This was so so so cute! I adore Shakespearean retellings so much. The drama was lowkey perfect. All in all. Super fun!

3.5 ⭐️

Much ado about soulmates is a modern take on Shakespeare.

In this novel, the world is black and white- except for those who have soulmates. Matches can see everything in color once they find each other.

Beatrice found her soulmate years ago, but when she thought it was one sided and going no where, she dedicated her life to trashing the idea of soulmates and seeing colors.

Ben also believed in joking about soulmates, having been in a one sided one himself.

Until Ben and Beatrice are together after 8 years and their world explodes in color again. As they get together for their best friend Oliver and sister Imogen’s wedding, will they realize the matching wasn’t so one sided after all?

I can admit I’ve never read much Shakespeare. I know this is based off of much ado about nothing, but honestly I don’t think you need much prefacing to read this story.

For the most part I did like it! It goes between multiple point of views which I didn’t love, I truly loved the main focus of bea and Ben (who the main cover is based on). The other characters are good, but some don’t have as much significance to the plot until minor points throughout the story.

Overall it was cute read! Different than the typical romance story which was refreshing.

Thank you Elsie McLean and NetGalley for the ARC!

I'm not quite aware of the original story from this, but it has made me want to read it to see. I enjoyed the concept and the story, not my usual cup of tea but it really surprised me in a good way. I enjoyed the chemistry between the characters and how it is executed. Definitely worth a read

Much Ado About Soulmates is a sweet, sun-soaked retelling with a fun soulmate twist. I loved the Italy wedding setting and the banter between Beatrice and Ben — the chemistry and tension really carried the story. The multiple POVs sometimes made the pacing feel uneven, but overall it’s a heartfelt, charming romance perfect for fans of retellings and slow-burn second chances.

So I should start out by saying that I'm not familiar with Shakespeare's Much Ado About Nothing... but I have read Shakespeare before and this feels like all the chaos of one of his plays and I absolutely loved it

It's also a fun concept that until you meet your soulmate you only see in black and white and I love how it hits on the complications of love in reality, because people are complicated.

Loved all the characters and I would recommend this to all the people.

thank you to netgalley UK and the publishers for the opportunity to read this early!

While I have nothing to say negatively about this book I was quite not this one.

The premise of a Shakespeare retelling sounded intriguing.

However the POV, the drama, the characters, this story was just not my thing.

Three star read as there isn't anything wrong with the book I just didn't enjoy it as anticipated.

Thank you NetGalley & Victory Editing NetGalley Co op for this arc opportunity.

*Thank you to NetGalley for the opportunity to ARC*

Much Ado About Soulmates was a fun little twist on a Shakespearean classic, Much Ado About Nothing. I loved the author's take on soulmates and how they bring the magic of color to the world. It was cool to see throughout the book, how different people handled meeting their soulmates and seeing color for the first time. This is not my usual kind of book, but I would love to read more from this author. The multiple POVs kept me intrigued throughout the book. This book had me emotional and rooting for the happiness of each of the characters. I appreciated the perspective of Beatrice and her thoughts on soulmates. I loved that Ben saw what Beatrice was really trying to say with her words, that soulmates are complicated and that while, yes, a soulmate is great, it is not happiness and colorful rainbows from there. It takes work and understanding and the knowledge that just because you have met your soulmate, it isn't going to be easy, but it will be worth it. Also that just because you are soulmates, it is not guaranteed it will work out. I will be honest, I have never read Much Ado About Nothing, so I went in blind for this book and I am so glad I did. By the way, my favorite part of the book is Beatrice's rant towards the end. A great read, with romance, humor, realism, and a little heartbreak. This one is sure to give you a few laughs, Diego and Ben are comedian/actors after all. I would suggest this book!

It was a very cute book retelling of Shakespeare and I enjoyed it! It might not be everybody's cup of tea though since it's a retelling of it but overall it was a great book and easy read!

★★★☆☆

I want to start off by saying this is probably just not the book for me—I’m not typically a fan of retellings but wondered if this one might work for me since it’s in a contemporary romance world.

The writing was great, but for me, there were too many POV swaps. I’m also not a huge fan of long, drawn-out miscommunications. I know those are very popular in this genre, though, so I think a lot of people will really enjoy this, as it’s being set up for a series, I believe.

