Not only does this book’s plot rely on people not having honest conversations, but everything feels so stereotypically gendered. It’s disappointing because there are flashes of better, more interesting characters and plots, but they get lost in this Much Ado About Nothing remake, but with none of the sizzling wit of the source material.

Den Schreibstil bzw. die Ausdrucksweise der Charaktere muss man mögen

„Love at first fight“ hörte sich wie eine flotte, unterhaltsame Liebesgeschichte an. Und auch die Leseprobe erzeugte bei mir Lust auf mehr, da habe ich zugegriffen. Doch leider habe ich beim Lesen nach wenigen Kapiteln gemerkt, dass das Buch doch nicht perfekt für mich ist.

Der Schreibstil der Autorin war für mich auf Dauer etwas anstrengend. Ihre Charaktere sprechen britisches Englisch und benutzen so einige umgangssprachliche Ausdrücke. Diese konnte ich gut verstehen, doch leider hat sich der Schreibstil für mich leicht fremd und holprig angefühlt. Immer wieder bin ich an einzelnen Sätzen hängengeblieben und kam aus meinem Lesefluss.

Das zweite Problem, dass ich mit der Geschichte hatte, sind die etwas anstrengend wirkenden Dialoge. Sie wirkten auf mich etwas künstlich und daher wenig einnehmend.

Durch diese beiden Probleme habe ich beim Lesen schnell das Interesse an der Geschichte verloren und nach sieben Kapiteln beschlossen, das Buch abzubrechen.

Als schlecht würde ich das Buch aber nicht bezeichnen wollen. Wenn der Schreibstil für einen gut passt, sollte man mit der Geschichte so seinen Spaß haben können.

Schaut vor dem Kauf unbedingt in eine Leseprobe rein und lasst den Schreibstil in Ruhe auf euch wirken.

Thank you to Netgalley for this ARC

I was really intrigued by the title of this book as it drew me in with the promise of enemies to lovers. I also love 10 things I hate about you and so I was all set to dive right in and fall in love. Unfortunately I just wasn’t as hooked once I actually got into it. As a teacher myself, I wanted to love the main character and see myself in her. I loved the idea of her trying out 20 dates in 20 days and trying to find someone that maybe wasn’t the one but still made her not miserable. I just didn’t find her all that relatable or likeable, which made it hard to push through at time. I think the concept was interesting and I would love to read more by this author, I just personally did not love this book. However I did appreciate the obvious setting and use of colloquial language to help set that. The dialogue was very natural sounding.

Thank you to Netgalley, the author and the publisher for an eArc of this read!

I quite enjoyed this book, it was a cheesy, but light-hearted romcom which made it an easy read for me. The characters were quite fun and witty and I enjoyed the multiple POV’s throughout the book. Seeing the story through different perspectives was a fun aspect and I enjoyed it a lot.

I think the main issue I had with this read, and it didn’t necessarily put me off, I still enjoyed the book, was the fact that we very quickly switched from Bridie and Bens frenemies(ish) to lovers to Hattie and Cals life drama. It was a little bit too involved for a side plot.

I also wish I’d seen more of the 20 dates! Just because I think they could have been hilarious to experience.

Overall, I quite liked this romcom. Id definitely read more from this author. A pick-me-up read if you ever need one.

I was provided an ARC by NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and words are my own. I am a sucker for a good British Romance. There were things I loved about this book and there were things I totally didn’t but if you stick an accent on the characters it’s fair game. Anyway, Love at First Fight is easily one of the cheesiest books I’ve read in awhile, and that’s what made it so much fun. Bridie and Ben are lovable characters and I enjoyed their banter a ton-this book kept me giggling all day. I enjoyed the multiple POVs and the different settings for all their interactions throughout the book. One thing I will complain on though is that I felt like this read a lot more like a fanfiction than a novel-as the characters were almost exclusively speaking throughout the book and there was little to no detail outside of speech. It was a good book, it wasn’t the best I’ve read but it’s far from the worst-if you’re looking for something cheesy, British, and sappy it’s a RomCom I’d recommend.

I received an ARC of this book from NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.
Pub Date: August 5, 2021

Bridie's first and only true love was Ben. Years ago when he ditched her at a school dance, it ruined love for her completely. Now, as a complete love cynic, she still occasionally keeps in contact with Ben, but the two just love to argue and annoy one another. As the maid of honour for Hattie and Ben's brother, Cal's wedding, she must work alongside Ben, the best man.

I was truly enjoying the book up until about halfway through. It simply did not feel like a romance. It felt as though their love story was a little forced and not quite genuine. Ben's "reputation" as a player was also mentioned much too frequently.

