This book is a frenemies to lovers with lots of sarcasm. Love at First Fight is just so light, fun and enjoyable! I adored the duality of perspectives as we could see Ben and Birdie's perspectives on their relationship and it allowed for a more dynamic read. The book following Cal and Hattie was a little confusing, it distract from the main story. Although I understand that they were used as a plot device to allow the main characters to come together. I love this lighthearted rom-com, all the characters were so cute.

This was my first Baker novel and I'm a little torn on how to review it. I loved the UK verbiage and patterns of speech so much and felt she nailed the world-building and character development. The banter was fun, flirty, more friends with ruffled feathers than enemies-to-lovers, and created a strong bond between all the characters. Where my issue comes in is the plot-line/drama. I wanted more Bridie and Ben (who I called Birdie the entire time because as a US English speaker Bridie isn't a word/name and my mind kept trying to make it something more "normal" for me, I guess) and less Cal and Hattie drama. The relationship and push and pull of Bridie and Ben was so much more dynamic and smoother/more natural than the made for tv drama of Cal and Hattie, which felt forced in there to add angst. It changed it from a really good NA rom-com novel to a daytime drama series. (think soap operas here in the US) I will give Baker another go because it may just be that this particular book wasn't my thing and I do truly enjoy her characters and sense of humor.

To start off, Love at First Fight is an ‘enemies to lovers’ book about two childhood-friends/more-than-friends. It’s a trope that I’m obsessed with, so to say that I was excited to read about enemies having to work together on their mutual friends’ wedding would be quite the understatement.

Bridie Morgan and Ben Kemp used to be childhood friends turned into something more-than in their late teens, at least until the incident their last school year. Ever since that incident, they’ve been at each other’s throats like cats and dogs, or at least Bridie has been. But after a year away from home, Ben returns to find that his little brother is in quite the serious relationship with Bridie’s best friend. To Ben’s delight and Bridie’s horror, they’ve been assigned the roles of best-man and maid-of-honor.

The relationships between Bridie and her friends are hilarious. They – Bridie, Hattie and Cal – were fun to read about. Especially the relationship between Bridie and Cal. I loved how they all seemed so close, almost like family. But this is not just the three/four of them, but with the other friends, and Pete of course, to complete the group. They were all fun to read about together, especially as each other’s co-conspirators. The banter between Bridie and Ben was probably my favorite thing about this book.

However, I was honestly a bit disappointed after I finished this book. Maybe I went into this with high expectations. But when started reading this book, I was ready to really fall in love with it.
As an enemies-to-lovers fan, the bantering and teasing is my absolute favorite thing to read. But with Bridie, I couldn’t help but feel bad for Ben. Ben really seemed to consider her his friend, and his teasing was always good-humored. But Bridie didn’t consider Ben as her friend. So her ‘teasing’, at times, came off really harsh and mean-spirited. At times, she sounded downright mean to him.
What really bothered me about this book, is the fact that there’s basically a second book woven into the story of Bridie and Ben. And that’s the story of Hattie and Cal. However much I liked reading about them, it started to frustrate me the more they appeared. With that, I mean having their own chapters throughout this book. I felt like I saw too much of them in this story to consider this a Bridie and Ben story. Hattie and Cal’s relationship woes/drama seemed to become the center of this book, and it was not what I was expecting. What I expected was more of Bridie and Ben’s relationship and their own drama, and less of Hattie and Cal. It felt like I got a 2-in-1 deal that I was completely unaware of. Hattie and Cal could’ve and/or should’ve gotten their own story, instead of forcing Bridie and Ben to share the spotlight with them. Their drama dominated the last 20% of this book, which I unfortunately skimmed because the frustration had gotten so bad, and made it a slow read for me.

It would’ve been nice/considerate to share the importance of Hattie and Cal’s drama in the blurb. Because what I expected was not what I read about.
I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

After really enjoying The Runaway Bride earlier this year I simply couldn't resist returning to Mary Jayne Baker's writing; especially since her newest story promises to deliver the 'enemy to lover' trope I tend to enjoy when done right. I've been looking forward to Love At First Fight ever since, and I'm still surprised myself I ended up struggling with this story instead of having a great time with it... But there were various reasons why this story and me simply weren't ment to be.

