Ok, so this is without a doubt my favourite of her books now! I’ve read all the others, mostly via audiobook as she always has great narrators, and I will definitely have to get the audio of this when it’s out.
Harriet is a really interesting character who manages to be likeable & relatable whilst having issues and in seeing how she grows across the course of the story was really fun!
Taking some standard romance tropes and turning them on their head is really cool and it also focuses on topics like friendship, setting your boundaries & gaslighting.
I know this is going to become a much loved favourite and can’t wait to see everyone rave about it!

It has been a long time since I have picked up a Mhairi McFarlane book but when I read the synopsis for Mad About You I knew this was one I wanted to read.

Mad About You is a rollercoaster of a read, in true Mhairi form the book has a witty charm and the beginning of the book pulls you in with a light hearted start as we meet our main character Harriet who is a wedding photographer but she certainly doesn’t want to get married herself which she has made perfectly clear, or so she thought, to partner Jon!

As the storyline moves along the tone of the novel begins to gain more depth and has a more serious undercurrent as we discover a disturbing situation that Harriet faced in her previous relationship. By this point we have formed a bond with Harriet and when it looks like her past is going to come back to haunt her it brings out both anger and sympathy for her.

Friendships and relationships are tested as well as new ones forming which brings hope and lightness to this story. Cal who is Harriet’s live in landlord is a wonderful supportive character who has his own demons that we watch unravel but he also provides some entertainment along the way.

I think I would actually go as far as to say this is probably up there as my favourite by this author and is certainly one I would recommend for anyone looking for something with real life situations coated with a little wit and romance.

Whoopee! Such a brilliant read about friends and relationships. Harriet, a wedding photographer appeared to be bad at picking boyfriends with disastrous results. Thankfully, with the help of true friends life improved and moved on.

Mhairi McFarlane's 'Mad About You' is another tour de force that manages to tackle serious issues woven under the guise of a rom com.

After wedding photographer Harriet Hatley disentangles herself from a relationship that should've long run its course, she ends up lodging with Cal Clarke, a man for whom she has a tenuous connection to. Both are hiding secrets.

Along the way Harriet is forced to deal with her problems in a very public manner, and in the process finds discovers female empowerment (and the denouement left me shedding a bit of a tear).

Like previous books, not everyone is who we think they are or what their reputation says they are. Even Harriet is equally guilty of applying it wrongly to how she first judges Cal. It also examines the dangers of social media and how it's manipulated by others to damage ones reputation - a theme explored in her previous book 'Who's that girl?'.

This book is a slight departure from previous books in that the romance is sidelined a lot more due to all the other story threads. But its nonetheless beautiful watching it slowly unfurls. Cal is wonderfully supportive - just there in her corner, even when she doesn't realise it and thinks poorly of him based on his reptuation.

With respect to the friendships - what I will always contend is the main romance of all McFarlane's books - we also see a toxic friendship played out.

The book has all the Mhairi McFarlane trademarks - northern UK lass dealing with life changes, toxic men and the power they wield to hurt women, strong friendships (I loved Lorna and Harriet's friendship, as well as Cal and Sam's), and of course the swooniest love interests, with heavy doses of wit and snarky observations.

This is definitely a top book of 2022.

Special thanks to Netgalley and HarperCollins UK for the ARC. I have pre-ordered my own copy (Mhairi is an autobuy for me).

After lots of people telling me how good her books were, I’ve finally discovered Mhairi McFarlane. I now wish I had listened sooner!
This has to one of the best contemporary fiction books I’ve read for a long time.
It’s beautifully written, touching, funny and relatable. This book will stay with you a long time and is one that I highly recommend.
I’m off to read the rest of them!

BOOK REVIEW: Mad About You by @mhairimcf

4 Stars

This is my fourth Mhairi McFarlane book and all have been 4+ stars, so I was very excited for this book!

Mad About You is about Harriet, a wedding photographer who is in a long term relationship but definitely doesn't want to get married. The storyline was complex for a romance and had some twists that I didn't see coming. It is a wonderful romance but it also has a focus on gaslighting, manipulation, emotional abuse and cheating. As someone that has unfortunately been in a relationship with gaslighting and emotional abuse, I thought Mhairi covered the subject really well and with care. It was a funny, emotional and ultimately uplifting book.
The lead female Harriet is an absolute star! She is quirky and has brilliant wit. She is the kind of character that you would love to be friends with. I really routed for her and loved getting to know her. She has a vulnerable side and she is very relateable.
The lead male (who I am not naming as if you don't read the blurb then you won't know who he will be and it definitely adds to the enjoyment of the book!) plays a fantastic role. I loved his humour and the way he bounced off Harriet. Their banter was so much fun to read! There are also some fantastic side characters, especially Harriet's best friend Lorna.
The romance is a slow build which I loved and a wonderful part of the story. It provided some wonderful relief from the tougher themes as well.

