If I Never Met You

by Mhairi McFarlane

An alternative cover edition for this ASIN can be found here.

If faking love is this easy… how do you know when it’s real?

Laurie and Jamie have the perfect office romance
(They set the rules via email)

Everyone can see they’re head over heels
(They staged the photos)

This must be true love
(They’re faking it)

When Laurie is dumped by her partner of eighteen years, she’s blindsided. Not only does she feel humiliated, they still have to work together.

So when she gets stuck in the lift with handsome colleague Jamie, they hatch a plan to stage the perfect romance. Revenge will be sweet…

Genres: Romance, Contemporary, Fiction, Contemporary Romance, Chick Lit, Audiobook, Adult

431 pages, Kindle Edition

First published March 5, 2020

About the author

Mhairi was born in Scotland in 1976 and her unnecessarily confusing name is pronounced Vah-Ree.

After some efforts at journalism, she started writing novels. It’s Not Me, It’s You is her third book. She lives in Nottingham, with a man and a cat.

Reviews

[chan ☆ · Rating 5 out of 5]

everything i want from a slow moving british romcom. the flatshare WHOMST

[Nilufer Ozmekik · Rating 4 out of 5]

Four shiny, funny, heartwarming, in the love of rom-coms and all the sweet, entertaining but also a little tolerable angsty stars!

I think I truly admit Mhairi McFarlene is one of my favorite rom-com writers along with Marian Keyes. She has humorous, sarcastic sense of humor. She knows how to deal with inner feelings, impeccably approaches dysfunctional family problems, traumas, losses and handles those heavy issues with care. When it comes to the angsty parts of her books, they are always well balanced, not to heart ripping, agitated, painful but also not hearts and flowers kind of sweetness you’ve found in them. It hurts you but never breaks you. And she truly knows how to create lovely characters.

I loved her previous works. I lately enjoyed “Don’t You Forget About Me” and I felt like I got another early Christmas gift when I found this precious, lovely book at my shelf. After Simple Minds invasion, this book made me sing Purple Rain aloud (I’m still so sorry for the disturbance I gave. I know I made too many children cry. But let’s look from the bright side! I got paid bribe money to stop singing. Another’s pain my gain!) What can I sing? “I never meant to cause you any sorrow. I only wanted to one time to see you laughing!”

I know this arranged, fake office romances are similar and foreseeable.

Here is the formula:
Mostly the man-whore Alpha male suffers from bad reputation threatening his hardly earned position. So he needs someone to impress his bosses and fix his bad boy image.

We have always steady, hard-worker, tough, mostly smart business woman who hates the guts of the Alpha male but finally she accepts the offer (because of a carrier leverage or a heartbreak or boredom, choose one of them)
But their faking relationship turns into a real one and none of them are brave enough to confess how they feel for each other, so they do stupid mistakes, tell lies, ends relationship. And we see some breakup- suffering- dealing with the feelings- loneliness- more angst, tears, suffering parts.

Then we see a great gesture comes from one of the parties. And they kiss and we get our happy ending.
And the differences of this book from this formula:

Jamie Carter is not pretentious, irritating man-whore. From the beginning he respects Laurie and he always acts like gentleman and walks on the eggshells not to make a mistake. He is ambitious, smart, hardworking Alpha, but when he is with Laurie, who knows where he stands and he never patronizes her, on contrary to Laurie’s shameless ex Dan, he believes Laurie can do anything she puts on her mind.

And Laurie is not typical dull, carrier oriented, obnoxious girl we read from several rom-coms. She’s smart, funny, sexy. Her confidence wounded because of betrayal of her ex which is normal because they truly grew up and spent nearly half of their lifetimes together. First she accepted this faking game for making jealous his ex who dumbs her, telling he doesn’t want children and he impregnates a woman from their office after their breakup! (So he is the winner of slap contest and I personally love to give him best leading douchebag award of the year!) So Laurie is shaken, shocked and her heart is broken. But this faking game helps her to see her own life with another perspective and discover her own family resentments, past mistakes.

Other parts are book fit the formula but I loved both of those characters. Their faults, flaws, past mistakes, suffers, insecurities are easy to empathize. And of course I really enjoyed the writing of the author. She’s a humorous wizard who knows how to play with the words and gives them magical, joyful meanings which always make you laugh, sigh and warm your heart.

So this book was positively amazing break and great choice as a weekend reading after all those scary Halloween overload! I can admit that I even love this book more than “Don’t you forget about me”.

As a summary: I TRULY LOVED THIS BOOK!

Special thanks to NetGalley and Harper Collins Publishers/William Morrow Paperbacks to share this wonderful ARC COPY with me in exchange my honest review.

[Cindy Pham · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed reading this book and was engaged throughout my experience because of the ~drama~ and ~developing relationship~, but felt baffled by the protagonist’s immaturity, judgmental attitude, and exhausting cynicism. It felt like being stuck in the mindset of a bitter old lady, which I can understand given her circumstances (and I myself will likely turn out to be like her in the future lol), but it did not make for an enjoyable reading experience until the love interest came in and breathed more life to the story. Her motivation for agreeing to fake date was juvenile and flimsy, and the third act conflict was super rushed and dramatic with not much of a conclusion for the loose ends that were given.

