This book turned out just to be an okay read for me. Mainly because the flashbacks were a little confusing and the character of Daisy was not particularly loveable.
I did find Cara to be the most adorable character. She was well written and interesting. Archie and Bailey were also easily likeable characters.

While a little difficult to get into, I enjoyed this book and the progression and growth of Daisy Peterson. At first I found Daisy to be unlikeable as she was stubborn and had a one track mind especially after being fired from her job of 13 years. However, she meets Archie in unexpected ways and being around him and his daughters, Bailey and Cara, helped Daisy open up and be her authentic self. Daisy served as a reminder that what we see on social media is only a piece of the whole picture. I didn’t love the flashbacks being thrown in, but they did help get a better picture of what Daisy had gone through. I wish we could have seen more of the progression and relationship between Daisy, Archie and the girls and less of Daisy and her slump. Overall I enjoyed this book and the characters!

This is a fun and cute story about Daisy, and her life choices, what she wants, what she needs, I really liked the evolution of the character and although she frustrates me in some parts I really enjoyed the story, more than a Romance is a story about the evolution of character and family.

I love unexpected love stories and Archie and Daisy are so perfect together. Bailey and Cara stole my heart and they so obviously needed someone they could trust to guide them besides their father, even though he is an excellent father. I enjoyed seeing Daisy find her footing and figure out what she wants and deserves in life. It was also nice to see her heal her relationship with her sister. It's a love story, but also a sweet story of family, both biological and found.

Daisy needs to figure out who she is first!

Daisy Peterson had hit rock bottom between losing her job, her boyfriend and loosing contact with her sister but trying to figure out what she needed to change might be the hardest thing to do. Daisy thought that taking a short break might help but she never expected to meet two young girls in her local Sainsbury and have her life turned upside down when she got a job as their nanny.

It Must Be True Then by Luci Adams has so many moving parts between Daisy getting fired from her data marketing job and trying to find a new job, the information about her sort of boyfriend that had the mark out time for her on his calendar and reconnecting with her family.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book from the author and NetGalley. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

IT MUST BE TRUE THEN – Luci Adams
St. Martin’s Griffin
ISBN: 978-1250842220
March 12, 2024
Romantic Comedy

London, England – Present Day

For thirteen years Daisy poured herself into her data analyst job, but one disagreement—with a client!!!—led to her dismissal. Now Daisy is unemployed, lost her boyfriend (he worked at the same company), and is estranged from her only sister, Mia. Life looks bleak and Daisy certainly has a reason to be depressed but that doesn’t pay the bills. So she drags herself out of her flat to the nearest grocery store for a meal. She runs into a curious little girl named Cara—and then Cara’s sister Bailey shows up. The two girls are cute even as they bicker. But where is their mother? A woman shows up and it appears that she is the mother as she leaves with them (they weren’t supposed to be there). Before they leave, the woman posts a want-ad on the board. It is for a nanny position.

Things are not going well for Daisy in the hilarious IT MUST BE TRUE THEN. Her sister does show up but as always, the two end up arguing. Mia only comes to Daisy when she breaks up with her latest boyfriend and needs money. Mia leaves in a huff and it puts Daisy in an even more depressing mood. The two sisters had been abandoned by their mother to live with a grandparent and Daisy always felt unwanted. Now she doesn’t have a sister. She ends up talking to a man she inadvertently meets—first as a handyman and then as a bartender. He gives her some advice, so she decides to take the advice and goes to the address of the nanny job. Oops…turns out that her handyman/bartender is the father to the girls she met in the store, and he isn’t looking for a nanny. The woman who posted it is—or now was—his girlfriend.

While IT MUST BE TRUE THEN is classified as a romance, there is not a lot of romance in it. Instead, we get Daisy’s journey from being on top of the world and loving her life to now being unemployed and watching her realize that she needs to change herself. Cara and Bailey are a fresh breath of air for Daisy, but she isn’t looking for love, especially one that involves being a parent. Along the way, she soon learns that her ex-boyfriend had other girlfriends. Oh, the humiliation. Add in that it is hard to explain to potential employers as to why she got canned, it’s no wonder that Daisy isn’t sure what or where to go in her life. IT MUST BE TRUE THEN reads more like Women’s Fiction, but with the added bonus of a potential love interest.

By the end of this tale, hopefully, all the what-ifs are answered, and things just may end up happily ever after for Daisy. What about her feelings for Archie, the father of the girls? Can she look past the fact that he has children, even though she loves Cara and Bailey? Pick up a copy of IT MUST BE TRUE THEN to find out the answers.

Patti Fischer
Romance Reviews Today

There were some really interesting reveals in this book using a roundabout way of storytelling here and there. I don't want to ruin any of them but the best one was the job interview scene. At first I was thrown off by this but after a bit, I found myself enjoying these flashbacks or surprise reveals.

The main character, Daisy, can definitely be a bit frustrating at times with her rigid thinking and at times it felt like it was only to create tension or drama not how someone would actually act at that time. The whole social media angle was definitely something I think will resonate with most readers. Comparison and creating a narrative to please followers or attract someone is something I think most people do and the overall message that comes in the end was quite true and something to remind ourselves of.

Archie was swoon worthy and the slow build of the relationship was perfection. I love that he was such a loving father and devoted to his family. I also loved his daughters especially Cara with her loud, love it or leave it attitude even at such a young age. She was delightfully precocious and made for many laughable moments. I also loved the idea of their house and how wonderfully decorated it was and personalized to them.

Overall, this was a funny yet touching story that I think readers will enjoy. It has life lessons and family drama as well as a tender (closed door) romance that will bring a smile to your face and maybe a tear to your eye.

