Mad About You
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- Create Date：2022-04-16 08:51:35
- Update Date：2025-09-06
- Status：finish
- Author：Mhairi McFarlane
- ISBN：0008412456
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Summary
Two reluctant housemates。
Two broken promises。
One crazy plan…
Harriet Hatley may be one of the most in-demand wedding photographers in Leeds， but she hates the idea of marriage。
Cal Clarke is used to the world falling in line with his plans – apart from his own love-life， which has gone hopelessly wrong。
When they become unlikely housemates， it’s clear they’re both running away from something bigger。
Can they take a crazy risk to face the past and change everything？
Two broken promises。
One crazy plan…
Harriet Hatley may be one of the most in-demand wedding photographers in Leeds， but she hates the idea of marriage。
Cal Clarke is used to the world falling in line with his plans – apart from his own love-life， which has gone hopelessly wrong。
When they become unlikely housemates， it’s clear they’re both running away from something bigger。
Can they take a crazy risk to face the past and change everything？
Reviews
Sennen Rose
，
Oh， some people are going to be so mad that this is being marketed as a romcom - this is Women’s Fiction and the romance is the garnish。 A swoon worthy garnish， but a garnish nonetheless。 I don’t really know what to say except that I love Mhairi’s books so， so much。 When I realised this had come out I spent my lunch break reading it， and Casie was like why didn’t you have lunch with us， and I had to be like because of a book。 There’s just so many delicious details and turns of phrases and the th Oh， some people are going to be so mad that this is being marketed as a romcom - this is Women’s Fiction and the romance is the garnish。 A swoon worthy garnish， but a garnish nonetheless。 I don’t really know what to say except that I love Mhairi’s books so， so much。 When I realised this had come out I spent my lunch break reading it， and Casie was like why didn’t you have lunch with us， and I had to be like because of a book。 There’s just so many delicious details and turns of phrases and the things people say - I just love it！ I loved Lorna and I loved that Harriet has some really horribly sad stuff that she’s like yeah it’s sad but it’s just my life because that’s how people with horribly sad stuff are！ What a dreamboat Cal is。 And Sam！ One thing I would just like to say is that my dad is a local journalist and has been my entire life and he gets paid peanuts。 That big， fuck-off house is UNREALISTIC。 But whatever。 He did say he had an inheritance from a gran， I don’t think my dad had one of those。 When is the next book coming out， please 。。。more
RoshReviews
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In a Nutshell: A lot of how you feel about the book will depend on how you feel about the main character。 The rest will depend on whether you considered this a romcom based on that title and cover。 I disliked the main character but luckily， I wasn’t looking for a romcom。 Hence the mixed feelings。 Story:（The GR blurb for this book is quite misleading because it makes the book sound like a story of Harriet and Cal。 It isn’t。 It is Harriet’s story almost all the way。）Harriet， a wedding photographer In a Nutshell: A lot of how you feel about the book will depend on how you feel about the main character。 The rest will depend on whether you considered this a romcom based on that title and cover。 I disliked the main character but luckily， I wasn’t looking for a romcom。 Hence the mixed feelings。 Story:（The GR blurb for this book is quite misleading because it makes the book sound like a story of Harriet and Cal。 It isn’t。 It is Harriet’s story almost all the way。）Harriet， a wedding photographer， has been dating the “perfect man” for about two years， but when he proposes， a lot of doubts she’s been having come together and she breaks off the relationship。 Suddenly single， she moves into the first good house-share she can find。 Her new landlord， Cal， is also escaping a past relationship， but that’s about the only thing the two have in common。 When Harriet’s past rears up its ugly head， she needs to ask herself some hard questions and decide whether to run away again or confront the past to clear her future。 The story is narrated in the third person limited perspective of Harriet。 I was not looking for a romcom。 This book isn’t a romcom。 So it clicked for me at least in that respect。 But those who imagine this to be a sweet “chicklit” that is full of pep and love will be disappointed。 It is not romantic to a great extent; it is not comic except for a few scattered scenes; it is not light-hearted at all。 （Oh， and no steamy scenes at all。 This is a plus point for me， but might be a minus point for some romance lovers。）The title is perfectly suited for the book but not in the way you would imagine。 “Mad About You” takes the other meaning of the word “mad”， as in loony/weird/stalker-ish。 There are quite a few couple-based relationships in the book。 