Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.
So this is not normally my type of book but I found it to be pretty amusing.
Talk about a spring break gone wrong when two co workers/teachers find themselves on vacation in the same condo that has been double booked.
This book starts off funny and keeps on going.
The narrators did a good job portraying the characters and really getting into their roles of the characters. I found myself laughing out loud quite often.
Though sometimes a bit too descriptive for my taste, this really was a funny book.

Max and Monroe have done it again. Best Frenemies had me laughing out loud from the first page. This book introduced some fantastic new characters that I could not get enough of. Katy is a typical rule follower trying to make sure everything goes to plan. Mack is a rule breaker. When these work place enemies find themselves in the same spot of Spring Break, Mack teaches Katy that it's okay to break some of the rules.

3.5 stars.

"Best Frenemies" is the first book by Max Monroe that I have read. If the quality here is any indication, I will definitely be reading some of the titles in their back catalog (so long as I read the tropes first...lesson learned reading this book). I found this story to be laugh-out-loud hilarious, if a little immature, so if that's not your style, you won't enjoy this. It was mostly engaging, interesting, and a lightning-fast, easy read. What more can you ask for? From the very first page, I connected with the main characters, Katy and Mack. The circumstances that see them spending an unanticipated vacation together and their ensuing zany misadventures made me invested in their forced proximity, enemies-to-lovers journey. I thought it was hilarious how Mack eventually buddies up to Katy's dad. I also liked Katy's coworkers and friends as side characters. I didn't love the boardroom friends Mack had. As I mentioned, Mack is pretty immature, but he balances out Katy's type-A, stick-in-the-mud personality nicely. I enjoyed the evolution of their relationship...right up until the end of the book. I haaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaate what happens at the end. It's contrived, predictable, and eye-rollingly lame. Apart from that, there are worse ways to kill an afternoon than reading "Best Frenemies." It's inoffensive, mostly cute, and silly. If you're going to listen to the audiobook, be aware that CJ Bloom and Alexander Cendese don't provide the best narrations ever. While some may find Cendese fitting for the role of Mack, I found him to be a bit obnoxious. Bloom, who is typically great, doesn't feel like she's giving the same amount of effort as Cendese. The narrations feel a bit disjointed because of it.

Thank you to NetGalley and Max Monroe for the complimentary ARC of this book. All opinions are my own. I was not compensated for this review.

Katy is a math teacher, and Mack is music/performing arts teacher. Their classrooms are right next to each other, and Mack is always loud, which makes it hard for Katy to teach her class. That’s just one of the reasons Katy hates Mack.

Over spring break, Katy goes on vacation and rents out a former co-worker’s house with a friend. But her friend gets sick and cannot go, so Katy goes alone. Then another renter shows up, and it’s none other than her enemy, Mack.

During that time, Mack continuously tries to get Katy to let her guard down and not be so uptight. Despite her grumpiness, he never stops making jokes and trying to make her smile. And after a little accident, he shows that he also has a responsible side and takes care of her. So, she ends up trusting him and letting go of her inhibitions, so they end up sleeping together.

When they get back from break, Katy wants to pretend nothing happened, but Mack doesn’t want to just forget everything. And Katy, despite her best efforts, cannot get him out of her head.

I really liked how great Mack was with all of the kids, as well as his niece. I also liked how passionate Mack was about keeping performing arts in schools. His main goal was to ensure that schools would always have that.

Katy was very uptight in the beginning, and it was understandable, considering her parents were so free-spirited and lacked any sort of structure. But spending time with Mack helped her to loosen up a bit and not be so overly concerned about every little thing.

This was such a cute frenemies with benefits story. There were a lot of funny moments, but I did find some parts a little cringey. This was my first Max Monroe book, but I will be reading more from them.

Now for the audio:
This has a dual narration.

