Did Not Finish.

The older I get, the less patience I have with unlikable characters.

The Italian Job had promise. Forced proximity, fake relationship, enemies-to-lovers and all located within a beautiful location. But I couldn’t get over Jake.

He was just so mean—the whole time (before respectfully, I quit). I don’t know why he had such malice for Anna, and frankly, there was no coming back from that.

I’ve enjoyed multiple titles from Kathryn Freeman, so The Italian Job was a disappointment.

I did not know The Italian Job was part of a series and this was my first novel by Kathryn Freeman. However, I think it worked really well as a standalone novel. This was an easy, sweet beach read set in Lake Como, Italy. The banter between Anna and Jake was charming and I enjoyed following along with their story.

An enemies-to-lovers, fake dating romance set within a beautiful castle in Lake Como, Italy. I don't know about you, but that simple description is all the convincing I'd need to pick this up. But let me tell you more!

The banter between Anna and Jake was superb! Jobless and desperate, an online search leads Anna to discover an opportunity for a one-year contract to manage a Lake Como property. The only problem? The owners are looking to hire a couple. Complete opposites and constantly bickering, neighbour Jake Tucker may not seem like the best choice to tag along, but an escape from his current life is exactly what he needs.

Recently released from a six-month prison sentence and constantly misjudged, it’s been tough for Jake, a former firefighter. He was fiercely protective, yes, but also incredibly warmhearted. With a cheating ex-boyfriend still plaguing Anna's thoughts, I loved seeing Jake guide Anna to find her confidence again.

Complete with a touch of meddling drama attempting to ruin their stay, this story was truly a fun time!

This started ok, but the characters were pretty two dimensional. You could tell what the plot was going to be before it happened which made the read getting there pretty boring and anticlimactic.

I really wanted to like this book, but unfortunately I really, really didn't.

The proposed plot of the book was very appealing to me, especially the setting! But once I started actually reading, I realized it just was not for me. The main character, Anna, was pretty emotionless-both in her actions and in her thoughts, which made for a boring read. The love interest, Jake, was really rude to our main character for honestly no reason. Yes, they had a strained past and relationship but I don't think that warranted his behavior towards Anna.

I personally felt like the characters didn't have any chemistry and so I wasn't invested in seeing where this book would go. I feel like this was just a personal feeling, I am sure there are plenty of people who would love this book! Just not for me. I was definitely disappointed.

Thank you to Harper Collins for the ARC! I appreciate it!

I love romcoms, Europe, and everything princess related. This book was clearly written for me.
Anna has lost her boyfriend, her home and her job and has no idea what her future looks like. So one night she goes out on a whim and searches dream job on google only to find an ad looking for a couple to come manage a castle in Italy for a year. Who would be better to bring with her than her neighbour Jake who is struggling to find a new job after a stint in prison. Only problem? Anna and Jake can’t stand each other.
This was so unique and so well written. The banter was down right hilarious, the antics were creative and overall I have never read anything like this before. I now have a new favourite literary couple. I can’t think of anyone better than Anna and Jake. The descriptive details used by the author made me feel as if I too was living in the castle. Overall I loved this one so much and give it all of the stars!

I adored Jake and Anna and their relationship dynamic. It was nice to see how they were portrayed as complete opposites but in the end, they both needed each other to succeed. Lovely story.

4.2
Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC in exchange for my honest review.
This was a lovely surprise, actually! An enemies-to-lovers romance where the couple (who really really don't get along and actually don't even want to get along) pretend to be in a relationship in order to be accepted for a job position on a castle on Lake Como. A dream job!
The banter between them is refreshing, the plot interesting and the story developing wonderfully. The HEA is really not disappointing and evolves in a truly sweet way.
It was a wonderful reading for a day off!!

This book had a good premise and storyline. I enjoyed the characters and their chemistry along with how they worked through problems together. The author brought the story to life and it was a good rom-com read. However, there were some lines and sections that were over the top cheesy. Obviously this is a romance read, but some of the descriptions and the characters' inner thoughts about each other were too much.

Thank you to NetGalley for providing me with an ARC.

Kathryn Freeman has done it again. I always just end up falling in love with her characters, Anna and Jake were no exception! I loved them both from the minute they were introduced and loved going between each character as the narrator.

The side characters were written so brilliantly as usual too.

Can't wait for Kathryn's next book!

Oh I loved The Italian Job - it had everything you would want and more from an enemies to lovers trope. Both Anna and Jake's lives have completely gone off the rails - Jake recently out of jail and Anna's perfect relationship over. Both find themselves without a job, that is until Anna finds the perfect job - caring for a castle in Italy. The only catch? The job posting is for a couple - and Anna is no longer a part of a couple.... (you can see where this is headed, right?).
If you are looking for an easy escape - this book is for you. I loved the banter between Jake and Anna and the relationship felt real. While some of the characters were a little meh (hello self entitled ex boyfriend), the community Jake and Anna grow as they settle into their life in Italy made me enjoy this book even more.
Thanks, Netgalley and HarperCollins for the ARC of this book.

The Italian Job

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

If you’re looking for a cute enemies to lovers, check out The Italian job by Kathryn Freeman. Two completely opposites decide to fake a relationship to get their dream jobs and run a castle in Italy.

I enjoyed this one more than I thought it would. The banter was good and I liked the pacing as they slowly worked their way toward each other. At times, I didn’t love Jake’s personality but I did think he had some good qualities as the MC. I thought they were cute together overall!

Thanks to @netgalley and the publisher for this ARC.

Sweet and lively romance that would be perfect for a beach read. The characters are thrown together in a fun way. The setting could not be more romantic-a castle on Lake Como in Italy and the characters are smartly written.
Thank you to Net Galley and publisher for a chance to read and review.

