I was lucky to receive an advance copy of Reasons Why Not to Date Public Enemy CEO by Melanie Munton from NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for my honest review and opinion. This book is an absolute great way to begin summer and the summer of book releases! Such a fun, lighthearted read that you will not be able to put down. The only downside to this book is you will read it way too fast and it will be over and you will patiently have to wait for the next one to be released! I promise you will love this!

I thought this was a quick cutesy read. Aiden and Mia had really good chemistry, and you root for them through the entire book. The smut in this book was a little forced in my opinion & sometimes it just felt awkward. I also really enjoyed the side characters. They made you feel like you were truly connected to Mia’s community/life. Overall a cute summery read that wasn’t my favorite. However, don’t let this review stop you from checking it out yourself - Happy reading friends! ☀️

ARC provided by NetGalley for an honest opinion. This hot and fast romance is a great summer read with tons of laughs.

I was drawn to this book but the cute summer cover and it did not disappoint! Workplace romances can be so much fun. I really enjoyed Mia and Aiden's connection and found myself devouring this story. I was really happy to see that this is the start of the Shell Grove series and I can't wait to continue the rest of the books!

I wanted to enjoy this book, but the further in I got, the less I liked it. Despite understanding that it was a ‘love at first sight’ thing for both Mia and Aiden, it didn’t feel genuine. In fact, their whole relationship seemed based on physical attraction and lust. Even that I could have dealt with. The worst part of this story for me was Aiden’s character. He was just so all over the place—he was confident then unconfident, controlled then uncontrolled, smart then not smart, patient then impatient—that by the end it was hard to see him as an intelligent, successful man. He certainly didn’t read to me like an alpha male, despite being written as such. On a completely personal note, I struggled with the writing; some of the word choices made me cringe. This book just wasn’t for me.

***Thank you to NetGalley, Amazon Digital Services LLC and Melanie Munton. I voluntarily read and reviewed this book. All opinions are my own.***

Grumpy and sunshine. The story of Aiden and Mia. He stays in town longer than he should because he just wants to stay around her, but will they have a chance together?

A fab read, and a great setting

I'm gonna be honest, I'm torn on the star rating, and somewhere over the course of writing this review, I hope to figure it out. Listen, if a romance is cute, the characters are fun, and isn't outright abusive, incesty, or otherwise not okay, I tend to give it five stars. While I liked the main characters in this one, and fell in love with the side characters who constantly followed our protagonist, Mia, around her home of Shell Grove, I had a few stipulations about jumping on board her romance with Aiden as the book progressed. I was happy to find it was dual POV, but there were a few moments where I was removed from the story and genuinely not happy with the behavior of certain characters. There were friendships that seemed codependent, at best, and deeply unhealthy, at worst. None of the characters respected one another's boundaries with things they repeatedly expressed uncomfortability with. There were some jokes made by characters that didn't upset one another, but for me, as a reader, were not enjoyable and had me walking away from the book for a few minutes. Overall, it was a cute romance, and I would recommend it, but there were a few pieces that I just wasn't a fan of, and am hoping others may be able to look past.

If you like:
- grumpy/sunshine
- workplace romance (with a forbidden edge)
- small-town romance
- steamy romance
- the guy falls first (and harder)

Then check this book out! Mia is a Shell Grove local who reluctantly takes a job at the new resort in town, even though so many locals are against it. Aiden is the big-shot CEO and public enemy number one, who finds himself instantly attracted to Mia. When Mia comes up with a plan to get locals onboard with the resort in the form of it hosting her brother's wedding, the pair grow closer and struggle to deny their attraction.

I loved the juxtaposition of Aiden's grumpiness with Mia's sunshine personality. Underneath that stoic exterior though, Aiden was a charming down-to-earth guy. The pair had great chemistry and I can never resist when the guy falls first and HARD! I also loved Mia's family and friends. They were such an eclectic but loveable bunch.

Overall, this is a fantastic small-town romance to escape into this summer.

TLDR : Spicy small town romance with likeable characters. It was too long in my opinion. But it has a great atmosphere for a light summer read. Medium angst. I would recommend it for people who like romcoms but also want some spice in them.

