I feel like a victim of a bait and switch. The synopsis made much of Evie managing a bookshop. Unfortunately, the book itself spends very little time in said bookshop. I was really hoping for a similar experience to Veronica Henry's 'How To Find Love In a Bookshop' from several years ago. From the title I also expected a bit more of the 'Much Ado' as it is one of my favorite Shakespeare comedies. The first part of the book--her reason for spending a month in Northumberland, saving Shadow, meeting Roane (hubba hubba)--was 4-5 stars. The middle of the book sort of meandered around with ever more societal issues being thrown into the mix -- 2 star. Finally, the big betrayal, moment. Come on, girl, don't you know how to google??? Anyway, even though it ends well and you know what Ma always said. . . I still just "like" it and will not be on the look out for any further titles from Ms. Young. No offense, but life is just too short to spend on books that are average for me.

Thank you to Berkley and NetGalley for a DRC in exchange for an honest review.

Only Samantha can write a beautiful love story with a scenery to match.
With the times that we are living in, I look forward to reading and rereading anything by Samantha, if only for the getaway it provides.
Evie and Roane"s love story is ageless.
Woman visits another country to find herself but instead finds a hot farmer and friends that will make you want them for your own.
The quaint town is described so well that I could feel the fresh air ooze from the pages. Well, my kindle anyway.
I hope we can visit Northumberland one day just so I can say that I may be walking on the street Sam mentioned in MAAY..

The idea of this book was really cute.
I love small town romances, so I was pretty excited to read this book. The fact that a dog was included was even better. I really liked all the characters and was interested in their lives.

However this book lacked the usual depth and flow. It’s hard to describe but I wasn’t completely captivated. Evie‘s thoughts seemed weird especially the punctuation. I usually don’t pay attention to such things but all the exclamation points were weird and didn’t really fit. Also some sentences seemed like reading an English paper. I just doubt that people talk like that.
The story felt sometimes forced and not authentic. The plot was predictable but that wasn’t a problem for me. It’s just that everything went so smoothly. Running a bookstore doesn’t seem to be easy in real life because every little business has struggles especially if you have never done such a thing but in this book the protagonists seems to be an expert even though she has no experience in running a business. I like that Evie took control of her life though. It just seemed so easy. I am also not a fan of instant love, so this book made it hard for me to really like the relationship.

Well Much Ado About you is a sweet book with sympathetic characters, a small town and a cute dog. It’s a nice book, but Samantha offers better ones. So for me this was a three stars read. Nice for a weekend if you like romcom.

Thank you Berkley Pub &* Netgalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

4 STARS!

These characters had CHEMISTRY that I was obsessed with. Evie had the guts to make a big change in her life and travel across the pond to find herself. I envy Evie's confidence to make such a drastic life change at the drop of a hat. Evie was a perfect protagonist to take charge of this story, I was rooting for her the entire time.

I appreciated the modern-day dating age references used in this story. As modern dating involves online dating, ghosting, Snapchat, and more. Modern age dating is a whole new way of dating. Evie didn't have it easy and was in the stage of life where you compare yourself to friends around you who are figuring out life, getting married, and having kids. If you aren't doing those things in your late 20s and early 30s you start to feel worthless. I appreciated Evie taking her future into her own hands and doing what was going to make her happy with herself.

Evie and Roane had so much sexual tension that I was just waiting for it to burst over. Honestly, I thought the big reveal of his secret at the end would have been something juicier so that part was a little lackluster.

My FAVORITE part of the book was that Evie got to rent out and control a bookstore as part of this adventure. I want to do that now ASAP. That sounds like the best dream vacation ever...... and all the parts of the book discussing the bookstore were by far my favorite!

This book was charming, comforting, and makes you smile. I recommend it for a quick feel-good book which we all are in need of lately.

3.5 STARS

I have a lot of thoughts about this book. I can tell it’s setting up for a series. There are so many characters that I already care about and want more. The setting is basically another character that adds a charming element to the story. Samantha Young obviously can write well. For me there was so much wonderful aspects to the story that the main characters paled in comparison and I got bored. I can appreciate this book doing a lot of work setting stuff up. I hope we get the other books.


I voluntarily read an early copy.

