Book Review: "It Had to Be You" by Georgia Clark

Georgia Clark's upcoming book, It Had to Be You, is a sweet, fun, emotional rom-com about the pleasures, pains, and possibilities that love brings.

Liv and Eliot Goldenhorn know how to plan and execute a flawless wedding. Their company, In Love in New York, has been the talk of Brooklyn for 20 years, and the two play off each other’s strengths to create wedding magic, calm nervous brides, and soothe meddling parents.

But the bottom falls out when Eliot dies suddenly while visiting his younger girlfriend in Kentucky. And as if his infidelity and his death weren’t big enough shocks for Liv, apparently Eliot also left his half of the business to Savannah, his girlfriend, for reasons no one understands—not even Savannah.

Savannah isn’t interested in selling her half of the business—she wants to work with Liv to rebuild the company. While she doesn’t blame Savannah for the affair—Eliot told her he was divorced—Liv can’t imagine working with her to plan weddings given the way her own marriage ended. But Savannah’s optimism wears her down, and it’s not long before Liv realizes she missed the work.

As Liv starts to rebuild her life and her romantic confidence, It Had to Be You also follows the romantic struggles of her friends and vendors/employees—Gorman and Henry, the florists whose relationship has stayed static for far too long; Zia, the waitress whose connection with an unlikely suitor thrills and frustrates her; and Darlene and Zach, the wedding singer and DJ, who can’t seem to figure out what they want from each other.

This felt like one of the ensemble romantic movies, like Love, Actually or Valentine’s Day, in that you’re following multiple yet connected storylines at the same time. I really enjoyed all of the characters so much and found myself invested in all of their relationships and challenges.

At times the pacing was a little slow, but the sheer joy, emotions, and romance kept me hooked, and I will neither confirm nor deny getting choked up toward the end. Georgia Clark has created such a good read, and see if you can keep the song It Had to Be You out of your head!

Georgia Clark, NetGalley, Atria Books, and Emily Bestler Books provided me with a complimentary advance copy of the book in exchange for an unbiased review. Thanks for making it available!

It Had to Be You publishes 5/4/2021.