🏠 Book Review 🏠

Mad About You by Mhairi Macfarlane
3/5 ⭐️

I have mixed feelings; the first half of this book I’d give 2/5 ⭐️ while the second half gets 4/5⭐️. I don’t really know where to begin so I’ll make a list.

1) Writing Style - if you have been taught by the American education system 🥲, this will be a difficult one. The slang was hard to figure out even with context clues. Sentences were so long and too descriptive that I couldn’t get into the book until the 50% mark.

2) Misleading Synopsis (MINOR SPOILERS) - The synopsis makes it sound like a rom com with the roommates trope but you only get the rom shoved in at the last minute and the com I genuinely just couldn’t understand (probably my fault tho cause American). The love interest is introduced like 40% in, but the story mainly revolves around Harriet and her trash exes.

3) Harriet the heroine - I didn’t love her but I didn’t hate her. She gave me a case of “I have a tragic back story and I’m gonna do some not so great things, but we’ll ignore that cause I have baggage.” Harriet in the first half I could not stand, but the second half I would be friends with.

4) Message - This was the redeeming quality of the book. I think the author did great in showing how manipulative emotionally abusive people can be. How they genuinely believe some of their lies and isolate their victims from their friends and family.

5) “Now go stand in the corner and think about what you did” - A jaw dropping show-stopping John Tucker must die moment. My favorite part of the entire book.

I think overall this book was okay, but the synopsis and the way this book turned out didn’t match up which turned me off from it. I think the book would’ve been better off starting at the 40% mark.

Thank you to @netgalley, @avonbooks, and @harpervoyagerus for this arc in exchange for a honest review! Mad About You comes out tomorrow, August 9th 💛

What a lovely book! This was my first Mhairi McFarlane read and I am officially a fan! I was warned ahead of time not to expect a cute little rom-com, as this author tends to write in more of the contemporary/women's fiction genre. Without this warning I might have been a bit disappointed, so I want to make sure to pass that wisdom on to you. Thankfully, disappointed, I was not!

To be honest, I was actually expecting chick lit of the Sophie Kinsella variety. As fun as those books can be, I’m glad that Mad About You was a heavier read that tackled more serious issues. I loved the characters and the way they helped each other grow and move on from their difficult pasts. I think anyone who has dated in their late 20’s-30’s can relate to Harriet and Cal in some way. They are both so genuine and relatable. The book touches on themes of grief, toxic relationships, gaslighting, and complicated friendships but it’s also a story about resilience and moving forward.

While this was definitely a heavier book, the writing is still chock full of that incredible banter, wit, and cheeky British humor that I crave. The connection between Cal and Harriet is heartwarming and hilarious and I could not get enough of these two! I really enjoyed this one and highly recommend it as long as you go in with the right expectations!

I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this book; all opinions are my own. Thank you to NetGalley and Avon Books for allowing me to be an early reader.

I’m giving this 3 stars rounded up from 2.5 because I’ve loved the authors other books and hoping this was just me and not the future of her work. This kind of fell flat for me.

Harriet is a wedding photographer and at her current job, the groom leaves the bride at the altar and leaves the best man (Sam) to explain things to some of the staff, including Harriet. He doesn’t do a great job, but life goes on and Harriet and her boyfriend Jon go away with his parents for the weekend where he proposes. When they get back home she realizes that she really doesn’t want to be with him anymore much less marry him, so she ends things and moves out of their house and finds a room to rent, not knowing that it is with Cal, the groom that ran out on the bride. They become sort of frenemies and while they live together pretend that there aren’t some sparks. But at the same time, at another wedding, she meets up with another of her ex’s and sees how he is with his current girlfriend and she wants to try to prevent her from living the same nightmare she went through.
There’s a lot of side drama and I wish it had been more focused on Harriet and Cal because that would have been adorable.
Thanks to Avon Books and NetGalley for this eArc in exchange for my review.

@read_pair_share review

Thank you @mhairimcf @netgalley @avonbooks @harpercollins for the chance to read and review this free eARC.

Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️.5 (0-5)
Steam: 🔥🔥 (0-5) Closed Door and only one brief scene.