I’ll be honest; it was not my favorite. The narrators are CJ Bloom and Alexander Cendese. CJ Bloom is not my favorite narrator. I’ve listened to a few books narrated by her, and the characters always sound like they’re angry. That doesn’t mean she’s bad though. I actually thought she did an excellent job narrating Katy’s character. But Cendese’s narration…I did not enjoy it. It was irritating and kind of high-pitched, and that was just for Mack. When it came to him narrating the female voices, it was even worse. I made it through the audiobook, but I really struggled. I did end up reading the e-book for some parts because I couldn’t stand his narration.

A fun-filled romcom from the writing duo of Max Monroe as Katy Dayton and her nemesis at Calhoun Elementary, Mack Houston find themselves reluctant roomies at the beach when there is a booking malfunction. One cut foot, a trip to the emergency room and a liberal dose of painkillers equalling a loss of inhibitions later and suddenly Katy is looking at Mack in a new light and actually starts to enjoy his company.

If I’m being honest, I did find Mack a bit annoying at times. He wanted the world to like him and couldn’t believe it when people didn’t. He also came across as being a bit self-absorbed and didn’t consider other people. Katy on the other hand was his complete opposite. She was uptight and didn’t seem to have much of a life outside work so when they got together, they balanced each other out. While I didn’t find the book laugh out loud funny, I’ll admit to chuckling at several parts of this book amusing such as Katy’s trip to the ER and the reactions of her students at careers day and also during the epilogue which left me picturing a six-year-old obstetrician complete with baseball glove trying to catch a baby. With an appearance from the irreverent Thatch because…… well because no Max Monroe book is complete without him, this was an enjoyable read as Katy and Mack go from best of enemies, to best of frenemies to best of friends.

The pair of Alexander Cendes and CJ Bloom was perfect for Best Frenemies. Alexander is a new to me narrator, but his performance of Mack was spot on, sounding exactly how I imagined him to sound. He got across every ounce of Mack’s exuberance and love for life in his portrayal which was matched perfectly by CJ Bloom as the uptight and overthinking Katy. Together they made this audiobook a treat to listen to.

Math teacher Katy can't stand music teacher Mack but they work door to door at the same school. Spring break can't start soon enough for Katy to scape to Florida. But when the same rental in double.booked with Katy and Mack spraks are for sure going to fire up. Funny, and full of emotions, the audiobook with CJBloom and Alexander Cendese is awsome.

Elementary school teacher Katy is looking forward to her Spring Break beach vacation. When she finally arrives at her beach rental, she is shocked when colleague Mack Houston shows up, claiming that he has a reservation for the same rental. Mack has always been a thorn in Katy's side but they both need this vacation and they decide to suck it up and stay. Their adversarial relationship soon turns into something that Katy never would have imagined.

This was a fun and entertaining book! Although Katy had a longstanding dislike for Mack, the enemy part of the story was short-lived on the page in this book. I liked that it didn't focus too much on how much she hated him because I like to get to the lovers part in an enemies-to-lovers story quickly!

Mack was utterly charming and his thoughtfulness made me swoon. He didn't let Katy's prickliness get to him and he was able to get past all of that to care for her when she needed it. They had great chemistry and the sex scenes were A+ in this book!

Of course, I loved being able to see Thatch and some of the other past Max Monroe characters in this book again. Thatch will always hold a place in my heart!

I listened to this book and I loved CJ Bloom and Alexander Cendese's narration. They are two of my favorite narrators because they bring a fun and animated vibe to the story.

Pick up this book for a fun and amusing enemies-to-lovers vacation and workplace romance!

Steam level: 🔥🔥🔥
⚠️: death of a loved one

I’m officially in my Max Monroe era🫶🏽 I LOVE these books so much. They’re just an absolute breath of fresh air: quirky, steamy and so freaking funny, they make quick and easy reads, and listening to them is even more fun.

