This one was so good! I loved that while being a “romance”. This had more to do with the growth of the characters. This is my first book from this author and will not be my last!

I love this book! Thank you to Avon Books for this ARC on NetGalley… it comes out August 9th!

Mad About You is perfect for fans of Delilah Green Doesn’t Care, The Flatshare, and It Ends with Us. I absolutely loved this book. It’s short and character-driven. It tackles themes that you wouldn’t expect from a rom com, and though it definitely draws on tropes from the genre, I definitely wouldn’t put it in the box of your average rom-com. Mad About You is a progressive story about women supporting women, about having the courage to seek the love we deserve, and about how to truly be there for the people we love.

A super unique and fulfilling read… I can’t recommend it enough! I hope you read it.

This is my Goodreads review. I will also include my thoughts on Mad About You in an upcoming TikTok video!

Thank you so much to NetGalley for allowing me the opportunity to read an ARC of "Mad About You" by Mhairi McFarlane, slated to release on August 9th, 2022.

Overall, I rated this novel a 4/5 stars!

The book follows Harriett, who works as a wedding photographer. At one of her jobs, the groom stands up the bride. Harriett leaves her boyfriend Jonathan and ends up accidentally moving in with the runaway groom. If this doesn't spell out a recipe for awkwardness, I don't know what does! She's never met the groom before the day she moves in, but she remembers the best man, Sam - who had to tell Kristina that the wedding had been called off.

As another portion of the story's plot, Harriett writes a letter to a hairdresser named Marianne, expressing her concerns about her impending nuptials to Scott, another one of her exes, who is controlling and abusive. She also connects with a few of his other exes, and they all team up and become fast friends. Nothing dangerous about that at all, now is there?!

Harriett also learns, throughout the duration of the book, that not all of her friends are truly her "friends". But you need to read this novel yourself in order to find out more!

I need everyone to hear this loud and clear: Mad About You is contemporary fiction, NOT romance. Pay no mind to two people on an illustrated cover.

Ultimately, Mad About You is about female solidarity and about dealing with the long term effects of a coercive, controlling relationship. I went into this one blind, and it took a bit to get on track. I wasn't sure for the first 25-30% where Harriet's story going. She's a 30-year old wedding photographer, who gets blindsided by her boyfriend's proposal and ends up needing to find a new living situation right quick. But those are just the plot points on the way to a much bigger, more important story. It just takes awhile to get to what that is.

I loved Harriet's friendship with Lorna, her developing camaraderie with her housemate Cal and his BFF Sam, but
while I enjoyed it well enough there were things that just took me out of it. For example, Facebook plays way too big a role in this for a main character who's 30. Overall Harriet should have known that weaponizing social media was the first obvious move. It just didn't ring true for a young millennial character for that to come as a surprise, given how many examples we've seen in IRL.

CW: Past coercive controlling relationship, gaslighting, a dad who tries to hookup with his son's female friends

Something I prepare for every time I pick up a Mhairi McFarlane book- I will be staying up late to finish it without fail. And this one was no different!

The best parts of her books are always the dialogue and banter between the characters- she writes AMAZING one liners too. This book was filled with them, especially from the best friend Lorna who is hands down my absolute favorite character in the story. 😂 She’s hilarious and the overall character interactions gives me major Bridget Jones meets Gilmore Girls vibes.

Not to say this book is just a light and fluffy rom-com. Like many of McFarlane’s books, Mad About You tackles deep issues and walks you through some dark times in Harriet’s life (the MC). She’s coming out of a relationship and broken engagement where they both wanted two different things and as the story continues, there’s some really unsettling twists about her past with other men as well.

I found this story to be all-too relatable and I loved the way the characters pulled themselves out of very toxic situations and still got their happily ever afters. Despite the heavier topics, this book made me laugh, cry, and yell with the characters and I zipped through the book in under a day.


