Many thanks to NetGalley & the Publisher for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This was a cute vacation read. I love forced proximity tropes and this certainly delivered. It was easy to get into, but it did start to drag a bit in the middle, so the pacing is a bit off. I'm not sure the insta-love was convincing, but it was still entertaining.

This was a fun, lighthearted romcom. Not very romance heavy but I did enjoy the friendship aspect and vacation vibes.

I struggled with the pacing of this book; the beginning felt slow but the ending was rushed. There were things that happened in the beginning that just felt unnecessary to the plot. Also, the chemistry between the FMC and MMC felt surface level and a little instalove.

While this wasn't a perfect book by any means, I still enjoyed it!

Thank you to NetGalley for the free ARC in exchange for an honest review.

An easy read that would be perfect for by the pool. This isn’t the best book that I’ve read by this author but it was still good. I just found the pettiness between the boys and the girls got a bit much for me and felt that the end was very rushed.

☀️ Too Hot to Handle by Portia MacIntosh

Molly’s best friend Lou is marrying one of the greatest men on earth 🥰… but Molly? She’s newly single after realizing her boyfriend was a total dud. When disaster strikes Lou’s wedding plans and Molly has a work mishap, she ends up spending two weeks in sunny Spain with Lou and their friends, Nita and Willow. Sounds like a dream, right? 🌴✨

Except… when they arrive at their gorgeous villa, they find a group of guys already there! And neither group is willing to leave. Let the chaos begin! 🤯🔥

This book had me cackling—the competition between the two groups was so petty but so hilarious 😂. The pranks, the banter, the drama—it was all chef’s kiss 👌.

And let’s talk about Molly & Travis… the chemistry was sizzling! 🔥 From their flirty back-and-forth to the deeper convos, I was rooting for them the whole way. Every character (except Dean, obviously 🙄) was fun, relatable, and felt like real people you’d want to be friends with.

Huge thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC! 💖📖

What a cute book! Molly and the rest of the cast of characters were all delightful to read about not to mention very relatable. Perfect sweet and spicy summer read!

This was my first Portia MacIntosh read and I loooooooved it! I will definitely be reading more from her. It was cute, quirky and just a really fun read.

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher Boldwood books for gifting me an early copy of Too Hot To Handle

It tells the story of Molly who is her best friend’s bridesmaid and they all go to Spain a week before her wedding. The thing is there is been a double booking and a group of guys is also there.

I found it nice and easy to read it. However I also found it a bit too childish. I don’t know if it was the tone or just the concept, but I didn’t really like this aspect of the story.

I would give it 3 stars.

Molly's best friend is getting married and she is most definitely nor, in fact she's pretty much sworn off men. Her job looks dubious, she's worried about being left behind and then disaster strikes when the villa they've booked for Lou's hen party is double booked and they arrived to find a group of lads.

This was really slow to start - felt a little bit like too many back details were being forced in but by the end I couldn't put it down and HAD to know how it ended!
The characters are fun - and it's nice to read a book where they come from a northern town that isn't Manchester!

The ending is exactly what I wanted it to be too!

I thought this was such a cute book! I really loved Molly and the boys and girls groups, it was a little rushed for my liking but still a really good book, it’s reminiscent of love island and I loved that’s aspect, this book just really makes you want to go on vacation though!

Thank you to NetGalley and Boldwood Books for the eARC.

What happens when a villa in Spain is double-booked by both a bacherlorette and a stag party? Since neither party is willing to give up their holiday they decide to share the villa and compete for the right to stay.
This was a lighthearted, entertaining summer-read with a bit of a romance thrown in. The books starts a bit slow and I thought the pranks they played each other at first were a bit over the top but then the book kind of grew on me. I really liked seeing the relationship between Molly and Trevor develop. I felt the ending seemed a bit rushed (the whole biking to the venue thing just kind of evaporates) but other than that it was an entertaining summer read - perfect for a beach holiday.

A Fun and Breezy Vacation Romance!

"Too Hot to Handle" by Portia McIntosh is the perfect feel-good vacation read!
From the very first page, I was effortlessly connecting with the story and the key protagonist. McIntosh has a way of making her main characters feel so real and relatable, as if you’re stepping into their shoes and experiencing everything alongside them. The witty banter between them feels so natural and reminds me of conversations I have with my own friends, making the story even more enjoyable.
The romance is built up beautifully, with just the right amount of tension and chemistry to keep you rooting for the couple. And of course, the happy ending leaves you smiling—just as a great romance novel should! But what sets this book apart is that it's not just about love; it’s genuinely funny too! McIntosh has a way of weaving humor into her stories that makes them a joy to read.
If you're looking for a lighthearted, entertaining book to take on your next vacation, this is it! Pack it in your suitcase, head to the beach, and get ready for a delightful escape.

A big thank you to Boldwood Books, Net Galley and the author for my complimentary copy of this book !

