"Wake the mouse, don't let it sleep"
"It was love at first scavenger hunt"
"Pretending to be friends with Shaina wouldn't be a problem. Pretending he didn't want more, that would take some skill"
OMG!! This book was just something else! I loved every second of it!
Fans of the unhoneymooners, check this one out because it is absolutely worth it!
An enemies to lovers romance where the two main characters are forced together because their mums want them to marry because they're bestie!
They both love watching a tv series about fairytale retellings.
There is mention of disability because the main female character, Shaina is a bit deaf. And the main male character, Mark is demisexual.
Such great representation in a book that explores important themes such as what it means to be heard and understood in every possible sense of the word.
And don't let me even start on the spicy scenes these two enjoy!! Great!
Their romantic relationship was building from the beginning, with banters and fun times, with a mutual attraction they both wanted to fight hard but a mutual respect and trust that took some time in the making.
Plus, to be honest, I'm a massive fan of the male character falling first ... and deep.
It felt inevitable but the slow burn got me going!!!
I'm not going to lie, sometimes I even had chills reading about them.
Shaina and Mark are two completely different people, both when it comes to they habits and their personality. But at the end, failed attempt at arranged marriage or not, they unexpectedly find in each other something others couldn't give them ... attention and understanding. They both tried to understand each other. That's what the whole story is about!
I absolutely loved this story and I'm so glad I got the chance to read it.
"He hadn't a clue why she identified with the Evil Queen since her beauty reminded him of Snow White"
"You're beautiful and against rational thought I want to know how you taste"
"Time to cross the line"

This was a cute, solid, all around good read. I enjoyed the bantering between the characters as well as the growth throughout the book. I loved the author’s style of writing and I would happily read a sequel!

"He could search the world and never find a beauty like hers."

The Un-Arranged Marriage is told from both Shaina and Mark's perspectives. Born 10 days apart to two best friends, Shaina and Mark's mothers have been attempting to push the pair together since birth. But they grew up practically as enemies. Now both single in their 30s, they reluctantly team up to compete in a competition at his sister's wedding week to win a trip to Venice. The pair soon realise they might actually be perfect for each other, after all.

There was a lot to like about this book:
- Firstly, I am always excited for dual perspectives in a romance novel and Brown delivers.
- I also appreciated the diverse and complex main characters. Shaina has hearing loss and feels stuck in her brother's perfect shadow, even after all this time. Meanwhile, Mark is demisexual (a term his parents refuse to understand) and struggles to let himself be heard.
- Shaina and Mark had great chemistry and this is book is definitely on the steamier side. I loved how the tension built in the beginning until they finally both gave in to their feelings.
- While their meddling mothers were not my favourite characters, I did love Mark's sister Lena, who seriously deserves her own book.
- The competition was also an interesting plot point that kept me entertained and the book moving at a steady pace.

Overall, I really enjoyed The Un-Arranged Marriage and definitely recommend it to other rom-com fans.

Thank you to Entangled Publishing and NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for this honest review.

I rounded up to 4 stars because while this was an easy read, and reasonably fun, I just couldn’t fully connect to the characters. I wanted to see how they worked everything out, but I wasn’t super invested in them. There was some really interesting stuff touched upon, but I felt like when they finally addressed it, they just zipped through it.

I had mixed feelings about this book. After the first third of the book, most of the story was entertaining and enjoyable. But the first part set the tone for me, and I just couldn't get around a few sticking points.
Pros:
1. When Shaina finally lets down her guard, she and Mark have some funny and quirky conversations that I enjoyed. The sex scenes between them were also quirky and unique, as befitted the characters.
2. Lena, Norah, and Olivia were good characters. They were supportive and kind as the novel progressed. (Most of the male characters were off page.)
3. The games were funny and entertaining. They were a good way to keep Shaina and Mark together.
4. Shaina gave a good apology for her mistake. I didn't think she had it in her, and I was glad to see that maturity.
Cons:
1. I hated every character except Mark for the first third of the book. He was the only one who was not rude and thoughtless. I would have DNFed after the first few chapters, but I had promised to read this. Things did improve, but that was a lot of rude to handle. For example, were we supposed to like Drew or not? Were his comments supposed to be funny? Shaina was so quick to take offense with everyone else, but his attitude was fine? I was very confused.
2. Mark and Shania behaved about 10 years younger than they were for most of the story. Side note -- we never find out why Mark feels the need to be so quiet. There were hints that he had a reason, and I was curious about that.
3. The mothers harbor dreams that Mark and Shaina will get married, even while they obviously dislike one another. But neither of them ever tells Mark to speak up and why? Ever? Isn't that an obvious obstacle to their plans? Wouldn't they have been harping on that? I thought that was pretty flimsy considering that their overbearingness is a foundational plot point.

