“If any place can turn two best friends into lovers, it’s Venice.”

This truly sounded like it was going to be such a cute, fun read. The premise had so much potential and I really felt it fell short. I truly started reading with the full expectation that I would fully enjoy this story. And I found myself bored through a lot of it and would have dnf’d if it weren’t an arc. Friends to lovers is one of my favorite tropes and this wasn’t it. I don’t know how Daisy thought she and Jeremy would make a good couple. I barely believed them as friends, much less best friends who could become more. Their connection seemed shallow at best. And, something about Lorenzo irritated me and almost gave me the Ick. I feel like the minute he was introduced he was overpowering as a character. The insta love seemed a bit too rushed and unrealistic. A lot of it just seemed awkward for me. I thought the ending was sweet and the story had so much unrealized potential.

*The Friends-to-Lovers Project* by Paula Ottoni is a sweet and heartfelt romance that delivers on the charm of its title. The chemistry between the characters feels genuine, and the slow-burn development of their relationship is both engaging and satisfying. Ottoni balances humor, warmth, and emotion in a way that makes the story easy to root for. While some plot points are a little predictable, the journey is delightful and leaves you smiling. A solid 4-star read—comforting, fun, and full of heart.

This was a cute read, and I think it was pulled from my dreams of a trip to Italy with a hot tour guide!!

I am a sucker for a romcom (book form and movie form, gimme them all!!!) but this one fell a little flat for me. The premise of Daisy ending up in Italy with her best friend was cute, but I wasn't really vibing with the whole thing at a few points.

Enter the tour guide, and this is the point of no return. I'm not a big love triangle person, so I knew this wasn't going to be a high-hitter for me. I did still finish it and I loved the pace and flow of it (definitely could see someone reading this in one sitting on a warm summer day!), so I do think I would recommend this to anyone who needs a quick summer vacation read!!

Thank you to Harlequin Romance and NetGalley for the eARC!

In this charming new romance novel, readers follow LA chef Daisy Hogan as she travels to Venice for inspiration for her new restaurant (which will fulfill her dad’s dreams) with her best friend Jeremy. On their trip, they decide to see if they could fall in love and make each other happy, so hotel concierge and violinist Lorenzo Fontana does his best to help them as their personal guide to romance. As the three of them explore the city, Daisy begins to question this project, her plans, and her future because they might not be what she truly wants from life. Emotional, entertaining, and spicy, the characters are the stars of the book, and the romantic and immersive setting of Venice acts as a great backdrop for the romance and Daisy’s larger questions about her life. Daisy is a great protagonist with a fantastic emotional storyline and great character development, and readers will love tracking her emotional and personal growth over the course of the novel. This book is packed with details, and the characters’ chemistry and relationships are really detailed and well-written. Entertaining, heartwarming, and tropey, romance readers will love this new book and its incredibly written characters from Paula Ottoni.

This one was just okay for me. I wasn't really sold on Daisy wanting to force a relationship with her best friend Jeremy. Good thing then that Lorenzo was there! My favourite parts were the Venice setting.

Friends. Lovers. Tour guides with violins. Venice has never been this complicated.
Let me set the scene: Venice. Cobblestone streets. Golden light bouncing off the canals. Pasta. Gondolas. A sexy concierge with an emotionally loaded backstory. A best friend with golden retriever energy. A chef trying to find her future—and maybe herself.

Sound like chaos? It is. Delicious, dreamy, "should I scream or swoon?" chaos.

🍷 Meet Daisy Hogan
LA chef, dreamer, daddy’s girl trying real hard to make responsible choices. This Venice trip? It’s supposed to be her fresh start. Culinary inspiration. Career clarity. But when her plans crumble, she ends up stuck in the most romantic city in the world with her best friend and a contract to try falling in love with him. (As one does.)

💌 The “Project”
Daisy and Jeremy—classic friends-to-maybe-something-more duo. Stable. Sweet. Zero butterflies. So what do they do? They plan to fall in love. Like a school project. Or a business pitch. What could possibly go wrong?

🛶 Enter: Lorenzo Fontana
Italian. Intense. Charming hotel concierge with the soul of a musician and a tragic little violin tucked away in his closet (along with all our hopes and dreams). His job? Help Daisy and Jeremy fall in love. His actual problem? He’s falling for Daisy himself. And listen—when Lorenzo starts strumming her heartstrings, the project goes off the rails fast.

