The hotel room mix up is the first book I have read by the author Kathy Jay. This was such a cute, adorable, admirable, and loving romantic comedy novel about two strangers who find love when they're not expecting it while attending two different weddings. Two strangers named Callum and Ella are both attending different weddings in Porthkara but on arrival day there ends up being a mix up with the booked hotel rooms resulting with the two having to share a tiny local cottage instead of the nice hotel rooms that were planned. They face challenges getting to know each other but start warming, along with opening up to one another. This was a fun, enjoyable novel I loved every second of reading. I really loved how the two main characters were vulnerable with each other and open to getting to know each other. This was a 4 star read and I can't wait to read more books by the author Kathy Jay.

The main female character in this is so insufferable, also the plot was a bit strange like everything felt like it was happening so fast and the writing wasn't the greatest unfortunately.

Ella and Callum, two strangers, both arrive in Porthkara for two separate weddings, when a hotel room mix-up results in them sharing a local tiny cottage instead of the luxury hotel rooms they had planned. They are both facing different challenges going into these weddings and end up opening up to each other during the storm that arrives that night.

I really enjoyed this book. It was easy to read, and although the two main characters are facing quite difficult circumstances there is a light-heartedness to the book which made me smile throughout reading it.

I really enjoyed the two lead characters, Ella and Callum. I found them both kind, vulnerable and lovable. It was clear that they connected but also that they each had a lot to deal with personally and difficulties to overcome. Despite the connection, this definitely a slow burn romance as they each face their personal insecurities. I also found that they each had a part to play in helping the other deal with these.

Grief is a key aspect of this book and I felt that the way Kathy Jay has written and presented it was both sensitive and accurate. Grief, as we all know, is complex and I felt this was portrayed through the characters wonderfully.

This was a feel-good, easy read and I will be keeping an eye out for more books by Kathy Jay.

Two weddings and a computer glitch
Three reservations for one room - what a hitch!
The solution is for two strangers to leave to stay
In a cottage eight miles away!

Ella Swift and Callum Smith hadn't met before this day
But both really need somewhere to stay.
They accept the solution but are shocked to discover
They're expected to stay in the cottage with each other.

The cottage is in need of some desperate repairs
And as a storm rages, they need to beware
Leaks, winds, thunder and lightning
Can all be too much and very frightening.

There are surprises galore as the story unfolds,
With rescues, discoveries and so much to be told!
With celebrities, family dramas and new starts, too,
This is a fun read I highly recommend to you.

For my complementary copy, I say thank you,
As I share with you this, my honest review.

Thank you to my partners, Rachel’s Random Resources, One More Chapter Books, and NetGalley, and the author. I appreciate the gifted eARC, and I am leaving this review voluntarily!

1. 𝐔𝐧𝐞𝐱𝐩𝐞𝐜𝐭𝐞𝐝 - It seems like love comes at you at the most unexpected times. For Callum and Ella, this is certainly the case.

2. 𝐅𝐨𝐫𝐜𝐞𝐝 𝐏𝐫𝐨𝐱𝐢𝐦𝐢𝐭𝐲 - I have to admit that I do enjoy this trope! It may be a tad unrealistic for two strangers to opt to stay in a big ol’ house together when things go awry, but that’s why we call it fiction!

3. 𝐅𝐮𝐥𝐥 𝐨𝐟 𝐑𝐨𝐦𝐚𝐧𝐜𝐞 - Can you feel it? Weddings and love and budding love and friend-love and familial-love…the story has love in abundance.

4. 𝐂𝐨𝐧𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐧𝐭 𝟏𝟖𝟎°𝐬 - Throughout Callum and Ella’s “courtship,” there were time I felt dizzy. It seemed to go from one extreme to another so quickly. But I guess when you’ve been crushed in the past, it is difficult to trust those feelings.

5. 𝐇𝐚𝐩𝐩𝐢𝐥𝐲-𝐄𝐯𝐞𝐫-𝐀𝐟𝐭𝐞𝐫 - I was trying to decide if this was a spoiler, but I think we all know that what readers want are happily-ever-afters. And this is one for the books! Just a perfect epilogue to close out these chapters.

Ella and Callum have arrived at a hotel in Cornwall to find out they are in the same room, that has also been triple booked. The hotel staff have arranged for them to go and stay at a cottage nearby. Callum knows the town as his late wife was from there and he is back to attend her sisters wedding. Ella a tv star has arrived for the star studded wedding of her friends.

