With a cast of diverse, compelling, and well-developed characters, It Had to Be You was one of my favourite reads this year—I could absolutely see this being optioned for film or TV. It is smart, sexy, soapy, and utterly addictive!

Set in NYC, each chapter is from a different character's perspective. The novel is well-structured and features five interconnecting love stories. Reminiscent of your favourite rom-com, trope fans will find several popular ones amongst its pages.

Georgia, you quite simply captured my heart and I can't recommend this book enough!

I was expecting something a bit different going into this story, but was not disappointed with what I ultimately found! It Had to be You is marketed as a novel's take on a Love Actually inspired story, and it absolutely fulfilled those expectations. I laughed, I cried, and I found myself grinning stupidly throughout the story, as I grew to know and love each character introduced. There is character growth and we see all the twists and turns of life covered in each of the character's lives. Georgie Clark has written a lovely feel-good escape that offers the reader a happy world to dive in to, and I look forward to reading more of her books!

Many thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This book was a quirky out of the box concept. It was somehow deep and light hearted at the same time.
God Bless Liz honestly. She’s got the tolerance of a saint. Sure she’s stubborn and a bit cold but cut her some slack. Imagine running a business with your dead husband’s mistress because he left her half your livelihood in his will. If he weren’t already dead, I’d kill him. I don't like cheating plots and this automatically made Savannah naive and annoying to me. She’s also a bit insensitive to Liz’s feelings. The woman just found out her dead husband was cheating with a pretty southern belle half her age. Like excuse her if she doesn’t wanna be be bffs. She grows on us a bit later as the women’s relationship begins to defrost but still it’s hard to look past the original circumstances here. The woman are polar opposites it’s almost as if there is no hope this will ever work, out but they need to in order to save this failing wedding planning business. I enjoyed their journey and the journey of the secondary characters as well. There are a lot of storylines that all weave together. They didn’t feel forced or out of place. You are taken inside the chaos of the wedding planning business which was very entertaining. This book was funny, emotional and romantic. I can totally picture this as witty rom com on the big screen. Thank you #NetGalley and Simon & Schuster for the ARC copy in exchange for my honest review. (PUB DATE: 5/4/21)

Omg you have got to pick up this book! This is for anyone who loves interconnected stories and sweet romances! I loved the characters and learning more about them, and I could not put this book down. This book was such a refreshing breath of fresh air!

Loved this book. I loved the various cast of characters that all came from diverse backgrounds and lives. I loved that the two women ended up become friends and that the husband was redeemable and not horrible. I would recommend this book to all my romance, women's fiction friends. It's a great story about forgiveness, taking chances, not giving up on yourself and starting over.

For some reason I’ve been avoiding my NetGalley shelf (yet I keep requesting books) but when I got this one I started reading it immediately. I absolutely adored The Bucket List and found The Regulars to be smart and a wild ride so I was really hoping that It Had to Be You would be just as good and well... it was even better! Five solid stars from me! It’s a love story to weddings, to love in all of it’s many forms, and to New York in all seasons. I loved every single quirky and delightful character and I wish I could give them each the biggest hug. I can’t recommend this beautiful book enough.

I absolutely adored this book. It was utterly charming. Laugh-out-loud funny, tender, heart-warming, romantic--it had every single trope that I love in a romance, perfectly executed. I didn't think I could become and stay so invested in each of the romantic relationships, but I was completely enthralled. It flowed from storyline to storyline effortlessly. I read it in one sitting and enjoyed it so much.

