This is an engaging romcom about Helena and her best friend attending her Mothers wedding. Helena refers to the family her mother is marrying into as the Perfects. No one it turns out is really perfect, thankfully so. This story has it all - luxury location, recovery from loss, mistaken identities (of a sort), romance, and family dynamics.

This has been my year of trying romcoms. Unfortunately,this one was a miss for me. It felt rushed and I didnt feel the chemistry.

nothing happened, but also so much happened? for a modern Shakespeare retelling, the similarities were just tangible enough that I could draw through-lines between this book and A Midsummer Night’s Dream but not too cut-and-paste that it felt drab or repetitive.

Author Rachel Magee drew inspiration for her latest novel, It’s All Relative, from William Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream. This beachy read centers on the June wedding week of widower Steve Maddox and single-mom Nora Crosby. Nora has one daughter Helena, an English teacher, while Steve has three children: Amelia, an architect; Peter, an up-and-coming content creator; and young Emory, 12 going on 30.

English teacher Helena Crosby sees herself on the outside looking in at the beginning of the novel. Her biggest fear is completely losing her mother to the Maddox family she calls “The Perfects.” Helena’s insecurities mount as she nears mom’s Big Day. She confides in fellow teacher and soccer coach Landon Blake. Landon and Helena dated briefly, but remained the best of friends. They are like close siblings, looking out for one another. Helena knows Landon compares most women to the one that got away, his first love, Mia. She tells Landon she has a crush on Amelia’s fiancé Gage Demetrius. She knows how wrong that is and tells him she needs someone by her side at the wedding as her plus-one. Landon doesn’t jump for joy over the invite, but knows about her insecurities that trump the infatuation with Gage. He relents and agrees to attend the wedding.

Amelia Maddox has anxieties about the wedding fearing what could happen in the future. Her father dropped out of life for awhile when he lost his wife. Amelia helped the family cope and the business to stay afloat in the meantime. She helps Nora prepare to plan and prepare for a large rehearsal dinner and the wedding to take her mind off her misgivings. She is still grieving the loss of her mother. She’s also received an important letter that could change her prospects. It’s a secret she hasn’t shared with her family or fiancé Gage. The intrusive thoughts will only draw her focus away from making everything perfect for everyone else, so she ignores her feelings and physical exhaustion.

Busy with work, the letter, and the endless to-do lists, Amelia doesn’t check in again to ask about Helena’s plus one. She is as unprepared as Landon when they see each other. He does a mental-180. He knew Steve’s family lived in Texas, but Helena’s renaming kept from view the fact Amelia, his Mia, is her soon-to-be sister.

Helena is as shocked as Landon. Part of him wants to get out of there fast, but Landon wants to support his best friend. Landon wants Helena to find her spot in the Maddox family. Landon finds he may not be over Amelia though. He sees Amelia struggling and decides to be a friend to her. Helena thought this trip might bring healthy closure for Landon, but she fears he will be hurt once more.

Helena’s Aunt Robyn arrives on the island with flaming hair and Boho flair. She has a cockatoo Titania, a nod to Midsummer’s queen of the fairies. Titania flies off and disappears among the trees on the island. The couples split up in their search. Gage and Amelia go one way, while Landon and Helena another. A fog settles over the island, just as in Midsummer Night’s Dream, and more than one person will leave the night transformed by love.

While the play informed Magee’s storytelling, she took out the dark beginnings. Steve and Nora aren’t enemies in war turned lovers who marry like Theseus and Hippolyta. Amelia is Hermia in the sense that she has two men who love her, but her father thankfully is no Egeus. (Egeus threatened to kill Hermia when she refuses Demetrius, his pick for her husband.) Amelia has no threat of death or the nunnery if she doesn’t marry Gage. Magee’s Helena crushes on Gage Demetrius, but she’s nobody’s dog. Gage doesn’t think Helena is detestable; in fact, he enjoys spending time with her and loves her joie de vivre.

