By Mhairi McFarlane

“If you look for problems all the time, you’ll start to create them. I’m wondering why you do.”

Her boss Richard once told her she was her own worst enemy, and though the title of her worst enemy had been a keenly fought competition, he might be right.

When last we saw Edie and Elliot, it was in the final pages of Who’s That Girl? The couple had reluctantly split up 4 months earlier and Edie is fixing Christmas Dinner when her sister Meg calls excitedly to her that there is someone at the door for her. That’s it. The End. But we knew it was Elliot and that somehow they would work their movie star/normal girl issues out and have their happy ending. That ending was very controversial for a Rom-com and there were lots of complaints. But I was fine with it, even though I am famous in my own mind for wanting closure with all of the loose ends tied up. This sequel is meant to be that. Even though I was satisfied with the ending of the first book, of course I welcomed more of Elliot and Edie, and after all, you can never have enough closure.

Even though there are many challenges for them to tackle in working out a relationship that works for them both, they are deeply in love (and like) and can’t bear to be without each other. Unfortunately, some of their challenges have to be tackled over and over again. The book got pretty repetitive thanks to Edie’s stubborn lack of faith in Elliot’s loyalty and love. Her knee-jerk reactions to such things as paparazzi stories were irritating even though she always calms down and wises up later after she thinks about it. I disliked Edie doubting Elliot over and over. I could have used a lot less of that. She didn’t realize what a wonderful treasure of a man he was until it was almost too late. She always put the worst spin on anything that could be taken two ways. In one incident she was warned by Elliot and his agent about a story coming out in the tabloids of Elliot and his beautiful costar and that it was very misleading. She still goes off the deep end and behaves like a child. She doesn’t think it through herself but needs an objective friend to point out the obvious before she can believe Elliot and not the photos. She had gained a lot of understanding and insight in the first book, but apparently not enough. She is not a quick learner, and I often wondered how Elliot could be so patient with her.

Fortunately, there are some subplots that end up being very entertaining. Horrible jerk Jack who caused her so much grief in the first book comes back on the scene to vindictively try to ruin Edie’s life (again). How that is dealt with is a stand-up and cheer-worthy surprise that Mhairi is so great at setting up. The second involves personal details about Elliot that were leaked to the press that only his nearest and dearest would know. Who could be violating Elliot’s trust? It couldn’t be Edie, we know (and happily so does Elliot.) It couldn’t be his much-loved and lovable brother Fraser. Or their parents. But Fraser’s new fiance, whose behavior and family has been a bit questionable, and to whom Fraser of confides freely, looks to be the only possible source.
Elliot’s dilemma was, to me, very reminiscent of what William must have been going through with Harry. He too felt he had to warn his brother about getting married so soon to a woman he was head over heels with but hadn’t known too long. Edie and Elliot realize it is tricky and would probably result in anger, misunderstanding, and possible estrangement. There seemed to be a lot of parallels, but this fictional situation ends better thanks to Edie. The third is Edie’s rapport and friendship with a new workmate that we know will eventually lead to trouble with Elliot. When the confrontation finally came, I saw both sides, and it went deeper than expected. But it finally results in blind as a bat Edie seeing the light about herself and her relationship with Elliot. I found the climax suspenseful and worrisome. They have a real knock-down-drag-out and they both score solid points. The happy ending was hard won and at the end, I believed in their relationship because of their love and compatibility, but also their mutual sense of humor.

I really loved this one and the many positives overshadowed the few irritations. Yes, it was a bit long. But for writers such as Mhairi McFarlane, better too long than too short. I’d even welcome a third book in which Edie goes to Hollywood or New York.

by Mhairi McFarlane

**3 1/2 stars** The curse of high expectations from one of my favorite authors who I mostly rate 5 stars, or, less often, 4 stars.

