This is a modern retelling of A Midsummer Night's Dream, and it does preserve that chaotic energy throughout. Helena’s mom is marrying Amelia’s dad, and the week leading up to the wedding becomes a battle of the wills between the two women. The drama is heightened when it’s revealed both women are in love with the wrong man.
The story takes place at Amelia’s family home on a South Carolina island. There’s classic wedding hijinks like torn dresses, and classic island issues like missing ferries. The supporting characters are goofy, and add a lot of comedic relief into an otherwise tense storyline. Additionally, I think Helena and Amelia are interesting main characters whose different personalities are clear in every interaction.
Unfortunately, the majority of the book just didn’t pack enough of a punch. Things were happening at a breakneck speed, but it felt like every plot point was just being thrown at me for no real reason. There’s a lot of background that’s skimmed over quickly but never fully addressed. Helena and Amelia are developed just enough to be memorable, while every other character is so flat and one-dimensional they seem to slip away. And the final few chapters, while closer to Shakespeare’s version, were so zany and out of place with the rest of the plot that it felt like a fever dream.
Thanks to Netgalley and Thomas Nelson for the free advanced copy in exchange for an honest review!

It's All Relative is a fun beach read about a family wedding full of drama, friendships, and romance (old and new). I found myself laughing out loud while reading. Helena’s mother has been a single mom and is getting married for the first time, Helena is afraid she is“losing” her mother to "The Perfects" a family with two adult children and one pre-teen. When it is time for wedding week, Helena talks her best friend Landon into going to the family’s beach home/wedding week with her as a support. They are both shocked to find out that Amelia, the oldest daughter, is Mia, Landon's old college love that he is never got over. To make matters even more crazy, Helena is falling for Amelia’s fiancé. Helena is afraid her new family will never accept her. One of the best books I have read in a long time, and actually reached out to Rachel to let her know! Looking forward to reading more of her stories in the future!
Thanks NetGalley and Thomas Nelson Fiction for letting me have a complementary copy of this book for an honest review. #ItsAllRelative #NetGalley

🧼 - Squeaky clean romance, hardly a smooch. This story line really didn't do it for me. It was way too predictable and cheesy. When the random aura reading Aunt and her bird entered the scene I almost couldn't do it.

This was a lot of fun!

As a fan of A Midsummer Nights Dream I was so so excited for this, and intrigued by the idea of a modern romance playing with this fairy-infused story. It definitely did not disappoint.

I loved it. The hi-jinx are more relatable and the characters are really likable. The four different points of view were handled so well, I loved their character arcs and I really, genuinely enjoyed them.

If you like an anything like a more fun Family Stone, or Shakespeare’s original but mixed into a romcom, you’ll love this! Check it out!

This could be great, and from the looks of many other Goodreads reviews, a lot of folks enjoyed it--which is awesome!

I just ... didn't, heh. I got bored after a bit and DNFed after 7 chapters/25%. The characters and plot didn't really draw me in, and the read became one of those I kynda dreaded picking up again just because, again, bored.

I'll also admit I wasn't one who enjoyed "10 Thing I Hate About You"--so it could be that new takes on this work of the Bard's just aren't my jam (or I'm not the right reader, more likely).

I received an eARC of the book from the publisher via NetGalley. All opinions are my own.

Such a quick and enjoyable book that is set by the beach. It’s a story that moves through 4 POV. Amelia is your headstrong oldest sibling who has it all together. Then there’s the future step sister Helena who is free spirited and does not have it all together. They’re both wrestling with their own insecurities as they try to band together for their parents’ wedding.

I enjoyed the setting of the scene, the interactions, and some character development.

It was fast and light hearted read.

For moral support for her mother's wedding, Helen asked London, her coworker and best friend, to accompany her to the fancy villa that belonged to Helen's mother's partner, Steve Maddox. That's where London met the oldest daughter of Maddox, Amelia, with whom he was in love when they were in college but broke up because Amelia's ambition was to study in London and become a successful architect. Now Amelia is engaged to a big-shot hot guy, Gage, whom they met at one of the projects. They got acquainted and found some similarities in each other, but even though Amelia's relationship with Gage is good, she never forgot her first love, London, and meeting him awakened her long-held feelings. London, a history and PE teacher who is the epitome of sunshine, has a scar deep down that makes him unable to date, and that was Mia's GF breakup. Now, after years, when they meet, he understands that he will never forget Mia, even though he said that he did it to himself. Gage is the vice president of a big Spencer company. After meeting Amelia, though she was his other half, and adding their compatibility, he proposed to her and got engaged. He thought he was happy until he met Helen, his soon-to-be Amelia stepsister, a chaotic, funny, and lively girl. Amelia and Gage are both control freaks; they liked everything in order, but Helen's was different, the complete opposite of Amelia, and the more time Gage spends with her, the more he doubts that marrying Amelia is the right thing.

The main location of the book is Maddoxes traditional villa, where we have some traditional activities like sailing and... the book has a good image of the near-the-sea activities and all the vibe you need for a wedding. It's an added bonus that the book is 4 pov, and you can have each of the 4 main characters know about their own feelings. When you read about only two characters, you would assume, "Are they cheating?" And this kind of thing, but by 4 pov, you understand how important it is to not jump to conclusions, and it's a point in my opinion.

