love love loved this!

A great kickstart to my summer 2021 reading and loved everything about Georgia Clark's It Had to Be You. I thought the story was sweet and even special.

Liv is the owner of a booming wedding planning business but is caught off guard the day she receives the news of her husband and business partner's unexpected death. She learns his much younger girlfriend inherits half of the legacy she and he had worked endlessly to create.

What follows is a wide cast of characters. Some were likable, some became excessive. It wasn't the warm and fuzzy romance I thought I was signing up for. It was full of hope, and a tale of second chances. Worth checking out.

This is NOT your average rom com. A fun, honest look at life and love. I loved these characters and their journeys so much, but the thing that towers above all else: THIS is how you write an inclusive story. So we’ll done!

Full of emotions, this is a must read. What would you do if your husband died and left half your business to the other woman? Humorous and heartwarming, this story will drag you in and won't let go. The cast of characters is fantastic! I believe I will be thinking about this one for awhile. It's a perfect beach read for rom-com fans!

“Love was real, and people were good, and there was hope for the entire human race.”

Sometimes you need to read and reaffirm what you truly believe. It Had To Be you feels like a whiff of fresh air and a hug from an old friend, all at once. I love reading anything to do with weddings, anything that is set in New York - this, thankfully for me, had the best of both.

In Love in New York is a successful wedding planning business run by Eliot and Liv Goldenhorn. Until one fine day, when Eliot dies and leaves the business to his much younger girlfriend, Savannah. The book weaves an interesting colourful narrative of their unlikely partnership and the stories of five dynamic and unique couples in the wedding business who find their lives playing out against the vibrant landscape of New York.

This book made me feel all the feelings. These are characters and couples who have you rooting for them every step of the way. They are diverse, colourful and have their hearts in the right places. Reading this had me enter their worlds, laugh, cry and cheer for their new beginnings. This is a beautiful and joyous read - about unlikely friendships, second chances, being your own person and showing us how where you are loved and where you are home are always one and the same thing. If you want to lift your spirits and smile from ear to ear, pick this up and you’re in for a treat.

Huge shoutout and big thank you to @georgialouclark and @meganrudloff for the review copy! #Netgalley #ItHadToBeYou

I tried reading this book but couldn't get into it. I feel like it's unfair to leave a review if I haven't finished. Thanks for the opportunity to read this.

Liv and Eliot's wedding-planning business is thriving, celebrating marriage even as their's withers. But Eliot's unexpected death reveals a younger girlfriend who's inherited half of the company; what's a wife to do?

Oh, this book. If you are looking for a read that is relatable, and will also make your heart happy this is it. I would compare the format to Love, Actually or Valentine’s Day, but it’s also a thousand times better than each of those movies. I said what I said. It starts with a dramatic and scandalous opening, and then starts weaving in the ripples of how these different characters are all connected.

Each storyline was fantastic! Deep subjects were touched on. but the story never lost its hope. I loved reading all the different types of relationships, and it wasn’t just limited to if they were gay or straight. There was the ideas of race, faith, age, and economic and social status. Each character had depth, and the inter-sectionalism really played out well as the story progressed. Additionally, different types of love were also explored, like the love between friends, parent and child, siblings, etc.

There was also a bit of steam, but this wasn’t an over the top steamy romance. It worked well for each scenario and didn’t feel forced for the sake of it “needing” to have the content.

Simply I will say, if you love the idea of love, read this book. I think there is something to be found for anyone who has dared to love.

CW: transphobia, deadnaming, homophobia, death of a spouse, sexism, abusive relationship (not graphic), infidelity, divorce

In the beginning I was very invested in the storyline, but then all of these other couples popped up that I didn’t care for. I found myself skimming over some parts to just get to the couples I was invested in. I was given an e-galley because of my review for 28 SUMMERS I don’t think I would recommend it to that reader.

If you love books with a wide cast of characters or love the movie Love, Actually- 𝐈𝐭 𝐇𝐚𝐝 𝐓𝐨 𝐁𝐞 𝐘𝐨𝐮 will be up your alley!

It is a charming and sweet romance with many laugh out loud moments. One of my favorite aspect of this book is the diverse cast and representation; however, it was just too large of a cast that sometimes I drifted away and lost track of some of the storyline.

This book also delved into some serious topics such as racism, privileges, unhealthy relationship habits, and interracial relationships. All of which I felt were written with care and sensitivity.

If you are looking for a fun, quick summer read, pick this wholesome book up!

Many thanks to @netgalley and @atriabooks for providing me with a gifted copy in exchange for an honest review.

This was a cute, quick and fun read. I was able to get through it fairly quickly and enjoyed it. This is one I would recommend to friends if they are searching for something lighthearted.

From the first paragraph, I knew this book would be a good one. I immersed myself into the book from the first chapter and I cannot say enough good things about this book! Honestly amazing! The writing is incredible and the plot is just one to die for. I am absolutely obsessed with this book. My favorite part would have to be the character development throughout the book. Character development is something I look forward to and this book did not disappoint.

