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It Had to Be You
When 29-year-old Binki Grayson is offered a Christmas bonus by her boss at the office party she didn t imagine he meant a quickie over his desk. Things for Binki just go from bad to worse and by Christmas Day she is not only jobless but boyfriend-less, so when she discovers her late Aunt Vera has left her something in her will she thinks things can only get better. What she doesn t realise is that her inheritance comes with a complication by the name of William Ellis. A mishmash of misunderstandings, sex-shop escapades, high finance and a blooming romance make It Had to Be You another hilarious romantic comedy by the uproarious Lynda Renham.
288 pages, Kindle Edition
First published February 11, 2014
62 people are currently reading
183 people want to read
About the author
Lynda Renham
41 books251 followersLynda Renham has been writing for as long as she can remember and had her first work published in a magazine at age nine and has continued writing in various forms since. She has had several poems published as well as articles in numerous magazines and newspapers. Recently she has taken part in radio discussions on the BBC.
She has studied literature and creative writing and has a blog on her web page: www.renham.co.uk
Lynda lives with her second husband and cat in Oxfordshire, England. She is Associate Editor for the online magazine The Scavenger and contributor to many others. When not writing Lynda can usually be found wasting her time on Facebook.
She has studied literature and creative writing and has a blog on her web page: www.renham.co.uk
Lynda lives with her second husband and cat in Oxfordshire, England. She is Associate Editor for the online magazine The Scavenger and contributor to many others. When not writing Lynda can usually be found wasting her time on Facebook.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 41 reviews
December 20, 2016
I love love loooooove this novel .. binki & william are one of the cutest couples and their story is so beautiful . She is funny he is rude & together they make the perfect love story . Oh and the ending was just FABULOUS. P.s maybe the book description let you think its an original chic lit .. nothing new blah blah blah. I'm so very glad to tell you it's not , trust me it's full of surprises, funny moments , shocks and love. X
December 18, 2014
This book was just ok. The whole idea behind the story seemed so intriguing, so maybe I was just let down from the high expectation I had in my head. :(
Binki thought everything was swell. It was Christmas Eve, and her boss invited her to his office to give her a Christmas Bonus. Apparently their definitions of "Christmas Bonus" meant different things- for Binki, it meant an envelope filled with cash. For her boss, it meant sex on his desk. Left with no choice but to quit, Binki goes home to seek solace in her hopefully soon-to-be fiance's arms. Only she finds his arms wrapped around another woman who looks like physical perfection. Devastated, Binki rushes to a friend's place where she tries to piece her shattered plans together.
Things start to look up when she discovers that her great aunt left her a house in her will. When she arrives, however, it appears that her aunt also left the house to her financial advisor in a separate will. As the two duke it out over who really owns the house, who knows what can happen?
Binki thought everything was swell. It was Christmas Eve, and her boss invited her to his office to give her a Christmas Bonus. Apparently their definitions of "Christmas Bonus" meant different things- for Binki, it meant an envelope filled with cash. For her boss, it meant sex on his desk. Left with no choice but to quit, Binki goes home to seek solace in her hopefully soon-to-be fiance's arms. Only she finds his arms wrapped around another woman who looks like physical perfection. Devastated, Binki rushes to a friend's place where she tries to piece her shattered plans together.
Things start to look up when she discovers that her great aunt left her a house in her will. When she arrives, however, it appears that her aunt also left the house to her financial advisor in a separate will. As the two duke it out over who really owns the house, who knows what can happen?
February 16, 2014
Some books you can see whats going to come when you turn the page, however, this never happens in any of Lynda's books and the new one is no exception.
Binki (god knows where Lynda got that name from!) is a character that is like most girls we know, totally ditsy and a helpless romantic. Add the other characters and I couldn't decide if I should be laughing or swooning...most of the time I was doing both! The humor never stops with the action and one liners, which most of us wish we could think of.
Absolutely a fantastic funny read... brilliant!!
Binki (god knows where Lynda got that name from!) is a character that is like most girls we know, totally ditsy and a helpless romantic. Add the other characters and I couldn't decide if I should be laughing or swooning...most of the time I was doing both! The humor never stops with the action and one liners, which most of us wish we could think of.
Absolutely a fantastic funny read... brilliant!!
