Liv is funny, well she's a comedian that is out of work. Liv has been ghost writing for celebrities but she is keen to write her own romantic comedy. She has a wonderful boyfriend, Teddy, who is on his way up the corporate ladder to taking over his family dynasty. When he proposes after only nine months together, Liv thinks all her dreams have come true.

With Liv's brother also getting married and only one date available at the venue their grandfather built, it becomes a double wedding. But the only date available is a handful of weeks away. This is when things start to fall apart. Enter Hugo and his easy-going personality and his happiness to help Liv with anything.

Big thanks to Netgalley, Portia McIntosh and Boldwood books for the eARC of this book. I found this book a little depressing. It wasn't angst it was just sadness, which is not really my thing. However, the setting and the inclusion of little Cornwell easter eggs was beautiful and I particularly liked the ending. The two wedding dress scenes made me cry. There was no spice. I'm not even sure if I would call it closed door as I am not sure if they actually did anything. I'll leave that to you to figure out.

Olivia and Teddy get engaged, and too soon are heading towards a double wedding thAt Olivia seemingly has no input too. Why is Teddy pushing to marry so soon but being distant? When Olivia makes a connection with someone else what will happen?

Olivia and Teddy get engaged and the wedding is planned for just a few weeks ahead. Olivia goes to her favourite place in Cornwall to set everything up but Teddy is nowhere to be seen. is she sure she really wants to marry someone whose business takes priority? A perfect holiday, really enjoyable read.

Portia MacIntosh is a must read author for me, so just imagine my excitement at being approved to read her most recent book. In pure MacIntosh fashion, this book is fun and funny and adorable.

Olivia’s rich and driven boyfriend, Teddy, proposes out of the blue after only dating for nine months. Although she feels it's too soon, she realizes she doesn't want to lose Teddy so she says yes. Her dream is to get married at the same location her grandparents and parents got married. Unfortunately, the venue's only available date is a month away, and they will no longer be hosting weddings. So here's Liv, with two weeks to plan a joint wedding (her brother and his fiancé are also getting married on that date) all while questioning her love for and decision to marry Teddy.

I laughed out loud so many times. But I was the happiest when Liv found her voice and finally made herself heard.

A huge thanks to NetGalley, the author and Boldwood Books for this ARC! All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for allowing me to review this book

I'm going to be honest. I DNF'd this book around 25% in. In that time, all I saw was a highly dysfunctional relationship where the MC was lying to herself about being in this great relationship when it was clear she was miserable. I couldn't stand to keep reading it. What I read wasn't terrible, it just wasn't a book for me, and I wasn't enjoying it. I didn't find the characters dynamic or fleshed out.

This is typical British romcom with bit of subtle humor, two guys liking a girl who doesn’t think she is gorgeous but rest of the world knows she is. The girl is left to choose between successful guy and a guy who captures her interest. It’s a feel good book with uncomplicated and good hearted characters. It leaves the reader with warm fuzzies.

This was an absolute gem of a read that stole my heart completely. - I devoured this in hours. Portia Macintosh is an auto buy for me, and this no exception I just love her. The writing style is just perfect and just draws you in. The characters are beautifully written and easy to relate to with the strong chemistry and family dynamics. A must read romance - 5 stars

It’s so good to be back in a Portia book – I just can’t resist her brilliant writing style and witty characters and Better Off Wed totally fulfilled my expectations and more! This is definitely a one sitting read if you have the time to just curl up and enjoy it. It’s a brilliant one for a holiday read too.
I loved Olivia. She made me laugh and had such witty sense of humour. She is such a lovely person and very loyal to her family and friends. I adored her relationship with her family – and her twin brother especially. The whole family are so down to earth and I admired the way her mum got a bit feisty and protective over the family too.
Teddy gave me an off feeling from the outset. I found him a bit of an arse and disrespectful towards the things that mattered to Olivia. I didn’t feel anything he did was genuine and always felt as though there was an ulterior motive to it and I couldn’t see why Olivia was keen to hang to the idea of being with him. But I do love a character that I dislike so I really enjoyed how his character made Olivia that bit sweeter and more lovable.
The setting brought a summer vibe to the plot and I loved exploring a little bit of Cornwall through the characters as I have never been. I loved the idea of getting married somewhere your relatives had built and meant a lot to your family – not sure I’d share a wedding with my brother to have it though.
Better Off Wed is the perfect pick-me-up and was an absolute joy to read!

I am such a huge fan of Portia MacIntosh – I just love her writing style, and having already read and loved Your Place or Mine, Just Date and See, The Meet Cute Method, Life’s A Beach and Faking It, I just knew I was going to totally love Better Off Wed just as much – and I wasn’t wrong! The story follows Olivia, who is shocked when her boyfriend Teddy proposes to her – totally out of the blue and so not expected – I mean they don’t even live together yet! The next shock for Olivia comes when Teddy tells her he wants them to get married as soon as possible.

