It's All Relative is a short but sweet retelling of A Midsummer Night's Dream. Set off the coast of Florida, Helena has come to celebrate her mom's wedding weekend, where she's marrying into the Maddox family. The co-mingling of families, complexities of past relationships, and daily adventures keep the story interesting and entertaining. A great beach read for the summer!

This is the first book I've read by Rachel Magee, but it certainly won't be the last. I enjoyed "It's All Relative," a quick and easy summer/beachy read. While the plot was fairly predictable, it was still a good book about family, relationships, and love. The characters were likable and the plot was easy to follow and a great book to take to the pool or beach.

If you’ve ever heard the term “glowing review” that’s what I want to give this book. I was hooked from the very first page. The characters were so relatable—flawed and funny. It’s a story that the struggles of blending families and personalities.
There are some painful moments, but some hilarious ones too. At the center of it all is at least one sweet romance. You’ll laugh a little, cry a little and love the happy ending! It’s a fun read, perfect for summer.
It’s All Relative is one of the best books I’ve read this year. I’ll definitely be looking for more from this author in the future.
I received a copy of this book through NetGalley. All opinions are my own.

I really enjoyed this book. Helena is fly by night kind of girl, always late and gets side tracked easily. Her mother, Nora is marrying into the perfect family. Landon , her best friend is going to be Helena's plus one. When they get there and he is introduced to the Maddox's., he is shocked as he already knows the Maddox's as Amelia "Mia" is the girl he couldn't get over. This now tells you how exciting this book is going to be and I don't do spoilers. This is a Very GOOD READ,

**Thank you so much to Thomas Nelson Publishing and NetGalley for giving me an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review! These thoughts are entirely my own.**

I really enjoyed It’s All Relative! All of the characters were unique and faced their own unique problems. I usually don’t love multi-POV books, but It’s All Relative is a great example of multiple POVs done right. I cared a lot about each of the characters, so I didn’t get bored or annoyed when I had to read any specific character’s chapter.

The plot was so funny and interesting! It was a wild ride, and I had such a good time. I was in a reading slump, and this definitely brought me out with all of the witty characters and fun twists.

I will say it is predictable with the relationships, but honestly, it was still such a fun time. Most rom-com books are predictable in some sense, and it did not detract from the story at all because I would have never guessed the chain of events that cause the relationships! It’s All Relative is a great, quick, funny read. I would definitely recommend picking it up if you like clean, contemporary rom-coms!

Great beach read! Helena has anxiety of heading to her mom’s wedding and not meeting up to her new step family,The Perfects. Dragging her best friend along to sheild her from a week of wedding chaos. It turns out it’s truly a small world. Her friend Landon had a past relationship with her soon to be stepsister she refers to as uptight Polly Perfect. A comedy of errors ensues. Full of laughs, misconceptions, jealousies and love. It takes quirky laid back Helena to upset the applecart and make Amelia realize that life doesn’t have to be perfect and shouldn’t be lived out by duty. Thank you to NetGalley for this free advanced copy. I’m leaving this review voluntarily.

I absolutely loved this one. Helena is the only (adult) child of a single mom who is finally getting married at the age of 48, and while she’s so glad for her mom, she’s apprehensive about fitting in with her new family. She’s nicknamed them “The Perfects,” and she most definitely feels inadequate. For the wedding weekend on the family’s resort-like seaside second home, she brings along her platonic best friend Landon, and when they arrive, there’s an unexpected old connection between Landon and a member of the stepfamily. Lots of laughs, mishaps, and poignant moments in this one, and I highly recommend it for your summer reading list.

This book was ....odd. It is about a woman whose mother is marrying into a family. She brings her male best friend along (they have zero attraction to each other). She resents the family she is living into but has a crush on her new step sister's fiancé. Little did she know, her best friend is her step sister's ex. In the span of the book, I felt like there was so much going on that stories were not as well developed as they could be and characters were very one dimensional. It doesn't seem like they exist outside of the story. I wa snot invested in any of the relationships. This was a play on Midsummer's Night Dream but it didn't really translate well into a tale between a family. What person would state that they want to set up their step sister with their ex? I think it would be more realistic if acquaintances or mayyyybe distant cousins. Sorry...the cover was cute and it sounded fun, but it fell flat for me.

This was the first book in a long time where I could just sit and read and not realize I read such a large chunk. I loved it so much.

It started with Helena’s pov and I had her as the main character for the first part but as Amelia/Mia’s arc became clear I really fell in love with her character and all she was going through and Helena seemed to be more supporting.

Anyone with any romance or rom com background knew where the story was going once Landon showed up at the Driftwood but that didn’t deter from a great story. I laughed out loud reading parts.

Unfortunately, this book wasn't my cup of tea. But let's start with the positives. First of all, I love the cover of this book! Second of all, I really liked the characters and how they were portrayed. What I didn't really enjoy was the writing style, which caused that it took me very long to read this book because I didn't really get pulled into it.

This was my first book by Rachel Magee and it was a delight! I enjoyed the plot, the characters and the general vibe of it, and I can't wait to read another one of her books. Seeing Helena try to figure out how to blend into her family and how her friend Landon fits in was a lot of fun. It was a good balance of rom-com and some more serious moments. There was really nothing to dislike.

