Lana has had enough. Her ‘perfect’ sister is getting married. In Australia. On Lana’s 30th birthday and no one seems to have noticed. To make matters worse, she’s been given a list of rules she must follow so she doesn’t upstage the bride. Well, rules are meant to be bent right?

She’s found a killer dress, now she just needs the most inappropriate wedding date she can find. But where to start? All her attempts at online dating are simply disasters, and not in the right way! Too boring/married/easily intimidated! But then her drop dead gorgeous ex Ethan suddenly reappears in her life. With the power to make her dizzy with excitement she reminds herself why they broke up. Together they literally attracted chaos until their relationship imploded. They couldn’t make it work. But could Lana make this work in her favour… just for the wedding?

However, when they arrive in Australia Ethan seems to have forgotten he’s only there to help cause bedlam. Instead he’s off the charts charming, nothing like she remembers and not playing by her rules. She’s here for revenge, not a rekindled holiday romance…but Ethan has other ideas!

Loved it. Will recommend to others.

This is possibly my favorite Portia MacIntosh book I've ever read and I've read a lot of them!! Lana and Ethan were SO MUCH FUN! And Lana's family! Ugh I wanted to hurt them! But I loved all of the quirky craziness that happened around Lana and Ethan and they are just so cute together!! I highly recommend and I can't wait to get my hands on a physical copy when it's released in early January 2025! Thank you to NetGalley and to the publisher for my digital ARC!!

I received an ARC copy of this book, it's the first Portia Macintosh book I've read because I normally listen to the audiobooks of her work. As a Yorkshire girl I love her work and her little Yorkshire sayings she puts in her books. I really enjoyed wish you weren't here. If you're the wild child of your family you will definitely appreciate this book. The FMC is relatable and the MMC is adorable

Another good read from Portia Macintosh. The story had a slower start than most of Portia’s books but I soon got into it. This book is funny and filled with human frailities in its range of different characters but somehow it all comes together to a brilliant ending. Well worth reading.

A fun second chance romance story.

Lana's sister, the perfect one, is getting married and the whole family is worried about Lana messing it up - they have an intervention dinner to let Lana know how to behave, what to wear, etc. It's a destination wedding and happens to be on Lana's 30th birthday, only nobody seems to remember that. Except Ethan. He's the ex and after a bunch of disastrous dates, Lana decides to give Ethan a second chance - he's promised to be the "worst" best date to the wedding.

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

If you are looking for a fun romance that requires zero effort, thinking, or imagination from the reader, this may be the romance for you.

Lana is approaching her 30th birthday, which is also the day her posh younger (half) sister is getting married, in Australia. In a last-ditch effort to annoy her family, she brings Ethan, the fun man with whom rendevous always seem to end in disaster.

The concept was a ton of fun, but the novel lacked depth. The addition of a random love triangle that began past the halfway point in the book led to confusion. Overall, it was an okay book.

Thank you to Net Galley and Boldwood Books for the eARC. All opinions are my own.

Lana’s family is dysfunctional in every way. Raised by her mother, Lana doesn’t exactly fit into her father and Step-mother’s world… or their posh lifestyle. Her half-sister announces she’s getting married on Lana’s 30th birthday, with no mention of Lana’s birthday or her feelings, and then the family arranges an intervention on Lana’s behavior. It’s time to get even. Plan in place? Check! Amazing dress? Check! Now she just needs to find the perfectly imperfect date that will make her family crazy. When her ex unexpectedly walks back into her life, he convinces her to take him along. What’s the worst that could happen? Only chaos every time they’re together.

It’s not very often that I say this, but I really disliked the FMC, Lana. She’s flighty, chooses all the wrong guys, makes all the wrong decisions, and can’t figure out why she doesn’t get along with her family. Her family is legitimately awful, but it’s like Lana just tries way too hard and gets hurt too easily. When she meets Ethan, he’s perfect for her, but since chaos ensues every time they’re together, she takes that as a sign that they’re not meant to be together. But it really isn’t even chaos when they’re together. It’s almost as if she just cares too much about what everyone thinks and then sabotages the relationship.

Ethan is the perfect MMC but he gives Lana so much more grace than she deserves. At times, she’s downright mean to him, and he doesn’t even bat an eye. He just takes it.

There’s a moderate amount of spice, but it’s mostly fade to black so you’re not reading all about it. There is a LOT of swearing and crass talk, which really isn’t my jam at all.

I think the premise for this book is great, but the execution was flawed. To me, Lana wasn’t a very likable main character. For the reasons listed above I would only rate this book as 2 stars. ⭐️⭐️

I really enjoyed this book! The characters were great and very entertaining. The story was very well written and I loved the plot!

4.5 ⭐️

Lana and Ethan share an instant connection when they first meet, but they decide to part ways after realizing they create nothing but chaos together. Two years later, Lana is on a mission to find the worst date possible to accompany her to her sister’s luxurious wedding in Australia. After many unsuccessful attempts, Lana is out of options. Until Ethan miraculously shows up in her life again. With no other plan, Ethan agrees to join Lana in her shenanigans as her fake and obnoxious date. But Lana’s plan backfires when her family falls in love with - and against her better judgement, it seems she’s falling in love with him too.

I flew through this book in less than a day, and truly did enjoy it. But the abrupt ending felt like there should have been more to the story - at least a few more chapters. It kind of made Lana and Ethan’s relationship seem rushed.

That being said, I did love how carefree and laid back the connection was between Lana and Ethan. From the minute they met, they seemed to be on the same level - even if that meant they created chaos together.