Swept along with all the excitement, Liv knows there is only one place she dreamed of getting married – the beautiful venue on the Cornish coastline built by her grandfather. A slight problem occurs when the venue only has one date available before it closes down, and with Olivia’s brother also due to get married there as well – Olivia thinks that she won’t be able to have her dream location. That is until her Dad comes up with the hilarious idea of a double wedding! I was literally laughing out loud at Olivia’s Dad trying to negotiate to save the date and book a double wedding for his daughter and son!

What follows is a flurry of wedding preparation and activity, with Liv having to do pretty much everything as Teddy seems to go AWOL when it comes to planning the wedding. But is marrying Teddy really what Liv wants? And will they really be better off wed?

Better Off Wed is another brilliantly funny book from (in my opinion) the queen of rom-coms. The characters are not only so well-written but also have a depth to them – you really become involved in their stories. Another brilliant book from Portia MacIntosh, and another must-read from me.

There are plenty of laughs in this romcom but they are never nasty. It is just a wry look at the lengths some brides will go to for their dream wedding. What shines through is the family feeling and genuine affection between the characters. The setting in Cornwall sounds idyllic but there are a few gentle digs at the 'influencers' who want to be married there 'for the social media views'. Olivia's family have a genuine reason for wanting to be married there and a family link back to the area.

Olivia's job as a comedian fits in nicely to the story. I loved all her on purpose terrible jokes and her observations of what was going on in her life. You sense her doubts from early on, but I was never sure whether she would be swept along by events or actually face up to what she wanted. I think my favourite character was her mother, who seemed to never over react but who you always felt had a good idea as to what was going on. You couldn't have more of a contrast with Olivia's future mother in law. This is a fun read with some great characters and plenty of humour. Enjoy!

In short: Love and laughter
Thanks to the publisher for a copy of the book

Read this while on my Easter holiday, being on the valley floor in the middle of a forest and I can say that was the perfect place to be. So this will be a great holiday read. Books set in Cornwall make for great settings and along with very good characters plus a great author what more can you need. Fantastic, well worth 5 stars.

Thanks to Netgalley and publisher for this ARC

3.5⭐️
If you want a book to loose your mind and enjoy a great love story with tons of "bad jokes" that will make you laugh at the most random times this is the book!!!
This book had me questioning all the time, what's going to happen? Also there were Easter eggs here and there that you couldn't quite place but at the end everything makes sense.
Beware because you will want to strangle some characters. I used to be a wedding vendor and I can tell you they definitely exist.
The setting in a town by the beach where they are planning a last minute wedding, I'll save you the details but I can tell you there is no pregnancy trope so no worries.
Teddy is the definition of a dream boyfriend for some, and Olivia and him are at a very good place until he proposes. I felt bad for both of them because the circumstances didn't work for any of them. They were both at a place where they were trying to figure out their lifes and with set goals. At this point their lives just didn't align but I do believe that Teddy did love her in his own way. Just didn't communicate what they both expected of the relationship. Plus he messed up in other ways as any mommas boy would.. lol.
Hugo is too good to be true but I like him. Again, he already has his life figured out so that helps. I enjoy Olivia's and Hugo's banter and totally get their instalove. Yes we have an inset love trope but I really like it.
Olivia is a comedian and a ghostwriter in a crossroads. She is trying to make a decision about where her life is going and insert a marriage proposal here.. not a good combination.
So, Olivia and Teddy need to get married ASAP because Olivias team wedding venue is getting demolished. As it happens to be, her brother is also getting married and he wants that venue too so they "agree" to have the wedding together. Teddy is never present, but Olivia meets Hugo and he starts helping her and yup, you guessed it. They start realizing they are great together. This is not a love triangle story. As things unfold man everyone is happy at the end like any good romcom book.
My complain is that there is zero 🌶! ZERO! Oh well, we cant have it all...
The family interaction is on point and I can definitely see where Olivia got the comedian part.
This is the second book I've read by Portia MacIntosh and I really enjoyed it. Thank Netgalley for the ARC.

It was an okay read. Parts were engaging and great then the other half was a bit scattered. Teddy and Olive didn’t feel like they had chemistry, felt a bit awkward their relationship, a bit coldish. The ending left me with questions, it just ended kind of sudden.

Starting a new Portia MacIntosh story I know I am going to be entertained with laughter and romance and that was also true with this book. There were definitely some moments that I would love to see filmed, but I cannot say anymore as that would give something away that is not mentioned in the blurb. There was a lot more to the story than what gets mentioned in the blurb... trust me. There really is a lot going on in this story that focuses on just a couple of weeks leading up to Olivia's wedding all set in Cornwall together with her family and some locals. There is quite some craziness and jokes, although not many from Olivia despite her being a comedian. I think her mom made me laugh more than Olivia. Overall just a sweet and fun story that I would recommend!

