Mhairi McFarlane is my girllllll so she's an auto buy author. I loveeee her stories and feel so blessed when I get to read them.

This one is no different. It manages to deliver razor sharp dialogue, funny and witty writing, exploration of difficult topics such as coercive and emotionally abusive relationships, while still having all the swoon. Loved it.

Wow what an emotional roller coaster that was! While this book is all about relationships it is mostly definitely not your traditional romance. Instead it touches on things that while very much present around us are sadly often shrouded in secrecy and denial - namely emotional abuse, gaslighting and whatever other names it goes by.

Harriet is a wedding photographer. She lost her parents at a young age and was raised by her grandparents. She has a very close knit circle - her boyfriend Jon and her two best friends Lorna and Roxanne. As the book begins, Harriet and Jon are on their way to a country hotel to celebrate the 40th wedding anniversary of his parents. Harriet cannot think of anything worse as Jon’s parents always look down their noses at her and Jon just laughs it off. However not even she could have imagined how bad it would be.

This results in her looking for somewhere else to stay and when Roxanne (an Estate Agent) finds her a house share her first instinct is to say no as she wants her own space. However she loves the house and the room does have its own en-suite. Her landlord is a 30 something man just out of a long-term relationship and while they start off tentatively on eggshells they soon progress to becoming friends.

One would think the story is about Harriet and Cal but this is just a tiny part of it. It’s more about Harriet and her facing the demons and traumas of her past. I won’t go into anymore detail than that as I don’t want to spoil the story for anyone but it is so cleverly written and makes you realise that no-one knows what goes on behind closed doors or how much someone can ruin your life.

I thorough recommend this book. I would like to thank Netgalley for an advanced read copy of this book in exchange for an honest and unbiased review.

📚 r e v i e w 📚
mad about you by mhari mcfarlene.
people who say they don’t like romance novels have never read mhari mcfarlene and it shows.
mhari mcfarlene’s romances are for people who don’t want all that ‘lovey dovey nonsense’. they’re romances with substance. so if you’d like me to prove to you that romance isn’t a terrible genre - pick up a mhari mcfarlene, this is a good one to start with and lucky for you, it’s out now!
with mad about you, the romance takes a backseat, the main attraction is our mc harriet and her growth after coming out of two toxic relationships. considering the subject matter, there are laugh out loud moments galore and as is typical for mhari mcfarlene, a group of loveable and relatable characters. just be aware that toxic relationships and emotional abuse feature heavily. thanks to @netgalley and harper collins for the early copy.
mad about you is out now.
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I’d like to thank NetGalley and Harper Collins for approving me for an ARC of this book.

From the synopsis you might think that this is a love story and in some ways it is. Mad About You follows the story of Harriet, a wedding photographer, who has just ended her long term relationship to Jon. From the minute Harriet broke things off with Jon I knew I was going to like her. This is a woman who knows her own mind and though she wasn’t cruel to Jon she was firm whilst try to remain friendly.

This break up is what leads her to moving into Cal’s rented room. Lets just say that things got off to a shaky start with these two and there were more than a few laugh out loud moments along the way! It was obvious from the beginning that these two would end up together but like I said the romance is only a small part of this story.

I also have to give a mention to Harriet’s best friend, Lorna. Every woman out there needs a friend like Lorna, she’s brutally honest but fiercely loyal. She’s the kind of friend that would drop everything she’s doing to help you but cross her and you’ll live to regret it!

As the story progresses we learn more about Harriet and why she is so cautious with relationships. Mhairi McFarlane tackles difficult subjects such as gas lighting, coercion and abuse without making the reader feel depressed as well. It’s really important to shed more light on these topics and help not just those involved feel that they can talk but help those who haven’t experienced it understand more.

There were moments of tears, times when I was grinning from ear to ear and one particular moment when I fist pumped the air from pure satisfaction! This was my first Mhairi McFarlane but it definitely won’t be my last.

I loved this book! Such fantastic writing and character building.

Harriett, newly single, moves in as a lodger in Cal’s spare room. They don’t get off to the best start to say the least! We follow Harriett as she explores newly single life, trying not to let her past define her.

Please check the trigger warnings.

Thank you to Net Galley and the author for the opportunity to read and review the book.

