I had high expectations for Beauty & the Beach. The plot sounded adorable and I do love a modern marriage of convenience story.

The romance was fantastic. Phoenix and Holland were perfect enemies to lovers. I couldn't get enough of the banter and nicknames. They also had sooo much chemistry, my gosh! There's only kissing here but the kisses were hot, hot, hot! I think the tension is what really sells the romance and makes this closed door romance still sexy. The romance is believable and paced well. I really loved Phoenix & Holland's dynamic.

This book is summer vibes. I really enjoyed the setting and made me wish I was on a beach while reading this. This book is definitely my sense of humor. I could not stop smiling/laughing. A true romcom!

Narrator did a wonderful job as well. I really liked their voice and thought they did a great job bringing the story to life.

If you need a summer romcom, I would 100% recommend this!

From the moment this was announced, I knew it was going to be a banger, and let me tell you, this book is a BANGER!!! Small-town summer romance, marriage of convenience, a twist on brother’s best friend, and some of the BEST hate-to-love I’ve read in a long time!

I loved Holland and Phoenix from the very beginning! I was immediately drawn in by their antagonistic and barbed but also witty and charged with chemistry and tension. The dynamic between them was AMAZING and I could not get enough of their banter, I thought that the way their hate-to-love arc was handled was so unique and compelling as their dislike that was rooted in a shared past and deep connection and intimate knowledge of each other. It made their acceptance of genuine feelings believable and genuine.

The town of Sunset Harbor was a fantastic setting for this sun-soaked summer romance! Gracie's voice and specific brand of characterization are masterful and I never wanted this book to end! The audiobook and the narrator's performances also enhanced my overall experience. Beauty and the Beach is a favorite of the year, for sure and I highly recommend it!

Thanks to Netgalley and Podium Audio for the ALC of this awesome book!

Desperate for money after a financial scam, Holland makes a deal with the infuriatingly wealthy and handsome Phoenix: She’ll marry him for the summer so he can inherit his family’s company. Their fake marriage is supposed to be temporary, but as their charade unfolds, Holland finds herself falling for the man she swore she hated.

Hilarious and heartwarming, this rom com is a delight to read. The banter is brilliant. Holland and Phoenix are lovable and perfect for each other. The story is strong and fast-paced. I enjoyed the audiobook narration.

Thanks, NetGalley, for the ARC I received. This is my honest and voluntary review.

the books is great! i love Gracie Ruth Mitchell books! the audiobook wasn't really my thing...but that's just me, I"m picky about my audiobooks haha
worth the read...or listen! :D

Loved this book!
I listened to it on audio and the narrators were great- I do listen to it sped up. I loved that they had both a male and female narrating.
The story was so much fun! I absolutely loved Holland she was just adorable. Phoenix was dreamy. They were both so perfect for each other.
I thought this book was well written- there was so much romance and humor, but it also dealt with some serious things (past trauma). It had a bit of everything in it.
I have read a few of the books in this series and they were all really good, but this can be read as a stand alone.

Beauty and the Beach by Gracie Ruth Mitchell is a marriage of convenience with a summer atmosphere.

The story follows Phoenix and Holland, who are always pranking each other and acting like enemies. Phoenix was friends with Holland's older brother who has passed away. Phoenix promised Holland’s brother he would look out for her. Holland and Phoenix have a history of chemistry and tension that has turned into an interesting relationship.

Phoenix needs a wife to inherit his family’s company, and Holland is his best option. Even though their marriage is fake and temporary the feelings they have for each other are not.

If you are in the mood for a summer rom-com filled with sparks, banter, and family drama this book is for you! This was an excellent audiobook with dual narration.

Thank you to Netgalley, Dreamscape Media, and Gracie Ruth Mitchell for my gifted ALC in exchange for an honest review.

This was such a cute book!

Beauty and the Beach is a super sweet romance with lots of heart. I adored Phoenix and Holland together. They are constantly driving each other crazy with pranks, but I love their playfulness and nicknames for eachother.

I actually liked the narrators (I did speed it up a bit). I know some people complained about the male being monotoned a bit, but sped up you couldn't really tell and Holland did complain about Phoenix talking without emotion at times, so it kind of added to the story a bit.

Read if you like:
Closed door romance
Brother's best friend
Enemies to lovers
Marriage of convenience

Thank you to the author, Dreamscape Media and Netgalley for this free audio arc in exchange for my honest review.

