Love at First Fight was an enjoyable, lighthearted read. This would be a great book to take with you on holiday. This is an uncomplicated love story that is full of little twists. Giving 4 stars due to a lot of repetitive narrative. But overall, I enjoyed it.

‘Love at first fight’ is a witty and delightful inspired by ‘Much ado about nothing’ set in a beachside Yorkshire town.

Bridie and Ben are the Beatrice and Benedict, trading barbs at each other. Only Bridie’s comes with extra sting after being stood up by Ben ten years previously at their leavers ball. The pair, plotted by their friends, are forced together to organise a ‘sten’ for his brother and her best friend who are marrying.

It’s a tough job to refresh and adapt what is considered part of literary canon, but Mary Jayne Baker does it well to refresh the setting to a modern era while still keeping the spirit of the play.

I laughed so many times. I also loved the extra layers of backstory she gave to Ben especially. I also loved the ensemble nature of the book, we have their scheming friends but also drama with their friends too just like the play. I have pre-ordered my own copy and I’m going to hope Aria have an audiobook commissioned because I will buy the audiobook.

4.5 stars

Bridie Morgan absolutely cannot stand Ben Kemp. He’s an insufferable womanizer, who has been mercifully out of town... until he’s back. Their friends are convinced that they are meant to be, so they hatch a plan to get them together after all these years.

The premise of this novel is right up my alley, and I love the Britishisms throughout, but it lost me in the mid way point. This could have been two entirely different books and it would have made more sense. I kept checking my progress and kept thinking that it should end soon, only to find that I was about halfway done. I thought the end half was a bit messy and not as thought through as the first half. I did enjoy myself, but I think I would have been happier only having Ben and Bridie’s story rather than the other plot points we get later on.

This was a decent read, fans of romantic-comedies will likely enjoy. I was looking for something a bit deeper and this fell short for me personally. It was also odd to switch viewpoints suddenly towards the end of the book.

I actually really loved this book. It may be because I absolutely LOVE Much Ado About Nothing (it's my favorite Shakespeare play) and am slightly biased by that alone. Honestly, I really loved the modern twist to the play. Even with the switching up of gender rolls and modern setting, it still basically stayed true to the play. While I knew what roughly was going to happen in terms of the plot, the thing I loved the most about this was the banter and the dialogue between the characters. I wanted to be there to hear the witty barbs between Bridie and Ben. I loved how sweet Hattie was, if a bit more insecure that I would imagine Hero to be in the original play.

All in all, if you love British wordplay and Much Ado About Nothing, you will love this book.

Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for the opportunity to give an honest review of this book!

The blurb for this book promised so much more than the book delivered. With a plot twist halfway through the book, switching the story over to two other characters. It felt as though the author either didn't have enough to say about Ben and Bridie's relationship or was just trying to cram two books into one.

*special thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for the ARC copy in exchange for an honest review!

So I just finished Love at First Fight. It’s a cute, fun, and a bit cheesy British romance. I must say I’m a sucker for these enemies to lovers arc, but here the title is not quite accurate as I thought it would be.
Although Bridie and Ben can’t stop bickering at the beginning, they’re also known to be friends for pretty much forever. Frenemies would be more like it.
Their whole plot seemed a bit rushed, especially cause the last third of the book focused on their best friend’s relationship. So I wished we had more time to accompany its development and really root for them instead of going through pre-marriage drama.
Overall it’s an enjoyable and quick read.

Fluffy and fun, albeit predictable, this is a decent read. No real challenge, but a nice way to pass the time.

Recommended for fans of the genre.

Love at First Fight by Mary Jayne Baker is a cute, lighthearted romance that was fun to read.

Bridie has sworn off men, but to prove to herself that she’s really done, she decides to date twenty men in twenty days. After the twenty dates, all duds, she has decided to live life as a single woman. But, when her old boyfriend-turned-enemy, Ben, comes back to town for good, Bridie is determined to forget him, as she has never forgiven him for standing her up at their school leavers’ party. However, Bridie is the maid of honor for her best friend’s upcoming wedding, and Ben is the best man, they have to work together to plan the combined hen and stag party.

