Alice Cooper’s life is in shambles (broken engagement, lost job, etc.) when she decides to book a women’s book tour in the UK. She immediately starts the trip with disaster after disaster, and when she finals makes it with minutes to spare, she finds out the trip is all senior women. And her and the young, handsome tour guide, Robbie, immediately have beef,

Along the way, Alice learns about the other women and their lives, and finds herself along the way.

Really cute, mushy story. I loved hearing about the places that they stopped on the tour as an American who lived briefly in Scotland and has visited most of the places. I will have to keep my eye out for what Kat Mackenzie writes next!

A recent string of unfortunate events causes Alice to seek refuge in good books and even better friends on a literary bus tour around the UK. She didn’t expect a case of exploded luggage, a gaggle of elderly ladies, and an infuriatingly sexy bus driver to completely upend her life again… but unlike last time, now it’s for the better.

Work in Progress is a laugh-out-loud funny romcom full of witty banter and swoon worthy tension. The only reason I did not give this book a 5/5 is that initially Alice comes off as a bit insufferable. Bad things happened to her and she takes it out on everyone, as if the world owes her. However, the undeniable feelings Robbie has for Alice kept me reading and I am so glad that I did. Alice transforms from a whiny, angry woman to a hilariously relatable character. No matter what age readers are, Alice’s anxiety over the direction her life is going is relatable to all. In juxtaposition, Robbie’s self assuredness is undeniably sexy and makes him such a good pairing for Alice. The romance between the two is adorable and heartwarming; it stirs nostalgic feelings of the great 2000’s romcoms, which adds an additional magic layer to the romance.

Fans of romcoms with witty banter and the tension of will they, won’t they need to read this book. Further, if you love the tropes of forced proximity, enemies to lovers, reverse grumpy sunshine, and found family then that is even more reason to read Work in Progress. This is Kat Mackenzie's debut novel and I genuinely cannot wait to read her future books.

Disclaimer: Thank you Avon for providing this book for review consideration via NetGalley. All opinions expressed are my own.

"No one should be responsible for your happiness but you, my girl. Happy must be built in here," she pounded firmly on my chest with an open palm."

Thank you to Netgalley and Avon for the eARC of this book.

The story follows a literary bus tour across the United Kingdom, where Alice is meant to get a fresh start, but she encounters the frustrating, yet handsome, Scottish bus driver. Alice joins the group, expecting to find a group of women her age to bond and be lively with. Instead, she finds a group of fun elderly women, with tons of humor and wisdom to impart. She's just lost her fiancé and her job, and she needs an escape, and the bus tour was supposed to provide that. But everything seems to be going wrong. However, as she goes through the UK, she learns not to judge a book by its cover, especially when it's gruff, handsome, and Scottish.

"You write your own story. If others wish to contribute to your story, that is nice. And if they do not, then it should not matter. You make your way on, with or without them. And you write your story how you want it."

I really enjoyed this story! Sure it was outrageous at times, but overall it was very well-written. It gave me a lot of the same feelings as The Lost Ticket by Freya Sampson did, but with a tad more romance at the focus. I loved the romance between Robbie and Alice. I think it was perfectly slow-burn. I didn't love the miscommunication because I felt like all their issues as a couple could have been resolved with a few direct questions, but I understand how it could be authentic to their characters.

4/5 ⭐️
2/5 🌶️

Thank you to NetGalley, the publisher, and Kat Mackenzie for this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Work in Progress follows Alice Cooper on her journey to rediscover herself after her life seemingly falls apart. In an attempt to discover her roots and go on an adventure, she decides to book a UK literary tour with, supposedly like-minded souls. What follows is a rom-comedy of errors filled with a surprising amount of penis jokes. Actually, just the right amount of penis jokes. I take that back.

It’s been a long time since I’ve read a book with such a wild cast of characters. The secondary characters read like caricatures, almost, in the way that they’re all so wonderfully exaggerated in order to differentiate one another. I really appreciate how each character is so unique and well developed because it often feels like they all blend together in books with large casts. Also Robbie was PERFECT for her.

