Any time Mhairi McFarlane releases a new novel I internally let out a squeal of joy, then I mentally prepare myself to start reading, because she can pack a huge emotional punch. Mad About You is Harriet Hatley's story. She is a thirty-something wedding photographer with an outrageous best friend named Lorna, a quirky sense of style, and a perfect boyfriend, Unfortunately, she doesn't think she actually loves her perfect boyfriend. When he blindsides her with a proposal in front of his entire family (even though she's made it quite clear that she never wants to get married) she decides it's time to end things and go back to the single life. Of course this also means that she is now homeless, since she was living with Jon. Rooming with your now-ex-boyfriend who is desperate to convince you to stay with him isn't the ideal situation, so Harriet rushes into finding a new living situation. She ends up rooming with a man named Cal, who, may or may not be an awful person.

In Mad About You, there is an element of romance, but it is a side character to the main plot of Harriet coming to terms with a past that has damaged her, and a person who had taken away her confidence and sense of self. One of the best elements of this book is the relationship between Harriet and her best friend Lorna. Lorna is truly hilarious and I laughed out loud more than once at some of her one liners (look out for her line about Bubbles Hussein - best pet name ever, btw). Just to give an idea of the power of MM's writing, there was a climactic scene in the book where Harriet was going to do something completely out of her comfort zone, and my heart was actually racing with nerves while I was reading it.

I would say that this was my favorite MM book, but honestly, I say that about all of her books after I've read them. Instead I will say that this was a novel that certainly lives up to the excellence that you expect when you pick up a book my Mhairi McFarlane. I loved it.

I was immediately enchanted by McFarlane’s writing in the first book I read of hers, Just Last Night, with her atypical love story and her ability to make you feel big emotions without making to feel forced. She has this natural depth to her writing that I love and she balances that with humor.

After reading Just Last Night, I decided to read If I Never Met You by her and it was just as lovely as JLN. Creative stories, flawed but likable characters, moments of swoon and some good laughs. She brought what I wanted in a contemporary romance novel.

My most recent story by McFarlane is her newest one, Mad About You, that comes out on August 9th (thanks @netgalley @avonbooks @mhairimcf 🤗) and it was exactly what I expected from Mhairi. It tackled some heavy topics (check trigger warnings!) with humor sprinkled in throughout. This book wasn’t a simple romance, so don’t go into it expecting that! Mhairi writes compelling character growth stories first, with romance as a supporting feature. This one followed Harriet, a wedding photographer who doesn’t want to get married. She has experienced trauma in her past relationships and is on an unexpected journey of learning to love herself, trust others and how to move on from being crushed by the people she has been vulnerable with.

This book was hard for me to get into at first, only due to my mood reading issues, but once I got going a second time on it with a group of booksta buddies to hold me accountable, I was able to really dive in. It was great getting to bounce our thoughts and feelings on the storylines and characters off each other. We commiserated over all the pain and WTF moments that happened to Harriet throughout the book. This was a great group read that got us thinking about what is and isn’t acceptable in relationships- in romantic, familial and friendships.

There were two secondary characters in this story that really made my heart feel warm and fuzzy. I’m keeping it vague to avoid spoilers but those two being such loving and supportive people really made this book what it is. They brought the hope that was needed for all the heavy that was happening throughout the book.

If you’re looking for an emotional read with an intriguing supporting cast then this one is for you.

Mhairi McFarlane has quickly become a favorite author of mine, and this book continues to show why. It was really wonderful!

📖 Brief Synopsis: Harriet has just declined an engagement to her long-time boyfriend (after he proposed in front of his whole family!), and is dealing with fallout from a past emotionally abusive relationship. She ends up renting a room from Cal, and they both find some needed comfort and friendship in each other.

✍️ My Thoughts: I loved Harriet and Cal, and their conversations with each other. They each have a great sense of humor, which was much needed given the heavy nature of their healings from past hurts. I really enjoyed seeing their relationship slowly progress over the course of the book.
I was devastated for Harriet, and the content surrounding gaslighting and emotional abuse was really hard to read. The main story here is a really emotional one about Harriet recognizing her strength, and deciding to save another woman from following her same mistakes, despite the potential consequences.
I loved how this story was resolved and the final few pages had me teary-eyed with glee. For a book where romance is mainly happening on the side, the ending was incredibly swoony!

