I thought this book sounded hilarious, you're stuck with your enemy, and your respective parents fall in love?! I'm not usually a romance reader, but I thought I'd pick this one up just to see what happened with the parents, but boy oh boy, I shouldn't have.

None of the characters are likable. The FMC is obnoxious and pretentious, and her mom doesn't respect the boundaries. The MMC is a bully, and his dad was just a meh character. I didn't find this to be a enemy to lovers, it was more like she hates him because she's a "serious writer" who only writes "important articles," and he writes "fluff" which cannot mean he is a good writer or even deserves to be in her presence. He obviously likes her from the get go, but behaves like an elementary school aged child, who is mean to the pretty girl he likes because "cooties."

I'm sure there will be people who enjoy this book, but it just wasn't for me.

Thank you, WattPad and NetGalley, for the advanced copy of What Happens on Vacation.

Awww! What a joy to read! This novel took me on a journey of laughs, eye rolls, love, and even a few tears. The chemistry between our main character and love interest jumped off the page, and the relationship that our main character has to maneuver with her mother after the loss of MC's father is heartwarming. While our MC could be what seemed a little rude in the beginning due to what I believe is a lack of self-confidence, the reader gets to sit back and watch her grow in all of her different relationships (lover, friends, parents).

Margaret takes her job as a journalist seriously. She writes stories with an impact on her community. Not the same could be said about her cubicle-sharing coworker, Jagger. Jagger's journalistic talents are in the fluff department. It doesn't help that he seems to be the office hotty that gets all of the ladies in a tizzy. Margaret just needs a break while dealing with Jagger and the past year when she lost her father and went through a divorce. Luckily she is always the one to beat at the company quiz night where the winner will get a trip to a resort in Zanzibar. Unluckily she ties with Jagger to win the trip. This novel takes us on the journey of Margaret and Jagger along with their mother and father, respectively, on a trip that will change multiple relationships and lives whether for the best or worst.

I struggled getting into this book to the point where I started skimming it to get to the point where they go on vacation together, the beginning of the book had so many unnecessary scenes between Jagger and Margaret, it would have been more beneficial for those scenes to be used while they were on vacation. I couldn’t connect with Margaret and her thoughts, while we love plus size representation, she brought it up in weird ways that bothered me. Arguing that Jagger had an upper hand cause he could raise his hand faster than her cause her arm weighed more had me so thrown off, and that isn’t the only comments.

I do hope to try this author again in the future but this book just wasn’t for me.

While I loved seeing a curvier FMC, this book just wasn’t for me. It took me a really long time to get into it. While I loved the representation of the FMC, I had a hard time liking her. She came off as judgmental and opinionated and I really couldn’t connect with her. While I know others will love this book, I almost DNFed. It just wasn’t my cup of tea.

Margaret loves her job as a journalist. But she hates her coworker, Jagger, who constantky goes out of his way to annoy her. And unfortunatly, they just won a luxury trip to a resort...
This is a workplace rivalry to lovers, forced proximity, contemporary romance, and I don't think this one was for me. I did not like the interactions between both main characters, I felt they were so immature. It did not work for me. Jagger's behavior borderlines on harassment. I have seen it compared to The Hating Game, and I hated The Hating Game for thr same reasons. The tropical setting was fun, though.
I received an advance review copy of this book for free and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

DNF

I really do not care the FMC. Perhaps her personality is meant to be seen as quirky and tough at first? I don’t find her to be endearing at all. I do not want to get to know her better or read about her falling in love with her coworker who is probably, in my opinion, too good for her. Only in a romance novel can you hate someone for no reason, treat them with disdain, end up falling in love with them and riding off in to the sunset together. This one just isn’t for me.

What Happens on Vacation by Jo Watson was a fun enemies to lovers rom-com.
Watson crafts a charming story filled with relatable characters and genuine emotions. I loved Margaret and Jagger they are fun and sweet together. Their journey and story was an incredible one and I was honored to read about these two.
A witty and engrossing novel that I thoroughly enjoyed.