[emma · Rating 4 out of 5]

Brave: Heterosexual Romance Novel Solves Problem of “Men Being Trash” by Simply Not Including the Love Interest in Most of the Plot

Yes, that’s right. This book solved the problem of men being disproportionately exhausting human beings (and if you need evidence, I have screenshots of my Goodreads inbox I can share) by just...giving the dude our main character is falling in love with as little page time as possible.

It’s called REALISM, folks.

This is why fake dating is such a wonderful trope. It’s because of PRETENDING that they’re so great.

Anyway, the downside of all this is that the romance plotline is like…??? I mean, we follow Laurie, who is fake-dating Jamie because her extraordinarily long-term boyfriend left her for another woman, and Jamie, who is fake-dating Laurie for Work Purposes, and Jamie is just...straight up ABSENT for at least four sizable chunks of this.

It’s downright brilliant, really, from a characterization standpoint. But not so much from an EPIC ROMANCE UNFORGETTABLE LOVE STORY UNPUTDOWNABLE EMOTIONAL NARRATIVE one.

Also, the Big Final Dramatic Moment, which is usually my favorite part (what can I say? I love drama and turmoil and suffering more than love, sue me), wasn’t my favorite. Jamie tells a weird lie, random outsiders go to insane lengths to sabotage Jamie and Laurie’s relationship...none of it makes sense. Or is fun. Just miscommunicate or something, god!

The end generally felt a little rushed, too. But you know what? Who cares! Three cheers for a romance that’s really more about a woman finding herself!

Oh. I forgot to mention this is mostly about a woman finding herself.

Well, now you know.

Bottom line: Good stuff!

----------------
pre-review

this is like a checklist of all my favorite tropes.

review to come / 3.5 stars

----------------
tbr review

fake dating...AND THERE'S ONLY ONE BED?!

[jessica · Rating 3 out of 5]

note for future readers - the synopsis for this story is misleading.

it promises a cute and fun fake dating romance. this is not that. yes, the fake dating trope is used, but it is not the focus of the story and neither is the romance. i know some readers will say, ‘oh, its just a slow burn.’ wrong. its a no burn. lol.

honestly, this entire story is about moving on after a break up. which is not inherently a bad thing, as a lot of meaningful stories are about personal growth. but i wanted more swooning. soooo much page time is dedicated to the ex and where the relationship went wrong and how horrible of a person he is and how she can find the strength to move on and all the drama since they still work together. not to mention a lot of family issues. thats essentially 65% of the book. then finally comes the fake dating for about 34% of the story and its all platonic. except for the last 1%. suddenly its romantic. right at the end. but because too much time is spent on the previous relationship, the actual romance feels rushed, forced, and unbelievable.

i dont know. i mean, the story has its moments. it honestly wasnt terrible to read and i never found myself actively hating it. but the slow pacing and the lack of romance really let me down. maybe its because i went into this wanting something completely different and i just couldnt let go of those pre-reading expectations. oh well.

but readers who dont mind more character and life driven romances (think chick-lit rather than contemporary romance), slower plots, and british humour will probably enjoy this.

thanks william morrow for a copy!

↠ 3 stars

[Warda · Rating 5 out of 5]

99 pennies on kindle, lads! ✌🏾

—————————

[4.5 🌟]

This book was a de-fuckin-light.😍
It’s by far one of the most wittiest stories I’ve read and I’m kicking myself for not having read a novel by Mhairi McFarlane sooner. This is a mistake that will be dealt with.

———————————

I RECEIVED AN ARC!!! 🤩
Thank you, Harper Fiction!

[Danielle · Rating 4 out of 5]

Have I mentioned that I’m a sucker for these cutesy drawn covers? 😍 This book was a quick lovey read. 💕 Sure it was semi-predictable. But sometimes that’s okay. 😊 I loved Laurie. She was such a likable character- someone you’d want to be friends with in real life. Jamie was too cute for his own good. Overall this was a satisfying story.

[Emily May · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed reading If I Never Met You, though I think it fits more neatly into "contemporary" or "women's fiction" than it does in romance.

It's the story of thirty-six-year-old Laurie and how she gets her life back together after the break-up of her long-term relationship. She has been with the same boyfriend since university and had accepted that they would have children and grow old together, but now he wants out. It's a devastating blow for Laurie, understandably. She suddenly feels like the clock is ticking if she ever hopes to have the marriage and children she always dreamed of. She's so far out of the dating world that the mere thought of Tinder is mind-boggling.

When her ex quickly shacks up with someone new and she's still forced to see him at work, she's even more humiliated. To rescue her pride, she does the only thing she can think of: teams up with the office playboy for a "pretend relationship". He gets to look respectable by dating a highly-regarded colleague and she gets to look like she's SO OVER her ex. Win-win.

You can spot the romance trope right away, but I was fine with it. The fake-turned-real relationship is a classic and, if you ask me, it still kinda works. No, my main source of disappointment was how tame and squeaky clean the romance was. I liked both characters and was honestly relieved to discover this "playboy" wasn't your typical misogynistic asshole, but far too much of this book is given over to moping, IMO. The characters bond over grief and heartbreak, not flirtations, which is not really a boat-floater for me.

There's also absolutely no smut, on-page sex, or hot make-out of any kind. Shame. Parts were sweet, though. A few parts were funny, too.

I like my romance with more sizzling chemistry and flirtatious banter than I got here, but I did appreciate the messages about self-worth and the way the book dealt with post-break-up grief and insecurities.

[Christy · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.25 stars

Once you started a charade, it was tricky to work out the optimum time to end it.