Trigger Warnings:
🔬domestic emotional abuse
🔬loss of parents/orphaned as a child

What I’m Starry-Eyed Over:
🤩 I went in blind because I forgot to reread the book blurb like I usually do . . . one word: roommates!
🤩 Unique, intriguing, but not a romcom, and barely a romance; although, the part that’s romance is quite precious. Besides contemporary fiction, we could label this one some sort of emotional thriller.
🤩 The Prologue—you just need to know how it’s connected to the rest of the story! And a very tender, clever, sweet epilogue.
🤩 Strong theme of women supporting and uplifting each other.
🤩 I’m a sucker for British phrases—it’s bloody smashing!
🤩 Music splashed throughout.
🤩 MC is a wedding photographer—we get to experience some of her work life.
🤩 Some serious fun added into otherwise tough book topics because of dear friends like Lorna, Sam, & margarita karaoke nights!

What I’m Wishing/Dizzy About:
💫 My four stars is not for the book itself (which is quite wonderful and binge-worthy) but for the book blurb—it makes it seem way more romance, even romcom, when it’s actually pretty heavy, intense, and more like an emotional thriller.

This was my first by McFarlane and it’s a bit more women’s fiction than romance. We see our lead Harriet navigate past relationship drama including emotional manipulation and abuse. I appreciated her growth through the story, though wish we got a bit more of her love connection throughout. Enjoyed it overall and made for easy listening — thanks Harper Audio for my copy!

Thank you @netgalley and the publisher for this eARC! I have heard great things about this author so I was excited to jump in!

When you think a character can't get any more tragedy in their life, meet Harriett, because let's just say this girl takes quite a few hits. Harriett Hatley, wedding photographer with quite the relationship history, finds herself single and takes up as a roommate for a stranger, except she has seen him before. With that little twist of fate and a whole lot of bad luck, she finds herself still in the throes with her exes.

My heart hurt for Harriett from page one. That girl went through some crazy situations. When you think it couldn't get any worse, it did. But talk about girl power and full redemption character ARC! I loved watching her navigate through each challenge, hoping SOMETHING would turn out good! Especially since so many of these characters were just UGH! Team Harriett over here!

Cal was delightful, funny, and well the perfect shoulder to lean on. And Harriett's best friend was an absolute riot! Adored her!

My only struggle is some writing flow in the first 1/3 but I was told by a friend it was better listening to it. Could be the arc? I don't know but that did effect me getting into the book

All in all. Intense, thought provoking, and great story telling. Great book for women's fiction lovers who love a strong female lead!

Harriet calls off her engagement to the seemingly perfect man and moves in with Cal, a complete stranger. As they get to know each other, it is clear they both have experienced their own heartbreaks, and that they each are running from something. As Harriet’s world falls apart, Cal is there for her in unexpected ways.

The romance was secondary in this story, the real focus here was on the characters, particularly Harriet, and her growth. It does have a heavy plot and deals with past emotional abuse, however, the way Harriet navigates her past and eventually learns to let go of it, is amazing. Her strength throughout the story is inspiring.

Although the romance wasn’t the main focus, the interactions between Harriet and Cal were *chef’s kiss*. I loved them together in all phases of their relationship, and was rooting for them from the very beginning. They were so sweet together, and really supported each other in amazing ways.

The last third or so of this book was incredibly powerful and it was amazing to see Harriet face her past so she could take ownership of her future. There was a section at the end where a group of unexpected women came together and really created a powerful support system for each other and it was so beautiful.

Thank you to Avon Books for the gifted copy.

I always love reading any of Mhairi McFarlane books. They are always the best romance books to read, so I was already pumped to read her newest book a few weeks early before release day. And I have some conflicted feelings about it.

From reading the book summary, we were getting opposite attracts with the close proximity trope in Mad About You. Yet, it fell flat for me. I understood that both of the main characters were opposites of each other, but it does not mean to belittle their personality or what they believe in. I truly felt that Harriet was such a mean female character. Just how she behaves with others, especially with Cal, is just uncalled for. I just can’t stand her so much that it ruined the book for me.

This was a cute book! I read it while at the beach and it was perfect for that. Light and fluffy with a dash of humor and romance. It was a fun read!

Starting off, this is my first book from this author. But the premise of this book really hooked me and I was so excited about the roommates trope that was included. This book was really enjoyable, while simultaneously provoking some real emotions.

I should state that this book is less about the romance between Harriet and Cal, her roommate/landlord. If anything, their story is a side plot. But I think that's also why I really enjoyed reading this. The story really goes into depth about all types of relationships- from romantic ones, to friendships, to unhealthy ones, and even just the end of them, whether it be by death or breaking things off. This story covers some heavy topics that I found not only interesting, but emotionally intelligent as well. You almost start to review your own personal experiences and there was a lot of self-growth and development for these characters- especially Harriet, the main character/narrator.

