I hadn't read any of the other books in this series, but You Belong with Me was a great read! It's a little cyclical at times, with many of the same issues cropping up again and again but I feel that overall it works well.

#YouBelongwithMe #NetGalley

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

I was so excited to receive this ARC, as I always I am with book by Mhairi McFarlane!! I enjoyed reading this highly anticipated sequel to "Who's that girl"! That being said if you haven't read the first book, you can still enjoy this one as a standalone since there are just about enough references to the first one for readers to catch up! I read the first one at least 5 years ago and needed a refresher. I devoured this in a couple of sittings. The author's practical but astute portrayal of the MMC and FMC's psyches was delightful as usual!

I did feel the ending was a bit abrupt/unexpected for the following reason. The main concern which Edie has about spending the rest of her life with Eliott is that - will she able to adjust to his celebrity lifestyle. This felt unresolved at the end. It was clear by the end that they both were facing different realities and in fact, I felt that they won't end up together after all. I was expecting a bittersweet ending. However, I think I won't be giving away any spoilers (since it's obviously a Happily Ever After kind of a story!) by saying that they do get together at the end. However, questions linger. At least that's what it felt like to me - that they weren't completely addressed/resolved. The ending almost felt like "love trumps all" but what happens after the euphoria settles? Will they still be together? Will it be easy for Edie as well as Elliott to navigate the obviously huge differences in their lifestyles? Will Edie be finally able to put her insecurities (some of the insecurities she had seemed excessive and repetitive) to rest? It felt like, maybe the author is potentially planning a third book in the series to explore all of this? Not sure! Perhaps this one was better off without a sequel, since it has opened up a Pandora's box instead of giving us closure.

All this is to say, although this was not my favorite of McFarlane's, I am, of course, excited to read her next!

I enjoyed this story a lot and thought it was very cute! Although there were a few grammar errors throughout the book.

Highly endorsed by emily Henry so i had to check it and boy oh boy am i glad i did!! perfect for romance lovers of eh, ali hazelwood, and abby jiminez!! this book was full of wonders and lovely surprises. had an amazing time reading this!!

thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me an ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review.

Mhairi McFarlane seemingly does not believe in gentle romances. Every one of her books, of which I’ve read nearly all is an emotional bloodbath. And yet I keep coming back for more. I must be some kind of masochist.

Actually, You Belong With Me is more of a return to form. I’m on the record as having been disappointed by her previous effort, Between Us. You Belong With Me is a sequel to Who’s That Girl?, which I didn’t realize when I picked it up, but quickly discovered that the characters felt familiar enough for me to go back through her catalog to figure out where I met them before. And then I remembered: Who’s That Girl? ends with a banger of a cliffhanger. You Belong With Me picks up right at that same moment and in fact, it is Elliott standing on Edie’s doorstep. By definition, a sequel to a romance pretty much guarantees a couple you love is going to go through it in a big way and in that, McFarlane definitely does not disappoint. All the reasons these two struggled in the first book are still present: Elliott’s star is on the rise; Edie does not want to give up her Nottingham life. But love, as they say, is worth the pain.

So, in a sense, this book is less a romance, and more a deeply romantic novel of two people grappling with being on opposite sides of the divide of fame. Elliot could not be more down-to-earth and lovely about the privileges of his superstardome, but Edie is naturally deeply insecure about their differential. What I love so much about them as a couple is that Elliott never feeds Edie’s insecurities unnecessarily. That’s not to say he’s perfect, but the conflict is driven by circumstance more than it is by two idiots in love. It’s clear,circumstance aside, these two are well suited for one another, which makes their struggles all the more affecting. Though I badly wanted the two to spend more time together, the separation makes the angst believable.

McFarlane fills her prose with her usual Irish patter, nigh unintelligible to this Yank, but so effortless and funny that it buoys the reader along even as the story takes a turn for the dramatic.

If I have any complaint, it’s that the ending felt a bit rushed, and the ultimate tensions of the relationship, not resolved to my satisfaction. A perhaps that’s just life you decide to make it go of it with the person you love, even if it’s not perfect, and especially if it’s hard and you take the challenges as they come.

In McFarlane‘s capable hands, a romance isn’t a fairytale, even when the hero is practically a fairytale prince sprung from the page. It’s just life, in all the best ways.

Thanks to NetGalley and Avon and Harper Voyager for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

The beginning of this book was super confusing for me-I didn't realize it was part of a series and I haven't read the first book. But, that being said, once I caught on to what was going on, I really enjoyed this read. The controversy in the book seemed a little contrived, but the romance was top-notch.

I received a copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for my honest and unbiased opinion.

This book started out slowly and I didn't really bond with the characters. I was hoping for more character development.

You Belong with Me by Mhairi McFarlane was my first book read by the author. This is a romance novel that feels real world while also hitting on serious topics. This book has hilarious and interactive banter that keeps you engaged through the whole book. The characters were well developed and over all you couldn’t ask for a better romance novel. Will continue to read from this author!

this book should have been better as a novella or bonus epilogue--the pacing & plot aren't working as a full novel.

Thank you Netgalley for the advanced copy.