I will say that I feel like this was her book with the least amount of romance, but it was also one of my favorites of hers to read. Most of the movement with the love interests recognizing their feelings for each other happened in the last 10% of the book, so if you’re looking for strictly trope filled romance, this probably isn’t the book for you. But then again, Mhairi McFarlane’s books have always been about so much more than romance so that shouldn’t be a surprise to readers of hers. :)

I will always pick up a Mhairi McFarlane book. She’s a very talented writer and makes you care so much about her characters. Definitely another five star read!

Possible TW/CW: toxic in-laws, narcissism, gaslighting, emotional abuse, cheating, death of parents, bullying, doxing

**Thank you to NetGalley & Avon and Harper Voyager for this ARC to review**

Going into this Mhairi MacFarlane book I was expecting: incredible characters, cheeky banter and swoony romance. Expectations exceeded with a huge dollop of unexpected angst, grit and some triggers (emotional abuse). I absolutely love the writing and love love that MacFarlane’s fmcs have strong female friendships where in the friends are side characters but developed enough that you can see they are leads of their own lives and stories.
Fantastic read.
Thanks to Netgalley and Avon’s and Harper Voyager for an eARC of this book!

3.5 Stars!

I'm ashamed to admit that this is my first Mhairi McFarlane read. As an active consumer of BookTok and bookstagram content, I have often seen love for her work. But for whatever reason, I just hadn't gotten around to reading one of her books before now.

For starters, I believe the book is done a disservice by being marketed as a romance. The cover alone sets the reader up believing the romance between Harriet and Cal will be the main storyline. It is not. In fact, there are probably two or three other storylines present in this book that get more "screen time" than the romance. Because my expectations looked one way going in, it took me a while to adjust to plot.

Once I finally settled into the story, I loved the writing style. McFarlane's narration felt unique, her dialogue fast-paced and smart. One of my favorite aspects overall was that the characters had a lot of dimension. These are individuals who are flawed and imperfect. While Harriett navigated healing from trauma, Cal struggled with very honest feelings about family dynamics based on personal experience. Throughout, the character development was never stagnant, driving the plot forward from the very beginning.

Until the 75% mark, this was a 4-star read. Then, the pacing shifted and there was a lot taking place in a short period of time. In comparison, the first half felt much more balanced.

Thank you to NetGalley, Avon and Mhairi McFarlane for an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

Harriet is a successful wedding photographer, but spending so much time around weddings has convinced her that she never wants to get married. So when her long-time boyfriend ambushes her with a proposal in front of his awful family, she ends their relationship and finds herself in need of a new apartment as soon as possible. Thankfully, Cal had his own wedding-related disaster and quickly needed a new roommate. But as Cal and Harriet become friends, her past comes back to haunt her. This was not at all what I expected, but it was incredible! When I picked this book up, I expected it to be a light and sweet romance about someone getting out of a relationship and ending up in a roommates to friends to lovers situation. Instead, this was a heartfelt novel about a woman regaining her confidence and self-esteem after an emotionally abusive relationship. This book was incredibly well written. I loved the characters in this story, especially Harriet's close friendships, which were the main relationship focus of this book. I also loved the roommate relationship between Harriet and Cal. It was the sweet romance I expected, but it wasn't the focus of the story. This was the first book by Mhairi McFarlane that I have picked up, and I can't wait to read more! This was an emotional but heartwarming read that I really enjoyed!

Between her job as a wedding photographer and a string of bad relationships, Harriet Hatley is put off the idea of ever getting married. After her own relationship ends in a botched proposal, Harriet is desperate to find a new place to live. She soon finds herself housemates with a familiar stranger, Cal Clarke. Cal was cautiously searching for a new renter after his own romantic misfortune. They have a bit of a bumpy start but they are able to strike up a friendship in spite of being stark opposites.

Like all of Mhairi McFarlane’s books, Mad About You leans more toward Contemporary Fiction than Romance. There is a romantic, opposites attract element to the plot but it is not the main focus. The book follows Harriet and her journey to getting her life back together. It shows her extensive growth and maturity that she is unwilling to see others suffer the way that she had in the past. The running theme throughout Mad About You is the importance of letting go of the toxic people from your past whether they be exes, outgrown friends, or difficult family members.

