Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for an advanced reader copy

Here for a Good Time by Pyae Moe Thet War is a first person-POV contemporary romance. Poe and Zwe have been best friends and roommates for years and see all the ups and downs of each other’s lives. When Poe books them a getaway trip at an island resort to help her writer’s block and to help Zwe relax, the two expect just a normal luxury vacation. Until their resort gets taken over by a group of masked women and the two have to flee.

Zwe and Poe have the kind of friendship that I think a lot of people genuinely do want. Someone who will cheer you on, will be there for you for your heart is broken, won't dismiss your dreams even when it all seems hopeless, etc. Because of this, I did find it believable that Poe would stop herself from even considering Zwe as an option and thinking of all the things she would lose if they broke up. It's more than a leap of faith: it's a plunge into high risk high reward territory and it's very scary, especially for someone who already had an engagement broken off by someone she thought believed in her.

Colonization and the impact of resort culture are explored a bit in the front half of the book and then further in the back half. As we have more and more conversations around places like Hawai’i and how the native peoples can no longer afford to live on their native land due to millionaires and billionaires wanting their own ‘piece of paradise’ without giving back to the communities that were the original stewards of the land, books in all genres can and should tackle it from a place of empathy for the native peoples. I think Pyae Moe Thet War covered that empathy well while also depicting a situation that a lot of people would write off.

Poe’s life as a writer has gotten in her way in a lot of ways. It's stopping her from pursuing a new relationship, it's got her completely frozen as she is terrified that she's a one book wonder, and it's negatively impacted her friendship. In a lot of romances that involve authors, it does feel more like the glamorous side of the career and here, it's the nitty-gritty, behind-the-curtains feelings that are a lot less pretty to look at but are a lot more real.

I would recommend this to readers of romance that like some suspense and social issues in their romances and readers of books about writers who want something less glamorous

Poe is a new author struggling to write her sophomore novel after raging success on her debut. As she's working through this, she realizes she's been a terrible friend to her longtime roommate and best friend Zwa. She decides to book a vacation to an exotic paradise resort as a way to apologize and get their friendship back on track. Unfortunately, shortly after arrival, the resort is taken over by a group of masked women and Poe and Zwa have to flee and try to get away from the attackers.

This is touted as a rom-com, however I saw little of the romance part till the very end. I was able to predict much of the "masked women" plot, so that was a bit of a downer. Overall, probably a good read for more of a romance reader. I was expecting a little more mystery which is my preferred genre.

Pyae Moe Thet War’s has once again crafted a genre-blending rom-com that is really fun to read. Two best friends go on a vacation to paradise. But the friends- to- lovers plot gets hijacked by masked intruders, sending the couple on the run for their lives. The plot is just the right amount of over-the-top, balancing the heart-warming romance with humor and suspense. In short – a rom-com thriller with strong and loveable characters, entertaining scenes, witty dialog, and a beautiful island setting. It’s a quick read; a great choice if you love a good friends-to-lovers romance, especially if you want some added escapist fun via a twist [with a hint of ‘White Lotus’ or ‘The Resort’].

This is a well-written, entertaining, contemporary romance novel. It has likable protagonists, relationship drama, supportive family, humor, a heartwarming, friends to lovers romance, a beautiful island setting with an unforeseen event, and a gratifying conclusion. I especially enjoyed its message of following your dreams. Many thanks to St. Martin's Press/St. Martin's Griffin, Ms. Pyae Moe Thet War, and NetGalley, who provided me with an advanced reader copy of this delightful novel. This is my honest opinion.

This kind of gave me The Lost City vibes because they spend a lot of time trying to survive in the jungle and the FMC is an author. Those are the only similarities though. Lol. The FMC and MMC are best friends and roommates who go on an island vacation, but their vacay is thrown off by an armed group taking over their resort. I could see the reveals coming from a mile away, but I really liked the writing and two MCs of this book. It was just as fun as this author’s first book!

Thank you to the publisher for providing me with an e-arc in exchange for my honest review.

2.75 stars

The premise of this book was incredibly promising and sounded really exciting. Unfortunately for me, while the plot was intriguing, I found how the characters acted made no sense in this situation. First, the MMC is in love with the FMC for years yet he's "texting" with his ex (doesn't want to jinx it yet...) and egregiously flirting with the resort employee constantly (which also why are you flirting if you're texting your ex anyhow?). peaking of the resort worker, I couldn't stand how she was acting towards a guest! It felt unprofessional and I instantly did not trust her. Every action he made never made me actually believe he was yearning for his best friend. In their big fight when he said some horrible things about the FMC's writing?? HORRIBLE!

While they are escaping a life or death situation, they are acting and talking far too casually. It's like having armed criminals after you is just another Tuesday. And even after the MMC says "I wouldn't stand it if you got hurt" but then won't even walk with her since he can instead flirt with the resort employee? And for the FMC to get jealous and fight about it when again, they are running for their life! My biggest issues though were 1. how obvious the twist was I cannot believe they didn't figure it out, 2. they forgave AFTER NEARLY DYING far too easily, and 3. they returned to the island later with no trauma.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this eARC.

