Thank you NetGalley and Avon and Harper Voyager for allowing me to read this book! This book was a little slow for me at times and I just wasn’t sure where the story was supposed to be leading to at first. I feel like it was all about Harriets awful experience with men. I definitely felt the abuse parts of the book were described very well and very relatable. I also only felt a friendly connection between cal and Harriet. I just felt like the relationship had no build up. I love the girl power in the wedding scene at the end where Scott got what he deserved! As you get into the book it is a nice journey of a women who has a troubled past and eventually overcomes it all in the end.

Mhairi McFarlane is back with 'Mad About You'. Harriet is a wedding photographer who many believe is cynical about love. What most don't know is that Harriet was a victim of an abusive relationship and it closed her off to the idea of love. The story starts with Harriet being told by the best man, Sam, that the groom, Cal, has called off the wedding that she's been hired to photograph. Some time later, Harriet and her boyfriend, John are joining his parents to celebrate their wedding anniversary. At the dinner, John proposes to Harriet knowing that she does not believe in marriage and Harriet accepts as she felt cornered into it as it was done in such a public setting. Once they returned to their room, she confronted John and ended the relationship. John on the other hand felt used and victimized by the ending of the relationship and went being very dramatic about it. Harriet says she will move out and finds a room to rent. She interviews over the phone while at a wedding she is working at and gets offered the apartment. She quickly finds out that the man who jilted Sarah, her client, is her new landlord. Cal and Harriet don't get in each other's way at first but eventually start warming up to being friends as the 6 month lease time passes. But Harriet's abusive relationship from the past comes back to haunt her when she sees her ex-boyfriend at a wedding she is working and finds out her is getting married soon. She tries to help Marianne get out of what she sees is an abusive relationship as well. Although she initially suffers the consequences, she eventually gets back up. Cal and Harriet are also pushed to declaring their feelings for each other. It was a bit over the top of a read for me and there was too much and too heavy material at times.

I enjoyed "Just Last Night", so I was excited for this one. Mhairi McFarlane doesn't write your typical formulaic rom com. Her books are always a little deeper and emotional. I enjoyed the MC and the themes of friendship and feminism. I could have used a little more romance but the writing was so good it made up for it.

3.5/5

Mad About You is the adorable rom-com that I needed on an otherwise crappy day. I loved the characters, slow build, and honesty of a woman putting her job over relationships.

Thank you to NetGalley and Avon and Harper Voyager, Avon for providing me with an e-arc of this book in exchange for an honest review.

🛋 Review - ⭐️⭐️⭐️/5 🛋

Harriet Hatley is a wedding photographer who has recently broken up with her long term boyfriend. Needing to get out of his home, she begins looking for a new place to stay. Her friend, Roxanne, who is a realtor manages to find her an great place will go fast once it hits the market. Harriet reaches out to the owner, Cal Clarke, and he agrees to let her rent his extra room.

Cal and Harriet are like oil and water. They are complete opposites from each other, but somehow it works and they manage to become friends. After a series of events, Harriet realizes she has misjudged Cal and he isn’t at all the person she thought he was.

When Harriet’s toxic and emotionally abusive ex boyfriend makes a wild allegation, she is forced to look back at her past relationships. In doing so, Harriet is able to determine and figure out what she wants for her future.

I did enjoy this book but it is not what I expected. When I initially read the synopsis, I thought I was getting a fun and witty rom-com and that was not what this was. There were some funny parts and a little bit of romance thrown in, but this story was a lot heavier then a light hearted rom-com.

The character development throughout was done so well. Harriet went through a lot and you really get to see her grow through those experiences. My only complaint in that area is that we didn’t really get a lot of Cal’s development and he was a big part of this story.

This is the first book I’ve read by Mhairi McFarlane and it will not be my last.

