Thank you to #Netgalley and #HarperAudio for an advance listening copy of this book. I loved every minute. Funny and charming with wonderful characters. Five stars.

This is the best rom-com that I have read in a while. I found the enemies-to-lovers plus miscommunication trope to be so funny and swoon-worthy. The audiobook narration was fantastic. Many thanks to Netgalley and HarperAudio for the opportunity to listen to the audiobook; I loved it!

Cute and escapist. A recommended purchase for collections where contemporary romance and light WF is popular.

A charming, if run-of-the-mill holiday romance. This follows a fairly predictable pattern. Girl's life falls apart, girl books once in a lifetime trip, girl meets boy in messy meet cute, He's the tour guide for her trip. Will they won't they ensues with misunderstandings, of course! This one even includes a band of pensioners who give our FMC all sorts of sage life advice and help her get the guy. This is pure brain candy and utterly charming. I would not describe it as life-changing and that's okay, not every book needs to be, sometimes they can just be a bit of fun!

PS. I am a big fan of Angela Dawe (narrator of the Finlay Donovan series) and she does a delightful turn as Alice and the her older friends. I would have loved to have dual narration here since the MMC is Scottish and a Scottish narrator would have really sold this!

Work in Progress by Kat Mackenzie is like a cozy cup of tea spiked with just enough whiskey to make you blush. I mean, what’s not to love? A woman on the verge of a life crisis, a literary-themed bus tour, and a grumpy-yet-irresistible Scottish man? Sign me up.

Alice, our main character, is the kind of person who thrives on lists—except her life has recently turned into a chaotic mess no bullet journal could fix. So, in a bold act of rebellion (for her, at least), she signs up for what she thinks is a girls’ getaway with fellow young, bookish women. Instead, she ends up on a bus full of sassy, tea-drinking, wisdom-dropping octogenarians and one maddeningly handsome Scottish tour guide who seems to live for making her flustered.

The banter? Perfection. The chemistry? Off the charts. The tour group? Absolute icons. These elderly ladies are out here living their best lives, and honestly, I want to be them when I grow up. Between hilarious book club discussions, questionable bus mechanics, and Alice’s stubborn refusal to admit she’s falling for a man in a kilt, this book kept me grinning from start to finish.

If you love laugh-out-loud rom-coms with just the right amount of heart and heat, this one’s a must-read. Just be warned: you might start Googling "UK literary bus tours" by the time you’re done. (And yes, I checked. They exist.)

When travel abroad seems to have a million and one bad steps before the bus tour even starts Alice doubs this trip will get her out of her funk. A bus trip she thought would bond her to other young light heart women does not look like it in the cards when Alice finally gets to the pick up location for her literary bus tour around the UK. Filled with elderly ladies then add in one infuriatingly handsome Scottish driver/ tour guide this trip is doomed, or is it? Friendship , laughter, stories and love all await Alice on this magical trip.

I DNF this audiobook. I listened to 36 of 46 chapters. Enough for the enemies to lovers to finally get together. I felt that Alice, the female protagonist was just too negative and mean. The whole enemies to lovers trope just lasted too long for me. Robbie on the other hand, while also going along with the trope showed signs of kindness during the, shall we say, fighting phase. Additionally, I did not like the "Bridget Jones" tally that was included in the book.

I did enjoy all of the other characters in the book; they were lovely and added a ray of sunshine to the book. I was going to try and go through to the end, but then just decided that it would be too much of a slog and why waste my time on something that I was not enjoying at all anymore.

Every aspect of both of the lead characters are obnoxious. He is abhorrent. He uses 'tantrum' over and over and over again to describe her legitimate frustrations. He never apologizes even when he is clearly in the wrong. He's rude and wildly unpleasant. She's tired and hungry and has just been dumped, BUT instead of taking a nap and eating a Snickers, she repeatedly Karens her way through a foreign country. She's rude and disdainful of her octogenarian travel companions for no reason. She ignores street signs and traffic laws and then gets mad at the drivers who don't kill her for honking when she doesn't get out of the way. 10% in, I was actually sympathizimg with her cheating ex, because I'm certain she made his life miserable and good for him escaping a horrible future.

Thank you NetGalley, HarperAudio Adult and Kat Mackenzie for this ARC audiobook. Angela Dawe, the narrator, did a great job brining all these characters to life, well worth a listen. This is a fun romp through England, Wales and Scotland, to purge Alice of the funk of depression and the facing her daunting 30th birthday after loosing her fiance and her job. The bus full of spunky elderly women was cathartic and healing. The snarky bus driver and their sexual tension was just the kick in the pants she needed to restart her life. I enjoyed being along for the trip of her life!

