I wanted to like this book more than I did. I love stories set in Scotland, the bus tour sounds like my ideal vacation, and I loved getting to know the other women on the bus. However, I found Alice to be overly mean for at least half of the book. I realize that there was a lot of personal growth for her through the story but at times it felt like there was no good reason for her actions. She also came across as rather judgemental even after that growth had started. This all combined to make her a FMC that I wasn't really rooting for.

Overall, other than a few things, I really did enjoy this novel. I felt like Alice had a lot going against her both before and after she makes a rash decision to go on a book bus tour of the UK.

Things I enjoyed:
*the bus tour ladies. They were awesome!
*the bus
*the banter between Robbie and Alice (even though it was sometimes mean)
*the growth of Alice's character--I reallllly wasn't sure about her at first, but she grew (pun intended!) on me.

Things I did not enjoy:
*when the banter got a little meaner
*miscommunication and assumptions (you all know what "assume" means...)

Four stars!

𝙒𝙤𝙧𝙠 𝙞𝙣 𝙋𝙧𝙤𝙜𝙧𝙚𝙨𝙨 by 𝙆𝙖𝙩 𝙈𝙖𝙘𝙆𝙚𝙣𝙯𝙞𝙚 is everything I love in a romcom.

This debut is packed with sarcasm, witty banter, and a romance that had me grinning from start to finish. Alice Cooper (yes, that’s her real name) is stubborn, list-obsessed, and an absolute mess in the best way possible. After losing her job and her fiancé, she decides to shake things up with a three-week, all-female literary bus tour across the UK.

Then there’s Robbie, the Scottish tour guide who’s just as stubborn and knows exactly how to push Alice’s buttons. Their chemistry is perfectly placed—not exactly a slow burn, but it builds at just the right pace to keep you hooked. The witty back-and-forth between them is hilarious, full of sarcasm and sharp comebacks that had me laughing out loud. Watching their dynamic shift from clashing personalities to something deeper was so satisfying.

The side characters add so much charm—especially the group of older ladies on the tour who bring their own humor and heart. And the setting! The UK literary landmarks and historical spots make this story feel like a cozy escape for book lovers.

Alice’s journey of self-discovery is inspiring without being too heavy. Her flaws, her stubbornness, and her refusal to give up on herself made her so relatable. And that ending? Perfectly swoony and heartwarming without feeling over the top.

Honestly, I wasn’t expecting to love Work in Progress this much. I picked it up without knowing anything about it, and it totally hooked me. Not only did I fall for the book, but Kat MacKenzie is also such a down-to-earth and engaging author. This debut is everything I want in a romcom: laugh-out-loud moments, sizzling chemistry, and characters I’ll be thinking about for a long time. I’m definitely looking forward to whatever she writes next.

Thank you NetGalley and AvonBooks for the eARC. Work in Progress releases on January 14, 2025.

I'd like to thank Avon, Harper Voyager for the Netgalley eARC of this book so I could read this write a review.

If I could go on a bookish tour, this would 100% be the itinerary I'd pick! Seriously, the stops on this trip are all perfect (someone please make this a thing!!!!)

I love reading books where someone goes on a healing journey and this one fit the bill! We have Alice who has booked a last minute 3 week long tour of the UK that promises female camaraderie, history, a companion reading list. Who wouldn't want to go on a trip that provided a reading list? (Again, sign me up for this trip, please!) Okay, back to our story! We also have Robbie who is the handsome Scottish tour guide, and all of the ladies love him (except for Alice, of course).

We get lots of banter in this one (so much so, that I did not like Alice for the first quarter of the book). There were lots of mentions of historical sights as well, so I was having a good time of Google image searching so I could "see" what they were seeing on their tour.

Some fun tropes that may or may not interest you in reading the book:
- To do lists (Alice is a list girl!)
- Banter
- Vivacious group of ladies
- Historical references (people and places)
- Book lover's dream trip

A lot of this worked for me, and some of it didn’t.

What Worked:
- The overall premise, especially the bookish tour
- The Old Ladies
- It was genuinely funny
- I liked all the chapter headers and lists
- The banter
- Robbie (though he somehow got more and more Scottish as the book progressed)

What Didn’t Work (for me):
- Alice (sorry, I know she has a lot going on but some proper communication and level-headedness would have solved 85% of her problems)
- Miscommunication Trope
- Alice wanting to visit the UK forever but is somehow confused that full English Breakfasts have baked beans???

This was fun enough. Would I re-read it? Probably not. Would I recommend it over other rom-coms I’ve read? Again, probably not unless they were specifically looking for a Scottish love interest or some tour/tour-guide based romance. But the writing was well done! I think this will be an excellent book for some people. I just don’t think it was for me. Maybe I would have liked this much better if I understood all the literary references and didn’t mind miscommunication as much as I do.

