Ms McFarlane almost always deals with real issues and this book is no different. Although it takes awhile to get to the meat of the conflict, Harriet's relationship with ex Scott gets resolved when she reaches out to his now fiancé to share her own experience. Threats to Harriet's livelihood ensue but fortunately for Harriet and us, in this case the women Scott has hurt band together and actually succeed in getting some justice. Along the way we get to see Harriet and Cal become friends and then something more. ( )

In a Nutshell: A lot of how you feel about the book will depend on how you feel about the main character. The rest will depend on whether you considered this a romcom based on that title and cover. I disliked the main character but luckily, I wasn’t looking for a romcom. Hence the mixed feelings.

Story:
(The GR blurb for this book is quite misleading because it makes the book sound like a story of Harriet and Cal. It isn’t. It is Harriet’s story almost all the way.)

Harriet, a wedding photographer, has been dating the “perfect man” for about two years, but when he proposes, a lot of doubts she’s been having come together and she breaks off the relationship. Suddenly single, she moves into the first good house-share she can find. Her new landlord, Cal, is also escaping a past relationship, but that’s about the only thing the two have in common. When Harriet’s past rears up its ugly head, she needs to ask herself some hard questions and decide whether to run away again or confront the past to clear her future.
The story is narrated in the third person limited perspective of Harriet.

I was not looking for a romcom. This book isn’t a romcom. So it clicked for me at least in that respect. But those who imagine this to be a sweet “chicklit” that is full of pep and love will be disappointed. It is not romantic to a great extent; it is not comic except for a few scattered scenes; it is not light-hearted at all. (Oh, and no steamy scenes at all. This is a plus point for me, but might be a minus point for some romance lovers.)

The title is perfectly suited for the book but not in the way you would imagine. “Mad About You” takes the other meaning of the word “mad”, as in loony/weird/stalker-ish. There are quite a few couple-based relationships in the book. If I count all of them, including currently dating or married or ex-couples or those mentioned for a few pages, there are about 8-9 pairs. Of these, most are toxic, involving gaslighting or cheating or dominating or mercenary agenda or mental abuse by at least one partner. However, I don’t think most readers who look at that title will think of this meaning while picking up the book. “Mad About You” thus might lead to very different reader expectations. (That bright pastel cover doesn’t help matters.)

The strongest point of the book is in the way it highlights insidious relationships (as is evident from the count mentioned above.) What I also appreciate is how the author didn’t shift from her agenda to a great extent. Unlike so many writers who cram in as many dark/important themes as they can, McFarlane sticks to toxic relationships and never loses her focus. She analyses such relationships from various angles and also covers online abuse and how people jump in to troll someone based on one person’s version of events. I love the confrontation scene towards the end; that’s the best part of the book.

What didn’t work for me was the plot & character development. The plot is not entirely predictable but there are too many convenient coincidences that fit in as neatly as a beginner’s jigsaw puzzle. I would have let this go if the characters were better but most of them ended up irritating me. The most frustrating one was Harriet. The writing sort of forces us into supporting Harriet and understand what she is going through. But there are many cases where she herself accuses without justification, takes very questionable decisions, and jumps to conclusions faster than you can say “Harriet!” I think your liking of this book will be highly dependent on the extent to which you connect and empathise with Harriet's character. I simply couldn’t. Cal was a loveable character but doesn’t get enough of page space. A couple of the other characters conveniently change from white to black to white again as per the needs of the plot.

Furthermore, the writing style also didn’t satisfy me. For some reason, I simply couldn’t get going with the pace, though I still don’t know what slowed me down. There is a lot of informal slang for which I couldn't even guess the meaning at times. There are way too many adverbs in use. Sometimes, a single regular-sized para ended up with 8-9 adverbs, which was very distracting. The chapter endings at times are really odd, like it would stop right in the middle of a scene and the next chapter begins in continuation with the next line of the very scene. (This isn’t a thriller; there was no need for such mini cliff-hangers.) There is the mandatory romantic arc but it was too rushed, thus making it more like forced couplehood than genuine love.

This was my very first Mhairi McFarlane novel and looking at the number of fans she has here, I am sure she is a fabulous writer. So this book might just be a wrong one to begin with. I will definitely read a couple more of her works before I can make up my mind on whether her books and I suit each other.

