Portia’s books are so much fun to read and this was no exception. There’s a little more steam to this than in her other books, but it was fade to black so it didn’t get completely OTT. It’s full of classic British humor that makes Portia’s stories so fun and Ethan was such a genuine and sweet MMC and Lana’s dry humor was right up my street.
Lana comes from a well to do family and finds out that her sister is having a destination wedding on Lana’s thirtieth birthday and none of her family seem to care. So Lana decides she’s going to take the worst date possible and sets out to meet him on dating apps. Then her ex, Ethan, comes back into her life and agrees to help out with her plan and be her date but is her plan the best one? While they spend more time together, the feelings they had from their prior time together start to flame up again and Lana realizes he might be the best kind of chaos for her.
Thanks to Boldwood Books and NetGalley for this eArc in exchange for my review.

The story opens with Lana meeting Ethan at her workplace with a double case of mistaken identity, cue a rather passionate weekend after which a series of disasters including fire and flood causes their relationship to gradually fizzle d out. . Two years later she is to travel to Australia for her sister's wedding, as the black sheep of the family she is determined to take the worst possible date to the wedding, however her attempts to find a suitable date doesn't work out to well. She bumps into Ethan again and, against her better judgment, decides to take him as her date.
Lana's family sound awful, so snobish that it's no surprise that she rebels against them. Ethan sounds nice, but the combination of the two is almost literal fireworks. Having them together at the wedding is almost certain to result in unfortunate events occurring, but throw in an Earl as a romantic interest and things might become complicated.
I received an advance copy of this book from the publisher through Netgalley, however this did not influence my review of the book.

This book is a lighthearted romantic comedy centered on Lana, a quirky, fun-loving woman who’s the black sheep of her family. When her sister’s wedding in Australia approaches, Lana decides to bring a plus one to make a statement, especially after her family stages an intervention, urging her to behave. Enter Ethan, Lana’s charming and sweet ex-fling, who unexpectedly reappears after two years. Despite their undeniable chemistry, their history of causing chaos together makes their reunion risky. As the wedding draws closer, the pair navigate old sparks, new challenges, and plenty of comedic mishaps. This laugh-out-loud, feel-good story is perfect for readers seeking an easy, entertaining read filled with humor and heart.

Quick review: This book was a mess. The characters didn’t really make sense. Nothing was properly developed or concluded. But the MMC was dreamy, patient, and lovable.

Long review: The whole premise of the book was that FFC wants to show up to a family wedding with a bad date and force her family to accept her as she is. We spend so much time building up to that with her going on different dates trying to find a guy to take. But then once she has her date and gets to the wedding she abandons the plan immediately to try and pretend to be posh and land an earl. I just didn’t buy that for her character at all. On top of that it feels like so many things didn’t get developed or resolved. I would have loved more relationship development between her and her dad. Why did her sister just suddenly come around and start liking her? Plus they never really dealt with the “curse” that was keeping her away from the MMC and the book wrapped up with the cure to all of her life’s problems being this new relationship. Overall, there were scenes I liked (the original dates with the MMC, all the wedding group scenes, etc..) and I really did like the MMC who really went above and beyond but overall this book was far too chaotic and inconsistent for me and it felt like it didn’t follow through on its premise or anything it set up.

I found this book hard to get into. I love a cheesy rom-com and this book had hope with a very clear premise: take home a crazy guy to show my family how crazy I really am.

Then despite other options who actually could cause chaos, she proceeds to take home someone she has actual chemistry with and as a reader we're expected to just believe her that they are 'wild' together even though we aren't told the why until much later in the book.

The secondary love story did not feel like it had potential, so I spent the entire read knowing that she would end up with Ethan even though the author was setting up 'other options'. Making it a slow and predictable read.

Free proof copy provided by Netgalley.

I seriously love this author, the characters she creates are HILARIOUS!!!! She does not disappoint yet again with this romance, we have Lana and Ethan, these two met in the funniest way possible, and it was literally a dream come true on how funny, sweet and easy and spicy their first few days have been. Then we fast forward to 2 years later, a lot has happened between them, but now Lana needs a date for her sisters bday and she’s trying to get the worst of the worst and ironically, she bumps into Ethan and why NOT bring him!!!! But before all that happened, she met some funny and wild men lol. I will say this, the fake dating trope is always fun, and I was all for this, especially since Ethan has a thing for Lana, and her family sucks, I’m going to leave that last part here.

The ending though!!!!!!!!!! Yes, I ugly cried for sure.

Thank you to NetGalley, Boldwood Books and Ms. McIntosh for the opportunity to read an ARC of this title. An honest review was requested but not required.

This book was… not for me.

