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catsandmetaphors's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
5.0
This was the fourth novel I read by Mhairi McFarlane and it was undoubtedly my favourite. I always turn to McFarlane's books when I need a nice, gut-wrenching palate cleanse after reading too many fluffy rom-coms in a row, and this one had the intended effect, as expected.
Fake dating with eventual real feelings, one bed trope, but add amazingly written friendships, complicated familial relationships, and the issues a biracial woman faces in modern-day Britain. The latter was admittedly somewhat underutilised.
Fake dating with eventual real feelings, one bed trope, but add amazingly written friendships, complicated familial relationships, and the issues a biracial woman faces in modern-day Britain. The latter was admittedly somewhat underutilised.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Infidelity
Moderate: Child death, Cancer, and Pregnancy
rachminick's review against another edition
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Content Warnings
Moderate: Racism and Misogyny
Minor: Cancer and Pedophilia
kelly_e's review against another edition
funny
lighthearted
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
Title: If I Never Met You
Author: Mhairi McFarlane
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Rating: 2.50
Pub Date: March 5, 2020
T H R E E • W O R D S
Slow • Predictable • Forgettable
📖 S Y N O P S I S
Together for the past 18 years, Laurie feels she and her partner Dan are ready to start trying for a baby. When one evening, she broaches the topic, Dan quickly realizes he doesn't want children and ends things. Heartbroken, Laurie's once perfect life is in shambles and the thought of dating again horrifies her. Several months down the road, Dan announces that his new girlfriend is pregnant, Laurie feels humiliated.
That is until a chance encounter in a broken-down elevator with the office playboy who doesn't believe in love presents a new possibility. Jamie is looking to impress the bosses, and she wants nothing more than to make Dan jealous, so they agree to enter into a fake relationship with strategically staged photographs and a specific end date in mind...
💭 T H O U G H T S
I picked Mhairi McFarlane as one of my twelve authors for my 'Author Taste Test' challenge for 2023. Since I owned If I Never Met You I decided that would be the book I'd go with, unfortunately it was just one of those books that didn't work for me.
Firstly, the whole book was way longer than it needed to be. It just took too long for get to the new relationship. The whole breakup felt way more developed than it needed to be. I know an in depth exploration of the breakup was warranted, but this went too far. Heck, Jamie (the love interest) didn't appear consistently throughout the first half of the book!
Additionally, the chemistry between Laurie and Jamie was lackluster (maybe that's to be expected when two people are pretending?). The dialogue felt forced and a lot of the humour fell flat. I felt zero connection to the characters. The author tried to add depth, which I appreciate, yet it just felt like she tried to put in too much with some scenes seeming highly unrealistic and implausible.
Fake dating is one of those tropes that is very hit or miss for me. This was certainly a miss, as I don't feel it was utilized to its potential. The revenge pretenses of Laurie embarking with such an arrangement also came across as very juvenile.
Lastly, the whole scene with Laurie's father's friend felt like it came out of nowhere. And because it occurred so close to the end of the book it wasn't fully addressed and resolved. I think it was an important plotline, but why the author chose to wait so late to drop it into the story puzzles me.
When I first read the synopsis for this book, I thought I'd enjoyed, unfortunately that was not the case. I definitely don't think it was the right book to start with from this author. If I Never Met You was highly forgettable, but I'll definitely give her another try with a different book, as I really think it was the plot and not the writing that I didn't jive with.
📚 R E C O M M E N D • T O
• fake dating fans
🔖 F A V O U R I T E • Q U O T E S
"Those who said family mattered above all else were wrong. People you love, who love you back, matter above all. Crap people you happen to be related to: you need to stop thinking you owe them limitless number of chances to hurt you."
Author: Mhairi McFarlane
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Rating: 2.50
Pub Date: March 5, 2020
T H R E E • W O R D S
Slow • Predictable • Forgettable
📖 S Y N O P S I S
Together for the past 18 years, Laurie feels she and her partner Dan are ready to start trying for a baby. When one evening, she broaches the topic, Dan quickly realizes he doesn't want children and ends things. Heartbroken, Laurie's once perfect life is in shambles and the thought of dating again horrifies her. Several months down the road, Dan announces that his new girlfriend is pregnant, Laurie feels humiliated.
That is until a chance encounter in a broken-down elevator with the office playboy who doesn't believe in love presents a new possibility. Jamie is looking to impress the bosses, and she wants nothing more than to make Dan jealous, so they agree to enter into a fake relationship with strategically staged photographs and a specific end date in mind...
