In this former boarding school rivals enemies to lovers romance, a photographer and influencer cut off by her family proposes a fake engagement to a fellow alum who needs business capital, because the school will pay for their high profile wedding if the Head Boy and Head Girl get married.

I am generally okay with reading about initial dislike based on misunderstanding, but not so okay with people being mean and snarky to one another. Lucas goes along with Posy’s plan to get them both the capital they need to achieve their dreams, discover they have more in common than they thought, and slowly fall in love in spite of a vow to NOT do that, all the while deceiving friends and family. I didn’t find the plot very believable or the characters compelling or likeable, and it’s 2022, so let’s just stop with the fat jokes, m’okay?

I received a free advance reader’s review copy of #TheReunion from #NetGalley.

An enjoyable and entertaining rom com.
Many thanks to HarperCollins UK and to NetGalley for providing me with a galley in exchange for my honest opinion.

Big sigh. I wanted to like this so much. I loved the concept… but it really, really wasn’t for me. There were a few things I enjoyed, mostly the friendships the protagonists had with their best friends. I especially liked Tara, Posy’s best friend. I loved how she just doesn’t stop her mouth from saying the first thing that comes to her mind and that she’s always right with what she says. I’d like to be her best friend, too.

Probably my main problem was that I didn’t like either of the protagonists. It already starts with the prologue set during Lucas and Posy’s time at school, where Posy is the popular party girl and Lucas only thinks about his lists and a good job and like… the mindset. Fast forward a few years and nothing has changed. Posy gets angry with her father because he stops giving her money until she does something useful with her life. She wants to become a photographer and has a chance to be a part of a photography panel in Hawaii. Without her father’s money however, she can’t go there. Because she’s broke.
And I don’t understand it. She grew up with money, has an older brother and a father knowing how to use it, how to keep it and make even more and she just throws it out of the window without a second thought, resulting in her idea to marry her high school nemesis because she’s that broke and needs the money. I’m sorry but I can’t believe that she’s that naive, when it comes to both the money and the marriage proposal.
While she does develop a bit during the course of the story, it all just didn’t make any sense to me. Everything went very fast.

Same with Lucas. He hasn’t really changed since school and still wants an in with the rich people. The same rich people he despised in school and still doesn’t like. I don’t really understand his motives and why he so desperately clings to this sort of life even when he has realized several times that this isn’t for him, not really.

I also didn’t like their relationship and its development. Within a month, the two of them go from hating each other to falling in love through a ridiculous scheme. And when I say ridiculous… I’m sorry but I need to elaborate. Their school has this bylaw that when the headboy and headgirl from the same year marry, the school will pay for it. First of all, why?
Mh. Then there’s the headmistress of the school who, of course, doesn’t want to pay for the wedding and sends one of the teachers to accompany Posy and Lucas to every meeting and to practically spy on them to get the school out of this whole affair and it truly read like the cartoon villain and his right hand launching themselves on the protagonists but failing each time. It was simply hilarious to read at some points.

To be quite honest, I couldn’t really take any of the characters seriously. They didn’t read much like real people and more like cardboard cutouts with some character traits painted on them.

The whole plot was just impossibly fast and I would have liked more details and more story, more pages in general to develop both the characters and their relationships. The Reunion definitely had a lot of potential but it kind of failed to bring it out in the story. I really wish I would have liked this more, but I simply didn’t.

I was very excited when given early access to read this story due to my favourite trope ‘enemies to lovers’ but it fell really flat to me. The characters were poorly written, not likeable at all. I couldn’t connect and when that happens, the story is simply broken. The ending felt rushed which leads me to believe the author just wanted to get it over with. Really disappointing.

I went into this book really wanting to love this book. On the surface it appeared to have everything I need to enjoy a romance novel but it failed to land at really anything. It took everything I had to get to the end of the book and I cannot say I would recommend anyone else put them through this. Maybe her next book will resonate more with me. This one did not.

I was unsure about this book when deciding what to read on my shelf due to the mixed reviews. However it was a 5 star read. Loved the characters and all their struggles along the way and of course the fake relationship/enemies to lovers trope.

