Below is my honest review.

This book was definitely a bit of me. The group of 4 girl friends just reminded me of me and my 3 friends and how we’d be the exact same if that situation happened with us. I am 100% molly the reasoning one but also got a cheeky side 👀
I found myself laughing throughout, the boys changing the code to get into the villa was classic and the girls trying to pretend to be on their periods to frighten the boys off was hilarious 😂 I felt I could actually feel the tension between Molly and Travis the whole way through the book and was routing for them! I was actually expecting them to have met up with the boys on the flight that they were stuck with but the wee turn the book took surprised me when it was a completely different group of boys who end up in the same villa.
Portia’s writing is fabulous and it all just flowed really well together. The short chapters were a win for me there were a few longer ones but I coped as they weren’t all together. The first POV made it a great read. If you like a bit of romantic, comedy and a wee bit if enemies to lovers this book is for you it’s the perfect summer read.
My favourite quote in the book that stood out for me was this;
‘There’s a right person out there for all of us. This is Lou’s time to shine, to get her happy ending. Yours will come along. Don’t forget that, okay?’

I am a new reader to Portia MacIntosh but saw some posts about this book, which interested me, and the cover and description just sounded so fun! And it really was:)

The Gist:
Molly is suddenly dumped, overwhelmed at work, and agrees to be her best friend's maid of honor for her upcoming wedding. Her boss implores her to take a vacation and her best friend has to move the wedding up quickly in order to secure the wedding venue of her dreams - in Spain! The only catch? They have to book the villa for 2 weeks. No problem - Molly, the bride and the other 2 bridesmaids are thrilled to spend a week having the bride's "hen party" at the villa in Spain and relaxing there after the wedding while the bride and groom jet off on their honeymoon.

The villa is beautiful and serene and ... also occupied by a group of men!

The villa has been accidentally double booked and neither group wants to leave, so they will compete for the villa. Both groups try to make the other group uncomfortable enough to leave and then they formally arrange competitions to see who will "win" the villa.

There is a lot of fun & games in this book and growing attraction between Molly and one of the men!

What did I think?
I thought this was such a fun, light book perfect for summer. This may have been my first Portia MacIntosh book, but it will not be my last!
The games were silly (and there was some bonding over Sex and the City). There's a man who can cook (always sexy). The setting is divine.

I thought this was a really good and fun summer book.

I was immediately drawn into everything happening for Molly and the break up with Dean was realistic. I enjoyed the whole set up from Molly, getting into a small amount of trouble at work and then needing to take the holiday although the story really got going once they got to Spain.

I thought there was a few too many characters to keep track of at this point, but I soon remembered who everybody was. The banter was really fun, although I got a bit bored of the competition between the boys and girls in the villa and wish it moved onto something else a bit sooner.

I did really enjoy the way the ending was written and got completely taken by surprise by it. I really was thinking that Travis had been the one to get married.

I always love a Portia Macintosh book- they always have me laughing and have the right amount steaminess too

This would make such a fun movie! Rom-com at its best. I laughed, smiled, and swooned! Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for this ARC. Would be a great vacation read or summer read in general!

Another light romantic read from Portia Macintosh that is quite hilarious.

Although that it is quite improbable that if you found yourself double-booked with a bunch of strangers in the same house, both groups would insist to stay on, but the pettiness of the male group is amazing (I hope I never have to encounter such a bunch of people!)

I try not to include spoilers in my reviews, so I would only say, as always, a sort of happy ending made me happy.

Thank you for the ARC from Netgalley.

oh Portia knows her craft well. and im so glad she does. when are we not thankful that authors show to write!? we are so lucky. and even luckier when we get the sight of a new book by our favorites. and this is one of my go-to authors who i will always seek out.
this one was fun,warm,cute and sassy all at the same time. a stay at home or perfect holiday read.
so the girls go on holiday. great. they need it. and they certain need an all girl time. no boys allowed. faaaaab until jumping into the pool they realise all is not so boy free! turns out they arent the only ones who booked the villa...the same villa. and the boys are the other group who did so.
so one has to go. but of course nothing is ever that simple. so battle line are drawn(ok the girls didnt think this through when they didnt chose a line with the kitchen included)
but what happens when our fragile Molly starts to fall for someone on the opposite side. and are these lads good people because for a while they dont seem so good to me. but as the book goes on and we watch it play out my opinions changed or wavered. almost.
this is another tick tick tick for me of a great read. thankyou Portia for you talent.