Thank you to NetGalley and the Publisher for providing a free eARC of the Italian Job by Kathryn Freeman. I am therefore sharing an honest review.

This is the first book I've read by this author and I was excited to get started. The blurb was engaging and I was ready for this to be my new favorite rom-com, and given its an enemies-to-lovers, I was all in! We're introduced to Anna, who is recently jobless and desperate. Searching online, she finds an opportunity for a one-year contract to manage a property in Lake Como, Italy. The only catch is that the owners are looking to hire a couple. Enter our mmc, neighbor Jake Tucker, who is a recently released convict (for a crime perpetrated in defense of family). .

The back and forth bickering between the two leads was interesting and engaging. At first. Than, it started to feel repetitive. I also didn't feel like there was a true connection between the characters., but rather it was two teenagers who haven't matured enough to articulate their actual feelings, so they resort to the same banter and misunderstandings over and over again. By the end, I realized I didn't really care for either character and was not overly invested in their relationship.

I was disappointed that I wasn't more engaged with this story. I mean, who wouldn't love a romance set in Lake Como? Unfortunately, its 2.5 stars for me (rounded to 3).

I really wanted to love this book, but I don’t like the two main characters together - they spend so much time bickering and generally being unpleasant with themselves and each other that I can’t believe they would end up together.

It’s an easy read but I did find it quite repetitive and slow in the middle. I think it could have had another edit and cut out another hundred pages or so… but I was rooting for the main characters. I’m off to Google ‘dream jobs’ and see if I end up with a castle on lake como…

3-3.25 stars

(⛔️small spoiler in the second half of the review. I don’t go into great detail, but it is there nonetheless ⛔️.)

Right away the cover caught my eye scrolling through the romance category. Couple that with enemies-to-lovers + fake dating + forced proximity + living abroad in an Italian castle = my curiosity was piqued. Enemies-to-lovers + fake dating + forced proximity trope mashup tends to be akin to reading catnip for me 🐱🫣😂.

Unfortunately, I can’t say The Italian Job succeeded as much as I wanted it to. Now before I go further, it’s not going to be one of those kind of reads I’m going to be gobsmacked if most ratings might be higher. So you might want to take some of the following with a grain of salt. Because it falls more under the category where I could see how others might enjoy it more. As for myself, the majority of the first 2/3 of TIJ left me feeling rather meh tbh. Finding a connection with the characters so often felt just out of reach during this portion due to a few reasons.
✎ A little naturally is due to my typical aversion to third-person POV romance (although there are exceptions, i.e. Lauren Layne). The writing felt just a little bit stilted & green. Nonetheless, that wasn’t the worst version by any means.
✎ I had more issues with the writing feeling repetitive. Such as…
—Usually, the bickering banter between them is one of my favorite things — I’m practically an ETL junkie for this par for the course aspect of the trope —, but there was so much ‘wash, rinse & repeat’ in their assumptions. Their reactions to almost any barb or whenever any insecurities were stumbled across read much more like two overdramatic teenagers. They were so touchy to anything out of the other’s mouth. Even when the other wasn’t trying to needle them. Basically, I would begin to feel like things were turning a corner & then bam, one of them would get insulted(frequently minor or nonexistent slights imo), shutdown immediately & pout.
— I have no problem with the fact Jake (⛔️ spoiler ⛔️ --- is an ex-con, especially when it was because he was defending his family). That said, lets just put this way, if that word was turned into a drinking game each time I read it, I would’ve been drunk by the end 🤦🏻‍♀️.


After that, finally, the 1/3 found the writing found its flow(I really would’ve liked this one so much more significantly had the author found it sooner & toned down the repetition a bit) & I started to enjoy TIJ as well as h & H & even started to invest in them a little by the end. I also thought the little bits of side romance with their parents (his mom is a widow, her dad has been divorced a long time) was sweet & there were some nice side characters (his older sister ratting him out on some of his childhood secrets was funny). I didn’t mind all the drama that unfolded in this part, but I do wish it was spaced out some with parts of it beginning sooner so it wasn’t quite so rushed through.

**This ARC was provided by NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.**

The tension in this book was to kill for!

The Italian Job follows Anna and Jack two enemy neighbors who end up managing a castle together in Italy. Anna, after a tough break up realized she needs to leave the small town she lives in; and after viewing an ad for a job to manage a castle in Italy she hops on it. The only catch is she can't do the job unless she is in a relationship.
Jack has had a rough few years and is looking for a break; so when Anna offers a Job in Italy he takes it.

As the two mange the castle the tension between them grows and they soon realize the other wasn't as bad as they thought.

To everyone who loves bad boy, good girl enemies to lovers, this should be on your summer reading list

I enjoyed everything about this book. The castle setting, the constant poking from Jake and Anna, and the fake relationship. Omg. The fake but very real relationship had me in tears towards the end. I couldn’t let go of Jake and Anna’s story. This was such an amazing story that I never wanted it to end.

Neighbors Jake and Anna have come upon difficult circumstances resulting in both being without steady work and Anna moving back home. There are people that make them both uncomfortable in their town, so Anna starts looking for a job online.

After googling “dream job” she finds a Italian castle needing caretakers but the job is only for a couple. Perfect scenario for a fake relationship between baby boy Jake and organized list maker Anna.

As with most stories involving deception, problems arise in keeping the deception going and in living in proximity with someone you are pretending to love. Then the story gets good. There’s jealousy, miscommunication, angst, hurt feelings, and nosy interlopers.

It’s a really good story that I could not put down. The more the story went in, the more I adored Jake.

I received an advance copy of the book from NETGALLEY and this is my voluntary review.