Overall, I really wanted to love "Love at First Fight" but it fell flat for me.

2/5 Stars
1/5 Angst

Real rating 3.75
A fun, lighthearted, easy-to-read romcom.
The book starts the right way. It's funny and uplifting and invites you to keep reading. I enjoyed the simplicity of their lives, that they were normal working people in their late twenties. I loved that.
I liked Bridie but it took me a while to actually like Ben. And I have to say that I really liked that there was a Bridie POV and a Ben POV. I enjoy that way more than just one POV. Also, I liked how most of the story developed and how the characters were introduced.

But I think the change from frienemies to lovers ('cause they're not actually enemies, they're more like friends that are angry with each other) was a bit abrupt. OK, the "I like you" part was fine, even the "I love you" part was fine, and it makes sense with their history. But their status from frenemies to actually be in a serious relationship felt a bit rushed to me. I felt like they didn't even talk about it.

But my big issue with the book was the change of focus. For more than 60% of the book, the focus was on Bridie and Ben. Because, obviously, the story is about them. We have another side story, Hattie and Cal, which is cute and fun but is just that, a side story.
So, when the focus changes from Bridie and Ben's relationship to Hattie and Cal' relationship, it didn't make much sense to me. All of a sudden, it felt like they were the MCs. Don't get me wrong, their story was cute and interesting. I really wanted to know what the heck was going on, but not for them to have the entire focus. And it felt their issue was a bit dragged on for them to be just the side story. We really see very little of Bridie and Ben's relationship during this time. We see them and their part-take in all, but we don't really see their relationship. I'd have enjoyed the book way more if that little change of focus wouldn't have happened.
Still, is a nice, fun, and lighthearted novel that I can see many people enjoying it. I enjoyed a big part of it! And I'd definitely read another book by Mary Jayne Baker.

Bridie and Ben seem to have been enemies for ages, why ever should they fall in love with each other now? But, have they actually been enemies?

The main issues I had with this book:
Bridie's name - I kept reading it as Birdie.
Ben and Bridie - aren't really enemies to lovers. They've always been friends. So, Frenemies might have been a better term.
Cal and Hattie - why insert that particular plot twist into the story? It distracted from the main story.

Nevertheless, nice beach read.

Mary Jayne Baker take a bow! This is definitely going to be high on the list of favourites for this year!

This is a book that has made me laugh out, cry a whole lot and fall in love with the characters that have filled the pages. As always, this is a book that I have devoured in just one sitting and there was no way I was going to be able to sleep without finishing this one.

I absolutely love the characters in this one. Ben is my second favourite of Mary Jayne’s male characters and has definitely been competition for the gorgeous Simon. I love Bridie, she is feisty and witty which makes the relationship with Ben quite intense.

The cover of this is absolutely stunning and as with all of this authors books I knew that I was going to devour this book. There is literally nothing negative about this book. It has been the perfect read and I have loved every moment- even the moments of tears streaming down my cheeks have been perfect.

This is without a doubt a book worthy of all the stars. All Hail Mary Jayne Baker- queen of romance and one of the few authors that can almost read my mind and create the perfect man. This is definitely a book I recommend.

I enjoyed this romance for what it is- a simple, face value story. The plot doesn’t have a lot of depth, but it is a fun, flirty read. Overall, I enjoyed this book a lot despite those criticisms, and I really enjoyed getting to know the characters. I found the main characters relatable and engaging, and I think that really helped to sell the story line.

I recieved an ARC through netgalley.

This book was so cute. I was a bit worried because they got together fairly early in the book but it was done so well. My favorite part was at the end when he just slipped the ring on her finger.

Bridie has hated Ben since he stood her up for prom 10 years ago. There is a fine line between hate and love, so what is she really feeling.
Ben has never been one for relationships, but will he finally admit his feelings for Bridie.
Their friends try and help out along the way, but will it backfire on them?

A great read, with some fun characters.

Genre: Romance | Romantic Comedy

Release Date: Expected 5th August 2021

Publisher: Aria & Aries



Bridie Morgan is doing the unthinkable - searching for the one, if that exists. As her groups official Man-Cynic, she's giving it one last try and going on twenty dates in twenty days as a final kill or cure experiment. She'll either find her match, or prove that dating is a waste of time.

And as the maid of honour for her best friends wedding, she's trying to her best to drop her less than rosy view on love for at least the day. But that would be much easier if Ben wasn't the best man. Ben Kemp - the brother of her besties future husband who once upon a time was the boy who left her standing outside in her prom dress alone and became her first reason to run away from love.

But they're stuck together now, for better or worse, whether they like it or not and there is definitely still a spark between them, but it going to leave her burned again?

