The cover doesn’t really do this book justice. Was it perfect? No. Sure there were problems. But it was a decent beach read. The Greenbergs were a fun family to read about. The family dynamic worked well. It was odd that Alex had no partner at all. The main characters did seem very immature for their ages, which was annoying at times. The spicy scenes had no mention of protection or thinking ahead. Kind of strange for the main character to admit she’s never given a blow job but is suddenly inspired to do so. Guess Jamie had some BDE.

𝖠𝖱𝖢 𝖱౿𝗏ꪱᜒ౿⍵ ✏️
𝖤𐓣౿ოꪱᜒ౿ડ 𝗍𝗈 𝖫𝗈𝗏౿𝗋ડ
𝖡ɣ: 𝖫ɑυ𝗋ɑ 𝖩ɑ𐓣౿ Ԝꪱᜒᥣᥣꪱᜒɑოડ
𝖯υᑲᥣꪱᜒડ𝗁 𝖣ɑ𝗍౿: 𝖠υ𝗀υડ𝗍 13, 2024
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ / 5

After a mental breakdown, Flo is on a much needed holiday with her family. While there was an email going with her parents, two brothers, and sister in law, Flo was unaware of said email and could not see the other person who was included on this chain. Her brother’s best friend, Jamie. The same Jamie who she had a fling with at Christmas, but was rejected afterwards with a letter and the two haven’t seen each other since. What was supposed to be a relaxing holiday in Greece, just turned into a complicated situation where Flo has to fight her anger and be civil or just make nice and give in.

Laura Jane Williams wrote such an easy, binge worthy story that had you feeling hooked from chapter 1. While having a mental health and loss of parents triggers in this book, she handled those matters with care. I loved the chemistry between Flo and Jamie and their banter. Her whole family was great. They had such a wonderful dynamic and were so supportive of each other. This book had everything you want from a summer romance book and I really enjoyed it.

If you are looking for a quick and light vacation read, then check out Enemies To Lovers! 🇬🇷💙

𝑻𝒉𝒂𝒏𝒌 𝒚𝒐𝒖 @netgalley , @putnambooks , @laurajaneauthor 𝒇𝒐𝒓 𝒕𝒉𝒊𝒔 𝑨𝑹𝑪 𝒊𝒏 𝒆𝒙𝒄𝒉𝒂𝒏𝒈𝒆 𝒎𝒚 𝒉𝒐𝒏𝒆𝒔𝒕 𝒓𝒆𝒗𝒊𝒆𝒘

So I was having a tough day when it came to my chronic illness life and I am so thankful to have had such great entertainment for the day.
I was able to read this book in the day and am so happy that I did not have to stop at any point.
This book was fantastic, I loved it sooo much!!!!!

The characters were amazing, and the family dynamics were good, a bit crazy but good and entertaining and the 2 main characters (with the love interest, or past feelings for each other) were great and I definitely loved them both. Flo and Jamie.
There was a lot going on in this book and kept my interest but also there were so many emotions, not just from the characters but when you feel as well. At one moment you are happy and laughing with the characters and then you are sitting at family dinner and so many feelings hit you hard and you feel like crying. It's crazy but in a good way.
There was some hate but it was hard for both characters to really let that be them, but there was a lot of awkwardness and tension and bickering which kinda turned into playful flirting.
I have not read a book by this author before and now I def need to go see what else they have written bc this book was that good.
Well written and had great character development also.
So this book was based on a family vacation which they call a 'Holiday' and that was just fun for it to be a summer read for me. I liked how it gave those great summer vibes.
This is def a good read, so do yourself a favour and grab this book and read it this summer. That's my advice anyway :)

What a fun book, but also a meaningful book, this book covers anxiety in a way that I love cause it’s different for every character, and the reader goes on the same journey as the FMC, Flo, as she learns she isn’t the only one struggling in her family. Flo’s family vacation is so much fun, with a heavy food focus I wanted to go to Greece and immediately get some of that food, but man they way they competed, had so much fun, listened to each other, it was a perfect imperfect family that was so easy to love.

Jamie is Flo’s brother’s best friend who she now avoids at all costs after he wrote her a letter saying he doesn’t have feelings for her, but she’s stuck with him, because her family took him in as one of their own. They have miscommunication down, and honestly I love it, because it’s so hard to communicate truthfully with someone who hurt you, especially when you already have insecurities and anxiety over that to begin with, but man their tension flies off the page. They are PINING for each other the entire book, and I ate it up. When they finally start to communicate and get together, there is still so much to cover, and I loved how it all came out to play.

I love Flo and Jamie, but this family takes the show in this book, it’s one of my favorite families but also found family for Jamie that I won’t forget!

