Reading this book was like enjoying five books at the same time. Interconnected love stories of some of the best cast of characters as they all navigate through their own versions of relationships. Sweet and charming is how I would describe this book. What starts of as “are you kidding me??” ends up leaving you with “everything happens for a reason.”

This romantic comedy was ok. I enjoyed parts of it and could see where someone else might really enjoy this book.

I tried picking this book up several times but it didn't hold my attention. I was really disappointed because this was said to be for fans of Casey McQuiston and Christina Lauren, both of whom I enjoy. But for some reason I just couldn't get into this one, so I didn't end up finishing it, though not for lack of trying

I was excited to receive an eGalley of It Had to Be You by Georgia Clark. After reading that it had a Love Actually vibe, I was super excited. Following several different couples at various stages in relationships and at different points in their lives seemed like an exciting premise, especially when coupled against the background of marriage and weddings. With all those characters, I thought there would be several story lines I enjoyed. Unfortunately, I found it difficult to get invested and was soon wary of trying to keep up with all the characters. I didn’t feel like the story connections at the end were very memorable.
I think this would be a great book for someone who loves the ideas of weddings and doesn’t mind spending some time keeping track of the various characters as they navigate their way to happiness.
Thank you to NetGalley for providing me this opportunity to review this book.

This book cute enough but there were too many storylines. I think this is one of those books that was enjoyable enough to read but 6 months from now I probably won’t remember much about it.

Thank you NetGalley, author and publisher for the arc in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

This book took me a bit to get into, but once I did I really liked it! I kind of had a hard time keeping up with all the subplots, but generally think that this would make a great movie because of them!

This book really wasnt for me. I dont know if it was the writing or the characters but this book just could not hold my attention

I hate when this happens, but … It Had to Be You was just not for me. I am someone who really enjoys getting to know and fall in love with the characters that I read, and this novel was never going to provide me with that due to its writing style. By intertwining so many characters’ lives, It Had to Be You makes it difficult to really get into each of their storylines, much less remember which plot points belong to who. I never would have picked a book with such a large cast of characters on my own, and feel a bit mislead by the book’s synopsis, which only focuses on Liv and Savannah. It makes it seems as if the book solely focuses on them and that there are other characters in “their world,” but that is not the case. These other characters share the spotlight with Liv and Savannah, and books like this just are not my favorite. The synopsis does mention the film Love Actually in reference to the writing style, but for someone like me who has not seen the movie, the nod to the film went right over my head.

Are you a fan of Love Actually? If yes, you definitely need to read It Had To Be You!

This was a fun novel with several characters and several storylines. Similar to Love Actually, they all merge and connect in various ways. Some storylines were definitely more exciting than others, but overall, each one added something to the novel.

This love story had so many elements that make a great romance these days - LGBTQIA storylines, love after divorce and widowhood, fake dating, enemies to lovers, celebrity romances, infidelity, marriage.

I did this book on audio and it's read by a full cast. This was great because there really are a lot of characters and storylines and it took me a while to get them all straight. However, the problem with so many narrators is your bound to get some that you really don't like. I honestly cringed every time Darlene's part came on which was unfortunate because it really took away from that storyline for me. I also didn't love Zack's character, but his was a bit more palatable for me.

This is a great romance and one I definitely recommend on audio.

Thank you to Atria and NetGalley for a copy of this book.

this book has a lot of characters and yet i was emotionally attached in the journey of every single one. i really really enjoyed the plot, the chapter jumps of this novel. it is truly an achievement

This one is a did not finish fully for me. Too many characters really hindered my experience with this one.

Thank you for the advanced copy of this book! I will be posting my review on social media, to include Instagram, Amazon, Goodreads, and Instagram!

Thank you so much to @Atria & @NetGalley for giving me this eARC in exchange for my honest and unbiased review (Release Date | 04 May 2021)

SYNOPSIS | Liv runs In Love (a wedding planning business) with her husband Elliott, however she finds out that her husband has unexpectedly died and he was cheating on her AND he left his half of the business to the person he was cheating on her with.

WHAT I LIKED:
- that all the characters were actually connected to each other in some way
- the varied representation amongst all the characters & relationship dynamics

WHAT I DIDN'T LIKE:
- too many characters for me to keep straight. I feel like as soon as I started to get invested in a couple it would skip to someone else.
- very similar in vibes to Love Actually
- too many relationships were wrapped up in neat little packages (I like a bit more turmoil in my romances)

It Had to Be You is a well written, cute romance. If you like romances that follow multiple couples, this is a great fit.

It had to be you is basically Love Actually, but for wedding planners. You've got a HUGE cast of characters and so many romances, its hard not to fall for someone. I enjoyed this and would definitely buy copies for family or friends.

It Had to Be You had great potential and a good storyline. Unfortunately, there were just so many characters it became a bit distracting. The story centers around a Liv who has run In Love in Brooklyn, a wedding planning company, with her husband. When the untimely death of her husband who is found to be having an affair, pairs her with the other woman, the business can either fail or prosper. All of the characters are connected to the business in some way but have very diverse storylines. It has a Love, Actually feel, but I really could have done with a few fewer characters. 3 stars. Thank you, NetGalley for the eARC.

I love romcoms and books like this. This is actually set up like a favorite move... Love, Actually. Ha. Anyway, I liked the different points of views when typically I dont enjoy that,
I found it to be a quick fun read. Probably would not read it twice, though.

I absolutely adored this book. This felt like a Richard Curtis film but made 2020's. The representation was phenomenal, and the relationships felt authentic and real. The writing was fresh and sharp, and the way the stories were woven together made me want to keep flipping the pages in a frenzy.

This is a sweet read for anyone looking for novel with a great cast of characters, great dialogue and a fantastic pace. Would love to read more novels like this one.

Thank you to netgalley for my ARC copy in exchange for my honest review.

It had to be you is sort of a rom com and sort of women’s kit with a side of romantic comedy. I didn’t feel like it centered one way or the other. This story has an ensemble cast of characters, and follows multiple couples. Think Love Actually or Valentines Day. That said I hated both of those movies so 1/3 of the way through I knew that this probably wasn’t going to be my cup of tea.

It’s sweet, overall well written, and a decent enough story. It just wasn’t my personal preference for this type of read. Doesn’t make it bad, just not for me. I think there is a huge audience for this storyline who will love it and encourage you to give it a shot, especially if you loved the aforementioned movies!

I'm really conflicted on this one.

I thoroughly enjoyed the representation and diversity in this book, but the extensive cast did get overwhelming for me, also. There were just too many storylines happening and the alternating perspectives felt jerky. It was hard to connect with the characters too deeply because each perspective was so short.

I also had two other negative thoughts about this one:
One was that we were meant to feel something other than outrage about Liv's $#!tty ex-husband for some reason, but.. he was just trash. It was unnecessary filler for the story how Liv (and others) were always "trying to figure out why he did it" and empathize with him about it.

The other was how everything wrapped up *too* perfectly. I'm all for that HEA moment, but when you have like 14 characters and they ALL get their happy ending in the last few pages... it was just a bit much.


I will definitely keep an eye out for the author's next book, but this one just didn't fully connect for me.