I love the fake dating troupe and I especially love a good slow burn romance. If I Never Met You had both of these things.

Laurie is in her 30's and has been with her boyfriend for 18 years. One day, he up and decides he doesn't want their life together anymore. He doesn't want children and he doesn't want her. Not only is Laurie heartbroken, but she works with her ex and finds out not even a few months after their split he's with someone else and she's pregnant. She is devastated.

Jamie is a bit younger than Laurie and up for partner of their firm. The problem is, he's a bit of a ladies man and not taken seriously. He has a solution for that... dating Laurie. She can make him look good to the partners, and he can make her ex jealous. It's a win-win, right?

I admired Laurie so much and I really felt for her. I can't even imagine going through something like this. I cried for her and I cheered for her. She really was a fantastic heroine. I also liked Jamie a lot. He kept a smile on my face. I loved watching these two slowly turn from coworkers, to friends, to more. Even before they admitted this wasn't fake anymore, the reader could tell. They were falling for one another.

This is the second book I've read by Mhairi McFarlane, and though I liked the first a lot, I liked this one even more. It made me laugh, made me cry, and had me smiling throughout the story. Jamie and Laurie's story is one I won't soon forget. Recommended for lovers of friends to lovers romance, slow burn romance, and the good ole' fake dating troupe!

[preoccupiedbybooks · Rating 4 out of 5]

A heart warming, emotional, yet fun tale of heartbreak, friendship and self discovery.

Laurie, 36 thought she had it all, a great job as a lawyer, a lovely home, and a long term boyfriend of 18 years, who she was planning to have a baby with. Then seemingly out of nowhere he said he didn't want kids, ended the relationship and moved out. But unfortunately they worked together, so she had to see him at the office everyday 😢 To make matters worse, he then announced he had a new girlfriend, who was pregnant 😱 In shock, and devastated by the brutal turn of events, Laurie starts up a fake relationship with Jamie Carter, a playboy lawyer at her firm to help her save face, and to hep him with his career.

I really liked a lot of things about this book, and I stayed up way too late reading it!
Fake dating ✔️
Slow burn romance ✔️
Set in the amazing city of Manchester ✔️
Strong writing ✔️
Strong mixed raced woman✔️
Great feminism and social justice, but not too in your face (we all know i hate that!)✔️
Likeable characters ✔️
Modern✔️
Funny✔️

I really liked Laurie, she was smart and funny, and it was refreshing to read about an older woman who was rediscovering herself, and putting her life back together after such a setback. I really felt for her, having her life turned upside down, and I felt her pain and loss as she not only lost her partner, but one of her best friends, when she lost Dan. The first part of the book where she just kept getting knocked down, was brutal and very emotional. It was tough, but so realistic how this book showed the disintegration of a good long term relationship, but also how maybe when you look back, you can see that the relationship wasn't that good really, that you just couldn't see it when you were in it?! This has happened to quite a few of my friends☹️
Laurie was the nice girl, the reliable and nice one, so to see her come out of her shell whilst fake dating Jamie was lovely! I thought the breakup was realistic, and I loved Laurie's relatable character. As a mixed raced woman, Laurie had to deal with quite a bit of racism for all of her life, hearing things like so where are you from? No but where are you really from? Etc I think it was well done, because as much as we want to believe we're past all of that, there are still huge pockets of Britain which are hugely racist!
Laurie's workplace was also written well I thought. it was quite a toxic, gossipy place, almost like living in a goldfish bowl, and I've definitely worked in a few places with a similar atmosphere! Poor Laurie not only had her personal life come crashing down, but then had to deal with her whole office talking about it! Not to mention how badass she was as a woman working in a mostly white male industry, dealing with workplace sexism!

Jamie was adorable! Billed as a playboy, he wasn't what he seemed at all! I loved that he was so ambitious, and didn't play the game, despite it affecting his relationship with the other men at the firm. I liked how Laurie brought out his softer side, especially on the trip to his hometown of Lincoln, where we met his friends and family. It was so great that he had a female best friend, Hattie,we should see more of that in books! I really enjoyed seeing Jamie support, encourage and stand up for Laurie,

Other things I liked was Laurie and her mum's relationship growth, the banter between Jamie and Laurie, but also between Laurie and her best friend Emily! I loved their friendship, it was everything. I also liked Nadia, and her blunt take on things! Another great friendship was with Bharet in Laurie's office. The characters were all realistic and flawed, and I liked that. This book was the fluffy read that my heart needed!

However, I did feel that the ending was very rushed! After all the excellent build up and character development, the romantic drama at the end didn't really feel in keeping with the rest of the book to me? Maybe the author ran out of words and had to wrap it up quick?! I would've liked to see more of Laurie and Jamie as an actual couple.
Also...the lack of sexy times disappointed this reader! I'm all for a slow burn romance, and the inclusion of family and friendships, but there just wasn't enough steam! And fade to black doesn't even cover it for the sex scene we did have, it jumped from them getting it on, to Laurie telling her friends about it the next day *grumpy face*

All in all though, a really great feel good and entertaining read, with some fabulous humour! 👍 👍 👍 👍

Many thanks to HarperCollins and Edelweiss for thus ARC in exchange for an honest review.

[Margaret M - (having a challenging time and on GR as much as I can) · Rating 4 out of 5]

4 stars for a RomCom, with depth, heart and a lot of laughs. A feast of loveliness served up in February, what could be better?