This was truly funny. I laughed out loud many, many times. The romance was engaging, even if it took a while to get there. Like you might expect from a literary bus tour through the UK…it was a bit rambling with several bumps in the road. It felt a bit long which is probably my only complaint because I really, really loved this book and highly recommend it.

Content warnings: cancer (mentioned), cheating (mentioned), death of a spouse (mentioned)

Work In Progress originally caught my eye due to the beautiful cover art and the fun setting of a Scottish book tour with elderly ladies! Unfortunately this story ended up not being for me, for several reasons, but could be a good fit for more dedicated fans of banter-filled enemies to lovers contemporary romance.

I ended up DNF’ing this read which I really try not to do for ARCs, but there were a few things that just began to grate on my nerves in a way that made me avoid picking the book back up. The main issue was the banter felt more immature than tension-filled, and the final straw was how often being compared to British culture/accents/etc was used to get under the MMC’s skin. Just not for me!

I ended up rating this a 3/5 for netgalley but a more accurate rating would be 2.5. Thank you for the eARC in exchange for an honest review!

3.5 rounded up

After heartbreak and job loss, Alice signs up for a 3 week literary tour overseas. It is not what she expected at all upon arrival in Edinburgh - a group of older women on an ancient bus.

The story includes lots of tributes to Scottish culture and geography as well as its presence in pop media (Outlander, etc). There are a bunch of literary references and each chapter begins with Bridget Jones references.

Alice develops relationships with each travel companion and learns each of their backstories, with some really sweet and some tragic stories in the mix. The story contains descriptions of historical sights and literary references along with funny banter between the main characters.

Alice was insufferable and immature for the first half of the book and I am not sure how Robbie saw past her prickly shell. After I could get past that, this contemporary rom-com/self-growth tour across the UK was an enjoyable read. It looks like this is a debut novel and I would not hesitate to try another from Kat Mackenzie.

Thank you Avon Books for providing this book for review consideration via NetGalley.

What a fun book! This was a fast, light read that showed personal growth of the main character, a budding romance and the value that sharing life experiences can have on an individual. I was annoyed by the main character when the book starts and found her to be quite bratty, almost too much. I pushed through and found that as I read further and the character morphed and grew, that I appreciated her a bit more. The Scottish setting reminded me of a trip I took about 10 years ago and I enjoyed being reminded of the experience through the book. Overall a fun read!

Thank you Avon and Harper for the review copy, this was a fun, light escape, a romance with good character growth, banter, and humor, as well as great settings and fun "old ladies". Work in Progress is a perfect title for the story, which takes us on Alice's travel adventure where she learns a lot about herself, the joy of letting experiences take you where they take you, and opening up, and letting go, at the same time. I appreciated some genuine laugh out loud moments, managed the expected miscommunication trope, and was cheering on the role of the older ladies and the travel themes. A fun read, great for warming up the longer winter months or for a winter vacation travel bag!

60/100 or 3.0 stars

This was a fun romance! The dialogue and banter between the main characters for the most part was fun and believable.
There are some parts throughout that were predicatble in a way that took away from the story (miscommunication is my least favorite trope).
I thought the ending was okay, but after the main resolution around the 80% mark, it took what felt like too long to conclude the story.
I enjoyed the author's writing style, so I am interested in reading more from them. This was a three star since it was predictable, the conclusion was slow, and it wasn't all that memorable. It is a solid romance though.

What a lovely book. It had me with the plot of traveling thru the UK. Throw in some funny, older ladies and a hot Scotsman. Loved it!

