Well written romance with underlying tones. It covered the disturbing aspects of a controlling nature by your partner and the influence of social media well. I loved the outing of the ex at the end and also the fact that the McFarlane recognized the behavior of both parties. A well written and enjoyable novel.

I was so so excited to get my hands on the new Mhairi McFarlane book! And somehow they just keep getting better and better! Mad About You completely surpassed my expectations with how brilliant it is.

The story is centred around Harriet Hatley – a wedding photographer who never wants to get married, but finds herself accepting a proposal from ‘the perfect guy’ – before realising things have not been so perfect for a long time.

She moves into a house-share with a stranger – who turns out to be less of a stranger than she would like! And as Harriet learns more about her new housemate – and about her friends – things start to change for the better.

But before Harriet can leave behind her past and move forward, there are some home truths from her ex-fiance that she can’t ignore. And she has to bravely face a difficult time in her life and exorcise some demons first.

This was just a wonderful book to read. As always with Mhairi, the characters are so real and relatable. I instantly connected with Harriet and felt like I was right in the middle of her friendship group. There are brilliant moments of humour – in particular through Harriet’s ex’s family – and some difficult moments too as she goes back to confront a painful relationship and forms some unexpected bonds in the process. There are some awful downs for Harriet – but also some excellent moments of empowerment.

I went through every emotion possible when reading Mad About You! And to top it all off, it is set in my home town of Leeds – I was absolutely delighted reading the mentions of some of my favourite places in the city – Alfred’s bar, Laynes Espresso, Zucco! I loved how Mhairi used real places, and genuine descriptions of how they look and the food they serve – it really made it even more special for me as a Loiner!

I just love books by this author and Mad About You is another triumph!! Our heroine is Harriet. She is a wedding photographer but with one disastrous relationship behind her and and being involved in one dubious relationship now, she doesn't want to get married. When Jon makes a surprise proposal in front of his family, Harriet has to make a big decision - commit to the relationship or walk away. But this is just the beginning! Amongst this we get Harriet's story with her abusive ex and his new fiancée as well as drama from a wedding where the groom scarpered just before the wedding leaving Harriet supporting the best man in dealing with a furious bride!

This book has all the same feels as others by this author but the story is unique. I really liked Harriet and found her very relatable. The author does not shy away from some really heavy topics - cancer, parent death, infidelity, gaslighting, controlling behaviour... and yet this is an absolutely inspiring tale of hope and friendship where lasting relationships can be formed in the darkest of circumstances. There is some great humour in here too with laugh out loud moments. Get your tissues handy for the end though... its perfect but pulls the heartstrings like you wouldn't believe! This author is so skilled at making the reader laugh, cry and be outraged all at the same time!! This is a brilliant book.

I was given a copy of this book from the publisher via Netgalley with no promise of a favourable review.

I really like Mhairi McFarlane, and this book is no exception! Harriet is a wedding photographer who doesn't believe in marriage, and is increasingly unconvinced about her relationship with Jon - and definitely not about putting up with his awful family. There's a tipping point, and Harriet ends up in a house share with a stranger called Cal, who she has an unlikely connection with. An encounter with someone from her past leads to Harriet having to face up to her own history, and take steps to make sure someone else doesn't make the same mistakes.

Bits of the book are very funny, and there are aspects of Mhairi McFarlane's books that you expect to find - like a supportive group of friends, who are genuine, rounded characters. There's also plenty to think about in what relationships look like, what's healthy and what isn't, and how everyone hides aspects of themselves. Every character is believable, from Jon's awful mother to Nina, Harriet's unexpected new friend. I really enjoyed the book, and look forward to the next one!

This was my first Mhairi McFarlane novel and it was an absolute joy to read. I'll be buying her entire back catalogue to read as a result. Her similes and metaphors are just brilliant and I feel like I've met every character she writes in real life.

Loved it, want more.

I bloody love Mhairi McFarlane books – and every time I get one of her ARCs it whizzes to the top of my TBR pile (I recognise I’m an acronym w*nker at this point!!) However I was also a bit nervous. Surely at some point the books couldn’t improve, surely at some point one of them was going to be a bit ‘meh’ – but I shouldn’t have been worried at all. This one is, I think, my favourite to date (admittedly I say this every time!)

