I really enjoyed I Did Something Bad. When I seen a new title by this outstanding author I had to request it!

Here for a Good Time by Pyae Moe Thet War blew me away!
An exhilarating mix of romance and suspense kept me hooked from the first page.
The most fun rom-com I’ve read.
Poe and Zwe had great chemistry, and I loved the slow burn romance between the two.
A great combination of romance and mystery with lots of fun and giggles balance in contrast to poignant themes explored through the course of the story.
Overall, it’s a solid read with a good mix of romantic tension, drama, and mystery. She did an amazing job bringing all the characters to life.
I was left with the biggest smile on my face!

Thank You NetGalley and St. Martin's Griffin for your generosity and gifting me a copy of this amazing eARC!

https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/7863789147

https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/here-for-a-good-time-pyae-moe-thet-war/1146167607

Here for a Good Time by Pyae Moe Thet War is an entertaining, fun, contemporary romance novel filled with relationship drama, supportive family, humor, a heartwarming, friends to lovers romance, a beautiful island setting with an unforeseen event, and a gratifying conclusion. There us action, angst, and armed gunmen taking over a luxury resort.

Poe and Zwe have been best friends since they were young children; always being together even being roommates. When Poe finds herself in the middle of a writer's block, she decides to book an all-inclusive island vacation for both of them because she feels it will help her get back into writing her second novel. Arriving on the picturesque island, they have plans to relax, explore, and have an adventure. They quickly find themselves in the middle of a hostage situation; forced to work together to survive. Poe and Zwe's relationship and friendship are put through the ringer; forcing them to see each other in different ways.

Overall, this fun book had a little something of: keeping me on my toes, the hidden romantic plot, and the angsty moments that their dire situation, running for their lives, placed them in. It was interesting that the protagonists were Myanmarese, which provided a refreshing twist. Lastly, I enjoyed its message of following your dreams.

I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this book.
#HereForAGoodTime #StMartinsPress #NetGalley

A story with publishing and writing as part of the plot, including writer’s block: Check

A trip to an exotic locale: Check

Going to said island with a good friend: Check

Some danger, stress and anxiety along with a good plot: Check

Romance: Check

Humor: Check

There is a lot to like in this story. It is worth a look.

Many thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for this title. All thoughts are my own.

Initially Here for a Good Time seemed like the typical best friends don't realize they're in love scenario. However, the resort vacation of Poe and Zwe dreams soon becomes their worst nightmare. Poe's debut novel was a best seller but now she suffers from writer's block. She hopes to reset her creative juices and convinces Zwe to travel with her for a lengthy (and pricey) resort vacation. Upon arrival everything seems ideal. Yet they soon find themselves embroiled in a life or death situation. The characters are captivating and the plot is unique. Rea this novel if you are looking for a good time.

DNF. I really enjoyed the prose of this novel, but I didn’t feel any chemistry between the main characters, even though friends-to-lovers is one of my favorite tropes! Additionally, I think the set-up for the plot was extended out too long. They weren’t even on the plane by nearly 15%.

After reading I Did Something Bad, which was such a fun, pop culture filled romp, I was so excited to follow Thet War's new book. The pressure of following up a successful debt is clearly on the author's mind, as main character Poe has tried to escape the writer's block facing her on her next book by taking her best friend Zwe with her on a trip to a fantasy vacation to an island resort - but things quickly go awry when they realise someone has broken into the resort.

Thet War has said that the book takes some inspiration from The White Lotus, and there is definitely a sense of the chaos in paradise vibes, although the book is far more thoughtful and insightful on what happens to the locals when their home becomes a tropical paradise. The book also really does the friends to lovers trope well - who doesn't change their perspective on their friends when trying to start a fire with glasses and pee in the woods?

This was a fun read, with an enjoyable thriller element and quietly helped me to broaden my horizons from this awesome Burmese writer. I've added her to my autoread list!

2.75⭐ This started off with so much promise! I really thought it was going to be a cute childhood-friends-to-lovers-on-vacation story, but wow did it take a SHARP turn lol. I loved the setting and the characters were likeable-ish, but it just wasn’t enough for me to fully buy into the story.

I also didn’t really feel Poe and Zwe’s chemistry. It read more like bickering siblings than friends-to-lovers. And when I pick up a friends-to-lovers book, I expect some yearning and angst, which just wasn’t there for me.

Thank you so much to NetGalley for the advanced copy!

After her first novel was a runaway success, even garnering a movie adaptation, Poe finds herself unable to write her next novel. She hopes a getaway to an exclusive island resort with her best friend Zwe will help her creativity flow. But all that is put on hold when the resort is taken hostage by a group of masked women, and Poe and Zwe find themselves running for their lives.

