Member Reviews
Light sunmmer read. Flo is vacationing with her parents, two brothers and a sister-in law in Greece. Unfortunately,
one of her brother's best friend Jamie has also come along. Due to an incident at Christmas. Flo has been avoiding Jamie since then, Proximity reveals more about Jamie that has Flo changing her opinion of him.
Younger sister/brother's best friend, miscommunication
#EnemiesToLovers #Penguin #NetGalley
Flo has had a breakdown and is getting herself back together and goes on a summer vacation with her family in Greece. Unknown to her, her bothers best friend will be joining them, Jamie. There is a history between Jamie and Flo and there is some tension between them during the vacation, but nothing that would make me think of enemies. The story was predictable, but then again I was expecting that so I didn't get upset by it. I think I loved the scene at the end of the story when they all open up about their fears and that they are all in fact human. While the title doesn't fit the story in my opinion, it was an okay quick read.
Thank you NetGalley and Penguin Books for an ARC copy in return for an honest review.
Flo has just completed her PhD with a brief diversion for a nervous breakdown. She is going on holiday with her parents, brothers, and sister-in-law in Greece. She arrives to find they have included Jamie one of her brother’s friends who fled after seeming to lead her on six months earlier. This was a cute story but nothing much happened. There was a slight, but predictable, twist. The ending was a bit too neat. I cannot say I’d recommend this one. I thank Net Galley and the publisher for the opportunity to read this ARC.
I'd give it a solid 3.5 stars (so I'll round up to 4 stars) as I never really believed that Jamie and Flo were truly enemies even in the flashbacks I never really got the enemy vibe between them, but the story still some how manage to fit the trophe. It was a fun little getaway to Greece and the family interactions made the story enjoyable especially the siblings banter. It'll be a good addition to an easy to read summer reading list since it was fun and light story that leaned a little towards predictable most of the time and it made for a good palate cleanse after reading some heavier stories before reading this one.
I’m still reading every book with a vacation in Greece that I can get my hands on! This was about in the middle of the pack. The writing could have been stronger. Also, the title had me hoping for a plot that was the epitome of the enemies-to-lovers trope and that was watered down, too.
Flo and Jamie are meant to be enemies, especially after last Christmas but the two are unable to avoid each other when Flo's family invites him for their family vacation. I didn't get much of an enemies vibe though, but definitely a lot of tension and pent up feelings between the two. I was on the edge of my seat waiting for those feelings to erupt.
Overall, it was a quick and easy read and I enjoyed it. I also loved the mental health representation that the author portrayed throughout the book.
I loved this book! The setting, the characters, the misunderstandings, the laughs, the romance, it had it all! I loved how close the family was in this book-it made me want to do better for my kids! I love the dynamic of the siblings, and how close they are as adults. The writing and character development are excellent in my opinion! I do think it was a bit predictable-I knew what the miscommunication was right away in the beginning of the book that led to the drama near the end. Overall a great summer read that was filled with laughs and romance! Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for my honest review!
This one wasn't love for me. I didn't feel the chemistry, and our characters were downright irritating and difficult to root for much of the time. I also didn't really consider them to be enemies? The dialogue was childish, just like the characters. This one was a miss!
Flo joins her family in Greece for two weeks of relaxing and eating good food. Ever since her embarrassing meltdown, Flo has needed a break from life. The vacation with family starts out great until Jamie Kramer, her older brother’s best friend, and the last person she wants to see. Jamie was adopted into Flo’s family. They also hate each other. The thing with Jamie, Flo has a huge crush on him that hasn’t gone away even after the thing that happened during christmas. Pushing her feelings, Flo wants to fix their relationship and the only way she knows how is spending time with him.
Wow, where do I begin? I absolutely LOVED this story and characters. Flo’s whole family made me laugh and tear up (only a little) several times. The relationship Flo has with her older brother Alex was especially sweet, like how they show their sibling love for each other by scrunching their noses. If I could pop into a story, this would be the one. The way Laura Jane Williams described Greece, the water and beaches, the food, and the walks/runs through town was so immersive.
I loved watching Flo and Jamie’s relationship grow and develop throughout the book. Eventually, we find out what happened at Christmas and we learn more about Jamie’s sailboat travels. Flo opens up more about her meltdown to him and her family, and works through remaining feelings from the breakdown. I cannot wait to get my hands on a physical copy and mark up the pages with my thoughts. I have not been able to stop thinking about the characters or the story really since I put it down.
Thank you, NetGalley and Penguin Group Putnam for the ARC! Enemies to Lovers by Laura Jane Williams comes out in the US August 1st and is the perfect beach read!!
“Enemies to Lovers” by Laura Jane Williams, which comes out. August 13, 2024, is exactly what you’d expect from the trope. As someone who enjoys a good romance, I found this book to be a fun and enjoyable read, albeit a bit predictable. Flo and her family are a jovial bunch enjoying a Grecian holiday. However, Flo didn’t know that close family friend Jamie would be there as well. How could he do this to her after last Christmas?
While the plot was engaging, some of the language felt cheesy and too of the moment, which occasionally took me out of the story. Although I sometimes find myself using the same Gen Z slang at work, it doesn’t “hit the same” in a novel.