Thank you NetGalley and Avon and Harper Voyager for the opportunity to read this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

⚠️TW: emotional abuse, toxic relationships, death of a parent/parents

This book certainly opens with a bang, namely an abandoned wedding and a ver clearly doomed proposal and let me tell you, I was hooked from the start. Once I’d been hooked, though Mhairi took me on a journey I was not expecting and one I was pleasantly surprised by.​​​​​​​​
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This is my first book by her and I had no idea what to expect. Judging by the cover and description I figured I was in for your typical rom-com. Oh, was I wrong this book delivered much more than that. Yes, it delivered comedy and it delivered romance, but it also took me on a journey with Harriett. One in which she bared her heart and soul and came stronger on the other side all while proving that we really are stronger together and that everyone needs good friends. And perhaps, also, that friends make the best lovers.​​​​​​​​
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All this to say, I loved this book and by the time it was over I had a huge smile on my face and a sense of kinship and fondness for every single character (except for those who were by all accounts terrible) that inhabited this pages. It was a lovely read and one who I would recommend to anyone wanting to read about more than just romance.

Check TW before reading.

This was a different kind of story for me and it kept me wanting more the entire time. I expected more romance, but it was the opposite, which I liked. This story is more about the main character facing something she thought she was over, taking a huge risk, and coming out better on the other side.

This is the first book I've read by the author and I will be adding her to my auto list!

I received the ARC from NetGalley.

I LOVED this book. I most appreciate romance novels that rely on the growth of the characters like this one did. It was so dynamic and heartwarming to see how the two main characters came together but also to see how their lives changed in the process. This was an easy five star for me!

Thank you Netgalley and publishers for allowing the chance to read and review this book. It was a three star rating.

I liked some of the plot twists involved
like when the photographer moved in with the groom and the friendships but it was a bit slow at times and it was just ok to me.

I did like the overall message of the story.

This was such an angsty, thought provoking, powerful, slow burn story. So many sensitive topics of gaslighting, domestic abuse, emotional abuse, manipulation, loss of loved ones, cheating, and grief were handled with such care.⁣ this was beautifully written with such connectable and relatable characters.
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Lorna and Harriet’s friendship and Cal and Sam’s friendship were truly beautiful and so real, you just connected with the characters. I also really adored Nina. ⁣
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I wished there was a bit more romance between Hariett and Cal woven in, and as much as I loved this story and the growth in these characters after going through such trying things, I felt their final connection was rushed at the end and I wanted more for them. I felt like they were such solid sound boards for each other through out the story and really loved them for each other but I wanted them to get a little more of their relationship story.⁣
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Mhairi McFarlane's books are always such a joy to read and this one was no exception. I love that her books are always more than just fluff. They're through provoking yet hilarious.

Tw: domestic and emotional abuse

Womens fiction, not a romcom or a romance. And not fun - the drama, the revenge, cyber-bullying by mid-30s adults. It’s all about hating bad exes and having bad friends, not building lasting new relationships.

Favorite lines:
“Good women are not a rewards system for silly men.” - YES

“Acts of kindness, acts of thoughtfulness: they could echo down the years long after the person who offered them was gone.” - awww love this

“Why did a woman’s voice have to be a chorus to count?” - a freaking men

McFarlane's book last year was one of my favorites of the year, so this was a bit of a let down. there some aspects of the writing/dialogue that just didn't work for me (i.e., characters seeming to say "lol" and "hahaha" out loud. I felt for Harriet and what she had gone through, but I mainly found her annoying and the story to drag on, and the eventual love interest to be almost nonexistent to the bulk of the story.

3/5 stars

Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

I’ve been putting off writing this review because I really had to mull over how I wanted to rate it. The book is not bad, but it was not at all a successful reading experience for me. For some reason, McFarlane’s books continue to be marketed as rom coms, with cute covers and blurbs that don’t even begin to scratch the surface of the emotional stories inside. I even checked the marketing for this one after reading, and saw something about it being “funny” and playing up the “forced proximity” and “roommates to lovers” angle. Which… is absolutely not what the book is about. Sure, our heroine moves in with a roommate, but the romance is a SMALL part of the book, and it’s woefully underwhelming. It’s also riddled with red flags that I could tear apart if I wanted to. But I don’t, because this is actually women’s fiction, and the romance is essentially a subplot in a book about moving on from past relationships and understanding gaslighting.