I'll admit I had middling feelings about how Pyae Moe Thet War's first book was marketed. I think that Here For A Good Time does a better job of actually delivering on the promise of the premise.

However, I wish it was a bit more propulsive. It took a lot to get to the main action, and I wanted something a bit snappier.

The book is told entirely from Poe's point of view. We spend a lot of time ruminating on Poe's inability to write her next novel and the stress caused by needing to maintain the level of success she's already received from her first book which causes her to spiral and effects her writing. I appreciated the realness of that pressure. How we're taught that one success needs to lead into another success into another and so on, otherwise we're worth nothing. This is especially compounded for a person of color. You can almost literally feel how tightly wound Poe is about replicating her previous success.

On the offshoot of that you think that of the fact that an island getaway is supposed to radiate calm and rest and relaxation. And.....the opposite ends up happening for Poe and Zwe. I appreciated that dichotomy.

I do feel like I need to speak to the romantic aspect of the story. I just didn't get the romance vibe from Poe and Zwe at all. I could tell that's where things were going but when they got there it felt forced. I much preferred exploring a long-standing friendship between two people of the opposite sex where romance is not involved. It's something I honestly can't recall ever reading about because most of the time it ends up as romance. I also probably wouldn't have minded had I felt even a spark of chemistry between the two. Maybe it makes me a bit hypocritical, but then I would have been hankering for the romance myself.

I did think the aspect of the masked gunman on the island was setup very well. But the end and final result left a few threads kind of hanging for me that warranted at least a passing reference at the end so we understood how things turned out.

Overall, I think this book definitely improved upon the suspense aspect that was touted a lot in marketing for Pyae Moe Thet War's previous book. I enjoyed the tropical island setting and even though I wasn't super on board with the romantic aspect, I did like Poe and Zwe's characters.

I am struggling with how to rate this book.

On the one hand, as a general story, I enjoyed it. It had an interesting plot, lots of action, a good balance of funny and serious moments. There were some thriller aspects mixed with a comedy and the conclusion was, if not exactly satisfying, at least in keeping with the rest of the book.

On the other hand, I just did not like the romance. For one, there was no romantic development for most of the book. Yes, the two characters were physically together, and it is a friends to lovers sort of situation so I get that the line will be blurry. But, they seem like they barely tolerated each other. They both seemed like they had deep-seated resentment (the MMC way more than the FMC, and frankly a lot of her guilt I think was misplaced because I'm not even sure she was in the wrong), the MMC is flirting with another character for most of the book, and they barely seemed like they would come out as friends much less be romantically involved. The switch to romantic confessions, to me, didn't make a ton of sense given all of this negative build up prior, and the way that they both just completely flipped a switch felt inauthentic.

I think the balance between romantic plot and nonromantic plot just wasn't really for me.

I wanted to like this book so badly. It's not badly written or problematic, but it wasn't for me.

I try and give friends to lovers a large amount of leeway because I already don't prefer that trope, but this one kept going with ridiculousness. Poe and Zwe have been best friends since they were 10, they're 29 now. Ten years ago, Poe asked to kiss Zwe and he said no. She was embarrassed, but didn't want to let go of her friendship so she put her feelings aside. So the fact that many of her friends say Zwe's in love with her, she finds it easy to dismiss the "hints."

In her professional life, Poe is an author who's written a best selling fiction book. However, she's completely stuck on what to write for book number two. It's been months and nothing is coming to her. She feels the expectations of her readers, the media, her editor, and especially herself. She's been moping for months. Ignoring her friends. Trying to devote time to writing when the well is dry. One night at 3am, she books a vacation for her and Zwe at an all inclusive resort. Two weeks to get away, get her creative juices flowing, and hopefully be a better friend to Zwe.

Ya'll, they show up at one of the most luxurious and romantic resorts, where they are given a cabin with ONE BED...and nothing happens. Zwe seems to be flirting with an employee, as well as texting with his ex, and Poe is trying her best not to be jealous. But is actually just being petty as shit.

THEN THE PLOT TWIST: Masked attackers show up at the resort. Poe and Zwe manage to evade them and run into the forrest. And suddenly this is an action story. They are joined by two employees (including Zwe's flirt) who managed to escape, and they all go off to figure out what to do.

What kept me from loving this book was the way the plot evolved. There were too many weird plot holes along the way. Poe actually points it out at some point, and her observations are shut down. I found it very frustrating. This might be a good reason for me not to watch horror movies. I don't want to scream "Don't go in there!" at all the co-eds entering the abandoned places.