♥️♥️ Happy Valentines ♥️♥️


I love a book that has you willing a romance to take place and it does. This is not a spoiler because we know from the inside cover we start with Laurie and Dan, then Laurie, but then we have the unlikely match of Laurie and Jamie and this is their story.

Laurie is with Dan. A man that is reliable, safe and her partner for life until Dan announces he is in love with someone else who is also pregnant with his child. Sad, alone and reeling from the breakup, Laurie slowly falls for the office heartthrob Jamie as a relationship of convenience turns into something else completely different that neither Laurie or Jamie were expecting.

Review and Comments

Thee relationship although unconventional, in the way it came about, felt genuine, tender and loving and who doesn't love that. Very different people, with different backgrounds and home lives but not the stereotypical clashes we read about constantly in romance novels.

However, the standout from the book is the dialogue, I love dry wit, one liners, and quick sharp responses, and this book had it all; laugh out loud moments that are mixed with some emotional breakup scenes. However, it was the deep moments of reflection, the poignant themes and a slow burn romance that made this book feel so authentic. Not your contentless ROMCOM with tons of gorgeous characters and lots of gushy protestations of love and sappy scenes. It actually had some depth with lashings of humour.

The criticism I had was the length of time spent on that break up!!!. We were still hearing the reasons, the revelations 89 pages in. You want out? Go then but it should not have taken a quarter of the book to tell us about the end of a relationship when as the title suggests, you are meeting someone new and his name is Jamie and he is your knight in shining armour.

Delicious, serious, funny, loving, and romantic and ‘a match’ - ahhhh

Once again an excellent recommendation from Warda. A different romance, a different story but the same perfect outcome.

[Kim ~ It’s All About the Thrill · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wow! This book tapped into every emotion for me. I cried, laughed and was content...all in one book. This adorable rom-com landed on my door as a surprise book mail from William Morrow and I couldn't have been more excited. I loved it!

As an ER nurse you could say I am a bit overwhelmed with the world today. In between shifts I would pick up this book and escape into the world of Laurie and Jamie. A much welcome escape!

Well this book gave me all the feels as I stated above. It actually got me downright furious at Dan...good old Dan the man...ughhh. Her boyfriend of 18 years...yes flipping 18 years up and decides well he has had enough. What???!! Right out of the blue. I was so furious I could hardly contain myself. I literally had to say okay.... get a grip it is just a book. It hit me so hard though because I felt so bad for Laurie who basically got traded in for a younger model. Laurie who had spent some of the best years of her life with Dan. Laurie who put having a family on hold for Dan. Laurie who has to go to work and see Dan every single day. Oh yes and if that wasn't enough Dan's new girl is preggers. Really Dan???? Obviously I hate Dan.......obviously...

Then when Jamie comes into the picture, well things get really interesting. Their fake relationship they created had me wondering how this would all pan out. I loved their chemistry yet I wondered if Jamie was really the playboy that he seemed. Jamie seemed perfect, but almost too perfect. As I went along with their fake relationship I kept hoping that they would get together. I hate to say but I really liked Jamie! I know, sucker...but I did. It seemed Laurie did too..is she about to make a second big mistake?

Oh my gosh guys, this book was so cute! I can't thank the publisher enough for sending this to me! William Morrow you rock!

[Paromjit · Rating 4 out of 5]

Mhairi McFarlane's terrifically fun read is endearing and engaging whilst having some surprisingly insightful thoughts on the nature of relationships and women in general. 36 year old lawyer Laurie Watkinson lives in Manchester, working at provincial law firm, Salter and Rowson. Her long term partner of 18 years, Dan Price, is a lawyer there too, so when out of the blue Dan breaks up with her citing he is not ready to settle down and have children with her, Laurie's world falls apart. Her pain knows no bounds when she learns Dan is involved with another woman, Meghan, and that she is pregnant. Feeling desolate, humiliated and casually discarded, her capacity to trust takes a huge hit as Dan proves to be a liar and nothing like the man she had believed him to be, although there is a part of her that still loves him. Matters are exacerbated in a workplace of strong competitive rivalries and gossip that an empty, tearful, grieving and fragile Laurie is not equipped to deal with.

Laurie finds some comfort and strong support in the company of her long term best friend, Emily who works in the PR industry, and the quirky, cloche wearing feminist, Nadia, not to mention her fabulous friend and gay co-worker, Bharat. When exceedingly good looking and ambitious playboy lawyer, Jamie Carter, allergic to marriage and relationships, hatches a plan that will save face for Laurie and help his career, she cannot help but be tempted, a woman scorned seeking some measure of vengeance. She and Jamie are to embark on a time limited relationship, played out on social media on Facebook and Instagram with carefully staged photographs, besotted with each other and in love, but all completely fictitious. Emily warns against this plan, and the possible repercussions with the unintended consequences that are likely to arise but Laurie will not be deflected. Jamie turns out to have far more depth than she could have imagined, their unexpectedly close relationship and comic banter builds her self esteem, confidence, whilst ugly male attitudes and egos erupt in her workplace. Will it all end in tears?

The highlights of this romantic comedy are how it underlines the vital support to be found in friendships, and that whilst finding and developing a relationship is a great thing, what is more important is observing Laurie having her eyes opened to the shortfalls in her relationship with Dan that she was unaware of at the time, a hard won clarity and perspective gained through bitter experience and distance. Laurie travels a difficult and challenging road to being and understanding who she is, this matters more than a relationship as it allows her to deal with the slings and arrows of misfortune that come her way, and take control of her life. A wonderfully entertaining and captivating read. Many thanks to HarperCollins for an ARC.

