I could predict what was going to happen from very early on in the book. In particular, when something happened I knew it was going to cause some miscommunication problem and I didn't like it (I hate miscommunication).

I still enjoyed the book though! It's very easy and quick to read, the story flows well and I fell in love with the characters (although sometimes they did get on my nerves). I especially loved that the story feels like a pride and prejudice retelling and I found it funny that the characters are actors playing a pride and prejudice musical!

I have to admit, there have been a few times when parts and bits of dialogues with the two MCs arguing about something, or reacting in a certain way, that I just couldn't understand. I couldn't follow their train of thought and things made no sense to me. Again, even with this, I enjoyed the book! I think something light and cute was exactly what I needed. So if that's what you need too, do read the book!

I think I wanted a bit more after the last chapter, but the epilogue was underwhelming and it kind of felt rushed. It ruined the characters a bit for me. I'm gonna pretend that doesn't exist.

Enemies to Lovers by Amelia Jones was an enjoyable and entertaining romance novel.
A quick, fun, easy and humourous read that I enjoyed a lot.
An absolutely hilarious and uplifting rom-com with wonderful characters who hooked me with their story.

Thank You NetGalley and Embla Books for your generosity and gifting me a copy of this amazing eARC!

NB this book is the same book as The Stage Kiss - I inadvertently got it twice - and I did check the two eproofs to make sure they really were the same too!

So I love a Pride and Prejudice retelling, and I love a romance set in the theatre, so theoretically this should have been right up my street, but sadly it didn’t really work for me. While I’m usually pro a split perspective narrative, being inside Brennan’s head doesn’t actually make the the way he’s treats Eden any better or understandable - he's actually kinda awful in his head too, even if he says he likes her. At least with Mr Darcy you don't see his inner struggle - which makes it easier to come round to him when he's nice.

And Eden herself is hard to like at times, particularly towards the end of the book. And you never really see Brennan and Eden spending much time together as an actual functioning couple, so you never really understand what they see in each other beyond that they’re both hot and have good singing voices. Then there were a few other bits that annoyed me that I probably wouldn’t have noticed if I’d been enjoying the rest of it and caught up in the plot, but because I was exasperated it all started to rub me up the wrong way. Never mind.

Enemies to Lovers by Amelia Jones is a fun Pride and Prejudice retelling set in the world of the theatre.
Eden Blake is the understudy for the role of Elizabeth Bennett in a touring production of the musical adaptation of Pride and Prejudice, and this could be her big break, a chance to escape from her career of slightly dubious commercials. When it is announced that theatrical star Brennon Thorne will be making a guest appearance in the role of Darcy for the next leg of the tour, Eden is excited even though there is no guarantee that she will perform with him. This delight is swiftly tempered when they meet and he swiftly rubs her the wrong way by making a joke of her career, so when the actress playing the lead quits and Eden is thrown into the role her dream seems to be becoming a nightmare.
Since this is a fairly close Pride and Prejudice retelling it is no surprise how it all turns out in the end, but that does not mean that I did not enjoy the journey. Both Eden and Brennon were interesting characters, and ones with obvious flaws, but I did find myself rooting for them along the way. I liked that we got more of Brennon's perspective in this book, unlike with Darcy in the original, it made the love story feel more even handed and believable. The theatre setting was cool, it is not a world I know much about, but it certainly felt reasonable that the egos of the characters in that world could get in the way of their happiness.
I read and reviewed an ARC courtesy of NetGalley and the publisher, all opinions are my own.

✨️Enemies to Lovers - Amelia Jones✨️
🍄 Okay, so this book was sweet and entertaining. It had a nice consistent pace with a different plot that i hadn't read before (stage romance). However, I feel like the characters lacked chemistry as they only shared a few moments off stage with each other to actually form any sort of bond other than lust but it seemed those few moments were all they needed to fall in love which I wasn't a fan of. Insta love is not the trope for me.
It also didn't really feel like an enemies to lovers like Darcy and Elizabeth in pride and prejudice (what the book takes inspiration from) and more of a one sided like dislike to love, but nonetheless
It was still an entertaining light-hearted read, but unfortunatelynot living up to my expectations. I still think if you are looking for a quick and quirky read, this is a good book to pick up.
Also, how cute is the cover?!🍄
⭐️⭐️⭐️/5

Thank you @netgalley @emblabooks and @ameliajoneswrites
for allowing me to read this ARC!

