Saturday, February 13, 2021

It Had To Be You Review

Author: Georgia Clark
Genre: Rom-Com
Publisher: Atria/Emily Bestler Books
Release Date: May 4, 2021
Order Links: Amazon Barnes & Noble

My Rating:  4 Sweet Hearts

Special thanks to the publisher for an arc of this book.

The author of the “emotional, hilarious, and thought-provoking” ( People ) novel The Bucket List returns with a witty and heartfelt romantic comedy featuring a wedding planner, her unexpected business partner, and their coworkers in a series of linked love stories—perfect for fans of Christina Lauren and Jasmine Guillory.

Review:
As half-owner of In Love In New York, a wedding planning business, Liv Goldenhorn is busy putting out fires at a wedding gone horribly wrong when she gets the phone call that forever changes her life. Her husband Eliot, who should be there helping her with the wedding, has been found dead in a motel room in Kentucky . . . with his ridiculously young and blonde mistress Savannah. What?! To add insult to injury, the same naive blonde bombshell comes calling on Liv later to announce Eliot's half of the business has been left to her - and no, she won't sell. She wants to partner up with Liv - her dead lover's wife - and restore the fading business to its former glory days. Liv is in shock. Surely she jests.

And so begins It Had To Be You! Talk about starting with a bang, this emotional rom-com hits the ground running and never lets up. As the story unfolds, readers are introduced to numerous couples whose stories are all woven in and around Liv and Savannah's stories. Clark expertly entertains readers with five diverse romances playing out at the same time, including two inter-racial, and one gay, second chance and adultery. While It Had To Be You is decidedly a rom-com, there's a sweet, heartwarming undertone carried throughout as readers bounce back and forth between couples while trying to keep up with who's loving and/or hurting who. Although the alternating points of view were a wee bit distracting at first, I quickly settled in and soon felt like I was catching up with old friends and couldn't wait to get back to each couple's story of finding and accepting their perfect soul mate.  It Had To Be You is a sexy, fun, diverse modern romance with a surprisingly emotional depth and sweet happy-ever-after ending/s. Highly recommended to fans of romance, diversity and rom-coms.

Synopsis:
For the past twenty years, Liv and Eliot Goldenhorn have run In Love In New York, Brooklyn’s top wedding planning business. That is, until Eliot dies while visiting his younger, blonder girlfriend, Savannah Shipley, an events intern from Kentucky. In a twist no one sees coming, Eliot leaves his half of the business to Savannah, who had no idea Eliot was still married.

To Liv’s horror, Savannah won’t sell: she wants to help Liv build the now-failing business into the thriving company it used to be. Liv finds herself widowed and shackled to the inexperienced if optimistic Savannah, her polar opposite in every way. But what starts as a personal and professional nightmare transforms into something even savvy, cynical Liv Goldenhorn couldn’t begin to imagine.

Sexy, tender, and utterly charming, It Had to Be You cleverly tells multiple modern love stories, featuring Liv, Savannah, and the various florists, caterers, musicians, and other vendors of the business, in a joyous Love Actually-style braided narrative. Second chances, secret romances, and steamy soul mates are front and center in this smart, emotional, laugh-out-loud rom com that’ll renew your faith in love and have you swooning on every page.
 

Hello, I'm a Brooklyn-based novelist and host/founder of a couple different live shows. I love improv, sleeping in, and fun snacks that are salty.


My next book is a modern romantic comedy called IT HAD TO BE YOU (out May 2021). I also wrote THE BUCKET LIST, THE REGULARS, PARCHED and SHE'S WITH THE BAND.

I'm originally from Australia, and have been living in New York for 11 years. Wanna know more? AMA.


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