There is a very heavy undertone to this book so be aware of some triggers I came across before starting the book.
Triggers: emotional abuse, cheating partners, emotional manipulation, bullying, physical abuse/fighting

I’ve read several books from this author in the past and each one is better than last. She has a way of weaving difficult and sensitive topics into the plot in a thoughtful but prominent way. There’s something very “real” about her characters and their situations. I found both Harriet and Cal to be relatable in different ways.

I look forward to reading whatever Mhairi McFarlane writes next.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own. Thank you to NetGalley & Avon and Harper Voyager!

Mad About You wasn’t totally what I was expecting, and I don’t think I’m upset about it.

From the blurb, I expected a lighthearted roommates to lovers story with some shenanigans peppered in. And there were bits that made me laugh, but this was actually much more serious than I anticipated.

The first half of this book felt a little disjointed. A few chapters in a row would give the impression that we’re headed for the romcom you expect, then the next few chapters would hinge on Harriet’s rough exes. And then another chapter centered on her growing respect for Cal. However, it does start to pull together into something more powerful and cohesive after the midpoint. And honestly, if I weren’t reading with a review in mind, I might not have even noticed.

I really, really appreciated how this book dealt with abusive relationships. That can be such a hard situation to navigate, and I think more novels like this can give people a hopeful model for seeing this behavior in their own lives.

Thank you to Avon and NetGalley for this early edition!

I've been looking forward to reading Mhairi McFarlane for a while and this book was a great introduction. But wow did it feel like this was a roller coaster!

This book feels, at times, like it is really all over the place. She dumps her boyfriend! She moves! Crazy other stuff starts to go down! And it had me thinking at times that I didn't really understand the overall arc of the book. Was this a revenge romance? A sweet landlord romance? A romance set in the wedding industry?

Really, this book is all of that, ultimately landing on a story about a woman who finds more and more strength in herself. I love the main characters, I just wish that there had been more internal description of what Harriet likes about Cal besides that he's very good-looking and he's nice. But really, he sounds pretty great, so I get it without all that. It felt like the HEA got a bit lost in the weeds of other plot lines, nicely coming together at the end, but without the same umph and depth I've gotten from other novels.

That all makes it sound like I didn't like it, but I really did! Harriet is great as a woman who's life is really chaotic and Cal seems great too, though I also would have loved for a few chapters from his POV. The roller coaster plot resolves well and everything introduced early on paid off in the end. I would definitely read more of McFarlane's books and I look forward to tackling her back catalog soon!

I have been a massive fan of Mhairi’s work for years! She crafts the character with so many complexities, they feel real. I will say I almost DNFed this book- In the beginning, I struggled to get into it and there were a ton of pop culture/celebrity references. I don’t know if perhaps it was a cultural divide or if I am just THAT unknowledgeable. Still, I felt like a lot of the sense of humor from these characters was heavily based on them and since I didn’t understand the references, I felt like I lost that connection. It wasn’t until about 20% into the book that I felt hooked!

Was it what I was expecting? No.
Did that make me love it? YES.

Although there is romance sprinkled towards the end, this book is very much Women’s Fiction. Ultimately about a woman named Harriet who is forced to confront her past relationships (not just romantically), to begin anew. This is not a fluffy romcom, despite the cover looking like so, but it delves into heavy topics such as grief and emotional abuse. I enjoyed Harriet as a character, who was constantly trying her best. I adored Cal, even though I wanted more of him, I felt like he was genuine and an actual stable human lol. But I LOVED LORNA (the best friend, ride-or-die, will kick your butt if you mess with her loved ones)! Come on now, we all need a Lorna in our life!!!!

*spoiler below*
I feel like the John Tucker Must Die moment needs a shoutout/slow cap…. Ladies, ASSEMBLE!

Thank you to Avon and Harper Voyager and Netgalley for gifting me this copy in exchange for my honest review.

