Book Review: Much Ado About You by Samantha Young

 

Title: Much Ado About You
Author: Samantha Young
Genre: Contemporary; Romance
Publication Date: February 2, 2021
Publisher: Berkley Publishing

At thirty-three-years old Evangeline Starling's life in Chicago is missing that special something. And when she's passed over for promotion at work, Evie realizes she needs to make a change. Some time away to regain perspective might be just the thing. In a burst of impulsivity, she plans a holiday in a quaint English village. The holiday package comes with a temporary position at Much Ado About Books, the bookstore located beneath her rental apartment. There's no better dream vacation for the bookish Evie, a life-long Shakespeare lover.

Not only is Evie swept up in running the delightful store as soon as she arrives, she's drawn into the lives, loves and drama of the friendly villagers. Including Roane Robson, the charismatic and sexy farmer who tempts Evie every day with his friendly flirtations. Evie is determined to keep him at bay because a holiday romance can only end in heartbreak, right? But Evie can't deny their connection and longs to trust in her handsome farmer that their whirlwind romance could turn in to the forever kind of love.

Rating

*A Thank you to Netgalley for allowing me to read this. This is my honest and unbiased review*

 

 Hello Fellow Readers,

I really wanted to love this book, it seemed to check off a lot of my wants; Literature loving main character (Evie), small town feels and vibes, plus DOG! I thought it would have been a match made in romance heaven for me, but sadly I just couldn't get into it. There was just one main problem. Evie. I just couldn't click with her. 

At first I was sympathetic, she just got passed up for a promotion even though she probably deserved it (I hear you Evie!) She also gets stood up on a date, which is tough but is it enough to completely swear off men? No, especially when she has only been talking to the person and has never actually met them. Evie then makes a spontaneous trip to run a bookstore for a month in another country, yep we all need a change of scenery once in a while. This is understandable.

She then meets Roane when she saves his dog from being hit by a car. He's sweet and funny and so very obviously into her but since she has sworn off guys...basically this is where I lost any connection with her. Any conflict that arose between her and Roane was of her own making, she was basically her own worse enemy. I was hoping for Evie to develop character grown but everything just felt so forced. At the end of the day this book just didn't live up to what I hoped it would be.

Overall, not my cup of tea but it may be yours.