I've enjoyed a few of Portia MacIntosh's books, and I was pleased to receive an early preview copy of this book from Netgalley and the Publisher.
This has a familiar theme about two people who don't know each other very well agreeing to accompany each other to family and friends events. In this book though Cara and Millsy do not pretend to be in a relationship, but state that they are indeed just good friends, which adds a different spin to the story.
This book is fairly short, easygoing and very light hearted. It is easy to read and is good fun. It is the perfect distraction for the uncertain times that we are currently living in. The situations that Cara and Millsy kept finding themselves in were very amusing, and entertaining. This is an enjoyable read.

Thank you to Boldwood Books and Rachel's Random Resources for a digital review copy via NetGalley - my thoughts are my own.

I discovered Portia's books last year, starting with Honeymoon for One, and have enjoyed reading and recommending her humorous and uplifting books.

Having grown up and also attended University in Yorkshire, I thoroughly enjoyed the setting of this book - so many books seem to be set in London or at the coast. Cara and Millsy are great characters and Portia brought them to life in a book I devoured in a day.

I loved the pace of the story, the ups and downs of Cara's summer, the awkwardness of meeting new people as a plus one, the ex-boyfriend returning for her family wedding and the difficult relationship with her cousin.

This is a no spoilers review so I can't say any more about the story, except to say that in the middle of a global pandemic, it gave me the opportunity to laugh out loud on numerous occasions.

Thank you Portia for another enjoyable book.

I will be honest! I was not expecting to like this book! I loved this book! I read this book in one day! The dialogue was fast moving, funny and on point! Interesting and contemporary sub plots and plenty of surprises! Joe (aka Millsy) and Cara are so relatable fresh! Cara’s frustration and feelings of rejection are so in line either the dating struggles many women experience. Bravo!

I was LOVING this book, until the end. I was in love with millsy like I’m sure everyone will be, but seriously the end. It just left me hanging. I was finally happy about them getting together thinking I still had at least a few pages of happiness to go when, nope that’s it. You finally get that warm happy feeling, a big smile on your face and it’s over. Not even a little epilogue. As for the story itself I really liked characters and the story itself, it’s totally up my ally, but the end really let me down.

I received a digital arc in exchange on behalf of rhe publishers through netgalley. All opinions expressed are my own and given freely.

I really, really enjoyed this book, despite the fact it had an obvious ending. The characters are so down to earth and fun i laughed out loud a couple of times.

Joe 'Millsy' Mills si the epitme of hot - sort of - bad boy whose not all that bad when you get to know him. He's sweet and thoughtful even at the beginning with him making a new friend.

Cara Brooks.... Typical nerdy girl who simoly has some self confidence issues - i totally relate - a simple hair change gave her the confidence to really come out of her shell.

It was nice to see their character growth but i would have liked a little more of Cara being at her parents without Millsy and with Lloyd being around... It bugged me that his inattention made Cara more interested - doesn't matter that she still didn't want to date him and he was trying to be someone he wasnt to get her back.

I would also really like to know what happened with the cake that sounds like so much fun!

I will definitely be looking out for this author in the future.

This was an absolutely gorgeous read from start to finish. Cara and Millsy are 100% my favourite characters to read about this year and I shipped them the whole way through. Portia gave us the right amount of romance, humour, banter all in one. This is a cute and easy read, perfect for the weather we've been having recently and after finding out some of the characters in this story, have also been introduced in one of Portia's previous books, Truth or Date, I immediately picked that one up because I just couldn't get enough of them!

Portia Mackintosh is a relatively new find for me but I have since read many of her novels and haven’t found one yet that I haven’t enjoyed. The characters really come alive and I love her writing style

This was my first Portia Macintosh book and I finished this book in one day! I loved the characters throughout the story Cara, Millsy, Joe. I enjoyed the the story more once I was able to fully understand the Joe and Millsy relationship. It was one of the cutest romance books that I have read recently. I can't wait to be able to to share this book with my friends! I would like to thank the publisher and net galley for the advanced reading copy!

