Summary
Daisy's life takes a hard left turn when she is fired from her job and her coworker boyfriend breaks up with her, in the same day. She's also not currently speaking to her sister, who she is normally very close with. After a healthy period of moping, she decides it's time to take a step back and try something new. She a silly encounter with two young girls at the grocery store and subsequently answers an ad to be their nanny, something she's never done before. When she goes to interview for the job, the last thing she expects to find is a family, love, and a better relationship with herself.

Why did I pick up this book?
I was graciously gifted an advanced copy from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. This book will be published on March 12, 2024.

What did I enjoy about it?
I think we can all relate to some element of Daisy, and I don't think that should be taken lightly. Whether we've tried to get the attention of someone we were interested in, whether we looked back at a job or relationship with rose-tinted glasses until someone shakes us out of it, whether we felt someone was out of our league and we didn't deserve a second look from them, whether we've had a fight with a family member that wasn't actually about them at all, or whether we've just been in a massive slump that needed drastic measures to come out of, we have all been like Daisy, and I love that. It made her a very charming character, despite her flaws, and had me rooting for her to do better, find better. I loved Archie, Cara, and Bailey and the relationship she built with each of them, as well as the others she repaired along the way. Overall, just a very feel-good, redeeming story.

What did I not enjoy about it?
The pacing was very slow at times, and I found we were getting lost in very small details. Maybe it's because I was too excited about the budding relationship with Archie, but since this was not the sole focus of the book (as in traditional romances), I found myself wishing some of the other story points would speed along. Also, the description was very deceptive - it states that Daisy becomes a nanny for Archie's kids, so I thought it would be a story with that trope. But she never becomes their nanny, only attempts to get the job, and I didn't like being misled like that.

Cute story. But, for me anyway, a little too predictable and sweet. Characters are likeable but stereotypical. But a cheerful read for a winter afternoon.
I received an ARC from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review

Unfortunately, It Must Be True was another romance that started off promising and then fizzled out for me.

I'm not sure if it was the pacing of the story or my issues with Daisy, the protagonist, but it took me forever to get through this story.

It did have a cute ending and I feel like it's the type of love story most romance readers would enjoy, but it was simply not my cup of tea.

Contemporary romance is one of my favorite genres. After being fired from her job of 13 years, being ghosted by her boyfriend, and her sister no longer talking to her after a fight, Daisy is ready to get back what she lost. But her journey is not easy or straightforward. The story felt chaotic at times but I think that is because Daisy has a lot of personal growth to go through. She isn't the most sympathetic character at the beginning of the book. Eventually, as she began to take responsibility for her situation, I enjoyed spending time with her more. The romance is sweet and the message that social media is not real life was nice to see.

Thank you NetGalley and St. Martin's Griffin for the gifted copy.

Let me start by saying I loved Daisy! Luci Adams developed a wonderful character with her that you can’t help but love.

The synopsis for this book hooked me and it really followed through. I thoroughly enjoyed it. There were so many down to earth make you want to be their friend characters.

I loved Daisy throughout because even though she came across as a little aloof, she was really just HER. She was true to herself.

This book was a comeback story and a story of growth and someone finding her way. I often enjoy these stories but they have to be well written which this in definitely was.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for this ARC!

Thank you NetGalley and St Martin’s Press for the ARC.

This book wasn’t for me. I didn’t really enjoy Daisy as a character and couldn’t get into her story. It’s not a bad book but it’s a not for me book.

This was SUCH a cute book. Gave me “Emily in Paris” vibes and just made me smile throughout. COMPLETE character growth in a character driven book with so many themes of female empowerment. Also loved the current references & the fact that it didn’t need to have unnecessary crude spice to still be a great romance. 4.5 stars, really enjoyed!

Illustrated book covers aren’t usually my thing, but sometimes I come across one that makes me sit back, ponder and appreciate. It Must Be True Then book jacket took my breath away. It’s all about familiarity, the skyline of London in the background, those few words on the left that flared my reading appetite, and the heroine opening her arms to what I would imagine adventure. Consequently, I was intrigued even before reading the first line.

I love discovering new authors, and Lili Adams is my most recent favourite. Not knowing what to expect, she drew me into Daisy’s story with much more than just lightheartedness. Romance comedy has to keep me immersed because otherwise, I quickly lose interest–yeah, it’s hard to make me laugh. However, I devoured every single word while chuckling and swooning.

I found it incredibly easy to relate to Daisy. We’ve all had embarrassing mishaps at some time or another, and her ones are no exception. Moreover, losing her job as a data analyst, falling out with her sister and getting dumped by her boyfriend–he’s a real piece of work, only adds insult to injury. Weakened, she’s determined to step up her game and get back on track. Where does she do it? One solution is posting on a social media platform, naturally! However, it’s a far cry from showing reality.

Daisy’s voyage of self-discovery is enhanced when she befriends single dad Archie and his beautiful daughters. Adams has questioned acceptance and dexterously weaves the significance of happiness in the now amidst coming to terms with past truths. Narrated from Daisy’s perspective, she also took me to a place I’d all love to visit.

Observing Archie and Daisy get to know each other well favours this immensely gratifying read. Adam’s building of the slow burn is utterly delectable, giving readers an in-depth look at their emotions, insecurities and joint growth. And the girls–my word, so unalike but so endearing. Give me energetic interactions in family dynamics any day, and I’m all in!

Although steaminess is low-key, which I am eternally grateful for, being spoilt with laugh-out-loud scenes and heartfelt memorable moments brings out all the feels and inspires readers to step out of their comfort zone. I thoroughly enjoyed Adam’s offering and cannot recommend it highly enough. Bravo!

Thank you to St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for an advanced readers copy in favour of an honest review.