A quick and easy romcom in which a mix up causes a bachelorette party & bachelor party having to split a villa in Spain for the week before each of the weddings. I enjoyed the friendships throughout the book as well as the cheesy banter between both parties.
The book was repetitive in some parts and I think there could have been more substance to the overall plot with the main character’s story.
Thank you to Boldwood Books & NetGalley for an advanced readers copy.

The concept of a rivalry between the hens and stags is both amusing and filled with potential for drama, and MacIntosh nails it. As the competition heats up, so do the sparks between Molly and Travis, one of the stags. Though Molly is adamant that she cannot fall for the enemy, the chemistry between them makes it impossible to ignore. The banter, tension, and gradual development of their relationship provide the perfect blend of sweet and spicy romance that keeps you hooked.

A fun, lighthearted rom-com full of great banter and fun moments. The double-booked villa was a recipe for chaos (and chemistry), and the rivalry competitions kept things entertaining! While the romance between Molly and Travis was totally predictable, I loved every second of it!! A perfect feel-good read!

Thank you to Netgalley and BoldwoodEverAfter for the eARC of this book in exchange for my honest review.

Review was posted (Instagram, Goodreads, bookishlytara blog, Storygraph) on March 28, 2025. An additional post (with a reposted review) will be posted on Instagram on the publication day as well as an Amazon Canada review. (links below once available)

Molly is over the moon when her best friend gets engaged. And when her boyfriend breaks up with her on the night she thought he was going to propose she’s really looking forward to the wedding and hen do in sunny Spain.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

But when the bridesmaids and bride arrive and find out the luxury villa they are staying at has been double booked, with none other than a group of stags here for their own wedding it’s game on.

The two groups decide to battle it out for a week to decide who gets to keep the villa for the second week of their holiday. Splitting the villa in half, with the girls getting the bedrooms and bathrooms and the boys getting the living room and kitchens, the two groups figure out that it’s not the luxury they all signed up for…

Who doesn’t love a forced proximity, sun drenched romance with just a hint of spice? I really loved Too Hot To Handle, and although the storyline was simple, I thought it was just great! A fun, quick and exciting read. Which had just a few twists that I never would have guessed at the end!

Thank you again Portia MacIntosh, Netgalley and Boldwood books for this advanced reader copy in exchange for an honest review! I always love your books and they are definitely always worth a read to anyone who loves a romance!

This is a laugh-out-loud romantic comedy about Molly, who, after being dumped by her longtime boyfriend, joins her best friend Lou’s hen do in Spain. Upon arriving at their luxury villa, the group discovers it has been double-booked with three guys, including the charming Travis. Instead of leaving, both groups agree to compete in games, with the losers forced to vacate. Initially skeptical of the childish arrangement, Molly goes along for Lou’s sake, all while unexpectedly falling for one of the guys.Filled with humor, playful banter, and entertaining challenges, the book captures the fun and chaos of an unexpected vacation romance. The ending delivers a sweet and satisfying conclusion, reminiscent of classic ’80s rom-coms.

This was such a wholesome read! It was nice to just have a feel good story with a happy ending! Really happy I was picked for the ARC!

Funny, light-hearted romance. Perfect for a day at the beach

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

2.5 stars

Let’s start with what I liked about this book.

I loved the premise and I’m a HUGE sucker for a competition/forced proximity. I also love all things weddings and cute, fun romcoms.

What didn’t work, there was a lot of instances where I felt myself thinking “well that was convenient” or “what was the point of that/that doesn’t make sense” but I think the biggest thing keeping me from rating higher was I did not enjoy the friend group. They seemed borderline mean girls and the friendships didn’t seem very deep.. For someone who loves friend group dynamics as much as romantic dynamics, not having that was a bummer.

