It’s been a long time since I’ve read a second chance romance and this one was pretty cute. Two families with a long and troubled past come back together. No one is happy except for the couple who has been waiting for their second chance since high school. It’s time to make it all right between the families and with their relationship.

🌀Synopsis
Evita Machado is supposed to be getting engaged but instead they are breaking up. Now all she is looking forward to is their family vacation in Nantucket. The family arrives and finds that someone is already at their vacation house.
Ryan Hatfield’s family is also looking forward to this vacation, until they find strangers in a house they occupy. Only- they aren’t strangers. They are the Machados! A family that they have had a long standing grudge against. Except Ryan and Evita who were very close in high school but were forced apart by their families.
The families agree to split the house but tensions are high and arguments are prevent. Ryan and Evita rekindle their friendship and realize they want to try for more. To do that, they have to get the families to leave the past in the past. So the rest of the week is dedicated to doing just that and they both leave either a different perspective.

🎧Song Pairing: The Right Kind of Wrong - LeAnn Rimes (if you know what movie this is from without looking it up we are 10/10 soulmates)

💭What I thought would happen:

I expected a fake dating or enemies to lovers sitch. Feuding mothers though….dang.

📖What actually happens:

The Machados vs the Hatfields, a hatred as old as time…but in actuality since high school 30 some odd years ago. Not quite Romeo and Juliet…no one will die.

Evita Machado has had a crush on Ryan Hatfield since they were in high school but it was a love that could never be, he never took her to prom and left her heartbroken. When Ryan and Evita are shoved back together when the momma Machado and Hatfield both bid on the same Nantucket beach home…sparks fly and so do some ugly words.

🗯Thoughts:

I don’t have much to say about this one (I know what! Me! Silent! Shocking!) I didn’t hate it, I didn’t love it. Just felt very average towards it. Had cute moments and forgettable moments.

Absolutely adore that cutesy blue cover though. And the premise rocks but the immaturity of the mothers…their decades long feud was sooo bad. Adults acting like catty teens is the worst. Don’t get me wrong there is a red headed biatch from high school I wouldn’t cross the street to say hi but probably wouldn’t let a bus hit them (I don’t think).

Read if you like:
🤬Family feuds
💕Second chance romance
🏖️Beach settings
🎭Drama
🤷🏼‍♀️Forced Proximity

Right Girl, Wrong Side is a romantic comedy detailing the week long vacation of two families. Evita Machado is a florist with a big, fun-loving family. Ryan Hatfield is a community college professor with strict, stuffy parents. Both of their families win a vacation to Nantucket. Unfortunately, the house was double-booked and one family must sacrifice their trip or both must learn to live amongst each other. Ryan and Evita are excited to see the other at the beach house since they were high school friends. Problem is their mothers hate each other. With a family feud in the way, Evita and Ryan have to find sneaky ways to reconnect and hide their blossoming feelings from their controlling families.

I really enjoyed this read! The audiobook narration was fun. The voices of the Machado children were a little funny, but other than that I have no serious complaints. The pacing was good and the emotions were full.

As for the story and characters, this was a classic Romeo-and-Juliet/star-crossed-lovers read. It was a little frustrating to see how immature the adults in either family were acting, but it is what drove the story forward. Ryan and Evita's storyline was very romantic. The tension between the two was well balanced and built up over the story as the tension between the families swayed. Both had lingering feelings from high school but had to sort through their family drama, their own wants in life, and the question of whether to take a risk on an old friend. I liked that they supported each other. Other strong relationships that stood out to me in the book were between the various siblings and the other (married) couples. Despite all the fighting and frustration, the relationships make this book shine.

I would recommend this as a quick, breezy, fun read! It would be perfect for a vacation or during a warm, summer month. Ryan and Evita are adorable.

Simple premise, but clearly a good set up for a rom-com. There is a good mix of characters and backstories. The tedious week-long vacation play-by-play was just a bit over the top for me, and the ending felt underdeveloped/rushed in comparison. While the narration was good, I think the story will inevitably be easily forgettable.

Overall: 3 stars

I'll tell my students about: alcohol, sex, language

**Thank you to NetGalley and Dreamscape Media for the free ALC.. All opinions expressed are my own.**

This story felt very YA, and I think it would have worked better, if the main characters were in high school. Having them in their late 20s felt strange to me because their moms fought about something that happened when they were in high school. If I did the math correctly, the moms would have been in high school almost 40 years ago. I don't know why they would still be mad after all of these years. Evita and Ryan's interactions were described in YA ways, and it didn't feel like they were adults. They had a crush on each other, and they were sneaking away from their parents to walk together or talk together. It felt very juvenile to me.