I started out quite unsure of this book. Initially, I found the heroine to be unnecessarily rude and very annoying. That changes and Alice becomes open and starts to realize just how wonderful we "old ladies" can be. Robbie is just a natural charmer, though he may have taken the teasing of Alice Cooper a little too far in the beginning. All the ladies are fun with their own quirks and gifts and experiences they're willing to share. If you're looking for a pleasant read without too much angst, this is the book for you.
Thank you to NetGalley, Kat Mackenzie, Avon and Harper Voyager for an ARC of Work in Progress
#NetGalley#WorkInProgress#KatMackenzie#Avon#HarperVoyager

I'm going to being honest, I absolutely strongly disliked Alice at the beginning of this book, I thought I was going end up rage reading this book. However, she very slowly ended up growing on me. Robbie I absolutely enjoyed. This enemies to love was a joy to read, however with the amount and type of banter, I was honestly surprised this was a mostly closed door romance.

3.75 stars

Work In Progress tells the story of Alice Cooper, an American woman who ventures to the UK to go on a literary themed bus tour and reclaim her joy after her personal life implodes. Upon arrival, Alice discovers that the demographic of the group skews older than she realized, and she simultaneously makes enemies with the handsome, yet infuriating Scottish tour guide Robbie. Over the course of three weeks Alice undergoes an adventure full of romance, friendship, and growth that will ignite the spark within her.

This book had a lot of potential, but I couldn’t help but feel that it fell short. The setting was beautifully aesthetic, perfect for readers afflicted with wanderlust. The descriptions of the UK were lush and vibrant and made me want to book a one-way ticket abroad! Unfortunately though, the romance was one of the least compelling points of the story, despite it being the plot’s main focus.

No one loves enemies to lovers more than me, but in Alice and Robbie’s case, the enemies were enemy-ing a little too aggressively. I was a tad uncomfortable with how mean they were to one another. I’m so sensitive, I would have never been able to get over some of the insults they slung at each other. I understand that Alice was in a depressive state at the beginning of the novel, but I don’t think that excuses some of her less than ideal behavior.

Continuing with the romance, Alice is a mixed signals queen! She infuriated me, particularly when she asked Robbie to act professional towards her, only to flirt and sneak innuendos into conversation with him directly after. And then, when he responds guardedly, she has the audacity to be shocked. It takes about 75% of the book for Alice and Robbie to actually get together but when they do, their intimate scenes are completely glossed over. I have no problem with closed door romances, but this felt like a disservice to the characters. It was a lot of telling and not enough showing that resulted in a major lack of emotion.

The charm of this novel lies in the the camaraderie amongst the group of women. I wish that the romance was the B plot and that we got to see and hear more about the women and their travels. Alice’s relationships with the group brought about tenderhearted, memorable moments that I enjoyed immensely.

Thank you Avon Books and NetGalley for providing me with an ARC in exchange for my honest review.

When Alice Cooper's perfectly planned life falls apart, she books a female only tour of England and Scotland on a whim. She arrives to find the guide infuriating (while handsome, of course) and over 30 years younger than the rest of the group.

This was definitely a book of self-discovery, as well as love. I actually found myself more drawn to her relationships with the other ladies than I did to the romance aspect. We need more stories of strong, older women living badass lives, and this fit the bill!

Alice frustrated me at times, with how stubborn she was and how she picked on Robbie, but I liked that he gave the sass right back.

I loved the literary additions and references to Bridget Jones' Diary as well. It added a fun touch to the book.

Thank you to Avon Books & NetGalley for this ARC. All views and opinions are my own

This was actually cute and what I would consider a real romcom. Even though they were acting immature for their age it was making me laugh. I will say that it's 2024 why are we still having harry potter references?

I received an arc through netgalley.

Work in Progress by Kat Mackenzie

Rating: 4/5 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Thank you to Avon, Harper Voyager, Netgalley, and the author for access to this ARC in exchange for an honest review!

This was such a cute story and I thoroughly enjoyed reading it! Enemies to lovers is one of my favorite tropes, so it was a lot of fun seeing how the author developed and built the story around that trope.

Alice is craving a fresh start and an exciting adventure after a break up and losing her job. She decides to go on a literary tour across the UK hoping to figure out what she wants to do with her life along the way. What she doesn’t expect is all the chaos that comes with the adventure and the handsome tour guide who infuriates her.

