Oh this was such a sweet story! I laughed out loud several times. Loved the journey the main character went on, and the romance was fabulous. Will definitely be interested in reading more from this author!

This story follows a grumpy Alice on her overseas trip. She meets Robbie after a very rough start and we are off. To me, there are times where instead of grumpy, Alice comes off more as mean. I thought the idea of a traveling tour was fun. It did have a cute happily ever after ending as well.

I do feel like it leaned pretty hard into the traditional tropes without actually feeling much from the characters. Interactions felt forced instead of banter flowing. Many of the old ladies on the tour were just names because they were not very memorable in their actions. I didn’t feel consistently pulled into the story.

It was a cute, quick read.

Thank you Avon and NetGalley for the arc.

This was a really sweet quick romance read. As a Bridget Jones fan, I loved how the author incorporated the tally mark track and the lessons learned description before starting a chapter. Doris and Percy are an absolute gem. For some reason Percy reminds me so much of my little fur baby. Especially when he was acting like the king of the jungle towards a German Shepherd 😂 I do wish we could have seen a further future glimpse of Robbie and Alice. Overall if you are looking for a quick, fluffy, funny and wholesome book this one is for you. Thank you NetGalley for the ARC

I finished this book with a fond smile on my face. The main character was extremely unlikable for at least about the first third of the book, which made it hard to sympathize with her in general, but the author’s humor and vivid description was consistent throughout. I loved the rich tapestry of supporting characters and the UK landscapes. The romance itself was very sweet and tender, including the argument-flirting, which evolves from just plain assholery to a sort of shared language between them. The spice was for the most part PG-13 with fade to black. Hell of a first kiss! I appreciated that the main character learned to connect with other people and care about something other than herself. The writing was very funny and clever and descriptive, but could use tightening up. There’s a lot of excess words and restatement, plus summarizing and skimming over events. The more in-close scenes don’t necessarily have a believable emotional depth sometimes. With a good editor to draw some things more to the forefront and push some things back out of the spotlight, this could certainly be adjusted. Or maybe this was written more with an eye towards the cinematic – it would make a great feel-good movie. Couldn’t help but imagine Tom Hardy as Robbie. The copy I read definitely needed to be Britpicked - several time characters said things like mom instead of mum etc. Generally I enjoyed this but stalled out around 3/4 of the way through and had to make myself finish it.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the advanced copy!

After losing seemingly everything good in her life, Alice packs up and books a 3-week, all female literary bus tour through the UK. But when she arrives, she discovers all the women are over double her age and the tour guide drives her absolutely nuts. Has she made a huge mistake? But as the trip goes on, Alice finds that this trip may be exactly what she needed- in more way than one!

This book was an enjoyable read, but the enemies to lovers storyline seems to last just a tad too long in the beginning. It was hard to remember which day of the 3 week trip they were on, and the difference between all the older women on the trip. I appreciated all the literary references as well at the descriptions of each location, but after a while it seemed like I was taking the tour instead of following along with the plot. Overall though I enjoyed this story and would recommend it!

Thank you to NetGalley & Avon and Harper Voyager for the eARC.

I loved this book! Can I sign up for a three week literary tour across England and Scotland with a group of elderly women? You'll laugh out loud, cry, swoon, and cheer while reading Work in Progress. Highly recommend!

Thank you, NetGalley and the publisher for the e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.

A gaggle of (mostly) old ladies traveling around all the hot tourist spots in the UK with a hunky Scottish tour guide: comedy gold with the promise of many shenanigans, or the perfect place for a young American woman to come heal her heart? Turns out, both! Work in Progress is a debut romance by Kat Mackenzie, and it lived up to all my expectations.

Alice Cooper is in a bit of a rut. She's lost the job that gave her purpose and her boyfriend is suddenly engaged to someone else. After six months of wallowing, she gets fed up and books a spunky looking women's tour in Scotland, refusing to put her dreams on hold any longer. Unfortunately the trip is a disaster from the get. Her bag is lost (and completely destroyed by the time she gets it back), she's nearly so late she misses the bus, and the tour guide turns out to be the man she just cussed out at the airport for not waiting his turn. And did I mention the old ladies? Here Alice was expecting to bond with a bunch of twenty-somethings on the top of scenic mountain vistas and wind-blown moors, and instead there are a bunch of arthritic mother hens ready to talk your ear off. This was not the rejuvenating getaway she'd imagined.

But it turns out it was the one she needed. Funny how that works.

