A great read from a well loved author. Mhairi Mcfarlane writes a great, lovable story in her new novel.

Wedding photographer Harriet is living with her nice boyfriend. Nice being a word that says very little in my opinion. The relationship is muddling along but that's about it and what Harriet does know, is that she's not interested in marriage. Although her relationship with Jon is 'nice', he's got a lovely apartment and well off so he can shower her with expensive gifts and trips away, the same can't be said for Jon's family whose mother is quite simply trying to gaslight her!
Jon who is besotted with Harriet, despite knowing that Harriet doesn't want to get married, proposes to her in front of his family. She initially says yes not wanting to cause a scene. She immediately breaks it off at the earliest opportunity which as you can imagine doesn't go down well with Jon at all.
Desperate to move out of Jon's house as quickly as possible and both of Harriet's parents having died, Harriet jumps at the chance of a house share with Cal. The house is lovely especially her bedroom with en suite. It wasn't until she recognises one of Cal's friends when he comes round does Harriet realise that Cal is the groom that jilted his bride at the alter of one of the weddings that she was photographer at. what sort of man is this Cal? Cal isn't the only with one with relationship issues as Harriet's ex-boyfriend Jon turns up at the house drunk and some time after, Jon's mother also arrives to tell Harriet what she thinks of her. Just when things can't get any worse, she bumps into her abusive boyfriend from before Jon..
Through all these ups and downs, Harriet realises that Cal isn't the ogre that she initially assumed him to be and that he too has had some disastrous relationships.. In fact Cal's friend describes him as dating 'Hot Thatcher's! Make of that what you will!
Harriet has some wonderful female friends (and some not so wonderful) and Nina and Marianne give her the strength to pull through. She does learn that that there is a special place in hell for women who don't help other women but realises that there is perhaps a special place for those women who did help.
This is an insightful book tackling some tough topics but with some comedy and romance thrown in.
An escapist read for readers of general adult fiction, romance and women's fiction.

I love the way Mhairi McFarlane writes. This is the fifth book I have read by McFarlane and she never disappoints!
I loved the surprising turns this story took. Just as I've read in other reviews, this was definitely less romance than her previous novels, but no less entertaining. I really enjoyed reading as Harriet went on her personal journey.
I rated it 4 stars rather than 5, as I felt sometimes the characters had overly-complex conversations about simple things, which I found myself having to read a few times and pay extra attention to. It was charming, which I think was the intention, but perhaps just a bit unnecessarily wordy. I also found it strange there wasn't a resolution between two certain characters that I was expecting.
Overall, another great book by Mhairi McFarlane, and I look forward to her next one!
Thank you to Netgalley and the publishers for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Loved loved loved this book!

Harriet is a fantastic character and the way the women all come together in this story warms my heart and reminds me I'm a feminist deep down. Then there's Cal. Yummy, lovely Cal who I'm a bit in love with.

This book tackles some serious, difficult themes but does it brilliantly. It's well written and the characters are great. Highly recommended!

I've enjoyed everything Mhairi McFarlane has published, so I went into this knowing I was going to have a good time. Mad About You has everything I love about her writing - sparkling wit, a lovable (sometimes thoroughly detestable) cast, an emotionally rewarding & playful romance between two leads written with equal care and a healthy dash of miscommunication to kick things off. Although it's not my stand-out favourite of her books (too many fond memories of staying up all night devouring Who's That Girl), I read it in one sitting and will certainly be recommending it to any romance fans. A shout-out too to one of the most empowering and cathartic dramatic climaxes I've read recently - that's one wedding I'd definitely want to be at.

Photographer Harriet ditches her fiancé at the altar. Needing somewhere to live, she moves in as a lodger with Cal, who coincidentally ditched his girlfriend at the altar a few weeks earlier. Life can't get much more complicated - or can it? A really enjoyable, hard to putdown book.

Absolutely bloody loved this book! It was gripping from start to finish and I just couldn’t put it down! Harriet is an amazing character. She is so life like that at times I think everyone can resonate with some part of her. Thoroughly enjoyed this book and would recommend it to anybody!

Mad about you.
Mhairi has a unique ability to make me feel every emotion in one story. This one is without a doubt her best book so far. Harriet is a wedding photographer, she’s not looking for love - she’s running away from it. As much as this has comedy running through it, it touches on the very serious subject of domestic abuse. In the form of emotional abuse and coercive control. Having experienced this myself in the past - and having only just acknowledged this, Harriet’s experience of it is both real and heart wrenching. It touches on friendships, bereavement, love & growth. I laughed, I cried and I absolutely loved this book

Mhairi McFarlane’s Mad About You is a wonderful character-driven story that follows Harriet Hatley, a wedding photographer who finds herself in need of a place to stay after rejecting her boyfriend’s marriage proposal. She ends up renting a space with Cal, a runaway groom in need of a roommate. But how can Harriet like a person who would do something like that? Both are avoiding their pasts, but could facing them help them find a future together?

Harriet is such a fantastic protagonist and is so layered and dynamic. She’s smart and funny and a loyal friend, but she is also burdened by her past. Harriet goes on a tremendously emotional journey throughout the book as she learns to be vulnerable, love herself, and let others love her. She also has to deal with things that happened to her in the past, especially when someone from her past resurfaces. I think her character and the situations she finds herself in are very relatable and realistic, and I was so invested in her story and hoping for her to find happiness. Cal is also a fantastic character. He’s so kind and funny, yet he is burdened by the past as well. When Harriet’s past comes back to haunt her, Cal is super supportive and is always there for her. Their relationship is fleshed out well, and I love their slow-building love story. The romance isn’t the main focus of the story, but it’s a lovely part of it. Harriet’s long-time friendship with Lorna is another highlight of the book. These women are so supportive of each other, and they have such a strong bond. And Lorna is fantastic! She’s the kind of best friend everyone needs! Cal has a similar friendship with Sam, and they are so fun together. These healthy and supportive relationships stand in sharp contrast to some of the other toxic relationships Harriet and Sam have experienced.

