I’ve been a fan of previous books by this author, but, unfortunately, not this one. The main character is very immature and just seems to make really bad decisions. Ziggy is the love interest and doesn’t seem much better. What seems comedic at first, soon begins to irritate!

A quick easy read which had me laughing out loud throughout. There are a lot more plots running throughout the story outside of what is on the cover. It sometimes felt like I didn't know where the book was going, but I did enjoy the journey.

Serena gets fired and loses her home on the same day after her beloved boss dies and her boss's asshat children sell the business, and to top it all off her boyfriend is a cheat!

Luckily Serena's friend steps in offering her a place to stay. Unfortunately (or is it fortunately) she has to share the house with a rocker guy called Ziggy!

Each one wants the place to themselves, commence the competitive pranks, the arguments and the undeniable chemistry!

Serena then discovers that her boss left her a secret business, one that is of obscure nature (🌶😉🍆) , one that needs resurrecting.
Will Serena cope?

The chemistry between Ziggy and Serena was amazing, with tension and pranks and their competitive natures clashing and complimenting each other all at the same time. It was a great enemies to lovers theme.
While there is cheating in the book and I normally find it a trigger, it was set up in a way that wasn't triggering.
As always I enjoyed reading a Portia Macintosh novel.
They're hilarious, sweet and feel good novels that always have a little something to make you think.

My thinker in this novel was :
"Grief is the cost of love, if you feel a lot of sadness to have lost someone, they must have given you a hell of a lot of love while they were alive."

I've read many books by Portia MacIntosh and always find them to be funny, supper, easy reads. This one, however, felt a little different. I don't know, more grown up, maybe? Less light? I can't exactly put my finger on it.

I really enjoyed the banter and the tension between Ziggy and Serena while they were waging war over their living situation. However, I felt like even though that should have been the main focus, there was just too much thrown into this one story. It's almost like the author was trying to include too many different tropes in her book. And honestly, I'm still wondering how the "war" turned into a "connection" so quickly. It just didn't make sense to me.

Overall, I enjoyed it, but I certainly didn't love it as much as a lot of her other books.

Thank you to Boldwood Books and NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you so much to Portia MacIntosh, Netgalley and Boldwood Books for the ARC of Your Place or Mine!

I had the honors of reading Your Place Or Mine by Portia MacIntosh as an ARC from Netgalley and I rated the book 4 out of 5 stars ⭐️

What drew me to request the book was the description of what it was about.... Two random people living under the same roof but with totally different personalities sounds like a very interesting combination and lots of drama to unfold. The book is an enemies to lovers theme and its one of my favorite trophs to read. I enjoyed the playful banter between the main characters Ziggy and Serena. The chemistry between the two is obviously there but they are clueless to it. The things they do to each other to try and get one of the other persons to leave the house is quite funny

Thank you again to Portia MacIntosh, Netgalley and Boldwood Books for my ARC copy in exchange for my honest opinion.

This was another fun read from MacIntosh, an author I have come to expect will give me a great story. What I enjoyed most about this book was the different strands to the plot and how there were plenty of surprises along the way.

Not only do readers see how Serena has to deal with her new-found unemployment, she is also shacked up with the annoying Ziggy. The story follows how Serena tries to maintain a connection with her former, (deceased) boss, although her boss’s children have other plans – and they are quite cruel in the process too. Whilst poor Serena (poor both emotionally and now financially) takes stock of her life plan, she gets the opportunity to house-sit for her best friend. Unfortunately, Ziggy was also invited for the role at the same time, so now Serena has an unexpected housemate who seems to drive her up the pole.

As tensions mount, so, it would seem, do both Serena and Ziggy’s intentions. From their first meeting deciding who should get the more lavish bedroom, I was entertained by their constant bickering. Fighting like cats and dogs only begins to escalate into pranks that cause more harm than good. Both are equally stubborn and determined that their behaviour will drive the other person out the house… but it only leads to more juvenile behaviour.

