The audio is very slow and the narrator mispronounces some words. Plus her Caribbean accent comes and goes. I did enjoy the romance though.

I enjoyed this romance - loved the Trinidad setting in particular - but I struggled a bit with the pacing and other aspects of the writing. White the narrator did a good job, I kind of wanted a male voice to narrate Keiran's sections. I preferred his vulnerability to Cherisse's, especially with his discussion of his bisexuality and his interest in Cherisse as she ran hot and cold with him. I also don't know if it was my app or the recording, but when I sped up the audio settings there was a weird echo that I don't usually get on audiobooks even if I listen to them at a faster speed.

3.5 stars

I know that this is Romancelandia blasphemy, but I don't usually love enemies-to-lovers romance. However, I thought this story was quite lovely and thoroughly enjoyable. It felt like a breath of fresh air to read a contemporary set outside of the US or the UK, and the Trinidadian setting of this book somehow made it feel like both a both a small town romance and a city-set romance. It has a large (very queer) cast that I found confusing at times, but altogether very compelling. The main couple are both so complex and charming Reading the heroine felt like chatting with a friend right off the bat and the hero is bisexual, and it's such great bi man rep all around.

The book started off a little slow for me, but did pick up eventually and ended up being a wonderfully sexy, fully read. However, by the end, the romance felt more like the two people embarking on a relationship rather than a fully satisfying HEA.

As for the audio, overall I found it quite listenable. The narration was emotive and flowed nicely. There was one moment at the end of Chapter 19 where it seems like there's a portion of the scene that was clipped or skipped in editing, but I'm sure this will get sorted before publication. Additionally, I would have been interested in hearing some of the characters performed with a Trinidadian accent.

I think this book is perfect for fans of The Worst Best Man and Christina Lauren's enemies-to-lovers romcoms.

Thanks to NetGalley and Dreamscape for the ALC.

What a super fun, entertaining cute book!
This was such a fun read with awesome character development, and the relationships was simply amazing!
Talk about a wonderful love story!? This is the book.
The narrator was beautifully done! Easy to follow along with.
What I enjoyed most was the sparks flying between Cherisse and Keiran. Absolutely to die for!
At first its a hate love relationship. Friends to lovers. But they then they start falling for each other!
I enjoyed this book so much and I can't thank NetGalley and Dreamscape Media enough for this advanced audio book! THANK YOU!

Thank you NetGalley and Dreamscape Media for the audiobook!

"She’d never hated the nickname she’d been dubbed with by her fellow foodies on the island. Sugar Queen. She liked it. The print and online magazines she’d been featured in used it all the time. Hell, she’d rolled with it all the way and plastered the damn nickname all over her bio on her website and social media accounts.
Except when Keiran said it in that smirky, condescending tone—then she hated it."


Cherisse and Keiran are childhood nemeses. So when Cherisse's sister Ava gets engaged to Keiran's best friend, she should have known he's be involved in the wedding. But she never would have guessed he'd be the Best Man to her Maid of Honour. Now they have to plan all the pre-wedding activities together, and the tension from their childhood rivalry has morphed into something more... sexual.

WE WERE ALL ROOTING FOR YOU!! Okay, I loved the first, like, 80% of this book. It was sexy. It was fun. The chemistry was great, the island was atmospheric, the Caribbean culture was vibrant, and the side characters were fun.

But then the "big conflict" that tears everything apart comes around and it's so... boring. Like, the main point of contention was laughable. I won't spoil anything, because I really do feel like it's a sweet read (lol) but man, all that amazingness comes to a halt... for that. It was hardly even a big deal.

But let's talk about the good: That cover is GORGEOUS. Our MCs were fun. We got ✨pining✨. The smut was tame but still pretty hot. The characters were fleshed out, strong, and meshed so well together. That wedding slumber party seemed like a BLAST. The cast of characters is also so diverse, with not only queer rep, but a bi main character!

The narrator of the audiobook was SO GOOD (if a bit slow; I ended up listening in 1.5x speed just for the audiobook to sound normal. However, I don't think that's an issue with this reader, since I've noticed that ALL the audiobooks I've listened to sound really slow when it's on default speed). I've noticed narrators will try to change their voice for every character in a book, and I LOVED that Chrystal Bethell didn't do that. I had no problem following who was talking, and honestly it's always a bit off-putting when a narrator will change their voice to be more masculine or feminine based on the character speaking in the novel.

3.5 stars rounded down. It's listed as "Island Bites #1" and I definitely enjoyed the book enough to continue the series when it's out :)

#NetGalley #Sweethand
I thank NetGalley for providing me with an audiobook in exchange for an honest review :)
All I have to say is this....everyone pick this book up when releases. It was quite good 😊