3.5 stars. Thanks to Netgalley and Boldwood for the E-ARC. This book was a roller coaster of feelings for me...the FMC was starting to annoy me and then I got over it. This was a easy breezy read there was not much depth to it but sometimes that is just what is needed. Cant wait to read more books by this author as this is like my 5th book

"Enemies to Lovers" by Portia MacIntosh, courtesy of an ARC provided by NetGalley, is a playful romp into the rom-com genre, featuring the dynamic and often comical rivalry-turned-romance of journalists Lara and Sonny. Set against the backdrop of a luxurious couple's retreat known as Eden, the novel offers a blend of humor, light-hearted mischief, and the sweet, albeit predictable, evolution of a relationship between two spirited characters.

Lara and Sonny's transition from professional adversaries to romantic interests is at the heart of this tale. Their sharp banter and escalating pranks are entertaining, and as they navigate the quirks and challenges of Eden, their relationship takes on new depth. The setting itself, with its mix of opulence and odd therapy sessions, provides an amusing stage for their antics and a series of comedic misadventures that keep the story buoyant.

However, while "Enemies to Lovers" is undoubtedly a fun read, it doesn't fully explore the potential intensity and complexity of the enemies-to-lovers trope. The romance unfolds smoothly but lacks the fiery tension and buildup some readers might crave. Additionally, the humor, though a highlight, can feel repetitive or over-the-top at times, and the plot treads a well-worn path without many surprises.

In its favor, the book is easy to dive into, making it a good choice for those seeking a breezy, feel-good escape. The characters, including a cast of intriguing secondary personalities at the retreat, are generally likable and contribute to a lively, if not always deep, narrative. It's a solid 3-star read that delivers on its promise of a lighthearted romance with plenty of laughs along the way.

In conclusion, while "Enemies to Lovers" may not leave a lasting impression for those seeking a more profound romantic dive, it's an enjoyable, straightforward story that offers a pleasant way to pass the time. For anyone in need of a quick, cheerful read, this book is a fitting choice.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book! Couldn’t put it down I was so engrossed! Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for a copy of this book.

I am a fan of Portia MacIntosh so it’s no surprise to me that I enjoyed this book. I love an enemies to lovers troupe. This story follows Lara and Sonny. I enjoyed both characters and the dynamic that was between them. I’ve never read a book with this plot line and I really enjoyed it. I like that the supporting characters were just as well written as the main characters. It was a good light and fluffy read that was easy to navigate through!

Special thank you to NetGalley, Boldwood Books, and Portia MacIntosh for providing me with the ARC of this book. All opinions are my own.

General info:
- Contemporary MF romance (romcom) with showbiz journalist investigation.
- 1st person, single POV, single timeline.

Tropes/Hooks:
- Romcom
- Rivals to lovers
- Forced proximity (one bed included)
- Reverse grumpy/sunshine

What is the book about?
This book follows Lara and Sonny who are showbiz reporters in rivaling magazines. They know each other from the uni, but let's just say they made some stupid mistakes being young and they are not big fans of each other now. Since they work in the same field they cross paths many times and one of their mutual pranks didn't go well, so now their bosses send them undercover to a secret couple retreat to get a story on a famous couple or they both are out of their jobs. Of course, Lara and Sonny had to pretend to be a couple in therapy, you get the gist.

My thoughts:
I really wanted to love this book, because I read and loved other books by the author, but this one didn't work for me. When I read the synopsis I thought it would be a book for me, but it fell a little bit flat.