This book was sweet and funny and I really liked the idea of the storyline.

Unfortunately it didn’t really grip me that well and I did laugh and awe in some places but it wasn’t really a favourite. There was some circumstances that was cringey and I was feeling awkward reading some lines, especially the spicy part of the book.

I really did like the rep for hearing impairment and you really don’t see it that often in books when it should be. It was shown really well and a good way for people to learn about the difficulties people face. Also really good rep for demisexual!

I think the main problem I had with this is, was there was a lot of miscommunication and misunderstanding which isn’t my favourite trope and I really don’t understand how he went all his life not knowing that she couldn’t hear him.

I did like this book and it had a lot of potential, I just personally think it wasn’t a favourite of mine.

Thank you netgalley and the publishers for the change to give my honest review for this arc.

Mark Goldman has never gotten along with Shaina Fogel. Ever. Even when they were in diapers, their bestie mothers wanted them to grow up and get married. And that’s definitely not happening, firstly because of the meddling mothers and secondly due to a misunderstanding. And now they have teamed up to win a competition for a dream holidays at the weeklong wedding celebration. And as they spend time together, the animosity faded and an attraction starts to bloom.

This was a fun read. Once the misunderstanding cleared, which was pretty much at the start of the book, the attraction sizzled between them. Mark and Shaina are both strong characters with their own issues. And I enjoyed their relationship development. Overall an enjoyable read.

Thank you to Netgalley and the author for providing me with an arc.

3.5-4/5

This is my first Laura Brown book, and I am pleasantly surprised.

I liked the aspect of Shaina's hearing loss, and the history that the two shared because of it.

Being Jewish myself, I loved the subtle parts of the book that aligned with our culture.

I felt that the book did go a little bit slow and at points I was a bit bored.
I understand the need for the conversations in the last few chapters, but I feel like they could have been better.

I would recommend picking this one up!

Ok so, this is going to be a long one. Don’t let the 4 starts fool you. I loved this book. So funny, so heartwarming.
Let me start with mark: I have never seen a character that’s demisexual in a book and I loved seeing the representation and how he loved Shaina so hard but had to pull himself back (that kinda break my heart for him) I loved his character because I’m also an introvert and don’t really find excitement in going out and in loud spaces. His character is so soft and so attentive that it makes me swoon. I loved him, add him to the book boyfriend list. Also, CONSENT KING, it’s such a basic thing but it makes me love him more. It shows how soft and cute he is while also taking the command during sexy times.
Now: Shaina, what a BOSS GIRL. I love her! I love her energy and drive but I also relate to her in the sense of struggling to meet up the expectations of others people, despite the fact that I’m not the youngest in my family. I also enjoyed seeing the representation towards the people that are hard of hearing and I’m honestly surprised that she doesn’t know signed language but good thing is that she can communicate well with other people, if they put the effort. Seeing her grow in asking for help was amazing and it warmed my heart. Overall, I really enjoyed the dynamic between mark and Shaina and enjoyed the book enough that there are some tik toks on my drafts waiting to be posted when this book comes out. I also enjoyed that it was set in a post pandemic reality. If you put yourself through this review, buy the book, you have nothing to lose. It’s really good and it has good spice. Go for it!!

This was a cute romance. There were some good parts, but one part struck me as so unrealistic. Two people who have known each other for 30 years and basically grew up together since they were kids, and Mark doesn't know that Shaina wears hearing aids? I mean, come on! The book did have some sexual chemistry, but there was so much repetition about the mothers trying to get Mark and Shaina together. I just felt like that could have been said once or twice and it would have been enough. Overall, a 3 star book for me.

So this was a cute, semi steamy story following Matt and shaina and their obstacles to an hea. I enjoyed the authors writing and I found the story engaging and well written. Thank you to netgalley for the ARC.

I read an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.
I found this one hard to rate. I liked the characters as they had issues I'd never considered before, especially the demisexual Mark. I thought the chemistry was hot, but then felt the author probably included one too many sex scene. I liked the family situations but then thought the mother's went a bit far. I liked Mark and Shania getting to know each other, but then thought that the novel overall was a bit long. Like I said, hard to rate :)
3.5 stars

**Thank you to Netgalley & Entangled Publishing, LLC for gifting me this ARC. I am leaving my thoughts voluntarily.**

When I read the synopsis for this book, it ticked all the boxes. Cute rom-com, enemies to lovers trope, childhood 'friends', competition. and then suddenly everything changes.