So first and foremost, Much Ado About You is basically the movie the Holiday, with a lot more depth. I liked it, don’t get me wrong, but this basic premise is not new. The depth is where the magic is in this book. I loved all of the side characters in this book; they added so much to the story.
I connected with Evie. I liked that she saw her life was not going the way she wanted to and took a chance on something. And Roane, lady porn indeed. He’s just about the perfect guy. Was this book very predictable? Yes, as soon as the main character noted she refused to date guys who were younger or rich (um execute me what?), I knew where this was going. It seemed out of character to me, this woman who is so open-minded, closing herself off after one bad experience. Other than that, I found this to be a charming and enjoyable read.
I liked that while the romance between the hero and heroine was the main story, the other side stories meant a lot. I especially liked seeing how Evie was able to do so much for others and really find her place within the community. It seemed more about finding herself than finding romance, which I think was the book’s point.
Overall Much Ado About You is an adorable read with a lot of heart and laughs.

A lot has been said about this book already and I have to say I agree with what most people have to say. So I am going to keep my review short and sweet. I really enjoyed this story. It was just so refreshing to read about these characters who were actually really genuine people. I loved the chemistry between Roane and Evie!
This had me wanting to go to this small village! I liked our side characters too and how they added to the story and didn't take away from it. This romance was so fun and engaging!


Thanks NetGalley for this ARC!

Reading through Much Ado About You was work. The plot and the characters were both flat. I understand that romance can be formulaic but this one had absolutely nothing unique or attention grabbing about it.

This was such a sweet and entertaining read. There were so many fun scenes that had me smiling. I loved getting to know Evie and Roane and couldn’t get enough of the small-town vibe of the village and the cast of characters involved.

Evie was delightful. I liked the personal mission she was on to find herself and the courage she had to do that. I loved her and Roane's meeting and the pull they had between them, his reactions to her were adorable. There was a fantastic build as they became friends and I really liked the sizzle growing between them. I loved learning Evie’s history and her reasons for holding back. I almost felt bad for Roane at times, he seemed so tortured by his feelings for her. Roane was so charming and swoon-worthy but sometimes he seemed too good to be true. I liked all the hints that maybe things weren’t all that they seemed and was filled with anticipation waiting to find out just what was up. There was a really good build to that moment where everything is learned, it felt like feelings exploding and I loved it.

The writing was really good and I enjoyed the pace. The story is told from first person single POV, but I longed to get inside Roane’s head. I loved the descriptions making me want to travel to this little village. I loved the townspeople and the relationships Evie formed with them and her well-meaning meddling, she had such a big heart.

This was fast-paced, engaging, and witty, with a wonderful slow burn feel happening. There was also a nice mix of mild drama and emotion to round it all out. I had a great time reading it!

Delightful little romance novel. No surprises here, but a steady comfortable story. Perfectly pleasant.

3.5 stars. Received from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

Okay- this book has a number of glaring flaws but I don't care because the romance was a DAMN DELIGHT

The love interest is so dreamy and lovely, and the romance progresses at the exact right pace (pacing is *finger kisses*), and you really are really rooting for this couple to get their happily ever after.

So if you like sweet romances, this is the one to check out.

Issues? Undoubtedly. The way her work situation plays out is very rushed and by the book, and the conflict between our mains is HILARIOUS in that nothing has been well-established enough that would prepare us for one character's massive overreaction and it feels far too predictable for the rest of this sweet book. It just seems overblown to a ridiculous degree and suffers from my least favourite trope i.e. if the characters had a 30 second honest conversation the conflict would never be realized. Very silly.

But otherwise, I would definitely recommend this book to any romance fans looking for some lovely afternoon escapism.

tw - alcoholism, abuse, HP references

4.5 stars

As soon as I read the concept for Much Ado About You I was hooked. This sounded like such a lovely story, and it truly did not disappoint! I haven’t read a book in a long time where the whole time I was reading it, I just felt so content. This book isn’t packed with a ton of major plot points or twists and turns, but I didn’t feel like it needed that. It made me feel good and that’s all I could really ask for.

This book transports the reader to a small village in Northumberland, where the townspeople know everyone and are all in each other's business. One of my favourite things about this story was that it didn’t just focus on the main characters, Evie and Roane, but so many of the townsfolk as well. So often small town romances name drop a bunch of people, but never give us their stories. This book shared a little bit about everyone and it was such a joy actually getting to know the characters rather than just have them named and never seen again. The dynamic between the characters was lovely, and seeing how Evie fit into their lives was just so nice.