If you would like to read this, the publication date is 12.12.23 and will retail for £9.99 paperback and £1.99 ebook ❤️

i liked the first couple pages but i found that i couldn’t get into the book so much, i found the characters to be annoying and unlikeable. i will t try to give it a reread in a few months and hopefully my mind will change but unfortunately this wasn’t it for me

A modern retelling of Jane Austin’s Pride and Prejudice story set in a theatre, with the actors taking on the roles. Eden and Brennan’s portrayal of Lizzie and Darcy are excellent, and their miss communication with themselves and their friends bring the story up to date.

Pride & prejudice is one of my all time favs & I immediately requested this ARC. Thanks to Net Galley and Emba Books for the early copy.
This was a great read, which I finished in two days and stayed up late to finish! I think it was probably 3.5 stars for me which unfortunately isn’t an option
Eden and Brennan were a perfect modern Lizzie and Darcy, with their instant chemistry and mutual dislike, and it quickly become evident who was who in the supporting cast, with Jane, Bingley, Wickham, and Mrs Bennett standing out to me most obviously.
I found the miscommunication frustrating - it’s not one of my favourite things to read in a romance but it was thankfully all tidily resolved with a modern twist on a letter (ie an email!). While I don’t normally love such a rushed relationship, I didn’t mind it here.

Thanks to Netgalley for a copy for an honest review

Enemies to lovers’ was a good retelling of pride and prejudice and I enjoyed it 💕 would recommend 😊

Rating 4 stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

This is a clever retelling of Pride and Prejudice set against a musical theatre backdrop, and I thoroughly enjoyed it. I liked the insight into "Darcy's" perspective, although it did feel like some things were very much glossed over. And at the same time, the middle began to drag. However, it was still a solid read!

I received a copy from the publisher in exchange for an honest review

Loved Pride and Prejudice and want to read it again?

Check out ENEMIES TO LOVERS by Amelia Jones, a modern retelling of Jane Austen's Pride & Prejudice - and I loved every bit! The book was filled with lots of laughs, love and all the found family feels.

I loved all the characters, from Eden and Brennon, our Elizabeth Bennet and Mr Darcy, to all the side characters who brought all the characters to life in a real and likable way.

Thanks to NetGalley and Embla Books for the ARC! Opinions are my own

#rochellereadsit

A fast fun romp through theatre on the road. I enjoyed the characters a lot, especially the side characters who helped make the whole theatre cast feel like a big family with in jokes and fights. Was great for getting out of a reading slump.

Enemies to Lovers is a modern Pride and a Prejudice retelling that started off a little slow for me, but by the end I was fully invested and really enjoyed it. I completely fell in love with Eden and Brennon, even though I wanted to give Eden a good talking to every now and then!

Eden and Brennon are playing Elizabeth Bennet and Mr. Darcy in a travelling theatre production of Pride and Prejudice, and their relationship does not get off to a good start. Just like their characters, they dislike each other and don’t get on, but slowly everything changes and the book’s title inevitably comes into play. I’m a fan of the slow burn enemies to lovers trope, and it’s done well here — there’s a constant will they/won’t they theme, and the romantic tension is top notch.

I liked the parallels to Pride and Prejudice, and thought this story worked well as a retelling. I’ve read a few over the years, and this book stands out as one of my favourites, mainly thanks to Eden and Brennon. They’re both quite complicated characters with backgrounds and issues that are explored throughout their unfolding entanglement, and by the last page I was quite sad to be saying goodbye to them. I would happily read a sequel!

Enemies to Lovers Is a book I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend to romance readers, especially those with an interest in theatre, opposites attract and, of course, enemies to lovers. I’m really looking forward to reading more from Amelia Jones, and I’ll be keeping an eye out for any future books. Hopefully they’ll be as good as this!

Enemies to Lovers is a Pride and Prejudice with a modern twist - the twist being that all our characters are actors who perform the musical rendition of Pride and Prejudice on stage.

Eden Blake, the understudy of Elizabeth Bennet, meets Darcy's actor, Brennnon Thorne at a bar. Eden, who has been struggling, and Brennon who has graduated from Juilliard and is a Tony award winning actor - they clash with dislike for one another. Mix that with alcohol and we have the perfect recipe for enemies to lovers.

There were many aspects of the book that I thought were quite well-done. The representation of theatre - the life associated with it, the people - all of it felt pretty accurate based on my limited knowledge. The enemies to lovers aspect was genuine, Eden and Brennon had good reasons to dislike each other; I felt myself raging on behalf of Eden. I definitely got into this novel, started at 12am and finished at 3am. I couldn't put it down because of my anxiety of what came next. Also, I'm a huge fan of Pride and Prejudice and liked the way the author took the core plot points and turned it into something different and contemporary.

