Scan barcode
A review by ftlobooks
It Had To Be You by Keris Stainton
2.0
Overall opinion of the book:
In all honesty, this wasn't my favourite Chick-Lit, and I didn't fully enjoy the content until over halfway through the book. The latter end of the book I did enjoy however. Overall the book fell slightly flat as I struggled to relate to the main character Bea. Being of a similar age I thought, "yes! Finally a book that's going to rep my age group", but I felt Bea's character acted a lot younger than 25. Her character seems worlds apart to the reality of being in your mid 20's, as she seemed to reflect a character who would typically be between 18-20. I understand that everyone's life experiences vary greatly, but for her age she definitely did seem a little too naive and immature.
As the synopses explains, Bea's recurring dreams of her "perfect boyfriend" come into fruition. *Slight spoiler* Readers later discover that Bea moved to London in order to find this man she's been dreaming of *spoiler ends*. It was a little too cliche for me and as a result I struggled to become fully invested in the plot. I have previously read books with a similar premise, such as Dream a Little Dream by Giovanna Fletcher so I'm not opposed to the plot idea, I just think it may have worked a little better if it was approached in a slightly more realistic way. As the novel progresses, so does Bae's character and I enjoyed seeing her grow and mature. She became quite endearing and her conversations with Dan and her friends flowed well and were natural.
It Had to Be You, discusses many different types of relationships, emphasising that some are not positive and in fact toxic. The book also emphasises the importance of not judging other people's relationships. Every relationship is different and what may work for some couples may not for others. Just because a relationship may seem flawed to others and not perfect on the outside, doesn't meant it's the same behind closed doors.
My favourite part of the book was Bea's relationship with her flatmates. Stainton has written these parts so well and the friendships seem so genuine and lovely. They're definitely the kind of flatmates I'd like to love with if I went to university or lived in London when I was younger! I particularly liked Bea's friend Freya, she was honest and at times hilarious. She's a lesbian, and it was great to see LGBT+ rep in this book. Bea's friendship with Henry was also endearing and he seems like a genuine and kind character.
Final Thoughts:
Overall, this was an enjoyable read but unfortunately I didn't enjoy it as much as I thought I would. This doesn't mean you won't love it however. The characters were interesting and I enjoyed seeing Bea grow and mature as the novel progressed but I do think of her age was between 18-20 then this would have suited the content in then novel a little better.
I would like to thank Bookouture, NetGalley, and of course the author Keris Stainton for sending me a #gifted copy of this book. All views are my own and aren’t influenced in any way.
In all honesty, this wasn't my favourite Chick-Lit, and I didn't fully enjoy the content until over halfway through the book. The latter end of the book I did enjoy however. Overall the book fell slightly flat as I struggled to relate to the main character Bea. Being of a similar age I thought, "yes! Finally a book that's going to rep my age group", but I felt Bea's character acted a lot younger than 25. Her character seems worlds apart to the reality of being in your mid 20's, as she seemed to reflect a character who would typically be between 18-20. I understand that everyone's life experiences vary greatly, but for her age she definitely did seem a little too naive and immature.
As the synopses explains, Bea's recurring dreams of her "perfect boyfriend" come into fruition. *Slight spoiler* Readers later discover that Bea moved to London in order to find this man she's been dreaming of *spoiler ends*. It was a little too cliche for me and as a result I struggled to become fully invested in the plot. I have previously read books with a similar premise, such as Dream a Little Dream by Giovanna Fletcher so I'm not opposed to the plot idea, I just think it may have worked a little better if it was approached in a slightly more realistic way. As the novel progresses, so does Bae's character and I enjoyed seeing her grow and mature. She became quite endearing and her conversations with Dan and her friends flowed well and were natural.
It Had to Be You, discusses many different types of relationships, emphasising that some are not positive and in fact toxic. The book also emphasises the importance of not judging other people's relationships. Every relationship is different and what may work for some couples may not for others. Just because a relationship may seem flawed to others and not perfect on the outside, doesn't meant it's the same behind closed doors.
My favourite part of the book was Bea's relationship with her flatmates. Stainton has written these parts so well and the friendships seem so genuine and lovely. They're definitely the kind of flatmates I'd like to love with if I went to university or lived in London when I was younger! I particularly liked Bea's friend Freya, she was honest and at times hilarious. She's a lesbian, and it was great to see LGBT+ rep in this book. Bea's friendship with Henry was also endearing and he seems like a genuine and kind character.
Final Thoughts:
Overall, this was an enjoyable read but unfortunately I didn't enjoy it as much as I thought I would. This doesn't mean you won't love it however. The characters were interesting and I enjoyed seeing Bea grow and mature as the novel progressed but I do think of her age was between 18-20 then this would have suited the content in then novel a little better.
I would like to thank Bookouture, NetGalley, and of course the author Keris Stainton for sending me a #gifted copy of this book. All views are my own and aren’t influenced in any way.