A romantic comedy about a romantic comedy author who is struggling to write her next book so gets sent on a writer’s retreat where she ends up in her own romantic comedy!

I loved the main character Amber who I think Portia Macintosh made very relatable to anyone who reads the book. I really enjoyed the comedy elements of this book, it was very well written.

Another great novel by Portia Macintosh which I recommend for any romcom lovers out there.

Wonderful story, great character development, great writing! Highly recommend this book. I thoroughly enjoyed it

Portia MacIntosh never disappoints! Her books always bring a smile, and the humor in this one is top-notch. The characters are fantastic, and the story’s settings add so much charm. If you’re after a lighthearted, feel-good read, this is definitely one to pick up!

Overall a great lighthearted read following Amber who’s an author struggling with her current novel and expectations from her publishers. Ambers been given an opportunity to visit the Chateau with other authors to help complete this novel. Will she succeed in writing what’s required?….

I found this novel entertaining. It is a very light easy read. I felt that the same points were rehashed quite often, but on the whole it was fairly original and entertaining. Amber is a romance writer who has stayed anonymous because her family are all in literature and would be horrified that she is writing romance. Her first novel is a big hit and now she has to co up with a second and has been told by her editor to spice it up. This is a light but entertaining read. Thanks to Netgalley and Boldwood Books for an ARC of this novel.

'Gosh, this whole thing has put me right off my second breakfast. Don't get me wrong, I'll still eat it, but it won't taste the same'

Portia Macintosh is back in full swing with this Laugh out Loud comedy, full of chaos and an interesting plot .

Amber Page is an established romance writer and with a deadline looming round the corner she finds herself suffering with writers block and wanting to pursue a different genre, her publisher thinks spicier scenes will help her and top off her already plummeting bad mood her parents have let her know they are going through what they term a 'pre-divorce'. In light of this she is offered the opportunity to go on a writing retreat in France with some fellow writers in the hopes that it will inspire the last push for her book.

There were so many things I loved about this book, and I always find a plot more interesting when it has a character within the story that works within the book industry, the main characters were hilarious, the comedy brilliantly timed and I especially adored the sibling bond between amber and her brother., This book included so many great tropes including - forced proximity, one bed, love triangle, meet cute and friends to lovers.

This book brought up the conversation of a publisher pushing for 'spicier' scenes which I found to be very interesting, Portia Macintosh primarily is a 'closed door' romance writer. I for one love a spicy scene but I do completely agree that you don't 'NEED' one of those scenes for a book to be romantic and there is absolutely nothing wrong with a closed door romance book as long as the story is good.

The only thing I found slightly disappointing about the book is that I would have liked to see more interaction between amber and Caleb.
That being said there is a scene in the book where Amber tries to write a spicy scene and it goes really wrong, the use of the word 'Dong' caught me by surprise and made me laugh way harder than I should have.

Overall I really enjoyed this book.

4.5 stars ⭐

Finally a Christmas book (this year) that captivated me from start to finish!!! I'd never read anything by the author before, but I'm a fan. The writing is very fluid, she writes hilarious scenes and brings us super interesting characters.

In this book we meet Amber, a romance writer who is going through a difficult career phase because of an imposition from her publisher; Caleb, an influencer who needs Amber's help to pretend to be his ex-girlfriend; and Henri, the worker at the Chateau, where Amber goes for an author's retreat, forced by the publisher. We have a book full of adventures, full of tropes we like (only one bed, fake dating, friends to lovers, miscommunication, meet-cute). It really is a rom-com about rom-coms 😂
I only didn't give it 5 stars because it also has the love triangle trope and it's not my favorite at all. And in this book in particular, I feel like we're wasting time with the storyline of one of the characters when we could have had everything from the other, if you know what I mean 😂

If you like something light to read on a Christmas weekend, this is the right choice for you! I'm definitely going to continue reading books by the author 🤭

Thanks to Netgalley and Boldwood Books for the copy!

In this fun new romance novel from Portia MacIntosh, she introduces readers to rom-com writer Amber Page, who is currently stuck in a writing rut because her editor wants her to up the spice in her books -- something Amber cannot bring herself to do. Signing up for a last-minute writers’ retreat in the French Alps at a glamorous chateau, Amber hopes that the new scenery and the advice of eccentric romance writers will help her figure out her writer’s block, but she has no idea about the rom-com love triangle waiting for her in snowy France. As she embarks on her own wintery rom-com, Amber might just have that success that she needs to continue her writing career. Readers will love the wintery setting in this novel and the tropey experiences that Amber finds herself in as the novel progresses. She is a funny and clever protagonist whose growth over the course of the novel is particularly enjoyable to follow since she lives the romance tropes of her novels in this stunningly beautiful setting. Her interactions with other characters -- particularly the other romance writers at the chateau -- will really draw readers into the story and add to the fun wintery rom-com atmosphere of this fantastic new release.

