This was such a fun book! The romance and banter was so addictive! And the story was very well thought out and easy to read.

Enjoyed this story. Nice romance and good side stories and I didn’t even care about the step-sibling thing like I thought I would so it was good.

This was an interesting story about two characters from different financial backgrounds. I will admit sometimes it was a little hard to feel for Archie, since it sounds like he grew up so privileged. He does come around eventually, but for the first half of the book I wasn't really digging him and wanted the FMC to fall for someone else.

I did like the side characters and the side plots too, so the couple wasn't the entire focus of the book. I also appreciated how the author incorporated real world issues into her books, not in an overt way, but gave them some representation.

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC audio of this book!

ARC Disclaimer
Thank you, Brittany Larson, for providing this ARC of Terms of Un-Endearment in exchange for an honest review.

Summary:
When Piper and Archie are forced back into each other’s orbit after a messy step-family history, things quickly escalate into pranks, paranoia, and plenty of unresolved tension. Throw in family drama, stolen dreams, shady corporations, and a dash of karma, and you’ve got a story brimming with wit, defiance, and heart.

Review:
This was witty, heartfelt, and full of both swoony tension and real-world grit. Terms of Un-Endearment balances prank wars and romance with family scars, corporate corruption, and social issues that pack a punch.

Now, let’s talk details. Taylor Swift references automatically earn brownie points, and Piper casually mentioning Karma purring in her lap while staring Archie down was perfection.

The prank war paranoia? Utterly addictive. Was the early morning alarm real or just a ploy? And the fire alarm going off again and again? I was constantly second-guessing alongside the characters. The simple phrase Game. On. encapsulated the whole dynamic in two perfect words.

Archie, though… oh Archie. He could have just signed over the deed and stayed with Dex and Britta, leaned on his mum, or pulled a Frankie and started fresh. Instead, he dug in his heels with Malcolm, who is frankly a vile excuse of a father. A man who values money and control over his children isn’t someone you can bargain with, and every scene with him had me grinding my teeth.

Then there was the shift in Archie’s thoughts about Piper. One second, he’s stubbornly resisting her, the next, he’s thinking about kissing her. I had my reservations going in about the step-sibling angle, but Brittany Larson handled it deftly. Piper and Archie lived separate lives, and nothing romantic developed until after the divorce. What could have felt exploitative instead felt complicated in all the right ways.

The scope of this book also surprised me. Beyond family and finances, it tackled Valente’s disgusting theft of interns’ designs - plagiarising portfolios, making token changes to keep it “legal”, which had me fuming. And layered in with that was the stark portrayal of how undocumented employees are discarded once they’re no longer deemed useful. These real-world touches gave the story real weight.

Despite the frustration Archie caused me, the spark between him and Piper was undeniable. Their defiance matched beautifully, their banter was sharp, and their chemistry kept me hooked. And while this book works perfectly as a standalone, it left me eager to go back and read Britta & The Beach Boy (book 1) and excited to see Rhys and Stella get their time.

The step-siblings-to-lovers part was a bit ick, but I couldn’t help smiling at their playful pranks and banter, I mostly enjoyed them as friends rather than step-siblings. Overall, it was a light, fun romcom, perfect for when you just want to relax, laugh, and enjoy a story without overthinking it. Sometimes, an easygoing book like this is exactly what you need to lift your mood and escape for a little while.

I really enjoyed the banter between Archie and Piper — their chemistry was fantastic, and I loved how they teamed up to support each other through their personal struggles. Their dynamic felt genuine and fun, and it was heartwarming to see how their friendship grew stronger as they helped one another.

That said, I wasn’t a fan of the fact that they had to wait until their parents’ divorce to officially be together. Even though they were technically step-siblings (and not related by blood), the situation still felt a little weird at times, and I wish that part of the plot had been handled differently or resolved sooner.

Overall, though, this was a sweet, funny, and emotionally satisfying read with great character development and memorable dialogue.

Manchild...

Archie is a horrid manchild. He is entitled, never pays for anything, living off his wealthy father and hasn't bothered to grow up or be a decent person. As a teenager he was horrible to Piper when she was a kid. Now, as an adult, he's still horrible to Piper and messes with her all the time. It's not cute. Its selfish and immature, its not attractive. They end up living together in Miami because Archie won't man up and sign the paperwork. Piper is there for her internship, she has not lived a privileged life. But now, these ex step sibs think they are attractive.

Brittany Larsen has done it again! This was a fantastic addition to the "Love in LA" series. It was a delightful read from start to finish! The plot was well-paced and the characters were charming and witty. This is definitely one I'll read again! Many thanks to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for the advanced copy of the book.

