The story
Harriet is a wedding photographer whose partner Jon is ready to propose. She isn’t sure she is ready to get married to him though. When they break up, she fits a shared room to rent and coincidentally it’s in the same house of a groom who recently left his bride at the altar although she doesn’t realise that until she meets his friend Sam who was the best man at his wedding that didn’t happen.

My thoughts
I have really loved all the previous Mhairi McFarlane books I have read before and was thrilled to be offered this eARC by the publisher. I loved this story. It’s not a typically HEA romance and I am not sure if it is in fact a romance story. There are a lot of deep and sad issues being covered (death of parents at a young age, emotional abuse, cyber bullying, a break up) but there is also deep reliance on the love and support of friends (some old, some new). Trying not to give away any spoilers, but I loved reading this story. ❤️❤️❤️

This was simply fantastic! My third McFarlane book did not disappoint and I will definitely read everything she writes. Her books are equal parts witty and emotional with very real issues and real relationships. I’m simply enamored with her writing style. If you’re a fan of contemporary fiction, I can’t recommend this enough. She’s comparable to Marian Keyes in terms of style (one of my favorite authors). I loved this just as much as Just Last Night and more than If I Never Met You. There is romance in it, but the books I’ve read by her always have that take a backseat to the bigger issues the MC is going through. On that note, Cal was just chef’s kiss and a worthy, believable slow burn. I loved the relationships between all of the characters (the good and the ugly) and I had some great laughs (comparing the boyfriend’s family to Game of Thrones? Priceless). McFarlane does a great job touching on difficult subjects and does so in such a relatable way. I love the exploration of toxic relationships in this one. Bravo, Mhairi McFarlane! This is a winner.

You know that feeling when you havent read a book by a particular author for a while, then read one of their books and wonder why you've left it so long to read something by them again? That is the feeling I have right now.

This book was absolutely brilliant, it discusses some sensitive subjects but handles it really well. It's a story of self discovery, courage, friendship and love. It's an emotional roller coaster but I loved it!

Mhairi McFarlane is one of my favourite authors, I love the witty style of her writing and would always purchase her latest book without even reading the synopsis. Mad about You is the story of wedding photographer Harriet, who is pressured into accepting a wedding proposal from her long-term “safe” partner in front of his quite frankly dreadful family. To the relief of her friends, as fast as she can Harriet withdraws her acceptance and ends her relationship resulting in a new home, new housemate and also a visit from a ghost from the past. This is pinnacle to the storyline and helps the reader understand and empathise with Harriet’s life decisions. The coercive, controlling and emotional abuse aspect of the story was completely unexpected for me and sent shivers up my spine thinking of what the outcome for Harriet may have been. This raises such an important topic which isn’t discussed enough, the impact that an emotional abuser can have on their partner and how isolated they can become from friends and family. Fortunately our Harriet found the strength and courage to face her abuser, with the help and support from some friends both old and new along the way. The solidarity, support and love between Harriet and Lorna is the kind of friendship that women aspire to have. Hilariously, the same cannot quite be said for Roxanne.. I didn’t predict her new tinder shag/lover!

If you have read any of Mhairi’s previous books you’ll certainly enjoy Mad about You. Fans of Lindsey Kelk, Paige Toon and Sarah Morgan will also not be disappointed, Mad about You is the type of book you can lose yourself in and will be a fantastic summer read.

It's the first book I read by this author and I appreciated the style of writing but I wasn't a fun of the story that mixes rom-com with serious topics.
I assume it's one of those "it's me not the book" but it's not my cup of tea.
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine

You're always in safe hands with a Mhairi McFarlane book and this was no exception; joy from start to finish. '

Mad about You' is about Harriet, a wedding photographer in a relationship with Jon, which is surely heading towards marriage and children together. When Jon asks Harriet to marry him on a family anniversary weekend with his over bearing family. Harriet says reluctantly says yes, but very quickly realises that this will be a mistake and calls it off. This means moving out and she finds a house share with Cal to tide her over.

The two of them quickly realise that their paths have crossed before, as Cal was the groom who called his wedding off right at the last minute, and Harriet was the wedding photographer hired by the bride to capture the romantic day. They start to become friends as housemates, along with the erstwhile Best Man Sam, but Jon, Harriet's ex, pops up to confront the pair, then Kit, Cal's ex, also turns up to cause a scene, and they decide its easier for all if Harriet moves out. There's then a story-line with another ex, but I wont give too much away....