Thank you to NetGalley and Avon Books and Harper Voyager for a copy of this e-ARC. This is my honest review.

I wasn't sure at first after reading the premise, but this book quickly sucked me in and I'm so glad I picked it up. This author is an auto buy for me and I look forward to her future books! I appreciate how she deals with heavy moments with respect and not as a plot device. 10/10

Mad About You isn’t true roommate rom com its cover hints at, but instead is a beautiful, emotional read of female solidarity and strength. Harriet Hatley loathes the idea of marriage and needs a place to live after her long-time partner proposes in front of his whole family and she’s forced to rethink her relationship. Cal Clarke needs a roommate, so Harriet moves in, but secrets of her past unfurl and Harriet takes a stand. I will say based on the description and cover I was expecting more a roommate romance, but while Cal was lovely and charming, the romance was just a very enjoyable side plot. This book is a wonderful piece of fiction that takes on grief and loss and betrayal and friendship. It is the female friendships that drive this novel and it’s just lovely! I get some Flatshare vibes too with the writing and the build in the story and romance. I didn’t love Harriet in the start. She felt a little consistent, but by about a third in, I was all in on Team Harriet. She is sharp and witty and so so brave. Her growth is wonderful. And I just adored all the side characters. They are so so unique and add so much to every interaction. The writing is smart and emotional and addicting. It’s just a very strong story and one I’d really recommended!

Thanks to Avon Books for the copy of this ARC.

Mhairi McFarlane remains one of my favorite authors. She writes such amazing, emotional fiction SO well, and Mad About You is no exception. Here, she delves into hard topics about power dynamics in relationships - but that’s all I’m going to say because I don’t want to give too much away. Our MC, Harriet, had such fantastic character growth over the course of the book and I grew to really love her. I do wish there was a little more in-book romance instead of just alluding to it, but I am so glad Mhairi wrote such an enjoyable book that centers around a really difficult topic that needs to be represented in literature.

Rating: ⭐⭐⭐💫 (3.5)
Steam Level: 🔥🔥 (kissing and closed door sex scenes)
Trigger Warning: psychological/emotional abuse, brief mentions of death of parents and cheating (side character)

As a wedding photographer, Harriet Hatley is constantly surrounded by happily ever afters. But her own love life has never been so lucky. When she breaks up with her current boyfriend, she ends up moving in with Cal Clarke- a man dealing with his own recent breakup. Now these two roommates must deal with their angry exes while overcoming their initial bad impressions of one another. And if that isn't enough, Harriet soon finds herself crossing paths with an abusive ex-boyfriend and finding herself dealing with his controlling ways once again. Will Harriet finally find confidence in herself and freedom from her past? And will she ever find a man who she can truly trust?

This is the first Mhairi McFarlane book that I've read. I've seen that most of her books are women's fiction, and that's absolutely true of this one. It felt like this book was broken into two separate plotlines with a small sprinkling of romance. The first part of the book involved Harriet's current breakup and the fallout she deals with from that. The other part of the book involved Harriet's other abusive ex-boyfriend trying to ruin Harriet via social media. She then joins up with some unexpected friends to bring him down in an epic way. I did enjoy seeing her get control over her abuser, although the events leading up to that moment were heartbreaking. While the romance was extremely brief, I did enjoy the moments between Cal and Harriet. The ending between them was so sweet. If you're looking for a book about overcoming abuse and healing from the past, then I think you'll enjoy this book!

Thank you Netgalley and Avon and Harper Voyager for providing me with an ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review.

This book was funny, sexy, and a total page-turner! I think fans of Emily Henry, Tessa Bailey, and Evie Dunmore would all love McFarlane's writing style and developed characters, because I certainly did! For anyone looking for their next contemporary read, check this one out!

A very emotional and poignant story about gaslighting, toxic relationships, and learning to recover from that and loving oneself again. As with all of McFarlane's books, the romance tends to take a back seat. It's more women's fiction that romance, as it chronicles the journey of the FMC. Complex and heavy at times, it does takes a while to get through but the emotional payoff at the end is worth it.

I always enjoy Mhairi McFarlane's writing and definitely enjoyed getting to know Harriet and Cal. The romance element of this book was less of the focus (maybe call it "fiction" instead?) than the release of Harriet from a verbally/psychologically abusive relationship and her goal to help others do the same. This book had some very strong and interesting characters and I think that it'll be a great addition to any collection!