The MCs Katie and Mack were well-written, their back and forth jibing and banter built up the tension throughout the plot, and their chemistry was spicy. There wasn’t a lot of character development, and parts of the plot were predictable, but in all honestly, I couldn’t care less— these books are lighthearted, they’re adorable and they’re fun.

CJ Bloom’ & Alexander Cendese’s narration bought this story to life, and I highly recommend the audio versions of this author duo’s work. I also loved the mentions of their previous book, ACCIDENTAL ATTACHMENT: I love books whose MCs interconnect, and it was great to see Brooke and Benji again. I recommend picking both of these books up!🫶🏽

[𝘛𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘬 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘵𝘰 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘱𝘶𝘣𝘭𝘪𝘴𝘩𝘦𝘳, 𝘢𝘶𝘵𝘩𝘰𝘳 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘕𝘦𝘵𝘨𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘦𝘺 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘢𝘯 𝘢𝘥𝘷𝘢𝘯𝘤𝘦𝘥 𝘳𝘦𝘷𝘪𝘦𝘸 𝘤𝘰𝘱𝘺. 𝘈𝘭𝘭 𝘰𝘱𝘪𝘯𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘴 𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘮𝘺 𝘰𝘸𝘯. 𝘙𝘦𝘷𝘪𝘦𝘸 𝘢𝘭𝘴𝘰 𝘱𝘰𝘴𝘵𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘰 @𝘳𝘦𝘥𝘩𝘦𝘢𝘥𝘣𝘰𝘰𝘬𝘨𝘪𝘳𝘭 (𝘐𝘎), 𝘎𝘰𝘰𝘥𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘥𝘴 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘚𝘵𝘰𝘳𝘺𝘨𝘳𝘢𝘱𝘩.] —— 𝑬𝒇𝒇𝒚 @𝒓𝒆𝒅𝒉𝒆𝒂𝒅𝒃𝒐𝒐𝒌𝒈𝒊𝒓𝒍🪻

dnf @ 22%

Y'all, this book and I just didn't mesh. Immediately, I found myself disliking the characters. Mack gives off irritating playboy and Katy is just incredibly high strung. And considering they're in their 30's, I was put off. Also, some of the language was just cringey. As was the author's note at the beginning. Somehow, this book felt too young for me and too old for me at the same time.

*Thank you to Netgalley and the author for providing me with this review copy in exchange for an honest review*

This was a fun, laugh out loud story, and I didn’t want to stop listening! C.J. Bloom narrates Max Monroe books so well, and I really enjoyed her in accidental attachment as well. Just missed having Joe Arden for this one! This was hilarious and quick to listen to, The characters banter was fun, and I really loved the first half of this story. Without providing any spoilers, my least favorite trope made an appearance later on and I was a bit bummed it was included in this story, so I knocked it down to 3.5 ⭐️.

Overall I found it really enjoyable tho, and look forward to more books from this duo! Thank you NetGalley and Max Monroe for my ALC in exchange for my honest feedback!

Another winner for Max Monroe! Big Mack and Katie Cat are now one of my new favorite couples. This was such a fun enemies to lovers rom-com. There were so many times that it had me laughing out loud - - literally.

When a straight-laced math teacher is thrown into a beach vacation with her work nemesis, the music teacher that causes her all kinds of grief, there's bound to be trouble. Katie couldn't be more upset about it but Mack couldn't be bothered. In fact, he seems to treat it like everything else....a new adventure.

An accidental vacation together is exactly what these two needed to figure out that they have an attraction. Not just that, they both find out just how much there is to like about the other person. It's a cute and spicy little book and I really enjoyed it.

AUDIOBOOK REVIEW: The narration of this audiobook was done well. The voices fit the personalities of the characters the way I imagined they would. It also helped to make the funny one liners even funnier. I often found myself laughing out loud as I was driving to work and listening to the book. It's a great entry. 5 stars

Thank you to NetGalley for both the early copies of the ebook and audiobook. I voluntarily chose to read/listen to and review them and the opinions contained within are my own.