June 29, 2020
Overall rating: 5 stars
Genre: Chick Lit
Plot: 10/10
Ending: 6/10
Writing: 9/10
Hero: 8/10
Heroine: 9/10
Humour: 8/10
Feels: 10/10
HEA:
Genre: Chick Lit
Plot: 10/10
Ending: 6/10
Writing: 9/10
Hero: 8/10
Heroine: 9/10
Humour: 8/10
Feels: 10/10
HEA:
November 24, 2018
I loved loved looooooved this novel. Binki & William are one of the cutest couples and their story is so beautiful. She is funny, he is rude & together they made the perfect love story. Oh and the ending was just FABULOUS.
P.s. maybe the book description let you think it's an original chic lit.. nothing new blah blah blah. I'm so very glad to tell you it's not , trust me it's full of surprises, funny moments , shocks and love. X
May 9, 2017
I've read several books by this author, but this one was probably my least favorite. I didn't really click with the main character and I thought her best friend didn't really act like a best friend and sabotaged her a lot. Lynda Renham is a great author - I highly recommend reading some of her other books.
June 12, 2017
Chick lit
January 17, 2018
Good!!
Fantastic story!! Love works is some strange circles!! Sometimes elderly people have an insight to the future that is beyond our understanding!!!
Fantastic story!! Love works is some strange circles!! Sometimes elderly people have an insight to the future that is beyond our understanding!!!
October 15, 2018
Utterly stupid
This is the first book that I have tried to read but it was such stupid rubbish that I couldn’t manage it
This is the first book that I have tried to read but it was such stupid rubbish that I couldn’t manage it
July 7, 2020
It was funny, but repetitive!
It was a nice novel, but I think that it was to repetitive! Especially what happened to her ! But overall it was a good one.
It was a nice novel, but I think that it was to repetitive! Especially what happened to her ! But overall it was a good one.
June 20, 2023
Loved this story about Binki and William, the wit and humour running all the way through, sheer joy from first page to last. Lynda Renham you really are an amazing writer.
November 22, 2022
I found parts of this book hard to read, Oliver was such a piece of work and Muffy was an awful friend. I just couldn’t.
June 14, 2014
Summer’s here, the sun’s out, the birds are chirping and everyone has their sunnies and flip flops out! To mark the coming of summer, there are some amazing summer reads out and one of these happens to be Lynda Renham’s hysterically funny, witty and mood lifting novel ‘It Had To Be You’. Lynda’s forte has always been humorous romances and she does not fail to impress this time around with her latest offering.
‘It Had To Be You’ is hapless heroine Binki Grayson’s story. Binki is down on her luck as on a particularly disastrous Christmas Eve, her life unravels. After being sexually propositioned by her odious boss, she is fired unceremoniously when she turns him down in no uncertain terms. On coming home early, she finds her boyfriend Oliver ‘in flagrante delicto’ with his own boss in their shared apartment! Out of work and out of a boyfriend, Binki leaves the apartment she shared with Oliver to find solace with her parents. Once there, she discovers that she has inherited a house from her deceased Aunt Vera. However, Aunt Vera, it seems did not quite make up her mind and has also left the house to her financial advisor, the rich, handsome and infinitely arrogant William Ellis.
Unfortunately for Binki, William has already made his home in ‘Driftwood’, the house that Aunt Vera bequeathed to one of them and what follows is a story of comic mishaps, dodgy dealings, jilted lovers, sex shop shenanigans and loads and loads of chocolate (for those of us who love chocolates).
Binki is a loveable, scatty heroine who does not fit the size zero ideal. She loves her chocolate and is charmingly self-deprecating. I absolutely loved her observations in the novel, right from her descriptions of Oliver’s man-hunting boss Amanda’s ample assets and her detailed analysis of her lecherous ex boss wart-nosed and all down candidness about her failed attempts to diet and her hilarious thoughts on William Ellis’s vitamin taking and condom collecting habits. Similarly, William Ellis is the ideal hero, arrogant and slightly mysterious and arrogant at first but as the reader gets to know more of him as the novel commences, they cannot help but start to like him.
Renham’s writing hooks the reader and the story flows as Binki and William’s initial hostility with one another gives away to lasting and easy friendship and ultimately things start to get complicated as deeper feelings develop. A further spanner in the works is thrown, when Oliver, Binki’s cheating boyfriend goes on a mission to win her back and ultimately make her his wife. William has a complication of his own in the form Andrea, his own ex-fiancée who loved him and left him due to his workaholic tendencies but now wants him back.