On top of this, Serena’s discovery that connects her to Diana was as much of a surprise to Serena as it was to me. I think it would have helped if the blurb actually referenced this because I thought the story would just be about the conflict between her and Ziggy. There were a couple of elements that were glossed over from MacIntosh which I thought slightly disappointing (what on earth did that discovered contraption do?!) and I could not decide whether this was supposed to be a main or sub plot. Either way, it added a different part to the story, even if I was far more interested in Serena and Ziggy’s antics.

Finally, Serena also has to rethink her relationship with Dean. Again, I enjoyed this part of the story because it added something new to the narrative but, on reflection, it did make me think that this was a story that could have been broken up into three separate novels. I was intrigued by how Serena would resolve her connection with Dean, particularly with an annoying Ziggy to distract her, but think MacIntosh could have also expanded on this further.

I liked the key characters in this story and enjoyed the fun of the narrative. However, there were parts that could have been developed further to make this even more enjoyable. I think I particularly liked the surprising direction that the story took but wanted to see more focus on Serena and Ziggy in the first place, especially as this was implied to be the main element to the book. Despite these criticisms, I still thought this book gave some great escapism and was a perfect distraction from a rainy weekend.

With thanks to Boldwood books and NetGalley for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I normally really love any book from Portia MacIntosh. I had some plot and trope issues here with this one… but her usual excellent writing, great characters and everything else to normally love about her books is here, hence the 4-star rating.

My issues are with the semi-love triangle trope (not totally the main theme), and the immature revenge plot that stemmed from that are where I found myself losing interest (not a triangle fan)…. But not being totally the main trope and theme of the book - though it really did take up a lot of time and a ton of Serena’s attention - it took so much focus off Serena and Ziggy’s forced proximity/roommates, enemies to lovers relationship, which could have had more storyline and development. With the book being about Serena and Ziggy, Dean sidelined a lot of the plot.

If Serena and Dean’s “relationship” had been a smaller part and focus of the story, I would have enjoyed it a lot more and could recommend it more - but otherwise I did enjoy the rest of the story and the side plot of relying on a found family and everything they brought into Serena’s life.

I received an advance review copy from NetGalley and Boldwood Booksm and this is my honest feedback.

Favorite Quote:

Agatha… looks just like her mum. Well, a version of Diana that had been run through a machine that creates Disney villains. Her facial features are tight– almost as though she begrudges using the muscles (well, that plus the Botox she’s using to try to suspend her looks in time, but they’re really just suspending her face in the miserable state it must have been in when they injected her).

My Review:

This was a lively and breezy read laced together with smirk-worthy snark and clever wit. I always enjoy Ms. MacIntosh’s wry humor. Her colorful and observant character descriptions never fail to draw keen visuals to my mind’s eye and an amused smile to my lips. There were multiple storylines that eventually merged, it was game on in all directions. Each thread was busy and eventful yet easy to follow and equally entertaining and humorous.

This book was slightly disappointing. The synopsis sounded great. It was exactly what I love to read. But the actual book seemed very different. Yes, Ziggy and Serena’s story was good. I like the enemies to lovers plot. The disappointing part is that there is an entire plot line about Dean and his cheating that was not at all mentioned in the synopsis. It wouldn’t have been a big deal but the author gave it too much attention. It overwhelmed the actual romance side of the story.

On the other hand, I need to acknowledge that this had some great funny moments and I thought learning about the relationship between Serena and Diana was heartwarming.

I liked the sound of this book by reading the synopsis. However, this was just a part of the book as there were other storylines running alongside.

During their feud, Serena and Ziggy came across as quite immature whilst they were trying to drive one another from the house but I did feel they redeemed themselves as the book went on. I would have liked to see more chemistry between them though.

I enjoyed reading about Serena's relationship with Diana and the unexpected gift she was given but I wasn't overly keen on the situation with Dean.

Overall I enjoyed this book which was nice and easy to read with some humour.

