MCFARLANE ALWAYS DOES IT! I’m so thankful to NetGalley for continuing to send me her releases because I love everything that she writes. This is women’s fiction with a romantic element and that must be understood before going into McFarlane’s books. Be prepared for your emotions to spin, because that is a must in any of her books.

First big thanks to Avon and Harper voyager, Mhairi McFarlane, and Netgalley for this arc in exchange for my fair and honest review.

This isn’t particularly a romance, more of a drama/therapy session with a romantic HEA finisher, but I have to say I really enjoyed the ride which is why I gave it 4 stars.

The main characters are navigating the fallout of old relationships, and dealing with past trauma and baggage, all while getting to know one another.

Fair warning this book covers emotionally abusive relationships, but as someone who has suffered and comes out of such an experience, I felt McFarlane’s treatment of the topic was well thought out, authentic, and healing for any reader. You really feel the struggle that Harriet goes through in trying to come to terms with her former trauma and dealing with her current breakup.

I found the connection between Cal and Harriet to be charming, and honest, but it did feel like a smaller side plot. I really wanted more interaction between them because I felt their chemistry was amazing and loved their communication.

Thank you to NetGalley and Avon Publishing for a copy of this book. All opinions in this review are my own.

I am pretty sure this was my first book by this author, and it was quite the interesting start to her work. This is a romance book, but it wasn’t a romance book. This book was more about the relationships between the characters, the character development, and the secrets that they held. Harriet, the main character, is an anti-commitment wedding planner, in a long-term relationship that she doesn’t care about, and trauma/abuse history that she has buried down & is ignoring. The male lead is Cal, who is pro-love/pro-wedding, but is single after his wedding is called off and is trying to find his way back to what he wants. The unlikely duo ends up living in the same place (Cal rents a room to Harriet), and secrets start to be uncovered, and they seem more deeply connected than was originally thought. This book is women’s fiction, not romance, and the difference is subtle but there. It is deeply about the character interactions/relationships and their development and not so much about the romance. One of the main things I thought of with this book is that it feels very much like the miscommunication trope, and that if people just talked about their feelings/problems, so much would have been resolved. I don’t know how I feel about this book overall, but I think I would be open to reading other things this author has…. maybe. This just might not be for me and that is okay. If you like very realistic, character heavy books, this is good for you, and I recommend you pick it up.

My first by this author and won’t be my last! The writing was smart and the characters were amazing! The tension, chemistry, banter! All of it was spot on!!

Mad About You highlights so many important topics inside it while still containing a relationship you can root for despite all of the obstacles facing them. However, romance is not the entire focus of this book, instead the development of the characters which is just as important. MM has a phenomenal way of piecing words and sentences together to create a book that is worth the purchase and worth the read. Thank you Netgalley for the ARC!

While the book holds its own, it does not match the cover or title. I appreciate the arc that this story had, focusing on the toxicity of some relationships and examining how those function. The title is a tongue-in-cheek reflection of how people do sometimes go a bit "mad" when it comes to relationships, but the romantic connotation of the phrase paired with the pastel, rom-com cover feels like false advertisement. It's an interesting story that definitely deserves to sit at the table, but the overall presentation is confusing.

Incredible character growth. Incredibly intense. Definitely check trigger warnings as this touches on dark topics

This was a quick read. The romance was a little underwhelming though I did like the forced proximity and friends to lovers aspect. There is character development not only with the MC but other characters (which is nice to see).


There are a bunch of trigger warnings. Examples are gaslighting, cheating, toxic relationships, abuse etc.

My rating is a 3.5 ⭐️
Thank you NetGalley and publishers for this ebook for an honest review.

A perfect light read and I did love the strangers to friends to more storyline. This book also loves to have you challenge your first impressions.

Oh, and also just reiterates and emphasizes that you better know your boo before you propose… especially if doing so publicly.

Thank you to the author, publisher and @NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for an honest review!

This was the first Mhairi McFarlane book I've ever read, and that is due in part to the many references I've found to her books in romances by other authors! (I'm fairly certain I've seen her name pop up in two or three other novels I've read, but the one I can think of is perhaps Emily Henry referencing her?) I went in knowing nothing--if I had looked at reviews, I would have seen that most people who read McFarlane would categorize her as women's fiction or contemporary fiction as opposed to romance, which is what I was expecting. That did not deter me, however, and I did find that I was still able to really enjoy the story. I think, based on the serious topics presented in this book, I would have disliked it if it ended up being a traditional romance, so that worked out in its favor, but I do think the marketing on this book could be less romance-heavy and more women's/contemporary fic.
Going into this book, I didn't realize McFarlane is a British author, so I kept being confused about certain phrases or references, but it didn't take long for me to realize I probably wouldn't understand everything being referenced. At first it bothered me a bit (because as a reader, I am not super inclined to put the book down to look up what a phrase may be referencing), but I was able to figure out what the phrase meant based on context clues most of the time.
In general, this was not what I was expecting, but that did not prevent me from really enjoying the story. I will be picking up more Mhairi McFarlane in the future.

I think i just don't enjoy romance novels about weddings. This was psychologically interesting but i didn't connect with the characters. I slowly lost interest in the plot. Actually i'm not sure this was so much of a romantic comedy at all, now that I think of it.

