I really enjoyed this. Went off I a direction that i was not expecting. Lots of twists ans turns and unexpected events but also lots of laughter. Something different about group of old friends going on a luxury holiday together.

A group of ex-uni students are invited to spend time together on the Italian coast, all paid for.. Friends and friendships are very important so you need to see what happens along the way. Another 5 star book from Portia.

Thanks to Netgalley and publisher for this ARC

wing six high school friends in their 30s, after many years apart on a luxurious holiday, Long Time No Sea has just the right mix of drama, mystery, romance, and comedy for your next summer read.

The drama of old friends catching up and falling into old patterns and habits made this so relatable. In the end, everyone’s “secrets” coming out of the woodwork while still loving each other for who they are was a sweet ending. The dual timeline was perfectly paced with just enough suspense.

I enjoyed this for what it was, but it wasn’t much more. The characters were not super likeable and hard to follow emotionally. Most of the romantic story lines were hard stop when romance or flirtatiousness began, which I didn’t love but might be someone else’s style! I expected more spice from a sex resort plot, what can I say.

Overall, great beach read and made me laugh out loud! Just fell short for me. Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for providing me with an ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Just when Jasmine's life is falling apart, her best friend Maxi invites her on an all expenses paid vacation to Italy with all their childhood school friends. They fell apart one fateful night fifteen years ago and most of them haven't spoken since. But this is far from the relaxing vacation Jasmine expected when secrets start to come out. Jasmine is also caught between her ex-boyfriend and the one that got away, her crush that she might now have a chance with.
I like that the story was told in dual timelines between their friendship growing up and the night they fell apart, and the present in Italy. There were many secrets revealed, some expected some not, that made the story more interesting. I did find it hard to connect with the characters at first but it got easier as the story went on.
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

This is my second read from Portia Macintosh and Long Time No Sea is my favourite so far. The story follows Jas and her five high school friends as they reunite for a trip to Italy and flashbacks to 2008 their last year of sixth form and final months together as a friendship group. With any friendship group there’s a variety of different characters some of them I loved and some not so much. Regardless of my personal opinions, they were all developed well. I adored the nostalgic flashback, although slightly younger than the characters, as someone who experienced a British high school during 2008, I appreciated the accuracy and the trip down memory lane. There is adventure, mystery-surrounding the fire that separated them- romance and superb characters.

Read of you enjoy:
•Second Chance Romance
•Friends to Lovers
•Forced Proximity

When Jas loses her job she has no alternative but to move back to her parents as it was a live in position. Not really looking forward to it she gets a video from her best friend from uni, she has organised an all expenses paid trip for their group of friends on the Italian Coast.
The trip is in a week so is a welcome surprise, sun, sea and old friends what could go wrong ?
Loved it

Long Time No Sea follows Jasmine (Jas) Bartlett, who is in her 30s and has lost her job. Luckily, she is invited to a getaway and reunion of her old friends, Cam, Mikey, Maxi, DJ, and Clarky, to help take her mind off things. The story follows her and five others as they vacation at a villa in Italy. As it has been 15 years since the friend group was completely together, they have some catching up to do and a possible romance to reignite. The novel goes through the present timeline where the reader follows the reunion while integrating moments from the past to help piece everything together. As this is my sixth read by the author, I was curious to see how this one would go. Some of MacIntosh’s novels have been more for me than others, but her style is very comforting to read.

It starts off slower with the introduction of all the characters and setting up Jas as the main character. As she lost her job, her life has been ripped out from under her. While the vacation is a great time for her to catch up from people from her past, she still needs to figure out her next steps. For this trip, she will be reunited with her crush from the past, Cam, and her ex, Mikey. Maxi is now married to a billionaire, but is facing her ex, DJ. Clarky is the one who hasn’t really grown up and is the standout character, although not in a good way for me. As all the dramas unfold, there are unexpected adventures, such as a “shipwreck survival.” There is a lot of “out there” events that occur in this story, which can be a bit much for many readers, including myself. Some of the behavior seems like the characters were younger than being around 30. I think I would have preferred them to be younger and lessen the 15-year gap between their unions.

