I always love Portia Macintosh books. This one had a different vibe - there was a lot I loved about it, but I felt a bit confused and many elements had me expecting murder plots which I knew wouldn’t happen because its not that genre. Group of old friends reuniting on a deserted island, but someone has a secret filled me with thriller expectations!

It’s not my favourite Portia book, but probably the one I would most like a sequel from!

Thanks to Boldwood, Netgalley and Portia for the ARC!

I was really excited about the premise of this book, but the characters and their "friendship" made the overall story fall flat for me. I wish it would have held onto the vibe that their holiday opened on, but maybe that is just the 30+ year old in me.

While their were enjoyable moments - ones that had me laughing of smiling, I found all of the characters (except for Cam) to be unlikable and overall immature for the ages that they were. By the time thing start coming to a head, it truly put a damper on this group of individuals I thought had this heartwarming friendship that the would rekindle and it just turned out to be toxic.

Overall, not a terrible book, just issues within it that did not make it enjoyable for me. If you enjoy some drama in your reads, I think. you would enjoy this more than me.

Wild and filled with adventure, Long Time No Sea by Portia MacIntosh follows six old friends as they reunite 15 years later during a holiday hosted by one of them.

Summary: Jasmine “Jas” Bartlett loses her job (not her fault) but soon discovers she is invited to a holiday getaway in Italy by one of her old friends. She reunites with her five close friends from sixth form, one of them being her ex-boyfriend and the other being her almost-boyfriend.

Tropes/Genres:
• 6 best friends
• filled with crackhead energy
• general fiction
• second-chance romance
• travelling
• parallel storylines

Review: This book was wild. I spent the book trying to figure out which characters I liked and didn’t like, but I ended up liking them all in their own way, even those I thought I wouldn’t like. I guess it’s because they felt so real. The author did a great job writing such realistic and three-dimensional characters.

There are two parallel storylines: One is the main timeline, where readers follow Jas as she interacts with her old friends, and the other is set in the past, where we slowly learn about what their friendship was like in the past and try to figure out what happened in 2008 that caused them to lose contact with each other for so long.

I think it’s very interesting how the author weaves everything together. That plot twist! Those plot twists! I didn’t see anything coming. But the story still wraps everything up so neatly. Each character had their own personality, and they stuck to it. They made sense in their own way, and I could understand their rationale.

The writing was engaging, and I actually finished this book within 8 hours of starting it. I just didn’t want to put it down because I wanted to know more. Why are they like this? What exactly happened 15 years ago? It’s not so much of a mystery to solve but rather a story of the past that I just wanted to know about.

I recommend this book to those who want to read a story about old friends who meet again. In a way, it can be nostalgic, as many people can relate to this – wanting to go back to the past and relive those fun and carefree days again.

Thank you, NetGalley, for the book.

Long Time No Sea was a fun book that follows a group of friends as they reunite for an all expenses paid holiday. They end up slipping into old habits, repeating poor patterns and spilling secrets that cause tensions in the group.

I liked the premise of this book, but I struggled to like the characters. Clarky is very frustrating and a bit of an asshole. Mike is also a bit of a jerk. Cam seems nice, but that's about it - I had no strong feelings towards him because his personality was average. I just felt like perhaps these characters weren't executed as well as they could have been.

I love Portia Macintosh's writing, and the writing style is true to form. It was an easy read with plenty of British slang and humour in it.

Thanks to Netgalley for allowing me to read an eARC of this one.

I received a digital copy of Long Time No Sea via NetGalley to read and review.

Did Long Time No Sea blow my socks off? No.
Was it a nice light read that made me want to take a vacation (but more in line of what the characters had planned at the BEGINNING)? Yes.

Jasmine, Maxi, DJ, Mike, Cam and Clarke had all planned to take a vacation after their first year of university. This was after some major event that in a way made them part ways. Fifteen years later they finally make it happen. Maxi offers to take everyone to a resort.

At first it’s a little awkward since the group hasn’t seen much of each other but things do escalate and the group ends up on a totally different vacation and they all end up spilling secrets.

I gave 3 stars rounded down from 3.5, I think this would be a wonderful book to read on vacation.

This book just wasn't what I was hoping for. I think the premise of the book is super cute, but when it came to the execution of the story, it just fell flat. The story has a lot of British slang - so head's up on that. There was a LOT of teenage angst, which made it feel overdone. Personally, I thought all of the characters were ridiculous, annoying, and overly dramatic.