4.5 Stars! Wow. this book was such a surprise to me. My first time reading a book by Mhairi McFarlane, and I admit I went into it thinking it would just be a cute, light chick-lit. This book has a lot of depth and TW: emotional abuse - but told in such a way that made it feel real but not overly heavy. Harriet is one of my favorite characters - and although the story took me a minute to get into - I did not want the book to end. This book has heart and friendship and resilience and is just one I loved. THE ENDING. The ending was my favorite.

If you are a fan of Josie Silver books - I think you'll really love this one also!

Thank you to Avon & NetGalley for the advance copy in exchange for an honest review!

Thank you to NetGalley and HarperCollins for an eARC in exchange for a review. All opinions are my own.

This is my second book from Mhairi McFarlane, and one of the things that I really enjoy about her stories is that she takes a very hard topic and makes it very personal. Her books are about women and their relationships - both the good and the bad - and how these characters struggle, grow and ultimately triumph over adversity.

Mad About You is primarily a story about abusive relationships and how FMC Harriet learns to process her past trauma in order to have the future she wants for herself. I liked how all of the storylines and side characters fit together, and while still being a work of fiction, I felt the realness of the emotions and actions of Harriet and others.

The romance in this book is very minimal, and while I can still wish there was more page time for this cute couple, I recognize that this book is not meant to be about a romance between a FMC and MMC. Harriet’s emotional and mental healing is the point, and I think Mhairi does a very good job of telling this character’s story.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Genre: Contemporary Women’s Fiction
Age Level: Adult
Content: language, depictions of past emotionally abusive relationships, gaslighting, etc.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for an advance reader's copy of this book.

I'm a huge fan of Mhairi McFarlane, so it's no surprise that I loved this book. The protagonist Harriet Hatley feels real, and I was rooting for her all the way. I loved watching her come to terms with what happened in her past and figure out her own culpability, as well as how her past continued to affect her. Her love interest was dreamy; her best friend was ideal. McFarlane's writing makes me laugh while giving me a good, emotional story, and that's rare.

The connection between Cal and Harriet is so genuine and realistic! This book was about so much more than romance though, like so many of Mhairi McFarlane's books. Mad About You talks and deals with mental abuse, gaslighting, learning to trust/be yourself, and letting go of the past.

After her boyfriend, Jon, proposes to Harriet (a wedding photographer) on his parent's 40th wedding anniversary, she has to let him down easily. I mean she has told him many times that she doesn't want to get married so why would he embarrass them both with this charade. Harriet becomes Cal's lodger who coincidently is the runaway groom from a wedding she photographed a while ago. Despite their rough start, Cal turns out to be the supportive person she needs when Jon doesn't take no for an answer and becomes a little unhinged and even sends his mother to confront her at her new place. This is not the end though when Harriet's abusive and manipulative ex-boyfriend Simon (and his fiance) turn up at a wedding she is hired to photgraph. She knows she has to do something to help this woman who has the same look that she did when she was in a relationship with him. So she writes his fiance a letter and gives it to her at her place of work. This can only end well right???

Don't let the blurb fool you, this is not a lighthearted romance. Yes there is chemistry and it is enemies to lovers but that really takes a backseat to Harriet's story. I absolutely loved her as well as her best friend Lorna who is so steadfast and supportive throughout the whole book. It is really their friendship and her friendship with Nina and Marianne that make this book so special.

Any time Mhairi McFarlane releases a new novel I internally let out a squeal of joy, then I mentally prepare myself to start reading, because she can pack a huge emotional punch. Mad About You is Harriet Hatley's story. She is a thirty-something wedding photographer with an outrageous best friend named Lorna, a quirky sense of style, and a perfect boyfriend, Unfortunately, she doesn't think she actually loves her perfect boyfriend. When he blindsides her with a proposal in front of his entire family (even though she's made it quite clear that she never wants to get married) she decides it's time to end things and go back to the single life. Of course this also means that she is now homeless, since she was living with Jon. Rooming with your now-ex-boyfriend who is desperate to convince you to stay with him isn't the ideal situation, so Harriet rushes into finding a new living situation. She ends up rooming with a man named Cal, who, may or may not be an awful person.