Lana, the female main character (FMC), is one of the most immature characters I’ve ever come across. She has some sort of app-development job although her role at the company is unclear. She is also a serial dater as it seems her home city of Leeds isn’t exactly full of quality prospects. Lana’s half-sister is getting married on the other side of the world (Australia) on Lana’s 30th birthday and sits Lana down alongside her father and stepmother to ask Lana to “behave herself”, dress “appropriately,” and not “embarrass the family” at her wedding. Lana’s relatives seem to be sort of narcissistic, rude, entitled jerks but Lana isn’t much of an improvement. She resents her family for treating her poorly but never speaks up for herself and in fact decides to live up to their worst expectations of her to “show them” (as if fulfilling others’ worst expectations would do anything but vindicate their opinions).

Lana has a meet-cute right at the beginning with an attractive guy named Ethan, and the two of them embark on a madcap date in which they decide to “say yes” to any question or opportunity, culminating in sex against a public-facing window (which gets them kicked out of the hotel). Then all the sudden, despite the wedding being several months away, it’s two years later, and Lana and Ethan have apparently called it quits long since because “things are too chaotic when they’re together.” Never mind the fact that their poor (and immature) decisions CAUSED the chaos. Nobody made them play the “say yes” game or get absolutely wasted.

Anywho.

The entire pacing of this book was off-kilter, jumping around with no real connection between the sections and making me wonder if I was missing something. There was no real chemistry between Ethan and Lana either aside from the two of them getting drunk and having themselves a good time. The (several) dates with other men seemed like space filler, and the insertion of a secondary love interest felt random. I was annoyed with Lana for being so immature and with Ethan for following her around. I really didn’t walk away feeling like the two of them have any sort of actual future. I was hoping to enjoy the parts set in Australia, which is such an underutilized setting for romances, but Lana’s off-putting personality was too distracting.

I feel bad giving books a poor rating, especially ARCs, but this one needs some serious work. The premise was good, and the beginning seemed like it could have been fun, but the execution thereafter was a letdown.

Thank you for the ARC! I really enjoyed this story, it was laugh out loud funny at times and the FMC was very likeable. However, I agree with all the critiques that I wish this story had an epilogue. I could see the couple being very happy together but I think it was missing that short glimpse into their happy ever after.

I enjoyed this book and didn’t want to put it down. As usually Portia’s writing style made me giggle (especially the beginning), and keep flipping pages.

Honestly this book was not it for me. Why was the company so dismissive of Lana's idea calling it the "dumbest idea ever" when literally millions of people use that idea with their friends all the time! Also Lana's fathers family and him included are just awful human beings who why has Lana not gone no contact with? Like they dont fund her life, pay her flat so why does she put up from all this verbal and mental abuse from her own father, step mother and half sister? The fact none of them give a toss her little half sisters wedding is falling on her 30th is like what? And if daddy isnt paying for Lana to go to Aus for the wedding, why is she going??? Honestly I would give it a miss.

With a family like this who needs enemies. I honestly dnf'd at 30% because if nearly all the characters are going to be a-holes why would I keep reading? I understand one or two but literally this is one of the worst books I have read as how can you jam pack so many unlikeable characters in one book and market it as a rom com, like I just got mad with each chapter so in a way the writing did invoke emotion just not one I expected reading this.

I wasn’t sure what to expect this from this author, since I haven’t I haven’t read any of her work.
This was fun, lighthearted read. Lana and Ethan meet at the beginning of the book and have great chemistry, however they don’t reconnect again until almost halfway through the book (which seemed a little long). I also wish the story was more focused on the main characters than the secondary plot of Lana’s family, since it seemed distracting and didn’t feel like there was closure with that storyline in the end. Overall, the story still ends on a happy note and was an easy read for me.

Would definitely read work from this author again.

Whenever I am in the mood for a fun light read, I run to Portia MacIntosh. I am never disappointed in her books and "Wish You Weren't " was no exception.

Within the first few chapters, I had already laughed out loud several times. Main character Lana is quirky, fun and the type of friend you want to have. Ethan is charming, sweet and also have a fun side to him. Together, however, they seem to cause chaos and as a result, ended their fling.

Fast forward two years later. Lana's sister is getting married in Australia and she is desperate to find a plus one. But, not just any plus one. Someone who will attend the wedding with her and make a scene. Lana is the black sheep of the family and they all think she is going to ruin the wedding "somehow". They even staged an intervention with her to tell her to be on her best behaviour. This, of course, only makes her more annoyed and she figures if they think she is going to be an embarassment, then she shall be one...on a grander level.

Time is ticking and she still hasn't found the most horrific plus one to take. Suddenly, Ethan shows up again at her work place and suddenly, Ethan is now her plus one. They haven't seen each other in almost two years. The electricity is still there but they have to tread lightly because together history has proven them to be a recipe for disaster.

Overall, this is a fun easy read, lots of laughs, smiles and of course cringe moments! It is the type of book you want to read when you don't need to think too hard, just relax and enjoy.

Huge thank you to Netgalley and Boldwood Books for the advanced reader copy to review. Portia remains one of my favourite authors!

