Even though it took me a long time to read, I enjoyed this one! I liked Luci’s first book so was excited to read this one. Loved all the characters (even though it’s a zero hot pepper emoji kind of book). It’s a yes from me!

3.5 rounded up.

I admit this one took me awhile to get into but once I did I was rooting for Daisy to reconcile with her sister and find her people. Part women's fiction, part romance, this was a feel-good, heartwarming story that gave me Bridget Jones vibes. Good on audio too but not quite as good as her last book (in my opinion). Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an early digital copy in exchange for my honest review.

Steam level: kissing only

Daisy's lost her job and her boyfriend and she's fighting with her sister. But somehow she ends up snagging a nanny job to two adorable kids. It's this job that will change her life, if she can get out of her head, open herself up feelings.

So this story had 3, good things:
1) Cara and Bailey are absolutely adorable, with different enough perspectives and personalities that they are easily able to stand on their own.
2) Archie is simply the best kind of bbf - sweet, patient and loving, not to mention, he's pretty darn cute.
3) The writing and the storyline are great.

Unfortunately, the 1 bad thing, was bad enough to bring down my rating a star. Daisy. Sigh...she is definitely the worst part, the only bad part, of this story. She's judgmental and rigid, and being in her sort of frantic head the whole way through is exhausting! I dislike her so much that it dulled my enjoyment of the rest of the story and characters. But, even though I can't stand Daisy, I like everything else. The other characters, the growth and heart, and the fun storyline. The romance itself is slow burn as Archie and Daisy take time developing a solid friendship first. And the rest of the relationships stand out too.

This was a really fun and romantic novel. The daughters were so unique and special. I got a little impatient with Daisy’s obsession with her ex, it was so obvious she was wasting her time. But I loved her visit with her friends in Alaska and the slow sweet way her relationship with Archie (Scottish accent!) developed.

I liked the idea of this story, but it lacked in execution for me.

There were many parts that felt drawn out and could have been paired down with the same effect. There was so much focus on her old love interest, that it took away from the new relationship that was developing.

The character felt a little bit conceited and that made her difficult for me to like, no matter how I tried.

I have read another of her books, and I think I would read move. It wasn’t a total loss for me. It just missed a little bit.

An ARC was provided by NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press in exchange for an honest review.

Okay, so many mixed feelings about this book that I'll get into, but overall, it was nice and relaxing to read.

- I loved how Daisy stood up for herself in her job and left no crumbs expressing her opinions. I, however, wished that this scene didn't come so late in the book as it did. I mean, there was a lot of back & and forth, and it sometimes became difficult to keep track.

I absolutely loved Archie & his girls, especially Cava. The hilarious meet-cutes Daisy had with each of them were iconic. Daisy & Archie's relationship was soft, comforting, & felt like a safety net. I appreciated how both were friends first and then lovers. This Daisy saw how her ex treated her & what a red flag he was (I mean seriously how could she not see that?).

The pacing and tone of the book felt kinda uneven for me, but as I said earlier, it was very soothing to read.

Thank you Netgalley and publisher for the arc in exchange for an honest review.

It Must Be True Then is absolutely wonderful. I was expecting a single father meets and falls in love with the nanny rom-com, but this book is much more complex and completely heartwarming. I fell in absolute love with Bailey and Cara as well as their father, Archie. The girls and their father captured my heart, and Luci Adams made me laugh and cry with them as their friendship with Daisy grows.

Daisy's growth over the course of the novel was my favorite aspect of the story. From a shallow, career-obsessed woman with an equally shallow boyfriend, Daisy learns the importance of honesty and trust in relationships and presenting 'your authentic self' to the world. She learns the importance of family, and that sometimes the assumptions we have about what we see in other people is not the whole story.

Thank you to Netgalley and St. Martin's Griffin for the digital ARC of It Must Be True Then by Luci Adams. The opinions in this review are my own.

This is a difficult book to review as I am not really the demographic for this book.
What I liked: our protagonist, Daisy was a data analyst, the job my daughter is getting a masters in.
The love interest is Scottish and a really kind, funny guy.
The 2 different sister relationships.
The 5 year old was adorable, but I never met such a well spoken 5 year old.
I did like the ending.
I enjoyed the London scenery.
What I didn't like: Daisy was a hot mess.
I am not a fan of Instagram, thus my demographic comment.
This is a contemporary romance, with a lot of flashbacks that were a little confusing. Daisy's story from her childhood to her job was told in italic clumps, and I admit I skimmed some of the clumps.
Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the EARC. this is my honest review.