The writing was so engaging and fun to read. I was hooked from the start and read it in a day as I couldn't put it down! Mhairi is such a great author and knows how to make readers fall in love with her characters.

Overall, a wonderful read and one I most definitely recommend. If you enjoy romance books with depth and can handle the tougher themes then definitely pick up this book! Now I am going to read Mhairi's backlist ASAP!

Please note that I was #gifted this ebook in exchange for an honest review.

As with every other book by Mhairi I've read, I thoroughly enjoyed reading this. I love her writing, her humour, her characters, even the love-to-hate characters. I didn't expect to feel pure rage while reading this though and to me that's the sign of a good writer. My heart was literally pounding at times because of how angry her ex was making me.

The romance was minimal, which I wasn't expecting (and I'm a little sad about) and I felt that the ending was a bit quick and sudden - almost non-descript - but I enjoyed the book nonetheless.

This was perfect, Mhairi McFarlane is one of the best contemp fiction writers around, transcending the usual and taking things deeper and more impactful. Her writing reminds me of Maeve Binchy and Marian Keyes in this way.

This was a fantastic read, with an incredible female protagonist with layers, vulnerabilities and strength. Great story that unwound at a good pace. Totally recommended.

When Harriet breaks off her engagement to Jon she ends up renting a room from Cal Clarke, who ran from the alter at a wedding Harriet was the photographer for. Cue lots of miscommunications, revelations about past relationships and a slow burn romance.

I loved how this book showed women showing up and standing up for each other against a manipulative and abusive man whilst also showing that there are also really great guys who will treat you how you deserve to be treated. Similarly with friends, this book shows how some friends will be there for you no matter what, while others won’t be.

This book covered some serious topics but was also charming and funny. I really enjoyed it and definitely recommend!

Every single book I read by Mhairi makes me fall in love with her writing even more, and this is 100% one of my absolute favourites! The power of seeing Harriet standing up for herself in so many different ways, and her coming together with the others to speak their truth was so beautifully done and the writing had me laughing, crying and just wanting to give everyone the biggest hug.
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I won't say much as it isn't out yet and I don't want to give too much away but let me tell you, I am so in love with Cal, and the ending of this book made me literally sob for an hour so love that for me 😂✌️ I cannot wait for this to be out in the world, and to have my own physical copy! Mhairi forever living up to being one of my fave authors 🥺❤️

"Mad about You" is another great rom-com from Mhairi McFarlane. There are some wonderful characters, both good and bad, who get themselves in to both hilarious and cringe-making situations. If you have ever wondered whether you might be with someone who is controlling you (in a bad way) then read this book to discover some of the subtle ways in which such people operate. Highly recommended.

Thanks to Net Galley and the publishers for the opportunity to review this book.

Thank you to the author, the publisher and Netgalley for giving me this ebook in return for a review.

I felt so privileged to get a copy of this book. I only read my first novel by Mhairi McFarlane last year but was very impressed. So felt very excited to read this one.

It’s a book for people who love romance and books exploring relationships but who really don’t wish to be patronised. This is a light read but with real intelligence behind it. There is no dumbing down here and I adored that about it!

Our main character, Harriet, a wedding photographer, is in a relationship with Jon and at the beginning they’re heading off for a weekend with his family. By the end of the weekend they’ve broken up and despite a relatively happy relationship, Harriet who doesn’t want her own wedding, is on her own.

Harriet is a fascinating character and McFarlane develops her and her relationships so well. Each character is so finely created, with real foibles and strengths.

We learn that part of the reason for her break up with Jon is a previous relationship that went very badly wrong. And how she deals with this and overcoming her family trauma is the main focus of the plot. Her relationship with her landlord forms the romance portion of the plot.

It was a light lovely read and I didn’t want to put it down. I really cared about Harriet and Cal. I thought her relationships with her best friends was just so realistic. The message of female empowerment was inspiring and enjoyable.

