It was such a fun premise! I love everything about the enemies to lovers trope, and add to it two people who grew up around each other and only ever resented one another. You get an amazing foundation for a fantastic book.
But this one fell really flat for me. The characters were so one-dimentional and just sounded like a broken record. Even the sex scenes didn't excite me as much as usual:(
I really wanted to love it because, based on the synopsis, it might have been everything I've ever wanted from a book but alas. I still will definitely check out the author and her other books, so let's hope it was just a fluke for me:)

The Un-Arranged Marriage is a romantic comedy about Shaina and Mark, two 30-somethings who have hated each other since early childhood. As soon as they were born, their mothers started planning for their wedding which only frustrated the kids and pushed them further apart. Now as adults, their parents haven't given up hope that they'll end up together. When Shaina and Mark are paired up for a competition at Mark's sister's wedding, it starts to show them that maybe they weren't so incompatible after all.

✦ The enemies-to-lovers trope is one of my favorites! The author does a great job of writing about their feud from birth to present day. I also enjoy a slow burn romance, which this book definitely was.

✦ There are complicated family dynamics explored throughout the book. I love novels that feature interesting family members and highlight the main character's relationship with them. Lena (Mark's sister) was one of my favorite characters. I loved her relationship with both Mark and Shaina and how that played a role in their relationship together.

✦ This is an #OwnVoices story. The author is hearing impaired and has written Shaina as a strong, capable, successful, hearing impaired woman. I really liked how Shaina's hearing loss posed a challenge in her relationship with Mark. Reading about them overcoming this obstacle was very enjoyable.

✦ The biggest drawback about this book was the length. I felt that the story was long and very drawn out. There was a lot of repetitive dialogue and I found myself skimming through some of it. I also felt as though the character development could have been stronger as it took me a long time to feel like I understood who these characters were.

What I Liked:
➣ enemies-to-lovers
➣ guys falls first
➣ family dynamics

Thank you to Net Galley, the publisher and the author for providing me with a digital ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Very enjoyable and fun, with a really sexy, sweet, nerdy hero, “The Un-Arranged Marriage” (Entangled Publishing), is another fascinating story by Laura Brown about living with hearing loss.
I liked this “enemies-to-lovers” tale, found the characters interesting and relatable and, as usual, the disability representation is top notch, accurate, realistic and interwoven seamlessly throughout the story.
Mark is “adorkable” with his sexy glasses, honesty, sweetness, intelligence and lack of taste in clothing.
Shaina is a bit of a grump at times and I can’t say I liked her that much, but I really loved how the author wrote her personality, the positive and negative aspects, because she felt so real as a character.
The struggles and obstacles, the daily living with hearing aids was powerfully and realistically depicted and it’s a great insight that we could all be aware of in order to make communication easier when interacting with people with hearing loss.
I felt the great misunderstanding between the protagonists was a bit unbelievable, but I didn’t mind suspending disbelief.
I’d never heard of Mark’s type of issues, I’m still digesting it.
I enjoyed the interactions between Mark and Shaina but felt some things were far-fetched and the families interference a bit too much and annoying at moments.
At some point I started skipping the graphic sex scenes feeling they didn’t add anything relevant and were too much (and why one so close to the end?).
But it's a very enjoyable, fun read and ti made me laugh sometimes.

This book follows Mark and Shaina as they compete in a weeklong set of challenges to win a dream vacation, the only issue they have been lifelong enemies and their mothers have been arranging their marriage since they were toddlers, however once a sudden attraction finds it place between them could it be that their mothers were right?

There are a number of characters in this book, but the main four include Mark and Lena (siblings) and Noah and Shaina (siblings) all four of them have grown up together and are now meeting again to celebrate Lena (and Aaron’s) wedding and Noah (and Norah’s) wedding. I really liked Mark’s character and his development throughout the book, I liked the way that he asked Shaina for consent a lot, as well as his apology and change in behaviour towards her once he found out that she was hard of hearing, I found that conversation to be educational and watching Mark react with a willingness to change was great.

Lena was another character I really liked and the sibling relationship between her and Mark was well written, I liked how close they are as siblings and how they supported and protected each other, that felt like a realistic relationship that you would love to have with a sibling.

However, Shaina was a bit of a hit and miss character for me, there were times that I really didn’t like her, as her competitiveness edge kind of overtook her character and she became annoying, but her friendship with Olivia was great, having Olivia be as brutally honest with her as possible was a great way for Shaina to realise what she needed. Shaina’s sibling relationship with Noah was a bit more difficult to judge as I felt there was a lot of underlying competition and tension between them throughout the book, it was an interesting contrast to Mark and Lena’s relationship.

