If you’ve never read Mhairi McFarland before, firstly, you’re in for a treat when you do, but I wouldn’t start with this one. It is good, but not amazing as some of her books are. This one didn’t resonate with me for some reason, I think because of all the angst from Harriet’s previous relationship, which I wasn’t really enjoying. I did like some of the characters and finished it in a couple of sittings.
I will obviously still look forward to Mhairi’s next one.
Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this arc in exchange for an honest review.

I’ve read most of Mhairi McFarlane’s books and enjoyed them all. Mad About You is another one of these. I liked the story and the main character, so it was an easy book to get through. Romance fans will enjoy this one too I think!

Rom Coms. A genre shamefully sniffed at by many a book snob but adored by the masses. Now, lots of book blurbs will claim their novel to be “laugh out loud funny” or “sweet, romantic & hilarious” but in my experience, very few authors can pull off this deceptively difficult claim. While many can give us the romance, very few can combine that with genuine giggle inducing wit, and even fewer can perfectly meld the light of laughs & romance with the shade of more serious, thought provoking plot points, such as loss, grief, cyber bullying & gaslighting.
The exception? The simply sublime Mhairi McFarlane.

Ms McFarlane’s latest novel, Mad About You, is yet another example of her exceptional rom com writing skills. We follow our protagonist Harriet, a wedding photographer, as she navigates a life full of relationship changes, fresh starts, a potential mother in law from hell, excellent female friendships and disappointing let downs, a hot landlord, the full gamut of gaslighting, from passive aggressive neediness to aggressive coercive control and an old (and sly) beyond his years 11 year old (❤️ You Barty!)

Mhairi’s prose, as always, is perfect in Mad About You. The observations and inner thoughts of Harriet are so spot on. She always writes characters that are so realistic you feel you know them already, and that is again the case here. Not just with Harriet, but with Cal, Sam, Lorna, Jon, Jacquline and of course, my obsession, eleven year old Barty - his sly, potential evil mastermind traits summed up perfectly in one of my favourite quotes -

“He was surely going down for three counts of ‘Conspiracy to Defraud’ and one of ‘Impersonating a Sheikh’ at the Old Bailey in the future”

Genius!

If smart rom com is your thing, or even if you don’t think it is your thing, then give Mhairi McFarlane’s books a go. I promise, you will never be disappointed.

Between the botched proposal in front of family and the (ex) fiancé sobbing afterwards that he's not good enough, I felt like the author was writing about my personal experiences. Ha! 

In a brighter turn of events, this book had me laughing out loud, wiping away tears and cheering on Harriet through every twist and turn as she navigated a broken engagement, an abusive ex, a new housemate and new and old friendships. I loved the friendship turned romance between Harriet and Cal. I also loved Lorna- the best kind of friend!

A fast, fun read that was equal parts love, laughter and growing up.

Another corker from Mhairi McFarlane, I devoured this in a day!

'Mad About You' moves quickly, from the first chapter I was gripped. We first meet Harriet (who I loved) on her way to her boyfriends parents anniversary dinner...I mean, strong start right? What could possibly go wrong! Safe to say it all unravels from that point on!

The romance, wit and humour in the story just shines through. The characters feel like your friends, you get an insight into what they are dealing with emotionally from past experiences. One of the key takeaways is to never assume you know what someone else is going through, everyone has a story you may know nothing about!

Such a good read, will be recommending to everyone...as I always do with Mhairi McFarlane novels!

Thank you to @netgalley and @harpercollins for the opportunity to review. Out in the UK now.

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Mad about you by Mhari McFarlane was just the ticket for a light hearted yet captivating read after a stressful few weeks. Her characters just came to life on the page and I loved getting to know them. Harriet’s story developed alongside her evolution (and demise) of her friendships and just hit the right notes of being aspirational yet totally credible. Who wouldn’t want a friend like Lorna and I think we all have (or know) a Roxy in our lives/satellites. A little predictable but a good attempt at giving us insight into gaslighting and bullying. A lovely read indeed Four stars

