A wonderful book about believing in yourself. I found this more women's fiction than romance. but the romance angle is there. The characters are relatable. The premise is followed throughout, with background details to flesh out the story. A quick read with life lessons and generational understanding thrown in to boot. I enjoyed this I think other readers will also. Pick this up and enjoy!!!!!!!!

Thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin's Griffin for an e-arc in exchange for an unbiased review.

3.5⭐ Daisy has realized you really can hit rock bottom when you lose your job, your boyfriend, and are estranged from your sister all at once. Seeking to claw her way out from the very definition of a bad year, her plan is to start by simply looking like she’s clawing her way out of rock bottom. On Instagram. Obviously.

But when she takes a stopgap job as a nanny to help a single father with his two young girls, being immersed in a close-knit, loving family starts to poke holes in her plan. Can making her not-so-picture-perfect life look perfect online really help her derailed career get back on track? Can it mend her relationship with her unreliable and painfully irritating sister? And can it get her back in the arms of her unbelievably beautiful and shallow ex…and as she gets closer to someone new, does she even want to?

I love the single dad / nanny trope, which is why I picked this up. It started out slow, and felt more like a self-discovery story. The dad and the kids saved the book for me, though.🙂 Honestly, I think a lot of younger readers will enjoy this. As a Gen X, I don't think I'm the primary target audience for this one.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the advanced digital reader's copy (ARC) in exchange for an honest review!

I really loved this sweet story! I really felt for Daisy as she dealt with some very unfair and cruel moments with her ex and her job. I really loved her and Archie’s relationship from the start— they have a very slow start of being strangers to kinda friends to employer/nanny to lovers. But they are so cute and sweet and fun with each other right from their first meet which makes their whole story so deep and authentic and lovely. I absolutely loved the kids in this story!!! the first time I read the little voice shouting “DEFLECT” at criticism I fell completely in love.
it felt like parts of this story dragged on a bit too long. a lot of nuanced flashbacks and detail that I was tempted to skim to be to the current story, especially once Daisy and Archie’s story gets going.
over all though this is such a sweet, lovely, tender, funny story that I really loved!
thank you for the arc :)

This was such a great story! I loved that it was so different than anything I ever have read. Light read, relatable characters, perfect weekend read! Thank you for the opportunity!

It Must Be True Then by Luci Adams: I really enjoyed this slow burn (PG-rated!) friends-to-lovers romantic comedy by Luci Adams. It follows Daisy Peterson, a workaholic data analyst in London on her journey of self love. It took me a minute to get into the story and root for Daisy. She starts out as a doormat: pining over her AWFUL colleague, Jackson, who schedules at-home-only weekly dates with her via his PA, bailing out her sister, Mia, after another bad breakup, and doing others work without credit. Once she hits her low point - the destructive day where she gets fired, dumped, and has a huge fight with her sister - and then meets a handsome Scottish, widowed artist, the pace picks up. I couldn't wait for her to grow a backbone, and discover she's worthy of love and happiness, but once she did it, I was all in. "Because I wasn't sure I could love myself. I wasn't sure I was worthy of it. But he makes me feel worthy." 4/5 Stars


Thank you to @NetGalley and @StMartinsPress for this DRC.
Release date: 03/12/2024

This was a fun read once it got going, but difficult to like the main character, Daisy. Love Luci Adams’ witty banter and quirky characters, would love to read more.

It took me quite a while to really get into this book. The pacing was a bit slow, and there was information withheld at the beginning that felt a little clunky. (I think that’s the technical term!) ;)

By the time I finally got to the chapter with the exposition, I was way more invested in the story. Throughout the book, I was frustrated at the FMC’s acceptance of her relationships and job, but all of that was easily explained by trauma from her childhood. I felt like the changes she made came about slowly and naturally. She eventually began to realize, with the help of MANY different people, that maybe all the assumptions she’s had in life weren’t always accurate. The MMC is incredibly swoon-worthy! He is kind, understanding, and loving throughout!

The whole premise of the story felt new and unique. I spent a good many chapters in the beginning truly not being able to predict what was going to happen, which is a rare occasion in romance!!

Overall, I DID like this book. I won’t likely rush to reread it, but I *would* recommend it to others!

Funny and binge worthy! Loved the premise of this story and the banter kept me reading well past my bedtime. Fans of a good rom com will enjoy!

Very cute journey of self-discovery. Through a series of flashbacks our MC clues into how her past hasn't served her very well and how she needs to change her perception of the world. The flashbacks were very long winded and at times cringey, but I love how she got herself there eventually.

Such a cute read. Luci Adams is a star. This is the perfect romcom. I can't wait for everyone to read this beauty.

I was not very fond of the book. The beginning dragged way too much. I felt myself skipping lots of words just trying to get through them. The only thing that really saves the book is the girls relationship and interactions with their dad

I read this book in a day and I never looked back! The twist and the plot were pretty easy to identify but the different POV's kept me intrigued to see how everything was going to unfold.

