I rarely DNF, but this is one of them, joining the ranks of The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up aka the Kondo method.

I DNF-ed because the way someone described this book was not the way it turned out to be. It was sold as, “wedding planners finding love but told from the POV of the wedding couples.” Well, it’s DEFINITELY NOT THAT. I got through Part 1/Act 1 and it’s your basic multi-POV story. There is exposition for most of part 1 and then the last half of that section deals with one wedding.

The two MC’s are Liv and Savannah, the former was Eliot’s wife and the latter was Eliot’s mistress, are stuck running Liv and Eliot’s wedding planning business together, but this story also follows like three other people and I kept finding myself more drawn to those characters, the shorter chaptered characters, and wondering if they were added in because Liv and Savannah are just. so. boring.

If I’ve learned anything from playing role-playing games, is that you cannot play a lone wolf character. Characters need to interact with the world, with each other, and Liv is a lone wolf. She was always forced into situations she didn’t want to be in. She showed her displeasure at being in them at all times. There was nothing about her that I felt was redemptive and I’ve been a wedding planner! Her being excellent at her job should have been a huge draw to me, but knowing she was just going through the motions and kinda hating it the whole time, ruined her for me.

I also find infidelity storylines to be huge turnoffs for me. Books are an escape and I don’t want to escape into the world where my spouse was unfaithful to me. I already carry a huge, and probably-should-talk-to-someone-about-it amount of imposter syndrome when it comes to my marriage. I just cannot go there.

The side characters are LOVELY though, just not enough to redeem the MCs for me which is a bummer because I was really excited about this one. -Ford

Oh, Georgia Clark, you have won my heart. This is my second GC novel (also read The Bucket List) and I am hooked. At first I wasn't sure I would be able to keep up with all the characters, but they each had their own distinct personality and "voice" that I was able to keep track with no problems at all. This was a very interesting rom-com for me because it weaved so many stories together, but did so effortlessly.

BONUS points for this novel including my favorite poem, "Pathways", read in the very early pages of this novel at a wedding. I was quickly able to personally connect with the MC Liv because of this, and I was hooked throughout.


I received an advance copy; all thoughts are my own.

REVIEW • It Had To Be You • eARC #gifted @atriabooks

This was the funny, heartwarming, sad and hopeful rom-com I needed to kick off the summer. Full of interesting characters, this was like those big cast movies, like New Year's Eve and Valentine's Day, and I would absolutely love to see this be adapted for TV or film. Going in, I wasn't sure if I would be able to connect with the story with so many different characters and plot lines to follow, but I found myself getting incredibly invested in each one; I would gladly have read a whole book focused on each couple.

The storytelling was addictive and I really enjoyed how each relationship in the story was completely different but they all centered around love and wanting to be loved for who you are. This was my first book by Georgia Clark, but now I'm definitely interested in reading more of her backlist.

This was such an endearing read. I loved the multiple viewpoints/stories being told, made it so fun to read. I definitely recommend if you are looking for a light, fun read.

Liv and her husband, Eliot, run a successful wedding planning business in New York. When Eliot dies unexpectedly, he leaves half of the business to his younger, blonder girlfriend, Savannah. Through a series of trials and tribulations, Liv and Savannah end up running the business together and finding their own love stories along the way. It Had to Be You is more than just about Liv and Savannah. Like the movies Love Actually and He's Just Not That Into You, It Had to Be You weaves together the love stories of multiple interconnected couples. The book would make a fun romcom or television miniseries, and I would enjoy seeing all of the characters come to life! This is a fun and light summer read. My one content warning is death of a spouse/grief.

Throughout the book, I ended up falling for the couples and their love stories. I found myself enjoying reading about some of the love stories more than others, just like I did with the couples in the aforementioned movies. I also love reading books set in New York, so I liked that most of It Had to Be You was set in Brooklyn. There were fun references to New York business sprinkled throughout, including Books Are Magic, The Strand Bookstore, and Milk Bar. I also enjoyed that podcast host Jon Favreau and MSNBC host Rachel Maddow made cameos in one chapter!

I did find the book a little slow to start. It took me awhile to get invested but eventually I couldn't put it down. At first, it was hard to keep track of the many characters and couples. Some couples were focused on more than others. At times, multiple chapters would go by before checking in with a couple. It felt like the book would've benefited from focusing on fewer love stories. My next point is not necessarily a negative but may feel a tad cheesy for some readers. It Had to Be You is very much a romcom in that all of the characters have neat and tidy endings in the final chapters and the epilogue. While not necessarily realistic, the happy endings did make for an uplifting and cheerful end to the book.

Lots of good stories in this book, which was the actual problem I had with it. Too many characters and too many sidebar stories that connected with the thinnest thread. I couldn’t settle in with one story before it switched to the other. I did want to know what happened with all of them so kept reading, but it was just too much stuffed into one book for me.

It Had to Be You features an ensemble cast of characters connected to each other through the wedding business in New York City. Though the story has its heavier moments, it is a mostly optimistic tale of love and friendship blossoming despite adversity.

