Have you ever been really excited to read a book, but then after finishing, you’re left feeling a bit..meh? Well this sums up my feelings towards this book.

There is nothing truly horrendous about it, I just found it a bit too predictable and the main characters were too frustrating at times, for my own personal preferences. This is a classic romantic light read that, unfortunately, doesn’t offer much more than others I have read in this genre.

However despite this, there is plenty to digest, in terms of an eventful plot, and the reader is taken on an emotional journey along with Abbie and Oz.

As a debut release, it serves well, and it hasn’t put me off any future works by this author. Everyone has to start somewhere huh?

Abbie is a successful lawyer and seems to have it all. Her partner, Charlie is about to propose. But Abbie can''t help remember her first love, Oz, who she met on a march in London when she was a student. The story charts the intervening years time hopping between then and now.
Usually I love this kind of book but somehow I didn't really care enough about the characters to find out what happened.

A love story with a fairly traditional plot with numerous obstacles over time to be overcome to achieve what was destined to be. I found it a bit slow going and predictable, with other characters who were too one dimensional to engage me. An okay holiday read maybe but quite forgettable in the end.

With thanks to the author, publisher and NetGalley for an advance copy to review.

A tale of a romance that spans years. This book is definitely for people who believe in fate and destiny. Would recommend if you need something nice to read.

Played across multiple timelines we see the story of Abbie and Oz played out. The plot is well constructed and the characters are either warm and engaging or well written to make them appear as the enemy to the characters that we are loving reading about.

This is a hugely enjoyable book and although the end is hoped for and inevitable there is a twist that really pulls on the heartstrings. It is truly a tale of what if and what could have been.

Well worth a read and thanks to Netgalley, the publisher and the author for the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest review.

Abbie meets Oz when she’s a student but he is due to return to Turkey the next day. After a memorable night they agree to meet up in nine years time, following the story of Abbie’s favourite movie! Throughout the years they keep ‘bumping into’ each other, finding themselves in the same locations at the same time but with other responsibilities.
A lovely love story that leaves you willing them to get together despite the boundaries!

Abbie and Oz first meet when they are young and free but their budding romance is cut short when Oz has to return home to Turkey the very next day, over the coming years they go their seperate ways, meeting up and parting and moving on , never finding the timing quite right.
I liked the way the story read between the present and the past and how the story wove together. I found this to be a beautifully written, emotional read.

When Abbie meets a handsome man as a student there's a connection between them, but she lives in London and he in Turkey.

They keep connecting through the years but life gets in the way of anything more. The story is told in the present time and the past. During this time we get to see their lives grow and change. The only thing that didn't change was the spark that Abbie and Oz have when they meet.

I felt it was a little slow-moving at times. I also felt conflicted, I liked Charlie! I liked Oz and he had a way with words. I of course liked the ending even though it was emotional.

3.75 stars

I was immediately intrigued by the synopsis of It Must Be Love, and thankfully I wasn't disappointed.

There is an almost whimsical quality to Caroline Khoury's writing that left me breathless on occasion. This is a quiet book full of yearning and tender moments, and I cried. A lot.

I love stories told with flashbacks and the ones in this story really added to the sense of yearning and that almost elusive 'what if?' in the present, building the emotional connection. I appreciated the way in which we got glimpses into different cultures. Oz and Abbie were both so relatable that you couldn't help but to love them (plus anyone whose favourite film is Before Sunrise will always have my heart unconditionally).

I don't want to give too much away in case it spoils the ending for anyone else, but I loved pretty much all of the characters. As a side note, I'm asthmatic, and the author perfectly captured the sense of helplessness and overwhelming anxiety that accompanies an attack.

Overall Rating: ❤❤❤❤
Heat Rating: 🔥
Emotional Rating: 💓😍😢😢😂

*Thanks to NetGalley for the opportunity to leave an honest review*

I will upload my review to Amazon UK on publication day

A modern day fairytale love story!
Abbie and Oz meet when they were young and free with no worries, enjoyed a whirlwind romance before Oz returns to Istanbul.
Fate has a way of popping up and entwining their lives, keep them meeting up in Istanbul, Paris, Beirut and London each time bringing them closer but with each of them leading different lives and having commitments will it ever be their time?
Beautifully written emotional and poignant journey.