First of all I do have to say that I did like the general idea behind Love At First Fight (or at least Bridie and Ben's story), and the story started out well enough. I always love the banter that comes with the 'enemy to lover' trope, and there was definitely plenty of that in the beginning. The 20 dates Bridie forces herself to go on were fun to read about, and most of the characters were easy to like initially. BUT. I can't say this story is actually properly an 'enemy to lover' story as the two characters are not really enemies in the first place. Friends with a grudge maybe (and only in Bridie's case), but fullblown enemies? Most definitely not. And the whole friends and family teaming up to show them they love each other all along was getting old fast too.

I also still don't understand why the story lost focus on Bridie and Ben and introduced a major pet peeve with Hattie and Cal's story instead. I hate stories with a cheating element and the way it was introduced and milked out in Love At First Fight was just cringeworthy. I also thought there was just way too much drama and insecurity going on especially in the second half, and the ending felt rushed after all that sudden cliche drama going on. Not credible, not entertaining to read, and it basically ruined the story for me. A sole focus on Bridie and Ben and more banter would probably have improved things considerably, but as it is the story turned out to be a dud for me. Such a shame, as it started out so well!

I wasn’t too sure how much I’d enjoy this one, even though the premise sounded fun, but I am so glad I decided to give it a try; this was so much fun! I definitely had LOL moments and I couldn’t stop reading it; I had to rush to the end to see what happened. The love hate trope was done very well and the meddlers were hilarious. There was just enough roadblocks to keep it interesting, but fixed speedily enough to not get annoyed. And then, plot twist problem! Highly recommended!

Thank you NetGalley and Aria and Aries for the eARC for review!

_____

"I love it when a plan comes together, don't you?"

Ben broke Bridie's heart 10 years ago, and her love life has been cursed ever since. She gives herself 20 dates in 20 days to find her perfect man before she resigns herself to lifelong single-dom. But with her best friend getting engaged to Ben's brother, Cal, and her and Ben picking up the mantles of Maid of Honour and Best Man, she's seeing a lot more of Ben than she'd like. Of course, everyone else can see the two have long-hidden feelings for each other, so the wedding party - minus Ben and Bridie themselves - devise a plan to get the two back together once and for all.

Love at First Fight was.... cute. It had a lot of potential. I love brit-lit, and the cast of characters, when we saw them, was fun. Bridie and Ben had great banter, and there were definitely some laugh out loud moments.

But the book quickly lost its course. What could have been a really great enemies-to-lovers dual POV romance spiralled into an overdramatic and unnecessary side-plot focus by the end.

SPOILERS.

I wanted to follow Bridie and Ben on their journey from frenemy "exes" to sickeningly in love. But the love part came way way too fast, with "I Love You's" flying around before the two even get back together, and their drama resolved 75% into the book. After that, the book shots focus to Cal and Hattie, the bride and groom, and some random drama that added nothing to our main story.

We didn't need the Hattie / Cal and company POV additions. I firmly believe the story would have been tighter had we focused more on Ben and Bridie. Obviously b and c-plots are okay - and welcomed! - but once our a-plot was resolved, the rest just felt like noise.

Also, I feel like Baker could have toned down the casual sexism. There's even a scene where Ben asks if Cal has a vagina because Cal wanted to get a rock massage for his bachelor party. It didn't sit right with me, especially considering Baker was so good at shutting it down later when Bridie and Ben talk about their distaste for marriage, how outdated the traditions are.

Overall, this is a quick read, has nice writing, and good characters, but the plot fell a little flat.

Note: I was generously provided an ARC by Netgalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions expressed are my own.

Man, did this book remind me of how much I love Much Ado About Nothing. I mean I kinda almost forgot that I went through a <I> major </I> phase where I was obsessed (partially due to the YouTube web series "Nothing Much To Do" and having studied the play in school). And this does a great job of maintaining so much of the heart of the story - frankly, Benedick (or in this case Ben) and Beatrice's (Bridie) relationship and banter. Add in a wedding, a 'Sten' party, quintessential British humour (I mean you've got quotes like "I bloody knew it. You've been at it like a soon-to-be-disgraced MP, haven't you?") and the Love Gods are back in business.

Although I have to say, it was an interesting twist to see what they did with Hattie and Cal - kind of flipping the story on its head, but certainly in a way that still made sense. And hell, made Cal/Claudio a lot more likeable.

I really had fun reading this retelling. Mary Jayne Baker brings these characters to life in the 21st century and it's phenomenal reading as the characters get themselves caught up in a bunch of trouble. This is a great read, regardless of if you've read or watched Much Ado About Nothing before.

