It Had To Be you is a fast paced bingeable read, it has love, suspense, mystery, drama and humour. I mean what more could you possibly ask for in a book? To say it immediately hooked me is an understatement. In the novel we follow two contract killers who meet on a train and both feel a connection to one another, things happen and they go their separate ways. Until they meet again as they discover they were ordered to kill eachother! It is told in a dual narrative, so we get each contract killers perspective as they live out their fate! This one has been all over the gram lately and I can see why, this is definitely one to add to your tbr!

It Had To Be You by Eliza Jane Brazier is so different from the other books I’ve read by her and I loved it. It’s a fun book that’s being compared to Mr and Mrs Smith (except actually good) (I’m still bitter about Brad Pitt leaving Jen Aniston). I feel like this should be categorized as a romantic suspense and when I say romance, I mean SPICE. All the spice, so much spice. Eva is a kick ass character and her determination and strength made her someone I won’t soon forget. Suspending disbelief has never been so easy as it is with this book!

It Had to Be You by Eliza Jane Brazier is about two contract killers who meet by chance on a train ride from Florence to Paris. This book travels all around Europe in a fast paced and fun plot as these two killers discover more about each other. This is the first Eliza Jane Brazier book I have read and I definitely enjoyed it! Spies and some romance make for a fun, fast read!

3.5 *

I love when a book promises that the characters will be insane, and then they actually are. Eva and Jonathan were absolutely out of their minds, which I feel like tracks for contract killers. Their mad dash around Europe trying to find each other after a chance meeting, and then trying to kill each other, and then trying to kill the people trying to kill them was super fun.

However, this book did a lot of telling and not a lot of showing. It kept repeating how much they were enamored with each other, or telling why these two were so broken and damaged and traumatized and how they couldn't feel love and all that jazz, but there was... no emotion behind it? I mean, I guess I'll believe you, but if you're telling this tragic backstory and neither of the characters are showing any emotion, how am I supposed to feel for them?

Thank you to NetGalley and Berkley for this arc!

Mr. and Mrs. Smith but make it sexier and more dysfunctional? That's exactly what Brazier elicits from It Had to Be You - Eva and Jonathan both put the fun in dysfunctional and I couldn't stop turning the pages.

3.25 rounded down

Two killers for hire get on a train… sounds like the beginning to an interesting story. That is how this one starts, it feels like an open door Mr and Mrs Smith. This was a fun story to follow, the banter and chaos that seemed to follow them kept me invested. Finding the mysterious “Administrator” was an adventure. You will enjoy it if you like trains, travel, Paris/Europe, action/adventure, romance, spicy scenes, banter, dry humor, and girl power. It was a fun and quick read.

Thrillers are my first love, but assassins who fall in love is my kind of romance. Eva and Jonathan meet on the sleeper train from Florence to Paris, and their chemistry is electric! (Cue in the sexy scene at the luggage rack! 🥵) Little do they know, they are both assassins. Because of their occupation, they expect never to see each other again. But, six months later, Eva is assigned to kill Jonathan.

This romance-turned-cat-and-mouse thriller is told through a dual POV, which sets up nicely for dual narrators. January LaVoy plays Eva, and Will Damron plays Jonathan. Both perform stellar narration, adding to the heat, dark comedic banter, and often hilarious monologues. I highly recommend this format!

Other Highlights:
✨Bingeable short chapters
✨Mr. And Mrs. Smith vibes
✨Dark humor
✨Open door spiciness
✨Traversing across Europe

It Had To Be You is a fast-paced mixed genre summer read - romance/thriller. Bottom line: clever romance and intriguing mystery that maybe leaves the door open for a sequel?!? If so, sign me up!

I loved Eliza Jane Brazier's GIRLS AND THEIR HORSES, so I knew I needed to check this one out! I didn't have "romantic thrillers" on my 2024 bingo card, but somehow I've read a handful of them this year! Eva and Jonathan have a steamy encounter before realizing that they are both contract killers. They meet again when Eva is hired to kill Jonathan. The short chapters make this cat and mouse thriller move quickly. I had to suspend disbelief a little because it's a bit out there, but it was a fun ride!

Two contract killers meet on a train, have an undeniable connection... only now they both have hits out on each other and the line between falling in love and murdering each other is beginning to blur. Eva and Jonathan hook up on a sleeper train from Florence to Paris, both assuming it's a one time event and that they'll never meet each other again. Yet that one time was enough for both of them to think that they've finally met someone who gets them. Yet six months later they run into each other again in Versailles... except this time it's not a coincidence and rather because Eva was hired to kill Jonathan. Neither Jonathan nor Eva knew that they were both contract killers... yet when they both get hired to kill each other things begin to take a game of seduction and murder begins. Neither can trust each other... yet they can't help falling for each other. But with hits out on them both and everyone out to get them... will they be able to make it out alive and trust one another enough to work together? If you like Mr. and Mrs. Smith, then this book is for you. It's such a fun story and the dynamic between Eva and Jonathan was really fun, It's a cute hitman romance and I enjoyed the back and forth between Eva and Jonathan as they both work through their feelings and trying to earn each other's trust.

