Name: Irene Lydia Bintou's review of Much Ado About You by Samantha Young
Item: Much Ado About You
Rating: 4
Author: Irene Lydia Bintou

Samantha Young

The cozy comforts of an English village bookstore open up a world of new possibilities for Evie Starling in this charming new romantic comedy from New York Times bestselling author Samantha Young. At thirty-three-years old Evangeline Starling’s life in Chicago is missing that special something. And when she’s passed over for promotion at work, Evie realizes she needs to make a change. Some time away to regain perspective might be just the thing. In a burst of impulsivity, she plans a holiday in a quaint English village. The holiday package comes with a temporary position at Much Ado About Books, the bookstore located beneath her rental apartment. There’s no better dream vacation for the bookish Evie, a life-long Shakespeare lover. Not only is Evie swept up in running the delightful store as soon as she arrives, she’s drawn into the lives, loves and drama of the friendly villagers. Including Roane Robson, the charismatic and sexy farmer who tempts Evie every day with his friendly flirtations. Evie is determined to keep him at bay because a holiday romance can only end in heartbreak, right? But Evie can’t deny their connection and longs to trust in her handsome farmer that their whirlwind romance could turn in to the forever kind of love.

Much Ado About You

Irene Lydia Bintou

At thirty-three-years old Evangeline Starling's life in Chicago is missing that special something. And when she's passed over for promotion at work, Evie realises she needs to make a change. In a burst of impulsivity, she plans a holiday in a quaint English village. The holiday package comes with a temporary position at the bookstore located beneath her rental apartment. Not only is Evie swept up in running the delightful store, she's drawn into the lives, loves and drama of the friendly villagers. Including Roane Robson, the charismatic and sexy farmer who tempts Evie every day...

Much Ado about You

Marcy Pursell 

** spoiler alert **
           I love so many of Samantha Young's books, and this was no different. I fell in love with the supporting characters and the Northumberland town, and could easily picture it in my head. Overall, I loved it, though I thought the conflict toward the end was meh, it's another 5-star read for me.

Welcome to Much Ado About Books, a bookshop where dust and dreams sparkle in the air . . . At thirty-three-years old, Evie's life in Chicago is missing that special something. When she's passed over for promotion at work, Evie realizes she needs to make a change. Impulsively, she plans a holiday in a quaint English village. The holiday package comes with a temporary position at Much Ado About Books, the bookshop underneath her new flat. There's no better getaway for the bookish Evie, a life-long Shakespeare lover. Not only is Evie swept up in running the delightful store as soon as she arrives, she's drawn into the lives, loves and drama of the friendly villagers. Including Roane Robson, a ridiculously sexy farmer. In spite of their undeniable chemistry, Evie's determined to keep him at bay: she's got to go back to her real life, after all, and a holiday romance can only end in heartbreak . . . right? Joyful, irresistible and utterly heart-warming, MUCH ADO ABOUT YOU is the perfect cosy getaway romance read for 2021. Praise for Samantha Young: 'Sexy chemistry and gut-wrenching emotions kept me turning the pages!' Kristen Proby 'Samantha Young's enchanting couples and delicious romances make her books an autobuy' Smexy Book 'Ms. Young dives deep into the psyche of what makes a person tick emotionally' Fiction Vixen 'Smart and sexy, Young writes stories that stay with you long after you flip that last page' Under the Covers 'It took over my life until I finished reading it' Netgalley 'A viscerally moving love story' Goodreads 'Full of charm' Goodreads 'Stunning prose and raw characters' Goodreads

Petaco

** spoiler alert **
           Worst protagonist. Preachy and always has to be on the middle of something. She just so happens to save the lives of everyone who deigns to make eye contact. No one else can help anyone, except the heroine. She can help you with anything because she knows what's best for your life. 

The stupid over the top reaction to getting stood up. The ridiculously continued crotch grab at the restaurant. It was there just so the main character could get on the soap box that she always carried around. They never even mentioned the woman again! 

The DRAMA at the end was so over the top. Boohoohoo. Wow. My hot fiance is young. Boohoo. My hot young fiance is rich. Oh woe is me. Girl bye. 

Also, the epilogue was one of the worst I've ever read. Who wants to read an epilogue where the couple is close to breaking up. It's really not romantic to read about a couple walking on eggshells.

Connor 

This was fun! A bit frustrating once I figured out what the ~big drama~ would be, but it was eventually resolved and I can't lie, I hope Young writes a follow up based on the two people mentioned in the epilogue because I for one would welcome it.

Cheri McElroy

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

A sweet story of a woman finding her passion and finding love in a small English village. Where she runs a bookstore, and there is a dog. What is not to love?