The story is hugely entertaining and will appeal to fans of Sophie Kinsella, Marian Keyes and Jenny Colgan. It has plenty of humour, a huge dash of romance and amazing chemistry between the hero and heroine. For me, that is the most important aspect of any chick lit novel and it is for this very reason that I feel chick lit aficionados everywhere will adore this book. This book is entertaining from start to finish and you must watch out for the soap opera-like ending and a mini cat fight in the end, which would give any current Hollywood feuds a run for their money! A sweetly nostalgic touch is added as Tony Bennett’s ‘It Had to Be You’ plays an important part in the story.
I give this novel a very apt four and a half stars and urge you to read it!
‘It Had To Be You’ is hapless heroine Binki Grayson’s story. Binki is down on her luck as on a particularly disastrous Christmas Eve, her life unravels. After being sexually propositioned by her odious boss, she is fired unceremoniously when she turns him down in no uncertain terms. On coming home early, she finds her boyfriend Oliver ‘in flagrante delicto’ with his own boss in their shared apartment! Out of work and out of a boyfriend, Binki leaves the apartment she shared with Oliver to find solace with her parents. Once there, she discovers that she has inherited a house from her deceased Aunt Vera. However, Aunt Vera, it seems did not quite make up her mind and has also left the house to her financial advisor, the rich, handsome and infinitely arrogant William Ellis.
Unfortunately for Binki, William has already made his home in ‘Driftwood’, the house that Aunt Vera bequeathed to one of them and what follows is a story of comic mishaps, dodgy dealings, jilted lovers, sex shop shenanigans and loads and loads of chocolate (for those of us who love chocolates).
Binki is a loveable, scatty heroine who does not fit the size zero ideal. She loves her chocolate and is charmingly self-deprecating. I absolutely loved her observations in the novel, right from her descriptions of Oliver’s man-hunting boss Amanda’s ample assets and her detailed analysis of her lecherous ex boss wart-nosed and all down candidness about her failed attempts to diet and her hilarious thoughts on William Ellis’s vitamin taking and condom collecting habits. Similarly, William Ellis is the ideal hero, arrogant and slightly mysterious and arrogant at first but as the reader gets to know more of him as the novel commences, they cannot help but start to like him.
Renham’s writing hooks the reader and the story flows as Binki and William’s initial hostility with one another gives away to lasting and easy friendship and ultimately things start to get complicated as deeper feelings develop. A further spanner in the works is thrown, when Oliver, Binki’s cheating boyfriend goes on a mission to win her back and ultimately make her his wife. William has a complication of his own in the form Andrea, his own ex-fiancée who loved him and left him due to his workaholic tendencies but now wants him back.
The story is hugely entertaining and will appeal to fans of Sophie Kinsella, Marian Keyes and Jenny Colgan. It has plenty of humour, a huge dash of romance and amazing chemistry between the hero and heroine. For me, that is the most important aspect of any chick lit novel and it is for this very reason that I feel chick lit aficionados everywhere will adore this book. This book is entertaining from start to finish and you must watch out for the soap opera-like ending and a mini cat fight in the end, which would give any current Hollywood feuds a run for their money! A sweetly nostalgic touch is added as Tony Bennett’s ‘It Had to Be You’ plays an important part in the story.
I give this novel a very apt four and a half stars and urge you to read it!
February 24, 2014
Binki Grayson has had the worse Christmas season ever. When offered a bonus at work she didn’t realize it meant she had to have a quickie with her wart nosed boss, so she quits her job. After quitting her job, she heads home early and finds her boyfriend balancing a bimbo on his balls so they break up. Breaking up is the cause of her no longer having a place to live, since they share their high rent loft. Finally she thinks something is going her way when her Aunt Vera leaves her something in her will. The issue? William Ellis also inherits the exact same thing.
My Review:
I have start with Binki. The name is awesome, she was named after a character in her mother’s favorite book. Almost every other character she comes in contact with has a comment about her name and I absolutely loved how original it was and that Lynda recognized it throughout the whole story. Binki is a great character. She had me feeling bad for all her bad luck, but somehow I kept laughing and smiling at how she handled it. Sometimes her life was messed up, I had to take a step back and remember I was just reading a book. That this was not real and not how a real person would handle it or what is happening to a real person , but oh did Binki know how to keep everything around her so interesting.
