You Had Me At Hello (Review & Giveaway!)

Hi there!

Title: You Had Me At Hello
Author:  Mhairi McFarlane
Publisher:  Avon/Harper Collins
Published Date:  6^th December 2012
Rating: 5 stars

*Thank you to the publisher for sending me a copy for review*

Synopsis: What happens when the one that got away comes back? Find out in this sparkling debut from Mhairi McFarlane.

‘Think of the great duos of history. We're just like them.’
‘You mean like Kylie and Jason? Torvill and Dean? Sonny and Cher?’
‘I think you’ve missed the point, Rachel.’

Rachel and Ben. Ben and Rachel. It was them against the world. Until it all fell apart. It’s been a decade since they last spoke, but when Rachel bumps into Ben one rainy day, the years melt away.

They’d been partners in crime and the best of friends. But life has moved on: Ben is married. Rachel is not. Yet in that split second, Rachel feels the old friendship return. And along with it, the broken heart she’s never been able to mend.

Hilarious, heartbreaking and everything in between, you’ll be hooked from their first ‘hello’.

Review: This was just too cute. I don’t usually read books that are simply romance, but this one was definitely pleasing.

At first it was a bit hard for me to enjoy reading this. Throughout the book there are a lot of references to other things and people, and if you don’t know who/what they are, you’re missing out on some of the conversation. There was a lot of this in the beginning, but it gradually eased to less and less and I was able to enjoy the book more.

Throughout this book there are a lot of romance problems. Firstly, Rachel was engaged, but then her marriage breaks off. At the same time as this happens, Ben, an old time friend of hers pops back up again, happily married to his wife (called Olivia!) and happy to be friends with her again. The only problem is that Rachel ends up fighting her feelings for her best friend and a married man…

I loved the characters. Rachel was a good friend to her mates (who also have their own issues in the books and are very strong for secondary characters) and also a woman who had a lot of conflicting internal emotions. She was grappling with what is right and wrong when it comes to her feelings towards Ben, and also struggling with the troubles a job as a lawyer can throw at her. As well as trying to get over her ex-fiancée, this book also throws some other concepts at you. Security in appearance, friendships and being a family. I loved seeing her deal with each one, and there were definitely some life lessons in there as well.

Ben was a great romantic interest and also a fun character. Looking at his past he has been with a lot of women, but he was always a loyal friend to Rachel. He’s sarcastic, quick witty and loves a good joke. I thought he was a worthy romantic interest.

McFarlane also did a great job with showing us flashbacks at good times. We get to see the past of Ben and Rachel all the way from when they said their first hello’s, hence the title. But we jump from past to present, and sometimes the past unlocks a little plot twist for the story in the present, which was done expertly well. It was just another element to the story I loved!

This was a great book, and I really can’t wait to try another fun and light hearted book by this author. Schoolwork stopped me from finishing this in one sitting, but every spare moment was spent reading this until it was complete!

 

Giveaway: Open internationally! There will be two winners as well :)

 

http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/f2a15e3125/" rel="nofollow">a Rafflecopter giveaway

 

Ongoing giveaway: Open internationally!

 

http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/f2a15e3123/" rel="nofollow">a Rafflecopter giveaway

Olivia's Question: Do you have an old childhood friend? Can you remember how you met each other?

Olivia-Savannah x

Disclaimer: All images are not mine and are found on Pinterest