However out of the book my most disliked characters had to be both of the mums; Carrie and Lorraine, they really grated on me, I kind of feel they were written in just to cause doubt and throw spanners into the works, but I wasn’t a massive fan of either of them, or the parents in general to be honest.

The representation in the book is great, with Shaina’s disability rep (being hard of hearing) and Mark being Demisexual (which in all honesty I had not heard of this term before so this did cause a lot of research for me and I actually find myself identifying with mark, its amazing how books can resonate with the reader) as well as the LGBTQ+ representation with their competitors Drew and Ruben.

I did like the constant flirty banter that was growing between Mark and Shaina, and you could really feel the tension and chemistry between the two of them within certain scenes in the book, and most of the time I spent myself shipping them and just willing their relationship on, and the steamy scenes between them were definitely descriptive and would warrant an age rating for me! Especially the way some of the words and dialogue just seem to come out of nowhere.

The book is penned as an enemies to lovers trope, which I can see, but for me it feels more like a miscommunication trope as there wasn’t much exploration into why they grew up as “arch enemies” besides the fact that they just thought they didn’t like each other growing up.

It is a good read, and I did enjoy reading it, I would recommend it to those over 18 wanting a developing relationship story with plenty of flirting and sexual chemistry.

TW: Steamy sexual scenes, some profanity

I really enjoyed this book. The main characters, Shaina and Mark, are destined to be together since birth. The only issue is they hate each other. After family members meddle and a competition is started, they end up spending more time together and eventually become.. something more? There was a couple plot holes but overall it was an enjoyable read.

I enjoyed the life-long friend turned lover dynamic, I did find the idea that they could grow up in families that were so close and Mark not know how to communicate properly to her pretty far-fetched. The characters all felt rather flat to me.

*A bit of Spoiler Arc Review*

This book was so adorable from the very start till the end. I did not expect to connect with mark and Shaina, but their constant competition with each other and rivalry, I couldn’t help but fall in love with them. This RomCom has things which I don’t normally see in books, Mark has come out as Demisexual and Shaina has hearing impairment since they were kids and use hearing aids. Due to miscommunication they were enemies from 30 years!! I loved how a competition got them together. I related with Shaina a lot on the competitiveness issues. The last couple of chapter has miscommunication trope, which I am not a big fan of, probably the only reason I won’t be giving this book a 5. But gladly it only lasted for like two-three chapters.
If you’re looking for some fun reads, this is it!! This was tbh a very comfort read, I loved it so much!!

Thank you Laura Brown and Net galley for providing the Arc of this!

Ratings :
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️.75/5
🌶🌶/5

3.5

This book was extremely wholesome, some lovely themes throughout and some very lovable characters.

I loved the representation of hearing impairment (based on the author's own experiences, I believe), the ableism was handled really nicely and the way it was discussed was educational, without it being the only plot point that mattered. The male interest, Mark being an epidemiologist was a beautiful touch especially the dedication at the beginning, extremely lovely.

The spicy scenes were brief but they contained enough within them to be exciting and interesting, the consistent consent was beautiful, I love men written by women! Some nice demisexuality representation also.

It was hilarious in places (especially Shaina talking to her fish, and Mark with his cat, very accurate), but it also let me down in a few places...

For one, this book doesn't feel like an enemies-to-lovers, this is more based on the miscommunication / misunderstanding trope, there was no rivalry between the two if they barely spoke to one another in the first place... This would have probably been better if it was a friends-to-lovers... Once it came to the romance it because very insta-love-y which isn't my favourite trope in the whole world, especially with Mark's demisexuality, surely they needed to be connected on a personal level for longer before the lust set in.

******Spoiler in the next paragraph******
Another issue I had was the fact the competition carried over into the next wedding, I feel like the one wedding was enough, I understand why it was done that way, but I would've much preferred the middle bit at the beginning of the book, then move onto the wedding afterwards.
******No more spoilers******

I started losing interest towards the middle, but it soon picked back up, a very wholesome and lovely read

-----

Thank you to NetGalley and Entangled Publishing LLC for the advanced copy, all opinions are my own

Mark and Shaina have known each other since birth. Their mothers have been trying to match them up since they were toddlers (in bride and groom wedding outfits.) Due to a misunderstanding, the two quickly became enemies for life. At a family wedding, they decide to put their differences aside and team up to win a trip to Italy. They spend the week completing competitions and trying not to fall for each other.

