Mhairi McFarlane crafts a heartfelt, humorous, and engaging story in "You Belong with Me," exploring the complexities of a relationship between an ordinary woman and a famous actor. Edie Thompson, who previously found herself involved with Elliot Owen, the Hollywood heartthrob, faces the challenges of dating someone in the public eye. When Elliot unexpectedly shows up on her doorstep on Christmas Day, Edie is thrust into a whirlwind romance that is as enchanting as it is daunting.

Navigating the pressures of media scrutiny, long-distance woes, and family issues, Edie and Elliot's journey is filled with witty dialogue and realistic scenarios. The novel dives deep into their relationship dynamics, portraying the highs and lows with an authenticity that resonates. The supporting cast, including the growing bond between Fraz and Elliot, adds depth and warmth to the narrative.

First of all, "Who's That Girl" was an entertaining, easy-to-engage-with, gender-reversed version of "Notting Hill" that started off hilarious and fast-paced but lost momentum in the middle, ending with a heartbreaking conclusion that left readers screaming. The anticipation for this sequel has been high for nine years, and it feels like McFarlane is tying up unfinished business, providing closure to these beloved characters. However, the wait has been long, and some may wish it had come sooner.

The story beautifully balances humor and heartfelt moments, ensuring that readers are both entertained and emotionally invested. McFarlane doesn't shy away from tough conversations, making the characters' growth and evolution feel genuine. While the third act breakup is gut-wrenching, the resolution is satisfying and hopeful.

Overall, "You Belong with Me" is a delightful continuation of Edie and Elliot's story, blending romance and reality in a way that keeps readers hooked from start to finish. Highly recommended for fans of McFarlane and anyone who enjoys a well-crafted, emotionally rich love story.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Avon and Harper Voyager for providing me with a digital review copy of this highly anticipated sequel in exchange for my honest thoughts.

Wow, this was a mess. It took me forever to get into the book. In the first few pages, I was so thrown off and confused. I also discovered from other reviews this is the second book in the series, so that’s probably the main reason I couldn’t connect instantly with the book or characters. I was bored the whole time and felt like I started skimming pages early on cause I couldn’t get into it. Maybe if I had read the first book, I would have been more interested, but I feel the answer is no. Also, the writing bugged me a bit. It all felt jumbled together and hard to read. All the characters just seemed dull, in my opinion. The romance just wasn’t it for me either. I’m not a huge fan of sequels to romance books. Makes no sense to me. Honestly, this just wasn’t the book for me.
Thank you NetGalley for this ARC.

OOOOkay--this one was my fault on taking so long. I did NOT realize this was a sequel until I'd been approved for the arc (so off to Amazon I went).

But! I can say, I much enjoy this author's writing. I won't go into detail since this is, technically, a follow up, but I very much enjoy the way McFarlane is able to great a seriousness to her books without making it too heavy. She is definitely in the ballpark of Emily Henry in nudging fiction genre topics while also creating a very enjoyable romance.

This one is set around Christmas time, so though it's not marketed as one, it definitely has a cozy feel to it and would be even more enjoyable to read once it gets cold outside! I highly recommend McFarlane (and this cast of characters), so anyone looking to get into romance or want a good laugh/cry combo!

This book starts with the romantic gesture. He shows up at her door with roses on Christmas Day, he does love her after all! And this book explores the NEXT part of the relationship. In Hallmark movies (my favorite) the couple kisses for the first time under the tree on Christmas Day, then the screen cuts to black and says "one year later" and then there is an additional 90 seconds where he proposes. As much as I love that formula, I did enjoy seeing the middle part of the relationship, as Edie and Elliott get closer, deal with family issues, culture differences and their pasts. There is an inevitable time period where a couple goes through the honeymoon period and that is what the plot of this book focuses on.

I enjoyed the book, the couple has great chemistry on the page, I believed both of their characterization and couplization. Very clever, witty dialogue. I determined this is the second in a series about this couple, it doesn't list as such, so I didn't know I was reading a sequel. I wish I could read the first but I am afraid it has been spoiled. That said, I do think the book is cute, lighthearted and enjoyable even if you hadn't read the first.

Thank you to #NetGalley and Avon and Harper Voyager for the ARC. Book to be published September 3, 2024.

