3/3.5 stars. This book was too long for what it was about. I enjoyed the story but couldn’t connect with the characters. There were too many characters too. With that being said, this was still a very cute book and would still recommend if you are looking for a rom\com. Thank you to the author and NetGalley for the advanced copy of this book.

This book.... this book exceeded my expectations in EVERY way possible. It follows the stories of five different people, five different people who are trying to better understand one thing: love. Their stories differ in many ways, from age to sexual orientation but honestly.. that's what makes this book incredible and real. It touches on these topics in ways that most books don't. It brings these characters to life in a way that makes you feel like you're their friend, helping them along this journey to finding love. You cry when they cry, you laugh when they laugh, you are not just reading this book, you are living in it.
No matter where you are at in life, no matter who you love, no matter your age, no matter if you like romance books or not. This book is something you should add to your TBR shelf. It's more than just a romance book, it's a book about life. About navigating life when you just don't know what to do, or you feel like you don't know who you are or what you want. I promise if you give this book a chance, you won't regret it.

*I received this advanced copy from Netgalley and Atria Books in exchange for an honest review*

These are just my first thoughts - I will definitely include it in a future review on the blog, but I'll try to do it closer to release day - will update this with the link and additional info at that point.

I really loved (loved) the premise of the store, and I appreciated the dual storylines -- I think it made sense within the structure and the story. Neither Liv nor Savannah were perfect protagonists, and it was refreshing to get to see the good, bad, and ugly of this experience. Given the description, I expected this book to be a little bit more zany than it was, but Georgia Clark grounded it well in how this situation would play out in a non-Hollywood rom-com setting.

My one quibble would be that it was maybe too many "woke" plot points in one story -- I'm afraid that the author tried to do too much, and some of it didn't feel totally organic to the story. I appreciate her willingness to discuss these issues, which included potential gay marriage/adoption, open relationships, post-transition trans weddings, and a touching coming out story, but it felt crowded and like some of it was included just to make a point. I want to say that I have no issues with these things, politically or personally -- that's not the basis of my criticism; it was more that some of it felt shoehorned into the story.

It Had to be You follows five different couples through their daily life. The characters are all colorful and quirky in their own right. Let's start with the Goldenhorn's Eliot and Olive (Liv); they are married with a young son Ben, they have a wedding planning business called In Love in NY. Ralph (Gorman) and Henry Chu are the florists who work very closely with In Love in NY. They are an interracial gay couple with an age difference. Zach Livingstone, a musician extraordinaire and DJ, works the Wedding circuit and the Wedding singer Darlene Mitchell. Darlene is a Princeton University Graduate. Zia Ruiz is a sometimes waitress when she is not out saving the world. Clay Russo movie star who uses his fame and fortune for humanitarian issues. Savannah Shipley a Kentucky millennial who inherited half of In Love in NY. So much happens in one story with one main character; now imagine tracking five couples plus family, friends, and clients; you could use a spreadsheet to keep up with them all. Overall the PR company sold it correctly; It's a cross between Love Actually and Valentine's day.

Some of my favorite lines are:
They don't hire forty-nine-year-old women Gorman. They use us to scare millennials into wearing sunscreen.
Remember this: Telling people things that they might not expect to hear, but are true about you, is a way for them to deepen their relationship with you. To know you and to love you even more. And speaking as a mom, that's honestly the best gift my son could ever give me, to let me in like that, and allow me to love him even more fully.
Love meant showing someone everything, every awkward, shameful hidden part of yourself, and sublime grace and freedom in having those parts accepted and cherished. How that ultimately the secret to being loved and loving others. Seeing and being seen. The sky was the color of dryer lint. It had to be you.

Georgia Clark’s latest book, It Had to Be You, is a cute and clever look at love for all ages and love at all stages. The backdrop of the wedding industry in New York City lends beautifully to these tales of blossoming love amongst friends and coworkers. This is a light and swoon-worthy read that is sure to engage readers who are wanting a romantic book with several lovable and interesting characters. Thank you NetGalley, Georgia Clark and Atria Books for this advanced eCopy in exchange for an honest review.

Rom-coms may just not be the genre for me. I had a hard time becoming invested in this book. While I liked the premise, a husband dies unexpectedly and leaves half of the Wedding Planning business he runs with is wife to his girlfriend, who has no idea he was married. This of course sets up the novel. I found the story line to flit between so many characters, all connected in some way to the wedding planning business. The characters were underdeveloped, making it difficult to care about any of them or their relationships, and the plot was superficial and predictable.

My first Georgia clark novel! Cute, fun, a little hard to follow for me with the multiple POV, but reading this around Valentines Day was super fun and I would recommend this one to a friend. Can't wait to read more from Georgia Clark!

This book was so fun! Some books with many different point of views/storylines can feel a bit overstuffed, but not this one! My favorite part of the story was not the romantic storylines, which were also great, but the friendship and partnership that slowly evolved between Liv and Savannah. Unconventional? Yes, but it felt real.