The book has some interesting events, the usage of professional sports antiques is good, and the showing of each character's point of view and others helps to understand the surroundings better. There is this paradox. For example, Helen, in her point of view, is stressed, sometimes worrying, and struggles to not mess things up, but in others, she mostly looks like a carefree and cheerful being. I liked this contrast, and I think it shows the skill of the author in portraying the events. I gave the book the rating of 3.5 and spice 2 because, to be honest, the plot seems more interesting to know what would happen to this 4 than the spice.

This book was light and fun! It’s All Relative made for the perfect pool read. Just enough conflict and just enough cheesiness!

Loved it. So glad I did not allow the word Shakespeare to keep me from reading and enjoying this story. Many heartwarming moments. A variety of romances and relationships. Thanks to the publisher for providing a copy via NetGalley. My review is voluntary.

"It's All Relative" is such a delightful and engaging book set against the backdrop of Florida's coast. The story revolves around Helena, an English teacher known for her spontaneous approach to life. The narrative unfolds during her mother Nora's wedding weekend, where the merging of their families provides plenty of humor, adventure, and newfound understanding among the characters.

The introduction of a former boyfriend adds an intriguing twist, stirring up emotions and complicating relationships, which adds depth to the story. The book definitely strikes a balance between light-hearted moments and more heartfelt scenes where characters grow and evolve!

The setting of Florida's coast adds to the appeal, offering us a virtual escape to sunny beaches and scenic landscapes. It was the perfect beach read this summer! I loved the charming and enjoyable story, blending humor, romance, and family drama in a way that kept me rooting for the characters until the very end.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Thomas Nelson Fiction for the opportunity to read this advanced reader's e-copy in exchange for my honest opinions!

"It's All Relative" surprised me a lot with how funny, insightful and tender it was. I love stories with family connections and relationships in the middle and this one was exactly that. I worried, I smiled, I giggled.
Perfect summer romance and not only that! I see myself rereading it during winter because I almost want to get back to the island now, even though I'd finished the book only 3 days ago.
I loved the setting, I loved the family dynamics, I loved Emory. There are 4 different characters' POVs, but I loved all of them (well, maybe except Gage, he seemed like the least interesting character to me, but his chapters were still nice to read).

Big thanks to NetGalley and Thomas Nelson Fiction for this ARC.
I received a complimentary copy of this book. The opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

It’s difficult to enjoy a book when you don’t like the main character. We all have a friend who’s perpetually late or who is clumsy, maybe it’s even ourselves, but not to the extent that Helena is. I grew weary of her mess-ups. Also Amelia’s traits of perfection, punctuality, and list making also grew redundant. While I was excited to read this novel with comparisons to A Midsummer Night’s Dream, I was disappointed with these characters and with little semblance to Shakespeare’s play except for a few names The beach setting is nice, but the island sounds more like it should be on Florida’s west coast, not its east coast.
Thanks to NetGalley and Thomas Nelson for this advanced copy for review.

This is the first book I’ve read of Rachel Magee. I really enjoyed it. She did a fantastic job and the book was engaging. I liked it a lot.

I read this book with my book club,. I enjoyed the flow of the storyline, the character development, and the characters in general. I would definitely recommend to others for an enjoyable read.

I was very excited to read It's All Relative - I love a modern day retelling and Midsummer Night's Dream is one of my favorite Shakespeare plays! While this is a fun, light, beach read I did struggle a bit with the story. There are a lot of characters that are quickly introduced and I didn't feel like any of them were terribly developed. The story meanders a bit, told from multiple perspectives and is a bit predictable. However, I think this is a fun read for the summer.

I knew going in that this was a Shakespeare adaptation, but reading it really felt like a Shakespeare adaptation. It was quick and well-written, but not quite my cup of tea. I think this would be a better fit for someone who is more of a fan of the bard than I am.

3 stars

ARC was provided by the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

This was a super fun summer rom-com! I love Shakespeare so I was very excited to see this was a retelling of A Midsummer Night’s Dream. This was a perfect beach read.

It's All Relative is a modern retelling of Shakespeare's A Midsummer Night's Dream, which I did not realize before reading. Honestly, I don't remember anything about that original story, so I can't really speak to how it compared. What I can say is that it was a really cute story, filled with all the family drama. In this story, Helena's mom is getting married and she's struggling with the idea of joining a family that she doesn't feel she belongs to. To help her feel more comfortable, she invites her best friend Landon... only to discover that her stepsister to be Amelia is the ex that he never got over. And oh yes, did I mention that Helena has a big crush on Amelia's fiance Gage. Whew, talk about complicated!! The story alternates between all these POVs, which admittedly took me a little bit to keep up with early on in the story... but by the time the story really got going, I found myself enjoying this chaotic family event. I'm not usually one for love triangles (or love squares or whatever you might call this!), but it was done well and I enjoyed it nonetheless. I won't give too much away, but I definitely found this to be a unique story that kept me interested from start to finish. While the romance was great, more than anything this truly was the story about family and sisters too.

**Complimentary copy received via Netgalley. All opinions are my own.

Well this was a sweet, clever, fun little beach read. I really enjoyed it and will look for more from Rachel Magee!

This book has a gorgeous setting, fun characters, great banter, and some family drama. It was a nice, quick read perfect for the beach or pool. The story had me hooked from the beginning and kept me turning pages. I'm hoping for a sequel so that we can see what happens to all the characters next. Thank you to NetGalley and Thomas Nelson for the advanced copy of this book.