Maybe it’s just me, but I really struggled with this one—despite the promising plot. As someone who dreams of retiring in Italy someday (even though I’m not Italian), I totally get the appeal of finding love in such a romantic setting. I’ve fallen in love with the culture, the people, and the scenery, so I was excited to dive into this story.

Unfortunately, as the book went on, it started to drag. The pacing felt slow and repetitive, and the characters just didn’t seem to connect. It felt like they were simply placed into the story without much depth or development. By the end, I had more questions than answers, and honestly, I found myself more intrigued by the side story involving Daisy’s best friend—who we barely get to know. It seems like there might be a second book focused on his character?

One bright spot: I loved learning bits of Italian history alongside Daisy, and once again, the audiobook narrators did a fantastic job—they’re the main reason I stuck with it.

₊˚ෆ Thank you, NetGalley, and Hachette Audio. ₊˚ෆ

🎧 Audiobook +📗 Ebook: The Friends-to-Lovers Project-a standalone

✍🏾 Author: Paul Ottoni -I read Never Date a Roommate-gave it 3⭐

📃Page Count: 288

📅Publication date: 7/1/25 | Read: 6/28/25

🏃🏾‍➡️Run Time: 8:01

🌎 Setting: Venice, Italy

👆🏾POV: 1st person dual

Genre: Multicultural Interests, Contemporary Romance, Rom-Com

Tropes: love triangle, male/female friendship, BFFs to lovers, matchmaker, right person/wrong time, music

⚠️TW: death of parent, grief

🗣️Narrator: Carly Roberts and Will Damron voice all the characters with standouts from: Daisy, Lorenzo, Jeremy, and Luigi. The reading style brought the text to life, and the author and narrators worked together perfectly. The pacing and flow allowed me to get lost in the story. The narrators paused and announced new chapters and there was a table of contents which helped me follow along.


Summary: Daisy has taken a trip to Italy for inspiration. Her father's old restaurant is being sold, and she plans to buy it to follow through with his dream. Jeremy accompanied Daisy along with their significant others, but Ryan and Alice breaks up with them and run away together. Daisy and Jeremy invent a project to see if they can be BFFs to lovers. They plan to go on romantic dates and only take it further if they get that "feeling." Lorenzo overhears them and volunteers to be their tour guide through Italy. Their relationship gets complicated when he and Daisy are attracted to each other.

👩🏾 Heroine: Daisy Hogan-27, LA chef at a Santa Monica restaurant

👨🏾 Hero: Lorenzo Fontana-28, a hotel concierge and violinist

🎭 Side Characters:

* Jeremy Burton-Daisy's BFF
* Ryan + Alice-Daisy and Jeremy's exes
* Luigi Marchesi-Lorenzo boss/father figure
* Nick-Daisy's brother moving to Hawaii

🤔 My Thoughts: From the culture, history, and food, I felt like I was in Italy with Daisy and Lorenzo. Their romance was set in the perfect place, but their dreams just didn't match up. Daisy's life was in LA and Lorenzo promised Luigi he would stay in Venice at the hotel. His music also called to him because of Daisy's influence. He wanted to join an orchestra and had to leave Daisy. Jeremy became a side character after he and Daisy decided the project failed, and they were better as best friends. Jeremy was still in Italy when Daisy and Lorenzo fell in love and continued to be her confidante. They part ways, their dreams change, and they reunite together in Italy.

*Spice: 4/5 🌶️
*Emotion: 4/5 🥲
*Couple: 4/5 💑
*Rating: 4/5 ⭐

🙏🏾Thanks to NetGalley, Harlequin-Romance |Afterglow Books by Harlequin, Harlequin Audio, and Paul Ottoni for this ARC & ALC! I voluntarily give my honest review, and all opinions are my own.

The Friends to Lovers Project is fun and cute, with a charming premise and some genuinely sweet moments, but the writing holds it back. The tone is sweet - like a beach read. The setup is appealing: two best friends attempting a structured romance experiment while on a trip to Venice. Uneven pacing and clunky prose undercut the emotional beats. Daisy is likable, but her character arc lacks depth, and her romantic options. Jeremy, the safe best friend, and Lorenzo, the dreamy concierge never quite deliver the emotional payoff the story aims for. Cute but not for me.

I couldn’t get into this book—it’s just not for me. First, I really dislike it when romances open with a breakup. I read romance because I want to read about relationships that succeed, not ones that fail. Second, the pace in the opening is slow. It’s two people sitting talking at a bar, which is very static. I’m sure others will enjoy the book. The narration is well done.

Thanks, NetGalley, for the ARC.