The narrator did a good job with the reading, but I think that the voices sounded similar. I had a hard time differentiating between some of the main characters.

Overall, I think that they story had potential, but it fell flat for me.
Thanks to NetGalley and Dreamscape Media for an ALC of this book.

I enjoyed Right Girl, Wrong Side at first, but it quickly moved into annoying territory for me. The feuding families element took up way too much of the story in my opinion and I found myself wishing I could breeze through it to get to the end. There were also just a few weird story/writing elements (why do we need to explain the rules to Twister in such detail? Why is your boyfriend proposing before you’ve even said “I love you” to each other?) that I also found frustrating. Not a fan.

Evita Machado and her family go to Nantucket for a week long vacation that they won bidding against her mothers nemesis at a silent auction. As is turns out, her moms nemesis was also told that she won and is there as well. Ryan Hatfields mother and Evita's mother have hated each other since high school even when Ryan and Evita tried to be friends and actually both had a crush on each other in high school. Both families agree to stay for the week and divide the house in two. Ryan and Evita try to get everyone to get along, but it just isn't working out. Will they be able to ignore the feelings they have for each other and allow their families to keep them apart?

This was a super cute story that had romance and drama. I loved the back and forth between the families and how Ryan and Evita were still able to stay friends with their feuding mothers. I also loved how Ryan connected with his little sister and helped her stand up for what she wanted to do.

4.5 stars: Evita Machado and Ryan Hatfield were secretly friends at high school, but their feuding moms meant they had to pretend they didn't like each other and after school, they parted ways.
Years later, Evita and Ryan have settled into their lives after high school when their moms compete in a charity auction to win a stay at a holiday home in Nantucket, both doing their best to win mainly to spite the other. Due to a mix-up, both families are declared winners and they are shocked to discover they are not alone when they arrive. Their moms refuse to concede to the other and so suddenly the families who want nothing to do with one another are sharing the house. Evita and Ryan get closer as they begin to rediscover the chemistry they share - all while trying to prevent their families from fighting. With how different their families are, it feels like an impossible task!
This was a great book, with the point of view switching between the love interests. I loved the personalities of both families and enjoyed seeing their relationships develop throughout the story. I really enjoyed reading about a Spanish (Mexican?) family which I haven't come across much and loved how much the Machado's celebrated their heritage in their everyday life. I also loved how family-focused this book was and the way the relationships developed - familial, romantic and platonic. Definitely worth a read if you're wanting a cosy romance!
Thank you to Netgalley and Dreamscape Media for this ARC of the audiobook

I finished this audio book in 12 hours. I couldn't stop once I got started. I loved the characters, minus the moms, and absolutely adored this second chance romance between two high school friends. The climax/drama wasn't the usual, and I LOVED that there was no miscommunication. HALLELUJAH!!! This is a must-read Rom-Com when it comes out on March 28th!

I received an advance audio copy. All thoughts are my own.

I listened to this one and found I had to listen at 1.25 because the base speed was so slow for me (this is a rare occurrence for me). The narrator did a great job.

Unfortunately the story itself fell flat for me. The premise is a good one, but the execution didn’t appeal to my personal reading tastes.

Right Girl, Wrong Side
Author: Ginny Baird
Narrated by: Karla Serrato

I received an ARC (advanced reader copy) of this audiobook from Netgalley #Netgalley.

This book has a bit of the Hatfields and the McCoys and a bit of Romeo and Juliet.

The two family matriarchs have been at odds with each other since high school. Now, as adults, they share a profession and a deep animosity towards one another.

When their children were in high school together they worked hard to keep their kids apart, but one Chemistry class & it’s teacher’s beliefs left the two of them lab partners.

Fast forward to a dozen or so years later and the two kids are now full grown, successful adults. Ryan Hatfield has is a professor of history and Evita Machado is a successful floral business owner.

The dueling moms both bid on the same beach house for the same week in Nantucket, Mass., and through a rather big oops… both women were told they won the auction bid, and both families show up at the house for one rocky week.

The story has a far happier ending than Romeo and Juliet.

This book is both a romance and a drama. Some parts felt like they were going to drag on, but 2 minutes later and I was fully dragged back into the story.

I really enjoyed this book. The premise seemed intriguing, and I’m glad I went for this book!

Ever wondered about a modern day Romeo and Juliet (sans unhappy ending)? If yes, I recommend this book to you!

I think this book should have been written as YA or even just Teens and overall I kept on hearing myself begging the author to "show, don't tell". With the forced proximity there was ample time to develop the personalities of the wide cast of characters and slowly understand them but it was like there was a rush to explain.

