Roses: Cara was the best. She was one of the better kid characters I’ve read in a book. She was so loving and funny and came across very mature for her age. Archie was awesome too. He was an all round great book boyfriend that understanding, charming, funny, and emotionally mature. The story was written at a great pace and flowed pretty naturally with the plot.

Thorns: Daisy kinda sucked. She was aloof to a lot of normal ways of life because she chose to be that way. She was really stubborn about things that she shouldn’t have had issues with because they weren’t her situations to judge. She frustrated me as a reader because she was so intelligent but so dumb at the same time. She didn’t ever really show empathy even though she apologized millions of times. The Jackson situation you could tell was coming from a mile away. I was more frustrated with the storyline of successful parents aren’t real. I thought that was a bad plot choice. I get the author wanted to have family trauma be the root of her story but still it was a bad taste in my mouth. I also didn’t like the fact she even knew she didn’t want kids yet still chose to start making them a presence in her life. Again that didn’t sit right with me.

In support of the SMP boycott, I will be withholding my review of this title until SMP speaks out. If the boycott is resolved, I will update with a full review.

Overall it's a cute story. I love good dads in books. I think this book had some work it needed to grapple with. The pacing was a little bit all over the place. Sometimes being too slow for me.

I enjoyed it and think it was a cute story. Just not one I'd reread again.

3.5 stars
This is going to be a completely honest and strange review, as I have mixed feelings about this book. It took me 10 chapters to start enjoying and liking the story. There were times that I didn’t like the heroine Daisy – but found her completely relatable, intriguing and entertaining once I got into the story. I loved Archie, Bailey and Cara from the start. They made me laugh and pulled at my heart strings. One of the things I loved about this story is Daisy’s growth. Another is the family aspects - Daisy’s sister and mother, and Archie as a single father. While it took me 10 chapters to get into this book and I did think about walking away from it, I’m glad that I didn’t. If I had, I would have missed out on Archie and Daisy’s romance; the cooking disaster; the interview; the concert and the many ah ha moments that Daisy experiences – the ones that are payoffs for sticking with this book.

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

Thank you to NetGalley and St.Martin’s Press for the ARC of It Must Be True Then. This was an unexpected treat! I expected from the synopsis a formula of nanny turned love but what we got was is so much more.

This story centers on Daisy as she not by choice figures out what she really wants from like. Told in present, single POV and through flashback recollections, the full story of where she’s been and going comes together.

Daisy’s endeavors are at times so embarrassing I had trouble going on, which only added to the connection I felt to her.

The characters she encounters are incredibly special and she begins to build a life that makes her happy. The portrayal of children is well done and they have authentic voice.

The romance of it all is sweet and present but it’s not the most profound aspect of her discovery.

At times the writing felt a bit choppy lost its flow. I definitely wouldn’t let that deter you from reading as it will likely get cleaned up before publishing. I also wasn’t sure what was language style differences as Luci Adams is British and I’m from the US.

Pick this up as soon as it’s released!

What a cute read. A little slow in the beginning, but once it got my attention I felt it was a quick and easy read.

It was a very relatable book - it contained themes of loneliness, careers, finding your place, but also with a fun romance mixed in! And then finding the family you didn’t know you needed. What a fun rom-com. Will be looking out for this one on pub day.

I didn't like the beginning of this one so much, but I'm glad I stuck with it because I ended up loving the novel. At first it read like a typically over-the-top ludicrous rom-com situation, which is not for me. But as the story went on, I really loved the main characters, Daisy and Archie, and how their relationship develops into a real friendship that includes Archie's daughters, Bailey and Cara. Daisy's relationship with her sister, Mia, and the difficult childhood that led to Daisy's estrangement from both Mia and her mother are also well-developed and believable. I like how the author ties together several disparate threads of the story by the end; it seemed serendipitous in the best way, rather than forced or artificial. The book focuses on the timely theme of discovering your authentic self while still keeping certain aspects of your life private. I would recommend this story to readers looking for a light but charming and sometimes emotional story about friendship, forgiveness, and love.