Funny, engaging, entertaining and romantic in all the best ways - loved it!

I could not put this book down. I don't know what it is about Mhairi McFarlane writing and stories but I have enjoyed every one I've read. The characters are very relatable, there's the right mix of funny, realness, emotion. It just sucks me in till I get to the end and feel sad there isn't anymore. More, please!

I haven't read any books by this author before and whilst this one kept me entertained for an evening or two, it hasn't exactly inspired me to seek out her other titles.
For me, it was a strange mix. Romance novels are often a little unrealistic and that's fine. I enjoy a bit of escapism, accept that stories might be a little far-fetched and characters rather exaggerated. But this one suddenly veered onto the more serious subject of coercive control / abusive relationships and then online bullying, and it felt like a strange mix.
The way the women clubbed together to seek justice/revenge on the ex who'd been the abuser was totally far-fetched and unrealistic.
I think novels can tackle serious topics in a humorous way but the characters just didn't feel real enough to me so I don't think it worked here. Hence the three stars.

I love every single one of Mhairi’s books and this was no exception, but it does hit a little differently, but in a very gentle, sweet way, and in a way that I think we all need at the moment. Read in one sitting, I was so caught up in the story and the characters - another hit.

Harriet Hatley has just finished with her boyfriend. To the world he's perfect. Rich, handsome and in love with her. To Harriet he's not the one and certainly not the one to marry. Which is strange for her to say as she's a wedding photographer
As she moves out and into a house share she discovers Cal. A perfect housemate but they share an interesting coincidence. As much as they get on, their connection makes living together difficult especially when ex's get in the way.
As a previous ex boyfriend sets about destroying her career, Harriet realizes she has few people to turn too.
This would make the perfect rom com movie. I can already see in my mind who would play the characters. Mhari McFarlane certainly doesn't disappoint.
Many thanks to netgalley and the publisher for the opportunity to see an ARC

2022 is proving to be an underwhelming reading year. With the exception of Either/Or
by Elif Batuman and re-reads, I have only dished out 3, 2 and even a few 1 star ratings. So, when I got an arc for Mad About You I was convinced that McFarlane would be the one to break this cycle…regrettably that did not happen. Having loved her last two releases, If I Never Met You and Last Night, I was fully prepared to fall for Mad About You. After all, in my review for Last Night, I described McFarlane as a writer who outdoes herself with each new book. Sadly, Mad About You proved to be the exception to that rule as it felt very much like a step back rather than forward. It actually reminded me of McFarlane’s early releases (by no means bad but definitely not as good as her later ones). The pacing was rather meandering, Harriet was not a particularly memorable main character, and the romance was, to be quite frank, subpar.
Like most of McFarlane’s releases, the book begins with a breakup, this time initiated by our heroine rather than her partner. Harriet is a wedding photographer in her thirties who has no interest in getting married. She lives with her boyfriend, who is from a very posh and snobby family who have never shown her any warmth or genuine affection. We learn that Harriet is an orphan who was raised by her grandparents (who have also passed away). Additionally, early on in the narrative, there are hints that point to Harriet having had a traumatic experience in her 20s. She doesn’t really open up to her boyfriend and feels guilty about it. When he puts her on the spot however Harriet realizes that he isn’t the Nice Guy he tries so hard to make himself out to be. Harriet rushes to find somewhere else to live and ends up living with Cal Clarke. When they find out that they are exactly strangers to each other things get a little bit awkward and Harriet overhears Cal making some rather disparaging remarks about her.
Turns out they both have rather complicated relationship histories. Cal’s ex is very cartoonish and a lot of her inappropriate behaviours are played up for laughs. The story doesn’t take Harriet’s exes as lightly and much of the narrative delves into the repercussions of having been in an emotionally abusive relationship. Harriet eventually bonds with women who have experienced what she has and together they decide to confront their abuser. Things don’t go smoothly and the story also touches on the way internet mob mentality works. Harriet and Cal’s relationship didn’t entirely convince me as we get few ‘domestic’ scenes where we just them hanging out in the house or interacting while doing everyday things like cooking etc. That would have added realism to their living situation but we always seemed to get scenes where they are either confronting their exes or dealing with some other drama. I did find the way Harriet’s abusive relationship is handled to be a bit a la daytime tv. Usually, I love the way McFarlane portrays friendships but here Harriett’s friends amounted to nothing. There is the good-funny friend and the backstabbing-bad friend. There was no nuance to them and consequently, they did not come across as believable people. The love interest was such a non-person and consequently I never felt any chemistry between him and Harriet. It would be nice if McFarlane didn't always go for a white handsome guy as her lead...
I found the pacing slow and repetitive. The story spends too much time on Harriett’s shitty exes and very little time on developing her character. Her relationships with Cal and her best friend felt very superficial.
Also, at one point someone references Netflix’s Bridgerton which came out in December 2020…and yet no mentions of covid (as far as i remember of course). Is this book set in an alternate reality? it was a minor thing but it took me out nonetheless.
I’m sorry to say that I found Mad About You to be a surprisingly disappointing read. Hopefully, McFarlane’s next book will see her going back to form.

