Thank you NetGalley and author for this ARC!

I enjoyed it a lot! Such a cute book. This book is a fun and flirty romantic comedy about a couple who are swept away by a sudden engagement. I highly recommend this and will most definitely will be reading again.

The last thing Liv expected from Teddy so early in their relationship was a proposal. She was surprised yet again when he seems in a hurry to bring their wedding forward. But why is he so hard to track down when it came time to make plans? Luckily a handsome stranger seems more than willing to help Liv out. This was an enjoyable read.

Better Off Wed by Portia MacIntosh is a charming romantic comedy that follows the main character, Olivia's unexpected journey to the altar. A hopeless romantic, she always dreamed of getting married on the picturesque Cornish coast where her grandparents were married. When her boyfriend, Teddy, unexpectedly asks her to marry him, she faces a life crisis. Especially since the venue only has one date available and is just a few weeks away! While Olivia hesitates over planning the wedding, Teddy jumps in with both feet. And just like that, they are thrown into a whirlwind of wedding preparations. But as the alarm bells start ringing for Olivia, she questions Teddy's motives and her own. Are they getting married for the right reasons? Why is Teddy in such a hurry? And to make matters worse, he is nowhere to be found when the preparations are happening, leaving Olivia to seek help elsewhere. And the elsewhere changes the narrative leaving Olivia with even more questions!

Better Off Wed is a fun romp through the ups and downs of wedding planning, love, and self-discovery. It's a feel-good read that will leave you with a smile. This book is a perfect choice if you're in the mood for a light-hearted romantic comedy that will whisk you away. So grab a cup of tea, settle in, and enjoy Olivia's heartwarming journey as she discovers where (and with whom) true happiness lies.

A good and quick read, perfect for lazy summer days on the beach.

Liv is a comedian by trade and in her spare time ghostwriters rom-com novels for others. She longs to pen a novel under her own name.

Teddy is Liv’s boyfriend and he is super-rich. One day soon he is hoping to be named as the person taking over his families business (something to do with investments 😴).

En route to her family home for a party to celebrate the engagement of her brother and his girlfriend (Doug and Eden), Teddy stops at a beauty spot which used to be a local haunt for Liv in her younger years. Here he proposes to her and she is so happy to say yes.

Tradition for her family is that they get married in a barn in Cornwall which her grandfather built. However when her Dad phones up to book a slot, he discovers that the hotel and all that goes with it (including the barn) have been sold and the new owners won’t be continuing to hold weddings there bar those already booked. The good news is that there has been a cancellation. The bad news is that it is in a few weeks and she will have to share the day with Doug and Eden who also want to get married there!

When Teddy pays for them to all stay in the Beach House in the hotel grounds for two weeks, Liv is ecstatic and can’t wait to get planning her wedding. However, Eden has very strong ideas about what she wants and with Teddy missing in action (he has to work) Eden seems set to get her way as it’s two against one. As time marches on and the wedding gets ever closer will Teddy even make it to his own wedding!!!

Luckily help is at hand when Liv meets Hugo and when he suggests they enter a competition to win a wedding photographer she reluctantly agrees. What could possibly go wrong?

There are more than a few laughs along the way but a few of the characters annoyed me - especially Teddy and his mother.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for an advanced read copy of this book in exchange for an honest and unbiased review.

I loved Olivia from the start. I think she had a heart of gold, wanted to believe the best in (most) people, and reached for others with her heart. I think that's why I despised the boyfriend turned fiancé (eek!) so very much. He was SO not good for her. He was too caught up in himself, couldn't seem to break off from his bachelor ways, and hiding so many things from our kind hearted gal, let's just say there were multiple times that I wanted to get up in his koolaid and tell him what's what. *grr* But I digress...you have to kiss a lot of frogs to find a prince, and sometimes that prince comes along when you least expect it. Is her heart ready to accept what her mind has already figured out? Or will a love of convenience reign the day, making it a marriage in name, and shared space, but not of the heart?

Obviously you'll have to read it to find out, but suffice it to say that there are happy endings to be had even when you least expect them. There is one thing though...this one is more of a happy beginning. I won't spoil it, though I'm jonesing to tell you a little more, but don't look for a neatly tied package of a conclusion...it's definitely a "there's more to come" type of close than a ride into the sunset. It's still sweet, and fitting, but it is what it is! Trust me though, you'll be so caught up in the drama along the way and laughs to be had that you won't mind in the least!

A great cast of characters and a story brimming with laughter and heart, I'd say this is another win for this author and readers alike!