The story starts out with our main characters, Shaina and Mark, being thrown together by their families, as they had their whole lives, but coming together for Mark's little sister's wedding.
Throughout their lives they had never gotten along, Mark thought Shaina rude, and Shaina thought Mark was uptight and annoying.
Suddenly they come to the realization that everything between them had been a misunderstanding, and that their mutual dislike for each other is much much more.

I adored reading of their journey of self-acceptance, and opening up to one another. I also liked the representation of Shaina being hearing impaired and Mark being demi-sexual.
Their chemistry was off the charts and all of the scenes together, whether it be their physical relationship or just spending time together, was so cute and steamy and really well written.

I recommend this book to anyone in the mood for a cute romance read.

Thank you to NetGalley and Entangled Publishing for an ARC of this book. All opinions in this review are my own.

I adored this book. It had so many things that made me feel seen that I am probably biased but I don't care. It has a lot of LGBTQIA+ rep (a demi lead man? THANK YOU!), it has disability rep, it has Judaism rep that ISN'T OBNOXIOUS, it has competition, it has healthy sibling relationships AND sibling relationships that need work (and get worked on), and it has overbearing parents that are just trying their best but need a talking to. It has the miscommunication trope (can it be miscommunication if you literally don't hear what is being said?), it has some spice, and it has an adorable cat with a neurological problem. It references the pandemic in a way that doesn't feel shoehorned, and its an easy read that is just plain fun. Overall it was a nice read when I needed something sweet and it definitely fit the bill. 4.75/5

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

I thought this book was entertaining. It's always hilarious to read about a couple who dislike each other being smacked in the face with the reality of having to deal with each other.

I would say this was less enemies to lovers and was more on the miscommunication trope. Mark and Shaina had a funny dynamic and it started with a car ride from hell to a wedding party of nonsense. I appreciated the representation of hearing impairment and how it was respectfully handled.

I didn't feel like I connected with the characters as much but nonetheless, enjoyed the quick read.

Mark and Shaina have been enemies since childhood. With their parents being friends and their birthdays being 10 days apart, they’ve always been in each other’s lives, somewhat forced together-their mothers even going so far as to hope for a romantic future for the two. When they end up competing together as a team, Mark and Shaina end up learning that everything they believed about the other may not be true.

This was a sweet enemies to friends to lovers RomCom. Mark and Shaina are real characters with real baggage, and I found myself growing attached to them both VERY quickly. I loved that they both had issues they had to face head on before allowing themselves to really truly be together. On the outside, this appears to be just another sweet, unassuming RomCom, but this is STEAMY! Not that I mind in the least, it just caught me off guard, but man oh man do these characters have chemistry! 🥵

Thanks to NetGalley and Entangled Publishing for providing this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

One of my favorite things is gaining new perspective through reading, and this book absolutely helped me learn! I loved learning about Shaina's life experience as a hard of hearing person and Mark's as a demisexual, all while enjoying their romance and excellent chemistry.

The Un-Arranged Marriage by Laura Brown is a unique take on the classic enemies-to-lovers story. Shaina and Mark are arch-nemeses who grew up together and are forced to team up at a family wedding to try to win a dream vacation.

What I liked: Shaina is hard-of-hearing and the book clearly depicts some of the struggles associated with hearing loss - particularly in social situations. There are many examples of this in the first half of the book and less in the second half. I liked the representation depicted in the book and how the author has tried to paint a realistic picture of that experience for readers.

What could be better: I liked the story but found that it was dragging in the last half. As well, the miscommunication trope is one of my least favourite tropes and there were many examples of this throughout the book.

I did enjoy the book - it was light and fun and a little spicy! I always love when books have more diverse characters represented as well. I would give the book four out of five stars for the entertainment factor. I would recommend this book to readers who enjoy family matchmaking efforts, as well as enemies-to-lovers stories.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Mark and Shaina’s mother's have wanted them to be together since they were kids, but due to a miss understanding they have been enemies. Reunited at a family wedding, they decided to put their differences aside and team up to try to win a trip. They compete and we see they start to fall for each other while trying not to.

I loved the representation of the hearing implant that Shaina wore. I think its cute that Shaina thinks Mark just wasn't acknowledging it when in reality he didn't know she had it.

A cute easy read. Overall just good, not the best but kept you interested throughout

Thank you Netgalley for this Arc!

Really enjoyed this story - it started kind of slow but once our main characters started to get more comfortable around each other and let their preconceived notions go, it really set in and was a fun read!