Release Date: July 16, 2025

Publication/Blog: Ash and Books (ash-and-books.tumblr.com)

*Thanks Netgalley and Berkley Publishing Group | Berkley for sending me an arc in exchange for an honest review*

Man this was a fun read! Two assassins out for each other. It was a steamy one as well which I wasn't expecting.
But if you want a fun, fast paced and witty read about two assassin's...and alot of killing then this is the book for you!
I had a great time with it!

4.5 stars

Eliza Jane Brazier’s newest thriller published this week. This book was great—funny, suspenseful, steamy, and romantic—and I wouldn’t be shocked to see a film/TV adaptation pop up sometime soon.

Eva (not her real name) and Jonathan (not his real name) meet cute on a sleeper train from Florence to Paris. There’s definitely chemistry between the two of them, despite the fact that Jonathan seems a bit loopy. (He got shot but doesn’t want anyone to know.) The two wind up having hot sex on a luggage rack on the train, and when Eva goes to back to their compartment, Jonathan never returns.

The truth is, both are contract killers, but neither knows that yet. They can’t get the memory of their encounter out of their minds, but it’s a shock to both when six months later, they run into each other again, at the Hall of Mirrors in Versailles. It’s no coincidence this time, though—Eva has been assigned to kill Jonathan.

Eva is proud of her skill as a cold-blooded killer, but while she thinks she can easily murder Jonathan, her heart isn’t quite in it. As they start falling in love with each other, it appears that their failure to kill one another has made them both a threat. Can true love survive trained assassins? Can they ever walk away from their past?

This has aspects of Mr. & Mrs. Smith, but the chemistry between the two and the existential challenges they face make the plot richer. As they ping-pong their way through Europe, they don’t know whom to trust—not even each other.

Such a fun read!! Thanks to Berkley and NetGalley for the advance copy!

Short synopsis: Two assassins have a tryst on a sleeper train, then happen to run into each other month later. Only this time Eva is assigned to kill Jonathan.

My thoughts: Okay, this was a fun one! A Romantic thriller with some spice. It grabbed my attention from the first few chapters because the chemistry between Eva and Jonathan was magnetic from the get-go, and the sizzle just would not stop.

I loved the dual POV, we could get the lust from both characters along with their deeper feelings. I also was obsessed with the setting. Please take me exploring across Europe!

This definitely has a dark element, but the humor intermixed throughout the pages added some lightness to the story.

Read if you love:
- The movie Mr and Mrs Smith
- Lust and love
- Romantic thrillers
- European tours
- Comedic breaks
- Dual POV

After a memorable meeting on a sleeper train car to Paris, two assassins meet up again when they are hired to kill each other.

Not sure what I just read but it was a wild ride! This was a fast-paced cat and mouse game across several countries. These two contract killers have lots of trauma in their pasts and end up being very well matched. I enjoyed the dual POV and was surprised by the humor in the dialogue.

Pick this one up if you like:
--a European setting
--a dual POV
--a dark comedy
--spice!
--a second chance

Thank you to the publisher for my e-copy of this book.

It was a fun premise for sure- and definitely fits in the darker romance trends that are hot right now. I’m just not sure it was totally for me - which not every book can be! It was written in a terse, almost staccato way, which works for the thriller genre more so than the romance genre. So being more of a romance reader than a thriller reader, it just wasn’t the right fit for my preferences. I do think that people who enjoy darker themes will connect to this book more though!

Based on the synopsis, I found myself stepping out of my usual genre and giving this one a shot. Holy shit am I happy I did. I loved Eva and Jonathan so fast it made my head spin and this was genuinely such a fun read??? The narrative is sharp and witty and the dual POV really brings even more fun to the page. It is action packed, emotional, and over-all exciting. The spicy parts are delicious and feel empowered when they come from Eva’s side of the scene, though Jonathan’s perspective is just as sexy. It has honestly been a long time since I’ve loved a romance novel this much and I’m pleased that the action was just as thrilling as the romance plot was. This is absolutely a new favourite for me.