💭 T H O U G H T S
I picked Mhairi McFarlane as one of my twelve authors for my 'Author Taste Test' challenge for 2023. Since I owned If I Never Met You I decided that would be the book I'd go with, unfortunately it was just one of those books that didn't work for me.
Firstly, the whole book was way longer than it needed to be. It just took too long for get to the new relationship. The whole breakup felt way more developed than it needed to be. I know an in depth exploration of the breakup was warranted, but this went too far. Heck, Jamie (the love interest) didn't appear consistently throughout the first half of the book!
Additionally, the chemistry between Laurie and Jamie was lackluster (maybe that's to be expected when two people are pretending?). The dialogue felt forced and a lot of the humour fell flat. I felt zero connection to the characters. The author tried to add depth, which I appreciate, yet it just felt like she tried to put in too much with some scenes seeming highly unrealistic and implausible.
Fake dating is one of those tropes that is very hit or miss for me. This was certainly a miss, as I don't feel it was utilized to its potential. The revenge pretenses of Laurie embarking with such an arrangement also came across as very juvenile.
Lastly, the whole scene with Laurie's father's friend felt like it came out of nowhere. And because it occurred so close to the end of the book it wasn't fully addressed and resolved. I think it was an important plotline, but why the author chose to wait so late to drop it into the story puzzles me.
When I first read the synopsis for this book, I thought I'd enjoyed, unfortunately that was not the case. I definitely don't think it was the right book to start with from this author. If I Never Met You was highly forgettable, but I'll definitely give her another try with a different book, as I really think it was the plot and not the writing that I didn't jive with.
📚 R E C O M M E N D • T O
• fake dating fans
🔖 F A V O U R I T E • Q U O T E S
"Those who said family mattered above all else were wrong. People you love, who love you back, matter above all. Crap people you happen to be related to: you need to stop thinking you owe them limitless number of chances to hurt you."
Content Warnings
Graphic: Infidelity, Misogyny, and Sexism
Moderate: Racism, Abandonment, Toxic relationship, and Pregnancy
Minor: Death of parent, Death, Sexual assault, Emotional abuse, Terminal illness, Child abuse, Pedophilia, Child death, Grief, and Cancer
sibling deathbookmarkedbyjosephine's review against another edition
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Sexual harassment, Cancer, Injury/Injury detail, and Emotional abuse
Minor: Death, Abandonment, and Car accident
hannahleewhite's review against another edition
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Minor: Child abuse and Cancer
markedwithanm's review against another edition
emotional
funny
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Infidelity, Misogyny, Grief, and Toxic relationship
Moderate: Sexual assault, Death of parent, Cancer, Terminal illness, and Abandonment
Minor: Racism
katrinaward's review against another edition
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
Content Warnings
Moderate: Misogyny, Child death, and Cancer
Minor: Eating disorder, Racism, and Injury/Injury detail
roget's review against another edition
emotional
funny
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
The first 25% of this book is a brutal, ripping betrayal. The piling on of a thousand, horribly unexpected and yet completely believable developments in the end of an 18 year relationship. She’s completely thrown and the absolute breakdown of her trust is gutting to witness and experience.
(I had to process through a long, emotional talk with my partner—that’s how impactful this girl’s breakup is.)
But then, slowly, you start to see the cracks in the former relationship as she does. A breakup that seemed to come from nowhere shifts into seeming something inevitable, given the quality of the relationship, which eventually turns into relief that she got out of it.
You grow to accept and hope better things for her as she does. I cried and laughed multiple times, and the dialogue is often excellent. Superb voice, and a generally incredible read that does not shy from angst in an often-fluffy genre. Hurt-comfort is top notch. Not lighthearted, but a satisfying close.
So poignant, you’d think it was really fantastic fanfiction.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Infidelity, Abandonment, and Misogyny
Moderate: Cancer, Bullying, Adult/minor relationship, Gaslighting, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Terminal illness, and Sexual harassment
Minor: Alcoholism, Child abuse, Eating disorder, Emotional abuse, Classism, Drug use, Child death, Racism, and Sexual content
Racism is mostly depicted in brief microaggressions; adult/child relationship is tagged for a short but impactful repressed memory of a dangerous interaction the protagonist had with a predator as a child.greys527's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.75
Content Warnings
Moderate: Sexual assault and Abandonment
Minor: Cancer
haddy's review against another edition
emotional
funny
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
I enjoyed most of the book, and read it quite quickly.. but what the hell was that ending?? Kind of ruined it for me ngl.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Infidelity and Sexism
Moderate: Cancer and Sexual assault