At the beginning of the book, there is mention of a fire. Then, at about the halfway-ish point, it's mentioned again due to someone writing "I started the fire" on the beach. After that...nothing, until the very end of the book. It was very anticlimactic, and seemed unnecessary. I thought for a second we might be turning into a thriller, but nope...and we never find out how the fire actually started.

It felt like everyone was lying to someone about something to some degree, and once the lies came out, everyone was mad about being lied to. You're all liars - get over yourselves. Actually, the only one who didn't lie was Cam, so there's that. Also, just because you're in your mid-thirties doesn't mean you suddenly turn into an old, boring person who is only interested in lying on the beach.

Overall, the story felt slow and then rushed; the writing was choppy and scattered. The "dual" ending, if you will, did not answer any questions - I was hoping for more of a conclusion to all the drama. Oh well - just not the book for me.

Thank you to NetGalley and Boldwood Books for giving me the opportunity to read this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

This was my first book from Portia MacIntosh. It was absolutely a fun and quick summer read! The variety of characters and their personalities kept me entertained. The description of the villa and all the food were so descriptive and made me wish I was there!! There was enough drama that made me want to keep reading!
I can't wait to read more books by Portia MacIntosh!

I absolutely devoured this book! I had a good feeling about this book and I was so right. This was such a perfect summertime read. I loved the variety of characters this book has to offer. Each one was so different and intriguing. The book also had quite a bit of drama that kept me interested the whole time. Not to mention the description of the Italian villa and what seemed to be the most delicious and exquisite food Italy has to offer. I am on the hunt for a pastry like the ones described in this book.

This book was absolutely delightful and I 100% recommend! After reading this I’m thinking a trip to Italy is going to have to happen in the near future!

This book does contain a few spoilers!
Where do I start with this review! I read this in under 24hours. I was glued to this book. This is not my usual read, however this book has left me wanting to read more. Especially of Portia Macintosh. Maxi arranges for her friends to visit a villa in Italy. I love how much Clarky is a pain to the group, yet they still love and accept him as their friend. Even when he gets the stuck on what they think is a deserted island when he tells them the boat isn't coming back for 3 days. I love how the character of Jasmine goes from not very confident to finding courage and going for what she wants. I loved the way the book took me in and transported me amongst the friends.
This was a 4.5🌟 read for me.

I have also posted my review for this on Tiktok, Goodreads & Instagram

I cannot stress enough how much I just LOVE Portia Macintosh’s writing style. It is just perfection 😍

Students are often told, ‘whatever happens on results day, it doesn’t define you’, however for Jasmine, Maxi, DJ, Mikey and Cam (and Clarky), the events of A Level results day changed the course of their whole lives. All of them are set on going to York university together to carry on their friendship through early adulthood, but fate has other things in mind.

15 years on and the group barely see each other. Until one day when they all receive a mysterious camera through the post containing a video from Maxi inviting them on an all expenses paid for holiday for the sake of old times. Given that Jasmine and Mikey, and Maxi and DJ used to date, it’s bound to have its awkward moments, but who is going to turn down a free holiday? Not recently homeless and unemployed Jasmine!

So fast forward to Italy and the gang are reunited and reminded of why they were such good friends in the first place. The chapters alternate between the present and past, and we see just why the group fell apart on that fateful day.

The book is full to brim of fun, laughter and friendship, all ingredients to make for a perfect summer read. I laughed out loud soooo many times, especially when they ended up at the holiday resort and were taking part in the games!! 🤣 Such a feel good read about why having good friends is good for the soul. I have throughly enjoyed sitting in the sunshine reading this one today! If you haven’t read this, or if you’re new to the author, then I highly recommend you check her out! The queen of summer and Christmas romcoms!

Thank you to Boldwood Books & NetGalley Publishing for an ARC of this book in exchange for my honest opinion.

This was the second book I’ve read by Portia, and her books are just delightful!

Following a group of friends from their school days to later in adulthood, and as they’re reunited. DJ, Clarky, Cam, Maxi, Mike, and Jasmine reunite for the first time since their school days for an expensive holiday in Italy. As the group navigates their trip it’s full of laughs, surprises, reminiscing, and also fights.

I truly felt like I was on the holiday with this group, which makes it such a fun summer read. The timelines of school and then current times on their holiday intertwined seamlessly.

A fun and sweet quick read to add on your summer TBR! My only wish is that there was an epilogue to explain what happens with everyone after their holiday.

