It Had to Be You is one of my favorite romance books, so there was no question I was reading this. I LOVED it! I love how Georgia Lou Clark's books include multiple POVs and love stories -- in this book it shifted between the 3 Belvedere siblings, Liz, Birdie, and Rafi. They all wind up at their mother's house in upstate NY in early December, contemplating their love lives and other various life choices. It's great to see them all come together to support each other while they spend time with their aging mom, Babs. All of the characters were top-notch, I can't pick a favorite. I appreciated the depression rep so much, and resonated with Liz's self-imposed obligation to take care of her mom (#eldestdaughtervibes). Overall this was a wonderful😉 queer holiday romance story, and you should MOST 😉 definitely be reading it this winter season!

okay, I'll start this by saying that when I started the book is when I realized I had tried to read another book by this author and It was a DNF for me. I still went in with an open mind, and I think this was okay. It had like a Love, Actually vibe with siblings going through different things while finding love. So I got it, and I enjoyed parts of it. I just always had the being outed without their consent. It just bothers me, a tiny bit. I know it happens and it's a part of life but I don't actively enjoy it most of the time.

I got an e-arc of this book on NetGalley. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

I want to thank NetGalley and Random House for this free ARC in exchange for an honest review. Please keep in mind the following content warnings: Alcoholism, Mentions of Miscarriage, Character Fainting, Mentions of Trauma, and Sexual Content.

To say I loved this book is a bit of an understatement. I loved all three love stories, from their moments of absurdity, horniness, and joy, to their moments of realness, vulnerability, and uncertainty. It's not a secret that I'm a sucker for stories with strong familial bonds and I haven't seen such a strong trio of siblings like Rafi, Birdie, and Liz. I loved how different they were from each other, it made their stories unique and fresh. It's hard to pick my favourite sibling, but if I really have to I'm still between Rafi and Birdie.

I loved how complicated their mum was throughout the whole story, yet impossible to not love her and see the love she had for her children. Each of the love interests has my heart. I don't want to go too much into detail about what I loved about each one of them to not risk any spoilers, but they were all perfect. There were only two explicit sex scenes, but they both had me at the edge of my seat. I have read way spicier things but it was still satisfying and it felt right for the characters.

Honestly, I loved this book so much that I almost went to look for fanfiction until I remembered this is not out until October 15. I beg more people to read this book so I can have people to yell with.

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group for the ARC! All opinions are my own.

In Most Wonderful, siblings Liz, Birdie, and Rafi are back home for the holidays at their mother’s inn, each struggling with their careers and their love lives. I really enjoyed reading about the relationships between the siblings and seeing the differences in how they interacted with their mother Babs. Many Christmas romance novels tend to stay surface level, but the author did well balancing the light, holiday moments with the deeper family drama.

Overall, the family relationships felt more fleshed out than the romantic relationships. I enjoyed being able to see the love life of each sibling; however, the length of the story did not allow for each romance to be explored as deeply as I would have liked.

Most Wonderful embodies the most wonderful time of the year while delving into the deeper themes of family, mental health, and finding purpose in life. I would definitely recommend this to anyone who is looking for a queer, cozy, holiday read for the upcoming season!

I didn't love the story, I unfortunately DNFed this. I don't feel right leaving it a star rating so I will place a 3 star

I liked this one, but got a little lost with the tree different stories going on at once.

I think if I watched this as a movie or show it would be easier to keep track, but I kept forgetting whose story I was reading and was mixing details from each story.

Love the setting in the Catskills - makes me long for a snowy Christmas.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the advance copy. I loved this queer Christmas rom-com/family dramedy. Christmas novels can feel very formulaic, but this one was deeper than the average. I liked the interactions between the siblings and that the story followed three different romantic relationships. I am definitely back on the Georgia Clark train after this one. I loved It Had To Be You, but did not enjoy Island Time at all, so I’m thrilled she is back!

This was one of the best queer holiday romance books I’ve had the privilege of reading. I loved that it included 3 different stories of each sibling but they were easy to follow and woven perfectly together.

This book was full of heart and seeing how each sibling grew and learned new things about themselves. Having 2 siblings and being a similar age, I related to the aspect of having to change & looking at your family as who they are now and not who they were growing up.

I definitely will reread on a snowy winter night this holiday season

May I recommend this for when the seasonal blues have you down? Wait, hear me out! At first, the writing holds us in that cozy sadness that winter can bring, which makes the blooming chaos and fun all the more needed as the book unfolds. Clark injects the exact amount of melancholy that we need in order to know the joy on the other side. I enjoyed that the author was able to center multiple POV while giving each character enough depth to convey their fullness. The hot scenes were HOT, and genuine. And we love to see all the LGBTQ rep, which Clark always tells with fun, truth, and sensuality.

I'd like to thank Georgia Clark and the publisher for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I loved it. The vibes were there and it definitely got me excited for Christmas. The whole book reminded me of a modern more diverse "Love Actually".
At times it was a little bit hard to sort through the 3 different narratives of couples but each had a story that was so compelling that did not take away from my final rating.

