Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Having been fired from her waitressing gig for hurling a drink at a Rugby wanker’s lap, Annie is in need of a new job fast. The holidays are around the corner and her rent is due. When she comes across an add for a pop up space rental she sees it as the perfect opportunity to sell the eclectic mix of products her mom is hoarding in her old room from past multilevel marketing schemes.

Penn just wants to sell vintage records and meet a nice girl. But with Christmas sneaking up on him, he’s feeling the pressure from his uppity parents to bring a girl home. Not looking forward to being set up with someone his parents deem “suitable” he needs to find someone fast who will fill in to be his fake girlfriend.

The two meet when they go to look at the pop up retail space that becomes available to rent. In order to save money on the rent they agree to split the space. What could go wrong? Too bad they’re polar opposites.

Annie was a hoot! She was very witty, resourceful, and quirky. The story is told entirely from her POV, and I enjoyed being in her head. Her parents were lovely and a true support system. They don’t judge her for not having her life together, rather they encourage to keep trying new things. Sales aren’t what she hoped they would be, but when she finds a box of premium, hard to buy sex toys her luck changes.

Penn is a brooder. In fact, when Annie first moves in to her side of the shop he’s quite standoffish. At first he gives off major hipster vibes. You know the type. The kind of guy who will say a band is too mainstream to be any good. Because the story is told from Annie’s POV, it’s hard to get a read on him at the start of the book. He’s aloof and closes himself off from Annie and the rest of the store owners on the strip. Because of this it was harder to connect with him at first. I did warm up to him as we got to see more of his character.

When he asks for her help to be his fake girlfriend to stop his stuck up parents from continuing to set him up with women they deem appropriate, sparks begin to fly. They were cute together as they began to learn more about each other. There’s some miscommunication along the way that’s a bit contrived, but that’s handled quickly enough. Then we get that “I’m doing this for your own good” trope, which to be honest isn’t my favorite because it takes away the person’s autonomy in making their own decisions. I also think his snobby family makes an about face regarding their relationship a little too quickly, but all in all, I enjoyed the book. It didn’t reinvent the wheel, but it was still a fun read if you’re in the mood for something light.

Thank you NetGalley and publisher for this arc!

This book was great! I loved the writing style and I loved the characters and their chemistry. I loved the Christmas vibes. Great book!!

A couple is thrown together to share a pop-up store, selling very different things. They start with a lot of misunderstandings and assumptions but eventually begin to learn more about each other. I enjoyed this story for the most part, though the main character grated on me at times.

Are you in the mood for an enemies to lovers holiday romcom?? Check out Stuck Together! It was a great read!

Sinopsis en español:
El odio es real. La química también.

Annie se dirige sola a las vacaciones. Y como soltera confirmada, decide abrir una tienda vendiendo el tipo de golosinas que toda mujer querría encontrar bajo el árbol. Después de todo, a quién no le gusta recibir un "producto de estilo de vida sensual premium" para Navidad, ¿verdad?

Penn está en un aprieto. Necesita volver a casa para Navidad con una chica, o sus padres lo pondrán con alguien "adecuado". Después de todo, nada es demasiado bueno para el Honorable Peregrine Burton-Edwards. Pero eso no es lo que Penn quiere. Solo quiere vender discos antiguos en su tienda y conocer a una chica agradable y normal.

La primera vez que Annie y Penn se conocen, Annie siente un aleteo en su pecho: él es alto, moreno y guapo, con pómulos en los que podrías afilar una cuchilla. Así que cuando él se ofrece a compartir la tienda con ella para ahorrar en el alquiler, ella acepta con gusto.

Gran error... Annie y Penn son polos separados y se enfrentan a cada paso. Pero con las vacaciones que se avecinan, Penn pronto tendrá que pedir un gran favor, y Annie, sin planes de los que hablar, es la única chica que puede ayudar. A medida que las discusiones se calientan, también lo hacen las chispas que vuelan entre ellas. ¿Apartarán dejar de lado sus diferencias y se unirán? ¿Y podría ser para algo más que solo Navidad?





Reseña:

No fue para mí, no disfruté la historia y no me cayeron bien los protagonistas.

Annie fue un desastre, no sabía que quería y su romance con Penn fue forzado.


Thanks to NetGalley, the publisher and the author for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This book had all the elements to be a wonderful enemies to lovers/forced proximity story but unfortunately it fell a little flat. The writing itself and the character dialogue felt forced and there were only a couple spots that were slightly funny. The plot was great but I couldn't connect to anything.

Entertaining enemies to lovers/opposites attract/forced proximity / fake relationship story. Whew! It has a lot of tropes but they work together. I’m not sure I would call this a romcom per se. it has more of a whodunit vibe. Penn and Annie have shops set up in the same store. Both are dealing with family drama, driving their need for their stores. Vandalism of the shop breaks down some barriers and they start to cool their dislike. I enjoyed the opposites attract (think posh vs not-posh upbringings). This is cracked door open without a lot of details during spicy scenes and easy to skip of not your bag.

