When Billie unexpectedly has a few too many houseguests over Christmas she hits 'rsvp to all events' on her dating app in an attempt to escape the mayhem of her over full house. Why not? What's the worst that could happen?... Just date and see!

I loved that Billie is a strong independent woman, and could completely relate to her on her own personal hellish Christmas (circa 2010 for me) I loved Rocco and was rooting for them from the start. The way they took every mishap instride with grace and humour was entertaining, amusing and inspiring (we could all do with a bit of that I think)

I loved the twist near the end and the 'happily ever after' sometimes what seems to be completely dysfunctional is quite functional and exactly as it's meant to be.


Thank you netgalley and boldwood books for the arc copy in exchange for my honest opinions.

This Christmas novella didn't work for me.

I didn't find the antics of Billie`s family funny. I also couldn't connect to Billie. At the beginning I thought she was a woman who could stand up for herself, yet chapter by chapter it was clear she was a total pushover and let her family and friends take advantage of her.

Just Date and See by Portia MacIntosh

I received an advance review copy for free thanks to Rachel's Random Resources and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

Blurb

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.

My Opinion

This is a relatively quick, festive read. Portia has once again written a lovely feel good book. Billie had been looking forward to a quiet Christmas until her house started filling up, of course this leads to chaos. The twists kept me reading, whilst the interesting plot had me at the end long before I was ready. Another great book from Portia MacIntosh.

Rating: 4/5

I went into this super excited for a holiday romantic comedy and it unfortunately just did not deliver that for me. The writing was perfect but the way things were repeated over and over again over multiple chapters was overkill. Not sure how many times in two pages I need to be reminded the mc wants a quiet Christmas. Given the departure of her free loading boyfriend, her completing her home and making a life perfect for herself, and her resolve I thought mc was going to be a awesome independent woman who happened to find love. Instead she was a complete push over, she literally let everyone in her family and her ex use her, treat her like crap, and walk all over her. I finished the book hoping that at some point she would put her foot down and stand up for herself but that never came to fruition. I did like Rocco and wish this had been an actual romance focusing on them and not her horrid family. This just really missed the mark for me unfortunately.

Billy may has a lot going on her newly made over mother wants to stay with her while the problems with her new home gets ironed out. Then her dad calls saying they must find a place to stay for the holidays because he and his new wife Gail have asbestos problems with their home and her sister is there for the holidays as well. Billy doesn’t like the gleam in her dad‘s eyes when he looks sad her mom and she doesn’t know what to think about Gail who bought her own Christmas tree wrapped in shrink wrap. What she does know is that she cannot spend the whole holiday with them this is how she finds herself going to dating events posted on matcher despite the boozy bingo that really wasn’t Boozy bingo but someone’s first date turned out to be an embarrassment as opposed to a good time she persist. On the second night at disco bowling she me to Rocco who saves her from a predator and hangs out with her the rest of the night and she really is keen on Rocco but when he doesn’t try for a one night stand she takes it as rejection and the sword she’ll just be his friend but the more they hang out the harder it is she also knows another girl Layla has her hooks set for Rocco but he doesn’t seem interested. Will she work up the nerve to tell Rocco how she feels or will he leave after the holiday never to see her again? Will she have a nervous breakdown from her family and her sister‘s constant flirting with the sleazball dek store? This book was so funny!!! I love this authors books and actively look for them since reading this one. I was never big on contemporary romance but I am definitely big on this authors romcoms I absolutely loved it and definitely recommend it. I received this book from NetGalley and the publisher but I am leaving this review voluntarily please forgive any mistakes as I am blind to dictate my review.

I was really intrigued by the concept of this book! I also loved that it was meant to be a funny, Christmastime story about a single girl trying to get through the holidays with a crazy family dynamic, while also being single.

This book was pretty funny- there were a lot of moments I found myself laughing out loud and bearing secondhand embarrassment for Billie in her escapades. I also really enjoyed the banter/flirtations she had with Rocco. The book overall was good, but I also felt like some chapters could've been cut down or even that we didn't need as much inner dialogue.

I also somewhat felt that there wasn't a lot of chemistry between Billie and Rocco. I'm all for a slow burn, but it almost felt like their relationship went from meh to "I think I really have feelings for him!" I didn't really feel any sparks between them until much later and even then, some of their romantic "will they, won't they" moments were slightly underwhelming. Almost as if they went from 0 attraction to very strong feelings with little build-up?

It was a cute story, but I think maybe if the relationship was given a little more substance/time or sweet moments, rather than a ton of inner dialogue, I probably would've felt a lot more excitement over their relationship and rooting for them sooner.

Portia is one of my new favorite authors, the way she narrates and creates a world you can't put down, it's amazing, truly this is a Christmas romance and i know that christmas is months away but still the story is amazing. Please give it a try, you wont be disappointed

Just Date And See by Portia Macintosh is a funny Christmas rom-com. Once I started reading it, I couldn't put it down. I had to keep turning the pages to find out what happens next! The author’s writing style was funny and made me laugh out loud in several places. The characters were wonderful and down-to-earth. This book was a light-hearted read with festive spirit. I thoroughly enjoyed it.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for an advance copy of this book in exchange for a review.

This is the first time I have read a book by the author, and it is an enjoyable Christmas romance. Billie our Mc is looking forward to a quiet, man-free Christmas. But she ends up slowly being surrounding by her crazy family. He quiet Christmas quickly turns into a nightmare so trying to escape Billie signs herself up to a dating app which sends her notifications of single night events happening in her area. From bingo to cooking classes Billie attends them all instead of being at home spending time with her estranged dad, his new wife and her mum. Each one is eventful and awkward and had me laughing out loud. Her relationship with fellow singleton Rocco develops really well thought the book and they go one some crazy adventures.

