Don't you just love a book that's sweeps you away from where you are and transports to a sunnier happy time. Well this book is the perfect escape. Curl up and enjoy. This romantic comedy. I loved it.

When I saw on Netgalley that it was available to read, and review, a book written by Samantha Young, the experience of reading On Dublin Street came to me. I liked a lot of that book, also the synopsis of “Much Ado About You” sounded like something that will be amazing.

I fell in love with all the characters, as well as the place, the library… All of the pieces that were part of the ambientation are perfect to me. Always that I read a book about a reader lover- a completely bookaholic- I love it.

Evie wanted to know herself and decided to book a flight to a small town in the UK, to stay there and ran a bookshop. She fell in love with the country and the village people… And with a sexy farmer, Roane. Their story is a cute “friends to lovers”. Maybe, I didn’t like it a lot in the instalove, but it is something that I can “forget” if I think about it in the full book.

Other characters that I really like are Viola, Lucas and Caro. The first two because their story of overcoming to love each other and fight for this romance was wonderful. Caro’s story is amazing for self-improvement, madurity and freedom.

Another thing that made my heart beat and beat was the way that the writer explored the different types of love. The love from a friend (Greer and Evie relationship), the love that turns on romance, the self love, the love of a village and a huge etcetera.

To me was a perfect reading to disconnect to real life, feel involved by a wonderful ambientation and a really good writing.

Highly recommended.

I want to express my gratitude to Netgalley and Little, Brown Book Group UK for giving me the chance to read this book in exchange for an honest review.

This started so strongly. I liked the first person monologue style which felt just like chatting to a good friend - a witty American thirty something booklover friend. I also liked that it wasn't just a love story but had lots more going on too with village life providing lots of family, friend and neighbour interactions (as well as a great supporting cast). I also liked the realistic timeframe with the story spanning a number of months rather than the whirlwind romances typical of this genre.

However, as it went on there were a few things that took it from a 5-star to 4-star. Firstly that newcomer Evie was able to fix everyone else's lives, even fixing long-standing issues that had been plaguing the village for decades. It was a bit much both in terms of the ease and speed she could help and the sheer number of things she got involved in. At least a couple of these could have been forgone and more focus given to the running of the bookshop (which was one of the things that really drew me to this book but was sadly given little time). I also thought after the build up, Roane's "betrayal" was really quite insignificant and personally I really couldn't understand Evie's distress at finding out the hot, single guy you've fallen for is actually extremely wealthy - I mean seriously?! But, most annoying for me was Roane's continuous use of the term "Angel" urgh!

A good book though despite a few minor niggles.

I’m sure that many people will love this story, but for me the book just dragged on forever. There were so many characters and subplots introduced and I simply didn’t care about any of them.

4 Ado-rable Stars!

“How can you not be a fan of Shakespeare when his characters say epic shit like that?”

Oh, goodness...I didn't realize how badly I needed an escape to the English countryside. Samantha Young delivers a charming romantic comedy and it is JUST what the doctor ordered in these frigid pandemic times!

Talk about a dream gig! Evangeline Starling has been disappointed by men and life for the last time. When this thirty-something, big city American girl gets stood up and then passed over for the big promotion yet again...she is done! And who could blame her? Her need for an escape is overwhelming. So when she comes across a posting for a "bookshop holiday" where you get to run a village bookshop in Northern England for a month while living in the apartment above it, she jumps at the opportunity.

Shortly upon arriving, she stumbles into a rambunctious Great Dane, who startlingly resembles her own childhood pup, right before it runs in the path of an oncoming car. Once she saves its life, she meets the pup's owner, a freakin' hottie on a stick, sweet English farmer...yes, a big, manly man, strapping farmer with a very sexy English accent. I mean, the premise for this book is better than even the best porn, with a side of wine, ice cream, and a massage that my feeble little mind could ever conjure up!

YES, PLEASE!!! (On the book, not the porn;)

“Wait.” Roane moved toward me, his expression eager. “Evie, I don’t make a habit of asking tourists out but I can’t help myself. You’re brave, you love animals. You’re stunning. I’m a mere mortal.” His chuckle had a slightly disbelieving tone to it, like he couldn’t understand himself in that moment. “So please have a drink with me tonight.”

This book was just all the swoony goodness that a die hard romance reader could ever desire. I loved the entire cast of characters, and I REALLY hope this is just the beginning of another series from this author, like her On Dublin Street series.

