The Book:
It Had To Be You by Georgia Clark
Published May 4th 2021 by Atria
Date read: May 9, 2021
The Characters:
Liv
Savannah
Buy it on Bookshop.org | Amazon
The Plot (from Goodreads):
For the past twenty years, Liv and Eliot Goldenhorn have run In Love in New York, Brooklyn’s beloved wedding-planning business. When Eliot dies unexpectedly, he even more unexpectedly leaves half of the business to his younger, blonder girlfriend, Savannah. Liv and Savannah are not a match made in heaven, to say the least. But what starts as a personal and professional nightmare transforms into something even savvy, cynical Liv Goldenhorn couldn’t begin to imagine.
It Had to Be You cleverly unites Liv, Savannah, and couples as diverse and unique as New York City itself, in a joyous Love-Actually-style braided narrative. The result is a smart, modern love story that truly speaks to our times. Second chances, secret romance, and steamy soul mates are front and center in this sexy, tender, and utterly charming rom-com.
The Review:
There is very little I love more than a rom-com featuring a wedding planner. Books or movies, weddings are just the perfect settings for love!
It Had To Be You did not disappoint. While there are some heavy themes in this book, it is overall a very romantic and heartwarming story. Another thing I love in both books and movies is overlapping love stories of different characters. This book had a Love Actually style of telling all these different love stories, centered around Liv’s wedding planning business. While Liv’s story was my favorite, I really enjoyed all the side plots as well.
I appreciated that there was also a theme of finding female friendship in unlikely places. Rom-coms are usually about the couple, but I think focusing on friendships is important too.
This book was the perfect balance of happy and sad, platonic and romantic, and appreciating the past while looking forward to the future. I’d definitely recommend It Had To Be You!