Let's dive into some of my concrete thoughts:
- The name of the book. Unfortunately, I don't think the name of the book is justified. They in no way were enemies, they were work rivals and we could see rivalry banter only in the beginning. All their hate towards each other was based on some error they made at uni due to being young and a little stupid. If you put such a huge and beloved trope as the name of a book at the very least the book has to deliver on it.
- The romance. I wouldn't classify this book as a romance. There is a romance subplot, but it's far from being at the forefront of the book, we spend much more time diving into the investigation of the other couples and the retreat itself our heroes have to make.
- The humor. Some jokes hit the point but there were others that I just couldn't be ok with. For example, everything regarding the sexual harassment course didn't make any sense or made me laugh.
- I have nothing to complain about the writing. It was to the point, and easy to follow and understand. It is a quick read and could be a nice palette cleaner.
- I did enjoy the banter and bickering between Lara and Sonny in the beginning, even though some of the things they did came out a little childish. It was hilarious how they ran each other constantly. Unfortunately, this banter disappeared once they were on the island. There were some sweet moments between them too, like for example Sonny "contrabanding" tea bags to the island because he knew how much Lara loved it. Unfortunately, those moments were too few and far in between for me to call this a romance.
- The Eden was a pretty different concept of couples therapy retreat. A lot of bizarre and crazy stuff happened there. I personally, up until the last point, thought they were some kind of a scheme (just like the couples in the said retreat thought) and I think it might have made my reading experience worse since I wasn't connecting to the plot. After everything is revealed you kind of understand why everything that was happening was happening and theoretically it could work, but I am not a therapist to be there judge of that.
- I personally was seriously lacking Sonny's POV. I could understand why Lara fell for Sonny, but I don't understand the feelings he has for Lara.
- The friendships. The things I liked the most were probably the friendships Lara and Sonny made during the retreat. We have some famous couples that are shown as real people with real problems. It was nice to see that Lara and Sonny didn't betray them in the end.
- Since I didn't really believe the romance, the ending felt a little bit rushed and not justified. Lara and Sonny had just left their rivalry and hate in the past and Lara was already ready to move with him across the world.
- I like the cover. It's something I would buy if I saw it in the store. The plot summary is also something I would be interested in if I saw and read it in the store. Unfortunately, the implementation felt a little flat.

To be honest, this book wasn't entirely my cup of tea. I think the main issue is that having a title like Enemies to Lovers primes a reader to expect a certain dynamic from characters. Perhaps without that title, I think this story would have probably been better set up for success. The main issue is that I don't think the characters were actually enemies at all -- rivals at best, but enemies implies a stronger, more heated relationship in my head! I think the book could have used just more of everything; amping up the stakes, amping up their relationship, making both of the characters (Lara and Sonny) just seem more invested and more real. It's much easier to say that than to deliver on that of course, but I genuinely do think that it was hard to feel immersed in the book for those reasons.

This was a fun and lighthearted romance, perfect for a holiday read!

I loved the way that the characters backstory was described, as well as the gorgeous setting. However, I didn’t feel a huge amount of chemistry between the main characters and expected more from the “Enemies to Lovers” title as promised, it is more like a workplace rivalry romance!

This book was cute, but kind of flat. I really liked the main characters & their chemistry. From the start it was clear that they really did not hate one another & that the sparks flew between the two of them. They just disguised it in hatred. However, I wanted to see MORE! I wanted more sparks, more banter, more of them as individuals, more from their relationship & more from the friendships that they had created. The location was perfect. I just felt like we touched on the surface of their lives - who they were as individuals & who they were as a couple. I read until the end, hoping that at some point I would get more, but unfortunately it never happened.

Lara and Sonny are enemies who work together who end up going undercover and an exclusive celebrity retreat - for couples therapy. Will a week in paradise be hell or will it turn these enemies into something else?

Thank you netgalley for my advanced reader copy

Enemies to Lovers is my seventh Portia MacIntosh read. I’ve enjoyed her other novels, so far, as they are fun romances that have an ease to them. This story’s title gives away the main trope. I can understand the want to have a related title, but it also has a negative where it sets up a huge expectation for the story. While the two main characters, journalists, Sonny, and Lara, do start off on opposite sides, they seemed more like rivals than enemies. Since I was expecting full enemies based on the title, it was a disappointment, however, it also continues my wish for another trope of rivals to lovers to become standard. The two characters work for rival magazines, but are sent to a private couples’ retreat, Eden, on a tropical island for a story.

While at Eden, there are vibes like Nine Perfect Strangers. There is something strange about Eden, a couple’s resort, where Sonny and Lara must pose as a couple to investigate. Since this concept introduces a thriller vibe, the novel had to try to balance the two genres. Between Sonny and Lara’s relationship being a will-they-won’t-they romance and the weird resort thriller, it is a lot to navigate. I loved the concept and felt that it was an ambitious attempt, but it never quite got there for me. I, unfortunately, never felt a connection between Lara and Sonny, so the romance genre did not quite get there. As the two characters are also in a place with weird happenings, the romance build-up must take a back seat. Again, I loved the concept, but the execution was not quite for me. I continue to enjoy MacIntosh’s work a lot, but I think more care was needed for the romance since this is primarily a romance novel.

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

This would be a great beach read, I loved the tropical setting of the resort! The storyline is somewhat predictable but there are enough twists and turns to keep you interested. The personalities of the other couples added to the storyline and I enjoyed how everything tied up in the end. Great read and a fun glimpse into another world!