I would like to thank NetGalley and Wattpad Books for the opportunity to read this ahead of its publication date in return for my honest review.

Margaret is a journalist and shared a cubicle with your favorite golden retriever, Jagger. He is also a journalist but writes about nothing serious and she hates him from the beginning. Little do we know, the cutie pie has loved her since day one.

When they could win a work trip for two, they are forced to compete against each other.

Enemies to lovers, one bed, grumpy/sunshine.

Overall, this was a super quick read and enjoyed it! I knew how the story was going to end before I picked it up. Perfect for a beach getaway!

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC. All thoughts are my own.

LOVE. LOVE. LOVE.

Jo Watson was one of my very first Wattpad authors that I followed religiously, and this book is exactly why. I know it's slightly controversial, but I do love the Harry Potter references.

We love a plus size MC, work place romance, enemies/lovers, and the classic Mr. Darcy appeal of "I hate you but I also love you". Who can resist when you think someone loathes you but secretly wanted you the whole time?

An adorable read to give you all the good feels.

When the Grumpy-sunshine trope takes a turn, the grump is Margaret and the sunshine is Jagger. This office rivalry thing was too much fun to read, because the characters surrounding them were so damn entertaining, I couldn’t stop laughing. But I will say this, it’s a slow burn and not being a lover of slow burns I felt the book was going in circles, the bantering and bickering was happening too much and I couldn’t wait to have that small interruption between her mom and jaggers dad, because they seriously stole the show!! I adore them, and Margaret at times appeared juvenile, even though she was a woman in her 30’s….. but I also enjoyed the other characters as well, it was awesome, and Jagger is a dream! I love a romance where the MC falls first….. all for it.

Thanks NetGalley & the publishers for giving me the opportunity to read this book.

This was a coworker enemies-to-lovers book with a vacation setting thrown in. This book had some highlights, but I ended up struggling with a few things too.

Margaret is totally fed up with her coworker, Jagger. He is charismatic, fun, and the joy of the office. On the other hand, Margaret is rigid, likes order, and can't handle surprises. She's also grieving the loss of her father and her marriage. When they tie at the company's annual trivia night and win a trip together to Zanzibar, they must make the best of it. Plus their parents are tagging along and love is in the air for them as well.

This book is filled with unlikable characters, starting with our main character, Margaret. She's a jerk throughout the entire book. I didn't see what Jagger saw in her. He seems like a nice, normal guy. Next, I didn't love the parent romance story line. It was way too insta-love. I didn't like the personality of Margaret's mom when it came to interacting with her daughter. She totally ignored her, which I guess moved the Jagger/Margaret story along, but seemed like a really crappy way to treat her daughter who took her on a trip. So, what did I like about this book? The setting was great. I loved seeing a romance novel set in South Africa, with a trip to Zanzibar on the side. Any book that makes me add a place to my To Visit list is a winner. I think Jagger and Margaret had some cute banter when Margaret wasn't being a total a-hole to him. I also liked the rep of a plus size heroine.

This book will probably work better for someone who is okay with a more abrasive heroine. Thank you to NetGalley and Wattpad for the advanced e-book in exchange for my honest review.

5 star read!!
I absolutely loved this delightful romance- it had summer time vibes, travel, ‘only one bed’ (with a very hilarious spin!), work enemies to lovers and so much more!!

The best part of this book (for me) was the emotional variety- I found Margaret and Jagger hilarious, but there were moments were a paragraph after laughing, I was tearing up. The characters were all just very unapologetically human and relatable.

The supporting characters (I won’t give away who they are so as not to spoil the plot!) were some of my favourites- they knew the main characters really well and pushed them outside their comfort zone, they had a storyline of their own that complimented the main storyline, and they were so unique.

This one I was actually said to finish, as I loved Margaret and Jagger and wasn’t ready to say goodbye!

I’d highly recommend this one to all!!