This is a really funny story that anyone with a crazy family or siblings can identify with. It was a really nice, fun read and I will definitely look out for other books by the author in the future. I also love a Christmas book whatever the time of year.

I’ve really been loving all of the Portia Macintosh novels I’ve been reading recently - sweet and swoony (aka clean romance), with strong female leads and very sweet and lovable male leads. Where do I find myself one of her fictional men in real life?!

Just Date and See is yet another very special book that I adored and definitely recommend everyone picks up - a great holiday (Christmas) read that doesn’t focus so much on the holiday itself, but rather on unexpected family gathering and unintended new friendships formed, leading to a very mixed up relationship coming out of nowhere!

(Crazy thing is, it was not the only book I read this week with a similar familial tie!)

This is really a bit over a 4⭐️ and has the potential to be more… but would need to be longer, throw in some steam and some more angst/conflict and resolution and then it would be a full-fledged 5 in my opinion - but it’s darn near close to earning that bump-up!

I received an advance copy from NetGalley and Boldwood Books, and this is my honest feedback.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to review this book in exchange for my honest opinion. This was probably my least favorite Portia MacIntosh book. That said, it was still enjoyable. I really struggled to get in to the book, but once I did, I really liked the story.

I would just like to say a big thank you to Rachel’s Random Resources who very kindly forwarded me an arc copy of this book, for my Kindle, in return for my honest review.

Just Date And See is a wonderfully funny Christmas rom com and I thoroughly enjoyed it.
Once I started reading it I just couldn’t stop, I had to keep turning the pages to find out what happens next!
The author’s writing style was very funny and made me giggle along in quite a few places and I loved that!!
The characters were wonderful and down-to-earth and I really enjoyed getting to know them all.
This book was a light-hearted read, with festive spirit and lots of humour…..

I never turn down the opportunity to read Portia MacIntosh's new books and again, this did not disappoint. I read this on my recent holiday to Spain, I mean what is better than being on holiday and reading a Christmas book, it's always going to be a winner for me.
I loved this as usual. Billie is looking forward to a quiet man-free Christmas at home but that isn't what happens for Billie, her house starts to fill up with unexpected guests and she needs to get out. Billie sees on her dating app that there are some singles nights being run and she decides this is her escape. What she didn't plan on is meeting Rocco. I loved the characters in it and you can really feel the frustration that Billie is feeling as everyone is turning up at her house and ruining all her plans.
This book made me laugh out loud, the situations that Billie finds herself in are just hilarious, I had my family wanting to know what I was laughing at while I was reading. This is the perfect Christmas read, make sure you put it on that Christmas TBR list (at the very top!)!
Thank you to Boldwood Books, Portia MacIntosh and Netgalley for the arc in advance for an honest review.

Thank you NetGalley, Portia MacIntosh and Boldwood Books for the ARC of Just date and See. This is my personal review.
This was a book that was a middle of the road book for me. It wasn’t much of anything. I was expecting laugh out loud romance but only got a little chuckle a few times. The romance was dull and not very much of it in the story. I read this book and I did like the holiday theme but other than that is kept me busy for a few hours.

Sadly this book was not for me. It barely felt like a romance. We only met the love interest after chapter 10, and even after that I didn’t feel any tension or excitement. There were too many side characters/family members, and they seemed so immature the whole way through. There were some funny moments, but they were overshadowed by the rest for me.

Fun and unpredictable read. I kept expecting a certain surprise twist based on the description that never materialized. Enjoyed the family relationships and romance.

I absolutely loved Single All The Way (same author), so I was so excited to start this one! It’s about a teacher who is hoping for a quiet Christmas but ends up opening her home to family and a few unexpected guests for the holidays.

I love all things Christmas, and this book had a lot of laugh out loud moments! Only downside is it took me a while to get into it, the plot doesn’t really pick up until 1/3 of the way in.

There is an unexpected plot twist at the end that I definitely didn’t see coming! I don’t want to spoil it but it might be a deal breaker for some readers. She does get her HEA though.

I would definitely recommend to anyone who doesn’t mind family drama in their books, and who prefers fade-to-black romance. It is definitely a romcom, with lots of humor, but also some more serious conversations as well in the book. Can’t go wrong with a Christmas book!!!

Thank you to NetGalley for allowing me to read an ARC of "Just Date & See" written by Portia MacIntosh. It is scheduled to release on September 19th, 2022!

Overall, I rated this novel a 4/5 stars!

The book focuses on Billie, who goes on a week's worth of singles' dates in her area, based on what her dating app recommends to her. Despite trying to friend-zone Rocco, the two of them really hit it off. The story is filled wth humorous scenes - this is my second novel that I've read by this author, and she really knows how to add comedic elements to her writing. She also is great at developing a character's personality as the novel goes on.

Thank you to the publishers and NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
In my opinion, this book wasn't completely a romance. Billie spent as much time with her family as with her love interest.
Billie also kind of annoyed me because she was way too nice about everything, like girl please learn how to say no. And what was the point of Declan, except annoying me more. At the last chapters everything was confusing, I was very lost. But the middle was cute, I liked all of the dates and those cute moments between Billie and Rocco.
It definitely wasn’t for me but some people could like it.

Billie is looking forward to a quiet Christmas—until her entire family invites themselves to bunk with her for the holidays.

I loved this heartwarming chick lit novel. Billie is fun and relatable, and the rest of the characters are quirky but lovable. The book strikes a good balance between romance and family. An enjoyable, festive read!

Thanks, NetGalley, for the ARC I received. This is my honest and voluntary review.