It offers some mystery to the usual holiday romantic story. I do not know if it would be my first recommendation, but I would recommend to someone who perhaps read more thrillers and wanted to was into a holiday romance. Everything is from Annies perspective and I prefer dual perspective for a love story, just to get a read on both characters.

This was my first ARC read, so thank you to Netgalley, Bookouture and Lily Joseph for giving me the opportunity to read this!

Format: Kindle
Tropes: Forced Proximity (workplace/shopmates); Enemies to Lovers; Opposites Attract; He Falls First; Third Act Breakup; Misunderstanding/Miscommunication; SLOWWW Burn
Setting: Northumberland & Durham County, England

Okay so the character development and introductory story building in the first 60% of the book took a while to hook me... there was little sexual tension or build up to really keep my attention. Once we got to Annie/Penn in Northumberland, I was finally hooked and I really enjoyed reading.

I found myself comparing Annie to Bridget Jones often- in the sense of her constantly judging Penn before giving him the benefit of the doubt and also putting her foot in her mouth/ getting in her own way with his family etc.

I did not anticipate the mystery side story and felt like it was rushed where it was placed. I would have loved more of Penn and Annie and possibly more spice/ relationship development instead.

That being said, I really enjoyed the book overall and think it's a cute, holiday romance. I would definitely recommend.

3.5 ⭐️⭐️⭐️ and 2 🌶️🌶️

Thank you to NetGalley and the author for the ARC in exchange for my review!

I enjoyed this book and it grew on me the more I read it. I found it easy to read and I was excited to see what would happen next, so that was a plus. However, there were moments where I was left wanting more.

It’s a Christmas book in that it takes place during the holidays, but there weren’t enough holiday descriptions in my opinion. I felt like I found myself picturing it in any season for the most part. Also, Annie could be a bit confusing with the things she said and how she felt, some of it didn’t seem to line up well.

I did really enjoy how much Annie cared for her family and would do anything to help them out, as well as how Penn wanted to become independent from his own family and find his own way and financial freedom.

The mystery plot felt a bit out of left field since this is marketed as a romcom, but I love mysteries so I had no issue with it.

Overall I’m glad I read this book and if you’re looking for something nice and easy to read with an enemies to lovers trope, this is right up your alley!

Fun and amusing. Outstanding. I'll be sorry to not have it to read tonight, but couldn't put the book down! I was fully immersed in this from the start… fascinating!

I really enjoyed this book! The characters and the plot are very well written and the story was interesting and thought out well. I would definitely recommend this book to my audience and friends.

In Stuck Together, Annie is embracing her single life by opening a shop that sells the perfect gifts for single women during the holiday season. Meanwhile, Penn, who just wants to run his vintage record store, is under pressure from his family to bring home a suitable girlfriend for Christmas. When Annie and Penn meet, sparks fly—not necessarily the good kind. Despite their differences, they end up sharing a shop space to save on rent. As the holidays approach, Penn asks Annie for a favor that could bring them closer, even as their arguments heat up.

I’d give Stuck Together around 2.5 to 3 stars. I really wanted to enjoy it, especially since I’m a fan of the enemies-to-lovers trope, but I found myself struggling to get into the story. The pacing felt a bit off, and at times it was more confusing than engaging. I usually love watching the tension build between two characters who can’t stand each other, but the chemistry between Annie and Penn didn’t really click for me. While it had its funny moments and potential, it just wasn’t a standout holiday rom-com in my opinion.

2.5 rounded down ⭐ thank you to net galley and bookouture for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

This was a bit of a rollercoaster read for me, the first 30% was a bit slow but I was really anticipating the two main leads to finally interact. I really did enjoy both Penn and Annie as characters and didn't mind the slow burn.

I think the low star rating was due to how much was going on in the story. Felt like I was reading a mystery all of a sudden, it was just a bit too much back and forth for me. I wished we would've gotten more scenes where we saw their feelings towards one another grow as well!

This was still a easy read, I know this looks like a Christmas read but I also think it could be read at any point of the year. I didn't feel like it was overwhelmingly Christmassy which was nice.

first of all, thanks to netgalley and the author for the arc of this book in exchange for an honest review!

this was a little confusing for me, honestly! i don’t entirely know how to rate it. the book is entirely told from annie’s point of view, and at times i wished it weren’t so because it was kiiiind of difficult to get a read on penn, especially because he’s really standoffish & broody when we first meet him so you can’t help but wonder what’s going on inside his head. it’s just hard to connect with him, but as the story progresses, you do definitely get to peel back some of his layers, i wish wished we could’ve seen things from his perspective.