The banter in this book is top tier, and it starts immediately. No time is wasted as we're thrust into this book of constant misfortunes and comedic relief. Alice and Robbie are both little sparklers and they love poking dangerously at one another, seeing just how far they can push it. But it turns out Alice is really good at getting herself into unfortunate situations, and Robbie not only has a hero's heart, he's also legally responsible for her as the tour guide, so that makes for some fun moments :-)

It's a romantic comedy, but this book is mostly about self-discovery and healing the soul. Why is it so easy for us to be blinded by the relationships right in front of us? When they're gone they leave us with gaping holes that we humbly must realize we've created ourselves. Alice went to Scottland to heal hers, and though it is a bumpy road to get there, it works.

I loved this book. It's everything you want in a romantic comedy, and as a UK vacation novel, it has a really interesting backdrop (...if you don't already live there?). Though there are some steamy scenes, it never gets full explicit open-door. Full of heart and banter and swoon-worthy romance, this early 2025 release should not be missed!

I made it to 53% and I’m just over the same old same old
Treat people like adults and talk to them, miscommunication is the worst trope really.
I thought I’d love this book as an American who went to Uni and lived in Scotland but I just couldn’t get through it.
The main character is a 30 year old woman-child.
I get it, bad things happened in your life but to purposefully be petty and cruel? Why?
Plus the author’s random and unnecessarily inserted digs at conservative/republican Americans is lame.
If anything, it was similar to the vitriol I endured when I first moved to Scotland and was repeatedly told “I hate Americans, but you’re nice!” 😑

The entire tone of the book is negative, not romantic and not hopeful at all.

There are funny parts but all are surrounding the FMC being clumsy.
So, why not write a book about a clumsy woman who is nice and trying to start over?

A huge thanks to NetGalley and Kat Mackenzie for this advanced copy.

I'm going to have to give this book a 3.5 star review bumped up to 4!

The story follows Alice who is getting out of a brutal breakup and decides to go on an all-women's literary bus tour around the United Kingdom. While making her dream of traveling to the UK a reality, she's struck with the fact that the women on the tour are three times her age and the young man driving the bus is purposely rude to her. Hence the journey across the UK and to heal her heart begins.

Pros: It was a fun read. The witty banter between Alice and Robbie felt organic and their journey from enemies-to-lovers was fun to watch unfold. The older ladies on the bus provided some nice dialogue and depth to the story that was much needed and enjoyable.

Cons: I felt like the story was similar to a movie I have watched so it felt a bit "done before" for me. I felt like the historical descriptions were lengthy and most of the times unnecessary. Some of the characters felt a little too cliche and had they been tweaked just a little could have been done a lot better.

Overall this was a pleasant book to read and I enjoyed the charm and romance of it all. If you're looking for a Hallmark vibe love story that has the UK setting, this is definitely a good one to choose!

#NetGalley #EnemiesToLovers #WorkInProgress

Work in Progress by Kat Mackenzie is a story about a woman named Alice whose life has been turned around after losing her job and her fiancé. To get out of a 6 month slump, she spontaneously books a literary bus tour that takes her all over the UK. Little did she know, she would be in for an adventure with a group of octogenarians and an irritatingly charming Scottish man. Her journey starts with a travel day from hell and luggage mishaps that lead her to a rude encounter with a man at the Edinburgh airport who tells her to “schedule her tantrum for later” (hence, the highlighted quote in the second pic). Turns out, this man (Robbie) will be her tour guide for the next 3 weeks and Alice is not letting him forget how much she loathes him. As she journeys all over the UK, through castles and bookshops, Alice finds herself at a turning point in her life. Alongside her new elderly friends, she realizes that sometimes life isn’t what you planned or expected, but that it can still be worth it. And also that she may be falling for the “enemy”.

Things I loved:
- the power of female friendship (even when there is a 50 year age gap)
- the reminder that life does not end at 30
- the comedic insults thrown back and forth between Alice and Robbie
- the scenic descriptions of Alice’s travels (makes me want to book a trip to the UK myself)

Things I didn’t care for:
- the last 1/3 of the book felt like it dragged
- the way Alice took her grudge a little too far/too seriously when Robbie was no longer acting like an asshole
- some of the side characters were hard to keep track of because they made few significant appearances

I honestly enjoyed the majority of this book and totally ate it up! I’m giving it ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5 because it was funny, cute, and reminded me that life has so much to offer…even if it isn’t what we had originally planned.

thanks to netgalley and harper collins for this ARC!

i loved this book - it was so sweet. i absolutely thought that alice was a little bit dumb at times, but let’s be honest, who isn’t when they’re coming out of a major depressive episode. maybe this is going to sound a little weird, but i actually liked that the focus of the book was not on alice losing her job/partner, but rather on her feeling like she’s missed out on life, and she doesn’t know what she’s doing anymore. i think there was some really beautiful advice in this book, and it really did feel like our FMC was growing. i also literally loved robbie, he made me want to scream in the best way.

