Loved this book Portia MacIntosh yet again manages to create a fantastic balance of humour and emotion. You are rooting for the characters because you can totally identify with them. I enjoyed the twists and the chase. A lovely balanced read

Too Hot to Handle by Portia Macintosh

3/5 ⭐️⭐️⭐️

Thank You to Net Galley, the publisher and the author for this ARC! This was a pretty cute, easy read.

It’s labeled as a romantic comedy but there honestly wasn’t much romance and nothing revealed until about 85% of the way through. I think it definitely could’ve been incorporated earlier in the book as to build it up a bit more. By the time romance was finally involved the book wrapped up pretty quickly leaving me feeling unsatisfied with the that aspect.

I enjoyed the characters overall but honestly just disliked the entire premise of the book (which could be a personal thing). Basically a villa is double booked by a group of girls for a bachelorette and a group of boys for a bachelor party. When neither group volunteers to leave, they launch into a competition of sorts to see who can keep the villa for after the weddings and coexist in a divided house until then. As someone who got married recently I promise you I would NOT be okay with this and despite “not having any other options” I’d definitely find an alternative.

Anyway, it was fairly short with quick chapters so it wasn’t difficult to get through in that regard. Definitely not a groundbreaking book by any means. Wouldn’t necessarily recommend for a romance lover but if you’re looking for a lighthearted beach read this could be a solid option.

💍🌞💁‍♀️ Too Hot To Handle by Portia Macintosh 💁‍♀️🌞💍
Genre: Rom-com
Length: 288 pages
My Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫
Pub Date: April 8, 2025

🩷 forced proximity
🩷 rivals
🩷 vacation destination
🩷 wedding

Thank you to Boldwood Books and NetGalley for the advanced e-ARC of this book. The opinions stated here are solely my own.

Summary:
Job recruiter Molly is gearing up for her best friend Lou's wedding. Unfortunately, she is coming off a painful break-up and has to suck it up to help with their girls' Bachelorette destination week in Spain, followed directly by the wedding. It is just what the four of them all needed, but their arrival at the gorgeous Spanish villa is ruined when they see there is already a group of four guys who were also double-booked to stay there during their same two weeks. Thus begins a 'war' between the girls and the guys to gain sole residence of the villa. Molly is determined to help the girls win, but one of the guys, Travis, is finding his way into her head... and heart.

Opinion:
This was yet another adorable comedic romance by Portia Macintosh. I loved the 'events' that the girls and guys created for their villa competition. The whole story was fun and fast-paced, with a gorgeous setting and bachelorette/wedding theme. Molly and Travis had such great chemistry from the get-go and I was really rooting for them to not only bridge the gap between the two groups, but of course, to find their own romantic happy ending. I'm never disappointed by this author's light-hearted and enjoyable romance novels!

Overall, I really enjoyed this book! It’s the perfect popcorn read—light, fun, and ideal for the beach or a lazy summer afternoon. It has that easygoing charm that instantly puts you in a holiday mood.

That said, I did have a few minor gripes. The negativity toward Willow felt a bit unnecessary. Sure, not everyone in a friend group is going to get along perfectly, and it was nice to see Molly and Willow setting their differences aside for Lou’s sake. But the tension between them seemed to just fizzle out without much resolution, and Willow’s comment about Dean being single again felt out of place, especially since nothing really came of it.

The characters’ behavior also leaned a little too immature at times. The whole villa situation could have been resolved with a simple conversation, yet they resorted to petty pranks and passive-aggressive antics instead. Thankfully, things did smooth out eventually.

I also wished the characters had a bit more depth—it would have added to the chemistry between them. And while I don’t mind a happy ending, *everyone* pairing off felt a little too neat and tidy.

That said, this book never pretends to be something deeper than it is. It’s a breezy, entertaining summer romance that delivers exactly what you’d expect—and despite my nitpicks, I had a great time reading it!

The premise was interesting but the start was so slow and felt like a book I would have enjoyed in the 90s. It felt stale and repetitive. Both the men and women introduced seemed to lack intelligence and innovative ideas. Maybe the book gets better later on, I abandoned it at 33%.

Thank you NetGalley and Portia MacIntosh for the Arc.
What happens when a group of four girls celebrating an upcoming wedding and a group of four guys celebrating and upcoming wedding get double booked in a villa. Attraction, competition and a whole lot of sexual tension.
Molly was just looking forward to a holiday after getting heartbroken by her ex-boyfriend and didn’t expect to find more. I loved the back and forth banter between both groups and how in the end lasting friendships were made even if you thought there would be blood by the end of the holiday. Each single girl and guy connected and the 2027 excerpt had one wedding with a second on the way. Many times Molly and Travis’s heartbreak lead them to not allow them to open up again, luckily the week gave them plenty of time.
Maybe started off a little slow with needing some background on Molly and the gang but after they got to the villa and the initial skinny dipping incident, I couldn’t put it down and finished the rest in one sitting. A great summer beach or pool read for the romantic comedy lover.

