Much Ado About You, by Samantha Young
Romance. Life transformation. Travel abroad. Running a bookstore. Following your heart. Healing. OMG this book had all of this and MORE. I cannot even tell you how wonderfully joyful it was to read this book.
It had every element of whimsy, yet also the deep story development, that a romantic bookworm like me loves.
I resonated so strongly with Evie, who found herself at a crossroads and had to learn to release the guilt of being the sidekick for her loved ones and instead embrace the fantastic, unapologetic, unique road ahead of her. She leaves behind a broken heart, not knowing which way to turn in love, career, family or even friendship.
A woman dealing with the modern-day frustrations of online men and their games, being passed over for a promotion in a man’s editing world, dealing with a sober-again-for-the-moment alcoholic mother and a best friend who enters a new stage of life with a pregnancy—all of it became too much and forced her into a self-assessment. Off she went on an amazing opportunity to run a bookstore in England, somewhere she always dreamed of traveling to but never had the courage to before.
Was she running away, or did she just need the space to figure it out?
It’s a question I asked myself many times on my move to California when I found myself stuck in similar life ruts, and I can tell you that truly, some of it was perhaps for distance and perspective, it was actually a heart-based, life changing decision that brought me clarity, joy and purpose in the end. As for Evie, she finally let herself step into LIFE, and I couldn’t recommend this book more.
It reminded me actually of who I’ve been…and who I need to be again <3 I adored it.
To learn more about this week’s author and her book, you can find her here: https://authorsamanthayoung.com/