I love that the premise of the story is inspired by William Shakespeare's A Midsummer Night's Dream, a play I have taught many times. We know we will love the story as it's a wedding story, and anything is bound to occur during such a momentous event. This wedding lives up to that with a few near disasters. The bride and groom are all good, and their wedding story is a small secondary plot point. It's the conflict and shakeup of the rest of the wedding party that causes pause as the main plot. By the story's end, we have swapped the partnerships of the four young people, just as Shakespeare did in his comedic play of his four young lovers. Also, cleared up by story's end are all issues concerning the closeness of the blended family. To top it off, I listened to the audio version, and Tanya Eby is one of my favorite narrators. A great summer read by the sea!! Enjoy!!

Thank you to the publisher/ author and Netgalley for the chance to read this copy early.

I loved the cover of this book!! The pool back ground made it feel like the perfect read for summer. However, this book just was not it for me. I was unable to connect with any of the characters and ended up DNFing it after a while of trying to get into it. The story line felt like it was a little bit unorganized. I would have liked to have seen some more character connections and development.

Such a cute little rom com read. I listened to the audio version and it was so easy to follow. The character development was thorough without being exhausted and you found yourself rooting for the whole ensemble. I could totally see this being a movie.

Helena drags her friend Landon to a small island in FL to attend her mother's wedding. Nora is marrying into a family Helena dubs "The Perfects," as she feels she is always coming up short next to them. In this modern day retelling of A Midsummer's Night Dream, we see relationships evolve over the days leading up to the wedding. Funny, tender book about families.

This was a fun retelling of Shakespeare's A Midsummer Night's Dream with all the chaos and confusion included. However, the characters all sounded the same so it was difficult to discern whose story we were hearing (Helena vs Mia and Landon vs Gage), particularly on the audiobook. I think that took a lot of the enjoyment away because I was perpetually confused despite being familiar with the original. I think if you know the play inside and out, this may not be a problem for you, but I was frustrated all the time. My favorite part was seeing the difference between how Helena and Mia were so anxious and stressed on the inside but perceived as cool and collected on the outside.

A huge thank you to the author and the publisher for providing an e-ARC via Netgalley. This does not affect my opinion regarding the book.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

I really loved this audiobook! Each chapter is from a different characters point of view which always makes the store more fun.

Helena and Amelia’s lives are brought together by the marriage of their parents. Amelia is engaged to Gage, Helena is BFFs with Landon. Helena has a crush on Gage. Amelia used to date Landon. It was really fun to see how this tangled messy love story plays out during their parents wedding weekend. This book just published on 8/6 so run and pick up a copy!!!

It’s All Relative by Rachel Magee is such a fun read! As a fan of Shakespearean plays, I ran to request this one, and I was not disappointed.

It’s All Relative is a contemporary retelling of William Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream. However, instead of taking place in Athens (and a nearby forest), the book takes place on a small Floridian island (and a nearby wooded area?) leading up to a wedding!

The story follows soon-to-be stepsisters Helena Crosby (Helena) and Amelia "Mia" Maddox (Hermia) as they prepare the become a family; their mother and father, respectively, are getting married! But Helena and Amelia don't really get along. We're also introduced to our two leading men: Landon Blake (Lysander)—Amelia’s ex-boyfriend and Helena’s current BFF—and Gage Demetrius (Demetrius)—Amelia’s current fiancé. (Other names from the original comedy grace the pages as well--Peter and Titania, among them.)

Going into the book, I knew how the pairings would end up, but that didn't stop me from enjoying the story!

The audiobook well so well done! Big shout out to the narrator!

★★★★☆
4 Stars!!

I don't know much about Shakespeare, but I know I really enjoyed this book!! Helena is dreading her mom's wedding to Steve, head of the Maddox family Helena has coined "The Perfects". Amelia is the eldest of The Maddoxes and a bit of a perfectionist who sees Helena as a train wreck. Not to mention, Helena has a major crush on Amelia's fiancé, and her plus one happens to be Amelia's college sweetheart that ended with heartbreak for both and little closure. Throughout the wedding week, we see that first impressions may not be as they seem as our characters examine their choices, lives, jobs, and relationships. All the characters were well developed, so you will be able to find someone you relate to in this story. The multi POVs really helped to get the point of the story across. The setting of the beach mansion made the story really easy to digest, especially if you didn't know the plot of the Shakespeare play. This is a good beach read/listen if you want something that has a bit more substance than the typical fluffy beach reads, but still has the humor filled moments.

