This was a light hearted read. It was well written and I enjoyed the setting. I found the story dragged a little but overall it was a decent read.

This story desperately made me long for a trip to Italy. I mean, who wouldn’t want to stay in a castle by a lake? The budding love story between the two MCs co rains so many tropes: enemies to lovers, close proximity, opposites attract, and it’s a lovely slow burn, but it did take a bit to get into . While I loved the MCs, several of the side characters were just awful. Miles, Nigel, Phoebe, and Carina were just bad people and while I’m sure they were written to add some conflict to the story, I think they detracted more than they added.

I was given an ARC of this book by NetGalley and HarperCollins UK. All opinions are my own.

I don't think I was the reader for this book. I didn't connect too well with the writing style in the sense that it was fine, but there just was something missing to really draw me in and make me care. The dialogue felt a little . . . off? at times. I thought the characters were fine, and I loved their flaws. The setting was great, and I'm dying to pack my bags for a castle on an Italian lake now. The ending was a little absurd feeling and could've been resolved so easily at so many different points. That was a little frustrating because it felt like it was being dragged out just for the sake of hitting a word count or something. Like, duh, y'all both like each other and it is BEYOND OBVIOUS. For me, personally, this was an "okay" read--nothing special, but nothing bad.

This is a 3rd person, dual POV novel, set in England and then Italy. Younger MMC. Sort of enemies to lovers. It's an easy read that would be perfect to throw in your beach/pool bag. I've never read this author before, so I"m glad I got the chance to read her, and I would be interested in reading her again!

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review!

I received an ARC of, The Italian Job, by Kathryn Freeman. I found this book to be way to immature. I did not like the characters at all.

Anna, who after catching her boyfriend cheating, moves back in with her dad and runs into her neighbor and bad boy, Jake. Having lost her job working in her ex’s restaurant, Anna finds her dream job: running a castle on a lake in Italy. The only downside is that the owners are looking for a couple to run the castle, leaving Anna to enlist Jake as her fake boyfriend. The two seem like perfect candidates and are quickly offered the job. Can they make their fake-dating convincing or will their past come back to bite them in the ass?

The Italian Job is a very cute rom-com set in the English, what I’m imagining, countryside. From the writing, you can imagine how beautiful and almost magical feeling the castle is. The tension between Anna and Jake from the first time they see each other is so palpable that you find yourself rooting for them. As the story progresses and the two main characters become accustomed to life in the castle, you can really see their character development. From Anna overly prepared to relaxing and Jake going from extremely protective and defensive to reigning himself in and controlling his emotions, the character development is *chef’s kiss*. Even better, is that, though the other person helped their character development, the changes weren’t because they were trying to be what the other one wanted. Their development happened alongside each other but was influenced by the other, which goes to show how strong of characters that the author was able to write.

Despite how great this book was, it is not immune to a few problems. The first being that the characters and their personalities seem kinda sexist, not nearly sexist enough to be problematic or make me not want to read the book. Anna is a meticulous person and a great chef. Jake is very much a handyman, an I-can-fix-everything type of guy. This isn’t necessarily a bad thing as you learn that Jake is an intensely protective guy of those he loves and is super caring. And Anna is just stubborn and headstrong about what she cares for. This all makes them such a great and unexpected match. The only slightly sexist thing in the book that did rub me the wrong way was one line where I think Jake was saying Anna belonged in the kitchen. It wasn’t meant to have a sexist undertone because he was meant it in the way that she is such a talented and creative chef that her not putting her heart into her food is a waste of skills. I’m not even sure if I’m explaining that properly but the line was not intended to have a sexist undertone.

My only other problem with this book is that, as of April 23rd and the book releases May 6th, I do not know of any plans for this to be released in paperback. From what I can tell, it is only coming out as an ebook which is so unfair to this book. This book deserves to come out in paperback as well, to be placed on every rom-com table in stores, and to be worshipped for what it is. It is a crime that it won’t be able to sit on my bookshelves or that people who come into the store looking for a rom-com won’t be able to pick it up and read it. It won’t get the kind of attention that it rightfully deserves and so, please HarpersCollins and One More Chapter, please please please see the potential this book has and publish it as both a paperback and ebook. I’m begging of you to do this, please.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for allowing me to read and review an eARC of The Italian Job. All thoughts and opinions stated in this review are of my own honest beliefs.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publishing team for this ARC!

I really wish I enjoyed this read more. It had potential but I found the writing style difficult to engage with and stay connected to.

The characters were okay but I did find Anna rather whiny and Jack off-putting. The romance didn't really sell well for me. It felt forced in a lot of places, especially with how antagonistic they were to each other. I know this is marketed as enemies to lovers but this particular brand of it wasn't my cup of tea.

What I did enjoy was the setting. The author did a really good of immersing you in the Italian backdrop but I definitely wanted more. Overall, okay read.

Enemies to lovers in Lake Cuomo?! Lemme grab my passport REAL QUICK. The Italian Job was a fun and heartfelt read that all romance readers will love!
Thank you to Netgalley and One More Chapter for this arc ebook in exchange for an honest review. All opinions expressed are my own.

This is a DNF for me. I didn't vibe well with the writing style and it was really lusty and crass right from the get go. The dialogue felt stilted and immature at times. I didn't love how the characters communicated and spoke with each other or to other characters. It didn't feel like there was a lot of build up to any true romance either. I think I need more of an emotional connection between the characters and build up before the other stuff. If you are looking for a hot escape that has more of a fun, sexual connection, this might before you. I like the physical stuff to be leveled out more with other emotion and depth from the characters. I didn't really get that from these two.