As expected, Portia Macintosh delivers witty humor, heartwarming moments, and amazing chemistry. Wish You Weren't Here is a must-read! Set in the gorgeous backdrop of a dream vacation, this novel takes you on a rollercoaster ride.
If you're in need of a quick and fun escape, grab this one. Highly recommend! 💖

First, thank you NetGalley and Boldwood Books for the ARC of this book in return for an honest review.

First things first, overall enjoyed the book. Might be more like a 3.5. Book is mildly steamy for those wondering. Some references to some activities, but no in-depth descriptions.

The first few chapters were good, the “meet-cute” or in this case less cute and more drunk and party, lol. The awkward situations Ethan and Lana got themselves into were funny. I personally understand that feeling of somehow making a mess anytime anything that seems good comes along.

But then it fast forwarded, and felt like it kind of lost itself for a while. Maybe it was me and my ADHD, but I sort of was struggling to understand what the point was and where it was going, and then kept falling asleep. Oops!

I started to enjoy again when she went to her families house for the “luncheon,” made friends with the people at the office, and started trying to find dates on the Red Flags app. Once Ethan was back in the picture it was much better, but definitely an interesting premise for the overall story. I sort of wish the Earl of whatever-it-was didn’t have to be using her because it felt like there was already so much stacked against her already. But I almost secretly wanted him to be using her because he is forced to hide he is gay like one of my fave books “Red, White, and Royal Blue.”

One of my favorite things was discussion of the app and experiences women have when dating and/or around men was refreshing, especially when other woman think it is ridiculous. It’s very common for women to think it’s a certain “type” of woman who ends up in these situations but it literally could be anyone.

Chemistry between Ethan and Lana was +++. Ethan seems like a good guy, but not too good.

Was a decent read overall, but the early middle part might be a deal breaker for many.

This is another fun Portia Macintosh romance. She specializes in heroines who are not exactly killing it in life. This heroine, Lana, seems to be content with her office job that doesn’t seem to be all that fulfilling or going anywhere. She doesn’t get along with her snobby family who cruelly put her down. And she needs a plus one to travel to Australia for her younger sister’s wedding.

Just in time she reconnects with Ethan, the sexy and fun guy she had a lovely, sexy one-night date with a couple of years earlier. Then he went back to London and they haven’t reconnected since. She’s convinced that they are a disaster together due to all the funny situations they found themselves in last time they were together. But she’s very attracted to him and he’s willing to travel to Australia with her. He’s fun and attracted to her so it’s hard to see what her problem is.

He’s a great guy. It’s not exactly clear what he sees in her. They’ve only known each other a few days total, but apparently that’s enough.

If you like a fun, quick read that makes little sense in real life, you’ll enjoy this book.

I voluntarily reviewed an advanced reader copy of this book that I received from Netgalley; however, the opinions are my own and I did not receive any compensation for my review.

This was a quick, fun read. The chemistry between Lana & Ethan was fun. This writer did not disappoint.

Rated 4.75/5

The writing was light and humorous. You never quite knew what was going to happen next! The chapters were fairly long so you got a good chunk of the story before moving on. There was a good flow between the chapters with two main timelines making up the story (one bit set in 2023 and the other set in 2025). The pace was slowed down by the first timeline, but it was needed to really set the scene and to get you interested. It was an interesting way of introducing the two main characters.

The characters were great. I loved how they had multiple layers and how we got to explore them, with little tidbits of information gradually coming to light throughout the story. I really felt for the main character at times, with the minor characters having certain viewpoints that were detrimental to the main character's personality and life choices in every way. I really wanted her to have a happy ending.

Lastly the settings. I loved following around the rich characters and ending up in Australia. I don't read many books based on Australia so that made a nice change. The settings were only lightly mentioned as it was a character focused story, but there was enough there to ground the story and to make you feel what the main character was feeling.

Overall an enjoyable read.

NOTE: My Blog post and other social media reviews will be published on 27 December.

This was an easy, lighthearted read for the most part. I loved the British wit and humor throughout (very Bridget Jones-esque). I also think the concept has some great potential.

HOWEVER.

Lana and Ethan were very insta-lust/love and I struggled to find their connection meaningful. There was a random love triangle that felt as though it got chucked in for the sake of it being in there, and the third act (mini) break-up (pet peeve) felt forced. The pacing also off, especially at the end. I was left with the sense that the author had a deadline and needed things wrapped up.

Thanks to NetGalley and Boldwood Books for the chance to read this e-ARC.

I think this is the seventh book I’ve read by Portia Macintosh and I think it might be my favorite yet! The chemistry between Lana and Ethan was so good right from the start. I adore them together and was rooting for them the entire time. The rich family aspect was so frustrating to me because they just misunderstood Lana the whole time. But hey the book ended even better than I expected. Another super quick read but again this is probably my favorite read by Portia so far!

First book I've read by Portia MacIntosh, I really liked the writing, but I just didn't connect to the story very much. I really liked Lana and Ethan and the meet cue they had, but I felt like the relationship fell a bit flat in places. It was a fun and easy read. I received this as an arc through Net Galley!