Another amusing read from the consistent Portia MacIntosh. Novels from this author never fail to make me smile and she has a brilliant knack of observation. You never have too long to wait until a new novel appears too.


Thanks to NetGalley and Boldwood Books for providing me with an Advance Reader's Copy in exchange for an honest, unbiased review.

I guess I expected more romance and less...awkward woman tries to force date to work as it gets more and more unrealistic? I also didn't realize this was a fade to black romance novel.

Another hilarious romcom from Portia Macintosh! A very quick read full of banter and mistaken identity. I absolutely adored Gigi and how she is trying to make the best out of a crap situation. Who wouldn’t want to go to an exclusive resort in Hawaii? I also loved her unexpected friendship with Donnie when she gets to the resort. The characters in this were too notch with incredible jokes from Gigi’s dad! This was an adorable closed door romance that I flew through! I can’t recommend @portiamacintoshauthor’s books enough!

⭐⭐⭐⭐ 4/5
🌶️ 1/5

I absolutely loved this book! It was such a fun, laugh out loud read. It instantly transports me to a tropical vacation alongside Gigi, who is looking for an impressive date to her sister's wedding so she won't be pitied as her ex is the best man and is bringing his new celebrity girlfriend. Talk about layers upon layers!

It was pretty funny getting to see how all her bad dates went as she tried to find a date to the wedding, though there is one that I could have done without. I don't want to spoil anything, but it was her 3rd date in London...iykyk!

It was also so satisfying seeing her get upgraded on everything in the resort, a nice payback to her ex and his new girl. It made me feel like I was also on this luxury vacation in Hawaii and made me want summer here immediately!

I will say I did see the twist with her love interest coming even though they tried to throw us off the trail a bit, but I mean that's one thing I love about romance books is the predictability. Knowing there's a happy ending coming with a few laughs and some swooning along the way!

This book is officially out as of today! If you want to bring a bit of summer to you, I highly recommend it!

What to expect-

🌴 Mistaken identity
🍹 Closed door romance
🌴 Hairstylist/Guitar Player
🍹 Destination Wedding
🌴 Slow Burn
🍹 Friends to Lovers

I received an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Gigi is the maid of honor in her sister’s Hawaiian wedding which would be amazing if her ex wasn’t the best man. It also doesn’t help that he’s moved on to some goregous influencer and she had to move back in with her parents after the split. If only people would stop giving her pitying looks, maybe then she wouldn’t have felt the need to lie that she had a date of her own…

I love a classic fake date to one up your ex and his new mean gf so I was excited to read this book. The book has good bones and a good story. I think the pacing was just a little off for me. We don’t meet the MMC until 30% into the book. I wish the book would’ve started like two days before she left for Hawaii and the initial bad dates would’ve happen there so the MMC could have been a part of the process from the beginning. Because he wasn’t, the beginning felt too long. Like listening to your friend recount bad date stories rather than a romance book.

However, once the MMC came into the picture the book became more interesting as we got to see their relationship start to build. I loved how he saved her from embarrassment in their second meeting! And their easy conversations

I liked the characters in this book from her family to coworkers to bad dates. I feel like they were refreshing as opposed to typical romcom characters.

Overall, this was a cute read!

Note: I received an advanced copy for free through NetGalley, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

A terrific book! I could not put the book down once I began reading it. Very excited for it to be released. I will recommend it to everyone I know!

I adored this "suite" story. After being in a bit of a slump, this was the perfect feel-good read I needed...and I read it in a single sitting. While somewhat predictable, I found myself immersed in an island-getaway and the relationship between Gigi and Donnie naturally grow. Gigi's family was lovable and added just enough dad-joke humor to want to have a little more of them throughout. This makes for a perfect vacation read or just an afternoon of escapism.