i liked our protagonists just fine! annie was funny & resourceful, though i felt like sometimes her dialogue came out a bit forced? there were some scenes that were definitely meant to be comical but they just didn’t click for me. however, humor is subjective so they may be someone else’s cup of tea 😅

i think my biggest gripe with this book was 1) the third-act break up. i thought it was unnecessary, mostly because i personally hate miscommunication. it really put a damper on my mood! and 2) the unexpected mystery. the book was advertised as a romcom so imagine my surprise when i find myself with a mystery on my hands 😭😭 i don’t know why i simply couldn’t vibe with it or take it seriously?

moreover, the first half of the book was pretty slow but the second half flew by? the pacing was a little weird. the banter between annie & penn felt pretty natural though and overall i did enjoy myself reading this book 🩷

Insta-lust turned sniping stallholders, hunting, fake dating, upper class family drama and a mysterious shop saboteur. There’s a lot going on in ‘Stuck Together’, yet Lily Joseph manages to, well, stick everything together in such an entertaining way.

Annie is tenacious and resourceful. For me, my favourite part was Annie’s journey to creating a purpose in for herself as she learns about running her business. What I also liked is the author subtly weaving in class differences. Annie is from a supportive northern working-class background family, in complete contrast to Penn. I loved Annie and Penn together and appreciated their slow-burn romance as they both overcome their enmity and class prejudices.

I also enjoyed the mystery storyline to throw in more opportunities to force Annie and Penn to work together. However, the weakest part for me was it wasn’t explained well why Penn did a 180 with Annie from when they first met ‘til Annie moving into his shopfront. Also, his parents and ex-girlfriend going from snobby elitist to suddenly supportive didn’t seem believable.

I couldn’t put this book down. It was such a fun, thoroughly enjoyable read which I breezed right through. I look forward to reading more from Lily Joseph (perhaps one with Annie and Penn making a cameo?)

Thanks to Bookouture and NetGalley for the ARC.

This book was a bit slow-paced for me, but I still really enjoyed it. I love the added mystery aspect, and it definitely kept me guessing until the end.

The story is told entirely from Annie’s point of view so it was quite nice to be fully immersed in her mind. It’s an easy read and will be great for people to pick up over Christmas.

The main tropes are:
Slow-burn
Enemies-to-lovers
Forced proximity

So I’d give it a go if you’re a fan of any of these

I received this book for free for an honest review from netgalley.

Sweet and cute. I'm happy I read it for sure

Warning: some spoilers ahead!

I really enjoyed this book. It was funny and the plot was unique! The characters were relatable and made me want to know them. As an American, some of the slang was unfamiliar, but it made it that much more fun to read. My only tiff is that a lot of the meat of the story is in the second half and the first half goes a bit slow.

Speaking of slow, if you like a slow burn, you will LOVE this book. It is quite possibly one of the slowest burns I’ve come across in a single book. Usually there is a lot of tension between the characters before something happens, and while the relationship doesn’t come out of absolute thin air in this book, it felt a tad rushed when it finally happened.

All in all, I think this is a cheeky, fun read with relatable problems and characters. I would recommend this to a fan of romances!

3.5 stars! (There should be a half star rating system. It's important!)

Stuck Together was a fun read with some mystery, some laughs, and some spice!
I loved the FMC's parents. They were so cute and wholly supportive of her. I enjoyed getting to know the characters. The MMC had so many layers to discover! The FMC was resourceful and creative.
Even all the side characters were great.
I liked the MMC more than the FMC, for sure.
The mystery was interesting! I definitely had a few different theories on who the culprit was! Although nothing about this book suggested there was a mystery in the plot, it was a fun surprise.
I didn't love the self-sacrificing breakup. Never was a fan of those. Be selfish, people!
The epilogue was great! I love a detailed epilogue when the story is thoroughly wrapped up! We got an update on all the characters, and it was a sweet HEA.
Overall, a cute story. I definitely enjoyed reading it!

Thanks to NetGalley, the author and publishers for the ARC!

Thank you Netgalley and Bookouture for my #gifted ARC.

This book took me by surprise. It was an entertaining Enemies to lovers that was so angsty I wondered at one point how they would cross over into the "lovers" space.

Annie and Penn meet in a bar one night and are brought back together with a business opportunity. It's a new spin on forced proximity where they share space in a retail mall to each run their own retail stores in one space. The shared space doesn't go over smoothly and they're constantly battling to see how much they can annoy each other - which makes for a funny story.

I love a good scrappy FMC and Annie was just that. She was funny and resourceful and fighting not only to support herself, but to save her family home as well. The lengths she went to sell her goods and be successful were fantastic.

Penn was quiet and broody but full of depth when you peeled back his layers. I loved the time they spent with his family and seeing his background.

I don't want to spoil anything, but there is an unexpected "found family" in the story that I enjoyed!

I read this in Netgalley but used the "read aloud" feature and chose a British voice for the reading. The whole time I kept thinking I hope they're working on the audio for this story as it would make for an entertaining listen, especially with the right reader.