This was a fun, laugh out loud story and I had such fun reading it. It is a cute and sweet story that will having you smiling and laughing along the way. Out of the blue, Olivia's boyfriend, Teddy proposes to her, and she is a bit perplexed. It seems a little too soon to be heading into marriage, but she decides to go for it. It's always been her dream to get married on the Cornish coast, and she has an opportunity when a spot opens up at her dream venue. The only problem is the date is less than a month away. Olivia gets immersed in the wedding planning, but there are still alarm bells going off in her mind. She doesn't understand why Teddy is pushing for the wedding to happen so soon. She gets help from an unlikely stranger and begins to see things more clearly and begins to question Teddy's urgency to get married and his intentions.
This was a lovely, heartwarming story and I am glad to have had the opportunity to read it.
I received a complimentary copy from Netgalley and am voluntarily leaving my review.

Swept away in a sudden engagement, Olivia (Liv), finds herself apart of a double wedding with her brother Doug(ie) and his fiancée Eden. A double wedding was never the plan. However, when they learn the location their grandfather helped build is being sold and one date has become available, what other option is there? With only two weeks to organize, her fiancé busy with work, and an opinionated soon to be sister-in-law, will Liv make it down the aisle?

Better Off Wed cements Portia MacIntosh as one of my favorite contemporary romance authors! I can always count on her to deliver a heartfelt story wrapped in a comedy package.

Liv was a dream female main character. As a struggling comedian and hopeful author, she provides the perfect combination of hope and humor. I couldn’t help but root for her as she discovered what she truly wanted out of life and a relationship.

Special thanks to NetGalley and Boldwood Books for allowing me to read this book in exchange for my honest feedback.

please note that the trigger warnings and topes/themes may contain spoilers
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
FMC: Olivia- when her boyfriend of less than 1 year proposes to her out-of-the-blue, it’s the start of a whirlwind comedy of errors.
POV: 1st person, single POV
HEA: yes- HFN
spice: This is a clean sloooooooow-burn romance with a couple kissy scenes.
TWs: cheating, public humiliation, death of parents (recounted), uncomfortable family dynamics, manipulation from partner and family,
standalone: yes
final thoughts: I love the premise of this book! The bones are great, the characters have so much potential, the setting is beautiful, the tropes are great. Where it lost me was that it took until almost 75% through the book until Oliva makes her decision… WOW. I liked her as a MC, but really couldn’t connect with what a doormat she allowed herself to be for her big day and trying to force herself into a box her fiancé wanted her to be in.
This book is great for someone who is looking for a little more drama, will-they-won’t-they story rather than a romance.

read this book if you love

💞 friends-to-lovers
🤐 miscommunication
😬 angst
🏝️ forced proximity (island)
💓 slowburn
🏡 small town
💏 fake dating

I love Portia MacIntosh. She has the ability to plot books with a fresh, new premise with interesting characters. They're always fun with a lot of heart. In Better Off Wed, Liv (Olivia) finds herself planning a rushed wedding after her boyfriend proposes and there's only one date for their chosen venue. Coupled with that its a joint wedding with her brother and his fiance. Cue the hijinx.

There were some fun scenes and of course there's strong evidence Liv is not with the man she should be with. The problem I had with this book is that, while I can see why Liv is the way she is (a bit of a doormat to everyone's needs but her own), the book dragged on longer with all the other chaos instead of focusing more on Liv's evolution. I also found the first few chapters were slow to really get to the meat of the story, which made it a bit of a slog I found myself skimming through. MacIntosh is a talented and prolific writer, and I will still read and look forward to her next ones.

Thank you to Boldwood Books and NetGalley for the ARC.

My review of this book is heavily affected by my previous experiences with the author. I continue to enjoy her style of writing and the kind of people that are present in the story, but I enjoyed this a little lesser than the others I have had the opportunity to read. I think people who are new to her writing might like this even better.
There are some common features in the books I have read thus far - a loving but eccentric family, at least one established couple, while the other and the more central pair seem to have another person either during or at the beginning of the story, only to end up together. It is not exactly cheating, but borderline so (whether warranted or otherwise).
This story has all those moving pieces written in the author's trademark style. We have a wedding being announced at another couple's engagement party. Then as it happens that the dream wedding location is to be scrapped, they decide to have a joint wedding. This is just the beginning of the chaos. Having a joint wedding for people who think alike might be easier, but for the brides in this scenario - nothing clicks the same way. The grooms are as hands-off as possible, one more than the other.
When everyone moves to a house near the wedding location, things start to fracture and change. I saw some of the surprises coming, although that did not alter my own reading experience. Overall, it was an easy read, and I will definitely read another book by the author.
I received an ARC thanks to NetGalley and the publisher, but the review is entirely based on my own reading experience.

I liked the book enough, but the storyline with Hugo felt forced, particularly at the end. First she says she needs time to move on from her relationship with Teddy but within 24hrs she's turned around and decided she wants Hugo but that's where the story ends. So did they get together? Did she stay in Cornwall? Are they doing long distance?

It felt like an "Oh. Is that it?" Kind of ending. I was expecting some kind of epilogue that gave an update a year on or something. To see how their relationship turned out but it just ended.

I also felt like a lot of the dialogue was contrived and overly lengthy and was definitely not how people would normally speak to one another. It also seemed like everyone "joked" rather than said anything of any meaning.