It is no secret that I love enemies to lovers books and this is one that I read in under 24 hours. It would have been one sitting, if I hadn’t slept in the middle of it! It isn’t full enemies to lovers, as Ben was not aware they were enemies, but I still enjoyed it regardless. This is a lighthearted romcom book that was very enjoyable.

Bridie was a funny character who has never really had a successful date, so she has a last ditch effort and does twenty dates in twenty dates to either find the one, or prove to herself that love doesn’t really exist. Hattie, her best friend, and roommate, is dating one of her old friends Cal, brother to her nemesis, Ben Kemp. Bridie blames Ben for causing her love life to be almost non-existent after he stood her up after their leaver’s prom. Once Hattie and Cal get engaged, Bridie and Ben have to spend more time alone together planning their joint hen and stag do, as they are both the maid of honour and best man. This of course causes a lot of tension and banter between the two characters, which I adored.

‘There’s no one in the world for me but you. You have to believe that.’

This book was interesting because it was told mainly from the perspective of Bridie and Ben, but Hattie and Cal had their own perspectives, and their own story. I was more invested in Bridie and Ben’s story as Hattie and Cal’s gave me a lot of stress towards the end. There was a lot of scheming from the characters in this book, to encourage Bridie and Ben to realise they actually loved each other, and didn’t hate each other, and I thought the way they went about it was clever and also quite fun. I loved the dynamic between the characters and the way Bridie and Ben’s relationship developed.

Love at First Fight was the perfect binge-read romcom for Summer. I recommend it if you want something lighthearted and addictive!

I throughly enjoyed this one! It was such a cute and lighthearted rom-com read.

Ive been on a bit of a fantasy binge the last few months so this book was such a refreshing change and turns out it was just what I needed ... I think i was in a bit of a fantasy burnout!

Love at first fight is a frenemies to lovers kinda read with banter to have you laughing out loud, cute romance (actually two) & meddling friends ... it reminded me of one of those Cheesy hallmark movies (In a good way!)

Overall, just what I needed at the time .. light, fun and enjoyable! One of those pick-me-up kinda books!

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for an eARC of this one in exchange for an honest review.

Great lighthearted summer read! Cute and fun! I loved the characters and the romance was beautiful to see develop.

This was a fun little enemies to lovers romance. I loved the side characters too and loved the friend group's antics. Some of the typical miscommunication tropes existed, but I wasn't mad at them! Pretty sure this is being marketed as a "if you loved The Hating Game, you'll love this," and I agree they feel similar in vain, but THG reins.

What a fun book!

I’m a sucker for a reformed bad boy, and this is exactly what you’ll get when the town playboy, Ben, realizes his feelings for the girl he let go over a decade ago.

There was laughter, friendship, and several tender moments. Suspense even came into play when the secondary characters ended up in a quandary of their own. I’m not used to friends of the main characters having their own chunk of a story like this, but it really worked here and was quite enjoyable!

If you are looking for a light, fun read that’s hard to put down, this is for you.

Thanks to Netgalley for providing me this ARC in exchange for a review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Pᴇʀғᴇᴄᴛ ʙᴏᴏᴋ ғᴏʀ sᴜᴍᴍᴇʀ
This is a light quick read that will refresh your mind and give you lots of laugh and love

Sᴜᴍᴍᴀʀʏ
Ben and Bridie have been mortal enemies since forever, And with a 10year old grudge plus hearts that don’t believe in love
Will they ever be able to realize their feelings for one another hidden underneath the hatred?

Eᴠᴀʟᴜᴀᴛɪᴏɴ
Enemies to lovers is my always troupe so I knew I’ll love this one before I read it and can we give a big up for the cover design because hands up 🙌🏼 it’s beautiful 😍 and I love it.

My favorite thing about this book is that there was no dragging fights like all fights were solved between hours or less than 3 days.

My favorite characters were Hattie and Cal of course they stole the whole show and I love them for being so supportive and loving
#thethingswedoforfriends

As much as I loved this one, I hated the ex girlfriend part because I’m tired of the evil ex- girlfriend situation in every room-com

Rᴀᴛɪɴɢs
I’ll rate this one 4🌟 because It gave lots of laugh

Rᴇᴄᴏᴍᴍᴇɴᴅᴀᴛɪᴏɴ
This is a rom-com, if you are expecting a plot twist, something new then this isn’t the book for you.
Anyone who enjoys rom-com especially Mary jayne’s last book Meet me at the lighthouse will definitely love this one

Thank you to NetGalley for giving me this eArc copy in exchange of an honest review 🤍

This was a fun, quick read but I did struggle to connect with the book in the beginning. The story is a fun idea but I really wasn’t invested in Bridie as a character.