One aspect I would have appreciated more of is a bit more "spice" in the narrative. However, I was pleased to see the author tackle themes of anxiety and the uncertainty of not knowing what comes next with such openness. These discussions added depth to the characters and made the story more relatable.
Overall, I enjoyed reading “Enemies to Lovers” and would recommend it to anyone looking for an easy beach read. It's a light-hearted and entertaining novel that makes for a perfect summer escape.
This is a wonderful book.
Flo is getting back to normal after suffering a nervous breakdown. She is looking forward to a relaxing holiday with her loving family on a Greek island, but her peace is disrupted when she discovers that the man who broke her heart a few months earlier, Jamie, is also on the holiday.
Essentially this is a story about the love between Flo and Jamie, but it is so much more than a love story. It is about mental health, and trust, and families. It delves into the struggles that everyone goes through, even the people who appear to be the most sorted. And it’s a wonderful depiction of a sun holiday in a beautiful place with people that you love. It will have you searching up holidays and checking in with your parents and siblings.
Loved this book and can’t wait to read more books by Laura Jane Williams.
Enemies to Lovers follows Flo, who is joining her family on a vacation in Greece after she's recovered from a breakdown. Aside from her family treating her very gently since her breakdown, she's been avoiding them since Jamie, one of her brother's best friends, ended their almost a thing by slipping a note under her door around Christmas. As Jamie's parents had passed, Flo's family had welcomed him with open arms. Shortly into her vacation, Jamie joins them. She spends a lot of time texting her new bestie about it as well as trying to avoid him. When that doesn't work, she decides to go with exposure therapy to help her become "normal" around him again.
So first off, I basically made the characters younger in my head than they should have been in the story. Mainly because they acted immature (did you catch the part about the note?) and that made it more realistic for me. Jamie and Flo as "enemies" was really just them either ignoring each other or behaving like little kids trying to be obvious about trying to beat the other in a game. Flo seemed to not be catching a lot of things going on in her family and she alludes to it but doesn't bother to get answers. There were several times where she was out of it and didn't get what was going on, but since it's told mostly from her perspective, that means we don't get it either. That said, I loved her family. They were close, they played around together, and they seemed to honestly get along. I did not love her Greek masseuse turned fling. He didn't seem to be having a lot of misunderstandings due to language and yet his flirting was over the top and cringeworthy. Obviously, Jamie and Flo end up being lovers, but there's still a lot of miscommunication between them that doesn't make a lot of sense in an adult relationship. I did still generally enjoy the story and it would have made a great beach read if the weather would have cooperated!
Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.
Flo arrives on holiday in Greece with her family and learns that her brother’s best friend Jamie, whom she loathes, is also in attendance. As part of reclaiming her life after a mental breakdown, she decides that exposure therapy is the best way to cure her ill feelings towards Jamie and discovers he’s not all that bad.
This was a fun read and even made me laugh out loud at times. I’ll be dreaming of a Greek holiday for the rest of the summer now!
Grab this book on August 1st and enjoy a fun summery rom com!
Thank you to Net Galley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
Ok first of all the Greece setting was impeccable. Your transported to the town with sand and saltwater, I need to go to Greece immediately now. I loved the family dynamic shown in this book, as someone with a lot of siblings the banter was so real. I also appreciated Flo’s mental health journey. It was written with care and authenticity which all I ask for as someone who struggles too.
Enemies to Lovers by Laura Jane Williams fell very short for me. I found the characters annoying and childish and the storyline formulaic. The setting was lovely though! There was too much time spent talking about food and too little spent on character development. Flo and Jamie were very one dimensional and when with her family they all acted like little children. Very disappointed with this novel.
Thank you to the author publisher and NetGalley for an ARC of this novel in exchange for my honest review.
Enemies to Lovers gets points for humor, discussing mental health issues and entertaining family relationships. Beyond that, Flo and Jamie were not all that likeable and I felt like I was back in high school in terms of how they managed their feelings and treated each other. Most of all, it was just too long for the actual plot.
a lovely snack read. I usually seek out books like this to enjoy in between heavier reads. It was exactly what I needed - a charming romance with excellent writing, well-developed characters, a delightful British atmosphere, and a captivating storyline. Overall, it was a very enjoyable read, and I believe it would be a great choice for anyone who appreciates a good romance.
I received this ARC in exchange for my honest review.
This was a fun beach read. I loved some of the tropes used and thought it was a nice light plot.
first, i always love the british vibes in books. i find them hilarious, and this was kind of comical. however, i didn't get the enemies to lovers vibe here... at all. which is disappointing, as its the book title and my favorite trope. these 2 drove me nuts and i found them to be soooo childish. it was just constant nitpicking and insulting back and forth for almost all of the book and it ended up annoying me. also, jamie was an absolute tool bag with the constant rejecting of flo- like no dude, get over yourself.
I enjoyed this book, I liked the characters and watching the two MCs figure their stuff out. That being said, I don't think I would describe them as being "enemies" at any point. Light, easy read but overall pretty 'meh'.