It Has to Be You by Dani McLean is a delightful romantic novella set in the fantastical world of Chance City. The story revolves around Indy, a successful romance writer, who is struggling with writer's block. She decides to seek out her high school sweetheart to see if he was "the one." However, she meets his cousin, Ethan, who is charming and attractive, and they have an instant connection.
Although the novella is short, McLean skillfully creates a compelling story and likable characters. Ethan, in particular, stands out as a warm and protective hero who helps Indy overcome her insecurities and inspires her writing. The story is well-paced, and the romance is sweet and satisfying. However, due to the brevity of the novella, character development is limited, and some aspects of the romance feel underdeveloped.
Overall, It Has to Be You is a heartwarming and enjoyable read for fans of romance novellas.

3 ⭐️

i’m a bit at loss for words. so first I will say what I liked: Ethan, Ethan, Ethan. I loved everything about that man from beginning to end. He was sweet & I loved how he understand Indy so well & had the patience of a dang saint, because Indy, was frustrating to me.

I was slightly annoyed with Indy, her personality was a lot to deal with, I enjoyed the mental health rep, as I am someone who also gets overstimulated & overthinks a lot of things to the point of breaking down into tears sometimes, but good lord, I was slightly annoyed with her incessant need to talk to Nick, like why? Even after you find out he’s not single, you’re still completely obsessed with seeing the “what if” .. even after hearing how he was kind of the worst? I just didn’t understand it, but I will say, Ethan was what I loved so much about this book & why I finished it, to be honest. i’m glad the ending ended the way it did, but I felt some of it was unnecessary in some ways.

𝗜𝘁 𝗛𝗮𝘀 𝗧𝗼 𝗕𝗲 𝗬𝗼𝘂 𝗯𝘆 𝗗𝗮𝗻𝗶 𝗠𝗰𝗟𝗲𝗮𝗻⁣
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This was a quick fun read from @danimcleanwrites ❤️⁣
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I love reading books about characters that love books. It makes them so relatable and I’m really able to connect to them. ⁣
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Indy is a writer who is in the midst of a crises. She is trying to add romance to her story but struggling to catch the feelings she needs. She hatches a plan to run into her ex boyfriend because she fully believes he is her destiny. She is snooping around her ex’s office when in enters his cousin Ethan. ⁣
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Ethan is a lovable, goofy, sexy hunk of a man and I just adore him. He is immediately enamored with Indy and I love their banter. Everything he says has a sexual innuendo and it’s hilarious to me. He is 100% all in from the get go and gives Indy plenty of time to come to grips with the realty of destiny and how it may not mean what she think it means. ⁣
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Seems like I have another backlist to jump into ❤️⁣
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🌟🌟🌟🌟

"It has to be you" by Dani McLean is a heartfelt romance about finding true love and acceptance while also pursuing the idea of "destiny" and people that were meant to be together.

This was without a doubt a quick read. Not only because of its short length, but also due to the very accessible writing style and fast pace of the book. I got into it quite quickly and our main character, Indy, was easy to root for right from the start.

I loved to follow her relationship with Ethan. Their chemistry was amazing and I had a lot of fun seeing them grow closer together.

All the themes mentioned in this, such as the struggles of an author or the fear of never finding unconditional love, were handled so well and fit the story perfectly.

Overall, this book was a quick and easy, but also enjoyable read that I can recommend to everyone that just wants to read about a cute romance and loveable characters!