Everytime I read one of Lynda Renham’s book I think this is my favorite. It Had To Be You is my new favorite. I could not put this book down. I laughed with tears running down my face and I felt bad for Binki.
I would recommend all of Lynda’s books, but especially this one.
My Review:
I have start with Binki. The name is awesome, she was named after a character in her mother’s favorite book. Almost every other character she comes in contact with has a comment about her name and I absolutely loved how original it was and that Lynda recognized it throughout the whole story. Binki is a great character. She had me feeling bad for all her bad luck, but somehow I kept laughing and smiling at how she handled it. Sometimes her life was messed up, I had to take a step back and remember I was just reading a book. That this was not real and not how a real person would handle it or what is happening to a real person , but oh did Binki know how to keep everything around her so interesting.
Everytime I read one of Lynda Renham’s book I think this is my favorite. It Had To Be You is my new favorite. I could not put this book down. I laughed with tears running down my face and I felt bad for Binki.
I would recommend all of Lynda’s books, but especially this one.
March 24, 2014
Firstly I’d like to thank Raucous Publishing for sending me this eBook to read and give an honest review. I absolutely love Lynda Renham’s books as you can tell from my previous reviews on my blog. I couldn’t wait to see what kind of fun and laughter was waiting for me in this book!
Wow I certainly wasn’t disappointed – I was laughing out loud at the very first chapter, Lynda’s familiar, humorous writing style simply sparked off the page at me. Binki’s (what a fabulous name) life seemed to be spiralling downwards and I felt sorry for her even though her reactions were so comical and made me giggle. An unexpected inheritance looked like it would turn things round for her but somehow it led to William and their tumultuous relationship entertained me from the moment they met to the very last page.
I could really relate to some of the dilemmas Binki faced, the author created scenes and characters that felt very real and brought them to life in such a fun way. Some of my favourite moments included: an unwanted thrill drill, a frustrating experience at the supermarket self-checkout, an interesting career change and loo therapy (don’t ask, just read the book)!
Tension built towards the end and left me completely unable to put my Kindle down, I ended up reading into the early hours of the morning because I just had to know what would happen next.
This was another entertaining, feel-good read from Lynda Renham – I would highly recommend it if you’re looking for laughs!
Wow I certainly wasn’t disappointed – I was laughing out loud at the very first chapter, Lynda’s familiar, humorous writing style simply sparked off the page at me. Binki’s (what a fabulous name) life seemed to be spiralling downwards and I felt sorry for her even though her reactions were so comical and made me giggle. An unexpected inheritance looked like it would turn things round for her but somehow it led to William and their tumultuous relationship entertained me from the moment they met to the very last page.
I could really relate to some of the dilemmas Binki faced, the author created scenes and characters that felt very real and brought them to life in such a fun way. Some of my favourite moments included: an unwanted thrill drill, a frustrating experience at the supermarket self-checkout, an interesting career change and loo therapy (don’t ask, just read the book)!
Tension built towards the end and left me completely unable to put my Kindle down, I ended up reading into the early hours of the morning because I just had to know what would happen next.
This was another entertaining, feel-good read from Lynda Renham – I would highly recommend it if you’re looking for laughs!
March 21, 2014
Fun plot. Binki and William (who are not related) are thrown into a unique housing arrangement when Aunt Vera leaves her house to both of them. It is a bit funny and I didn’t want to put it down. I thought the first couple chapters were a bit boring but once Binki and William meet at the house “Driftwood”, it picks up from there. You can tell that there is chemistry between the two. I would have given this a higher rating if I liked the writing style. It seems almost juvenile. The sentences didn’t flow very well and it felt choppy while reading. It started to drag along again about 75% into the book. It picked ip at the end for the HEA. I really like the HEA. I don’t recall many errors in it which is always appreciated. I may not read another by this author which is unfortunate because it a good story.
