This was an entertaining, well-written book. It was fun, sweet and held my interest. I wanted to find out what was going to happen. I enjoyed this book and would recommend it to others.

Thank you @rararesources and @Portia MacIntosh and NetGalley for letting me part of this tour and reviewing this book. Just date and see is a lovely festival read and this is romantic comedy . The story did make me smile espeacily the dateing and i liked the characters to. Portia Macintosh writing style was engaging and intriguing Billie is looking for a nan free christmas until her family turn up without telling her. Its very cute light hearted read. if uou like Christmas snd romance you will love this book.

Billie is clearing out her mother’s home because the woman is moving in with her for awhile. Her father left them and her sister, Jess, years ago and is now remarried. Since then, the girls mother has had some plastic surgery and looks much younger than her age.

Billie bought a fixer-upper home along with her boyfriend. He then dumped her leaving her to complete all of the work needing done on the house. She has finished the work on the 4-bedroom house and it looks great.

Billie is an English teacher at the posh Perstead School. She is ready for a nice quiet Christmas and some time to relax. Her mother has agreed to a no-males holiday together. But when Jess breaks up with her boyfriend, she comes to stay with them for Christmas. But then their father calls to say he and his wife need a place to stay for Christmas so she relents and offers them her last bedroom.

Billie has agreed to attend some events for singles where she may meet some people. A couple aren’t so good, but she meets Rocco and they begin to enjoy themselves. He is an architect in town for Christmas with his family. Some of their adventures are quite amusing.

Billie’s adventures with Rocco are fun but her house continues to expand with more unexpected guests. Christmas Day is full of humor as everyone confesses to their feelings and what is truly going on in their lives. Up until this point, I was thinking that Billie was a bit of a pushover allowing all of these people to cram into her house. But the last part of the book is the funniest and that’s when I really began to enjoy it. Lots of laughs.

Copy provided by NetGalley in exchange for a fair and honest review.

While I didn’t love this as much as the other book I read by this author, it definitely had a cute story that I enjoyed! I love how Billie’s quiet Christmas kept getting louder and louder as more and more people showed up as unexpected, and even uninvited house guests. Her family was fun, they each had personalities that made for some different drama to add to the whole craziness of the holidays. Her ex was a piece of work that in the end while he redeemed himself a bit, still that was crazy!

I was a little unsure about who was going to be the love interest for Billie at first. When the story started she was helping her mom pack up her old house and there was one of the moving guys it seemed like her mom might invite over, and there might have been a tiny bit of a spark there. Then I wondered if it would be an enemies to lovers story with her neighbor. And once she started going to the dating app events, the guy that seemed like he might be her match, well I doubted it because of how things had been going so far with the other guys!

But I ended up enjoying reading about the different dating app events, and I kind of wondered if I should maybe sign up and go to some. However my introverted self would probably hate every uncomfortable minute. I have tried speed dating in the past, never had any matches really.

My issues had to do with some of the writing towards the beginning. There was more of the telling than the showing and that bogged me down and made the beginning so-so for me. However as I got into the story, I began to just really have to know what was going to happen next and how Billie and her family would actually end up after the holidays. So overall it was a pretty cute story!

If you are a regular follower of my blog, I’m sure you will know how much I love Portia MacIntosh’s writing. Having already read and loved The Meet Cute Method, Will They, Won’t They?, Faking It and Stuck On You I knew I was going to love Just Date and See just as much.

Billie is looking forward to a peaceful and quiet Christmas. That is until her Mum moves in with her until her new home is ready. And then the rest of her family unexpectedly descends on her and her own for Christmas. Feeling stifled by all the chaos in her own home, Billie decides she needs to do something to get her out of all of the frantic family antics.

A night of singles events in her local area is the perfect distraction for Billie. Cue the start of hilarious and somewhat disastrous nights out, which actually lead to Billie meeting Rocco – and the start of a beautiful friendship begins. As Christmas draws closer, are Billie and Rocco really just good friends, or could there be more between them?

Just Date and See is yet another brilliantly funny book by Portia MacIntosh. I just adore her style of writing, along with amazing characters that always seem to bring her stories to life. Another 5-star read from the queen of rom-com.

I can always count on Portia's books to make me smile and feel good. This one even though set around Christmas, it wasn't overpowering so you can read it at other times of the year.

I really enjoyed this book, I liked Katie and her family from the get go. Now I will say I would have liked more background into certain issues that was going on only because I didn't find myself disliking any characters when maybe I should have 🤷😂

I wasn't sure where this was going for the majority of it, I thought we were going in a completely different direction at one point 😂 But it all came together perfectly in the end.

It was just a really easy, cosy read that is perfect when snuggling up especially in the colder months. A proper feel good book!

If you’re looking for a light-hearted romantic comedy with a festive feel, this is the book for you!

Portia Macintosh writes with an easy to read style, with relatable characters and enough intrigue to keep you wondering and guessing whether the main characters will get their happy ending or not.

