I love books set in the UK, especially in Scotland, and I love romcoms with banter, road trips, and an excellent secondary cast. Kat Mackenzie's book has it all! Alices and Robbie's exchanges are really funny, and the pair have fantastic chemistry. I loved learning more about the UK and about the past lives of all the new friends Alice made on her trip. This is a great book to take with you on a trip, and I hope your trip will go much smoother than Alice's.

I can't wait to read Kat's next book.

Thank you, NetGalley, author, and Avon, for this eArc.

✨I received this as an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for my honest review✨
This was SO GOOD. I read it all in one day.
This might be my period talking but this book made me so goddamn emotional. The characters are so precious to me, every single one of them was perfect. The bond that developed between the entire tour bus was unmatched, especially going to shout out Helena and Alice. Helena was the mother that Alice didn’t get and I am prepared to die on that hill. These women were so supportive and wonderful and loving towards each other in entirely different and specific to themselves ways, and that’s something that honestly means so much to me. The author does a wonderful job of showing the relationships between all the women not only with each other but also in their outside personal lives. I love a book with positive female stories and this book had it. It was really lovely to see that Alice was able to grow in the story with the love and care of these women and keep those friendships even after they all went their separate ways. Being able to show that even though these women were older they are still able to travel and live exciting lives was extremely encouraging, seeing as I myself am fast approaching 30 and am TERRIFIED of what comes after that. I related heavily to what Alice is going through. A lot of the advice that was given to her really hit home for me as well.
The only real negative thing I have to say about this is the way that Robbie (not a fan of his name actually) treats Alice in the beginning. I totally get that this is supposed to start with them disliking each other, but sometimes it came off as a bit mean and condescendingly bitchy of him. Like he went out of his way to talk down to Alice and make her feel small. I really wasn’t a fan of that, it pretty much just brought up past insecurities for me.
The romance was so cute and sweet so I had a good time with that once they stopped being assholes to each other. All in all this was so fun! I would recommend it if you love having a good time but also love being sucker punched with feelings.

Work in Progress is an absolute delight—a heartfelt, humorous, and charming story that perfectly balances self-discovery, female camaraderie, and a slow-burn romance. What makes this book truly stand out is its unique and utterly endearing setting: a bus tour through Edinburgh and the Scottish Highlands, primarily designed for senior citizens. When the younger protagonist, feeling stuck in her life, decides to step out of her comfort zone and join the tour, it sets the stage for a hilarious and heartwarming adventure.

One of the most enjoyable aspects of the book is its humor, particularly the way it plays with classic British comedy tropes through the lens of an American experiencing Europe. The cultural misunderstandings, awkward encounters, and dry wit make for plenty of laugh-out-loud moments, adding an extra layer of charm to the story.

But beyond the humor, what truly makes this book shine is the strong theme of female friendship. The relationships the main character builds with the older women on the tour are just as compelling as the romance, if not more so. Their wisdom, sass, and unwavering support create a beautifully uplifting dynamic that adds depth and warmth to the novel.

Of course, the slow-burn romance is another highlight. As the protagonist embarks on this journey of self-discovery, her romantic interest is on a similar path, making their connection feel natural, earned, and deeply satisfying. Their relationship unfolds with an authenticity that perfectly complements the book’s themes of growth and taking chances.

A fun quick read. The banter was phenomenal, the ladies were warm and just lovely, and the setting was perfect. Who doesn't want to travel for three weeks around Great Britain?

Though I did get annoyed about how many things happened to Alice (the delay, the luggage, the fake customer service the customer service agent did to her, etc.) to the point where when a new disaster or inconvenience happened I would almost roll my eyes and exclaim "come on!". There must be a disaster ratio for me before I just want the romance or the adventuring to happen. And I was rather stuck on Alice's judgement of the other ladies' ages and the level of enjoyment/activities would be on this tour. But it did set up a great character arch for her from being semi bitter because of the inconvenience right before the tour, and everything that happened to her leading up to making that spontaneous choice to travel, (honestly I would have cried in the back of the bus from all of the frustration.). To the confident women who took the time to stay in touch with everyone and find herself.
And I guess I cannot blame Alice for wanting Robbie to suffer especially with how much enjoyment he gets from poking her. But he is always there to help in all of the "things that go wrong for Alice" situations. Helps that he is Scottish with beautiful eyes and takes care of everyone on his tour.

Over all, a great read to get away from the world when you need a different setting with some very lovely love and growth. Found family, beautiful landscapes, and some swoony pining (and a heap of denial).