Thank you Bookouture for providing this book for review consideration via NetGalley. All opinions are my own.

I love a good Christmas rom com! And this one delivered. I enjoyed the banter between the two main characters and the Christmas vibe was great! Thank you for an advance copy of this.

ARC- thank you NetGalley and Bookouture!

A sweet romance that goes of the rails a bit.

Pros:
We love an enemies to lovers and a stranded together in a cabin trope.
Obviously talented writer, great flow and easy to read
Moments of “wow I can’t put this down”
Flushed out, multidimensional characters
First 75% is it exactly what a Christmas Romcom needs!!

Cons:
About 50 pages too long
Turns from a romcom to a mystery? Whodunit? Whiplashy.
The FMC is slightly annoying trying to come up with reasons they shouldn’t be together and refusing to let anyone help her

Overall a quick, sweet story set at the holidays!

There was a lot going on in this book and it mostly works for me. I really love Penn (Perry) and Annie. They are great together. Their enemies/rivals to lovers thing works for me. I love the forced proximity and having to fake a relationship for Christmas. I love how they work together and the slow burn with them was great.

I did not care so much for the mystery aspect of this novel and felt like the villain(s) were ridiculous to a Scooby Doo level mustache twirling level. This portion of the book felt out of place and disjointed especially for being a holiday book.

However, the love story stands on its own and is great.
3.5/5

Thanks to the publisher, author, and Netgalley for the ARC!

This book unfortunately just wasn't for me even though I really wanted it to be. I usually find UK rom coms to be the funniest, but this one just didn't hit the mark for me. There were a couple funny moments, don't get me wrong, but maybe the humor just wasn't my type or something?

I felt that either too much happened too quick or not enough was happening (mainly at the beginning). I didn't really feel connected to these chavrayeither which made it hard for me as well.

This one may be for some people, but sadly just not me.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for and ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I really wanted to like this one, but I just couldn't get into it. The writing felt forced and the story didn't feel like it flowed naturally.

A fun time, but nothing I haven't read before. The writing style wasn't my favorite, and I couldn't really connect with Annie, plus Christmas romances rarely deliver the vibe I'm looking for.

I love a good enemies to lovers book and this new upcoming novel by Lily Joseph did not disappoint.
Annie was such a relatable singleton. I was loling at her selling “treats” for single woman.
Enter Penn who also has a dilemma in being set up by his parents and definitely doesn’t want the stuff upright gurl his parents are set on his marrying,
When Penn and Annie meet is both fireworks and attraction all at once. The two combine forces and the result is pure magic! I absolutely loved the chemistry between the two it really jumped off the page for me with every interaction. I felt like I was right there with the characters eves-dropping nearby. That’s the writing style of Lily Joseph for ya. She does a wonderful job of characterizing each character and making you laugh, cry and relate all at the same time. I love how it teaches us how we are to define what is meant for ourselves not other people. I highly enjoyed this book, but that’s never a surprise with a Bookouture book. One hit right after another in a variety of wonderful categories that appeal to woman and I’m sure even some men as well. Keep up the fabulous work and I look forward to more from Lily Joseph in the future.

Thank you to the publisher for an advanced reader copy of this book.

The concept of this book is very cute and had all the makings of a cute Christmas story. However, the story fell a little flat for me. I had a hard time relating to the FMC and therefore has a hard time connecting with the entire story. I think some people will like this book more than others. I would be willing to give this author another try!

I am very excited to be reading this book! My full review to follow.
Thank you to the author, publisher and NetGalley for this ARC. All thoughts and comments are my own.

This was a fabulous enemies to lovers/forced proximity romance with a Christmas twist. I really loved the ride of this one and all the revelations along the way. The plot twists kept me on my toes and I genuinely didn't see the final one coming! Brilliant!
I found Annie to be very relatable; she's your average girl trying to do her best and make her way in the world, and I found I had a lot of sympathy for Penn. They're a great match!
I genuinely enjoyed getting to know these characters, and the plot kept me turning the pages to unravel the story. I did think it was one conflict too many between the two leads, but that was the only thing that I did not enjoy. Otherwise I loved this book, and I highly recommend it!
One out of context quote that will have me chuckling for some time: "...a bearded man eating a tortilla chip". Hilarious!

Thank you so much to Bookouture for the opportunity to read this ARC via NetGalley. It is greatly appreciated!

Oh my gosh, go right now and add this book to your TBR and Amazon cart. It was DARLING!!! I fell in love with the characters and the storyline. It was just fantastic.

This unfortunately was not for me. I loved the idea of forced proximity (especially around Christmas!) but I didn't find myself connecting with either Annie or Penn. The novel felt 50 pages too long and their motivations didn't resonate with me. Overall, I feel it would be a lighthearted read for someone who enjoyed rivals to lovers.