Best friends Daisy and Jeremy have zero chemistry but while on vacation in Italy together, decide they should see if a spark could be created. Enter Lorenzo, the hunky, suave tour guide, who seems to have sizzling chemistry with Daisy!

This was such a fun book, it really made me feel like I was in Venice, tasting the food, enjoying the sights! The narrators brought everything to life! This was a great summer escape!

Loved the premise, didn’t love the execution. Were Jeremy and Daisy even friends? Hard to say, because they barely speak. For knowing each other since they were 7, their chemistry was slim to none. I liked Lorenzo for Daisy a lot more….. but then you get to the spicy scenes, and they sound like my ten year old cousin wrote them. They’re juvenile and gave me the ick. I had to skip them, they were so weird. I liked the narration a lot, CJ Bloom never ever misses and Will Damron is great too. Was weird that he spoke with no accent when narrating Lorenzo though, as he’s supposed to be Italian.. overall, this one wasn’t for me.

A quick romance set in Venice! It’s not really a friends to lovers story but still adorable. Narrators were good but thought the male should probably have had an Italian accent.

I received an arc from netgalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

4 to 4.5 stars.
I loved this book. I wasn't sure at the beginning of the book if I was going to like it, but immediately I was drawn in, and I love the setting and context of the book.
I mean, come on, our setting is Venice, how can you not love that in a romance book?!
Two friends, Daisy and Jeremy, are in Venice and end up being ditched by their significant others, who run away together and abandon them. Daisy & Jeremy have been friends forever, and everyone outside of them says they are made for one another. Due to pressure, Daisy and Jeremy decide that they need to see if they can make it work. Nothing like forced romance, right?
Meanwhile.. Insert Lorenzo. The chemistry of Daisy and Lorenzo?! Yes, please.
I don't want to give anything away, but I am going to leave that there for you to ponder!
We get vacation romance, dating lessons, almost insta-love, and best friends.
The plot is well written and paced beautifully.
The characters are well-developed and relatable. I was engaged the entire book.
This was sweet and romantic.
This is a definite addition to your summer TBR!
Thank you to NetGalley, the publisher, and the author for the opportunity to read and review this ARC!
Happy Reading!

3⭐️ 2🌶️ 5🎧 The title is a little misleading, but I still enjoyed this book. While there was a friends-to-lovers project involved, that is not the direction this book was taking and that is clear from very early on. I found this story to be very predictable, but still a short enjoyable listen.

This audiobook is narrated by Carly Robins and Will Damron; they did a great job with bringing this story to life.

Thank you NetGalley and Harlequin Audio for an advanced copy of this audiobook in exchange for an honest review.

Finished 6/24/2025
3.5 rounded down to 3
This man thinks shes adorable, gorgeous, sexy, and cute all his first 2 chapters. I love their thoughts falling for each other then being like "this is not the plan!" Other man trope done in a very fun and interesting way, no cheating. The tension was so fun to be in, cause I loved their flirty moments. Low angst, pretty fluffy and cute.

First time author for me! Super long chapters.

Audiobook narrators: Carly Robins, Will Damron
Dual POV, First Person
Tropes: Dating Lessons, Insta-Love, Vacation Fling, Right Person Wrong Time
Spice: 1.5/5
Spicy Chapters: <spoiler>6, 11</spoiler>

Listened at 1.75x speed.
Second Carly Robins nartation in a row! Once again her performance is also soooo good when emotions get high ! This was only my second Will Damron, he was great and his voice matched Lorenzo's timid-ness perfectly. However, for an Italian character there was no accent, but that was just a minor preference.

Thanks to Harlequin Audio and NetGalley for providing an ALC.

Thanks to NetGalley and Harlequin audio for an Arc. I thought it was a fun, easy listen. Two recently dumped friends go on a trip to Venice and decide to try to be more than just friends which does not work out. Really enjoyed the narrators, overall a cute romance.

Thank you NetGalley for this Book! 🥰

-Simple read 📖
-fast paced 💨
-Rome love 🇮🇹
-Love triangle 🔺
-Food love 🍝🍨
-Cute vacation read 🌴🌊
-who will she end up with? 🫢🧐

Was not the biggest fan of the narration but I think they still did a great job 😊 I love narrations that make me feel like they are in the story and are the characters and you can literally hear their emotions but this one kind of felt like script reading/story telling not really giving off emotions in my honest opinion but this narration can be others preference.

I did feel like the story was fast paced, it was cute but truthfully I had a hard time feeling or finding the connection between the characters.

