Another hit by the fabulous Portia MacIntosh!

Enemies to lovers is a great read. I liked the drama between Lara and Sonny (who doesn’t enjoy a good enemies to lovers story?)

It took me a little while to get fully engaged in the story, but by 25% in I was hooked.

I actually wondered if Lara might hook up with Brett early in the story, but the title of the book steered me back in the right direction!!

I enjoyed reading about the other couples at Eden. Some of the retreat activities were hilarious.

Another great book by a brilliant author who can consistently be trusted for awesome romcoms with strong female leads. Recommended to others!!


Thank you NetGalley and publisher for my advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review 📚

My first read of 2024! I've read quite a few of books by Portia now and I always know I'm going to enjoy them. This book was no exception.

Sonny and Lara were fun characters. I loved how they clashed so much, they had a really fiery relationship which was very well written. It was a slow burn and I did find myself thinking it's going to change now but it was done perfectly.

I loved the concept of the story, all the secrecy drove me insane.I still have so many questions about Eden! I would love to read more about other couples from there, I'm sure some of those would be fun to read about!

This is a light book, the writing is good, the story line is exactly what is says on the front cover, it was good but no surprises, for me I would say a good holiday read

This book promised everything that I like in a rom-com. Work rivals, fake dating and a beautiful beach-y setting. When I read the synopsis I was captivated and couldn't wait to know this "soon-to-be" (fake) couple.

Enemies-To-Lovers tells the story of Lara and Sonny, two journalists of celebrities that, whenever they are together in a room, things get hot. But not in a good way. Knowing each other since college they don't miss the opportunity to make the other's life a complete hell. And this includes a lot of sabotage at work.

But when things get out of hand, Sonny and Lara will have to redeem themselves by pairing up and going to a top secretive couple retreat to try to find out some gossip about the most famous couple at the moment.

All of this while pretending they're together.

Ok, this is when I said "Sign me up!!" but unfortunately, in the end, I was left unsatisfied.

The story starts well: there's all the bickering, the backstory and, of course, the hints that one of them already has feelings for the other. But then, when we get to the secret island, everything becomes flat, especially the romantic part.

There's some moments here and there, but they're never fully developed. And worse, as the pages go, the moments between Sonny and Lara become sparses.

I thought "ok, the author decided to focus on the aspect of why this retreat is kinda crazy", however this matter is underdeveloped too.

When the couple finally get together, we don't get to see sparks or anything like that (and I'm not talking about steamy scenes, even though there's none), it just... happens. Out of nowhere. Unexpectedly. There's no building up or chemistry.

After this, the ending comes really fast but there's nothing memorable either. We don't get to cheer for the couple because they don't really go through anything serious or of relevance. They promised a lot but when they finally got together it was not captivating.

I was really sad because I wanted to like this book. So much! But it just didn't earn me.

"Enemies-To-Lovers" is not a terrible book, it is just forgettable and flat. If you're looking for something to just pass the time, it might work fine.

Thanks to Netgalley and Boldwood Book for giving me the opportunity to read this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

When your favorite trope is the title of the book, you absolutely move this to the top of your list.

Portia MacIntosh is my goto romcom author, especially for the com. I enjoy her sense of humor immensely making all of her books super fun. The same can be said here.

If you want something light and fun, I definitely recommend this one.

I was really not a fan of this book. The plot was a disaster. First Lara went from liking Sonny to not and at the end of the story I am still not sure what side she landed on. The characters were one-dimensional and I didn't feel like any of them had personality. Sonny is a jerk and a terrible person who, when it's convenient likes Lara. Lara needs to pick a side. Honestly, that is the nicest thing I could say.

Lara and Sonny work in rival publishing houses under the same company.

But when their rivalry goes too far, the two are given an ultimatum. Either to go undercover at a couples retreat, or face getting the sack.

But while they do not get off to the best of starts, Eden soon proves its reason for secrecy.

But while they are faking being a couple, this couples therapy retreat may work better than they expected.

MacIntosh writes another entertaining and intriguing narrative. Both main characters were brilliant and I couldn't pick a favourite.

This novel is told from the point of view of Lara. Although I feel would have been interesting to have a dual point of view between the main characters ; but this may have lost the secrecy within the storyline of the novel.

I recently discovered this author and have read a good few of her books since. This one was as good as her others and I loved it from start to finish. The pacing was great and I loved the main characters. The side characters at couples therapy were hilarious.

There were lots of funny moments in this book and I loved the plotline of the two enemies being forced together pretending to go through couples therapy. It was predictable but that's fine - I knew what I was getting going in and the book delivered.

I've been on a bit of a Portia Macintosh binge the last couple of days and I've got to say, after reading some absolute corkers, this one just didn't hit for me.

It was good, I enjoyed, I liked all the characters but I just felt like something was missing. There were bits the I thought could have been left out and then other parts that I felt could have been expanded on. I didn't really feel the connection as much as I should between Sonny and Lara. Don't get me wrong, there was a connection there, it just didn't come across as strong as it was meant to.

I won't let it put me off reading this wonderful authors books, though! I enjoyed the story, it just wasn't her best.

The book had a good story and I really liked the characters of both Lara and Sonny. I like when the characters are likeable but there is something in their past that makes them enemies instead of one of them needing to change who they are to make the story work. I feel like some of the drama could have been pulled out a little longer and that the resolution at the end wrapped up too quick. I felt like the big obstacle at the end of the book was wrapped up in a paragraph later and there was no real drama related to it. I wanted a little more banter and back and forth between Lara and Sonny. Overall it was a nice fun read.