If I count all of them， including currently dating or married or ex-couples or those mentioned for a few pages， there are about 8-9 pairs。 Of these， most are toxic， involving gaslighting or cheating or dominating or mercenary agenda or mental abuse by at least one partner。 However， I don’t think most readers who look at that title will think of this meaning while picking up the book。 “Mad About You” thus might lead to very different reader expectations。 （That bright pastel cover doesn’t help matters。）The strongest point of the book is in the way it highlights insidious relationships （as is evident from the count mentioned above。） What I also appreciate is how the author didn’t shift from her agenda to a great extent。 Unlike so many writers who cram in as many dark/important themes as they can， McFarlane sticks to toxic relationships and never loses her focus。 She analyses such relationships from various angles and also covers online abuse and how people jump in to troll someone based on one person’s version of events。 I love the confrontation scene towards the end; that’s the best part of the book。What didn’t work for me was the plot & character development。 The plot is not entirely predictable but there are too many convenient coincidences that fit in as neatly as a beginner’s jigsaw puzzle。 I would have let this go if the characters were better but most of them ended up irritating me。 The most frustrating one was Harriet。 The writing sort of forces us into supporting Harriet and understand what she is going through。 But there are many cases where she herself accuses without justification， takes very questionable decisions， and jumps to conclusions faster than you can say “Harriet！” I think your liking of this book will be highly dependent on the extent to which you connect and empathise with Harriet's character。 I simply couldn’t。 Cal was a loveable character but doesn’t get enough of page space。 A couple of the other characters conveniently change from white to black to white again as per the needs of the plot。Furthermore， the writing style also didn’t satisfy me。 For some reason， I simply couldn’t get going with the pace， though I still don’t know what slowed me down。 There is a lot of informal slang for which I couldn't even guess the meaning at times。 There are way too many adverbs in use。 Sometimes， a single regular-sized para ended up with 8-9 adverbs， which was very distracting。 The chapter endings at times are really odd， like it would stop right in the middle of a scene and the next chapter begins in continuation with the next line of the very scene。 （This isn’t a thriller; there was no need for such mini cliff-hangers。） There is the mandatory romantic arc but it was too rushed， thus making it more like forced couplehood than genuine love。 This was my very first Mhairi McFarlane novel and looking at the number of fans she has here， I am sure she is a fabulous writer。 So this book might just be a wrong one to begin with。 I will definitely read a couple more of her works before I can make up my mind on whether her books and I suit each other。 I have been going back and forth on the rating for this one。 Most of the novel fell between 2。5-3 stars for me。 But the confrontation scene and the spotlight on gaslighting deserves at least a 4 stars。 So I’ll go with the average and rate this 3。25 stars。My thanks to HarperCollins UK and NetGalley for the DRC of “Mad about You”。 This review is voluntary and contains my honest opinion about the book。***********************Join me on the Facebook group， Readers Forever！， for more reviews， book-related discussions and fun。 。。。more
Shani Shaked
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Mhairi Mcfaralne is my favorite romance writer and this is her best work to date。 Similar to her previous novels the romantic narrative is not placed center stage， character development and a beautifully written social critique take the lead instead。 Be advised emotionally abusive relationships are discussed at great length and in detail。Loved this book
Rebecca
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Such a good read。 This is the first book I've read from this author and I'm now excited to read more。 This was so much more than a rom com。 I loved how it covered different types of relationships between people， both happy and toxic。 It made me laugh out loud so many times and the one part that made me cry just made me love the book even more。 It was an emotional read but in the best way。 A very strong 5 star read Such a good read。 This is the first book I've read from this author and I'm now excited to read more。 This was so much more than a rom com。 I loved how it covered different types of relationships between people， both happy and toxic。 It made me laugh out loud so many times and the one part that made me cry just made me love the book even more。 It was an emotional read but in the best way。 A very strong 5 star read 。。。more
D Millard
