This book left me wanting more but not in a good way. I kept wanting to pull more emotions from both the FMC and MMC. the relationship alone was really hard to sell myself on and I felt like the authors writing wasn't convincing either. I wish there was more of an effort put in between the FMC and her best friend. It felt like that friendship was almost empty. I understand the title leads the reader to believe one thing but once reading the actual book itself the title doesn't quite hold up. This book reminds me of a book you would pick up at the airport and then getting a handful of chapters in all for the book to get left in the bottom of your carry on and forgotten about. I just needed more emotion, something intense that will grab me by the shoulders right from the beginning.

This book was a little bit of a rollercoaster but ultimately, I couldn't get through it.

First I want to say, I really enjoyed the premise. The setting in Venice was super interesting and fun to read, and I loved the little bits of Italian and culture that were intertwined into the storyline. It was done pretty seamlessly and I felt like the author did a great job of making you feel like you were learning and exploring alongside the characters.

The premise was also cool and unexpected, and I appreciated the attention to platonic relationships and their importance.

Where the story suffered for me was the writing. Sometimes it was easy to read, well paced, and filled with humor and tension. Those parts kept me intrigued enough to keep moving through. Unfortunately, there were other parts where the writing was so clunky and unnatural and it took me out of the story completely. They would be having great tension and romance and then something would be said that came so far out of left field that it derailed the story and felt inauthentic. It felt like the author wanted to give the characters depth through language but didn't fully develop the characters- causing it to fall flat.

I still this think book could be up someone's alley and it feels so "Euro-Summer" but unfortunately the execution didn't work for me.

Thank you to NetGalley and Harlequin Romance for the eARC. All opinions are my own!

The Friends-to-Lovers Project
By Paula Ottoni

Unfortunately I dnf this book around 52%. This book perhaps just didn’t find its target audience as I’m not interested in this particular type of romance. I felt a bit embarrassed by the premise of the project and during scenes where Lorenzo and Daisy were listening to classical music and waltzing.

Thank you to Harlequin Romance for the advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

The Friends-to-Lovers Project by Paula Ottoni

Rating: 3.5/5 ⭐️⭐️⭐️💫
Spice: 3/5 🌶️🌶️🌶️

Thank you to Harlequin - Romance, Afterglow Books by Harlequin, Netgalley, and the author for access to this ARC in exchange for an honest review!

Two best friends, Daisy and Jeremy, try to fall in love in Venice after both being dumped by their partners. Lorenzo, a concierge, tells them about hidden gems to in the city to help them fall in love and offers to be their tour guide. They have a week to fall in love. Will they fall in love with each other or will maybe one of them fall for someone else?

Overall, The Friends-to-Lovers Project is a fun, fast-paced romance that’s perfect for summer! The Italian setting was wonderful and the tension/passion was well done! Also, the twist to a classic romance trope was an unexpected delight!

I'm gonna be really honest, I DNF'd this book only a couple of chapters in. The writing felt like it needed a lot of editing still and the format was not suitable to be reading on Kindle. I'm giving this three stars because while I didn't dislike the story, it was the writing and characters that took me out of it and made it so I did not want to finish reading.

I read until page 145. I had to DNF it. I couldn’t get into the writing style and I didn’t like the characters. I really wanted to like this, but it was not for me.

𝗙𝗶𝗿𝘀𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗼𝘂𝗴𝗵𝘁:

If you want a vacay to Venice with a fun romance this one’s for you! Seriously I have been and this book was so descriptive. I felt I was right back eating pasta, sipping wine, seeing the sights, embracing the culture and strolling along the canals. Come fall in love in Venice this summer with this duo. The audiobook paired with the ebook is the perfect immersive reading experience. The narration was great!

𝐒𝐲𝐧𝐨𝐩𝐬𝐢𝐬:

Daisy is in Venice on a dream vacation to get inspiration to open her restaurant back home in LA. But the first day she’s there she gets dumped. So pivoting she gets the idea why not use this as a chance to fall in love with her best friend Jeremy who’s also traveling with her. Only problem is there is zero chemistry between them…

But the hot Italian concierge Lorenzo, at the hotel they are staying at has volunteered to be their “Fairy GodMother”. Meaning he will show them around Venice and sprinkle them with all the Italian magic allowing them to fall in love.

Only problem is Lorenzo is spending alot of time with Daisy and he is falling for her hard. If he’s able to pull off his mission he can prove to his boss he deserves to run the hotel. He already loss his dram once of becoming a violinist and he won’t let that happen again. So he can’t let his feelings for Daisy get in the way, plus she’s leaving at the end of the week.

𝙁𝙖𝙫 𝙌𝙪𝙤𝙩𝙚:

“You need to get lost to find yourself, right?”

𝑳𝒊𝒕𝒆𝒓𝒂𝒓𝒚 𝑻𝒉𝒆𝒎𝒆𝒔 𝒀𝒐𝒖’𝒍𝒍 𝑭𝒊𝒏𝒅:

* Off Limits Romance
* Project “Fairy GodMother”
* Italian vs American
* He’s a Violinist Turned Hotel Concierge
* She’s a Chef in La
* He Gives Her “Love Lessons”
* Travel Romance Venice
* Learning to Live in the Now
* Dual POV w/ Spice

💕🇮🇹🍝🎻💕🇮🇹🍝🎻💕🇮🇹🍝🎻

This was really fun and cute albeit a little predictable. But that’s entirely fine for me in the romance genre. For me it’s about the characters and their journey and the banter and this book had that for me. I enjoyed this a lot

A short, emotionally driven romance set in beautiful Venice. After a painful breakup, Daisy finds herself navigating love, loss, and confusion while vacationing with her best friend Jeremy. What begins as a friends-to-lovers story quickly turns into a slow-burn love triangle with the arrival of charming tour guide Lorenzo.