I enjoyed the initial friends to lovers dynamic between Evie and Roane. I didn't find it to be very believable because there was huge attraction on both sides from the start but I get what the character was trying to accomplish. As much as I loved the side characters, there was almost too much page time spent on world building their backstories. I would have preferred for that time to have been spent with Roane and Evie once their romantic relationship began...or for the book to have been longer so that both could have been incorporated.

Don't get me wrong, hello Viola and Lucas!! That whole side story was SO GOOD and I really hope we get more of it, but again, I just don't feel like we got enough page time with the two main characters once they actually got together.

However, I loved the conflict and I never ever saw it coming. We knew there was something...some secret being kept but I was super surprised when it all came out. I thought it was well executed and totally believable given the characters backstories to that point.

“You’re my home.”

Super enjoyable read overall and the perfect escape book to curl up with during one of these cold winter nights. Would recommend this one to all romance lovers in the mood for a lighter romantic comedy!

I was provided with an advanced review copy by NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

I’m gonna start this review, with feedback that might be just a pet peeve of mine, and it may not impact any other reader at all. But some reason it just rustled me. The first 20% of this book I felt a little like my head was about to explode, not because of poor plot or character development but the number of times things were described as “British”. In my head, if you’re going on a trip to England pretty much everything you do, see, touch and eat will be British.

With my mini-rant behind me, after getting over the use of the word “British” I settled into this book easily. It has a dog and bookshop in it so in my head, what’s not to like. Also, typical romance style you know how it will end and you’re reading to find out how the plot goes from A to B.

I enjoyed Evie as a character and can see why she’s so likeable within the village, there’s nothing to really put a reader off her. I think she also represents a feeling everyone has at some part of our lives where we just don’t know what to do with ourselves. Is what we are doing what we really want to be able to do or do we want to do a 180 and try something new? Evie is in the lucky position where she can take a step away to figure it out and enter sexy farmer and gorgeous Great Dane stage right.

It was quite lovely to see their relationship develop through the book, there wasn’t a rush and you could really see each step Evie took to getting closer to Roane. For a little while, I could see what the crescendo was going to. I’d breezed past the clues so caught up in how cute Roane was to Evie that before the stuff hit the fan I had to have a little think, I did guess right in the end but really enjoyed the journey to get there.

Beyond my own pet-peeve of “British” being used what felt like frequently at the beginning, there was nothing else that put me off the writing style or the way information was shared. The author did a really great job of bringing life in a small village to life with everyone in each other’s pockets, quick-spreading gossip and of course village drama. I enjoyed all the characters introduced through the story but do wish there was more about the impact Evie’s mum had on her.

I finished the book quite quickly and would definitely peg it at 3.5 to 4 stars, which is just my own experience of reading the book. This is a perfect beach/bath time read.

I liked how the book started I mean the first chapter, it was funny and something from our lives but then I felt like it was a little bit forced on me the whole romance thing and at the same time it was slow.
Don't take me wrong I do enjoy slow romance building relationship books but this one had a lot potentials and unfortunately it was very frustrating.
I struggle to finish it a little bit because the main character annoying me with her reactions and the whole very godmother style.
Still if I take the general idea of the book it was very cute and feel good about yourself that actually keep me going until then.
My conclusion I think it's just not for me I didn't hate it but it's not something that I will read again.

Thank you Netgalley for the opportunity to read this digital copy in exchange of my honest review.

I really enjoyed this book and could not put it down.

Evie is really unlucky in love and all her friends have partners and she feels all alone.  She decides to go on holiday to Northumberland for two weeks to run a bookshop in a village as the owner likes to do this.

We have Roane who is a local farmer and is very good looking and the chemistry between Evie and him is very hot.  Evie has sworn off younger men and is not going to date anyone so they become friends.  They spend a lot of time together will they end up together.

The villagers are characters and they take to Evie.  Evie seems to like to help people.

I would recommend this book well done.

I really enjoyed this book, the story was easy to follow and the connection between the main character and love interest was very obvious from the beginning. It was an easy to read style of writing which meant it was very easy to pick up and read. I love a chick lit read and the little Shakespeare references were a great addition.

This is the first book of Samantha's that I have read. And what a delight it is. Set in Northumberland, it has some delightful descriptions and you feel you are walking along the beach with Evie, Roane and Shadow.

Much Ado About You is the story of Evie, an assistant editor in Chicago, she is passed for a promotion and just got stud up by a guy she had been talking to. She really needs a break and she plans a holiday in a small English village where she can work in the bookstore. As she arrives she meets a handsome farmer, willing to become her friend.
First, I just feel in love with the setting of this small town in England, one of my dream places. I also enjoyed the ambience it gave to the book.
Second, the characters were amazing and their dynamics were perfect and funny at times. As well as that, I liked the plot between the main characters. The different side-stories were just excellent and just felt right.
Furthermore, this book made me want to travel to England and meet a sexy farmer! 
Last but not least, I just loved this book and I just had a huge smile on my face the whole time I was reading it! Just can't wait to reread it as well as read the other books by Samantha Young.