Daisy thought she had the perfect life with a demanding but exciting career and a slot in the calendar of the hottest man she'd ever seen. But one (justified) blowup with a client and her 13 years of dedication mean nothing as she's fired at a 6:30 am meeting and her 'boyfriend' breaks up with her over text. Add in being in a fight with her little sister and her best friend moving to Alaska and Daisy is having a very bad time. Until the day she meets two little girls alone in Sainsbury's and then meeting their dad make Daisy start questioning if everything she thought to be true about her life truly is as she'd always thought it.

It's a very sweet rom-com that focuses on Daisy finding herself and being true to what she really wants instead of what her fears have made her think she wants. It's lovely to follow along as she strengthens old relationships and opens herself up to new ones while realizing that she's more than enough and she can fight for what she really wants.

I'm usually against kids in rom-coms, but there's something about the way the girls are with Daisy and how they show a wonderful side to Archie that makes them integral to the story without making it awkward.

Very happy thanks to NetGalley and Martin's Griffin for the great read!

Even though It Must Be True Then by Luci Adams comes out tomorrow (March 12th), I’m gonna tell you guys about it today because why not!

I’ll be honest: this book had me just as confused as our main character is! It took me a little while to get into and yet was also strangely binge-able for me? I found some of the plot to be dragged out too much, yet also I could stop turning the pages to see what was going to happen? If you’re now confused also, then yeah same and I’m sorry…

There are some parts in this novel that are cute, but others that infuriated me and while Daisy is supposed to be endearing and relatable, I found her so insecure and not relatable to me that I just want to smack her silly!

The book is basically just a bunch of present day situations that make Daisy out to be a hot mess (which she is) and flashbacks that make her look like a desperate idiot. But, as usually, I’m a sucker for cute kids and the single dad trope so that part I think is what had me in a chokehold and kept me reading.

Eventually, this book did get better in the end and I’ll admit to tearing up at certain points, but I think Daisy just took too long to reach her character arc for me. While this book wasn’t my favorite, I still found it enjoyable and maybe you’ll like it too!

*I received an ARC from St. Martin’s Press in exchange for my honest opinion.

This was a fun, heartfelt read!

The first half read more like a Women's Fiction and felt a bit slow. There were also a lot of flashbacks, which were confusing at first.

A lot more happens in the second half and that's where you really start to feel the romance.

Some situations the FMC gets herself into were definitely ridiculous and hilarious. You definitely get second-hand embarassment from your reading spot!

Archie and his daughters were adorable, especially Cara. The romance itself felt authentic, with the MCs first becoming friends then realising their deeper feelings for each other.

I also really enjoyed the sister storyline, especially how it all comes around.

Overall, I recommend this book if you're a fan of slow-burn, contemporary romance!

A cute, lighthearted read. Made me laugh a handful of times. Much like Not That Kind of Ever After. I'd read another Luci Adams book.

Daisy is not in a great place. She just lost her job of 13 years, got dumped and is fighting with her sister. In her determination to win her old life back, Daisy learns the importance of embracing life and that there’s more for her out there.

The book started off a little slow, and it took me a while to get into it. I almost DNF’d it but I’m glad I stuck it out. You get bits of information through flashbacks (which I liked), it was just hard to get invested when the firing, dumping and fighting all happened beforehand. Really, it took a bit of time for Daisy to endear herself to me. But once you wade through the beginning you learn she just wants her old life back. She’s lost and lonely and this journey leads her to her new life/purpose.

While I believe this book falls under women’s fiction, with humour, heartwarming moments and life lessons, there is some romance sprinkled in which kept me invested. Archie is special and his daughters, Bailey and Cara, are precious. They are the catalysts to Daisy’s new beginning. And while her story is about finding her footing, why can’t that include a handsome Scot?

Read if you like:
▪️Women’s fiction
▪️Single dads
▪️Closed door romance

In this day of social media, our lives are depicted as either perfect or not-so-perfect. For Daisy, her life has turned upside down in the span of a year, and she uses social media to exploit her so called rise from the bottom. But then she finds herself nannying for the most handsome man ever. She becomes conflicted with wanting her old life back and the new opportunity that lies before her that could change everything.

This was such a cute romance, complete with relatable mishaps and finding love in the strangest of places. The characters are fun and feel like they are a part of your own circle. This is a very clean read, which is rare these days. Not that some steaminess isn't warranted, but a sweet, feel good romance is what we all need sometimes. Luci Adams gives us this in It Must Be True Then.