I was so happy to see diverse main characters. Shaina has had a hearing impairment since childhood and wears hearing aids. Because of this, she has a hard time letting down her guard to be completely vulnerable. Mark has come out as being demisexual. He has a hard time connecting romantically unless they are emotionally connected first. I really enjoyed their interactions with each other. They had such a fun, competitive relationship. It was nice seeing the quiet interactions as well; like the simple interactions of watching tv together. The beginning part of the book did have much too slow of a pacing level for me but quickly picked up the second half of the book. The competitions were interesting and showed the growth in their relationship.

Thanks to NetGalley, Laura Brown, and Entangled Publishing for this eARC. All opinions expressed are my own.

They know each other for the moment they were born . She is ten days older than him and their mothers who were best friends always dreamed that they will get married . They fate each other but it is actually a misunderstanding . She as a hearing problem and aithough she wears hearing aids she can not hear 100 % of the other . He never understood that and he always talked to her with soft and calm voice . Now that he knows the truth he is trying very hard to be friends . While they are in his baby sister wedding they find themselves being a team so they can win a trip to Venice . What starts as to make their mothers stop talking about been together becomes truth .
I received this book from net galley and the publisher as an ARC. Thank you! All thoughts and opinions are my own

The Un-Arranged Marriage by Laura Brown is a fun exciting new romance novel.
Shaina and Mark are wonderful characters. The banter between the two is funny and cute.
A true funny, exciting new romance that blew me away upon reading the first chapter and I rushed through the entire novel in one fell swoop.

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

Entangled: Amara,

Thank You for your generosity and gifting me a copy of this amazing eARC!
I will post my review to my platforms, blog, B&N and Waterstone closer to pub date.

Enemies to lovers is my favorite romance troupe. The Un-Arranged Marriage did not disappoint! Mark and Shaina have never gotten along, due to a long-standing misunderstanding. But a family wedding is forcing them to partner up in a weeklong competition for a trip to Italy. Is it possible they can put aside all the hurt and misunderstandings from their childhood and win the trip of a lifetime? The competition has Mark and Shaina dealing with their past and facing the electricity between them that is now apparent to everyone in the family.

I really enjoyed the fact that Shaina has a hearing problem and uses hearing aids. This is not something you typically see in a romcom, as well as Mark’s demisexuality. I must admit to not completely understanding what demisexual means so I had to look it up. Overall, the hearing loss, demisexuality and life coach therapy are all shown in a positive light. It is very refreshing to have MC who are not “perfect.”

Thank you to Net Galley and Entangled Publishing for this eArc. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Shaina and Mark had been fighting since they were born ten years apart and their mothers had tried to marry them forever. But they really hate each other or they need to really know each other and their issues in order to have a chance at happiness and love? Sweet, funny and sometimes sad journey for Shaina and Mark that you will enjoy reading.

Fan of Unhoneymooners and The Spanish Love Deception, NEED TO READ THIS BOOK. I absolutely loved the banter between the characters, and there story ti falling in love. This book is a MUST READ for romance readers!

The Un-Arranged Marriage by Laura Brown

Personal Rating: ★★★/5 Stars

Book Statistics:
Genre: Romance
Year of Publication: 2022
Pages: 150

Thank you to NetGalley for providing me an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This was such a fun and quick read!

The storyline in the book was also fun to read and it was something that we don't see often in books.

The chemistry between the protagonists was good and I liked the female main character more than her love interest.

Mark's conflict felt like a big issue but with the continuous mentions, it became repetitive and I was quite annoyed with that.

But I liked the self reflection he had to go through because of something that has to do with Shaina. (but I can't tell you, it's a Spoiler)

I really liked this and I will probably read more of the author's books in the future.

Cute premise with distinct bug likeable leads in Shaina and Mark. Enemies to lovers trope but with an interesting lessons learned in being compassionate and aware of others. Worth a read.

There are so many things that I enjoyed with this book.

The storyline was unique and fun to read.

The two main characters each had their own unique voices, which were well developed.

The writing was engaging and made it a great read.

Mark’s conflict felt forced at times, and repetitive. It perspective was fresh but I would have preferred for it to be more subtle at times with signposts for the reader to follow.

I like interfering parents who contrive and scheme to get their children together. Mark and Shaina do.not get along, but are thrown together during a wedding week of co,petition. I thought some of,the contests were funny and place both characters in interesting predicaments.
Mark is finally made aware of a disability Shaina has and that forced him to .examine his own behavior.
It’s a light hearted read about two people may have a future together, if they don’t Destroy each other first.