Mhairi McFarlane, you absolute legend. If Mhairi has 100 fans, I’m one of them, is he has 50 fans, I’m one of them, if she has 0 fans it’s because I’m DEAD!!!!!!!!

She always has a sprinkle of women’s fiction and a handful of romance in her books, Mad About You being a major exception. This one is a sprinkle of romance and a handful of women’s fiction.

No pressure is you see this, Mhairi but I don’t think you could ever disappoint me with your writing.

Effortless, witty and just a grand time. I want to date every love interest written by Mhairi. I want to be friends with all her heroines and their true friends.

Just Last Night was my very first book I read this year and LOVED it, so when I saw Mhairi McFarlane had a new book coming out this summer I had high expectations for it. Unfortunately, it didn’t quite meet those. 😬

This book is dark. And heavy. I wasn’t expecting a full romance by any means, but I was expecting some. Or maybe some light moments and friendship goals. This book was more about healing and coming to terms with past relationships.

Harriet is in her 30s. Her boyfriend of two years, who appears perfect on paper, proposes…in front of his entire family….on a trip…when Harriet has told him she never wants to get married. So after breaking up with him, Harriet finds herself looking for a new place.

It’s a story about gaslighting, abusive relationships, and finding yourself again. It’s a slow-burn and a bit mentally exhausting.

There were a lot of one-liners that had my chuckling. And I do like seeing this storyline in a book. It’s a topic that definitely needs to be talked about and explored.

Contrary to the animated cover and uplifting plot synopsis, the content in this book is heavy and emotional. It follows Harriett, a 34 year old wedding photographer, and dives into her relationships from the past, the present and future, which have not all been positive. I give Mhari a lot of credit for sticking to the point she was trying to make regarding toxic relationships, emotional abuse, gaslighting and coercive control. In a lot of romance books, these themes are usually not the focal point and definitely deserve more attention. However, this did make the writing more of a slow burn and mentally exhausting. Also, while Mhairi's books are always more than just the romance, in this, there is really no romance at all, and with Cal being such a great new love interest, I wish there was more! With that being said, I enjoyed Harriett as a main character and watching her grow as she learned from her past mistakes, navigated friendships and stood up for herself. There is also a great confrontation scene at the end that was all too perfect.

Thank you Harper and NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

2.5 stars rounded up

First off, it should be noted the romance in this book was limited to approximately 2 chapters out of the 57 total in the book. Do not go into this book expecting a very romantic book as you will be disappointed. What the book does offer is a reflection on relationships one has throughout their life and how they can affect you. Family, friend, romantic, roommate/tenant, even employee/employer is explored in some way.

The strongest part of the book, for me, was when the women who had the same emotionally abusive ex as Harriet (the main character) found each other and took down the ex publicly. I would have massively preferred the story end here but it DIDN'T. I was perfectly OK accepting the written out "hahaha"s and the ghosts of boyfriends past stuff until the very end when a romance was shoved in at the last minute. I would have even been OK with said romance except for one simple thing: at the beginning, Harriet states very clearly she is not interested in marriage. At the end, there is a flash forward of her relationship with the guy she was renting a room from and it is stated in a backwards way they get MARRIED. Why on earth does every author insist on having people who do not want to have kids or get married doing one or both of those things in the epilogue anyway? It is perfectly valid for Harriet to never get married and still have a relationship with the dude she ends up with.

I knew as soon as I read the line "Harriet had no moral objection to marriage; she just had no interest either." there was gonna be a reversal of her marriage stance by the end. So uninteresting and predictable. A much more powerful statement would have been ending with Harriet getting closure from her dead mother by finally reading the letter she's carried around for years and standing up to her abusive ex with her newfound female friendships and instead it's all thrown out in favor of oh if Harriet just opened her heart up she will get married! It just takes finding the right guy! Gross.

One final note, the massive amount of chapters is because they are incredibly short and each chapter contains exactly one scene. I'm not a big fan of this as it made the already long book feel even longer.

I have to say this one fell kind of flat for me. It wasn't bad, but it wasn't as compelling a read for me. McFarlane's characters typically resonate with me very well and I find them endearing - not that I didn't like anyone buuuuut, this was meh. I like that McFarlane's dialogue isn't dated and that she doesn't shy away from using culturally relevant topics and events in her stories.