I really enjoyed this book. It’s mostly a cozy feel good time. All of the ‘dates’ Gigi went on were pretty hilarious and definitely disastrous. When she gets to Hawaii it’s like a dream. How fun would it be to be given a suite and everything you could ever ask for? It was a really fun time! I loved Gigi as a FMC. She was relatable and all of her family were fun additions to the story. I also really enjoyed the ending and figuring out how the mix up at the hotel happened.
I highly recommend if you’re looking for a low angst, heart warming, and clean romance.
Thank you to the Boldwood Books and netgalley for a copy. All options are my own.

I had the chance to read the ARC of The Suite Life by Portia MacIntosh thanks to NetGalley and the publisher in exchange of my honest review so... here it goes!

This is Gigi's story of how to deal with heartbreak, your sister getting married on a destination wedding and your ex being the best man of the wedding with a stunning girl as her girlfriend... yup, that's right, Gigi's life is really not a fairytale. But something happens when she arrives at the hotel the wedding is going to take place at... everyone seems to be really intrigued / interested in her, maybe her luck is changing for once in her life? Now she only has to find the perfect date for the wedding... easy peasy, right?

I really enjoyed reading this novel, it was fun, Gigi is very charismatic and a little bit of a mess (but we love her because of that too), but my favourite character was definitely Donnie, I love him with my whole heart. I highly recommend this book if you're searching for a fun summer read, I'm sure you'll love it.

This slow burn, friends-to-lovers rom com is easy to read and entertaining. The characters are sweet and relatable and even the villain isn’t too bad in the end. Gigi’s failed dates are amusing, although she is a little clueless, and the romantic elements are all very PG, with noting more than a kiss or two being mentioned. There is a surprise towards the end, which I definitely did not see coming, but which did round off the story nicely. This book would make a great beach read this summer. Thanks NetGallery and Boldwood books for allowing me to get an early copy of the book- it’s out on 16th April 2024 and if you are looking for a fun, lighthearted read then this book could be the one for you.

Good easy short read. A nice romance and filled with heartfelt moments. Recommend to any person who loves a good romance!

Enjoyable fast-paced, closed-door romcom story about a woman who travels to Hawaii for sister’s wedding and ends up upgraded to a billionaire suite at a posh resort. Also attending the wedding as the best man is her ex and his celebrity girlfriend, complicating matters. In an effort to not look like she’s hung up on her ex, GiGi uses her newfound suite status to hunt for an impressive date. She befriends another singleton who helps as her wingman, while enjoying the perks of her suite status. GiGi’s dating disasters, and shenanigans with new friend Donnie were funny. Plus, I loved the suspense of why did she get the suite and special attention.

Thank you Boldwood Books for providing this book for review consideration via NetGalley. All opinions are my own.

Yesss friends to lovers is one of my all time favourite tropes and this did not disappoint!
I loved it it was a fun easy summer read which I couldn’t put down.
It was super cute and flirty like a sweet hallmark movie.
It had a lovely setting with strong interesting characters who show so much growth.
Definitely a summer read for the beach

With her sister's wedding in Hawaii just days away, Gigi has set herself the challenge of finding a partner to go with her. She wants to prove to her family and friends that she's over the break-up with her ex, Nick, who is none other than her future brother-in-law's best man. Nick, who broke up with Gigi to hook up with a reality TV contestant. So the bar is set high and Gigi has to rise to the occasion. Will she find the perfect person to accompany her? Or will she find her soul mate?

Portia McIntosh never disappoints. I'm always sure to have a great time with this author. Admittedly, some aspects of the story may seem exaggerated, but that's what makes me laugh in these stories.

I loved the character of Gigi, and in particular her relationship with Donnie. The pair made me laugh a lot. I wish Gigi had opened her eyes sooner, but the story wouldn't have made sense otherwise. She also finds herself in some pretty crazy situations.

I also liked the character of Sunshine, who is the perfect caricature of the reality TV contestant. Naturally, we come to hate her because she's Gigi's 'enemy'. However, she's caricatured to perfection, which is very funny. And yet, towards the end, we discover that she does have a heart and insecurities that remind us that she's a human being with feelings.

