"Enemies to Lovers" falls short of its promising premise, lacking the depth and chemistry needed to engage readers. The titular dynamic feels forced, as the main characters' relationship never truly evolves beyond indifference. Flo's neuroticism and Jamie's lack of charisma make them difficult to root for, and the story's focus on family dynamics often detracts from the romantic plotline. While the exploration of mental health issues adds a layer of relatability, it overshadows the development of the central relationship. Despite some intriguing revelations towards the end, the pacing and lack of chemistry ultimately undermine the book's potential. Overall, it's a disappointing read that fails to deliver on its premise. Thank you to NetGalley, Avon/Harper Voyager, E.B. Asher, and the publisher for the ARC!

I enjoyed Laura Jane Williams' previous book, The Lucky Escape so I was excited to receive an ARC of Enemies to Lovers.

Flo is finally in a good place after a rough few years mentally and emotionally. Her family has arrived in Greece for a holiday.

Jamie, her brother's best friend, who has tragically lost both of his parents and is an only child, shows up at the holiday.

This has all the makings of a book that I would typically love.

Here are my two biggest complaints about this storyline.

1) Enemies to Lovers at the title? What in the world? They were never enemies. I didn't really find it convincing that they didn't like each other.

2) It felt ridiculous that a grown man would write a note of a brush-off and push it under a bedroom door. What are we 12? This was such a major part of the story that it was hard to get past.

Possible triggers: Parental loss

I received an ARC of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Poorly written romcom where the two main characters are unlikeable and tough to root for. The dialogue was childish and read like a fanfic

As a first-time reviewer, I really wanted to enjoy this book more than I did. The premise seemed promising, but it fell short of delivering on the enemies-to-lovers dynamic I was hoping for. Instead of witty banter, Flo and Jamie mostly ignore each other, which became dull after a while. I found Flo's neuroticism almost unbearable at times, and Jamie didn't add much excitement either. The lack of chemistry between them made it hard to invest in their relationship.

The focus on Flo's family dynamics also disappointed me. While there were attempts at humor, the characters felt flat and uninteresting. The story meandered too much without developing them further. However, I appreciated the exploration of mental health issues, as Flo navigates post-breakdown life. Her struggle with confidence and self-discovery felt relatable, but it overshadowed the romantic plotline.

The last quarter of the book picked up with intriguing revelations, shedding light on Jamie's behavior. Yet, it wasn't enough to redeem the overall pacing and lack of chemistry. Dual perspectives or flashbacks could have added depth to their relationship and made it more engaging.

Despite its flaws, the book had a cute message and tied everything together nicely in the end. Overall, it fell short of my expectations, but it still had its moments.

DNF - totally bummed over it, but after trying to get into this one multiple times, I gave up.
It lacks depth, and I feel that is needed. Cute book, just needs some work.

This really seemed up my ally, I love enemy to lovers books but this one didn't scratch the part of my brain that they usually do. these characters just seemed to lack chemistry

I was waiting for it to get interesting to where I can’t put the book down but it never came- I think it’s all over the place - obviously it’s an enemies to lovers book..

I will say, I love that there’s mental health that was talked about and the development on that.

This was a cute second chance romance. The main characters were interesting and the supporting cast were a delight.

This story kinda fell short for me. I felt like the characters were all over the place and really immature which threw me off. This book dragged out in the middle but redeemed itself in the end. Overall not my favorite book ever but I know others would love it. Enemies to lovers, brothers best friend, family vacation, mental health awareness.

Thank you to NetGalley and G.P. Putnam's for the opportunity to read an advance copy of this book.

I'm not sure why I didn't DNF this. I really should have. I've enjoyed several other books by this author but if this was the first I'd read by her, I probably wouldn't read others. Flo was extremely annoying, immature, and basically a tease. There was no chemistry between her and Jamie. And this isn't simply an example of "miscommunication" trope, it's a "no communication" trope. It was more fun reading about Flo's family. (I particularly liked Kate.) Can't recommend this one.

3.5⭐️

Flo ha tenidos unos años dificiles hasta que llegó navidad y pensó que estaba pasando algo entre ella y Jaime, pero una carta le hace ver que no fue así rompiéndole el corazón. Para no verlo pasó todo un año escondiéndose, lamentablemente es muy cercano a su hermano y es invitado al viaje familiar, entonces tendrá que pasar dos semanas fingiendo que todo está bien, sin embargo, los sentimientos que pensó había enterrado, vuelveran a florecer y algunas mentiras serán reveladas y su futuro y el de Jaime dará un giro de 180°

Ojalá Jaime tuviera algunos povs.

A pesar de que adivine que pasó en la navidad, disfrute la lectura y sólo quería llegar a la parte en la que se descubriera la verdad.


Thanks to NetGalley, the publisher and the author for the ARC in exchange for and honest review.

Given the title, it shouldn't surprise any reader that this is a quintessential enemies to lovers read. Flo's family rents a house in Greece for two weeks and her brother's best friend, Jamie, is invited to join. There is history between Flo and Jamie and when they learn they will have to share a room, their shared history comes to the forefront of their vacation.

Overall, I found this story a little disappointing. Flo's mental health journey was interesting and watching her come out of her shell while struggling with her family's fears that she might regress felt realistic and complex. With that being said, Flo and Jamie's history was frustrating and the plot twist in the middle felt absurd. I wanted more from the characters and the plot when a majority of it just fell flat.

Thank you NetGalley and Putnam Books for this ARC. All opinions are my own.

Not my favorite read. I read it and kept reading it waiting to get sucked in, but that didn't happen. Finally got 3/4 of the way through the book before I was actually excited to pick it back up - all because there was some action picking up between Flo and Jamie. Took way too long to get there and then it was short lived for the duration of the book.

