Mad about You: The biggest romcom of 2022: heart-warming, laugh-out loud funny and wonderfully romantic

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On the other hand, Cal’s character is this cute charming man who comes to rescue Harriet in a very subtle but not-so-overpowering way. I listened to the 11-hour audiobook that could have easily been edited down to a 9-hour audiobook. Narrator Heather Long did an excellent job with the book's narration. There’s not a whole lot I can say different here to how I’ve reviewed McFarlane’s previous books, to be honest. Yes, it’s a different book, with a different story, but it’s also Mhairi McFarlane, with her signature beats. There’s the humour, the romance, the friendship, and the balance of the narrative as it treads along heavier topics—all of it ties together into a book which, although it might not be my outright favourite of McFarlane’s, is up there among them. 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.

Mad About You by Mhairi McFarlane | Goodreads

MMs books are never really about the romance - they are always about the growth of the characters - but i definitely think this is the best romance MM has written. It's pathetic, I knew I did from that first moment we met. It was...not love at first sight exactly, but - familiarity. Like: oh, hello, it's you. It's going to be you. Game over." Mhairi's writing is always just super witty with layered, emotional depth . . . Loved. Adored. All-star.'

again, the romance is not the focus of this book. its about trials, abusive pasts, letting go and moving forward. its a story about strength, resilience, and uplifting others. that being said, the connection between cal and harriet is so genuine, so charming, so realistic, that it completely outshines everything else in the book. even if it is just a side plot. Enter Cal Clarke, a hopeless romantic who just experienced his own wedding-related disaster. Harriet and Cal are like chalk and cheese, but as they go from strangers to roommates to friends, it becomes clear they’re both running from something. When Harriet’s most heavily guarded secret comes to light, her world implodes. And Cal, with his witty humor and gentle advice, is a surprising source of calm at the center of the storm. Although her plots are sometimes a bit slow getting started, you always feel she’s given you just enough, never too much and never too little. You always come away feeling you Have regained a sense of what is important in life. On the slightly negative side, I did feel that for me personally too much time was devoted to the exes here, particularly as there is not just Scott, but Jon too, not to mention we have Cal's ex Kristina, the woman he jilted at the altar! As such it often feels like there is too much going on in the book and no breathing space. When it comes to Jon, I did actually like the portrayal of his character, and that it was not just him to blame for the failing of this relationship, but Harriet too, as whilst she may not have admitted it to herself at the time, she was in many ways using Jon as a safe bet after Scott. As such I thought both relationships made sense in terms of the context in which they were presented, however, it did mean that the present day evolving relationship with Cal didn't get as much air time, and given how much I liked the scenes that Cal and Harriet did have together, I just thought this a shame. Also whilst they totally worked as friends throughout most of the book, and whilst there was an undeniable spark between them, I did think the ending felt rushed and may be not quite convincing between them, simply because it hadn't been properly built up to.

Mad about You by Mhairi McFarlane | Waterstones

An entertaining, emotional and exhausting story about friendship, and moving on from past choices and mistakesA woman’s rose-colored view of her tight circle of friends is shattered in this heartfelt and funny story of loss and recovery from McFarlane (If I Never Met You). Thirty-something Eve Continue reading » McFarlane’s latest, her eighth novel Mad About You (HarperFiction), opens as wedding photographer Harriet turns down a proposal from her seemingly perfect boyfriend. She ends up in a house-share with Cal—the groom she saw running away from his own wedding. There is a glorious mean-guy-getting-his-comeuppance plotline, as well as sparks galore and lots of laughs, but at its heart, this novel is also exploring the fallout from an emotionally abusive relationship. Mhairi’s writing is always just super witty with layered, emotional depth . . . Loved. Adored. All-star.’ LIZZY DENT