Review published on Goodreads on May 9 2023

For a Novella, I was pleasantly surprised on how well the author was able to flesh out the characters. It felt like much longer than 150 pages (which is a good thing) and we really got to know the characters well. This was goofy and fun, but I also found myself relating to both characters on a deeper level. Ethan Fraser was absolutely perfect, literally everything I want in a man. Indy did annoy me in the end when she couldn’t make up her mind about Nick and then after the cringy encounter with him, “realized” Ethan was the man she wanted. All in all, I am interested in picking up the author’s other works.
Thank you to NetGalley and the author for a digital ARC in exchange for an honest review <3

Okay…this novella was so good 😭😭😭
First, I wanna thank NetGalley and Victory Editing NetGalley Co-Op for early access to this arc for my honest review!
I haven’t read any of the Movie Magic novellas before and this was my first read by Dani McLean and what a read it was! I really really liked Ethan and Indy and the overall essence of fate. I’m always a bit hesitant with novellas & never feel like I get enough from them but the pacing and writing was excellent. From the moment they met, every encounter was buzzing and Ethan somehow always knew exactly what to do or say. He was perfect. And the ending>>> It couldn’t have been better.

This was a sweet novella with hefty dose of heat! Ethan is the epitome of a man written by a woman in the best way.

I received an ARC of this book and am voluntarily leaving this review.

LOVED THIS BOOK!!!! I was not sure where the story was going, with Indy pining after Nick, but then there was Ethan and all is right with the world.
This "novella" (do not fret, it is very nice and long) is the book you want to read in one go. Thankfully, I was able to read this book without reading the other books in this series, but "It Has To Be You" shows me that I need to read all the books this author has published (and will publish).

Indy is adorkable, I very much need a Ethan in my life and I am very much looking forward to reading the other books in this series.

Every story in Chance city is so charming and whimsical, I would love to have all the books together in one and reread them to lift my heart every once in a while
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It has to be you brought back so many memories of one of my favorite romcoms, Only you with Marissa Tomei and Robert Downey jr.
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Indy believes in destiny and serendipity, after all that was how her parents, her grandparents and her great grandparents before them met the love of their life. And this is how the young Indy end up going to see a psychic and asks her if her boyfriend is her destiny
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But after two hits, she only tells her that he is the key to his destiny. Years after having been through several relationships and with no hope of finding the love of her life, Indy finds herself again with the bracelet that his high school boyfriend had given her and decides to look for it to see if there is a possibility that she is the one, the love of her live
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But every time she gets closer, she ends up missing him by a very narrow margin and instead finds herself with another man, who is also waiting to find him to have another totally different conversation
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Ethan and Indy end up becoming friends and partners on this unsuccessful quest. And in between conversations, bantered by their basketball teams and video games, the attraction they feel turns into a maybe. And Indy must decide whether to pursue a man she hasn't seen in years or go further with Ethan
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I love how these stories full of possibilities and unique situations come together. The ideal bookboyfriends and funny heroines in that beautiful city
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Thanks to Dani McLean and Victory Editing group for give a copy of this beautiful book in exchange for my honest and voluntary opinion

she finds out he stole his cousins money and gf but she still thinks he’s her destiny for 80% of the book smh

I devoured this book, like 24 hour turnaround (and I'm in the middle of finals season!!!). It has such a compelling heroine who gets to be strong, but also anxious and at times unsure of herself. The male main character is the perfect book boyfriend, and I'm throughly obsessed with him. While I didn't share all the same hobbies as the MC, I still found myself relating to her in my core. While not explicitly stated her struggles with anxiety and even depression were presented in a light, but accurate way. I love how patient the main couple are with each other. Additionally, all their interactions are witty, flirty, and showcase how down bad the love interest is. This book is in a standalone series, and it's inspired me to read the author's entire catalog.

I love a good novella when I feel like I’m in a reading slump and I need instant gratification, and Dani McLean does novellas so well!

Indy believes that her ex-boyfriend 15 years ago is her fate. And she had a bracelet that he gave her to prove it. The only problem? Ethan, his cousin, is the one that keeps showing up when she’s trying to find Nate.

I love how Dani McLean writes with such emotion. I love how she gets into her characters brains. I love her while writing style and I love how this book reminds us that we write our own destiny.

Huge thank you to NetGalley and Victory Editing for this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Indy believes in fate - it’s how her parents, grandparents, and great grandparents fell in love. As a teenager, she meets with a psychic who tell hers that the bracelet her boyfriend, Nick, has given her will be the key to her destiny.