I have been going back and forth on the rating for this one. Most of the novel fell between 2.5-3 stars for me. But the confrontation scene and the spotlight on gaslighting deserves at least a 4 stars. So I’ll go with the average and rate this 3.25 stars.

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.



***********************
Join me on the Facebook group, Readers Forever!, for more reviews, book-related discussions and fun.
( )

Mad About You is another solid novel from Mhairi McFarlane – not my favourite but still fantastic. I do think that this novel really hasn’t been marketed in the best way. The cover and blurb suggest a story that’s very light hearted and kind of like The Flatshare by Beth O’Leary, but it’s more about the end of relationships, gaslighting, the issues of social media ‘facts’ and a bit of revenge. This isn’t really a romantic comedy, but it does have some light moments.

Harriet is a photographer, specialising in weddings despite having no desire to get married herself. So when her boyfriend surprises her with a ring at a family event, it’s more a shocked, polite yes reply than from the heart. But then Harriet tells Jon that she can’t marry him and they break up, sending her into a house share in her thirties. Cal is nice, but she also knows him as a runaway groom which means he has Problems. Jon causes his own issues, but a bigger problem occurs when Harriet sees her former abusive partner Scott at a wedding. Harriet’s worried that his new fiancé is hiding the abuse and tries to help her, which leads to trial by Facebook. Add in some friends who aren’t being supportive and work issues, and Harriet’s in trouble. Then Harriet and friends plan some revenge…

The story is more about the solidarity of some friendships (and those that flake on you when the going gets tough). It also explores tough questions in relationships such as should you stay when it’s clearly not forever and how to help those experiencing gaslighting and mental abuse. As the story continues, we see Harriet gradually getting stronger and more comfortable with herself, despite some big hiccups and awkward times along the time. The novel explores how it’s okay not to be perfectly put together and to ask for help. The themes can get a bit heavy, but they are always balanced with some light relief from an amusing character or a witty scene. Sure, some of the characters are annoying (Jon, the mummy’s boy ex who clearly has no clue how to function alone) and some are downright evil (Scott, possibly one of the creepiest gaslighters in fiction). The ending is a bit over the top, but it gives the reader some light relief and the opportunity to see justice served in dramatic fashion.

The story is not about the romance either, although it is included. Don’t go looking for this to be all sweet and light, because it’s not that kind of novel. Even the title is kind of misleading – it’s nothing to do with the romance, more about Harriet’s exes. They are mad, just in very different ways. This novel contains sensitive themes that are handled really well. Just be aware that the cute cover hides a serious read.

http://samstillreading.wordpress.com ( )

I am usually not much of a chicklit reader. I love straight up romance, but the you go girl personal growth stuff just does not usually do it for me. Mhairi McFarlane has been a consistent exception to this rule and this book continues the trend. I loved Harriet, and all the people around her (I even liked John, whom I was clearly not intended to like.) If you have ever had a serious relationship with a Class A gaslighter, this is for you. ( )

Harriet has told her boyfriend that she doesn't want to get married. She hasn't told him that she wants to break up, but when he forces the issue by proposing at his parents' anniversary dinner, things go as badly as expected. Harriet rents a room sight unseen and attempts to move on with her life, but her ex-boyfriend's subsequent behavior, running into another ex at an event she was working at, and getting to know her landlord are forcing her into coming to terms with her past and maybe even taking dramatic action.

This novel is Chick Lit, in that it's a breezily-written story about a young woman and there is a romance, but really this is a novel about domestic abuse and how its effects can be felt long after the abuser is gone. And, for all the heavy subject matter, this isn't a heavy read. Harriet has friends with full lives of their own and her own progress is made while also dealing with all the odd situations a wedding photographer can be put in and Harriet herself is a fiercely optimistic character who is as much fun to spend time with as any of McFarlane's other heroines.

Chick Lit doesn't exactly get much respect as a genre and while it is true (as it is for any genre) that most of what is published is badly written, there are a lot of good books being published in that genre. McFarlane remains one of the best authors writing Chick Lit and it's fun watching her work become more substantial even as she manages to keep the tone light and engaging. ( )