[Jayme C (Brunetteslikebookstoo)]

I mostly read suspense/thriller but I really love “romantic comedy” every once in awhile to lighten things up.

For these books to work for me, however, I have to want to root for the heroine, find the dialogue witty, or at the very least be able to relate to the characters!

I wasn’t finding that to be the case with this one, therefore, despite it working for many others, I’ve decided to move on-DNF at 25%. Not rating

[Jessica · Rating 4 out of 5]

BRITISH ROMANCE!? FAKE DATING!? MID-30S AND DIVERSE CHARACTERS!? Yes, please!

When I started this book, my heart immediately went out to Laurie. She was dating her boyfriend for EIGHTEEN YEARS and one day he decided that he didn't want to be tied down anymore. I've seen some complaints that it took her too long to get over that breakup, but I totally understand why so much of this book was about Laurie getting through the breakup. They were literally together for HALF OF HER LIFE. I enjoyed watching Laurie go through discovering herself and what her value is and what she wanted out of life. That being said, this definitely leans more on the side of women's fiction and the romance wasn't as important as Laurie just going through life, which I actually didn't mind.

When Laurie and Jamie started fake dating, I was so here for it. They became friends and I loved how vulnerable they were with each other and how they grew to really appreciate each other. It was so cute how Laurie had this growing crush on Jamie but didn't know what to do about it. And did I mention this book was British? It definitely has the British quirk that I love in my British books.

There were some slower moments in this book, but overall it was such a great read. If you want something that's not like your usual mainstream romance when it comes to its characters, you have to pick this up!

[mina reads™️ · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 wow i really liked this 😳 i have some issues with a few lines in here though. You can see more of my thoughts here: https://youtu.be/KxiXHgICfcQ



cw: discussion of past sexual harassment, discussion of death of a child as well

[not even here · Rating 2 out of 5]

What is it with me and having to pick up every book about fake dating?
I'm so disappointed I did not like this as much as I thought I would when I first read the premise, and I think I need to explain why.

Things I did NOT like about this book:
- The pace. God was it slow. I really had to push through during the first HALF of the book.
- The strong focus on Laurie’s previous relationship, not just Laurie's feelings towards the breakup, but the multiple paragraphs about their life together.
- The main characters did not even interact consistently during that first half.
- The dialogue felt childish sometimes and I felt thrown off most of the time.
- I had to struggle to keep track of Laurie’s thoughts.
- I did not feel the chemistry between Laurie and Jamie; the book was telling me it was there rather than letting me feel it, yknow?
- ^ I think this has to do with the fact that their encounters felt so impersonal, so professional, that when they weren’t like that, it just felt rushed.
- The relationship kinda only happened during the last part of the book.
- THAT incident with her father’s friend towards the end. Where did it come from?
- The email fiasco, what was the reason.

Things I DID like about this book:
- The main character, Laurie.
- Laurie’s friends, specially Emily and Bharat and their overall relationship.
- The author did not throw Laurie and Dan’s breakup under the rug. Yeah, it was tedious to read about, but they were together for almost 20 years. This was also a thing I did not quite like about the book, but I get why it was done this way.
- Can we get a book about Emily, please?

Anyway, I think I need to accept not every book with the fake dating trope HAS to be good. Life is hard.

[Chelsea (chelseadolling reads) · Rating 3 out of 5]

So glad I finally got around to reading this! I wouldn't say it's a new all-time favorite, but I had fun reading it and it IS definitely my favorite from Mhairi McFarlane.

TW: cheating, sexual assault, pedophilia, terminal illness, lots of discussion of possibly not being able to have children

[Angelica · Rating 3 out of 5]

this book has ALL the tropes and I'm here for it!
they got stuck in an elevator! and there was fake dating! AND THERE WAS ONLY ONE BED!!!!!!!!!!

at this point, contemporary romances are currently fueling my will to live through 2020. unfortunately, this wasn't what I was necessarily looking for. I think went into this looking for a rom com and this wasn't exactly that.

while this book is romantic, and is occasionally comedic, it's less a rom com and more so a story of self-discovery as the main character, Laurie, grows and develops and learns to seek out her happiness. everything else felt secondary in the novel, and while that is not necessarily a bad thing, it wasn't what I picked up the book for. I came here for the romance. for the drama. and I didn't get it how I wanted to.

that said, you might like this book well enough. it really all depends what you're looking for in the novel.

[Tatiana · Rating 3 out of 5]

I think any book that has a UK author and a British audio narrator gets an automatic +1 star from me. British vibe in romance just works for me better than American. If I Never Met You was fine. Entirely predictable and yet soothing. Occasionally funny, but not enough to call this story a romcom. It's an odd mix of romance (with all the fake dating tropes) and women's fiction (self-discovery, etc.). There is a deeper self-actualization theme running through it, and more character development than I usually see in romances. Much more time is spent here on getting over a breakup with a long-term boyfriend than on flirting and fake dating. This is both a pro and a con, depending on what you read romance for. I fall in the middle. I enjoyed the character work, but desperately needed some smut, which this novel has none :(.

[Dionne · Rating 2 out of 5]

Immediate spoiler: not #ownvoices.

I picked up this book because I saw a woman of color on the front but was then very disappointed very fast.

