Thank you #Netgalley for the ARC audio of this upcoming new release

This one was a bit unrealistic for me. There’s no way this plot would actually happen and “too good to be true”. It was long and redundant. There were some likable characters and enjoyed the multiple POVs.

I received an advanced audiobook to listen to (thanks NetGalley and Thomas Nelson Fiction!) and it was an easy breezy listen. However, the story and its characters fell a little bit flat. There scenarios and drama felt repetitive, but the story did have heart! The summery location was a plus too.

For the audio, the narrator felt a little too stiff or robotic to me. I prefer a more casual/conversational narrator.

ah what a satisfying ending. It wasn't exactly what I thought it would be but I was pleasantly surprised by it. It had just enough romance but I would have liked just a little more about the family dynamics

I really had very high hopes for this book, but it really became hard to get through. Very predictable from the get-go and it did not get better from there. Super bland writing and no exciting or interesting moments from the beginning to the end. The only reason I finished was because I wanted to give an honest review on NetGalley, but had I checked this out from the public library, I would have DNF’d the book.

Right off the bat “It’s all relative” reminds me of “The Unhoneymooners” by Christina Lauren. I didn’t love “The Unhoneymooners” but I do love stories surrounding chaos at a wedding!
At first I thought the narrator’s voice felt too… robotic? I couldn’t quite put my finger on it, but as the first few chapters progressed I really enjoyed the personality and emotion she put into her narration. Another part of her narration that I thoroughly enjoyed was her speed. I often speed audiobooks up to at least 1.5x, but “It’s All Relative” was perfect at 1x speed!

As far as substance, I really liked Helena, Emory, Gage, and Peter, where I had conflicted opinions on Amelia and Landon which ended in liking them, disliked Nora and had zero opinions on Steve. The book was good! Not great, but good. I thought the descriptive scenes were very strong, I could perfectly envision them sailing and searching in the forest for the bird. It was a little corny but who doesn’t love a corny love story every now and then! 3/5 stars

I have never read A Midsummer Night’s Dream but I requested this ARC based on the synopsis and found it to be an enjoyable read.

I’m more of a romance reader and this is definitely more women’s fiction but I enjoyed it. The tension of merging two families is always tough even if the children are mostly grown. Even as a Type-A person myself, I struggled a bit with Amelia’s character but her growth through the book made me like her in the end. Helena was more likeable in the beginning but she also had some growing to do. I had no idea how the romances that were obviously headed somewhere different would play out without things feeling extremely quick but it worked. Overall, this is a sweet story about a found family and realizing how to overcome differences with a touch of romance.

I also love when stories have romance with older characters and even though the parents’ relationship was definitely in the background, that was a sweet addition.

I received an advanced copy of this audiobook from NetGalley. The thoughts and opinions in this review are my own.

Content Notes: Kisses

My first book from Net Galley yay!
(although… this book is out, but still!)

I like the premise of this book and the cover is very cute. I think it’s good for the summer and if you like lighthearted romance novels, you will enjoy this. However, the book itself was very mid. Some of the main characters were annoying at times, the story dragged, the “drama” felt unnecessary, and it reminded me of the movie “Anyone But You” that recently came out. (Which I did not like at all)
Just not my cup of tea.

I will also add that I listened to the audiobook. I do love multi-POV books but it would’ve added to the experience had there been different narrators for each of the characters. I will say, the narrator was good. I just listen to a lot of audiobooks so I would have liked a bit more variety in the narrators.

I really enjoyed this audio book by Rachel Magee. It's All Relative is about a blended family, but the "children" are all adults. As they struggle to face the realities of life and be honest with one another they truly learn what family is about. I loved the immediate twist at the beginning of the story and how it worked itself out throughout. It was a fun summer listen as its set on the beach during summer vacation. A great clean romance!

This was my first Rachel Magee book and it will not be my last. From the first time we meet each character to the way each story line is wrapped up, I loved every moment.
We first meet Helena & her teacher best friend Landon as Helena prepares to spend her mother’s wedding weekend with ‘The Perfects’ on a remote Florida island. Helena ropes Landon into joining her for moral support but when they arrive to The Maddox home in Florida, Landon quickly finds out the biggest surprise of the weekend may be his own.
Enter Helena’s soon to be step-sister and Landon’s “one that got away”.
I went into this read somewhat blind which had been my favourite way to read Advanced Reader Copies as of late and it was one wonderful surprise after another.
This storyline has 4 points of view & each one adds value and perspective to the storyline of 4 individuals to who together and find the pieces of themselves that they once thought lost.
It’s a 10/10 and now I can’t wait to read more from Rachel.
Disclaimer: I received both the Advanced Reader and Listener copies from Netgalley. I both listened and real the book and found myself preferring to read the book and develop the sound of each character in my own mind.
All thoughts and expressions in this review are my own.
Thank you to Netgalley and TNZ Fiction for the opportunity.

