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minihays's review against another edition
5.0
I loved this book! I loved the theme of honesty prevailing and how integral their parents were. That's not something overly prevalent in YA novels. I loved the characters' story and I hope Lizzy writes more about these two characters! Lizzy writes so effortlessly and I have thoroughly enjoyed all of her books!
daphneereads's review against another edition
3.0
It Had to Be You by Lizzy Charles was a very cute but very predictable book. Nothing really original but the characters were well-thought of. Some annoying "we're not talking enough" parts but I guess it might just be me who always shares too much of my feelings haha! Quick and cute read. Thank you NetGalley for the free ebook copy.
ajillionbooks's review against another edition
5.0
I really enjoyed this book! The characters were quirky and easy to love. The story itself had me laughing over and over, while still feeling for the characters and invested in what would happen to them and how things would turn out. Looking forward to reading more Lizzy Charles books!
lifeofaliterarynerd's review against another edition
3.0
This was such a quick book. It was so easy to read and follow the story. I knew I’d like this book, because who doesn’t enjoy a good fake dating story. They’re alway the perfect combination of cheesy romance and hyped up drama. I’m a sucker for both.
Things I Liked:
-The meet cute in this book is fantastic. It’s the perfect blend of endearing, humor, charm. It shows Edel and James’ personalities and sets up their relationship.
-I really liked the Dual POV in this book. Edle and James had distinct voices and personalities. So it was nice getting to see things from both of their points of views and how they interpret what’s happening around them.
-Edel and James both seemed like genuinely nice people. They were supportive of each other and kind. They were really easy to root for and get behind.
Things I Didn’t Like:
-I felt like the secondary characters were undeveloped. We just didn’t really get enough of them for them to feel like real people. They didn’t have much of a role so I never connected with them.
-story was a little too fast paced. I would have liked it to be a little longer to just add more depth, with the side characters and expanding the world and relationship to feel real. Some scenes were glossed over and could have been used to add more weight to the story.
-The drama at the end felt a little rushed and unbelievable. Again, I think it could have been better if there was more added.
This was a fun story filled with lovable main character and tons of humor. This is a great contemporary read, guaranteed to make you smile.
I received a copy of the book from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
Things I Liked:
-The meet cute in this book is fantastic. It’s the perfect blend of endearing, humor, charm. It shows Edel and James’ personalities and sets up their relationship.
-I really liked the Dual POV in this book. Edle and James had distinct voices and personalities. So it was nice getting to see things from both of their points of views and how they interpret what’s happening around them.
-Edel and James both seemed like genuinely nice people. They were supportive of each other and kind. They were really easy to root for and get behind.
Things I Didn’t Like:
-I felt like the secondary characters were undeveloped. We just didn’t really get enough of them for them to feel like real people. They didn’t have much of a role so I never connected with them.
-story was a little too fast paced. I would have liked it to be a little longer to just add more depth, with the side characters and expanding the world and relationship to feel real. Some scenes were glossed over and could have been used to add more weight to the story.
-The drama at the end felt a little rushed and unbelievable. Again, I think it could have been better if there was more added.
This was a fun story filled with lovable main character and tons of humor. This is a great contemporary read, guaranteed to make you smile.
I received a copy of the book from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
prags's review against another edition
3.0
For full review - It Had To Be You on The Inked In Book Blog
*Review copy received from publisher in exchange for an honest review. The thoughts are entirely my own and in no way biased.*
It Had To Be You is a cute contemporary romance featuring Edelweiss and James. Edel, who is home schooled, wants to experience high school before she goes off to college. So, her parents enroll her into this one boarding school. She meets James, who is, of course, the most popular boy in school and they quickly start a fake relationship so that they can both find advantage out of it.
The book is full of cliches - from the naive, new girl in school to the popular boy and their fake relationship turning to a real one to the bitchy ex that the boy has. This book has it all and then some.
What I really liked about this is that it was a quick read. I was done in some two hours and that's great for my TBR! I like that the characters, though cliche, were endearing and I couldn't help but like them and their story. Of course, they do stupid stuff, but hey! They're teenagers. As a whole though, Edel and James both seem wise beyond their ages. Their relationship, though, was really cute and I found myself rooting for them from the beginning. They're so cute and adorable together and their relationship is healthy. I like it.