Love at First Fight is a freshly modern frenemies-to-lovers take on Shakespeare’s Much Ado About Nothing… full of love, miscommunications, hidden identities, and scheming!

Bridie is a late-20s something who is tired of dating and has become cynical to the idea of finding “The One” ever since her high school almost-sweetheart Ben stood her up at their prom. In an effort to clear her sorry state of affairs, she lines up 20 dates in 20 days with the hope of putting off love for good…. Just in time for Ben to return home after a year abroad. Bridie’s wish to avoid Ben at all costs is impossible once Ben’s brother Cal becomes engaged to her best friend and roommate Hattie, and the pair are recruited for maid of honor and best man duties. As they spent more and more time together, it's quickly obvious to everyone but them that their witty insults and general dislike for each other are only a mask for much deeper feelings - if only they would admit it to themselves and each other. Enter: a fortunate disguise, scheming friends, and mischief galore!

While overall this was an enjoyable romantic comedy, I did feel like there was some unevenness to the plot line. I can certainly appreciate the attention to closely following the story of Shakespeare’s Much Ado About Nothing, but it seemed like even the secondary characters were bent so tightly fit the story rather than loosely following it that they barely felt like characters. I would have loved to see more freedom from the original - I think I would have found more joy in the story if I felt like I was discovering these little callbacks to M.A.A.N. like Easter eggs scattered throughout, than knowing how everything is built around the strict plot. Still, a fun easy summer read, perfect for a pool lounger or beach.

Thanks to NetGalley and Aria & Aries for the advance copy in exchange for an honest review!

Thank you to net galley and the publishers for the ARC.

If you’re looking for a super speedy summer read with over the top Shakespearean-esque drama this is a good book for you! It is light and fun and full of antics.

I personally couldn’t become invested in the characters because I felt that their conflicts could so easily be resolved. Ben and Bridie did a 180 and then the plot completely flipped, and I would have liked to just watch a happy secondary romance between Cal and Hattie.

I wouldn’t consider this enemies to lovers, if anything maybe estranged friends? Or even just generally friends to lovers. If you want to dramatic flair, this is your book for it!

Love at First Fight by Mary Jayne Barker a fantastic five-star read. This is funny, and sweet and will make you fall in love with Bridie and Ben as the slowly realise there is such a fine line between love and hate. Bridie, Bridie, Bridie, me think the lady doth protest too much, but in her heart of hearts I can see why she would. It’s a difficult and challenging age for anyone, I would probably be much ruder to Ben!! This is a great story and the way the author weaves the story by the main players giving us their side just plays so well. It did have a couple of minor wobbles, but I was able to see past them into the overall story, and what a story it was. I adore this author and can’t wait to see what they will come up with next.

While Love at First Fight was not what I would consider an enemies to lover theme, it was definitely a cute romantic read. It starts off a bit slow and I had a hard time really attaching to the characters, everything ends up pulling together.

Love at First Fight is such a cute read!! It had me smiling at my book like a weirdo and laughing out loud.
The characters were so much fun, relatable and realistic. It is refreshing to find characters in their late twenty’s in books that have their lives together in some aspects but also don’t have a clue what they’re doing 😂

Whilst the writing was fantastic and I was drawn into the story from the start. Some of the scenes between Ben and Bridie just felt slightly cringey. I did however, still absolutely adore them together.

I highly recommend this book to anyone looking for a cute, fun read with some realistic non-adulting adults 😂

Love at First Fight by Mary Jayne Baker startet out really nice and promising. The banter between the main characters was funny, witty and overall enjoyable. The first 40% of the book we're just right up my alley. Unfortunately it startet to drag from that point onwards. There was no more sassy banter between the protagonists, but a lot of (childish) insecurities and lack of communication, which I thought was frustrating. I also didn't like the friends playing cupid.
Another thing was the storyline between Hattie and Cal. In the beginning it was nice to see how these two act together and see their relationship grow. I really sympathized with them. In the end there was too much fake drama for me and their storyline was ultimately bigger than the main characters.

Thank you NetGalley for giving me the opportunity to read this book and review it.