I found this book an easy read. The concept of renting a bookshop definitely appeals and it was a novel setup...pardon the pun!  From the offset it was very obvious that Evie and Roane were going to get together however, I did like the little surprise at the end...I won't spoil it. The borrowing from Shakespeares play worked well in the small setting with duelling pubs and secret love but I did become a little bored in the middle as you just knew what was going to happen and one of the storylines moved so quickly it seemed a little impossible. Thank you for letting me read this Netgalley.

I always love books about book shops and this is no exception. A sweet tale of a lost girl who comes to the UK on a whim and rents the bookshop for a month.

The only thing that jarred was the use of American terminology in places where a Brit really wouldn’t eg not saying ground floor and other niggles, but as the MC was American it could make sense.

An enjoyable read 3.5

<!-- wp:paragraph {"align":"justify"} -->
<p class="has-text-align-justify">I have never read anything by Samantha Young but had seen some good reviews about this book on WordPress as well as Goodreads so was intrigued to read her latest book, particularly as I had read an article about the Scottish bookshop available for holiday rentals which I believe provided inspiration for this novel. Evie lives in Chicago and at 33 life is not going as she had imagined.  She has been overlooked for promotion, her dating life is a bit of a disaster and her friends seem to be moving on with their lives while she is left behind. Acting on impulse, she books herself a holiday but quite an unusual one - running a bookshop called Much Ado about Books in a small town in north-east England. She hopes to rediscover herself whilst there, but to her surprise she finds love in the shape of a local farmer.</p>
<!-- /wp:paragraph -->

<!-- wp:paragraph {"align":"justify"} -->
<p class="has-text-align-justify">This is a cute romance and perfect for a few hours of escapism.&nbsp; Picturesque small town setting, relatable heroine, hot farmer, loveable Great Dane, literary references and a message of follow your heart - what is there not to like?&nbsp; There are some interesting side characters and at times the side plots about other residents did detract a little from the story - I would be intrigued to know if the author plans further books set in Alnster. A sweet, funny and endearing story of finding yourself, where you belong and what you want to do with your life. Even if it's in the least likely of places. Evie has had it with men and Chicago. On a whim she books a working vacation in England running a bookstore and immersing herself in the country she always dreamed of visiting. The people, the store, it weaves a spell around her, especially the handsome farmer Roane and his sweet dog. She vowed to not let him in but love is often found when you least expect it. Loved this five star read! Laughed, cried and laughed again!</p>
<!-- /wp:paragraph -->

This book is every book nerd dream come true! A sweet romance entangled with running a rented bookshop. What else you can wish for?

Evangeline 'Evie' Starling worked her ass off in the last few years as an editor helper, editing the journalists' articles, hoping that one day she will be promoted to an editor. What is more interesting about her is that at the age of 31 she swore off dating and men. After a long relationship with her high school sweetheart and few disappointments after that, she decided that she needed a break from the bitter world of dating. Now, at the age of 33, awaiting promotion at work and on her way to the restaurant where she will meet her date Aaron, she is almost sure that finally, her life is going in the right direction. What she wasn't prepared for is the turn everything took.

Firstly, she gets stood up at the restaurant because Aaron isn't ready for a relationship. The second hit comes the same evening from her best friend Greer announcing her pregnancy. On the very next day, the third hit came - she doesn't get the promotion she was so sure she will get.

Slowly, it became clear to her that each of her friends is living their life, nobody slowed down because she is feeling lonely and alone. So she is about to get her life together. But to do so, she will need a break. And is there any place better than a picturesque English village? 

There, the owner of the local bookshop Penny offers to rent and run a shop as a tourist attraction. A strange thing to offer, sure, but I'm sure that every book nerd will be over the moon if they have such an amazing opportunity. Plus, who can resist a book shop named 'Much Ado About Books'? Not a Shakespearian nerd, like Evie!

As soon as she arrives in Alnster she is pulled straight into the lives of the villagers. On top of everything, saving a handsome villager's dog, earned her an admirer she doesn't really want. Not because Roane Robson is not tall, handsome and heart-tearing sexy, but because she is in the middle of nowhere England to find herself and a romance will only worsen her journey of self-discovery and mess up her plans.

Samantha Young succeeded in teleporting us straight into the beating heart of this small cosy village. You have to be so cold-hearted to not fall in love with the warm and welcoming villagers.