Thank you to St. Martin's Griffin and NetGalley for this e-arc in exchange for an honest review.

This one started off really well, it's set in Myanmar, which I don't think I've ever read a book with this setting? So that was amazing. It's a story about an author that is super successful, which is really rare, and the main characters are all easy to like.... but it just felt flat. There's armed gunmen taking over this high end resort? And it just - it was all so strange. The ending was also far too fluffy for me considering all of the action.

I know that so many will love this for all of the action alone.

I'd never read anything by this author, so I wasn't sure what to expect, but I liked that it was set outside of North America or Europe. To be honest, I'm not a huge fan of authors who write about writing because the meta can become a little much.

But Poe sucked me in with her successful book deal that she's trying to top while living with her best friend Zwe. They've been off recently, so she books them into an all-inclusive resort to reconnect. And you think that it's gonna be "there's only one bed" and "there's another cool girl" before it takes a left turn and I couldn't put it down. The author does a great job of laying out the clues and I was picking up what they were putting down (most of the time). Definitely want to read more by this author because this was an excellent adventure romance!

This is my second book by this author and I will definitely read future works. Her novels begin lighthearted and fun... until the twist comes that throws this book into thriller territory. The only thing that turned me off a little was how whiny Poe was whenever she felt insecure. I guess that furthered the plot, inciting the anger between her and Zwe, but her defaulting to "Oh, I'm just not good enough, nobody likes my writing" during a time when they are fighting for their lives was a bit odd. Otherwise, I enjoyed the mix of romance and suspense.

really interesting and strong premise but there was little to no chemistry between the main characters and I wish we got to see it blossom more. Also the ending wasn't as strong as I hoped.

3.5 stars. Thank you to NetGalley, Macmillan Audio, St. Martin's Press, and St. Martin's Griffith for this advanced copy! You can pick up Here for a Good Time on August 26, 2025.

Pyae Moe Thet War's writing is truly addictive. This story immediately hooked me in, and I loved the premise of a burnt-out writer booking a two-week vacation to get her creative juices flowing. Bringing along her best friend for emotional support, of course.

The tension between Zwe and Poe started out great, as they settled into the island and had a few chemistry-filled moments. Though others constantly teased them about being together, Poe and Zwe have established that they're firmly in the friend category, living together amicably as roommates.

But things started going sideways for our protagonists and the book when they were forced out of the resort and into a jungle as masked women took over the place.

Surviving in the wilderness with minimal supplies and a semi-helpful resort attendant tests even the greatest of relationships, and I honestly think Poe and Zwe's time together proved they are solidly better as just friends. While I understand that they know each other's history better than anyone, the chemistry established in the first half of the book seemed to evaporate, especially as Zwe got closer romantically to the resort attendant, Layla.

By the end of the book, I was struggling to suspend my disbelief about the masked attackers, Layla, and Poe and Zwe's relationship. Especially after what Zwe said to Poe about her book in the middle of the woods... I'm sorry, but I never would've recovered from that. The whole ending resolution fell kinda flat for me, and I wish things had gone about differently.

All in all, if you like friends-to-lovers with a healthy dose of adventure, you'll likely enjoy this book. But I do wish they had remained as friends or had a bit more sparks as the story continued.

I grabbed this arc on a whim because I really wanted to try something different. This book features a man and woman who have been friends forever, who are roommates, and who are placed in a situation that has them start seeing each other in new ways. The heroine is a best-selling author who is struggling to write her second, follow up book. The hero works for his family's bookstore and is kind of just floating along in life.

When writers block hits, the heroine decides to book a joint vacation for them on a whim. They jet set off to a remote island with the hopes of it inspiring some inspiration to her writing. For a lot of things happen to this book, and all of them were fun. The resort is scarcely populated, the locals and staff are helpful yet professionally distant, and the two main characters find themselves awkwardly managing their time together.

What I really liked about this book was how seamlessly she portrayed the friends to lovers dynamic between the hero and heroine. There was a lot of unrequited love, and a true solid friendship as a foundation, so their journey to becoming intimate was definitely hard fought and well-earned. This is a bit of a slow burn, as the romance isn't necessarily the main point of the book. The overall drama of the book happens when, as you can read in the book description, a bad group of people overtake the resorts and threaten harm to our MCs.

Overall, this was a fun book that kept me on my toes, kept me invested in the hidden romantic plot, and even more so in the angsty moments that there dire situation (running for their lives!) put them in.

3.5*. Wow! Very different! Hard to review without spoilers. I found the beginning a little slow, the middle a crazy trip and the ending perfect!

Here for a Good Time by Pyae Moe Thet War is advertised as a romcom, but I found very little romantic or funny in this book.

I really wanted to love Here for a Good Time, the premise sounded interesting, the setting was different, and I was looking forward to reading a romance set in a different cultural setting, unfortunately this book fell flat for me.