A literary bus tour through the UK with a Scottish tour guide? Where do I sign up? Since I can’t actually go (at least for now), reading Work in Progress by @katmackenziewrites is absolutely the next best thing. I adored this enemies (or at least annoy-i-mies) to lovers romcom, and I’m so grateful to @avonbooks for this gorgeous copy (the cover only makes me want to plan a trip more) and to Harper Audio for an ALC.

Alice is at a crossroads in her life. She’s getting over a breakup and having a career crisis. To get out of her funk, she makes the first spontaneous decision of her life. She books an all-women literary bus tour through the UK for “the young at heart,” but she’s upset to discover she’s the only one on the tour under 80 years old. Except for the tour guide, Robbie, who is definitely not a woman and makes Alice’s blood boil. But as the tour goes on, Alice realizes her first impressions about everything might be completely wrong.

This book was absolutely delightful. I loved the setting and the food and the road trip aspect of the book. I loved the banter and the lists and the unexpected characters. Every one of the ladies on the trip was unique and well-drawn and they all had moments in the story that made them memorable. Robbie is absolutely book boyfriend material, and I loved Alice’s journey to figuring out what she really wants out of life. There was a “misunderstanding” in the book that could have been cleared up more quickly, but it provided some funny moments and I’m not sure I would have handled it better. And there was a moment in the third act where I was screaming at the book, but that just shows how invested I was.

Angela Dawe narrates, and, while I’m familiar with her work from books like the Finlay Donovan series, I was not expecting how amazing her Scottish accent would be. I loved listening to the book and felt especially swoony hearing her performance of Robbie. I’d definitely recommend the audiobook!

A feel good treat for the romantic optimist at heart!
Thank you to the author, NetGalley, and HarperAudio for the AudioARC in return for an honest review.

I left this book feeling so thoroughly uplifted! I had the absolute pleasure of traveling to Scotland in 2015 and I felt like I was able to be transported back as I went with Alice on her journey to find herself after a terrible breakup. During a 3-week epic adventure through England and Scotland, we (the reader) get to have a hilarious side seat to Alice the MFC who rocky start after a bad breakup makes for some epic laughs and even better heartwarming memories. Between the life lessons learned within the strangers-to-friends tour group, and the enemies -to-lovers relationship between Alice and her HOT tour guide, there was not one dull moment to be had. The bus septic scene/chapter...literally made me LOL!!!
I LOVE THIS BOOK!!!!

Definitely recommend
No Regrets!!!!
5 out of 5 stars

Work in Progress by Kat Mackenzie is a charming, feel-good romance that’s perfect for fans of lighthearted love stories. The book takes readers on a delightful journey of self-discovery and starting over, wrapped in a cozy blanket of humor and heart.

The story follows a lovable protagonist navigating life’s twists and turns as she tries to rebuild her life. The characters are relatable and endearing, with witty banter and adorable moments that keep the pages turning. The romance is sweet and wholesome, with just the right balance of tension and playfulness to make you root for the couple.

What I loved most was how Mackenzie’s writing effortlessly captures the essence of finding joy in new beginnings. It’s a reminder that sometimes, the hardest parts of life can lead to the sweetest surprises. While the story leans more on the lighter side, its themes of resilience and hope give it depth.

If you’re looking for a cute, fun read to brighten your day, Work in Progress is definitely worth picking up. It’s a delightful escape into a world where love, laughter, and fresh starts truly shine.

The narrator was lively and gave the character just the right amount of lightheartedness and joy.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this copy! It was such a fun listen.

⅘ ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Work In Progress
Author: Kat Mackenzie
Romance

Thank you so much Netgalley, Harper Audio and Avon and Harper Voyager for this ARC/ALC! I absolutely loved this book. It was the sweetest story and made me feel giddy inside the entire time reading it. Alice decides to take a tour of the UK with a fun cast of elderly women and a hot Scottish driver. It’s actually a literary tour so there are lots of book references, outlander, etc throughout the whole trip. I felt like I was on the tour myself which was super fun. The banter between all of the characters was hilarious. The narration on the audio was perfection. Not much spice but you don’t really care because the book is just so cute. Definitely think this will be a hit! It just released on 1/14! This is Kats first novel, and after reading the authors bio I really hope she will bring us more fun reads from an American living abroad’s perspective. Can’t recommend it enough! Thank you again Netgalley! 🙏

I love multi-generational titles and this one was no exception. I need a ticket for these tours! I could picture the bus, the driver, and all the hijinks. It was a great story and I loved every word!