Look, I love a self-discovery romcom—a newly single woman setting out to Europe to travel across the UK with a bunch of old ladies and a grumpy hot man as the bus driver? That seems like exactly the type of book I would love. However, it was a bit too cutesy for me personally. I found myself skipping over the history lessons bits—which felt repetitive and could’ve been incorporated a bit better into the story.

I would say if you were a fan of the movie Austenland or the book Happiness for Beginner by Katherine Center you would enjoy this romcom!

Thank you so much to Avon, Harper Voyager and NetGalley for this ARC.

I was nervous reading this so soon after The Pairing because they are both romances that revolve around a European tour and didn’t want to read basically the same book twice but immediately I could tell this was going to be completely different.

This book started off pretty chaotically but I loved that the author didn’t spend too much time focusing on before the tour - in the first few pages we got who the main character was, why she was traveling and where she was going. I loved having the older ladies on the trip to give Alice advice and also be there for comic relief, I really love any book with funny and wise older ladies. I love that she references “our tour guide” instead of Robbie most of the time until she calls him Robbie and kisses him out of nowhere.

I couldn’t believe she asked him to take her pants off when they were stuck to a scab, that’s a new one! I thought that they enemies to loversed too abruptly but then they go back to being enemies and then friends so not actually abrupt at all. Also the discovery of “the other woman” happened way too fast too. I hate this miscommunication - she should have just asked him if he had a girlfriend just like anyone else would have done! The poop bag was just a little bit too gross for me. And the Tristan bit felt kind of unnecessary at first.

But overall a really fun read for anyone with a little bit of wanderlust. 3.5/5 stars, rounding up to 4. I would definitely read another book from this author. Thank you Avon and Harper Voyager for providing this book for review consideration through NetGalley. All opinions are my own.

This was sooooo cute. Having just come back from a trip to England (and already planning a literary tour for the next time around) the whole premise of this book immediately sucked me in. Literary tour of the UK with a hot Scottish driver and a bunch of hilarious old women? Sign me up!

The banter was top notch, I absolutely loved it and laughed out loud many times while reading. I even got teary eyed at the end. It was a bit more closed door than I was hoping, so a pretty low level of spice, but it was so entertaining and fun to read.

Thanks to NetGalley for the advanced reader’s copy!

This book was so fun to read! I have loved almost everything of this.

Alice is struggling with life, she was left a few months before her wedding and lost her job. she decides to take a holiday in England, a kind of a book tour. She was promised a tour full of adventure with younghearted women. And while she did get the adventures, the group of women she went on our with were a bunch of 80 year old ladies, and their tour guide was a young broody scotsman.

it goes without saying that she does not get along with Robbie, her guide. But a couple of weird situations led them to get closer.

The wonderful thing is that this book was not only centred on the romance, the other ladies in tour were a big part of the novel, and it was so entertaining reading about them, their interactions and everything they came up with, while driving through England for three weeks.

Thank you NetGalley for the arc opportunity, all opinions are my own.

#arc #arcreview #arcreader #arcreviewer #workinprogress #katmackenzie #hatetolove #englishbooktour #closeproximity #romance #romcom #readingchallenge2025

This story drew me in immediately. The characters were so funny, loveable and knew how to have fun.

Alice is going to have an adventure on a bus tour in Scotland. She is unemployed and getting over a breakup. The passengers are older ladies who are ready for their adventure, too. Her tour guide/bus driver is Robbie. The two get off on the wrong foot and the tension is high for both. The ladies will not allow Alice to be in her feelings on the trip and apply their wisdom to help her find her best self. The hurt that Alice is feeling begins to fade and she is taking more opportunities to be present with her trip. The tension between her and Robbie begins to thaw but she tries to keep her feelings at a distance because she believes he may have a girlfriend. The two form a truce but Alice affirms that they are friends only. This is challenging as there is chemistry that cannot be denied.

Robbie is such a strong character and his adoration for the passengers leaps off the pages. Nothing can rattle him, except for Alice and he is trying to live in the moment on the trip and consider making a bold move. This story is sweet, and the characters are wonderful and engaging. I loved it!!

This book is the kind of rom-com that will make you laugh, swoon, and probably want to book a spontaneous trip to the UK. Alice Cooper is having a rough time. She’s lost her job, her cheating ex, and is dreading turning 30. In a bid to reinvent herself, she signs up for a women-only literary bus tour in Scotland — except, she didn’t expect the tour to be full of octogenarians and run by a grumpy, ridiculously hot Scottish guy. Cue the enemies to lovers magic.