In some ways, this was a typical Mhairi McFarlane novel. Our heroine, surrounded, supported by, and supportive of a group of close and quirky friends, dumps or is dumped by a guy that is clearly not worthy of her after their long-standing relationship goes to pot. Roisin (Ro-sheen for us Americans) is also a typical McFarlane heroine: Gorgeous but doesn’t know it, good-hearted, intelligent, and funny as hell. They usually have had some difficulties in their youth, often with their families, that have caused hurdles and challenges to overcome before they can find their happy endings. Oh gosh. I’m sure I could compare and contrast this story with her other stories until the cows come home, but I’ll leave it there. I love her heroines, and I mostly loved Roisin even though she did things I didn’t always approve of or understand. The one thing that I love about her leading ladies is that once they understand that the relationship is over (usually because the guy is a real baddie) the guy stays dumped despite the fact that he will usually be desperate to get back with her, because she is so awesome. (Like I said, intelligence is a trait of MM’s typical heroine)

This one starts out with the group of 7 friends (they call themselves The Brian Club-I won’t explain) coming together at a rented country estate to celebrate a birthday, an engagement, and the fact that Roisin’s boyfriend Joe, has just had his script made into a highly touted Hollywood miniseries. Their relationship has been foundering for some time, as the more successful he has become professionally, the more cold and dismissive he has become to down-to-earth schoolteacher Roisin. Roisin has been starting to see Joe in a new and not pleasant light and that there is much in Joe’s character and ways that she doesn’t like at all. It is only a matter of time for her. On the last day of the party, time becomes up. Joe screens the first part of his new 3 part series for the group and to her horror, Joe has incorporated a traumatic and painful incident from her childhood into his plot that she shared with him in the strictest confidence. Without permission, warning, or, initially, remorse.

She’d known this day was coming now for a long time, but it was no less weird. Like the shock of a death after a protracted illness. It was slow, but fast at the end.

There are other similarities between real life and what happens in the film. Roisin starts to wonder if Joe is a serial cheater and liar like the hero of his piece. Who is Joe, really? Has her 10-year relationship been a lie? Has she been a blind fool all these years?

‘I always assumed you liked that.’‘What?’‘That he’s a Mean Boy.’ He looked at her with an awkward expression….Joe was mean – and Roisin ‘liked it’? She supposed she had. She thought he was clever. What did it say about Roisin, that she had chosen mean? How did you explain having fallen in love with someone who wasn’t nice?

Roisin must know the truth and knows she will never get it from Joe.

Most of the book is Roisin investigating, learning things, pondering, and dissecting Joe and their relationship. There is not a lot of action. Thankfully, we are not taken back into the past for a painful play-by-play of their past doomed relationship. The break up after 10 years together is not easy and Joe tries to get her back. But we know there is no danger of that happening. Roisin has moved on and eventually starts to see one of The Brian Club in a new light, someone that has been at odds with Joe for years. A good guy, who is even better than she thought he was when he turns up in her old hometown where she has been dragooned into helping her eccentric and troublesome mother at her pub.

Such close contact was a strange mixture of fireworks and security. That was it – that was what Roisin had noticed during the handholding. It was completely natural, and yet wildly exotic at the same time. Exhilaratingly new and already familiar. He was a safe place, full of danger…Her feelings for [him] had arrived in two ways: gradually, then suddenly . Slow, but fast at the end.

Gradually Roisin uncovers all kinds of truths including the truth about Joe. It is pretty surprising and bad, and the book concludes in a hail of drama and confrontation: romantic, family, and adversarial. Unfortunately, that all happens in the last 15%. All the rest is prelude, hence my lower-than-usual rating for a Mhairi McFarlane novel. As entertaining, interesting, and insightful as most of the book was, it was a little slow and lackluster in too many parts. “Slow, but fast at the end?” On a good note, I loved that The Brian Club remained steadfast and stable throughout (barring one incident that is mostly played for laughs.)

I have noted in the past that this author really knows how to end a book and this one is no exception. On the last page, Roisin, in the middle of teaching her English class, looks down and sees an envelope with her name on it peeking out of her bag.
It is a short (and fast?) conclusion but very very sweet and says everything that needs to be said.

By Mhairi McFarlane

In chapter 5, our heroine, Harriet, returns her boyfriend Jon’s engagement ring the same night he tries to trap her by proposing in front of his obnoxious family. To avoid humiliating him, and to avert an ugly scene, she accepts. A couple of hours later, when finally alone with him she returns the ring and she gives him what for. Decisively and with no fooling around.

