This is one of those books I couldn't put down. It has all of the great elements of a classic romance, mixed with drama, all weaved together through multiple storylines. At first, it was a bit hard to follow who everyone was. I found myself wishing there were 1-2 couples removed so I could really get to know each of the characters. But eventually, it tied up nicely and I was rooting for everyone from afar. It's one of those books that I think *has* to become a film (major 'Valentine's Day' vibes) because it had a bit of something for every single reader. It tackled a lot of topics -- from cheating to questioning sexuality to toxic family members -- and I actually enjoyed not knowing what was about to happen next.

Cute women's fiction with a wedding planning business at the center. Not counting the client weddings this hops between relationships for individuals connected with the business and with couples of all sorts - biracial, same sex, mature love the second time around, new relationships, an old one where one partner is ready for marriage, and long time coworkers finding a real spark in a pretend relationship - along with one mentor-y friendship that starts from a difficult place. All the players were likable even with their baggage.

While I do like these multi-HEA books, having so many meant a lot of jumping around when switching stories, though for the most part the depth of the individual stories was fairly good up to the conflict resolutions for the troubles - they were some pretty big hurts smoothed over easily. Still a nice ending all around, which is a big plus for my inner romance reader.

This is a book for those who love intertwining love stories like Love Actually. Liz is a wedding planner and business has been going well, until her husband dies. She discovers that not only was he having an affair with a younger woman, but he left his half of the business to said woman. And while their story plays out those around them find their own romances.

I enjoyed the concept, but just simply didn't connect to some of the characters and found Savannah's story a little odd with how eager she was to become business partners with her ex lover's widow, but it was interesting to watch how the relationship shifted and grew between the women. It also felt like there were too many different romances being covered in one book at times and I struggled to get as invested in them as I did Liz's story. However I think those who love ensemble romances may feel differently.

Disclaimer: I received an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Great ensemble story about New Yorkers in various stages of love. All kinds of couples. Young, older, divorced, widowed, straight and gay. A wedding planner and the woman her dead husband had an affair and left part of the business with try to carry on after he dies. It isn't easy but they manage to keep it going and flourishing. There's a couple of musicians who don't realize they are meant for each other. A famous celebrity and a server fall in love. Truly a great read.

Love Actually is one of my favorite movies, so when this was billed as a very similar ensemble story...I was sold. And in some ways, this story lived up to the hype - the characters each had distinct stories and personalities, and I loved the ways that the stories intertwined. But I did feel that some of the characters lacked full development (my biggest issue was with Savannah's story, which didn't really seem to make sense; that could be because she was written as a very naive character, but a big life change/realization coming up seemingly out of nowhere seems odd). All in all, a fun story to read, but some of the characters could have been fleshed out a little bit more.

This book blew me away! I was unable to but it down. Perfect, dazzlingly, very well written. The details the author described throughout the book was so amazing. The characters and storyline were fantastic. The ending I did not see coming Truly Amazing and appreciated the whole story. This is going to be a must read for many many readers. Thank you! Thank you! Thank you! No spoilers. Beyond amazing I enjoyed this book so very much. The characters and storyline were fantastic. The ending I did not see coming Could not put down nor did I want to. Truly Amazing and appreciated the whole story. This is going to be a must read for many many readers. Maybe even a book club pick.

This book was so good, I don't even know what to say because I don't want to ruin it. We've got two wedding planners, brought together by the guy who cheated on them both. We've got the wedding singers, the chef, the florists, the waitress. Throughout the book, we see different relationships evolve and change from one wedding to the next, and it's truly fascinating.

The ending seemed a bit too pat for me. There was one thing I found disappointing that I can't say because it's a spoiler. But overall, the book is solid and I would definitely recommend it.

2/5

Love Actually gets a new look in this refreshing contemporary that follows the lives of several wedding company employees as they balance love, friendship, and their respective careers. Liv Goldenhorn had it all, a husband she loved, and a successful wedding planning business, but when her husband dies and leaves his portion of the partnership to his much younger girlfriend Savannah, her whole world changes. The partnership between Liv and Savannah is rocky at best, though it soon blossoms, giving way to new opportunities for each of their coworkers and perhaps a happy ending for both women.