The banter between Alice and Robbie is hilarious. Mackenzie does an amazing job capturing Alice’s growth as she finds new friendships, laughs at herself, and slowly lets go of her past. The chemistry between Alice and Robbie? Chef’s kiss. Their relationship grows at a natural pace, and I loved how their dynamic evolved. Plus, the hilarious elderly ladies make the entire journey even more entertaining.
This book is pure joy — funny, heartfelt, and filled with warm, feel-good moments. If you love witty writing, closed door, slow-burn romance, and a fun, quirky adventure, Work in Progress is a must-read.

I took my time indulging in Alice Cooper's hilarious and life-changing adventure she decided to take when her life flipped upside-down. The way Kat Mackenzie wrote this book made me feel as though I was going on this literary bus tour right with the vivacious group of women and the dashing Scotsman. The back and forth banter between Alice and Robbie had me laughing out loud for most of the book. Add in the sassy ladies that accompany them on the journey as well as one mischievous little dog and you have the perfect recipe for the adventure of a lifetime.

Of course this book wasn't just filled with laughs and happy moments. We were following Alice's path to rediscovering herself which was bound to come with some hiccups. Kat was able to balance those moments so beautifully and made it so easy to relate and actually feel what Alice and other characters were going through.

Now that I've finished this book, I'm going to be looking out for future books by Kat Mackenzie. Not only that, I'm going to be looking into some of these places our friends visited during this tour and add them to my list of places to visit.

Work in Progress by Kat Mackenzie is an absolute delight—a heartwarming and humorous journey that beautifully captures the essence of self-discovery and unexpected connections. The protagonist, Alice, is a relatable and endearing character whose life takes an unforeseen turn, leading her to embark on a literary bus tour across the UK. The tour, filled with lively elderly ladies and an infuriatingly handsome Scottish driver, offers a perfect backdrop for Alice's transformative adventure.

Mackenzie's writing is both witty and evocative, painting vivid scenes of the UK countryside and the eclectic mix of personalities aboard the bus. The chemistry between Alice and the tour guide is palpable, with banter that is both sharp and endearing. The supporting characters add depth and charm, each contributing to Alice's journey in meaningful ways.

This novel is more than just a romance; it's a story about embracing change, finding oneself, and the serendipitous nature of life. Work in Progress is a must-read for anyone seeking a feel-good story that resonates long after the final page.

A funny rom com about a list maker that takes a sudden trip to Scotland and England. After a bad breakup Alice Cooper books a last minute literary tour to find out that it is not quite what she signed up for...waiting for her after a disastrous encounter at the airport and damaged luggage to find the object of her anger amongst a bunch of silver haired ladies. But as she travels various castle ruins and pubs she finds friendship and love.

Thank you to Netgalley and the Publishing Company for this Advanced Readers copy of Work in Progress by Kat Mackenzie!

"Work in Progress" is charming and rolls along quickly with little chapters following each step of a Scottish bus tour. The side characters are exceptionally well done and add depth and humor to the story. I was also presently surprised by how well the fade-to-black scenes were written - not typically my favorite style of romance writing, but they were plenty hot and did a fantastic job of demonstrating the chemistry between Alice and Robbie. I loved the growth of both characters and enjoyed their well-earned HEA.

I'm ready to sign up for the next tour!

Thank you to NetGalley & the publisher for providing an eARC for review.

"Work in Progress" by Kat Mackenzie 4/5 ⭐

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with an ARC of this book!

This book follows Alice who desperately needs a fresh start and decides to go on a literary bus tour across the UK. Of course, things do not go as expected. To start, the tour guide is infuriating, hot, and Scottish. 😏

This book is so joyous, romantic, and fun! I cannot get over how well-written this story was. Alice and Robbie's relationship was so tender and cute. I finished this book so fast because I simply needed them to be together, I also cannot get over the female friendships! I just adored the older women that were on the tour with Alice. I love all of their eccentric, oddball personalities.

On top of everything else, I LOVE SCOTLAND! This book filled me with an insatiable need to book a plane ticket ASAP.

I highly recommend this book to anyone who loves romcoms, beautiful scenery, and living life one day at a time! 🫶🏻

I enjoyed this when I read it, but in hindsight, I don’t remember that much. It was good in the moment but didn’t leave much of an impression either way. The plot wasn’t particularly unique, but I haven’t personally read a lot of books with this specific sequence of events before.. in my opinion, it’s worth a read if you’re drawn in by specific parts of the plot summary, but if you just want a romance book in general, this isn’t the one.

