It Had to Be You by Eliza Jane Brazier was a very fun romance/mystery/thriller.

This definitely had a slower start and I wasn't sure I was going to be able to finish it - I'm glad I stuck with it.

Told in first person, dual POVs, the structure of the book is very engaging. The chapters are short and broken up into several parts. Just as the beginning started to lull, we jumped to the next part and started off another engaging leg of the story.

Both of our Main characters are assassins and (obviously) mortally grey. I don't think this qualifies as a "dark" novel (think Butcher and Blackbird) and I am grateful for that. I often think dark stories go a bit too far and this was the perfect amount for me.

There was a little too much insta love but I actually think it fit the characters well. I really liked their dynamic together and I ended up quickly rooting for the little psychopaths.

Rated 4 stars. Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for the ARC ebook.

This book was a cute mystery. I enjoyed the banter and the thrilling moments equally. I really enjoyed the mix of characters and the ending!

What a wild, deranged romp of a book! Eva and Jonathan share a steamy moment on a train, never to meet again- until Eva is assigned to kill him. What follows is a supremely fun, unhinged ride through the cities of Europe, providing a backdrop to their romance unfolding, despite their best efforts to shove their emotions to the backburner. I loved their internal monologues, the dramatic twists, and the real laughs. Brazier's writing lends itself well to characters who always feel a little off-kilter, which keeps them unpredictable. If you like your romance a little dark, for your hero AND heroine to be a little unstable, and an action-packed plot, this is the book for you. For fans of Butcher and Blackbird.

This is a fun, funny at times, insightful at others about two hired killers who fall in love. And love might be the most dangerous adventure of their lives, if they survive it.

I attempted to read Butcher & Blackbird earlier this year and this is the better take on killers falling in love. I was hooked! 86 chapters are broken into 14 parts across 384 pages, so we're moving at a fairly clippity-clop pace as Eva and Jonathan evaluate and re-evaluate the life of an assassin. It's sexy, fast, furious, and full of twists!

The writing is by turns humorous, ironic, and a little too real ("I have this horrible feeling that everyone else is ordinary, everyone is normal, everyone is happy, except for me."). In fact, much of this novel—the emotion, the thematic questions, the love story—really took me off guard. I didn't expect such an uplifting, desperately romantic story about two intensely lonely people searching for connection. But it's what I got.

And, FINALLY, for once, dual first person POVs came through for me! Both MCs are oddly endearing, with distinct narrative voices. I'm not sure, but I feel it's implied that Jonathan is neurodivergent; among other examples, his chapters are factual and concise without a single contraction word used, while Eva's chapters flow in a more typical description style. There's so much nuance in their characterizations.

All in all, this was time well spent in Europe!

I WILL READ ANYTHING BRAZIER WRITES.

Ahem, sorry for yelling but it’s true. She’s a phenomenal writer. Her way of getting into her characters heads quickly needs to be studied. She uses words so well and so precisely. I’m in awe of her talent.

It Had to be You was my favorite so far. The two leads are so deeply flawed, such obviously terrible people yet I was rooting for both from the beginning. That barely makes sense since they were trying to kill each other for half the book, but such is Brazier’s skill. The story was action packed, with just enough intrigue to keep me guessing. Loved it! 4.5 stars.

Miss Eliza Jane Brazier is back with a bang! She has you rooting for Eva and Jonathan hit after hit!

Grosse Pointe Blank is one of my all-time favorite movies, so color me unsurprised that I absolutely loved this darkly funny, sexy, totally deranged book. I mean, the swords! The sparring! The train sex! Really just loved this book so much.

A fast paced sexy thriller with a lot of sex and a little substance. Two assassins meet on a train and the attraction is immediate. They run into each other again and the sex and thrills continue. A fun distraction.

Copy provided by the publisher and Netgalley

2.75 stars, rounded up. I was really disappointed in this book. The writing was super inconsistent to a point where I’d put the book down to go do something then come back and start a new chapter, feeling like I missed something. The pacing was engaging, but unfortunately instalove was pretty present, and not in a way that’s appropriate for the setting. It felt like the author couldn’t decide on making this book a satire or something more serious, and so all attempts at a more comic lenses felt disjointed. Not to mentions any attempts at including feminism in this fell short. For Eva to talk about how her failure makes it harder for other female assassins to succeed just feels weird, and almost like a mockery of women who do work really hard in their fields to make it easier for their successors. Also, considering that the majority of the story was set in France, I feel like there should have been someone who spoke French reviewing the language. So much of the allusions to characters speaking was disjointed, like a French character randomly peppering in English expletives into their native language, which came off stilted, especially as someone who had a pretty good grasp of both languages.
That all being said, there were a lot of good twists, even if they were predictable. I’m just very disappointed in this book; I wanted it to do a lot more than it did.