I think I may need to jump into Lake Como to cool off, after reading this!

For the sexual chemistry between Anna and Jake is beyond sizzling - it is coming out of my kindle so clearly, and making me hot - even if they are trying to ignore it most of the time

After all they did agree to be in a fake relationship in order to secure a job in a castle on Lake Como for a year, as both need a break from their regular lives.

I do love a fake romance, I also love an enemies to well at least friends, I'll let you discover if it's anything more tropes, and this has those plot points in spade. But it also has a man who has had a troubled past trying to get his life back on track, and Anna who has been messed about a few times in her life, leading her to have very little self confidence.

This is just pure fun, I was completely and utterly absorbed by it, could picture the castle so clearly and loved every bit of dialogue between Anna and Jake.

And that's before I mention the couple of men I love to hate in the story, and all manner of other characters that I enjoyed getting to know.

It's just another fabulous book from one of my favourite authors, I loved it so much.

Thank you to One More Chapter and Netgalley for this copy which I have reviewed honestly and voluntarily.

I am always a fan of the enemies to lovers trope and this was right up my alley. I was excited to be approved because the premise snagged my attention right away! There was a great balance of humor and drama to keep me enthralled and falling in love with the characters.

Anna has just dumped her cheating boyfriend but it also means she’s out of a job and moving back in with her dad. So obviously she Google searches “dream job” as any self respecting adult would do and finds an add for a cook/housekeeper at a castle on Lake Como, so far so idilic, however the add specifies they want a couple to run the place, enter the bad boy next door. Jake is fresh out of prison and looking for work so when Saint Anna propositions him he figures he has nothing to lose.
I read this right in the back of Freeman’s first book The New Guy and these are basically the same characters with the same issues just moved to Italy which is fine. It’s an easy read, a bit lusty, not at all sophisticated and does the job.

4.5 stars
This is the second book that I've read by Kathryn Freeman, after The Beach Reads Book Club and I really do enjoy the way that she writes.
This was an 'enemies to lovers' story that actually felt like the two main characters really truly disliked one another. I also liked the opposites attract nature of this and of course, the fake dating.
Their banter and chemistry between them was nice too.
Having it be told from both perspectives worked particularly well and I enjoyed seeing how Jake's life in particular had changed following his stint in prison.
Could certain parts be avoided if they just shared their feelings with one another? Of course but I almost always expect that from the romances and rom coms that I read now.
You're rooting for certain characters and definitely hate the characters that you're meant to dislike.
I couldn't wait to read this each evening before bed.
This was just such a lovely, fun and escapist read, one that would make a great beach read this summer.
Thank you to Netgalley for providing me with an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I loved this book, even though it was slightly predictable. Anna goes through a terrible breakup and is looking for a new job to take her mind off things. She finds and add for her dream job...working in a castle getting to cook and prepare menus for the owners and their guest. The only catch is they want a couple so someone else can take care of the yard work and upkeep of the castle. Anna's neighbor, Jake, has had a rough go and is also looking for a fresh start...the only problem is they have never gotten along, much less want to date each other. Pretending to date is hard...will they actually be able to tolerate each other?

First of all thankyou HarperCollins and Kathryn Freeman for allowing me to read this before release!

I really enjoyed The Italian Job. It's a fun, flirty book that's super quick/easy to read. Absolutely love the trooped within the book and the Italian setting makes me very jealous of Anna and Jake.

I LOVED THIS BOOK!!!!!! The plot was excellent and the setting was beautiful!! I fell in love instantly!!!!! I cannot wait to read more by this author based on this book

Enemies/neighbors to fake dating to lovers. So many tropes haha But a very good story and a beautiful setting. Jake and Anna grew up next door to each other and didn’t really see eye-to-eye. He was the bad boy and she was the goody-two-shoes. When they reconnect years later, they join forces and pretend to date to secure a dream job of managing a castle in Italy. Maybe a bit far-fetched, but… nothing is too far-fetched in a romcom!

I really loved this book! It was a classic enemies-to-lovers and it had my attention the whole time. With the setting of Lake Como, the backdrop was perfect. It was a fun read and I would recommend to anyone looking to spend some time in Italy!

Thank you to HarperCollins, NetGalley, and Kathryn Freeman for allowing to me read this book ahead of publication in exchange for my honest review.

This was cute! That's my initial reaction to the entire plot. Cute!
Childhood neighbors who grew up basically antagonizing eachother turned adults who were both down on their luck. Insert scheme: Pretend to be a couple so they can work at a castle in Italy. Only problem, they still can't talk to eachother without arguing. Should be fine, right? Well.... you gotta read to find out! I loved the building tension, the fun side characters, and especially the ending. It was all tied neatly in a bow!

I can't wait for more people to read this come May! 💛

Epic enemies to lovers. You immediately fall for Anna and Jake and their story is beautiful, funny, and charming. They both have to work on their self worth and how differently they handle things and you can’t help but to root for them. Highly recommend

Thank you to HarperCollins UK, One More Chapter, and NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for an honest review. This book is a super quick and easy read with a gorgeous Italian backdrop—I mean, it's a LITERAL castle—with an opposites attract fake dating. There were a lot of complicated feelings explored and since it is a vacation romance, a definite contender for your travels this upcoming summer. Bonus points if you're heading to Italy, too! The writing style was not my favorite and there were certain things that made me uncomfortable, though. Overall, it was just a pretty good, but average, read. Regardless, Kathryn Freeman is an author I am interested in picking up again.