The title, cover, and blurb of Work in Progress were enough to make me really interested in reading and it exceeded all my expectations!

Alice started off grumpy which felt enjoyably relatable and honest. It was satisfying to see her mood evolve as the book progressed, and it never felt unrealistic or untrue to how she was introduced. I wasn’t sure what I would think of the tour group dynamic, but it ended up being one of my favorite parts of the book. I think Kat Mackenzie did a fabulous job of portraying how special it is to bond with a group of people unexpectedly. It was easy to envision the group’s journey across the UK with the wonderful descriptions of food, scenery, and spring weather.

This book gave me all the warm and fuzzy feelings that I was looking for when I started it. I already can’t wait to read Kat Mackenzie’s next one!

Thanks to NetGalley & Avon and Harper Voyager for the eARC.

Loved this book so much! It really captured the magic of Scotland, finding great friends and being open to new adventures.So many good quotes to reflect on later, especially about healing and taking a chance to be happy. I stayed up all night to finish it, lol. Will definitely reread it and look for others by this author. I received this as an ARC from Avon and Harper Voyager via Netgalley.

Work in Progress is a book that I’m going to be screaming about for a long time. Being an Anglophile, I knew from the premise I was going to enjoy myself, but Kat Mackenzie went so far beyond my expectations.

Riding along with Alice Cooper, we get to go on an all female literary bus tour across Britain after she books an impromptu trip on the heels of losing everything important in her life.
Kat Mackenzie perfectly illustrates a delightfully witty, heartwarming, and immersive story of self discovery, unexpected friendship, and all consuming love.
I fell in love with every single character in this book. I never wanted the tour to end, not only because I was so thoroughly enjoying all the stops, food, books, and culture, but also because I didn’t want to separate from all these friends.
Alice and Robbie are hilarious together and the evolution of their relationship is a set to a wild pendulum between adoration and loathing that comes to a pinnacle after weeks of tension and tentative, open hearted bonding.
I long for all these historical and literary places even more so after this book. Every single one was written with the detail and reverence deserved.

Thank you so much Kat Mackenzie and Avon for the gifted copy of Work in Progress, in both physical and ebook. This book was truly such a pleasure to read, I can’t believe it was a debut and I truly hope we get more from Kat Mackenzie very soon!

BOOK REPORT
Received a complimentary copy of Work in Progress, by Kat Mackenzie, from Avon and Harper Voyager | Avon Nightfire/NetGalley, for which I am appreciative, in exchange for a fair and honest review. Scroll past the BOOK REPORT section for a cut-and-paste of the DESCRIPTION of it from them if you want to read my thoughts on the book in the context of that summary.

If you put the basic Hallmark movie plot, Bridget Jones, and Outlander all in a blender and hit pulse, there’s a pretty good chance you’d wind up with this silly bit of fluff.

Which I thoroughly enjoyed, even whilst rolling my eyes at times. Heck, at one point it even had me considering going on a bus tour of the UK, and—based on past experiences—I know that all that would lead to is me getting horribly carsick and puking in scenic locales.

Definitely a chick-lit romcom sort of thing, which is a nice antidote to some of the misery in the world today. Do think it could have done with some heavy copy editing, though; felt like it went on about a third too long for what it was. Would happily read author Kat Mackenzie’s next book, if she writes one, if it’s in the same sort of positive vein.

DESCRIPTION
A warm, sexy, laugh-out-loud rom-com about a woman who, desperate for a fresh start, books a literary bus tour across the UK that consists of a lively group of elderly ladies plus one infuriatingly handsome Scottish driver.

UK Bus Trip Goals:
1. Crawl out of pajamas.
2. Get over cheating bastard and his stupid ironed jeans.
3. Have my first real adventure!
4. Achieve stability, strength, and growth.
5. Definitely do NOT kiss any British men.
6.
Alice loves a good list. But careful planning didn’t stop her from losing her job and her fiance in one fell swoop. With her dreaded 30th birthday looming on the horizon, Alice makes the first impulsive decision of her life - booking a flight to the UK for a three-week, all-female, literary bus tour. What could possibly go wrong?

Turns out - everything.

Alice arrives to discover that this tour isn’t what she expected. At all. Instead of cool, globe-trotting thirtysomethings with meaningful tattoos, she finds a rickety, antique bus full of fluffy-haired octogenarians. And to make matters
infinitely worse, the tour guide makes her blood boil! And that devilish grin of his tells her he’s dead set on making her trip a misery.