The book starts off with our heroine, Evie, being stood up on a date. She is really struggling with loneliness in Chicago, and is really looking to find some sort of joy in her life. If being stood up doesn’t suck enough, she ends up getting passed on a job promotion which just sort of solidified her need for change. She ends up finding a rental in a small European village where you not only rent the apartment but also the bookshop that’s below. This sounds like a dream for our heroine, and she books a month-long stay. Once she arrives, she’s quickly introduced to the townspeople, and a certain gorgeous farmer with a sweet, angel pup named Shadow.

The thing is, Evie is very adamant that this trip is about her finding what direction she wants to take her life, and that unfortunately does not include falling in love with cute british farmers. On a drunken pub night, she explains to her new friends that she is there to learn more about herself and where she plans on taking her life, not on finding a boyfriend to settle down with.

What I really liked was how once Evie shared her boundaries, Roane never tried to overstep them. He was incredibly respectful, and while he made his feelings known in gentle ways (and sometimes very sexy ways - think Mr. Darcy and how without even saying anything you just KNEW how hot he was for Elizabeth), he never pushed or got mad that Evie wasn’t bending her rules for him.

This story isn’t just a love story between two characters. This is a love story between our heroine and herself, recognizing what she wants in life. This is a love story between our heroine and discovering a home and new family. This is so much more than your classic romance, and I think that’s what I really enjoyed about it. It was such a feel good book, and watching so many different journeys come together was beautiful.

I was totally sold on this book the minute I saw the title -- Much Ado About Nothing is my favorite play, and I watched the Emma Thompson adaptation on repeat growing up. I thought it was going to be a retelling but it's not, and luckily it's still super charming! I loved Evie right off the bat -- an "older" (not mid-20s, basically) heroine always sells me, and I loved that Evie is secure in who she is and knows what she wants out of life. And the setting of a charming English village where she runs a bookstore? That's basically my dream for my alternate reality. I absolutely loved the story, though I didn't love the conflict that was introduced, but the resolution worked for me! Such a great romance -- thank you Berkeley for the advance copy!

At thirty-three-years old, Evangeline Starling's life in Chicago is missing that special something. In a burst of impulsivity, she plans a holiday in a quaint English village that comes with a temporary position at Much Ado About Books, the bookstore located beneath her rental apartment. 

Not only is Evie swept up in running the delightful store as soon as she arrives, she's drawn into the lives, loves and drama of the friendly villagers, including Roane Robson, the charismatic and sexy farmer who tempts Evie every day with his friendly flirtations. 

I enjoyed being swept up in this romance so much! It reminded me of the movie The Holiday (one of my faves!), and I was all for the whirlwind romance. Having been stuck at home for almost a year now, it was wonderful to pick up a book that had me traveling across the world. The chemistry and steam between Evie and Roane didn't hurt either. 😉 

Give me a hunky farmer, a catalogue of secondary characters with their own stories and a cute dog, and I am one happy reader. This book checked so many boxes for me -- would definitely recommend!

Thank you to NetGalley and Berkley for a gifted copy in exchange for an honest review.

I unfortunately had to DNF this book. I did not know going into this that this book would be with the Older Woman/Younger Man trope and I've also realized that this trope is used as a big part of the plot. I'm actually really disappointing by this because I used to love Samantha Young's books and I haven't read one in at least four years so I was really excited when I got this ARC. Samantha Young still has that inviting and addicting writing style that I remembered so I may check out more of her books in the future, but unfortunately this one is not for me. I wish that this was said in the synopsis or I wouldn't have wasted my time and the publishers requesting this book.

From chapters that I've read of this book, I was interested in some of the secondary characters, especially Viola. It's always great to see authors incorporate more diversity in their books and I was also really intrigued by Viola's family drama and her relationship with Lucas. If the author writes a story about them I definitely think I would pick it up.

Much Ado About You is a highly readable, slow burn romance set in Northumberland, the most northerly county in England, bordering the South East Coast of Scotland.

Anyone who reads Samantha Young's work will know the quality of the storylines she produces.

So what sets Much Ado About You apart? I love that we have a mix of cultures. Not only an American in the UK but a small village that loves, or hates, people who don't fit the 'village mould'.

A village that, when needed, rally round each other offering help, support and advice.

Not only are the main characters beautifully developed, but we are given histories of other village residents giving the reader a sense of familiarity, community and belonging even if it's only for the length of time it takes to read Much Ado About You.