She moved swiftly across the room, sliding the ring from her finger and placing it on a French chest of drawers, then turned and folded her arms. Jon, seeing this, looked unperturbed…. ‘Jon,’ Harriet said, in a voice so low and grim, it didn’t sound like her own. ‘What the hell did you do that for?…

You thought once I was permitted to plan a party, all my silly little feminine objections would magically fly away? It was one of those little lady ideas that don’t really matter in real actual life?’ ‘Come on, Hats, I’d never think your opinion doesn’t matter, you know that. You’re being a bit mischievous here,’ Jon said, and she tried not to scream. ‘I suppose I thought… As ridiculous as it sounds, I thought no harm in asking…. She took a deep breath into her lungs. ‘I don’t want to be with you anymore. This is over, Jon.’ …

She hard-gulped, as the tears surged up. ‘I’d hardly say this and not mean it, to punish you. That would be vile.’ ‘Then why say it now?’ Harriet said, thickly: ‘You’ve kind of forced the issue tonight.’ ‘So you weren’t happy before I proposed?’ Deep breath. Say it. ‘No.’ Jon said: ‘Really?’ in a broken voice, which was a small stab to her heart. ‘Yes.’

I almost cheered out loud. It is a not uncommon tactic for an author to put her readers through the mill with a mushy hearted clueless heroine in order to stir up sympathy, tension, anticipation, suspense, and to make the inevitable break even more dramatic (so she can find her REAL love interest or provide a cathartic climax). In many comedic romances, the heroine would have allowed herself to be won over, given him another chance, caved in to pressure and argument, or delayed and delayed the painful confrontation. Nope. Harriet was a heroine I could really get behind, not just root for in spite of her weaknesses and bad decisions. She never waivers, despite some entertaining confrontations with annoying Jon and his awful mother. So this got off to a great start, and in the ups and downs of Harriet’s adventures going forward, the novel never let me down.

Luckily, thanks to one of her friends who is a realtor, she is able to get out from under Jon’s roof almost immediately and finds a house to share with a guy who seems nice in a perfect house in a nice neighborhood. She is a wedding photographer and to her dismay, it turns out her landlord and housemate is a groom who famously left his bride at the altar at one of her weddings. When Jon shows up at their house and ends up punching him, both of them start to view each other with suspicion and trepidation.

Oh, hah hah. We all know I’ve got the section of my Wikipedia subheaded Controversy covered. If the waiter comes while I’m in the gents, I’ll have an espresso, thanks.’ Timely call of the bladder, Harriet thought. ‘Notice that our Calvin assumes he’ll have a Wikipedia,’ Sam said, once Cal had gone, and Harriet properly laughed this time.
‘In fairness here, I should tell you he’s not that guy.’ ‘What guy?’ ‘The one who traumatised a woman for life, in public.’ ‘Ah.’ Harriet didn’t know what to say and hesitated. ‘He kind of is that guy though?’ ‘Technically yes, he IS that guy. But he’s not that kind of guy.’ Harriet felt this might be an argument of creeps the world over. Yes I Did The Thing But I’m Not Defined By The Thing, Like Those Other Guys Who Also Did The Thing. ‘The unfortunate thing is, he’s a hopeless romantic…

While Harriet is working through her relationship with Cal, and dealing with Jon’s persistent almost-stalking, she meets a former boyfriend at another wedding she is working. Everyone loves this charmer but behind closed doors, he is a gaslighter, controller, and an emotional abuser. “Uh Oh,” I thought, “Here’s where we have a long flashback where we are taken through the heroine’s ordeal with a monster in excruciating detail in which she ignores ALL of the red flags.” But no. Once again Mhairi McFarlane doesn’t take the well-traveled route. When Harriet sees herself in his fiance’s sparkly on the outside but sad behind the eyes behavior, she writes her a letter telling her and the reader her story. This decision by the author keeps the past in the past and the reader is not only spared too much anxiety and frustration with the heroine but keeps the novel in the present and moving forward.