Not going to lie, it took me a little bit to get into this book, I'm not sure what it was about the beginning that sort of made it drag a but, but it did, and I felt it took a long time for the story to actually get started, but this was overall a cute book. Once I got over the really slow start, it picked up a bit.

I thought the author did well with Daisy's self discovery. Also, I don't normally like kids very much in book (they're always written as if they're too wise, I'm sorry), but I liked these girls! I thought the book was cute, and I enjoyed that it focused a lot on her self discovery more than anything,

This was a good read - I really enjoyed this book. I'm so glad that I got the chance to read it early and will definitely be recommending it to multiple people who enjoy these types of novels. I enjoyed the characters and especially enjoyed the writing by this author. I'm excited to see what the author comes out with next as I'll definitely be reading it! Thank you to the publisher for my early copy of this book!

The premise for this sounded so great but unfortunately it wasn't a win for me. It. was. so. slow. I never skim pages or whole paragraphs but with this one I did. After 110 pages I had to call it quits. Thank you St. Martin's Press for the gifted copy in exchange for an honest review.

3.5 stars, rounded up generously. This book has a little bit of a split personality, where the beginning is SO scandalous, such high farce, and then the rest of the novel is a lot more gentle, sometimes to the point of snoozy. And it's hard to really get a grasp on the main character, because you never get the background of her competence at her job. But I liked the London setting and the sister plot line, and the idea of one's perceptions of how people can grow and change.

I received an advance copy of an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I didn't love this one but I also didn't hate this one. However I'm not sure how I feel about this one.

Daisy loved her job and her boyfriend who works with her, but after thirteen years she is fired, and her boyfriend dumps her. After weeks of looking for a data analysist job, she answers an add on a store bulletin board for a nanny. Archie is a single dad with Cara, 6, and Bailey 11. It was Archie’s girlfriend who posted the note when Daisy was shopping and met the girls. When she goes to interview for the job, she finds out Archie does not want a nanny. Cara wants her to stay. and they enjoy dinner together. Daisy is lonely and so is Archie so he suggests that getting together would make them feel less lonely. I really liked exploring the relationship developing between Archie and Daisy. Daisy felt she needed to protect her sister since her mother was always gone and this need interfered with Daisy’s life. I could do with less of their relationship. I loved the creativity of Archie and his ability to capture life in his paintings. His girls meant everything to him, and I liked how his life revolved around them. There is a lot of humor and love in the story.

This was such a fun read. I really liked Daisy and Archie. I love a good slow burn rom com and this one definitely fit the bill. From start to finish it was really great. I absolutely recommend this book!

Daisy lost her job, her boyfriend and became estranged from her sister all in the course of a single day. She’s embarrassed by her circumstances and thinks she knows just how to fix it. By posting her being successful on Instagram. In reality, she’s desperate for work and ends up applying for a nanny job. With the help of the girls’ adorable dad, Daisy starts to find her groove again.

I’m always incredibly charmed by Luci’s novels. Mostly because I am her single-girl desperate to keep up with the world around her type characters. Luci however applies a kind of charm to her novels by putting her characters in such outlandish situations that it just becomes relatable. From nearly burning down your apartment because you forgot you left something in the oven to accidentally going live on the ‘gram to wearing the most uncomfortable and ridiculous get-up to impress. We’ve all found ourselves in some variation of these scenarios so it’s easy to both die of second-hand embarrassment and at the same time smile at it all.

The romance between Archie and Daisy is heartfelt and sweet. They go from friends to family in a way that will leave you just wanting to be absorbed into their fold. Archie and his daughters had me uttering “awwww” on many occasions and they nearly broke me towards the end.

Thank you to St. Martin’s Press for providing an ARC through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review

IT MUST BE TRUE THEN is a friends-to-lovers romantic story that stars a workaholic data analyst, Daisy Peterson, whose on her journey of self-discovery. Daisy works for an appalling colleague, Jackson, who she's crushing on. He schedules weekly at home dates with her via his assistant. Plus, she helps out her sister, Mia, after many bad breakups. Plus, Daisy does work for various people and doesn't get any credit for it. The ultimatum comes the day she is fired, dumped by her deadbeat colleague, and has a huge argument with her sister. Can she dig herself out after hitting her ultimate low?

