I really, really wanted to like this. It was cute and funny at certain points, but overall, it just felt like there was just too much happening in this book. Like was it a holiday romance? A cozy mystery? There were sooooo many characters and storylines, and none of it seemed plausible. Also I kind of just hated half of the characters? Like they were terrible to each other for the most part. And maybe I’m just jaded, but these folks forgave and forgot way too often. I had emotional whiplash from these relationships. 2.5⭐️

Thank you to NetGalley and Bookouture for the ARC.

Stuck Together is the ideal book to ease into the Christmas spirit. Annie and Penn come from opposite societies but are forced to share a shop space for their businesses. This obviously means spending lots of time together and along with making friends and enemies with neighbouring shopkeepers. Lily Joseph has created a easy to read, page turner that provided the ideal escapism,

I enjoyed this read and put it at the 3.5. I usually round up when that happens, but I just couldn't do that with this one unfortunately.

I loved the enemies to lovers troupe and the banter between Annie and Penn. I didn't find any part of the book boring, but it did drag on at the end. I felt the book went from the two of them falling in love to a mystery book. And then when you have it figured out, then it twists. Twice. Usually I like twists, but not so much in romances, and it didn't feel right in this story.

Penn was also a pretty tough MMC to fall for because the story is told entirely from Annie's POV, and she is pretty stubborn so I don't think she gave us a good depiction of Penn.

I appreciated the little bit of spice in this book, and some of the storyline was comical. The story wasn't super Christmasy so this could be read any time of the year.

A big thanks to Netgalley for the ARC! A 3 star read for me. It took me a little to really get into the book. Annie has found herself jobless in a bar where she meets Penn, who is a musician. They exchanged words and maybe a little connection. They both find themselves wanting the same vendor spot and end up sharing it. The connection between the two characters for me was okay. I felt like there was some unnecessary parts but still finished the book.

I do love an enemies to lovers romance, add to that some festivity... what more could I want from a book!
The way this story is told was just wonderful, I loved the unique personalities of the characters as individuals and how it impacted their relationship, and the way in which the story flowed beautifully from start to finish.
A perfect festive read.

This forced proximity, enemies to lovers Christmas romance is such a cute read! There’s a touch of hidden identity, a touch of mystery, and lots of festive cheer! Annie is such an endearing character and I loved the slow burn chemistry between her and Penn!

I could easily see this book being made into a compelling tv Christmas movie. Unfortunately, while it has elements that would make is cute on screen, the book doesn't really do justice to the internal world of the characters and left their relationship feeling a little flat.

Stuck Together by Lily Joseph begins when Anne had just lost yet another job as a waitress and she decided to cool down in a pub where she found a gig going on where Penn was one of the guitarists. She was surprised to see him come up to speak to her during the break, but it was just a brief encounter. Later on, they found themselves competing over a shop, which they had to share, although now they cannot stand each other's presence. Penn, who was having a strained relationship with his rich family, decided to ask Annie for a favor to attend a family ball and pose as his girlfriend, to which she unwillingly agreed. After spending a considerable amount of time together, they now don't know how to relate to each other anymore; they also can't figure out whether they are enemies or lovers. Readers will find out more in this book, Stuck Together by Lily Joseph.

I like the way the book is wide, not only dwelling on the main characters but also having a wide range of interesting bits within the plot, including the colleagues at work and also the families on both sides. I additionally liked the way the plot does not have abrupt scenes and endings, even after the climax. This has taken the book to another level. The story is also very fascinating.

Some scenes in the plot seem both unrealistic and exagerated, like the choice of Annie's sales and also her roommates way of life.

I rate this book Stuck Together by Lily Joseph 5 out of 5 stars.

I recommend it to those who love steamy romantic books. I also recommend it to those who don't seem to fit in their family settings, often labeled as the black sheep of the family. The book will show them that being different doesn't imply that they are an outcast; it just means that they are unique just as everyone is.

I am ALL for cute Christmassy books the second Halloween is over, and Stuck Together was the perfect choice! I am new to Lily Joseph but I have fallen in love with her writing style and immediately added her other novel, The Near Miss, to my wish list.