Now the other parts of the story. When I heard Brennon normally went for leading ladies, my brain just screamed at me "RED FLAG". But that was explained, so I calmed down a bit. The main reason I couldn't fully enjoy this story was because I felt really frustrated. The misunderstandings were realistic but that didn't stop me from wanting it to stop. The story did start to drag towards the middle, and I wished that the main characters could have more quiet, happy moments together. I think I also expected more of the Pride and Prejudice aspect of quiet longing rather than spice in this (understandable why it's there though).

I'm giving this a 3.5; the positives outnumbered the negatives. And I feel like a different reader would enjoy it more (I prefer more fluff in a story.)

Thank you so much to Amelia Jones, Embla Books and NetGallery for this ARC, these are my honest thoughts.

Enemies to Lovers is a rom-com set on the stage. The main characters Eden and Brennon are playing Liz and Darcey in a musical production of Pride and Prejudice, they’re enemies on and off the stage.

Eden Blake is the understudy of the leading lady role of Liz, but when the current actress playing Liz leaves without notice, Eden is bumped up into the stoplight opposite Brennan Throne, the Julliard graduated, Tony award-winning theatre god. Their differences off the stage cause tension and resentment, but their love story under the spotlight brings a whole other set of feelings to the game.

I felt like this whole book was one big miscommunication trope: every interaction and conversation, and not just between the main characters. I despise the miscommunication trope, yet I did find myself enjoying Enemies to Lovers. Despite the annoyance of both Eden and Brennon jumping to conclusions and now talking it out, and that the burn in this book is quite fast, I did enjoy the setting and the progression from first meeting to falling in love. It was a very fast and easy book to read, filled with tension and drama and a happily ever after.

This was the perfect easy read, and a really nice Pride and Prejudice retelling. I did especially like that Eden and Brennon were legitimately 'enemies' and had reason to dislike each other as I find that this usually is not done very well. I'm not usually a fan of books written in third person but again it was written so well in this instance that I quite liked it like that. It was definitely a more subtle retelling but I could see the inspiration in the character dynamics and some of the personality traits that the main and side characters were given.

I loved the tension between the two of them and how every stage performance affected their real-life interactions a little bit more. The forced proximity was perfect here. I did find it was dragging a little in the middle but I liked how it was resolved in the end - while a little rushed, it made sure a HEA was achieved. Overall it was a really enjoyable read and I will be sure to read more by this author.

This book was kindly given from Netgalley and the publishers in exchange for an honest review.

I loved this enemies to lovers romance story. It is one of my favourite tropes. I loved the anger between the two main characters and when they fell in love at the end it made me smile and my heart swell. Just an all round good piece of writing by this author.

Enemies to Lovers was such a good read; the love/hate relationship was done very well and felt like a real progression. I only marked it down a star because Eden became less likeable during the week they had off and it dragged a little for me. I will definitely be reading more books by this author.

This is a fun quick romance read, but I finished reading feeling a bit conflicted. On the one hand, as a theatre-lover I really enjoyed the setting and I thought the representation of the theatre industry was really well done. The characters on-the-whole felt realistic and fleshed out, and they weren’t all just cookie-cutter perfect all the time. I also really loved how there is a real enemies dynamic between Eden and Brennon to begin with, as I feel like in so many contemporary enemies-to-lovers romances the ‘enemies’ portion just feels totally forced.

However, I found that the book definitely began to drag around the middle, and at points it felt like the two main characters kept having these repeated tense conversations where they were both trying to communicate yet still misunderstanding each other. This just happened a few too many times without progress for my liking. It was also around the middle of the book where I started to get more and more frustrated with the character of Eden, and though this thought is echoed on the page by her friends towards the end of the book, I still found that some of the things she said and did grated on me. I did like that Eden and Brennon both her their insecurities and were learning to accept them, but with this in mind, I felt that the ending and epilogue really rushed a lot of character development.

Despite these issues, I did still enjoy reading this one and I’ll be curious to see what the author writes next!

Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for letting me read an e-copy in exchange for an honest review.

I loved this! It was fascinating to read about life as an understudy and part of such a big touring show, woven through the romance and love story of Eden, literally the under dog to Brennon who was talented, yes, but also had the support of money to have made it “big”. I really admired Eden’s character- so tenacious and determined and I liked Brennon’s too. The friends and rest of the cast were good and it delivers what it promises- a healthy escapist romance to enjoy with more than a touch of Bennett throughout. Would recommend