Loved being back with these two! Was it as good as the first? no not really the development of their relationship was more interesting than the relationship itself however I loved following their ups and downs again. I found Elliot almost a little too perfect but adored him nonetheless. Will forever read anything about these characters but just not as good as book one.

I absolutely adore Mhairi McFarlane's novels! They are always so realistic but written in a tender and welcoming way and You Belong With Me is a perfect example! TS reference aside, this book was full of little things that just got to me and I couldn't stop reading and flipping the pages! Another great story and I highly recommend!

Mhairi takes us through Edie's journey as she grapples with what could look like to actually be in a relationship with Elliot. I enjoyed that Edie and Elliot were a couple the entire book, they had already gotten together (due to this being a sequel) and I loved it. I loved the banter and real-life scenarios where Mhairi didn't shy away from having the hard conversations. I also loved seeing Fraz and Elliot's brotherly relationship grow. Though, spoiler alert, the very third act breakup almost broke me, very glad to see Edie and Elliot survive till the very end. A beautiful conclusion to their story.

Thanks to NetGalley, Avon, and Harper Voyager for this ARC!

I will read anything Mhairi McFarlane writes! I’ve loved every book of hers I’ve read, which is all of them! When I started this book, I didn’t realize it was a follow up to her book “who’s that girl” I read that book 4 years ago and it might have been helpful to re-read it first since this seems like a direct follow-up!

I didn’t remember much about who’s that girl but I soon picked up what I had missed. Would recommend re reading that one before this! I really enjoyed this book. Her characters are always so real and fleshed out and there are so many laugh out loud moments! I don’t want to spoil anything but this book had many twists and turns and kept me so engaged I read it in one sitting. Would highly recommend!

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the e-arc in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

As a huge Mhairi McFarlane fan who adored WHO'S THAT GIRL, I was over the moon to receive an ARC of the sequel, YOU BELONG WITH ME, in exchange for my honest review. Thank you to the author, NetGalley, and the publishers Avon and Harper Voyager | Avon.

I would live in this story if I could! Edie and Elliot are delightful from start to finish and this was exactly the sequel I was hoping it would be! After reading WHO'S THAT GIRL years ago, the cliffhanger ending is continued beautifully in YOU BELONG WITH ME. This sequel builds perfectly on the world and characters established in WHO'S THAT GIRL, while adding new characters, new story lines and conflicts, and new reasons to love and root for Edit and Elliot.

I absolutely and whole-heartedly recommend this book, and will reread this again in no time! I would recommend folks start with WHO'S THAT GIRL as to not miss out on the lovely character and world creation in that story.

𝘠𝘰𝘶 𝘉𝘦𝘭𝘰𝘯𝘨 𝘞𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘔𝘦 follows Edie and Elliot, a couple whose story was previously established in 𝘞𝘩𝘰'𝘴 𝘛𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘎𝘪𝘳𝘭?
This sequel deals particularly with how Elliot's fame impacts their relationship and the other nitty gritties of being a Hollywood heartthrob's girl.

- ~ -

Right off the bat, I wasn't aware this was a sequel. Although, it's written in a manner that can be easily read as a standalone, it is likely best to read the first installment beforehand.

I imagine since because this is a series, it read a bit different than McFarlane's other books so I wasn't able to connect all that much.

But I would still recommend everyone to give this one a try especially if you're into Hollywood Romances as much as me!!

- ~ -

3.77 / 5✩

𝘛𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘬𝘴 𝘵𝘰 𝘈𝘷𝘰𝘯 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘏𝘢𝘳𝘱𝘦𝘳 𝘝𝘰𝘺𝘢𝘨𝘦𝘳 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘕𝘦𝘵𝘨𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘦𝘺. 𝘈𝘭𝘭 𝘵𝘩𝘰𝘶𝘨𝘩𝘵𝘴 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘰𝘱𝘪𝘯𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘴 𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘮𝘺 𝘰𝘸𝘯.

This book was truly everything I didn’t realize I needed. Mhairi McFarlane is a must read for me, and I’ve been shouting from the rooftops about Who’s That Girl for as long as I can remember. Mhairi absolutely killed it with this sequel, which can also be read as a standalone (but please also read Who’s That Girl!).

Mhairi McFarlane has a gift for dialogue that is just unmatched. Sure, Elliot is a gorgeous movie star, but it’s his wit and charm that you’re going to fall in love with. This book really explores how it can be hard to get to forever even after grand declarations, but reminds you that the journey is so, so worth it. Can I give it 10 stars?

