This was a very satisfying, cute, and enjoyable book! The overall structure of It Had to Be You was reminiscent of Love Actually, which is one of my favourite romcoms. I loved the idea of this book and all the couples that were explored.

However, I did find the multiple couples and storylines to be slightly confusing to keep track of. Some couples stood out more than others (Darlene and Zach <3), but I enjoyed reading all their stories. Overall though, this was such a romantic, emotional story that made me tear up and smile. This was the first book I’ve read by the author, and I am 100% looking forward to the next book they write!

3.75 stars
Follows lives of 5 couples whose lives intertwine together. Very "Love, Actually" as blurbs describe.
Couples are believable, and at least two couples had me rooting for them the whole way. Pacing is smooth, and although the chapters bounce between couples & perspective, it felt easy to keep my bearings throughout, and chapters are super quick to breeze through!
I wasn't a big fan of the ending, though I'll admit it was cute.

It Had to Be You is my first book by this author. This book is sort of a combination between romance, women's fiction and chick lit.

This book is set in New York City and is divided into four parts. The main character is Liv. She is a wedding planner. And each part focuses on one wedding that she plans.

There are a lot of narrators. And this book features a lot of couples. They are all people who are involved with Liv's business (musicians, florists, caterers, servers). There was Savannah, Liv, Sam, Henry, Gorman, Darlene, Zach, Zia and Clay.

I loved the idea of a wedding planner. But there were just way too many narrators. Also, it was interesting to have so many couples. But I think that for me it was just too many. I didn't become invested enough in any of them.

The story was cute though. There were parts that made me laugh and parts that made me smile. If you are looking for a story with a huge ensemble cast then you will enjoy this book.

Thank you Netgalley and Atria Books for the ARC of IT HAD TO BE YOU by Georgia Clark!

I'll be honest, I walked into this book not knowing a single thing about it -- and by the end, I was gently weeping because I really truly ended up loving these characters in this year of their life.

We open on a wedding day, with Liv as the frazzled wedding planner. Liv has run a wedding planning business with her husband, Elliot, for years in New York City. The wedding day is going poorly and Elliot is nowhere to be found -- until Liv gets a phone call from Elliot's mistress, letting Liv know that Elliot is dead. And while we start with Liv and eventually meet a new love interest for her, we follow four other couples in close detail as well.

I'll be honest: I don't love ensemble reads (and I had a bad reading experience with one this year!) but may I direct you again to the gently weeping. This one reminded me a lot of a Sophie Kinsella novel - just enough misunderstanding to be matched with big hearts of the characters. It was surprisingly tender in places and laugh out loud funny in others. I really liked it and I know I'll be putting it in the hands of a few friends this year! Be prepared to be surprised with the heart and depth in the book.

I've always enjoyed intertwining plotlines so I went into this book excited and very much enjoyed it! A totally charming read to start off the summer. It felt almost like a screenplay, an opinion I've seen echoed in other reviews, and while I don't often visualize the scenes while reading, I very much felt as though I had a picture of each character in my head.

I loved the representation that didn't feel like an afterthought, the depth with which these complexities were discussed, and watching the relationships change, grow and develop. Seeing the evolution of relationships and the way they change throughout the years was really lovely. I loved that we had characters of different ages too, that's something so often forgotten.

Would definitely recommend picking this one up, I think it's a great indicator of the possibilities and potential books have when authors move outside the usual demographics and tackle more realistic representation.

Thanks to NetGalley, Atria/Emily books, and Simon & Schuster Canada for this ARC.

Read if you like: He's Just Not That Into You, Modern Love.
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Follows the lives and relationships of a group of people in New York as they try to navigate life and love in the big city. They are all somewhat connected through Liv, who is a wedding planner that is actually pessimistic about true love.
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I really appreciated how each character/relationship was different and had their different struggles. I think Darlene and Zach were my favourite characters and I loved their story.
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CW: infidelity, death of a loved one, sexual content

BOOK REVIEW
It Had to Be You by Georgia Clark

Thank you to @netgalley and @simonandschusterca for my ARC in return for an honest review

This was my first read by this author. This book has been compared to Love Actually (some big shoes to fill) and is recommended for lovers of Christina LAuren (whom I love) so I was confident in diving in.

I didn’t mind the changing POV, the multi -relationships- I know this sometimes makes it challenging for readers to follow along but for me it worked (note- I also like Love Actually, NYEve and Valentines Day).