Lana’s snooty family was intolerable, but I love how Ethan dove into her scheme with excitement and enthusiasm. And the fact that it ended up having the opposite effect than originally planned was a humorous twist.

Overall, this was a fun and chaotic read that kept me flying through the pages.

Thank you to Portia and NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for my honest review!

A quick and simple read, this adorable rom-com is relatable. I adore this book's concept and its realistic portrayal. I didn't want to put it down. I was particularly struck by how the narrative struck a balance between poignant and humorous moments, giving the relationship a real sense of authenticity.

Can I just say: Portia Macintosh does not disappoint?
It's as expected from Macintosh, I like how light the story is written. At the same time I was slightly intrigued by how the characters will grow out of their issues. Just like all her books, the conflict is not very heart-wrenching but relatable enough (I think). It's a "safe" and cozy read. I'm not emotionally drained and can enjoy the story!

Unfortunately this was a miss for me. I didn't like either of the main characters. I was disappointed because I do enjoy Porta's books, but this missed the mark for me. I will continue to read her books as I have enjoyed them in the past.

3.5 stars for me rounded up. I enjoyed the book. It was a fast read and it made me laugh especially in the beginning. At times I didn't really like Lana and think more could have been done with her character. Overall, it was a good, lighthearted romcom. Thank you for the opportunity to read this arc.

It isn't your classical romance novel, and certainly not something I was used to from Portia MacIntosh.

But I loved it anyway.

Ethan and Lana have such a great chemistry that I really wondered how they could've split up.

During almost two years after that, Lana tries and fails to find someone to take to her half-sister's wedding in Australia.
The dating part is quite detailed and that's what I wasn't expecting (it takes some time for Ethan to come back into the story).

BUT he's perfect in every way and saves the day (or the days... as this wedding and Lana will need more than one save).

Ethan is kind and respectful and fun... precisely the kind of man Lana wants and deserves. He stands up for her in front of her family and it's spot on.

It all ends well even if I would have liked her dad to have an epiphany and stand up for her (he's paying for this gigantic weeklong wedding in Australia for his second daughter and can't give his first one a loan for a deposit ? It seems to me that it's not Bea (his wife) that has the money but him, so how can he refuse her? She's done nothing wrong, for what we know... That was a bit off, for me.

As always a laugh at loud story, cute, with fantastic scenery.

Thank you to Netgalley and Boldwood Books for providing an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

This book was very lighthearted and fun! I enjoyed the meet cute in the beginning and their first date. However, I didn’t feel so connected to the characters. I tend to connect with stories that have more of a “show, dont tell” in the writing and I feel like that was missing and it could’ve strengthened the story so much. But the plot ideas and story itself truly has a lot of promise.

Thank you NetGalley, Boldwood Books, and Portia MacIntosh for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

This was a very fun, quick read! It starts with Lana and Ethan meeting and creating chaos in their wake. They decide to go their separate ways because it's the safest for everyone if they aren't together.

Fast forward two years and Lana needs a date for her sister's wedding holiday in Australia (which coincides with her 30th birthday). She looks around for an inappropriate wedding date in an attempt to unapologetically herself to her snooty family. Ultimately, she ends up bringing Ethan and there's longing, some chaos and Ethan keeps really stepping up and showing Lana why she was interested in him in the first place. Except, he's supposed to be helping her create chaos, not being amazing.

As much as this book is about Lana and Ethan's relationship, it's also about Lana growing as a person and learning to spend time with her family (who she usually avoids at all costs). She matured a ton during the holiday and became someone (IMO) that was worthy of Ethan.

I love a second chance romance and this one had a healthy dose of forced proximity (hello one bed) and lots of longingly looking into each other's eyes. There were some laugh out loud moments, which are my favorite. Closed door.

This story just didn’t hit for me. It follows Lana while she tries to stick it to her posh family (she didn’t grow up with them), who want her to act posh at her half-sisters wedding, by bringing an unsuitable date and wearing unsuitable clothes. The part that misses is Lana is not super likable and one minute is all anti-posh people and the next, she’s cozying up to a noble. Ethan is okay, but there is no depth or backstory to him. He’s just there, flip flopping on his attitude too. The pacing is a bit off. Once the climax hits, the ending is very soon after. Not sure how we got from point A to point B in the romance story after the climax. Given that this is an ARC, I hope there’s still time for some edits.

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

Lana’s sister is getting married in Australia and Lana needs to find a date. What follows are some hilarious and disastrous dates which had me laughing out loud in some parts and cringing in others.
Ethan her ex comes back into her life and goes to Australia with her to help her get revenge on her awful sister and family. However things don’t go to plan.
I enjoyed the book and loved Ethan as a character however I didn’t like how Lana’s family treated her and that this wasn’t dealt with before the end of the book. I’m hoping for a sequel so this can be resolved and we can find out how Lana’s life continues.
Thanks for NetGalley, Boldwood Books and Portia MacIntosh for an advance copy in exchange for an honest and unbiased review

This book really felt all over the place at times, but then again so does the protagonist's life, so it works out for helping to set the stage for the reader. With a string of men presented throughout the book, it's hard to say at times what's going to happen in the end (although you're pretty sure), and so when some of the male protagonist's backstory comes to light (and some of our supporting cast's as well), it makes for a sweet ending. This is a quick feel-good read to curl up with on a lazy day!

I loved Wish You Weren’t Here! I knew I would enjoy it because I love MacIntosh’s books. I thought it was going to be one of those fake romance books, but it was really so much more than that. I wasn’t a fan of Lana through most of the book, and I didn’t know what to think of Ethan. By the end of the book I loved them both. I highly recommend this book. Thank you for giving me the opportunity to read this book.