The book itself is a quick read and easy to read in a single sitting. As the characters have not seen each other for fifteen years and were also close before, there is a part of them just pick up where they left off while also trying to get to know each other again. There is a lot going on with all of them navigating the reunion along with the zany events that happen around them. Even though the story’s main character initially is Jas, it ends up being more about all of them. The reader gets invested in how all six stories wrap-up with some resolving in a more satisfying manner than others. Clarky was my least favorite of the group, but I also did not really connect with the rest. MacIntosh remains a great author and I will continue to read her novels, but this one was not one of my favorites.

**I give a special thank you to Netgalley and the publisher, Boldwood Books, for the opportunity to read this entertaining novel. The opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.**

I have read a few @portiamacintoshauthor book and loved them, and this was no exception. It was such an easy read and I flew through the pages in one day. The friendships feel so authentic and natural and it was great that the story flipped between past and present to build the story seamlessly. I would like a Cam and Jas Novella because I feel there is so much to explore.

Cute rom-com about a group of high school friends that meet up again for a holiday in Italy. Told from the perspective of Jas whose career as an tutor has been torpedoed, she joins the all expense paid holiday with her now mega-wealthy friend Maxi and a few of their high school buddies including old ex-Mike and old soul mate Cam.

What I thought.
This was cute and breezy. Perfect for a summer's read. They end up on a island and some of the escapades are really funny. I didn't really get into the back flashes of when they were younger and some of 'Clarkey' the school clown's antics are completely over-the-top (you can't tell me a full grown man doesn't know what the word benign means). But overall ... recommend.

If you like a light hearted, chic lit, beach read then this book is for you. Five people who were friends in school are suddenly invited on an all expenses paid luxury holiday in Italy by one of the group who has married a rich guy. And miraculously, as they are all in their thirties, they are all single (obviously not the organiser????) and free to go. The group were friends at school by the mere fact that they lived in the same village and went on the same school bus to the same school, although the girls did seem to be genuine friends.

If I’m totally honest the book is probably aimed at people who are half my age and for that reason, for me, it wasn’t brilliant. However, I can see the appeal that it would have to younger people and for that reason I’m giving it three stars.

As chic lit goes Portia MacIntosh does it really well, she’s a good writer, her characters are likeable, her plots are predictable, the female characters are generally stunning, witty and slightly gullible, the male characters are hunky, handsome and well educated bar one who is the brunt of most of the jokes. There’s always a stunning setting, this one is Italy.

It was obvious from page one where the romance would come into it, so no surprises there. There were a couple of unexpected reveals but that was it as far as surprises go.

For me, and I do enjoy a good chic lit book as a light hearted break from my favourite genre of murder/mystery/police procedurals, I would enjoy the author’s books more if her characters were a tad more realistic. We live in an era where we are trying not to bring up our daughters and granddaughters to feel they have to thin, beautiful and marry rich guys in order to be successful. I know that it’s fiction and some poetic licence is of course expected but, for example, the female character who invited them all on an all expenses paid holiday……why not because she’s a successful business woman rather than just using her rich husband’s credit card.

My thanks go to the author, the publishers and to NetGalley for an advance e-reader copy of this book. However, as you can no doubt see, the views expressed in this review are voluntary and entirely my own.

I received this ARC thanks to Netgalley. Opinions expressed in this review are my own.

This book was a bit of a disappointment. Maybe because seeing anyone from high school is a nightmare in itself for me, but going on vacation is a big no. I did get to the end of the book though and I did enjoy the writing style. I do plan to read another Portia MacIntosh in the near future to see if the subject through me offj

I do love a book by Portia MacIntosh, they are fabulous, funny stories, full of great characters and a lovely romance. I loved how this story time hops from the present to school days, it was lovely to see the characters at their younger versions, rather than just reading about what happened to them in the past.

I really enjoy the fact that the way she writes the characters can you do feel like you’re part of the group like you’re on holiday with them and joining in with the fun and friendship. That’s how welcoming this book feels as you read it. I love the sense of humour in this, the twists and turns just seem to make it more funny.

I really do recommend this is a great summer read. In fact, I am really hoping that we get a follow-up book or to return to the characters in the future to see how they are getting on. Absolutely loved it.

I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

Jas is in her 30s and has lost her job and her home, having to move back in with her parents she takes the opportunity to get away when she is invited to an all-expenses paid reunion.

But while this sounds great sometimes the people we left behind should be left behind.