Liv and Eliot Goldenhorn have been partners in life and business for more than two decades, planning weddings for New Yorkers of all stripes and raising their son out of their New York brownstone. Their business, In Love in New York, caters to weddings of all kinds, and while Liv handles the people, Eliot handles the practical. And then, the unimaginable happens: Eliot has a heart attack and dies. Not at home, with Liv, but in Kentucky. With his mistress, a twenty-three year-old event planning intern.

Naturally, Liv’s life falls apart, and among that chaos appears Savannah Shipley, the very young intern her husband had been shtupping when he died. And with Savannah comes the unwelcome news that Eliot’s will bequeathed his half of their business to his naive, shiksa girlfriend. Said girlfriend wants to make the best of a bad situation- it’s not her fault Eliot died, and she didn’t know that he was married! Following a terrible review that made business trickle to a stop, Savannah is determined to make In Love in New York successful again. Given their mutual need for money and a purpose, Savannah and Liv have to work together, and maybe come to some kind of mutual understanding.

There are a number of other love stories entwined with the main arc, including gay couple Gorman and Henry, a couple on two different pages of life. They are florists, and while Gorman is middle-aged and content to be unmarried domestic partners, Henry longs to be married and have a baby. Then there’s Zia, a sometimes waitress and humanitarian, jumping from job to job around the world until she meets a gorgeous movie star who makes her want to stick around. Sam is a lonely divorcé working on building a life for his young daughter, while his business starts catering for In Love in New York. Zach and Darlene are musicians who have resisted the chemistry they feel when they perform, but enter into a fake relationship to deceive Zach’s judgemental parents. All of the characters learn and grow as the wedding season progresses, and have to figure out what exactly they are looking for.

The main issue I had with this book is how very much is crammed into it. While an ensemble romance has its appeal, this one has too many moving parts. A book like this can work when there is one principal couple, and then one or two secondary couples who complement the main storyline, but that isn’t really the case here. I would have been happier if the book had been longer, allowing more time for in-depth character development; if the author had had another hundred pages to play with, the characters would have had more breathing room. There are some really wonderful scenes with Liv and Savannah, and Liv and Sam, but they couldn’t land properly because the story had to pan to another character’s point of view. Alternatively, cutting a few points of view and writing a second book would have also alleviated the stress put on the story by the existence of too many subplots. Liv is the best established point of view character, and I think focusing on her relationship to all of the other characters would have strengthened the narrative and given it some focus. I really loved Savannah’s arc, but it would have been better served had it been given more space to develop.

The best love story, and the characters with the most chemistry by far are Zach and Darlene, who could have easily had a stand-alone story of their own. I liked most of the characters in general, though I found Gorman, and Zia’s love interest, to be less enjoyable. Gorman seems like a self-centered man who doesn’t appreciate his partner, and Zia’s love interest comes across as a man who doesn’t think about her needs, or listen to her issues. Zia shares deeply personal trauma with him, and he doesn’t take anything away from it and continues to make the same mistakes. The end is also problematic, as it ties everything up very neatly with a time-jump. I dislike such things when done to resolve issues rather than to give closure; the author just tells the reader what happened, and jumps to a happy future rather than actually doing the work on the page and showing us how that happy future is arrived at.

It Had to Be You has a lot of the attributes of a great read, and is certainly well written, but ultimately, it was far too busy and that didn’t serve the larger picture of the story. While parts of it were certainly enjoyable, I can’t really recommend it.

Uh… well… this book was not as described.

The summary makes it seem as though this story is going to be about Liv and Savannah as they navigate working together after Eliot dies and leaves his half of the business to Savannah (his mistress). In reality, it’s 5 different romance novels squished into one. I honestly feel like this one book could’ve been broken up into a 5 book series and would’ve faired better. Liv and Savannah do have a storyline following the business they’re now forced to run together. But it’s also about Henry and Gorman, the gay couple that owns the flower shop, Darlene and Zach, the DJ and Singer duo, and Zia and Clay, the waitress and the famous actor.

I liked each of these stories individually but I think the summary does this book a huge injustice. Being thrown into another couple’s story really threw me and then four there to be a total of 5 love stories? I had to completely change the idea of what I was reading in my mind and I don’t think I recovered from that. I also never felt like I got enough of each couple. Just as I was starting to get into their storyline, it switched to another.

Liv’s romance after her husband dies is maybe my favorite. I liked how she dealt with her grief and I would’ve enjoyed really diving into the complexities of their romance dynamic. Savannah’s story was slightly harder for me to get into and I think that’s because it was so choppy. She makes a pretty big realization about her life, but it comes off pretty quickly. Henry and Gorman were a hundred percent my least favorite couple and could’ve been eliminated completely. They didn’t bring anything to the other stories and I didn’t like their romance.

Zia and Clay were fun and I did like that Zia and Darlene were roommates so their stories tied together that way. However, they didn’t tie into Liv or Savannah. Darlene and Zach are the only other couple competing for favorites. They were very classic romance novel with a combination of friends to lovers and fake dating. I looked forward to each of their chapters.