Without giving too much away, this story made me laugh, made me emotional, but also made me think. In an indirect way, the author almost puts up a mirror to the reader's life and makes you think about how you've viewed your own relationships and the complexities that human emotions can have.

I found the story really beautiful and the epilogue gave me so many fuzzy feelings. There is a HEA, which I was really happy to see, because Harriet deserved it, but it's definitely worth the read. I look forward to reading more by this author!

I really enjoy this author and this might be my favorite book of hers yet. I appreciated that it was a little silly but still covered serious issues. I also wasn’t sure I’d be able to buy the main characters together because the setup was so contrived, but I was rooting for them in the end.

“You know the school science project where you dip a penny in a fizzy drink and it came out shining and new? That’s how you’ve made me feel. Thank you for being the off brand cola to my coin.”

Mad About You was not the love story I thought it was going to be. It was much more focused on the heroine conquering her past and being determined to fight for a future she deserved!! The romance definitely took a back seat but I still love an enemies to lovers, forced proximity trope (even if it’s subtle!)

I was very skeptical of this book because I have friends who have read other books by Mhairi McFarland and didn’t love them but I could not put this book down!! Mhairi completely captured my attention with her character development and plot twists!!

Harriet is a wedding photographer who recently dumped her fiancé only to (unknowingly) move in with a runaway groom from one of her previous jobs. Harriet and Cal may not start off as friends but their relationship turns into one that’s filled with support, acceptance, and love.

Harriet’s friend Lorna is the real MVP. Every girl needs a friend like Lorna who tells you the truth even when it’s not what you want to hear. It’s also the type of friend that will help you get away with murder by burying the body themselves (figuratively, not literally!).

This book is not heavy on the romance but I would definitely still recommend it for those that love to see jerk ex-boyfriends get what they deserve!

“You don’t have a place in my heart. You have it.”

This was such a big disappointment. I have really liked some books from this author before but this fell flat for me -- it was boring, staid and uninspired. A bit of the plot reminded me of Lease on Love, which I loved and wholeheartedly recommend over this book! The book just read as if the author was trying to crow bar emotion and reasons for such emotion and it just didn't work. It didn't feel organic or real. Hope you have better luck!

Mad About You comes out next week on August , 2022 and you can purchase HERE.

"Read me the menu again, would you? I've totally forgotten what we're having for main course," Jonathan said, swinging his gleaming silver Mercedes lustily around a corner, precariously close to a drystone wall.

*Special thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing this e-ARC in exchange for an honest review. Pub date: August 9, 2022

While I generally dislike any book touting the idea that if you’re unwed or single in your 30s, then you’re doomed to be an old maid, this one got past it decently. The dialogue/internal dialogue does go off the rails quite frequently at the beginning, and I think we got some stream of consciousness from the author. It can be confusing at times, as is the plot. Halfway through the book I wasn’t sure if this was a strangers to lovers romance, women's fiction about finding yourself, or a revenge against the exes book. Because of all the cloak and dagger of Harriet’s past in the first half of the book, it’s difficult to understand where she’s coming from and root for her. When it does come to light, I wish there had been a trigger warning provided. An intensely emotionally abusive relationship in her past, and her ex is back. That being said, after the halfway point this picked up and was a fun read—definitely more women's fiction, as there’s only a tiny drop of romance throughout and I was yearning for more page time for Harriet and Cal.

It's true -- I have my heart set on devouring everything Mhairi McFarlane writes. After falling head over heels for Just Last Night, I thought I would enjoy more of her books. Then I picked up Mad About You and it was confirmation that my instincts were correct. And now I have this whole wonderful backlist to delve into and I am over the moon excited.

Mad About You had a bit of a slow start for me and I did not read through it at the speed I had anticipated. This book was much more of a slow burn. However, turns out, I loved it just the same, even though it did take me a little longer to get into. This book is about Harriet Hatley who is getting engaged as the book opens. Only, she breaks off the engagement rather quickly and must find a new place to live that isn't with her ex-fiance. She ends up letting a room from Cal, who it turns out, is the groom who got cold feet at a wedding she recently photographed. We then learn that Harriet has quite a past with some emotional trauma from a previous relationship. She learns her ex is about to get married and takes a risk to reach out to the new girl. It backfires spectacularly.