Apart from Evie and Roane, there are a bunch of lovely secondary characters I couldn't help myself but fall in love with. Caro, Roane's cousin, with her talent to bake delicious cakes, Viola, Caro best friend, with her witty month, Milly, Viola's mom who welcomed Evie so warmly even though she is an American.

As much as I want to give it 5 stars, it was a 3.5 (rounded to 4) stars read for me. The book is cute, no doubt, but it's somehow flat and even annoying at places. That drama around Evie wanting to sleep with Roane but the same time she knows that she shouldn't do it because she is there not to start a relationship but to found out what she wants from the life becomes slightly boring. The drama wasn't enough to build up the tension and to keep you at the edge. When it reached its culmination it wasn't something WOW, because it felt somehow rushed, expected and even longed, but it sounds like 'oh, I'm tired of this back and forth game, let get over with it'. After this turning point, the book becomes watery and failed at keeping my full attention to the story. I was going to be impressed if the story ended differently and Evie actually stands behind her principles but nah, nevermind. 

It is an easy, sweet read perfect for the upcoming Valentine's day. If you are still wondering what to read - you should absolutely pick up this book. As a bonus, it will give you a flashback to the hot, hot summer days just in case you miss them.

After being stood up on a date and passed for a promotion at work, Evie feels lost. She looks online for a holiday and finds a bookshop that's being hired out as a holiday location in the English countryside. Evie thinks this will be the perfect place to forget about work and boys, until she meets Roane, a farmer who is practically perfect in every way. 

The main problem I had with this book is just how flawless Roane was. He was literally the definition of perfect, to the point where he just didn’t feel real. I feel like the author created her perfect man and put him in this book for to turn him down over and over for no good reason. 

The stakes just weren’t high enough for me. Young tried to create drama and tension, but none of it felt particularly complicated to fix. It was actually a little frustrating to see these characters making their lives so unneccesarily hard. 

But it’s a fun, predictable romance with a super cosy setting and it does attempt to address some harder issues like putting yourself first and knowing your own worth. It also has a Bridget Jones feel of it’s never too late to find love. 

If you like a book with characters who have good chemistry and make Shakespeare references, then give this a try. It just wasn't really for me.

Much Ado About You by Samantha Young is a cozy stand-alone romantic comedy set in a small English village. It is perfect to get swept away in and to bury yourself under a blanket with a cup of tea or coffee.
.
Our protagonist Evie is in her thirties and in a point of her life where it isn’t fulfilling. Dating is just a nightmare and she is past over a work promotion. Then she comes across an ad to look after a little bookstore in England and goes for it. She loves Shakespeare and I also liked how she cared for the people around her. Evie is an amazing character and I loved to follow her perspective.
.
Our hero Roane is a local farmer. He is sweet and sexy at the same time and I totally fell in love with him. In addition, he is loyal and charming and you learn more about him with each page. I’m also a fan of his cousin Caro who’s story you see briefly as well and I loved that.
.
The two meet one day very unexpectedly when Evie tries to rescue Roane‘s dog. Afterwards they become good friends until it slowly turns into more and I absolutely adored that. Their story has so many beautiful moments and it is a total cozy and feel good book that I loved so much.
.
Overall, Evie and Roane‘s story is just incredible and will put a smile on your face and I highly recommend it. 5 stars.
(ARC kindly provided via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.)

A sweet, funny and endearing story of finding yourself, where you belong and what you want to do with your life. Even if it's in the least likely of places. Evie has had it with men and Chicago. On a whim she books a working vacation in England running a bookstore and immersing herself in the country she always dreamed of visiting. The people, the store, it weaves a spell around her, especially the handsome farmer Roane and his sweet dog. She vowed to not let him in but love is often found when you least expect it. Loved this five star read! Laughed, cried and laughed again!

Much ado about you
By Samantha young
Pub date February 2 2021
My review 
I loved this book it’s has a book shop in which is always a brilliant story when it’s based around a book shop a friend to lovers romance which I loved Evie character such loving and friendly made everyone feel welcome I loved how Evie met loads of friend and she loved the local pub which done brilliant food. I loved how Evie turned the book shop around and everyone loved what Evie was doing to the window display. I couldn’t put this book down such a great story so many different characters you get to learn from so many friends she had in the book. The cover beautiful and the writing style easy to understand thank you for the e book

A perfect Chic lit book to end January! This was such as sweet story and was well written. Loved the facts added is Shakespeare and romantic quotes too. Not your typical boy meets girl book which is why I enjoyed it more. All the characters added to the story too.