Loved this book by Portia mainly because it was about something completely different to many books on the market these days.

oh, this one made me sad :(

The synopsis of this book was intriguing, and the title 'Enemies to Lovers' got my hopes up big time! I thought that this would be a fun romance, but unfortunately it just was not great.

The main thing I was upset about was that the main characters did not even feel like they were enemies at all. Maybe work rivals? but either way, I did not feel like this trope really was in the book as it felt like everything was in Lara's head. The characters were also just a little boring to me, and not likeable.

Another thing I did not like is that although romance books are often a bit convenient and unrealistic, the events in this book were just too not believable for me to really get into it.

Overall, I am sad I didn't like this one. I have read others by this author and they were great, so maybe this one just isn't for me.

3 stars

Enemies to Lovers doesn't seem to be quite the truth. Lara seemed to be enemies, but Sonny seemed to be more of a rival. He didn't hate her. I don't think she really hated him, either, but okay, enemies to lovers light.

I normally love enemy to lover, reverse grumpy/sunshine/one bed/forced proximity/fake dating stories, but I juts couldn't connect with this one. I feel like it was too unrealistic (which is crazy because this is fiction and not RL). From the sexual harassments seminar to Sonny being slapped by an A-list celebrity to Slap Gate being the reason why they're sent to paradise on the first-ever joint project between their jobs?

Okay, let's talk about Eden. I spent a good 65% of this book thinking it took all of it's inspiration for Eden from 9 Perfect Strangers. I go into books blind, so I legit questioned if this was a cute rom-com or a romantic thriller for most of the book. And if Lara is some amazing journalist who prides herself for trying to be a cut above making her stuff different than the normal sensationalism, how does she not realize she's being taken advantage of? I spotted it from Brett's first wink! There was a lot that actually made me smile in this book, though. The relationships all the women formed was genuine and they spoke about more than just their partners. "Sea Ottering" in the pool sounds like a fun thing to do.

While I may have a lot of criticism about the book, I didn't hate it. It wasn't a horrible book, just maybe not my cuppa. Thank you, NetGalley and Boldwood books for an eARC. This is my honest opinion.

I enjoyed this story. It was a slow start but in the ended it was a good read with characters that had a good back story. I would definitely recommend!

Absolute classic enemies to lovers romance. Think tropical islands, swimming pools, beach huts, and green smoothies. Would recommend.

Lara and Sonny work as writers for different magazines but under the same parent company. They have always been rivals with him constantly teasing and trying to one-up her. Unable to ignore all of this, she gets angry and lashes back at him which comes across as childish.

At one event, they get into trouble as their one-upmanship goes too far meaning they are nearly fired. But their bosses decide to give them one last chance. Now, they are assigned to go together as girlfriend and boyfriend to an exclusive couples retreat called Eden to see what they can find out about a famous celebrity couple staying there.

The 5-star resort is lush and on a tropical island somewhere that they are not allowed to know the location. They meet famous and wealthy people but the amenities of the resort are not what they had hoped they would be. Will they be able to learn any juicy gossip they can take back with them to enable them to keep their jobs?

I have so enjoyed many of this author’s books in the past, but this one was just not up to her usual best. The characters, including Lara and Sonny, seemed to be “plastic” and not real. I did not have any real feelings for them and I especially found Hope to be awful. The ending was acceptable though so that was a good thing. I hope other readers will enjoy this book a bit more than I did.

Copy provided by NetGalley in exchange for a fair and honest review.

Lara and Sonny had been assigned to spy on celebrity couples at a couples' retreat on a private island. Of course, they had to fake a relationship in order to get on the island. They didn't like each other and were sworn enemies at the office so at first it was hard for them to connect.

The quirky island worked its magic and their shared experiences brought them closer together, and they even made friends with the other couples they were supposed to spy on. It was the little things that served to soften Lara's heart, seeing as Sonny wasn't really that into the whole enemies thing in the first place.

Still, I felt like the romance came out of nowhere and the ending was a little bit far-fetched for a couple who'd only just gotten together. It was also a bit hard to connect especially with MMC as he came off one-dimensional. I'm honestly glad I finished the book because getting through it was a challenge 😅

Thank you to Netgalley and Publisher for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

4.5⭐

Enemies to Lovers by Portia MacIntosh

Thank you to Netgalley, Portia MacIntosh, and Boldwood Books for an ARC of this novel in exchange for an honest review.