I absolutely loved this book! I would give it 10 stars if I could. McFarlane has such a talent to craft an interesting plot with intriguing characters. She also has such a gift for writing dialogue. I was marveling as I read at how much of the novel is told through dialogue rather than simply telling us about people’s characters. We can see what type of people these characters are rather than the author just telling us that someone is irritating or obnoxious, we can figure it out for ourselves by seeing what the person says and does.

Her dialogue is also witty and quite funny. We get to see right from the beginning that Harriet, the heroine, has a lot more going on than what she says or does. She has been four years with a really irritating drip of a guy who has absolutely awful relatives. She finally speaks up and breaks up with this guy no matter how he begs for her to stay with him. She ends up renting a room from Cal, a guy about whom she knew previously because of a wedding for which she was the photographer.

At first I wasn’t sure if the guy for whom Harriet was going to fall was Cal or his best friend, Sam. The best friends in this novel are really prize-worthy. Lorna will drop whatever she’s doing to leap to Harriet’s defense and to comfort her. She’s also such a hoot. I loved it whenever she was on the stage. And Sam is there to back up his buddy while still ragging on him.

As the book goes on and we follow Harriet’s journey, we find out why she’s hesitant to truly fall in love. We learn about her past and what she’s had to endure. Then we can cheer her on as she tries to overcome her fears and help someone else in a similar situation.

I stayed up late to finish this book - I just couldn’t put it down. If you’ve never read any of McFarlane’s books, you’re in for a treat!

I voluntarily reviewed an advanced reader copy of this book that I received from Netgalley; however, the opinions are my own and I did not receive any compensation for my review.

I so loved this book!! It was compulsively readable and took me in a completely different direction than I was expecting when I started it. My top book by this author has been claimed for a few years, but I still adored the characters in this book (especially a Harriet, which is a family name and I never read characters with that name!) I also always find the Britishness of her books fun (as a Canadian), and I love how she deals with very serious subject matter in a way that still feels heartwarming by the conclusion of the book. I certainly will always seek out her books & cannot wait for others to enjoy this one!

Thank you so much for an advanced copy of Mad About You!

Star Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️
Genre: Women's Fiction
Pub Date: August 9, 2022

I was so excited to read this book, and I'm sorry to say it left me underwhelmed, unexcited, and tempted to DNF at several points. I'm a big Mhairi McFarlane fan, and it saddens me to say my thoughts on this book are somewhat mixed with a slight lean towards the negative.

I always enjoy that Mhairi's books have a bit of a heavier tone along with the romance. I like that she explores these deeper personal struggles the main characters face, and I think relationship toxicity especially is addressed carefully and tactfully in this story while also highlighting the long-term damaging effects of an abusive relationship. I thought this storyline added a lot of layers to both the romance and the characters.

That being said, I feel like the book was really poorly edited, scatterbrained, and at times, hard to follow. I thought the story jumped around too much, and the jumps felt unintentional and poorly placed. I wasn't really invested in the characters or the outcome of the story, and I almost DNF'd several times...and I NEVER DNF a book. Honestly, I don't feel like this story is McFarlane's best work or the best work from her editors. I do feel like the issues in the story are important to highlight, though, and that is what ultimately led to my three star rating.

I LOVED THIS BOOK. Wow. Great humor, some cuteness and a whole lot of heart! It’s less of a romance and more a story about a woman who gains confidence and empowerment in the face of several toxic relationships in her life. Harriet reminded me so much of myself. I really loved her. Her journey to healing was so inspiring. She was also really funny! I absolutely wanted to throttle Scott and Jon. What absolute jackasses! I loved Harriet’s friendship with Lorna. Lorna was lovely. And I loved seeing Cal and Harriet develop a close friendship and flirtation. Definitely a SLOW BURN romance. And Sam! I need more Sam! He was such a delight. Cal also had a lot of growth and I loved his friendship with Sam. This book was different than I was expecting, but I really enjoyed it! I’ll definitely be reading more of McFarlane’s books in the future. PS. I would like a book on Sam now please.
TW: gaslighting, emotional abuse


Thank you to NetGalley and Avon and Harper Voyager for an advanced digital reader’s copy in exchange for an honest review!

Harriet is a wedding photographer that does not want to get married. When her long-time partner proposed she realizes that he doesn't know her at all and she has to leave. Harriet finds herself sharing a house with a stranger who had his own wedding disaster that Harriet was the photographer for. Can this stranger help her understand herself and move past the secret from her past?