No matter how you look at it, Lucy needed someone to give her a good shake. Obsessed with work and completely incapable of switching off we first meet her working in the toilets while at her best friend’s hen do. That is damning, but to not walk down the aisle with her as you need to take a work call is unforgivable.
So, having had such a negative view of this young woman at the start I found it hard to really warm to her.
As the book progresses we see her try to make it up to her friend…and this leads to an even more bizarre scenario. She agrees to buy a house with Zack, the yoga expert she can’t stand, just so she can get her hands on the family home she recalls so fondly.
Inevitably things between them are rocky, but this hides a hidden passion. A lot of their issues could have been addressed if they’d just had a conversation with one another.
This wasn’t awful, but it wasn’t particularly memorable either. Thanks to NetGalley for giving me the chance to read this prior to publication.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for a fair and honest review.

3.5 stars, rounded up to 4.

Stuck With Him is a very fun sunshine-grump/opposites-attract/forced proximity romance, that is filled with subverted gender tropes and screwball banter. I really enjoyed the flipped script of the two main characters, wherein Lucy took on the stereotypical character arc of the traditional male romance lead (the grump, emotionally repressed, work obsessed, etc) while Zack played the part of the cinnamon roll hero (the sunshine. emotionally mature, sensitive, etc). While I have certainly read other books that play with similar gender-swapped tropes, watching Lucy's story play out in this particular story was deeply fascinating and forced me (in the best way possible!) to examine how these gender roles typically appear in romance and what happens when they are subverted in regards to expectation and "likeability". Basically, this is all just to say that I loved the characterization of the two leads. My qualms with the book mainly stem from an annoyance with the overuse of miscommunication as conflict. I would have been fine with this being maybe a minor part of the plot but to have Lucy misunderstand almost everything got to be a little bit repetitive, especially because to the reader it was quite obvious that Zack was not at all who she thought him to be. Lastly, I really felt like Lucy needed to grovel way more at the end of the book before getting back together with Zack. She really did him dirty and he deserved much more from her! Overall, this is a fun quick read that folks who like Sophie Kinsella books will definitely enjoy.

Endearing. I don’t use that word often to describe something, but this book so was! This is my first book from this author and I’m already for a new one!

Fans of Sofie Kinsella, Lauren Layne, and Christina Lauren would definitely enjoy this one. The writing was fluid and smooth and a perfect combination of emotion and wit and personality.

Two people who initially butted heads joined forces to buy a house they both want but couldn’t get alone.

Lucy (again, God forbid) is such a strong character that represents women who’s tired of patriarchy, inequality, and discrimination. I love her with her workaholic nature and unapologetic opinions, stubbornness and eventually character development. She was strong and independent and so capable. Definitely a #Girlboss. And I love that her job as a interior designer played a huge part in this.

And Zack, although for me lacks a bit of personality (bc aside from yoga what does he actually likes to do?) is quite the type of man I want (not only bc of the rugged Harry Styles description but bc he’s Zack). He’s sensitive, caring, and doesn’t shy away from emotions. He’s funny and cute and has deeper understanding of life that I think I’d ever achieve in this lifetime.

The domesticity, the little joys of everyday, the familiar moments, the silliness of a situation, the friendship they built and the relationship that bloomed from that was so ideal. And although they’re obviously getting together at the end, I enjoyed seeing them managed their emotions before surrendering to it. The process of crossing that line between friendship and more was so sweet I think I just lost a tooth. A lot of LOL moments, awww moments, and tiny details that depicts relationships that either drives you nuts or make you all gooey inside.

In reality I don’t actually buy the whole opposite-attract crap, but I bought theirs. And I guess it just works for some people. To find their balance with someone else, for someone to complement them so perfectly and gracefully.

That only thing that was a miss for me was the complication. I’m not saying they should be toxic and blow a simple misunderstanding into a whole K-Drama ending, but it definitely deserved more than that anticlimactic complication/climax. I was waiting for Zack to atleast stand his own ground and fight his way into Lucy’s life, maybe beg her a little, a little more drama, but instead they were just “okay”. They both surrendered too easily. And for someone strong and independent like Lucy, I really want to see her with someone who recognize her strengths from her weaknesses, and point out when to push or pull her. And at that moment, I was disappointed in Zack. Until the end, Lucy has to make a decision for herself and I don’t blame her.

If you want:

✔️slowburn
✔️enemies-to-lovers
✔️opposite-attracts
✔️ forced proximity

Definitely check this one out!

All in all, I enjoyed it. Read it throughout the night even though I have a busy schedule ahead. But that’s what Advil’s are for, right?

Can’t wait for you to read this!

Ps. If you’re wondering if it’s steamy/spicy, it’s not. It will melt your heart instead.

This ARC was provided to me via Kindle, Bookouture and by #NetGalley. Opinions expressed are completely my own.

A delightful, heartfelt read what made me laugh. It was a quick read, hard to put down.

