As much as I wanted to enjoy this book, I truly struggled and at 54% gave up. I don’t know if it’s just me, but the writing style felt choppy, which prevented me from enjoying what I did read. I did see that this was the author’s second book so I do think she has the chance to grow and create a really good book because she has the bones for one; the delivery is what is lacking.

I'm in between here. I liked Luci, but then I didn't, but then I did again lol I think the writing was pretty choppy, so it was hard to get into and keep focus. It was definitely more contemporary than a romance, but I was ok with that.

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for the eARC

Title: It Must Be True Then
Author: Luci Adams
Length: 359 pages
Format: ebook arc
Pub Date: March 12, 2024
Genre: Romance, ChickLit, RomCom
Rating Out of 5: ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️
Spice Level: closed door except for a crude-ish scene in the beginning
Summary:
Daisy's life hits rock bottom when she loses her job, boyfriend, and becomes estranged from her sister. To bounce back, she plans to project a perfect life on Instagram. In an attempt to get a nanny job for a single father with two adorable daughters, she finds herself drawn into their loving family, which challenges her online facade. Can portraying a picture-perfect life help fix her career and strained relationships? As she grows closer to someone new, Daisy questions if she even wants her shallow ex back.

Thoughts:
I LOVE LUCI’S WRITING. That is all. But really though. She somehow managed to make me care and root for a completely dense and unlikeable main character. This is the second book of Luci’s that I’ve read, and each have started out with kind of a crude scene that is off-putting to me. However, once I got through the scene, the rest of the book was so enjoyable! I love Daisy’s level-headed best friend Betsy. I love all of the serendipitous encounters that Daisy has with Archie. I love the relationship she has with his girls. But what I love most about this book is the true GROWTH Daisy goes through as a person. I had such a wonderful time going through this journey with her and getting to see her have her happy ever after.

Special thanks to the @netgalley and @stmartinspress for the arc in exchange for my honest review!

I enjoyed this story. Because of Daisy's childhood, she doesn't think she is built for a family and that work needs to be her primary focus. And because of this, she settles for a relationship with a higher up in her office who also seems to be focused on work, because she thinks that's what she deserves and all she is capable of. I loved watching her relationships with Bailey and Cara. Cara, quite honestly, steals the show. Her quoting the Instagram influencer and being so intuitive with Daisy cracked me up. I loved seeing how Daisy and Bailey slowly formed the own relationship. It was a fun romance, but still tackled some important topics. I loved seeing Daisy slowly realize that her perception of the past was maybe not exactly how it was, and that she was allowing it to negatively impact her future.

I desperately wanted Daisy to grow a spine. I understand that we all have that one person in life that we allow back in when we know we shouldn't but good lord almighty, I can't handle when a character pines for an asshole.

Daisy was a tough character to get into (I get she didn't want kids but did she forget Archie had two?!) and overall I just couldn't find anything to root for with her.

2.75 stars

I just couldn't jive with Daisy, and where sometimes that is the purpose of a story it did not seem that way with this. I did like how she met the kids and Archie but I didn't ever fully feel the romance. Daisy growth was nice to see and her learning about herself by the end but by then I was kind of out of the story and basically said "ok, great".

Thank you to St Martins Press and NetGalley, for an ARC of this book in exchange for my honest opinion.

This was a cute read! There were some funny moments, and I loved all the British humor. The characters and plot were relatable. Good read!

Really enjoyed this! Felt like a cute British romcom movie.

Daisy loses her job, her boyfriend & becomes estranged from her sister all on one day. A very coming of age, find yourself book with cute humor and a pinch of romance! I loved that this was more than the romance, even though that just added to the plot. This felt more like a great novel about any women in her 20-30’s trying to find her way.

Loved the humor. Drawbacks were that it felt like the first half of the book the pacing was a bit slow. Overall the book could’ve been a tad bit shorter and still held the same punch. Then I didn't love how the miscommunication was handled at the end! Her telling him she didn’t want kids, sat with her mom once and had a heart to heart with one of his girls and all of sudden changes a mindset she’s had for 30 years? Just felt a little unrealistic. Bless Archie’s soul, we love that man.
Such a fun easy read!

Will come back to add review once posted. Thank you for the advanced copy!!

There are some cute moments and scenes but the story as a whole felt lacking.
For the first 2/3 of the book, it just felt like a Daisy's life is stinky story, with not a lot of other substance to it.
It felt like Archie and Daisy never spent any time together and then suddenly, they are having this huge heart to heart? Their story fell flat, especially for a romance.
Everything tied itself up in the last 50 pages or so (the sister, the mom, the ex, the new relationship). It felt like the story rushed to tie everything up so that everything could end happily ever after.
Also, when was she ever a nanny? I thought this was going to be a single dad/nanny romance and I feel let down.

I do like that she still didn't want kids at the end. I liked that Daisy didn't have to compromise an integral part of her just to be with Archie.