** spoiler alert **
           Este iba a ser un libro de cinco estrellas, hasta que la autora se le ocurrió la pésima decisión de crear ✨drama✨ innecesario en las últimas páginas por así decirlo, y hacer que se rompiera toda la magia que había creado.

A ver, este libro apuntaba alto al ponerme una protagonista que se cuestionara si… estaba realmente sola, o si se sentía sola por no tener a nadie en su vida como todos los demás o como la misma sociedad lo exigía. 

Además… por un buen rato estaba en plan: Dios, cuándo es mi turno de irme de vacaciones a un pueblo remoto de Inglaterra para trabajar en una librería mientras me enamoro del soltero codiciado local y voy resolviendo los problemas de todo por lo chismosa y salida que soy 🙏🏻

Y los personajes secundarios eran muy buenos: Caro, Viole, Lucas, Milly, Dex, y Shadow💓. Y no me hagan hablar sobre la amistad de Evie y Greer, que me hizo recordar a mi amistad con mi mejor amiga. En serio, la autora se lució con darle chisme y vida a los demás personajes.

Ahora es el momento de hablar porque le quité una estrella a este libro y no pude disfrutar del epílogo:

No hay cosa que odie más en el mundo que las mentiras.

No me importan las razones. No me interesan si eran por buenos motivos o no. No acepto si son piadosas, pequeñas y dichas para hacer un bien. Odio las mentiras; pero odio a un más a los mentirosos.

Evie estuvo todo el libro diciendo que Roane era muy bueno para ser verdad, que algo malo tenía que tener. Y resulta que si era así de bueno, pero omitió un par de detalles.

Su edad. Evie tenía alrededor de 34 más o menos, y Roane le dejó creer que eran contemporáneos, cuando en realidad el hombre tenía 26 💀. Y me explico acá, FAN de los age gap a la inversa, deberían ser más comunes en los libros de romance, pero insisto en que no había necesidad de ocultar un detalle así, que puede parecer insignificante, pero igual sigue teniendo peso sin importar qué. 

Su status financiero. A ver, debo de ser sincera, y no podría importarme menos si Roane era rico o pobre, me daba igual. En este caso, el hombre resultó ser rico y su familia tenía que ver con la jerarquía de Inglaterra porque su padre era un Barón y cuando muriera, Roane se le conocería como un Sir (pésima manera de expresarme, pero ojalá entiendan). 

¿Por qué mintió? Pues, resulta que Evie al principio menciona que no está interesada en hombres menores a ellas ni mucho menos ricos. Esto es debido a relaciones pasadas que tuvo, que terminaron por fastidiar su psiquis y causarle problemas en el presente. 

Así que, este hombre junto a los demás habitantes del pueblo, guardaron esos dos detalles bajo llave, y siguieron con el plan de que Evie se enamorara perdidamente de Roane sin importar qué. Y eso sencillamente me fastidió un montón, porque no hay necesidad de mentir u omitir detalles de ti mismo para que alguien se enamore de ti, soy más fan de que la gente tire todas sus cartas sobre la mesa y la otra persona decida qué hacer eso, igual si no lo acepta, se lo pierden 🤷🏻‍♀️ pero no hay que vender la idea de que “hay que hacer pequeños sacrificios o decir pequeñas mentiras” para conseguir que alguien se fije en ti o que te den la oportunidad de mostrar lo que tienes para ofrecerles.

Lo peor, es que en el epílogo Evie menciona lo mal que quedó la confianza entre ellos, porque por un lado estaba ella cuestionando e interrogando a Roane por cualquier mínima cosa, porque ya había un antecedente de que él le mintió; así como por otro, donde Roane se mostraba inseguro y temeroso cada vez que pasaba algo malo o había alguna dificultad, porque creía que Evie huiría otra vez. Y no sé, no pude vivir el romance en ese epílogo, y no me interesa lo realista que sea, ese drama innecesario terminó por arruinar todo para mí y ese HEA se vio forzado 🤷🏻‍♀️

emily

took me so long to read the first half, and then skimmed the second half just cause i wanted to see what happened with viola and lucas and that’s why this gets an extra star

kelby

overall this was a cute romance! i always love the concept behind running away to europe to avoid real life

Liz Whitehead

Alayna Wiezorek

DNF. This book reads like a wattpad fan fiction. The description of the characters was ridiculous and the interactions between characters unrealistic. I also don't quite understand the trope of moving to England or Ireland and everyone just being an incredible person, ive seen it in so many books and it just doesn't make sense. It's like they're moving to munchkin land!