A lovely closed door ramoance of 2 long time friends brought together by a marriage of convinience.

Holland and Phoenix have been ea others sphere for a while brought together by the tragedy and death of Hollands brother Travis.

Holland a little spontaneous, broke (scammed), loves her sister and grandmother, hates Phoenix (plays juvenile tricks on him and calls him bird names) and guilty about her brothers death.

Phoenix, rich, smart, and promised Travis that he will always take care of Holland and does so.

Phoenixs manipulative and dreadful grandmother has changed her will to stipulate that only her married grandchild will inherit the family business. So a marriage of convinience is born, except when Phoenix and Holland are married and living together, their animosity and hostile banter changes into caring and affection. Can their fake marriage actually become real. As they navigate through their feelings, they fall deeply in love.

A nice, romantic beach read.

🩵𝐁𝐫𝐨𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫’𝐬 𝐁𝐞𝐬𝐭 𝐅𝐫𝐢𝐞𝐧𝐝
💍𝐌𝐚𝐫𝐫𝐢𝐚𝐠𝐞 𝐨𝐟 𝐂𝐨𝐧𝐯𝐞𝐧𝐢𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐞
🩵𝐂𝐥𝐨𝐬𝐞𝐝 𝐝𝐨𝐨𝐫 𝐫𝐨𝐦𝐚𝐧𝐜𝐞

🎧Dual narration:
Rylee Kuberra & John Rogers

♥︎Holland and Phoenix Park have a knack for driving each other absolutely mad. In the past, a devastating accident tied their lives together. Now, their marriage of convenience is about to change everything they know about each other.

♥︎This story was fun. It did take some time to get used to the narrators, who delivered their lines with a touch of monotony and lacked variation in their inflections. However, despite this small drawback, I found myself genuinely enjoying the story. It was charming and handled a significant event with great care.

♥︎Overall, if you're a fan of closed-door romance set in small towns, you're sure to enjoy this one.

𝐑𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠: 𝟑.𝟓⭐️
𝐂𝐥𝐨𝐬𝐞𝐝 𝐝𝐨𝐨𝐫

Beauty and the Beach is part of the Falling for Summer romance series. Holland is in desperate need of cash after having her checking account wiped out and she’s doing everything she can to make the ends meet, but when an opportunity presents itself that will solve her financial problems she’s not sure she can take it. Phoenix, Holland’s older brother’s best friend, finds himself needing to get married in order to inherit the family company from his grandma and he propositions Holland. The pair barely get along, but they both trust each other enough to take this leap of faith. The deal is simple, Phoenix and Holland get married and start married until Phoenix inherits the company and Holland gets the money she so desperately needs in exchange. Maybe it isn’t that simple after all, especially after the feelings of hate turn out to be closer to love. Will Phoenix and Holland find what they are looking for or crash and burn?

I haven’t read any of the other books in this series, but this can definitely be read as a standalone. I am a fan of brother’s best friend romances, enemies to lovers and fake marriage tropes so this book hit a lot of my favorite tropes in one. I was hooked from the beginning and fell in love with Holland and Phoenix very quickly. The banter, snark and chemistry between these two was perfect and added so much to their relationship. It kept me coming back for more. I loved this couple together and thought the baggage they both came with was a great addition to their relationship because they helped each other deal with it. This was a great summer read and I definitely recommend it. I will definitely have to go back and read more in this series because I loved this small town/island setting!

Marriage of convenience! This book was great, totally recommend this book!

Thanks to NetGalley for this ARC

I’ve been seeing this one floating around bookstagram and figured why not! The cover is cute, summery, and one trope was enemies-to-lovers. That is a favorite of mine!

The book is told from two point-of-views and they come from Phoenix and Holland. Their first introduction didn’t go very well and since then they have kind of hated each other. They play pranks on each other and just kind of torture one another which was pretty humorous. They also have a common trauma that involves Holland’s brother and a car crash. It’s something that they must deal with in time as they learn to live with one another because there is also a marriage of convienance.

It takes awhile for us to get to the marriage since the plot is building with Phoenix’s job and his rude grandmother who is a dillweed. There is also Holland who doesn’t have health insurance and is trying to take care of her younger sister since they were kind of cut off by their parents. They are both from different worlds and with that brings its own set of issues. I liked seeing how they maneuvered it all, even at times together.