I'll definitely be visiting the fictional village of Alnster again and again.

Much Ado About You in one word? Ughhhhhhhhhhhhhh

The story follows Evie, a woman who has recently quit her job and made the decision to swear off men after a string of bad dates. She departs on a trip to a small English village, hoping to spend some time alone and use the vacation to recenter her life. These careful plans go awry when she encounters Roane, the town's resident (sexy) farmer, and a romance she never saw coming.

Sounds great, right? I thought so too, but this book falls SO flat.

All the characters were hollow outlines with no substance, there was nearly no plot for the first 80% of the book, and the writing was weirdly robotic. The pacing was all over the place, leading to the feeling of insta-love and zero chemistry between the MC and LI. As someone who is often perfectly content reading romance books that are on the lighter/sweeter side, the fact that I thought this book was dry as fuck should really say something.

I did not need to wait so fucking long for a single (mediocre) sex scene, especially when the primary hang up between the two main characters was Evie's determination to resist the dick. Her insecurities and reluctance for a relationship could have been an interesting layer for character development, but it was not even close to enough conflict for the entire novel.

I mean, shiiiiiit, let's all step into Evie's shoes for a hot second:

1. you meet a hot farm dude
2. realize that you want to fuck hot farm dude
3. learn that hot farm dude also wants to fuck you

let the man plow ur field, girl. IT'S FINE.

Sounds so simple, right? That's because it was. Even with Samantha Young's best attempts to add other elements of drama into the story, at the end of the day, nothing had much of an impact on Evie and Roane's relationship besides Evie and Roane.

Anyway, enough complaining. It's a two star from me, only because I have read worse. Much Ado About You is not an abhorrent dumpster fire; it's just a fucking bore.

And to be honest, I think this book is going to do well upon release. The blandness of Evie and her escapades are prime self-insert material, and the trendy cover will draw a lot of people's interest (no judgement, I was fooled too). That said, I'd personally recommend skipping it, unless what I've described from the 384 pages of ever-loving NOTHING I just read actually sounds appealing to you.

(cw: mentions of abuse, alcoholism)

Thank you NetGalley and Berkley for this free copy to read and review! I loved this book! I had a few issues, with the believability of the situation - renting an apartment above a bookstore and getting to consoles run the store as a vacation including buying new stock 😅, that would never happen - and I’m not huge on insta attraction/feelings, there was so much more about the book that I loved! Even if the situation isn’t thag believable, it’s every book lovers dream, running a bookshop in the quint English countryside/coast. Plus I was loving for all the Shakespeare love 😆 And Roane is just 🔥 Perfect. Plus I loved that this book touched on quite a few deeper subjects as well! I cried multiple times 🙌😂 To be fair I cry pretty easily with books though, lol. But if you’re looking for a cutesy, cheesy, bookish romcom, this is the book for you!

First and foremost I would like to thank Netgalley and Berkley Publishing for providing me with an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

I tend to find rom coms the easiest to read on my kindle, so that is generally what I request the most of from Netgalley.

So, when I saw this book show up I knew I had to request it. And I am so glad that I did! This was such a fun read that I finished in just two sittings.

I am always looking for a book that provides more than just a romance, and this book was no exception. I thought it brought up important issues of addiction and what it can do to family relationships.

Now on to the romance. I absolutely adored Evie and Roane, and their relationship was a pleasure to watch unfold over time. I really enjoy books that don’t have insta love and found this one to feel very realistic. It felt genuine and easy to root for.

Lastly, the setting of this book on the English countryside was something I never knew I needed. This story makes me want to pack up and move to a small English town and run a bookstore. Maybe in another life 😉

All in all this was a fun, quick, and enjoyable read. So be sure to check it out and head to your local bookstore on February 2nd to pick up your copy, you won’t regret it!

This was really cute! I'm a sucker for the move-to-a-small-town trope, and I love a good start-over, so this was always gonna be a winner for me. The characters were great and the slow-burn was super good, but the "we can't communicate even though we're adults!!" thing is just boring. Like, TELL THE TRUTH YOU'RE ADULTS. It's just such a lazy plot device, even if it's something that a lot of real people deal with. I don't really want what real people deal with, this is fiction! Give me something exciting! Anyway, it wasn't such a road block that I didn't genuinely love all of these characters, the town, and the story. An excellent feel-good read.