Mhairi McFarlane

International bestseller Mhairi McFarlane delivers a sharp, emotional new novel about a woman who calls off her engagement to "the perfect man" and moves in with a charming stranger who makes her question everything about her life, her past, and the secrets she's kept for far too long…

Harriet Hatley is the most in-demand wedding photographer in town, but she doesn’t believe in romance, loathes the idea of marriage, and thinks chocolate fountains are an abomination. Which is why, when her long-time partner proposes, she panics. Suddenly Harriet is single… and living down the hall from her ex. She needs a new apartment, like, yesterday.

Enter Cal Clarke, a hopeless romantic who just experienced his own wedding-related disaster. Harriet and Cal are like chalk and cheese, but as they go from strangers to roommates to friends, it becomes clear they’re both running from something. When Harriet’s most heavily guarded secret comes to light, her world implodes. And Cal, with his witty humor and gentle advice, is a surprising source of calm at the center of the storm. 

With her career, friendships, and reputation on the line, Harriet must finally face her past in order to take control of her future. Because if she’s willing to stop playing it safe and risk everything to share her truth, real love and happiness may be waiting on the other side…

Mad About You

the cal part does just seem to get in the way

shaye

this is a generous 4 stars i think. but what the hell, i laughed. i had fun. this is definitely women’s fiction and less romance as a forewarning. my main issue is … i’m not sure how i feel about the Big Scene™️. it’s also INCREDIBLY british, like i had to look up a couple phrases multiple times. but it had a decently thought out layer of depth, fun characters, and i liked the FMC (although i can definitely see some people hating her) 

big ab

International bestseller Mhairi McFarlane delivers a sharp, emotional new novel about a woman who calls off her engagement to "the perfect man" and moves in with a charming stranger who makes her question everything about her life, her past, and the secrets she's kept for far too long...

Harriet Hatley is the most in-demand wedding photographer in town, but she doesn’t believe in romance, loathes the idea of marriage, and thinks chocolate fountains are an abomination. Which is why, when her long-time partner proposes, she panics. Suddenly Harriet is single… and living down the hall from her ex. She needs a new apartment, like, yesterday.

Enter Cal Clarke, a hopeless romantic who just experienced his own wedding-related disaster. Harriet and Cal are like chalk and cheese, but as they go from strangers to roommates to friends, it becomes clear they’re both running from something. When Harriet’s most heavily guarded secret comes to light, her world implodes. And Cal, with his witty humor and gentle advice, is a surprising source of calm at the center of the storm.

With her career, friendships, and reputation on the line, Harriet must finally face her past in order to take control of her future. Because if she’s willing to stop playing it safe and risk everything to share her truth, real love and happiness may be waiting on the other side...

A Novel

taryn

Jodie Reads

Faith Kitowski

thank you netgalley and the publisher for giving me this arc in exchange for an honest review!
3.5/5. i was expecting a fun romcom book, but this book focuses more on heavy topics with romance as the subplot. that’s not to say i didn’t like it, but because of that it wasn’t what i was expecting. i will admit there was more people in this book that i didn’t like than a normal book. ESPECIALLY SCOTT. that man made my blood boil and my eye twitch. there were some points in the book where i was not super engaged with the story. but, all in all this is a really good story about how domestic abuse can affect the victim.

I liked it and it was a very interesting book. It was quite difficult to read though. For me, there were lots of hard words and it was a slow start. Overall I enjoyed reading the book. It was very different from what I thought it would be like.

Emma Kamer

catherine kane

i was honestly disappointed bc i love all her other books but i couldn’t tell where the story was actually headed for most of it

taylor alyse pisanie

After suffering from some weird rare secondary infection and then mono immediately after that, I have finally finished this book. 

Thank you to NetGalley and HarperCollins for the ARC.

This was truly a lovely read. It wasn’t at all the rom-com I was expecting and this was my first time reading the author. The writing style was smooth and easy to follow, which I appreciated. 

When I say it wasn’t the rom-com I was expecting, I mean this was more a story about a girl and her journey of healing. Harriet’s been through a lot, and she goes through a lot more—but there is true love in the end. 

I expected to be disappointed at the lack of romance, but the story itself was so good, I wasn’t bothered at all. I love empowering stories about women taking control of their lives. This was certainly that! 

However, definite trigger warnings for emotional abuse & narcissism. 

All in all, I enjoyed this!

Mad about You

sydney

I really loved this book but it not a romance. It is about Harriet's journey of getting over her ex emotionally abusive ex. Cal was really cute though and I love him a lot. Harriet and Cal didn't have that many interactions that were described but they all felt so genuine so by the time they said they loved each other I did believe it.

I received an arc through netgalley.

Amber Brianne

Mad About this Book <3

The writing is fantastic as per usual Mhairi. I love this story so much, and it may have surpassed Don't You Forget About Me as my favorite of MM's. Lorna is one of my favorite characters of all time. Everyone needs a Lorna in their life.

This book should come with a huge *trigger warning* on the blurb, it’s really not a fluffy witty romance. Psychological abuse, gaslighting and toxic relationships are the main themes, as well as death of parents/grandparents and the ramifications of huge losses in the present times. The main character should have gone to theraphy ages ago instead of being (understandably?) intense and moody. 
Still Mhairi McFarlane’s stellar writing shines as usual, and the few funny scenes give a bit of lightness to the story.

Kate R

Inhaled in 24 hours. Laughed, cried, snuck away from my family to read in peace. 

“He’s grinning like a cat with a raspberry-flavoured arse”

Larissa Kirchberger

BOOK REVIEW

Mad About You / Mhairi McFarlane
Rating ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

i’m no newbie to Mhairi’s books, so i know her books are never just a rom com, they are on a whole different level. some of the british slang may have gone over my head but the banter in this book was top notch and had me chuckling throughout 😂

harriet is a wedding photographer who has become too comfortable in her current relationship and decides she doesn’t actually want to marry her boyfriend jon and spend her life part of a family she doesn’t like or fit into. harriet was a wonderful main character and i really felt like i was part of her circle of friends and right there with her as she was confronting some difficult emotions from her past. 

my favourite thing about this book was the friendships - both old and new! seeing male/male best friends is always fun, i feel like there isn’t a huge portrayal of male/male friendships in romance books especially! it’s also always so empowering seeing female characters stand together and support each other and Mhairi did an incredible job with this one 👏🏼 

i loved the slow friendship and trust that was built up between cal and harriet, especially considering the odd circumstance in which they ended up becoming housemates. the relationship that was built between them was so realistic, with the awkwardness around first being housemates and overhearing conversations you weren’t supposed to hear, to experiencing each others’ ex partners, to becoming so much more. 

i adore this book with my whole entire heart and it is by far the best book i’ve read so far this year 💖💖 if you’re a fan of beth o’leary’s the flatshare and the road trip, then i would definitely recommend picking this one up! 

tw: gaslighting, abuse

Lucy Howard

I stayed up late last night to finish this book. I enjoyed it so much. I can just inhale Mhairi MacFarlane books. I always love her characters. And Mad About You is no different from her other books. I also like the fact that she always brings in a slightly more serious storyline. It makes the book seem more real and less of a fluffy romance. I really really enjoyed this book. And thought the last 100 pages were brilliant.