The book is an easy read, but is slightly overwritten in places. I think it could have been condensed in chapters. I loved the location and it was written with a lot of knowledge about the area. The main characters I liked, Callum is a nice all rounded guy where Ella can be feisty with a soft side.

Overall a good read for a lazy afternoon.

3.5 stars

The Hotel Room Mix Up is a sweet, romance set in the beautiful county of Cornwall.
With lots of different characters and storylines, the main theme of Ella and Callum holds the interest nicely. I thought their relationship was interesting- both hurt in the past, I could totally get why they were so scared to trust their feelings.
The other characters in the story were good fun - Jessie and Oliver sounded great and Jessie was definitely the sounding board Ella needed in her life to provide that sense of reality and security. Easy to read, this is one of those stories to enjoy.

When Ella Swift and Callum Smith show up at a hotel for two different weddings they’re attending their names or similar and the computer system is new in the manager/owner George mixed up their reservations. Before they know it they’re staying at a local rundown B and B, owned by the older Jesse. Thanks to the dilapidated conditions the two find their self sharing the same room something Ella is grateful for because she cannot stand thunder and lightning and that is exactly what happens on their first night there. Ella was a famous actress who enjoyed all kinds of accolades she is the daughter of a even more famous rock singer but has given up acting due to personal reasons. Callum is a widow still grieving the loss of his wife Roxanne and despite the fact his sister-in-law Savy and her husband Josh tell him he needs to MoveOn he refuses to and even blame himself for the accident that took her life. This is why after staying up all night talking and getting to know each other he knows he cannot take the relationship anywhere because he is fearful of losing someone else. While he is in Portsmith for the wedding his feelings for Ella and having her around become comfortable and when she ask him to stay he refuses he has just sold his business and bought a caravan when he leaves on his road trip Ella thinks she will never see him again and when she does it is not the reunion she expected he refuses to have a relationship and although Ella has never really been in love in fears she only picks the wrong guys and Callum was Mr. right who got away sometimes leaving is for the best because it makes coming back that much better. Let me just say this romance which I totally enjoyed the first 70% of I thought the I do… No I don’t… Wait yes I do went on way too long. This is why when reading romances are usually read those that are less than seven hours because it can become a bit daunting which I thought this book did but having said that I would still recommend it as the first 70% in the last two chapters including the epilogue makes it all worth it. if you’re like me and read romances for that happy gooey feeling you get at the end then definitely read this book it was a fun romcom and one for the most part I totally enjoyed just thought it drug on way too long. I want to thank Harper Collins UK and Net Galley for my free Ark copy please forgive any mistakes as I am blind and dictate my review.

The Hotel Room Mix-Up is told in dual POV with one POV from Callum and the other from Ella. These two strangers are thrown together at the beginning of the book when their hotel is overbooked. The storyline last more than just than just that weekend which I didn’t expect going into this book. I loved how the book covered more time and gave us a glimpse into their lives.

A brilliant laugh out loud and romantic comedy that has me feeling all the feels of emotions! Ella Swift and Callum Smith find them selves sharing a room after a hotel mix up. Both are there for different weddings and when a storm hits they will find that they are sharing more than just a room but will they both come out unscathed? I enjoyed how realistic the plot feels but I didn't feel the love between Ella and Callum and it got frustrating. I did like these characters as individuals but I don't think they are suited for each other. Both have baggage and it was great getting to know them. The storm was very atmospheric and the humour kept me turning the pages wanting more.

The Hotel Room Mix-Up is a gem of a book about taking risks after loss, being authentic to yourself, and finding home. The setting was cozy and perfect- with fun secondary characters. Loved the chemistry between the leads. All and all a great romance to cozy up to.
Thank to #HarperCollins UK, One More Chapter and #NetGalley for the ARC.

Alright, so this review comes with two sets of feelings/opinions. The first of which, is that I really ended the first half of the story. I knew there was going to be a mix up in hotel room assignments from the synopsis of the book, but I liked the way it played out. The forced proximity felt more genuine than I had anticipated and the chemistry between the two characters, Ella and Callum, was good. The two main characters are broken and do not carry hope for any romantic futures. The back stories that are carefully revealed make this understandable.
Where the story fell flat for me, or more accurately, went off the rails, was in the second half after a four month hiatus. At the 52% mark the first part of the story ends and then picks up four months later. From this point on there are a series of predictable “what the” moments. Right up until the very end Callum denies his feelings for Ella and then randomly ____ … I don’t do spoilers in my reviews, so I will refrain even here. All of the events that occurred in that second half made almost no sense to me. But, if you are looking to read something that will take you on a wild head spinning ride, then by all means this just be a fun read for you. There are moments that I really enjoyed throughout the book, but boy did those last couple of chapters give me whiplash. There are people out there that will enjoy that and my recounting of the story definitely had some people curious.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with digital copy of the book for review purposes. The opinions expressed are honest and my own.