Poe is an author struggling with writing her second book after the wild success of her first. Zwe is her long time best friend, and room mate. Poe books a vacation for them at an exclusive resort in the hopes that it will help her reconnect with Zwe and also help her get over her writer’s block.

I kind of liked this book in the beginning, although I have to admit, I did not feel like Poe and Zwe were romantically attracted to each other at any point in the book. There were times when I wondered why they were friends at all because they didn’t seem to be on the same page.

Once the resort was invaded, it pretty much fell apart for me. The whole scenario just didn’t make any sense. And then when the culprits and the reason for the takeover was revealed, and then the way the story wrapped up…it just made me roll my eyes.

I’m sure some people will enjoy this, but it just was not my cup of tea.

I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

⭐️ 3/5 🌶️ 2/5

First person POV
linear timeline
island setting
friends-to-lovers
romcom + suspense
MF, fade to black

This had such a fun setup: a writer with major sequel block goes on a dreamy island retreat with her best friend, and randomly masked gunwomen, chaos, and unexpected feelings. I loved the concept and the mix of romcom and thriller (my fav genre mashup is romcom + adventure, mystery) even if the execution didn’t fully land for me.

Poe’s voice is sharp and funny, and the banter with Zwe had some really sweet moments. But the romance never totally clicked for me, and the tone bounced around a little too much. Also… I need to say it: they were way too chill about being set on fire. Like, sorry, that should have been a bigger deal!!! They were way too forgiving and nonchalant.

It’s original and entertaining, just not something that stuck with me. I’d still check out what she writes next.

Here for a Good Time is the perfect slow-burn romance, where a deep friendship slowly turns into something more. The witty banter, the undeniable chemistry, and the unexpected adventure that changes everything made this such a fun and heartwarming read. If you love a romance that keeps you hooked with all the tension and charm, this one is definitely worth picking up!

There aren’t many people who have a perfect writing voice, but Pyae Moe Thet War does. I’m in awww anytime they write 😍

I don’t read summaries or anything because I already know I’m going to love everything, genre? Who cares, I’ll read it! 🫡

I couldn’t have ever expected the roller coaster I went on. Part mystery, part action, part romance. It was a fast-paced, beautiful story. The setting was beautiful, and so well written that it made me feel like I was there for every good thing and bad thing. This book has ALL THE FEELINGS. 🏝️

I don’t usually like friends-to-lovers to lovers, but there was something from the very first interaction between Poe and Zwe that had me geeking. I was so obsessed with them. Their ups felt like my ups, their downs made me cry, and their love made me giggle and kick my feet. 🤩

Not only is Pyae Moe Thet War THE AUTHOR TO WATCH, but you need to get this book immediately (on August 26th) 🥹

I was drawn in by the fun synopsis for this book, but it ended up being a middle of the road read for me.

I’m usually a sucker for a friends to lovers trope, but it fell a little flat for me here. Poe and Zwe have chemistry, but at times it didn’t feel that romantic to me. I also had a hard time liking Poe, and her woe-is-me attitude got frustrating after a while.

The plot felt a little bit cliche and campy, but I also think that was part of the point. The middle of the book dragged a bit, which felt weird given that there seemed like there should be a lot of action going on. The ending wraps up pretty quickly, and I was left with some questions that I would’ve like some more clarity on.

I don’t know if this book was for me, but I’d be interested in reading other books by this author.

2.75 stars

The cover and description absolutely sucked me in, but the rest of the experience left me wanting more, unfortunately.

Poe and Zwe are best friends and roommates, but their romantic relationship hasn't gotten off the ground...yet. What else is stuck? Poe's second book. After finding great success with her first effort, she's now in a zone free of workable ideas. She decides to get unstuck in a pretty fun way: a two-week dream vacation with Zwe. Things get weird when the resort is taken over by masked women.

This sounds like it's going to be a blast: friends to lovers, a tropical location, and some kind of action/adventure bonanza. What's confusing is that despite all of this excitement, this book - for me - dragged. I enjoyed the relationship between Poe and Zwe and the snippets of family, but the bulk of the novel at the resort just did not hold my interest. It felt repetitive and uneventful (again, shocking when one considers the content)!

I'd give this author another shot, but this one unfortunately did not work for me.

This is like the anti-Raiders of the Lost Heart n that the ONLY part that worked for me was the romance. I loved Zwe and Poe’s relationship and rooted for them the whole time, despite Poe being infuriatingly, almost unbelievably oblivious to Zwe’s OBVIOUS and unmistakable feelings for her.

The writing style, the humor, the island setting, the plot, the depiction of the publishing industry, and ESPECIALLY the villains all fell flat. I’m not one of those people who usually picks up on plot twists before they happen, so believe me when I tell you that every curve of this story was telegraphed from so far away Martians saw them coming. I don’t NEED a book to surprise me for it to be enjoyable, but I was annoyed by how the protagonists continued to miss massive, glowing, neon clues. Almost as annoyed as I was by how the villains’ arc ended.

I would not recommend this book to anyone, but I didn’t find it offensively terrible, so two stars.

I received a free advanced copy of this book via NetGalley. All opinions are my own.