Wow. Just wow. This narrator, Angela Dawe, blew me away. You could have told me that every character had a different narrator and I would have completely believed you. That’s how incredibly talented Angela is at bringing each and every character to life. There were multiple accents and so many different voices that this book was brought to life for me. I am amazed.
The writing of this book was so fantastic. I found myself laughing out loud so many times throughout it. Such a feel good romcom that just made me happy when I was finished.
We have already purchased this for our patrons to enjoy at our library. Thank you for the opportunity to enjoy such an amazing book!

Work in Progress, by Kat Mackenzie, was the kind of audiobook you never want to end. The narrator, Angela Dawe, was fantastic!!! The novel required English, Scottish, American, German, Irish (and I think Welsh, too) accents and somehow Dawe managed to keep everyone straight and switch between them all seamlessly. So talented, and an absolutely pleasure for the ears!! This was my first novel by Kat Mackenzie and it was so laugh-out-loud hilarious while also being tender and swoony, I immediately went to download everything else she's written... except this is her debut!!!! Wow!! I can't wait to real/listen to whatever she writes next!! Highly recommend!!

thank you to the publisher for an arc and alc!

it’s crazy how i’m finding so many scottish romances months before my trip with my bestie… coincidence?? i think not!!

i absolutely loved a work in progress: from the literary tour with a gaggle of super cool older women (and a dog!), thrifting after our fmc’s whole suitcase gets pooped on…, and of COURSE our beautiful scottish mmc who is the literary tour’s guide, how could i not eat it up?

while a work in progress was definitely a romcom, it had so much depth thanks to the cast of characters sharing their lives and lessons.

the one thing i could have done less with was our fmc alice being petty towards the mmc robbie… like enough, he wants you babe 🙄✋🏼

as for the audio, the narrator did a fantastic job!

In the beginning of this story, I liked our FMC. I understood her frustration and her need to stand up for herself. But this attitude of hers quickly turned into one that was far too mean and truly unkind for my liking (she is the person who will openly say nasty things on social media in the guise of being honest). And it really just went downhill. On top of her nasty attitude towards Robbie, she truly was so rude about things pertaining to the culture of Scotland and England and it was incredibly frustrating and not at all cute or funny.

After she smashed Robbie's muffin in anger, I could no longer find anything redeemable about her character.

The rest of the characters were fine, if not all a bit too stereotypical for my liking. And the "reason we can't be together" was truly quite watery at best.

If she had been eliminated from this book, it would have been great overall.

The last thing I had a big issue with was the fact that Harry Potter was prominent for a section of it. It is 2025. We know that JKR is a horrible human being. Putting her crap in your book makes me question the author a little bit and it certainly crummied this one up a little more.

A warm, sexy, laugh-out-loud rom-com about a woman who, desperate for a fresh start, books a literary bus tour across the UK that consists of a lively group of elderly ladies plus one infuriatingly handsome Scottish driver. - from Amazon

Sometimes a book comes along and you don't know you need it until it is read or listened to, this is one of those books. I laughed out loud several times and said oh no a couple of times. It was a great, easy, fast read and I enjoyed it so much! The characters are ones you want to meet and become best friends with. Not to mention the trip itself, that is something I need to add to the bucket list! Not the oh no parts, just the fun getting to know these women parts. Thank you Kat Mackenzie for writing a book I needed to read. Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC.

.In this cute, slow-burn romance, Alice Cooper has had her life fall apart. Between her lack of a job and her cheating ex now being engaged to the woman he cheated with (using HER engagement ring no less!), she is stressed. Add in a hell of a flight itinerary after her flight was cancelled, she is not pleased to discover that her luggage was crushed. After an antagonistic interaction at the counter with not just the attendant but also a sexy Scot, she is running late for her literary tour of the British Isle. When she discovers that not only is her tour entirely made up of old ladies to her 29 years, but also is led by the infuriating sexy Scot, hilarity ensues.

The quips traded by the main characters are hilarious. The old ladies are delightful, and the scenery is well explained.

Overall, it is a very cute romance.

I would recommend the print/e-book version over the audiobook just because the information at the beginning of each chapter comes across better in written form, but the narration was great, aside from a mother and son sounding the same.

Thank you to Net Galley and Harper Audio Adult for the DLC! All opinions are my own.