This is a fun friends to lovers romance. Harriet is a wedding photographer who was hired for wedding where the groom disappeared right before the wedding started. She leaves her long term boyfriend after he proposes, after she realizes that she likes him but doesn’t love him.
She ends up renting a room from a guy named Cal, he’s recently had his own wedding issues. She and Cal start as strangers, become friends, and are beginning to have feelings for each other when Harriet’s manipulative boyfriend from her past comes back to bite her.
She has to stop running away from him to save her reputation and stand up to him before she can have a meaningful relationship.
I really liked this book, Mhairi McFarlane doesn’t disappoint. The characters are well rounded and the plot takes a surprise twist. 4.5 stars.

Synopsis
International bestseller Mhairi McFarlane delivers a sharp, emotional new novel about a woman who calls off her engagement to "the perfect man" and moves in with a charming stranger who makes her question everything about her life, her past, and the secrets she's kept for far too long…

Harriet Hatley is the most in-demand wedding photographer in town, but she doesn’t believe in romance, loathes the idea of marriage, and thinks chocolate fountains are an abomination. Which is why, when her long-time partner proposes, she panics. Suddenly Harriet is single… and living down the hall from her ex. She needs a new apartment, like, yesterday.

Enter Cal Clarke, a hopeless romantic who just experienced his own wedding-related disaster. Harriet and Cal are like chalk and cheese, but as they go from strangers to roommates to friends, it becomes clear they’re both running from something. When Harriet’s most heavily guarded secret comes to light, her world implodes. And Cal, with his witty humor and gentle advice, is a surprising source of calm at the center of the storm.

With her career, friendships, and reputation on the line, Harriet must finally face her past in order to take control of her future. Because if she’s willing to stop playing it safe and risk everything to share her truth, real love and happiness may be waiting on the other side…

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed as in this review are completely my own.

https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/<id type="integer">4945608540</id>

This book had a lot going on. How many bad relationship things can ine person deal with in the span of a few weeks? Read this to find out! That said, it was funny and sweet, and Harriet was very relatable. ⭐️⭐️⭐️💫 This is one I would pick up from the library if I saw it on the shelf.

"Once I revoked my permission to be treated that way, what else does he have?" -- Harriet

Oh man, did this book punch me in the heart. I love Mhairi McFarlane and will read everything she writes. I love the way she tackles serious topics and makes you feel all the things.

Mad About you is about Harriet Hatley who is a popular photographer primarily focusing these days on wedding photography. She does not believe in romance and is shocked when her boyfriend proposes even after knowing she does not want to get married. Soon, Harriet is single and looking for a place to live when she stumbles upon Cal Clarke who has a room for rent. Cal recently had his own wedding disaster but different from Harriet he is a romantic who believes in love. Soon Cal and Harriet becomes friends and he helps her navigate a situation which has placed everything for Harriet (career, friends, etc) on the line.

This book is HEAVY. I related way too closely to Harriet and her struggles with a past relationship so much so I had to take breaks from this book because my feels were strong about this one. But in true Mhairi fashion she writes some amazingly compelling characters that you just cannot stop reading. There is one part when Harriet is at her lowest that I felt so strongly for her. You want things to work out for her and you root for both her and Cal because of how well these characters are written.

I loved this book and would definitely recommend it but with the caveat that you should read content warnings. This one has strong themes of gaslighting and emotional abuse which are presented in a way that could certainly be triggering to certain readers.

Overall I would give this one 4.5 Stars!

Huge thank you to Avon and NetGalley for allowing me early access to this title in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

I'm a Mhairi McFarlane fangirl. I've only read 3 of her books (I really need to get through that backlog) but even in just the first few pages, her writing brings me joy. The humor, the heart, the depth of characters, they just work for me. Just like her other books, once I started reading Mad About You, I just couldn't put it down.

I think Mhairi McFarlane is really fantastic at handling deep emotions. One of the many reasons why her books are easy to connect with and why they feel special. The depth and delicacy with which emotional abuse and gaslighting is handled in this book is really superb. Throughout most of the book Harriet grapples with aspects of her past, her grief of losing her mom, and the terrible exes that took away her confidence.

The romance takes a bit more of a back seat in this book but I still loved Cal, the love interest, and all the deep conversations they have together about themselves, their families and their past. I loved watching their love slowly develop. One thing that slightly annoyed me here was that Harriet made so many snap judgments about Cal and kept keeping him at a distance because of these, even though at the same time, she was coming to realize that her judgement when it comes to reading people wasn't always accurate. Despite this, they were really so cute together, that I was reading the ending with a big silly grin on my face, melting into a puddle. I enjoyed their romance so much, I just really wish there was a lot more of it :D

There were some terrific women friendships in this book (and one bad one). So many great moments of women supporting women and really making a difference in each others' lives.

Overall, just another amazing Mhairi McFarlane book that is superbly written in both form and content.

Overall rating: 4.2⭐

Mad about you was a cute book, but I found myself skipping paragraphs because of the “filler” being repeated information, I also think the author missed out on making Cal’s wedding day refusal story more interesting, I was looking for more shock. Cal seemed like a nice guy, and there were mentions of him being attractive, but I wished he had more spark.

