You Had Me At Hello by Mhairi McFarlane

Yet again I have failed to read something high-brow or literary! But I started Delusions of Gender today so next week I will be talking about gender and sexism and neurology and all sorts! This week I’m talking about a girly girly romance book.

The tagline is: What happens when the one that got away comes back? And that is pretty much the essence of the story: Ben and Rachel meet at uni in Manchester and become incredibly close, both harbouring secret feelings for each other, but Rachel isn’t single so they are never more than friends. Ten years after graduation Rachel is newly single and Ben is back. But why haven’t they spoken for ten years, and will they get together now? It’s fairly standard romance stuff but I really enjoyed it – despite the line: “the kettle boils windily,” which made me feel a little queasy.

You Had Me At Hello is the comfort food of books because it plays out exactly how you want it to, taking you on a familiar journey to the heart-warming ending. Yes, it’s predictable, but that’s what you want. You know how the book will end before you open it; you just want to enjoy the journey there. I am very concerned about the Amazon reviewer who abandoned it when they found it too confusing... 

The book is very straightforward and sweet and perfect if you need a bit of comfort... or need to read a book quickly because you’re behind on your book a week challenge.