It’s All Relative is a sweet romance and women’s fiction story following two women and their love interests. The elements of family, and how we can shift and grow in what we view as family, were relatable and enjoyable.

This story is a great option for a summer read.

I listened to the audiobook version of this story that was read by a single narrator for the four POVs. I listened at 2x speed (1.75-2x speed is my normal audiobook listening speed).

Thank you NetGalley and Thomas Nelson and Zondervan Fiction Audio for this advanced audiobook copy.

first off - big thanks to NetGalley, Thomas Nelson and Zondervan Fiction Audio for this audiobook in exchange for my honest review :)

you know the cheesy netflix rom coms where everything you think will happen, happens? there’s not a ton of depth to it, it’s predictable, but it’s reliable in that it provides good enough entertainment. it’s nothing to write home about but good to pass the time when you just need something lighter and easier.

side note: the narrator for the audiobook itself was not my favorite. unfortunately the voice felt a little too robotic and didn’t seem like it flowed naturally. once i sped up the audiobook i didnt notice it as much but wanted to make note as it does take away from the experience a bit!

I really wanted to love this story but I didn't. It wasn't horrible by any means but it lacked a plot and character building.

The narration was good, especially with all 4 characters. The narration made it easier to finish.

Thank you NetGalley for a copy of this audiobook (:

I absolutely adored this book. I loved getting to know the characters and watching their relationships change and develop throughout the novel. I related to Helena a lot as a type B teacher who tries to do everything as good as possible but inevitably just messes stuff up and is constantly hoping I can charm people into forgiving me. I also liked how we got to read from multiple different characters throughout the story and we didn't listen to the entire story through Helena's perspective. I highly recommend this one!

I really enjoyed this book!

It’s a great multi-POV of a big family event, and it packs in lots of laughs and emotions.

As an Amelia myself, Helena really grated on me through the first half of the book but I came to appreciate her throughout the book as we got to know her better - which is quite literally the point of the whole book, so really nailed that one.

This was a cute book, an easy read, and something that you could recommend to anyone!

This was a cute rom com. I don't usually enjoy 3rd person POV, but this didn't bother me too much. I enjoyed the narrator.

"It's All Relative" by Rachel Magee is a delightful and modern retelling of Shakespeare's classic comedy, "A Midsummer Night's Dream." This lighthearted novel captures the essence of family, love, and the unpredictable journey of blending lives and traditions. The story follows Helena Crosby and Amelia Maddox, two women who couldn't be more different. Helena, the spontaneous and carefree daughter, dreads her mother Nora's upcoming wedding to Steve Maddox, which will thrust her into the midst of the Maddox family and their meticulously planned lives. On the other hand, Amelia, the epitome of perfection and control, has spent months organising the perfect wedding for her father and his bride-to-be, unaware that the week will bring unexpected complications and emotional upheavals.
Magee's characters are wonderfully crafted and relatable. Helena's free-spirited nature and Amelia's determination to maintain order create a compelling dynamic that adds humour and heart to the story. The introduction of Landon, Helena's best friend and Amelia's former love, adds a layer of romantic tension that keeps the reader engaged and rooting for both women as they navigate their feelings and familial duties.
The novel beautifully explores the themes of family, acceptance, and personal growth. Through a series of wedding week activities and mishaps, Helena and Amelia learn valuable lessons about flexibility, love, and the true meaning of family. Magee's writing is charming and witty, making the story both entertaining and thought-provoking.
"It's All Relative" is a heartwarming and enjoyable read. Highly recommended for those who appreciate a good laugh, a bit of romance, and the complexities of family life.

Family wedding at a beach with week long events merging two families. Groom is Father of 3 (teenager to grown adults) who lost wife to cancer and bride is a single mom of grown daughter who brings a friend to be her plus one that just happens to be college sweetheart of her new step sister. Story of second chances and happiness. Thank you NetGalley for the advanced audiobook of this story. It’s a great summer read.

I've not read many romcom books with multiple POVs that worked very well for me, but this one surely did. This was a lovely, heartwarming story that I could hardly put down. I enjoyed the characters and how they changed throughout the book. Be advised that this isn't just about one person's love story, or one couple's story, but about multiple stories, and it all works really well to tell a story about a family coming to understand each other better.


Thank you to #Netgalley, Thomas Nelson Fiction, Harper Collins Christian Publishing, and the author, Rachel McGee for this Audio ARC of It's All Relative. This is my honest review.

Wow. This book! I went a little blind, only knowing about the premise, but I’m so glad I did. Helena and Amelia were such a delight of characters, I found myself thinking they were real and I was part of their lives. They were both so different, yet so much I could pick from them and see in myself. I couple of times I found myself actually laughing out loud, and that doesnt happen too often when reading a book. The plot was unique and well paced, with what I call the Heart-Swoony characteristics, which immediately move the book up my ranks. I have a strong feeling this book is going to be everything anyone in the book community is going to be talking about.

I wholeheartedly will be recommending this book to my followers and even gifting it to friends.

It’s All Relative by Rachel Magee. Thank you to Netgalley, HarperCollins and Rachel Magee for my #GIFTED copy. My review is voluntary!

Helena is joining her mother and her future step family for a wedding. Her mother’s wedding to The Perfects. The Perfects are, well, perfect. They are successful and proper and planners. Everything is organized and just….perfect.

