01/20/2020
McFarlane (Don’t You Forget About Me ) brings a welcome dose of reality to the fake office romance trope with flawed, honest, but still endearing protagonists. After Laurie’s boyfriend of 18 years, Dan, abruptly leaves her and then confesses that he and his new girlfriend are expecting a child, Laurie dreads having to see him every day at the law firm where they both work. When Laurie gets stuck in an elevator with Jamie Carter, a notorious playboy who also works at the firm, they realize they can help each other: Jamie wants a promotion and needs to impress the partners by appearing to have grown out of his womanizing ways; Laurie wants to quell the office gossip. They agree to fake a relationship to achieve both goals, but as the inevitable real feelings bubble up between them, Laurie wonders if her heart is too broken to take a chance on new love. McFarlane’s arch humor and earnest characters make this familiar plot feel fresh, fun, and genuinely moving. This is a delightful rom-com full of sass, sparkle, and heart. Agent: Doug Kean, Gunn Media. (Mar.)
"McFarlane's gift is writing romantic comedy that depicts a recognizable world... without dimming the luster of shining moments of humor, love, and connection... a very funny, very romantic story with deep emotional impact." — Kirkus Reviews (starred review)
"McFarlane brings a welcome dose of reality to the fake office romance trope with flawed, honest, but still endearing protagonists... McFarlane’s arch humor and earnest characters make this familiar plot feel fresh, fun, and genuinely moving. This is a delightful rom-com full of sass, sparkle, and heart. " — Publishers Weekly
"McFarlane has a charming voice, one distinctly British in its wry humor, whimsical turn of phrase, and vibrant sense of setting... the novel itself is a dizzy delight, bursting with rom-com tropes... If I Never Met You is quippy and warm, an escape in almost every sense of the word, and McFarlane’s irresistible voice that balances pathos and humor in equal measure, leaves us wanting more.” — Entertainment Weekly
“Mhairi McFarlane’s voice is as clear as a bell—she makes you laugh, but she also makes you feel. I adore her!” — Sally Thorne, USA Today bestselling author of The Hating Game and 99 Percent Mine
"Readers who swarm to contemporary romance authors like Christina Lauren and Tessa Bailey... will enjoy this title." — Booklist
"Readers will certainly fall for Laurie and Jamie’s shenanigans in McFarlane’s latest." — Library Journal
"The best romance novel protagonists make you feel empowered and better about yourself and the world than you did before you started reading. If I Never Met You 's Laurie is that kind of protagonist." — Cosmopolitan (Best Romance Novels of 2020)
Mhairi McFarlane’s voice is as clear as a bell—she makes you laugh, but she also makes you feel. I adore her!
"The best romance novel protagonists make you feel empowered and better about yourself and the world than you did before you started reading. If I Never Met You 's Laurie is that kind of protagonist."
Cosmopolitan (Best Romance Novels of 2020)
"Readers who swarm to contemporary romance authors like Christina Lauren and Tessa Bailey... will enjoy this title."
"McFarlane has a charming voice, one distinctly British in its wry humor, whimsical turn of phrase, and vibrant sense of setting... the novel itself is a dizzy delight, bursting with rom-com tropes... If I Never Met You is quippy and warm, an escape in almost every sense of the word, and McFarlane’s irresistible voice that balances pathos and humor in equal measure, leaves us wanting more.
"Readers who swarm to contemporary romance authors like Christina Lauren and Tessa Bailey... will enjoy this title."
03/01/2020
Laurie Watkinson's boyfriend of nearly two decades has suddenly left her, his new girlfriend is pregnant, and, to top it all off, Laurie gets stuck in the office elevator with Jamie Carter, work-place cad. But while stuck, and at drinks after, the two hatch a plan to pretend to date; Laurie can make her ex jealous and Jamie can prove to the firm he's able to commit. Almost immediately, the keep-it-simple plan for their fake relationship gets more complicated than expected, and Laurie is surprised by how much she's enjoying spending time with Jamie. Things can't keep going smoothly, however, and when jealousy and bad reputations rear their ugly heads, Laurie must decide if she can trust her and Jamie's feelings. VERDICT Readers will certainly fall for Laurie and Jamie's shenanigans in McFarlane's (You Had Me at Hello ) latest. While the recognizable beats of the familiar plot are all there, Laurie's arc stands out.—Kellie Tilton, Univ. of Cincinnati Blue Ash
★ 2019-12-23
Laurie Watkinson has a corporate law job she loves, dear friends, and Dan, her dependable live-in boyfriend who works in the same firm. When Dan sits her down one evening, Laurie expects anything but to hear him say he's moving out; and then to hear soon after that he has a new girlfriend. Hoping for a bit of revenge, newly single Laurie agrees to pose as "Phony Goddess" to "Greek God" Jamie Carter, her new colleague and a known "soulless womanizer." Jamie is gorgeous and charming but needs to appear settled to secure a promotion, and he thinks earning the affection of Laurie, the firm's "golden girl," is the surest route. Jamie and Laurie are attracted to one another, make each other laugh, and, they learn, have childhood trauma in common. Jamie is a classic playboy felled by love who's written endearingly and convincingly: "I scoffed at the idea anyone could make you see your life through new eyes and I'm so, so glad to be wrong." Laurie's intelligence and acerbic wit—especially as they relate to navigating English society as a woman of color—are strengths that can obscure uncomfortable feelings. Thanks to a selfish, absentee father, an unconventional mother, and, she now realizes, a partner who never encouraged her to grow as a person, Laurie puts her own desires last. Giving the novel an expanded palette beyond the romance, Laurie's friendship with Jamie is just one of several changes in behavior and attitude that help her to regain a sense of her own agency and importance. McFarlane's gift is writing romantic comedy that depicts a recognizable world—in this case, the culturally diverse world of young professionals in Manchester, England—without dimming the luster of shining moments of humor, love, and connection.
McFarlane has created a very funny, very romantic story with deep emotional impact.
This endearing love story demonstrates narrator Sarah Novak’s flexibility with emotions. Laurie is in her prime, with everything going as planned until her partner of 18 years, Dan, abruptly leaves her. Novak helps listeners feel Laurie’s shock and pain, as well as Dan’s cowardice, by deftly adjusting her intensity. After Laurie gets stuck in an elevator with her law firm's flirt, Jamie, she hatches a plan of fake dating. She’ll get her revenge on Dan, and Jamie just might get a promotion. But Laurie and Jamie start to see different sides of each other, growing their relationship into something more real. Listeners hear the developing attraction between Jamie and Laurie in Novak’s expressive narration. While she struggles with consistent pacing, and audible breathing detracts the flow of her delivery, she handles accents well. S.K.G. © AudioFile 2020, Portland, Maine
This endearing love story demonstrates narrator Sarah Novak’s flexibility with emotions. Laurie is in her prime, with everything going as planned until her partner of 18 years, Dan, abruptly leaves her. Novak helps listeners feel Laurie’s shock and pain, as well as Dan’s cowardice, by deftly adjusting her intensity. After Laurie gets stuck in an elevator with her law firm's flirt, Jamie, she hatches a plan of fake dating. She’ll get her revenge on Dan, and Jamie just might get a promotion. But Laurie and Jamie start to see different sides of each other, growing their relationship into something more real. Listeners hear the developing attraction between Jamie and Laurie in Novak’s expressive narration. While she struggles with consistent pacing, and audible breathing detracts the flow of her delivery, she handles accents well. S.K.G. © AudioFile 2020, Portland, Maine