I always enjoy reading Mhairi McFarlane’s books. They’re smart, fun, and poignant, and this book is no exception. It’s funny and sweet, and it also has a lot of depth. The story addresses serious topics like abuse, infidelity, toxic relationships, loss, and the negative impact of social media, but it maintains a hopeful and positive tone with the strong and uplifting friendships and the possibility of romance.

I loved 'Last Night' for the fabulous writing, dry humour and great characters. But this one felt more serious in tone and definitely not as witty. I also found main character, Harriet, kind of annoying and self-indulgent agreeing with her former best mate Roxy that she brings a lot of the drama on herself and "has a way of making herself the victim, even when she's at fault". At one point Harriet herself even acknowledges that ex-boyfriend "Jon had legitimate complaints" yet still feels he should take responsibility for his actions, also despite his moving on supposedly 'making no difference to her'. Disappointing although I did obviously have extremely high expectations going into this having loved the author's previous book so much.

Review of Mad about You by Mhairi McFarlane

Who doesn't love a good Mhairi McFarlane story? This one certainly doesn't dissappoint. A wonderful tale that had me gripped from the start. I really enjoyed the story and as always very well writted. Five stars

An enjoyable story about ‘growing up’ even when you’re already an adult, proving that we keep learning throughout life, I really enjoyed this story and how the author dealt with issues such as friendship, narcissism, toxic people and relationships, finding what it is that you want in life and being true to yourself. 5 stars!

This one was unfortunately underwhelming - I’ll start by saying this is my first book by Mhairi McFarlane, and she has a huge fan base and I’ve heard rave reviews of her, so I may started with a bad choice or I just don’t jive with her writing style (which is fine!).

It follows Harriet, a 35-year-old wedding photographer, as she calls off her engagement and moves into a spare room of a house with the landlord, Cal, who happens to be young, attractive, kind, etc. etc. One of my biggest problems I think is that I didn’t really like Harriet as a person. A lot of her reactions to things are rash and based off of assumptions. Miscommunication tropes aren’t my thing. I also went in thinking this was a rom com, and it wasn’t and it really clear it wasn’t gonna be until like 80% in, so that was confusing.

This one wasn’t for me, but I’m not against trying more from this author in hopes that this was a fluke! Thank you to NetGalley for an advanced copy and the chance to read this ahead of publication in exchange for my honest review.

This latest offering from Mhairi McFarlane is another gem of a romantic comedy and her fans will be delighted with the wit, humour and great characters that we are accustomed to.

In this book we meet Harriet, a wedding photographer who has escaped a toxic relationship and who at the start of the book living with safe, wealthy Jon. When Jon proposes to Harriet in front of his family Harriet realises this is not for her.

Harriet moves out and takes on a house share with Cal, who happens to be the groom that wasn’t at a wedding she was employed at.

As Harriet and Cal circle each other the more serious side story of her toxic ex is covered and a plan is conceived to bring down Simon.

Great writing, very funny, covering lots of modern day topics and just a good read. Highly recommended.

Thanks to Netgalley, the publisher and the author for the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest review.

A fun read about relationships, friendships, and how they can go so badly wrong! I enjoyed the characters and found the book to be an entertaining read.

Not quite the romcom I was expecting but still a really good read. This covers screwed up relationships, gaslighting and emotional abuse but it all comes good in the end.

My thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for an ARC of this book in return for an honest review.

I love a Mhairi McFarlane book because you know it’s going to be a great, funny read. She can make you scream with laughter but also understands the darker dynamic of some families.

Harriet is a wedding photographer who is never going to get married and to say she is unlucky in love might be an understatement but surely her luck has to change. When Sam and his friend Cal come into her life things begin to change not always for the better but often with unforeseen consequences.

Always a recommendation for me as nothing beats her for a great read

The letter Harriet writes to her ex's current girlfriend brought on such a visceral and gutteral reaction in me, as I have been in a similar relationship, that I couldn't continue this book.

Incredibly well written, and highlights toxis relationships brilliantly, but hit me too close to home for me to enjoy it.

I love the way Mhairi McFarlane writes and draws you into the world of her characters and how you can enjoy not just the main character or couple but their friends and family also. This isn't a light romance and is barely a romance at all really. the love is side effect of one woman getting her sh#t together. Taking back her life and standing up for herself. It is refreshing to see that friendships can breakdown but also start anew when you are mid thirties and it is also very 'girl power' in the way Mhairi found a way for the women to get their justice. I really enjoyed this book and could not put it down. I stayed up way too late to finish it and then felt very sad that there wasnt anymore for me to read.

This book broke my heart, made me laugh and made me swoon. I love Mhairi's style of writing and humour. She has such a way with words and her style does remind me of Marian Keyes. This book reminded me of everything that is so wrong with social media...but everything that can be so right about it too. I loved Harriet and Cal's relationship. Its not just a romantic read, it's about finding yourself, coming back from trauma, heartache and pain and love, not just the romantic kind but the friendship kind too. There's a reason that Mhairi is so popular, and this book proves why.