Helena, on the other hand, is the definition of chaotic. Her life is in disarray and nothing ever goes as planned. Oh, and she’s pining for her future step-sisters fiancé, Gage. Every time she’s with Gage, they just click. He gets her but does he fell it too? Their connection?

Dreading facing The Perfects by herself, Helena brings along her best friend, Landon, not knowing that Landon is her step-sister’s long lost and beloved ex from college. What a disaster!

While wedding activities, adventures and disasters ensue, Amelia and Helena come head-to-head and have to dig deep. Will there be a happy ending or two or will everything end in disaster and heartbreak?

My thoughts!
A tornado of mishaps, laughs, surprises and romance enveloped me in this feel-good, funny read. Fans of Lucy Score and Megan Quinn will love this one!

Thank you NetGalley, Thomas Nelson Fiction and Rachel Magee for the audio ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I received the ebook and audio so I frequently “read along” with the audio which I enjoyed. I wish this had multiple narrators since the book was told in 4 characters perspectives and really only had 7 reoccurring characters throughout the book but I appreciate the narrator trying to differentiate the voices.

The book itself had some interesting aspects and storylines but I cannot get over the simplicity of the ending. I don’t want to spoil it but, in what reality would anyone just switch and carry on?!

I did enjoy the fact that both female characters had some personal reservations about their families merging and appreciated how they eventually addressed it maturely after avoiding it for the first 3/4 of the book.

Overall, it was enjoyable but obvious from the start what was going to happen and I feel like there could have been more conflict before the resolution.

Great beach read that is perfect for an afternoon with nothing to do but read.

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

This story is a retelling of a Shakespearean tale that I haven’t read, so I can’t compare. It’s the story of a blended family meeting for the wedding of their parents, Nora and Steve. Nora’s only child, Helena, is an eccentric teacher, bubbly and adventurous yet clumsy. On the other hand, Amelia is the eldest of the three siblings, a successful architect, responsible and borderline control freak. Landon is a colleague and best friend of Helena, while Cage is Amelia’s fiancé, both well-rounded men. The story is told from the perspective of four characters.

5-star beach read! Finished this one in less than 48 hours on my beach vacation, which fit so perfectly with this book. Absolutely loved the story and the ending! Such a heartwarming story of love, loss, and being true to yourself.

🧼 - Squeaky clean romance, hardly a smooch. This story line really didn't do it for me. It was way too predictable and cheesy. When the random aura reading Aunt and her bird entered the scene I almost couldn't do it. I don't know if the narrator had something to do with it. Definitely a big of a cheesy sing song voice.

Thanks to Netgalley, Thomas Nelson and Zondervan Fiction Audio for advanced access to the audiobook.

This was such a cute modern retelling of A Midsummer’s Night Dream. Two families are merging with an upcoming wedding and the adult daughters Helena and Amelia are struggling with how they will got into this new dynamic. Drama and comedy ensue when a wedding date ends up being an ex of Amelia and both girls expect the worst of the other.

Lighthearted, funny, happy ending, what more could you ask for!

I have never listened to/read a book that related so closely to my personal life!
Firstly, the obvious my last name is Crosby.
Secondly, one of my best friends is named Landon
Thirdly, my family vacations at Jekyll Island Georgia where there is Driftwood Beach

The coincidences don't end there, but that is all I will mention for now!

When Helena finds herself as her mom's maid of honor, she begs her best friend to go with her to face the "perfects". Helena finds herself on the outside looking in as she watches her mom and soon-to-be step-sisters accept this new phase of life while she feels like a complete outsider.

I did enjoy this book, however, I feel like no one really tried to communicate with each other until the tensions were high and it was the wrong time to talk.

I liked this book and how it concluded! I felt like there was too much moping happening before the resolution came. This book was a lot of fun, and if you are in the mood for family dramatics, this is the one for you!

** I recieved this from Netgalley as an exchange for an honest review!!**

Thank you Thomas Nelson and Zondervan Fiction Audio for the advance reading copy. I enjoyed this novel that was a mix of romance and literary fiction. I thought Rachel Magee beautifully tackled large family issues such as grief, conflict, & insecurities in a way that made the cast of characters so relatable.

A modern retelling of "A Midsummer Night's Dream", It's All Relative follows a very chaotic few days as we prepare for the wedding of Steve and Nora.
Amelia, the groom's daughter is type A (an understatement). There's no chaos in her life, she plans every single perfect moment. She has to be this way, she has kept the family together when her mother passed.
Her soon to be step sister, Helena, just happens to be the exact opposite: she's chaos in human form. She also showed up to perfectly planned event with an undisclosed shellfish allergy AND Amelia's ex on her arm. Insert Landon. Dreamy, blue-eyed and distracting, Amelia just has no time for this, right?

Just like the original, we have a wedding bringing all these folks together. I couldn't help but feel that just like Shakespeare's version, it is more of a character study than a typical plot line story.

We follow this group of flawed characters through silly scenarios, some cute rom-com moments and emotional revelations. While there are no major plot twists here and it's the basic blueprint of the original, it has a warm, happy ending- while not traditional. It's definitely a fun summer read, and if you love a Shakespeare retelling, it's a no brainer.