Immediately from the first interaction between the two MCs, the author did an excellent job at providing a real reason for them to initially dislike each other. The banter throughout is so entertaining. The chemistry between Alice and Robbie is great. I loved how the relationship felt organic. The author does a fantastic job of showing them grow over the course of their journey.

This story is told in first person POV from the FMC’s perspective, which really helps readers see the world through her eyes. I also enjoyed learning about UK landmarks as the tour goes on!

Overall, Work in Progress is great. It is wonderfully written and really emphasizes that all who feel like they have been left behind in life need to realize that there’s so much life to experience. I would definitely recommend this read!

Alice Cooper is not functioning lately; she lost her job and fiance at the same time. He has moved on she hasn't even looked for a new job.
She sees a trip to England and signs up to go. Of course, it's a trip from he** to get her there. When trying to find her luggage a man steps in front of her at the counter. When this is finally settled, and she has her bag and gets to the assigned location for her trip pick-up guess who the driver is!
As Robbie and Alice strike sparks off each other on the three-week trip with a bus full of little old ladies.
As it turns out it is a wonderful adventure.

This is a delightful, witty and beautifully written novel. It had me laughing out loud so many times! And when I wasn’t laughing, I was grinning or, at the very least, smiling!
I loved all the clever, witty banter. Of course I loved the romance, but I also loved the friendship, genuine connections, wisdom and the beautiful UK setting.

The main characters start off on a wrong foot, hence the witty banter, both with strong personalities that clash, but as the story progresses, their dynamic shifts into something much more complicated and ultimately beautiful.

The UK plays a major role in the charm of this book. I enjoyed the setting, the description of the surroundings had me wished I was there with the characters enjoying the sights and British spring.

I loved that every chapter came with a lesson, a reading list and a “Bridget Jones tally”. I thought they were very thought through, hilarious and spot on in summarizing the upcoming chapter.

The language in this book deserves special mention. It feels like every sentence is carefully constructed and every word is chosen with care. It made me want to slow down and appreciate the craft.

While Work in Progress is a romance novel, it is so much more than that. It’s a story of love, connection and friendship, growth and healing, which makes it so much more deeper and beautiful.

This book truly feels like a warm cup of tea for the soul.

Thank you Kat Mackenzie and NetGalley for the opportunity to read an advanced copy. I’ve already preordered the physical one!

Alice Cooper {insert joke here} has recently lost her job, her boyfriend, and she's *gasp* getting ready to turn thirty. She's always wanted to travel, so she books a literary bus tour through Great Britain. Alice is excited to go on this tour, meet some exciting new friends her age, and have an adventure. But things go terribly wrong as soon as she gets off the plane at Edinburgh airport, when it turns out the bus tour is full of old women who are "young at heart," not the twenty- and thirty-somethings she was expecting...and the driver? Could he be any worse??

Scottish rogue Robbie is determined to embarrass and anger Alice at every turn. He's not all bad, though. He's full of historical facts and interesting stories about the places that they visit...and he could be a knight in shining armor underneath all that bullish exterior.

I've got to say that I didn't like Alice for about 75% of the book. There was banter back and forth between the two, but hers was much more mean than flirty, and she didn't seem to have any redeeming qualities. She did, however, grow and change over the course of the novel, so by the end you like her well enough. In the grumpy/sunshine trope, Alice was definitely the grumpy one...and the romance was a very slow burn, but reached bonfire heights by the end.

All in all, a great showing for a debut romance which was a mash-up of forced proximity, grumpy/sunshine, and enemies to lovers, so if any of those are your favorite tropes, give this one a read.

“Work in Progress” by Kat Mackenzie
A Super Fun Tour
I am sad to say this was a work of fiction; because I want the opportunity to take this bus tour with the hopes of meeting a fun, possibly life changing group of ladies, too. I got so caught up by the people in the story that I really need to read it again to take notes on where the tour actually went and the literary references, too. In my humble opinion this is a MUST READ story, not to be missed; IF you like to laugh and maybe shed a tear or two. Happy Reading ! !