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Love Mhairi McFarlaneI don't quite know what it was but this book didn't quite flow as well as her others。 I also wouldn't say it was laugh out loud。 But much of it was very perceptive。 I have been in H situation so it was a bit emotional for me。 I will reread as I always do with Mhairi's books。 Don't let my not quite 5 stars put you off。 Love Mhairi McFarlaneI don't quite know what it was but this book didn't quite flow as well as her others。 I also wouldn't say it was laugh out loud。 But much of it was very perceptive。 I have been in H situation so it was a bit emotional for me。 I will reread as I always do with Mhairi's books。 Don't let my not quite 5 stars put you off。 。。。more
Chloe Murphy
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I love so many authors but Mhairi McFarlane is my all time favourite。 Her books are consistently fantastic and I have loved every single one， this one being no different。 Harriet is exactly the type of character that I love。 As always with Mhairi’s books， I feel like I’m reading about real people， people I could easily be friends with， and it’s that element of her writing that I love so much。 I also love how she tackles real issues。 Manipulation of another person， in whatever form， is never okay I love so many authors but Mhairi McFarlane is my all time favourite。 Her books are consistently fantastic and I have loved every single one， this one being no different。 Harriet is exactly the type of character that I love。 As always with Mhairi’s books， I feel like I’m reading about real people， people I could easily be friends with， and it’s that element of her writing that I love so much。 I also love how she tackles real issues。 Manipulation of another person， in whatever form， is never okay and I absolutely love how this book highlighted that so well。 Gaslighting and emotional abuse is unfortunately all too relevant in today’s society and I’m glad that this book shone a light on it in such a clever way。 I was SEETHING when I read Scott’s post on Facebook， I genuinely don’t think I’ve ever felt so angry about something in a book before。 The emotions that this book evoked from me were off the scale。 If I ever write a book that is half as good as this one， I’d be happy， because it is truly a delight。 To female solidarity and always standing up for what you believe in 🥂 。。。more
Denise Mcghie
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Harriet is a wedding photographer she loves her job but a wedding and marriage isn't for her。 An unexpected proposal leads her to Cal， charming and handsome with his own demons to deal with。 And that's all I'm going to say 。。。 I don't want to spoil anything but the ending definitely tugged at my heartstrings！I've read a few books now from Mhairi McFarlane and they're great reads with the right blend of romance and humour， in this one there is also the issue of coercive control， it's a dark topic Harriet is a wedding photographer she loves her job but a wedding and marriage isn't for her。 An unexpected proposal leads her to Cal， charming and handsome with his own demons to deal with。 And that's all I'm going to say 。。。 I don't want to spoil anything but the ending definitely tugged at my heartstrings！I've read a few books now from Mhairi McFarlane and they're great reads with the right blend of romance and humour， in this one there is also the issue of coercive control， it's a dark topic but her writing hits the mark。The characters are relatable and well written。I think this would make a great film！ Thank you to Netgalley and Harper Collins for the ARC 。。。more
Mel
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As per usual， McFarlane delivers her enjoyable fare。 The title， blurb and cover lines were written/decided by people who hadn’t read the book though。
Allison
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This is not a rom com and it’s a very different book than what I expected from the synopsis。 The ending is a bit out of nowhere…just not my favourite of hers。
Caroline Bertaud
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I wish there had been more of Cal， but I loved it anyway。 （Shocker！）
Tams M
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What a brilliant book！ I absolutely flew through it。 I just had to find out what would happen next。 I liked the main characters， I thought the plot was good。 It was well written。 Another great read from Mhairi。 Thank you #netgalley
Louise
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I cried， I laughed， I winced and I cheered This book was a delight from start to finishHatty is going nowhere and she definitely does not want to accept the proposal she has just been offered。。Making the decision she does leads her down a path to a triumph but not without some twists and turns on the way。I really enjoyed this story。
Sarah