Stuck Together features Annie, a woman from working class roots who will stop at nothing to look after her family, and Penn, a son of a Lady and Lord who is trying to become financially independent through his love of music. We are blessed with the good ol’ enemies to lovers trope - you just can’t go wrong with it - as Annie and Penn find themselves forced to work in very close quarters; they have begrudgingly co-leased a shop with Annie selling all manner of eclectic items that her mum has collected over the years, and Penn selling vintage records. They immediately lock horns and disagree about everything but the chemistry between them is undeniable.

The characters are excellent: I adored (the majority of) the other shop owners that Annie and Penn work alongside and the relationship between Annie and her parents was depicted beautifully. Penn’s family, while seemingly cold at first, warmed my heart by the end. And the two stars of the show themselves were just chef’s kiss 👌🏻💋 their steadily blooming relationship was really enjoyable to follow along with and I wanted all of the good things for them. The stark differences between Annie and Penn’s lifestyles also intrigued me; as a fellow working class gal myself, I resonated a lot with Annie’s values and morals but I liked that the author highlighted Penn’s struggles despite his familial wealth.

There was a lot going on in this book and it mostly works for me. I really love Penn (Perry) and Annie. They are great together. Their enemies/rivals to lovers thing works for me. I love the forced proximity and having to fake a relationship for Christmas.

Thank you to Lily Joseph and Bookouture for this ARC.

‘Tis the time of year when holiday romances make me super happy. I don’t know if it's the colder weather or the entire holiday season, but I love to cuddle up in a cozy blanket and read a holiday romcom.

🎁What did you love the most?
I love how Joseph combines the hilarious situation of two opposites forced to share a shop space with the mystery subplot of a dubious individual trying to sabotage both shopkeepers' successes. The banter in this one was also very cute, and I couldn’t stop obsessing over the snobby British duo of our MMC’s mother and ex-girlfriend.

🎁 What to expect:
🎄Single POV
🎄Found family of shopkeepers
🎄Opposites attract
🎄Mystery sub-plot
🎄Aristocratic vs. working-class families
🎄Christmas setting

🔥Steam level: open-door

🎁How was the romance?
This book is told from a single POV, and one of my biggest complaints was that we didn’t get the MMC’s POV. I think it would have balanced out this romance storyline a lot more, as I found Annie annoying at times. Despite this, the opposites attract trope was done very well here, and I truly enjoyed the juxtaposition between Annie’s working-class family and Penn’s elite aristocratic lifestyle.

🎁Do you recommend this book?
If you are looking for a very British holiday romance book, definitely snag a copy of “Stuck Together” (it’s also on KU!). There are a lot of British puns and language (which I personally LOVE), so if that’s not your thing, you may not jive with this one.
3.5/5

Annie has again lost her job, and she needs to find a new one quickly because not only does she have rent to pay the holidays are coming up soon and she wants to help her parents. So, she sets out to do just that.
She decided to set up a store front to sell items. She finds herself sharing the storefront with Penn.
The characters were ok, but they just did not connect together for me. The chemistry was between them just did not click.
Thank you NetGalley, Lily Joseph and Bookouture for the copy of Stuck Together. This is my personal review.

When I read what this book was about I knew that I was going to enjoy Stuck Together !

This book had me engaged from the very first chapter, I fell in love with the characters from the very beginning. I also loved the other characters.

I enjoyed the story line and how it all played out, I also liked the little aspect of mystery and I couldn't put down the book until I found out what was going on.

There is a little bit of miscommunication which I don't particularly enjoy in books.

If you are looking for a festive read that will uplift your spirit and make you laugh out loud as much as me or if you are looking for a slow burn romance with a bit of enemies to lovers then I recommend Stuck Together !

*Thankyou NetGalley and Bookouture for providing me this Arc in return for an honest review*

I’ve seen other reviews mentioning the slower start, but I found the setting-up of the shops and the relationships/friendships all very charming. I thought the middle of the book was more lackluster, it felt like an ‘embarrassing moment then fight’ cycle going on for a minute. (The kitchen lunch.. I could’ve died.) And then the lack of communication in the third act conflict is always a downer, but overall, I liked ‘Stuck Together’. I devoured it in one day, the day after halloween, no less. It’s an enjoyable holiday contemporary with plenty of charm. 3.5 stars rounded up!