***

Three stars. I liked the main characters a lot and how they interacted with each other. I also loved how much Aiden was simping for Mia, it was swoon-worthy and heartbreaking at the same time. Also funny. But, this was just too long. It should be cut down to half I’d even say. All the shenanigans involving the cousin could’ve been put in her own book, since it seems like she’ll be getting one. The third act conflict felt forced but I appreciated how quickly it was resolved through communication.

I think I would’ve appreciated this book more if it had a bit more direction. A lot of interesting plot points occurred but they weren't really explored. For example, !!!SPOILER ALERT!!! [at the beginning, Mia seems to be soul searching, trying to find what she wants to do with her life. Then she gets promoted and it seems that her new job is something she would love and be great at. She organizes some events but that’s about it. No more exploration. Then there’s Aiden, who’s hated by the locals. Everything’s fine at the end and we do get a scene where there’s a shift and the locals start to get to know him a bit. However, we don’t really witness this shift through Aiden’s eyes which is frustrating because being hated by everyone was something that caused him a lot of insecurity throughout the book].

So that’s why I’m giving it three stars. I appreciated the chemistry and the sizzle but sometimes it’s not enough to carry the whole book, especially if the book is this long. Which takes me back to where I started : if this book was shorter, it would be a four-star read for me.

***

I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own. I thank the author and the publishing team for providing me with this review copy.

If there is a rich character who wants to spoil the main character I WILL definitely be reading.

I liked the way Mia develops in the course of the book, because I identified with her, pretending she doesn't care what others say but still doing everything to make others think positively of her? Mia, you and I are the same girl.

I also liked to see how Aiden is able to develop in a different environment than the one he is used to.

Aiden and Mia's relationship is so cute and the fact that Aiden is playing the "boy obsessed" card is everything!!!

This is a fun book that has all the feeling of summer so it's definitely a good one to add to your summer reading list.

(Thank you NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review)

This is a great fun story for anyone looking for a light and steamy summer read full of great chemistry. It was fun seeing all the heat that developed between Mia and Aiden and I'm very excited to also eventually see the development of Finn and Maggie's relationship as well. Grateful to the publisher for an early copy to review!

I LOVED this! I really enjoyed Aiden and Mia's story. I was so entertained from the first page until the end. I loved that it's a grumpy/sunshine. I loved the chemistry between them. I loved hot Aiden was the one to fall for her first. I loved Mia's friends, they really steal the spotlight. All the things and pranks that they did are just ridiculous but in a hilarious way. They made me laugh so much. This is an entertaining and fun read.

Reasons Why Not to Date Public Enemy CEO is feel good fun. The meet cute (meeting between main characters) is absolutely unforgettable. It has to be in the top 5 most awkward and cringe worthy moments ever. It only goes downhill...and uphill...and down the beach from there. This grumpy guy and ray of sunshine gal make quite the pair in the cute little town of Shell Grove, NC. While these two are polar opposites, all it takes is a little steam to melt their edges (or his!).

Enjoy the resort, stay for the town. I am absolutely ready for everything that comes next!!!

First, thanks to NetGalley and Melanie Munton for an e-ARC of this book in exchange for a review.
Reasons Why Not To Date Public Enemy CEO is a grumpy/sunshine trope. Aiden Beaumont is a hard nosed CEO and Mia’s boss. Mia Sparks is very bubbly and loves her small town of Shell Grove. Her small town does not love Aiden whose company has built a resort on its shore.
These characters really sparked off of each other from first meeting. They are both stand out characters who it was a pleasure to get to know during the course of the book. Aiden is a rich grump who is instantly attracted to Mia and vice versa. Their relationship goes very hot and heavy. They both have their pluses and minuses as MCs but I liked their stories. The other characters really shine as well, and I cannot wait to read more about them in future books. I think anyone who reads this book will be chomping at the bit for Maggie and Finn’s story!
This book was a quick, steamy read. I would definitely recommend it as a summer, or anytime, read.

I got around 15% of the way through this book before I had to give up. It was written really weirdly and I just couldn’t do it anymore. The love interest was weirdly sexual even though they don’t know each other and it made me uncomfortable.

