I’m such a fan of Portia MacIntosh’s writing, so when I saw that the title of her most recent release was also my favourite trope I knew I had to read it!

If Couples Retreat, The Hating Game and White Lotus had a love child it would be Enemies to Lovers.

Overall, this was a great read. All my favourite elements of Portia’s writing were here - great banter between MCs, a quirky cast of supporting characters and a beautiful setting.

You could feel the chemistry between Lara and Sonny. And their need one one up each other had me laughing out loud several times while reading. (The all pink suitcase = brilliant!)

That said, I think Enemies to Lovers could have benefitted from a dual POV, there were so many instances I wanted to know what Sonny was thinking!

While this was a slow burning, closed door romance, if second chance romance is your favourite trope then Enemies to Lovers is for you!

Thank you to NetGalley, Boldwood Books and Portia MacIntosh for an advance copy, These are my honest thoughts.

Fairly predictable rom com but it was still a good read that I enjoyed it. It was also a quick read.

I had to think on this one. It was entertaining to read but entirely unbelievable. I say that in the most positive way of being “unreal”. A lot of people will tear apart a book because it’s unreal, but I don’t always think it’s fair. Isn’t the goal to be entertained?

I could picture many of the events in my mind, and I feel like it was a story made to point out a life lesson, but, other than that, I wouldn’t say that there was a “deep message” to learn from.

A special thanks to NetGalley, the author, and Boldwood Books for providing a copy of this book without charge for providing an unbiased review.

Enjoy!

Enemies to lovers was a stunning debut but fell subpar at some parts. The writing style worked really well with me which may lead to me picking more of this authors work.

The romance was also really great did all the tropes justice but for me the characters didn't quite work, I couldn't connect to them.

I wish the title had been different as enemies to lovers is the trope and I would have preferred something else. I genuinely enjoy Portia MacIntosh's writing as they tend to be cute and funny but I felt that this book was a bit bland compare to her others. I would still recommend it as a one time read as there are funny and cute moments however I do feel she has other better books. I wish the romance was not so rushed and it felt more natural. I think the premise of the plot is really interesting and wish it played more into it. I thought that our MCs would actually fall in love through the therapy sessions and realising why they really are suited even tho they hate each other. Because if you think about it the MCs are perfect for a couples therapy retreat.

Overall its a quick easy read but just felt a little bland in comparison to her other works.

Funny, spicy and sweet!

This hilarious holiday rom com features to journalists who despise each other... However they're forced to work together in an assignment at an exclusive resort for couples.

Watching them navigate this and their relationship with each other was hilarious and I couldn't stop reading!

Portia MacIntosh is back with Enemies to Lovers, a deliciously trope-tastic romantic comedy that will make readers roar with laughter.

Lara and Sonny are two showbiz journalists whose rivalry is far from friendly. Sworn enemies who are always trying to out scoop one another with the latest celebrity gossip, Lara and Sonny want to be the best in their field and they are not averse to doing everything they can to destroy one another in order to come out on top. Being in each other’s company for more than five seconds is enough to have the two of them butting heads so when their bosses ask them to work together, it is their idea of hell. Worse, their assignment will see them having to go undercover at an exclusive retreat and pretend to be in couples therapy!

Most people would jump at the chance to spend a week on a tropical island, but most people aren’t Sonny and Lara. Being trapped with your sworn enemy and pretending to be a couple might just end up pushing the two of them over the edge – until they actually start working together and realize that they might have a lot more in common than they initially thought…

Back home, Lara and Sonny no longer need to pretend to be a couple, so why do they show no sign of wanting to drop the act? Could these sworn enemies have actually fallen for one another? And is the biggest surprise of all going to be that Lara and Sonny are crazy in love with each other?

Portia MacIntosh never disappoints and Enemies to Lovers is a fun, flirty and fabulous romantic comedy where the pages are just going to turn themselves. Sexy, hilarious and so enjoyable readers will find it a struggle to put down, Enemies to Lovers is another must-read by Portia MacIntosh.

*Special thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing this audiobook ARC in exchange for an honest review. Pub date: January 4, 2024

While this was written well, I struggled to get into the story. They’re more rivals to lovers instead of enemies, so right off the bat I was confused. It followed typical/predictable tropes but the chemistry of our MCs just wasn’t there for me.

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.