Anyway – for those of you who want some info rather than just buying a book because you adore the author – here it is:

“Two strangers.
One big coincidence.
Driving each other crazy is just the beginning…
Harriet Hatley is running away from everything.
Getting married.
Her boyfriend’s family.
Her past.
A dream house-share seems like the perfect place to hide, but her unlikely housemate Cal is no stranger to running away himself. And he’s also hiding secrets of his own . . .
Can these two take a crazy risk, face the past and finally find a reason to stay?”

Just before I started the book, it featured in a Stylist article where Francesca Brown (who I frequently got drunk with over 20 years ago!) wrote: ” It’s also telling that some of the biggest titles in the commercially heavyweight genre of “women’s fiction” aren’t anywhere close to the fluffy romance stories of lazy stereotype either. Mhairi Mcfarlane’s moving Mad About You (out 14 April, £7.99, HarperCollins) explores coercive control”

The book starts with Harriet living with her loaded boyfriend Jon. The relationship ends (fairly spectacularly!) and she moves out, and rents a room with Cal. Her path has crossed with Cal before – although neither of them realise that when she agrees to move in.

The storyline then follows Harriet’s relationship with her friends / Cal / her ex Jon – until everything implodes even more when her path crosses with someone else, this time, an abusive ex. You are given the back story of how he controlled her – it was really very emotional to hear what he did.

Anyway – everything then goes spectacularly tits up! It is so well written – and you are totally rooting for Harriet and her loyal friends – old and new. The build up to the climax is amazing – and so well described, it would make a brilliant film / TV series – it’s epic!

Whilst this is a massively entertaining read – I also honestly think it could help people who are in a situation similar to Harriet was, shining a light on the fact there is a way out.

As expected – it’s another fabulous read from Ms McFarlane.

As Fran’s link says above – it’s out in April and you can pre order it now. A huge thank you to the publisher, NetGalley and Mhairi for the advance review copy.

This book is very powerful and the message it delivers is what is needed in 2022.

There are laugh out loud moments, and parts when you’re grabbing the tissues. This book is beautifully written and captures right from the start.

I highly recommend this book. I can’t wait to come back and read more reviews as I really do hope everyone loves it as much as I did.

My first book I’ve read by Mhairi Mcfarlane but it definitely won’t be my last!

Harriet is a wedding photographer who makes no secret of her lack of desire to wed so when proposed to on a luxury hotel stay with her partner and his family she has some decisions to make.
Harriet's path leads her to some unexpected avenues and old faces crop up in surprising places.
I loved this book, full of heart and hope despite some difficult themes.

Love Mhairi McFarlane so again was delighted to receive a copy for review. And again, Mhairi doesn't disappoint! I love that Mhairi's books are set in the north/Midlands, having lived in Sheffield for a long period, it makes the characters *a lot* more relatable.

This books explores some heavy topics but does so with humour but also giving it the seriousness the topics demand.

I flew through this book and read it in a night, enjoyed it wholeheartedly and can't wait for the next one

I’ve heard so much about this author and she did not disappoint!!! I loved this beautiful book!! I was hooked from the start and I couldn’t put it down

Full of the humour that Mhairi McFarlane is so well known for, this book is a flawless romantic comedy that navigates the highs and lows of relationships. There’s a surprising amount of chapters that many of us will relate to within the pages of this book too – and wonderful lessons to be learnt through the unflappable character of Harriet.

This book is emotional, no doubt about it (especially the last few pages Mhairi McFarlane! You had me on edge there!) but it’s sharp at the same time. There’s no nonsense, just good, heart-warming and uplifting reading.

I would go so far as to say that Mhairi has outdone herself. There, I said it. This is quite possibly her best publication so far, and they’re all pretty fantastic!