Thank you for the arc in exchange for my honest review.

I love that this book was about the growth of the characters and not just a romance. I have been so excited to read books from this author and this was a great one to start with!

I loved that while marketed as a romance that it wasn’t front and center and lessening the other aspects of the story and really it was about letting the characters shine.

I loved that while talking about hard topics in this one that the author also focused on resilience and pushing past trauma.

Thank you Avon for the ARC of this one in exchange for my honest thoughts.

Not my favorite Mhairi McFarlane, but it was a good book.

"Mad About You" is less a romance and more general fiction.The focus is really on the MAD, and not on the idiom. A lot of the plot of this book is about what romance is not. It is a look at unhealthy relationships and how we get to them (and through them).

McFarlane is an amazing writer- I always go into her books thinking, "I'll read a chapter and take a break" and end up having lost a couple hours because I have to finish the book. She knows how to tell a good story with witty characters that are not over the top. I enjoy reading the dynamics of the friendships that she writes even more than the romance between the main characters. I felt the romance in this book was more of an afterthought, but it worked out for this particular story.

Thank you Netgalley and Avon and Harper Voyager for a free e-book copy of "Mad About You." Mhairi McFarlane is a queen of writing amazing characters- this book was just published earlier this month (August 2022), but I'm already wanting more.

This was not at all what I expected! A rom-com set up turns into a quite serious book about emotional and psychological partner abuse. The characters are solid and varied, and the plot--every abused person's nightmare--is handled very well, ending with an excellent collaborative action by those who had been abused. I hope people who read it will learn from it about psychological and emotional abuse, that they will learn to recognize it, and will help victims.

I have so many complicated thoughts on this book and most of them deal with the fact that I really need to remember that when I read a women's fiction style book, I really do need to look into the content warnings because the entire storyline about the emotional abuse being unpacked in this book made me want to crawl out of my skin. Not because it wasn't done well, but because the idea of listening to more discourse that sounded like the Johnny Depp/Amber Heard situation made me actively want to eject myself from the planet. I know I sound melodramatic and I'm sorry for that, but truly... If I hadn't been in the car trying to wrangle my cat from wandering around the car so I didn't crash, I would have figured out a way to DNF this book. Probably. But at the same time, Mhairi McFarlane's writing is pretty enjoyable and I really liked all of the scenes with Cal and Lorna's entire storyline (minus everything with Roxy). So... Yeah. If this book is for you, I'm so thrilled for you. But I shouldn't have been reading about this storyline at this moment in time.

Wow! First time reading a book by Mhairi McFarlane, and it was an emotional roller coaster! Mad about you follows Harriet. Harriet has just rejected a proposal and needs somewhere to stay she ends up staying with Cal a runaway groom! Mhairi hit the nail on the head with relatable and compelling characters! I highly recommend this romance book, but there is so much more to this book then romance. There are some trigger warnings.

Thank you to NetGalley for an ARC of Mad About You by Mhairi McFarlane.

This is my first novel by Mhairi McFarlane. I love her sense of humor and the connection that our hero and heroine had! I will definitely go and read any other books by her. This book will make you laugh and swoon! Go read this if you’re needing an escape from reality <3

McFarlane delivers another sweet British not-quite-romance. I absolutely have a weak spot for heroines learning to have a spine, which Harriet does in spades-- the emotional intensity of O'Leary's FLATSHARE but while being charmingly English. The romance with Cal isn't the main focus of the plot, but a happy sideline that the reader can see coming from a mile away, and it feels like a nice "reward," if you will, for the work and growth Harriet does.

I see Mhairi McFarlane and I need it. This is never a question, just a delay on when I can get my hands on it. I read and listened to it about a month ago and will forever love her voice.
Harriet is an anomaly. She's a wedding photographer who never wants to get married. She's been burned badly in the past and her current boyfriend and safety net is good enough for her. Except, he surprise proposes to her and Harriet is pulled out of her comfort zone when she takes a stand he obnoxiously doesn't understand. She moves out and finds herself in a room of a former groom from a wedding gone wrong.
I love Mhairi's way with words, the line she tightropes between hard to handle topics woven through a great story. The only thing I wanted more page time was with Cal, as he was such a lovely and heartwarming love interest.
Heather Long's performance was well done. I appreciated her intonation and acting throughout the audiobook.
Thank you to Avon and Netgalley for the advanced copy and Harper audio for the alc. All thoughts in this review are my own.

Special thanks from NetGalley and Avon/Harper Voyager for providing me with an eARC for my honest opinion!

CW: descriptions of emotional and domestic manipulation/abuse

We follow Harriet Hatley in a deep dive in finding redemption for herself after she breaks up with her boyfriend that literally just proposed to her. She finds a room to rent through her friend and shenanigans begin to snowball up. I honestly felt that her journey of self-acceptance felt realistic, even if the extent of the events was a little grand.

