This one was not for me. I didn’t really like the premise. There wasn’t much chemistry. I also wasn’t crazy about the narrators. Mostly I didn’t like that the initial premise was so flimsy and was gone in just a couple chapters. Too contrived.

3.5⭐

Super cute romance that will have you longing for a Venice vacation (hot tour guide not included).

I really enjoyed the plot with this! It very much reads like a fun rom-com movie. I loved the setting (I'm such a sucker for Italian settings in romance books/movies.) I liked the romance Lorenzo was a great character. The pacing of this book was great, it reads really quick and kept me engaged the whole time! Very easy to devour in one sitting! The only negative I really have is that I wish the love triangle or the whole friends to lovers project could have lasted a bit longer since that aspect did feel a little rushed but it did make sense for the book's length.

Time to pretend I'm in Venice for the rest of the week!

Rating: 2
Spice: 3

Honestly, this was not my favorite book. The story was just OK and I felt like the title was not accurate. Yes, there is a Friends to Lovers project but it is not an accurate reflection of what the book was actually about.

The narration was good and I thought they did well with the story they were given.

A fun story about what would happen if you tried to find love after a heartbreak with your best friend. I enjoyed this story and I think the setting couldn’t have been better. Who wouldn’t want to fall in love in Venice!!

And so continues Christine chasing her European dreams via book this summer. Also I love a friends to lovers romance which is totally what I thought I was getting with this one… not so much.

Our main characters are both dumped by their significant others right when they arrive in Venice on their couples vacation. So instead of being normal humans and enjoying a friend vacation they decide to see if they can fall in love in Venice?! Umm ok I’m in. But alas this one wasn’t quite what I was looking for but maybe it will be for you! I will say the setting is excellent!

Daisy and Jeremy are two best friends who have found themselves recently dumped in Vienna, while on vacation with their significant others. Lorenzo, one of the hotel managers over hears them talking about what happened and how Daisy suggested that they should try the 'friends-to-lovers' trope just to see if they do love each other as more than best friends. Lorenzo, determined to prove his worth and dedication to giving his guests a one of a kind experience, decides to offer them a VIP guided tour of Vienna guaranteed to have them in love with each other by the end of their trip. What none of them expected, is how it all turned out. I truly enjoyed the story of what happened and thought it was so cute. All three main characters were interesting and kept me in the story, and getting to see where this road took them all was even better. The pining, the attempts to ignore growing feelings, then giving in after all UGH loved it.

I thought that the narrators did a fantastic job in bringing each of these characters to life! This was my first time listening to both of these narrators and will definitely look for books they've narrated again.

This is a cute story about two people finding their own way with each other. Easy read. Minimal spice but a couple of open door scenes. The connection between the characters, Daisy and Lorenzo, was everything you would hope a one week whirlwind Italian romance would be.

I was surprised not to have the narrator for Lorenzo using an Italian Accent. That was disappointing. But both narrators did a lovely job.

Daisy is a chef who is looking for inspiration and goes on a couple trip with her boyfriend and another couple, her best friend Jeremy and his girlfriend but when Jeremy’s girlfriend and her boyfriend run off together and push her and Jeremy together will they execute the perfect friends to lovers transition or will she fall in love with Venice and the concierge Lorenzo at the same time.

This was an indulgent travel romance. I don’t usually like love triangles and I guess this would be considered one but it was very tasteful. I love how they reinforce that men and women can be platonic friends and there doesn’t have to be any unresolved tension or anything. The overall theme that maybe what your life is supposed to look like could be even bigger than your dreams was so refreshing and such a twist of an ending but super satisfying. Great spice and instant chemistry, such a fun read.

thank you to paula ottoni, harlequin audio & netgalley for an arc of this book. all opinions are my own. ♡

₊˚⊹⋆ first thoughts: this has been on my watch list for a couple months now, so i was super stoked to get the honor of getting an e-arc for this pretty lil baby! friends-to-lovers with a third party in VENICE?? please!

