Somewhat predictable storyline but perfect holiday read! Enjoyed binge reading this book and would recommend

This book was a cute and fun read. I enjoyed the Greek vacation setting, the Greenberg family banter, and thought Jamie was a sweet “book boyfriend”. Overall I really liked this book but felt at times it lacked tension.

I really wanted to love this… and the cover is so cute. Sigh. I didn’t feel like there was any chemistry or spark between the two of them and found it hard to get through.

Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️ (2.5 rounded up)

Enemies to Lovers by Laura Jane Williams is a charming poolside read, light, frothy and fun. As the literal title states the book is all about the enemies to lovers trope and while it doesn't do anything ground breaking, it is still a perfectly enjoyable read.
When Flo agreed to join her family on holiday in Greece the last thing she expected was to find her brother's best friend Jamie as part of the group. Just months before sparks had seemed to fly between them at Christmas, but before anything could happen he had disappeared leaving just a note to apologise and Flo is still pretty upset about it. But sparks like these two have just cannot be denied and so Flo decides to spend more time with him to try to get him out of her system - what could possibly go wrong?
I have to admit that you have to be willing to go with the flow and let go of reality to enjoy this book, if you scratch beneath the surface it starts to fall apart a little, but as a fun little pick me up you could do worse.
I read and reviewed an ARC courtesy of NetGalley and the publisher, all opinions are my own.

This is one of my favorite troupes, enemies to lovers and even better its set in a beautiful location, 2 week vacation in Greece. Flo has gone through lots of issues and has never had a real true boyfriend. & this absolute hunk Jamie is her brothers best friend & surrogate family member. I absolutely loved the heat between the two of them throughout the vacation. Nice slow burn! This is a great summer beach read and I can’t wait to read the next book by this author.

This was cute! The scenery was great and I loved the character development throughout. I felt like there were some plot holes and some things not resolved that could have been, but overall it was an enjoyable read!

Flo and Jamie are at odds with each other on a summer holiday in Greece with Flo’s family - including Jamie’s best friend. Flo has seemingly unrequited feelings for Jamie and he thinks the same for her.

During their slight interactions, Flo is also dealing with the aftermath of a breakdown and just wants to be back to “normal.” Part of that is “exposure therapy” to Jamie to try to get over him.

To be honest, I think the title could have been better than Enemies to Lovers. There was more miscommunication than anything else. Other tropes: forced proximity, best friend sibling, and vacation. I also appreciated the mental health awareness.

Thanks to NetGalley and Penguin Group Putnam for this eARC. Enemies to Lovers comes out on August 13th, 2024.

Overall rating 3.5/5
Spice rating: Vanilla - kissing with fade to black

I found myself getting BEYOND frustrated with the FMC in the story for acting quite juvenile. For the entire story to be based upon a miscommunication that caused so much pain for both parties - seriously people just talk to each other

Pick this one up if you enjoy:
* Vacation romance
* Brother's best friend
* Slow burn
* Single POV
* Age gap
* Miscommunication

Thank you so much to NetGalley and the book's publisher for this advanced digital copy of Enemies to Lovers! Unfortunately I decided not to finish this book, it was just not for me as I often was annoyed at characters as they felt quite childish and situations felt unrealistic. However, I hope the authors future works better for me.

Forced Proximity.
Enemies to Lovers.
GREECE.
Family drama.

Loved this. This is the ultimate read for a summer vacation, by the pool, the lake, the beach, etc. This has umbrella drink in a pineapple written all over it.

This was exactly what it sounds like! Enemies to loves, just mix in a meddling brother and a family vacation in Greece! It was a fun summer read!

This is one of those romances in which you wish the main characters would just freaking talk to each other. I have enjoyed Laura Jane Williams's previous books, but this wasn't that great and if I'd read it as her first book, I don't know that I would keep readng her novels.

Unfortunately, this book was a miss for me. I got excited about the summer vibes of the book, but found the issue/miscommunication to be absurd and immature for the age of the characters. In fact, I found the FMC to be fairly immature all around. It almost read more like a YA book than an adult romance. I tried to push through, but the cadence of the writing also didn’t work for me. I’m sorry, I did try to give it a chance. Just wasn’t for me.

Thank you to NetGalley for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

This book is meant to be gobbled up like candy poolside in the sun with a drink in hand! I flew through this within a matter of days and loved every minute of it.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me an advance copy of this book in exchange for an honest review!