Thank you to NetGalley and Berkley Publishing Group for providing me with this book for free in exchange for my review! I was also lucky enough to receive an ALC from the Penguin Random House Audio Influencer Program. @prhaudio #PRHAudio #PRHAudioInfluencer
All opinions are my own. @BerkleyPub @BerkleyRomance #BerkleyPartner #Berkley #BerkleyBookstagram #BerkleyBookTok

This was a smart and sexy novel. If you like action comedy rom-com movies from the early 2000s such as The Killers or Mr. and Mrs. Smith, then you will love this book! I read and listened to this book at the same time. Fun Fact: January Lavoy and Will Damron are not necessarily acting with their narrating chemistry...they are a real life couple. I think that makes the audiobook much more romantic. I was a little worried this book might be pretty violent and while it was an action romantic comedy novel, it wasn't too triggering for me. I think Eliza Jane Brazier is a fantastic writer and I am excited to see what she comes up with next!


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Thank you to NetGalley, Berkley, and Ms. Brazier for the opportunity to read an ARC of this title. An honest review was requested but not required.

This book was the absolute perfect book to read as a palate chaser between two heavier books. I have never read anything by this author before but after this book she's headed to my auto-buy list. This book was SO much fun. I was stuck in an airport for 6 hours and this book kept me sane. It was fun, it moved at lightning speed, it was funny, it was romantic, it was murder-y, it was absolutely gripping. Heads up Hollywood, this would make an AMAZING movie; it's Mr. and Mrs. Smith but less smarmy and self-congratulatory. These two killers are actually, ahem, killing. I would say Mr. and Mrs. Smith crossed with a little Butcher and Blackbird, but make it Europe.

I did not take ONE break when I read this book, I did not pass GO, I literally sat there glued to the page waiting to see who would kill, and who would get killed, next. Somehow I had no problem whatsoever cheering on a pair of murderers (does that make me messed up?).

Definitely a full five-star recommendation on this book for me.

Two strangers on a train find an instant connection on a trip from Florence to Paris but never expect to see each other again.

Fast forward to six months later when Eva reconnects with Jonathan at Versailles, but unbeknownst to him, she’s not there as his lover. He’s her target.

As it turns out, they're both assassins.

From the synopsis and some of the editorial reviews, I was expecting this to be a bit more romance heavy—something like Mr. and Mrs. Smith without the domesticity and duplicity seen at the beginning of the film—and while there is definitely chemistry brewing between Eva and Jonathan, this is not your typical romance.

“Both of us are broken people. That’s the truth, and the truth just feels different.” They both experienced childhood trauma that they have not processed. It directly impacts how they relate to other people and to their chosen profession.

I feel like the way their POVs are portrayed depicts their mental states. His chapters, especially, are full of more simple sentences in what felt, at times, like a staccato-style thought process to me.

I suspect that I would have enjoyed this one more on audio, with narrators bringing these characters to life or as a movie or limited-run television series.

Expect intense physical scenes—both of the intimacy and violence variety—and a developing emotional connection that leads these two main characters to their own version of an HEA.

I received an advance copy of the book from Berkley and NetGalley. All review opinions are my own.

I absolutely adored this book; it took me on an emotional rollercoaster that I didn't want to end. The author masterfully blended my favorite genres, creating a story that was both heart-pounding and deeply romantic. From the first page, I was hooked, and I couldn't believe how perfectly the thriller and romance elements intertwined.

The murderers in the story had a chilling job to do, yet their lives were filled with unexpected passion and love. The tension between killing and love was so palpable, it kept me on edge the entire time. I found myself completely absorbed by the characters, despite their dark and dangerous paths. Their complexity made them feel so real, and I was deeply invested in their fates.

The relationships were intense and beautifully complicated. The author captured the fine line between love and obsession with such skill that it left me breathless. The romantic moments were haunting and powerful, creating an unforgettable contrast with the suspenseful, often violent plot.

I couldn't put this book down. The perfect mix of thriller and romance kept me turning pages late into the night, desperate to see what would happen next. It's been a long time since I've read something that moved me so deeply. This book is an absolute gem, and I can't recommend it highly enough to anyone who craves an emotional, thrilling, and passionately written story.

It Had to Be You by Eliza Jane Brazier
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Two contract killers meet on a sleeper train. There is an instant attraction but they are separated by circumstances. When they meet again later, it isn’t by chance, it’s just the job.
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What I loved:
-This book was so much fun to read from the very beginning all the way to the end.
-I love how we learned more about our favorite contract killers and how they came into their careers. I don’t want to say too much and give anything away, but Eva and Jonathan were both super cool and at the same time I wanted to give them both a mom hug.
-The POV alternates between Eva and Jonathan so it’s fun to see how each interaction looks through two perspectives.
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4.5⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫 If you loved the movie Mr and Mrs Smith, then you will love It Had to be You. I highly recommend this book, it is the perfect summer read!