The moment I saw this book pop up, I requested it. I adore Much Ado About Nothing, it’s one of my favorite Shakespeare pieces. The tension! The scheming! So, I was hoping that combing that with one of my favorite tropes - soulmates - would be everything I needed for a summer read.

The story was lovely, and I did enjoy the combination. However, the flow and the tension that make the original story so delightful, was missing. There were too many POVs, I think 8, for me to keep track of. And that pulled away from the core story of Bea and Ben. Their story was great, but the side stories fell a bit flat. And it left me disappointed. All in all, I would still recommend this to fans of Much Ado About Nothing, or for those looking for a light little read.

Additionally, many thanks to Net Galley, the publisher, and the author for sending me an ARC copy of this book. All opinions are my own.

It needs to be said that Much Ado About Nothing is my favourite Shakespeare play.

It also needs to be said that I'm not a stickler for accuracy when it comes to Shakespearian adaptions. I grew up on 90's and Y2K teen romcoms. 10 Things I Hate About You is one of the greatest movies of all time. I'm very much a fan of taking an older story and placing it in the modern world. I think that there can be a lot of insight to the orignial story's themes when you do that, and the writer can craft a dialogue with the source material that often adds such interesting and complex layers that sometimes even surpass the OG.

I wish that this was the case.

It is not.

Regardless, this is still a fun, romantic read. It suffers a little from telling instead of showing. I found that the many characters kind of detracted from the main story of the book. The celebrity wedding/documentary was such a weird choice for a plot device, and I thought I would hate it, but it was surprisingly funny, if under-utilized. It was great for buiilding pressure in the scenes and illustrating the different relationships and personality's of the characters. I think Shakespeare would have approved of it, honestly. I would have loved to see more, with cut in's of scripts, call-sheets, more meetings with the producers and directers and the characters, Just so the stakes of the filming felt a little more insidious.

My favourite part was that this was a group of friends that actually acted like a ground of friends. It follows a group of four people who were tight in high school and found success and fame in their respective fields. (Well, mostly), as well as family and other friends. I liked seeing them play games and tease one another, how their dynamics changed depending on who from the group was there. It felt real. Like watching an old 90s sitcom.

I also really liked Ben and Bea. I was always going to like Ben and Bea. I think the addition of them being soulmates was so much fun, even if the miscommunication around their relationship doesn't hold up under scrutiny. (Not that OG Ben and Bea were any less ridiculous either, I must add).

Actually, I think the soulmate magic system was curious and fun. I liked that their was layers to the "seeing colour" variant of soulmate tropes. It really allowed the author to delve into her messaging around relationships, and the complexities of them. The system, at its base, is the stronger the relationship, the farther apart a couple can be and still see colours. It also goes into how bonds between individuals break or change. Like any good fantasy book, the magical elements reflect the themes of the book, and in this one, they illustrate that magic can't solve everything. Even soulmates, the most idealized version of love, falter in the face of human nature. Everything needs work. Every relationship needs communication.

✨ ARC Review: Much Ado About Soulmates by Elsie McLean ✨

A brilliant, heart-thumping, technicolor twist on Shakespeare’s Much Ado About Nothing, Elsie McLean delivers a smart, emotional rollercoaster of a romance that explores soulmates, second chances, and the messy truth about love.

In this world, everyone sees in black and white—until they meet their soulmate, and suddenly the world bursts into breathtaking color. For Beatrice Massey, that moment came and went, thanks to Ben Thackary—the man fated to be hers, who also shattered her heart seven years ago.

Ben doesn’t understand what went wrong—or why Beatrice now treats him with ice-cold indifference—but when fate (and family) brings them together for a soulmate wedding in sun-soaked Messina, Italy, sparks fly in every direction.

Add in a movie star soulmate, a dreamy Italian villa, and a tight-knit group of old friends, and you get a summer wedding no one will forget. But as secrets surface and emotions boil over, Much Ado About Soulmates proves that nothing is simple when destiny is involved—especially when it comes to love.

💘 Witty banter? Check.
💔 Angst and longing? Absolutely.
🎭 Shakespearean vibes with a soulmate twist? Perfection.
📍 Setting that feels like a romantic dream? Bellissimo.

If you love second chances, star-crossed connections, and fierce heroines who refuse to be defined by fate, this one’s for you. Elsie McLean delivers a soulful, funny, and deeply satisfying love story that will stay with you long after the final page.

Admittedly, I haven’t read Much Ado About Nothing since high school, which was *cough cough* years ago. So, I may have missed some of the parallels, but this was a clever and unique twist on the classic Shakespeare comedy. The twist in this version is that everyone sees in black and white until they meet their soulmate, when they can finally see in color. This was my first soulmate AU fic and I will for sure be looking for more!