It Had to Be You is a contemporary Love, Actually, set in New York City, that dives into the romantic lives of people from diverse backgrounds. Each of them is well-developed, given flaws and redeeming qualities alike-- which has the effect of the book feeling substantially longer than most rom coms, but it's worth the time, to see characters who are fully realized. Clark's writing is sweet, simple, and still smart; it is the kind of easily-digestible book you can read on the beach, but it is never smutty or eye-rollingly cliche, as are so many efforts in the genre. I'd have read any of the individual stories in their entirety: Liv and Sam, Savannah and Honey, Zia and Clay. It's almost like getting three books for the price of one :)

First of all, this cover is sO cute. Now that that is out of the way, I enjoyed this and liked the characters but some of the storyline seemed a little all over the place. I felt like there was just a bit too much going on! I do think it's a fun rom-com and a great distraction for anyone who loves romance. Thank you to Netgalley and Atria books for the advanced copy of this book.

This is a delightful book, well written, with characters who have depth and well, character. It is a romance, but encompasses the stories of several characters as they go through life's trials. I found myself laughing, smiling, and crying with them. I was rooting for every single one of these character's to find happiness and true love. I was genuinely sad when this book ended! What a wonderful read!

So not going to lie, I usually have a hard time with books about wedding planners, since you know, I am one (or at least, I am one when we aren't in the middle of an international pandemic). But this might have been the first wedding planner centric book I've read that really resonated with me and my style as a planner, and pair that with a writing style I love, and I was very into this book.

Liv is one of the coolest wedding planners in Brooklyn, running a successful company with her husband Eliot. So when she receives a call from her husband's mistress in the middle of set up for a wedding they're supposed to be working together, Liv is shocked, to say the least. Especially because said mistress, Savannah, is calling to tell her Eliot has died. But maybe the truest shock comes a little bit later, when Liv learns Eliot has left Savannah his half of the business in his will. At first, Liv refuses to even speak to Savannah, but when the southern belle shows up on her doorstep with a potential couple in tow, Liv is forced to face the facts: she needs money, she needs her business, and she needs Savannah's help. The two women have to find a way to put aside all of their many differences and work together, along the way becoming much closer friends than either could have ever anticipated. Both Liv and Savannah, along with a charming cast of characters interconnected in the wedding world, turn one of the worst events of their lives into one of the best.

I have been a fan of Georgia's writing for a while now, so I wasn't surprised when the voice and wit of this book drew me in immediately. What I did find a pleasant surprise was how easily I fell into all of the many stories this book weaves together. It's akin to Love Actually in that we spend time with several different couples whose lives all twine together. It's really a feat of stellar storytelling to be able to orchestrate each of these love stories in a way that made each one interesting and unique, but also blended them together seamlessly. It was one of those books where I sat down to read a couple of chapters and ended up reading half the book in one sitting. I couldn't put it down, constantly needing to see what was going to happen next and to whom. I laughed, I cried, I was intrigued and entertained. Really, there isn't much more I could ask for in a book.

I was attracted to this story since it checked a lot of boxes for the kinds of romances I liked, and it delivered. It was witty, ambitious and emotional while still keeping my interest without losing touch with reality. What the blurb said was right, it is perfect for fans of Christina Lauren and Jasmine Guillory.

When Liv's husband dies and leaves his half of the business to his girlfriend she isn't prepared. As the girlfriend decides she wants to help run the business Liv has to prepare herself for a lot of change. It Had to be You has a few love stories wrapped up in the plot featuring Liv, Savannah (the girlfriend), and various florists, caterers, musicians, and other vendors of the business.

Such an enjoyable book! At its center is Love In New York, a longtime husband and wife operated wedding planning business that has just been upended by the death of the husband, who turned out to be having a brief affair with a very young lady from out of town. Things get interesting when the young lady shows up on the widow's doorstep with a copy of the late husband's will leaving her half of the wedding planning business. Their story is interesting enough to fill an entire book, but there is so much more going on. In a style that reminded me of the movie, Love, Actually, the author brings in vendors from the wedding planning business and tells their love stories. The caterer, the florists, the musicians, a waitress -- all their stories are interrelated and skillfully woven together. Very romantic, and a look at different generations and types of people, all embarking on great love stories.

LOVED! This book is definitely the Love Actually, He's Just Not That Into You style of story that flashes through people's lives as they are all semi-connected and going about their personal journey with love.