But even more than that, Poe becomes more and more jealous of Zwe and his apparently flirtation with the hotel employee. She gets petty and mean. The fights these two have with each other are brutal. They use the knowledge they have of each other to hit below the belt. It was so frustrating to watch. It didn't make me question whether or not their feelings for each other were genuine, but I find that when you hit below the belt you've crossed a line. I have trouble trusting people who don't fight fair.

If you do love friends to lovers, these tropes might not bother you as much as they did me. If you don't find being frustrated with a characters actions, enjoy yourself. But it didn't make for an enjoyable read for me.

This book was such a fun mix of rom com and thriller with two characters I really enjoyed following.
Poe is a bestselling author struggling with writer’s block, and her solution is to take her best friend Zwe on a dream vacation to an island resort. But what starts as a getaway for inspiration quickly turns into chaos when the resort is taken over by armed intruders. Suddenly, Poe and Zwe are fighting for their lives and also forced to face their feelings for each other.
I loved the childhood friends-to-lovers dynamic, the witty banter, and how much heart there was between Poe and Zwe. The slow burn romance worked really well, and the forced proximity trope added tension in the best way. The action parts were a little over the top, but that just made it more entertaining.
A unique, fun, and romantic read that kept me hooked!
Very grateful to the publisher for my copy through NetGalley, opinions are my own

I really enjoyed the first half of this book—the banter was witty, the pacing was fun, and I’m always here for a good “friends to lovers” trope. I breezed through those early chapters, excited to see Poe and Zwe’s story unfold.

But then the story took a sharp left turn. Suddenly, things felt over-the-top and not in a campy, playful way. It almost read like it was trying to shift into a thriller…but it didn’t quite land there either. Instead, I was just left confused and disconnected.

I ended up giving this one 3 stars, mostly because of how much I liked the beginning. If I were only rating the back half, though, it’d be closer to 1.5.

Sadly, Here for a Good Time didn’t actually leave me having “a good time.”

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

This started off as a cute friends to lovers story, until they were on their vacation together, to fix their friendship, when the resort they are staying at becomes hijacked by a group of women in masks. I loved the mystery and thriller aspect thrown in with the romance. The story is set in Myanmar, with characters also living in England. Thank you NetGalley for the eARC.

a rom-com with high stakes. I was annoyed by the FMC who consistently sexualized the resort staff. Convinced that Zwe and Leila would get together, constantly thinking about it and bringing it up went on way too long in the book. And when she started sexualizing Antonio I almost DNF'd the book. What kept me reading? Wanting to know who the gunwomen were? I'm glad there were layers to the story. The predatory nature of resorts was showcased in this book and knowing this happens in real life was great to see in a book. The plot of the book is the main reason for the positive rating. The lose of star rating is my frustration with lack of thoughtful execution on some of the friends to lovers elements and the unrealistic gunwomen.

I really liked I Did Something Bad so I was excited for this but wow, this was definitely not up to par with that. The plot was somewhat interesting but I did not buy the relationship or chemistry.

Poe Myat Sabei reached the dream any author wants: her first novel sold at auction, became an international number one bestseller, and is being turned into a Netflix film. With the deadline for her second book approaching, she has massive writer’s block. She's hoping a two-week getaway to an exclusive island resort with her best friend Zwe will be inspiring. The vacation quickly turns south when angry and armed masked women take over the resort. Poe and Zwe manage to escape, and now are trying to escape the island. They now face the same conflicts that appear in novels or movies whenever trapped on a remote island with their (hot) best friend.

Poe is anxious about her novel, the follow-up to a successful debut. She wants to make the trip to get inspiration and give her best friend and roommate something nice for dealing with her anxiety and absence while dealing with publishing issues. The gorgeous island resort is all fun and games at first, so we see the pair go from tense to relaxed. Then comes the takeover, and our fun and games. Each of the characters falls back on their strengths, which for Poe is writing and plotting. Something is off about the entire situation, and she's determined to figure it out. When she does, it devolves quickly, and the risk to all of them gets worse. It's ultimately a romance novel, with a happily ever after that rapidly follows the threat posed. The tone at the end is different from the beginning, but overall, it's a ridiculous and fun novel.

Pyae Moe Thet War is a master and combining romance with a thrilling story. I loved the island setting and it had me wanting to book a vacation ASAP! The banter, wit, and humor kept this entertaining and interesting.

Thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press | St. Martin's Griffin for a digital ARC in exchange for my honest review.