Now, Aunt Robyn is the most mystical of the group in keeping with the feel of Midsummer Night’s Dream. (I cast A Discovery of Witches’ Alex Kingston as Aunt Robyn. She just fits the vibe.) Robyn reads “auras” and seems to know more about these young couples than she lets on. I doubt she had Oberon and Puck help with the fog on the island, but I wouldn’t put it past her. I wish she were introduced sooner. She’s simply delightful.

The novel begins with Helena, but I found myself not connecting with the story until I met Amelia. I loved Amelia. Maybe it’s because I’m an older sister, a first born. Now, Helena grew on me as the only child who never had a father figure, nor the experience of growing up with siblings. The two families come together leading up to the wedding with emotions on high alert, misunderstandings, high and low points, and all the feels. The story had everything I would expect from a family learning how to blend best.

My only real negative is word choice when describing expressions people make. I noticed a lot of smirks, small smiles that quirked up on one side, snorts of laughter, and giggling. But I checked the count for “grin” and found more than 80 uses. I normally notice those things though. I think it’s the editor in me. Since this is an advance copy, I am sure someone else will notice that.

The best part about reading It’s All Relative is that I wanted to haul out my Riverside Shakespeare published by Houghton Mifflin Company in 1973. But then, I remembered underlining the places where I saw a footnote below. I would read through a scene, and then reread and look at the notes. I decided to look up the No-Fear Shakespeare edition from Spark Notes. These have the original play is on the lefthand side, while the modern text is on the right. I had a happy heart after reading this play again. Thank you, Rachel Magee, for drawing me back to the Bard, and to Netgalley and Thomas Nelson Fiction for allowing me the chance to read and review an advance copy.

Many thanks to NetGalley and the Publisher for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

3.5 ⭐️

I’ll be honest, I remember nothing of what I have ever learned about Shakespeare’s plays, so I definitely didn’t catch the references to MND. Regardless, it’s a sweet story about love, loss, and what it means to be a family. I enjoyed escaping into the drama at the island and am always here for an HEA! The characters fell a little flat for me, which made it hard to become fully invested in them, so I took off a star. I would still recommend this as an entertaining read for the summer.

My first book by Rachel Magee and I can say that I am excited for more to come out from our author. I loved this book. The storyline was wonderful, the characters were great and I loved them each, the premise behind it was perfect. This was like a light sprinkle of of Midsummer Nights Dream. LOVED IT!

We follow Helena and Amelia. Amelia is Helenas stepsister (soon to be stepsister)…and Helena has the BIGGEST crush on her fiancé. WHOOPS. There are so many layers in this book and it’s such a fun adventure we go on through this book. Lots of POV in here which I enjoy as usual…lots of giggles, banter and great moments throughout this book. Such a fun romcom for anybody who enjoys such books.

I will definitely be recommending this book to my book friends who love not just a great fresh romcom but Shakespeare retelling as well, it was very unique and fun!

Thanks to #ThomasNelsonPublishing and #NetGalley for the digital ARC of #ItsAllRelative. The opinions expressed here are entirely my own.

I don't remember enough of my high school Shakespeare to recognize this as a retelling of A Midsummer Night's Dream (publishers blurb), but It's All Relative is an enjoyable novel about love, obligation and the blending of 2 families through marriage. The dynamics of the soon to be step-sisters, Helena and Amelia, feel very authentic and I think the author really captured the anxieties and fears that come with change. While this is probably considered "romance", the romance is pretty benign and fairly predictable. But I liked the characters and the story so much I didn't care that I guessed the ending after 2 chapters.

The publication timing and beach house setting make this an obvious "beach read", but it's relatable characters and hopeful vibe make it a good read any time of year. I'll be looking for more from this author.

It’s All Relative was absolutely charming. I adored the characters and the unique family dynamics each character brought to the table. This book is a quick read and perfect for summer.
Thanks to Thomas Nelson Fiction, NetGalley, and Rachel Magee for a chance to read this book for free. I'm leaving this review o based solely on my own opinions.