However, don’t knock this book until you try it. While I try to write as honest reviews as possible my opinion on a book may not align with others. This is simply my own personal opinion ❤️

Thanks to Harlequin Audio and NetGalley for the advance listener copy of The Friends-to-Lovers Project by Paula Ottoni.

This was a sweet story with a fun premise and a gorgeous Venice setting that added a lot of charm. Daisy, a chef from LA, travels to Venice with her best friend Jeremy and their partners. When they are both abandoned by their love interests via text, Daisy and Jeremy decide to see if they might be more than friends. While exploring the city with the help of a charming tour guide, Lorenzo, Daisy is torn in two directions and starts to question what she really wants in love and life.

The writing style didn’t fully work for me. A lot played out in the characters' heads, with fewer actual moments of action or dialogue than I would have liked. This made the pacing feel a bit slow and kept me from fully connecting with the characters.

The narrators were enjoyable, but I found the inconsistent use of accents distracting.

Overall, it's a cute read with potential, but the execution fell a little flat for me.

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. I’m giving this an extra star because I did think the audio production was well done, and particularly enjoyed the male narrator (as I have also listened to his narration before).

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

Really cute book although very predictable. Great beach read or for a day at the

Thank you to NetGalley and the Publisher for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This was a sweet book, but honestly felt like something your conservative, middle school teacher would write and it just did not work for me. I came out of the book feeling like I don't know or relate to any of the characters, and felt like there was not much effort to connect with the reader throughout the book. I'm also still confused how Lorenzo speaks such good English (felt like a native speaker, but again, no backstory) and feel that somewhat took away from the international romance. The insta romance was extremely insta, they literally fell in love with each other from one glance and declared their love pretty much within 5 days. It was wild and unrealistic and felt very shallow. The intimate scenes were extremely awkward, especially from Lorenzo's POV. I did like the ending, however, and found it very sweet and cute. I think the book had a lot of potential, but the writing unfortunately fell short for me.

Thank you so much NetGalley for allowing me to review this audiobook!

Thank you NetGalley and AfterGlow Books for allowing me the chance to listen and review this book before publication. It was a really cute romance book! I love the idea of the FMC falling in love with her best friend. But of course there was a twist to it, and it was not something I expected. Then it follows the FMC and MMC story and their love story. It broke me a little towards the end with them separating but of course it’s a happy ever after type of story.

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC!

I really enjoyed this book it was the perfect summer abroad romance. I liked Daisy and Lorenzo and enjoyed their chemistry. The communication and then being honest was great.

Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Spice: 🌶️🌶️🌶️
Tropes:
* Dreamy Italian getaway
* Instalust romance with gorgeous Italian man (their tour guide and romance instructor 🤭)
* Steamy rom com

This was a great summer romantic getaway, the kind of lustful daydream you imagine where you meet and fall for a handsome Italian man in the most romantic setting!

The title first had me thinking this was friends to lovers, so I was in for a great surprise. Their instalust was fast and passionate, but believable. While I kept wondering how this would all work out, as he wants to take over a Venice hotel and she’s the new owner of her father’s restaurant, they have a strong and steamy connection that is also heartfelt. He has a sad past, and she inspires and heals him with her kindness and compassion.

Their steamy scenes are detailed and spicy, and when they finally give in to each other it was worth the wait! When he’s speaking Italian to her, I swooned as this is such a dreamy moment that has Josie in such a lustful, loving haze. 🫠 While I’m not sure they’re truly in love that quickly, I can understand why she felt so strongly for him as he is intensely attractive and magnetic. He’s a talented musician, thoughtful and charming. So I absolutely adored her grand romantic gesture and their happy ending together!

I also really like the dual POV narrators! They were emotive, and especially breathy and steamy in the spicy moments. (Every time he spoke in Italian was dreamy!) I enjoyed listening to this is audiobook form and it was well produced!

Huge thank you to NetGalley and Harlequin Audio for approving my request to listen to this audiobook!

I really enjoyed this book. My favorite trope is friends to lovers, so I didn’t even read the synopsis when I requested this book. I was so happy when I was approved and even more so now after reading it. I will say that the title is a little deceiving though because it doesn’t really end up being a friends to lovers tale. It worked for me though! Daisy and Lorenzo were great and I enjoyed the history they shared with each other that brought more depth to who they are in the present. My one qualm with this audiobook was the voice actor for Lorenzo. The story is set in Italy. Lorenzo is Italian. There should be some sort of accent. I had to keep reminding myself that he was not just an American living in Venice, and every time I did, I just annoyed myself all over again. That’s it though. The story was cute with well rounded MCs in a beautiful setting.