I like how James isn't a bad boy, bad boy, but just a boy who made some bad decisions, as people his age tend to do. He's scared of horror movies and he's a literature nerd! So, there. I love that.
I also loved how this book has diversity. So, bonus points for that!
What I didn't like was all the lack of communication in the book. Like, so much of the conflict could have easily been resolved if people just TALKED TO EACH OTHER. Plus, the bitchy ex was a little too bitchy and I am not okay with it. Like, girl, let go. You do not need to do all this shit just to prove a point. You're good just the way you are!
Also, too much drama!
All in all, an okay read that I enjoyed! It was definitely better than I expected, but could have been made better in a few more aspects!
*Review copy received from publisher in exchange for an honest review. The thoughts are entirely my own and in no way biased.*
It Had To Be You is a cute contemporary romance featuring Edelweiss and James. Edel, who is home schooled, wants to experience high school before she goes off to college. So, her parents enroll her into this one boarding school. She meets James, who is, of course, the most popular boy in school and they quickly start a fake relationship so that they can both find advantage out of it.
The book is full of cliches - from the naive, new girl in school to the popular boy and their fake relationship turning to a real one to the bitchy ex that the boy has. This book has it all and then some.
What I really liked about this is that it was a quick read. I was done in some two hours and that's great for my TBR! I like that the characters, though cliche, were endearing and I couldn't help but like them and their story. Of course, they do stupid stuff, but hey! They're teenagers. As a whole though, Edel and James both seem wise beyond their ages. Their relationship, though, was really cute and I found myself rooting for them from the beginning. They're so cute and adorable together and their relationship is healthy. I like it.
I like how James isn't a bad boy, bad boy, but just a boy who made some bad decisions, as people his age tend to do. He's scared of horror movies and he's a literature nerd! So, there. I love that.
I also loved how this book has diversity. So, bonus points for that!
What I didn't like was all the lack of communication in the book. Like, so much of the conflict could have easily been resolved if people just TALKED TO EACH OTHER. Plus, the bitchy ex was a little too bitchy and I am not okay with it. Like, girl, let go. You do not need to do all this shit just to prove a point. You're good just the way you are!
Also, too much drama!
All in all, an okay read that I enjoyed! It was definitely better than I expected, but could have been made better in a few more aspects!
themaliciousreader's review against another edition
3.0
I was provided an ARC via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
This was the usual tale of boy meets girl. Boy and girl pretend to date but end up falling for each other. And that’s when shit gets complicated.
The girl was Edelweiss, a junior who has been homeschooled her entire life but wants a true high school experience before going to college. Edelweiss is amazingly beautiful and all the boys hit on her but she doesn’t know how beautiful she is.
The boy was James. James is a football player (a wide receiver from what I got from the games), a senior and captain of the football team. James is incredibly hot and every girl wants him. He’s also actually pretty smart and into litterature. His “ex”, Emma, is a true mean girl, of course.
This book was okay. I kinda enjoyed the story but I feel like it could have been deepened and made longer so that readers could truly form connections to the characters. It was such a fast read, I didn’t have time to feel the growing feelings in the main relationship but also within the friendships. I liked how some characters were secretly related to each other though. I also liked the whole boarding school vibe.
I enjoyed the writing and I’ll be waiting for the next book in this series.
This was the usual tale of boy meets girl. Boy and girl pretend to date but end up falling for each other. And that’s when shit gets complicated.
The girl was Edelweiss, a junior who has been homeschooled her entire life but wants a true high school experience before going to college. Edelweiss is amazingly beautiful and all the boys hit on her but she doesn’t know how beautiful she is.
The boy was James. James is a football player (a wide receiver from what I got from the games), a senior and captain of the football team. James is incredibly hot and every girl wants him. He’s also actually pretty smart and into litterature. His “ex”, Emma, is a true mean girl, of course.