₊˚⊹⋆ final thoughts: very cute, very easy read! low key was hoping for more of a friends-to-lovers trope as it's what i expected BUT i was pleasantly surprised with the love story itself. good stuff!

Best friends in Venice, a project to fall in love… and one charming tour guide who just might steal the show” 🇮🇹💔🎻

Read if you like:
✨ friends-to-lovers setups
✨ slow burns with a splash of spice
✨ love triangles
✨ travel romance (hello, Venice!)
✨ characters chasing expectations before finding themselves

📚 This had all the makings of a dreamy romance—Venice, a hopeful chef starting fresh, and a love triangle with emotional depth. Daisy travels to Italy to reset after heartbreak, and ends up launching a “friends-to-lovers project” with her best friend Jeremy. But when their sexy and soulful concierge Lorenzo starts stirring up unexpected feelings? Everything gets complicated.

👨‍👧 Daisy is well-intentioned, but often frustrating. Her desperation to check off life boxes—love, stability, success—clouds her ability to just live, especially in one of the most romantic places on earth. Jeremy is fine, but flat. Lorenzo, though? The violinist-turned-tour guide is charming, thoughtful, and the only character who truly brought emotional warmth and passion to the page.

💞 This starts as friends-to-lovers, but turns more into a classic love triangle. There's tension and moments of sweetness, but the emotional whiplash and Daisy’s indecisiveness often made the romance feel uneven. While the setting is lush and beautifully described, the actual relationship dynamics felt underdeveloped, and at times, confusing.

👧 Side characters didn’t stand out much, and the story sometimes leaned too hard on emotional loops. That said, Daisy's grief over her father and her inner struggle with stability vs. desire added meaningful layers—even if it took a while to get there.

✍️ The writing is light and easy to follow, making this a quick read, perfect for a single afternoon. Just don’t expect laugh-out-loud romcom vibes—it leans more into emotional introspection than comedy. The pacing drags in places, but the Venice descriptions and Lorenzo’s presence kept things afloat.

🌟 Final verdict? This book had moments of beauty, one standout character, and a satisfying-enough ending—but uneven pacing and a heroine who felt stuck in her own head held it back from being great. A decent travel romance for fans of love triangles and slow burns with a touch of spice.

I don’t usually give negative reviews, and it’s not that this book was irredeemable or anything, but I just couldn’t finish it. The narration was lively and expressive, which I appreciated, but the story felt really trite and predictable and scattered. There was very little that kept me excited or even interested, and the “plot twist” element just wasn’t surprising in the least. This is definitely a cute story, makes me want to travel, and has some meaningful elements of healing and discovering ourselves. For me, though, it’s just not quite substantive enough for me to keep plowing through to the end.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the chance to listen!

i’m so sorry but i couldn’t finish this book, it felt just too comical? obvious? i’m not sure what the right word is but it just wasn’t for me

Very cute and quick read for those who aren’t looking for a ton of complication or conflict. The whole initial premise of the story, the “Friends to Lovers Project” plot I honestly could have done without. The story really flourished when Daisy and Lorenzo’s chemistry was given room to breathe. Daisy and her best friend may have discovered the lovers transition wasn’t in their future but he came across so one dimensional that I couldn’t even glean their friendship dynamic and comfort level which wouldn’t have been an issue if it wasn’t the entire reason why Daisy wanted to give them a shot at being romantic partners. However, the dynamic during the OTP more than made up for it and propelled an extra half star from the 3 I planned for this one initially. The Venice excursions are a welcome little escape and you may find yourself googling some quintessential Italian dishes throughout for a nice, quick escape book.

Audio specific review: FMC, overall good tone and speed, easy to tell when she’s thinking something versus saying something. MMC, only complaint is the lack of accent except when he actually speaks his native language. You could assume that he’s worked it out of his elocution after several years in such a tourist destination but Daisy references his accent, I think that could have been leaned into more.

Thank you Harlequin Audio for providing this audiobook for review consideration via NetGalley. All opinions are my own.