This was an entertaining premise for a book, although I like to think I would handle the dilemma the men and women found themselves in with a bit more maturity! The not sharing the kitchen was ridiculous (and a bit unrealistic- I'm not convinced they survived on crisps, warm olives and biscuits for that many days. I thought the characters were likeable but not hugely memorable, I just finished it last night and I wouldn't be able to describe the differences between the characters apart from Molly and Travis. There were some light hearted and funny moments within the book though and I liked Molly and was pleased things worked out for her.

Rated 4.5/5

The writing was entertaining and I made short work of it. There was always something happening, and with the help of the characters' personalities, you never quite knew what was going to happen next.

The overall story was just the right length, with a good balance of description and action, all tied together well with a satisfactory ending.

The chapters were fairly long so you got a good chunk of the story before moving on. Some of the chapters were dated which gave the story a good grounding and also moved the story on well without adding any unnecessary details.

There was a good pace to the book. Despite the length of the chapters, the story kept moving forward well. This was helped by a good flow between the chapters and the jumps in the timeline.

The characters were excellent. I liked how they all had different layers and how the reader went from dislike to like and back again throughout the story. You never quite knew who to trust as there was a lot of gameplay between the two groups of friends. I liked reading about the support and loyalty within the individual friendship groups during this interesting time (although with the girls there was some tension). The different personalities of all of the characters made for an interesting read.

Lastly the settings. There was a good balance between describing where the characters were and what they were doing. Whilst it was mainly a character focused story, the description that was there gave a good grounding. Where it was necessary for the story, there was slightly more detail added, which was good. It added to the story without being overbearing on the reader.

Overall a light, fun read with some surprises along the way.

A fun light hearted romance with plenty of laugh out loud moments and enough romance and drama to keep the pages turning. Although it took a while to get into it was definitely worth it as the book is a thoroughly enjoyable escapist romance perfect for fans of Sophia money-coutts, Phoebe Macleod and Maxine Morrey.

I love so much of what Portia MacIntosh writes.
She writes funny, witty and lighthearted romances. This one was no expectation.
The characters were lovable, and the story was lighthearted and a lot of fun.

Too Hot To Handle by Portia McIntosh, after Molly‘s best friend Lou gets engaged she sadly, on that very same night gets broken up with by longtime boyfriend Dean. She does her best to keep a stiff upper lip and is pretty much over it when they head to Spain on lose Hindu. they’re so excited to be there Willow Anita and the bride Lou strip their clothes off and run to jump in their private villa pool. It’s too bad they didn’t see the three lads having a hold your breath contest under the pools surface. Molly thankfully was dressed when Travis walked out of her bathroom in the bedroom she had picked for her own. This is when they realize both the guys and the girls have a problem. They rented the villa out to both of them and so one of them had to go but who? they decide to pick territories and unfortunately none of the ladies thought to pick the kitchen or to ask for the use of it. So at first they’re stuck up in their room eating chips and cookies with lukewarm coffee and drinks but then they decide with agreement from the guys that they’ll play games and at the end of week one the loser had to leave. Molly finds all of this childish but wants her friend to have the Hindu in the place she wanted and it doesn’t help matters when Molly starts falling for one of them. when they first meet the guys in the villa I absolutely didn’t like them at all except for Travis but as the book goes on their attitude changed and they seemed likable but you should always go with the worst part of someone, once they show you because it lets you know that is always a possibility. Having said that this book totally reminded me of the silly laugh out loud books in the beginning of my love affair with Portia McIntosh’s romance novels. She really seems like the type of person I would love to hang out with I laugh so much during the truth and dare game my back hurt when that chapter was over. I loved this book and definitely recommended if you love Porsches early books then you should definitely read this one it is so funny and the ending is sweet and so many ways. It totally reminded me of the way stories ended in the 80s and I couldn’t love it more.#NetGalley, #BoldWoodBooks, #TheBlondeReviewer, #MyHonestReview, #PorscheMcIntosh, #TooHotToHandle,

If you are a Love Island fan then you will get the vibes from this book. It was funny, it was entertaining, it was the perfect summer read.

This will also appear on my blog, in the next few weeks.

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