Be forewarned! Much Ado About Nothing, and therefore Much Ado About Soulmates, is the king of all misunderstanding stories. One misunderstanding after another, for basically every single character, culminating in a massive cluster of chaos in the third act. I am a self proclaimed misunderstandings trope hater, but felt that it works well in this instance (if only because it is a retelling of Much Ado.)

I mostly enjoyed that we got multiple POVs throughout the book. We hear from nearly every character, including each member of the friend group/wedding party and some others involved in the wedding and media circus surrounding it. However, just as I was getting settled with someone’s POV and it would get interesting, it nearly always flipped to a different POV. At first I found this infuriating, but understand it is a way to keep the reader guessing what is going on as we can only know as much as the person on the page knows.

On a similar note, there may have been a few too many POVs. For example, I don’t feel we needed to hear from Donna (a wannabe influencer) and at times it felt that these extra POVs were taking time away from the main friend group and plot. The constant flipping left me feeling like some of the characters weren’t as fleshed out as I would have liked (Aisha felt mostly non existent as a presence in the friend group and in the story.)

I loved Ben and Beatrice and really wish the focus had been more on them. Their chemistry and banter was so good. Their constant bickering and poking at each other while carrying their secrets, longings, and hurt for 8 years. WOW! You could feel the tension between them!

Controversial take (maybe) but I loved the ending!

Overall, a fun and unique easy read, perfect if you want an angsty comedy or Shakespeare retellings.

Thank you to NetGalley for providing me with an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

<b>3⭐️/5</b>

<b>I would recommend this if you enjoy:</b>
- Shakespeare retellings
- Multi-POV books
- Character focused books
- Forced proximity
- TV-show settings
- No spice

This book follows a wide variety of characters that come together for a wedding on a TV show. It has multi-POVs following said characters but it wasn't what I expected.

From the book cover I assumed we would follow one couple (Beatrice and Ben) and we would get just their POVs but when the other characters started to get one as well, I began to get confused. The POVs would switch up multiple times a chapter which led to the confusion as to whose POV we were in and a sense of both frustration and dissatisfaction because I didn't feel we got to the characters well enough leading the romances to not feel as developed either.

I picked this book up because the concept was unique and nothing I have read before - you can see colour when you find your soulmate - and I liked that aspect of it. It was interesting to hear how the spectrum varied including how strong the connection was the further their match was away from them and how they could sense when their match was close even if they couldn't see them.

I haven't read the original Shakespeare play that this was based on so I can't comment on the similarities but maybe if I had I would've understood the different character roles throughout.

I think that one character in particular should've gotten their HEA and that maybe the author could do a spin-off where that does happen.

Overall, I probably wouldn't re-read this book again but I would pick up another book by the author as their writing was both digestible and entertaining.

Thank you for the ARC Victory Editing Netgalley Co-op - all opinions are my own.

4 ⭐️

As someone who’s familiar with Much Ado About Nothing, I really appreciated how this book reimagines the original in such a creative and modern way. Much Ado About Soulmates is a fun twist on Shakespeare’s classic, blending the soulmate trope with reality TV chaos—and somehow, it works.

The worldbuilding was clever: people live in black and white until they meet their soulmate and finally see in colour. Watching those moments unfold added something really tender and visual to the love stories. It was such a thoughtful way to show emotional connection, and I loved how it was woven into the plot.

Beatrice and Ben were definitely the highlight for me. Their dynamic had real depth and a great balance of tension and vulnerability. Their slow reveal and emotional growth felt earned, and their arc stayed true to the spirit of the play while still feeling fresh.

The writing style has a distinct voice, and the reality TV setting added a modern, playful layer to the story. With multiple perspectives in play, the focus naturally leaned more toward the central characters, but once the story found its rhythm, the momentum really carried through.

I especially loved seeing how some scenes from the original were reinterpreted or flipped in unexpected ways. The way the “villain” role was reinvented was smart, and the ending wrapped things up in a satisfying and heartwarming way.

If you love modern retellings, clever world building, or seeing Shakespeare through a new lens, this one is worth checking out.

Tropes included:
🌈 Soulmates / seeing colour for the first time
💔 Enemies to lovers
📺 Reality show wedding setting
🏠 Group living / proximity
🫂 Found family
🎭 Modern Shakespeare adaptation
🔄 Second chances & reconnected history
🗣️ Multi-POV

Thanks so much to NetGalley, Victory Editing NetGalley Co-op & Elsie McLean for the ARC! 🫶

⭐️⭐️⭐️✨ 3.5 stars
Received this ARC ahead of release.

Much Ado about something - Elsie Mclean

This was a fun twist on a classic Shakespeare – Much Ado About Nothing! (bare with me the last time i read the original was over 10 years ago) The soulmate twist was a really cool concept and felt refreshing. I haven’t read anything quite like it before.

Beatrice and Ben had so much history and tension, which made their scenes feel authentic. I usually struggle with multiple POVs (i get lost), but this one was easy to follow and flowed nicely.

