A fun, holiday romance!

Annie sets up a pop up store during Christmas to sell some of the MLM crap her mom has accumulated over the years. She can't afford the rent on a store front and ends up sharing the spot with Penn, a handsome guitar player that sells vintage records. They have friction and that often leads to fire. However, Penn isn't all he seems. There is a mystery around the building about who's bashing her online and ruining sales. All the characters are fun to learn, the story moves along quickly and it's a fun read.

Thank you to NetGalley, the author, and publisher for a temporary, digital ARC in return for my review.

🔎 ARC Review

Stuck Together

@lilyjosephwriter
@bookouture
@netgalley

Publication Date: October 29th, 2024

My Rating:
🌟 4/5

👀Read if you like
Enemies to Lovers
Forced Proximity
Opposites Attract

The hate is real. So is the chemistry.

Annie is heading into the holidays alone. And as a confirmed singleton, she decides to open a shop selling the kind of treats every single woman would want to find under the tree. After all, who doesn’t like to get a 'Premium Sensual Lifestyle Product' for Christmas, right?

Penn is in a bind. He needs to come home for Christmas with a girl, or his parents will set him up with someone ‘suitable’. Nothing is too good for the Honourable Peregrine Burton-Edwards after all. But that’s not what Penn wants. He just wants to sell vintage records in his shop and meet a nice, normal girl.

The first time Annie and Penn meet, Annie feels a flutter in her chest – he’s tall, dark and handsome, with cheekbones you could sharpen a blade on. So when he offers to share the shop with her to save on rent, she gladly accepts.

Huge mistake… Annie and Penn are poles apart and butt heads at every turn. But with the holidays looming, Penn will soon need to ask for a big favour, and Annie, with no plans to speak of, is the only girl who can help. As the arguments get more heated, so do the sparks flying between them. Will they put their differences aside and come together? And could it be for more than just Christmas?


🔎 My review
This was my first book by Lily and it did not disappoint. The plot was a little slow in the beginning, but really picked up and drew me in. Annie and Penn (Percy) are very likeable main characters. I did not expect the little mystery element, but it was a nice surprise. There could have been a little bit more spice between Annie and Penn, but regardless this was a cute romance that I would recommend.

Thank you @netgalley, @bookouture, and @lilyjosephwriter for the ARC

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Not a fan of this one, sadly. Had a great sounding premise but fell flat for me. Thank you netgalley for this arc in exchange for my honest opinion.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this advanced copy.

This story helped me get into the holiday spirit! Annie and Penn had a fun banter dynamic to start that grew to stronger feelings throughout the story. Although a slow start for me, it was still enjoyable! I'll check out more work from this author for sure.

Stuck Together by Lily Joseph is a captivating read that I simply could not set down. This book provided me with a delightful and engaging experience that I effortlessly breezed through.

Lily Joseph is an AMAZING writer. the banter between Annie and Penn was top notch, and i wish i could read their dialogue all day long. while Penn was quite an unlikeable character from the moment Annie started to set up shop, his development throughout the book is truly heartwarming. i just love when the grumpy, emotionally-unavailable man opens up to the one person he trusts with his heart, and that person is Annie. The occasional second-hand embarrassment Annie gave me, and presumably Penn, was intense, but she always rolled with the punches.

i really appreciate when authors make their characters realistic, and that includes their financials. i often read stories in which the protagonist comes from money and already has an established career. Annie and her family experience real struggles that many of us can identify with, and while the Honourable Peregrine Burton-Edwards can't relate, i appreciate her background and work ethic.

p.s. kudos to the editors behind the scenes who presented such a polished product! i'll always appreciate good grammar.

Thanks for the opportunity to read this advanced copy. I loved this book!! Hallmark with a little mystery. Enemies to lovers and forced proximity. Super fun, quick read. I enjoyed watching the relationship play out and the added mystery (sabotage) thrown in. Highly recommend!

Thank you to NetGalley and Bookouture for this ARC.

Annie is not good at keeping jobs where she feels underappreciated. She has just lost a waitress job at a restaurant for tipping liquid over an annoying customer, which is apparently not on. But she needs to make money, not just for herself but for her parents who are struggling to hold on to their house after her father had an accident and could not work for months.

