Ranking My Favorite Rom-Com Writer's Books | Mhairi McFarlane

[@marywilson1709]

This is such a clever idea - I wish people would do this more often with authors they had read many books from. Perhaps you will start a trend... Anyway, it was great to hear about all the MM you have read :)

[@ClaireReadsBooks]

thanks so much, Mary :)

[@shae7570]

Ahh! I'm always spreading my love of Mhairi Mcfarlane books on random corners of the internet. Haven't even watched the video yet but I'm already SO EXCITED to find a co-stan (and hoping you mention similar authors/find recommendations in the comments because nothing compares to a good mhairi lol)

[@ClaireReadsBooks]

I've had a hard time finding MM comps, but I did recently enjoy Just Haven't Met You Yet by Sophie Cousens (not quite as funny as Mhairi, but it has those British rom-com vibes, and I enjoyed it a lot!)

[@jordanmarshall6628]

@@ClaireReadsBooksI think Taylor Jenkins Reid is a comparable author. The stories are more complex than a typical romance, but also tend to lean towards similar themes.

[@peterc.hayward8067]

I finished her books and immediately ranked them. So chuffed to see someone else doing the same 😁

[@labronrobinson3656]

What a VLOG! You continue to impress and outdo yourself every time I really enjoy the graphics and the breakdown in each book! Thank you!

[@ClaireReadsBooks]

Thank you! 😇

[@labronrobinson3656]

@@ClaireReadsBooks You are very welcome!

[@TCS088]

Enjoyable video. You've been away for a while. Glad to see you back. 👍

[@ClaireReadsBooks]

Thank you! :)

[@eynuh]

Thanks for making this video! It’s not often that I see/meet fans of Mhairi McFarlane so I’m really happy that you dedicated a whole video to all of her works! I have yet to read 2 of her older novels but for now, Last Night is my favorite of them all. :)

[@ClaireReadsBooks]

I think that one is her best! And it’s the one that got me hooked 🥰

[@lindsaydentonsfringe4934]

I love this!! Exactly what I was looking for. I was surprised that this is the only video of this sort. Mhairi is truly underrated 😑 Video suggestion: fancasting of MM's heroes and heroines. also, would love an update to this video with Mad About You and Between Us, if you please :)

[@ClaireReadsBooks]

I think Mhairi is trying to tell us all to fancast Richard Madden, which I'm not mad about! 😹 I have since read Mad About You and Between Us...they weren't my favorites of hers and got a little sidetracked from the central romances in a way that I wasn't a huge fan of, but...I still devour her stuff whenever she has a new book out :)

[@katiejlumsden]

Love this. She's a favourite of mine too. Last Night is my favourite one, definitely. I've only read 3 so need to read the rest!

[@ClaireReadsBooks]

Thanks again to you, Katie, because your Last Night recommendation is what started it all! :D

[@Phil-p7p]

Hi Claire, great job on this video. Not really my scene but lovely to see you sharing your passion for this author. I did read 'Playing Indian' on your recommendation and thoroughly enjoyed it. Fascinating and such a well written and nuanced argument. Thanks for the recommendation.

[@ClaireReadsBooks]

Ahh I’m so glad you liked it! I think about that book all the time

[@joanchanmd]

Thank you for posting this video! I found it after reading Between Us and immediately went on a quest to read all of MM’s catalogue. I would love to hear what you think about her more recent books. I thought they both had interesting and satisfying main storylines and slightly superfluous romantic storylines (esp in Mad About You).

[@ClaireReadsBooks]

Yes, I prefer her books with more prominent romantic storylines! So the last couple weren’t my favorites of hers, but I do always enjoy a new Mhairi book (and apparently the next one is a sequel to Who’s That Girl?!)

[@JasmineReads]

Okay I love this!!! I've recently discovered romance books and I'm obsessed. Mhairi is on the tbr x

[@ClaireReadsBooks]

I think you would really like her, Jasmine! xx

[@I05-e4s]

really fun video!!! like the concept and execution, would love to see you do a deep dive into more authors like this! as a sort of related note, something about the phrase 'chick lit' just really can't sit right with me, though no shots at you for using it! 😭 ALSO DID YOU SEE THAT ELIF BATUMAN RELEASED A SEQUEL TO THE IDIOT?! I HAVEN'T READ IT YET BUT I AM EXCITED AHHHH

[@ClaireReadsBooks]

woking on an either/or review as we speak!!