So starting there, the protagonist is a mixed raced black woman in Britain written by a privileged white woman. The story follows a traditional frenemies/acquaintances-to-lovers theme with the twist of a woman scorned.

The author's depiction of what she thinks female minorities feel is problematic. It's more than the microaggressive "where are you from?" or "wow, you look like [insert famous, beautiful black actor]" comments that put us off. It's the lived experience of prejudice- touching our hair or commenting on our body without permission, use of racial slurs or comparisons to animals, doubting our ability due to perceived upbringing- that any woman of color would struggle with in a field as decidedly white at Laurie's, yet it only comes up intermittently, like a reminder to the reader.

There's a few references of "oh I'm black and have to work harder" but nothing to PROVE it beyond the scope of overly done misogyny that fit better in a soap opera. To be clear, sexism is awful but it is not the same thing as the compounded sexist/ racist treatment female minorities receive and that was absent from this narrative. Laurie reads and reacts as a white woman which is understandable since that's who the author is.

I say this because in an age when it is financially rewarding to write more people of color into literature doesn't mean that everyone or anyone SHOULD.

Plotholes: Britain is decidedly whiter than America, but there have to be other Blacks around, even if Laurie lives in the upper crested part. 1) Why doesn't Laurie meet any other Black people besides her mom and mom's friend? There's only one mention of grandparents, and for an immigrant single mother to have raised her child without much support speaks to the author's lack of understanding that local communities bridge that gap. 2) Why doesn't Laurie have/ mention any Black friends, childhood or otherwise? In absence of a father and what she deems a supportive mother, you'd think she'd have found support (again in her community) from others that looked like her. 3) She gets dumped for a white woman and NEVER questions whether her race wasn't the cause? 4) She gets treated like shit by all the white men in her life bar one but never once considers dating a Black guy? C'mon!

Flawed depiction of race aside, Laurie is an unlikeable and vapid protagonist. Lots of contradictions in what she thinks vs. reality. First, there's the I-don't-think-I'm-pretty-despite-everyone-telling-me-I-am-trope. Second, Laurie says she's great with reading people but doesn't realize how shitty her "friends" and coworkers are until post-breakup. Then, she says she's more thoughtful than her other vapid co-workers, but she constantly judges Jamie as a sexy Draco Malfoy based on nothing more than what everyone else says about him UNTIL he calls her on it 65% through the book (score for Jamie!). Then, after getting to know him and realizing everyone else is judging him based on jealousy, she brings up her biases AGAIN at 90% mark. What.the.fuck. Needless drama.

Laurie spends so much time in her head that the pacing is turtle slow. Around the 30% mark of the book, where she'd YET to even set up the agreement with Jamie, I started skimming through pages without dialogue. Honestly, half of her thoughts could be taken out with the reader not misunderstanding the story because dialogue then reinforces what she thought.

Admittedly, around the 55% point, the storyline picked up. I appreciated Jamie's character. He's the savior of this read, hands down. He challenges Laurie's bullshit and others with his loyal, go-fuck-yourself attitude. I was finally enjoying the story (willing to give it 3 stars even!) until the 88% mark where it downhill and never recovered.

The ending was terrible and rushed. You do not have a major fight with your significant other (who most of your short relationship you did not consider real), not speak with them due to your own insecurities, learn "wow he does love me" from a third party, make up, and then suddenly propose marriage after previously ending a toxic 18 year relationship. Just no. Though if I think of the ending as satire then SURE.

Also, after seeing how petty and nasty your coworkers are because of feelings for said significant other, you do not do a Dr. Evil pinky raise, say "ho ho ho" and accept a promotion above them as a way to "stick it to 'em". The fact that only Jamie was punished for a joint lie to the bosses adds even more WTF to the "whuuhhh?" feeling throughout.

All in all, maybe McFarlane's other works are fine, but I will not be recommending this to anyone.

[Ceecee · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a really lovely, heartwarming story with (mostly!) likeable characters that I raced through almost in one sitting through sheer enjoyment. Laurie Watkinson has been with Dan Price since university eighteen years ago. They are comfortable, have really good jobs as lawyers at the same firm in Manchester, a nice house and are planning on starting a family. Correction. Laurie is. Totally out of the blue comes a bombshell. Dan is unhappy, they want different things, it’s me not you, blah, blah and he dumps her. With indecent haste he begins a relationship with Nicole who, with equally indecent haste, is pregnant. Laurie is floored. Talk about a metaphorical kick in the teeth. Dan is clearly a liar and a cheat. Whilst stuck in the lift at work with Jamie Carter who has a reputation as a bit of a Lothario, they devise a revenge plan that helps them both and fake a relationship ... and so let the fun and games begin!

What I like most about this book is the really good characterisation as they are really believable. Jamie is not what he seems, he’s actually quite sensitive and vulnerable which he hides with armour plating. He’s clever and ambitious and so I guess he ruffles feathers as other blokes seem to find him challenging (it’s a testosterone thing!) and can’t wait to drag him down. He’s honest which Dan certainly wasn’t. Laurie is also very clever and doesn't altogether appreciate her worth. She’s loyal, quick witted, funny and an excellent friend. I love the banter between her and Jamie, they are at ease with each other, it’s on equal terms, they can be themselves and that makes their ‘friendship’ profound.

