A fun, lighthearted rom-com full of great banter and fun moments. The double-booked villa was a recipe for chaos (and chemistry), and the rivalry competitions kept things entertaining! While the romance between Molly and Travis was totally predictable, I loved every second of it!! A perfect feel-good read!

Thank you to Netgalley and BoldwoodEverAfter for the eARC of this book in exchange for my honest review.

Review was posted (Instagram, Goodreads, bookishlytara blog, Storygraph) on March 28, 2025. An additional post (with a reposted review) was posted on Instagram on the publication day as well as an Amazon Canada review. (Links below)

Thank you NetGalley for my advance copy of this book. I am quickly becoming a fan of this author so was pleased to have an early copy. I really enjoyed this book! It was fun, light hearted and I couldn’t put it down. Perfect read for a lovely sunny day around a pool. Very much enjoyed it!

Too Hot to Handle by Portia MacIntosh

I received an advance review copy for free thanks to Rachel's Random Resources and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

Blurb

One bachelorette party. One stag do. One double-booked villa and only one way to decide who gets a competition.

Workaholic Molly is buzzing when her best friend tells her she’s getting married. As maid of honour Molly can’t wait for the perfect bachelorette party in Spain. What could be better than a week in a stunning villa? Sun, sea, cocktails and gossiping – and best of all, no boys allowed. But when the hens arrive they discover that they are not alone. The villa has been accidentally double booked by a group of stags who make it very clear they’re not leaving!

It’s a disaster, and no one wants to give up their place in paradise. Attempts at compromising fail instantly, so their only option is to have a winner takes all competition. Battle lines are drawn and it is girls v boys - but will the competition be too hot to handle?

As their rivalry heats up, and Molly finds herself gravitating towards stag Travis, it’s clear that he’s enjoying the attention - but Molly can’t let herself get distracted, and under no circumstances can she fall for the enemy.

My Opinion

Portia MacIntosh has written a delightful, entertaining novel. Too Hot to Handle was a quick and easy book to read. This is going to make for a great holiday read. Portia has included quite a few characters, but I found it easy to keep track of them all. This book did not disappoint.

Rating 4/5

This book took me a while to get into, I found some of the characters frustrating and how they dealt with the situation immature - would this be how it would have happened in the real world?

I read the Last quarter really quickly though as I feel by then the characters were more established and the situation seemed a lot more believable!

In Too Hot to Handle, Molly and her best friends are traveling to Spain for a week long bachelorette party leading into the wedding of her bestie’s dreams. When they arrive at their Spanish villa, there’s just one BIG problem… There’s a group of guys that have also booked the house for the exact same occasion - a bachelor party and wedding. They decide to compete, girls vs. boys, in a series of competitions to “win” the right to stay in the house for the week following the weddings. What could possibly go wrong?

This book started off a smidge slow for me, but once they arrived in Spain and began the competition, it was just a ton of fun! The banter and antics of the two groups was silly and immature (in the best way) and I found myself laughing and smiling the whole way through. I liked the romantic plot, but I actually found myself enjoying the friendships just as much, if not more. It was a cute, quick, summery read. Perfect for the upcoming warmer months! (I wish I were at a Spanish villa right now!)

Super quick and fun romcom in which two groups of friends encounter when a booking mixup at a villa in Spain causes both a bachelorette and bachelor party to be booked at the same time and they have to forgive out how to share the space. Soon, the groups are having competitions for various parts of the villa and then attractions between members of the parties ensues. There’s loads of witty banter and back and forth pranks between the two groups in typical Portia style and all the characters, and in particular, the FMC, Molly, all grew throughout the story. This leans heavily into the friendships and into the comedy over the romance which was refreshing and the forced proximity of the shared space leads to some interesting situations.
This will be a fun and entertaining beach read or for anyone who likes reality tv romances, forced proximity and strong female friendships.
Thanks to Boldwood books and NetGalley for this eArc in exchange for my review

Perfect sunny holiday read! Gorgeous settings, beautiful villa and fabulous friends.
the ultimate girls holiday / hen week what else could go wrong? When a friend group book a villa for the week leading up to one of their weddings and they turn up to men in the pool - an oversight on the booking system what could possibly happen between them all? Honestly it’s really not what your thinking haha well maybe a little bit of that but a lot of childish games first 🤣
I absolutely love Portia’s books they are just so nice and easy to read. Minimum stress but the storyline is always worth it!
🌟🌟🌟🌟

Release Date - 8th April 2025

What a fun spicy, sweet, and adorable summer read!! I loved the characters, and the setting of this book. It was such a fun lighthearted read. Highly recommend.