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This book was like a silent assassin， a steady enough read about Harriet splitting with her boyfriend and moving into a house share with newly single Cal until bam around halfway through the real story starts and boy it was good。 This was a very insightful read with a very relevant storyline and the way Mhairi McFarlane wrote this giving the reader the opportunity to get to know Harriet， her friends and her background before adding in a huge missing chunk made for some really heartbreaking chapt This book was like a silent assassin， a steady enough read about Harriet splitting with her boyfriend and moving into a house share with newly single Cal until bam around halfway through the real story starts and boy it was good。 This was a very insightful read with a very relevant storyline and the way Mhairi McFarlane wrote this giving the reader the opportunity to get to know Harriet， her friends and her background before adding in a huge missing chunk made for some really heartbreaking chapters。 This really does pack a punch and I was really gripped by the depth of it， there’s some great female solidarity and yes underneath all that the story I was expecting， that of Harriet and Cal。 。。。more
Emily Parker
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This was just fine。 I think I would have enjoyed it much more if the blurb was more accurate。 I went into this thinking the main plotline would be a romance， which was informed by an innaccurate blurb。 I probably would't have picked this up if I had known what the main plotline really was - not that it was bad， I just really was expecting/wanting this to be more focussed on romance。 So if you're looking for a cute romance and not much else I would say avoid this one。Also not sure if I was the ri This was just fine。 I think I would have enjoyed it much more if the blurb was more accurate。 I went into this thinking the main plotline would be a romance， which was informed by an innaccurate blurb。 I probably would't have picked this up if I had known what the main plotline really was - not that it was bad， I just really was expecting/wanting this to be more focussed on romance。 So if you're looking for a cute romance and not much else I would say avoid this one。Also not sure if I was the right target audience for this - the humour was very millenial （which of course is fine， just not my piece of cake）， and also very british （which I'm not really used to lmao）。 There were some moments that made me laugh but not enough for me to say that this book was enjoyable in that sense。Idk， overall I'm just very underwhelmed。 Oh well， you can't win them all。 。。。more
Shelby Johnston
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Firstly， this book needs a serious trigger warning。It was marketed as a rom com but deals with very heavy themes and they take up most of the story line。 Don’t get me wrong， she has written them in beautifully and really gets down to the nitty gritty of narcissism and control， but that is not the reason I picked up the book。 The different types of relationships that the main character goes through/are portrayed in this book are done so well， but the relationship I picked up the book to read abou Firstly， this book needs a serious trigger warning。It was marketed as a rom com but deals with very heavy themes and they take up most of the story line。 Don’t get me wrong， she has written them in beautifully and really gets down to the nitty gritty of narcissism and control， but that is not the reason I picked up the book。 The different types of relationships that the main character goes through/are portrayed in this book are done so well， but the relationship I picked up the book to read about makes up only three chapters at the very end。 There are some very witty parts but mixed with the serious themes， I find the book far to disjointed。 Perhaps it just needed to be re-marketed correctly？ 。。。more
Ali's In Literature
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CW: Descriptions of emotional abuse， coercive behaviours， gaslighting， bereavementMad About You follows the story of Harriet， a wedding photographer in her mid-thirties who， after breaking up with her boyfriend， finds herself at the door of Cal， ready to rent a room。 It's only then that she discovers he's the groom who jilted his bride-to-be at the church。 What follows is less enemies-to-lovers， more mistaken first impressions。The first third of the story is dedicated to the initial break up wit CW: Descriptions of emotional abuse， coercive behaviours， gaslighting， bereavementMad About You follows the story of Harriet， a wedding photographer in her mid-thirties who， after breaking up with her boyfriend， finds herself at the door of Cal， ready to rent a room。 It's only then that she discovers he's the groom who jilted his bride-to-be at the church。 What follows is less enemies-to-lovers， more mistaken first impressions。The first third of the story is dedicated to the initial break up with Jon， but then we begin to discover that both he and her previous ex， Scott， are both manipulative in different ways。 Scott is absolutely vile。 Chapter 24 completely wrecked me， and I encourage anyone who has suffered emotional abuse to be prepared for potentially triggering and detailed descriptions。 