Linda Quintanilla

You know whenever I find myself not expecting to like a particular book in the beginning but then I finish the book, and I totally fall in love with it. It happened again while I read and finished Much Ado About You by Samantha Young. What can I say?
I got to say that you will not regret reading Much Ado About You. I know that there are mixed reviews. But if you love slow-burning romance, then this book is for you. Both of the characters are flaw and real that you appreciate their journey of being best friends to a couple. The bestest of a relationship is your best friends because you know each other much deeper than others do. And that's something Evie craves when she leaves Chicago and goes to English village.
It may surprise you when Evie decides to leave Chicago after getting a job promotion but burnout does happen time to time. Evie just wants a reset from her life. She gets it when she temporarily moves to English village for a month. I kinda laughed to myself when Evie said it was only going to be temporary because nothing that's plan never goes accordingly. Life is prick, and it will throw you in a loop. Evie will find out when she starts to feel more to herself than she ever has. And it does not help that she starts to fall in love with the new sexy farmer, Roane. 
I just love their connection with each other because you can just feel it when you read their story. They try their hardest to be strictly best friends because Evie wants to focus on herself. And he respects that. But the more they spend time with each other and be a part of each other's life, the harder they fall in love with each other. It's the most true love story between them.

Justine Rose

There were a lot of things I didn’t like about this book - the instalove especially - but it did eventually get a bit better. I cringed a lot, and did a lot of skim reading in parts, but Caro’s storyline was what sort of drew me in. It was a quick read, but not something I enjoyed the entire time unfortunately.

Alexis 

4.5/5 stars 

** I received this as an E-ARC from NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for my honest review, Thank you!**

I absolutely loved this book. I wasn't really expecting a lot, but this book really did it for me. I enjoyed the town, the setting, the characters. I really enjoyed the romance as well. It was cute, a little steamy, and entertaining. As I said I just had a really good time reading this and highly recommend giving it a read. ** I will make a note that this includes mentions the death of a parent and alcohol abuse. **

Heather Harrington

After being passed up for a promotion at work and with her love life taking a nosedive, Evie decides she needs to shake things up. During a rare moment of spontaneity, she books a trip to a quaint little village in England. The vacation also comes with a perk: she gets to run the bookshop beneath her apartment. As a life-long book lover, Evie can't think of a better way to get out of her head. Soon, Evie finds herself swept away by village life. She's never felt more at home than she does in this little bookshop or sharing a pint down at the local pub with the townspeople. Evie wasn't planning on falling so hard for this place or the people, especially not handsome farmer, Roane. She knows her stay is only temporary, but she can't deny the feelings welling up between the pair. As the weeks go on, Evie can't help but think she could make a life here, but is she willing to upend everything for a man she hardly knows?

I looked at the premise of this and thought, "Well, that sounds like it's going to be great!" and the let down was real. It's not a bad book by any means, but it's just so boring. There's not a ton of character development so everyone felt very flat and no one stood out. Evie felt more like a secondary character rather than the lead. The only time I felt her pop was during the third act conflict when she completely overreacted towards certain aspects of Roane's life. Speaking of Roane, like Evie, there wasn't much substance there and all I really got out of him was that he owned a dog, but I still gravitated more towards him rather than Evie. I wasn't a huge fan of their insta-love and actually burst out laughing at some points just over the sheer cringe of it all. The main thing I enjoyed was the setting. I loved the small English village where everyone's in everyone's business and the bookshop itself, but other than that, this just didn't work for me.

Tiffany Engler

I think the book was super cute! It was sweet and just all-around a fun time. The only problem I have with it is its length. It's almost 400 pages! I loved Evie and Roane. Especially Roane. I'm definitely a big fan of Samantha Young's books and will always pick them up!

Lynn Braden

Evangeline Starling has watched all of her friends marry and have children. When she is stood up by her online boyfriend, and her boss at the magazine where she works tells her that she is not getting the promotion she expects when he retires, Evie immediately quits because she realizes it is time for a change in her life. Finding a package deal where she can stay in a small village in England and run the local bookstore for a month sounds like the perfect getaway. It isn't long before she gets to know several quirky locals including handsome Roane Robson, local farmer, who makes her question everything she knows about her life in America.

Much Ado About You is a gentle romance about growing up and looking for what is important in life. Several relationships in the story parallel Shakespeare's plays, which should be evident based on the title of the book. Evie's struggles with her alcoholic mother add depth to the book, however some of the choices Evie makes seem rash without a measure of thought about how they will affect her life. Overall, though, Much Ado About You is a light, enjoyable romance that would make a fun summer read.

Amy Arthun Lorton 

Maybe a 3.5? I listened to it and maybe it would have been a better read? I felt like there was a slightly overly dramatic reaction in the “problem” part of the book. And at 11+ hours, it was a little long for a romance. But I never didn’t want to listen so I must have liked it! And the side characters were all interesting. I just don’t think I LOVED it.

Rebecca Light

A love story about being complete in love, not completed by love, with a twist at the end that I for sure saw coming, but that didn't take away from my interest or its charm. Really cute. Really positive. Quite sexy. A lovely little getaway that only took me two sittings to "read," (I read on audiobook). 

