I did not finish this book. I had a very hard time liking this book due to Teo’s character. I’ve read stories with arrogant main characters who redeem themselves later on but Teo is beyond arrogant. He’s selfish and cruel in how he speaks to Sara. He claims it’s just honesty but I wasn’t able to continue this book thinking that Sara would overlook such awful statements later in the story.

I found the characters, especially Teo, really difficult to like, and for me it's important to enjoy the characters I'm reading. The writing was also very rigid, almost as if translated by computer rather than human effort. Unfortunately I couldn't get further than 5% into this book.

I just couldn't get in to the story at all. The writing was good, but I didn't connect with the characters or the storyline. So I had to give up! I'd read another by Anna Zarlenga, but this one wasn't for me.

Thanks to Aria for the ARC!

I apologize that I wasn't able to write my feedback before the pub date.
I didn't enjoy this read. After 10 chapters, I realized that I still wasn't in love with the main characters, so I never finished it. This story is very similar to other books I've read before, and even though I love clichés, this time was just too much for me... Maybe it's a good book for new readers or people who reeeeeally enjoy clichés... But, as someone who reads lots of romances, I was hoping for something that would surprise me and always remind me of these characters. And it didn't happen. I'm so sorry.

I had to DNF this at about 30%. Originally, I declined to give feedback but thinking further on it, I feel it's important to share what did not work for me (here on NetGalley only; I'm not sharing this to Goodreads). The translation is not very good, and the level of animosity between the two leads is staggeringly abrasive. I'm a big fan of a solid, rough-start enemies-to-lovers, but this was to the point that I couldn't' stand the male lead. He did nothing to pull readers' sympathy or emotional investment. He was incredibly pessimistic and nasty toward the female lead and was trying to sabotage his friend's wedding day. I can factor in that Italian culture embraces and dances with a different idea of masculinity and a more aggressive amorous approach, but this should have been factored into this book's marketability to a US audience, and into its translation.

This was an okay read for me. Had the enemies to lovers trope but the Teo did not treat Sara with the respect women deserve and that was a major downer for me.

Not exactly what I expected, it was a cute read though.The characters were ok, I couldn't connect with them!I didn't like the hero at all.The heroine was strong and smart!She was the only reason I gave this story 3 stars!

I'm afraid this was a DNF from me - the male MC was too overblown and unlikeable and there wasn't a redemptive arc strong enough to make his storyline believable.

DNF :( Plot and characters left a lot to be desired. There was nothing interesting or new being told her and the translation (I hope it is a translation issue) made the writing feel like it had no flow at all.

I only got to about 20% on this read. Just couldn't engage with these characters at all.

Many thanks to NetGalley, the author, and the publisher for my ARC. All opinions are my own.

This was a DNF for me as I struggled to engage with the lead characters. After multiple attempts I had to give up because it just wasn't drawing me in :(

Maybe this story was lost in translation. DNF

I seriously can’t imagine Teo is anyone’s type. Boy, does he think he’s wonderful. He is an immature narcissist. Maybe some think it’s a funny thing that he snored through the marriage ceremony of his best friend?

Every now and then, I request a romance to break up my chosen preference of thrillers. There are times that I’m pleasantly surprised; they are clever or not full of cliches. This wasn’t that time.

It’s unfortunate because Sara is a decent character who I actually liked. I just can’t see how, based on how she’s written, she would fall for the “charms” of this complete jerk??

The writing and dialogue didn’t work for me. I can’t imagine a woman listening to his put downs and not slapping him in the face. I kept waiting for her to at least throw a drink in his face!

The ratings on this are all over the place and again maybe it’s the translation or a cultural thing but this was not for me. Please give it a try if you think it sounds interesting, different strokes and all...

Thanks to NetGalley, the author and Aria for a copy in exchange for a review.

1 stars
This was a DNF for me. It was written as if it was one on google translate. I kept asking myself why the writing was so stiff and non engaging. I could not get through 20 percent of this book.

Unfortunately this was a DNF for me. I really tried but I couldn’t do it.
My main issue was with the writing, I’m not sure if it was a translation issue (Italian to English) or if that’s just the authors style, either way it just wasn’t for me.