That said， I thought the subject was handled extremely sensitively and was well written。 Chapter 31， meanwhile， left me incandescent with rage at the lengths Scott was prepared to go to。 There's a twist that seriously caught me off-guard and made me feel even more protective of Harriet， who is fallible and such an authentic survivor of abuse。 I appreciated the resolution between Jon and Harriet。 But what I really loved was the female empowerment， and being able to witness Harriet's growth and self-awareness。 It was truly cathartic after some of the earlier chapters。 As I mentioned， the romance isn't really enemies-to-lovers， more low-key* （very） slow burn that challenges misconceptions。 It develops gradually， so that （even though I loved Cal almost immediately） it felt truly earned when it finally happened。 Which brings me to their banter。 There's something effortless about Mhairi McFarlane's humour， and it's in abundance throughout the story。 It never feels forced， and she manages to find it even in often difficult and emotionally charged situations， which brings much-needed levity to what could otherwise be a very hard read。 If you like a whole heap of emotion with your romance， this one's for you。* I couldn't resist that hint at a certain actor from The Night Manager btw 😉Overall Rating: ❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️Heat Rating: 🔥Emotional Rating: 😂😢💔💓🥰😍*Thanks to NetGalley for the opportunity to leave an honest review* 。。。more
Verity W
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****Copy from NetGalley in return for an honest review*****Harriet is a wedding photographer in Leeds。 Business is booming， but despite being around happy couples at work all day she doesn’t want a marriage of her own。 When she finds herself in need of a new place to live， she moves in with Cal。 He’s handsome and charming and his love life is also a complete mess。 But is this the start of something good for both of them？Now there’s a lot more to the plot than that - but I’ve tried to stick with ****Copy from NetGalley in return for an honest review*****Harriet is a wedding photographer in Leeds。 Business is booming， but despite being around happy couples at work all day she doesn’t want a marriage of her own。 When she finds herself in need of a new place to live， she moves in with Cal。 He’s handsome and charming and his love life is also a complete mess。 But is this the start of something good for both of them？Now there’s a lot more to the plot than that - but I’ve tried to stick with not giving anything more away than the blurbs on Goodreads and Amazon do。 Harriet is a brilliant heroine - she’s independent， resilient and smart and she and her friends have some great one liners。 Cal is an attractive hero too - mysterious （until he’s not） with a ride or die best mate of his own。 The Amazon strap line calls this a romantic comedy - and it is - but a big part of the book is a Harriet dealing with issues in her own past so that she can move on and move forward - and there are some tricky issues in there which definitely aren’t funny。 But the resolution is punch the air brilliant and it all ends up alright in the end。 I read 350 pages of this basically in one big gulp。 I stayed up late to finish it because I couldn’t bear to leave it it to the train in the morning - and as it made me get all weepy at the end， I thought I had made the right choice。 But then I read the last 50 pages again on the train this morning。It’s that type of book。 。。。more
❁⫷CASEY⫸❁
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So going into this book， at least when reading the plot of it I assumed that this was just a romance book。 But really its more of a secondary plot to this book。 Its more about Harriet， having to face her past and overcoming her traumatic and toxic relationship。
Wendy（Wendyreadsbooks） Robey
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With brilliantly written characters and some definite laugh out loud moments， this is not your usual romcom read。 Emotional and full of soul searching decisions， Mad About You is a heartfelt story about Harriet。 I really felt for her from the very beginning - her backstory as we come to learn over the course of the book， is not an easy one。 I loved her friendship with Lorna - one of those ‘say it as she’s sees it’ friend we all need in our lives。 This is one of those easy to read books which hit With brilliantly written characters and some definite laugh out loud moments， this is not your usual romcom read。 Emotional and full of soul searching decisions， Mad About You is a heartfelt story about Harriet。 I really felt for her from the very beginning - her backstory as we come to learn over the course of the book， is not an easy one。 I loved her friendship with Lorna - one of those ‘say it as she’s sees it’ friend we all need in our lives。 This is one of those easy to read books which hits hard with some of its topics and is one to certainly make you feel。 。。。more
Laura