Daisy’s desperation for love can be frustrating, but her grief and vulnerability are relatable. While the pacing is uneven and the plot a bit scattered, the story offers spice, emotion, and a satisfying ending. Not quite a rom-com, but an easy read for fans of multicultural romance with heart.

I really enjoyed this super cute dual POV story! This book really made me want to go to Venice. I thought it was very interesting to read about who was going to give up their previous life since they were both very tied to their countries.

The characters were super lovable and the ending was satisfying! I thoroughly enjoyed this one and can’t wait to read more by this author!

What happens when you and your old friend are both single in Venice? Fate might finally be giving you a second chance.

But just as sparks begin to fly, enter Lorenzo—the charismatic tour guide who complicates everything in the most delicious way.

Who is her forever and who's fun for right now?

Thank you to the publisher and to NetGalley for an arc. All opinions expressed are my own.

This was a very tongue in cheek romance that was aware of the genre and played with those expectations, as the title hinted at. Daisy and Lorenzo were both easy characters to root for and the beautiful Venice setting was atmospheric and really helped to set the tone for a budding romance. The premise for the book was really cute and the author really took full advantage of the fun and romance.

This author is new to me, but I will be keeping an eye out for anything else they publish. I loved the story and the characters. The pacing of the story was great and the characters were relatable.

The romance in this was so cute!!!
I really loved how I never knew where this story was going and it kept me stumped the entire time. It was easy to read, and adorable!

Thank you NetGalley and Afterglow Books for allowing me to review the ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

Daisy and her long time friend, Jeremy, find themselves both single while in Venice. Both dumped they could get together. Is Jeremy her forever? Hence the name. But then we meet Lorenzo, the tour guide that brings the story into a love triangle.

This was a super cute and sweet summer read. 3.5 stars rounded up.

I DNFed The Friends-to-Lovers Project at 24% in.

This is a short book and I love Venice, but I just didn’t enjoy this and ended up DNFing. I love the friends to lovers trope, but you can tell very quickly that it’s not going to work out in this story. These best friends are amazingly awkward and weird as they try to force themselves to fall in love when neither one of them is interested in the other. I was cringing. The writing feels clunky and forced. There’s no real artistry in the descriptions of Venice, it reads like a travel book in places. I found the conversations between the characters to be pretty boring, the inner thoughts of the characters bland and uninteresting, and I really struggled to care about any of the characters. I skimmed for a while, and things get pretty melodramatic at times. I found a steamy scene that was really badly written. Almost clinical, with no real passion. I decided to abandon the book for something else.

pretty cute romance vibes, but where the story truly shines is the intricate descriptions of the settings. 4 stars. tysm for the arc.

Set against the enchanting backdrop of Venice, "The Friends-To-Lovers Project" is a charming romance that follows LA chef Daisy Hogan as she embarks on a journey to jumpstart her new life, only to find herself tangled in unexpected feelings. When her carefully planned trip goes awry, Daisy and her reliable best friend Jeremy agree to a "friends-to-lovers" experiment, but the arrival of their charismatic tour guide Lorenzo, who's wrestling with his own dreams, complicates everything. With gondola rides, longing glances, and a city made for romance, Daisy is forced to reconsider what she truly wants: stability, friendship, or the courage to pursue her own passions. This heartflet story is perfect for those who liked "The Unhoneymooners" by Christina Lauren, "One Italian Summer" by Rebecca Serle, and "People We Meet on Vacation" by Emily Henry.

Daisy goes to Italy for the trip of a lifetime with her boyfriend and another friend couple… and immediately finds herself single and stuck on vacation with the male friend, as their partners ran off together, forever. That leaves Daisy to set up the friends to lovers project with her long time friend, Jeremy, since they are in such a romantic setting of Venice, Italy. Will they fall in love? Or will Daisy find someone else, like the tour guide helping with this project.


Thanks to #NetGalley

Thank you to NetGalley, Harlequinn books and the author for granting my request to read this e-ARC and provide my honest thoughts.

Daisy and her best friend got dumped, bummer,right? But Daisy comes up with a wild idea: what if she and her best friend Jeremy try to fall in love? Thus, “The Friends-to-Lovers Project” is born.

I read this book in a day and half, and let me tell you, the chemistry between Daisy and Lorenzo? Absolutely sizzling. I don’t say this lightly—I had chills every time Lorenzo looked at or spoke to Daisy.

One week. Forget Alice. To fall for me. It’s possible. Isn’t it? Now, I’ve got to admit I was not on board with the actual Friends-to-Lovers Project. Why force a connection with your best friend? Love shouldn't be something you try to feel. Thank God for Lorenzo!

Overall, I loved this book for its heartfelt moments, emotional tension, and the electric spark between the leads. A charming, fast-paced read!