You think you’re going to pen her a letter saying your fiancé is a monster, and she’s going to write back first class and say aw thanks for the heads-up, doll, consider him binned?”…

‘Who stops these men? How do we stop them? Scott never hit me, he never physically attacked me or hurt me in any way where I can point to a scar. But he demolished me….
If I leave another woman to suffer Scott Dyer because I’m frightened of intervening, then nothing has really changed. If I don’t do it, Lorna, then I’m still scared of him. That’s just a fact.’

And she does it because she believes women should help other women. One of the themes of this novel is the importance and power of female friendship and advocacy.

But no good deed goes unpunished. Harriet is subjected to all kinds of havoc in which not only her business and reputation are threatened, but also some of her friendships. Things get pretty bad but I hope it won’t be a spoiler to say, “Fear Not!” Some new friendships are made and we are treated to a very satisfactory girl-power-variety takedown.

If there was a special place in hell reserved for women who didn’t help other women, perhaps there were special rewards for those who did. Harriet did not feel alone anymore. They couldn’t have achieved this without each other, they couldn’t have vanquished this man, except as a team.

As events marched towards the climax, I noticed my heart was actually thumping hard in my chest. No, I wasn’t having a heart attack, thank God. The book was just that gripping right there.

There is a nice romance that provides a hopeful happy ending for our heroine, but it is very much secondary to the drama of Harriet’s journey to understand her actions (both good and bad) and achieve emotional closure. I don’t think Mhairi McFarlane is capable of writing a book that does not have plenty of humor interwoven naturally throughout serious situations and conversations as well as more lighthearted moments. As well as thoughtful insights and character arcs. This one is in my top 5 by one of my top 5 favorite authors. Definitely 5 stars.

P.S. One quibble. The title made no sense. She was not mad about anyone. As in an anger way or a love way. That is not what this book is about. She was upset at some people and had plenty of people mad, even enraged, at her. But not about her.

April 6, 2022

By Mhairi McFarland

If there’s one thing I’ve learned, it’s that harm done with explicit conscious intention of doing another person harm accounts for about two percent of all harm inflicted. That descriptor pretty much only applies to dictators in banana republics, serial killers, and PE teachers.”

Today’s turning out to be a helluva day for self-discovery…I’m sincerely sorry for having hurt you. I didn’t intend any of it…” “Apology accepted….”

Mhairi McFarland always combines both wit and comedy, a great romance, and strong characterizations with thoughtful insights on serious issues. She is a deep thinker. In her latest effort, she examines grief and the joys and dangers of deep lifelong friendships. Yes, dangers.

“Hester recently observed that we are mutually “idling in neutral gear.” And “having each other stops all of you lot looking for more. Co-dependency. You are each other’s other halves, so you don’t bother with relationships as well.”

Eve, our protagonist, is smart, sweet and caring, charming, beautiful but doesn’t know it, and somewhat of an under-achiever. She is blessed with a strong bond with 3 others. Susie is charismatic, fierce, and spoiled but a wonderful and devoted best friend. They are each other’s “comfort and joy.” Jason is funny, irreverent, and sensible. He’s the gay one. Ed is the ultimate good guy: Attractive, responsible, super-nice, and does everything right. They all love each other very much and share a nearly 20-year bond. But Eve has been secretly head over heels in love with Ed for years.

Then early in the book, one of the three is suddenly killed. They, particularly Eve, must now navigate a world without one of their own. Eve tries to reconcile the contradictions and mysteries that emerge as truths and secrets are revealed. It turns out that she did not know her friends as well as she thought. With the help of an outsider, she starts to see herself and her compatriots in a whole new light.

That’s all it would be wise to reveal as there are a number of surprises and revelations from almost first to almost last. The first is “who died?” and I don’t even want to reveal that. I will say that I have some quibbles with the final outcome. Although the ending is happy and satisfying, I felt like Eve was still a little stuck. I wanted her to move onward and upward in more than one aspect of her life, and I don’t think she did. As much as I loved this book, it also must be said that, for me, there was a little too much philosophizing, wondering, and contemplating. But it was understandable and thought-provoking so maybe I’m not being fair. I did appreciate that though the friends’ history and past experiences are delved into, the book is very much anchored in the present. It was so good I deliberately paced myself, because I wanted it to last as long as possible. **4 1/2 stars**

May 11, 2021

by Mhairi McFarlane

Re-read on Audible 4/9/24. Nothing to add, except bumping this up to 5 stars from 4 stars. I love when the bad guys get their comeuppances and they all do in this. And in such a way that Edie’s growth and new self-confidence were front and center. The narration by Cassie Bradley was wonderful.

