It Had to Be Him is a fun romp through an old friendship turned new love interest with a well-drawn Italian backdrop. It’s a surprisingly quick path to love for the pair, but it works with their personalities and the old history they’d both lost track of. The book was part romance, part self discovery for both characters, and part travelogue, all of which came together to create an interesting journey. 

The Best Bits

A Few of My Favorite Things

All Things Italy

This was the best part of the novel in my opinion. The author does a great job laying out each and every scene on the streets of Italy. We get to experience all of the sights, traveling through the Duomo, seeing the Last Supper, watching sunrises on rooftop terraces and drinking wine in a tiny shop in what I imagine to be paradise. It’s all so relaxing and beautifully written, making for a great backdrop to romance. 

Imperfect Protagonists

These weren’t perfect, stereotypical characters and I greatly appreciated that. Ramin has body image issues, trying to fight against the horrible partners from his past who made him feel unloveable. He’s constantly working to accept himself, even in the face of someone wanting him, and seeing him overcome that is a solid part of the story. On the other end, we have Noah’s constant fear that he’ll end up like his horrible parents, that he’ll be a bad father, that he won’t be able to be there for somebody. He needs to put himself first to find happiness, and he’s eventually able to do that. They both grow a lot in a short amount of time, but it’s vacation, so there’s some forgiveness on the hurried timeline. 

The Family Dynamics

This was the most unexpected part of the book for me. Noah’s ex-wife and son are key characters, there for almost every part of the journey, and we get to see Noah and his son’s solid relationship amidst the impending chaos of an international move. For me, it was Ramin meeting the son and their bonding that made this such a unique part of the story. It’s important to Noah, and seems like something he didn’t know he needed to see. It makes their love story feel more real and grounded in reality.