Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐☆
Review for Here for a Good Time by Pyae Moe Thet War

What starts as a breezy writer’s retreat quickly spirals into chaos in this genre-blending rom-com by Pyae Moe Thet War. Here for a Good Time is a smart, funny, and heartfelt exploration of creative burnout, complicated friendships, and the sharp edge of unexpected danger—all wrapped in a wildly original premise.

Poe Myat Sabei’s career is a dream on paper—international bestseller, Netflix deal, and all the pressure that comes with it. Desperate to shake off her writer’s block, she heads to an idyllic island resort with her best friend Zwe. But instead of finding inspiration, they find themselves dodging bullets and wrestling with long-buried feelings as the resort is taken over by a band of armed and angry women.

The novel balances its romantic core with an action-thriller twist that keeps the pages turning. Poe is a relatable and delightfully self-aware protagonist, and her chemistry with Zwe is tender, tense, and deeply believable. The banter sparkles, the stakes feel real, and the emotional payoff is worth the chaos.

One star off for a slightly uneven pacing in the middle third—where the rom-com tone and thriller elements sometimes clash—but overall, this is a bold, entertaining, and emotionally rich read that stands out in a crowded genre.

Perfect for fans of: forced proximity, best-friends-to-lovers, and rom-coms with a surprising bite.

The beginning on of the book was average but oh my gosh, you get to 30% and boy does this book TAKE OFF!!!!! I loved that the author did a play on words with the main characters name "Poe Myae" is her name with the first letters switched (Pyae Moe). I absolutely loved the chemistry between Poe and Zwe. Setting the scene is necessary but once Poe wakes up with Zwe's hand over her mouth reassuring her that it is him as the world falls apart around them I was a GONER!

When Poe became an international bestseller she thought life was going to be perfect, that is until she was coming up on the deadline for her second book and she had writers block. When she received her book advance there was only one thing that she wanted to go, take her best friend Zwe on a relaxing beach vacation. The trip was meant to inspire her but also to give her and Zwe a chance to reconnect since they've gotten so busy with life. Things were going great until gunshots woke them up one night and they realized that the report was being held captive by a group of masked women. Now instead of relaxing, they must figure out how to survive.

I thought this book was fun and cute. It made for a quick read. At times it was a bit like it was unsure of what genre it was trying to be. There is a lot mixed in like some elements of a thriller and mystery but yet I think overall meant to be a romance book. They did get the happily ever after but the romance, I think, was the least exciting of it all. Them dealing with the masked gunwomen was the exciting part.

This was such a fun, campy story with a little side of romance. You get action. You get angst. You get armed gunmen taking over a luxury resort. There was a little something of everything! I also loved that the protagonists were Myanmarese, which was a refreshing twist.

Fun concept! Characters were a bit all over the place, and the writing style didn’t always work for me. However, great beach read that keeps you entertained for what it is!

I wouldn’t really say Here for a Good Time worked for me, but I also didn’t hate it by any means. The story starts as a pretty standard friends to lovers scenario, but takes a turn into a heisty adventure story. There’s a lot of talk about developing stories because the heroine is a writer, and I found a lot of that to be clunky. If you like romance mixed with adventure, I think this is a good book for you.

Friends to lovers WITH a pinch of high stakes crazy and a dash of world building to boot? This is a romance all its own and sure to be a new favorite among romance readers across the spectrum(sub genres)!

Here For A Good Time by Pyae Moe Thet War (out August 26, 2025) is a fresh, feel-good rom-com that lives up to its name in every way. It’s fun, funny, adventurous, and unexpectedly heartfelt—with a sharp, witty voice that makes the pages fly by.

The story strikes a perfect balance between laugh-out-loud moments and emotional depth, making it more than just a breezy read. And the supporting cast? Absolutely delightful. Every side character adds charm and energy, making the world of the novel feel fully lived-in.

Whether you’re in the mood for a clever romance, a little chaos, or just a good time (pun intended), this one’s a winner. It’s the kind of book you’ll want to recommend to your friends and reread yourself.

Thank you @netgalley and @stmartinspress for this ARC!

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I am a sucker for a friends to lovers romance no matter what, and this pairing was no exception! The story picks up in a great spot, where we meet the characters and grow to feel we've known them as long as they've known each other. The epitome of a slow burn, you root for them all along. While the pacing was unusual (the main conflict the book blurb is about doesn't really start until about halfway through), I didn't mind having so much of the book to spend getting to know Zwe and Poe. I will say the ending extended the HEA to other characters in a way that felt sweet but slightly flat, though you understood the rooting for them, too. I think I often like a romance with an HEA but where some loose ends feel like a question mark, and the epilogue really fixed everyone's lives (not just the FMC's and MMC's). Regardless, I really enjoyed this book and think romance readers as a whole will too!

In this ode to the sophomore novel, Pyae Moe Thet War's sophomore romance misses the mark.

The cover makes you think that Poe, the main character, is an interesting character. She's not. She's bland, annoying in a way that didn't feel intentional, and she doesn't have much character growth. The romance here does not build, there isn't much pining before all of the sudden they are saying "I love you." Zwe was kind of flat to me too. What saved this for me are the anti-capitalist messages and the side characters, who were much more dynamic than the leads. I would read a whole book devoted to Leila.