Let’s talk about the plot for a minute. The book is about Harriet, a woman whose relationship ends with an engagement. Harriet had already been thinking about breaking up with her boyfriend, so when he springs a proposal on her in front of his family, she knows that she needs to accept in public and then let him down easy in private. The end of that relationship brings up some larger issues, and Harriet is forced to confront them after she moves out. Wanting to get her own place as quickly as possible, Harriet moves in with a stranger in need of a roommate. Cal and Harriet don’t get along at first, but they soon realize that they’ve made terrible first impressions. And as Harriet spends more time in Cal’s home, she acknowledges that her past relationships may have been more troublesome than she wanted to admit.

It’s easy to frame this as a romance, because the changes in Harriet’s life come about after she moves in with Cal, and technically they do end up together at the end. But… it’s a lot more complicated than that. Gaslighting, cheating, and abuse are all themes, with a significant portion of the book spent on personal growth and emotional discovery. Harriet spends most of her time away from Cal, and the moments they’re together are not what I’d call swoony. Case in point? She’s not even sure that he’s single for the vast majority of the book, and when they do finally get together, it’s sort of like… that’s it? The women’s fiction element is stronger, and I think McFarlane’s work needs to be marketed towards an audience who will appreciate it. This is my second experience with her work, and the first one took quite awhile to win me over, though it definitely did – because the characters at least spent a lot of time on the page together. This never hooked me. Not only was the story much heavier (and less romance-focused) than anticipated, but it was also FILLED with British expressions that I didn’t understand. I’m familiar enough with the culture that I can usually piece together phrases I don’t know, but I spent a LOT of time deciphering text. So you can see why the reading experience was not successful for me, though not necessarily because of the quality. I had to give this a low rating because not much worked for me and the marketing is misleading, but women’s fiction lovers who go in with different expectations may have an entirely different experience.

My thanks to NetGalley for making an eARC of this book available to me.

Ah yes, more toxic relationships! Intermixed with a slow burn budding romance with a bit of revenge tossed in to keep things interesting. This author keeps coming up with characters that I enjoy reading about, and this book is no exception to that. Bring on the next one!

I won’t lie - this was a slow start for me. That being said, once I got to about 20% in, I was hooked. The friendship growth between Cal and Harriet is more coming-of-age/internal growth vs that of a true romance book, and it is *chef’s kiss*. This book made me rethink relationships I had growing up, “friendships” and true soulmate-esque friendships, and how we define ourselves.

Without giving anything away, the last 10% threw me one way and then the other in the best possible way. The author loves adjectives, so it’s a little expository at times, but once you’re past the first 20% it settles out. Four stars because I felt that the title/cover misled me to thinking it was a rom-com and there are enough toxic relationships it can get a little overwhelming, but if you’re looking for a story about self-love and friendship, then this is for you.

This book was so quintessentially Mhairi McFarlane, it was so good! Her books are fun and humorous while covering heavier topics with grace. I will continue to read everything she comes out with!

I went into this book thinking I was getting a sweet straightforward romance. What I got was amazing story of friendship, support and love when someone really needs that. Harriet and Cal's relationship was so good and the romance of it was the secondary story. My heart was touched treading this story and Cal goes on my favorite book boyfriends of the year list.

Mad About You 4 ️
An emotional novel about a woman who calls off her engagement and moves in with a charming stranger who makes her question everything about her life, her past, and the secrets she’s kept for far too long. 
There are a lot of heavier themes and it was more women's fiction personal growth story than a fluffy rom com. But it still had all the things I love in chick lit - a relatable main character, a quirky and loyal best friend, and witty banter. I also loved that the main character was flawed and realistic. Hattie was dealt a lot of bad hands in the card game of life but she recognized that she made mistakes along the way as well. While the romance in Mad About You is more of a side plot, I loved how genuine the connection was and wanted more of their relationship. 
Overall, I highly recommend for fans of British fiction and can’t wait to read more from Mhairi.

A cute, fast read! The character development was well done, yet I didn’t truly feel invested in either Harriet or Cal. I did like their relationship though, but I kind of wish there was more romance—it definitely didn’t feel central to the story.