Inspired by Shakespears Much Ado About Nothing, Love at First Fight was full of mischeif, trickery and misunderstanding but with a modern Mary Jayne Baker twist. I've read enough reimagined versions of classics to know it's not easy to do well - but this was a delight to read.

I'm a sucker for the enemies-to-lovers story, and even though that's where this was heading the journey there was still so much fun. Although I'm not sure if enemies is the right word for Bridie and Ben - the were complicated, immature and annoying and took great pleasure in hating one another but I don't think they were ever enemies.

Our happy couple Hattie and Cal were brilliant - their mischief and speculation about Bridie and Ben was utterly hilarious, almost farcical as we watched them stand on the very thin line between love and hate, blissfully unaware their friends are trying to push them over the line. I also agree with the girls that Tape Deck Heart sounds brilliant on Vinyl, so I loved them right away and felt an immediate connection.

This was a full 352 pages of absurd fun and sickening sweetness that was too easy to read all at once.



RATING: ⭐⭐⭐⭐

Thank you to Mary Jayne Baker and Aria & Aries for this ARC in return for an honest review.

An enjoyable, lively and fun romance, full of twists and turns, female friendship, brotherly loyalty, plenty of mistakes and misunderstandings, as two couples work their way through the ups and downs of love on their way to happy ever after. Joanna really is the bitch from hell but any good story needs a baddie, and this is a good story. I don't really know the Shakespeare play this novel is based on, but there is really no need to as any echoes of it are totally unobtrusive.

‘Love at First Fight’ was supposed to be the enemies-to-lovers kind of book I normally pick up, except that I cringed my way through nearly three-quarters of it.

Apart from having Ben’s manwhore reputation thrown in my face quite a few times, I didn’t like how Ben and Bridie seemed to try convince themselves that they were and always had been in love with each other simply because of their friends’ and families’ meddling through the creative power of words and some well-timed but deliberate eavesdropping moments. That they were rehashing an event a decade ago—Ben having gone on to sleep around with as many women as he can while refusing Bridie as a teenager—seemed relevant but repetitive and having them from frenemies(ish) to lovers in the blink of an eye made me cringe particularly after the multiple references to Ben’s way with half the town’s women.

But if the spotlight was initially on Bridie/Ben, the sudden switch of focus (and insertion of multiple POVs) to her best friend and Ben’s brother’s upcoming wedding along with the drama they suddenly faced threw me off. Bridie and Ben (new status: couple) turned the tables on their squabbling friends and play matchmakers before I could even convince myself that they were a pairing I think I could root for.

I’ll admit that I skimmed this one…a lot. Admittedly it’s due to my own personal peeves about utilising the manwhore-turned-one-true-monogamist type of trope after getting hit with some kind of inexplicably, cosmic realisation that he’d loved only 1 woman all along but that I just couldn’t find myself enjoying the story overall.

*special thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for the ARC copy in exchange for an honest review!

Who doesn’t love a good hate to love romance??
This was a fun story!
It’s tropey, but in all the good ways.
It also really follows two couples, which I actually enjoyed. I think it would’ve been too slow if it only followed the one.

I think it started off strong and went a bit downhill, but it did keep my interest. I do wish that it played out of the hate to love.
Some of the dialogue is a bit cardboardy and some of the plot points are too laggy or wrapped up too nicely, but I found myself having a good time with this one! I need to find myself a Ben!

Very much enjoyable fun story. Great characters, likable.
Thank you Netgalley for this ARC for an exchange for an honest review.

Love at First Fight by Mary Jayne Baker is about two friends/ enemies with a rocky past that meet up again after some time apart . I love an enemy to lovers read and the characters, Ben and Bridie are very cute together. I liked how much their friends were rooting for them and the devious plans to get them together. I do think their relationship felt a little rushed and wished I got more from them. About 1/2 through, this book wasn’t about Bridie and Ben anymore, it centered around their best friends. The change in plot jolted me a little out of the story and I couldn’t quite get back into it.

I loved this story!!!! If you love rom coms, and modern day retelling of Shakespeare takes, you'll love this book too. This is a modern day retelling of Much Ado About Nothing, and is very well done. The characters are realistic and you can believe that what happens with them could actually happen, it's such excellent writing. I'm hoping the author will rewrite other Shakespeare stories as I'd love to read more like this

Thank you netgalley for providing this ARC in exchange for an honest review.
Unfortunately I could not get into this romance. The heroine has a tough time finding the right guy and has a lot of bad dates. Then her childhood nemises rolls back in to town and this get interesting. While I found their back and forth insults humorous I didn't really get that sexual chemistry from them. They joked like friends but lacked that sexual tension I crave in enemies to lover romance. Just not my cup of tea.