This is an interconnected stand-alone to the first book, but you can read this one without needing to read the first.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Griffin for an eARC in exchange for my honest review.

Thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the advanced reader copy.

I thought the premise of this book--after an author who wrote a bestselling novel finds herself with writer's block, she takes her best friend on a vacation to a remote island which gets taken over by masked women--sounded like an interesting mash-up of romance novel and soft thriller. Unfortunately the execution of the story didn't work for me. The main character was a bit too chaotic from page one; I couldn't get a clear sense of who she was as a character. The book also did a lot of telling.

This wasn’t really for me. I didn’t hate it, but the friends to lovers trope was really obvious and not steamy or interesting. The thriller/mystery part of it was pretty obvious for me from the beginning. I did think it was interesting pointing out the stolen land etc, but overall it just wasn’t doing it for me.

I did enjoy the two main characters themselves and their development and growth.

Thanks NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for an e-arc. All opinions are my own and freely given.

2.5⭐️
Here for a Good Time was more of a self discovery, adventure novel with a little romance and spice thrown in at the end rather than a full blown romance.

I wasn’t a huge fan of the writing and thought the plot was incredibly predictable but found a lot of truth in the characters.

I probably would have DNF’d this around the 30% mark when I figured out what was going to happen resort-jacking wise but powered through because I thought there would be more romance and then there wasn’t.

If you have a hard time guessing the end of mysteries, you might enjoy this book more.

Thanks NetGalley, the publisher, and the author for a digital advanced copy of this book!

*I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.*

I received this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

This was an engaging read! I enjoyed the plot and would read it again. A few parts were a bit slow though.

Here for a Good Time by Pyae Moe Thet War was a mediocre read for me. It wasn't horrible and I didn't DNF it. But I'm not sure it will stick with me either. 2.5 stars for me.


Thank you to NetGalley, the author, & the publisher for an ARC copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

I wanted to enjoy this so much but it just didn’t connect for me. It started off alright but then it lost me. However that is me personally! The book is well written and I liked the themes explored in the book so I’m sure many will love it.

Being a person who loves to read I get pulled to books that are about authors. That part of the book I enjoyed but I wish it was more as the romance wasn’t hitting home. I may give this another go in audio when available as I find some books on the cusp for me so better in audio and k end up liking it better. So stay tuned…


I am thankful to have gotten a complimentary eARC from St Martins Press through NetGalley to read which gave me the opportunity to voluntarily leave a review.

My rating system since GoodReads doesn’t have partial stars

⭐️ Hated it
⭐️⭐️ Had a lot of trouble, prose issues, really not my cup of tea (potentially DNF’d or thought about it)
⭐️⭐️⭐️ Meh, it was an ok read but nothing special
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Really enjoyed it! Would recommend to others
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Outstanding! Will circle back and read again

Having thoroughly enjoyed I Did Something Bad, I was really looking forward to this release. I have to admit I feel a little let down by this book though, it didn't live up to I Did Something Bad for me. The writing didn't feel as fun to me, the mystery wasn't as compelling, and most importantly, I didn't connect with the romance as much. I didn't feel like it was given enough attention within the story, and I didn't really feel the chemistry. I felt like changes in their relationship came on very suddenly and without enough build-up. This is not to say that I didn't enjoy this at all, but just that it fell flat for me in comparison with the author's previous book.

I'm not sure what to think about this. It felt like it dragged in the middle. The plot was just... Really out there.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for allowing me to read this arc in exchange for an honest review!

Here for a Good Time by Pyae Moe Thet War is a friends-to-lovers romance with a thrilling twist. Poe Myat Sabei, a bestselling author, is struggling to write her second book after the wild success of her first which is being adapted into a Netflix movie. To break through her writer's block, she invites her best friend, Zwe, to an exclusive island retreat. Sounds like the perfect escape.
Things take a dramatic turn when a group of masked women suddenly take over the island.

At first, Poe and Zwe manage to evade capture, but as they fight for survival, they’re also forced to confront their past and their feelings for each other. The premise had me hooked and I loved the setup, the intrigue, and the promise of a tense, emotional journey. However, as the story progressed, I found myself struggling to stay invested in Poe and Zwe as a couple. In such extreme circumstances, no one is at their best, but their dynamic didn’t quite click for me in the way I’d hoped. I wished for more chemistry, or perhaps some added humor or sarcasm to create fun banter between them.

That said, I was eager to see how it would all play out. I kept reading in hopes of a strong payoff, but unfortunately, the ending fell a little flat. I wanted something deeper or more satisfying to round out the experience. Despite that, the novel had an intriguing premise and enough momentum to keep me turning the pages.

Thank you NetGalley and St. Martin's Griffin for the advanced reader copy. This is my honest review.

I thought I was going to read a romance novel - but it turned into so much more! Suspense, closed-door (aka secluded island) mystery, and a lot of adventure rounded out an utterly readable and fun novel.

Poe and Zwe are best friends on the verge of thirty. They’ve done a lot of life together - even work and live together - but they’ve never taken the next step in their relationship. Enter an island getaway full of luxury and romance that goes terribly wrong and see what happens! This one kept me turning the pages waiting to see what happened next.