This book was so SO cute! I loved all of the characters and the message throughout the story. Amazing read.

3.5-4 stars
A girl goes on a bus tour in hopes of looking for a fresh start. It starts off on a weird foot since it’s an older group tour and the tour guide and her are not each others cup of tea or are they.

I was excited to read this one as it seemed to have a lot of what I’d like in a romance. While I struggled with Alice as a character, I enjoyed the side characters.

Work in Progress is a delightful, laugh‑out‑loud romantic comedy that warms the heart while celebrating self‑discovery and unexpected companionship. When Alice’s carefully ordered life falls apart—she loses her job and her fiancé just before her 30th birthday—she impulsively signs up for a UK literary bus tour, hoping for a fresh start, a new sense of purpose, and definitely no romance. What she gets instead is far more entertaining: a bus full of charming, fluffy‑haired octogenarians and one irresistibly infuriating Scottish driver who throws all her plans into delightful disarray.

The novel sparkles with wit, charm, and genuine emotional resonance. Alice’s journey—from planning ride‑all‑day in her pajamas to forging meaningful friendships and possibly reconsidering her no‑kiss rule—feels both fun and relatable. The vivacious older ladies bring warmth, wisdom, and laughter, while the Scottish driver adds just the right touch of mischief and romantic tension. This story isn’t just about the places they visit—it’s about the unexpected relationships formed along the way, and how the best adventures often begin when things go wrong.

In short, Work in Progress is a thoroughly enjoyable, feel‑good rom‑com perfect for anyone craving humor, heart, and a fresh take on starting over.

A literary bus tour across the U.K. With a handsome Scottish driver…. Of course I had to read it!!! @katmackenziewrites I loved this book from the very first page. I laughed, I cried, I adored this book!! It’s heartfelt, and full of messy, relatable humanity. It is cute, but real. I enjoyed every single minute of it and loved all the literary connections throughout the tour. The growth, self-discovery and friendships that Alice gains is wonderful. I felt very connected to Alice because we all know what it’s like to think life needs to go a certain way or what plans we have laid out for ourselves and what happens when it doesn’t go the way we think it should. This is a must read!

I thought this was a cute and fun read. I love old lady wisdom and the way that they can get up to no good. I think even though she went thru the horrible breakup, she needed the lightness and brightness her trip brought! I really enjoyed this book!

⭐⭐🌶️

There's a difference between "enemies to lovers" and just being an insufferable bitch. The main character was soooo unlikeable. The banter was just them being straight up mean to each other, especially her. I thought it might work if it translated into some sort of hot dom/brat bedroom relationship, but then the book turned out to be closed door, and that didn't happen.

To top it off, there was a big stupid miscommunication. And then! Towards the end, after the male lead has admitted his love, she's still out there dating and kissing another dude.

A miss for me

I love when characters go on solo trips and in Alice's case, I enjoyed how spontaneous it was. But I think the story would've been better solely as self discovery & women's fiction than a romance. Their "banter" was more like bickering and took away from the story in my opinion.

The characters are likable, and the story mostly has good pace—but it never quite dives deep and so some of the more emotional arcs felt rushed. Because it's a bus tour, it does get a little repetitive as the author described each tour stop - I found the setting beautiful, but again repetitive and I think it made the book rather lengthy.

2.75 rounded up
**Thank you to Netgalley and Avon for the ARC and the chance to read and review. All opinions are my own**

If you’re yearning for a European road trip this summer, this is the book for you! A hot and grumpy tour guide, a delightful group of octogenarian tourists, and an itinerary that had me adding new places to my travel bucket list - this book had it all. I really loved the two main characters together - even when they were rubbing each other the wrong way (an understatement) they clearly wanted to rub each other the right way (get it?). I think this would make a great beach read - or a book to read while on a European bus tour.

This was so fun to read. The book tour group was such a fun bunch and I loved the rid bits about the Scottish culture.

Work in Progress is a delightful and heartwarming story that follows Alice, a woman who—after a messy breakup and losing her job—spontaneously signs up for a three-week, women-only literary bus tour around the UK. What follows is a journey of self-discovery, laughter, unexpected romance, and found family that felt both relatable and inspiring—honestly, it’s the kind of trip I could totally see myself taking!

One of the standout aspects of this book was the group of older women on the tour, ranging in age from newly retired to 96. It was refreshing to see this often-overlooked demographic at the forefront of a contemporary novel, and I only wish we had gotten even more of their rich and colorful backstories. Characters like Helena and Flossie added so much depth and charm to the story.

The UK literary tour setting made for an engaging backdrop, keeping the story dynamic and full of fresh scenes and surprises. There were so many genuinely funny moments—I found myself laughing out loud more than once, especially during some of Alice’s hilariously awkward encounters. Her escapades were endearingly chaotic and very easy to relate to.

The slow-burn, enemies-to-lovers relationship between Alice and Robbie was another highlight. Their banter and chemistry added just the right touch of romance, and the forced proximity due to the nature of the tour kept the tension delightfully high. It also checked a lot of my favorite romance tropes: grumpy/sunshine, single POV, and found family.

I also loved the fun little touches like the chapter headers and lists scattered throughout the book—they added personality and made the reading experience even more enjoyable.

Read this if you like:
→ Forced proximity
→ Enemies to lovers
→ Scottish settings
→ Banter
→ Single POV
→ Grumpy/sunshine dynamic
→ Found family themes

A fun, uplifting read that balances humor, heart, and healing. Highly recommend for fans of character-driven rom-coms with a literary twist.

Thank you NetGalley and Avon Publishing for my DRC!

Work in Progress is a charming debut romantic comedy that transports readers on a literary bus tour through the UK, blending humor, heart, and self-discovery.