Thank you to St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for the ARC. The opinions expressed are my own.

In solidarity with the SMP Boycott I will be withholding my review for this title (which I was given prior to the boycott) until SMP acts on the following:

1. Address and denounce the Islamophobic and racist remarks from their employee.
2. Offer tangible steps for how they are going to mitigate the harm this employee caused.
3. Address how, moving forward, they will support and protect their Muslim, Arab, and Palestinian influencers, authors and readers, in addition to supporting their BIPOC influencers, authors, and readers.

This is not a reflection of the author personally, nor is it a call to boycott buying this particular book.

"It Must Be True Then" was an adorable - incredibly slow burn - rom com that followed the roller coaster ride of Daisy's personal and professional life.

Luci Adams brings the readers in to the mess that is "figuring out where to go from here" when it all hits the fan for Daisy. It was easy to identify with Daisy and her desire to put on a good face and portray that everything is fine while everything, in fact, was not fine.

The author also includes solid character arcs not only for the protagonist but for many of the supportive characters, as well.

The excessive "reminiscent story telling" and occasional extreme amount of detail for an event/scene felt like they slowed down the momentum of the book's flow; nevertheless, I persisted as I was genuinely intrigued and curious about what would happen to the characters. I absolutely adored and flew through the last tenth of the book as the cadence of events picked up to an enjoyable pace.

In all, this entertaining book will make you grateful that someone else (everyone?) sees you and experiences the same thoughts and discomforts through life's ebbs and flows.

Fans of the novel where a woman hits close to bottom and then finds herself and romance will like this one, Daisy's lost her job, her love interest, she's fighting with her sister and she impulsively takes a job working for Archie, a widower with two kids. Cara (especially Cara) and Bailey shine even when Daisy is really annoying, And Archie is a peach. This is told with flashbacks, which can be disconcerting sometimes, but it gives the reader a look at where Daisy's come from. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC. A good read.

It Must Be True Then was my first Luci Adams book. I was intrigued by the blurb for this book and had high hopes for it, but unfortunately I didn't love it as much as I hoped I would.

Daisy Peterson hit rock bottom and lost everything at the same time, her job, her boyfriend and lost contact with her sister. She ends up getting a job nannying two young girls, which ends up changing her life once again. Will she end up finding what she wants for herself and find a life that will make her happy?

While it helped to have the tidbits about what happened in Daisy's past, I feel like the way those parts of the story were told could have been told in a more streamlined way. I felt like the story wasn't as smooth as it could have been and it felt like it jumped around a lot as we got the flashbacks. Daisy was also a very stubborn character, which I can appreciate, but it got to be a little much at times and sometimes things were just a little too over the top. I really enjoyed both Cara and Bailey. They were adorable!

**I voluntarily read an early copy of this title courtesy of NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review**

I loved the whole premise of this book and each supporting character within it - especially the girls, Cara and Bailey. However, I will admit that it felt as though there were multiple plots going on at once and I did not like the main character, Daisy, at all. While I did enjoy seeing Daisy grow throughout the story and evolve into a woman with more self-worth and independence, I felt as though it took a long time to get there and found that the story a whole dragged a little in the middle because of it. It was an overall decent read, but I think my dislike toward the MC and the slower pace brought the rating down for me.

Thank you NetGalley and St. Martins Press for a #gifted eARC of this book in exchange for my honest review.

I struggled with this sophomore novel by Luci Adams. It definitely had the humor and airiness I expected after loving her debut, but the formatting and pacing were off.

Daisy loses her job and her boyfriend in the same day, and she quickly hits a rock bottom place of despair. The job hunt isn’t going well, and on a whim she decides to apply for a nanny position for two girls she met at the grocery store. A relationship with their father slowly blooms as Daisy finds herself.

The story takes multiple time jumps to show things that have happened in Daisy’s past, and none of that feels seamless. The transitions between those and the present day needed to be smoothed out a bit. Daisy has faced plenty of hard things, and those turned the tone somber at times rather than remaining in rom com mode.

I did adore the two little girls and find them to be well written, they were my favorite part! I had so much secondhand embarrassment for the ridiculous things Daisy does that it was tough to read at times. The main character reminded me of a Sophie Kinsella character with the crazy events and circumstances, but pushed slightly over the top into more of a caricature than a character.

Thank you to NetGalley and St Martin’s Press for the arc. All opinions are my own.