One of my new favorite books of Samantha Young's (and contemporary romance)! This is a book lover's ideal romance novel. There's a bookshop, a cute English town, a relatable protagonist, and a super handsome love interest with a perfect dog. It made me want to hop on a plane and start a whole new life abroad.

There are several things I love about this book. Number one, the protagonist is in her 30s, which makes the romance much more mature and not so drama-filled. Number two, the romance is swoon-worthy. Some of Young's romance novels can be pretty steamy and smutty but this one wasn't and I appreciated that. Evie and Roane become friends and get to know each other well before jumping into a relationship. Roane never forces Evie to do more than she's comfortable with and respects her space when she rejects his romantic advances. Also, this is a sloooooow burn but not too drawn out. Number three, the setting is so vivid and the characters of the town are so dynamic. They all felt like real people, not just 2D supporting characters.

I can't really find a glaring annoyance or flaw in "Much Ado About You." This is definitely one I'll recommend to patrons looking for some romance but nothing too steamy.

Fun, but not great. I liked the premise of Evie setting out on a bookshop apartment rental in a small English village and adjusting to life there but in practice I never truly connected to any of the characters. And I never quite understood how they all felt so magically connected to Evie. I kind of expected a little more small town grumpiness but when there wasn't that much it seemed like there wasn't enough conflict to fill what honestly could have been a much shorter book. I did think the narrative handled her relationship with her recovering alcoholic mom well, and I did like the sense of place we got with the town itself. Bonus points for Shadow, my favorite great dane sheep herder.

⭐ 2.75 / 5 ⭐

A cutesy “finding yourself” rom-com set in an idyllic village in England.

I don’t like NOT liking books. I don’t like writing negative reviews. I just - Okay, here’s the thing: this book wasn’t terrible. I’ve read worse. But it wasn’t particularly memorable, either.

"Thirty-three-years old Evangeline Starling's life in Chicago is missing that special something. And when she's passed over for promotion at work, Evie realizes she needs to make a change. In a burst of impulsivity, she plans a holiday in a quaint English village. The holiday package comes with a temporary position at Much Ado About Books, the bookstore located beneath her rental apartment. There's no better dream vacation for the bookish Evie, a life-long Shakespeare lover.

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. Evie is determined to keep him at bay because a holiday romance can only end in heartbreak, right? But Evie can't deny their connection and longs to trust in her handsome farmer that their whirlwind romance could turn in to the forever kind of love."

Decent premise, right? I was so excited. But the deeper I got into the story, the more I realized that I wasn’t enjoying it all that much. I wanted to connect with the main character, but it just felt like she had no personality. Evie was bland, and so was the story. Roane was cute, but I honestly felt like we didn’t really get to know him as a character.

If this story were food (stay with me, here), it would be a big bowl of unseasoned, bland french fries (“chips” if you’re across the pond). Yeah, it’s nice. But it has no zing. I really liked Roane, but I felt like the author did him wrong heading into the middle part of the book. He was super cute in the beginning, but there was no BUILD. You don’t really get to see how they fall in love.

Evie would just mention that she had spent time with him in passing to the reader, and I was left like, “What? And we don’t get a play by play of that???” As someone who lives out her love life through fictitious characters, I was rightfully outraged.

Anyway, in conclusion, finally, lastly - however you wanna say it - this was cute, but it wasn’t for me. Just my personal opinion. But please don’t let my opinion sway you if you loved this book!

A big thank you to Berkley Romance + Netgalley for sending me an ARC copy of this book!

*An official review will be posted on Goodreads on 1/29/21*

My oh my. This book was feel-good, schmaltzy romance, push-me-pull-me, and YASSS-WOMEN all at once, and it was great. Let me say, I don't read a lot of hardcore romance novels, but I do love romance when it's written well and appears in the novels I love. This book appealed to me for a number of reasons - bookstore/book love, independent woman looking for a reboot from life where she feels so inept at romance and love and feels comparatively worse off than everyone around her at her age ( she's 33!!!!!! NOOOOOO!!! ), and small bookshop in small northern British village that's basically Scotland. I think what works best in this book is that Evie is no shrinking violet. She's strong, tall, has a love/hate relationship with her squishy human belly, and is OVER being passed over for a promotion in a place she's been working for 10 years just because she's female. She decides she doesn't need a man to be "complete" and the only way to stop feeling the pressure she feels from society around her telling her her biological clock is ticking and she should have her stuff figured out by now, is to get away for a long trip to reset. And the reset locale just happens to be Northumberland, renting an apartment while working in a small indie bookstore. She cuts through a lot of the small-town-crap that's been happening for along time, including a warring family situation, a la Beatrice and Benedick from Shakespeare's "Much Ado About Nothing," and gets very friendly with a very handsome local farmer named Roane Robson (swoon) who has a big galumphing Great Dane named Shadow.