Some of the characters didn’t feel as fleshed out as I’d have liked, but it’s a short book and there was so many POV's, so I get that there probably wasn’t the space or time to really hit that sweet spot.

Overall, a fun, fresh read, it was a nice pallet cleanser between the bigger books i usually read.

If you’re into romance with a bit of Shakespearean flair and a unique concept, give it a go!

Thank you to Victory Editing NetGalley Co-op for the ARC!

Review posteed on Goodreads and Instagram

The many narrator changes were quite confusing and distracting in the beginning. So it was difficult to really get into the flow.
But after around 70 pages you get used to that and you're in the clear.
Although, I still feel like there was room to extend each substory (Diego & Tony, Imogen & Oliver) to its own full novel. It wouln't have felt quite so rushed then.
Still a good read that really reminded me of all those soulmate fanfiction I also love reading.

oh what a brilliant book to dive into and a joy to do so.i love the modern and lovely take on soulmates. we dont see that and that shocked me slightly as it worked so well.
Beatrice and Ben as characters both had me rooting for them. there scenes and interactions had me both smiling and emotionally involved, lol.
the layout and pacing is spot on and i loved seeing the different points of view for this book. it truly got us the full scope of the characters and helped us get to know them. that again felt like a unique way to write this book and it was done once again really well. this isn't always the case with multiple POV and so it made me enjoy the book even more.
i connected with a few of the characters but loved reading them all and it only added to the story. i of course was purely rooting for Ben and Beatrice overall. they were my focus lol and all the others must do what they must do as long as my pair got a happy ending...please!?
i also loved how we might come across our soulmates. but that doesn't mean that everything else can fall away and we dont need to work or move, support and do all the things you must do to make relationships work.
happy ending aren't a given and so a few times i was anxious this was actually going to be the case in this book.
this is a must read for all. but for those that might know the original you will love this take on it. its sooooo good in relation to that.
a gorgeous read and im so glad i was lucky enough to get to do so.

Much Ado About Soulmates is such a refreshing take on the soulmates trope and weaving it into a Shakespeare classic makes for a fun romcom! The idea of everyone seeing in black and white and only seeing in colour when you find your soulmate is such a fun one! I loved seeing the reactions as people found their soulmates and got to see colour for the first time.

I thoroughly enjoyed the friends/enemies to lovers storyline with Ben and Beatrice, they had the most developed storyline and it showed as their backstory was revealed.

I wasn’t sure if I was going to finish the book when I started, the writing style is quite off putting, there’s a lot of POVs and I’m not a fan in general of reality tv shows so reading about one didn’t really appeal. However I got used to the writing style about 15% in and from then on I really enjoyed the book. I still think there were too many POVs, it just lead to underdeveloped characters which is a shame.

Overall a really fun, modern take on Shakespeare. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC!

*3.5

This was okay. I completely get that it's based on the Shakespeare play but there were too many povs. I get the friend group but the reporter was a bit much. I did like the romance between Bea and Ben and I wish we had more of them.

I received an arc through netgalley.

A Review: Much Ado About Soulmates by Elsie McLean

Overall Star Rating: 4/5

First Impressions
The preface was choppy to start, seeing that the writing style right off the bat was a little deterring. However, the storyline was great. I enjoyed it. There are some writers’ style things that I’m not a super big fan of, but not every writing style is my cup of tea.

Analysis and Critique
Plot and Pacing (4.5/5)
Characters(4.5/5)
Writing Style and Voice(2/5)
Dialogue (4.5/5)
Structure and Organization (4/5):

Personal Reflection and Overall Impression
Personally, I loved the Shakespeare with a twist. Not being able to see colors (only seeing black and white, monochromatic) until you met your soulmate was a different way of looking at things in romance. I liked that not every soulmate was a perfect match for you; it’s not always rainbows and butterflies. There is a lot of learning to love and compromise.

Conclusion and Recommendation
I would recommend this book for those who love Shakespeare and want something that is different than your typical “perfect soulmate” romance.

Much Ado About Soulmates
An incredibly unique take on the idea of Soulmates and Shakespeare. Pro’s Imogene and Beatrice, sisters who love one another deeply. One a golden retriever and the other a black cat. Spoiler: the world is black and white, until you see your soulmate. Suddenly the world explodes in color. Within that connection is variation- is it one sided? Is it a strong connection that they can still see colors even if they are out of the house or only in the same room? What happens when a soulmate dies ? Or a break up? The neurological talk behind this seemed convincing. Con’s a lot of perspectives was confusing. The lack of communication between Beatrice and Ben would’ve saved lots of heartache. And, the injustice done to Imogene , she was robbed of her happy ending that was present in the original play. Not only does she lose love through no fault of her own, BUT the color that comes with it and that made me incredibly sad. It felt disingenuous to the story.