This is only my second book I've read in this genre (crazy right?), so I don't have much to compare it to, but I enjoyed it a great deal. 

Meagan

I went into this book with high expectations since Samantha Young is one of my all time favorite romance authors and I was NOT disappointed! One of my favorite aspects of her writing is setting which is very unlike me. Placement rarely matters to me but the was she writes makes me feel like I’m there and falling in love with the cities themselves. Evie is so relatable as a character and I loved watching her grow and no longer accepting treatment she didn’t deserve. Romantic interests aren’t the only relationships that can be toxic and watching Evie navigate making her relationships and her own way of thinking better was 100% perfect. And I haven’t even mentioned the romance yet! SWOON ROANE SWOON. Can I run an English bookstore and meet a handsome farmer to sweep me off of my feet??? Absolutely loved this book.

Tess

The English countryside, a quaint little bookshop, and a hot farmer….could it get any better? 😅

I enjoyed this book. It was a fun escape to the countryside. I liked all the different side stories to the story. There was a lot of little side dramas.

Read if you like ⤵️ 

📚 Slow Burn 
📚 Friends to Lovers
📚 Age Gap Trope
📚 Steamy Scenes 🔥 
📚 Small Town Drama
📚 Country Setting

⭐️⭐️⭐️💫/5
Much Ado About You by Samantha Young

(TW: Child Abuse, Alcoholism)

Vanessa Bintou

I really don't understand why so many 1-star reviews. Obviously it's not the best romance out there, but the characters were very nice, the romance cute, the writing good..!

I actually had a great time reading this book, it was fast paced and cosy! I would prefer something different as a twist, but it's a small detail.

Coralie | she/her

4/5
Trigger warnings: alcoholism ; emotional abuse

Much Ado About You was a beautiful love story. A story about a young woman making time for herself, to find who she is, what she really wants in life. Evie has her entire life in Chicago. A job she has been giving everything for ten years now, a wonderful best friend, and a man she has been chatting with for weeks now, and that she hopes may end in a good relationship. But when she learns that her best friend is pregnant, that her well-deserved promotion has been given to someone else and that this man she thought having a connexion with ends up being an asshole... Evie feels really alone. So leaving for a month to England, in a little flat above a bookshop seems to be the perfect escape. One month in a beautiful village, surrounded by books, meeting really nice people and taking time to think of what she wants to do with her life. Then she will go back to her life, in Chicago. Or maybe she will discover that Chicago never was her real home. 

Evie was an extraordinary woman. She has her flaws, just like anyone, and here I totally got her. This is rare for me to feel that close to a character. But here I understood Evie in every decision she made, in every word she said. I understood her pain, her reasons to be angry when people would say she shouldn't be.
Roane also was an incredible character, such as Caro, and Vi and Lucas, and all the others. I would absolutely LOVE to live in such a beautiful village where everyone knows each others, when you'll spend you nights in a pub, talking with everyone in a peaceful atmosphere, and with a hot sexy farmer living in town.

If I had one thing to reproach to this book, it would be that the beginning was a bit hasty. I loved how Roane and Evie met, but I think their friendship started a bit too fast. I would have love to see them become friends but sadly there are quite a few leaps in time that could be weeks-long sometimes. I definitely am sad because it would have meant more time with the two of them.
So yeah, it has been a wonderful read, and I cannot wait for Samantha Young's next book!

Kaylee Z

I feel like I need to shout my appreciation from the rooftops: Yes! An adult female protagonist who makes realistic and mature decisions and doesn’t cause unnecessary drama!

I honestly could not be happier with how Young wrote these characters. This type of a story could so easily have gone to the ‘outsider gets harassed by patrons of a small village till a big strong man sticks up for her’ trope, but it didn’t and it was SO refreshing. 

Every single character had their own story and their own lives, the town had realistic responses to her being there, Evie is strong and independent and shows it in the best ways, the love interest was absolutely swoony, their chemistry was on point, the actual relationship angle was mature. Seriously, almost perfection.

I also loved how Young was able to weave in the Shakespeare elements into the plot in subtle and pleasing ways that made this Shakespeare nerd smile.

There were a few aspects that were pretty easy to guess and the ‘twist’ was just something I was counting down to being uncovered but I still thoroughly enjoyed the ride. Even the fallout after everything was handled really well.

There isn’t much for me to pick at with this story but there were things that prevented me from giving it 5-stars, however it was still such an enjoyable read for me. I definitely need to pick up more from Young.

Irene Lydia Bintou &
Much Ado About You by Samantha Young

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Irene Lydia Bintou &Much Ado About You by Samantha Young

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Much Ado About You by Samantha Young