Portia never misses with rom-coms! I really enjoyed Amber as a main character, she was funny and relatable. I enjoyed seeing how far Amber came as a character as well as watching her romance unfold.

What a fun and lovely read!!! I am so happy to have picked this book up! I loved everything about this book! The setting (the French alps and a castle and a very cool and luxurious ski resort), the fun characters and the storyline. I also loved the fact that it was quite a funny book, I caught myself laughing out loud several times during my read and I absolutely loved that!! And last but not least, there is a lovely slow building romance in this book! I am giving a 4 stars out of 5 for that read! I really recommend you this book! It’s a perfect and cozy winter read!

Having read and enjoyed other books by MacIntosh I really wanted to enjoy this. Sadly for me this was too much of a cliche and I found it cringeworthy. I understand the point of it was to be a bit cliche but it went too far and dampened my enjoyment of the book. I liked the character of Amber and Caleb but the other writers were annoying and seemed a bit pointless. The book is set in a wintry location which helped set the atmosphere.
Thank you to NetGalley and Boldwood Books for an advance copy.

I love portia macintosh books and this Christmas romcom was no exception- a delightful Christmasy read full of humour, enjoyable characters and a great story

I will start this review as I always do for all Portia MacIntosh books I have read, by saying that I absolutely adore this author.

You Had Me At Chateau was an interesting concept. Romance author, Amber, has been told to spice her writing up by her agent. She is sent to France for inspiration and networking with other established authors.

Two good love interests, Henri and Caleb. All characters were so well written. I loved Caleb and the building chemistry between them. I itched at Henri’s cheesy flirting. I was defensive at fellow author Mandy’s bitchiness. However, Amber’s brother Tom was my favourite character!

Great story, awesome writing and a recommended read.

Thank you NetGalley and publisher for my advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review 📚

Hilarious Wintery Romcom!

Lots of tropes to keep us engaged with the added bonus of an author struggling to write those spicy scenes for her book whilst accidentally ending up in some of the scenes she should be writing!

Had me absolutely cackling at certain points!

I really love the funny, romantic and sincere feeling of this authors books.

Parts of the book had me laughing out loud and parts had me cringing (in a good way).

I would love to visit the French Alps and the descriptions of the scenery and surroundings is just brilliant.

I can totally relate to Amber as I think I would struggle to write spicy scenes. The way she tries to do them is really funny and the situation she got herself into by accident (mostly) were 'laugh out loud funny'. I absolutely loved this book!

A fun read. Think beach read but with tons of snow! This book follows Amber — a rom com writer — to a writers retreat in France. I enjoyed the atmospheric descriptions of the French alps and of course the French food. Amber has a tough time choosing between 2 men who are both pursuing her. The book details her dates with each. What makes the book fun is her mission to start including sex scenes in her books (her editor’s idea). And Amber is out of her element. Which makes the book hilarious.

What a fun and lovely read!!! I am so happy to have picked this book up! I loved everything about this book! The setting (the French alps and a castle and a very cool and luxurious ski resort), the fun characters and the storyline. I also loved the fact that it was quite a funny book, I caught myself laughing out loud several times during my read and I absolutely loved that!! And last but not least, there is a lovely slow building romance in this book! I am giving a 4 stars out of 5 for that read! I really recommend you this book! It’s a perfect and cozy winter read!

I needed more of the romance between the two main characters in this book because I don't believe they fell in love. There was no build up, no tension, no long, lingering gazes. She spent more time flirting with another dude than she did with the guy she ended up with. Portia MacIntosh is normally a huge win for me, but this one fell flat and I needed more.

Portia MacIntosh is an auto-read for me, I love her rom coms that strike the perfect balance of romance and comedy. I enjoyed "You Had me at Chateau" for its semi-meta theme of a romance writer who specialized in romcoms being told she needed to "spice it up". Our heroine was kind and easy to empathize with, and the side characters were well written, which it how I judge if a rom com is good or not. I particularly liked how the brother was written, and the warm sibling relationship.

Utterly hilarious as you have come to expect from Portia MacIntosh.

So many memorable and funny moments and the whole writer's retreat was certainly different to what I would have thought! Makes me wonder which authors the author was modelling the participants on.

From moments with lingerie, massage oils, a bathroom and a whole lot more, this is just brilliant. Especially with Amber being a rom-com writer, who would love to swivel genre slightly, but instead her editor is insisting on spice - and it is very clear that Amber can't write spice, but she does want to include dead bodies!

That's before you take into account a chapter that I can only imagine was in part modelled on the three Christmas dinner episode of Vicar of Dibley. Amber loves her food, but her bottomless pit may have have met its match with all the amazing food mentioned this story.

With an absolutely stunning backdrop - the French Alps, this a fabulous wintery book, with plenty of com and some rom, that I enjoyed every last second of.

Already can't wait for the next book from this author (luckily I don't have to wait for too long as she is a writing machine!).

Thank you to Boldwood Books and Netgalley for this copy which I have reviewed honestly and voluntarily.