The lead characters are meant to be in their late 20s, their parents in their 50s but they all behave like immature 16 year olds especially the mothers. The Machado family often felt like a stereotype of a hispanic family and seemed to lack the understanding of how the dynamics of hispanic families (like the one she was trying to describe) actually work. It started to make me feel uncomfortable.

The bickering was over the top, obnoxious and unrealistic even for a romance novel which says a lot. Overall, the story was hard to get through and I found myself 2x the audiobook speed simply to get through it and ended up not even being able to finish it. The reason I am giving 2 stars instead of 1 is the narrator - who I felt did well with all the voices she had to depict.

Thanks to NetGalley and Dreamscape Media for the ARC audio in exchange for an honest review.

I wanted to like this book but the main characters fell really flat and their families were so obnoxious and infuriating I couldn't finish. Good premise, not a great execution

Evita Machado and Ryan Hatfield were high school friends but never explored their mutual attraction because of a long-running feud between their mothers. The women have been at odds for over 40 years - a rivalry that started with a school election and continues as they compete in business. When a lost bid sheet results in both women “winning” a Nantucket vacation, the two families are forced to share a house for a week. They decide to divide the house and beach into separate sides, but everything from children playing, to loud music, to sharing the barbeque provokes arguments. The Machados are a lively, loud, loving bunch, while the Hatfields are conservative and reserved. Evita and Ryan do everything they can to keep the peace, but can they unite their families in order to end the feud and pursue their growing feelings for each other?

Written by Ginny Baird, this is a story about family, love, and letting go, with a nice romance as an aside. Baird has created characters that are authentic and diverse, likable and well-developed, if a little exaggerated. The mothers act ridiculously because of their feud, but it works with the story and demonstrates how long-held grudges can be absurd. Karla Serrato does a wonderful job narrating the audiobook and is able to bring a separate voice to each character.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Dreamscape Media for providing this book for review consideration. All opinions belong to me.

Such a good romance story involving a 20+ year old feud between two families. The mothers have hated each other since high school and their families ever since have distanced themselves from one another. Except, they find themselves on the exact same vacation booked in the same house with no other option but to put up with each other.

This romance was very sweet--like a Hallmark movie. I did enjoy it very much. It was cute and funny. Of course the mothers in the story were completely over the top, but that's the best part. That's where all the good conflict came from. Evita's and Ryan's families both end up at this vacation home. They happened to be rival families. Evita's family is huge whereas Ryan's family is small. The two mother's have been at war since high school. Ryan and Evita are forbidden to be together. I enjoyed this story from beginning to end. I thought the audiobook narrator did a good job narrating the story. Thanks to Netgalley and the audiobook narrator for allowing me to listen and review this book.

Thank you NetGalley, Dreamscape media the publisher and the author for the #gifted ALC in exchange for my honest review. I really enjoyed the audiobook gave me romeo and juliet vibes with the forbidden love and family drama between the moms. Great narration, characters and story. Highly recommend.

A modern take on The Hatfields & McCoys fued.
I wish this had been YA.
The two MCs are in their (at least) late 20s, but act much much closer to 16 years.
They were extremely juvenile while interacting with their families, and felt emotionally stunted at high school years. It made the whole book weird.
Thanks to NetGalley & Dreamscape Media for my audio.

Right Girl, Wrong Side is a sweet and very mild romance between Evita Machado and Ryan Hatfield, former high school lab mates and crushes who were torn apart before they could even try to make a romance work by their mothers who hate each other.

In present day, the Machados and the Hatfields find themselves accidentally double booked at a beach vacation that each mother believes she’s won fair and square. The families agree to share the house, begrudgingly, and Evita and Ryan act as referees for the week.

This book is a sweet, comtemporary play on the Hatfields and McCoys and Romeo and Juliet. It’s not reinventing the wheel, and some of the hi kinks are pretty broad, but for fans of simple romance, it’s a sweet read. 2.5 stars rounded up for the narrator, who did a great job.

Thanks to NetGalley and Dreamscape Media for the ARC.

Evita is a busy flower shop owner with a bad break up behind her. A relaxing vacation at the shore with her family sounds like the perfect solution. But when they arrive at the cottage, another group is already there: Ryan and his family. And his mom is her mom's business rival, who prohibited them from dating in high school...
This is a friends to enemies to lovers, forced proximity romance, but it was not for me. The constant bickering between the families was super annoying, I really had to power through. The story in itself was cute, but I was irritated most of the time, so I did not enjoy the read. I listened to the audio book, and the narration was great.
I received an advance review copy for free and I am leaving this review voluntarily.