Put this one in your summer beach bag! This is a light and fun novel - perfect for your next beach vacation.

You don't need to be familiar with Shakespeare's play to enjoy it, I promise. But readers who do have that familiarity may get an extra layer of enjoyment.

The four point of view characters have distinct voices and storylines; unlike some readers I did not feel that four POVs were too many to juggle. They're easy to tell apart.

True to the Midsummer Night's Dream influence/inspiration, there is just the right amount of mischief to keep the reader entertained and turning the pages. The author does a wonderful job of injecting both humor and tenderness into the narrative which also deftly explores complex family dynamics.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an advance e-galley; all opinions in this review are entirely my own.

Loved this one! Great and fun read. Highly recommend.
Many thanks to the publisher, Netgalley, and the author for my ARC.

I tried this book read till 31% till I stopped. It's not for me.




*******I received an ARC for my honest opinion from NetGalley.**********

I received an e-copy of this book thanks to NetGalley.

This is a fluffy confection perfect for a summer read. The story is loosely based on Shakespeare's "A Midsummer Night's Dream." You don't need to know the play to understand what is happening in the story, but it will enhance the experience.

The four main characters (Helena, Landon, Amelia, and Gage) come together for an island wedding, and each chapter is written from the perspective of one of them, so we, as the reader, are able to get into everyone's heads.

Because this is loosely based on "A Midsummer Night's Dream," it is obvious to the reader that the characters are mismatched with each other. This, of course, needs to be rectified, and with the help of a crazy aunt who has a bird named Titania, and a strange night filled with fog, all becomes right in the end. Is there magic involved? Doesn't really matter. This is a lovely read to devour while sitting outside with a cold beverage.

I loved that the main characters were teachers, and the Florida island setting is fun. That said, I had a hard time staying engaged.

Thanks to NetGalley and Thomas Nelson Fiction for the arc of this book. I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

This book is a modern day rom-com retelling of A MidSummer’s Night Dream. If you’ve read that and know the general plot, you will enjoy this book so much more. There’s a lot of clever Shakespeare quips and references throughout the book.

I enjoyed this book but the middle of the book dragged and I didn’t get a good sense of the chemistry between the characters.

Helena Crosby is a bridesmaid at her Mom’s wedding. Helena is thrilled for her Mom but it’s kind of complicated for her when the first twenty-eight years of her life, it has just been her and her Mom. Helena doesn’t know how she will fit into her Mom’s new family especially when her future step-sister, Amelia, is the exact opposite with her messy buns and eating regularly from vending machines while writing up lesson plans before class.

Helena has another problem because she is attracted to Amelia’s fiancé, Gage.

Helena’s plus-one is her best friend and co-worker, Landon. It turns out that Amelia better known as Mia dated Landon during college, and their break-up left them both reeling. Amelia is a planner and seeing Landon after a six-year absence just before her Dad remarries is not in the plan. Seeing Landon is not on the wedding itinerary.

I was hesitant about reading this, but it sounded like fun and it was a lot of fun to read. At first, Amelia seemed controlling, too stressed out and she was all those things but as I got to know her I liked her and understood why she was the way she was. Helena was hesitant about gaining a new family, her mother being her only so far, but she put her heart into getting to know the Maddox family. What I liked about Helena was that she was open to new things and wore her heart on her sleeve.

It may seem that Amelia isn’t a good match for Gage, or that Helena does have flutters for Gage, but all good things come to those who will read It’s All Relative, so no spoilers on what happens between Amelia, Gage, Landon, and Helena

There were a lot of characters and while I didn’t feel less about their development, I wanted more depth but this story I think was meant to be fun, flirty, and just a taste to let your imagination wander after the last page. This was the first read by Rachel Magee for me and I would definitely read future books by her.

My gratitude to Netgalley and Thomas Nelson. All opinions are given freely and honestly.

A cute modern day retelling of a Mid Summer Nights Dream. Thank you NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review.

It's All Relative by Rachel Magee is a delightful modern retelling of Shakespeare's A Midsummer Night's Dream, set against the backdrop of a family wedding. The story follows two soon-to-be stepsisters, Helena and Amelia, who couldn't be more different. Helena is spontaneous and carefree, while Amelia is meticulously organised and driven.

The plot centres around the week-long festivities leading up to their parents' wedding, held at the Maddox family's luxurious beach house. Helena, dreading the merge with the seemingly perfect Maddox family, brings along her best friend, Landon, for support. The twist? Landon is Amelia's ex-boyfriend, adding tension and unexpected romantic entanglements to the mix.

Magee skillfuly weaves humour and heart into the narrative, exploring the complexities of family dynamics and the challenges of blending families. Themes of self-discovery, acceptance, and the importance of being true to oneself are thoughtfully examined through the characters' interactions and growth.

The novel is filled with lovable, intriguing characters and numerous laugh-out-loud moments. Readers will find themselves rooting for both Helena and Amelia as they navigate their new family dynamics and personal dilemmas. It's All Relative is a fun, engaging read that offers a fresh take on a classic tale, perfect for fans of lighthearted women's fiction.