Unfortunately, this was a DNF for me and I do not feel comfortable sharing a review on Goodreads or my Instagram for an ARC that I did not finish.

I wanted to like this book so badly. I loved that the main character had toxic/abusive exes that she’d escaped, and I loved that the main two characters began living together platonically. But I was just so bored. I gave myself 50%, which is more than I normally give books, but it just didn’t catch me. There are a lot of people who liked this book, so it’s definitely just a personal preference.

My second Mhairi book, and she’s already made it to my go-to list!

I’m glad I knew what to expect when it came to the romance (if any) in a Mhairi McFarlane book, because things were looking a little impossible and of course that cover is incredibly deceiving. But alas, we get a bit of everything and I really enjoyed this one!

There’s moments of comedic relief to balance out the serious topics the author covers over the course of the book, and then some sweet pining — and eventual romance! — to sweeten the deal.

Read it at a perfect time and can’t wait for the next one!

This book was everything. As someone who has been in an abusive relationship like Harriet’s everything about this book hit home for me.

This book was written so well. The portrayal of recovering after an abusive relationship was so real. Loving after an abusive relationship was so real. The writing in this bool was beautiful. It was capturing. It made you keep turning pages.

The romance that grows in this book is in the background but it develops so beautiful and you’ll be craving for more encounters with Cal throughout the story.

This story is about overcoming, it’s about grief, it’s about fear, it’s about finding your light again after someone has tried to dim it.

A must read.

3.75 stars.

I never jive with British romance as well as I want to (it’s something about the writing style) but Mhairi is good. This story isn’t half as good as Just Last Night but was still enjoyable. I like the roommate situation. Cal is easily likable, and Sam is a nice character to lighten the mood of any scene. This book is less romance and more processing and moving pasta trauma. There’s a heavy storyline that is an important conversation and takes up the majority of the book, but there’s a sweet romance woven in. Cal is sweet and steady. A lot of the characters in this story are over-the-type romcom style antagonists (John, his mom, Kit, and another choice character). There were a couple of storylines that felt a bit random and unnecessary (looking at you, Cal’s dad). Overall enjoyable! Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC!

"Good women are not a rewards system for silly men."

In this romance novel, more time is spent on breakups than finding new love, and strangely... it works. Wedding photographer Harriet is determined not to marry, so when her longtime boyfriend proposes in front of his family, she is trapped and furious. She breaks up with her would-be fiancee and jumps on the first available room for rent that takes her out of her ex's house and orbit. Harriet must come to terms with who her ex really is in the aftermath as well as the person she was when she was dating him. As we watch Harriet catch feelings for her landlord, Cal, we also learn about yet another ex, the one who dropped a bomb on her twenties with his emotional abuse and manipulative, controlling actions. We hear the details in a letter she sends to his current fiancee as she tries to warn her, to offer solidarity and a way out if it's needed. It calls up the multifold burdens on women (or anyone) who have been harassed or abused, including trying to protect an unknown sisterhood with the few tools available to us. It's an awful but cathartic bond from a shared, harrowing experience. It cuts through gaslighting to the heart of "me too." On the flip side, we have to suffer through weaponized social media for revenge which demonstrates how a cishet white man can spin anything to make himself an undeserving victim. I literally felt my stomach churn reading it.

In terms of romance, this book falls into the trap of a single POV: I adored Harriet but love interest Cal was much flatter to me despite the provided backstory. I honestly could have done without the romance altogether despite that being the supposed genre of the book. The rest of the story was so powerful. Just give me that. Or let the romantic plot be more of a side note. A little, hopeful question mark of what could come in the future. Instead, it was an instalove story marauding as enemies-to-lovers because of a brief awkward period and no actual enmity. One positive is that Harriet is a champion of using her words instead of letting things fester, which is romance novel catnip (says the Queen of Letting Feelings Fester™).

In contrast, I'm HERE for the friendship subplots-- both the great, truly inspiring ones and the epic breakups that make me want to listen to vengeful, angry music and tell someone off right alongside our protagonist. There are old, sturdy friendships that have seen it all and new ones forged in fire and shaped by powerful empathy. The girl friendships are the real MVP of this book, and I need that to be a genre as widespread and widely read as romance. Thanks to Avon for this powerful read, and please get back to me on the friendship book genre idea asap.

So i totally thought this was going to be a romcom, and it wasnt. I still got my romance but it definitely was secondary in this story. This is also my first book ive read from this author too, so unsure if most of her work is similar im the sense of romance is there but not the main point of the story. With that, it was still a good book. The character growth is outstanding and both the characters are likeable. I think i just want into this with a different mindset, so i was disappointed a little. But overall still good!!

This book was a tad difficult to read. The emotional abuse that Harriet endured with Scott and Jon and his family. Her friend breaking the girls code. Oy! So much drama. I did enjoy the book and I'm glad for the ending. Mostly women's fiction with a little romance.

I again, love supporting less-known authors. This one includes close proximity and almost strangers to lovers tropes. I love that the book focused a lot on Harriet and her obstacles that she is presently tackling in her life. The romance was sweet, but I felt that there could have been even more character development.