Mad About You by Mhairi McFarlane, a NetGalley read. The main is character is Harriet who is running away from a last relationship but she doesn’t know that, a chance meeting with strangers changes everything. I don’t think I’ve read anything by this author before and sadly won’t be reaching for any others by this author. From the very beginning I struggled with this book, there was no instant connection and sadly the book didn’t grow on me. At the beginning I found it really hard to know who was who and to understand what was going on. It’s not that it’s awful, it’s just I didn’t enjoy it. I will day to it’s credit and for people that criticise rom com’s as having no substance, this book tackled some tough subjects such as grooming in relationships and it dealt with that with an open and honest narrative. However for me the main reason why I disliked this book is that I felt it didn’t flow, it felt like as I was reading I was stumbling over the words. I do think in parts this book had potential it just didn’t sustain that feeling and sadly most of it was a struggle to read, having to read some parts numerous times to make sense of what had been written and I also had to do this because it was holding my attention and I had simply zoned out. I do think people will enjoy this book and maybe it’s a bit of a marmite book because I read some great reviews. Will I be recommending it to family and friends?……to be honest probably not and because of that I will be giving this book ⭐️⭐️

Clever and funny and emotional all at once. I'm a fan of all Mhairi McFarlane's novels, but this is definitely the best one yet. A terrific read

A brilliantly written romantic read which I absolutely loved. I was hooked from the first page and as a result read the whole book over the space of 2 days.

The main character Harriet is loveable character who navigates her way through an unwanted proposal, finally gaining closure on an abusive past relationship and moving in with a new housemate who has just as much baggage as she does when it comes to relationships.

Although the ending was slightly predictable, I found this a brilliant read, and covering hard hitting topics such as abusive relationships and gaslighting. Mhairi has an amazing way with words and I became emotionally invested in Harriet and was desperate to find out how the story unfolded. I look forward to reading future books by this author.

What can I say…. another brilliant book from Mhairi McFarlane! Im an avid reader and lover of Romance books and Mhairi does these so well, but with that extra emotional punch. I love that her books aren’t all fluffy and hearts and flowers, but have a gritty realistic element that makes it a more relatable romance.⁣
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Harriet was such a likeable protagonist, one that I could really imagine in my circle of friends.⁣
I loved reading about the developing relationship between her and Cal. But by far the best part of this book is that it is set in my home city of Leeds. It was so good to be able to read all the familiar areas and places around our city and be able to properly visualise them! ⁣
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I can’t wait to make my way through Mhairi’s back list, in fact I already have a couple sat on my shelves. After reading and loving Mhairi’s last two novels, I can confidently say she will be an auto buy author for me from now on! ⁣
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Thank you to Netgalley and Harper Collins Uk for a copy of this book.

I devoured this book, I couldn’t stop reading! A light-hearted romance which, granted is a bit predictable, but touches on some really hard topics, including emotional abuse and gaslighting. I would also add that Harriet’s character growth throughout the book is a real driver of a lot of the story and I love how empowering it was to read. The characters were well-developed and the plot line very engaging. My first but not my last Mhairi McFarlane book.

A quick, mainly lighthearted read. It's fairly obvious how the story will end but it's an enjoyable holiday romance, albeit with some slightly darker incidents.

Mhairi McFarlane is my girllllll so she's an auto buy author. I loveeee her stories and feel so blessed when I get to read them.

This one is no different. It manages to deliver razor sharp dialogue, funny and witty writing, exploration of difficult topics such as coercive and emotionally abusive relationships, while still having all the swoon. Loved it.

Wow what an emotional roller coaster that was! While this book is all about relationships it is mostly definitely not your traditional romance. Instead it touches on things that while very much present around us are sadly often shrouded in secrecy and denial - namely emotional abuse, gaslighting and whatever other names it goes by.

Harriet is a wedding photographer. She lost her parents at a young age and was raised by her grandparents. She has a very close knit circle - her boyfriend Jon and her two best friends Lorna and Roxanne. As the book begins, Harriet and Jon are on their way to a country hotel to celebrate the 40th wedding anniversary of his parents. Harriet cannot think of anything worse as Jon’s parents always look down their noses at her and Jon just laughs it off. However not even she could have imagined how bad it would be.