Great debut. The miscommunication needed work as it was more annoying than not (no on believes he had a gf—which just makes Alice look unintelligent) and the book in general was about 100 pages too long. She should have cut a lot of the little things and gotten us to the end faster. I loved the authors voice so I look forward to future books, but I don’t like how rude Alice was in the first half. The joking meanness was fun at the end, but when she meant it? I almost put the book down. Again, though, the authors voice was a delightful surprise.

You had me at Scotland on this one. Multiple trips to the UK later, it's one of my favorite places and any chance to venture there in a book (or on vacation) I will receive.

When Alice books a bus tour through the UK, she had a few expectations for this trip and starting over from a rough break up. Upon arriving in Edinburgh, she finds that the tour is with a band of elderly ladies, and the accommodations are far from what she anticipated..not to mention the hot Scotsman who runs the tour, who of course she gets off on the wrong foot with immediately upon arrival.

As Alice readjusts her expectations, she finds that this might be exactly what she needed.

This story was lovely. It was so fun to hear about so many places that I would return to in a heartbeat. The comradery between Alice and the ladies was a joy and the will they won't they for her and Robbie was the icing on the cake. But, the writing felt a bit clunky - the author had so many descriptions of places it took away from the plot of the story instead of enhancing it. The very rushed 3rd act reconciliation, while yes had a happily for now, ended fairly abruptly and absolutely needed an epilogue or another few chapters really.

All in all though, this was a wonderful escape to the UK and I'm excited to see what cones next for this author.

Thank you Netgalley, and Avon, and Harper Voyager for the ARC in exchange for my review!

This book was like a warm hug. Our FMC, Alice, is on a trip ahead of her 30th birthday. Unfortunately, her trip is not quite what she expected. Instead, of a sexy tour group and instead there are a bunch of old ladies. She also butts heads with the tour guy. Eventually, sparks fly and they get past their differences and explore what is between them.

I can't stop telling people about this book! I fell in love with every single character. Each woman was thoughtfully and fully fleshed out. I would LOVE for this to be the start of a series because I'm not ready to let go of the women yet. The romance is swoony. If you like banter than you will love this!

Thank you NetGalley and Avon and Harper Voyager for this ARC.

1.5⭐

Alice Cooper's life has essentially fallen apart. Her fiancé suddenly leaves her for another woman and, struggling to keep up with work due to her personal issues, she's fired from her job. After a 6-months long battle with depression, she - drunkenly - decides to embark on a 3-week book-themed tour of the UK, planning to "adjust life plan, and prepare to kick butt upon arrival home".

This book had a lot of ups and downs for me. 

Besides the plot, which I'll get into afterwards, I believe the author strove to make the book whimsical and fantastical through the language used. It didn't really work for me, it felt exaggerated, making it a bit tiresome, though that is simply my predilection.

The MMC's introduction was not it for me. There are different ways to make a dislike to friends to lovers book, and the dislike was indeed very present. I wouldn't have given him a chance IRL. He did win me over throughout the book.

As for the FMC, I'm not a fan of immature adults, and I could understand - in the beginning of the book - why she acted as she did. However, the more I read, the less I liked her. 

Certain events unfortunately fell flat for me, such as a misunderstanding, which I am not a fan of, even though they make for a few funny scenes. My personal preference is for open communication, or at least a short-term misunderstanding.

Up till the point where they actually started to develop a friendship, I had oscillated between "it was okay" and "I enjoyed it". With the change in dynamics, I was actually liking it.

By the time the tour was over, I could certainly sympathize with her decision. However, a previous plot point was re-introduced and it completely ruined the book for me. While I had grown to like the book, and would have given it 3 starts, I couldn't understand the thought process behind that particular incident. To me, it added absolutely nothing to the story, other than leaving me with blood boiling rage. Unfortunately, that single chapter made me think Robbie deserved better and made me wish he'd met another woman.

Overall, my take on this book is: it has a great setting, lovely side characters, but falls outside of my personal preferences when it comes to writing style and the romance itself. If there hadn't been that particular reoccurrence or if it hadn't been a romance, I actually would've liked it.

Work in Progress was a fun read and made me want to go on European tour tomorrow. The banter between the two main characters was so much fun to read and the history parts were interesting. I loved the relationship between Alice and the women on the tour and how their advice and kindness really helped Alice rediscover herself. I loved Robbie and his snarky comments. There is a slight miscommunication trope in the book but it doesn’t happen at the end which was a nice change. I did skim some of the descriptions of locations to be honest, it went on at some points of the book. Overall I enjoyed this book and now I need to go to Europe. Thank you NetGalley , Harper Voyage, and Avon for sending me this ARC for an honest review.

This was so cute and sweet and wholesome. The bond between Alice and all the ladies was held to equal importance (if not more importance) with her relationship with Robbie, and they were all so rich and complex and detailed. This was honestly peak cutie little RomCom and it was such a fun adventure.

Also, Alice is the focus. It is about Alice. Robbie was a supporting character and I feel like this was more a love story about Alice with herself than it was even about them together.