In Mad About You, there is an element of romance, but it is a side character to the main plot of Harriet coming to terms with a past that has damaged her, and a person who had taken away her confidence and sense of self. One of the best elements of this book is the relationship between Harriet and her best friend Lorna. Lorna is truly hilarious and I laughed out loud more than once at some of her one liners (look out for her line about Bubbles Hussein - best pet name ever, btw). Just to give an idea of the power of MM's writing, there was a climactic scene in the book where Harriet was going to do something completely out of her comfort zone, and my heart was actually racing with nerves while I was reading it.

I would say that this was my favorite MM book, but honestly, I say that about all of her books after I've read them. Instead I will say that this was a novel that certainly lives up to the excellence that you expect when you pick up a book my Mhairi McFarlane. I loved it.

I was immediately enchanted by McFarlane’s writing in the first book I read of hers, Just Last Night, with her atypical love story and her ability to make you feel big emotions without making to feel forced. She has this natural depth to her writing that I love and she balances that with humor.

After reading Just Last Night, I decided to read If I Never Met You by her and it was just as lovely as JLN. Creative stories, flawed but likable characters, moments of swoon and some good laughs. She brought what I wanted in a contemporary romance novel.

My most recent story by McFarlane is her newest one, Mad About You, that comes out on August 9th (thanks @netgalley @avonbooks @mhairimcf 🤗) and it was exactly what I expected from Mhairi. It tackled some heavy topics (check trigger warnings!) with humor sprinkled in throughout. This book wasn’t a simple romance, so don’t go into it expecting that! Mhairi writes compelling character growth stories first, with romance as a supporting feature. This one followed Harriet, a wedding photographer who doesn’t want to get married. She has experienced trauma in her past relationships and is on an unexpected journey of learning to love herself, trust others and how to move on from being crushed by the people she has been vulnerable with.

This book was hard for me to get into at first, only due to my mood reading issues, but once I got going a second time on it with a group of booksta buddies to hold me accountable, I was able to really dive in. It was great getting to bounce our thoughts and feelings on the storylines and characters off each other. We commiserated over all the pain and WTF moments that happened to Harriet throughout the book. This was a great group read that got us thinking about what is and isn’t acceptable in relationships- in romantic, familial and friendships.

There were two secondary characters in this story that really made my heart feel warm and fuzzy. I’m keeping it vague to avoid spoilers but those two being such loving and supportive people really made this book what it is. They brought the hope that was needed for all the heavy that was happening throughout the book.

If you’re looking for an emotional read with an intriguing supporting cast then this one is for you.

Mhairi McFarlane has quickly become a favorite author of mine, and this book continues to show why. It was really wonderful!

📖 Brief Synopsis: Harriet has just declined an engagement to her long-time boyfriend (after he proposed in front of his whole family!), and is dealing with fallout from a past emotionally abusive relationship. She ends up renting a room from Cal, and they both find some needed comfort and friendship in each other.

✍️ My Thoughts: I loved Harriet and Cal, and their conversations with each other. They each have a great sense of humor, which was much needed given the heavy nature of their healings from past hurts. I really enjoyed seeing their relationship slowly progress over the course of the book.
I was devastated for Harriet, and the content surrounding gaslighting and emotional abuse was really hard to read. The main story here is a really emotional one about Harriet recognizing her strength, and deciding to save another woman from following her same mistakes, despite the potential consequences.
I loved how this story was resolved and the final few pages had me teary-eyed with glee. For a book where romance is mainly happening on the side, the ending was incredibly swoony!

Thank you to NetGalley and Avon Books and Harper Voyager for a copy of this e-ARC. This is my honest review.

I wasn't sure at first after reading the premise, but this book quickly sucked me in and I'm so glad I picked it up. This author is an auto buy for me and I look forward to her future books! I appreciate how she deals with heavy moments with respect and not as a plot device. 10/10