Although I did like it overall, I wasn’t a huge fan of the male narrator and some of the scenes felt too over-the-top for my taste.

Overall, this was good! It would be great for the summer and I’ll have to see what the others in the series are about.

This was such a cute, sweet, witty, and compelling audiobook! It was literally a super great summer read and I’ll be recommending it to my friends!

The story overall was great, but the male narrator was like listening to a Human Resources video narrator 🫢

I literally love this book. It's the best enemies to lovers i've ready in awhile. Not just that, it's also a marriage of convenience.
I absolutely loved the banter and chemistry between these two.

The audio was done really well and worth the listen.

Thank you NetGalley and Dreamscape Media for a copy of the audio book. (:

4 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
How cute was this!! I love a marriage of convenience and enemies/rivals to lovers so this was such a treat. Even pretty hot for a closed door romance! Phoenix and Holland have a strong rivalry/animosity between them ever since Holland’s brother and Phoenix’s best friend died in a car crash they were all in. The brother’s best friend/best friend’s little sister trope was also a fun addition to the tropes in this book though it wasn’t heavily talked about. I loved the revolving door of nicknames between them and constant bickering/bantering. The angry kissing to prove they don’t care was 👩‍🍳💋 chef’s kiss absurd. I absolutely loved it. This was a really fun book and I love a dual POV and dual narration from Rylee Kuberra and John Rogers! I haven’t read any other books in this series but I want to now! It looks like the tropes used in these books are a little less common. I’m looking forward to exploring the island more!

Thank you NetGalley, Dreamscape Media, and Gracie Ruth Mitchell for the ALC in exchange for a fair review!!

Oh my word! Gracie Ruth Mitchell books, where have you been all my life?!? I can’t believe I have been missing out on this author! But that will be immediately rectified.

Phoenix and Holland are hotter than the Fourth of July, people! The chemistry between these enemies to lovers is off the charts. They actually obliterated the charts. The book should actually come with a warning—read at your own risk, possibility of chemical or steam burn. Or almost too hot to handle. Don’t worry it is all clean, but Gracie brings the heat! The tension and banter, the pranks and the kisses, the nicknames and the complicated history. Amazing, every single thing about it!

And the audio—perfection! I loved it. The narrations were terrific. They brought the characters to life, their personalities were spot on, the emotion and inflection and pacing 👌🏻 I even enjoyed the narration of opposite genders. Normally the male doing the female voice and vice versa doesn’t always work, but this was great.

Thank you Dreamscape for the ALC and thank you Gracie for this incredible story!

Laughed out loud so many times in this one! I listened to the audiobook and the narrators did a wonderful job. Marriage of convenience for these two “enemies” who are constantly playing pranks on each other but have a traumatic history together so they also feel like they need to look out for each other. Phoenix’s family is crazy like bad crazy and his grandmother requires her heir to be married so he asks Holland to enter into a marriage of convenience just until the crazy grandma passes away. Sounds harsh but she is literally the worst and she is on her deathbed. Unfortunately it’s a lot of work to keep up with the animosity especially when you live with someone and eventually all that hatred and anger gets poured into a different type of tension. This closed door romance definitely didn’t skimp on the 🔥

Trigger warning- car accident with death of a loved one

Thank you to NetGalley, Dreamscape Media and Gracie Ruth Mitchell, for this ARC of Beauty and the Beach out July 17, 2024!

This was such a cute RomCom that I finished in one day. I loved Phoenix and Holland as main characters and how their story unfolded. The dual POV and enemies to lovers concept is always a guilty pleasure. This audiobook was easy to listen to and the narrators kept me entertained throughout. I was so excited to have been chosen to listen to this before release and I love love love the artwork on the cover.

⭐️Overall Rating: 4 stars

This novel was provided by the publisher, via Net Galley, in exchange for my honest review.

Beauty and the Beach is swoony beach read featuring marriage of convenience between two characters who grew up together and have shared trauma. The dual narration was really fun, too.

The history between Holland and Phoenix was the perfect (albeit sad) set up for their arrangement and their forced proximity allowed them to grow together from enemies to lovers with the cutest banter -- their nicknames for each other were my favorite part of this book. 😂

Looking forward to visiting Sunset Harbor for the rest of the books in this series!