The Hotel Room Mix-Up was an enjoyable enough story but I found myself often distracted reading it, meaning the story wasn't grabbing me and nor was it un-put-downabale.
The story moved quite slowly, but the ending was very rushed. There was a lot of different things happening which made things a little confusing rather than engaging.
But I did love Jessie - the owner of the cottage - she added value to the story.

This was a quick read and, as far as lighthearted romances go, it was okay, but I felt that it was rather half baked. There were a lot of different characters that were immediately introduced, so it felt quite overwhelming and it meant that we didn’t get to know them as much as we should have done.

The two main love interests were good enough as separate characters, but I failed to register any decent chemistry between them so the romance aspect wasn’t developed very well.

There were also a lot of random details included that made the story feel like the author was desperately reaching for something to set the book apart from other romances - the main example that comes to mind is the circus themed wedding that was somehow crawling with celebrity guests (WHAT??)

The premise was interesting but unfortunately the story wasn’t engaging enough to keep my interest.

Thank you to the HarperCollins UK and netgalley for an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I reall enjoyed this book. This was the first book I have read by Kathy Jay and I loved it! The character development of Callum and Ella as well written and I was kept in suspense of what was going to happen.
This was a wonderful romance and i thoroughly enjoyed everything about it.

The setting in Cornwall was lovely and through the authors amazing style of writing throughout it honestly felt like i was there immersed in it all.
A very easy book to read and the story pulls you along at a great pace so that you can find out what happens.
Such an enjoyable read and i fell in love with Ella and Callum and loved becoming involved in their story.

Oh dear. This plot had lots of promise, but I'm sorry to say that I just really didn't like the characters and the story. It was so frustrating to read with the back and forth, the indecision, and the dramatics. It was also written in a very confusing manner... between the plot and character problems and the overall execution, it was just not for me.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the ARC.

2⭐
Genre ~ contemporary romance, romantic comedy
Setting ~ Porthkara ~ a cornish seaside village
Publication date ~ December 15, 2023
Est page Count ~ 326 (34 chapters +e)
POV ~ dual 3rd
Featuring ~ widower, actress, forced proximity, small town, slow burn, very minimal steamage

Author Content Warning: Callum is grieving the death of his wife when he meets Ella. Also in the characters backstories burnout and domestic abuse are mentioned.

*possible spoilers ahead*

Ella & Callum are both in Porthkara for 2 different weddings when they have no choice but to bunk together. She's there for her former co-stars wedding and he for his dead wife's sisters.

So overall this one was not for me, but I did like the following:
~ Ella seemed down to earth and sweet
~ Callum's name
~ the small town vibe
~ a cute dog named Hughie
~ Jessie was a great side character
~ how Jessie's house received a face lift and what the future holds for it
~ the brilliant idea Ella had for the small cottage

Here's what didn't do it for me:
These two were very frustrating ~ will they or won't they, yes they will, no they won't, oh wait. Listen I understand that Callum is still grieving his wife who died 2 years ago, but make a decision dude. I did not feel their chemistry at all. And the ending was so crazy and abrupt and did not fit how the story progressed at all, which was slow.

A promising plot, but not executed well in my opinion.

Attending two weddings at Porthkerry to a mixup at their hotel Ella and Callum end up sharing a rather dilapidated holiday cottage. Ella is an actress who has given up acting, the daughter of a famous rock star she ended up suffering from burnout and hasn't been able to settle down since. Meanwhile Callum is still mourning the death of his wife a couple of years previously. With an instant attraction can they overcome their issues and somehow make a relationship work?
Ella shows that a glamorous lifestyle might not be all that it's cracked up to be, whereas a life in Cornwall is attractive to me. This is one of those stories where you want to knock the two main character's heads together, although they have serious issues to overcome. The story is a slow burn and there are some spicy moments if these aren't your thing, but overall this is a story that I did enjoy.
I received an advance copy of this book from the publisher through Netgalley, however this did not influence my review of the book.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this book.

This book was a quick, light-hearted romance. The plot was not original and it was the typical story od two.people thrown together who end up falling in love.

I enjoyed getting to know the characters, and their conversations were enjoyable.

A good rainy day or beach read.

Recommend.

I really wanted to love this book but it was just too ridiculous and far fetched with far too many dramatics. DNF @ 60%