She has the idea to rent a pop-up shop in Newcastle to sell various wares that her Mum had bought in to sell on before her MS got worse. She can't afford the rent on her own but another interested party offers to share the space and the rent.

That party is Penn, a brooding musician selling old vinyl. He also happens to be the Honourable Peregrine Burton-Edwards, son of a Lord. He and Annie don't like each other very much to start with as they seem to have nothing in common but then Penn reluctantly asks her for help - could she please play his pretend girlfriend at a dinner at the family pile in Northumberland to demonstrate to his parents that he is not going to come back and marry his ex Sophie?

Annie is horrified, she doesn't like the landed gentry and thinks they are all rich tosspots who shoot defenceless animals, which is why she demonstrated against pheasant hunt there the week before. Nevertheless, she lets herself get roped in, which leads to some cringeworthy classist scenes.

There is also a mystery saboteur repeatedly vandalising and burgling the shop so Annie and Penn have to put their sleuthing hats on, with help from a surprising quarter.

The plot is teeming with tropes: enemies to lovers, forced proximity, fake dating and one bed only, none of which I particularly care for.

It's also a little spicier than I like, and I had trouble with Annie's wild accusations against Penn even though there was no reason for them whatsoever. She often comes across as very impulsive. The break-ups were a bit silly too. The plot is only vaguely Christmassy but the supporting characters are quirky and fun. No cute animals though apart from one black Labrador. The best scenes are when Annie finds some French sex toys and starts selling them under the counter, with clients having to ask for Jean-Luc as a codename.

Altogether this is a cute little story that won't tax you unduly. There is also a proper epilogue, hurray. Read if you're a fan of tons of tropes at the same time.

It offers some mystery to the usual holiday romantic story. I do not know if it would be my first recommendation, but I would recommend to someone who perhaps read more thrillers and wanted to was into a holiday romance. Everything is from Annies perspective and I prefer dual perspective for a love story, just to get a read on both characters.

This was my first ARC read, so thank you to Netgalley, Bookouture and Lily Joseph for giving me the opportunity to read this!

Format: Kindle
Tropes: Forced Proximity (workplace/shopmates); Enemies to Lovers; Opposites Attract; He Falls First; Third Act Breakup; Misunderstanding/Miscommunication; SLOWWW Burn
Setting: Northumberland & Durham County, England

Okay so the character development and introductory story building in the first 60% of the book took a while to hook me... there was little sexual tension or build up to really keep my attention. Once we got to Annie/Penn in Northumberland, I was finally hooked and I really enjoyed reading.

I found myself comparing Annie to Bridget Jones often- in the sense of her constantly judging Penn before giving him the benefit of the doubt and also putting her foot in her mouth/ getting in her own way with his family etc.

I did not anticipate the mystery side story and felt like it was rushed where it was placed. I would have loved more of Penn and Annie and possibly more spice/ relationship development instead.

That being said, I really enjoyed the book overall and think it's a cute, holiday romance. I would definitely recommend.

3.5 ⭐️⭐️⭐️ and 2 🌶️🌶️

Thank you to NetGalley and the author for the ARC in exchange for my review!

I enjoyed this book and it grew on me the more I read it. I found it easy to read and I was excited to see what would happen next, so that was a plus. However, there were moments where I was left wanting more.

It’s a Christmas book in that it takes place during the holidays, but there weren’t enough holiday descriptions in my opinion. I felt like I found myself picturing it in any season for the most part. Also, Annie could be a bit confusing with the things she said and how she felt, some of it didn’t seem to line up well.

I did really enjoy how much Annie cared for her family and would do anything to help them out, as well as how Penn wanted to become independent from his own family and find his own way and financial freedom.

The mystery plot felt a bit out of left field since this is marketed as a romcom, but I love mysteries so I had no issue with it.

Overall I’m glad I read this book and if you’re looking for something nice and easy to read with an enemies to lovers trope, this is right up your alley!

Fun and amusing. Outstanding. I'll be sorry to not have it to read tonight, but couldn't put the book down! I was fully immersed in this from the start… fascinating!

I really enjoyed this book! The characters and the plot are very well written and the story was interesting and thought out well. I would definitely recommend this book to my audience and friends.