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4。5 stars - I love all of Mhairi McFarlane's books。 The characters are well rounded and relatable， the plots interesting and full of great details and the emotions are well balanced。 Mad About You is no exception - a well written and easy read that sucked me in and kept me up til 1am to finish it off。 I think the description doesn't actually do the book any justice because there is so much more to the story then Harriet meeting Cal。 I particularly loved the female relationships - I think we all 4。5 stars - I love all of Mhairi McFarlane's books。 The characters are well rounded and relatable， the plots interesting and full of great details and the emotions are well balanced。 Mad About You is no exception - a well written and easy read that sucked me in and kept me up til 1am to finish it off。 I think the description doesn't actually do the book any justice because there is so much more to the story then Harriet meeting Cal。 I particularly loved the female relationships - I think we all want a best friend like Lorna！ （And definitely not one like Roxy。 For me that particular subplot felt a bit unnecessary）。 Some heavy themes tackled （TW parental death and domestic abuse） but such an enjoyable and satisfying book。 。。。more
Rebecca Jamison
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I know that every time I read a Mhairi McFarlane book I will love it。Harriet is a 34 year old wedding photographer who in our prologue， is working at a wedding where the groom has run out on the bride at the altar。Harriet， after working at weddings for her day job， is adamant that she does not want to get married。 When boyfriend of two years Jon proposes to her in front of his entire posh family （who she already feels like an outsider to）， she feels obliged to say yes before breaking up with him I know that every time I read a Mhairi McFarlane book I will love it。Harriet is a 34 year old wedding photographer who in our prologue， is working at a wedding where the groom has run out on the bride at the altar。Harriet， after working at weddings for her day job， is adamant that she does not want to get married。 When boyfriend of two years Jon proposes to her in front of his entire posh family （who she already feels like an outsider to）， she feels obliged to say yes before breaking up with him completely shortly afterwards。Following her break up she must find somewhere new to live and ends up being a lodger for Cal， the groom that ran out on his bride a year before！ Cal shares his story on why he didn't marry his fiancée that day and the two strike up a friendship。 We learn that Harriet's past relationship before Jon was a coercive and manipulative one which in turn shaped her relationship with Jon。 When Harriet finds out that the ex-partner who made her feel that way is getting married， she feels obliged to warn his fiancée。 Yes， there is a bit of romance in there which I love but the main focus here is female solidarity， sticking up for each other and supporting each other。 。。。more
Becki Sims
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This was a triumph！I thoroughly enjoyed my encounter with Harriet。 She felt genuine and authentic， Mhairi’s books are so easy to read and also incredibly fulfilling。Many thanks to the author， publisher and NetGalley for gifting me this arc in exchange for an honest， unbiased review。
Nolwenn
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This story is absolutely brilliant！ Not what I expected， I thought it would be a typical romance but it's so much more than that。 I laughed， cried， worried， hoped， and went through every possible feeling while reading。 The main characters grabbed my heart and still haven't let go of it。。。 I loved Harriet's personal development and enjoyed the romance， even if it was quite short。Highly recommended to anyone who enjoys an empowering and heartwarming story with some romance！Thank you to the author This story is absolutely brilliant！ Not what I expected， I thought it would be a typical romance but it's so much more than that。 I laughed， cried， worried， hoped， and went through every possible feeling while reading。 The main characters grabbed my heart and still haven't let go of it。。。 I loved Harriet's personal development and enjoyed the romance， even if it was quite short。Highly recommended to anyone who enjoys an empowering and heartwarming story with some romance！Thank you to the author and publisher who provided me with an e-copy of this book via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review。 。。。more
Laura