This narrative is written with timelines in the past and present to allow the reader to capture what happened in the group 15 years previously. I love the way MacIntosh writes and found myself laughing at certain moments in this novel, but I am not sure I liked all the characters, but that didn’t put me off. I have read several novels by this author and have them as a ‘go-to’ read.

this was a slightly flaky and superficial love triangle with no developed plot and crazy storylines that took us everywhere.

the idea itself of jas moving back already had me hesitant, but the execution solidified my opinion in that this was pretty mid

I loved reading this one. I just love this kind of books.
4 stars read for me. I love this author snd her writing style.
Thanks to netgally for this arc.

Now listen to me!!! I love Portia MacIntosh so much and I always adore her books but this wasn't a new favorite. Sadly thw story didn't grab me as I wanted and I felt most of the usual romance she writes was not there. I also couldn't find the fun that is usual in her books.
It's a good story, it was a good entertaining read but I missed her usual stories and her usual characters.
I recommended it as a summer read if you want something relaxing and fun

High school friends reunite for what's supposed to be a fun-filled vacation at an Italian resort only to find themselves trapped in some strange survival game scenario. Told with flashbacks from their last summer together and full of drama, love triangles and lots of long-held secrets.

This was a laugh out loud, sometimes over the top British romcom perfect for anyone with an Emily Henry 'Happy Places' book hangover. Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an early digital copy in exchange for my honest review!

When Jas loses her job and has to move back in with her parents in her 30s, the last thing she is expecting is to go on holiday with her old group of school friends who she hasn’t spoke to in over 10 years.

But when her best friend gets in touch to organise the holiday that they’d always wanted to go on how can she say no? Will everyone else go? Including her ex? And the boy who never quite made it to be her ex?

As the book unfolds we find out the secrets this friendship group hid (and are still hiding!) from each other. And one big secret that ultimately tore the group apart all those years ago.

⭐️⭐️⭐️

So for all I enjoyed this book, it felt a bit all over the place at times. There were parts (stranded on an island..) that personally I felt were a bit unnecessary and didn’t really add anything to the overall story.

I would definitely recommend this to anyone who wants a quick fun read though. This book is out now for anyone who wants to pick it up!

Thank you Netgalley, Portia MacIntosh and Boldwood books for an advanced reader copy of this book in return for my honest review.

I was entertained, I wasn’t swept away.

Jasmine Bartlett has just lost her job (rather unfairly) and consequently her home and has to move back in with her parents. She receives an invite from her old friend Maxi for the holiday their group of friends always talked about, but never had.

Jasmine accepts, and so do the others. They were great friends in school, but after school the group fell apart, going to different universities or not to university at all.

There’re a nice bunch of people, except Clarky, who doesn’t seem to be concerned how his actions affect other people. But the rest of them are nice. Mainly proven by the fact none of them have ever strangled Clarky, or thrown him out of their group of friends.

The holiday is in a villa on a small island off the coast of Italy. While most of the group is content just lounging by the pool, Clarky wants more excitement. He books the group on a shipwreck experience, without telling anyone. When the group do find out - when the boat doesn’t come to pick them up after an afternoon of fun - no one suggest they eat Clarky first when they run out of food.

The story is set in the present, with some chapters set during key events during their time in school.

Mike gets a sort of personality make-over halfway through. “Mike’s always had a temper.” - You can’t drop that information into the narrative at 60% of the story. Particularly not when there has been plenty of opportunity to show (did I mention no one ever hurt Clarky, or even lost their temper with him?) There’s some showing of Mike’s temper (or moodiness) after that, but the ‘always’ doesn’t sit right. His temper flares it very particular times.

There's trouble in paradise... "Long Time No Sea" takes readers on a sun-drenched, laugh-out-loud journey filled with love, friendship, and the unraveling of secrets. In this delightful romantic comedy, author Portia MacIntosh seamlessly intertwines two time periods, allowing us to witness the reunion of high school friends in Italy, while also exploring their last year of school in 2008.
Jas, our relatable protagonist, finds herself swept away to the stunning Italian coast for a long-overdue reunion. However, paradise quickly becomes complicated when her ex-boyfriend and the one that got away resurface, reigniting a love triangle from the past. As the story unfolds, we are captivated by the chemistry, tension, and second chances that emerge.
While the book starts off at a leisurely pace, it soon becomes addictive, making it difficult to put down. My only wish is that the ending provided more closure, perhaps an epilogue to tie up loose ends. Nonetheless, "Long Time No Sea" is a perfect beach read, offering a delightful escape with its humor and intriguing plot.