All in all, this was a fun book filled with characters that stick with you long after you read!

Thanks to NetGalley for the early copy in exchange for my honest review!

Dear Fellow Reader,

I’ve been reading a lot of non-fiction works and as usual when that happens, I have to skip back over to a “popcorn” fiction book. Just a light snack of a book. The kind of book that keeps your mind occupied but moves quickly. A lovely little break to let your mind re-set.

Luckily, I had just the thing waiting for me. I had a book to review – you know the books that I am given in exchange for my fair and unbiased review. So I picked it up and read it.

Before I get to that, I have a question for you. I have gotten to the point that I have a negative reaction when I look at the summary of a book or a piece of promo for a book and they tell me that it is like this or that author or is reminiscent of a movie. I never seem to agree with whoever makes these comparisons. I find it a bit of a turn off. I am not sure that I would want my book compared to someone else’s book. How do you feel about that? Do you pay any attention to it?

Part of what brings this to mind, is that in the promo for this week’s book, the book was compared to the movie Love Actually. I thought that was a bit odd. How often is a book compared to a movie? The exact quote was “in a joyous Love Actually – style braided narrative. Hmmm.


It Had to Be You starts off by introducing us to Liv Goldenhorn. Liv is a wedding planner. She and her husband have a wedding planning company. Liv is at a wedding where everything is going wrong. Horribly wrong. And her husband is no where to be found. He was supposed to fly back to New York from Kentucky, and he isn’t back yet. With things going from bad to worse (think bride insisted on lavender for the winter wedding and the scent of the lavender, which was intensified due to the heaters had woken up a bee’s nest. And then the bride gets stung on the lip.) Liv gets a phone call. Her husband has died in Kentucky. Liv is shell shocked. But that is not the end of unpleasant surprises for her.

Through the story, we meet the woman who Liv’s husband left his half of the business to, two bandmates who frequently work for Liv, florists who are Liv’s friends and they work her weddings, and a world-traveling server who will work for Liv’s caterers. The stories about each of these people spin around the story of Liv and her wedding planning company.

So, I guess if you really wanted to compare it, you could compare it to a Love Actually web of characters. The thing that I fear with books with multiple character lines is that you won’t know who you are reading about when the next chapter starts. I did not have that problem with this book at all. It was very clear who was who. Okay, sometimes I read to fast and I wasn’t clear about the ethnicity of two of the characters but it doesn’t truly matter.

I did enjoy the book. Here is the rub if you wanted to rush out and get it – it will be published on May 4, 2021. Yes, I know. But I am in the position of needing to review it while I remember it or waiting 3 months and trying to remember it. I have opted for telling you about it in advance. Write it down in your calendar for May 4. I will try and remind you about the book when it is being published. (I’ll mark my calendar.)

I hope you are doing well and finding lots of great books to read.

Thanks for reading!

Thanks NetGalley for the arc in exchange for honest review. I was not captivated by the story or the characters and did not finish the book. I found it exhausting trying to keep up with the long list of characters and that they had chapters dedicated to each. I'm sure the story came together in the end but I wasn't invested enough to see it through.

I received an ARC of this book, and it was the perfect rom com read with Valentine's Day right around the corner. As promised, this book is Love Actually-esque in with its intertwining stories of five different couples. Laugh-out loud funny and pure enjoyment! This book was especially lovely in its representation of so many different types of love stories! With five different storylines, I was worried that I'd be left feeling like I didn't get enough of any of them, but the characters were very well developed and the way that each couple was woven throughout the book left me feeling very satisfied!

4.5 stars- I completely enjoyed this book. I was drawn in by the cute cover and dependable author. This book was described as a version of Love, Actually and I initially thought "oh, no- thanks a big and risky comparison." However, this book was completely enjoyable and the framework, if not the story, is a worthy comparison.

Liv is an aging wedding planner in NYC when her husband and business partner drops dead with his secret girlfriend. Then he leaves half the business to his wife and half to his mistress. They have to work together to make their wedding planning business successful again, along with a fun cast of characters who have their own entanglements. At first I was thinking this would be a bad Anne Hathaway/Kate Hudson romcom, but the writing of these characters and their romantic and identity seeking storylines kept it from being too sugary and contained just the right balance of interesting and humorous. This book was exactly the book I needed for fun but also depth.

If anything, the cute cover doesn't exactly reveal how good this book is. It is enjoyable, not stressful, and well written. I would recommend this to fans of GOOD romcoms and those who enjoy a strong group of diverse characters. This book wins for best ensemble cast.

Thank you to NetGalley for the fun and memorable read.

It Had to Be You wasn’t my favorite read nor my most hated read. It was cute, it was alright. I usually really love romances but this was just okay for me.

4.5 stars

Georgia Clark's upcoming book, It Had to Be You, is a sweet, fun, emotional rom-com about the pleasures, pains, and possibilities that love brings.

