Portia is an auto-read for me! Her writing makes me LOL! It's the perfect read for the summer by the pool, beach, or sitting on your couch {wishing you were somewhere!)

I've been to Bara {and also don't speak Italian!} so it was comical to watch Robin try to make her way through this part of Italy. Portia captured this area perfectly!

I always love a good fake-dating story and she nailed it...again!

☀️ Another funny, romantic read from Portia Macintosh that's perfect for the beach or pool side!

🍝 Robin was easy to relate to & it was interesting to see what she'd get herself into next!

☀️ The setting & food descriptions made me want to jump on a plane to Italy right now. I love that Portia writes about Italy because you can tell the connection she has with it, like me. It's a passion when it's in the family!

🍝 Andrea was charming! I won't say much more- you have to read it!

☀️ A definite must to brighten up the summer days!

I LOVED this fun and absolutely hilarious summer beach vibe book. This has some of my favorite tropes, fake dating and one bed so if you like those, this is a must read!

Not sure how Portia MacIntosh gets better and better with time, but it's true. I couldn't put this down and can't wait until she writes another one!

This was a cute, fast paced summer read.
Unfortunately the characters lacked depth and I found myself having a hard time caring about any of them.
The premise was interesting it just fell flat for me.

Tropes:
- workplace romance
- fake dating

Thank you to NetGalley & Boldwood for the arc in exchange for my honest review.

Robin works at an advertising agency, which is planning a trip to Italy to pitch to a new client. She decides to reach out to her old pen pal, Andrea, and through a series of movie-perfect events, they end up fake dating for mutual benefit. Andrea wants to appease his parents, who are concerned about his long-time single status, and Robin hopes to impress her boss and secure a promotion.

It’s All Sun and Games is the perfect breezy beach read, keeping you hooked with the question, "Will they or won't they?" in a delightful fake dating romance.

The Characters are Cute - Andrea is the quintessential Italian romantic, impossible not to fall for. Robin, while not your typical fearless FMC, is entirely relatable. James and Liz are classic nemeses, though I wish their characters had a bit more depth.

A Classic Fake Dating Story - The book follows a typical fake dating plot with a touch of the childhood friend trope. The plot is predictable, but sometimes that’s the perfect palate cleanser!

Overall, I enjoyed this book and read it in two sittings. The plot and characters are a bit one-dimensional, but that can be perfect if you’re looking for an easy read with a heartwarming ending!

SUCH A FUN SUMMER READ!!! I loved Portia MacIntosh's story of Robin, an English marketing strategist, who travels with her company to beautiful Italy in order to pitch her ideas to a possible new client. As she is getting ready to go, she decides to plan a meet-up with her Italian pen-pal, Andrea. The "sun and games" begin with her office colleagues, and with Andrea's family. Weddings happen, love happens, life changing decisions happen. This story is fun to read, and I loved the ending, which might have been a tad predictable, but still, so satisfying! Highly recommend!!

Thanks to NetGalley for allowing me the opportunity to read and review It's All Sun and Games.

📚 PRE-PUBLICATION BOOK REVIEW 📚

It's All Sun and Games
By Portia Macintosh
Publication Date: July 11, 2024
Publisher: Boldwood Books

📚MY RATING: ⭐⭐⭐⭐✨
(Rounded up to 5⭐)

📚MY REVIEW:

The latest rom-com from Portia Macintosh was absolutely adorable! I was immediately pulled into this story because of its female main character, Robin. Robin was intelligent, independent, sarcastic, and just self-deprecating enough to be funny. Honestly, she totally gives off that "are you my best friend?!" kinda vibe.

This story was cute and there were a couple unique twists in the plotline that I didn't expect, but which really added to my enjoyment of the story. While the plot surrounding a "fake fiancee" sounds familiar, this book didn't just hit repeat on the same ol' storyline... The romantic aspect of the story felt different and the comedic happenings in the plot felt surprising. The supporting characters were either fun, loveable, or completely cringy -- and the ensemble of the combination of characters worked really well. The story was well-written and really kept my interest -- it was a quick read that worked fantastically as a palate cleanser.

Again, as we expect with every rom-com, we know how this one is going to turn out by about a third of the way into the book... But the story was just so cute and made me smile so much as I read it.

I highly recommend this book if you're a fan of rom-coms -- it's a really fun read that makes for a perfect companion to a summer day. A huge thanks to NetGalley and Boldwood Books for this advanced copy in exchange for my honest review!