This was such a fun read! The perfect rom-com book to take on holiday that you’ll not be able to put down.

It’s the first book I’ve read by the author and I would definitely like to read more of her books. I really enjoyed the premise and the writing kept me hooked.

If you like holiday romance, forced proximity and some rivalry then you’ll love this book,

Thanks to the Publisher and Netgalley for an early review copy.

Following her relationship ending, Molly is looking forward to her best friend's hen party at a villa, in a gorgeous setting. When they arrive, it’s to find that there is already another party in the villa, it turns out that the rental company rented it out to both parties.

They decide to split the villa in two and carry on with their individual parties.

But, to decide which of the them will remain in the second week after the weddings, they take part in competitions. They are fun as well as messy. When one of the games means they have to pair up, it causes a misunderstanding, which almost ruins everything.

I recommend this book.

Too Hot to Handle is like Love Island crashed into Survivor—but with more flirting, less sunscreen, and way better banter.

Molly’s bachelorette trip to Spain turns into a hilarious turf war when her villa is double-booked with a group of rowdy bachelors. Cue the chaos, pranks, and a sizzling slow-burn with Travis—the enemy she definitely shouldn’t be crushing on (but totally is).

It’s spicy, sun-soaked, and laugh-out-loud funny. If you love enemies-to-lovers, forced proximity, and reality-show-level drama, this is your perfect summer escape.

Oh my! I never know what to expect when I start one of Portia’s books other than side splitting hilarity and this book doesn’t disappoint.

It starts with a perfect proposal which has your heart melting, then the rollercoaster ride begins. The proposal is quickly followed by a breakup, on the same night in fact.

Then we have Love Island on steroids. A hen party of four and stag party of four doubled booked at a villa in Spain for two weeks. It’s not much fun though as the two groups instantly hate each other and set out to make life difficult.

This all makes for hilarious reading. I actually laughed out loud most of the way through the book. Alongside this, the sparks flying aren’t just from the firepit, nor is the heat!!! I think I felt every single emotion at one point or another reading this book.

“You’ll be amazed how many people in a biscuit factory crumble under pressure.”

“A point blank sniff should still reveal the scent.”

Molly and her friends were in for quite the surprise when they showed up to their beautiful villa for Lou’s hen party only to find a group of (very handsome) men! Apparently their villa was double booked and both parties needed to stay because they both had weddings to attend on the same weekend.

The girls and guys were going to duke it out to see who would be able to keep the villa for the week after the weddings. No one was going down without a fair fight and under no circumstances would they all stay there together so let the sabotaging begin.

The plot was so fun and I was entertained but I wanted more romance! This book was more about a girls trip and friendship than relationships in my opinion. This could have been such an epic book if the relationships were revealed sooner. Overall, this was a fun, quick read that would be great this summer for pool-side reading! And, if you like this one, Portia has more than 20 other rom-coms to choose from!

I read every Portia MacIntosh book that I can, and I enjoy the fun, quick read. Too Hot to Handle was just the escape I needed! Set in Spain, with a fun premise, I flew through this book!

This was a cute rom-com that will be a great summer read! Molly and her friends are off to a villa in Spain for two weeks to celebrate her friend Lou’s upcoming marriage as well as the actual wedding. Upon arrival, they find they aren’t the only ones there - a stag party also booked the same villa for the same time.

There’s lots of funny banter & back & forth shenanigans between the two groups. As the week goes on, interest between the men & ladies develop because how could they not?

The cast of characters were enjoyable and this was a breezy, light hearted read. I enjoyed seeing Molly’s relationship develop.