The book started off fun and light with Bridie’s interesting dates but dragged a bit in the middle and towards the end. The story between the secondary characters of Hattie and Cal almost overwhelmed the main story between Bridie and Ben. There was some excellent banter between Bridie and Ben, and their friends working to get them together was cute.

All in all, the story was cute, and I did enjoy it, but I wish it focused more on the main characters and their lead-up to romance. Also, a small criticism is the main character’s name, Bridie. I kept reading it as Birdie.

I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

I really didn’t like this book, I couldn’t make myself finish it. The main character wasn’t likable to me and the premise has been done before so many times. The banter didn’t feel natural & overall, it just wasn’t for me.

Bridie and Ben have been frenemies for years, but their relationship is suddenly taking a turn. The storyline was predictable and somewhat drawn out... but the banter between Bridie and Ben kept things interesting. There were some parts that were lost in translation for me as the author/characters are British and some of the references relied heavily on British customs and dialect.
While I enjoyed the story and some of the relationships, I did feel like the dialogue and the plot were a bit drawn out and could have been shortened to keep things interesting,
A good beach/summer read. Thank you to NetGalley and Aria & Aries for the ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review.

Love at first fight' is a perfect romance novel to spend an entertaining time and read when we want something that doesn't make us think too much either.
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Bridie is completely disenchanted with love and that is why she has decided to do a marathon of 20 dates before finally giving up trying to find a partner. And when he has lost hope of finding someone on those dates, he meets Ben, a person from his past who will turn everything upside down.

Something strange has happened to me with this book. At first, I liked it a lot, then I lost interest, but then in the end I got back on track and really enjoyed how the story ended.

I really liked the introduction of the characters. I loved the protagonist, and I really enjoyed her personality. Then when that love interest was introduced, I also found it curious, but as the story progressed, I realized that I couldn't really say that I was being an enemies to lovers. And that disappointed me because there really wasn't a tension of getting along, but rather of making the other person mad, which doesn't seem like the most mature thing to me.

Overall, I think the plot is fine. It is not very complicated nor is it a super elaborate novel. It is quite good, and it is very entertaining. I think it would be a perfect summer reading and one that I would definitely recommend for one of those afternoons where we want to read something fresh without much fuss and just have a good time.

The way of narrating yes that I liked a lot. The author has that fresh tone that surrounds you and encourages you to want to continue reading. Perhaps the most striking thing that I put to the novel is that it really is not a romantic comedy or an enemies to lovers, but I also think that romantic lovers will like this story.

I have never read a book whose potential dropped off so quickly. When reading the description, I was hopeful for a light summer read at its best, and I would have been fine with that. The problem is, the book has zero identity. The novel follows two main relationships: Ben and Bridie's frenemies, and Cal and Hattie's engagement faced with turmoil. It absolutely did not achieve its intended goal of a seamless change in perspectives. Like half of the book is about Ben and Bridie (who are immensely annoying) and then the other half is some shallow problems in Cal and Hattie's relationship...???? Made no sense to me.

Also the dialogue was incredibly cringey. It felt as though every other sentence ended with a question like "didn't I?" "Aren't there? ""Could we?".

Ben and Bridie have history but can they ever reconnect and start anew?

This book was super cute and a solid chick lit. My favourite part of this story was the friend group as well as the mischievous shenanigans everyone gets up to. It was fun and a good time.

I will say that I found the third act conflict to be a hit immature, especially how both Bridie and Ben handled it but it did not dampen my enjoyment too much.

banter filled, a little cheesy and a lot entertaining, Love at First Fight is a sweet and satisfying read.

With a wonderful, multi dimensional story revolving around several interconnected characters, this book is a symphony of mischief, trickery and misunderstanding giving the reader a well rounded and fun filled experience akin to watching a movie.