As someone who hated the movie Love Actually, but was intrigued by the concept, I had a premonition this was going to be everything I wanted. The idea of intertwining one group of people and their respective love stories to create a broader narrative is something that has been done time and time again, and is something I usually have no problem loving. Unfortunately, It Had to Be You did not pull off exactly what it was intending to impart onto its readers. Now that’s not to say I’m not here for ensemble romances, ones that follow multiple perspectives and make you feel for each character, but that was just not the case here. The characters, however interesting, were severely underdeveloped and lacking in any aspects that would allow me to connect with them. That feeling of disjointment only reached further into the text, ultimately making me wonder if the book could conclude any faster. Even Liv and Savannah, whose stories seemed the most interesting, were lost in the weeds of the differing perspectives. While I’m sure there will be many people who love this, for the reasons I’ve highlighted above, it will have to be a no from me. I do wonder if a story like this would be better translated on screen, much like the movie that inspired it. Either way, I’m thinking this will be a hit or a miss for most people.

I absolutely adored this book. It was filled with modern day romance stories that showed diversity and that everyone deserved to be loved all while focusing around a wedding planning company that was sweet and fun. This book was light, airy, and refreshing. I truly enjoyed this one and blew through it!

Unfortunately, this book wasn't a fit for me. The idea of a Love Actually-like story of interweaving relationships was very appealing, but I found the premise of the business partners' relationship' to be implausible. Also, I found the numerous characters and storylines tough to keep up with, but that just may be an attention span thing on my part! I decided not to finish, but I hope it finds its way into the right rom-com loving readers' hands!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the advance copy.

I think Georgia Clark may be one of my new must-buy authors! I enjoyed The Bucket List but I absolutely loved It Had To Be You! It’s a bit of a slow burn, and not the type of romance to be gobbled up in one night but to be slowly savored.

Synopsis: Liv Goldenhorn and her husband run one of the most prestigious wedding planning companies in New York City. But when his untimely death leaves behind more secrets than security, Liv has to figure out how to carry on with her belief in love and weddings in order to keep their business alive. But all of a sudden, she has an unlikely companion to help her out. (TW: affairs, death, divorce, domestic violence, brief mentions of homophobia)

As a romance reader, we often get caught up in tropes we like or don’t, the type of leads we like or don’t, and so many other details that make our favorite romance our favorite. Which is what makes this book perfect — there are so many characters, each navigating what their love story means to them, that you are bound to find at least one to love.

You get to hear from all sides of the story, which is totally refreshing and avoids the “miscommunication” romance trope, and each individual and couple are intertwined with the others. I loved some couples and characters more than others, but each couple is unique and dealing with issues — personal insecurities, widowhood, affairs, sexuality, paparazzi, you name it — that are still wrapped up in the idea of love.

Ultimately, this is romance so (spoiler) everyone ends up happy, but the journey becomes more important than the destination for all of Clark’s characters. Many of them are learning how to rebuild themselves and incorporate love into that remaking, which is an awesome way for a romance book to incorporate self-love as well. In Clark’s world, love exists to build you up and should never tear you down.

I’d highly recommend this one, especially if you are a fan of Minnie Darke (Star-Crossed, The Lost Love Song) or ensemble rom-coms, like Love Actually!

It Had To Be You by Georgia Clarke is out in May — thank you to @atriabooks for this e-ARC!

It Had To Be You, by Georgia Clark, is a story about romance. But not in the sense of a single boy meets one girl—and rather more as an ensemble love story. Its set-up is similar to Love Actually and New Year, where couples around the main character intertwine with her life.

Rating: 4.5 stars out of 5
Genre: Adult Romance

We first meet Liv Goldenhorn at someone else’s wedding, where she is the wedding planner. Things are quickly getting out of hand as she is waiting for her husband to arrive to help. Because Liv, like those she works for, has married her forever. Her sweet, stable forever, who doesn’t show up when he said he would. Liv, becoming more agitated, calls him only to find another woman’s voice answering her husband’s phone.

Not only was Eliot Goldenhorn cheating on her, but he has had the audacity to die while he is with this other woman in a different city. Liv’s world is further shaken when Savannah, the other woman, turns up claiming she owns half of Liv and Eliot’s business, ‘In Love In New York’. Liv, like most, wants to slam the door in her face. She almost does, until Savannah explains they have a wedding to organise, and Liv’s world blows up a little more.

I want to take a second to say a huge thank you to Georgia Clark and her publishing team for allowing me an ARC of It Had To Be You.

