A young woman navigating a breakup must face her demons in Mad About You, a complex, emotionally layered novel from British author Mhairi McFarlane (Just Last Night; If I Never Met You; Don't You Forget About Me).
Wedding photographer Harriet Hatley has seen her share of nuptial snafus, but nothing compares to the drama of her boyfriend, Jon, dropping a surprise proposal on her in front of his entire family when he knows she doesn't want to get married. She swiftly breaks off the relationship and rents a room, only to find that Calvin, her new housemate and landlord, is the much-maligned runaway groom from a canceled wedding she was supposed to shoot. Tensions run high: Cal doesn't want an awkward reminder of his wedding abdication, and Harriet doesn't "want to be a traitor to her sex by paying rent to the Gone Groom of folklore." The theme of terrible blokes turning up continues when she runs into her abusive ex-boyfriend, Scott. Harriet must make a stand as both exes work separately to undermine her, while her growing connection with Cal has her questioning long-held assumptions and false beliefs.
Strong friendships, self-discovery and women supporting each other form the emotional core of a story that reminds readers that no one can know the interior of someone else's relationship. The unflinching depiction of different shades of toxicity and abuse in romantic pairings rings true, but McFarlane still builds in the wry one-liners her fans expect and charts a convincing path to love for Harriet. Expect an occasionally harrowing--but ultimately satisfying--result. --Jaclyn Fulwood, blogger at Infinite Reads