Thank you Putnam for the review copy. Unfortunately this is a read that did not work for me, I found a lot of the plot hard to connect with and didn't like a lot of the behaviors and underlying motives for the male main character. I dislike books that explore, in adults, promises to not date a friend/sibling (adults should have their own agency in exploring consensual relationships) and found a lot of the early rejection behaviors to be immature for people established in adulthood. I am often willing to overlook some less than believable points in a romcom for the sake of fun escapism but this read felt a little less escape, a little too plodding for me.

Flo's family is going on a two-week holiday in Greece—a tripped primed for relaxation and an escape from the world's problems. That's until her brother's best friend, Jamie, shows up. Flo and Jamie had recently experienced an almost-situationship-maybe-love thing over Christmas, but after he'd stood her up, Flo's grudge has remained in place. During the trip, those weird feelings and thick tension begin to enchant them once again, and they're forced to come to terms with what that means and if they can give what happened last Christmas another shot.

There was so much of this book I loved. Flo had recently suffered a nervous breakdown and was continuing to recover. There were so many beautiful insights to anxiety and what it means to remind yourself you're in control. I've felt similarly to Flo, where I look at my mom as superwoman but see myself as someone who doesn't live up to those expectations. There was a sweet moment where one of the characters reminds Flo that while her mom is awesome, she is, too, in her own way. That really spoke to and comforted me.

I also enjoyed the tension between Flo and Jamie. I hate to admit I'm a sucker for a jealousy trope, but it's a vice I can't seem to shake. Every scene where Adonis and Jamie are in the same room had me on the edge of my seat. I loved to watch as that affected how Jamie reacts around Flo and the dynamic of Flo's family.

Towards the end, the novel lost me. I'd been championing this book so hard, but Jamie's complete 180 practically gave me whiplash. I struggled to fully see his side and how it would lead him to react so impulsively. In a novel where Flo had been trying to accept herself, I also didn't understand why all of a sudden every character made it seem like it was her fault. It seemed to contradict the entire plot.

I adored the majority of this book because the way it represented mental health made me feel seen. I enjoyed the slow burn aspect up until the end where everything seemed to explode. Either way, it felt like a great beach read, and I'm so grateful for receiving this e-galley from NetGalley and Penguin Random House.

4 stars

An enjoyable brother's best friend romance while also being enemies to lovers and also a holiday romance. I liked the characters and appreciated the talk about mental health throughout and how each person has their own journey with it. I had a good time but nothing was significantly memorable.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC!

This book just wasn't for me. I couldn't connect with the characters and the tension between them felt forced. I found myself skimming the pages rather than reading more often than not because it wasn't holding my attention. I did a lot of re-reading, and honestly, I still don't remember much. None of the characters stood out and the storyline was average.

Book Review

Thank you to Netgalley and publisher for an arc in exchange for my honest opinion.

Publication: August 13, 2024

Rating: Not for me

I usually love enemies to lovers trope but I really struggle with miscommunication or not fully communicating. Add this and the fact that the MCs are my age (30’s) but act like they are in high school. It just left a bad taste for me.

Thank you so much to the author, the publisher, and NetGalley for an early copy in exchange for an honest review.

I really wanted to like this book, as it has a lot of things that I am fond of-
- Forced proximity
- Second chance
- Enemies to lovers

And while I did enjoy myself for a bit, I found myself DNFing at 25%.
Our FMC is just getting back on her feet after what she describes as her 'breakdown'. She left all that she knew when the pressure became too much and landed back with her family. Still trying to navigate the waters of her anxiety, she is raw and tender in many ways. When the MMC arrives, he is described as her brother's best friend whom she had a fling with, but ended poorly when he did the classic "It's not you, it's me."
Since then, she has harbored resentments that come to the surface when they are forced on a vacation with each other.

While I did appreciate the tension and the curiosity for the full scope of their story, I was really off put during a scene where, after having an anxiety attack of sorts, our FMC escapes to the beach, only to be followed by Jamie (the brother's best friend). There, during what was a tender moment between the two of them, Jamie alludes to the fact that he understands the anxiety and the overwhelming feelings that accompany it, which one would think the FMC would understand. However, she responds with, essentially, "how can you have anxiety? your life is great." And that just really turned me off from her character and the plot as a whole.

It is hard to empathize with a character and their mental health struggles (which I know intimately), when they so easily put down someone coming to them vulnerably and honestly. She wants people to give her grace and understanding, yet she cannot do the same for others, and I just couldn't find it in me to keep going. Maybe one day I'll try again, but for now, I think I'm good.

Enemies to lovers is one of my favorite tropes but this just didn’t do it for me. There definitely wasn’t enough “enemies” part. I did enjoy the banter though with the brothers but besides that the book fell pretty flat.

Thank you Netgalley and to the publishers for allowing me to read this advanced copy.

