like Love Actually and Valentine’s Day because guess what… Those are among my favorite movies!!

If you’re a hopeless romantic like me, and enjoy your use of true love, and all of the ‘in betweens’ you’ll love this book. The cover is gorgeous, the writing makes it easy and effortless to connect with the characters and understand the story line, and at the end of it all.. I feel so invested in all the characters lives that I wish the novel went on and on and on..!

Often I've read of books that like to compare themselves to the iconic Love Actually film from 2003. And I get excited but then am a bit underwhelmed. Well, reader friends, this book was not the case! I enjoyed it thoroughly and fell in love with all the characters, their crazy predicaments, and how they find love. I especially love how we have a diverse group of characters- folks finding love after death, varying sexual orientations, interracial, class differences, and some kink for added measure.

While there are many different couple we're learning about, the writing and story still flowed, was not choppy nor confusing. I honestly didn't want the book to end, and perhaps there might be some executive producer that might use this book as a foundation for another Love Actually-esque film?

Georgia Clark is a new author for me and I'll be seeking out more of her work.
Thanks Netgalley for providing an ARC for this honest review.

Firstly I’d like to thank Georgia Clark, Gina, and Atria Books for reaching out to me and providing a copy of It Had to Be You!

And now, my thoughts!

I found It Had to Be You a cute, well-written, pleasantly diverse little rom-com with quite a few heartwarmingly tender scenes, surprisingly serious topics, witty laugh out loud dialogue, and some spice to add flavor ;).

However, there were a few things I struggled with.

Liv is a wedding planner, along with her husband and business parter, Eliot. Things aren’t perfect but they’re under control, until Eliot’s sudden passing. To Liv’s horror, not only was he cheating on her…he’d also changed the will so that she’d have to share the business with her new partner, Savannah…the one he was cheating on her with! What!? And Savannah wants to try her best to make this forced partnership work. From there, we are introduced to a lively set of characters who connect to the plot like a family tree, all birthed from Liv and Eliot’s business, In Love In New York.

And that’s around where I started to have a little trouble. Liv and Savannah are advertised as the main cast with a few love stories included, but by a few, it's a lot. This book follows quite a bit of people, each with their own POV and plot lines. Many are very fleshed out while others get good chunks here and there but don’t seem as complete as they could be. Some surprisingly pretty big topics like the intersections of race/politics/privilege, traumatizing relationships, and complicated family dynamics are also brought up and just when you’d like to see them fully cut into with the characters involved, we’re on to another chapter about another couple. With so many narratives and people to keep track of, what seems to be the central plot involving Liv and Savannah is quickly overshadowed.

I would have liked to see more of just them. Their introduction immediately draws you in— because oh my God, Eliot, how dare you—and we as readers want to see how their dynamic plays out, how they manage to work together, or fail apart, and while we do get some moments between them with conflict and reconciliation, their story and healing together isn’t quite as delved into as I would have desired.

But that aside, the other stories presented to us still had their charm, and while jarring and hard to keep up with at first, with time they begin to grow on you! A lot of the cast really shine! The dialogue is incredibly fun, witty, and heartfelt, and at times I could truly picture the chapters playing out before me like it was on screen. So while this book didn’t go exactly where I’d wanted it to, I still laughed, squealed, and awed. Because really, who doesn’t like a good New York love story?

Once again thanks to Georgia, her team, and Atria Books for my copy! This cute lil read drops May 4th of this year! Give it a read!

TW: sudden death, transphobia, deadnaming, discussions of homophobia, rape mention, discussions of a past abusive relationship, non-consensual nude posting

I received an ARC of “It Had to Be You” from Atria Books and Netgalley. I probably wouldn’t have requested it had I not seen Hannah Orenstein’s raving reviews of this book.

In “It Had to Be You,” Liv and Eliot Goldenhorn are the married owners of NYC wedding planning business In Love In New York. The book opens as Liv, mid-event, learns Eliot has died of a heart attack. The twist: He left his half of the business to his 20-something mistress, Savannah. The two of them have to learn to work together as Liv works through her grief.

Here’s the thing: “It Had to Be You” requires a bit of suspension of disbelief (don’t most books?) The rage that typically comes with the revelation of infidelity wasn’t there, but Eliot was dead, so I’ll chalk Liv’s lack of fury up to that.