I visited Scotland for the first time this summer and have developed a complete obsession with any romance book that takes place there, and this has worked its way into my top 5 😍

I absolutely ADORED every single character in this book - of course I was obsessed with Alice and Robbie, but I found myself melting just as much with her relationships with Doris, Helena, Berrta, Flossie, Agatha, Lorna, and Madge. This book was a story of self-discovery and friendship with a healthy dose of swoon-worthy Scotsman romance added in, and I was delighted by every page.

Thank you to NetGalley and Avon Books for this eARC!

4.0⭐️ apparently scottish men is my genre of choice for the month…and im not complaining 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿

i love a good “foreign country tour/trip” microtrope especially in romance and this was no exception! the writing and setting imagery out me right into the uk. this book surprised me because not only was it a cute hate to love romance, it was also uplifting and inspirational. the lessons and stories that alice learns from the women on the trip showed such strong women and helped alice herself develop as a character.

alice is fresh off a job and long term boyfriend so she takes a weeks long trip to the uk (as one should!) of course then she meets her hot scottish tour guide who she will definitely not fall for🧍‍♀️🧍‍♀️…right. i loved watching alice open herself to the women and to robbie and to new possibilities throughout her vacation. she grew into her true self and i loved her quirks and personality.

mr. scotsman himself robbie 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿 i fear alice is me because i would try to hate this man and then completely fall for him too. this man was such a caretaker and i loved his banter with alice. i just know this man was pining for the majority of the trip and alice was just #oblivious. i loved his little “ofc it is you” moment he’s such a cutie.

also the ending…my heart❤️‍🩹❤️‍🩹 call it cliche but i adore a big ending gesture. also take a moment for this gorgeous cover?!? thanks to NetGalley for this cutesy inspiring romance novel!!

Work in Progress was a fun read. I especially loved the banter between Alice and Robbie, they had great chemistry. The group of old ladies were basically caricatures and they brought comedy. I loved all the references I could recognise (Neighbours!), and it was fun to go on a tour of Great Britain although at times those parts kind of dragged on for me. Another reviewer said they wished there was a map with the route that was followed and I think that would be valuable.

Overall I really enjoyed this book.

Thank you Netgalley for an ARC of this book. It was very cutesy and took quite a long time for the predictable to happen but I laughed a ton so it was a great read. Reminded me a lot of Bridget Jones.

This was such a good book. I loved the story and the writing so much. The characters were great and the story flowed smoothly. Will definitely read more books by this author in the future.

Work in Progress was such a delightful book! I loved following Alice and Robbie through a whirlwind of adventures. All of the characters were so unique and the twists and turns of the plot always had me turning the pages late into the night. I wish this book tour through the UK was real! It would be a dream adventure!

Really enjoyed this jet-setting romance set all across the UK. Alice Cooper’s life is crumbling & her very annoying tour guide and a gaggle of old ladies help get her back on track. It’s a great enemies to lovers but it’s also so relatable feeling like you’re approaching your 30s and your life is not going how you thought it might. I loved the “old ladies” of the bus and the trip itself sounded dreamy. My only qualm is there wasn’t a map to show the destinations they traveled too. It would be fun to plot it out on google maps and copy the itinerary. This is fairly closed door so that will be a great fit for a broader audience. Definitely recommend. Can’t wait to see what else this author writes.

Oh I absolutely ADORED this book!! This book has everything: a nonprofit working dc resident (hi, me), a book tour full of debates of Darcy vs heathcliff and discussions of Jamie Fraser, a gaggle of older ladies who make you giggle and cry, lists tracked and lessons learned, and the sheer absurdity of Scottish banter!!

Alice Cooper (a name so set for jokes) is in a rut, and on a drunken night decides to book a flight and tour around the UK- except everything seems dreadfully dismal from the get go, with damaged luggage and flight delays, to an infuriating (and infuriatingly attractive) Scot who just so happens to be the tour guide, and a tour group made up of women twice her age when she was expecting otherwise. But as the journey goes, Alice and the ladies grow close- and we get each of their stories.

To me, that is the best part of the book- the deep connections Alice and her new friends are able to make once she chooses to get vulnerable. From elegant motherly figure Helena, to kind of out of it but always so sure of herself Flossie, to quintessential German (and nude pickleballer) Berrta, to lively 98 year old Doris and her support dog Percy, to fellow nonprofiters and all around great married couple Lorna and Madge, to prickly but intensely caring Agatha. Each woman gets a moment to impart wisdom, share her story, and help push Alice to be the woman she should be, even if that is different than what she expects of herself!!

And on the other hand, the romance is sizzling- with all the total BURNS that Alice and Robbie give to each other. They hide their feelings in messing with each other, and oh boy is it just a delightful bit of fun!!

Thank you so much to Kay Mackenzie, Harper Collins, and NetGalley for a chance to read this in exchange for an honest review!