This book was okay. I kinda enjoyed the story but I feel like it could have been deepened and made longer so that readers could truly form connections to the characters. It was such a fast read, I didn’t have time to feel the growing feelings in the main relationship but also within the friendships. I liked how some characters were secretly related to each other though. I also liked the whole boarding school vibe.
I enjoyed the writing and I’ll be waiting for the next book in this series.
michelecisneros's review
3.0
This review is based on an ARC I received via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts on this book are my own.
I tend to love stories about people who are pretending to be a couple for some reason actually end up falling for each other but I have to admit that this story wasn’t exactly my favorite. It just all felt a little flat. A lot of the characters fit into clichés. Popular guy who is also the class joker who needs a girlfriend to show that he is mature. The innocent and beautiful new girl. The mean ex who will bully anyone who her ex-flame is seen with. And the I felt like Edelweiss was a little more naïve than she should have been, it kind of reminded me of the movie Mean Girls in a way. Also I just wanted to yell at them that they should just talk to each other…if they were really getting that close they should have felt comfortable enough talking about their feelings, although I understand why the fear of being shutdown would be there. The pros of this book, I really enjoyed some of the little twists the author had thrown in there. I also loved the dual POV as I love hearing romance stories from the guy’s perspective sometimes and not just always from the girls. That being said I will most likely read the next book in this series as I am interested in getting to know some of their friends even better.
I tend to love stories about people who are pretending to be a couple for some reason actually end up falling for each other but I have to admit that this story wasn’t exactly my favorite. It just all felt a little flat. A lot of the characters fit into clichés. Popular guy who is also the class joker who needs a girlfriend to show that he is mature. The innocent and beautiful new girl. The mean ex who will bully anyone who her ex-flame is seen with. And the I felt like Edelweiss was a little more naïve than she should have been, it kind of reminded me of the movie Mean Girls in a way. Also I just wanted to yell at them that they should just talk to each other…if they were really getting that close they should have felt comfortable enough talking about their feelings, although I understand why the fear of being shutdown would be there. The pros of this book, I really enjoyed some of the little twists the author had thrown in there. I also loved the dual POV as I love hearing romance stories from the guy’s perspective sometimes and not just always from the girls. That being said I will most likely read the next book in this series as I am interested in getting to know some of their friends even better.
mandathebiblio's review against another edition
4.0
**4.5
*I received an ARC of this book from Entangled Publishing and NetGalley for my honest review*
I have to say, I loved this book. When I first started reading it, I was unsure. I figured it was going to be a cliche romance book. And it was! But it was in the best way. I couldn't put this down. Because it was an ebook, I was unsure if I would be able to sit down and actually read it. I started it while doing dishes. Needless to say, I was up all night reading it. I couldn't put it down. I was so engrossed in the romance.
The issue I had with it - which isn't even really a problem with this book specifically - was that the lack of communication caused all sorts of issues. And even then, it worked out.
The characters were fleshed out enough for this story to work but not too much that describing the characters was overbearing and took over the story.
Overall, I did enjoy this book. If you're looking for a guilty pleasure read, pick this up.
*I'll have a full review going up closer to the release date*
*I received an ARC of this book from Entangled Publishing and NetGalley for my honest review*
I have to say, I loved this book. When I first started reading it, I was unsure. I figured it was going to be a cliche romance book. And it was! But it was in the best way. I couldn't put this down. Because it was an ebook, I was unsure if I would be able to sit down and actually read it. I started it while doing dishes. Needless to say, I was up all night reading it. I couldn't put it down. I was so engrossed in the romance.
The issue I had with it - which isn't even really a problem with this book specifically - was that the lack of communication caused all sorts of issues. And even then, it worked out.
The characters were fleshed out enough for this story to work but not too much that describing the characters was overbearing and took over the story.
Overall, I did enjoy this book. If you're looking for a guilty pleasure read, pick this up.
*I'll have a full review going up closer to the release date*
melissayabookshelf's review
Really liked this one. Found myself wanting James and Edelweiss to get together so hard.
shellyzev's review
A little cheesy but I can't resist the fake-dating trope. A quick and cute read for sure!