The novel has garnered positive reviews for its engaging characters and witty dialogue. The dynamic between Alice and Robbie highlights their chemistry and the humorous banter that defines their interactions. The secondary characters, particularly the elderly women on the tour, add depth and warmth to the story.

Work in Progress is a delightful read for fans of romantic comedies and travel narratives. With its engaging characters, witty dialogue, and heartwarming story, it offers a refreshing escape into a world of literature, love, and personal transformation. Whether you're seeking a cozy read or a vicarious journey through the UK, this novel delivers a satisfying experience.

I thought it was a fantastic read, it was a bit slow at first for my liking but I quickly fell in love with the characters and the pacing. I really enjoyed the writing style and the overall, dynamic between the characters and how much they felt fleshed out. You can tell the author really loved her characters to develop such a story around them and I felt it with every passing chapter! I highly recommend this read!

‘Work in Progress’ by Kat Mackenzie is a perfect enemies-to-lovers travel romance. I said what I said. (In fact, everything hit so right for me that I ended up reading this in one sitting, at night.)

First, it fits one of my favorite micro-tropes of “running to a foreign country to get away from my problems but oops, I fell into the arms of a handsome, but grumpy man.” In this case, Alice Cooper says (probably), “School’s out for Spring,” & books a last-minute UK bus tour as an escape from the loss of her job & her last relationship. Look, we all grew up with the Mary-Kate & Ashley international travel romcom movies, so we cannot fault Alice for expecting this trip to be an opportunity for life-changing moments. And from the moment that Alice runs into Robbie at the airport & we are treated to their delicious chemistry, we know (as a reader) that this trip will indeed be life-changing.

But this is also a story that shows us the magic that can happen when things don’t go according to our plans & to-do lists. Because nothing goes as planned for Alice, including finding out that the trip she booked is not for other twenty & thirty-something women, but rather that this old bus is full of feisty old ladies & one very handsome, but grumpy Scottish bus driver. (I’m also learning that I love the micro-trope of “travel bus full of feisty old folks who have many stories & many lessons to teach the random young person also on this bus.”)

This story is utterly delightful & it’s been a while since I’ve read an “enemies-to-lovers” romance that really gets it right. And by right, I mean the “I loathe you” scene from The Princess Diaries 2 & the Zac Efron episode of The Suite Life of Zack & Cody. This book serves up these vibes exactly as we watch Robbie & Alice argue (banter) & pick on each other (flirt) endlessly before they finally smash their faces together. Oh, and there’s caretaking? Multiple moments of it?? Between enemies???

And all through this book, you truly feel like you’re in all of the tour locations, in a way that clearly shows how Kat Mackenzie has actually been to these places in-person & not just through a google search. I very much look forward to any future book she writes, especially as she takes us along to these very beautiful & very real foreign locations.

Thank you to Avon & NetGalley for providing a digital advanced copy of this book for review. All thoughts & opinions expressed are my own.

Sweet, somewhat formulaic, rom-com - an American who has lost her fiance and job and feels aimless in life, signs up for a UK literary tour without reading the small print. She shows up to a bus full of women of a certain age and a grumpy, but sexy, bus driver, not what she had in mind when she booked the tour! the pair's adventures and laugh-out loud side characters makes this a sweet read about keeping yourself open to possibilities.

Thank you to the publisher and thank you to NetGalley for the chance to review this e-ARC. Full review will be available soon

Work in Progress is a sweet and funny rom-com with a lot of heart. I really enjoyed the bookish road trip vibe and the quirky cast of characters. The main character’s journey of self-discovery was relatable, and the romance was cute without being over-the-top.

Some parts were a little predictable, but it didn’t take away from how fun and comforting the story was. A great pick if you’re looking for something light and uplifting!

I read a copy of #WorkinProgress by #KatMacKenzie through #NetGalley. This book made me grin and laugh as I read about Alice Cooper and her spontaneous trip through Boadicea Adventures run by Robbie Brodie. The tour she expects is not the tour she has as it is with old women who all become her friends by the end of the book. Robbie she treats as her enemy but there too the relationship changes. The book is funny, lists books as it is supposed to be a literary tour. It is a feel good romantic story and I highly recommend.

This is a fun read with lots of literary references for book lovers.

Hyperorganized Alice is desperate for time away from her currently depressing life (brutal breakup, unemployment, AND an impending 30th birthday), so she impulsively books a spot on a “women only” literary bus tour of the UK. She expects to bond with other like-minded millennial women as they visit noteworthy locales of some of her favorite novels. What she encounters instead is a rickety old bus full of white-haired elderly women and a Scottish tour guide/ bus driver who immediately sets out to put Alice in her place. Many hijinks ensue.

I enjoyed the descriptions of each of the many tour sites - “learning through imagination” - and the tie-ins to books I love and books unfamiliar to me. The banter is great and the developing friendships are fun to witness.

Any Anglophile or bibliophile will enjoy Work in Progress, as long as you also enjoy contemporary rom-coms. You can even formulate a book list from the story, as the tour comes with a reading list of titles the women discuss at each stop. Sort of like a book group on wheels.

Thank you to Avon, Harper Vogayer, and NetGalley for this ARC.

The only reason I kept reading was because I was curious about all the stops they were going to make on their tour. But for all the details and adventures they went on while at these stops, it is more likely they just stayed in Edinburgh and looked at a photo album. There was more time spent describing putting on a dress and all the bloody zippers than time spent in Startford-upon-Avon.
Most of all Alice Cooper is unbearable. I wanted to throw her off the bus every other page. I'm glad her suitcase got pooped on.
Robbie, have more self respect.