I really enjoyed reading this book. There are some difficult subjects, such as abuse relationships and gaslighting. They were written about sensitively though, and there was a good balance of humour and heartwarming moments too. It was very well written and although I haven't read many of this Author's previous books, I am quickly becoming a fan and want to read more books by her.
Thank you to Netgalley and the Publisher for my ARC.

Where to begin? I just completely loved this book. I'm such a huge fan of Mhairi's and for me, this was just her latest fantastic book in an already amazing line up.

I dove in without reminding myself what the book was even about, so I was a good few chapters in before I started to see where the story was going and during that time just kept thinking, why is Harriet with this boyfriend of hers?

I won't put any spoilers but after a getaway between Harriet and Jon, things start to get good and from then on, I couldn't put the book down as I had to know what happens next.

I always love how well rounded and three dimensional Mhairi's characters are. They have stuff going on and don't endlessly whine about whether the love interest likes them or not. They are real people with real relatable problems and lives and you root for them. Their stories are what feel like the main focus for me with the friendships and the romance being a bonus.

Unsurprisingly, this is 5⭐

Thank you to Harper Collins, Mhairi McFarlane & Netgalley for the review copy, provided in exchange for an honest opinion.

4.5 stars - I love all of Mhairi McFarlane's books. The characters are well rounded and relatable, the plots interesting and full of great details and the emotions are well balanced.

Mad About You is no exception - a well written and easy read that sucked me in and kept me up til 1am to finish it off. I think the description doesn't actually do the book any justice because there is so much more to the story then Harriet meeting Cal. I particularly loved the female relationships - I think we all want a best friend like Lorna! (And definitely not one like Roxy. For me that particular subplot felt a bit unnecessary).

Some heavy themes tackled (TW parental death and domestic abuse) but such an enjoyable and satisfying book.

I know that every time I read a Mhairi McFarlane book I will love it.

Harriet is a 34 year old wedding photographer who in our prologue, is working at a wedding where the groom has run out on the bride at the altar.

Harriet, after working at weddings for her day job, is adamant that she does not want to get married. When boyfriend of two years Jon proposes to her in front of his entire posh family (who she already feels like an outsider to), she feels obliged to say yes before breaking up with him completely shortly afterwards.

Following her break up she must find somewhere new to live and ends up being a lodger for Cal, the groom that ran out on his bride a year before! Cal shares his story on why he didn't marry his fiancée that day and the two strike up a friendship. We learn that Harriet's past relationship before Jon was a coercive and manipulative one which in turn shaped her relationship with Jon.

When Harriet finds out that the ex-partner who made her feel that way is getting married, she feels obliged to warn his fiancée.

Yes, there is a bit of romance in there which I love but the main focus here is female solidarity, sticking up for each other and supporting each other.

This was a triumph!

I thoroughly enjoyed my encounter with Harriet. She felt genuine and authentic, Mhairi’s books are so easy to read and also incredibly fulfilling.


Many thanks to the author, publisher and NetGalley for gifting me this arc in exchange for an honest, unbiased review.

Mhairi McFarlane entered my life with 'You Had Me At Hello' in 2014. Immediately I became a fan, and eight books on, I have to say Mhairi still knows how to pack a punch! This author will always be relied upon to get me out of my reading slump.

Mhairi always begins with a place of comfort and some familiarity, lulls you into a false sense of security and you cosy up in your seat thinking it's a pleasant ride ahead and you can't wait to see where it leads. Our protagonist, Harriet, is a wedding photographer, strictly against the notion of marriage. She has never wanted it for herself and has shared this with her boyfriend....but he proposes anyway, infront of his family...and Harriet (forcibly) says yes.

Not one to give away spoilers, I think my only quib is the packaging for this book. The title 'Mad About You' feels inaccurate and misplaced as well as the trope of of an "enemies to lovers rom com". The book was encompassed with stronger themes around death of parents, cheating, solidarity and empowerment in the face of online adversity and keyboard warriors, the devastating impact of toxic relationships, manipulation and gaslighting. This formed around 75% of the story and yet the cover and blurb makes you think Cal Clarke (Harriet's love interest) leads the storyline about romance, which isn't the case at all. I don't think we got enough of his characterisation to understand what the appeal was and the romance was definitely hurried, but he did share many cute moments with Harriet.