Cute, introspective, and a good read on vacation or just a weekend when you want to get lost in a good book. Highly recommended, give this one a try!

A nice classic simple nothing revolutionary enemies to lovers romance. Not sure about the whole step siblings trope, could've done without that. Overall a solid read for summer.

An enemies to lover romance with two journalists as the love interests. Margaret hates her coworker Jagger Villain. When they both win a trip to Zanzibar, she realizes maybe she doesn't hate him as much as she thought.

The writing here really wasn't for me. It just felt awkward at times, and things like the character's name being Jagger Villain were just so weird from the start. Others might enjoy the writing style more.

This is a perfect summer read. It was funny and entertaining, perfect for a vacation read.

**Thank you to NetGalley for the advanced reader copy. I received this book for free, but all thoughts are my own.

This was a fun, summer romance story!

Margaret and Jagger are both journalists - but specializing in very different topics. However, they are forced to share a desk much to Margaret's great frustration. Jagger bugs the ever loving crap out of her and complains daily to her family and friends about him. He on the other hand, seems to take great joy in annoying her. But as they say, there is a fine line between hate and love. When they both win a vacation together, and end up bringing their single parents along, things change. Whoa - Margaret's mom and Jagger's dad hook up fast. Jagger and Margaret take a slower burn - their banter is hilarious and entertaining. You wonder how much longer it'll take for Margaret to realize that she's in love with him. It's just a super fun story.

Thank you to NetGalley, the author and publisher for a temporary, digital ARC in return for my review.

I loved the setting of this book! I think this is the first book I’ve ever read that takes place in Zanzibar & South Africa.

On one side of the desk divider we have Margaret. Writer of ✨serious✨ online newspaper articles. Lover of order, pacer when anxious, constructor of desk dividers, hater of Jagger.

Speaking of Jagger…
The dweller on the other side of the desk divider. Newer to the newspaper crew. Writer of dating and lifestyle-ish articles. Bart Simpson tattoo, checker board haircut having, ball of sunshine.

Ironically, they are both masters of general knowledge. Which leads them to a vacation in Zanzibar - each with their widowed parents and minus one suitcase.

What unfolds is a cute vacation full of Murphy’s law scenarios, a Freddie Mercury bar, a flying dildo, one bed, a heatwave, and a Heimlich maneuver. And the parents - they are a treat, to the reader and to their kids.

A classic workplace enemies to lovers rom com but make it VACATION. It definitely followed through on the standard banter, the angst, and the slow realization that the FMC actually is in love with her annoying, yet charming, coworker (duh).

The MCs were good. The supporting characters were GOLD. And the ending left me feeling warm and fuzzy.

I received an advance review copy from W by Wattpad on NetGalley for my honest review. Again, adorable cover, enemies to lovers and forced proximity will get my every. single. time! And this one did not disappoint!

I really enjoyed this sassy and sweet story by Jo Watson! The FMC, Margaret, is a curvy and clever journalist who doesn’t take crap from anyone. And Jagger—God bless him—is her new-ish “charming” co-worker who gets under her skin. They end up together on vacation and queue the magic.

I love Maggie & Jagger’s witty banter, their journey to love, and all the antics along the way. And you’ll fall for the supporting cast as well—parents full of personality and a rock star bff, just to name a few.

Trigger warning: it’s not all fun and games—Margaret is dealing with serious loss, of her father and her marriage—all in the last year. Having lost my parents not too long ago I did have to work through some emotions during this read, but I will say it was cathartic.

If you love a good rom-com with a dash of wanderlust, “if Christina Lauren and Emily Henry had a baby…” I highly recommend you add this one to your TBR—out October 23rd!

Read if you like:
🏖️ Enemies to Lovers
🏖️ Forced Proximity
🏖️ Workplace Romance
🏖️ He Falls First

I DNF unfortunately. It was just not for me. I couldn’t tolerate the main characters and it was all too much. Maybe I’ll try her other books. I’m sorry! ☹️