A big shoutout to the publisher for letting me have an ARC copy of this book. Just like the first book of the author, I always find her writing style unique and I can always relate to the MC. Not your everyday enemies-to-loves trope. I wish I can see more versatility on her writing style.

Lara and Sonny are work rivals. They both work for the same beat for different publications, so they’re always crossing each other’s paths. Their back and forth gets them in trouble though when the wrong person jumps to conclusions and slaps Sonny during an interview over something Lara said. Their punishment from their editors is to track down an A-list couple at a top secret resort. To get into the resort through, they have to pretend to be a couple.

The title of enemies to lovers is a bit misleading. If anything the main characters are minor annoyances to each other; the enemy of it all is something more built up by Lara. And build it up she does, to a selfish and childish degree. She was very annoying as the main character, and very wishy washy about everything. She goes from loving her job to hating it, from wanting to write about something then changing her mind, from hating Sonny to forgiving him. There is no character growth or chemistry, and even the final conflict of the book is resolved in barely a paragraph. The resort story line was strange to say the least, but the other characters there were far more interesting than the main characters. This book wasn’t very romantic and left a lot of loose ends.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this title from NetGalley. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Thank you to @rachelsrandomresources for my copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I’ve read a few books now by Portia and this one was just as good. Lara and Sonny have been sworn enemies for years and after a particularly bad incident at work, they are shipped off to Eden to report on a celebrity couple hiding away there. It’s an exclusive place for couples therapy for the rich and famous, no one knows where it is or how to get there, apart from paying big bucks!

There are plenty of laugh out loud moments throughout, and a few cringey therapy sessions too. The dynamic between our main characters is brilliant, feeding off each other all the way through, and the couples they meet are just the same.

Only thing missing for me was an epilogue! I wanted more Lara and Sonny after the story ended, or even another book about them - they were amazing together. Definitely a fun cosy beach read or rainy day comfort book, already looking forward to more from this author.

The story of Lara and Sonny, rival showbiz journalists, unfolds in an intriguing setup where they're sent undercover to a celebrity retreat. The tropical setting and the premise of them posing as a couple in therapy had the potential for a captivating story. However, I found the development of their relationship from professional rivals to romantic interests somewhat lacking in depth and believability. The characters didn't resonate, and I struggled to feel their chemistry. While there were some humorous moments, the overall character development and the story's approach to specific themes didn't fully align with my expectations. The novel does offer some enjoyable aspects, but it might have benefited from richer character exploration and a more nuanced portrayal of the evolving relationship.

The NetGalley is perfect to try new authors and their work and see if you like it. This was my first book by this author and unfortunately it’s not for me and I DNF it. I promised myself not to force to read arcs if I don’t like them (even though I’m so grateful I got them). Firstly, the title is misleading, the main characters aren’t enemies, they are work rivals at best. Secondly, the biggest problem for me was that the main characters, Lara and Sonny, are not my cup of tea. They were so annoying to me, so childish that I need to remind myself that they aren’t 16. Maybe it isn’t the book, maybe it’s me and I’m just not in the mood for it, but I really couldn’t continue reading it.

I had anticipated a stronger connection with this book, hoping to love it more than I actually did. While it offered an enjoyable read with some fantastic humorous moments, I couldn't quite sense the chemistry between Sonny and Lara. There seemed to be a missing element in their relationship, and at times, I found Lara to be more childish than amusing. Nevertheless, Portia MacIntosh remains a must-read author for me, and I wholeheartedly recommend her work.

What trope is this romcom working? Well just read the title. It’s the enemies to lovers trope, which is always a fun one. Lara and Sonny are both entertainment journalist, often times covering the same events/stories. Early on we get a good vibe for how they feel about each other when Sonny steals Lara’s angle for an interview. So of course she is not the least bit thrilled at the idea of going ‘undercover’ at an exclusive celebrity retreat with him, even if it does happen to be in a tropical paradise. While this was a fun, light read and author Portia MacIntosh hits all the beats you’d expect (and I definitely did enjoy it), something about this one just felt a little off compared to a number of her previous books. And the vexing thing is I can’t say exactly what. I still enjoyed it though, and I’m sure most fans will as well. 4 out of 5 stars.

https://www.amazon.com/review/R1J4OYVCWDFU0V/ref=pe_1098610_137716200_cm_rv_eml_rv0_rv

Another amazing book from Portia Macintosh, I adored Sonny and Lara and their whole rivalry going on throughout the book,

There were so many laugh out loud moments in this story

This is the story of how Sonny and Lara who are journalists are nearly sacked so to save their jobs their bosses send them of to Eden an exclusive couples retreat, The catch is they have to pretend to be a couple and get the scoop on how Eden works! What could possibly go wrong?!

A good, fun quick read! Can't wait for the next Portia Macintosh book!

So overall it was a good read. Maybe more of a 3.5 than 4. I don’t think Sonny and Lara were ever true enemies. I didn’t buy it. Their secret mission to Eden was fun and at times felt like it was going to crossover into a thriller. Overall though nice easy read to start 2024.

Another great one from Portia Macintosh, I really liked the idea behind this one. The retreat part with all the couples was really good and I liked finding out all the gossip about the them too.
Overall a really good enemies to lovers story with loads of laughs and a fab ending. If you love Portia’s other books you’ll love this.