It definitely gets "Hallmark," for sure, but not in a terrible or unbelievable way. It doesn't suffer from bad acting, for example. It's definitely romance and it definitely gets that heart aflutter.

Calling all bookworms! This one is for you!

Shakespeare loving Evie Starling is a girl after my own heart. After quitting her job and giving up on romance, Evie books a three week vacation in a cozy little village in England. The best part? Her stay includes running a bookshop! How fun is that?

Evie quickly wins the heart of the whole village, including one sexy farmer. But is she ready to give up her entire life back in the states for them? We journey along with Evie as she finds love, friendship, and the meaning of home.

Every single character is just amazing. Unique personalities and small village drama abound. Oh, and there is a freaking awesome and adorable dog who plays a pretty big role.

Much Ado About You is a sweet, fun page-turner with all the cozy British vibes. All the Hallmark movie feels with just the right amount of steam thrown in. If you want to escape to a magical little world full of feel good romance and friendships, this is the one.

Did I stay up until 230 AM to finish Much Ado About You? Yes. Was I happy about that? No. This was NOT the book for me. This was one of those books that I wonder how it got past an editor. The constant speeches from literally every single character in the village was more than I could handle. They were like the equivalent of a drunk girl that corners you in the bathroom trying to give you a hyped up pep talk and the whole time you're wondering if she is legally old enough to drink. Long-winded and really, really immature. Not to mention the CRASS language. Language doesn't even bother me all that much, but the level of it here just sounded...unintelligent. The "twist" was...well. yeah. And the BIZARRE dialogue...like, very bizarre lines at really integral parts of the book. I found every single plot point unrealistic and the unrelenting meddling from the MC to be entirely annoying. The romance is wide open door and goes on way, way, way too long. Way. Too. Long. Again, I don't even mind open-door romance but like cut it off please for the love of pearl.

If you depend on me at all for *personal* book recs, skip this one 🤣 I'm sure lots of people will love it...like with any book...but there isn't a lot of merit here IMO.

This book was an absolute delight! With everything going on we all could use a great swoony book in our lives and that's definitely Much Ado About You.

What I loved about this book:

1. The characters are so loveable and I was absolutely addicted to their storylines. Evie is a character I'm sure a few 30ish readers will relate to as she tries to find her purpose and what will make her happy after a few things don't work out for her. I mean we've all been disappointed before, I'm just regretting the fact I never took a trip to Northumberland when it happened 😂. While there she meets Roane and he is so swoony that he may be my new favorite book boyfriend. Roane is so caring and sweet that you'll fall for him right along with Evie.

2. The setting of Northumberland made me want to hop on a plane, but Rona has me firmly planted in the AZ desert. Even though I'm surrounded by cacti and dirt, I enjoyed visualizing this country side town. This quaint and charming small town made me miss home and I hope we get to read more stories about this town and its charming community.

3. I liked how this book emphasized putting your own happiness first even though it may disappoint those you care about.

Seriously you should definitely pick up this sweet, swoony book that's sure to have you feeling all the Hallmark vibes. This was a quick read that I thoroughly enjoyed, easily a 4⭐ read.

Evangeline has reached the point of needing to get away and tune-up her life at age 33.. Her dating life is bad, her mom and she are not communicating well, her bestie just told her she is pregnant and she is passed up for a promotion as an editor. She quits her job and answers an ad to run a bookstore in a village on the coast of Northumberland, England for a month. She adores Shakespeare and since the store is named "Much Ado About Books" she sets off with a little hope for a reboot. She meets the villagers and finds romance and friends and interferes with the villagers lives. The characters won me over and I wish I could go there.

I really wanted to love this but I just could not get into it. There's nothing wrong with it per se, I just wasn't vibing with it. I didn't feel connected to Evie (so much so that I had to look up her name just now). The writing was just okay and everything felt a bit rushed, which is probably the reason I couldn't connect with any of the characters.

One thing I did like was what Evie had to say about loneliness and contentment and societal pressures to be in a relationship. It was also nice to see a protagonist who isn't in their early 20s.

Wow, I really loved this one! Evie and Roane were so much fun to read, especially Roane.

This is the first time I read this author and she did a good job with the 1st person POV main character being an American. I could tell the author wasn't American though because she let a few words pass, like quad bike (nobody says that in the US).

Evie is at a crossroads in her life and books a four week stay in England that comes with running a bookstore in a small coastal town.