The beauty of this story is in the will they/ won’t they romance between Billie and Rocco and the ensuing chaos of a family Christmas that threatens to be a complete disaster! You can’t help but find yourself rooting for them throughout, despite the challenges that are put in their path.

The relationships between the different characters in the story add extra intrigue and it’s interesting to see how Billie’s perception of them changes as the story pans out, especially in the case of her ‘annoying’ neighbour.

There is abundant humour throughout and this adds to the overall appeal. Whilst set during the festive period, it could be read at any time of year.

A delightfully enjoyable read!

With thanks to the author, Rachel at Random Resources and Boldwood Books for the opportunity to participate in the tour

After reading eleven of her books it’s not a secret how much I love Portia MacIntosh’s stories, and with Just Date And See she may have outdone herself! I just adored every single thing about it! A rom-com, relying heavily on the -com, set during Christmas? What’s not to love? It was just the perfect Santa’s early present.

Billie is looking forward to a quiet, man-free Christmas, but her family have other plans for her. With her house full of unwanted guests she will look for an escape in the form of a series of singles nights events sponsored by a dating app. These events will make her Christmas everything but quiet, and her resolve to have a man-free holidays will prove a hard one to achieve.

I fell in love with everything about this book. From the plot, full of hilarious, laugh out loud situations, to the characters, and I mean every single one of them, cause even the jerks turned out to be adorable! Must be a Christmas miracle!

Billie was such a lovable and relatable character. I could see myself completely reflected in her wish for some alone, quiet time being thwarted by everyone else, although I’m not sure I would have been so generous. All the characters were really well developed and had some depth, and the chemistry between all of them was fantastic. And Billie and Rocco? Their chemistry was off the charts! They were so cute together! The witty banter was there from the first pages and made of this such a fun read.

The events Billie goes to made the perfect setting for the comedy to shine. From the Scone Wars to the Eiffel Tower party (yes, my mind went there immediately), there were so many cute and hilarious moments you’ll wish Billie won’t stop going to them.

I loved how the romance was not the typical back and forth, he loves me/he loves me not, will they/won’t they kind of story, but just a beautiful friendship that evolved organically. Yes, there was a small hiccup I did not see coming at all that ensued some funny moments as well, but you’ll have to read it to find out about it.

With her trademark engaging and humorous style, Portia MacIntosh delivers a brilliant and sweet Christmas story full of charming characters, perfect for the holiday season (and the un-holidays season too) so READ IT!

Thanks to NetGalley and Boldwood Books for providing an eARC in exchange for an honest review and to Rachel’s Random Resources for my spot on the Blog Tour.

Just date and see by Portia Macintosh
⭐️⭐️⭐️
This book was my first Christmas book of 2022. Whilst I was reading this book o was in a bit of a reading slump which was not caused by this book.
At first I found it hard to get into the Christmassy vibes, which I’m blaming in the fact that I had just come back from a holiday in Greece. It’s a bit strange to go from your summer holidays to Christmas vibes!
I enjoyed the characters in this book but I wasn’t overly invested in them. Some of the miscommunications were a bit far fetched in my opinion. Like when Billie couldn’t see Leila liked Rocco and thought the Lelia didn’t like her over a bowling ball to the foot?!
I really disliked the fact that the last two chapters contained a miscommunication/argument, then everyone involved explained what they had misunderstood. Then it was the epilogue which takes place a year later. I would have liked at least one chapter of normal life after the argument before it went to the epilogue.
Overall it was a good book and a nice Christmas read without being overly Christmassy.
Thank you to Boldwood Books and NetGalley for an ARC of this book.

Just Date and See by Portia McIntosh
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Portia’s writing expertly strikes a brilliant balance of cheeky, comical, cute and charismatic every 👏🏻 dang 👏🏻 time 👏🏻 .

After a year of dedication and hard work renovating her beautiful new home, Billie yearns for a quiet Christmas enjoying the immaculate space of her creation (read: blood, sweat, manual labour and tears) — surrounded by decorations, decisions and schedules that are blissfully and decidedly 𝒉𝒆𝒓𝒔.

However, like teetering dominos, Billie suddenly watches her entire family, one by one, descend on her elegant place — including her free-spirited and spoiled younger sister, long-divorced parents, father’s new wife and nosey neighbour — kicking off their boots and adorning her house with their own decorations as they settle in for the season.

While her calm holiday plans quickly deteriorate to cacophonous chaos, Billie finds herself desperate for some time away from her haven-turned-hectic and impulsively accepts an invitation from her dating app to participate in a week of singles’ nights.

The singles events are hilarious and provide engaging and enjoyable scenarios in the midst of which Billie is forced to explore her healing heart, vulnerability, step out of her comfort zone and face her trust issues.

In addition to Portia’s writing style of which I am an enormous fan, I adored the setting, eclectic characters, dynamic personalities, unique plot and immensely lovable main character.

Caretaker of the family, Billie is charmingly self-depreciating, mature, loving, compassionate, self aware, relatable and fantastically funny. You will whole-heartedly root for her and deserved her happily ever after.