4 stars and #teamcupid

Love at First Fight follows love cynic Bridie Morgan who is embracing twenty dates in twenty days in a last attempt to find ‘the one’ or entirely give up on love. It doesn’t help that she is surrounded by her best friend Hattie’s upcoming wedding. To make matters worse, Ben Kemp, Bridie’s lifelong nemesis is the best man. Bridie has never managed to get over the fact that Ben once upon a time left her standing outside alone in her prom dress on leavers night. When the wedding planning commences, there is still a spark between the pair – but will she get hurt again.

This book is such an entertaining light-hearted romcom. Inspired by ‘Much Ado About Nothing’, this modern story is full of misunderstandings and friendship trickery. I read it in two sittings, laughing all the way through. I enjoyed that it was told from both perspectives of Bridie and Ben, both well developed characters that were working individuals in their late twenties, very genuine and relatable.

I would describe this one as more a ‘frenemies to lovers’ which I loved. It was a sweet, fun and flirty binge read, perfect for getting you out of a reading slump. Admittedly, my biggest bugbear was that I found myself constantly found myself reading Bridie as Birdie and it drove me mad! (oops). I highly recommend.

Bridie Morgan is giving up on love! She has challenged herself to twenty dates in twenty days and if that doesn’t work she is out of the game forever. But fate is throwing a spanner in the works in the form of her arch nemesis Ben Kemp - the boy she was in love with during high school. The one who stood her up at their leavers prom. Now they are in the same wedding party and it seems as though their friends are trying to make this a love match.

I always love Mary Jayne Baker novels. This was so good!

Thank you so much to NetGalley for an arc of this book in exchange for an honest review!

I love love love Bridie and Ben. They are the perfect example of a perfect enemies to lovers arc.

In this story we follow Bridie and Ben as they host Hattie (Bridie’s best friend) and Cal’s (Ben’s brother) stag and hen do. Naturally Bridie and Ben had a fling when they were teenagers but it went up in flames and now they are sworn enemies in Bridie’s book. So Hattie and Cal cook up a plan to make the two realize their feelings for one another.

I think this story was paced very well and nothing ever felt rushed. I fell in love with everyone’s personal stories in this book and it kept me on the edge of my seat. I would definitely recommend this hilarious/amazing read.

I really enjoyed this lovers-to-enemies-back-to-lovers book. The romance was well done, and the schemes that their friends kept coming up with to get them together were super cute. The main plotline was perfect and I really have no criticism for it. Bridie and Ben were adorable together and their bickering was well written and funny for the most part.

My only real complaint about this book is that the subplot with Cal and Joanna felt forced. The book would have been much better without it, and the story kind of fell apart in the last 100 or so pages for me because of it. Bridie and Ben had already gotten together and everyone was having their happily ever after, to me it felt like the author was grasping at a way to put in more drama and make the book longer.

Overall its a super cute romance, but if miscommunication and lies aren't your preferred trope than you might get frustrated with the story.

This book was a fun read. It enjoyed the enemies to love trope and also enjoyed the alternating points of view. It was pretty unique to not only have points of view of the two main characters, but also two side characters. I’m not sure whether I prefer that, but it was interesting. I didn’t get super invested in the main characters’ relationship, just enough to keep reading.
There were a few small things I found a bit puzzling or frustrating. First, I know this is a British book, but is a normal guy going to use the term “hubby”? That feels unrealistic. Also, there were several times before the wedding that someone said something like “oh, she’s just having last minute cold feet”, like that’s a normal thing in a secure relationship (which Cal and Hattie do appear to have). Lastly, when Joanna confesses what she did to Ben and Bridie what she did, but then said there wasn’t anything recorded to make Hattie believe Cal, it just didn’t make sense. Bridie and Ben heard her confess, which should be enough if Hattie trusts them, which she does.
Overall, the writing and story were fine, but I don’t know if I’d read any of this author’s other books. I felt just a bit better than “meh” about it and by the end was kind of rushing to get through it.
Thank you to NetGalley and Aria & Aries for providing me access to this eARC for my honest opinion!