This post contains affiliate links. In addition, I was provided with a copy of this book in exchange for my review. All opinions are my own.
Title: Much Ado About You
Author: Samantha Young
Publication Date: February 2, 2021
Sub-genre: Contemporary
Trope(s): Friends to lovers
Content Warnings: Some questionable (in my opinion) descriptions/language used re: body size; alcoholic parent (of main character); abusive parent (of side character)
So I was kind of hesitant to read this one because I didn’t love Samantha’s last book, but honestly, I couldn’t say no to this title and cover, and overall, I’m glad I gave this one a chance.
Evie is having one of those moments. She just quit her job, got stood up for a date, and found out her best friend is pregnant, making her the only single and childless one among her friends. She feels a bit stuck and needs a change. She decides to take a vacation, signing up to live and work in a bookstore in the countryside of England (hello dream of mine), vowing to focus on finding herself and swearing off men completely. So of course she meets a super hot farmer named Roane basically the moment she arrives in town. There is a clear attraction between the two, but Evie makes it known–early and often–how not here she is for men and the two develop a close friendship instead. Evie finds herself acclimating to small town, bookshop life much easier than she expected, and when she gets a chance to extend her vacation, she does, partly because she loves it there, partly because she can’t deny her growing feelings for Roane. But in order for Evie to figure out what she really wants for the future, she has to grapple with her past–and Roane’s. Luckily, we know it all turns out well in the end.
This book is basically my catnip. Living in England? Check. Running a bookstore? Check. Hot British dude? Check. Shakespeare references? Check. I went into this not really knowing what to expect, and I came out loving almost every second of it. Even though I am not personally in Evie’s shoes, her struggles with finding herself and finding her purpose felt really relatable. And Roane is pretty much my dream hero. This whole book felt like a lovely little vacation and it definitely made me want to open my own bookstore and/or flee to the English countryside. I really enjoyed the setting and the entire cast of characters, and overall this was the perfect getaway in book form.
Overall Rating: 4.5 stars