I so loved this story and Mhairi tackles the sensitive topic of domestic abuse and coercive control with sensitivity in a way that rings true but doesn't conflict with the warmth of the broader story. Great characters, a real 'will they / won't they' vibe that's simply a pleasure to read.

Brilliantly funny and deeply moving, 'Mad About You' is an important book which deconstructs coercive control. Mhairi McFarlane demonstrates the same lightness of touch as Marian Keyes, allowing her to tackle challenging subject matter without depressing the reader. There's more than one way to skin a cat and Mhairi McFarlane's way is my jam. The honesty expressed in depicting Harriet's experience is heart-breakingly raw. There's so much to get upset and angry about in this book, but there are loads of laughs too and some real kickass moments of power. I'm a huge fan of Mhairi McFarlane and, whilst it's nigh on impossible to choose a favourite, I think 'Mad About You' might just be her best yet.

Thanks to NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review this book. This is my first by this author but won’t be my last! A warm, funny, uplifting read it is perfect for when you want a light read but still with depth. With great writing and characters, I really enjoyed this and would highly recommend it.

I absolutely loved this book. Yes it’s a cracking “will they won’t they?” love story but it is also a tale of friendship through thick and thin. The portrayal of domestic violence and coercive control is thought provoking and really well described. Highly recommended.

When Harriet comes across her controlling, narcissistic ex, events she’d not planned start rolling along, gathering speed and nastiness.
This is great, optimistic story, starring The Sisterhood - grown up women helping each other.
A perfect poolside read (sunglasses hide the tears!)
Thank you to NetGalley for providing this book for review.

Mhairi McFarlane is one of those authors whose books I always want to read without even checking what they are about first! They are books I unfailingly enjoy and this was no exception.

It’s such an insightful look into broken relationships and coercive controlling relationships which sounds like it’s going to be heavy going but with the author’s skilful writing, it isn’t. There’s a fair bit about the power of social media to destroy a reputation by implication and how people can jump on a bandwagon without knowing the full facts.

Female friendship is strong in the book with Harriet having the support of Roxy and Lorna, although one of them gets taken in by another of the characters and lets Harriet down. It was great to see women standing up for each other in many ways throughout the book and sometimes being very courageous to do so. There’s one particular scene near the end which almost had me cheering out loud for the women as someone gets their comeuppance!

There are serious issues dealt with in the book but there is also a gorgeous, slow burn romance. And there is Mhairi McFarlane’s trademark humour throughout giving a lighter touch and making this a joyful and uplifting read.

With Mad About You, Mhairi McFarlane has retained her crown as Queen of the Romcom. I loved it!

Another good book from Mhairi McFarlane. Billed as a romcom but so much deeper tan that. Tricky subjects well tackled. Again believable characters.

Fantastic, I don’t know what else to say. I really liked the main characters, all of them were so well written. I wanted to do murderous things to Scott though! A fun fresh author who I’ll definitely be reading more of

Jedes Buch der Autorin ist noch besser als das vorherige.

Wieder hat es Mhairi McFarlane geschafft und mich mit ihrem neuen Roman restlos begeistert. Sie schafft es mühelos, humorvolle und zugleich immer tiefgründigere Geschichten zu erzählen, die mich packen und einfach nicht wieder loslassen.

Als der Freund der Hochzeitsfotografin Harriet ihr bei einer Familienfeier einen Heiratsantrag macht, trennt sie sich von ihm. Sie mietet ein Zimmer bei einem Unbekannten, der sich als gar nicht so unbekannt herausstellt. Cal ist der Bräutigam, der seine Braut bei einer Hochzeit, für die Harriet engagiert war, vor dem Altar stehen gelassen hat. So fängt die Bekanntschaft der beiden nicht besonders gut an. Als dann noch Harriets Ex vor der Tür steht und Cal verprügelt, denkt sie, es kann kaum schlimmer werden. Doch dann wird alles noch viel schlimmer.

Wie immer bei McFarlanes Geschichten ist die Lovestory auch dieses Mal eher nebensächlich, viel mehr steht die weibliche Hauptfigur und deren Vorgeschichte im Mittelpunkt. Und eben diese Vorgeschichte hat es absolut in sich. Und wie immer bei McFarlanes Geschichten entwickelt sich die Hauptprotagonistin zu ihrem Vorteil weiter, fast wie in einem Bildungsroman. Und diese Entwicklung beim Lesen mitzuverfolgen fasziniert mich eins um andere Mal mehr.