Love this author. Bought a copy of this book the week it came out. 5 stars. Please never stop writing.

Love this author and have read quite a few of her titles and enjoyed them very much. This is the second in a series and I didn’t read the first even though it was on my TBR list. Will be doing so now. I mostly enjoyed getting to know Elliot and Edie. Opposites in so many ways, but they want seemingly want to try to make it work. Can it happen even though they live physically so far from each other, have vastly different lives, want such different things out of life, have to deal with the intrusive outside world and so many judgmental eyes on them? I enjoyed their back and forth, but at times didn’t find their connection/chemistry to be real (or as real as a fictional couple could be). It felt they were a little hot and cold, but I did finish and enjoyed the ending.

When I originally started reading this book, I was unaware that it was a sequel. Before returning to this, I read the first book, which I thought was really good. The complicated dynamics of interactions between celebrities and everyday individuals have always intrigued me. I find it interesting how this book shows how these relationships develop in the public view. Although I thought Edie, the primary character, was believable, she drove me crazy. It was evident how much her relationship with Elliot suffered as a result of the paparazzi. I really loved Elliot; he never stopped going above and beyond to prove to Edie that he was serious and would not give up on them.

Thank you to NetGalley and Avon and Harper Voyager for the e-ARC.

A romance between the famous Elliott Owen and Edie, an ordinary girl. Edie is now navigating a relationship and the media. The characters experienced a lot of rockiness and self sabotage throughout their relationship. Although I enjoyed the book, due to the unsteadiness of the relationship I wasn't rooting for them or found this great connection between them. Personally in romance books I find a lot of excitement in the connection of the characters which fell a little short.
Thank you to NetGalley for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I'll be honest. I REALLY tried to get into this book. I got about 60% through the story just I just couldn't do it anymore. It felt like the characters were making the same mistakes over over again and the story wasn't really moving forward.
Overall, it wasn't for me.

I love Mhairi and everything she writes, and I ALSO have been dying for this sequel since the second I finished Who's That Girl. I love these characters and this book felt like everything I hoped for for them. Mhairi also has such a wonderful sense of character building, the scenarios and dialogue between them feels so natural; it's immersive. Loved this!

Part 2 of a romance story, the tale of Edie the normal office worker & Elliott the movie star is about choosing love over & over again, even when it feels hard. The payoff to being emotionally vulnerable is a love that is completely authentic. Despite toxic ex-coworkers, an unknown source leaking stories to the press, & the pressure of a long-distance relationship burdened by flirty coworkers, they choose one another again and again. Heartfelt, funny, sensual, and real.

I had not realized this book was a sequel when I first picked it up. I went on to read the first novel before coming back to this and found them rather enjoyable. The drama from the start of book 1 continuing to pop up within both books was a bit stressful and caused me to take a little longer to read this novel.

I don't want to say much about the plot because this is a sequel, and I can't be sure which book some of the middle events come from, but it follows quickly after the events of "Who's That Girl?" This one was more of a romance than the first book, which I would label as contemporary, and I found this novel more enjoyable than the first.

I appreciate the characters of Edie and Elliot and enjoyed seeing how their story was laid out across the two books. I saw the accuracy in some of the struggles they experienced while in a long-distance relationship. Still, the fame in this relationship changed and made some of those bigger issues since the media was involved.

It seemed rather realistic, but I was a bit frustrated with some of the major issues between the characters, which had been circulating for quite a while before they were dealt with.

I would give it 3.5 stars.

Edie and Elliot are in love, but their lives continue to try to force them apart. Edie lives a small life in Nottingham and is recovering from some previous overexposure with a coworker scandal. Elliot is a famous actor getting more famous daily. Can Edie handle the pressures that Elliot's career brings to their relationship? Can Elliot navigate a mostly long distance relationship while Edie is getting closer to the people in her small circle?

While the premise of this book may not be relatable for anyone not dating a superstar actor, I found the problems between Edie and Elliot to be entirely relatable. Once you've found the person you want to be with, it's not all smooth sailing and you both have to figure out how to make it work together or it will all fall apart. Relationships take work and they are worth fighting for when it's the right one. I really like this take on the idea of what happens after you've found "the one".

Thank you to NetGalley and Avon and Harper Voyager for the ARC of You Belong with Me.

What happens when one of the most sought after A list actors decides to pursue his interest, a common working woman from his hometown?
Miscommunication, frustrations, media and paparazzi, a mole and the most beautiful relationship.... sort of.

This book was definitely he falls first and works hard for her with all the craziness that comes out of the wood work when one is shoved into the spotlight. While there were parts that were intensely real and some mental hurtles that are genuine, the whole of the relationship is just too cute.

#arc
#netgalley
#youbelongwithme

I have been thinking about this love story since the first book. McFarlane’s work has a way of sticking with you over time. Her characters feel believable and likable - like old friends you’re catching up with after a long time apart. That said, I wish we would have had more time on the page for the chemistry that is Elliot and Edie. I feel like so much of the story was spent on navigating her new world that I was missing more glimpses into the chemistry between the two. As always, I can’t wait to see what she writes next. #YouBelongwithMe #NetGalley