December 5, 2017

[Review] It Had To Be You - Keris Stainton

Summary: Twenty-five-year-old Bea is a hopeless romantic – with a hopeless love life. She’s been single ever since her awful ex broke her heart, and the only thing she gets up to in bed is watching rom coms on her laptop.

When Bea meets Dan, who is basically the man of her dreams, she knows she can’t let him get away. They might not have fireworks, but not everyone can be fighting and (loudly) making up every night, like Bea’s housemates.

But Bea can’t shift the feeling that something just isn’t right. As time goes on, Dan seems less like Mr Right, and more like Mr Couldn’t-Be-More-Wrong… Will Bea be brave enough to change her dreams – and dare to ask for more?
(Pub Date: Dec 6, 2017)

Honest review based on an ARC provided by Netgalley. Many thanks to the publisher for this opportunity.

This wasn't much different from other romantic novels around there plot-wise. But its execution was beyond expectations.

Bea has dreamed of a man in a park for ten years. She's found the park, it's right next to the apartment she shares with her coworker and three more friends. However, the man took longer to show up. When she finally meets the "men in her dreams", she has doubts if he's really The One.

This is the romantic comedy I wanted to read. It's quick, it's funny, it's cute. Bea is a very inexperienced young woman. With only one failed relationship in her resume, she isn't sure how love is supposed to feel. I thought her backstory sounded so real I couldn't not pity her, although in the beginning I was expecting more drama from the way she felt about her ex. Despite relatable, Bea isn't that interesting, though. Not a character you'll hate but also not one you'll love.

My favorite thing about this plot is that Dan isn't a bastard. He is Mr. Wrong, but he's also a nice guy—with the exception of one scene... I really hate it when authors want to show that character A is the right one by turning character B into the worst SOB ever. I think that's just sad for the main character that she's only left with one choice. This book didn't fall into that, the two are good guys (at least, most of the time), and that's Bea's problem. How to let go of her perfectly romantic story?

I think there were three problems. The first one I have already mentioned and it was the biggest one, the plot isn't that exciting, even if the story is so nice to read. I don't remember fervently cheering for someone or even laughing out loud. I knew from the start most of what would happen. So even though this was much more entertaining than the romance novels we usually read, it lacked the something else.

My second issue is a couple of questions I was left with related to Bea's father-in-law. That turn of events was interesting but a little "why did it happen again?", I hoped we heard more about it.

Last, the main couple had their moments but, I don't know, it lacked something. Should things just be easy like that? I'm not sure if it's really because it seemed to simple in a way or maybe the problem was something else but I know the book could have focused more on them.

In sum, this was an enjoyable read. I was afraid this would become another book that would make me drag but the story flowed so well I was already near the end when I noticed it. I'm definitely paying attention to Stainton's next releases from now on. If you like romance, don't miss it.

Rating: 3 out of 5.

No comments:

Post a Comment