We can't forget Gigi's father's dad jokes. In fact, I liked all the characters, who all added spice to the story.

I had a really good time. The story is easy to read because you want to know what Gigi is going to get up to. And we also want to know if she's finally going to find the right person. However, I have to admit that I wasn't expecting this little revelation at the end. I hadn't thought of it at all!

If you like Love Island - you'll LOVE this book! Sunshine is Molly from Love Island All-Stars, and there's no telling me otherwise.

PS: Thank you NetGalley for the ARC! This comes out April 16.

You can’t go wrong with a book by Portia MacIntosh. This book is just over 200 pages but you would never know it. It makes for a quick delightful read and a great story. I loved Gigi, being a hairdresser myself Portia knocked it out of the park with the description of the job and the clients. I was expecting Donnie to be someone else than he was revealed to be in the end. Just something being discussed in the salon about a band member of an older group reuniting. I liked who he turned out to be much better. Just a teddy bear of a man not jaded by fame. Very clever Ms. Macintosh. I can’t wait for the next gem you create! Thank you to NetGalley for this free advanced copy in exchange for my honest review.

The Suite Life is an escapist’s fantasy. It felt indulgent and like I won the lottery while I read. I cannot say enough how much fun this was to read. On top of the hilarious and enjoyable content, this book was very well-written and easy to get swept away into the story. This would be a perfect beach read or cozy binge at home.

The only thing I can think of on the line of criticism was that there seemed to be a little more time spent with the exposition and failed dates at the beginning than seemed necessary to the plot. Those parts were very funny, so I do not say that out of a lack of enjoyment. Just maybe if they had been tied into the ending better it would have more purpose than it did.

Overall, I loved this book. This was my first time reading Portia MacIntosh’s work, but more of her books will be on my TBR after this!

Thank you to Boldwood Books for this arc in exchange for a honest review. “The Suite Life” by Portia MacIntosh is a fun, fast-paced read. Following Gigi's misadventures in Hawaii for her sister's wedding, the book gives us tropes like forced proximity and closed-door romance. Despite its enjoyable banter and lovable protagonist, Gigi's overly forgiving nature felt somewhat unrealistic. Overall, it's an entertaining story with a satisfying conclusion.

Thanks NetGalley and BoldwoodBooks for this ARC!

This was such a fun read! Gigi’s story had everything to enjoy: hilarious banter, interesting storylines, disastrous dates, beautiful resort vacation, an advantageous misunderstanding, supportive family, handsome love interest… It was exactly what one would expect from MacIntosh and more.

Some of the the things that bothered me include: Sunshine’s character and it’s development (felt inauthentic to have her as a main baddie and then a friend), Gigi’s prolonged disastrous dates storyline before the trip to Hawaii (it was too many bad ones causing it he whole thing giving rather cringeworthy vibe by the end of it), Gigi’s lies about having a date (like the lie itself was kinda funny but then pushing the mystery narrative around it was slightly tiring by the end) and Donnie’s reveal (rather rushed, would be good to see more of the consequences).

Overall a great story, solid 4/5.

📖📖 Book Review 📖📖 Everyone loves a wedding, right? Not Gigi…she adores her sister but attending a destination wedding where her ex-boyfriend is the best man is less than ideal. Honestly, it is absolutely anxiety provoking. While it would be absolutely mortifying to be in her dilemma, we totally sympathize with Gigi’s dilemma and feel invested in her search for the perfect date to show everyone that she really is an amazing catch. While life was looking pretty bleak at the beginning of the novel, the trip to Hawaii takes some unexpectedly hopeful and surprising turns. The Suite Life is a delightfully fun read, reminding us that sometimes we have to get through the rough patches to get to the sweet side of life.

Review is on Goodreads and will be posted to Instagram in April!