That being said, I think this would be such a fun romcom to watch! Really funny, dramatic, and chaotic all-around.

A retelling of Shakespeare's Much Ado About Nothing set in a world that stays black and white until you find your soulmate. The story focused on Beatrice and Ben estranged soulmates and their group of friends who gather together for the celebrity wedding of Oliver (Beatrice's best friend and mega-movie star) to Imogen (Beatrice's sister). Hijinks, romance and misunderstandings abound.

Overall, this was a really fun book with a unique premise, but the multiple viewpoints occasionally made it hard to follow.

Much Ado About Soulmates is the kind of romance that feels like a comforting hug wrapped in sharp wit and charm. From the very start, Elsie McLean blends humor, heart, and a touch of whimsy into a story that’s as entertaining as it is heartfelt.

The characters leap off the page with their quirks, banter, and vulnerabilities, making them both endearing and easy to root for. What I loved most is how the book balances its playfulness with genuine emotion. Beneath the lighthearted moments lies a story about connection, timing, and the courage it takes to let someone in.

McLean’s writing is warm and inviting, filled with those little details and turns of phrase that make you smile as you read. The story flows with an energy that’s cozy yet engaging, the kind of book you can settle into and lose track of time with.

This isn’t just a romance, it’s a reminder of the joy and magic that comes when two people truly see each other. It left me feeling light, hopeful, and eager to revisit its world again.

📚✨ ARC REVIEW ✨📚
Much Ado About Soulmates by Elsie McLean
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ (4/5 stars)

Thank you to Netgalley for providing a free ARC in exchange for my honest review.

In this modern retelling of Shakespeare's Much Ado About Nothing, the world is seen in black and white (literally) until a person finds their soulmate — and then they can see color for the first time.

Oliver and Imogen are getting married in a villa in Italy, with cameras rolling since Oliver is a famous movie star. Among the guests are Beatrice (the bride’s sister) and Ben (Oliver’s close friend/Bea's secret ex). Both are famous for their views on soulmates - namely that they want nothing to do with finding one. They bicker as if they are enemies, but their friends believe them to be soulmates and plot to get them together before their time at the villa ends.

The ensemble cast also includes Aisha, a scientist studying soulmate neuroscience, and Diego, an actor who longs to find his match. Over the course of the week, love, friendship, and chaos unfold, proving that love is never simple.

I am a HUGE Shakespeare nerd (like, took a Shakespearean acting class in 5th grade-level nerd), so this retelling was right up my alley. The play-like structure and witty banter gave the story a unique feel, while the reality show–style wedding filming added a fun modern twist. The concept of soulmates may not be original, but the world going from black and white to a technicolor dream after finding yours is, and the premise instantly piqued my interest.

I love the intense friendship that turned into a found family among Beatrice, Ben, Oliver, and Diego as young college students. Their prank wars and reminiscing on years past made me nostalgic for my own college days and the friendships I formed there. This is a group that cares deeply about each other, experiencing their happiest moments when they are together.

✨ For fans of: 🎭 Shakespeare retellings | 🖤 Enemies to lovers | 🎥 Reality show drama | 🌈 Soulmate magic | 🏛️ Italian villa settings | 💕 Found family vibes

#ARCReview #BookReview #MuchAdoAboutSoulmates #ElsieMcLean #ShakespeareRetelling #ModernRetelling #SoulmateRomance #FoundFamily #EnemiesToLovers

Much Ado About Soulmates by Elsie McLean is a beautifully written modern take on Shakespeare.
This is was such an enjoyable read on so many different levels.
The characters were all very well developed .
The writing is exceptional and I was hooked after the first sentence.

Thank You NetGalley and Victory Editing for your generosity and gifting me a copy of this amazing eARC!

The only story I was interested in was Beatrice’s and Ben’s, but it got lost in too many points of view. I didn’t care about all of those. I got frustrated and bored and ended up not caring about their story anymore

So, this is apparently a retelling/reimagining of Shakespeare’s "Much Ado About Nothing”.
I have not personally read that story, but I don’t think it effected my ability to understand this one.

I really did like the premise of this story.
People see the world in black and white until they meet their soulmate.
But even when you do meet your soulmate- it does not mean that you will actually be together.
I think that is a really fun idea, with a lot of room for romance, and a lot of room for potential tragedy.
Very Shakespeare coded, right?