Flo is 26, finished her masters and plans to teach while working on a PHd. She joins her parents for a Greek summer holiday for two weeks. Along with her is oldest brother, his wife Kate (expecting) and another brother who is single and looking. They are also joined by Jamie Kramer who is the oldest brother's best friend and is an unofficial member of the family after the passing of his parents.

Flo always crushed a little on Jamie. One Christmas when they started getting close, he backed off, left a note and took off. I didn’t feel this really invoked the “Enemies” portion of the title. Yes, she is angry, but more hurt, embarrassed and confused. But this summer they are older and sharing a house and with activities they are together a lot. I actually enjoyed Flo’s family. I liked that they have inside jokes, play games and truly care for each other. Kate is great at the lawyer sis-in-law who is nervous about parenthood. She is also a good friend to Flo. I almost enjoyed the family and holiday more than the romance. I liked the story and correctly predicted the cause of the Christmas Incident. I don’t think Jamie swept me off my feet, but I was glad the pair got a happy ending.

This is a good summer read. It covers some extras with Flo talking about her past breakdown that she has recovered from. (3.5 Stars)

This was cute!

I love enemies to lovers romances, so this one seemed right up my alley. I figured out the twist pretty early, but it was still enjoyable.

I also really admire books that address hard things - mental health, loss of a parent, etc. I thought it was handled well here.

Thanks to netgalley and Putnam for the ARC

This one was such an enjoyable read!
Second chance, missed connection, brother's best friend, enemies(ish) to lovers, miscommunication. So many good tropes in this one!

The irony of this was starting to read it while I was in Greece and not realizing that's where it was set. It really added to the reading experience because I understood exactly how Flo was feeling in regards to finding peace and rejuvenation while on vacation with her family. I felt that the miscommunication became a little obvious once it clicked for me what had happened in the prologue, but it was still really enjoyable to read. I never felt overly frustrated that Flo and Jamie weren't communicating because I understood why.

Thank you to Putnam and NetGalley for an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

A vacation romance where two enemies come to terms with what the heart wants. Two family friends teeter on the brink one christmas only for both to be left brokenhearted after what each assumes is a "Sorry it was a mistake" note. The Greek island setting has family hijinx, funny moments and a slow-burn enemies to lovers romance.

Overall a fun summer read. Enemies to lovers is my favorite trope.

Thank you, PENGUIN GROUP Putnam | G.P. Putnam's Sons

It was so cute! I love the banter between Flo and her brothers. The family in vacation with games, banter and qualify time was so fun to read and so relatable. The whole story between Flo and Jaime was just a bunch of miscommunication. It was cute but kinda frustrating because if they would have just talked then they could have been together way sooner. I liked it though. It makes me want to stop my ticket and book a trip to Greece asap.

Tropes:
Brothers best friend
Summer romance
Enemies to lovers
Second chance romance

I love a good enemies to lovers book and this one says it right in the title. It did not disappoint either! I was hooked from the beginning and I wish I could read this again for the first time because it was such a fun read. My patrons will love this one just as much as I did!

This was a great read. The main characters were likeable and the story easy to read. I liked that there was some humour in the story too. Perfect beach read!

📚ARC Review 📚

Enemies to Lovers ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Flo is on a much needed family holiday after her mental breakdown. Her parents paid for the trip to Greece, inviting Flo, her brothers, sister-in-law and to her surprise, her brother’s best friend. The same friend she almost had a fling with at Christmas, but was rejected with a letter and hasn’t seen him since. What was supposed to be a relaxing holiday, just got complicated.

This book was easy to binge, I was hooked from the first chapter. I love the chemistry between the two main characters and their banter. There was also a little bit of a love triangle, which made things interesting. The mental health aspect of the story was handled with care by the author. I also liked the family dynamic on a vacation together. This would be a great poolside read as it describes the islands of Greece!

This book comes out on August 13th, 2024. Thanks to NetGalley and Penguin Group Putnam for my advanced readers copy. This is my honest and voluntary opinion.

Enemies to Lovers is a great read! Flo is on a family holiday with her parents, two brothers and sister-in-law. One of her brother's best friends joins them to her surprise. It's the friend she almost had a fling with at Christmas, but something went awry and she was left with a bitter taste in her mouth. Now, she must fight her anger to be civil or just give in and make nice.

What I loved about this story was the come back from a mental health issue that Flo experiences. It is a testament that we can be okay and love who we are with the help and support of those around us. Another aspect of this story that I loved is that there is no back stabbing between the two main characters that is normally seen in enemies to lovers type of novels. They have great chemistry and understandable squabbles.

You will fall in love with Flo and her family. They are the type of family that has fun and supports and loves each other even when the going gets tough. I look forward to more entries from Laura Jane Williams.

Thank you to Penguin Group Putnam | G.P. Putnam's Sons and NetGalley for the ARC. The opinions expressed are my own.