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Book reviews on www。snazzybooks。comAnother winning read from the brilliant Mhairi McFarlane。 I don’t read a lot of romance novels as I find they’re often too predictable and just a bit cheesy， but I know that Mhairi’s novels often strike just the right note， and Mad About You is another success！The protagonist of this story， 30-something-year-old photographer Harriet， is likeable and feels like a well-rounded character。 We follow her as she breaks up with fiancé John and moves in with Cal， her n Book reviews on www。snazzybooks。comAnother winning read from the brilliant Mhairi McFarlane。 I don’t read a lot of romance novels as I find they’re often too predictable and just a bit cheesy， but I know that Mhairi’s novels often strike just the right note， and Mad About You is another success！The protagonist of this story， 30-something-year-old photographer Harriet， is likeable and feels like a well-rounded character。 We follow her as she breaks up with fiancé John and moves in with Cal， her newly single landlord。 They don’t exactly hit it off to start with but Harriet’s feelings soon start to shift…Obviously， there’s plenty about this book that is predictable。 You know some of what will happen from early on， but this book doesn’t just put Harriet and Cal’s feelings for each other at its center。 Instead， we see Harriet have to face elements from her past and people in it who have not treated her – and others – well。 The romance for Harriet is almost on the side and I liked this。 The journey Harriet and some of the other characters go on is humorous and fun and I really enjoyed Harriet’s relationships with her girl mates too。 There are plenty of moments that are lucky coincidences but it’s all written well。 If you fancy a contemporary romance read but don’t want something too ridiculous or overly sweet， this is one for you！Many thanks to the publisher， HarperCollins UK， for providing a copy of this book on which I chose to write an honest review。 。。。more
Clara
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This is the story of Harriet， a wedding photographer who doesn't believe in marriage herself who finds herself single again after her boyfriend proposes。 Of course now she has to find somewhere new to live and manages to move in with Cal who it would seem has been doing a bit of running away himself lately！This is such a fantastic story and a joy to read from start to finish。 I'm slowly working my way through all of Mhairi's books and wondering to myself why i hadn't been reading them sooner！ A This is the story of Harriet， a wedding photographer who doesn't believe in marriage herself who finds herself single again after her boyfriend proposes。 Of course now she has to find somewhere new to live and manages to move in with Cal who it would seem has been doing a bit of running away himself lately！This is such a fantastic story and a joy to read from start to finish。 I'm slowly working my way through all of Mhairi's books and wondering to myself why i hadn't been reading them sooner！ A definite must read book！ 。。。more
Catriona Fyfe
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Thank you to Harper Collins and NetGalley for sending me an advanced digital copy of the book in exchange for a review Synopsis:Harriet is a wedding photographer in a long term relationship but the last thing she wants is to be married。 After a surprising proposal， she leaves her boyfriend and is forced to find somewhere else to live。 What are the odds that her new landlord is one of the grooms from a previous disaster wedding？ The two are an unlikely pair but Harriet might need Cal in order to Thank you to Harper Collins and NetGalley for sending me an advanced digital copy of the book in exchange for a review Synopsis:Harriet is a wedding photographer in a long term relationship but the last thing she wants is to be married。 After a surprising proposal， she leaves her boyfriend and is forced to find somewhere else to live。 What are the odds that her new landlord is one of the grooms from a previous disaster wedding？ The two are an unlikely pair but Harriet might need Cal in order to face some truths of her past。 Opinion:I think this was quite a complex novel for a romance。 I wouldn’t say it is a definitive romantic novel but more focussed on Harriet’s self journey and overcoming a lot of obstacles from her past。 There’s some tough themes of parental loss and emotional violence within relationships。 I think the romantic aspect lacked and it felt like it was thrown in as an afterthought with the scene of miscommunication at the end and a flimsy epilogue however no other romantic scenes are there。 I think my favourite aspect of the novel is the characters。 They are all perfectly written with authentic personalities that makes the story raw and plausible。 Overall， it was a pretty entertaining novel that focuses on facing troubles of your past and personal growth。 I do recommend this book but it is not a fluffy romantic comedy like the blurb or cover suggest but actually more leaning towards womens fiction 。。。more
Victoria Jackson
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I enjoyed Mad about You。 It was a good storyline with mostly likeable characters that kept me reading。 It's not my normal genre but I enjoyed it and would read more by this author in the future。Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for my ARC。 I enjoyed Mad about You。 It was a good storyline with mostly likeable characters that kept me reading。 It's not my normal genre but I enjoyed it and would read more by this author in the future。Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for my ARC。 。。。more
