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.

Set against the romantic backdrop of Venice, Italy, Friends to Lovers serves up a spicy twist on the classic friends-to-more trope. The chemistry between the main characters definitely sizzled, and the setting added a gorgeous layer of charm and intrigue that made me want to book a gondola ride ASAP.

The spice level? 🔥🔥🔥 Definitely higher than expected—and added a fun kick to the story! But even with the heat, the pacing felt uneven, and the emotional development between the characters didn’t always hit as deeply as I wanted. The transitions between heartfelt and steamy sometimes felt rushed or disjointed.

Still, it’s a fun listen if you’re in the mood for a romantic escape filled with tension, heat, and Venetian vibes.

📍Setting: Venice, Italy
🔥 Spice Level: High
🎧 Format: Advanced Listening Copy (ALC)
💞 Tropes: Friends to Lovers, Travel Romance,

#FriendsToLovers #VeniceRomance #SpicyReads #PaulaOttoni #ALCReview #AudiobookLove #BookReview #RomanceReaders #BookishItaly #SlowBurnWithSpice

I typically enjoy romance + travel books, but this one didn't resonate with me how I'd hoped. I wasn't a huge fan of the FMC and her hopes of falling in love with her best friend, which set up the premise of the book. It just felt kind of weird to me. I had a difficult time getting into the book for this reason. The ending was sweet and brought my rating up slightly.

My Ratings:
🧍🏽‍♀️ 2.5/5 Characters
🌶️ 2/5 Spice
🎬 3.5/5 Ending
🧩 2/5 Plot
💫 2/5 Overall

Thank you to the publisher for an advance copy of this audiobook in exchange for my honest review.

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

💕🇮🇹🍝🎻💕🇮🇹🍝🎻💕🇮🇹🍝🎻

Imagine traveling to Venice for a romantic work trip with your boyfriend, best friend, and his girlfriend. Only to be dumped the first day there. Not only are you dumped, so is your best friend. To make matters worse both of your ex’s leave with each other. One of them telling you that you and your best friend are perfect for each other.

That is exactly what happens to Daisy & Jeremy. They make a pact to give it one week to see how they feel about one another. Though neither seem romantically interested in each other. Enter Lorenzo, a concierge at their hotel, who decides to act as a tour guide showing them the most off the beaten path romantic spots. Thus a love triangle begins.

The narrators, Carly Robbin’s & Will Damron, did a great job. The speed was perfect between the Dual POV narration.

Thank you NetGalley and Harlequin Audio for the advanced audio copy of this book. All opinions are my own.

DNF @20% . I really tried to get into this book. But I just couldn't keep going, I love the plot, and it started well . It just didn't keep me interested. I might try to read it,as opposed to audio.

Thank you to NetGalley for an ARC copy of this audiobook. I really loved the Italy setting, and enjoyed watching Daisy find inspiration for her new restaurant. This book is great if you like a VERY slow burn. While it was not my favorite, it was a nice audiobook to have on in the background. I would recommend to those who want a quick read/listen.