💖 Why You’ll Love It:

A truly messy, slow-burn triangle that actually makes sense (and hurts sooo good)
Warm, wanderlust-worthy Venice vibes you can practically smell and taste
Emotional growth, romantic tension, and hard questions about what we actually want vs. what we think we’re supposed to want
Pining. So much pining.
A heroine learning to choose herself first—then choose love
🌟 Final Thoughts:
The Friends to Lovers Project is sweet, angsty, and full of that delicious "what if I pick the wrong person?" tension that keeps your heart in a very Venetian chokehold. It’s about love—but more importantly, about choosing a life that’s yours. And maybe finding the right person along the way… even if he wasn’t part of the plan.

The Friends-to-Lovers Project is a charming, spicy rom-com set against the dreamy backdrop of Venice that perfectly captures the magic and confusion of transitioning from friendship to romance. Daisy’s journey from a career-focused LA chef trying to stick to a plan to someone who starts questioning what she really wants felt so relatable and heartfelt.

The dynamic between Daisy and Jeremy, her dependable best friend, was sweet and realistic, but it’s Lorenzo—the passionate, music-loving Venetian concierge—who truly stole the show. His presence adds a layer of tension and unpredictability to the story, making the friends-to-lovers project anything but simple.

The vivid descriptions of Venice—from gondola rides to charming cobbled streets—create an irresistible romantic atmosphere that pairs beautifully with the sizzling chemistry and emotional growth between the characters. This book is a delightful mix of humor, heat, and heartfelt moments that kept me turning pages.

If you love opposites-attract stories set in gorgeous locations with a perfect balance of spice and emotion, this one’s definitely worth picking up. Plus, the multicultural aspect adds a fresh and authentic flavor to the romance. Highly recommend for a light, swoony escape!

Thank you so much to Shameless Romantics and Harlequin Books for this gifted eARC! 🫶🏻

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
🌶️🌶️🌶️

❤️‍🔥The Friends to Lovers Project
🇮🇹 by Paula Ottoni
❤️‍🔥 Pub Date: July 1st (out now!)

I had such a fun time reading this book and I was invested from the beginning!!! I did not know what was going to happen, where the story was going, and was completely wrong when I thought I’d guessed it! 😂🩷

Daisy is our FMC who I really relate to and loved seeing her journey of figuring out her life in this read! And with an Italy setting? Absolutely perfect! Daisy and her best friend, Jeremy, are best friends who end up getting cheated on by their respective partners. However, this story definitely starts off with even more of a bang as their SO’s were cheating on them both…with each other! 🫣 lol

Daisy and Jeremy then decided to make a pact and try and see if they could turn their platonic relationship romantic. Because, it’z worth them trying right? Enter, Lorenzo, is our swoon worthy MMC who sets out to try and help Daisy and Jeremy fall in love, by being their romance tour guide!

But things get more complicated when feelings start developing between Daisy and Lorenzo during the process! 🤭 I literally loved this book so so much and can’t believe I got to read it early!!! Highly recommend this one for a great summer read!

This was great!
Forced proximity in a Venice setting! The slow burn was so delicious. I absolutely loved this.

You’ll get tension, passion, banter and spice in this one!

Will definitely be carrying in the store!

My favorite part of this book was the slow burn tension from Daisy's completely relatable goal of not setting herself up for heartbreak. I also really appreciated the self-awareness and hardship of losing a talent/ability on Lorenzo's side and how it was true-to-life disappointment.

This was a very fluffy romance read perfect for travel. The whole thing was rushed and felt very surface level, but it was a fun palate cleanser. The title was misleading, and the plot ended up not being what I expected. I also wouldn’t describe the plot as a love triangle as the two best friends had zero attraction to each other. Overall, a fun read and a light escape. Thank you to NetGalley for the advanced reader copy!

I think that there are people who would enjoy this book but I don't think that I'm one of them unfortunately.

I enjoyed the beginning - Daisy is trying to move on with her life and plans a trip with her best friend Jeremy. Obviously, from the title I assumed there would be some friends to lovers trope instances occurring (which I enjoy). The concept of actively turning a friend into a lover is fairly unique and interesting, but as the story went on I felt like the pacing was severely lacking and I just kept losing interest. I didn't find myself being attached to any of the characters and found it hard to connect with them and therefore the story.

It's got a good premise and I do think there is a solid group of people out there that would enjoy it but honestly I think it turning into an almost love triangle situation sort of threw me and it wasn't a plot line I was very invested in or interested in.

The premise of the book sounded interesting, but the setup felt so awkward and silly for both Daisy and Lorenzo (forcing a friends-to-lovers trope with your best friend that you think of as a brother gave me the ick; for Lorenzo, his motivations for wanting to make the trope happen didn't make sense to me either). I can see this being a fun travel read for your next Euro Summer tho.

The Friends-to-Lovers Project is an easy, feel-good read that delivers exactly what you’d expect from a charming rom-com. Paula Ottoni crafts a light and heartwarming story centered on Daisy and Lorenzo—two characters who are relatable, likable, and emotionally grounded. Their chemistry feels natural, and their journey from friendship to something deeper is sweet and engaging without ever feeling forced.