Thank you to Thomas Nelson Fiction and HarperCollins Christian Publishing for allowing me to listen to this ALC.

I completed this book and at first didn't find much to complain about but then got to thinking.

It had four POVs; Helena, Amelia, Landon and Gage. Helena's mother was getting married to Amelia's father. Helena was headed for the wedding week with Landon, her best friend, who also happened to be Amelia's ex. Amelia was engaged to Gage. The blurb teased trouble in paradise for the engaged couple. Plus Landon and Amelia had feelings that were resurrected when they saw each other again.

The title was definitely fitting 😂 I just wasn't that invested in the characters and found myself spacing out during the audio which was amazingly done by only one narrator.

Landon and Pete, Helena's younger brother, definitely carried the show. It also took forever for the romance part to finally kick in so that was a bit of a let down for me 😅

That said, it was a breezy read. Minimal angst and a summery setting with family hijinks 😄 I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

Thank you for this early copy!
This book certainly was not for me. Beautiful cover, looks and sounds engaging, but was overall a little slow.

Somehow both lighthearted and full of heart. This modern retelling of Shakespeare’s A Midsummer's Night Dream, is the perfect balance of sweet romance, family drama, and fun.
Both soon to be sisters navigate exploring where their new role in a changing family fits while learning how their identity is more than the one-dimension label they had set for themselves.
My favorite was how the other POVs showed either of the FMC as calm, collected, and in charge. While in their own POV they were freaking out feeling like a mess. It was a nice, realistic touch; everyone was just trying their best.
I am always weary of love triangles and knowing this was a square I was nervous, but honestly it was a total non issue. I rooted for the couples without feeling weird or guilty.

The narrator was also pretty good as I felt immersed in the story no matter whose POV it was.

"It's All Relative" is a delightful modern retelling of Shakespeare's "A Midsummer Night's Dream," set against the backdrop of a beach wedding that is anything but smooth sailing. This charming women's fiction captures the complexities of blending families, navigating new relationships, and the inevitable chaos that ensues.

Helena Crosby's journey as a bridesmaid in her mom's wedding is both heartwarming and hilarious. Her clash with her soon-to-be stepsister Amelia, who is her complete opposite, provides plenty of comedic moments and heartfelt interactions. The dynamic between them is particularly engaging, highlighting the challenges and eventual bonds that can form between step-siblings.

The beach house setting adds to the book's charm, making it a perfect summer read. The intertwined relationships create a tapestry of emotions that keeps you invested in their outcomes.

As an only child, I found myself deeply moved by the evolving sibling-like relationship between Helena and Amelia. The author beautifully captures the essence of family and friendship, reminding us that love and family can be messy but ultimately rewarding.

"It's All Relative" is a lighthearted yet poignant read that will leave you with a smile on your face and a warm feeling in your heart. Highly recommended for anyone who loves a good family story with a dash of romance and comedy.

Thank you to Netgalley, Harper Collins, and Rachel Magee for this advanced listener copy!

Thank you so much to Rachel Magee for the ARC audiobook for It's All Relative in exchange for my honest review.

This book follows Helena, a school teacher who is forced to kick off her summer break by attending her mom's wedding, which would be fine if she wasn't marrying into a family that has everything so immaculately put together that Helena refers to them as "The Perfects." In order to survive her time with the over organized, agenda fueled crew, Helena decides to drag along her best friend and fellow teacher, Landon as back up. After a failed attempt at sailing, a shocking reunion, a crush that shouldn't be happening, and a tik tok video gone way wrong, it seems that there is no hope that Helena will every connect with her new family, but soon the walls around The Perfects begin to fall and Helena realizes there may be more layers to her new family and than she originally thought.

It's All Relative was such a sweet summer read that did a great job of examining family dynamics. I was surprised to find that the romance in this book felt more like a subplot, but I didn't mind it because the author did such a nice job of weaving a story about all the family members and what each of them brought to the table in terms of their relationships.