#ItsAllSunAndGames #PortiaMacintosh #NetGalley #ARC #BoldwoodVIPs #bookreviews #bookrecommendations #romcomreads #romcoms #bookcommunity #booklover

Enjoyable, quick read perfect for summer and vacations. Robin goes to Italy for a work trip and meets up with her pen pal from school, which is not who she pictured. Andrea, Robin’s pen pal, helps her get thru the trip with her horrible coworkers. Romance happens, closed doors happen, it’s a good time. There is no deep character dives and you really don’t know much about Andrea. Still a fun read.

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

The title is very clever and definite describes the story well. Takes place in Italy so what can be better than that?!

This was a cute, quick read perfect for a little summer getaway. I didn’t read the synopsis before diving in and I’m glad I didn’t as I really liked the surprises.

Although the FMC fell a bit flat for me as I love a strong female lead, the MMC was a home run.

If you’re looking for a good pallet cleanser this is a great pick!

*ARC kindly provided by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest and truthful review.

**Tik tok preview was posted 6/19, Goodreads review was posted 6/20, Tik Tok review will be posted first week of July along with day of publishing.

Yet another hilarious and heartwarming read from Portia. Italy holds a special place in my heart so the fact that this book is set in Italy is even better.

The characters are gorgeous and Robin is a brilliant female lead. I loved this book from start to finish, a brilliant 5 star read.
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

I can’t get enough of Portia Macintoshs books!
Her writing is effortless to read. I flew through this in two sittings.
The sunshine setting, happy ever after and comedy ups and downs left me with the warm glow that comes from reading a belter of a romcom.
Lovely!

“It’s All Sun and Games” by Portia Macintosh is a fun-filled, sunny and bright vacation read. I was hooked by the fun, summer vibe and exciting plot.

But some of it fell a little flat. The stakes didn’t seem very high for their relationship (despite the distance) because the conflict was too polished. The characters (especially Andrea) weren’t complex… they were very classic archetypes. I didn’t really have any strong feelings towards any of the characters, especially the FMC Robin, because I feel like I didn’t have any backstory. Her personality didn’t really shine through or stick out to me— all I gathered was she didn’t like the gym and she was generally disinterested by her job.

Overall, it was an easy read for the summer, and I’ll probably recommend it, but I wanted more depth!

Thank you NetGalley for the arc.

Robin is delighted when she discovers she's going to Italy for work. She hopes to meet up with her pen pal Andrea who she hasn't heard from in years. She gets a total shock when she discovers he's male and not a female as she thought.

It's All Sun and Games is a ton of fun! I loved watching Robin get more comfortable taking up more space, and absolutely adored Andrea! The cast of characters was very relatable, which led to some great tensions and wonderful fun moments, as well. The fake dating was very fun and had one of the most realistic premises I've ever seen for fake dating. Overall I just really loved it!

It’s All Sun and Games is a cute, summer romance novel perfect for beach reading. With a sweet romance, witty dialog, and in a beautiful setting, you can’t really ask for more.

Robin isn’t happy as her life isn’t going as planned but a work trip to Italy has the chance to change everything. While in Italy, Robin decides to meet up with her old pen pal who turns out a bit different than expected. A mix of fake dating, only one bed, and some old friends turned to lovers tropes really makes this book.

The worst part for me was that this was my first Portia MacIntosh novel and now I need to add her entire backlist to my TBR. Would highly recommend!

Thank you Netgalley and Boldwood Books for the ARC!

What a fun book! I could not put the book down once I began reading it. Cannot wait for it to be released. I will recommend it to everyone!

hooked and hooked some more. Loved all of this and couldn't put it down. I was like oh my. I need to know more. Read it. all her books are the best.

With several tropes mixed together (friends to lovers, workplace romance, mistaken identity), this is a laugh out loud funny book that belongs on your summer reading list. Robin works hard to get ahead at her job, in spite of a supporting cast of characters that makes you want to throat-punch them on her behalf, and finally gets a break when they head to Italy for a contract. She has an old penpal, Andrea, there that she decides to finally meet up with, and that's where the fun begins. Several mix ups occur, starting with the fact that Andrea is a male who Robin grew up thinking was a female and vice versa. Lots of romance, some sliminess, a few accidents, and a happy ending ensue. It's a light read, without much character depth, but perfect for the beach.