I did struggle a bit with this book, i must admit.
I think there are just too many POVs and too many characters. There is a lot going on here. While this does bring some uniqueness to the story, i found it difficult to keep up with.
I also didn’t feel like i was really able to develop a particular connection to anyone, because there was a bigger focus on the amount of characters, as opposed to their individual development.

With this being said, there were some things i liked about it!

The drama.
There is a point in this story in which things get pretty dramatic, and quite entertaining. Mainly for Imogen and Oliver. My reading pace defintley picked up here and i was really nervous to see how things would play out for them in the end.

I liked Beatrice and ben as well.
The idea of someone who doesn’t believe in or care about soulmates finally opening up and letting love into their heart is pretty simplistic, but it was done really well here.

Notable mention: The moment when people meet their soulmate? So CUTE! I mean it is actually adorable to imagine their black and white world developing to full color when they meet the one.
I really liked that.

Overall, there were things about this I really liked, and some things I didn’t like as much. But I do think it is an enjoyable story.

Thank you to Netgalley, victory editing, and author Elsie McLean for providing me with the eARC of "Much Ado About Soulmates", in exchange for my honest review!
Publication date: September 1st, 2025
Reviewed on Goodreads: September 1st. 2025

I enjoyed the premise of this book - it took one of my favourite Shakespeare plays and added a charming dose of magical realism in the form of soulmates adding colour to an otherwise black-and-white world. It was also a pretty clever way to modernise the story, with the characters involved in a wedding documentary at the Villa Messina. On paper, this book was perfect for me.

Sadly, it didn't deliver perfection for me. There was something in the writing style that just didn't gel for me. It felt clunky and heavy at times, meaning that I really struggled with the first half of the book in particular. This was exacerbated by the number of character perspectives that I had to keep up with - there were just a couple too many to feel easy.

In short, I enjoyed the premise, but the execution was something I found challenging.

Thank you to NetGalley, Victory Editing NetGalley Co-op, and Elsie McLean for the eARC copy of this book!

Brief Summary:
In a world where you can’t see color until you find your soulmate, this topsy-turvy version of Much Ado About Nothing just became a whole lot more complicated.

When Imogen and Oliver became soulmates, it was love at first sight. Now, set to marry amid the chaos of a reality-tv-show-type wedding, Imogen is trying to keep her head above water and her sister Bea from causing a scandal.

As someone who knows the curse of a one-sided match, Bea worries her sister is rushing things. Faced with the press scandalizing her every move, the dilemma of her soulmate being in the wedding party, and a dictatorial director, Bea and her friends have to set things right before it all goes horribly wrong.

Tropes & Other Info:
✨ Celebrity Reality TV Wedding
✨ Italian Villa
✨ Soulmates through Color Appearing
✨ Second-Chance Romance
✨ Enemies-to-Lovers
✨ Insta-Love
✨ Complicated Relationships
✨ Wedding Antics
✨ Hiding from Reporters

⚠️ Misunderstandings/Miscommunication
⚠️ Secrets & Lies
⚠️ Fake Affair
⚠️ Invasive Cameras/Press/Social Media Influencers

Thoughts:
When I saw that this one was a Much Ado About Nothing retelling, I jumped at the chance to read it. It has been so long since I’ve read a Shakespeare retelling, and this one had such an interesting premise, where people don’t see color until they meet their soulmate, so I was very excited to try it out.

However, despite my excitement, I had a tough time getting into this one. There were so many different POV changeups that it took a while for me to adjust to the storytelling and really get invested in the characters. Additionally, it has a major reality tv focus, that was not mentioned in the book’s description, and that has never been my tv genre of choice.

I do have to say that I did like the author’s idea concerning the magic around soulmates. The only issue I had with it was that it led to color constantly being brought up in a way that felt overdone at times and caused it to lose its charm a bit. The frequency of it also made certain scenes feel like a catalog of color, especially in moments where it was just brought up and not helping to drive the story forward.