4/5 ⭐️ for the Audiobook!
Goodreads review posted on: 07/20/2025

Lorenzo and Daisy’s story was super cute and what I would imagine from a European travel romance. Daisy is visiting Venice with her best friend, Jeremy and their partners when her and her best friend get broken up with for their partners to get together. Daisy and Jeremy then devises a plan to try and become friends to lovers with the help of Lorenzo.

Lorenzo tried to help Jeremy and Daisy hit it off as a couple but Daisy realizes her heart lies with Lorenzo and the experiences that he shares with her during her time in Venice. The chemistry between these two was hot and their interactions were cute and quirky. I loved the audiobook narrators and their ability to bring the story to life with all characters involved!

This was such a phenomenal read. From the very start of this book I was completely sucked in. A project between best friends to become lovers I’m sold and while I love a best friends to lovers trope it wasn’t exactly what I thought it would be. In this book we follow Daisy and Jeremy, recently dumped and touring Venice together they decide to come up with a project in hopes that in the city of love they can fall in love. Insert Lorenzo here please, he has come to help they in their search for romance but his involvement turns out to be more than they bargained for. This book was so much more than a cute summer love romance, there is so much the characters are struggling to overcome in their lives and the paths they have chosen for themselves and also make a name for themselves in their lives process. I really loved the path of self discovery they had to go through in order to truly find themselves back to the place they can truly call home. I truly loved the book and the narrators did a fantastic job making me fall in love with this story. I highly recommend to all romance lovers and also I got to learn a little more about Venice.

Thank you to NetGalley and Harlequin audio for the advance listeners copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

🎧 Bookish Thoughts
This book had potential, but the FMC, Daisy, was hard for me to connect with. She felt immature and impulsive. But I did like the MMC, Lorenzo.

The setting was charming, and there were a few cute moments sprinkled in, but overall it didn’t fully land for me.

I did enjoy the audiobook.

📖 Final Score: ⭐⭐⭐💫 (3.5)
🎧 Audio Score: ⭐⭐⭐⭐
📅 Pub Date: July 1, 2025
Thank you to Harlequin Audio and NetGalley for the advanced listening copy. All thoughts are my own.

this was cute! i love books that are multicultural interest and romance combined and have really made a point to home in on this sub genre! i love italy and venice felt like the perfect summer setting for a romance. i love slow burn so i was excited but i did think that in a lot of cases, the story was a bit all over the place and the slow burn ended up losing me due to long periods of the book where the plot felt boring and like it wasn’t benefiting the story. aside from this, i did like the book and i loved getting to know daisy, jeremy, and lorenzo (amore mioooooo).

the audio narration on this was fantastic. i loved the character intonation and definitely has a fun time listening along to this. the audio was very clear and crisp - highly recommend for audiobook lovers

This one was a super cute and quick summer read for me! I liked the relationship between the two main characters! I also liked how neither of them gave up their dreams for the other and still eventually found their way back to each other!

Thank you to NetGalley and Harlequin Audio for giving me this ALC in exchange for my honest review!

Was such an easy listen! The duet narration brought the characters to life and kept me engaged from beginning to end. It’s a quick read with a unique storyline as well as a unique twist on the friends-to-lovers meets love triangle tropes. I’d definitely recommend this audiobook to anyone looking for a fresh, quick romance.

Thank you NetGalley for the opportunity to be an ARC/ALC reader in exchange for an honest review!

Daisy believes she has her life all figured out, but in the middle of a European vacation she unexpectedly finds herself single and questioning her life choices.
She's been best friends and nothing more with Jeremy for most of her life and she enlists the help of their lively hotel concierge to help the pair fall in love.
After all, how hard can it be to fall in love in a city as magical and romantic as Venice??
I'm so grateful to @netgalley and @harlequinbooks for the ALC of The Friends to Lovers Project by Paula Ottoni. It was an adorable escape and the duel narration performed by Carly Robins and Will Damron was absolutely stellar!
My only real qualm with the book was that certain parts seemed to drag on a bit too long, but all and all I recommend this book if you're looking for something cute and light and are in the mood for a flirty European romance!