Thank you Netgalley and Boldwood Books for my ARC copy in exchange for my honest opinion.

It was really tough for me to get through this book. There were SO many random plot points - eviction, affairs, a secret inheritance… Just a lot to follow. The characters were difficult to connect with, and the writing style read like the diary of a young girl (WHY did so many chapters end with ellipses??). If this were a book I was reading in any other capacity (i.e. not an ARC), I likely would have DNFed it. I do think that this book has a great premise, and the set up for the enemies to lovers romance was enticing. However, I think it just fell flat in execution, primarily because there was just too much going on, and it was hard to care about the central romance when it took 3/4ths of the book for them to get together.

So, I really liked the premise of this book. It made my think of Beth O’Leary’s The Flatshare, which I loved, and a few other roommates to lovers (is this a trope? I think it may be…) books. I love a good rom-com and was looking forward to reading this one, but it fell a bit flat for me.

Slight spoiler, but you find out in chapter one so not really… I don’t often like books where the MC already has partner that isn’t the other MC! I’m just not a fan of it, if they break up in the first few chapters, that’s maybe fine, but still, it usually puts me off. And in this case, though I won’t get into it, things are much more complicated. So, I was really not liking the book for the first 40% or so.

The romance, and really, any interaction between the two MCs, didn’t really start until 50% into the book, and I didn’t really feel that Serena or Ziggy had any chemistry. I think it got better as the book went on and they interacted more, and there were some genuinely funny moments and some cute banter between S and Z, but I never felt a real connection between them. Also, for two people somewhere in their 30s, they came across as very immature! If you’d told me they were 20 year old college students, I’d have believed you.

Anyways, it’s a quick read once you get into it, with some cute moments and fun hijinks. Worth a read on a lazy day when you need a bit of a laugh and nothing too heavy.

Thank you so much to Portia MacIntosh and Boldwood Books for the ARC of Your Place or Mine!

This book follows our main character Serena who finds herself in an unconventional living situation - she was kicked out her apartment and her friend Taylor offers that she can housesit while Taylor and her husband travel. Turns out, Taylor's husband has already extended that offer to another one of his friends: Ziggy. He parties loudly, is a musician and is definitely not the best roommate. They have to sort through living together or decide who can drive the other out.

I was really excited to read this book based on the description, but honestly the description only ends up being a very small part of the storyline! There are two plotlines that you're trying to follow throughout, and it honestly feels quite messy - especially because one of them is a plotline about dealing with/exposing a cheater (not my favourite trope) and honestly it didn't feel like it was resolved very well. I ended up just feeling very unaffected by this book - it's a quick read where I didn't become overly attached to any of the characters because their personalities weren't the most compelling. There were definitely some funny moments, but I think I would have liked it a lot better if it followed the storyline set out in the description.

What a fantastic book this was! It was my first by this author and I’ll definitely read more by this author as this was just so funny and romantic and it had my swooning and laughing! Thanks again for granting me my wish.

cw: Grief, cheating, gaslighting

When Serena finds herself unexpectedly jobless and homeless, her friend Taylor offers her the use of her home while she's away travelling with her husband, Tim. What she doesn't know is that Tim has also offered his friend, Ziggy, the same room. The house is mid-renovation, so there's only one good bedroom. When Serena gets lumbered with the rubbish bedroom, an immediate war begins between the two housemates.

I LOVED the premise of this book and was expecting some amazing forced-proximity chemistry plus lots of enemies-to-lovers banter. I really enjoyed the first couple of chapters and loved the idea of the Betty's-style tea shop and Serena's friendships there, but that quickly felt like it was only there to facilitate her homelessness. Still, I was looking forward to the housemate storyline, and, while their antics were fun at the beginning, I found both Serena and Ziggy incredibly immature, and actually couldn't believe the way they treated their friends' house (they actually end up burning a room!) I also thought the supposedly central romance felt flimsy and secondary to the relationship Serena was actually in (which isn't mentioned at all in the blurb), and I was frustrated with how much of the book was taken up with Dean and Lacey. I was also frustrated by the friendships in this book because they only appeared when it became convenient to info dump. There's a subplot with an Adult store that Serena inherits (as you do), which I actually really enjoyed, but ultimately I feel like this book was bogged down by too many sub-plots, which actually become the main plotlines for a lot of the story. Just like the previous book I read by this author, it reads like two completely different stories mashed together. I honestly think this could have been two really excellent stories, but even the nostalgic reminders of the Otley Run (I went to university in Leeds) couldn't save this from being a bit of a mess.