I also struggled with some of the characters. Beatrice is actually pretty dismissive and mean in a biting way that is far more harsh than I remember her original character being. Oliver, the Claudio-type character, is way too self-involved and completely overlooks/ ignores how his fiancee is feeling the entire time. Diego, the Don Pedro character, is often down on his luck and plays the “woe-is-me” card too often. In terms of the villain, Conor, who is a mix of Conrad, Borachio, and Don John, is detestable (as a villain should be, but still eww), and yet his character’s groveling at the end is pretty unbelievable after all of his boasting in the beginning.

Final Thoughts: To be fair, Much Ado About Nothing is my favorite Shakespeare play because I love the wit of the characters and the banter between Beatrice and Benedict especially, so this story had a lot to live up to. While it did not entirely work for me, it does have some of the elements that make up the original play, such as the hijinks, and I appreciated how the ending changed up the story to have more of a modern twist.

I really enjoyed the concept of this, living in a world without seeing any colour until you meet your soulmate.
I loved the twist on the Shakespeare play, and seeing all the angst between Ben and Beatrice, especially as they try to pretend they can't see colours to their friends and try to deny their soulmate connection.
It was a fun journey, with all the chaos and drama with their friends wedding, and navigating all the miscommunication.
There was a lot of pov's to follow as it bounces between the friendship group and the 2 MC's, but it did add layers to the story and alternative angles for seeing how everyone saw Ben and Beatrice, as well as explore their own dramas and conflicts behind the scenes compared to the masks they wore externally.
It was filled with regrets, secrets, longing, and seeing that love means compromise and sometimes sacrifice.

Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Tropes:
* Magical realism
* Soulmates
* Enemies to lovers
* Forced proximity
* Multiple POV’s
* Modern Shakespeare retelling

Thank you to NetGalley, Elise McLean, and Victory Editing for this eARC! Immediately the summary reminded me of Taylor Swift’s lyric: "The rest of the world was black and white / But we were in screaming color". Soulmates that have discovered each other are the only ones who see color; a very interesting concept to include in this otherwise realistic romance.

I liked the multiple POVs! The banter between all the friends while they are together for Imogen and Oliver’s wedding was fun to read, but I also liked that each character were dealing with their own internal challenges that was revealed as each POV is provided for them. I like that this was written like a play, which this is based off of Shakespeare’s play “Much Ado About Nothing”. This was a unique way to modernize this play, and I appreciate how well the author did with pacing all of these different characters.

Bea and Ben were the two I focused on most. Their angst and tension was very centered in this plot overall. As you begin to find out what really happened between them, you become invested in wanting them to work things out! But all of their relationships make this well-rounded, and I also liked that many were well-known celebrities. Tony and Diego’s first meeting really helped me understand just how astounding it is for someone to first meet their soulmate, and I really liked them together! Imogen and Oliver’s story was the opposite, but I could tell throughout that Imogen wasn’t as happy she led everyone to believe. I don’t want to give any spoilers beyond that, but I think having those 3 relationships made this a very interesting read as you go through all of their romances with them in great detail!

3.5 🌟 / 5

This is my first time reading a book by this Author (Pen name for the two McLean sisters), and it won’t be the last! 💗

A comedic retelling of the Shakespeare play of ‘Much ado about nothing’, the story follows a multi POV of a group of long term friends as they navigate old wounds, soulmates, miscommunication and an old pact when they meet up for a wedding. I found the group dynamic to be very natural and intertwined, from their retellings of their past to the way they look out for each other in the present time, whilst keeping things light and funny.

It had an overall fast and easy pace throughout the story, and it didn’t lag when there were some slower parts to the plot. There were introductions to new characters throughout which left me slightly confused initially as to their relevance in the story - this was due to us (the reader) meeting them in their POV with no transition or introduction from our other characters but it does all add up in the end especially with there being a preface for all of the characters to enlighten readers with at the very start 😆.

One slight misinterpretation on my behalf was the magical dynamic of soulmates bringing colour to each others lives when they meet in a world that is viewed in black and white - for over 50% of the book i genuinely thought this was being described in a non-literal sense.. turns out i was wrong and actually this is a very cool soulmate concept once i realised 😂.

Overall:

3.5 / 5 🌟🌟🌟
Wound recommend this book if you like light hearted quirky modern adaptations of classic literature.
I quite enjoyed this book 🫶🏼

I would like to thank NetGalley for this advance copy of eARC. This review is based on solely my own opinions and thoughts on the book. This review is written on behalf of the Spicy Sword Society.