This was a cute, breezy read but ultimately not quite my thing.

There is nothing wrong with books that keep it light, so if that’s what you like, by all means - I think you’ll enjoy this book. There is something to be said for feel-good books that peddle wish fulfillment. However if you, like myself, prefer a bit more character development, you might find this book comes up short.

I don’t want to get too far into my criticisms of this book because they are largely a matter of preference, and I know some people enjoy this type of novel. Aside from some pacing issues in the beginning, this book is well-written. What I will say is that I’m not a particular fan of books where a hot foreigner becomes the answer to all of a woman’s issues. It’s the male equivalent of a manic pixie dream girl - a man written for the female gaze to the point he has no perceivable flaws and becomes a little one-note.

Thanks so much to NetGalley and Boldwood books for the advanced reader copy of this book, provided in exchange for my unbiased opinion.

A rom-com with some good twists and feel-good vibes. I’d recommend for a light summer read, especially if you’re a fan of:

Work romance
Fake dating
Mistaken identity
Friends-to-lovers

4⭐️
I’m a fan of Portia Macintosh and this book didn’t disappoint me. From the start I almost felt I related to the character and her clumsy nature. I got invested in her battle within the office for the attention of another colleague and her friendship with Priya, until she got sadly injured! I lovvveeee books that are set in a sunny, idyllic destination and this one did just that. Add in to that the surprise of the rekindling of her Italian pen pal, and there is a perfect set up (though I did guess where it was going very quickly). The competitive nature of Robin really shone through throughout the book and made it quite amusing, though James felt quite slimy and a bit off throughout the novel. I’m glad it didn’t feel rushed at the end and there was an epilogue to really tie the story up.

Thank you to NetGalley and Boldwood Books for providing this book, with my honest review below.

It’s All Sun and Games is the sweetest destination romance by Portia Macintosh, taking place in a sunny resort town in Italy, referencing a childhood mix up.

Robin is a marketing team member pitching an Italian client with her whole team (her boss is combining his wedding with the trip as well) when she remembers her childhood pen pal, Andrea, is from the same town. Several mix ups come to pass, not in the least that Andrea is a male who Robin grew up thinking was a female and vice versa. While the mix ups and scenario getting Robin to Italy were a little far fetched, I loved the dynamics between Robin and Andrea. The secondary characters added great conflict to the story and this was ultimately satisfying if a little surface level.

If you love being transported to a to die for setting with wholesome characters and some heat and tension, pick this up! It goes without saying that this is the perfect escape.

A cute rom com with summer vibes, cool characters and a lot of fun. I liked it and very enjoyed the plot, the dialogues were funny and cute.

A brilliant light good summer read. Loved it. The pen friend element was brilliant . Work colleagues . Yuck. The Italian descriptions were fab. I love the tie cutting idea. The food. A good love story with some good twists and a proper ending . Read it.

If you're looking for a romance that is easy to read and is feel-good (aside from the main character's horrible work colleagues), then this is it.
It's a pretty one-dimensional book with the themes of mistaken identity, fake dating and work politics.

While I read it happily, I also think it lacked substance, was a bit too simple, and also missed an opportunity of describing beautiful Italy and the warmth of the people.

Thanks to NetGalley and Boldwood Books for an advance copy in exchange for an honest and unbiased review

This is a fun and flirty five-star read that will make you want to run away to Italy. Or maybe just to the local Italian restaurant, this story will grab you so hard you can feel the sunshine and sea breeze on your skin. When Robin and Andrea finally meet, and the confusion is revealed you can so understand how it would happen. As the drama unfolds you won’t be able to help yourself from smiling, the love and drama in this story leap off the page, and I am sure as you read you will feel the same way about a certain someone, they just made me so mad, but everyone else just made me feel the love, feel the passion and heart they have for each other. This is a great story that you simply can’t miss.

It's All Sun and Games by Portia MacIntosh is another fun romp that will have you laughing out loud.

Robin finds out that she will be travelling to Bari, Italy on a work jaunt. It seems like the perfect opportunity to reconnect with her childhood penpal, Andrea, who just so happens to live there. Let it suffice to say that Andrea is not at all what Robin expected, but sometimes life can surprise us in the very best way possible.

This is a perfectly charming beach read from an author who never seems to set a foot wrong in delivering a witty and appealing rom com. Add this one to your summer reading list.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Boldwood Books for an ARC.

A great summer rom com read to relax and read.

There is a perfect amount of comic relief to keep you laughing and entertained through each chapter and the characters are likable and not too "plastic" they have a realness about them that made me want to know more.

Thank you to NetGalley and Boldwood Books for the chance to read and review this book.

A lighthearted summer read that had me chuckling along with the main characters. It has a few plot twists which keep you guessing but I felt the fact that the leading lady kept on giving another man attention frustrating.

I enjoyed this one by Portia, it was a great read and very entertaining. I always enjoy her books so this wasn't a slog for me. My thanks to netgalley and the publishers for giving me the opportunity to read this book in return for an honest review.

ROM COM that is PERFECTTTTT for summer! I loved this book SO much. This is my first Portia Macintosh book and I WILL be back for more books! Although the romance is closed-door, a bit more spice would have been appreciated.