I definitely recommend.

I grabbed this off NetGalley because I was: a) looking for Xmas stories, and b) wanting to read a new-to-me author. Y'all. 🥹 This was SO good! I swooned, wept, and saw bits of myself and those I love. If you are looking for an emotional ode to queer joy: ta da! Here ya go. 💖

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read and review this book.

This was my second attempt at reading this author and the synopsis wasn't bad but unfortunately I don't think that this author is for me and I had to stop reading.

This is the Gay Christmas novel you’ve been waiting for. It follows three queer half-siblings, children of a famous movie star who all come home for Christmas early because of problems in their professional and private lives. All of their crushes show up too and pining ensues.

I loved the characters in this one. They were all distinct and despite the large cast, I never had a hard time keeping track of them. I loved the relationship between the siblings and with their mother. And the traditional holiday activities were fun to read about. I thought each sibling had a satisfying end as they worked through some serious issues and found love. It wasn’t just light and fluffy. There were issues like alcoholism, abandonment, chronic illness, and abuse dealt with. But through it all the siblings grew closer and found their joy.

This was a great holiday read and a great way to start the season.

Thank you to Netgalley and Random House for this ARC. Review published to Instagram, Goodreads, StoryGraph, and Fable on October 7, 2024 (links included) and will be posted on Amazon on pub date.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.

Most Wonderful was a bit of a slow start for me. It might have been because I don’t really know a lot about stand up comedy or writing a TV show but it took a while for me to feel anything for any of the characters. That changed about halfway through and I absolutely loved the ending. I do think so of the entertainment industry details could have been shorter/name dropping cut completely, but I did enjoy this book. I’m giving it a 3.5, rounded up on Goodreads.

Most Wonderful publishes on October 15, 2024!

Most Wonderful by Georgia Clark was a fun and cute read!

This book got me excited for Christmas and it was quite delightful to read! I do have to say that following the story of three different siblings / love stories was a bit difficult at times because so much was going on and I do wish that some topics had been developed further.

But overall, the story is entertaining and full of queer joy.

Thank you NetGalley for providing me with an early copy of this book. All opinions are my own.

Unfortunately, not one of my favorite holiday reads. The premise of the three siblings navigating romantic relationships felt a bit haphazard at times with too many cogs in the wheel. If there is a literary trope, this book includes it. Maybe toning it down with focus on one relationship would have been better served.

This book follows the love lives of three siblings during Christmas and New Years. Each of them is navigating their own romance issues.

I really enjoyed reading this holiday romance. The queer love was so beautiful and it had a bit of everything.

•Friends to lovers
•Strangers to lovers
•Colleagues to lovers
•Forced proximity
•One bed
•Conversations about depression and MS
•Family issues
•3 dogs named Huey, Dewey and Louie

Highly recommend for the holiday season!!
Thank you NetGalley for the ARC!

This was fine! Clark nails those swoony rom-com beats, particularly in Rafi and Ash's friends-to-lovers arc. 'Most Wonderful' is worth reading, if only for that plot line, especially if you're a fan of The Charm Offensive. But as an ensemble romance, this novel is less funny and complex and cohesive than Clark's last book, 'Island Time'. The characters aren't as fleshed out (Violet's main traits are "sexy" and "has depression." I can't recall a single thing about Jecka. I think she paints?) and the themes don't feel as fresh and complementary (I LOVED 'Island Time''s conversations about motherhood). Clark's writing is sharp and beautiful in 'Island Time,' but it leans didactic in 'Most Wonderful,' falling into the Very Special Episode trap that feels increasingly common in contemporary romance.

Liz and Violet's arc is promising (a show runner falls for her star––a banger of a premise!) and their romance has SO much momentum before it deflates in the novel's third act, which is very, very rushed. Like, I'm-not-even-sure-an-epilogue-can-fix-this rushed. PSA for romance authors: stop trying to make public declarations of love happen!!! I have yet to see one resolve a third-act breakup in a way that's even a LITTLE satisfying.

The subplot with Birdie's alcoholism feels thin and underdeveloped––perhaps an ensemble romantic comedy isn't the right container for that story? And I don't need my characters to be likeable, but they should at least be interesting! Birdie and Jecka are neither, and their inclusion ultimately weighs the novel down.

While 'Island Time' has a huge cast, it feels experimental and exciting in its narrative strategy. 'Most Wonderful,' by comparison, feels overstuffed and undercooked.

This queer holiday rom-com needs to be on your winter reading list. We meet three adult children- all with different fathers and a famed actress and singer for a mother. They all head to their mother’s country house to escape it all their broken hearts. But can you really escape love? In this case, no! Funny and witty, I adored the dynamics and relationships of the characters with one another and their wildly different lives but deep love for one another. This one is steamy! Thank you NetGalley and Dial Press for this ARC. All thoughts and opinions are my own .

This holiday romance has a charming premise with three siblings navigating love and family drama at their mom's Catskills manor, but it sometimes feels a bit overstuffed with subplots. While it offers plenty of warmth and humor, the pacing could use some tightening to keep the story flowing smoothly.