Cover Story by Mhairi McFarlane
This was just at 3.5 star read, rounding it up to 4 stars for the rating. I don’t really have to much to say except that if you were hoping for a romance with any type of sex scenes, not your book. I think that McFarlane did a slow burn with Bel and Connor, which I know some romance readers like, but then it just felt like we got zero pay-0ff in the end. And I have to say, I really need longer timelines in […]
Between Us by Mhairi McFarlane
Mhairi McFarlane has become a must-read author for me. I’ve enjoyed all of her books, although Don’t You Forget About Me is probably my favorite. So, when I heard that she had a new book out, I immediately put a hold on it at my library. Between Us (2023) was another interesting read, although it wasn’t my favorite of McFarlane’s novels. Although I liked the characters and the story kept me reading, the romance was underwhelming. The main characters in this book have all been friends for the last […]
Between Us by Mhairi McFarlane
Bingo Square: Adulthood, which gives me a bingo with Take the Skies, Relation’ship’, North America, You Are Here Roisin and Joe have been together since their early twenties, a part of a core group of friends that met working at a bookshop and get together regularly. Though their lives may be very different to when they met, the friends love meeting up, and this time it’s at a swanky country house for the weekend. Part of the excitement of the weekend is watching Joe’s new […]
Mad About You by Mhairi McFarlane
Mhairi McFarlane has become one of my favorite romance authors. I’m pretty sure I’ve read all of her books, and I was eagerly anticipating the publication of her latest novel, Mad About You (2022). McFarlane has a fun, engaging writing style, and I often feel more emotionally connected to her characters than other romance novels. The book begins with our protagonist–a wedding photographer–getting ready for the bride’s arrival, when the best man informs her that the groom has left. Harriet sees a bit of the aftermath of […]
Mad About You by Mhairi McFarlane
CW: emotional abuse As always, McFarlane writes books that seem like they’ll be lighthearted romances. They even have the quintessential Eric-Carle-block-print-esque covers and bright primary colors that denote Romance Genre books vs romance novels (a super reductive frankly sexist delineation that I think was promulgated to help people feel “better” that what they’re reading isn’t “just” romance). But like all McFarlane books, the romance is almost secondary to a larger emotional conflict that’s been weighing on our main characters. Some thought and recollections later, though, I’m not […]
Mad About You by Mhairi McFarlane
I could not do it you guys. I could not give this book more than a star rating. The more I thought about, the more issues I had besides this not being a romance book though it is promoted as one. The main character Harriet had too much stuff that just didn’t work for me. And I loathed the fact that there is a very real topic in this one (gaslighting/coercive control). And the larger issue was that the whole thing with Cal was too […]