Narrated by CJ Bloom & Alexander Cendese

🏖️ Enemies > Frenemies > lovers
🏖️ Vacation romance
🏖️ Forced proximity
🏖️ One bed
🏖️ Work rivals
🏖️ Tension
🏖️ He falls first
🏖️ Dirty talk
🏖️ HILARIOUS moments
🏖️ Dual pov

From the very first page this book had me laughing. The authors note 🤣 so funny. If you are known to be very serious, this may not be the book for you.

Alexander's character Mack is SO sunshiney, chipper and fun to listen too.
But don't worry the dirty talk still comes out strong.

My only real complaint with this one....
Katy calling her 😺 a beaver 🤦‍♀️😩🤦‍♀️.


Thank you to Max Monroe and @netgalley for this ALC.
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⚠️Spoiler trope ⚠️👇
Accidental pregnancy

Best Frenemies
Max Monroe
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Pub Date: September 16, 2023 - TOMORROW!

Thank you bet galley Rick and Publisher for the opportunity to read and review this book.

Read if you like
✨Enemies to lovers
✨Forced proximity

Where have these authors been all my life? Katy Cat and Big Mac are my favorite.

This book had me laughing out loud. The authors did an amazing job making the characters so personable it’s impossible not to fall in love with them. The banter between the two and their chemistry was flawless.

I’m such a sucker for a workplace romance and the fact that Katy started hating Mac at work just made this book even better.

If you love enemies to lovers and witty banter. Don’t wait to read this book!

Kat and Mack are both teachers in the same elementary school. Mack is the bane of Kat's existence. She's type A and serious, while his teaching style is all fun and games. She's happy to get away from him for spring break... until she realizes they will be in the same Florida rental for a week...
This is an enemies to lovers, forced proximity romance is book 2 in the It's a Funny Story series, and I don't think this one was for me. Both MCs so stupidly childish, it was really annoying. And in the audio book, the male narrator's voice for Kat was way too over the top. And that ending was one of my least favorite.
I received an advance review copy of this book for free and I'm leaving this review voluntarily.

Fun. that’s definitely how I’ll remember this.

This is an enemies-to-lovers workplace romance. Neither main character in the beginning was super likable, which honestly made the grudge between the two very believable. They did grow on me within a handful of chapters though. I laughed, genuinely. It was so silly but it was definitely a good time. The story is a whole collection of tropes. Forced proximity, only one bed, he falls first, consistent fourth wall breaks referencing romance tropes. I can’t give this a love, unfortunately. In part because the ending had me kinda rolling my eyes *SPOILERS* surprise pregnancy tropes are not really the most fulfilling way to wrap up an otherwise funny rom-com. But still, apart from that and a couple missed opportunities in the last quarter of the book, this is a very enjoyable and low intensity book. Fluffy, funny, and cute.

Audio 5/5: CJ Bloom always does a wonderful job, love her!! I’ve said before that dual POV should always be done with dual narrators, so this was really all ok could ask out of an audiobook. Couldn’t have been better, easy listening perfection!

This is my first book by this author.
I enjoyed the great deal of the book - the nerd teacher and the cool teacher come together and this is where the fun begins. Mack and Katy had a contagious vibe, which made me rush to read the book to the end.
I specifically loved the hospital scenes and the carrier day at school part - they were definitely fresh and funny.
I did not see the slight surprise coming, but it just added to the inevitable happy ending of the book.

So I definitely did not take the warnings to heart because I listened to this book while I was working. Side note I do work from home so there wasn't anybody around to hear the book along with me, which was definitely a plus. I devoured this book in one sitting and had a hard time concentrating on my work. Definitely did not want this to end and wanted to continue the journey of their life together. Loved it!

Thank you #NetGalley for the advance listen!

This book starts off with a bang! The verbage is very raw (think guy-locker room talk), but also hilarious! I had several laugh-out-loud moments and found myself really liking the characters. It has a ROM-COM vibe mixed with some witty banter. I really like this book!