I’d have liked more of a development of her relationship with Cal but overall I really enjoyed this book and will be reading as many of Mhairi McFarlane’s books as I can get hold of!

This was a simple, easy and quick read. The perfect type of book for your holiday, beach, pool kind of read. This is a first for me by the author and one I enjoyed and would read more of their work. The book cover is eye-catching and appealing and would spark my interest if in a bookshop. Thank you very much to the author, publisher and Netgalley for this ARC.

Mad About You is a character-driven story with plenty of charm, truth, and Mhairi McFarlane's signature sense of humour.

The wonderful thing about McFarlane's writing style is that it always feels so authentic and candid. Her characters think realistically, the dialogue between them flows like a conversation, and their reactions to events are rarely over the top. Laced within this, is the author’s comedic talent. It shines through the inner thoughts of her characters, but also occasionally in the situations they find themselves facing. This makes her books entertaining and easy to read, even when they cover difficult topics.

While this book started as a romance, it seems to turn into more contemporary fiction with themes of infidelity, loss, gaslighting and coercive control. It's an important topic that's worth discussing, but not what I expected from the plot based on the title, blurb, and first few chapters, so left me feeling disappointed in terms of a love story. The romance took a backseat in this novel and Cal felt more like a side character that just happened to be there. Really, the focus of Mad About You is Harriet's past relationships and her development while trying to move on from them.

This books starts out as a funny and fresh read, but later turns into a sobering and weighty story. As usual, I loved McFarlane’s tone of voice, but the marketing and premise definitely crafted a different expectation in my mind.

Another solid read by Mhairi McFarlane. A very realistic life/romance. The characters were all so spot on and I think most people will have had a Jacqueline, a Jon and sadly even a Scott in their life. But I hope there are more Lornas and Cals. This book had me laughing but also absolutely raging (it's supposed to) and I'm so happy by how things ended up. Was not the book I was expecting, it was a bit darker in some places but there was a perfect mix of this and laughter.

I love a Mhairi McFarlane novel and this latest one didn't disappoint. Harriet breaks up with Jonathan when he proposes to her, realising that's not what she wants. When she gets the chance to rent a room in Cal Clarke's house, she jumps at it. He also happens to be very attractive! She is determined not to get involved however. As always the writing is very amusing, with regular laugh out loud moments, but Mhairi also deals with the subject of coercive control when Harriet meets up with an old boyfriend. The revenge scene is amazing!! I recommend this book as a great read. Thanks to NetGalley for a preview copy.
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A total triumph of that dream we have of the sisterhood dishing out justice to a bad man.
What I love so much about Mhairi is that she isn’t afraid of big issues, drilling down into the pain and exposing us to the nerve endings of life’s worst shitbombs but showing us we can get through it.
So emotionally intelligent, so funny, so relatable and a gorgeous ending. Big up solidarity!

Another barn-stormer from Mhairi McFarlane. Mad About You follows Harriet Hatley as she disentangles herself from a less-than-stellar relationship and, in her rush to find somewhere to live, agrees to move in with a man she's never met only to discover he's got a pretty big skeleton in his cupboard. The type of skeleton we're talking about sits squarely in the romcom division, but as the book progresses, McFarlane expertly weaves in a much darker thread that adds a level of emotion and jeopardy that very few writers handle with such finesse. Mhairi is in a league of her own (as always) mixing gut-wrenching emotions with humour and thrills. The climactic scene had me sweating buckets. Chuck in a swoonsome romance, with a leading man who is hot AF - and you'll be hard-pressed to read a better book this year. I know I will be.

Thanks to netgalley for the chance to read this book.

Harriet a wedding photographer, hates the idea of marriage. Cal jilted his wife to be at the alter. When they become housemates through unlikely events it’s clear they both have pasts they are trying to escape from. Can they move forward by facing the past, changing their future.

Slow starting good picked up towards the end.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with a copy of this book in return for an honest review.

The reason why I decided to request this ARC was that I recently read McFarlane's Just Last Night and it was a truly surprising read, I was caught totally off guard with how the plot developed. Mad About You wasn't that surprising, but I still had a lot of fun with it.

I felt like she could handle well the amount of characters and its many subplots. It didn't get confusing or overwhelming at any time, but I did feel like we could've got more scenes between the main couple. Mostly because they are super adorable and I missed him when the MC was dealing with her other problems.

In short, it was a very nice read and I'll definitely put my hands on the other books (old and new ones) from this author.