4.5 stars

This book surprised me in a fantastic way.

First, I don't remember the last time a book made me laugh out loud this much! The banter is top notch. Alice's voice brings humor and lightness to things in a charming way. Robbie is such a yummy character -- I would eat him up!

It feels like I've just been on this trip with Alice and all the women. The sense of place, the descriptions, the history is all so lovingly done. I want to go on a book tour like this with my reader friends.

Similarly, I feel like I went on the same emotional self-discovery journey that Alice did. It's very easy to identify with some or all of her story. And the way the wisdom and life stories from the other women weave in and out of the narrative makes it extra poignant.

The only thing I disliked is all the unfortunate events Alice suffers early on in the book. It felt a bit forced and unrealistic. And despite connecting with the self-discovery portion of Alice's journey, I didn't quite click with her as a character (and that's on me). I've just never understood this need to hit certain "milestones" in life by a certain age.

But seriously, go read this! I've already recommended it to a bunch of my friends. It's a bright spot in a time when those are harder to find.

<i>Many thanks to NetGalley, Avon, and the author for providing a copy in exchange for an honest review.</i>

2.5⭐

LIKED:
- The setting & the premise. The idea of the bus your and whole basis of the tour was really fun
- The old ladies. Having a gaggle of old ladies as a support system is something I always love
- The goal of re-discovering oneself after a break-up or loss of some kind. I think that FMC (Alice) - doesn’t start her journey *quite* early enough in the book for it to be the most worthwhile, but I do still think it was a good journey for her to be on for the sake of the book
- The MMC (Robbie) was pretty charming and I enjoyed him (especially more than the FMC)

LOATHED:
- Alice, the POV character for the entirety of the book, is exhausting to follow. She’s outright mean for the majority of the first act of the book and it’s frankly very unpleasant. She is just a stereotype of an American abroad to the Nth degree and it’s just infuriating to read AS an American
- The "Bridget Jones" Tally was...not my favorite. Maybe it's just a generational thing, but I don't have a fondness for Bridget Jones. The tallies were...fine? They kind of spoiled what was going to happen in the chapter, which isn't the end of the world and has been done in the past. But these tallies were also under, like, a rule as well? It just made the start of the chapters really murky.
- The Tristan plot-line. Why is it there.
- The culmination of the story of Robbie’s mom and the WHOLE miscommunication of it all. This version of miscommunication is my absolute least favorite where someone overhears something, jumps to a conclusion without talking to the other party, and then just…festers in their wrong assumptions for the whole thing. It’s drama for drama’s sake and it adds so little
- Them being enemies of this caliber? Why was her attitude getting off the airplane and being rude enough for him, a businessman focusing in customer service, to hate her to this level? And they were *vicious* and I think it was for the sake of being able to truly call this an enemies-to-lovers which, to be fair, I do appreciate the effort. But I think it would have been more fun for them to have been more feisty than outright cruel

LONGED FOR:
- A bit more differentiation between the ladies of the tour. Some of them felt very distinct and then some of them I just kept mixing up or misremembering or forgetting entirely
- More of a hero’s journey design to the actual plot. This felt very meandering, even with the tour and it made the momentum a bit hard to get onboard with (pun unintended)
- This is a bit minor, but more exploration with Alice’s backstory outside of her past relationship. I wanted to know who she was outside that relationship and if it was something she didn’t know herself (which I believe it was), I wish that had been a bit more incorporated into the third act growth.

WILL I READ THE NEXT ONE? : Probably not

Thank you so much to the author and to NetGalley for an ARC copy of this book!

This was definitely a light, cutesy read and did feel somewhat too cheesy at times. But it is definitely lighthearted and quick to get through. In this book, you find Alice, who has just gone through a pretty rough breakup and drunkenly purchases tickets to a 3 week bus tour of the UK. I did thoroughly enjoy all the knowledge thrown in about UK landmarks and places they visited. It was fun to hear about.

Robbie is the leader of the trip and the tour guide, taking them around on their bus adventure. At first, he and Alice do not get along at all. But of course, they are enemies to lovers and end up all over each other during the trip around the UK. I did just find everything to be a little too cheesy and flowery at some points, but again, it was a cute quick read. 3 out of 5 stars for me!