You really kind of have to let go of reality to enjoy this book. If your mind isn't open to reading it just for entertainment, you probably won't like it. This is pretty unbelievable as far as the location where the two main characters end up. They are reporters sent to a retreat for couples in a secret location trying to get the scoop on a famous couple.

The best thing about the book is the relationships the two make with the other couples and the way their mindsets change as far as using the information they have gathered. I did enjoy this book.

Thanks to Boldwood Books and NetGalley for the gifted copy. All thoughts are my own.

Enemies to Lovers - Portia Macintosh
2.5 stars (rounded up to 3)

This was an okay read. It didn’t blow my socks off but it was humorous at times to get you through.
Definitely more rivals to lovers and even then I don’t think the rivals part gripped me enough to be totally willing them on at the end to get together.
Feel like the author tried to grip onto tropes that everyone loves (enemies to lovers, fake dating, only one bed) and just tried to will something up with those.

Even so it could be an easy summer read, bit of a palate cleanser. Some of the flirty scenes gave those swoony feels. I will be keeping Portia Macintosh on my radar and if I see any of her other books, I will try those also 😊

A cute read about two opposing writers who work for similar magazine.
Sonny gets on Lara’s last nerve but he keeps popping up.
They are sent away to a retreat and act like they are a couple.
I wouldn’t have done all the exercises they were required ti complete for anything, especially the last one.
If you love tropes like rivals falling in love and enemies to lovers, this is the book for you.

This was a lighthearted romance that was extremely easy to read, so this would probably be a good choice if you just wanted to switch your brain off for a while and read something simple.

However, it wasn’t my cup of tea at all. The name of the book is overly simplified and the chemistry between the two main characters was non-existent. Whilst I enjoyed the couples retreat storyline and the interactions between the women, the romance fell <i>way</i> short of expectations and the writing was pretty lacklustre.

Loved it - love all her books - she just always nails it with rom -coms. Enemies to Lovers is totally delightful and well done.

Two journalists at rival magazines are forced to work together undercover at a celebrity couples retreat. A week in paradise should be wonderful, but it's their worst nightmare as these two enemies are forced to get along and act like a couple. The more they're forced together, the more it seems real... but what happens when they return home?
I normally like this author's writing, but this story just didn't click with me. There was some of the fun banter that I've come to expect from her romcoms and a few laugh out loud scenes, but I never really felt the romantic connection between the two. I thought Lara was actually kind of annoying and childish. The island setting was fun and the story had potential but ultimately just felt flat to me.
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advance copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

I thought I was going to enjoy this book but found it was.not engaging.

Lara and Sonny work for the same journalist company but are enemies and try to get one up on each other. They end up going on an assignment together to get the gossip on the celebraties.

I wanted to like the book and the characters but it just didn’t work for me.

I wanted to give the cheesy title the benefit of the doubt since I've heard about this author a lot and all the reviews were favory. To my disappointment, it wasn't that good of a story.
Lara and Sonny weren't even enemies to begin with. I'd say workplace rivals, but that's about it. By the chapter 2 it was obvious they had the hots for each other. That makes the title completely pointless.
I couldn't really grow to love either of them. They were both just really childish. I still enjoyed their banter, after all. The story had some funny moments.
The premise had potential, but it got quickly lost, which is such a shame.
It was a quick read for sure, but it really make me feel anything.

This one left me so confused. It is supposed to be a romance, but a portion of the book felt more like a thriller. The romance when it did occur felt super rushed and unexpected. The story was fast paced and had some good humor, just parts of the plot seemed confusing.

PORTIA MACINTOSH delivers an enjoyable & quick read about rival journalists who are forced to work together in order to gather celebrity gossip on one of the most popular couples in Hollywood. MACINTOSH presents this story in a unique fashion - her main characters, Sonny & Lara, are sent to a very exclusive, very expensive, destination known as Eden - that NO ONE can find. Every step to the actual resort is a secret (they take extreme measures)!

Lara & Sonny spend their time with only three other couples all hoping to work on their respective relationships. Each couple is unique. Each day holds a new challenge - including the tasteless food & lack of quantity. The challenges MACINTOSH has come up with are great. Since the story is told from Lara’s point of view, the thoughts running in her head at every point are funny and entertaining especially during each challenge.

Lara & Sonny themselves grow closer. They have a better understanding of each other. Lara finds herself enjoying her time in Eden, she puts her past behind for good and she learns about herself.

I was disappointed that there was not a strong focus on Lara & Sonny as a couple together. So many of the challenges pulled them apart. Of course, this being the case leads to a lot of laughs. Overall, I enjoyed the book and would recommend to anyone looking for a quick, fun & enjoyable read!