This book starts off very interesting. Liv Goldenhorn is a successful wedding planner in New York. When her husband dies, she finds that he has left his half of the Wedding Planning business to his much younger girlfriend. YIKES. What follows gets a little tangled due to how many different stories are interwoven through this book. I think if Georgia Clark had kept the plot to focus on these two women and their individual romances, it would have been easier to follow.

Thank you @atriabooks @netgalley for my review copy!

Liv and her husband are partners in a wedding planning business, when he dies, he leaves his half of the business to.... his mistress. 😬
Cue the awkwardness, hilarity, and feelings. We follow multiple characters who are a part of this business and their romantic relationships.

At first I was a little confused because there are so many characters and different storylines in this book. Once I got the hang of who was who, I really liked the variety of stories and it kept a nice pace for the book. It reminded me of movies like Valentine’s Day and New Year’s Eve.

I also thought it was a nice blend of fun RomCom and more serious relationship issues.

This book has great characters and several interesting storylines. I was actually invested in all the couples of this story, which goes to show how well the author managed to make to a large cast of characters interesting, each with depth and their own original storyline. The only thing I would change is the length of the book. It is so long that it feels like more than one book. With so many diverse characters and subplots, it almost felt like a main plot was missing (aside form the fact that the characters are interconnected). This would make for a great series.

So many layers of love! Georgia Clark’s writes all of these characters in such a grounded, believable voice. I’ve never felt so hopeful and positive after reading a romance. I want to buy a copy for all my friends. Go read it!

It Had to Be You is a strongly character driven novel that gave me strong "Valentine's Day" vibes with it's ensemble of characters. While the romances were witty and I found myself chuckling and aww-ing a few times in the book, I found the end of the book to be a little bit hasty, and I was not fully satisfied by the time I reached the conclusion. I did love how many facets of relationships were noted within in this book, however, and I appreciated the diversity of experiences throughout the novel. It was a cute, lively, and sweet read, and while I might not necessarily pick it up again, I thoroughly enjoyed myself while reading the stories of Liv, Samantha, and all the interconnected relationships that circled out from them.

Thank you to Atria books and Netgalley for this e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.

IT HAD TO BE YOU is simply a lovefest. Filled with humor, honesty, and vulnerability where everyone takes a chance and follow their hearts. The stories are connected by a common bond however each of the four stories could be its own book, yet they blend brilliantly together
Meet Liv Goldenhorn, widow and her new business partner Savannah Shipley, her husband’s girlfriend. Elliot Goldenhorn died and left his share of the wedding planning business In Love In New York to Savannah. Two unlikely and complete opposite partners who find friendship in the most funny and unexpected #GirlSquadGoals way.

The great thing about It Had to Be You, Liv and Savannah road to friendship is sprinkled with four love stories – spectacular diverse love stories. The stories included second chance romances, LGBTQ+ romances plus a great interracial secret celebrity romance – my favorite. I love a great Hollywood Romance!
The book’s charm is you spend the perfect amount of time with every character’s story. Even though the plot is devoted to Liv and Savannah’s emerging relationship, each love story has its own arc and amazingly easy to track and stay connected. My #1 is Clay and Zia because they are simply perfect and adorable.
If you like reading warm and fuzzy stories set in my favorite city in the world – New York City, grab a copy of It Had to Be You. Trust me, you will find yourself singing the song by the end of the book. I certainly did….

It Had to Be You is the Love Actually of romance novels. This is right up my alley. I love these stories where a whole network is created around a character - we don't just meet their token best friend, we get to flit through their entire circle., stopping at each pairing to learn their stories and secrets.

Liv Goldenhorn has run the wedding planning service, In Love in New York, with her husband Eliot for the last twenty years. In the middle of a wedding, Liv learns that her husband has died from the woman he was having an affair with. And it turns out that same woman, Savannah, who is much younger and blonder, has been left half of their business. Neither knows why, but they must make the best of it or face financial ruin.

As they start to plan weddings together, we meet their friends and coworkers - the flower shop owners, caterers, wedding singers, and waiters that make these important days come together. Every character goes through trials and tribulations. Some seek comfort from friends, friends turn to lovers, new romances blossom, and marriages go through peaks and valleys. Glimpses of love at all its stages.

My one complaint - we never actually found out why Eliot left half the business to Savannah. Sure, it forces Liv out of her rut and gives the vibe of "he knows what she needs better than she does", but that's not enough for me. That decision could have turned out very badly if this wasn't a romance novel! Highhanded much, Eliot?

rounding up from 2.5! while the premise of this book is definitely unique and interesting, i found that there were too many storylines and subplots that didn't overly connect. i was most interested in zach and darlene's story and definitely interested in the way darlene's character would evolve, being a Black woman faced with a rich, white family. overall, each set of characters was interesting in its own way, but the book overall felt too cluttered.