That said, this book is one of the most well-written rom-coms I’ve read in years. It expertly weaves together a cast of characters, all of whom have some tie back to In Love In New York. There are actually five different, very diverse love stories told over the course of the book. (Each is charming, but Zia and Clay’s was my favorite.) The book flips between each subplot in a way that’s really engaging and super readable.

If you are a rom-com fan, I can’t recommend this one enough. The weaving together of the five love stories is masterfully done; not once did I have to flip backward to remember a character’s storyline.

I get a bit nervous when I see that books follow a large number of main characters because sometimes, I find it difficult to keep track of everyone’s stories and have a tough time connecting with each character. But Georgia Clark mastered the art of writing ten main characters. I can’t believe how much I loved them all and how easy it was to keep up with everyone. They all felt like real people with their own flaws but still so loveable. I also appreciate how diverse the cast is and how real the book feels. I would love to see this book put to the big screen some day! If you’re looking for an uplifting, yet still real love story, this is the one, you guys!

I definitely need to look into Georgia Clark’s other books because I absolutely love her writing style. It contained so much depth but was still so easy to read. It was really a page-turner of a novel, the entire way through.

This book! I thought it was going to be a romcom based on the title and the cover (lesson finally learned - don't judge!) but it's a much deeper character-driven look at modern love in its various forms - new love, experimental love, love post divorce and loss, friends to lovers... the list goes on.

IT HAD TO BE YOU revolves around Liv, a recently widowed NYC wedding planner, her unexpected new business partner who also happens to be her dead husband's young lover (!!!), and their coworkers. Clark interweaves this beautifully diverse cast of characters and their different stories deftly while tackling interracial romance, LGBTQ relationships, blended families, parenting special needs kids and more. If you're looking for a heartfelt beach read with witty dialogue, give this one a try. Just like a wedding itself, I knew how the stories would end but had a lot of fun (and got a few surprises) getting there.

Thanks to Atria Books, Emily Bestler Books and NetGalley for a copy to review.

I really enjoyed this book and while I enjoy romances and rom coms, they are not often 5 star reads for me. It Had to Be You is the exception. Another exception, I rarely, if ever, cry reading romances, but I got super teary throughout this book. It was just filled with so many real stories. This romcom is also a good example of multiple points of view done right. It was balanced and I didn't get lost amongst the many characters and story lines. I definitely recommend checking this one out.

Thank you to Netgalley and Atria Books for the electronic advance copy.

If you love romcoms and weddings this one’s for you!

Liv and Eliot Goldenhorn run a wedding planning business. Unexpectedly Eliot dies and leaves half of the business to Savannah, his mistress. Needless to say, this doesn’t go over too well with Liv. Liv needs the money so she leaves the bad feelings behind and they run the business together. Both their professional and personal relationship blossoms.

We then follow the different POV’s and love stories from multiple characters that work in the weddings Liv and Savannah plan - the florist, catering waitress and the singer from the wedding band - just to name a few. There are also chapters of Liv and Savannah finding love after the death of Eliot. It was a heartwarming story of second chances, secret romance and finding yourself.

This book reminded me of the movie Valentine’s Day where everyone has their own side stories, but everyone is connected. Even though there were a lot of characters and different stories interwoven through the book, the author did a wonderful job having everything come together, and each character was so unique. I loved all the stories and the characters and reading this book was a breath of fresh air.

It's the perfect read to get ready for wedding season!

A huge thank you to NetGalley and Atria for an advanced copy in exchange for my honest review.

This was such a fun and unique way to write out a rom com. I have watched Love Actually more times than I care to admit, and this story had the same type of feeling. I love how it wove together all these different characters and their stories. Not only that, but the character development throughout all across the cast was such a pleasure to read.
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I would definitely recommend to any romance readers out there that would love read multiple love stories wrapped into one! This one releases tomorrow, so be sure to run, not walk, to your local bookstore to pick up your copy.

All the feels for It Had to Be You — Liv’s husband Eliot dies unexpectedly, leaving half of their wedding planning business, In Love in New York, to Savannah, the younger woman he was having an affair with.

The story follows a group of friends, coworkers, and acquaintances all at least loosely tied to the business as they navigate challenges in life and their own romantic relationships. The format of this book is similar to movies New Year’s Eve and Valentine’s Day.

It Had to Be You was cute, funny, and had some relatable, real life, touching moments. It’s a heartwarming read.