In the end, I did really enjoy this book, but felt like it could have been slightly shorter. I was having a really good time for the first 60% of the book, but started to tire of the story and was ready to be done for the last part of it. It's a great book to listen to, as the audiobook did a nice job of pacing and the narrator had a voice that was easy to listen to. I highly recommend It's All Relative if you are tired of the typical romance books and are looking for something a little different and a whole lot sweet.

What a fun engaging story - I loved the family dynamic and the story of 2 families becoming one with some scandal and romance in between. I listened to this book and thought the narrator was great!

4 stars!

Thank you Netgalley for the advanced readers copy!

Publish date: 08/06/2024

I really enjoyed listening to the audio version of this book. The narrator did an excellent job portraying the different characters. The writing was witty, engaging, and heart felt. The author deals with real family issues and dynamics without feeling heavy or depressing. I give this book five stars!

Love love love this book!! Small island family drama and lovers finding themselves? Yes please! Finding out family is who you make is great!

This made me laugh! This made me tear up! This delighted my heart!!

Helena Crosby is a HS teacher. She’s a ‘fly by the seat of her pants’ type girl who’s always running late ( sounds a lot like me…), but has a heart of gold…and always tries to help e v e r y o n e !!

Her Mom is getting married for the first time at the age of 48, and although Helena wants to be there for her, she does NOT want to have anything to do with her ‘new family’…

Her Mom is marrying a guy from a ‘perfect’ family…hence, Helena calls each of them the perfects!

Her soon to be sister, Amelia, is the polar opposite of her. Every little thing is planned to the T, in advance, with multiple backup plans…
She’s got a great job, a home of her own, and a successful, handsome fiancé..

So when the two of them have to come together for some week long wedding events at their summer place on the beach, we’ll, we are in for quite the treat!

Helena does NOT want to go by herself, so she brings her emotional support dog, I mean person (…ahem…cough, cough) …Landon. A fellow teacher who she went out with briefly, until they figured out they were better off as just friends. And they are the BEST of friends!!

But when he gets there and meets the rest of the family, there a quite a few surprises in store…

This was hilarious at times, disheartening at others, but sugary sweet and honest and lovely…to the core…

With several terrific twists that led us to the grand ending!

4 1/2 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫 for me, happily round up to 5!!

#ItsAllRelative by #RachelMagee and narrated beautifully by #TanyaEby.

Thanks to #NetGalley and #HarperCollinsChristianPublishing and #ThomasNelsonFiction for an ARC of the audiobook in exchange for an honest review.

**** It is due to be released in 2 days on 8/6/24! ****

Feel free to like, follow and friend me on: Goodreads,
IG @ #BookReviews_with_emsr
My Facebook Book Club: Book Reviews With Elaine.

Thanks so much for reading! And if you ‘liked’ my review, please share with your friends, and click 'LIKE' below!! 📚⭐️

I think what kept standing in my way of fully liking the characters was that they were falling for people who were already involved, seriously involved, with other people. I just find that cringy. Maybe if the sister and fiance had even secretly parted before the wedding festivities and only came as a couple to keep up appearances and not take away for the marriage of the parents, I could have gotten behind them more. Also, the weird bird thing in the woods was a silly for me. Still, I wanted to see the story through. The audiobook narrator was easy to listen to and the book was a fairly quick read, perfect for the beach.

DNF - Not only was the actress in this incredibly hard to listen to, but the content was very juvenile.

This book was truly so much fun to read (or, in my case, listen to). I felt invested in each character’s story, and was rooting for them and their individual happy endings. There are nuggets of wisdom throughout that stuck out to me; references to our lives as train tracks and the importance of recognizing that we nearly always have the choice to create change. The romance felt genuine, while the focus still was much greater on each character’s personal development, which I really loved! There was honest conversation about the difficulty of a blended family, and a refreshing level of respect and care for each character’s feelings. It felt like the equivalent of “no question is a dumb question” throughout the plot, and I was right there alongside the cast of characters feeling comfortable to be curious and work through deeper, uncomfortable emotions.
A very light and fun and wonderful piece of fiction that addressed real life issues in a gentle manner. Characters who were relatable and also felt like friends. Multiple POVs (which I’m a sucker for) that felt attentive to each one’s specific voice.
Thank you to the author and to NetGalley for this ARC. I can’t wait for it to be released into the world!