The ideal beach read for the year! Started off slowly but then I was completely charmed by it. Sweet and spicy and takes place in Spain - what more could anyone ask for?

I hate to say it. It’s the first portia book I didn’t really enjoy. It could easily have been a dnf.
It felt much younger. I love her books because I identify with the characters - this felt like teenagers/ early twenties.
It still had some amusing moments, it just wasnt the one.
Also when hair is wet the shampoo smells comes out even more!

Thank you for the opportunity to read this book early, NetGalley.

I don’t like DNFing books, because I know that each book was a labor of love for the author, but I got about 35% through this book and I couldn’t get into it. It definitely has the great makings of a romcom, but maybe I just found it too unrealistic? It was a mix of Bridesmaids and Love Island, which I liked, but I couldn’t relate to any characters and found myself getting frustrated with how the characters dealt with the situations they were in.

This is a really cute story that was a good way to kick off summer reads! I read it all in one day so I feel like it went by pretty quickly but that could have been due to my pace. I enjoyed Molly but wish we got to learn a bit more about her other than her breakup.

What a super fun read!

It’s got major love island vibes and really speaks to my competitive nature. I like how even though it’s 1st POV you still feel very involved with the whole group.

I will say romance plays a B role in this novel. Travis and Molly are super cute but friendship and fun take up most of the content. This is okay bc I feel like the book is good. I found myself chuckling during multiple scenes.

What happens when nostalgic Y2K romcom vibes meet a group of girls going on a two week getaway to Spain? You get Too Hot To Handle. When Molly, and overworking romantic, joins her friends for a two week getaway for her best friend's wedding, absolutely nothing goes to plan. What begins as an escape from her everyday life quickly turns to chaos and junkfood.

While I felt this book was had some unrealistic elements, it was such a cozy read! I loved most of the characters, but it's evident that not all characters were meant to be likeable. Molly was very relatable and had such great inner monologuing. There was definitely some fourth wall breaking going on, but it wasn't over the top.

This is my first book written by McIntosh and I felt as if the book was written in such a way that it felt as if you were there with the characters. I was able to picture what I felt the villa looked like, a mix of what would be my ideal villa set up mixed with various features of the property.

I am so glad and thankful to have received this book as an ARC and have read it. I would recommend this book as a fun summer read. Something to read lounging by a pool, perhaps at a villa on your own getaway. I wish there was a bit more closure of some of the characters in the final chapter, or maybe a bit more of the story when it came to the second week of the planned vacation. Either way, the main character had a good rounding out to her story. I plan, and look forward, to reading more books by this author.

𝓞𝓷𝓮 𝓫𝓪𝓬𝓱𝓮𝓵𝓸𝓻𝓮𝓽𝓽𝓮 𝓹𝓪𝓻𝓽𝔂. 𝓞𝓷𝓮 𝓼𝓽𝓪𝓰 𝓭𝓸. 𝓞𝓷𝓮 𝓭𝓸𝓾𝓫𝓵𝓮-𝓫𝓸𝓸𝓴𝓮𝓭 𝓿𝓲𝓵𝓵𝓪 𝓪𝓷𝓭 𝓸𝓷𝓵𝔂 𝓸𝓷𝓮 𝔀𝓪𝔂 𝓽𝓸 𝓭𝓮𝓬𝓲𝓭𝓮 𝔀𝓱𝓸 𝓰𝓮𝓽𝓼 𝓲𝓽: 𝓪 𝓬𝓸𝓶𝓹𝓮𝓽𝓲𝓽𝓲𝓸𝓷.

I really liked the concept of this book, basically a villa gets double booked and there’s competition between the ladies and the gentlemen in who gets to stay at the villa. This is a rom-com book with funny situations and it was lighthearted and fun.

I did enjoy the romance and the chemistry between the MMC and FMC. I liked the side characters too and the friendship dynamic of the ladies!

I did find the pacing a little slow and I found that some statements were repetitive like brining up a fair few times that the guys were annoying or how much Dean was an asshole (FMC’s ex).

*thank you NetGalley for an arc in exchange for on honest review.

this was such a cute, funny story!! definitely meant to be read on a beach, by a pool, or on vacation, but alas, it’s March and 25 degrees where I live. it was a needed reminder that warmer days are coming 😭


*spoilers maybe?*


Travis and Molly are so cute from beginning to end. they fit perfectly together and their personalities, little quips back and forth, and general conversation are so sweet and pure, i love them to bits 🥹

the characters as a whole are hysterical, the banter was 10/10, and i laughed through the whole book. The Love Island references were top tier and made the whole book that much better. a great summer romance, 10/10 💛

Thanks for the ARC!

The book had a slow start, but once I reached the halfway point, I couldn’t put it down. It’s fun, charming and would be an ideal summer read! This was my first book by the author, and I really liked it. The writing was clever, and the characters were engaging and relatable.

If you’re a Love Island fan, you’ll definitely enjoy this one! I’m excited to read more from this author.