"Enemies to Lovers" by Laura Jane Williams is a rom-com set at a sun-soaked vacation house in Greece. Florence is on a two week vacation with her family and her brother's best friend (and close family friend) Jaime joins the group. The two have a slightly fraught past and that all comes to a head during the vacation. The premise is classic and fun, but the main characters had a lot of miscommunication (not super believable for people in their late twenties/early thirties) and some childish behavior that made reading this feel a bit rough at times. The setting and atmosphere was so evocative, though, and it made me wish I was on a Greek holiday drinking wine and eating delicious food.

⭐️⭐️⭐️.75

Enemies to Lovers by Laura Jane Williams

First off, thank you to NetGalley and Penguin/Putnam for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

This one started off slow for me. Flo also frustrated me because she was a bit whiny. I personally felt that both of them sucked and sort of deserved each other. They were both quite childish. About 3/4 of the way through, it did get better and I found them both to be less obnoxious. The main plot point was pretty stupid in my opinion. What I did love was her parents and her brother Alex! I would read an entire book about Alex! All that being said, this was a quick, beachy read (takes place in the beach in Greece) and it had some fun moments. This publishes on 8/13, so if you want a fun read the at doesn’t require much thinking, I’d check this out!

Thank you to NetGalley and G.P. Putnam’s Sons for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I wanted to like this book, I really did. It became difficult when I immediately guessed the big secret and spent the next several chapters dreading sitting through it. When I realized just how long it would take for the characters to catch up, (because god forbid these people actually talk to each other) I couldn’t take it anymore. This was paired with weird descriptions of how attractive the narrator found her family members, the family seeming to not understand that a PhD in English can really only lead to teaching English, and just a little too much sexual hijinks for me. I’m sure this is someone’s cup of tea but it’s really not mine.

Quick synopsis:
Florence travels to Greece for the annual family vacation. Unbeknownst to her, Jamie, her brother’s best friend and Flo’s “enemy,” was invited by the family to join.

Overall thoughts:
This one wasn’t for me, but it could easily be for someone else. It’s full of likable tropes like enemies to lovers, second chance romance, forced proximity, love triangle, and forbidden love. The setting of Greece was a huge highlight. I also loved the way Laura Jane Williams portrayed Florence’s close family and her battle with anxiety. There was so much authenticity in the main character’s struggle with mental health and how her mental health affected the family dynamic. Where I struggled the most with this read was the romance. At times, it felt like I was missing something. Jamie and Florence supposedly had a chance at romance previously, and Jamie broke it off, which left Florence heartbroken. As the story progressed, I had trouble believing that Jamie and Florence knew each other. They felt like acquaintances who barely knew each other rather than old family friends who had briefly entertained the thought of a relationship. A few more implausibilities bothered me in the plot, but it may still be a worthwhile read for some.

Recommended to readers who love:
📚 second chance romance, forced proximity, forbidden love tropes
📚 Sariah Wilson, Elissa Sussman, Sarah Adams
📚 Escape romances & beach reads

Thank you to Putnam Books and Netgalley for the DRC. All opinions are my own.


Reviews will post on Inkedupmargins.com on pub day and insta during pub week

Thank you to the publisher and netgalley for the ARC of “Enemies to Lovers ” by Laura Jane Williams in exchange for my honest review.

Enemies to Lovers takes place on a family vacation. Flo doesn’t expect to see her brother’s best friend, Jamie whom she shared an almost moment with last Christmas. They’re forced into spending time together along with sharing a room.

It was a good quick read, it made me laugh, but ultimately left me wanting more from the characters. The enemies didn’t come across to me, felt like a typical brother’s best friend relationship, you have a crush on him and he likes to irritate you.

3.5 stars.

This book was a fun read for me, even if the “romance” part of it was my least favorite part of the story.

I loved the setting and I was ready to go on a Greek holiday immediately (note: I’m from the U.S. and I don’t ever say things like “Greek holiday” but I was so here for it…lol). I loved the fun family. They had a great dynamic and you could feel the love they all had for one another. They were almost too idealistic, but it didn’t bother me.

Jamie and Flo’s relationship was a bit harder to love. I think the author did not do the best job building their backstory and so it was really hard to get invested in them initially. I do think they had great chemistry, but I got frustrated with the on-again-off-again pattern that was portrayed in the book.

I will say I generally struggle with lack of communication being a driving force behind a couple’s conflict. I like my character to act like adults. However, the author actually made my understand why the lack of communication occurred, so I bought it and it didn’t bother me as much as it normally would.

A big thank you to NetGalley and PENGUIN GROUP Putnam for an ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review. This book releases 8/13/24.