I’m a sucker for romance, I always have been. And reading this was an emotional and thought-provoking read in the genre, with not one love story but many. Following each of the women, and a few males, as they try and navigate the world of love, the expectations we put on ourselves, and how we handle our dreams.

At the beginning of the book, I was unsure if I would be falling in love. There was something about the initial chapters with Liv that had me feeling odd—and I couldn’t quite put my finger on it. It didn’t feel like pacing, but it was something; it had me on tender books, unsure how the story was going to play out. I don’t think this feeling resolved quickly due to the chapters changing to different characters. But, thankfully, this unsettled feeling didn’t last long and smoothes out later, having little effect on my overall thoughts. Because of this, I allow myself to be guided by the story, finding myself growing comfortable in Georgia Clark’s hands and words.

The point of view change in chapters and characters added a dynamic that felt refreshing. Making this wedding planner business feel as large—and as busy—as New York. The sprinklings of wedding talks and the mix of ages of the characters kept things relatable to me from various parts of my past.

I like that the characters came from all walks of life, each with their own backgrounds, problems, flaws and strengths. The way they all crossed into one another lives made them feel more tangible and relatable.

Throughout the book, we meet varied characters, in different relationships. For me, the LGBTQ+ stories were my favourite (secondary to Liv’s). With one character embarking on a journey of a character discovering their sexuality, and another balancing a long-term LGBTQ+ romance. Another relationship deals with the ramifications of being a secret after already escaping an abusive relationship. I cannot comment on the accuracy and portrayal of the POCs in the book, and only the examples above as they are experiences I have shared.

As one may expect, the romances aren’t easy; the characters go through a growth and change which I felt were natural and human. It’s a complex set of romantic stories, but so is life. Because of this, it feels like an easy four-and-a-half star for me. Almost five stars I just wished I had more of Liv—especially in her grieving. I was invested and cared about all of the characters, but I wanted MORE of Liv.

I also, greedily, wanted more of Savannah and Liv. These two women were thrust together in a painful way, and somehow, they navigate the space they share maturely for the most part. It was nice getting an insight into both of them, I just craved a bit more. Maybe some fleeting moments without a wedding to plan or romances bubbling in the corners of their minds.

Some of the other relationships did intrigue me, some were more loved by me than others. However, I found myself understanding when things didn’t work, and also cheered when things went well.

Were some of this book over the top? Yes. Was some of it very cliche? Yes. But such is life. Romance is meant to be large and full of life; falling in love is meant to be messy and a huge spectacle. I feel I relate to the type of love Georgia writes, and I’ll be excited to read more of her work in the future.

I’d happily read this book again, and I can’t wait to thrust a copy of it at my friends. I’m utterly grateful for an early chance to read this. I cannot wait to hold a physical copy when it comes out in May.

This was really refreshing, and a nice change of pace, I really enjoyed it. 'It Had to be You' follows a group of couples and love interests that all overlap, their lives intersect in different ways but are rooted in the sense of Weddings. Think wedding planning, the food, the flowers, the entertainment, etc. We know from the synopsis that Liv and her husband Eliot run a wedding-planning business, when Eliot dies unexpectedly he leaves his half of the business to his younger girlfriend Savannah to run with Liv. I'm sure you can only imagine how that goes over.

I enjoyed that the couples were realistically flawed and had very normal family dynamics and relationships, but our author managed to keep them interesting all at the same time. They were believable, and I think all of us could relate to one or more of the traits the characters possess. It was a quick easy read that felt light hearted for the most part but also contained deep subject matter at times and real life situations the characters were navigating. I found the occupations interesting and found it all even more interesting how they overlapped and stitched together. I think our author did a great job at building depth with so many characters, but not making it feel like too many, or sacrificing the depth of some of them.

I am a huge ally so the emphasis on same sex relationships in this book was perfect. I enjoyed how normalized the relationships were and how they blended right in with all the couples and didn't necessarily focus on equality or turmoil, while we still have a long way to go worldwide, and those are very valid issues and concerns I think it was refreshing to have the couples going about day to day life. The representation and equality in this book was delightful.

https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/3832691975

Huge thanks to Georgia Clark (& Gina), along with Emily Bestler Books - Atria for providing me with an advance copy in exchange for an honest review. 'It Had to be You' will be published on May 4th, 2021 and I hope if you pick it up you enjoy it as much as I did.