“You were waiting for him to give you things he never said he’d give you and you never asked for. You could have asked him what your “thing” meant to him. But you didn’t. By default, you gave him all the power. Doesn’t sound like he was trustworthy with it.’ Edie nodded, miserably. ‘In my experience, hopeful silence is a tactic that is DFD.’ ‘“DFD”?’ ‘Destined for doom.’

He paused at the trailer door. ‘You’re a good person, Edie. Goodness will get you through this.’ “

Another wonderful Mhairi McFarlane! Includes her typical quirky characters, lovable hero and heroine, wonderful character development, lots of laughter, and a few tears. This one has a lot to say about cyberbullying, celebrity worship, and gossip. The injustice of the bullying was painful, but not too painful since Edie, our girl, has a very supportive boss and was able to get out of town and land on a great project for work: Ghostwriting the autobiography of a hunky superstar. Plus, her own sketchy behavior and insecurities partially led to her problems. This one was particularly strong in its numerous sub-plots, all of them interesting and engaging.

At times, Edie was a little slow in her insight and understanding regarding her romance but sharp and smart in other ways. She was able to grow out of her weaknesses, gain self-understanding and acceptance, and emerge a strong, happy, much more healthy woman a good bit before the end of the book. No last-minute epiphanies, thank goodness. The character development in the whole “cast” was believable and satisfying.

I understand why some readers did not like the ending, (some are pretty harsh about it) but I was fine with it. I understood it and don’t see how it could have ended differently. Yes, I would have liked things spelled out a bit more with a nice epilogue, but fear not, it ends with hope and love. Actually, I’m really not sure spelling it out would do romantics-at-heart any favors particularly. I read the last sentence with a sigh and a smile. Isn’t that what we’re really after…after all? **4 out of 5 stars**

July 15, 2020

by Mhairi McFarland

This book was an absolute delight from first to last. I enjoyed every page of it. It was the best. I listened to the first half on audio narrated by Sara Novak and she was just fantastic. The Manchester accent made Laurie, our heroine, even more lovable, and the humor even funnier. Brilliant. About Laurie. What a pleasure to have a heroine be a strong, smart, successful and respected, funny woman of strong moral character from first to last. Too often, even my favorite authors(Mhairi M. included) start their off heroines weak, subservient, blind, and foolish in order to make their growth curve more dramatic. Laurie is done wrong and hurt by men in her life, but she never lets it get the better of her. She was a star even though she does have some growing and learning to do.

And it was a great, clean, romance. All about the chemistry, friendship to love, and the journey. It was so funny, but it had a lot to say about friends, office politics, sexism, family, judging by appearances, and so much more. It had me crying, angry, cheering, and laughing out loud. Our hero Jamie was revealed step by step, getting more and more worthy of Laurie and more admirable and appealing every step of the way. He doesn’t change, but we learn more about him. By the end, I didn’t want it to end. It could have really used an epilogue. It’s my only criticism.
This isn’t the best review I ever wrote, but it is one of the best done romantic comedies I have ever read. This author stands with the best in business. **5 stars out of 5**

July 6, 2020

by Mhairi McFarland

Uncovering an affair wasn’t a one big fact headline story. It was like Matroyshka dolls, lies inside lies inside lies.

Mhairi McFarlane is a master at creating lovable interesting female heroines and matching them up with intriguing mysterious men that they have tons of chemistry with. Her secondary characters are complex and unusual: In this one there is a plethora. There is her best friend Emma, a brilliant lawyer who looks like Marilyn Monroe. “They think they’re dealing with Shirley Temple and discover it’s more Temple of Doom.” The internet troll that turns out to be her true friend and a hero (the progression of their friendship and the mystery of who he is is a source of anticipation and suspense.) Delia’s brother Ralph: “Who would have thought I could care so much about an overweight gamer who still lives at home, and fries food for a living?” Adam, a ruthless blackmailer who turns into a love interest. Talk about a turnaround! And it made sense! Even Paul, the Cheating Cheater from Cheatville, turns out to have goodness in him. And even the “other woman”. And Kurt, an evil and dangerous boss even gets off some funny lines and is a source of humor, particularly in a hilarious restaurant scene. “‘Fuckin’ troublemakers. If God didn’t want us to eat animals, why did He make them out of meat?’ Our heroine’s development and appeal rests with her interactions with all of these supporting players.