Daisy meets two young girls in a grocery store one night. She is immediately concerned for their welfare. Learning that they need a nanny, she applies for the position. The father, Archie, is stunningly handsome and single. Daisy's plan to make it on Instagram falters as she gets close with this loving, tight knit family. She is drawn to Archie and their relationship grows as they learn about each other. Will they ultimately go from friends-to-lovers?

Ms. Adams' lovely story of a slow burn romance is absolutely sensational. IT MUST BE TRUE THEN is charming, authentic, and totally fun as Daisy learns to love herself again. She has some unfair things happen to her that rocks her world. So, she discovers how to navigate life, redefines her goals and slowly finds true happiness along the way. This is a fabulous thought-provoking, touching story that will stay with you long after your finish it. A spectacular read!

It Must Be True Then by Luci Adams is a sweet book about a nanny who has hit rock bottom, and a family she didn't know she needed. I enjoyed the characters and what they have overcome to be where they are.

Thank you NetGalley for an ARC

It Must Be True is a beautiful read. This is a read you won't want to miss. Daisy is fantastic even as everything she knows starts to unravel. You will see such growth in Daisy as she befriends two girls and their dad Archie. Archie is a fantastic single dad who is doing everything he can for his two daughters. I love how Daisy and Archie grow together and are pushed out of their comfort zones. This is a second discovery read filled with family and those special moments you will not want to miss. I love Daisy and Archie together so much. I could not put this down. You need to meet Daisy, Archie and his girls today.

Daisy grapples with a series of setbacks—losing her job, going through a breakup, and facing family conflicts. The narrative unfolds as she navigates the aftermath of these challenges, finding herself in an unexpected phase of life.

In her quest to determine the next steps, Daisy stumbles upon a nannying opportunity with a single father and his two daughters. While the plot's trajectory may seem predictable from the details provided, the story beautifully captures Daisy's journey of rediscovery amidst life's uncertainties.

The narrative skillfully explores how she redefines her path, shedding light on the profound truths behind the choices she and others have made. This March 2024 release is a delightful tale of resilience and self-discovery.

Early in this book, I wasn’t sure it was going to be for me, but by the end I was so pleased with it.

Daisy’s life is in a downward spiral. She’s lost her job of 13 years, lost her boyfriend, and is in the midst of a long fight with her sister. Meeting two young girls in a supermarket sets off a series of events that take Daisy on a journey of self-discovery and reevaluating what she thought she wanted from life; a journey that also includes getting to know their handsome dad along the way.

Things started off very chaotic with the pacing and storytelling for me here. There were a lot of flashbacks woven in with Daisy’s present struggles to explain how she got the point that she was at, and they threw me off a bit at times. By the end, they had filtered out and in a way, I ultimately felt like the writing reflected Daisy’s character as she settled more into herself. I loved the growth she experienced. I was proud of her opening up to change, compromise, and rethinking things she thought she was certain of, but she also stayed true to the core perspectives that were important to her.

The book was what I would classify as “romance-lite” as Daisy and Archie spend most of their time together building a friendship before they allow their feelings to possibly venture from the friend zone. That said, the moments between them and their moments with Archie’s daughters, Bailey and Cara, were some of my favorite parts of the book. I loved the girls. They were so different but their personalities felt vibrant in different was. They weren’t just a plot point but fully formed characters who were just as important to Daisy’s story - maybe even more than - Archie’s role.

After a bit of a slow start, this really grew into a heartwarming story of growth and love. There’s a good reminder that oftentimes we only see what people want us to see, both on social media and in real life, and that finding the people you can truly be your most authentic self with is a gift and something to be cherished and celebrated.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press/St, Martin’s Griffin for the eARC in exchange for an honest review.