At the same time, Harriet finds that she feels so different from Cal, the man she is letting a room from. Yet, there's this undeniable spark there. They develop a friendship, but it has such a rocky start and some more rocky moments. Harriet needs to heal before she can even consider moving forward in any kind of a relationship. But, the romance bits, they are just a side feature of Mad About You. The story is more about female solidarity. Whether that is solidarity given by her best friend Lorna (who I love and admire ardently) or solidarity given by Harriet to Marianne, her ex's fiance, it's about looking out for your fellow woman. It took me a little to warm up to this book, but by the end I was besotted with Mad About You and found myself wishing the story would go on because I was so emotionally invested.

3.5
Thank you to Avon Books and Netgalley for sending me an e-ARC of this book to read and review! I loved the London setting as well as the roommates to friends to lovers vibe that was happening here. I also loved the female friendships and standing up for themselves in toxic environments. That was a really great aspect and I think it added to Harriet' character growth immensely. I would have loved more of the love story. I did think the healing and backstory was necessary, but I feel like the end of the book felt a bit rushed. I just wanted more time with Cal and Harriet because I thought they worked so well together. Overall, this was a super cute read!

4.5 ⭐️
📸
This is my second Mhairi McFarlene book and I loved it! Her writing style is so fun and addicting. I couldn’t stop reading this book!
📸
Harriet is a wedding photographer and loves it even if she’s a self-proclaimed never to wed woman. Which throws off her long-term boyfriend who’s proposed to her! Suddenly she needs to find a new flat and meets Cal. Only she told him she had a boring life but the drama that follows her is FULL BLOWN DRAMA! Wow. Poor Harriet was knocked down a time or two.
📸
Her growth at the end was spectacular! I wish there had been a little more romance but what we got was also perfect for the characters I think but of course I want a little more. The girl power in this was 💪🏻 and Lorna is a perfect side character. And Sam! And Marianne! I’d love to revisit these characters in a spin-off book.
📸
Content: some language, closed door romance and emotional abuse
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Thank you to the publisher and Net Galley for the e-arc. This book releases next week! These are my own thoughts and opinions.

Harriet and Cal are described as chalk and cheese which makes no sense to me. I did end up liking Cal a lot, though. He's witty, charming, and gives Harriet a lot of good advice. The story wasn't my thing, but if you like cheesy romances then this is for you!

This is my third Mhairi Mcfarlene book and it is definitely my favorite. With her books I think it's hard to know what to expect, but I really enjoyed this one.

First off, this is very much more of a women's fiction. While there is a lovely romance it is not at all the main focus or the main storyline. I have to admit there was a lot going on. So the romance to me was definitely on the back burner in this one.

I loved the normalizing of domestic violence and how it doesn't have to be physical to be severe and profoundly affect you. I feel like with MM's books this isn't a "light" romcom. It deals with hard topics. I definitely had an emotional response.

The chemistry between Harriet and Cal was natural and very easy. I really enjoyed their banter and the flow of their friendship before their relationship progresses.

There was a lot of drama. I don't know if all of it was super necessary. Especially Harriet's friendship plot line. I could've done without it honestly.

Overall, this is a sweet story about a badass woman and finding your own way. And the ending was super satisfying.

4 ⭐️

Another reviewer wrote, “This is the edgiest, most angsty, triggering, intense Mhairi McFarlene book I’ve ever had!” and I honestly couldn’t have said it better myself.

Going into this book I didn’t totally understand what this book was about, but assumed it was a cute HEA romcom. It definitely had its parts, but that’s just the side story. This is a story about the main character Harriet, and her personal growth. This was a story examining toxic relationships and the many forms it can take. This was a heart wrenching, anxiety inducing (in a good way), rewarding story that I’m so glad I was able to read.

There were a few things that I got hung up on, like the pacing. I didn’t understand what was happening and that the relationship with Hattie and Cal was not the main focus for farrr too long; I understand the need for all of the background with the exes but at times it was a bit much to try and keep track of it all. I also felt that when Harriet & Cal finally got together, it was a bit rushed. Mhairi wrote such a beautiful, genuine budding relationship between the two of them, I wanted it to last a few more pages than it did! Cal seems like such a great book boyfriend, I wanted to see him make Harriet laugh a bit longer <3

Overall this book wrecked me and I loved it. Once I got over the initial struggles of understand just WHAT this book was about, I was hooked. Definitely would recommend, but only if you’re in the mood for a book to hurt a bit. Also, be sure to check for any triggers as there is a lot of gaslighting, mental abuse, bullying, and other toxic relationship issues.

Thank you Mhairi McFarlane for writing another gem, as per usu.

Also, thanks so much to NetGalley, Avon and Harper Voyager for the much appreciated ARC in return for an honest review.