Nish Misra
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Mhairi McFarlane entered my life with 'You Had Me At Hello' in 2014。 Immediately I became a fan， and eight books on， I have to say Mhairi still knows how to pack a punch！ This author will always be relied upon to get me out of my reading slump。Mhairi always begins with a place of comfort and some familiarity， lulls you into a false sense of security and you cosy up in your seat thinking it's a pleasant ride ahead and you can't wait to see where it leads。 Our protagonist， Harriet， is a wedding ph Mhairi McFarlane entered my life with 'You Had Me At Hello' in 2014。 Immediately I became a fan， and eight books on， I have to say Mhairi still knows how to pack a punch！ This author will always be relied upon to get me out of my reading slump。Mhairi always begins with a place of comfort and some familiarity， lulls you into a false sense of security and you cosy up in your seat thinking it's a pleasant ride ahead and you can't wait to see where it leads。 Our protagonist， Harriet， is a wedding photographer， strictly against the notion of marriage。 She has never wanted it for herself and has shared this with her boyfriend。。。。but he proposes anyway， infront of his family。。。and Harriet （forcibly） says yes。 Not one to give away spoilers， I think my only quib is the packaging for this book。 The title 'Mad About You' feels inaccurate and misplaced as well as the trope of of an "enemies to lovers rom com"。 The book was encompassed with stronger themes around death of parents， cheating， solidarity and empowerment in the face of online adversity and keyboard warriors， the devastating impact of toxic relationships， manipulation and gaslighting。 This formed around 75% of the story and yet the cover and blurb makes you think Cal Clarke （Harriet's love interest） leads the storyline about romance， which isn't the case at all。 I don't think we got enough of his characterisation to understand what the appeal was and the romance was definitely hurried， but he did share many cute moments with Harriet。 I don't think it is my favourite book of Mhairi's but I definitely enjoyed reading it and give due credit to the importance it places on online abuse and living in a world where our connectivity means we can be quick to judge and the ability for media going viral can have a more immediate impact now on both personal and professional lives。 For me， I think the friendships and support Harriet found is what made the book worthwhile， Lorna is a definite favourite of mine and everyone should have a friend like her。 I also loved reading about Harriet's experiences as a wedding photographer， all the background and looking at it from this perspective， a complete stranger with the huge responsibility of capturing the most memorable moments of your big day and what the photographer is actually making of all the madness！ I do like that Mhairi does not focus solely on the romance in the books and it is usually entwined in the plot in a way where there is a balance and a rush of different emotions to keep you going。 This is a time where the backstory was far too important and I think the romance had to take backseat instead。 As mentioned， I will always recommend Mhairi McFarlane， she definitely is one of the greats！ Thank you @NetGalleyUK and @HarperCollinsUK for the advanced copy in exchange for an honest review！ Publication Date for 'Mad About You' is on 14 April 2022。 。。。more
Pernille Hughes
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Another stormer from Mhairi McFarlane。 I think her books are now my go-to for contemporary women's experience， they're written with fantastic depth of thought and cracking wit。 Pleasingly her characters come with flaws， flaws that must be acknowledged and learned from， but she writes them with a kindness and always explanation of why it's come to this。 It's a romance - and one you are rooting for， because Cal is dreamy - but above that Mad About You is about sisterhood， looking out for one anoth Another stormer from Mhairi McFarlane。 I think her books are now my go-to for contemporary women's experience， they're written with fantastic depth of thought and cracking wit。 Pleasingly her characters come with flaws， flaws that must be acknowledged and learned from， but she writes them with a kindness and always explanation of why it's come to this。 It's a romance - and one you are rooting for， because Cal is dreamy - but above that Mad About You is about sisterhood， looking out for one another and standing tall。 A brilliant read。 。。。more
Reference
google book https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&q=Mad About You
hathitrust digital library https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ls?q1=Mad About You&field1=ocr&a=srchls&ft=ft&lmt=ft
The British Library https://bll01.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/discovery/search?query=any,contains,Mad About You&tab=LibraryCatalog&search_scope=Not_BL_Suppress&vid=44BL_INST:BLL01&lang=en&offset=0