Friends get together for a reunion holiday and their truths come to light.
This is a light hearted comedy with a dual storyline told from Jas’s pov. The past plot thread follows the events that led to the friends moving apart and the present day plot thread follows the gang as they sort out their dirty laundry. I enjoyed reading this and it made me laugh at some of the crazy things that happen. It’s more of a comedy about friendship than a pure romance and I felt the attraction between Jas and Cam was tepid. I still think it’s an enjoyable read as long as you don’t expect a sizzling romance.

Thank you to the author, publisher and Netgalley for this arc in exchange for an unbiased review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

I always enjoy Portia MacIntosh's stories and Long Time No Sea was no exception! I like that this story had a little bit of mystery as it kept the reader wondering about a few things..

When Jasmine suddenly loses her job and has to move home, she is left feeling frustrated as this was definitely not in her plan. Then an old friend proposes an all expenses paid holiday in Italy. Well of course Jasmine is in! What a perfect opportunity to get away in a time of uncertainty and turmoil. What she does not expect is having to face her ex-boyfriend AND the boy who got away. Caught in an awkward love triangle, Jasmine does her best to just relax and enjoy the sun and sea. But there are things going on, secrets that are starting to be exposed, and a feeling that things are not quite as they should be.

2/5 🌟
.05/5 🌶

Long Time No Sea follows the story of Jas and her close school friends in their 30s. Jas moved back home after being fired from her job.
Jas had received a message from her old school friend, Maxi, a multimillionaire who just invited her and her other 4 friends to a luxurious getaway retreat in Italy.
There, tensions unfold and love blooms

The book started off really strong and had high hopes for this being a great book.
As the story continued, the POV bounced between Jas' school days and her present day. I could not find myself liking Jas or any of the other characters. The story kept reiterating that they were all best friends, but I just found them all to be superficial and annoying.
Portia MacIntosh had written this brewing love triangle between Jas, Mike, and Cam. It was not the best love triangle i've read in a story for numerous reasons.

I was just not a fan of the story and I hated how messy it became once each character revealed something from their life, It left me cringing for each character.
For being such great best friends, they really had such. hard time being their true selfs towards one another.

Another Portia Macintosh novel set around a ‘Shipwreck Experience.’ There is always at least one section of this author’s books that are hilarious, this time it was the limerick sex game.
An enjoyable read although apart from Jas, I didn’t really like the other characters. It did all tie up nicely at the end and my feelings towards them did soften. A remarkable funny and consistent author.


Thanks to NetGalley and Boldwood Books for providing me with an Advance Reader's Copy in exchange for an honest, unbiased review.

I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book. This is the third book I’ve read by Portia MacIntoah and it did not disappoint, I have enjoyed all her books. It was a nice quick read that I couldn’t put down. This book is released July, 6 2023. Thank you to Boldwood Books, Portia MacIntosh and Netgalley for an opportunity to read an advanced copy of this book.

Fun story that examines friendships and relationships. The past and present merge together as people grow. My only complaint was that I wish the characters had more depth, but I loved this book.

Long Time No Sea by Portia MacIntosh follows five friends alternating from current times to flashbacks of their younger years. Currently in their 30s the friends are invited to vacation together on the Italian coast, all expenses paid. They hadn’t all been together since one fateful night before they headed to university and their adult lives.

MacIntosh’s eccentric sense of humor drives this sweetly funny story as we watch the friends reconnect. They endure at least one trial and finally decide to go with the flow and have fun. Mysteries are solved as they come clean to each other about the past. Not a romance but a charming ensemble story. 3.5/5 Stars

Thank you to NetGalley and Boldwood Books for this complimentary ARC. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

The starting point was really fun and I got attached to Jas. However, apart from Cam, I didn't like the secondary characters.

There are lots of twists and turns, and it's very funny. In my opinion, the idea may not have been pushed far enough: the friends have grown apart over the years and following the fire, which is mentioned in the prologue and then throughout the book. I was expecting a real drama to justify everyone distancing themselves. Instead, I got the impression I was watching 30-year-olds who haven't really grown up, who lie for a whole bunch of mostly pointless reasons.

It wasn't unpleasant, but I can't give it more than 3 stars, as I really disliked some of the characters. I can't believe they could have been friends for so long without coming to blows...

Thank you to NetGalley and Boldwood Books for providing an eArc in exchange for an honest review.

I wanted to like this book, it started off good but I felt like it dragged. Didn’t really enjoy any of the characters. Good story idea just didn’t flow well.