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for giving me a copy to read and review!

when who's that girl came out in 2015, there was a lot of chatter about the ending and for good reason. although the ending isn't exactly ambiguous, it left open arguably the defining aspect of what makes a romance a romance, a happy ever after (or a happy for now). if you haven't read the first book yet, you should definitely read that one first. i don't necessarily think a sequel needed, but it was just good to spend time with edie and elliot again even though their happy ever after was dragged out to past 90% in.

one thing though, the deuxmoi mention in 2015? that caught me off guard.

I don’t know if it was the fact that it’s sequel, UK based (I’m American and sometimes the UK slang takes md a minute to understand) or because the book itself wasn’t interesting but I just could not get into this and ended up not finishing. The prologue took me so long to finish, I had to reread multiple times to keep my focus because I was just so lost. The synopsis of this story seemed interesting but I just couldn’t get to a point where I enjoyed it.

2.5⭐️



Al incio estaba tan confundida porque no recordaba nada del libro anterior, eso duró sólo unos capítulos y luego le agarrando el hilo.




Edie tenía mucha razón para desconfiar de Elliot. En la primera oportunidad que tuvo el infiel dejó que su coactriz lo tocara, besara, entrelazada manos, lo abrazara, pero no pasó nada porque él nunca empezó el contacto, no lo quería y sólo se dejó porque sería de mala educación alejarla ¿??? Si eso no es ser infiel no se que es, ¡ah!, la única razón por la que ella se enteró fue por las fotos.

Luego Edie tiene un accidente con Declan y Elliot hace un mega drama, cuando ella no hizo nada malo.


Si les gusta el drama, relaciones tóxicas, este es su libro.


Thanks to NetGalley, the publisher and the author for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Edie Thompson had been involved with Elliot Owen previously and had apparently decided that a relationship between them was a no go because of his career and fame as well as her own emotional situation at work. On Christmas day, Elliot shows up at her home to professes his love for Edie; overcome by emotion, she agrees to give their relationship a try despite the inherent challenges.

Having been around Elliot before as his ghostwriter, Edie knows the press are a major hassle; however, when she becomes a focus, the reality makes for major stresses to their issues as a couple. Adding to their difficulties, Elliot is filming a major cable series across the big Atlantic Pond in New York with a very handsy co-star. Elliot and Edie both have some family issues to deal with as well.
Edie has some major self esteem issues due in part to a scandal at her job that she is mostly blamed for despite being more of a victim to the whole big mess. Whether or not Edie and Elliot can survive the pressure, separation, and Edie’s propensity to expect things to go wrong, will determine if love will conquer all.

Ms. McFarlane’s stories always contain witty dialog and humorous while fraught situations. Fans of her stories will likely recognize Edie and Elliot from their first story, “Who’s That Girl” from way back in 2016. I had not read that book although I did not feel like it was necessary; this story works as a standalone since enough detail is given to bring readers up to speed.

I have read most of Mhairi McFarlane’s back catalog, so I was very excited to see she had a new book coming out. Unfortunately, I felt like I was dropped into the middle of the plot with no idea what was going on, and I couldn’t pull enough threads together to get into the story. This is a sequel to Who’s That Girl? which I have read, but so long ago that I don’t remember any of it. I think eight years may be too long between books unless you do some significant refreshing of the reader’s memory at the beginning of the second book.

i read this book not knowing it was a sequel but i think it could stand on its own. perhaps my reading experience would have been better if i knew these characters before starting? i slogged through it but never really enjoyed it. it felt choppy and confusing. not a memorable book for me at all.

thank you to Avon and Harper Voyager for providing this book for review consideration via NetGalley. all opinions are my own.

I did not realize this was a sequel, so I was a little confused at first and had to figure some things out on my own. But once I did, I loved this! I’m going to go back and read the first, which will make me love this even more.

Not having read the previous novel, it didn’t feel necessary to understand Edie and Elliot’s story. It was an enjoyable story with memorable side characters.

Thank you, NetGalley and Harper Collins for the e-ARC.

I have heard such great things about this author and am so grateful that NetGallery gave me this opportunity to read the book in exchange for an honest review.! Unfortunately, I did have to stop reading this as I just could not get into the plot. I didn’t really understand the whole plot and it was hard to understand what was going on at the beginning!