This was so cute and so so so unrealistic (but in a good way). It’s also predictable - ALSO in a good way. This was one of those books that you read knowing full well that it’s going to have a happy ending and pretty much exactly what that ending will be, and you enjoy it all the more for that reason. Sweet, breezy, cute, and with just enough miscommunication to be funny and not infuriating, this was a great palate cleanser read.

Stuck With Him by Danielle Owen-Jones

3.75/5

TW: absent parents, elderly healthcare

Workaholic Lucy is known for never stopping working even on her best friends hen do. After much persuasion she lets lose only to send a very embarrassing email to all her clients resulting in her losing a lot business and having to move out of her penthouse. The book takes you on Lucy’s journey to rebuild her company and find somewhere to live as well as restoring her friendship. Will Lucy be able to get everything back plus maybe more?

I love a good enemy to lovers trope and also grumpy/sunshine characters. I was surprised that the female character was the grumpy one this time and the male was the sunshine which was refreshing.

I feel like I related a lot to Lucy always working and never having fun and so her character really spoke to me. I understood why she came across so standoffish and stubborn after the stories of her upbringing.

The only thing I really missed in the story was a bit more of an interaction between Zack and his brother.

The last few chapters had me hooked and feeling all the emotions especially after the reveal of Lucy’s thursday appointments.

Opposites attract, enemies to lovers... Some of my favourite tropes!

I don't usually like giving back bad feedback but this book just wasn't it for me.
It felt forced, rushed but also prolonged for no real reason.
I struggled to get into it and I only liked the mmc Zack. He's laid back, chilled, and just overall a nice funny guy.
Lucy on the other hand, seemed stubborn, selfish and a little childish.
I really had high hopes for this book, but unfortunately we can't be everyone's cups of tea.

I really wanted to like this book, but personally it felt like it just dragged on forever.
Based on the description I was super excited to read, but Lucy & tbh most of the characters weren’t likable.

The “plot twist” was surprising & there was some cute banter/moments sprinkled throughout the book, but overall I would’ve loved the main characters to be less polarized. Neither of them were very relatable to me, which made it harder to enjoy.

After finishing the book I can’t help but wonder why Katie is so attached to Lucy & kept giving her more chances to prove herself?? Lucy kept proving she cared about work more, & we never saw her like truly care about their friendship, yet Katie was always there to give her a second chance? Idk it just felt too good to be true & didn’t make sense to me. I would’ve liked to see Katie mention some sort of experience the two of them went through in the past, or why she kept holding onto Lucy despite her mistakes.

After reading the description I was super intrigued on the whole “two strangers sharing a house” & thought it would’ve been someone desperately needing a roommate sort of situation. But the reality wasn’t fun to read about bc how stupid could Lucy be???? Buying a house with a literal stranger😭(though + points for her acknowledging her stupidity) Felt like their coming-to-terms with each other wasn’t shown as much as I would’ve liked? Their change of character felt sudden for some parts.

Felt like her “Thursday meetings” didn’t have to be a secret??? I don’t know, it was unnecessary buildup & felt like it was brought up every once in awhile just to keep readers intrigued when it didn’t need to be.

Thank you so much NetGalley for providing this book for me, I’m really looking forward to read more about Danielle! 😊

What a cute story! This is proof that opposites attract. We have Zack: he’s a yoga instructor, vegan, eco friendly guy. He loves nature and he takes life very easygoing. Also he’s a Matcha lover (with oat milk of course), he is exactly what a person like Lucy needs. Because Lucy is a workaholic, she’s an interior designer who works with special rich clients, she’s always stressed because for her work is #1 in her life. After failing to her best friend Katie at her wedding, Katie made her promise to take yoga lessons. Why? Because she wants Lucy to be able to relax, to find herself, to realized that indeed she has a little problem with work and that she actually might need those lessons to help her inner self. There’s where she ends up meeting Zack. And she just hated him since day 1 😅 they’re completely different people.
The story about how they became rommies is just so funny! How they went from not understanding each other to love each other was so sweet. Because indeed I don’t think Zack needed Lucy, but she needed him. And the rest… was a cute, sweet, warm romance. I really enjoyed it 💛
4 ⭐️ because there’s was something missing for me, but in general I liked it so much that I read this book in 2 days!

A cute quick read about a workaholic interior designer on the verge of extreme burnout and a laid back go with the flow "meditation facilitator”. It was a fun take on enemies to lovers and you enjoyed watching them grow as people.

I loved the concept of this book, it was so intriguing and the enemies to lovers trope never fails me.
However it did not keep my attention for long, it felt a bit forced and rushed.
It didn’t help that I couldn’t stand the main character, Lucy was very judgmental and overall unlikeable. She was so selfish and kind of a bully to me. I did very much enjoy Zack, he was sweet and charming and I just felt bad for him most of the time!

I did enjoy this a bit mostly because of Zack, and again the overall idea and concept was brilliant

3.2⭐️

It took me a little while to get into this book, but I thought the concept was quite refreshing and cleverly done.
As I live in Liverpool, i love seeing my city represented in such a positive light.
The slight problem I had with the book was that it took a little while to get to the point, and I sometimes found myself getting easily annoyed at Lucy’s antics. I mean the hen do?? The wedding?? It was questionable how she had any friends.
The miscommunication trope isn’t my fav, but it was well done in my opinion.
I enjoyed this however, it was an easy light read and a good second novel for the author.