An enemies to lovers, dual pov romance is a favourite combination for me. However, this book didn’t live up to my expectations from the blurb. It was a ‘nice’ read but I tend to want more depth, diversity, excitement, steaminess or something else more in any way.

DNF
I love the enemies to lovers and fake dating tropes, but what I read of this book is terrible. The main character is fatphobic and an overall bad person and I didn't care for the love interest either. I also didn't really care for the plot.

Thrilling read! I was able to connect with all of the characters and throughly enjoyed the story the author painted.

This is a dual POV enemies to lovers story which I usually absolutely adore but I just wasn’t in love with this book. I found it really slow burning. I did enjoy it and I would recommend for other people as every opinion is different.

I love enemies to lovers romcom so I had to request this book. I appreciate it, it's not one of the best that I read but I pretty enjoyed it!
3 stars

I love the enemies-to-lovers trope in romantic fiction and The Reunion fits squarely into this. The Reunion keeps you turning the pages and I liked the contrasting main characters and how they each became self reflective. Fun, flirty, and a nice easy read!

I enjoy a good enemies to lovers trope, but it helps if you actually like the main character. Posy was immature and at times frustrating and painful to read about. I wouldve stopped reading but it made for easy beach reading and then felt too committed to stop.

Following an incredible fatphobic line that a wedding dress must have been worn by an elephant before the main character tried it on, I abandoned this book and will not be returning to it. I also won't be returning to this author.

I think this one was just fine, there's so many contemporary romances on the market this year that tjis one wasn't up to par for me.

I love enemies to lovers troupe! Elizabeth knocked it out of the park with this one! Ten years later and the rival is still there but its burning passion! I read this book in one day because I could not put it down!

Release Date: June 10 2022

📖📖

Posy and Lucas have hated each other for ten years. They were high school rivals that never made peace. When they reunite at their reunion, both posy and Lucas find that they need the other to solve their problems. Fake relationship to real love.

I am furious about this book. How in 2022 can an author write the sentence that a wedding dress must have been worn by an elephant previously because it’s a large size. Posy is a jerk. I found myself rooting against her instead of for her. Lucas wasn’t much better. Great concept but terrible personalities.

I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

#bookstagram #netgalleyreads #booknonrecommendation #fatshaming #elizabethdrummond #thereunion #harpercollinsuk

A nice and cute read! I really enjoyed this one! Thank you to the publishers and netgalley for a copy of this book.

I heard about this new release from One More Chapter and it sounded so great I wanted a copy there and then! Unfortunately, I had to wait a short while to get my hands on a copy but it wasn’t too long before I was sitting comfortably reading along.

In the reunion we meet Posy and Lucas, they went to school together and were head boy and girl but also firm enemies. Posy was the popular girl, Lucas the only scholarship kid whose parents worked at the school so obviously (and stereotypically) doesn’t have any friends and is a bit of a try-hard. We join them as they meet up again at a 10-year reunion, both entirely different but in need of change in their lives as nothing is working out as planned. They both have a lot of growing to do but realise they can support each other to achieve some of their aims.

The plot, though entirely far-fetched and fantastical is a little crazy but fun to follow. Posy lives in her own little, very spoilt, world and brings Lucas into it wonderfully, though kicking and screaming at times! His desperation leaves him little choice though. The beginning was a little slow but stick with it, by 20% it becomes much better for the rest of the book.

Lucas is a likeable character but can be annoying at times, I loved his spreadsheet obsession and organisational skills, which are immense! Posy is loveable but also annoying in her own way, especially her complete naivety about how the world works and how people live and earn money. They have good chemistry and great banter, despite being chalk and cheese they bring out the best in each other. The comedy of the headmistress and her deputy is very amusing.

Posy’s family loves her but is also quite mean to her, teasing her all the time and she is obviously still upset by her mother’s passing when she was young yet nobody really seems to care and just thinks she needs to get over herself a bit, which is really sad. They do come through for her though and their love is demonstrated well.

Despite a bit of a slow start, I loved this romantic comedy. The characters and plot were well drawn, and I loved the ending. I would like to see a sequel to follow their hilarious life together.

I really wanted to love this one but it just fell super flat to me. None of the characters were particularly interesting and the whole plot line just felt messy and strange.

2/5 stars. I received a copy through NetGalley in exchange for an authentic review