I received an advanced (ebook) reader copy of this book through Netgalley and the publisher in exchange for my honest review.

I DNFed this book at 46 percent. I really enjoyed Daisy and Archie but Jackson really was off-putting. The continuous flashbacks with him made it really hard to stay involved in the story.

I read this ARC in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.
This book was quite enjoyable. It questioned a lot of life choices, work, children, relationships (romantic and familial).
I guess I was hoping Daisy would get over her ex a bit sooner, but everyone is different.
There were some over the top scenes but they all came together in the end, to make the final points the main character was emphasising.
It's definitely a romance without spice, but a lot of heart.

I really loved Bailey and Cara. Their banter and interaction made me want to read on.
The story is about family.
Overall, a ok romcom.

Thank you for the opportunity to read this book for my honest review. All opinions expressed are my own.

I wasn't the biggest fan of Not That Kind of Ever After, it didn't quite click for me, but It Must Be True Then sounded interesting, so I gave Luci Adams another shot, and I'm glad I did because this one worked out so much better for me. The writing was a little snappier and the characters a bit more engaging - especially Bailey and Cara - and Daisy's mishaps are a bit more entertaining rather than cringy. The part of the story where Daisy is still trying to win back her toxic ex and the job that made her a scapegoat was a little hard to swallow but seeing her growth from those things and acceptance at their loss, while starting to see more clearly the things that matter in life.

If you enjoyed Not That Kind of Ever After you’ll love It Must Be True Then by Luci Adams!
I enjoyed this story immensely it was exactly what I needed! This book hooked me immediately and continued to deliver comedy throughout.
It was a fun read with characters who felt real and fully formed. The characters were charming and the story was the absolute best.
I totally recommend this to my other rom-com, contemporary romance readers out there.
This one is an absolute gem and I guarantee you won't be able to set it down once you start. 


Thank You NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for your generosity and gifting me a copy of this amazing eARC!

I really wanted to love this book. Daisy was such a hard character to like and I felt like the relationship between her and Archie just wasn’t believable. The story felt slow and and I felt like the flashbacks were a jumbled mess.

It Must Be True Then by Luci Adams is a novel focusing on Daisy, a woman who has hit rock bottom, as she believes it to be. I felt like this book was a little challenging to follow, requiring the reader to be focused and putting together the pieces that you are getting while the flashbacks are occurring. I also feel like I went into this book thinking it would be more of a romcom, but when I read the book, it was actually pretty sad and made me feel awful for the MFC, Daisy. Overall, I thought this was an okay book, but it wasn’t what I was expecting.

Who can’t relate to a young girl who is just trying to make a place for herself in a world that’s tougher than she is… for now. Daisy is all of us, tired of the constant need to show only the good sides of our lives.

Sophie Cousens fans will fee right at home with this story.

I liked this book but at times really struggled with the jumps from the flashbacks to the present day. Also for me at times Daisy wasn’t the most likable character to read as evidenced by her “best” friend not telling Daisy she is pregnant because her friend knows Daisy doesn’t like kids. Why wouldn’t you tell your best friend huge news like that. I did feel like Daisy started to redeem herself at the end Thank you Net Galley and St Martin’s Press for the ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review.

This was a cute book with a really enlightening message. I really enjoyed the main character, except when she started acting stupid for the third act break up, but alas she needed to learn her lesson. I’m glad I randomly requested this one it was fun!

Thank you Netgalley!

Ohhhh this was a cute one. I’ll admit, I was nervous when I started it. Daisy’s life was definitely not going to plan, and I can have a hard time relating to a main character who is a mess. Thankfully, Daisy isn’t a mess in all aspects, and is a kick ass data analyst who is super freaking good at her job, so we can let her cooking skills slide. I really loved seeing how things played out in her life, Mia, Archie, etc. Luci paints such a visual story with her words as well — all I wanted was to see Archie’s house in person! This read was really a treat.

I was invited to read this title and I should have passed on it. I picked it up a few times and never got into the story. I didn’t like the character and the story didn’t hold my attention at all. I DNFd at 18%.

It Must Be True Then starts with main character Daisy losing her job and getting dumped by her boyfriend in the same day. Plus, she's in a fight with her sister, she's estranged from her mother, and her best friend lives on another continent. Daisy doesn't want to wallow, but since her job was her life, there isn't much else for her to do. Eventually, she decides to try to win back her ex and save face with her former colleagues by faking success and adventure on Instagram. After all, if she can put something fabulous online, it must be true...

Thus is born the novel's title, and its theme. While Daisy has been wallowing, she's also managed to make some new friends - widowed Archie and his daughters Cara and Bailey - and she's learning a lot from them about Instagram and life. Like that maybe her job and her boyfriend weren't as perfect as they seemed, and maybe her fight with her sister wasn't quite so one-sided, and maybe the childhood lessons that have informed her views were learned the wrong way around. When Daisy has a chance to get her old life back, she must decide if she wants to go back to the setup she spent so long cultivating - or if a less picture-perfect life might suit her better.

I don't usually write two paragraphs of plot summary in a review, but I this book needs it, because it's not obvious - either from the promo copy or the first third of the book - what it's going to be about. It Must Be True Then takes a while to warm up, but I stuck through it through the slow first half because it was a pleasant read and I enjoyed the characters - definitely a Sophie Cousens feel. I'm very glad I did, because the story really comes together in its second half. I loved watching Daisy gain a new understanding of her past and re-evaluate what might make her happy - without changing anything at the core of who is. I've rarely seen such a perfectly imperfect ending to a romance, and I loved it.