Lara is an uptight yet hardworking showbiz journalist for Stylife - a magazine exclusively for women. The sister - more appropriately, the brother magazine of the company is called Mach. Sonny, who is like a human Golden Retriever, holds the same position as Lara in Mach.

However, they are rivals, trying to one-up each other at every point. But when their bosses decide to send them to a remote couple therapy center named Eden, to get the inside scoop on a very famous Hollywood couple, they are flabbergasted - as they have to pretend to be a couple whose relationship is failing.

At the beginning, I found both Lara and Sonny to be quite annoying. Their actions frustrated me until they somewhat reconciled in the middle of the story. The story's setting was excellent! Explaining Eden, how it functioned, creating the other characters and their backgrounds - it was all so fantastic.

The novel was written in the first-person point of view and explained Lara's perspective. I loved the fact that there was character development not only with Lara and Sonny, but also with the other couples in that therapy group. I also enjoyed the occasional deep conversations Lara and Sonny had about their choice of career and how it isn't exactly ethical what some other journalists do.

But I did notice that the story never went too deep. There was little to no information about the protagonists' childhood, education, and how they actually met.

Yet, the book is fun. I'd recommend it if you enjoy the enemies-to-lovers trope, fake relationship trope with funny banter, and a lighthearted romcom.

Rival journalists Lara and Sonny go undercover at a celebrity couples retreat. While they work together searching for industry secrets, their animosity slowly transforms to attraction. Can they heal past hurts and work toward a happy ending?

This hilarious romantic comedy is fun and fast-paced. The main characters are relatable, getting into all kinds of scrapes because they keep trying to one-up each other. The side characters are charming, and the tropical setting alluring. Karen Cass does a wonderful job with the audiobook narration as always.

Thanks, NetGalley, for the ARC I received. This is my honest and voluntary review.

Enemies to Lovers is Portia MacIntosh’s latest enemies-to-lovers romantic comedy.

Lara and Sonny are both celebrity journalists working for magazines owned by the same media conglomerate in London. Since their magazines target different audiences, they aren’t direct rivals. However they both tend to write stories about the same people and events, so they are challenged to come up with different angles. Lara considers Sonny to be her sworn enemy due to his ability to sabotage her leads and his golden-boy personality.

Lara sees a different side of Sonny when he coaches an IT guy through a blind date; Lara comes with her best friend, Lauren, for moral support. Then their bosses give them an assignment to go undercover at an exclusive celebrity retreat on a tropical island for a week. They will have to pretend to be in couples therapy to get their story. Of course there is forced proximity with only one bed. The big question is if their fake romance will turn into a real one.

Enemies to Lovers is not the author’s best work. Lara is the grumpy character to Sonny’s sunshine, but the reader isn’t told what Sonny did to incur Lara’s hate. Lara is so rude to Sonny that she’s not a likable heroine. They just didn’t seem to have good chemistry between them, and so a romance seems unlikely. I feel like parts of this story needs to be re-written so that it will seem more believable. The author has written some funny romances that I have given 5-stars.

I received an Advance Review Copy (ARC) from NetGalley and Boldwood Books for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

This was an entertaining, well-written book. It was fun, fast-paced and I didn't want to put it down. I enjoyed this book and look forward to reading more books by this author.

A delightful journey through the realms of unexpected love, this enemies-to-lovers closed-door romance brilliantly weaves the tapestry of two characters discovering an undeniable connection despite their initial animosity.

The humor infused in the narrative adds a refreshing touch, making the journey not only romantically charged but also immensely entertaining. The gradual unraveling of their feelings, piece by piece, creates a suspenseful allure that keeps readers eagerly turning pages.

What sets this romance apart is the authenticity of the characters' emotions. The development of their relationship feels natural, and the genuine moments of vulnerability add depth to the story. The exploration of a fake relationship evolving into something real is masterfully executed, making it a standout in the genre.

