Tuesday 26 August 2014

Guest Book Review: Ellie Adams - It Had to Be You

Reviewed by Emma Crowley

The worst break-up ever . . . Could be the best thing that has ever happened to her.

Lizzy Spellman has been dumped. At a party.While wearing a Henry VIII costume. By the man she thought was The One. Someone even filmed it, so now she's a massive YouTube hit sensation too.


Just when she thinks things can't get any worse, she meets the rudest, most cynical man in the world, and gets a new mission in life. To prove him wrong.


Love does exist, and she's going to find it...

Amazon links: Kindle or Paperback

There are some books you just know are going to be fantastic as soon as you read the opening chapter. It Had to be You is one of those books and dare I say it, it is possibly the funniest book I have read so far this year. Yes it is chick-lit but this is chick-lit at its very best, I loved practically everything about this book and I found very little to fault with it. Previously writing as Jo Carnegie this is the first book from Ellie Adams and I hope it won’t be the last. If she continues writing stories with such fun, quirky characters who provide us with plenty of laugh out loud moments than sooner rather than later Ellie will even be giving Sophie Kinsella a run for her money.

It Had to Be You introduces us to Lizzy Spellman and her two constant friends through thick and thin - Nic and Poppet. Lizzy is at a friend’s fancy dress birthday party dressed as Henry VII. Forced into karaoke, before she knows it she is being dumped in front of numerous people by her boyfriend Justin. Poor Lizzy thought he was going to ask her to move in with him or maybe he might propose marriage. Instead she finds herself being filmed at a humiliating point in her life. But Lizzy is not standing for the brush off and she head-butts Justin leading to instant internet fame. From then on the life of Lizzy Spellman changes for ever.

What’s so likeable about Lizzy is that she is an ordinary girl facing everyday problems which any girl looking for love can relate to. She seemed a real, nice, genuine down-to-earth person who was willing to go out and have a laugh and party with her friends .Yet she experienced low points like many of us. OK she works in P.R which is not everyone’s day to day job but through this she comes across a most obnoxious, ignorant man- Elliot Sanderson, who is a news reporter for I.T.N. Several unfortunate incidents occur and before she knows it, Lizzy is meeting Elliot for coffee and consoling him after the breakup of his relationship to model girlfriend Amber. I have to admit I did find this part of the book a bit unrealistic - why after several embarrassing misunderstandings with Elliot who she barely knew would Lizzy suddenly start to meet up with him for coffee to offer her support? Elliot at this point had come across as selfish, harsh and unpleasant towards Lizzy. OK Lizzy was a sounding board for Elliot to work through the aftermath of his broken love life but I really don’t think you would offer such help to practically a random stranger.

Nic and Poppet and not to forget Lizzy’s mum and dad were super supporting characters offering just the right balance between humour and seriousness when it was needed. Poppet seemed to inhabit a world of her own with some strange viewpoints on life but still she was ultimately on the search for a man to make her happy and always saw the positive even in the most challenging of situations. Nic came across as a straight talking, no nonsense business woman determined to make it big in a male dominated business world. I liked how she dealt with everything head on never accepting no for an answer. Halfway through the book she falls out with Lizzy and it seemed so out of place and not until the end of the novel did her reasons all make sense. I loved how Lizzy’s friends always wanted what was best for her but if she was going through a bad patch they were more than willing to throw on a onesie, crack open a bottle of wine and enjoy a pizza.

Once I got over the slight issue with the meeting of Elliot and Lizzy I found myself racing through the book to see what would happen next, I finished this in a day and think it would be perfect for a poolside read .I even liked Elliot by the end of the book which surprised me considering I thought it was just awful when we first met him.  This book is not too taxing, but perfect for those looking to unwind and relax and have a few laughs along the way. If you want to find out does Lizzy Spellman overcome the numerous trials and tribulations she encounters then you’ll just have to go out today and buy It Had to Be You.

I'd like to thank Emma for reviewing this eBook which we received from the publisher via NetGalley.

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