Thank you to NetGalley for the audio arc for this one! It is the modern retelling of Midsummer Night's Dream. It is a very predictable RomCom but in a good way. I enjoyed the characters -- except for Helena at times and the bird. I thought the narrator did a great job. This would make a great beach read. I would recommend it to anyone who enjoys RomComs.

Many thanks to Netgalley, HarperCollins Christian Publishing, and the author, for the ALC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

A modern Shakespearean comedy retelling!! The story starts with a wedding! does it though? maybe!

Anyways we have Helena whose mom Nora is getting married to the love of her life Steve who is widower with 3 kids (2 adults - Amelia and Peter and an almost teenager Emery) aka the perfects as dubbed by Helena. Amelia is engaged to Gage and has a picture perfect life with vice like control over everything, while Helena is exact opposite with everything messy and a little late. Helena begs Landon her best friend to go with her for the wedding as a buffer from the perfects, little did she know, Landon's Mia, his perfect ex to whose measure no one has reached is no one other than her almost step sister Amelia perfect. What ensues is as you can expect, drama that starts off as a spark and leads to an explosion to a happy ending.

The Shakespearean nuances of Midsummer's Night Dream was well played and the story flowed really well. The narrator's did a great job ensuring the same and adding their own flair to the story. It was a bit hard to get into with Helena being a little irritating (very understandably) in the beginning. But as the story progressed, it got better and better. The fund family, friendship and camaraderie was beautiful. The book left a sweet lingering taste in my mouth!

This was a fun summer, what one might call a "beach read." The characters are relatable, and there is a lot of drama as these families prepare for a wedding that will unite them. It's got a love rectangle rather than triangle, and there are a lot of funny moments and cutesy parts. It wasn't the most amazing writing ever, but it was definitely cute. A fun quick read that's very people-centered.

Audiobooks usually grab me right away and this one just really didn't grab me. It fell kind of flat. I should have given it more of a chance but it just wasn't for me.

Having a hard time rating this book because the concept was there and some of the characters were interesting and some I couldn't stand.

I thought the premise was really good and refreshing. I love the cover- super eye catching and I definitely would have picked it up in a store. I did however struggle with the audiobook as the narrator had a very dull voice that felt like AI. I think I would have had more success reading for myself but ended up DNF-ing the audiobook. I did like the idea, but just not so much the execution

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️Audiobook Review

This book is a modern women’s fiction retelling of Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Nights Dream. The book is full of family, love and second chances. This book is heartwarming, funny and swoony! The main characters were all likable and very diverse. The humor that followed Helena around was oh so entertaining. I did enjoy the multiple points of view in the story. It was interesting to see each persons unique perspective. I enjoyed the narrator Tanya Eby. She did a great job and really highlighted the multiple POV’s.

Spice: none and no profanity

Quote: “It was the right thing to do. And doing the right thing always trumps doing the easy thing."

What to enjoy:
🩵 Family and Friendship
⛵️ It’s not water under the bridge
🩵 Long lost love
🏖️ Multiple POV’s
🩵 Shakespeare retelling
☀️ Beach house

Thank you to the author Rachel Magee and Net Galley for the advanced listener copy of the audio book!

I didn't realize this was a modern-day version of Shakespeare's A Midsummer Night's Dream and I guess I missed the connection. The characters were somewhat likable and I found it much more a family drama than a love story.
It's All Relative explores family dynamics and miscommunication. I enjoyed the beach/wedding setting and the ending was satisfying.

I really enjoyed this book. It's a retelling of Shakespeare's famous midsummer night's dream. I love all the characters, accept for Helena. I didn't understand her quite well, nor her problem with Maddox family. I loved Landon and Amelia. I Loved how we get to see everyone navigating through this complex morden day family issues and some parts were completely hilarious, like the dishes scenes 😂😂😂😂. Hearing the story from 4 different pov's was Fun, i didn't thought it will work but it was executed perfectly.

Overall it's a great sweet read if you like Shakespeare's retellings.


Thank you netgallery for providing me the audiobook copy of this book.

"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!

This was all the family/friend/ex drama I didn’t know I needed. I loved this book!! I gave it a 4.5 overall rating ONLY because the beginning felt so slow. Once you get the ball rolling.. oh my goodness it’s such a wild ride. I was fortunate to listen to this as audiobook while still being able to read along in eARC format.

I was happy, sad, annoyed, angry, anxious, and all the emotions reading this. Even though there was a lot of characters and conflicts and background stories to follow, this was easily very effortless to follow. I could read a whole series based on these chapters and this family. I can confidently say this would make a great movie or tv series as well! I need more.

I did have some least favorite characters and was rooting for some more than others. It’ll be interesting to see who everyone loves and hates in this book.

Very disappointed in myself for putting off reading this one but I am thankful to NetGalley and Harper Publishing| Thomas Nelson and Zondervan Fiction Audio for the ALC.