This was a different kind of book for me.
I enjoyed all of the stories that connected with each other and how each story was uniquely its own. I think I’d like it to move a little faster because it felt slow at times an uninteresting but it was overall a cute book!

This book wasn’t bad in anyway, but I just struggled to get into it. The characters felt underdeveloped in my opinion and I just didn’t feel connected to them.

If you sat down to make a list of all the different romantic partnerships out there, you'd find that there is no shortage of ways to match people together. I'm talking about everything from the standard bride and groom to the May/December romance trope, to open relationships, to gay couples, to interfaith pairings, interracial relationships . . . and what's a realistic argument is that representation matters when you are looking at what works because there is a unifying factor in any functional partnership. Honest. Open. Unrestricted. Supportive. They see the good in you and coax it out, letting the world see the best version of their partner. Waiver from those crucial anchors and you have ships passing in the night on their way to find other fish in the sea.

Georgia Clark takes the magic of New York and links people together from a wedding planner couple in Brooklyn. What starts as a life-altering disaster of losing your husband and finding out from the person with whom he was having an affair turns into a web of connections more intricate than a subway map. But the true north of this novel is that you have to find yourself and then find a person who works for you. While the title is "It Had to Be You" - a romantic tune that was written in 1924 and used in films from Casablanca to When Harry Met Sally, the lyrics are timeless and universal to any romantic love. Regardless of race, creed, orientation, for it to be love, the authentic, lasting kind . . . there is no difference in matters of the heart.

I rarely think that a book would be better as a movie or a series but in this case I do. There are so many characters and points of view in It Had To Be You that I struggled to keep up. Its a light hearted read that shouldn't require too much attention to detail but with so many characters and alternating narrators that I would have preferred a screen to help me differentiate between what is going on.

I think this book wasn't a great fit for me but I can see how it would be a fun for others. I wanted the focus to be more on Liv and Savannah and felt like they got drowned out but other storylines. For a romantic comedy covering five couples there was very little steam or romance. It was cute. But left me wanting more.

Liv and Eliot Goldenhorn run a wedding planning company called In Love In New York. In the midst of the biggest wedding disaster of the century, Liv gets a call that turns her world upside down. Liv learns that her husband has passed away, he was having an affair with a much younger woman, and that he left his half of the business to his mistress, Savannah.

✨Review✨
As if Liv, Eliot, and Savannah weren’t enough characters, the author introduces Henry, Gorman, Sam, Honey, Zia, Clay, Darlene, and Zach. They each play some part in the wedding planning business from chefs to florists to musicians.

Personally, I thought there were far too many characters. I would have preferred that they focused on one or two love stories instead of five. I would have liked a novel just starring Zach and Darlene. Their love story surrounded the whole fake lovers troupe, which is one I really enjoy. I also would have liked to hear more about Zia and Clay who fell in love despite one of them being in the public eye.

I thought that the author did a good job of covering a diverse set of characters and situations. However, I do think that there were too many hard topics that were just glossed over. Again, I would have preferred her to choose one or two of the topics to focus on.

I did like the premise of the novel that revolved around a wedding planning company. It reinforced my love of weddings and made me very excited for all the weddings I get to stand up in this summer 💃

Thank you to @netgalley and @georgialouclark for the ARC of this novel. If you liked the movie Valentine’s Day, you’ll more than likely like this book! Pick up a copy on May 4 😊

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me an advance copy of this book in exchange for an honest review!

It Had to Be You is the first Georgia Clark novel I’ve read and my expectations were high for a light-hearted, romantic read. While this book is mostly light-hearted and involves typical romantic comedy hijinks, I was left a bit disappointed. Based on the description, I expected the plot to focus on Liv Goldenhorn but it’s driven more by an ensemble cast of characters, which reminded me a lot of the movie “Love Actually.” The characters and couplings were pretty interesting and unique, but I didn’t find myself to be fully invested in anyone. This book was a cute read and I think anyone who likes romantic comedies would enjoy their time with this novel. A generally charming summertime or beach read!

This one starts out great. I was very invested in Liv and Savannah's story and I thought both character were well done and I liked them both in different ways. Then the other couples stories started to interrupt the story and I felt like they were good stories in their own rights but I really just wanted to read about Liv and Savannah. The extra stories took space away from what I really wanted to read about and that was frustrating for me as a reader. Overall this book just wasn't a good fit for me but there wasn't anything too glaringly wrong with it.