Enemies to Lovers was a middle of the road story that had a slow beginning. I felt stressed and slightly unempathetic with our main character, Flo, for her seemingly petty grudge against her eventual love interest, Jamie. This novel definitely plays on the ‘enemies’ part in the enemies to lovers trope, but I wanted the grudge between our two main characters to be fleshed out more. The middle part of the novel had me hooked. I loved every second of it and really felt like we were peeling back the prickly layers of Flo to understand who she truly is. However, the ending fell flat for me. I felt like our characters were so close to really ending the story with a deep understanding of both themselves and their partner, but then it kinda petered off. Overall a fun read to pass the time.

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC!

Thank you NetGalley, the author, and publisher for the Arc.

Enemies to Lovers is a nice breath of fresh air. It’s not overly spicy and kept me entertained. I enjoyed the brother’s best friend, found family, second chance tropes. Jamie and Flo were adorable and their interactions and the slow burn kept me wanting more. The only issues I had was the miscommunication trope, the enemies to lovers trope, and the ending. I appreciated that there wasn’t a big third act break up, but I feel like the ending was somewhat rushed. I also didn’t think this was an enemies to lovers kind of story. They didn’t like each other, but it didn’t feel like enemies. At the end I felt like the brother should have been a big part of the ending due to what happened at the end.

Overall it was a cute book and I enjoyed it.

This book is not the typical enemies to lover and had everything to do with miscommunication between Flo and Jamie. The books was a little slow to start but quick picked up the pace.

Thank you to Net Galley and Laura Jane Williams!

This book had the perfect touch of a summer in Greece with a brother's best friend romance in its midst. Flo has the sweetest family, in a way that truly made my heart hurt a little for Jamie's loneliness - and I think the author has done a great job of painting us that picture of Jamie without needing to give us his POV.

That being said, I think this book did lack the meat of a great room-com. For one thing, this couple was never truly Enemies to Lovers, like the title suggests. Yes, there's a misunderstanding, but there is no real heat or dislike at the start, and there's never a true reason to have real distaste for each other. Flo's breakdown is where we start our story and plays a relatively prominent role in the story to explain her character and growth...and also feels empty somehow at the same time. We don't delve into it, and it's missing some of that true empathy that makes me believe in this character having this story. But, for a quick summer romance, I think it certainly did the job and at the very least, brought me to read the book and enjoy Flo from the very start.

I love our little family, with Alex and Laurie despite all their flaws. I envy them! Do families like this exist?? I'm not entirely sure why all those texts were included with Hope - they didn't serve to advance storyline at all, and at some points felt almost creepy. I kept expecting a random twist, like Hope was never real, or that actually it was Jamie on the other side all along? It just felt pointless, even if the author were to write a sequel with Hope, since it's not like I learned anything about her that would make me curious about her story?

Overall, giving this a solid 3 stars. This is a one-sitting beach read that you may never think about again, but does the job with passing the time and reminding me that Greece and the ocean, and having a vacation while being a doctor exists in real life. 1 chili pepper for spice!

Thank you to Penguin and Netgalley for the opportunity to read and review this book. This was a fun and enjoyable read, perfect for a beach day or a relaxing getaway. While Flo and Jamie's characters were a bit frustrating at times, and some plot points were predictable, the dynamics within the family and the setting in Greece added a lot to the story. The characters felt real and relatable, and I especially enjoyed the interactions between Flo and her family members. Although I struggled to fully connect with Flo and found her mental health challenges to be a bit repetitive, I appreciated the realistic portrayal of these issues. I also loved the character of Hope, and found her friendship with Flo to be a highlight of the story. Overall, while this may not have been a perfect read for me, I would recommend this book for anyone looking for a light and entertaining read.

I want to start by prefacing that the title drew me in! Which led to my disappointment that the tension and banter that comes with enemies to lovers, were not present. There was more banter between the family than between the FMC and MMC. Most of the time, the two just ignored each other lol. Also, the characters did not act their age and it made me cringe. I could not get past the writing style either! Sometimes there was so much word dump that I could not stay interested in the story plot. Felt like, at times, the addition of British and tiktok slang was just forced and unnatural. Lets alone, some scenes just made me think "what? why?". I think the concept was great, just not executed in a way that drew me in and kept me reading for a good time.

Although, one of my favorite parts, was the location of Greece. Can't get more summer than in Greece. And the family dynamics were hilarious! In all honesty, the family relationships saved the book.

Thank you NetGalley, Penguin Group Putnam, and Laura Jane Williams for the arc copy in exchange for an honest review.

Never has a book that made me laugh so much (including a snort that drew stares from those around me) also made me cry so much. Enemies to lovers is a rom-com with an incredible amount of heart and I highly recommend it.

After being rejected by her brother's best friend at Christmas, Flo arrives at her family's annual vacation to find that Jamie has been invited as well. She's determined to ignore him, but a leak forces them to share a room. Believing the key to her problem is exposure therapy, Flo decides to be friendly to Jamie only to discover all the feelings she tried to ignore are still very much there. And Jamie shares them too.

I devoured this story.
-Brother's Best Friend? Check!
-Second Chance Romance? Check!
-Vacation Setting? Check!
-Laugh Out Loud Comedic Moments? Check!
-A Vibrant Supporting Cast? Check!
-Mental Health Rep? Check!
-He Makes Her Feel Safe? You guessed it... CHECK!

Flo was everything. I've walked a mile in her shoes and lived to tell the tale. I loved her journey throughout this book and where she found herself in the epilogue. All her quiet, understated, heart to heart moments with Jamie left my heart so full. I was crying for Flo-for both of them-at multiple parts throughout the book. It was so satisfying to see not only Jamie support her, but for her family to rally around her as well.

Five stars is not enough.