This tale is a testament to the author's storytelling prowess, capturing the essence of enemies discovering their meant-to-be connection with finesse and leaving readers enchanted by the magic of love blooming in unexpected places. Highly recommended for those seeking a heartwarming and amusing romance that transcends the typical tropes.

the enemies to lovers trope is very good here. very funny and reasonable reasons on why the FMC declares the MMC her rival. the journey from enemies to more are done exceptionally and I loved the ending.

Read from December 26th, 2023 to December 31st, 2023. Written on January 4th, 2023

~3.5~

First review of 2024 for the last book of 2023!

Initial thoughts: I think the title could be better. Though it is appealing, the book is filled with such an interesting storyline that I believe the author could have given it such an original title. Cover is cute nevertheless!

Now onto the actual book: characters were interesting to get to know, love me some background stories between them and overall a very cute story. Now, here's what I wished had happened: more focus on the actual goal the characters had on their "mission" (will not reveal because spoilers), I felt like it wasn't part of the story at times, which was a bit confusing.

I loved that the characters actually built a good relationship before becoming romantic with each other. I loved the slow burn and the friendship that blossomed. Genuinely enjoyed reading the adventures they had at the retreat plus the characters they met, it made the story much more rich.

Good book to end the year overall, it's definitely a fun read!

Signing off.
B.
(Free ARC from NetGalley) and Boldwood Books that I chose to review after reading)

Portia MacIntosh has become one of my comfort authors. I always enjoy her books and this one is no exception. I love the enemies to lovers troupe, so this was highly anticipated. Sonny and Lara were the perfect balance of grumpy/sunshine. I loved the idea of being undercover and being forced to pretend to like each other. The activities and antics at the resort were perfection. I knew there had to be a twist with the resort but I totally did not see the specific twist coming! I hope we get another book filled with their new adventures!!

Book with this formula - enemies-to-lovers fake dating on vacation, usually really hit for me. But this one... didn't.

First of all, something that always breaks this kind of storyline is the characters being genuinely mean to each other. The main catalyst of the events of the story is Lara lying about Sonny sexually harassing her resulting in him being physically assaulted, which just isn't quirky or funny. Their banter is also less playful banter and more just straight insults. And they never actually address a lot of the things they do to each other. I was never convinced that these two should be together, yet somehow all of the characters in the book were convinced they were already in love??

I also could tell you nothing about these two characters besides that they are journalists and they hate each other. There was no personal growth and they barely even talked to each other. There were none of the chemistry building moments a fake dating romance usually has. It turns out they had a history with each other, which informed their attitudes toward each other, but this wasn't revealed until over halfway through the book. I knew more about the side characters than the protagonists, and frankly they were more interesting anyways.

I enjoyed the "White Lotus" elements of the story, but the writing overall felt not too creative or polished. Almost every chapter ended with "Interesting..." or some variation and the story had no real resolution.

One star.

Thank you NetGalley and Boldwood Books for the eARC. All opinions are my own.

Lara and Sonny are both show biz journalists on rival magazines but within the same publisher and they don't like each other with a passion. Their bosses send them on an undercover mission to dish the dirt on a celebrity couple, unfortunately it means them having to attend a couples retreat as a couple! Will they be able to finish their assignment without blowing their cover or killing each other!

It has been a while since I have read a Portia MacIntosh book and I had forgotten how good they are. She has great characters that you can relate to.

*3.5 stars *

I am a fan of the Enemies to Lovers trope but this one seemed to miss the mark for me. The Enemies to Lovers seemed to be more of journalistic rivals and was more one sided. I enjoyed many parts of this book and the comical situations that Lara and Sonny got into. However, I did not see Lara and Sonny as a couple. There seemed to be no romance between the two until close to the end of the book and even after, the romance seemed rushed. Although this book wasn't my favorite, it seems that based on the reviews posted for this book, there are many books from Portia MacIntosh that I will enjoy. I am hoping to give this author a second chance read soon.

Enemies to Lovers is out today.

Thank you to NetGalley and Boldwood Books for the opportunity to review Enemies to Lovers. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

I wanted to love this. But I felt no spark between these characters and didn’t care at all about the plot. Why was there so much focus on Hope? With some alcohol and adrenaline there were some steamy moments, but I wanted to believe it. And I didn’t. I also feel like there was a missed opportunity with the title, but that’s my own opinion. I received an advance review copy for free via Netgalley and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

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.