A modern day love story.
Abbie and Oz meet as students in London when Abbie fell into Oz's arm - yes literally at a march. There was instant attraction-love at first sight but unfortunately Oz was returning to his native Turkey the following day. They decided to make the most of that day (and night) and agreed to meet up in 10 years time if they were still free.
They did however meet up on several occasions, not always with the success and the path of true romance did not always run smooth.
It is a descriptive book with settings in London, Istanbul. Beirut and Mumbles - a beautiful but little known area in south Wales UK not far from where I live. It's lovely to be able to picture some of the places I've visited.
There's a bit of back and forth story telling which I found slightly confusing but on the whole a romantic gentle read with very likeable characters.
With thanks to NetGalley for the preview read. #ItMustBeLove #NetGalley

Read and reviewed in exchange for a free copy from NetGalley. Although this started off quite slowly, I really enjoyed this. I cared about Abbie, Oz and the people around them and Khoury wrote beautifully, clearly setting out scenes and events without being too wordy. A lovely, warm book with its share of emotion. An excellent read.

Abbie fell into the arms of Oz at a protest they were both at in London. It was an instant attraction for both of them, and they stayed together for a perfect day before Oz had to return to Turkey. But they made a deal, they would meet up again in ten years if they were still free and see how they felt about each other. They both got on with lives until Abbie went calling on him when she was with a friend in Turkey, but things hadn’t stood still.

I must say that the pages certainly had a buzz when these two were together, no matter who else was around. But on each occasion that they came across each other, there was always an obstacle. Now obstacle in this instant is another way of saying, partner. I felt torn. I wanted these love birds to be together but felt guilty too. Each time they parted, fate had a way of bringing them back together time after time.

The setting is beautiful, making it even more romantic, but it isn’t just their love lives that are the problem. They each had other commitments that kept them apart. I enjoyed the chase in this story, they couldn’t stay apart or keep their hands off each other. But everything always seemed against them.

A great novel, It will make a perfect holiday read.

I would like to thank Net Galley and the publisher for an e-copy of this book that I have reviewed honestly.

I absolutely adored this book. I was rooting for the main characters as a couple and loved seeing how their unusual relationship developed over the course of the book. A really lovely rom com

The story of Abbie and Oz, told through a dual timeline. When they met as students their connection was unmistakable but fate intervened and they moved in different directions. Now Abbie is engaged her thoughts drift back to Oz. Heart breaking and emotional at times. Will destiny interfere with their future?

What a truly beautiful story that has you on the edge of your seat for the whole book. Whilst you may know how you want it to go, the queston is whether the book will take you there....

📖BOOK REVIEW📖
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️.5

#ItMustBeLove by #CarolineKhoury

⏩for book cover

So I’ll start the review by saying there isn’t any originality here. The plot is very reminiscent of books by authors such as Paige Toon and Josie Silver (who I love btw) - the format and the characters we’ve all met before and there are no surprises lurking here.

This however, doesn’t mean it was a bad read, far from it. I think you go into these types of books with a certain amount of expectation in terms of familiar characters, plots and themes, so I really wasn’t disappointed that it did exactly what it said on the tin. I really enjoyed jet setting around with Abbie and her growth and journey throughout the book. The author did a great job of creating empathy towards Abbie’s plights while keeping it very realistic and relatable. I also thought tension in the plot was maintained even though the story was overall predictable. I also really enjoyed the changing timelines between the past and present that ensured you only got all the answers at the end.

I found it an easy and uncomplicated read. It was complete and satisfying and lovely. Definitely a new author to look out for!

With thanks to the author, @penguinukbooks and @netgalley for allowing me to read this one early!

OUT: Feb 3rd

-EMILY

@the_book_girls_1

Well written, capable debut novel with a good sense of each character and their struggles. My only quibble would be the melodramatic turn towards the end that stretched credibility.

Ah a perfect way to escape this grey weather; I absolutely devoured this heartfelt love story from Caroline Khoury. As a student on a demonstration in London, Abbie literally falls into the arms of Oz, a handsome Turkish man who is leaving town that night. They have the perfect day together, both sad that it be a one-off event but resigned to the fact that life gets in the way.
Through her 20s, Abbie works hard to fulfil her father's dream of her being a lawyer, working every hour, but still occasionally thinking about the one who got away. She meets a lovely man who adores her and her life's path is set, but still the lingering feeling that Oz is out there in the world. There are occasional meetings between the two of them but circumstances never allow the relationship to develop into the potential that it showed at the start .
Its a romance so you know what will happen - but the journey to get there is wonderful and left me with my heart in my mouth. I will definitely buy it and can't wait to read more from Caroline Khoury.

This is a lovely story of Abbie and Oz who meet as students and fall in love then Oz moves back to Istanbul. What follows is a story over 15 years as they keep meeting and rekindle their love each time.
A lovely romantic story of how love can conquer barriers such as Oz not speaking english.
Thoroughly enjoyed this book would highly recommend.
Thanks to Net Galley.