There is really lovely humour throughout the book plus a dash of wit, a smidge of sarcasm and a dollop of lol! The conversations between all the characters have a genuine feel of authenticity which I really like. The story is well paced, it feels fresh and current which the Manchester setting adds to. I think the author has been very clever with her choice of locations as they match the personalities. Manchester is a vibrant, exciting and fun, young city and so it’s a great environment for the unfolding romantic comedic drama. Lincoln where Jamie’s lovely parents live, is a beautiful old city with great history just as his parents have.

Overall, a very enjoyable, fun read and I love the ending ... and...it happens at Christmas! Awwww. So appropriate to the time of year leaving the reader with a real sense of satisfaction and happiness. It is well written, it’s smart, keeps you interested throughout, it entertains and takes you through a range of emotions - what more can you ask for?!

Many thanks to NetGalley and Harper Collins, Harper Fiction for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

[madandelion · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is why I'm single. I've concluded.
Not that this fact needs to be reiterated, but fictional boys give you waaaay too many expectations.
And, I for one, have a very difficult time detaching the fiction I read, from reality.
So damn you McFarlane, for giving me Jamie, to add to my list of 'fictional men I want to date in real life.'

All this is not to take away from the fact that this was a wonderful book. I forget everytime how good McFarlane is at masterfully sketching out nuanced characters. Amazing book, albeit a little cliched at times. Definitely the kind of feel good read I would come back to in stressful times.

[Lucy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Laurie's life with her boyfriend of 18 years was great ... until he dumped her. When he said they needed to talk, she thought they'd talk about having a baby. He wanted to talk about being ready to move on. Laurie was left shocked and heartbroken, so this story is about her journey after the break-up.

I found this story to be primarily about friendships, family, and the aftermath of the end of a long-term relationship. The fake dating aspect of the story was secondary and mostly unauthentic. Fortunately, Laurie is smart, strong, and funny. From the beginning, I felt invested in the character and wanted to follow her as she put her life back together.

This is my second book by this author (the first was Don't You Forget About Me), and I'm looking forward to more of her books. Based on these two books, I'd say her stories are heartfelt and have depth. My only gripe about this one is that it had too many issues/tangents, so it felt distracted at times.

If deciding between print and audio for this book, I recommend the audiobook. The narrator did a fantastic job. I really enjoyed her delivery of the story.

[luce (cry bebè's back from hiatus) · Rating 4 out of 5]

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4.25 stars

“The trouble with liars, Laurie had decided from much research in the professional field, is they always thought everyone else was less smart than them.”

If I Never Met You is the fourth novel I've read by Mhairi McFarlane and I'm happy to say that it is my favourite book of hers. McFarlane just keeps getting better and better, and this time round she gives a new spin to the tired 'fake-dating' trope (which prior to this book I considered to be one of my least favourite romcom tropes).

“This Greek God was prepared to anoint her his Phony Goddess? It did feel like the most longed-for boy in school asking you to prom.”

Once again McFarlane writing combines laugh-out-loud moments with an insightful narrative that taps into deep-seated issues. Blending humour and realism McFarlane's story is as witty as it is topical.
Our protagonist, and narrator, is Laurie, a thirty-six year old lawyer. Her world collapses when her partner of eighteen years leaves her. Having spent half of her life with Dan, and not knowing why he no longer wants to be with her, Laurie is hurt and confused. Worst still, Dan works at the same firm as Laurie so she is forced to keep up a happy front at work.
Laurie has barely had time to process Dan's departure when, within weeks of their break up, he announces that he
1) has a new girlfriend (who happens to work at a rival firm)
2) is a father-to-be as said girlfriend is now pregnant.

Laurie soon finds that both her social and work life are affected by her new single status. As a woman in her late thirties she is subject to unwarranted comments regarding her future (such as 'isn't she too old now to find a new partner or start a family?')
A rightfully angry Laurie makes a deal with her firm's local Casanova, Jamie Carter, in order to put a stop to the fake-pity and gossip that her coworkers and acquaintances are showering over her. And maybe also to get back at Dan.

“If you wanted plumbing done, you hired a plumber. If you wanted your roof fixed you hired a roofer. If you wanted everyone to erroneously believe you were at it like knives, you recruited Jamie Carter.”

As they spend more and more time together, in order to make their fauxmance believable, Laurie and Jamie find themselves forming a bond of sorts. Although Laurie realises they are as different as chalk and cheese, she is surprised to discover that Jamie is far from the superficial all-looks-not-much-else guy he'd pegged him to be.

With dialogues that are simultaneously funny and clever If I Never Met You is hard to put down.
I loved Laurie. After her breakup with Dan she begins an introspective journey as she is forced to find herself in a reality that feels alien. She also experiences first-hand the double-standards of being a single woman rather than a single man. Colleagues and friends who prior to her breakup seemed relatively affable reveal their true colours.
Thankfully her best friend and Jamie provide the narrative with much needed positivity. They are both nuanced characters, with fears and desires of their own, and their relationship to Laurie present us with many tender scenes.
There is a bit of banter, which was a delight to read, and a few disagreements but for the most part Laurie and Jamie's budding maybe-not-so-fake-romance had me smiling like an idiot.

Laurie's trials and tribulations are both endearing and entertaining. There are some heart-breaking moments nestled in this otherwise light-hearted narrative. Laurie realises that sometimes it is better to choose carefully who you let into your life, and that perhaps some people aren't worth forgiving.
From the humour to the romance, this novel simply stole my heart. I would call this type of book escapist fiction as it is sure to satisfy readers' romcom requirements but to do feels like doing it a disservice. It isn't all fun and games, and McFarlane doesn't shy away from portraying the way in which rumours, gossips, and false impression affected both women and men. Laurie in particular goes through quite a few hardships and I felt immensely proud of her character growth.
Jamie too was surprisingly vulnerable, and I appreciated the way they supported each other.