I really enjoyed this modern day take on Shakespeares Much Ado About Nothing, especially the magical realism twist.

Set in a world where people can only see in black and white, until they meet their “soulmate” when the world erupts into full colour, this story looks at several different possibilities of what happens next after you’ve met your soulmate. Including what if you’re seeing colour, but they’re not.

This book was a really fun read, I loved seeing all the different relationships and the one week timeline that it followed meant that the story moved along quickly. And although it roughly followed the plot of the Shakespeare play there were enough little differences to make sure that it wasn’t too predictable.

All in all, this book was a fast-paced, light and fluffy, good time read.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for the opportunity to read an eARC of this book.

This was such a cute, slightly chaotic romance with a fun twist on the whole soulmates concept. It had major romcom energy with a little magical sparkle that made it feel fresh and different. The characters were super lovable and the banter gave me that giddy, grinning-while-reading feeling. I really liked how it played with fate versus choice without getting too deep or heavy. My only small gripe is that a few plot points felt a little rushed, especially toward the end, but honestly I didn’t mind too much because the vibe was just so fun. If you’re into quirky romances with heart, charm, and a dash of magic, this one totally delivers.

This book is such a clever and thoughtful retelling of Much Ado about Nothing. I haven’t read a book with a soulmate trope before, so I’m not sure if the color idea is new, but it certainly strikes me as unique. The idea of doing MAaN as a televised wedding with social media streamers is SO insightful, as MAaN is all about seeing and being seen (or what people *think* they’ve seen). This adaptation also captures both the humor and pain of the original, especially with Diego.

This was close to being a five-star read for me. However, Diego’s soulmate subplot and the Oliver-Imogen fake-cheating scandal were both underdeveloped and rushed.

Overall, this was still a very entertaining read and a fantastic adaptation!

Thank you to NetGalley and Victory Editing CoOp for the free eARC! I post this review with my honest opinions.

Content warnings: swearing, non-explicit references to sex including a character watching a faked sex tape

I was so happy to read this book! It was such a cute little romance. I loved the retelling of Shakespear's story Much Ado about Nothing! I was so excited when i saw that it was a retelling i signed up for the arc! Much Ado about nothing was one of my favorite Shakespear stories

I really hope Mclean continues to write retellings of some classic like this! I loved the enemies to lovers, I loved how you could really see how they incorporated the original story into it. I love the ending so much!

Thank you to Victory Editing NetGalley Co-op for the advanced copy.

I will definitely be rereading this one and rereading the original which i highly recommend you read as well!
Thank you to the Authors for this amazing story and i look forward to reading more by them!

I love a good Shakespeare adaptation/retelling and this was a fun read! having them be actors/in the public sphere really helped translate the more comical bits of the original play I feel like. the not seeing color until you meet your soulmate is an interesting addition to make it diverge and develop the plot quite a bit

overall it’s a very lighthearted read and i enjoyed the multiple POVs

Much Ado About Soulmates by Elsie McLean is a fresh, funny, and heartfelt twist on Shakespeare’s Much Ado About Nothing, and I absolutely loved it!

The story follows Beatrice Massey, a strong and witty woman who is not thrilled to be reunited with her soulmate, Ben Thackary, the man who broke her heart seven years ago. Their connection is undeniable, but love is never simple, especially when soulmates are involved.

Meanwhile, Beatrice’s sister Imogen is about to marry her own soulmate, movie star Oliver Black, in a dreamy wedding in the Italian countryside. As old friends gather for the celebration, emotions run high, secrets come out, and everyone learns that soulmates don’t guarantee a perfect love story.

Elsie McLean brings humor, romance, and emotional depth to this modern retelling. The soulmate twist adds a magical layer to the story, and the characters are full of personality and heart. I’m already a fan of McLean’s writing, and this book just made me love her more.

If you enjoy clever dialogue, second chances, and stories that mix romance with real emotion, this one is a must-read!

Review: Much Ado About Soulmates by Elsie McLean

I’m a total sucker for soulmate tropes and anything tied to Shakespeare, so this book felt like it was written just for me. A modern, swoony, and smart take on Much Ado About Nothing with a fun twist—soulmates bring color into your world. How could I not be all in?

Beatrice and Ben’s dynamic had me hooked right away. Their banter, tension, and history felt so real—messy in the best way. I loved how this story didn’t make the soulmate connection feel easy or perfect; it really leaned into the emotional weight of second chances, hurt feelings, and personal growth.

And the Italian wedding setting? Absolutely dreamy. The whole book had this gorgeous, warm vibe while still making space for complicated friendships and relationships. It was heartfelt and funny, with just the right sprinkle of Shakespearean drama.

If you love second-chance romance, witty dialogue, or soulmate stories with actual depth, Much Ado About Soulmates totally delivers. I adored it!!