Romance content: a couple open door scenes and adult sensual products are discussed. Language

A lovely Christmas read about two people who end up sharing a shop and seemingly have absolutely nothing in common especially when one of them comes from an entirely different backgrounds. This is very enjoyable and even most of the more opinionated characters have their redeeming sides.

A fake Christmas romance! How cute! The mystery storyline? That felt a bit forced. I thought I would enjoy it more. I enjoyed it enough, it was fine. Not my favorite.

Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️
Spice Level: 1/5

Firstly, thanks to NetGallery for this ARC with an exchange of my honestly review. I enjoyed this book and actually really enjoyed the wee banter and hatred Annie and Penn had towards each other. It's lovely to see exactly how opposite attract.

🎸🎄🎸🎄🎸

✔️ enemies to lovers
✔️ forced proximity
✔️ fake dating

🎸🎄🎸🎄🎸


Hmm I didn't give it fully 5 stars because of a couple things. I think the beginning of the book really dragged on a bit.. I didn't really necessarily believe this needed to be a 370 page book. Maybe 300 would've been fine. I felt like beginning half of the book was very repetitive. And one of the other reason why I didn't give it the full 5 stars because the "third-act break up" really really confused me? Why the hell would Annie think Penn would get their shop burglarised 😂 it's a bit of a reach. I think Annie can be a bit annoying at times like there are so many times Penn's just helping but she gets mad????? All because she thinks Penn thinks her as a small town poor girl???? Ughhh I can't talk about this. Oh yeah, it also felt out of nowhere that Penn and Annie got together as I got an impression they have nothing in common 🙊 done now xxxx

🎸🎄🎸🎄🎸

Annie has just gotten fired from her job and needs a new one fast. She sees an advertisement for a popup shop and gets the idea to sell the products her mom has stockpiled over the years from various mlm companies.
Penn wants a life that he can have separate from his family. He just wants to enjoy playing guitar and selling records.
They both end up sharing the shop, but things quickly go downhill. They come from complete opposite backgrounds and quickly turn into enemies. Will they ever get passed their differences?

Overall, I enjoyed the story. It is advertised as a romcom, so I was a little disappointed that it was more of a mystery romance. Once I realized I was reading an entirely different type of book, I was able to enjoy it more. There were bits of the story that I believe the author meant to be comical, but for me, they fell flat. I feel like this book could be divided into two different stories, one being a mystery and the other a romcom. I definitely was more intrigued by the mystery plotline, and with it being what the majority of the book was about, I did stay engaged. I would recommend this to readers that like whodunit's with a side of romance.

Thank you, Bookouture, for allowing me to read an advanced copy via NetGalley in return for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Having been fired from her waitressing gig for hurling a drink at a Rugby wanker’s lap, Annie is in need of a new job fast. The holidays are around the corner and her rent is due. When she comes across an add for a pop up space rental she sees it as the perfect opportunity to sell the eclectic mix of products her mom is hoarding in her old room from past multilevel marketing schemes.

Penn just wants to sell vintage records and meet a nice girl. But with Christmas sneaking up on him, he’s feeling the pressure from his uppity parents to bring a girl home. Not looking forward to being set up with someone his parents deem “suitable” he needs to find someone fast who will fill in to be his fake girlfriend.

The two meet when they go to look at the pop up retail space that becomes available to rent. In order to save money on the rent they agree to split the space. What could go wrong? Too bad they’re polar opposites.

Annie was a hoot! She was very witty, resourceful, and quirky. The story is told entirely from her POV, and I enjoyed being in her head. Her parents were lovely and a true support system. They don’t judge her for not having her life together, rather they encourage to keep trying new things. Sales aren’t what she hoped they would be, but when she finds a box of premium, hard to buy sex toys her luck changes.

Penn is a brooder. In fact, when Annie first moves in to her side of the shop he’s quite standoffish. At first he gives off major hipster vibes. You know the type. The kind of guy who will say a band is too mainstream to be any good. Because the story is told from Annie’s POV, it’s hard to get a read on him at the start of the book. He’s aloof and closes himself off from Annie and the rest of the store owners on the strip. Because of this it was harder to connect with him at first. I did warm up to him as we got to see more of his character.

When he asks for her help to be his fake girlfriend to stop his stuck up parents from continuing to set him up with women they deem appropriate, sparks begin to fly. They were cute together as they began to learn more about each other. There’s some miscommunication along the way that’s a bit contrived, but that’s handled quickly enough. Then we get that “I’m doing this for your own good” trope, which to be honest isn’t my favorite because it takes away the person’s autonomy in making their own decisions. I also think his snobby family makes an about face regarding their relationship a little too quickly, but all in all, I enjoyed the book. It didn’t reinvent the wheel, but it was still a fun read if you’re in the mood for something light.