You Had Me at Hello

By: Mhairi McFarlane

Narrated by: Julie Hesmondhalgh

Length: 10 hrs and 25 mins

Publisher's summary

What happens when the one that got away comes back? Find out in this sparkling debut from Mhairi McFarlane.

"Think of the great duos of history. We're just like them."

"You mean like Kylie and Jason? Torvill and Dean? Sonny and Cher?"

"I think you’ve missed the point, Rachel."

Rachel and Ben. Ben and Rachel. It was them against the world. Until it all fell apart.

It’s been a decade since they last spoke, but when Rachel bumps into Ben one rainy day, the years melt away. They’d been partners in crime and the best of friends. But life has moved on: Ben is married. Rachel is not. Yet in that split second, Rachel feels the old friendship return. And along with it, the broken heart she’s never been able to mend. Hilarious, heartbreaking and everything in between, you’ll be hooked from their first hello.

©2013 Mhairi McFarlane (P)2013 HarperCollins Publishers Limited

Critic reviews

"Very very witty and funny. Left me in awe…a total gem." (Marian Keyes)

"The funniest, most romantic book I've read since One Day." (Lisa Jewell)

"I loved this book. It made me laugh and reminded me that anything's possible in love - and in everything else for that matter." (Minnie Driver)

Horrible performance!

Narration was horrible! I could not understand what the narrator was saying most times. I continue to listen because I got drawn into the story.

I kept hoping and hoping

it took me a little time to get my ear accustomed to the accent. Once I did, I was enveloped in the story and surprised and anxious to learn about each character's twist in the storyline. definitely a recommend for us romantics!

Another endearing story by Mcfarlane!

This one delivers a realistic view of the complications of modern sexual freedom and the pursuit of a genuine connection only the mysterious chemistry called love can provide.

I enjoyed it, but it was not my favorite of her books

The story was good but the narration was so difficult to understand that I almost returned it.

Took a minute to get used to

I was hesitant on this one at first on the narrator but with a bit of time, I got used to her accent and ended up enjoying it in the end. Love the author and all of her books.

Good storytelling

Spoiler alert
As always, I do like how McFarlane writes. Her way of capturing the human character is unmatched. The narrator was great, catching the writers sardonic tone nicely. But as much as I admire this writer’s style and abilities, I did not care for how the grabby scene in the bar was handled, not during or after. I suspect I’m much older than her or her audience, but this was a molestation and deserved more than a knight in shining armor with a right hook. Disappointing really. As women, we let men get away with way too much and this is one example. It happened to me in middle school and I still regret not informing someone and remember it like it was yesterday. People cannot touch other people’s bodies. Usually her messaging is so much more astute, but I’m still bothered by this and how she wrote everyone’s reactions — in fact it took me out of the story.

Narrator ruins it

The narrator spoke as if she got paid extra to get out as many words in one breath as possible. And honestly the dialogue seemed more like pointless blathering, maybe it wouldn't have with a different narrator. I only got through a chapter or 2 because I didn't see a reason to subject myself to this any further

funny and light

Liked it! A good laugh. Narration was very good as well. if you are looking for something fun and light I recommend this book.

Great story - narration was rough

The narrator sounds a bit like Chummy (Miranda Hart) from Call the Midwife - which is to say she didn't feel like the right choice for this narration. other than her voice - I found it difficult to follow when she voiced different characters and nearly impossible to tell when the protagonist was speaking and when it was just internal monologue. That said - great story!

Easy now on the narration

This is an enjoyable story. I had read a lot of complaints about the narrator. If you are accustomed to this authors other books, or even listened to those with an accent you should not have trouble following along. It may take a small extra bit of concentration. I found the narrator to be clear and would not use the negative reviews to hinder giving this book a listen.