This was such a CUTE and heartwarming story! At first, I thought I would hate both Savannah for cheating with Eliott and thinking she had any right to his business and Liv for allowing Savannah into her life. But the way the relationship evolves between these two is both comical and believable!

The diversity of the characters is also a great addition to this story set in NYC, not something you often get to read in major romcoms!

Thank you NetGalley for the opportunity to read this advance copy. Would definitely recommend it!

i love a book with weddings and/or wedding planners. there is something so lovely about it, so happy to read about.

it had to be you is no different. i loved the various stories, the lives of all these characters, so different to one another, with different dreams and goals. i loved how they all came together, the importance of every character in each other’s own lives.

a lovely look at self discovery, of growth and learning, of opening up and learning not only to love but be loved. of following your dreams and pushing through the hard parts of life, the ugly parts that make life difficult but allow us to change and grow.

some additional thoughts i had while reading: some of the convos during of romance were a little cheesy at times. i felt the trouble darlene and zach had to get through (the donkey incident) was a bit too mean, verging on cruel. i know they are fictional and different people have different boundaries, but personally, i would have been completely turned off of a romantic interest if they said this about me. i was rooting for d & z because they were one of my faves and they just needed to accept they loved each other already!!!!! however, darlene’s actions were not only harsh and terrible, but they almost kind of seemed out of character...?

I thoroughly enjoyed this book! Five couples, all with their own emotional baggage to deal with, find ways to work through it. Divorced? Widowed? Gay? Questioning? Interracial? Love is love is love is love is love is love. I laughed, I cried, I smiled a lot. One of those books you plow through to see how it ends, but then you're sad it's over!
Thank you NetGalley for the opportunity to read this advance copy!

Was completely surprised by It Had to Be You by Georgia Clark. I ended up reading it in one sitting and was so moved by the various interconnecting stories a la Love Actually.

While it doesn't reach the top tier of my 2020 reads, I really enjoyed it and it was a lovely feel-good escape to go into 2021 with.

Thanks to NetGalley and Atria for the advanced read!

Wow - there is a LOT going on in this book. A lot of storylines and characters. To be honest, I think the book would be even better without quite so many story lines. The author does a great job of keeping the stories separate, but also connected. It isn't confusing at all. But it just got to be a little bit too much for my taste. I actually think it could have been broken up into a couple books - perhaps a series following these characters. They have good stories, but it's a bit much all together.

For the most part this is a very heart-warming rom-com, but there are also some tougher, touchy subjects that the author does a really good job with. For example - Savannah - I don't want to give away any spoilers, but man! This girl goes through a lot of changes and emotions! Loved her character!!!

Also, I really appreciated that the epilogue wrapped things up without being too cheesy.

I'm interested in checking out other works by Georgia Clark now!

*THANK YOU to NetGalley, Georgia Clark, and Atria Books for my e-book ARC in exchange for my honest opinion! This book will be out May 11, 2021 - add it to your goodreads now!

It had to be you was awesome! This book had me smiling and crying.
I loved Liv and Savannah characters.
If you are looking for cute book to read..... Grab this one!

What an amazing, funny, beautiful novel! It Had to Be You could not be more perfect. This book made me think, laugh, cry and grin! I'm not usually a fan of books with multiple perspectives, but because of the way the characters are tied together I actually enjoyed the perspective shifts! Before I read the book, I saw it described as like Four Weddings and A Funeral, this is a perfect description for the ways the characters cross paths and the amount of time the book covers, but I would say that almost undersells it. It shows such happy and sad moments and gives the opportunities to see characters grow. This is probably one of my favorite if not my favorite book of 2020 and reading it was truly a bright spot. I don't normally reread books, but I think this one will definitely be the exception to the rule and is making me want to go read everything else Georgia Clark has written. This book gives me hope for 2021, I know this amazing book will be coming out and hope there will be many more wonderful things in store for us next year! If you're still on the fence after reading this far, please take a chance on this wonderful love story!