“She’d never been called a survivor. She turned the word over her in mind: she liked how it sounded, applied to her. It wasn’t victimhood and it wasn’t self-aggrandising, it was about coping. And she had definitely done that.”

The only thing that I didn't like was the predictable and avoidable 'misunderstanding' that awlays occurs around the 80/90% mark in romcoms.
I thoroughly recommend this novel to fans of contemporary fiction and I'm really looking forward to reading this again.

Read more reviews on my blog / / / View all my reviews on Goodreads

[Lacey (laceybooklovers) · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5-4 stars!

I’ve been wanting to read Mhairi McFarlane ever since her last release, Don’t You Forget About Me, came out last year. I heard such high praise for it so when I had the chance to read this new women’s fiction book of hers, I grabbed it! If I Never Met You turned out to be a charming, entertaining, and very British romance (but still on the WF side) between two co-workers to pretend to date for their own selfish reasons and end up falling for each other instead. I’m a sucker for the fake relationship trope and I was so happy with the way Laurie and Jamie’s turned out!

Laurie has been dumped by her long-time boyfriend, who she imagined creating a family and future with, and now she has to deal with the office gossip about her ex moving very quickly with another woman… and getting her pregnant. She wants to stick it in her ex’s face, so when she gets stuck in an elevator with Jamie and he offers to pretend to be her new loving boyfriend to the rest of the office, how can she refuse?

Jamie wants to have Laurie, the golden girl of the office, as his pretend girlfriend to better his image to the higher-ups for a promotion. They go on romantic dates, post cute photos on Instagram, and genuinely become friends. I loved this new friendship of theirs, how they grow to care for each other and just have fantastic banter anytime they have a conversation. The writing is witty and fun, and even though I did get a little bored during the first hundred pages (in which Laurie is constantly thinking about her ex), the rest of the book is engaging.

I’d say if you love Talia Hibbert’s romances, you should give this book a try. The characters in this book are fun and quirky, and of course there are a ton of British-isms sprinkled throughout. Laurie and Jamie make a wonderful fake and real couple, and I really loved that they built their romance over the foundation of friendship. The humor, snark, and charm all worked together and I already can’t wait to read more from this author.

[lea ⊹ ࣪ ˖ (slumping) · Rating 3 out of 5]

➴ 3.5 stars ✰
still deciding between 3.5 to 4 stars, a mhairi mcfarlane book never fails to get me out of a slump! <3 rtc~

pre-read ⚖️
i'm finally back with another mhairi mcfarlane book after almost a year, i miss her writing so much 😭

reading this one with ashlyn bb, i can't wait!! 🤭💓💐

[Trina · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was very hooked in the first half, but by the end I didn't feel convinced of the supposed chemistry between the characters.

Of note: This book has a Black main character's POV throughout, but the author is white. There were at least 3 instances where she has the character dismiss microaggressions like people asking to touch her hair. I just don't think it's the authors place to pass judgement on these issues at all.

I did enjoy the commentary on sexism, and this book was unique in that it was a hate to love romance with no sex scenes (it's mentioned, but is never a present scene).

[Melissa (Mel’s Bookshelf) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sometimes you just need a good rom-com to bring you out of the isolation blues. I have never read anything by this author before, but I have already downloaded a couple more of her books! I thought this one was awesome!

Laurie and Dan had been together for years when out of the blue he dumps her. When it is soon discovered that he knocked up his new girlfriend, Laurie is hell-bent on revenge. When she gets stuck in the elevator with player bad-boy Jamie, they hitch a plan to advance his career AND get revenge on her ex. They will pretend to be a couple. And we all know how this will go…

If I Never Met You
Look, its a bit of a cliched story-line. Pretend to be a couple and then the feelings and romantic tension begins to build and build. Yes it has been done a million times before, but McFarlane makes it work.

With a great build of humour, romance and drama, this was a brilliant little read! I thought it was fantastic! I wasn’t that keen on Jamie’s character, but I adored the chemistry and at times it was laugh out loud fabulous!!

Would I recommend it?
Yes for fans of chick-lit – you wont be disappointed with this one!

I purchased If I Never Met You at my own expense.

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[Celia {Hiatus until August} · Rating 4 out of 5]

Adorei o livro anterior , lamentavelmente não posso dizer o mesmo deste.
3,5 stars

Laurie é uma advogada de 36 anos, trocada, no final de 18 anos de relacionamento, porque o seu namorado Dan, também ele advogado e a trabalhar na mesma firma, não se quer comprometer.
No entanto, arranja logo uma namorada e engravida a mesma.
Laurie fica de rastos até o seu atraente colega Jamie, de 32 anos, detestado por todos na firma, propor-lhe uma troca de favores.
Ele quer sociedade na forma, mas precisa de uma namorada e Laurie, quer fazer ciúmes a Dan.
E é o início de uma bela amizade...
Não achei que houvesse grande química entre as personagens, uma situação um bocadinho forçada, apesar de ter algumas cenas muito fofinhas, mas que vieram tarde.
Muito enrola, sem grande desenvolvimento.
Agradável de ler, mas nada memorável.