Fast forward 15 years later. Indy finds the bracelet in storage after not thinking about it since her Nick moved and broke her heart. Hoping that she can force fate and maybe rekindle something, she tries to return the bracelet to him; however, she keeps missing him and somehow running into his cousin, Ethan, who believes you create your own destiny. Will Indy continue to follow fate by trying to meet with Nick, or will she finally forge her own destiny with Ethan?

I really enjoyed this novella. Indy and Ethan both had a lot of depth, and the chemistry was definitely there. Sometimes fate will not take you where you thought it would, but it will take you somewhere better than you ever could’ve imagined.

Ethan is literally the perfect man. He is so good for her and I love them so much. This is definitely my favorite novella of hers so far. It was obvious from the beginning that the bracelet was going to be his but the reveal was so cute.

I received an arc through netgalley.

This was a fun little novella, I instantly loved Ethan and found myself willing Indy to hurry up and realise she loved him too! Would definitely read more from this author again!

I am on a total must read of her Books. It had to be me reading this book. This was another one i had to read and it was all that and everything i ever wanted. Read it today.

I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

This novella takes place in the fanciful Chance City, where anything can (and frequently does) happen. Indy, the story's heroine, comes from a long line of "fated mates" and she longs to find her one true love. That prompts a visit to a psychic in the prologue to find out if her current boyfriend is "the one." The psychic prediction and Indy's concern with fate are the only paranormal / fantasy references in the book.

The novella picks up 15 years later. Indy, now a successful writer of romantic adventures, is suffering from writer's block. Having never experienced true love, she is struggling to write it for her character. She decides to look up the old high school boyfriend to see if she missed a big opportunity. Instead of finding the old flame, she meets his cousin, Ethan, and there's instantaneous attraction.

Ethan is an amazing hero - tall, handsome, protective, warm, caring. It's easy to see why Indy would crush on him. It's also easy to understand how he sparks her writing. There are many scenes in which he tunes into and helps Indy. Indy is beautiful and creative; she also suffers from anxiety and is a little weird, a little awkward, very insecure. Other than the physical pull, it's less clear why Ethan likes her so much.

In some ways, this reminded me of Amy Lea's Exes and O's. (In that book, the main character travels to find and meet up with her ex boyfriends to see if she missed something in her search for "the one.") That full length book developed the plot and the characters more fully. Due to the short form of the novella, there's less opportunity to develop the characters and the author needed to use very broad strokes.

I have read and loved all of Dani McLean's Movie Magic Novellas. A Missing Connection, the third one in the series, has been my favorite so far and I thought nothing could top that one. Well, I stand corrected. It Has To Be You is a charming, swoony, moving and fun read with a lot of depth, great banter and wonderful chemistry - in other words, it has everything you could ask for in a contemporary romance read! I only wish it was longer - but then again since it was "only" a novella I could justify the need to read the whole story in one sitting. Which I may have done.

Thank you Dani McLean, Victory Editing NetGalley Co-op and NetGalley for the ARC! Can't wait to see what comes next!

Thank you to NetGalley, the publisher and Dani McLean for an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Dani has made me fall in love with novellas! This is the second novella I’ve read that she has written and they have both been super cute!

I really enjoyed the storyline and the characters!

Thank you to NetGalley and Victory Editing for the ARC!

This novella honestly felt like my favourite kind of early 2000s cheesy romcom movies in the best way possible! This was the first book I have read by Dani McLean, but I definitely will be reading more of her work.

For only 149 pages, the pacing was great and really helped the development of the relationship between Ethan and Indy without feeling too insta-lovey. The characters themselves were easy to root for and felt like real, regular people, which was a great change from the usual multi-millionaire boyfriends in romance novels. They both had great banter and chemistry, whilst also carrying a deeper, more meaningful message to think about. Ethan really is the dream man.

This book literally had me SQUEALING. I will definitely be getting a physical copy for my shelf too!