This was a very shallow book. It seemed like it was written on the bus Monday morning on the way to school, because you didn’t do your homework over the weekend. The characters had no dimension.

Another glorious read from Portia. The beautiful cover draws you in, the relatable writing keeps you reading. Fun story line. Fab.

This was a lovely, light-hearted read for enjoying in the sunshine. I've been spending lots of time sitting outside lately and feeling grateful for my garden. All I've wanted to do is read and write and so that's exactly what I have been doing.

It took me a few chapters in to realise that this story was revisiting characters that made me fall in love with Portia's books what seems like forever ago now - if I actually worked it out, it would probably scare me how quickly time flies - Millsy was Ruby's best friend in Truth or Date, which was the first book of Portia's I read. As soon as it clicked, all the memories started flooding back and it was a lot of fun to reconnect in that old friend type of way.

Once again Portia brings us a feisty, yet vulnerable leading lady in Cara, who you can't help but get behind and want to see something good happen to. There is always humour behind Portia's heronies and I think that makes that easier to connect too. Cara is confident in certain ways and funny and makes jokes about her awkwardness but then that's the thing, she's still awkward and kind of dorky and well, aren't we all? As someone who definitely goes with self-depreciating humour a lot, I get Portia's characters and way of writing. So, when Millsy enters the picture who is this Jason Mamoa esque heartthrob BUT also a genuinely nice guy, I admit to feeling slightly like I wanted to give Cara a little girl power support and stand up cheering her on from the side lines...even though yes I know they are just friends...of course they are!

To be honest, this element of the story is what made me smile most. Cara and Millsy realise that they like being together and with all the things they go through it's like they are in a relationship but not. We often get told that love has to be all bells and whistles and fireworks and while yes that's charming and magical, I find the friendship behind it can be so much bigger than all that. Currently while we're all in lockdown I hope a lot of us are realising this. Each time my husband goes out and gets a new board game with our weekly shop, each time I beat him at Connect 4, or each time we just sit in the garden and discuss what lights or tables we would like to get next to put out there, I smile because I'm grateful to be not 'stuck' with him but rather, hanging out with one of my best friends (I have to say one of, come on I'm a twin! :p) I think that's very important.

So, excuse my tangent, but if you are looking for a relaxing, comedic, enjoyable story, look no further than 'The Plus One Pact.'

I'll start by saying I am so grateful to Boldwood Books and NetGalley for allowing me to read an advanced copy of The Plus One Pact. I love reading new authors and this was my first Portia MacIntosh book. I downloaded it to my kindle and read it all in the same day, so that should tell you something right there! I absolutely adored MacIntosh's characters, her British quips and turns of phrase, and her sense of humor. Cara is such a relatable, quirky, could be your neighbor/BFF kind of gal that I found it so easy to relax into the book and truly delve into her story. Millsy stumped me for a little bit because the stories weren't being reflected in the man, but Joe is handsome, thoughtful, easy to be with, and truly best friend material! Once the story started fleshing out I was able to join my feelings for Joe/Millsy and it became one of the cutest, sweetest romance books I've read in a long time. It's feel-good without being cheesy or immature. I found myself smiling and chuckling throughout the book, which isn't normal for me. I'm intrigued and plan to read Ruby and Nick's story soon!!

Loved this book!

A great bit of escapism which is packed with humour, characters full of depth and a lovely story.

The plot was well paced and engaging and I found myself loving Cara and Millsy and all their slightly harebrained schemes and escapades!

I couldn't stop laughing at the baby shower scene!

Overall a great couple of hours read, perfect book to relax and unwind with. A great summer read!

Thanks to Netgalley, the publisher and author for providing me with a preview copy in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

I really enjoy friends-to-lovers romance novels and this fits right in. Of course, it’s totally predictable, but if I were to balk at predictability, I’d never read a romance novel, right? Cara is very insecure about her appeal to guys. She meets Joe, or Millsy as he prefers to be called. Millsy is hot and built and she can’t figure out why he’s so friendly, but she accepts his help with a makeover and now she’s a sexy redhead. And they eventually agree to help each other out over the summer by being each other’s “plus one” for family occasions.