When she saves a dog from being run down by a car, she meets Roane, the owner, who's a local farmer. He seems immediately taken with Evie, and even though she tells him she's taking a break from dating, he still flirts with her and they become friends.

The small town English village setting is so fun, as are the many villagers and new friends that Evie makes. As Evie and Roane become closer friends, of course, they can't deny there's something more.

I couldn't find anything I didn't like about this book, except at the end when Evie maybe over reacts a little. Still, the ending was super sweet.

I received a copy from the publisher through NetGalley and this is my honest opinion.

Very cute romance!! It had everything I wanted: lovely English setting, a hot farmer with a heart of gold, an adorable dog, and a woman living in a bookstore. What a dream.

I really wanted to like this book. I read great reviews and the summary grabbed me....but I just could not get into it. I suggest you give it a try though, we all have different tastes!

This is a romance set in a small bookstore in a cute English village; what else do you need to know? This book was CUTE. I really enjoyed that Evie and Roane start out as friends and the romance grows from there. I liked seeing it develop, rather than having them both fall instantly in love with each other.

This was a light, fun read that is every book lover’s secret fantasy - well the bookshop vacation at any rate. The hot farmer part is for each reader to decide on. When I read there’s an actual bookshop in Scotland this is loosely based on, I admittedly got a little giddy. Delightful.

When Evie gets fed up with her employment situation and love life in Chicago, she takes a leap and goes to Northumbria for an extended getaway to reassess her life. Evie gets involved in the lives of the characters of the village where she is staying and running a bookstore. And, of course, there’s romance with a to-die-for local. I found this story to be predictable, yet pleasantly enjoyable. Nothing new here except the setting. Northumbria is one of the stars in the story and is now on my British bucket list.

The chemistry between Roane and Evie is electric. The small town English seaside setting is picturesque and packed with a cast of characters who are both comforting and realistic.

I devoured this story fairly quickly. It kept me up mich later than I inteded and that's always a good sign.

Samantha Young always manages to create engaging characters in comfortable European settings. With a bookstore to be run, a village full of interwoven lives and drama to be untangled, a sexy farmer to avoid, and the possibility of a happily ever after if she's willing to take it--a simple getaway to clear her head may actually change Evie's life forever. Sweet and funny with steamy moments and lots of heart, Much Ado About You is not an entirely perfect book, but it remains an enjoyable contemporary romance from an always dependable author.

There's an Airbnb in Scotland which offers tourists the chance to live above a bookshop and work there during their vacation. When I heard about it, I was captivated; talk about a book lover's dream come true! As of this writing, it's sold out through 2023 (!). "I expected it to be MAGICAL and it was," writes one former guest.

In "Much Ado About You," Chicagoan Evie, unlucky in love and in her career, decides to shake things up by spending a few weeks at a vacation rental/bookstore, but fortunately for her, she is immediately able to book it and flies right over to Northumberland. She decides she's going to swear off men during her trip, but of course a ridiculously handsome local, Roane, comes along to threaten that pledge.

I found it quite unrealistic that Evie became accepted by the locals as quickly as she did, considering that she'd only planned to spend a month in town. Everything just went a little too smoothly for her. I can see how this would be a real comfort read for some people, but I longed for a bit more edge.

I've loved almost every book I've read from Samantha Young, which includes the entirety of the On Dublin Street series. Samantha creates real and relatable characters, which she accomplished in this book. I was right to be excited!

I love the small town, everyone in it, and their antics. I especially love the presence of a dog because they're always awesome additions in books. Everyone's story was captivating and I couldn't help but root for these characters.

My problem was with the quality of writing. There were way too many exclamation points in Evie's thoughts, making the narration sound unnatural. A lot of conversation also sound stilted, especially when characters use words like "moreover" and "furthermore." As a writer myself, one of the things my editors have drilled into me was that these words don't come up in normal conversations unless we're in the 19th century or writing an academic paper. Since this is a contemporary romance, albeit set in the English countryside, words like "but" and "end" would have made dialogues flow better.

Anyway, I still liked the story overall. Just don't be fooled by the cheery cover. Samantha Young books are not very lighthearted, but they're full of heart.

Thanks to Berkley for the digital ARC.

After a few failed attempts at love and work, Evie up and rents out a bookshop/apt combo in a charming small village 1000 miles from home. Enter a hot farmer and his Dog, a local pub and a cast of lovable villagers.

This book was such a lovely read! It was sweet, cute, funny and a wonderfully feel good novel. It definitely had it's cheesy, sappy and predictable parts but what's a good rom com without a few of those right?

I'm so thankful to Netgalley for the ARC, this one definitely put the biggest smile on my face.