Like a perfectly wrapped present, Portia pulls together hilarious banter, endearing familial dynamics, relatable dating struggles and the pursuit of true love, tying it up with a beautiful ribbon of personal exploration and growth.

Packed with personality, this novel is an easy recommendation for anyone in the mood for a little bit of sweetness, silliness, levity and lighthearted soul searching this holiday season.

IG post to come!

Billie just wants a quiet Christmas in her newly renovated house. But her family have other ideas and it's soon in ruins.

To distract herself, she decides it's time to get herself back on the dating apps .

Soon she finds herself leaving the house for nights out. Will she give her heart to anyone?

A feel good easy read using Portia's usual style of writing with a mix of fun too.

One of my first festive reads for 2022 bring on more festive reads.

I was intrigued by the title of this seasonal book, however it turned out to be an amusing read. Loved the characters and humorous writing.

I was drawn by this story as soon as I read it was a funny, Christmassy story about Billie trying to get through the holidays with her eccentric family. I thought this was so funny, so many, many times I laughed out loud at work and had to look around to see if anyone noticed.

The chemistry Billie has with Rocco is so good, flirty, fun, so witty. I love a good slow burn and this definitely fits the bill, it’s just the perfect Christmas/seasonal romance to get you in the Christmas mood.

The writing is wonderful, Portis manages to expertly show and describe the tension, emotion that Billie experiences, she’s such a brilliant author for keeping you interested as well as intrigued.

Overall, this is a cute and fun Christmas read, with a twist I didn’t even see coming at the end , but you’ll have to read it to find out. Which I can really recommend that you should.

Thanks to Netgalley, Boldwood Books and Rachel’s Random Resources for a free copy in exchange for an honest opinion. All opinions are my own and freely given.

Looking forward to a nice, quiet Christmas?

So was Billie May, but then her mum sold her house before the new one was ready, her sister broke up with her boy-friend, and her dad and his wife flooded their house. All find their way to Billie's house. Desperate for some me-time, or at least time away from her family, Billie signs up for a bunch of events hosted by members of a dating app.

Funny and relatable.

I just wasn't a fan of this book from the very beginning. There are just those books you know from the beginning that you know you just are not going to like and this was one of them. Doesn't mean it wasn't good just wasn't for me.

Portia MacIntosh is a must read author for me and so I had to get my hands on this book. I loved the characters and Billie and Rocco’s slow burn, inevitable romance and even the plot twist that I didn’t see coming. This was a romance where you had the characters interacting and getting to know each other and could watch the romance blossom whilst cursing them both for being a little obtuse in their lack of communication. This was sweet and fun, and who doesn’t want their own Rocco to cause trouble with, whether as friends or something more? It had all the feel good factors you need in a festive read but I did find it slightly too farcical for my usual taste.

This is a great romcom read for the holidays! It’s a lighthearted, cute, quick Christmas read to get you in the holiday spirit! I found it very comical and found myself laughing out loud several times throughout the book. The tension and chemistry of the characters in this book is *chefs kiss*. Seriously don’t miss out and make sure to put it at the top of your Christmas list this year!

Well, I've got my first Christmas book of the year on the books, even earlier than normal.

And it's my first Portia MacIntosh book. What the what? How is it possible? I'm a disgrace to rom-com fans everywhere.

Billie wants a quiet Christmas, preferably man free since getting dumped a year ago. Unfortunately, her mom needs a place to stay for the holidays, but Billie is still optimistic for her planned Christmas. And then her sister shows up. OK so maybe not quiet but man-free is still possible. And then her dad and step mom beg for a place to stay. Quiet is gone and so is man free.

To survive, Billie tries to be out of the house as much as possible, and signs up for all these events for singles from her dating app.

What ensues is miscommunications and hilarity galore. This book was so funny, I was literally "laughing all the way ha ha ha" (yep I'm singing Jingle Bells)

I absolutely loved this fun book. It was so perfect for me.

Happy Publication Day!!!!
Thank you to Netgalley and Boldwood Books for the e-ARC I love when rom-com books just flow. Who doesn't love a dysfunctional family and then during the Holidays !! Sign me up. Even though there was some serious issues I loved how comedy was used to portray them.

Just Date and See ✨REVIEW ✨
By Portia MacIntosh

➡️ Swipe for synopsis.

Gosh this book was good. It was light and fun and laugh out loud funny.
I absolutely loved Billie, the moment she turned up to Boozy Bingo that wasn’t actually boozy bingo she had my heart.
There was lots to like about this book, small town romance, friends to lovers, a twist on a dating app romance, family drama, annoying neighbours and fun extra curricular activities! I mean disco bowling and a candy carnival themed bar, sounds like my kind of entertainment!

I also loved the side stories with Billies sister, parents, step Mum, neighbour and ex boyfriend. They all added to the drama in the story but didn’t overwhelm or take away from the main characters.

This book is the perfect Christmas rom com.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Thank you @netgalley and @bookandtonic for the advanced copy of this book. Just Date and See is out today (September 19)!