Each relationship ( Liv and Eliot, Liv and Savannah, Savannah and Eliot, Liv and Sam, Darlene and Zach, Henry and Gorman, Zia and Clay) was unique. Clark delved into gender biases, ageism, feminism, sexism, racism, LGBTQ2IA as well as complex issues such as socio economic differences. Ultimately, our relationships dont define us but they do shape us and our experiences. When we meet someone, our lives becomes entangled, we forever have a shared history.

I enjoyed getting a glimpse into each couple’s dynamic- the beginning of a relationship, sexual discovery, marriage, divorce, widowhood, children... its a roller coaster of emotion.

I do think it would present better as a movie...... just based on the complexity of the relationships.... It was how I played it out in my head as I was reading....

Perfect for those searching for their happily ever after.

My heart is so full right now! It Had To Be You by Georgia Clark has a several different story lines and tackles a variety of different struggles. The lives of this diverse cast of characters are all connected when Liv’s husband Eliot dies suddenly and leaves his half of their wedding planning company to his young girlfriend Savanah. We see these couples deal with everything from widowhood and divorce to questioning sexuality, racism, trust issues and learning that maybe your person is the last person you expected and has been in front of you the whole time. It Had To Be You is a beautiful set of love stories each with their own sets of struggles which gave it a realistic aspect and wasn’t as straightforward as most rom-coms can be, it made me laugh and cry and left me with a sense of satisfaction when everything was wrapped up!


“This was life: messy, chaotic, and never quite turning out how you anticipated.”

I received an ARC digital copy from NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.

Release date: May 4th 2021

Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5
Steam: 🌶🌶/5 (some steamy descriptions but mostly fade to black)

No Spoiler Review!

I just finished this book. My heart feels so happy and full.

This book has a love actually/Valentine’s day type story telling. Stories about different people that all come together and intertwine throughout. The background is a wedding planning business. Which I absolutely love! This book was hilarious, cute and a perfect RomCom. The prologue right off the bat grips you right in. This book also dealt with a lot of emotional subjects for the characters ie infertility, death of a spouse, abuse, cheating, sexual awakening, grief and more in such a sensitive way. Overall a very well rounded book.

It had excellent LGBT Rep as well as age rep, One of the main characters is 49 which I feel like we hardly see in romcoms so I loved it! The writing style was great and really kept me interested throughout! Such a diverse cast of characters! Different races, ages, identities just perfect. It is like nothing I’ve read in romance before and I AM HERE FOR IT. I cared for each and every character and their story. It was funny, heartwarming, thoughtful and so cute. I smiled so much through this book. I highly recommend picking this one up!

Thanks to NetGalley, Atria/Emily Bestler Books, Simon & Schuster Canada
for the digital kindle ARC copy. All reviews are my honest opinions.

It Had to Be You by Georgia Clark is a delightful romcom that surprised me with its sharp and witty take on a very modern love story.

Liv and Eliot have successfully run Love in New York, a wedding planning business, for the past twenty years. When Eliot dies unexpectedly, leaving his half of the business to girlfriend Savannah, the sparks will, unsurprisingly, fly between the two women who have been forced together by circumstances well beyond their control. But life has a way of surprising us, and such is the case for Liv and Savannah. Readers will be swept up in the romance and joy of love in New York.

Recommended for anyone looking for something a little quirky and off beat.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Simon & Schuster Canada for an ARC.

I was absolutely shocked at how much I enjoyed It Had To Be You - I feel like this is a book that I'll reread again and again, but still get something new from it every single time.

It's a unique storyline following couples of different ages, race, gender and sexuality. I found myself skimming (at times) through some of the couples (Henry/Gorman and Zia/Clay in particular) to get to the other storylines (I loved Darlene and Zach's fake engagement, Liv and Sam's sweet romance and Savannah's journey of self-discovery), but they were all so beautifully interwoven that my skimming never lasted long.

I highly recommend this book and pre-ordered it immediately after I finished my e-ARC!

Thank you to the publisher.

It Had To Be You by Georgia Clark was a blast to read, from beginning to end!

Liv and Eliot have been married for twenty years and run the wedding planning company, Love in New York. Liv is sideswiped when Eliot suddenly passes away and his girlfriend (yes girlfriend) is named as a co-owner of their wedding planning company. The synopsis of this book grabbed my attention and made me think I was getting into a highly entertaining rom com, but that I wasn’t going to be challenged or inspired. I was wrong!

It Had To Be You shows the lives of several, interconnected, and lovable characters. We watch issues such as privilege, sexuality, race, divorce and widowhood displayed in raw and beautiful ways.

This is a novel that I would love to see become a movie. It, of course, won’t be as good as the novel, but still, I’d be there for that!

A sincere thank you to NetGalley and Simon & Schuster Canada for the digital ARC.

5 stars!