[@I05-e4s]

@@ClaireReadsBooks Lovely! I've read it now, so I can't wait to watch!

[@RockyMountainGardener]

OMG same, I read Mad About You and blew through the rest of her books. One of my new favourite authors. :D It's very interesting that Don't You Forget About Me was my favourite of her books. It goes to show how people's personal experiences impact how a book hits you. :)

[@MercysBookishMusings]

I obviously loved this video 🤣 looks like I need to read here's looking at you and who's that girl next! Her new book is available on scribd as an audiobook btw 😊

[@ClaireReadsBooks]

I’m glad we’re both on a Mhairi McFarlane kick these days 😅 And I do think your mileage may vary on the bully element of Here’s Looking at You, but Who’s That Girl is a crowd-pleaser I would say! :)

[@books_and_bocadillos]

I love this video...for its smart, witty, nuanced and thoughtful style and process. I have not read these books but I'm definitely curious and interested. 🙂

[@ClaireReadsBooks]

Thanks so much! :)

[@gloriawandrous6461]

I've read & loved/really liked all of Mhairi Mcfarlane's books including her latest Mad About You. My overall ranking is Last Night (read twice), Who's that Girl (read twice), It's Not Me, It's You, You Had Me At Hello, Don't You Forget About Me (read twice), Mad About You, If I Never Met You, Here's Looking At You. There is also the short follow-up to You Had Me at Hello - After Hello which is quite cute. Anyway, it's great that we both enjoy such a great author in whatever order we appreciate her work! Interesting to hear your take & hope we have a lot more in store to enjoy..X

[@ClaireReadsBooks]

Yes I actually downloaded the You Had Me At Hello epilogue novella (I will probably read that soon while I wait for her new one to come out in the US). And yeah I think right now Who’s That Girl and Here’s Looking at you are neck and neck for my second favorite, but Just Last Night and Who’s That Girl are probably the two I would most recommend to other people - just really great and reliable I think! :)

[@stephanieguth834]

She's my favorite too! Funnily enough, I read DYFAM first, and blew through the rest after that. Glad I found your channel. You're adorable and smart, and already earned my trust with your reviews. Any other authors/books you'd recommend similar to MM? MM herself said Lindsey Kelk, and meh. I just haven't found anyone else. Are you a writer?

[@ClaireReadsBooks]

I just read Sophie Cousens' book, Just Haven't Met You Yet, and it feels like the closest I've found to MM's British rom-com vibe! Cousens is a little bit more twee, and I do think Mhairi McFarlane is a bit funnier, but I still really enjoyed Just Haven't Met You Yet

[@azman6568]

Great channel glad I found this thanks 😊

[@teaspoones]

I loved this video! Who’s That Girl was my first novel by her and I still love it so much (but that ending!). I wasn’t that interested in her early books but I think I need to buy Here’s Looking At You right now 😅 I can’t wait to read her newest one and still have to read Last Night but I feel like i need to be emotionally prepared because everyone says that it’s a lot about grief.

[@ClaireReadsBooks]

Yes I love Who’s That Girl!! I was meh about the ending at first but now I’m okay with it because I guess it does feel kind of like the end of a rom-com movie in a cute way. Her earlier books are a little rough around the edges at times and your mileage may vary on certain aspects of Here’s Looking At You (some of it feels dated at times), but let me know what you think it you do read it! Just Last Night is so wonderful (it is sad/heavy at times but MM also does it with a light touch and I would say your heart will feel more full by the end of it)

[@madbadbooks]