Robin was going to be in Italy for a work trip so she subsequently decided to meet up with her childhood penpal, Andrea. The teenage girl she once told so many secrets to ended up being a handsome man. He was going to simply drop her off at her destination but one thing led to another and they quickly found themselves in a fake dating situation. Andrea needed to impress his family while Robin needed to win brownie points from her boss and make her work crush jealous. What better place to fake date than in Italy?!

This was such a quick, fun summer read! Portia Macintosh’s books have become a summer staple for me! They are perfect to take on vacation or to read pool side!

A must read rom com to put you in the mood for summer full of fun, laughs and swoon worthy romance.

Robins work and love life isn't going the way she wants it to but when an opportunity to travel to Italy with her team - and crush for her boss's wedding and a work campaign arises she decides this is the time to show them all what she is really made of. Coincidentally her childhood pen pal lives where she is travelling to so it seems like the perfect time to finally meet them in real life, but her pen pal isn't at all what she expected.
This book includes -
- fake dating
- mistaken identity
- one bed trope
- friends - to - lovers

Portia Macintosh is one of my top go to authors when I need a book that will make me laugh, has amazing romance stories and makes me repeatedly kick my feet and this book was no different. Throughout the book I laughed multiple times, this author has an amazing way of making you feel everything that the FMC feels, you get angry on her behalf, cringe when she finds herself in an embarrassing situation and swoon alongside her when the MMC does something particularly romantic.

I did however find myself getting frustrated whenever Robin interacted with her work crush (James) although she was in no way cheating I couldn't help but feel angry that she was given him the time of day when she had someone so perfect already at her side and couldn't see through the mans façade and see that he just wasn't a very nice person.
Throughout the book the boss made robin and her colleagues do team building tasks and this in particular made me laugh they were written so well and the banana boat scene was brilliant, as someone who has personally come off a banana boat and broke there ribs I could picture the scene so easily.
The easy relationship between the two main characters was a joy to read, the way that they made each other comfortable and more confident was an amazing show of 'true love' and 'right person'. and as a bonus every time Robin got something wrong in Italian I couldn't stop grinning.

I loved this book and recommend it to anyone who loves an easy and funny read. Portia Macintosh does a brilliant job at writing something beautifully romantic with lots of hilarious real life faux pas. Thank you for my copy of it's all sun and games

It’s All Sun and Games was a light-hearted, fun summer read. I enjoyed the Italian aspect to the story, and there were funny moments throughout. However, I didn’t really connect with the main character, Robin, and I didn’t feel much of a connection between her and Andrea either, so it was a 3 star read for me.

Thank you to NetGalley for the digital ARC in exchange for my honest review.

It's All Sun and Games, by Portia MacIntosh, is a novel full of laugh-out-loud moments, steamy romance, and characters you'll love. Portia is becoming a new favorite of mine and I was excited to get this advanced copy. This one (as are others of hers I have read) is a perfect beach read!
Thanks, NetGalley and the publisher, for providing me with the ARC ebook I read and reviewed. All opinions are my own.

Thank you to NetGalley and Boldwood Books for providing an eARC in exchange for an honest review. This was my first Portia MacIntosh book and I'm very happy I read it.

I was really entertained by this book, the jokes, the humour...it made me laugh out loud several times (also because I speak Italian and could understand everything before Robin could 😂). As someone who's actually been to Bari, I can confidently say that the author captured the vibes and the setting accurately. Robin's and Andrea's reunion and the cultural misunderstanding gave the story a nice twist and made the fake-dating trope feel more natural. I liked Robin as an FMC and how she figured out what matters most in her life. And Andrea…I wish he existed in real life because he was so charming and sweet 😩😍
I rate this book 4.5 stars (rounded up here) because I would've liked to know more about Robin's and Liz's rivalry and why Liz hates her so much. Additionally, it would've been nice to have Robin and Andrea reminisce about their pen-pal time a bit more to increase the depth of their relationship and the tension between them.

Overall, I really liked this book and I think it's perfect for you, if you're looking for a (closed door) summer romance set in Italy.

Portia is becoming one of my favorite authors and I absolutely adored this book! It was such a dreamy escape and such a swoony romance. The Italian setting was so beautiful and it makes me realllly want to visit someday! I loved the main characters, I loved the families, and I loved the love!

Summer isn't here yet (at least where I am) and I soooo needed this sunny, refreshing and lovely rom com by one of my favorite authors !!!

I loved the name mix-up Robin-Andrea, the intercultural and linguistic issues brought out by this novel. My Italian is better than Robin's so I could grasped some of the things Andrea was telling her. It was twicely funny most of the time, quite frustrating sometimes as I understood what he was telling her while she could not.

Robin's coworkers are mostly nightmarish and I just can't understand how she could keep working there.

Is the Italian mentality, close-knit families, described as well as they truly are ? Probably not. But it was a nice balance with the very difficult work relations Robin has to handle.

Andrea and Robin are so cute. I would have liked more spice, or just more cuddles, they were no strangers (they've know each others for years, they've shared a lot even if it was only on the paper... how come none of them ever googled/FB the other one ???)

Dive into this super funny and cute beach read, you'll love Italian food and scenery.

Thank you to Negalley and Boldwood Books for providing an eARC in exchange for an honest review.