Macintosh is the queen of romantic comedy and I've enjoyed every one of her books I've read so far. They're light, easy to read heartwarming tales of romance, written with warmth and sprinkled in humour.

Grab your hats, we're off to a wedding, or are we?

When Olivia's partner Teddy books their wedding...in a few weeks time, the alarm bells start ringing for Olivia, the panic stations open and the countdown to the best day of her life begins...or is it? Is there something or even someone better waiting in the wings?

Better Off Wed is enjoyable, has some colourful confetti characters and was the perfect piece of escapism for a Sunday afternoon.

Many thanks to Rachel's Random Resources for my tour spot.

Rating ⭐⭐⭐⭐

Better Off Wed is another corker of a read from Portia Macintosh. it's the absolute perfect summer holiday read. Full of likeable and engaging characters who make you laugh out loud and also fall very much in love with. The relationship between Olivia and her family is lovely and adds lots of depth to the story.

A lovely summer read.

When Olivia’s boyfriend, of a few months, proposes, she sees a couple of red flags but maybe this is meant to be and they are meant to live happily ever after. However, while planning her wedding she may find love with someone else.

I have read novels by this author before and really do enjoy their writing, this novel started off great but the issue I had was that I wanted the main character to be more independent and question things rather than go with the flow and be so naive; because of this, I found bits a little irritating. However, this does not take away from the author and the previous novel they have written.

The narrative was a little predictable but this did not remove from the overall read and of course, this ended with the outcome that everyone wanted.

Olivia and Teddy have just gotten engaged and because she wants to get married at the place her grandfather built, they have to get married soon. The catch- they will have to get married in a double wedding with her sister. As Olivia tries to plan her wedding, she finds Teddy is too busy to help and her sister makes all the decisions.

I have read several of MacIntosh’s books and I love her style. Her books have great characters, witty banter, and lots of romance. You also see a growth with the characters, which is something I always look for. Olivia is basically a doormat through this entire book, but she puts her foot down and does a complete overhaul at the end.

Thanks to NetGalley and Boldwood Books for this ARC! All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Better Off Wed is the 13th book by Portia MacIntosh that I read (and I still have many more left) and that has to mean something. If I feel a bit down her stories always manage to lift my spirits up with their fun and cute plots, her realistic heroines and the charming cast of characters she usually creates. Better Off Wed was not the exception.

Olivia’s boyfriend Teddy proposes out of the blue. Even though she thinks it’s a bit soon, after dating for nine months only, she says yes as her dream is to get married in a dream location with family ties. The only available date is a few weeks away, and she will find herself in a whirlwind, planning a double wedding as she starts questioning if she’s marrying for the right reasons and why Teddy’s proposal was so sudden.

Although the start was a bit of a slow burn, once the wedding preparations get underway, the story picked up its rhythm and I read it in two sittings. I like it when there’s some Bridezilla character, as it’s always so much fun to see the lengths to which some people can go to get their dream wedding. Add that said Bridezilla is an influencer and you have a time bomb in your hands! The author takes the opportunity to take a dig at influencers who do everything for the views and the likes. Despite all her drama it was nice to see her redeem herself at the end.

Liv’s arc was a pretty interesting one. It took her a while to speak up for herself, but once she did, nothing could stop her. She was going with flow, living for others instead of living for herself, so it was great when something made click in her head and she started going for what she really wanted or needed instead of whatever others wanted to impose. The story really makes you reflect about your true desires, what you really want, and points the finger at how sometimes we agree with decisions we’re not 100% sure about just because we’re scared of what might happen in case we say NO.

At first Teddy sounds like the perfect man, but after the proposal he does a complete 180º, showing a complete different side. I predicted the why and I may or may not (definitely MAY) have called him names. Although I didn’t like him, I think his conversation with Olivia was really mature and honest, not blaming one another and just coming to realize they simply were at different points in their lives, with different goals and future’s expectations.

The chemistry between Olivia and Hugo was fantastic but, based on his description and how he acted with Liv, who wouldn’t have chemistry with him???

A few days ago I was thinking about the romcom genre and its happy endings, and how we usually equal a happy ending with ending up with the love interest. I’m the first one that likes when things go well at the end, a happy ending is always welcome, but life isn’t always like that. I liked how the ending here felt pretty realistic, although I missed an epilogue a few months later to see where they were at.

Better Off Wed was a light read that had some interesting reflections and a great add to Portia’s body of work.

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

Liv’s life is moving very fast. Her boyfriend of a few months proposes on the way to her brother’s engagement party. Then if they want to get married at her dream location they have to get married in 4 weeks. A funny romcom that will transport you to Cornish for family fun. I loved Liv’s story. A perfect feel good romcom.