This was a really fun book and I had a hard time putting it down. There were some small typographical errors, mostly where words were kind of smushed together without correct spacing. I liked the multiple points of view, and that this had humor and romance without having a lot of steamy descriptions. This is a book I'd feel comfortable recommending to anyone who likes romance, even mid to older teens.

Adaptations can be fun when you're putting your brain to with seeking parallels and representations. One of the major objectives in my Shakespeare unit is evaluating adaptations and their choices. This book would be great for that purpose if we had time to read a whole book but I could definitely recommend it as an extension for my voracious readers.
From the perspective as a reader rather than a teacher, four characters is a lot of perspective juggling. The focus is on the women for the most part, then Landon. I thought Gage was an afterthought. He's necessary but just flat in comparison to the other three. I'm glad the book focused on the family conflict between Helena and Amelia instead. Mostly a fun read, easy to put down and pick back up. A beach read for sure!

“It's All Relative” by Rachel Magee focuses on the family dynamics that spark both humorous and awkward situations between two very different young women whose parents are marrying. Helena, a perpetually late, somewhat fly-by-the-seat-of-her-pants English teacher, has come to share in the festivities surrounding her mother’s upcoming wedding. Her mother is marrying a wealthy man whose family is—in Helena’s eyes—“perfect.” Her future stepsister, Amelia, is a put-together, highly successful architect, and Helena couldn’t feel more different from her. The author does a good job teasing out the contrasts of these two women and giving readers empathy for both. Just as in real life, the characters can’t be neatly pigeon-holed.

I wish I had taken a moment to review Shakespeare’s “A Midsummer Night’s Dream” since this book is considered a modern retelling. But, even without a refresher of that famous comedy, I enjoyed the story. The twists that developed because of Helena’s and Amelia’s past love interests might have been my favorite aspect of the book. I always love a story that rattles the cage of a perfectionist whose carefully laid plans go “poof” with a simple surprise.

Exploring themes of family, personalities, relationships, and the unpredictability of love, “It’s All Relative” is a fun romp through a jam-packed wedding week. A nice summer read. Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for an advance review copy.

More than 5 stars for this book! Oh my word- I laughed, and I cried! The writing is absolutely brilliant! The story tackles the subject of a blended family in which most of the "children" are adults. I liked how the characters made sure that their parent's wedding was perfect. The setting is gorgeous! Gotta love a beach wedding!

Each one of the characters touched my heart. Nora for her bravery. Steve for opening his heart to love again. Helena for her compassion. Amelia for her gift of making sure everyone feels included. Landon, Gage, and Peter are loyal and always ready to lend a hand. Emory for her genuine, loving nature. Aunt Robyn for her quirky and adorable personality!

The unity ceremony brought tears to my eyes. That each person's individual creativity joined together created something beautiful!

I was provided a complimentary copy of the book from Thomas Nelson via NetGalley. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Thank you to #NetGalley for a copy of this novel in exchange for an honest review.

This was a really good read and retelling. I thought it was written well and the character building was very good. The backdrop of the wedding and family relationships were very good.

I think it was a nice read, but might have been tad too cheesy and surface level for my preference.
What i mean with it is that I did like that it captured one snippet in time which was the wedding week, and the backstories were quite minimal and self explanatory but having 4 different pov's in quite a short book made it that I didn't get to know any of the characters super well, just littlebit for everyone rather than to having very well known main character. But also i dont imagine this story with less pov's as it was kinda necessary in order for everything to play out as it did.
Also maybe its just personal, but I honestly didn't see the reason for the family to push "getting along" so much, i mean yes families can spend a lot of time together, but most of the people were full grown adults so is the blending of the families such a big deal if you have grown-up children? Or having the feel of being outsider is totally valid, but I dont know if it is as personal to an adult as it would be for a teenager, this is of course just my opinion and how I see family relationships, probably someone else with a closer relationship with their family could connect over this more.
I did enjoy the fact that relationships weren't rushed into, the reconnection and the pace it moved made sense, same as the epilogue updates.