There is quite a bit of British humor that took me a bit to get into the rhythm of, since I’m American. The book is also marketed as a rom-com but there was no comedy in a traditional banter between the main characters. I had the expectations of a lighter romance, so I didn’t like it as much as I was expecting. However, I love a great redemption arc and it helped that I was rooting for Cal despite the non-existent spice.

4 ⭐️

MAD ABOUT YOU – Mhairi McFarlane
Avon
ISBN: 9780063117945
August 9, 2022
Women’s Fiction

London – Present Day

Harriet Hatley keeps busy as a wedding photographer but isn’t planning on marriage for herself because she doesn’t believe in romantic love. Too bad she didn’t convey this to her long-time live-in partner, Jon, before he sprung a marriage proposal on her in front of his family at a dinner. Harriet didn’t want to embarrass Jon, so she said yes. But later, she told him that she couldn’t marry him. Of course, he didn’t take it well. Harriet now must find a new place to live because it’s Jon’s house. With some help from a friend, Harriet is given the lead on an ensuite room, but she needs to call the owner right away before it goes on the market. She does, and the male, Cal, accepts her over the phone.

Meanwhile, Harriet’s wedding photographing jobs are continuing. The most interesting one is where the groom dumps the bride on their wedding day. She never saw the groom, only the best man, Sam, who told her what happened. On another wedding gig, she runs into another ex-boyfriend, a guy who verbally abused her while they were together. He is about to marry another woman and Harriet feels obligated to let the woman know what kind of man she is marrying.

The big day of her move into Harriet’s new place arrives. Up to now, she hadn’t met Cal face-to-face, and he is a handsome bloke and appears nice. It isn’t until his best friend arrives that Harriet puts two and two together. Cal is the man who dumped his bride on their wedding day. Of course, between Jon accusing her of sleeping with Cal and Cal’s ex slinging the same accusations, Harriet is ready to climb a tree in frustration. She gets along with Cal, but he is just her landlord. Or is the fact that they’re slowly becoming good friends going to make that change?

MAD ABOUT YOU is about the journey of self-discovery for Harriet. Except for her friends, she doesn’t have a family to depend on. She was in that abusive relationship and got away as soon as she realized what was going on. When she discovers that he has another woman, Harriet feels a need to protect her and writes her a letter. Unfortunately, it appears that he saw the letter, and he embarks on a campaign to discredit her—online. Since most of her business comes from word of mouth and online recommendations, the last thing she needs is bad publicity. Meanwhile, Jon isn’t ready to give up and even encourages his mother to pay Harriet a visit to her new home. Readers can see why Harriet feels like she is going crazy. Through it all, Cal stands by her. But the only thing going on between them is friendship.

While a romance with Cal is hinted at in MAD ABOUT YOU, there is very little romance at all. It is Harriet dealing with her business and relationship problems, especially trying to deal with the hate her abusive ex unleashed on her. Readers will sympathize with Harriet and want to root for her to win her battles. Will she? MAD ABOUT YOU is slow at times but it does build enough steam to keep you interested. For a tale that is a bit different, grab a copy today.

Patti Fischer

"Mad About You" is about wedding photographer, Harriet, whose past comes back to haunt her when she runs into a cruel ex during one of her jobs. Also, she's just rejected her boyfriend's proposal (in front of his family that dislikes her) and has started renting a room from one of her former clients (who left his bride at the altar). The book excellently reveals Harriet's traumatic past with her ex and how she (and others) decide to exact their 'revenge.' The story could have been a little bit longer to focus on building the relationship between Harriet and Cal or it could have only focused on Harriet's overcoming of her past trauma and left the readers to imagine her future with Cal. The ending feels a bit rushed because most of the story is Harriet dealing with the situation with her ex and the drama unfolding with her friends. I don't feel as though any of the storylines were bad and should have been left out, I just wish that we had more time with Harriet and Cal's relationship before the ending of the book.

I am “Mad About” this story! Sorry for the cheesy intro but come on, it’s a romance so give me a break.
Now, let me start with how very seen I felt, as someone who has been in the type of relationship that has traumatized Harriet. How I wish I’d had the guts to take control of her life in the way she did! While the romance angle was so captivating (sans steam though), it wasn’t her end-all-be-all, and I really loved that. Our love interest was almost too perfect though and made me hesitant to fall for him as a romantic possibility, at least once you get past his whole snafu from the beginning…
As a whole, I adored Harriett, human as she was and I was so glad to read such a beautiful story of love actually conquering all (not ONLY romantic love)

Mhairi McFarlane does it again!! This book is incredible and I loved the way it dealt with abusive relationships and the toll left behind.

Once again Mhairi McFarlane knocked it out of the park, Her characters always feel so real and genuine. I felt this book to my core, Her writing stays with me always

A wonderful and heartfelt book about the growth of the main characters more than a romance. I loved both of these characters and way the were written pulled at all my heartstrings. The backstories are slowly unraveled and the more I learned about the character the more I loved and was pulled in. While having darker topics, the warmth and humor that weaves throughout this book ties the book together into something completely new.

Definitely not the romcom I thought I was getting, but instead ended up with something better. Loved this book.