They make a great team and soon she’s finding out more about Joe and his family as well as his rather mysterious job. People, even her ex and his brother, are not quite what they seem at first. Through it all Joe and Cara find out more about who they really are and what they want out of life.

I voluntarily reviewed an advanced reader copy of this book that I received from Netgalley; however, the opinions are my own and I did not receive any compensation for my review.

A wonderful story about two people destined to be together! It bought joy and happiness for me, which is very welcome right now.

The dialogue, dynamics and language was just right - believable, well paced and kept me interested from the very beginning. I enjoyed meeting all the families and all the adventures/events that occurred

It was a little predictable as to what would happen in the end but it’s exactly what I expected when I picked the book up.

I would recommend this feel good book!

Cute, easy read.
Cara is single and looking for someone. After many disastrous dates, she meets Joe (Millsy) at a bar after she had been stood ups. He claims he just wants to be friends and they hit it off. They agree to be each others plus one at the varies social engagements they have coming up. After many adventures together, some disasters at family parties, and a bunch of laughs, they end up in bed together. But can Cara and Millsy be more than friends?
The story was simple, light and a fun read. Laughed out loud a few times. My only negative with this book is that at times it seemed to drag on, not really adding anything new to the story. I enjoyed some of the other characters in the book, and would have loved to have them developed more too, like Cara's brother.
I received an advance copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

"You know the drill, swipe left or right on singles in your area, all the while hoping not to get connected with a murderer or, worse, someone who doesn't know what punctuation is"

There. You got me with that sentence (I've never felt more identified in my life. Actually, I would be more afraid of the punctuation thing). Right there on the first page I knew I was gonna enjoy The Plus One Pact enormously. It was the perfect read for these confinement days (well, for this day in fact, cause I just flew through the pages and read it in just a few hours).

Was it the most original premise? No, but Cara and Millsy were both so cute together that I didn't care the least you know how it's gonna end since their first meeting (nowadays I only want happy endings!)

I loved Cara's family but would have liked to see a bit more of Oliver (hopefully he'll get his own story).

Quick and easy read with several laugh out loud moments that will bright your day. Portia MacIntosh is fast becoming one of my to go authors when I'm in the mood for some light and uplifting stories.

Thanks to Netgalley and Boldwood Books for providing an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

From the cover of this book I was expecting a fun story, based in the summer, where two friends agree to be each other’s plus one for the wedding season and they fall in love. And I was exactly right! I find it rare that a cover and title can cover the story that well!

This was an enjoyable light book and just what I was looking for. Cara and Millsy meet when she is stood up in a restaurant. In a Cinderella-ish makeover from Millsy’s friends, she gets better clothes, makeup and hair and starts to embrace standing out instead of always blending in.

There were the classic forced proximity and misunderstandings in this book that one expects, but they worked. The characters were fun and you could see how they would fall for each other.

In a time of chaos when I just don’t want to read about heavy topics, this was the perfect summer read.

Cara and her new friend Millsy make a pact to be each other's Plus One to various upcoming weddings and family events on both sides. Just as "friends" of course. I'm sure you can guess where the story goes from there.

I normally enjoy a good fake dating trope. Cara was funny and so normal but in comparison, Millsy was weird and hard to connect to. Not once throughout the book did he say or do anything to make you think he was interested in Cara as anything more than a friend, which made the ending seem a bit forced. I also didn't like at the start of the book how he made Cara undergo a full makeover and get a new hairdo.

This is a feel-good, fun and light read. If you're looking for a breeze-through book with a guaranteed happy-ending, look no further! I wish the author played up the romance a little bit more, it felt a little too platonic to me, but overall I liked how fast the book moved.

Thank you to NetGalley and Boldwood Books for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.