✨BOOK REVIEW: It’s all Relative by Rachel Magee

⭐️⭐️⭐️✨/5
3.25 /5

This book was retelling of Midsummer Night’s Dream through two different families who are about to become one through a wedding. At the core, the story is about family and feeling as though you don’t always belong. In the middle of this story are two soon to be stepsisters who couldn’t be more opposite if they tried, but we see their internal struggles they have had and their perceptions of each other change throughout the course of the story as they really have to allow one another in their world while shifting their perspective of one another from the stories they made in their heads about each other to fact.

⭐️⭐️✨ = 2 stars and a consideration

⭐️ I liked that this was told from all four perspectives so we got an inside glimpse behind everyone’s thoughts and actions and it did not feel like it was too much, either, which can happen when there is POV switching between a group of characters.

⭐️ I liked the contrast between Amelia and Helena as well as between Landon and Gage, proving that opposites really do attract.

✨ I felt that there was no… climax. I felt like I kept waiting for something BIG to happen and then it just sort of teetered off and they became one happy family all the sudden.

Thank you to Thomas Nelson Fiction, Net Galley and Rachel Magee for this ARC

Pub Date: August 06, 2024

I’ll admit, I predicted the ending to It’s All Relative within the first few chapters; I’m sure you will too ;)

HOWEVER, this cute romance story is worth the journey following 4 young lovers navigate the drama of blended families, past romances and changes to life as they know it.

IAR is the perfect weekend beach reach. You’ll be dreaming of sailboats and sandy shores from start to end.

⛵️🦜🎀

Helena and her best friend fly to a small island off the Florida coast for her mom’s wedding. Helena is anything but onboard with her future blended family and things get off to a rocky start. The author is a wonderful storyteller and as the relationships bloom you begin to adore the entire new family. I also wouldn’t mind staying at that family home for a week!


I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

28 year old Helena's mom is getting married to a man with three children. Helena is happy for her but feels like she's going to have a hard time fitting in with this new family. Her soon to be step-sister Mia has a great job, owns her own home, is engaged and is always early while Amelia is a teacher with college debts often eating from the school vending machine and is often late. Amelia begs her best friend Landon to attend the wedding with her for moral support. There are a few surprises when the wedding week arrives. It seems Amelia and Landon have a surprising history and Helena is having a hard time with her crush on Amelia's fiancé. This book goes beyond the normal rom coms due to the relationships between Helena and her soon to be step-sisters. I also liked that the main character Helena is a high school teacher. That's an occupation not normally written about.

I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own. I got this book from NetGalley. This book follows four POV’s. We have Helena, Amelia, Landon and Gage and we get to see the events and thoughts run through each persons perspective. This book would be a very good summer read. It is set during a family wedding where two families are becoming one, although it isn’t as easy as anyone expects. I could relate to how both Helena and Amelia felt at the idea of a new family and what the means for you and feeling like you will be forgotten and not fit in! This book is quite lighthearted while also addressing more deeper topics. I would describe this as a literary fiction book with a subplot of romance. I really enjoyed this book and would recommend reading it once it releases in August!

Thank you to Net Galley and Thomas Nelson Publishing for an early copy of It's All Relative by Rachel Magee

Family members gather at their island retreat to witness the marriage of widower Steve Maddox and Nora Crosby. The ceremony is preceded by several days of family activities and includes Steve's three adult/teenage children (Amelia, Peter and Emory) and Nora's daughter Helena, all of whom will need to bond in order to make this blended family a success.

To complicate matters, Helena invites her best friend Landon Blake as her "plus one". Neither Helena nor Landon are aware that Steve's daughter, Amelia, is the past love of Landon's life. However, Amelia is now engaged and her fiance is on the scene.

Light-hearted and affirming, It's All Relative will see the family members through a few rough spots, but happiness and new beginnings will prevail.