4.5

I had a lot of fun with this. I enjoyed our main characters a lot, even though the FMC hasn't been the best friend recently she is working on trying to fix that with her best friend, our love interest, the MMC. I liked the isolated island setting and I think the resort was fairly well fleshed out! I also think that the inter-personal conflict between our MCs fit with the scenario that they found themselves trapped in. Some harsh things were said by both characters but it was definitely for/in understandable scenarios.

I was a little frustrated with how long it took the MCs to actually confess their feelings, and how long our FMC kept pushing the MMC to "flirt" with the other female characters. I also think that the final "punishment" for our bad guys was a little disproportional to the crimes that they committed, especially against our main characters.

HERE FOR A GOOD TIME -- Pyae Moe Thet War
St. Martin’s Griffin
ISBN: 978-1250330550
August 26, 2025
Romantic Comedy

A Remote Island Resort – Present Day

Poe Myat Sabei’s first book became a bestseller, and she has a Netflix deal, but writing her second book is proving to be a lot harder. She decides to spend some of the advance money she receives by taking a trip to an exclusive resort island, and she’s bringing her roommate and best friend, Zwe, with her. Zwe and Poe have known each other for years through thick and thin, so it seemed like an easy choice years ago to share an apartment. He is running his parents’ bookstore, but they will cover it while he’s on the trip with Poe. They arrive and discover that they are the only two guests. Weird! The person who is their escort/helper explains that a hacking incident screwed up their reservation system. While it may be strange to enjoy the amenities without anyone else present except for the resort staff, Poe and Zwe continue with their trip. However, their vacation soon turns into a nightmare when a group of people invades the resort, taking the employees hostage. Poe and Zwe manage to escape, but they are unsure what is happening and whether they will be able to survive.

Poe came to the resort hoping it would provide an inspiration for her to write because writer’s block is killing her. She didn’t expect that she would be coming face to face with people who want to kill her in HERE FOR A GOOD TIME. Zwe has been her good friend forever. Has Poe ever thought of him in another way, like as a romantic partner? She doesn’t want to rip asunder their friendship, though she is always ready to criticize his romances, just as he does with hers. He is the one she turns to for feedback on her writing, but this time, he is telling her that her writing sucks. She hopes the trip will unleash the creative juices and allow her to write another bestselling novel.

Told solely from Poe’s point of view, HERE FOR A GOOD TIME starts with the two friends bickering a lot. It’s clear that they are like an old married couple without being romantically involved. Readers will wonder at what point things will change between them. Well, getting chased by invaders and fearing for their lives certainly has them growing closer. Poe turns out to be attentive and smart, but her attention to detail may actually harm them when the bad people don’t want to be identified later. Poe and Zwe are soon on a run for their lives. He has a map of the island but doesn’t really know where they’re going. Luckily, they ran into a couple of the employees who had escaped. Will the foursome find a way to safety, or are they going to end up in a long, drawn-out adventure? Let’s just say that it isn’t going to be easy. Meanwhile, Poe begins to realize how much Zwe means to her. Will they get a chance to find love together and have a happily ever after?

A fast-paced adventure with a side of romance, HERE FOR A GOOD TIME, is as amusing as it is action-packed. Be sure not to miss this fun tale.

Patti Fischer
Romance Reviews Today

3.5 stars rounded up to 4. Poe is an author suffering from sophomore book writer's block. In a flurry of anxiety and looking for a change of pace to force her out of her rut, she books a trip for herself and her roommate/best friend Zwe to a fancy resort as a mental re-set. But when they get to the resort, things abruptly take a turn as they find themselves in the midst of a dangerous group of terrorists. Will this bring Poe and Zwe closer together, or drive them apart? There was a nice mix of mystery, action/adventure, and romance in this story with a healthy dose of heightened emotions and bonding in a forced proximity perilous environment. I liked it overall, but it felt a little disjointed sometimes. While I really liked Poe and Zwe's friend dynamic and their genuine affection and like for one another, the emotional intensity of their relationship was a bit too ambiguous for me for the first half of the story. (Maybe to mirror both Poe's and Zwe's repression and denial of feelings?) The push-pull and unspoken nature of their true feelings started to frustrate me a little as the book went on, although things do eventually pay off (as they inevitably must, since it's a romance). So I'd advise you to be more patient than I was while they're getting to their HEA lol. I think this book will appeal to those who like their slow-burn, childhood-friends-to-lovers romance with a dash of mystery and danger thrown in. I've read this author before and enjoyed her writing, I'm looking forward to what comes next! Publishes August 26, 2025. This review was based on a complimentary eARC, all opinions are my own.