Overall I give this 5 out 5 because it really was a great book and I will definitely read more from this Author. I enjoyed the thrill of the plot and its twists.
Thank you NetGalley for this ARC copy of the book!

“It Must Be True Then” is a contemporary romance book by Lucy Adams. I’ve really mixed feelings about this book. On one hand, we’ve got the main character, Daisy, who is let go from her statistics job after 13 years. She has a sister who flits in and out of her life. Daisy is pining for a guy - who drops her like a hot potato - who she wants to woo back. Mixed into this is Daisy trying to find a job (seemingly any job). I thought this book was going to be about Daisy becoming a nanny and discovering she really liked the children’s father. I’m not sure that Daisy ever accepted the nanny position to be quite honest - though she did befriend both the children and their father. In many cases, this book was all over the place - does one cheer on Daisy, does one hiss at the ex-boyfriend, does one cheer on not victimizing women, does one be reminded that social media (and photos in general) do not tell the complete story? The pacing of this book was also all over the place - the first half was incredibly slow - and even after finishing the book, I’m still not sure how I feel about Daisy - I think in real life she’d drive me crazy, though I admit to rather liking her spreadsheets of trends. However, I’m completely convinced that the children - Cara and Bailey - and their interaction with their Dad (and eventually Daisy) saved the book. I could see this as a feel-good Hallmark-like movie, but I’m not sure I’d actually watch it. Overall, three stars.

I really enjoyed Car and Bailey as sisters because it reminded me og. Home. I enjoyed their affection for their dad. But overall story was ok. Thank your you for the arc!

I really enjoyed Luci Adams' Not That Kind of Ever After so I had higher hopes for her new novel. Sadly, it didn't really live up to what I was expecting.

It took forever for this book to get going. I found myself skipping over words so I could just get to the point. I understand that the main character thought things through too much but it's hard to translate that to a page without it sounding so drawn out which is exactly what it sounded like. I also really didn't enjoy Daisy (the main character). She was borderline annoying about pining after some guy who was clearly a douchebag. It didn't seem to be in character for her.

Furthermore, the whole "what actually got her fired" secret was so annoying especially after it finally gets revealed why. It's very anti-climactic. It was very obvious Adams was trying to keep the reader in the dark and it felt very annoying rather than a big reveal.

The only thing that gave this book three stars for me were Bailey and Cara and their interactions with their dad, Archie. That's about it. I loved the two of them and Archie seemed like a level-headed dad. His story was beautiful and precious.

Thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for an eArc in exchange for an honest review.

loved this romance about someone looking for a job and ends up finding love and a family along the way. Loved the kids and able to see in the past with a relationship and seeing her family . loved it.

10* stars. I adored this book. The story was beautiful and so relevant right now. It was a beautiful slow burn romance. The side characters, especially the little ones, were such a great addition. I look forward to reading more from this author. I can't recommend this book enough.

Oh, Luci Adams, how you have my heart. This one started off so cute. And I love that the romance didn't take center-stage like you think it's going to. Also loved how it went back and forth with her job-struggles and what actually happened there. That twist? Ooof didn't see it coming!

I genuinely like Adams's writing. She creates likeable characters who are not perfect, and Daisy is likeable despite some of her flaws or maybe the big flaw which is her unwillingness to really see things through the eyes of others. Well, that's how I interpret it anyway, because she definitely ignores the major warning signs in preference of interpreting things the way she wants and the way that supports her doing what she wants. And yet, I get that this is not really a great character trait to have, but she still is someone I was rooting for to find her HEA.

What I will say, though, is that the description of the book had me totally misled and it took me a really long time to disassociate that from my reading experience. If I had one tip to give the author and publisher it's this: rework the book jacket so it doesn't lead me to believe that this book is about a Hallmark-esque nanny to hunky dad scenario. This may be a spoiler, but I feel like the real spoiler is in reading this book if you think this is what it's about: there is no nanny job. Sure, she interviews for it, and she ends up spending time with the family, but she is never their nanny in position or function. And that is definitely disappointing. NOT to the story, but to the expectation going into the story. In truth, I think I would have enjoyed it less if it had been about Daisy being a nanny to the two kids.

I did find it funny how I totally ignored some of the connections in the book, and I spent a lot of the first chunk wondering where the interview at the start fit. Surprise on me when it did come together. I should have know, but oops, I missed that. And that wasn't the only surprise in the book. Totally did not see the connection when she lost her first job. Totally blindsided there.

So, here's my summary. This was a well written book, with some great characters, a lovely story, and some twists that aren't too twisty but may be a bit of a surprise. Just wish the publisher and author had written a better description to kick it off. Maybe it would have resulted in a 5 star because I would have had no false expectations.

It Must Be True Then, written by Luci Adams, is a delightful and enduring romantic comedy with well-written characters and an intriguing story that issue to stay with you long after reading.