So many red flags and the most toxic of relationships… in all the best ways! This book was delightfully odd! One of the most unique books I have ever read, and I am not quite sure how to categorize it; romance, thriller/suspense, mystery, and a lot of murder! I absolutely could not put it down. I can see this becoming an instant best seller and one of the top recommended books on social media. It was romantic, intriguing, and suspenseful, with enough turns to be enthralled the entire length of the book. I will probably read this book again when it comes out in print. The intense love between the two main characters will live rent free in my head for the foreseeable future!

Thank you to NetGalley and Berkley for providing a DRC of this title.

I can honestly say that I've never read another romance like this? The book is definitely more focused on plot than characterization (I never really felt like I knew either character very well), but, once you settle in to the writing style (short, staccato chapters; frequent changes in narration), it's a definite thrill-ride. I could see It Had to Be You being a love-it-or-hate-it book, but I was hooked until the final page. Would definitely recommend for a reader who loves Mr. and Mrs. Smith or a romantic thriller with morally-gray characters.

The book features Eva and Jonathan, deadly assassins facing threats on their lives, reminiscent of Mr & Mrs Smith. The alternating POVs and tense scenarios make for an engaging read. While not a typical thriller, it combines dark humor, action, and romance effectively.

The chemistry between Eva and Jonathan is palpable, and their banter adds a layer of depth to their characters. The action sequences are well-written and kept me on the edge of my seat, while the romantic moments provide a nice contrast to the violence. The unexpected twists and turns in the plot keep the reader guessing, and the resolution is satisfying. However, I found the lack of character development frustrating, as Eva and Jonathan remain somewhat one-dimensional throughout the story. Additionally, the repetitive nature of the plot kind of become tiresome for me, as the cat-and-mouse game between the assassins and their enemies drags on.

Despite these drawbacks, the book is a fun and entertaining read that will appeal to fans of dark humor and fast-paced thrillers. The unexpected spicy moments add an extra layer of excitement to the story, making it a recommended read for those looking for a mix of action, romance, and humor. Just be prepared for a bit of drawn-out angst towards the end.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher fore the arc!

I had absolutely no idea what I was in for when I began reading Brazier's book, but I LOVED every word. I've already been telling my librarian colleagues to request it, and I can't wait to tell my patrons about it. Bravo, Brazier!

Thoroughly entertaining read, fast-paced, and fun characters who threw in a bit of humor during darker scenes, which I appreciate. I want to be mad at the predictability of the ending, but it's the genre and I really can't fault it for that.

This was a fun book! I personally didn't feel as though this was a thriller, it felt more like a dark romantic comedy that was action packed. This is one of those story's where I could easily see it as an action film. Not just because it's very reminiscent of the Mr & Mrs Smith, but because some of the things that were happening were honestly so over the top that it made for great entertainment.

There was also quite a bit of spice which was unexpected but I'm glad that it fit in the story and never felt too out of place. This is definitely a book for people who like dark humor, characters that are emotionally tortured (even if by their own doing), and who love a good cat and mouse game. The only reason why this wasn't a 5 star read for me, was because I personally felt like some of the angst in our MMC Jonathan, was just a little too drawn out. It made the last few chapters of the book feel longer than it was because of his internal monologue and indecisiveness.

Very much a Mr. and Mrs. Smith vibe but with very little character development and a crazy far fetched story line. The inner monologue of Jonathan was over the top and it felt like Eva was always just down for whatever and chipper.

No matter what it was entertaining and very action packed which I enjoy. Not her best IMO but not a total plonker.

DNF at 30%. I tried to get into this one! Unfortunately, I just didn't gel with the main characters. I didn't find them super memorable or relatable. I did think the plot of the story was unique! Thank you to Berkley for the ARC.

It feels like a solid enough set up, and the writing is easy enough to follow. I stopped after chapter 2 (6%) but three to four stars for the target audience.

Thank you to NetGalley and Berkley for the ARC.

Thank you to NetGalley, Berkley and Eliza Jane Brazier for a digital ARC of It Had to Be You in exchange for an honest review.

I really enjoyed Good Rich People by Brazier and apparently completely missed Girls and Their Horses from last year (already added to my TBR!), so I was thrilled to be able to have an early read of It Had to Be You.

Jonathan & Eva are contract killers, each hired to take the other out, who end up falling for each other.

This kind of made me think of the movie Mr. Right - not EXACTLY the same, but definitely had some similar aspects.

Jonathan & Eva meet by chance the first time, where they immediately feel a strong spark and maybe have a little lusty hookup, but 6 months later, their meeting is anything but chance. With each hired to take the other out, how will their growing lust and attraction come into play?

But when they both realize they are in danger from something far worse than each other, they've got to figure out how to make it out of this whole ordeal with their hearts still beating.

This book was fast-paced and completely unputdownable. Each page was filled with another surprise and the spice level was OFF THE CHARTS! I LOVE spicy books and honestly didn't expect that from this author as the previous book that I read by her didn't have anything even close to resembling spice.

So far this is one of my favorite reads of this young 2024 year. 4.5-Stars rounded to 5-Stars and I will happily recommend it on my IG closer to release. Thank you for the opportunity to enjoy this stellar novel!