This results in her looking for somewhere else to stay and when Roxanne (an Estate Agent) finds her a house share her first instinct is to say no as she wants her own space. However she loves the house and the room does have its own en-suite. Her landlord is a 30 something man just out of a long-term relationship and while they start off tentatively on eggshells they soon progress to becoming friends.

One would think the story is about Harriet and Cal but this is just a tiny part of it. It’s more about Harriet and her facing the demons and traumas of her past. I won’t go into anymore detail than that as I don’t want to spoil the story for anyone but it is so cleverly written and makes you realise that no-one knows what goes on behind closed doors or how much someone can ruin your life.

I thorough recommend this book. I would like to thank Netgalley for an advanced read copy of this book in exchange for an honest and unbiased review.

📚 r e v i e w 📚
mad about you by mhari mcfarlene.
people who say they don’t like romance novels have never read mhari mcfarlene and it shows.
mhari mcfarlene’s romances are for people who don’t want all that ‘lovey dovey nonsense’. they’re romances with substance. so if you’d like me to prove to you that romance isn’t a terrible genre - pick up a mhari mcfarlene, this is a good one to start with and lucky for you, it’s out now!
with mad about you, the romance takes a backseat, the main attraction is our mc harriet and her growth after coming out of two toxic relationships. considering the subject matter, there are laugh out loud moments galore and as is typical for mhari mcfarlene, a group of loveable and relatable characters. just be aware that toxic relationships and emotional abuse feature heavily. thanks to @netgalley and harper collins for the early copy.
mad about you is out now.
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I’d like to thank NetGalley and Harper Collins for approving me for an ARC of this book.

From the synopsis you might think that this is a love story and in some ways it is. Mad About You follows the story of Harriet, a wedding photographer, who has just ended her long term relationship to Jon. From the minute Harriet broke things off with Jon I knew I was going to like her. This is a woman who knows her own mind and though she wasn’t cruel to Jon she was firm whilst try to remain friendly.

This break up is what leads her to moving into Cal’s rented room. Lets just say that things got off to a shaky start with these two and there were more than a few laugh out loud moments along the way! It was obvious from the beginning that these two would end up together but like I said the romance is only a small part of this story.

I also have to give a mention to Harriet’s best friend, Lorna. Every woman out there needs a friend like Lorna, she’s brutally honest but fiercely loyal. She’s the kind of friend that would drop everything she’s doing to help you but cross her and you’ll live to regret it!

As the story progresses we learn more about Harriet and why she is so cautious with relationships. Mhairi McFarlane tackles difficult subjects such as gas lighting, coercion and abuse without making the reader feel depressed as well. It’s really important to shed more light on these topics and help not just those involved feel that they can talk but help those who haven’t experienced it understand more.

There were moments of tears, times when I was grinning from ear to ear and one particular moment when I fist pumped the air from pure satisfaction! This was my first Mhairi McFarlane but it definitely won’t be my last.

I loved this book! Such fantastic writing and character building.

Harriett, newly single, moves in as a lodger in Cal’s spare room. They don’t get off to the best start to say the least! We follow Harriett as she explores newly single life, trying not to let her past define her.

Please check the trigger warnings.

Thank you to Net Galley and the author for the opportunity to read and review the book.

I so loved this story and Mhairi tackles the sensitive topic of domestic abuse and coercive control with sensitivity in a way that rings true but doesn't conflict with the warmth of the broader story. Great characters, a real 'will they / won't they' vibe that's simply a pleasure to read.

Brilliantly funny and deeply moving, 'Mad About You' is an important book which deconstructs coercive control. Mhairi McFarlane demonstrates the same lightness of touch as Marian Keyes, allowing her to tackle challenging subject matter without depressing the reader. There's more than one way to skin a cat and Mhairi McFarlane's way is my jam. The honesty expressed in depicting Harriet's experience is heart-breakingly raw. There's so much to get upset and angry about in this book, but there are loads of laughs too and some real kickass moments of power. I'm a huge fan of Mhairi McFarlane and, whilst it's nigh on impossible to choose a favourite, I think 'Mad About You' might just be her best yet.

Thanks to NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review this book. This is my first by this author but won’t be my last! A warm, funny, uplifting read it is perfect for when you want a light read but still with depth. With great writing and characters, I really enjoyed this and would highly recommend it.