Best of all besides the humor, intriguing characters, nailbiting intrigue, lovely romance, and will she or won’t she what will she do? suspense, there is some genuine wisdom and insights into the nature of relationships and other things.
My only criticism is with Delia’s motivations for compromising her integrity to keep a crap job.

Left alone with the last inch of her beer, Delia took stock. She was working for a principle-free sexual harasser who’d spy on and threaten young members of staff he’d sacked, invent cancers, suicides and sex tapes for the press and plotted to throw clients overboard if his machinations were exposed. Not quite what she’d hoped and dreamed for her new life in the capital. Delia was ashamed it had taken her so long to realize what she had to do.

As ashamed as we are for her. Not good in a heroine you want to root for. Even at the end, when she has partially redeemed herself I was still questioning “why?”. This book was jam-packed with characters and plot-lines and I was fascinated by every single one. including the fictional fiction character of The Fox. **4 1/2 stars out of 5**

**spoilers**

**re-read on audible** 01/01/2026. Enjoyed this so much. I wasn’t so mad at Delia for hanging on to her job this time. I was disappointed she at first that shewent back to Paul near the end when I loved Adam so much. But I understood why she did that. He really did love her and he opened up about getting therapy for issues regarding some traumatic events which was connected to cheating on her. I couldn’t remember how she got back with Adam though I knew she did, in the end. I thought it would be some kind of bad act or dramatic revelation about Paul showing he hadn’t really changed. Like he was still lying about something. But it was very realistic. Just a slow realization of the strength of her feelings for Adam and that Paul just wasn’t for her anymore now that she had grown and changed. With, in fact, a whimper rather than a bang. And that made it so real and believable.

I really loved the ending. In the end she chose the right path.

In [Paul’s] world view, he would always be leading man and she would be his love interest….Now, at last Delia thought of herself as the hero of her own life.

March 21, 2020

By Mhairi McFarlane

** spoiler alert ** This was a very well-written entertaining book. Mhairi McFarlane has a voice similar to Milly Johnson and Kristan Higgins. I did like it and will definitely be reading more novels by her. Ben and Rachel became friends and really soulmates minus the romance in college. We know they fell apart mysteriously. This is a double timeline story between the present, as Rachel is breaking up with her boyfriend of 13 years and meeting Ben again alternating with the past story of Ben and Rachel’s early friendship, leading up to how they broke apart. We become involved with Rachel’s friends and her career as a court reporter. Both the two timelines are engaging. Are you sensing a “but”? You would be right. Although I liked Rachel, her self delusion and passive approach to her life were irritating.

It was a decision by default. Which is how you seem to make your decisions, by not making them. They happen to you.’ The justice of this hits me like a tin of Spam in a swinging sock. I want to contradict it, with every bone in my body and fiber of my being, but sometimes, there’s not enough fresh evidence to appeal….”That’s going to be on your headstone. Here Lies Rachel Woodford. Not Intentionally.”

This is near the end of the book when we have seen this played out time after time throughout. This also plays out in her self deluded “innocent” involvement with the now married Ben. The reader knows she is playing with fire but she never has the moral backbone to see the truth and do the courageous difficult thing. It also applies to an ethical crisis in her career. She is a lying liar from lieville to herself and others. We never see her change and grow and do better. We can only hope. She has spent her adult life with a guy who was bad for her and not worthy of her. She only breaks up with him when she forced to. And it is not at all certain she will not go back to him. In fact it is not at all certain with whom she will end up or if she will end up with anyone at all. It is finally resolved in the last chapter and I felt her happy ending was just tacked on and I’m not sure she deserves it. She certainly didn’t earn it. **3 stars out of 5**

December 1, 2019