Mad About You

I love Mhairi McFarlane but this one wasn't my favorite. Mad About You seemed to glorify revenge and Scott felt like a quintessentially evil character. The relationship between Harriet and Cal was also instalove even though they didn't get together until the very end.

Loved this!

I'm a Mhairi McFarlane fangirl. I've only read 3 of her books (I really need to get through that backlog) but even in just the first few pages, her writing brings me joy. The humor, the heart, the depth of characters, they just work for me. Just like her other books, once I started reading Mad About You, I just couldn't put it down.

I think Mhairi McFarlane is really fantastic at handling deep emotions. One of the many reasons why her books are easy to connect with and why they feel special. The depth and delicacy with which emotional abuse and gaslighting is handled in this book is really superb. Throughout most of the book Harriet grapples with aspects of her past, her grief of losing her mom, and the terrible exes that took away her confidence.

The romance takes a bit more of a back seat in this book but I still loved Cal, the love interest, and all the deep conversations they have together about themselves, their families and their past. I loved watching their love slowly develop. One thing that slightly annoyed me here was that Harriet made so many snap judgments about Cal and kept keeping him at a distance because of these, even though at the same time, she was coming to realize that her judgement when it comes to reading people wasn't always accurate. Despite this, they were really so cute together, that I was reading the ending with a big silly grin on my face, melting into a puddle. I enjoyed their romance so much, I just really wish there was a lot more of it :D

There were some terrific women friendships in this book (and one bad one). So many great moments of women supporting women and really making a difference in each others' lives.

Overall, just another amazing Mhairi McFarlane book that is superbly written in both form and content.

Overall rating: 4.2⭐

It was actually difficult for me to finish it, and I can't even pinpoint why. Maybe I just didn't connect with Harriet, or Cal, or even the ‘perfect man' who was anything but. Maybe I had high expectations because I had loved some of her books before.

Check TW before reading. 

This was a different kind of story for me and it kept me wanting more the entire time. I expected more romance, but it was the opposite, which I liked. This story is more about the main character facing something she thought she was over, taking a huge risk, and coming out better on the other side. 

This is the first book I've read by the author and I will be adding her to my auto list! 

I received the ARC from NetGalley.