Thank you, Netgalley!

Audio note: Let's start with the positive, and that's CJ Bloom. She's not one of my personal favorites, but I've listened to many books narrated by her and she always gives a good performance. Her voice actually works well for the uptight Katy, since it has a slight edge to it that gives off those vibes. Bloom's performance is also clear and easy to listen to, so no complaints there. Alexander Cendese, on the other hand, made the book nearly unlistenable. It's my first time listening to something he's narrated, and I'll be avoiding him in the future. He sounds like a total bro, but it's entirely possible he was playing that up for Mack's character. I'll give him the benefit of the doubt on that one. However, his voice for women was just atrocious. He made every female voice sound whiny and grating, which made me cringe every time. I ended up abandoning the audiobook partway through because I couldn't take his voice anymore, so I'm glad I had the text to fall back on. I can't recommend the audiobook, but it was short enough for a binge (around 8 hours), and lighthearted enough for a workday listen. This one's higher steam than some of MM's recent works, so not sure I'd recommend for the office, but it's not super spicy either.


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I've joked before that I must like one half of this writing duo better than the other, and I just keep coming back to that sentiment. I loved Accidental Attachment from the start, yet I did not connect to this one at all. It's shorter, spicier, more overtly funny, and the heroes could not be more different, but mostly I felt like it relied on slapstick humor rather than developing the emotional connection. I'm a big fan of enemies to lovers in rom coms and forced proximity is always a win, but neither of those things helped me connect to the characters this time. They go from feuding to vacation flinging in the blink of an eye, and then stay in a shallow zone for much of the story. The hero definitely grew on me over time, but not enough to make up for the twist in the back half. All in all, I was left feeling underwhelmed and disconnected, which is not quite how I expected this to go.

The story follows Katy, a teacher who is excited for her spring break. She's booked a vacation rental, and cannot wait to spend some time in the sun. The only problem? Turns out the rental was double-booked... and Katy's unwelcome roommate is none other than her work nemesis, Mack. The two have been teaching in close proximity for awhile now, and their personalities are very, very different. The fun-loving Mack drives Katy crazy at work, so the idea of spending her vacation with him is less than ideal. But it's not long before Mack is showing a side of himself that Katy has never seen, and the tension between them is taking on a decidedly sexual edge. With the two teachers in vacation mode, maybe it makes sense to give in to the feelings... so long as everything returns to normal on Monday.

I'm a longtime fan of this writing duo, so I know that I'm always in for a lighthearted rom com with some quirkiness and a bit of heat. That holds true with this as well - it's low angst and easygoing, with even more humor than their usual. It's technically interconnected to Accidental Attachment, but easily reads as a standalone. There's a definite opposites attract vibe, a frenemies situation, and lots of forced proximity. Katy is pretty uptight, but Mack brings out a different side of her, which I liked. Mack... well, I thought he was a total tool for a significant portion of the book, but he softened up somewhere along the way. I wish we'd seen more of their relationship post-fling, not just the sexual side of things. That had me feeling emotionally disconnected to the relationship, and then Thatch would pop in for an appearance and that would get more of a reaction out of me than anything else. I'm tired of Thatch, guys. It's time to move on. Regardless, there's a reason I've read more than twenty books by this writing duo over the years - they always deliver a light, fun read.

Yall, I once again absolutely loved this book by Max Monroe. After reading Accidental Attachment, I had high hopes and was not disappointed in the least.

If you want a bingeable, steamy, laugh out loud book full of great banter, this is it!

In the end, I didn't want it to end. I binged it in a day. Loved the forced proximity of the two main characters. Their dynamic was perfection and set the scene perfectly for a fun and heartwarming rom com.

Thank you, @authormaxmonroe @rick_283 @netgalley, for the ebook and ALC.

If you love a good audio, snatch this one up! It was so well done!