Oh my Goodness! Daisy is a hot mess after her work life goes down the drain. Not only did she yell at a client, it is the boss's client. So out of work, out of her boss boyfriend's life but also in a fight with her sister. What more can go wrong? She then meets 2 young girls that is in the store all by themselves. Meeting the girls changes her life. Entertaining, makes you smile and boy oh boy do I want that house. It sounds like a dream. How our perception of the world can be all wrong. I really liked the story.

It Must Be True Then
⭐️⭐️⭐️.5
Author: Luci Adams

I requested a digital advanced readers copy from NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press and providing my opinion voluntarily and unbiased.

Synopsis:
*One horrible, “bury your head under the covers” kind of day

*Two adorable children to nanny; and

*Their very hot, very single father

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?

My Thoughts: Daisy has had a very rough year. She lost her statistics job after 13 hard working years. Daisy and her sister are estranged. Daisy perceives her sister as annoying and a pain, not to mention unreliable. Lastly, her ex-boyfriend just dropped her like she was nothing. Now she wants to spend time in a gap-filling job, try to mend the fence with her sister, and woo her ex-boyfriend to take her back. She takes a job as a nanny to two amazing children with their very hot father. The pacing of the storyline seemed rushed and chaotic. This was part women’s fiction and part romance, which I did not mind.

The writing style took me a minute to adjust to with the flashbacks, but once I did, it was like second nature. This is a closed door romcom with one elevated scene. Daisy is independent, very stubborn, and had her life desires backwards. Daisy was so worried to keep a perfect life on social media that she almost misses out on real life and real connections that will last a lifetime. It took me a bit to connect to her, but when I did, I was really rooting for her. Archie was incredibly charming, funny, patient, and lightyears ahead in the emotional maturity. I loved how Daisy and Archie took their time with their relationship, being friends first, and then building upon that. The characters were well developed with depth, witty banter, chemistry, and intriguing. The supporting characters, the children, Cara and her sister, really did elevate the storyline. They were adorable, well behaved, and sweet. The author’s writing style was complex, funny, swoony, thought-provoking, and was closed door.

While a bit chaotic, the storyline really had some great inspiring messages, such as always, stand in your truth while being true to thyself. Another big one is a lot of people make their life “seem perfect” via social media, but live a very different life, and thrive from acceptance with their social media audience. The message is that find real people that you connect with that accept you for you. This was a cute storyline that was humorous women’s fiction that had important life lessons along the way. The only con for me were the flashbacks. They were not bad in themselves, I think if they were more clearly labeled in the storyline, they would have flowed better. I would recommend this story to other readers.

This was a great book. I connected with the characters. I felt engrossed with the plot. I would read another book by this author.

I will not be providing an actual review until St Martin's Press takes accountability and response to the boycott that has been happening for months. As an avid reader and promoter of diversity, I wholeheartedly stand with the SMP Boycott started by Leen. There are only three simple demands but until they are met I will continue to stand in solidarity with the boycott and withhold my reviews from SMP Titles.

Address and denounce the Islamophobia/racism from their employee.

Offer tangible steps for how they're going to mitigate the harm this employee caused.

Address how, moving forward, they will support and protect their Palestinian, Muslim, and Arab readers, influencers, and authors in addition to their BIPOC readers, influencers, and authors.

The best part of this book was by far the kid characters of Bailey and Cara. I loved them! Archie was also a great. Daisy on the other hand was not my favorite… a little too quick to judge and selfish. I did enjoy the book and it was a quick read. It kept my interest and I definitely wanted to finish it.

Thank you so much, SMP, for an advance copy. Unfortunately I didn't really like the MC. Her rants were annoying and made me not want to keep reading. The writing is fine and I'm sure many would enjoy this

This was a fun read. I enjoyed watching Daisy grow as a character. While I wouldn’t classify it as strictly a romance, it was still a fun chick-lit book.

Surprisingly sweet and funny, and a perfect read for heading into the summer. I overidentified with the FMC, alas, but it made the happy ending all the sweeter.

Unfortunately I didn’t like this book. I don’t know about the main character, I think the way she would go off on rants was just something I couldn’t really get into. But this book might still be for you! Thank you to Netgalley and St Martin Press for a free copy.

This story is about second chances and self discovery. I liked Daisy and watching her realize that she is more than she thinks. I enjoyed the addition of the kids in the story.

My biggest hang up was the fact that it sometimes didn't focus on her budding relationship but kept flashing back to Jackson who I could have been done with in the first 3 pages, lol. He was the worst!

Luci Adams does a great job of drawing the characters out and this is no exception.

Thank you to NetGalley and St Martin's Press for the e-ARC. This review is my own opinion.

Second chances are not my favorite trope but this book does it in such and carefull and kind way that I just went along for the ride and really enjoyed it. The whole story was just like a good time in book form and what more can you ask for honestly.