Absolutely loved this book and literally could not put it down. When Harriet moved in with Cal I thought it was obvious where the story was going then came the abuse issue. Having been through this I felt quite uncomfortable reading it and had a bit of a wobble but it was extremely well done and perfect in the description. The outcome of that situation was perfect. Being a bit of a romantic I also loved the actual ending and really didn’t want the book to end. I’d give it more stars if I could

Mad About You is Mhairi Macfarlane’s latest release featuring main character, wedding photographer Harriet.

We start off with a bit of a bombshell and Harriet’s life as she knows it unspools around her. From there everything starts to turn upside down, her past comes back to haunt her in a very challenging way. One thing after another seems to go wrong for Harriet.

I found the second half of the book more fast paced than the first half, with a lot more action. The book deals with psychological abuse, the impact of social media and it’s willingness to support unreliable narrators.

I love Mhairi’s writing and would compare it to Lindsey Kelk’s so if you’re a fan of either and haven’t tried the other, do it!

In her 8th book, Mhairi McFarlane weaves an engaging story about the impact of 'bad' break ups and the hope you need to take risks moving forward. She writes with her signature wit and humour tackling complex subjects. The magic of Mhairi McFarlane is to create books whose characters and lives are so well crafted you miss being part of their world when you finish the book. (Copy received via Netgalley in return for an honest review)

This is another charming and witty book by Mhairi McFarlane. The characters feel real and relatable and whilst the romance between Harriet and Cal is cute, I mostly loved the book's portrayal of strong female friendships, sisterhood and solidarity at it's finest. The story is mostly a light-hearted rom-com, although it does touch on some more serious topics - Social Media abuse, gaslighting, cheating and domestic abuse in terms of cohesive control. And whilst the romance does come together quite quickly at the end, this is mitigated by the joy of the showdown - there is something inherently satisfying about seeing the bad guys getting their comeuppance so publically.

At the end, I wasn't quite ready to close the book on these lovely Characters and quite uncharacteristically I decided to read the acknowledgements - Mhairi McFarlane states that she is grateful to have our time, and tries her hardest not to waste it. I can categorically say that she has succeeded in providing excellent entertainment - not a moment of my time was wasted!

Mhairi McFarlane is an Author who's books I will read without even glancing at the blurb; but many, many thanks to NetGallery and Harper Collins Publishers for inviting me to read this book early - I loved that I didn't have to wait for it to come out!

I just loved this book, it’s warm and funny and the characters feel like friends. It is quite a tale which in places seems almost unbelievable but it is so well told that it is totally believable. I had to keep reading to see just what happened next and it never disappointed.

I really enjoyed this book, it was well writteh with well developed charcters that were likeable and relatable and a storyline that was also relatable and humourous. I was totally enagged by this book and couldnt put it down. I really enjoyed it.

I didn’t finish this book as the layout on Kindle wasn’t good. Jumping to the next line midway through a line etc. made the story hard to follow!

I made it through the first few chapters, which I did enjoy. It seems like it’s a great novel but I just couldn’t get over the clunky layout.

A story of Harriet who has had no success with men. The dangers of social media and the affect it can have. Would have liked more of a connection between Cal and Harriet. Harriet came across as a bit cold. Enjoyable story though and great author. Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for letting me review this book.

Thank you Harper Collins and NetGalley for the ARC, this review is my personal, unbiased opinion.

Mhairi McFarlane is one of my favourite authors, I devoured Mad About You in two days.

Harriet Hatley's choice of men has been unfortunate. Her first boyfriend, Scott, was controlling and abusive, the latest Jon, dotes on her but always wants his own way, his family is obnoxious and his mother's remarks to Harriet are venomous.

Breaking up with Jon and urgently requiring somewhere to live, she replies to an advert for a house share and rents a room by telephone sight unseen. Harriet is a successful wedding photographer who thought she's be settled at 35 years old, not living as a lodger in a stranger's home. Upon moving in Harriet discovers her landlord, Cal, is not a stranger, in fact she knows he has a dubious past. Both are wary of each other only to discover things are not always as they initially seem.

The plot begins as a light-hearted rom-com, then shows how the power of social media can utterly destroy an innocent person.

Unputdownable.