Eine tolle Geschichte einer brillanten Autorin. Freu mich schon jetzt auf ihr nächstes Buch! 😍📕

I've read all of Mhairi's other books and was really looking forward to this one coming out. I know she's often called a rom com writer but there's always so much more depth aswell (not that I'm down on a good old rom com - it's actually really hard to write a good one!). This one touches on themes of online shaming and gaslighting but is also gloriously funny and wise as always. She never disappoints.

I love the writer’s style, so I read this book so quickly! Really hard to put down a story like this one.

Apparently a romcom, but there is so much more to it. Important themes are treated, such as stalking and gaslighting.
I believe it is important to talk about domestic abuse and Mhairi does it brilliantly.

I didn’t know Mhairi McFarlane’s work until I read “If I Never Met You”. I liked her writing style because, it is not exactly the typical rom com, where everything is focused on the romance. It brings other aspects in the story as well and I like that. That was also the case with “Last Night” so she’s now on my list of authors I enjoy reading! Therefore, when I got to see there was a new book coming up, I wanted in!

In “Mad About You” we have Harriet Hatley, a 34 year old woman who is a wedding photographer. She’s really good at her job too, she’s one of the two top Leeds wedding photographers. However, she’s not that into marriage. She avoids romance and prefers to be in charge of herself. She is however in a long time relationship, which she sees coming to an end. Her boyfriend though does not share this feeling and he proposes in front of his whole family. Harriet feels trapped and agrees, only to cancel the engagement as soon as the two of them are alone. She needs to find a place of her own immediately! She can no longer stay at his house.

Thankfully, Cal Clarke has a spare room to let and she does exactly that through an agency where Roxy, Harriet’s friend works. Harriet get’s to be the first one enquiring for the room and becomes Cal’s next logger. Cal is a hopeless romantic who just had his own wedding disaster, so we welcomes the company, though, not from the start! Eventually, the two of them become friends and as the time goes by, it becomes pretty clear that more than friendship is on the line. But when Harriet’s big secret comes to light, her world collapses to pieces. The domino effect seems to affect her career, her friendships, even her reputation, so Harriet needs to face her past to move to the future.

I loved it that once again, Mhairi McFarlane gave us so much more than a romance novel! We get to see how a woman, that has suffered a loss at an early age, has come to live her life under certain beliefs. How it is to not have someone to turn to, when needed, and also to have friends, like Lorna, that are more than family. This story is about so many things. About being in relationships without full heartedly commit to them, without feeling so in love, but being there because it makes us feel comfortable. Until it doesn’t, or at least we can no longer stand how uncomfortable it is. It is about abusive relationships, and how easily one can become a victim. And it’s also about helping each other and protecting future victims.

I did like how we got to see real life characters again, and friendships we could relate to, fortunately or not. I also liked how the characters evolved throughout the story and along with them, the romance as well! We definitely shouldn’t jump into conclusions without knowing the whole picture!

All in all, another great book by Mhairi McFarlane! She’s still one of the authors I’ll always read and recommend!

Thank you to NetGalley & HarperCollins UK, HarperFiction for an advance copy of this book. The views expressed are my personal and honest opinion.

Mhari Macfarlane is one of my favourite authors so I was SO excited to read the arc of Mad About You. Although I didn’t think this was her best work, she knows how to write a bloody good romance. Always such likeable and relatable characters and dreamy men that just happen to be romantic and kind and everything you would wish for in a partner. Always a win.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for an ARC of this book. I have chosen to write this honest review voluntarily.
This book is about Harriet, a 34-year-old woman, and her relationships, I expected a romcom as in the header. There were numerous references to tv shows and characters which I didn't get because I haven't seen the programmes. The behaviour of Harriet and her friends and their everyday speech was juvenile, barely the level expected of adolescents rather than mature adults and was not to my taste. I gave up reading at 40%.

This book is quite an emotional read, well written and whilst it mentions abuse, it deals with a touchy subject whilst also interjecting comedy at times to offset it. A good read.