One of the highlights of the book is how both Daisy and Lorenzo prioritize personal growth. Their individual arcs show a mature and refreshing take on love—reminding us that sometimes, taking care of ourselves first is the real key to building lasting relationships.

While the story doesn't break new ground in the genre and can feel a bit predictable at times, it remains enjoyable thanks to its simplicity and heartfelt moments. I did find myself wanting more depth or surprise in the plot, but overall, it’s a cozy and satisfying read.

That said, what really stood out by the end was Jeremy—his character intrigued me enough to wish he had his own story. I was left genuinely curious about what lies ahead for him, which is always a good sign that an author has created characters worth following.

Thank you NetGalley for the advanced digital copy - all thoughts and opinions are my own!

Did not like this book at all. The romance felt flat and the characters were insufferable. I’m sure this book is it for someone out there some where, but for me, it felt like a waste of my time. I am glad I had the time to read it before release and I thank Netgalley and the publishers for that.

fo me, this book was just hard to believe. from getting dumped to trying to fall in love with her best friend to falling in love with a stranger all within a matter of like three days is kinda insane.

⭐ 3.5
🌶️ 1
🥵 Spicy chapters: 6, 10
📚 Tropes/Themes: vacation romance, vacation fling, no strings attached, soulmates
👀 Dual POV 1st person
💔 Triggers: mentions of parental death

💬 This was a cute, easy read with a fun plot line. I really liked the idea of trying to fall in love in Venice, as well as reading about it's history.

It also kept me on the edge of my seat trying to figure out who was going to give up their dreams for who, which I enjoyed.

Other than that, there wasn't much that grabbed me about the story. Mostly I feel like it's forgettable. I didn't really relate to or connect with the characters, and even though I don't necessarily hate instalove it just wasn't working for me in this story.

I also think the title/synopsis is a bit misleading. I almost wonder if I would have enjoyed it more if it had been more about Jeremy then Lorenzo.

I ended up DNF'ing this book, so I don't think I can give proper feedback. I thought I would end up enjoying the book because of the synopsis but some piece of it did not mesh well with me.

Just finished reading an advanced copy of a book that was just released today called, The Friends-to Lovers Project. This was about Daisy, who takes a vacation to Venice with her boyfriend, her best friend Jeremy, and his girlfriend. On their first day of vacation her boyfriend and her best friend's girlfriend run off together, leaving her and Jeremy shocked and heartbroken. As they're talking at the hotel bar that night, they start thinking about how everyone says they should be together, but they've always been best friends and nothing more. They decide that maybe they should see if they could fall in love with each other while on this vacation, and they call it the Friends-to-Lovers Project. The bartender, Lorenzo, overhears and offers to help them get the most romantic experience while in Venice. Daisy gets butterflies immediately just looking at Lorenzo, and talking to him after his kind offer to help them. So her plan is to fall in love with Jeremy while they're in Venice together, but as much as she tries to ignore it sparks are flying between her and Lorenzo. I absolutely adored this book! I devoured this story, I couldn't put it down! The storyline, the setting in Venice, the characters, everything was perfect! I couldn't get enough! This is everything I love in a romcom! This book was incredible! 💜📚

Thank you to the author and to the publisher for this ARC of The Friends-to-Lovers Project, in exchange for an honest review.

This book was such a delightful surprise, a heartwarming, easy read/listen with just the right amount of emotion, humor, and romantic tension. I really enjoyed following Daisy’s journey as she navigates life, love, and all the unexpected turns in between.

From the very start, I was drawn into Daisy’s charm and determination. She’s funny, relatable, and so easy to root for. Her trip to Venice sets the stage for a story full of self-discovery, sweet moments, and a romance that slowly sneaks up on you. And then there’s Lorenzo, gentle, passionate, and completely swoon-worthy. The chemistry between them is undeniable, and their connection felt authentic and earned.

The dual POV added so much depth to their story. I loved getting to hear both Daisy and Lorenzo’s thoughts, which made their growth and bond feel even more personal. There were a few slower moments, but the pacing picked up beautifully, and I appreciated how the characters stayed true to themselves while learning to open their hearts.

Now let’s talk about the audiobook. Carly Robins & Will Damron did a fantastic job. Their performances were engaging, expressive, and brought each scene to life in such a vivid way. They captured the emotional nuances of the characters perfectly, making the story feel even more immersive. It truly felt like listening to a movie unfold in your ears.

If you’re in the mood for a cozy romance with an Italian flair, heartfelt characters, and standout narration, this one is definitely worth adding to your TBR!