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

It felt like a the typical formula, Aiden seemed possessive and to treat her like an object. These stories get old especially in 2022.

This was a sweet, realistic, medium angst, small town romance and I enjoyed it.
There were humour, love, passion, familial bonds and deep friendships.
Hero Aiden was Mia’s Boss (and I enjoyed the office romance aspect so much) but from the beginning itself there was an equality between them. Courtesy of Aiden. He was enamoured with her from the first (hilarious) meeting and treated her accordingly. He was very sensitive man underneath all that grumpy exterior, Very down to earth and simple under that expensive suit.

Mia was such a sweet and simplistic soul. The one who loves and cares for everyone. But what I loved the most about her, the girl knew her mind and didn’t care what others thought about her decision and lived for herself. Like Mia said it didn’t happen overnight but she did it.

Loved the colourful bunch of Mia’s friends. Especially Maggie.. that woman and her pranks were nuts😂. I do admit some of the jokes went right over my head but some made me laugh so much. I also thought hero could’ve handled two scenes with little more maturity.
Sweet epilogue.

Safe.

Happy publication day to Melanie Munton! I started AND finished this book on publication day!

This was a cute story of sweet Mia Sparks who landed a job at the new hot shot hotel. The hotel that not many of the inhabitants of the small town were too fond of. Meaning they were also none too fond of Mr. Aiden Beaumont, the serious face and CEO of the hotel chain.

What I loved:
I love that the billionaire CEO fell hard and fast for the quirky small town girl. I’m a sucker for insta-love. I’m a sucker for forbidden love. The whole “should we/shouldn’t we,” pulls me in because - who are we going to let society dictate who we can and can’t fall in love with? So of course I instantly requested this book from Net Galley. I just love love.

What I didn’t love:
My biggest complaint with this book is there were some annoying stereotypes that I feel like in this day in age we’re trying to crush. The author makes some remarks that could be offensive to people with body issues, specific taste in perfume, adult braces or anyone who lives in Charlotte.

Cringe-worthy:
I felt like Mr. Beaumont got straight to the dirty talk way too soon. She’s the shy sweet small town girl and he’s the big billionaire CEO and he’s talking real dirty after their first sweet little kiss. I’m not sure if it seems unlikely, or too forward, too pushy? I’m not sure. But it left me uneasy. I love a good smut book, don’t get me wrong, but this dynamic was just off.

Thank you to Net Galley and Melanie Munton for the ARC. I read this book on my kindle for an honest review.

What happens when the most hated man in town, Aidan, CEO, goes after everyone's favorite girl-next-door, Mia, who wants to make this always grumpy man smile? She can't because he's her boss and she doesn't want to lose her gig.
The grumpy X Sunshine trope, one with a forbidden love a workplace romance, it is fun and steamy. Aiden and Mia are opposites proving that they attract, in a great chemistry. The story presented good side characters, good banter, good dialogue, a little spice. I would have liked to see their relationship develop more. The conflict, although necessary for plot in this kind of romance, was a bit clumsy, immature and easy. And at some points, Aiden's possessiveness was a turn-off to me.
I also would like to know when will we stop depicting having curves as being a negative thing? It is not a negative thing. It should never be, not even in a book. Also the formatting was weird, making it hard to follow and to really sink my teeth into it, so I skimmed most of it. I hope that the advanced copy that I got will get a last look over to solve these layout issues before final publishing. If you want something simple something light, something a little spicy, and if you like the Insta-love Trope, which I'm not a big fan of, this is probably more for you than it was for me.
I received this book in exchange for my honest opinion from NetGalley.

*Thankyou to netgalley, the author & publisher for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Honestly, I LOVED it. This was such a nice enjoyable read, which I absolutely devoured in two days. Perfect for a summary beach read.

I really enjoyed the banter between Aiden & Mia, and the grumpy guy sunshine girl dynamic between them too. I think it was the "perfect" amount of it too.
Also, I SWOONED every time "Honey" came out Aiden's mouth. The double POV'S was a really nice addition too so that we could see Aiden's true feelings.