I don't think it is my favourite book of Mhairi's but I definitely enjoyed reading it and give due credit to the importance it places on online abuse and living in a world where our connectivity means we can be quick to judge and the ability for media going viral can have a more immediate impact now on both personal and professional lives. For me, I think the friendships and support Harriet found is what made the book worthwhile, Lorna is a definite favourite of mine and everyone should have a friend like her. I also loved reading about Harriet's experiences as a wedding photographer, all the background and looking at it from this perspective, a complete stranger with the huge responsibility of capturing the most memorable moments of your big day and what the photographer is actually making of all the madness!

I do like that Mhairi does not focus solely on the romance in the books and it is usually entwined in the plot in a way where there is a balance and a rush of different emotions to keep you going. This is a time where the backstory was far too important and I think the romance had to take backseat instead.

As mentioned, I will always recommend Mhairi McFarlane, she definitely is one of the greats!

Thank you @NetGalleyUK and @HarperCollinsUK for the advanced copy in exchange for an honest review! Publication Date for 'Mad About You' is on 14 April 2022.

This story is absolutely brilliant! Not what I expected, I thought it would be a typical romance but it's so much more than that. I laughed, cried, worried, hoped, and went through every possible feeling while reading.
The main characters grabbed my heart and still haven't let go of it... I loved Harriet's personal development and enjoyed the romance, even if it was quite short.

Highly recommended to anyone who enjoys an empowering and heartwarming story with some romance!

Thank you to the author and publisher who provided me with an e-copy of this book via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I'm a huge fan of Mhairi McFarlane's books and this one was no exception! It has everything you could want in a romantic comedy - plot twists, a swoon-worthy love interest and laughs all around.

I loved Harriet's journey through this book, not only romantically but also how she learns to deal with her past and listen to her instincts. The tension between Harriet and Cal is great and I couldn't wait to find out what would happen next between them, my only complaint is that I wanted to see more of him and their evolving relationship!

Overall Mad About You is a fabulous read for any McFarlane fans and those new to her work!

Thank you to Netgalley, the author and the publisher for an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

A great read. I really enjoyed this book. It’s the type of story you can curl up on the sofa with a big mug of tea and read until the end.

Another winning read from the brilliant Mhairi McFarlane. I don’t read a lot of romance novels as I find they’re often too predictable and just a bit cheesy, but I know that Mhairi’s novels often strike just the right note, and Mad About You is another success!

The protagonist of this story, 30-something-year-old photographer Harriet, is likeable and feels like a well-rounded character. We follow her as she breaks up with fiance John and moves in with Cal, her newly single landlord. They don’t exactly hit it off to start with but Harriet’s feelings soon start to shift…

Obviously, there’s plenty about this book that is predictable. You know some of what will happen from early on, but this book doesn’t just put Harriet and Cal’s feelings for each other at its center. Instead, we see Harriet have to face elements from her past and people in it who have not treated her – and others – well. The romance for Harriet is almost on the side and I liked this. The journey Harriet and some of the other characters go on is humorous and fun and I really enjoyed Harriet’s relationships with her girl mates too. There are plenty of moments that are lucky coincidences but it’s all written well. If you fancy a contemporary romance read but don’t want something too ridiculous or overly sweet, this is one for you!

With brilliantly written characters and some definite laugh out loud moments, this is not your usual romcom read. Emotional and full of soul searching decisions, Mad About You is a heartfelt story about Harriet. I really felt for her from the very beginning - her backstory as we come to learn over the course of the book, is not an easy one. I loved her friendship with Lorna - one of those ‘say it as she’s sees it’ friend we all need in our lives. This is one of those easy to read books which hits hard with some of its topics and is one to certainly make you feel.

Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for an early review copy.

If I could give this book more than five starts I would.

The story was funny in places, as well as having some parts to. The issue of domestic violence was addressed very well. The characters, I’d love to be friends with.

I love how Harriet and Lorna were together, and what made me laugh was somethings that Lorna said. I just didn’t want this story to end, making me want to read till the end.

Cannot wait for Mhairi’s next book.

Highly recommend this book.

This is the story of Harriet, a wedding photographer who doesn't believe in marriage herself who finds herself single again after her boyfriend proposes. Of course now she has to find somewhere new to live and manages to move in with Cal who it would seem has been doing a bit of running away himself lately!

This is such a fantastic story and a joy to read from start to finish. I'm slowly working my way through all of Mhairi's books and wondering to myself why i hadn't been reading them sooner!

A definite must read book!