But as they travel from castle ruins to cozy pubs, Alice may just find that she’s got it all wrong. The ladies are vivacious. The book club chat is on fire. And damn if that mischievous smile doesn't threaten to turn her world upside down - and her beloved list right along with it!

I would give this 2.5 stars. I didn’t super love the book as a whole but more so specific parts: I loved all of the detailed travel experiences. I loved the description of the places they went to and the things they did. How she felt while being there and how it changed her. The banter between her and Robbie at the beginning was a bit much for me but they brought it down a notch towards the end. I also thought it was dumb that she got mad at him for not telling her that his mom survived yet 1) she never asked and 2) I distinctly remember her telling herself that she was going to distance herself from him because of his girlfriend. She didn’t want to get involved with him. And THEN she was a coward about it and couldn’t own up to it. Idk. This book was meh for me. I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

Work in Progress

Kat Mackenzie

2 ⭐️⭐️

Okkkk I ended up DNFing this. I tried I really did. I usually love a grumpy FMC but this one was just mean? Immature? Idk I just didn’t vibe. MMC was okay but idk nothing really convinced me to keep reading. The old ladies were ADORABLE so that’s a plus & I loved the concept of the book. The hate part of the haters to lovers just lasted entirely too long. It could be for someone but not for me.

Thank you NetGalley & Publisher for an eARC in return for an honest review!

Thank you to NetGalley for providing me with an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Work in Progress is a hate to lovers rom com where the meet cute is actually a meet ugly.

Alice is an American from DC who has her life together. Or at least she did until 6 months ago when she lost her job, apartment, and fiancé all in quick succession. Finding herself in a rut, she books a last minute trip to the UK on a 3 week literary bus tour.

Alice’s trip starts off in a series of disasters and her mood is not improved by the obnoxious Scottish tour guide who insists on always using her full name (Alice Cooper). She also finds that the women’s only bus tour she imagined is not the young 20 and 30 something’s ready for adventure. But rather is all octogenarians and a small dog.

Robbie is still a bit of a question mark. He wears a kilt (swoon), but only once (boo). He sings! He plays the fiddle! He’s well read! But that is about all we get to know about him. The story is told solely from Alice’s POV and there is a lot of telling and not showing. So even though Robbie and Alice grow close in the tour, we are left out of a lot of their conversations beyond their bickering.

I enjoyed the ladies on the tour with Alice for the most part. Some of them really stood out to me, like Berrta - a German woman who enjoys birdwatching and possibly is a member of a naturalist society. But for the most part they were generic British grandmas passing on their wisdom to Alice on life and love.

The first half of this book was fantastic. The banter and back and forth needling between Alice and Robbie was on par. The pacing was on point in the beginning, then starts to drag by the middle. I found myself losing a sense of time. How long have they been on this trip? How long is left? A lot of what they were doing on the trip started to blur together into a mush of sameness.

The bedroom scenes are minimally descriptive, leaving the spice factor at low for those who aren’t looking for full on spice in their read, but still hot enough to keep the tension burning.

The third act break comes rather late in the book and is a bit obvious. Alice is an American tourist in the country for 3 weeks. Of course she is going to leave. Having it come so late left the ending and ultimate reunion feeling rather rushed together and vague.

Overall, I enjoyed the first half of the book and feel it had great promise as a premise. Would probably make an excellent Netflix movie.

There is so much in this I wanted to like but I just didn’t like the book as a whole. The characters all felt too cliche, especially the women on the tour. I never felt the actual chemistry between Robbie and Alice.

4 stars

This was a fun one! I really enjoyed the setting and all the places they traveled to on the bus trip. There were so many descriptions of the food and the settings and it felt super immersive. There were so many great characters as well. I loved all the old ladies and their backstories. I also loved how they each had something to offer to help her figure herself out.
Alice was so persistent and she adapted to all the chaos the trip threw at her, even if she was a bit hesitant at times. She had a lot of great character growth and I enjoyed watching her rediscover herself along the way. She was so funny and all her interactions with the old ladies were so sweet.
Robbie was the ultimate green flag man. He took old ladies on scenic tours, he wore a kilt, and he was patient with Alice even though she was constantly antagonizing him. Their dynamic was so funny, as well as their journey of falling in love throughout the tour. They had really good chemistry and I loved seeing them together.
I highly recommend this book if you like:
-Scottish men
-Scenic tours
-Quirky old ladies
-Sweet love stories

Thank you to NetGalley and Avon for the ARC!!