⭐️⭐️⭐️ It Had To Be You - Georgia Clark

Thank you @simonschusterca and @netgalley for the advanced copy in exchange of an honest review.

After Liz’s husband passes away suddenly, she learns that not only did he have a mistress (Savannah), but he has also left half of their wedding planning company to her. Savannah is determined to take this opportunity to make something of herself, even if it means working with her ex’s wife (that he lied about). Following multiple couples and various friendships, It Had To Be You is an interwoven love story, following a similar style of movies like Love Actually and Valentines Day.

This book starts out so strong! The concept of a former mistress and wife working together was intriguing and Liz and Savannah are both likeable characters. However as much as I wanted to love this book, it fell a little short for me. I think I would have enjoyed it a lot more had it focused solely on Liz and Savannah and their romances, while I enjoyed the other characters as well, I almost felt like they deserve their own books and I didn’t get to connect with any of the relationships enough.

Overall enjoyable, but I think this is a book that it would make a super fun movie!

I absolutely loved this book. It’s a charming love story. I loved the setting and the characters. I highly recommend this book.

Wow, I loved this book, a lot more than I even expected to. From the description, I thought this book was just going to focus on the main character and her wedding planning business, but it was so much more. I really enjoyed the multiple storylines that were all somewhat connected, and I enjoyed the fast pace, with short chapters to keep the reader engaged. Sometimes with books of this style, and multiple characters, the characters tend to be one dimensional or stereotypes, but each of the supporting characters in this novel were unique and interesting. This was a light hearted read, perfect for the beach or easy weekend reading. I’ll definitely recommend it to friends when it’s published! Thanks to net galley and the publisher for the ARC.

It Had To Be You is just the book I needed to escape the stress and monotony of this pandemic life. Honestly, it has been awhile since I completed a book and just felt insanely and completely satisfied. To start, I just want to say that this is the second book I have read this month by Georgia Clark and I'm such a fan of her writing style. I can't speak to all the characters' voices, but those in their mid-20s sound like the people I'd hang out with which brings a certain believability to the characters. The lingo and topics brought up that go beyond the budding relationships are so relevant and contemporary.

As for the content of the book, at first I was a little apprehensive about reading from the perspectives of 5 couples that are all connected through Liv's wedding planning business. In the past, I have had a hard time connecting to novels that take on this approach but each of these couples were so unique in their journeys that I was HOOKED. To be honest, any of these couples could have had an entire book written on their relationships but singularly they would have been mediocre, altogether with the underlying connection made it fantastic. Be prepared to feel all the feels as you go through this book.

Side note: as a Canadian I'm so thrilled that Schitt's Creek was mentioned 😜Totally feasible that a young adult would be binging it

Thank you to NetGalley for giving me access to an advanced copy of It Had to Be You.

In the prologue, we are introduced to everyone all at once in the chaos of a wedding gone wrong. From there the book jumps between the lives of multiple different couples. I really enjoyed the way this book went between each of the character’s stories as there was a variety of different situations, age groups, and sexualities. Each character was distinct making for a diverse set of love stories. At the end of each chapter, I found myself disappointed because I would have to wait to find out what came next for that set of characters. There were definitely some issues with the balance of characters as some were more developed than others but overall I still found this book a very fun and lighthearted read which I really enjoyed!

A special thank you to NetGalley and Simon & Schuster Canada for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
Run by husband and wife team Liv and Eliot Goldenhorn, In Love In New York have been Brooklyn's top wedding planners for the past twenty years. That is until Eliot dies suddenly while visiting Savannah Shipley, his younger, blonder events intern girlfriend from Kentucky. In a twist no one could have predicted, Eliot leaves his half of the business to Savannah, who had no idea Eliot was still married.

To Liv’s utter horror, Savannah won’t sell her inherited half of the business. She thinks that she can help Liv build the now-failing business into the thriving company it used to be. Liv and Savannah are polar opposites—Savannah is as inexperienced as she is optimistic whereas Liv is skilled and cynical. But what starts out as a nightmare turns into something neither of them could have imagined.

It Had to Be You is a witty, charming, and heartfelt series of love stories, second chances, secret romances, and soul mates that are all braided together. Perfect for fans of Love Actually.

With a cast of diverse, compelling, and well-developed characters, It Had to Be You was one of my favourite reads this year—I could absolutely see this being optioned for film or TV. It is smart, sexy, soapy, and utterly addictive!

Set in NYC, each chapter is from a different character's perspective. The novel is well-structured and features five interconnecting love stories. Reminiscent of your favourite rom-com, trope fans will find several popular ones amongst its pages.

Georgia, you quite simply captured my heart and I can't recommend this book enough!