Thank you to Net Galley and Boldwood Books for the eARC of this book!

too hot to handle is a fun, easy read about a villa being double booked by a bachelorette and bachelor party - chaos ensues!

this a great read if you want something light and fun, possibly on a warm holiday by the beach. there isn’t a huge amount of emotional depth to this book but i had a great time and will definitely be looking into more books by portia!

thank you to netgalley and the publisher for providing this arc in exchange for an honest review

Portia MacIntosh is definitely THE romcom Queen! I love every book I’ve read by her and her newest one doesn’t disappoint!

Set in Spain, things go awry when Molly - the maid of honor - arrives with the bride and friends in tow to a gorgeous villa where they will spend the next two weeks.
But when they get there, there is a group of guys in the villa who are there for two weeks leading up to their friend’s wedding.
Let the games, fun, and shenanigans begin as the two groups battle it out for the villa!

This was a charming, laugh out loud, grab-your-best-friend-to-read-this-together book!

Thank you NetGalley, Portia MacIntosh, and Boldwood Books for the opportunity to read this in exchange for a review. This gem is available TOMORROW on April 8th!

The boys won’t leave. We can’t leave. We have to share the space.

Too Hot to Handle was a first person point-of-view story that loved to misdirect and had a zany tone. Molly has just left a celebration where she helped her bestfriend's boyfriend surprise her with an engagement. High on love, she goes to dinner with her boyfriend of two years and has a moment where she thinks they're going to get engaged, instead he goes on about how he said he never wanted to get married. With a moment of clarity, Molly breaks up with him and then gets depressed with trying to date from apps. After eight months, she's ready to swear off guys and when a mix-up leads to her getting a two week vacation in Spain with her bride bestie and the other bridesmaids, relaxation and time with the girls is the only thing on her mind. Instead, she finds herself stuck in a villa with an all male groomsmen group. A standoff where no one wants to leave creates hijinks, battles, and Molly wanting to fraternize with the enemy.

Honestly, he’s going to have to stop being so perfect, or I might be in serious trouble.

This had a chik-lit and women's fiction feel with a humorous bent that didn't quite jive with my funny bone, so your mileage may vary. Everyone was in their early/mid thirties and the way these adults acted finding themselves in a situation where the villa they were supposed to stay at was double booked, just didn't entertain me, rather, their attitudes and actions grated. If you're not bothered by the vibe, you'll get a story with four men and four women trying to convince the other group to leave the villa when there really isn't another option for them. They have one week until each wedding and then one week after the wedding for the wedding party members to enjoy the villa. With no side leaving, they agree to share it, the women get the bedrooms with attached bathrooms, the men get the downstairs with the kitchen, and the backyard with pool and fire pit is communal space. That's right, the men can't shower and the women can't cook food for a week. They come to a conclusion to play a series of competitions where each side picks an activity and whoever wins it, gets a point. After a few competitions whoever has the most points, gets the villa for the second week. The competitions are shown but ran through quickly and then the characters themselves kind of forget about them towards the end.

It’s time to go for what I want, instead of being sad and scared all the time.

As this is only told from Molly's pov, we only get a look at her budding connection with one of the men, Travis, from the other side, but there are hints that the other two bridesmaids might be having connections with the other two groomsmen. The romance doesn't really get focused on until halfway through and you won't be too certain where Travis stands. There's a misdirection moment meant to third act breakup bamboozle you but it doesn't last too long and I felt more annoyed than emotional that such a wrench was flashed in. After spending time with the group and some of their immature antics we do get a HEA for Molly but I can't say I believed wholeheartedly in it as I never really felt I knew Travis. This was a quick and snappy story and if you don't mind some immature madcap, this might be the beach read for you.

I want to thank Netgalley and the author for gifting me the ebook!
Once again, Portia Macintosh delivers a funny rom com novel. I don't wat to give too much away, but I absolutely loved this book. I have read every book from this author, and I am never disappointed with her novels. If you are a fan of Sophie Kinsella, you should check out all books by Portia. She is a great author, and her writing is joyful and makes you feel happy at the end.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for sending me a copy of this book to review.

This was a fun chick lit novel, and I enjoyed it a lot. I am looking forward to reading more by this author.