This was one heck of a page turner with so many unforseen twists and turns. Absolutely BRILLIANT!! I wish I'd started it early in the morning and been able to read it in one sitting. It was painful having to put it down!

Mad About You follows Harriet, who after a terrible breakup finds herself letting a room in Cal's house. Cal, himself however has a bad breakup story of his own.

I wanted to love this book (I really did) but there was way too much going on and too many things crammed into a single book, because there were so many plot points I felt as though each one wasn't explored as much as it could have been and that made the ending seem very rushed in my opinion.

It's also marketed as a romance book which I don't think it is, I think the cover and description are pretty misleading as it's more general fiction with a romance subplot in the very last part of the book (it literally began when I was 90% in on my Kindle).

I like Mhairi McFarlane's writing but this one sadly wasn't for me.

I’ve enjoyed writing from this author previously and her writing never disappoints. This plot was good and it kept me reading, I love how the author handled sensitive topics too and the wedding scene was fabulously written.

Loved it! The mix of characters and the unusual story line made for a truly memorable read.
It also made me think about the power of modern day social media, how quick things spread, so it was nice that this was a good part of the book.
Didn't realise how many books Mhairi McFarlane has written.....I need to read more!
Thank you netgalley

Loved!

This novel’s plot is misleading as it makes you think it is about Harriet and Cal moving in as the main story however it’s not, it is about her disastrous ex’s which are interesting to read about in this journey.

Harriet’s life is ironic. For someone that hates weddings and is completely cyclical she works as a wedding photographer and is in a relationship with a snob who’s family is all about doing things “right”. She makes some questionable decisions as her character does make me roll my eyes with her cynicism.

When she finally dumps Jon I started laughing out loud. She became very relatable so fast. In terms of ridiculous psychopaths as exes and their mothers on top of that.

I found Harriet to be so relatable with the whole crazy exes and the lengths they go to to make YOU seem like you’re the one with the problems. When we hear about Scott – talk about toxic-ness because he is just ugh. Words cannot describe this douche.

I enjoyed how the novel unfolded and how they came to the final ending. It teaches Harriet who her true friends are and the reasons behind most peoples reasoning that we come across.

Friendships are made, friendships are lost however life lessons are made whilst having a great time in doing so within this novel. I loved this author’s writing style from the get-go.

Hilarious and entertaining. I would love it if this was a movie to see it come to life.

Thank you to the publishers for sending me this in exchange for an honest review.

Another great romantic comedy from Mhairi! definitely an auto buy author for me and this one didn’t disappoint! Great characters and really quick and enjoyable read! Thankyou for the ARC!

I came across Mhairi’s work last year with “Last Night”, and was instantly drawn to her writing. She has this great balance between funny, light-hearted parts, and a heavy quality; there’s a number of serious conversations.

Where I think Mhairi excels is her character writing. Whether the character is a “goody” or a “baddy” or tween, they are fully rounded and never over-the-top just for entertainment purposes. It is quite light on plot, but it means the emphasis can be mainly on the characters and their development. Some of the things the characters did or said maid me a little uncomfortable and embarrassed for them - almost as if they were real people and I was being regaled their trials and tribulations.

If I’m honest, there is a certain amount of predictability about the ending, which can be taken in a positive and negative light. But for me, I know what I’m getting when I read a Mhairi McFarlane book, and I’m never disappointed by what I get.

I enjoyed this book but got a bit lost at times - it’s an age thing, I don’t really understand the powers of Facebook, twitter and social media in general.
However it had a nice theme and emotional abuse is very hard to deal with

As brilliant, funny and romantic as I've come to expect of Mhairi, this is another great romantic comedy from the queen of the genre.