In Stuck Together, Annie is embracing her single life by opening a shop that sells the perfect gifts for single women during the holiday season. Meanwhile, Penn, who just wants to run his vintage record store, is under pressure from his family to bring home a suitable girlfriend for Christmas. When Annie and Penn meet, sparks fly—not necessarily the good kind. Despite their differences, they end up sharing a shop space to save on rent. As the holidays approach, Penn asks Annie for a favor that could bring them closer, even as their arguments heat up.

I’d give Stuck Together around 2.5 to 3 stars. I really wanted to enjoy it, especially since I’m a fan of the enemies-to-lovers trope, but I found myself struggling to get into the story. The pacing felt a bit off, and at times it was more confusing than engaging. I usually love watching the tension build between two characters who can’t stand each other, but the chemistry between Annie and Penn didn’t really click for me. While it had its funny moments and potential, it just wasn’t a standout holiday rom-com in my opinion.

2.5 rounded down ⭐ thank you to net galley and bookouture for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

This was a bit of a rollercoaster read for me, the first 30% was a bit slow but I was really anticipating the two main leads to finally interact. I really did enjoy both Penn and Annie as characters and didn't mind the slow burn.

I think the low star rating was due to how much was going on in the story. Felt like I was reading a mystery all of a sudden, it was just a bit too much back and forth for me. I wished we would've gotten more scenes where we saw their feelings towards one another grow as well!

This was still a easy read, I know this looks like a Christmas read but I also think it could be read at any point of the year. I didn't feel like it was overwhelmingly Christmassy which was nice.

first of all, thanks to netgalley and the author for the arc of this book in exchange for an honest review!

this was a little confusing for me, honestly! i don’t entirely know how to rate it. the book is entirely told from annie’s point of view, and at times i wished it weren’t so because it was kiiiind of difficult to get a read on penn, especially because he’s really standoffish & broody when we first meet him so you can’t help but wonder what’s going on inside his head. it’s just hard to connect with him, but as the story progresses, you do definitely get to peel back some of his layers, i wish wished we could’ve seen things from his perspective.

i liked our protagonists just fine! annie was funny & resourceful, though i felt like sometimes her dialogue came out a bit forced? there were some scenes that were definitely meant to be comical but they just didn’t click for me. however, humor is subjective so they may be someone else’s cup of tea 😅

i think my biggest gripe with this book was 1) the third-act break up. i thought it was unnecessary, mostly because i personally hate miscommunication. it really put a damper on my mood! and 2) the unexpected mystery. the book was advertised as a romcom so imagine my surprise when i find myself with a mystery on my hands 😭😭 i don’t know why i simply couldn’t vibe with it or take it seriously?

moreover, the first half of the book was pretty slow but the second half flew by? the pacing was a little weird. the banter between annie & penn felt pretty natural though and overall i did enjoy myself reading this book 🩷

Insta-lust turned sniping stallholders, hunting, fake dating, upper class family drama and a mysterious shop saboteur. There’s a lot going on in ‘Stuck Together’, yet Lily Joseph manages to, well, stick everything together in such an entertaining way.

Annie is tenacious and resourceful. For me, my favourite part was Annie’s journey to creating a purpose in for herself as she learns about running her business. What I also liked is the author subtly weaving in class differences. Annie is from a supportive northern working-class background family, in complete contrast to Penn. I loved Annie and Penn together and appreciated their slow-burn romance as they both overcome their enmity and class prejudices.

I also enjoyed the mystery storyline to throw in more opportunities to force Annie and Penn to work together. However, the weakest part for me was it wasn’t explained well why Penn did a 180 with Annie from when they first met ‘til Annie moving into his shopfront. Also, his parents and ex-girlfriend going from snobby elitist to suddenly supportive didn’t seem believable.

I couldn’t put this book down. It was such a fun, thoroughly enjoyable read which I breezed right through. I look forward to reading more from Lily Joseph (perhaps one with Annie and Penn making a cameo?)

Thanks to Bookouture and NetGalley for the ARC.

This book was a bit slow-paced for me, but I still really enjoyed it. I love the added mystery aspect, and it definitely kept me guessing until the end.

The story is told entirely from Annie’s point of view so it was quite nice to be fully immersed in her mind. It’s an easy read and will be great for people to pick up over Christmas.

The main tropes are:
Slow-burn
Enemies-to-lovers
Forced proximity

So I’d give it a go if you’re a fan of any of these

I received this book for free for an honest review from netgalley.

Sweet and cute. I'm happy I read it for sure