Spoiler Free Review

Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️.8 / 5 stars.

Author: Samantha Young.

Length: 308 pages.

Trigger Warnings: domestic abuse.

“How can you not be a fan of Shakespeare when his characters say epic shit like that?”

The cozy comforts of an English village bookstore open up a world of new possibilities for Evie Starling in this charming new romantic comedy from New York Times bestselling author Samantha Young.

At thirty-three-years old Evangeline Starling’s life in Chicago is missing that special something. And when she’s passed over for promotion at work, Evie realizes she needs to make a change. Some time away to regain perspective might be just the thing. In a burst of impulsivity, she plans a holiday in a quaint English village. The holiday package comes with a temporary position at Much Ado About Books, the bookstore located beneath her rental apartment. There’s no better dream vacation for the bookish Evie, a life-long Shakespeare lover.

Not only is Evie swept up in running the delightful store as soon as she arrives, she’s drawn into the lives, loves and drama of the friendly villagers. Including Roane Robson, the charismatic and sexy farmer who tempts Evie every day with his friendly flirtations. Evie is determined to keep him at bay because a holiday romance can only end in heartbreak, right? But Evie can’t deny their connection and longs to trust in her handsome farmer that their whirlwind romance could turn in to the forever kind of love.

Much Ado About You was one of my most anticipated releases for 2021 because I think Samantha Young is a wonderful romance author. After reading it, I can safely say that I had a lot of fun, as expected, but there are also many things that I wish had been just a tiny bit different.

This book follows Evie, who just moved to a small town in the UK searching for something to give meaning to her life. I loved this town from the get-go. The images described were beautiful and I felt like I was right there with her. Regarding scenery and writing, I have no issues whatsoever. Samantha Young has a very unique style that immediately pulls me in and, no matter how hard I try, I can’t tear myself away from it.

I’m sorry I never found a way to let you know that I love you more than I love anything in this world.

Even though the town was described beautifully, the townies were a whole other case. The fact that the author tried to give them all their own storylines was great — they’re all people that are going through their own issues, and I think that’s a very important thing to address. Moreover, I thought it was very clever how Evie’s journey intertwined with theirs and eventually she grew to love them and care for them. Still, there was too much happening at once. There were so many threads and people to manage that it made everything seem a little underdeveloped and underwhelming. Since this is not a long book, there was a limited time-frame in which she could fit all of these stories, and that was a very hard task. So, although they did add a few layers of depth, it was a little too much for a book this length. The effort is evident and the objective of this choice was effective, but it could’ve been managed better to make the story more concise.

On that note, this was a freaking soap opera, but I mean that in the best way possible. Everyone was so extra and melodramatic, and I loved it. Granted, some of the situations were definitely important and very delicate to manage, but the rest of them were over-the-top. This is not a criticism, because I think it was very much intentional in order to give it all a bit more of a comedy flare. Still, many times these reactions were definitely worthy of a telenovela scene.

Is it because society tells me that’s what I should want out of life? Or do I really want it?

Now on to my favorite part… The Romance.

I could not pull myself away from Roane and Evie’s story. I was eager to see them together and learn how everything would play out. I had a blast throughout the whole book and their relationship was one of my favorite aspects overall. However, there are a few things that I have to point out.

First of all, Roane was a little too perfect, and that’s a lot coming from me. I always like the love interests to be just a tiny bit unrealistic because that’s what makes me swoon (not that I don’t like the realistic ones as well, because I do). Still, Roane had no flaws, at least in what we got to see of their story. He was the nicest, most understanding, smart, and respectful man in the world, to the max. And YET, none of this actually bothered me. Ultimately, what made me notice all this was Evie and her endless flaws. It seems like she was actually a human being that made mistakes and acted like a real person, which meant that almost every single confrontation between them surged from something she did, said, or thought. It was a weird balance that definitely made me frown at times, but wasn’t too bad to become a dealbreaker for me.

Overall, this book definitely met my expectations because I got what I wanted from it: a novel that would capture me from beginning to end, and make me swoon as only romances make me do. I definitely recommend it if you’re a romance fan or if the description appeals to you, but watch out for the barrels of drama and an extra-perfect significant other that come with it!