A fun, romantic read with a competitive edge which was compelling. A good light hearted read. Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for letting me review this book.

Loved this romance, it was definetely hot to handle. Loved the chemistry between the caracters, the spice was just perfect.

I’ve never read a book that gives off that much of a British vibe (not a bad thing, just interesting). Also the first half of the book was pretty boring and seemed to drag on. But when we got to the point where the 2 main characters had to stand against one another - that’s where things got interesting. Overall it was a good read.

This Spanish holiday romcom, with double-booking/forced proximity, is fun and easy to read. The romance doesn't start until quite late in the book - around the 60% mark, but the childish tricks the two groups play on each other, and the competition hijinks (which should determine which group gets to keep the villa) is amusing and holds your interest. I have read a few books by this Author and whilst this isn’t the best (Ex in the City and The Meet Cute Method are my favourites), it is still a great read and would be ideal as a beach read this summer. Many thanks to NetGallery and Boldwood Books for allowing me to get an early copy of this book, which is out on 8th April 2025.

Portia Macintosh has set another book in a sunny location which somehow gives you a warmth as you read it.
 
It is amusing, as ever, I particularly enjoyed an early scene as Molly got a client mixed up with an ex-boyfriend.
 
The dynamic between the four boys and four girls is a little silly at times but generally great fun,
I particularly enjoyed one of the card games they concocted.
 
Overall, as enjoyable as normal and I look forward to this author’s next book

Thanks to Netgalley and Boldwood Books for providing me with an Advance Reader's Copy in exchange for an honest, unbiased review.

Many thanks to NetGalley & the Publisher for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This was a cute vacation read. I love forced proximity tropes and this certainly delivered. It was easy to get into, but it did start to drag a bit in the middle, so the pacing is a bit off. I'm not sure the insta-love was convincing, but it was still entertaining.

This was a fun, lighthearted romcom. Not very romance heavy but I did enjoy the friendship aspect and vacation vibes.

I struggled with the pacing of this book; the beginning felt slow but the ending was rushed. There were things that happened in the beginning that just felt unnecessary to the plot. Also, the chemistry between the FMC and MMC felt surface level and a little instalove.

While this wasn't a perfect book by any means, I still enjoyed it!

Thank you to NetGalley for the free ARC in exchange for an honest review.

An easy read that would be perfect for by the pool. This isn’t the best book that I’ve read by this author but it was still good. I just found the pettiness between the boys and the girls got a bit much for me and felt that the end was very rushed.

☀️ Too Hot to Handle by Portia MacIntosh

Molly’s best friend Lou is marrying one of the greatest men on earth 🥰… but Molly? She’s newly single after realizing her boyfriend was a total dud. When disaster strikes Lou’s wedding plans and Molly has a work mishap, she ends up spending two weeks in sunny Spain with Lou and their friends, Nita and Willow. Sounds like a dream, right? 🌴✨

Except… when they arrive at their gorgeous villa, they find a group of guys already there! And neither group is willing to leave. Let the chaos begin! 🤯🔥

This book had me cackling—the competition between the two groups was so petty but so hilarious 😂. The pranks, the banter, the drama—it was all chef’s kiss 👌.

And let’s talk about Molly & Travis… the chemistry was sizzling! 🔥 From their flirty back-and-forth to the deeper convos, I was rooting for them the whole way. Every character (except Dean, obviously 🙄) was fun, relatable, and felt like real people you’d want to be friends with.

Huge thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC! 💖📖

What a cute book! Molly and the rest of the cast of characters were all delightful to read about not to mention very relatable. Perfect sweet and spicy summer read!

This was my first Portia MacIntosh read and I loooooooved it! I will definitely be reading more from her. It was cute, quirky and just a really fun read.

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher Boldwood books for gifting me an early copy of Too Hot To Handle

It tells the story of Molly who is her best friend’s bridesmaid and they all go to Spain a week before her wedding. The thing is there is been a double booking and a group of guys is also there.

I found it nice and easy to read it. However I also found it a bit too childish. I don’t know if it was the tone or just the concept, but I didn’t really like this aspect of the story.

I would give it 3 stars.

Molly's best friend is getting married and she is most definitely nor, in fact she's pretty much sworn off men. Her job looks dubious, she's worried about being left behind and then disaster strikes when the villa they've booked for Lou's hen party is double booked and they arrived to find a group of lads.

This was really slow to start - felt a little bit like too many back details were being forced in but by the end I couldn't put it down and HAD to know how it ended!
The characters are fun - and it's nice to read a book where they come from a northern town that isn't Manchester!

The ending is exactly what I wanted it to be too!

I thought this was such a cute book! I really loved Molly and the boys and girls groups, it was a little rushed for my liking but still a really good book, it’s reminiscent of love island and I loved that’s aspect, this book just really makes you want to go on vacation though!

Thank you to NetGalley and Boldwood Books for the eARC.