****

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

I really enjoyed this book!

Although the idea of buying a house with a practical stranger was a little out there the author really pulls it off. There were plenty of laugh out loud moments, from the first chapter (cue laptop in a loo) and through out the story (almond milk anyone!?).

I love a good enemy to lovers story and this one really delivered.

A little predictable in places but not enough to put me off.

A solid 4*

This book is your typical enemies to lovers kind of book.
They say opposites attract and the 2 main characters in this book couldn't be more different if they tried.
Sometimes the characters were a bit hard to like, but by the end I loved them all and wanted more.
Cute easy read book.

Thank you to NetGalley for providing me with an ARC.

3 stars!

Despite wanting to shake Lucy, she was difficult to like at times, I understand she's a workaholic, but DAMN

I enjoyed reading this the more I got into it, I honestly throught I'd end up not liking it at all with how Lucy was but I liked Zack's puppy energy since he was the more sunshine character.

I was really hoping the usual 3rd act misunderstanding/miscommunication thing wouldn't happen, it somewhat did but meh it wasn't that bad

The part with her grandmother was a touching part that I liked too.

This is a fun and cute enemies to lovers, Lucy and Zack start off on the wrong foot, they hate each other at first sight, but when they are forced to live together everything begins to change.
I really enjoyed the story, they made me laugh and sigh, and the banter between them is epic, if you are a fan of enemies to lovers, forced proximity, RomCom, this is perfect for you.

This book was absolutely amazing. The emotion and bonds between the characters was phenomenal. The round of events that took place, and the little cute moments between Lucy and Zack was heartthrobbing. Not to forget Kat, they little pooch. She was the sweetest creation 😍. Dotty was the most important character in this book apart from Lucy and Zack, she was the essence of love to Lucy, and a role model. From beginning to end I could not stop reading, and I hope one day, we get a movie from the book 💖.

If you're looking for an enemies to lovers romance with a few twists and some other classic tropes thrown in for good measure, look no further than Stuck with Him. Sure, much of this book felt predictable -- from the "I hate my roommate/housemate" set up to the “workaholic discovers there’s more to life than work” ending, but if you want a quick read with some fun side characters and a bit of emotional nuance and don't mind it being trope heavy, this fits the bill. Maybe I’ve just been reading too many lit fic / romance novels to fully appreciate another trope-heavy read. While the author clearly made an effort to incorporate "twists" even those I largely saw coming (the competing love interest having a history with the new one, the best friend having some secret drama on the honeymoon etc). That being said, the book was paced such that I found myself eager to keep reading to get to the next "reveal." And while for some reason, even though it’s a common occurrence, I found myself getting annoyed by how female protagonist kept getting confused by her attraction to the male protagonist, especially when she made so many assumptions about him, I was happy with the ending, and would even read a spin off about some of the side characters (Molly in particular had potential).

Thanks for letting me read I love enemies to lovers it is my favorite trope and it was funny and easy to read and would love to read again very much enjoyed it

At first glance this book was exactly what I wanted from a rom-com. The idea of owning a house with a stranger who you just so happen to hate I am all for. It’s got forced-proximity, grumpy x sunshine, opposites attract, and enemies to lovers; some of my favorite tropes. If you enjoy reading closed-door romances with little spice, this book is up your alley! Unfortunately it just didn’t hit the spot for me, personally, the characters were underdeveloped and unlikeable.

I was not a fan of Zack from the beginning; him humiliating Lucy from the first time they met and continuing to judge and preach about Lucy's workaholic tendencies, her fast-paced lifestyle, and anything she enjoyed that didn't match up with his own likes throughout the entire novel. I thought he was selfish, giving Lucy ultimatums and not understanding her way of living.

Lucy on the other hand was a bit more likable than Zack (in my opinion) but she was still hard to connect with. I totally understand being a workaholic and coping with past life issues by diving yourself deep into work but Lucy was on another level. She was definitely selfish in her workaholic ways, putting her work before her friend's wedding, Zach's feelings, and her ability to live life to the fullest.

Katie, her best friend, was just as unlikeable as the rest of the characters, but her anger and lash-outs were justifiable. Lucy had chosen work over her time and time again; and while that is frustrating and hurtful Katie gave Lucy ultimatums. Katie hopped from warm to cold in .2 seconds when it came to Lucy and it didn't really seem like they were "like sisters".

For enemies to lovers I am all for slow-burning but it felt almost nonexistent in this book. There was a lack of growth to their romance and there wasn't much development to their characters as a whole. I had wanted Zack and Lucy to grow as people; Zack to be more neat, focused, and give things that Lucy liked a try; and Lucy to take more vacations, be able to enjoy a matcha latte, and be able to be less work-focused.

Overall it was an easy read rom-com, I just don’t expect myself to be picking this up for a second time.

Thank you Netgalley and Bookouture for an advanced copy of this book in return for my honest review.