Liv and Eliot Goldenhorn know how to plan and execute a flawless wedding. Their company, In Love in New York, has been the talk of Brooklyn for 20 years, and the two play off each other’s strengths to create wedding magic, calm nervous brides, and soothe meddling parents.

But the bottom falls out when Eliot dies suddenly while visiting his younger girlfriend in Kentucky. And as if his infidelity and his death weren’t big enough shocks for Liv, apparently Eliot also left his half of the business to Savannah, his girlfriend, for reasons no one understands—not even Savannah.

Savannah isn’t interested in selling her half of the business—she wants to work with Liv to rebuild the company. While she doesn’t blame Savannah for the affair—Eliot told her he was divorced—Liv can’t imagine working with her to plan weddings given the way her own marriage ended. But Savannah’s optimism wears her down, and it’s not long before Liv realizes she missed the work.

As Liv starts to rebuild her life and her romantic confidence, It Had to Be You also follows the romantic struggles of her friends and vendors/employees—Gorman and Henry, the florists whose relationship has stayed static for far too long; Zia, the waitress whose connection with an unlikely suitor thrills and frustrates her; and Darlene and Zach, the wedding singer and DJ, who can’t seem to figure out what they want from each other.

This felt like one of the ensemble romantic movies, like Love, Actually or Valentine’s Day, in that you’re following multiple yet connected storylines at the same time. I really enjoyed all of the characters so much and found myself invested in all of their relationships and challenges.

At times the pacing was a little slow, but the sheer joy, emotions, and romance kept me hooked, and I will neither confirm nor deny getting choked up toward the end. Georgia Clark has created such a good read, and see if you can keep the song It Had to Be You out of your head!

Georgia Clark, NetGalley, Atria Books, and Emily Bestler Books provided me with a complimentary advance copy of the book in exchange for an unbiased review. Thanks for making it available!

It Had to Be You publishes 5/4/2021.

I was a little disappointed in this one but did think that overall it was cute. I didn't really connect to any of the characters even though I usually enjoy reading an ensemble type book.

This book is a delight! Georgia Clark captures many versions of love in a New York City that actually includes queer people and diversity, something still too rare in romance novels. The wedding planning business connects all the characters and shows us different sides of their life. I loved the Darlene-Zach plotline and could not put this book down once I reached the halfway point. Now, I want to go back and read the rest of her work.

I posted this review on Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/55436532-it-had-to-be-you

This arc was gifted by Atria Books in exchange for an honest review.

It Had To Be You is a beautifully written story about different couples, their lives, hopes, dreams, and sometimes heart wrenching struggles. At times I struggle to become invested when a book surrounds the development of several main character story arcs rather than a designated protagonist, but I was wholeheartedly invested in the lives of each character. Georgia Clark managed quite a feat in establishing each character within the couples, as well as intertwining their connections to one another. In the end, once again, love always wins. If you’re a fan of Love Actually, It Had To Be You will touch your heart just the same.

Check it out on 4 MAY 2021!

It Had to Be You is a rom-com with cast of diverse characters. The chapters switch back and forth between different couples and their stories, but they are all intertwined. I honestly am not a big fan of that many changes in focus. For me it took away from the stories.

Thank you NetGalley and Atria for gifting me an advance copy of It Had to Be You in exchange for my honest opinion.

I loved everything about this book. It Had To Be You is the kind of book that sucks you in and you can’t put it down until you finish it because you’re so invested in all of the characters and you need to know how their stories play out. Honestly I want this book made into a TV show or a movie and I would binge the whole thing in one sitting because it was just so good. It starts off with an already interesting story with Liv’s husband dying and leaving half of their business to Savannah, the young blonde he’s been having an affair with. Even without all the added stories it would have been interesting but everything is weaved in so perfectly to show how all of these people are wrapped up in each others lives because of they all worked with the company.

Literally everything is discussed in this book. Love after losing a spouse, infidelity, fake relationships, wanting marriage when your significant other doesn’t, race, LGBTQ+ marriages and how families react to things, finding your sexuality, secret dating. It’s literally everything wrapped up in one but it’s not ‘everything but the kitchen sink’. Georgia Clark weaved a beautiful story in such a way that you’re invested in every character’s story and how their lives are going to go and I loved every second of it.

This is THE best book. Run, don't walk, if you want to laugh/cry/feel all the feels/believe in love again. There are lots of characters' stories interwoven, which gives the book a cinematic feel and keeps you on your toes as you wait to see what will happen with all of their love stories. The book feels contemporary, very NYC, and refreshing in the representation of queer and diverse couples. The pace is quick and the characters are drawn so that you can't help but fall in love with them - flaws and all. I laughed out loud, cried while reading it on the subway (true story, I dried my tears with my mask covering my entire face), and reflected on my own views of love. Liv's love story especially warmed my heart <3

Who should read this? Um, everyone. Do you need some hope in this dark and crazy world we're living through? Do you enjoy laughing? Do you have a heart? Go read it! And someone make this into a movie ASAP, please!