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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 deathbeckyremillard's review
emotional
funny
hopeful
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
Content Warnings
Graphic: Toxic relationship, Blood, Gaslighting, Misogyny, and Infidelity
Moderate: Child death
Minor: Child abuse
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
georginainvisablestring22's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
reflective
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Misogyny and Sexism
Moderate: Infidelity and Sexual harassment
Minor: Racism, Gaslighting, Grief, Pregnancy, and Car accident
rebeccap's review
emotional
reflective
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
4.0
Thank you to NetGalley and William Morrow Paperbacks for this advanced reader copy. The opinions expressed are mine alone.
“If I Never Met You” by Mhairi McFarlane is a cute albeit predictable story of a fake romance turning into something real. But, it’s also about self-discovery and realizing your own worth. I did find it a little hard to read at times because I wasn’t familiar with some of the pop culture references and British phrasing. All in all I enjoyed the book and would give it a solid 4 stars.
“If I Never Met You” by Mhairi McFarlane is a cute albeit predictable story of a fake romance turning into something real. But, it’s also about self-discovery and realizing your own worth. I did find it a little hard to read at times because I wasn’t familiar with some of the pop culture references and British phrasing. All in all I enjoyed the book and would give it a solid 4 stars.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Bullying and Infidelity
Minor: Blood and Child death
theunfinishedbookshelf'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? Yes
Content Warnings
Moderate: Infidelity
hudonnoodles's review
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
sad
fast-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
4.0
I unabashedly loved this - I couldn’t put the book down once I started because I was wholly invested in the characters and their story.
I’m not usually a fan of the fake dating trope but this was adorable and done well. There were some heartbreaking parts that had me in near tears, but it was a fun happy romance that warmed my cold dark heart. I was smiling a big goofy smile by the end.
I’m not usually a fan of the fake dating trope but this was adorable and done well. There were some heartbreaking parts that had me in near tears, but it was a fun happy romance that warmed my cold dark heart. I was smiling a big goofy smile by the end.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Infidelity
roget's review
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.juliaseculture's review against another edition
3.75
It was a solid 4 stars until the ending... But still a nice read, would recommend !
Content Warnings
Graphic: Infidelity
Minor: Child death and Gaslighting
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