Synopsis:
Harriet is a wedding photographer in a long term relationship but the last thing she wants is to be married. After a surprising proposal, she leaves her boyfriend and is forced to find somewhere else to live. What are the odds that her new landlord is one of the grooms from a previous disaster wedding? The two are an unlikely pair but Harriet might need Cal in order to face some truths of her past.

Opinion:
I think this was quite a complex novel for a romance. I wouldn’t say it is a definitive romantic novel but more focussed on Harriet’s self journey and overcoming a lot of obstacles from her past. There’s some tough themes of parental loss and emotional violence within relationships. I think the romantic aspect lacked and it felt like it was thrown in as an afterthought with the scene of miscommunication at the end and a flimsy epilogue however no other romantic scenes are there. I think my favourite aspect of the novel is the characters. They are all perfectly written with authentic personalities that makes the story raw and plausible.

Overall, it was a pretty entertaining novel that focuses on facing troubles of your past and personal growth. I do recommend this book but it is not a fluffy romantic comedy like the blurb or cover suggest but actually more leaning towards womens fiction

I enjoyed Mad about You. It was a good storyline with mostly likeable characters that kept me reading. It's not my normal genre but I enjoyed it and would read more by this author in the future.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for my ARC.

Another stormer from Mhairi McFarlane. I think her books are now my go-to for contemporary women's experience, they're written with fantastic depth of thought and cracking wit. Pleasingly her characters come with flaws, flaws that must be acknowledged and learned from, but she writes them with a kindness and always explanation of why it's come to this. It's a romance - and one you are rooting for, because Cal is dreamy - but above that Mad About You is about sisterhood, looking out for one another and standing tall. A brilliant read.

This is the first time I have read a book by this author and I wasn’t disappointed.
Not only is it a romance novel covering the life (and loves) of Harriet’s life, it also covers gaslighting in a previous relationship of Harriet’s, the end result of this is so good, you wish you could see it happening!
The slow bubble of Harriet and Cal although you know what will happen, the way it develops keeps you smiling.
A fantastic novel and I will certainly pick up more from this author in the future.

Thanks to Netgalley and HarperCollins for this arc in return for my review.

Normally I start my reviews with my own twist on the blurb, but I’m breaking the mould in this instance as I found this books summary to be quite misleading.

Whilst it does contain an element of romance I felt as though it was dressed up as an enemies to lovers trope and that was far from the truth. What I got felt more like a focus on the main protagonist rebuilding herself and her life after a toxic relationship. Gaslighting and emotional abuse are tough subjects, and I believe McFarlane’s depiction was skilfully tactful, especially considering it was woven into a story that contained more than one comedic scenario.

As anticipated , “Mad About You” was filled with realistic and relatable characters and whilst I didn’t particularly warm to Harriet I though Cal, Lorna and Sam were brilliant and I could genuinely imagine them all hanging out together in real life!

I think this book will be a mixed bag due to the deceptive marketing, which is a shame. I feel a lot of people, myself included, will review this unfavourably due to the need to adjust their expectations of the story.

Harriet is not happy when her boyfriend proposes which leads to her leaving him and moving in to a house share with Cal. She doesn't know till she gets there that Cal is the runaway groom from one of the weddings she was the photographer at. Both of them have issues from the past which still have a hold over them, which we find out as the book progresses.
A great read with some surprises along the way.

I am very grateful to Past Me, the one who knew she didn't need to read the synopsis for this book, just trusted it was McFarlane and she would not let me down. I was greatly rewarded for my faith.

Harriet Hatley is a wedding photographer and while she may be brilliant at capturing the magic of other people's special days, she has no desire to have one of her own. She's then thrown into a whole heap of problems, some of them crazy, some of them heart-breaking but all of them are endearing.

That's what McFarlane does so well- she understands people. Every character and their actions are so deeply relatable and understandable that they're vivid to read about. She puts her characters into the occasional ridiculous situation but they mostly reside in the mundaneness of everyday life. Just like the rest of us. You get to read a few 'I wish I'd been there' events but everything feels like you actually were there.

Also, this woman knows what she's talking about with the setting; the references to various areas of the city were like a guided tour around the place (especially when it's one you know well).

This book's approach to featuring a romance but not being all consumed by it is heartening. It was such a relief that it wasn't another story of the protagonist rapidly changing her views on relationships just because the 'perfect man' came along. Harriet is the type of woman we should all aspire to be: confident, moral and charming. Although if a few less of the calamities could occur in real life, that would be wonderful.

There's a great line from the acknowledgements that sums up this novel perfectly:
This story is about female solidarity and I couldn't write it if I didn't know it.