Just Date and Read this story. I like me some Portia books. they are all great and good stories. the main characters are the best and love every moment of them.

As with all Portia MacIntosh novels I did not want to put this down and ended up reading it in a single day. Billie's quest to have a quiet Christmas pretty much falls apart from moment one. There are a lot of comical moments throughout the book, but there are also a lot of heartfelt family moments too. I loved watching Billie and Rocco go from friends to being in love. Their dates always offered something unexpected and comical - especially the Eiffel Tower party. I knew something would happen to cause temporary friction between the two of them so when Declan showed up I had a feeling it would have to do with him. The events of Christmas day were some of my favorite scenes. One of my favorite parts was the truth stick scene - so much is revealed and explained in just one scene. I also liked the heart-to-heart between Billie and Gail. It was good to know she wasn't as awful as she first appeared. Although it was explained why Billie was so awful to Kenny, it was never really explained why he was so awful to her. Until his whole backstory came out I was kind of annoyed with Jess. Speaking of Jess, I did really enjoy her and Billie's relationship. Portia MacIntosh really knows how to write sibling and family relationships. To sum up, I loved this book!

I really enjoyed reading this book! It was sweet, romantic, and compelling and I found myself glued to my seat!

Billie wants a quiet Christmas but her family wants her to be in love again. The family members are all over the top... Billie is definitely too nice but I love her anyways. The romance is terrific and both characters have wonderful chemistry. I really love Christmas so this is a perfect book for me. My only minor complaint is that the family members are kind of annoying. :(

Thanks to the publisher for the arc.

A classic chick lit novel with a festive twist, I can imagine it being made in to a film given all the characters involved and the numerous misunderstandings

Thankyou to NetGalley and Boldwood Books for an ARC.

This is the cutest, light hearted and festive read that you need!
Having your house filled with unexpected guests for the holiday is sure to get you in a mood, but how the family acts, it's very realistic.
Billie sets herself for a week of blind dates, all of them are as funny as the next.
And now, she may have found the man she is supposed to spend her life with
If you love Hallmark films, you'll love this.

Just Date and See by Portia MacIntosh brings the spirit of the holidays with her festive new romcom. This one, like all of her previous efforts, will fill you full of cheer.

Billie is over the end of her relationship with Declan, and is relishing the thought of having a quiet Christmas at home with her mother. But as they say, the best laid plans often go awry, and as her house slowly fills up with univited guests, Billie decides that she will partake in some various singles mixers. It is on one such outing that she meets Rocco, and the two decide that they will enjoy being single together at Christmas, though only as friends. What was I saying about the best laid plans?

Full of humour and charm, this one will warm your heart for the holidays. 4.5 stars

Many thanks to NetGalley and Boldwood Books for an ARC.

This book starts with the female main character’s house being unexpectedly filled with family members during the holidays. As an opportunity to get out of the house and a break from her family she agrees to attend a bunch of local events through a dating app. I thought the author did a great job in the beginning of the book of describing the tension in the house, I definitely could feel the main character’s anxiety about so many family members in her home. I thought this was really good and funny, lots of little twists and turns. Now only if the ending could’ve been five more chapters so I could see how the rest goes. Overall I thought this one was great and an easy, light read. I received a complimentary copy of this book and all thoughts and opinions are my own. Pub date 9/19/2022

Honestly disappointed by this book. I enjoy most of Portia MacIntosh's books, but this one just seemed different and not for the better.
Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for this ARC. All opinions expressed are my own

Billie is looking forward to a quiet, man free Christmas. It’s just a shame her family doesn't feel the same way.
With a house full of unexpected and unwanted guests, Billie needs to find the perfect escape to get away from the chaos.
So when her dating app recommends a week of singles nights in her area, Billie decides that braving these events has to be better than making conversation with her dad’s new wife, dealing with her mum's mid life crisis or witnessing her sister flirting with her insufferably arrogant next door neighbour.
While this is definitely not the festive season she had planned, between disco bowling and boozy bingo, little does Billie know that she may find love this year after all she'll just have to date and see.
Really enjoyable read totally recommend
Thank You NetGalley and Boldwood Books
I just reviewed Just Date and See by Portia MacIntosh. #JustDateandSee #NetGalley

Thank you to Netgalley and boldwood books for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review!

First of all this book made me so fucking frustrated. Why the hell this book was not focused on romance when the title is 'just date and see'

I didn't gave a damn about her stupid family. I'm so fucking dissapointed!!! And she let her ex stayed in her with her? Wtf girl? Stop playing like a puppet. She should have kicked him out of the house! Her kindness made me so fucking frustrated and yeah Her mom and dad can go to hell!

Laugh out loud funny...and the first Christmas book where I've really felt like my family was seen! Portia's writing style is refreshing, bringing up hard issues in a light-hearted way. Most holiday books are sweet, humorous, and kind of Hallmark-y. And there's a place for that! But I've never felt like my family was depicted on the pages of a Christmas story until this one. After all, in our family, it's not Christmas until someone gets stabbed! (usually accidentally :) )

Oh, I’m so disappointed that this was only a 3 star read for me. This is the 9th book I’ve read by Portia MacIntosh, so clearly I’m a fan of her writing. I know that her writing style is never going to let me down, so that was lovely.

The romance in this - top tier. If every chapter were the fun activities and the two characters together, this would be an easy 5 stars. Where it lost me was Billie’s family. I didn’t like any members in her family, and they were a major focus in this book. Usually one thing I love the most that this author does is her inclusion of family, so it’s disappointing that that aspect did not work for me at all. The story itself involving them was okay, but I really didn’t like the way any of them treated Billie. She was a great character, and seemed like a really kind, caring person who just wants to make other people happy, and that got taken advantage of a lot.

I don’t have too much else to say. This certainly hasn’t deterred me from wanting to continue to read anything and everything Portia MacIntosh writes. I love that she wrote two Christmas-y books for 2022, and while the other one (Single All The Way) was a 5/5 for me and I’m bummed this one wasn’t, not every story is going to connect with every reader. And by no means does my 3/5 rating mean that I wouldn’t recommend this book. The chapters where Billie, Rocco, Tobias, and Leila were together had me laughing out loud, and more than made this book worth reading.

(If you happen to have read my review for Single All The Way, and my mention of needing to count how many of Portia MacIntosh’s novels mention Michael Buble, this one gets added to that list!)

Thank you to Boldwood Books & NetGalley for the opportunity to read an advanced copy of this book!