Absolutely agree with you re: MM's trauma plots, especially when it comes to "Don't You Forget About Me". I'm not a huge fan of climactic extended monologues in which protagonists reveal the details of previously-hinted-at sexual assaults, suddenly doing so in a setting or manner that causes the sharing to feel theatrical, even exploitative. Katherine Center's "Things You Save in a Fire" (a book I love) has a similar issue and it pains me when favorite authors handle trauma in this way. I haven't read "Just Last Night" yet-it's the only MM book I haven't cracked. The emotional weight of the story just looks so intimidating, but I've now got my copy in my lap and will do some breathing exercises and get to it ASAP. Aureliana's accounts of trauma and its consequences as related by her sister (was it her sister? am I imagining this?) in "Here's Looking at You" had me straight-up sobbing. ALL that said, I have *immense* affection for MM's humor (I think "Who's That Girl?" and "It's Not Me It's You" are her standouts in that respect), so I'm finding it strange that I felt compelled to prattle on about the rough stuff. Your thoughts resonated with me, though, and I am so, so glad to have discovered this channel. P.S. Agree with other commenters-would love to hear what you think about "Mad About You".

[@ClaireReadsBooks]

I totally agree! I think MM is SO funny and her banter (between the romantic leads and also the friends!) is so good in all her books...but I don't always love how she handles trauma, and I do find that her more recent books have gotten a little too focused on trying to talk about some issue or other (which I don't mind if it's handled well, but she doesn't always nail it)...that was one of the reasons I didn't love love Mad About You or her latest, Between Us, although I did enjoy them...I've found I have a soft spot for her earlier books, which feel a little shaggier and less polished and whackier in the best ways.

[@madbadbooks]

@@ClaireReadsBooks It's funny-I went ahead and read "Just Last Night" after watching your video and *that* book also features an MC revealing the details of previously-hinted-at-trauma/abuse-via-single-exposition-dump in the final chapters of the novel. And I think one of the things that frustrates me about that device/that timing is that it leaves so little space for the characters to soak in and navigate the reveals. "JLN" also has a *lot* of text-no-subtext, therapy-framed-as-chat stuff (which, given the subject matter and Fin's occupation, seems to some extent unavoidable). All THAT said ... I applaud MM for giving Fin major Mr. Darcy vibes and Mr. Darcy context. I wasn't a huge fan of "Between Us", but "Mad About You" did offer some real laugh-out-loud lines (e.g. “'I wonder what she wants?' Sam said. 'Apart from Cal's balls and soul trapped in a haunted jam jar.'”) for which I was grateful. I wonder what's informing MM's decision to go in more sober, somber, serious directions with her work. Obviously her wit is still around here and there, but the books are losing some of their effervescence.

[@frankylennonlin]

Long time no see, Claire ❤️

[@BaskinginBooks]

I have not read Mhairi McFarlane but this video has made me want to start with Just Last Night.

[@ClaireReadsBooks]

That’s a great place to start! I love that book 🥲

[@marialaughlin4504]

Completely agree about “Don’t You Forget About Me.” 👎🏻 Going to read “Here’s Looking at You” now!

[@ClaireReadsBooks]

Yeah it kind of felt like there just wasn’t much plot or anything to Don’t You Forget About Me…like 150 pages worth of book stretched out over 300+ pages 🤷🏻‍♀️

[@mevrabel2]

I couldn’t tell if you were being intentionally or unintentionally funny when you said the most forgettable heroine was in Don’t You Forget About Me. (“Don’t, don’t, don’t, don’t…” 🎶)

[@ClaireReadsBooks]

It was intentional haha 😅

[@mevrabel2]

@@ClaireReadsBooks I commented before watching beyond that part; after watching everything, it was clear you were very aware of how that title reflected your rankings 😀

[@ClaireReadsBooks]

@@mevrabel2 a sad irony for that book! 😅

[@stars.inthenightsky]

Georgina was the best heroine!

[@ephrussi9765]

I'm always surprised that you're a lover of Rom-Coms. I first became aware of you reviewing MILKMAN. It's hard to reconcile lover of rom-coms and lover of MILKMAN. You are an eclectic reader.

[@ClaireReadsBooks]

I contain multitudes 😅 In all seriousness though I think a great joy of the last few years has been discovering a love for new genres, and I really enjoy turning to different kinds of books when I’m in different sorts of moods :)