Honestly, I don’t feel like I got much out of this book. There was a lot of bouncing back and forth and it felt like every character was underdeveloped. They would’ve been much better served had they each had their own book where the romance could’ve been fleshed out. I debated between 2 and 3 stars for a while, and honestly would’ve rated it a 2.5. But, because I think people will enjoy this story more once they know what they’re truly in for, I rounded up. I also never felt like I wanted to give up on the story and did enjoy most of it while I was reading.

I loved the premise of this but since we jumped from story to story I found myself less invested overall.

I loved this book. When a wedding planner dies, he leaves the business to his partner/ wife AND his mistress. The story that follows is not what you would expect. It is not a story of revenge or anger. Instead, it is a heartwarming love story.
It is a love story that reminds me of the movie Love Actually. it is smart, fun and you will not want to put it down.

Thank you Atria and Netgalley for my review of the book. All thoughts are my own.

Thank you for the opportunity to read this novel. I was not able to connect to the characters so I won't be leaving a full review.

This book was fun, light, and romantic. But nothing really major or eventful happens until about the 80% mark. I think it's a good book, but not riveting or as captivating as I would have liked. The cover art is absolutely gorgeous though and this would make a fun beach or vacation read.

From my blog: Always With a Book:

A few years ago I read Georgia Clark’s The Bucket List and really enjoyed it, so I was excited to pick up her latest book, especially when I heard it was being compared to the movie, Love Actually. That’s one of my favorite movies!!!

I am the first to admit, I don’t read a lot of romance books, but this one is so much more. Yes, in a way, it is about romance, but it’s also about grief and how we move on. It’s about second chances – in many different forms, and it’s also about love and the many different ways you can love someone. After all, what’s that saying – love is love is love? And when you set the whole thing against the backdrop of the wedding business, it could not have been more perfect. There were so many fun, quirky characters that we meet along the way and I just enjoyed them all.

I will say that this book is a little slow in the beginning, but don’t put it down. It’s is such a great story and one I know will be staying with me for a long time to come. I definitely recommend picking this one up!

It Had To Be You
Georgia Clark

This book was simply heartwarming and so wonderful to read about. It's a story that is centered on the wedding planning business that is run by Liv and Eliot Goldenhorn - but then Eliot dies suddenly and surprisingly leaves his half of the business to Savannah, his much younger girlfriend. Liv is not pleased with this situation but the writing was so amazingly well done that the many stories all meld together in a beautiful weaved conclusion full of love, hope and second chances. I am so fond of this story that really melted my heart. For all the romcom readers out there, please don't miss this amazing book.

i received a gifted ARC of the book.

This was such a good story! It reminded me of the movie Love Actually where there were multiple stories going on and they were linked in different ways. Not all the stories was happily ever after, but overall a very happy, good story!

One of the best books I’ve read this year. I don’t usually love multiple POVs, but Clark writes it flawlessly in a way that makes you fall in love with each character. An amazing romcom about growth, loss, and unexpected love.

This was such a cute book! It Had to Be You begins with Liv, a disgraced wedding planner struggling with the sudden death of her husband and business partner Eliot. Liv gets a surprise when Eliot's fling, Savannah, shows up, having inherited her husband's half of the business. Savannah wants to get the business back up and running, and we follow the story through a number of weddings they organize together. Along the way, we get glimpses into lots of different love stories starring members of the wedding crew. This book is a fun read with lots of heart, banter, and family dynamics.

Thank you to Atria/Emily Bestler Books for providing an ARC on NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I chose this book based solely on the title -- It Had to Be You. As a lover of the song and its prominent feature in one of my favorite films, When Harry Met Sally, it was a no-brainer for me, I couldn't say no!

This book made me smile like an idiot into my iPad and even made me cry happy tears. I loved how Clark interlaced 5 unique love stories together around a wedding planning business. It was heartwarming how at the center of all this love and wedding talk was a beautiful platonic friendship. I honestly feel like I should recommend this book to my wedding planner!

Clark made a point of building a world of diverse characters across age, race, marital status, sexuality, gender, and ability. While some might say this it's too much, it was so refreshing to have a cast of characters that don't all reflect one type of person or one type of love. It made the story such a delight to read while keeping the story bright, frothy, and just overall lovely.

I could see this being a fun TV series where they plan a new wedding every episode or three as we follow the characters who work in the wedding industry fall in love with each other throughout the season. Just trying to speak it into existence because I would watch the hell out of it.

Thank you to Net Galley and Atria Books for the e-arc of this book. I absolutely loved it.

Oh my heart! I loved this story so much. Being someone who lives in NYC and The Wedding Planner is a favorite movie of mine this book got me in all the feels. It's cute, reminded me of Love Actually and Valentine's Day, and Liv is now one of my favorite characters to read about. If you're looking for a heart warming story definitely add this one to your TBR. Many thanks to Atria for a copy of the ebook for my honest review.

This title from Berkley sits right at the border of romance and women’s fiction, with the slight edge going toward romance, in my opinion. Featuring an ensemble cast rather than one couple, the novel is written in the vein of the film, Love, Actually. There is a central character (/couple) and around them circulates ancillary couples that connect loosely to the main couple and to each other, each intertwined via the business of wedding planning in NYC. What could be lovelier? Executed with a light touch and populated with realistic and well-crafted characters, I fell hard for this romance.