Thanks for NetGalley for the opportunity to read this ARC!

I realize I am in the minority but this book wasn't for me. Liv had no backbone. It was hard to read. I wanted Liv to be more true to herself.

I had previsouly read Your Place Or Mine? By Portia MacIntosh and absolutely enjoyed it! So when I saw that she was releasing a new book, I knew I wanted to read it.

I loved this book so much! It was such a cute and funny romance just like I want them to be. I loved everything about this book. Olivia is so relatable and realistic. I felt sorry for the way Teddy was neglecting her. And yet she managed to keep her sense of humour and be witty. I loved her relationship with Heidi, they were such cute friends.

All characters were amazingly developed. I loved Olivia's family and especially her parents who were so funny and caring. I also loved Hugo and how the relationship between him and Olivia developed. It was easy to guess where the story was going to sometimes but I loved it.

It was a nice and light read that I highly recommend for the summer!

This was a funny and entertaining book which like Portia’s other books I throughly enjoyed. The ups and downs of life are so true especially with weddings involved and the stress of planning them. I loved this one. My thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for giving me the opportunity to read this book in return for an honest review.

Cornwall has been added to my list of places to visit.

This book is beautiful, heartwarming and hilarious. Everything I know I will always get from a Portia Macintosh book.

I really warmed to Olivia and took an instant dislike to Teddy. Portia has written the characters really well. I would love to know what happens in Olivias life next.

Better off Wed is my second portia macintosh book and as much as I enjoyed your place or mine I loved this one so much more! In Better off wed the main character Olivia finds herself in a very unique situation - if she wants to get married in her dream wedding venue - a family tradition, she must marry her boyfriend of less than a year in less than a month! Not only that - she must share the wedding with her brother and his slightly bridezilla-esque fiancee. Olivia quickly learns that ignoring your gut feeling and a zillion red flags is the last thing you should do, especially when making life-altering decisions.

Filled with wedding-related fun, slow reveal secrets, and a cast of quirky characters, this book is perfect if you are currently in the midst of wedding planning like me, or just want to enjoy the drama from a distance while reading a fun rom com! Thanks so much to netgalley and book and tonic for giving me the chance to read and review this fun book, I look forward to reading more novels from Macintosh in the future!

Liv says yes when her boyfriend Teddy proposes. But straight away she has doubts. Things fast forward quickly as they have to have the wedding within weeks before the family wedding venue closes forever. She heads to the coast to start planning the wedding with her family. Is Liv making the right choice marrying Teddy or will she find happiness by the sea...?
Better Off Wed is a warm and uplifting romantic comedy set on the Cornish coast.
Liv is a comedian and ghostwriter but dreams of writing her own book one day. She has been dating Teddy for almost a year and is delighted when he proposes. However, he is a workaholic for his family business and it is clear from the start the pair are not compatible!
There is only one place Liv would ever get married: a barn in Cornwall which was built by her ancestor. However, she discovers that the venue is closing down and there is one date left so they book it quickly (for a double wedding with her brother and his annoying fiancee!) But as she moves to the venue with her family, Teddy is nowhere to be seen. Liv meets Hugo who helps her with the wedding preparations that Teddy should have been doing.
I loved the jokes dotted throughout the book, especially the cheesy ones :) . There is a beautiful warmth to the tone of the book and the style of writing is easy to read. I liked Liv's character but wanted to shout at her for not standing up for herself. There are lots of characters who are the kind of people we love to hate so we side with Liv even more. The outcome of the plot is entirely predictable and the twist was easy to spot, but I enjoyed seeing how events played out.
Better Off Wed is a warm and wonderful romantic comedy.

Oh, sigh. This is by FAR my favorite Portia MacIntosh book. There were so many questions as I went through the book, and I couldn't wait to get the answers. And, boy, did I get the answers. This is definitely swoon-worthy and you won't be disappointed if you like a good rom-com novel. I get goosebumps still thinking about this fun-to-read book.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an opportunity to read it. I'm so thrilled I did!

Another super cute easy read by the wonderful Portia! I've enjoyed all of her books so far and this one is just the same.

I really wasn't sure about Liv and Teddy's relationship at the beginning but I went in with an open heart. This one was funny, I loved all the little jokes throughout even the cheesy ones 😉 It was super comical and I always found myself drawn back to it for this reason.

Set in the beautiful Cornwall I did find myself being able to visualise the area and it just helped. I loved the whole process and I think it was all done at a very good pace. The side characters were all important and really helped develop the plot.

Very enjoyable read! Would definitely recommend Portia's books if your into cutie romance novels!

Liv is suddenly proposed to by Teddy. Is it all as it seems? Soon she finds herself thrown into joint wedding plans with her brother and his fiancée. Their dream venue appears and soon she finds herself questioning her choices.
Is this really what Liv wants?

Another enjoyable read from Portia.