I tried this book but was unable to engage with it as the characters were not engaging at all for me.

This was very bad attempt for a book to be funny and interesting. the author tried way to hard and I lost interest at once.

3.5★s
Not My Type is a romance novel by Italian author, Anna Zarlenga. They first encounter one another at a wedding that neither really wanted to attend: his best friend, her sister. He’s so rude and she’s so scathing, it’s a surprise they somehow end up kissing, but both are happy never to meet again.

When thirty-two-year-old Teodoro Pagani (Teo) goes to “work” at his father’s production company, it’s quickly evident that he’s lazy, a total freeloader. And from every word that erupts from his mouth, it’s clear he’s an immature, self-centred, arrogant womaniser. Doubtless his good looks are a factor. But it seems his father is well aware of his parasitic nature, and is demanding change with the threat of disinheritance.

Dr Sara Doria is thirty, a little dumpy, and on the path to a professorship, if she can only impress the right people at the Uni. She’s clearly intelligent: a lecturer in semiotics and well-respected by her colleagues. But when Professor Costa is around, her hormones seem to take over, and she regularly agrees to doing work for which he takes the credit, much to the disgust and despair of her closest colleague.

Sara is mightily displeased to find Teo in her latest class. Teo is instantly a disruptive influence and their ensuing confrontation ends in a proposition that Sara finds equally displeasing, followed by a demonstration of kneeball. Will the macarons he later brings as a tempter result in an agreement of sorts? Is he asking her out simply because he can’t stand being rejected?

Initially, this is definitely a light-weight romance. There are a few little twists and a fairly predictable happy-ever-after, although Narlenga does give her characters a few insightful observations: “…in some ways doubt is comforting. If you live in doubt you at least imagine you might have had a chance. Maybe that’s better than going for it and realising that you have no hope.' 'But what if by living in doubt we miss our chance for happiness?'” and “it’s one thing to suspect something and another to be sure of it. With suspicion there is always the hope you could be wrong. But from certainty, there is no escape” are examples.

Her characters are a little stereotypical; in particular, Teo comes across almost as a caricature of the vain, superficial playboy. Towards the end, Sara tells him: “I was stupid to trust you. A peacock does not become a swan overnight, not even in fairy tales” though she does note that his being “so free of inhibitions, so irreverent and instinctive” was an attraction. But the reader hoping for some major character-building transformation for Teo with have to trust from the epilogue that it happened as this is never really described.

Perhaps it loses some of its charm in translation, because it does seem to be rated higher by Italian-speaking readers than English-speaking ones. Or perhaps there’s a disconnect between the Continental mindset and the English one. The blurb is a little misleading, but this is ultimately short and fairly frivolous romance ideal for a holiday read.
This unbiased review is from an uncorrected proof copy provided by NetGalley and Aria Books

This is the first book I've read from this author. I don't really enjoy books that are written in the first person, but wanted to give it a fair shot. Definitely not one of my favorites, but I found it to be okay.
Sara is an average, a little overweight and awkward. Teo is a self-absorbed narcissist.
These two HATE each other from their initial meeting at the wedding of Sara's sister and Teo's best friend. Teo is brutally honest with Sara, which sets off her temper. They'll go through a lot of arguments and misunderstandings before they realize they are perfect for each other.
Thank you Anna Zarlenga, Aria and NetGalley for allowing me this advance copy in exchange for my honest feedback.

Many thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for a free ARC of this ebook to review.
Other reviewers have given their précis of the story, and I have nothing to add to their impesssions. Sad to say I found nothing of merit in this book. The characters were irredeemably shallow, the dialogue forced and the jolting pace of alternating character prespective weak. I struggled to reach the end of this book and was very glad when I did. I won't be looking out for any more of this authors work, and wouldn't recommend it either.

Oddly, the book is written in first person from the viewpoints of both the main characters, Sara and Teo, alternating chapters. I had a difficult time following in some cases and had to go back a few paragraphs to remember who was who. The storyline, set in Italy, is a classic of hate/dislike to love. Teo is not an easy character to warm up too, a little too chauvinistic for my taste. But the last third of the book seemed to pick up speed and though I expected a happily-ever-after ending, I found myself flipping pages with more enjoyment.