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A review by lenoreo
It Had to Be You by Lizzy Charles
4.0
https://celebrityreaders.wordpress.com/2017/05/11/it-had-to-be-you-by-lizzy-charles/
4 stars -- I received a free copy through NetGalley in exchange for an honest and unbiased review/opinion.
I will wholeheartedly admit that there were a few things in this book that on another book would probably have bothered me more, but I just couldn't help but devour this book and end it with a big smile on my face. And I think that's because there were just that many things to love, and that I got enough pleasant surprises that it made me gloss over the things that usually annoy me.
So let's get the lamesauce stuff out of the way. The niggles:
a) Lack of communication. Yeah, there was some of that, but it didn't bother me quite as much for some reason, maybe because I was getting other stuff from the romance, and it didn't last like the whole book? But it did bother me a little...it's frustrating when assumptions are made on both sides and that's what prevents the couple from getting together.
b) Over the top evil/witchy with a b girl. Emma was seriously over the top. I'm not a fan of that. I didn't even see any depth in her to explain why she was that way, she was just a straight up mean girl. I guess those girls exist in real life, but I'm kind of tired of that.
c) The situation with Emma became a bit implausible, and I'm not sure I enjoyed how that all played out and was handled.
d) A few little things were dropped or not followed up with how I expected. Like we'd suddenly be a week later, and I kind of wanted to know how things developed in between time (like after the hair, or even right after they agree to fake date).
e) Some of the twists felt a bit convenient, especially since we'd find them out at convenient times as the story went on (Julie, some of the Ainsley stuff including the Foster Mom).
OK! That's done! I know that seems like a lot, but please remember they were little niggles that only slightly detracted from the awesome. So what was the awesome? Great characters that surprised me at different turns! I enjoyed the fact that James wasn't a horrible bad boy, but more of a guy who made some poor choices, or got pulled into the "need to impress" that many teenagers feel in high school. He was seriously so much deeper than I had been anticipating. I LOVED that we got to see how his family life affected him (having a military father, no mother), how his race affected him, how being biracial with a white father affected him. I appreciated those little touches and that they weren't glossed over. I loved that we got to see real emotion in him, particularly wrt his father. I loved that he made some monumental mistakes, which I know sounds weird, but I loved that he owned up to them and tried to make amends. I loved that he really was genuinely trying to change. I LOVED that he was a literature nerd, I would have enjoyed even more from that. Basically he really impressed me with how much we got from him in just a short novel.
Then there's Edel. Not to be left out, Edel was pretty well rounded as well! I enjoyed her unique situation, and how her life growing up shaped her, and how she desired normal teenager experiences. I loved that she was pretty naive, it really fit with what I expected from her. But she was also brave and strong at times too, and I thought she grew as the book went on. She had typical teenage girl feelings, and they still existed right to the end. I loved that we got to see bits of her relationship with her parents. And she also made mistakes, one big one in particular. I did enjoy how she stepped up and did the right thing eventually, and didn't shy away from it.
And the two of them together were super adorable. I LOVED the tummy tingles I got just from the hand holding. And I loved the way they stuck up for one another, particularly how Edel championed James.
I also really enjoyed the secondary characters, though I wouldn't have minded a bit more. But I wonder if we didn't get more because this is going to be a series and we'll eventually get their own stories? I sincerely hope so.
So yeah. May have had a few pitfalls, but the good just made me so happy that it was a success!!
4 stars -- I received a free copy through NetGalley in exchange for an honest and unbiased review/opinion.
I will wholeheartedly admit that there were a few things in this book that on another book would probably have bothered me more, but I just couldn't help but devour this book and end it with a big smile on my face. And I think that's because there were just that many things to love, and that I got enough pleasant surprises that it made me gloss over the things that usually annoy me.
So let's get the lamesauce stuff out of the way. The niggles:
a) Lack of communication. Yeah, there was some of that, but it didn't bother me quite as much for some reason, maybe because I was getting other stuff from the romance, and it didn't last like the whole book? But it did bother me a little...it's frustrating when assumptions are made on both sides and that's what prevents the couple from getting together.
b) Over the top evil/witchy with a b girl. Emma was seriously over the top. I'm not a fan of that. I didn't even see any depth in her to explain why she was that way, she was just a straight up mean girl. I guess those girls exist in real life, but I'm kind of tired of that.
c) The situation with Emma became a bit implausible, and I'm not sure I enjoyed how that all played out and was handled.
d) A few little things were dropped or not followed up with how I expected. Like we'd suddenly be a week later, and I kind of wanted to know how things developed in between time (like after the hair, or even right after they agree to fake date).
e) Some of the twists felt a bit convenient, especially since we'd find them out at convenient times as the story went on (Julie, some of the Ainsley stuff including the Foster Mom).
OK! That's done! I know that seems like a lot, but please remember they were little niggles that only slightly detracted from the awesome. So what was the awesome? Great characters that surprised me at different turns! I enjoyed the fact that James wasn't a horrible bad boy, but more of a guy who made some poor choices, or got pulled into the "need to impress" that many teenagers feel in high school. He was seriously so much deeper than I had been anticipating. I LOVED that we got to see how his family life affected him (having a military father, no mother), how his race affected him, how being biracial with a white father affected him. I appreciated those little touches and that they weren't glossed over. I loved that we got to see real emotion in him, particularly wrt his father. I loved that he made some monumental mistakes, which I know sounds weird, but I loved that he owned up to them and tried to make amends. I loved that he really was genuinely trying to change. I LOVED that he was a literature nerd, I would have enjoyed even more from that. Basically he really impressed me with how much we got from him in just a short novel.
Then there's Edel. Not to be left out, Edel was pretty well rounded as well! I enjoyed her unique situation, and how her life growing up shaped her, and how she desired normal teenager experiences. I loved that she was pretty naive, it really fit with what I expected from her. But she was also brave and strong at times too, and I thought she grew as the book went on. She had typical teenage girl feelings, and they still existed right to the end. I loved that we got to see bits of her relationship with her parents. And she also made mistakes, one big one in particular. I did enjoy how she stepped up and did the right thing eventually, and didn't shy away from it.
And the two of them together were super adorable. I LOVED the tummy tingles I got just from the hand holding. And I loved the way they stuck up for one another, particularly how Edel championed James.
I also really enjoyed the secondary characters, though I wouldn't have minded a bit more. But I wonder if we didn't get more because this is going to be a series and we'll eventually get their own stories? I sincerely hope so.
So yeah. May have had a few pitfalls, but the good just made me so happy that it was a success!!