January 10, 2016
it was an entertaining enough read, but my pet hate in books is weird names, Binki, why?! even though they addressed it constantly in the book it seemed so unnecessary and her friends name was Muffy!! that's even worse! everyone else had normal names. it was hard to picture Binki as an attractive woman, her chocoholic tendencies became very irritating, she never stopped eating! she wrote most of the characters well, Oliver came across as a tosser, William as a less sexual Christian Grey, but muffy was a 'feminist' that constantly fobbed binki off for men, telling Oliver details of her life and throwing herself over William. can you tell I didn't like muffy?!
also the ending happened so quickly and there was no epilogue, I love an epilogue!
a great holiday read, or if you're like me and love a bit of romantic fluff this is perfect
also the ending happened so quickly and there was no epilogue, I love an epilogue!
a great holiday read, or if you're like me and love a bit of romantic fluff this is perfect
February 27, 2014
One of these days, I'll stop reading this cr@p. I won't, because every now and then, there's a good one. This one obviously was NOT.
Painful. Three's Company. Annoying, weak, and stupid characters. Beyond thin plot. Horrible internal babbling monologues. Awful parents and friends.
It's cheap, but you don't have to read this one, trust me. Perhaps I should make a list of the 1/20 of this genre that are with it. (Oh, go read the Lianne Moriarty. Only one of hers was so-so; the others were good.)
Painful. Three's Company. Annoying, weak, and stupid characters. Beyond thin plot. Horrible internal babbling monologues. Awful parents and friends.
It's cheap, but you don't have to read this one, trust me. Perhaps I should make a list of the 1/20 of this genre that are with it. (Oh, go read the Lianne Moriarty. Only one of hers was so-so; the others were good.)
June 3, 2014
A perfect example of first class chick lit. The story of Binki who loses her job, her boyfriend and her home only to gain William was well written and funny. likeable characters which I wanted to believe in. a great way of spending a few hours indulged in their world. this author really makes me smile with her writing. cannot wait for the next book. would definitely recommend to others who enjoy this type of book. Great for reading in between heavier stories and very hard to put down!
September 25, 2016
This is the second book I read of Lynda's and I have to say that I was not as impressed. Binki's bitterness was a little too much and I didn't understand why William fell in love with her. Also, I think I would have liked knowing what was going on in William's head, rather than being a one-sided story. However, since it ended the way I wanted it to from the beginning, I will be a little forgiving in my review and give it a 4!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
September 13, 2014
One of my favorite's of the year. This is the second book I've read y Lynda Renham and I'm now an addict. It was light, fun, and laugh out loud funny. I'm an American who is now finding myself saying things like bollocks and such in my daily conversation because of how much I've devoured these books.
January 30, 2015
I quite enjoyed this, I love British humor I can't help it! Decent characters, funny plot line, and a few heart wrenching moments - so yes your typical chick-lit for sure. There were a couple times that i wanted to smack the main character in the head but that's a usual with me and women in stories who act dumb and make dumb decisions lol. Over all a decent read !
March 5, 2014
Wish there was another one like this!
Wish there was another one like this!
I am so sad this book ended! I do wish there was a little more book of the two of them but hey I will settle for reading this book again!
Wish there was another one like this!
I am so sad this book ended! I do wish there was a little more book of the two of them but hey I will settle for reading this book again!
April 7, 2014
Absolutely hilarious
I loved reading this book, I could’t stop laughing. Loved Binki and William story and I definitely could relate with some situations in the book. I believe most women can, can’t they?
I truly award this book with 5 mega stars!!!
I loved reading this book, I could’t stop laughing. Loved Binki and William story and I definitely could relate with some situations in the book. I believe most women can, can’t they?
I truly award this book with 5 mega stars!!!
March 20, 2015
Excellent!!!!
I find myself wishing that this book did not end. I want to know what happens to Binki now. This was truly a funny story and I found myself wishing I had a William in my own life.
I find myself wishing that this book did not end. I want to know what happens to Binki now. This was truly a funny story and I found myself wishing I had a William in my own life.
February 16, 2014
Absolutely loved this book. Had me giggling from start to finish. :) x
March 31, 2014
nice classic British chick lit. pretty woman overtones without the prostitution!
April 26, 2014
Pure chick lit. Breezed through it and enjoyed the few hours of entertainment. Even had a few laugh out loud moments. I would try another by this author
May 21, 2014
Lovely
awww
I want a William!!!!
super cute ending I want to read it again.
some shocking twist at the end but it works out perfect
awww
I want a William!!!!
super cute ending I want to read it again.
some shocking twist at the end but it works out perfect
Displaying 1 - 30 of 41 reviews