It is love at first sight, well at least for Annie. Penn and Annie are total opposites. When the storefront is vandalized, Penn offers to share his shop space with Annie. She needs to keep her business going and she accepts Penn’s offer. They never seem to agree on anything. Penn is going home for Christmas and he has to take a girl home with him or his parents will set him up with someone he knows he won’t like. Penn asks Annie for the favor of acting as his girlfriend when he goes home for Christmas. She feels like she owes him a favor, so she agrees. But it turns out to be a big mistake…or does it? How can she possibly be falling for him, they are nothing alike?

Stuck Together, written by author Lily Joseph is a wonderful romantic comedy with plenty of festive cheer. I loved the mystery of tracking down the vandal who destroyed the storefronts. I really enjoyed Annies character, and I loved how she did everything she possibly could to help her parents. This lovely, magical and festive read is one that I recommend.

4.25 stars

This was a cute read from a new to me author, featuring many of the tropes I enjoy such as enemies to lovers, forced proximity, and hidden identity with a UK setting. Even though I don't typically love romance in the third person, this one still felt like you got insight into the characters.

Annie is a working class girl from Newcastle, who has bounced from job to job to make ends meet. She decides to open up a pop up shop in a shopping arcade to sell her mother's overstock of many failed multi-level marketing schemes, and ends up having to share half the space with a pretentious and moody vinyl record seller, Penn. When Penn asks her to pretend to be his girlfriend to get his overbearing mother off his back, Annie realizes that Penn is to the manor born, and feels even more inadequate with her humble background. Much of the plot revolved around their class differences, and the struggle Annie had to help keep her parents afloat, and then we got a slight mystery element when their shop was repeatedly sabotaged. The fellow shop keeps made for colorful side characters but my favorites were the snobbishly over the top duo of Penn's mother Bunny, and her ideal daughter in law candidate, Sophia. I tend to prefer any book with a UK setting, and do think that's a big reason why I enjoyed this one, especially with its holiday time setting even if it wasn't necessarily a holiday book.

Stuck Together, by Lily Joseph
⭐️⭐️⭐️

There was lots going on here - enemies to lovers, fake dating, miscommunication, supporting down-on-their-luck family members… Was it a romcom? Was it a mystery?
The romance was set up so well. Penn and Annie had a proper meet-cute, him playing in a band and them spotting each other across the crowd 👩‍❤️‍👨 it kinda set expectations that she was going to be a little fan, but actually we never hear of him doing a gig again - he just plays guitar with his mates in his shop (while drinking? Unprofesh for someone ‘desperate’ to make a business work).
Annie was an open-book, wearing her heart on her sleeve. The story was her perspective, which made it difficult to know Penn’s thoughts and made their relationship feel very sudden and weird IMO. 
Reading in third person made me feel a bit detached from them, and there was so much going on! The beginning of the story made me expect a feel-good, festive story where Annie was going to become crazy successful and save her family from selling their house. Then a romance, then a mystery, trying to work out who was trolling them and vandalising the store. It became a little confusing as there were so many threads in the story which felt shallow.
It was not as festive as expected, based on the cover, with only the last 75-ish pages being based at Christmas 🎄 Overall it was a pretty easy read and enjoyable, but too much going on at times. 

Thanks @netgalley and Bookouture for the ARC 🫶🏼

this was a super cute read. i enjoyed the banter. a little slow to start but really enjoyed the ending.

I'm really jumping into the Christmas spirit early this year, and this is such a fun Chrismtas rom-com! I love a good friends to lovers, forced proximity, grumpy MMC trope combo. I was also pleasantly surprised to see a little mystery element thrown in also. This is definitely a fun book to add to your Christmas reading list!

Annie has lost another job, with rent to pay, the holidays just around the corner and wanting to support her parents she needs money fast.

When an opportunity opens up to share a shop front and sell her mother's previous pyramid endeavours it's a no-brainer.

But when you don't get on with your shop mate and someone is looking to sabotage your efforts things aren't as easy as they should be.

Annie must fight for her shop her parents and her family home, all while helping her dislikable shop-mate, Penn.

But soon Annie will see that Penn is on her side and working together will lead to a lot more.

This was a cute holiday read, which had two narratives flowing into one. This was told from Annie's point of view, but I would have liked to hear Penn's point of view too.

This was a grumpy meets sunshine, enemies to-lovers romance, with a little bit of mystery added in, overal this was a lovely read.