To be honest, it took me a while to get into this book. I almost decided to forget it but all of a sudden, I was enjoying the story. It is mainly due to Archie, Bailey, and Cara-all three down to earth characters. Daisy is irritating and self-absorbed in many instances. Her growth through the book pages is refreshing.
It definitely ended up being an enjoyable novel.
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Roses: Cara was the best. She was one of the better kid characters I’ve read in a book. She was so loving and funny and came across very mature for her age. Archie was awesome too. He was an all round great book boyfriend that understanding, charming, funny, and emotionally mature. The story was written at a great pace and flowed pretty naturally with the plot.

Thorns: Daisy kinda sucked. She was aloof to a lot of normal ways of life because she chose to be that way. She was really stubborn about things that she shouldn’t have had issues with because they weren’t her situations to judge. She frustrated me as a reader because she was so intelligent but so dumb at the same time. She didn’t ever really show empathy even though she apologized millions of times. The Jackson situation you could tell was coming from a mile away. I was more frustrated with the storyline of successful parents aren’t real. I thought that was a bad plot choice. I get the author wanted to have family trauma be the root of her story but still it was a bad taste in my mouth. I also didn’t like the fact she even knew she didn’t want kids yet still chose to start making them a presence in her life. Again that didn’t sit right with me.

In support of the SMP boycott, I will be withholding my review of this title until SMP speaks out. If the boycott is resolved, I will update with a full review.

Overall it's a cute story. I love good dads in books. I think this book had some work it needed to grapple with. The pacing was a little bit all over the place. Sometimes being too slow for me.

I enjoyed it and think it was a cute story. Just not one I'd reread again.

3.5 stars
This is going to be a completely honest and strange review, as I have mixed feelings about this book. It took me 10 chapters to start enjoying and liking the story. There were times that I didn’t like the heroine Daisy – but found her completely relatable, intriguing and entertaining once I got into the story. I loved Archie, Bailey and Cara from the start. They made me laugh and pulled at my heart strings. One of the things I loved about this story is Daisy’s growth. Another is the family aspects - Daisy’s sister and mother, and Archie as a single father. While it took me 10 chapters to get into this book and I did think about walking away from it, I’m glad that I didn’t. If I had, I would have missed out on Archie and Daisy’s romance; the cooking disaster; the interview; the concert and the many ah ha moments that Daisy experiences – the ones that are payoffs for sticking with this book.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Thank you to NetGalley and St.Martin’s Press for the ARC of It Must Be True Then. This was an unexpected treat! I expected from the synopsis a formula of nanny turned love but what we got was is so much more.

This story centers on Daisy as she not by choice figures out what she really wants from like. Told in present, single POV and through flashback recollections, the full story of where she’s been and going comes together.

Daisy’s endeavors are at times so embarrassing I had trouble going on, which only added to the connection I felt to her.

The characters she encounters are incredibly special and she begins to build a life that makes her happy. The portrayal of children is well done and they have authentic voice.

The romance of it all is sweet and present but it’s not the most profound aspect of her discovery.

At times the writing felt a bit choppy lost its flow. I definitely wouldn’t let that deter you from reading as it will likely get cleaned up before publishing. I also wasn’t sure what was language style differences as Luci Adams is British and I’m from the US.

Pick this up as soon as it’s released!

What a cute read. A little slow in the beginning, but once it got my attention I felt it was a quick and easy read.

It was a very relatable book - it contained themes of loneliness, careers, finding your place, but also with a fun romance mixed in! And then finding the family you didn’t know you needed. What a fun rom-com. Will be looking out for this one on pub day.

I didn't like the beginning of this one so much, but I'm glad I stuck with it because I ended up loving the novel. At first it read like a typically over-the-top ludicrous rom-com situation, which is not for me. But as the story went on, I really loved the main characters, Daisy and Archie, and how their relationship develops into a real friendship that includes Archie's daughters, Bailey and Cara. Daisy's relationship with her sister, Mia, and the difficult childhood that led to Daisy's estrangement from both Mia and her mother are also well-developed and believable. I like how the author ties together several disparate threads of the story by the end; it seemed serendipitous in the best way, rather than forced or artificial. The book focuses on the timely theme of discovering your authentic self while still keeping certain aspects of your life private. I would recommend this story to readers looking for a light but charming and sometimes emotional story about friendship, forgiveness, and love.

Not going to lie, it took me a little bit to get into this book, I'm not sure what it was about the beginning that sort of made it drag a but, but it did, and I felt it took a long time for the story to actually get started, but this was overall a cute book. Once I got over the really slow start, it picked up a bit.

I thought the author did well with Daisy's self discovery. Also, I don't normally like kids very much in book (they're always written as if they're too wise, I'm sorry), but I liked these girls! I thought the book was cute, and I enjoyed that it focused a lot on her self discovery more than anything,

This was a good read - I really enjoyed this book. I'm so glad that I got the chance to read it early and will definitely be recommending it to multiple people who enjoy these types of novels. I enjoyed the characters and especially enjoyed the writing by this author. I'm excited to see what the author comes out with next as I'll definitely be reading it! Thank you to the publisher for my early copy of this book!

The premise for this sounded so great but unfortunately it wasn't a win for me. It. was. so. slow. I never skim pages or whole paragraphs but with this one I did. After 110 pages I had to call it quits. Thank you St. Martin's Press for the gifted copy in exchange for an honest review.

3.5 stars, rounded up generously. This book has a little bit of a split personality, where the beginning is SO scandalous, such high farce, and then the rest of the novel is a lot more gentle, sometimes to the point of snoozy. And it's hard to really get a grasp on the main character, because you never get the background of her competence at her job. But I liked the London setting and the sister plot line, and the idea of one's perceptions of how people can grow and change.

I received an advance copy of an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.