Overall Rating: ❤️❤️
Heat Rating: 🔥
Emotional Rating: 💓😂😡😬😱🙈😬🙄💓

*Thanks to NetGalley for the opportunity to leave an honest review*

I will leave the same review on Amazon UK on publication day. Thanks for offering me the opportunity to read an eARC.

When Serena and Ziggy are both offered a place to stay by their respective friends, neither realizes the other will be there. Ziggy is messy, has his friends over often and has claimed the best bedroom for himself. Serena puts up with it as much as she can but then decides the only way she will win is if she tries to push Ziggy out, embarking on a war between the two to see who will leave first.

This book was fun. I enjoyed the pranks the two played on each other but found it hard to believe when they became lovey dovey. One moment they were ready to kill each other with jokes, the next they were being affectionate with everything else forgotten. I believe the storyline would have been a bit more believable if there had been more of a build up to the relationship. I was surprised how much more there was going on in this book - don't let the synopsis fool you! There are a few other storylines thrown in that make it all that more addictive. If you're after a laugh out loud romcom with a bit more depth, you should consider giving this one a go.

Your Place or Mine?

3.5/5

This book was a cute and easy read.

To start off, I really liked the dynamic between Ziggy and Serena. I really enjoyed their banter and the tension written between the two of them while they were waging war over their living situation. I wish that the war lasted longer and for more of that tension throughout the book.

I also enjoyed Portia's witty and dry sense of humor throughout the book.

Sadly, I feel like there was just a lot going on with this book. It felt like every single trope was being thrown in and that there were two separate conflicts going on within the main plot of Ziggy and Serena sharing the house together.

I will say, I did enjoy the last 3/4 of the book, but the whole thing felt a little bit unorganized, and it was hard to stay focused at times.

Thank you to Boldwood Books and Netgalley for the eARC in exchange for an honest review.

Ir was a funny chic lit, it was an easy read the only issue I had was that the blurb was a bit misleading. I however didn’t find both main characters very likable. I would say that if you’re looking for a light hearted, easy, funny, cute read this is the way to go.

Your Place or Mine? 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

Two reluctant housemates. One question: Is this your place or mine...?

When Serena is kicked out of her flat, an offer from her friend, Taylor, to house sit for her while she and her husband go travelling could not be better timing. But unfortunately for Serena she’s not the only one to have received this offer…

Enter Ziggy: arrogant, messy (and annoyingly handsome) musician, and friend of Taylor’s husband. Living with him is far from ideal, especially when he claims the best room, has loud parties - and the least said about his kitchen manner the better...

There's just one solution for Serena – drive him out of the house by being twice as difficult to live with than he is! But Ziggy knows Serena's game and as war ensues between them, being forced together under one roof may result in some unexpected consequences...

My Opinion

I have mixed feelings about this book - I liked it but it didn't grab me. Overall, I thought this was an entertaining read with some great characters. This was a quick and easy book to read. Serena has her world turned upside down following the death of Diana and is in desperate need of somewhere to stay - she can't possibly have any more issues, can she?

I do enjoy books by Portia MacIntosh and I would not hesitate to recommend this one. A short, but fun rom-com, that will appeal to any fans of the genre.

Rating: 4/5

Another great read. It was a really fun romance and the sparky relationship between Serena and Ziggy made me smile. A joy to read from start to finish and made for a wonderful escape. Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for giving me access to an early copy of this book.