Thank you Brittany Larsen , Victory Editing and NetGalley for the arc in exchange for an honest review! All information below is based off my own opinion of the book! I also like to keep my reviews short and simple as someone who looks at the short reviews before reading books. 💕⭐️
Book rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️
Favorite characters: Piper
Review: The book itself was super cute! The cover is super adorable! It has a lot of the tropes I love in books: enemies to lovers & step siblings
The book was just a little too slow for me. It definitely read young adult to me. I felt like it needed something more! I found myself wishing that they would just kiss already. Overall it was an okay read!

Piper's mum and Archie's dad are getting divorced, and the beach house Archie lives in is the settlement.

Piper moves in, but Archie won't leave, so they escalate to a prank war.

Both Piper and Archie have good character growth. They reflect on their original assumptions and how that affected their thinking, and make changes.

I was doing okay with constant justifications that they were ex step siblings and had never spent much time together, but the ick returned with waiting for the divorce to be final.

Piper and Forsythe have zero interest in each other however, they find themselves in a battle of ongoing pranks trying to get each other to leave the house. As ex-step- siblings the tension quickly begins to rise as they start to become closer.
Thank you NetGalley for the chance to read this book in exchange for my honest feedback!

Terms of Un-Endearment by Brittany Larsen is a cute enemy to lovers romcom. I was fairly cautious of the ex-siblings idea, but it turned out to be a great part of the story. Archie and Piper are two adults who have had a hard time of things and get plenty of their parent’s messes passed on to them. I appreciated the maturity of Piper in her current situation as well as her ability to help teach Archie some tough things. Now, having mentioned maturity in Piper, I guess I should say maturity where it counts. The prank war was something else! Those were some great laugh out loud moments and Archie’s ability to roll with some of them as pretty impressive. I was really sad for Archie and his father’s approach to things; however, it helped to highlight the beauty of the friendships and community he has established. All in all, a cute story that continuous the Love in LA series. You don’t have to read the first one in order to enjoy, but it will provide some background on some of the other characters.
I received a complimentary copy from the publisher via NetGalley, and all opinions expressed are solely my own, freely given.

Thank you NetGalley for an arc of this book!!

This book was super cute! The plot was good and and the romance was amazing. It felt a little like clueless due to the fact that they were ex-step siblings but overall the romance was very well done.
No-spice
No language
4 stars ⭐️

If you love a good enemies to more story, full of witty banter, lots of great pranks (clean), a sweet love story, family dynamics, great friendships, finding one's own way, forgiveness, healing, and much more, this is definitely a book that fits the bill!

Piper really tugged at my heart from the get go. She has quite the situation she's trying to navigate and I was cheering her on when it seemed like life was going to fall into place for her. But this is a rom-com and there's always a twist in the adventure...am I right? *Nods head*

Enter Archie Forsythe...arch nemesis...can we call him that? These two have been pitted against each other, or rather Archie pitted himself against Piper years ago when his dad married Piper's mom. Long story, all explained in the book. Now these two are forced to be in the same home that was given to Piper's mom in the divorce settlement. But one of them belongs and the other doesn't! Which one is going to back down, which one is going to push too far in trying to get the other to leave? Hahaha! Let the pranks begin!

I know several readers couldn't get past these two being step-siblings, which I can see how that would make some people cautious. But I thought the author did a great job showing a clean line between their relationship as step-siblings and after as not being step-siblings. There was a very clear line drawn and I felt like it worked. I don't usually read that trope, I have a couple in the past, and one worked and the other didn't. But for me, I felt like this worked. Again, this isn't a trope that works for everyone, but if you're on the fence, I wanted to say that I thought the way it was written worked really well for this one. But if it's not your thing, definitely don't force yourself to read it.

I didn't read the first book in this series, but the main characters from it have several different scenes that they appear in and made me want to go back and read their book.

Content: I would consider this a clean read. There are a few sweet kisses near the end and nothing further. Archie is a surfer and used to living on his own next to the beach, so there are a few scenes where he's not wearing a shirt. There is a spot in a scene where there is an exposed bottom for just a second.

I received a copy from the author via NetGalley. All thoughts and opinions in the review are my own.

Happy Reading!!!

Thanks to netgalley for this ARC in exchange for my honest review.
I had not read the prequel to this book but that wasn’t an issue. This novel was very PG, no sexy time. Sometimes that works fine and in this case, it did. Problem was I couldn’t quite get over the “we used to be step siblings” a la Clueless vibe.
Also problematic for me was the constant repetition from both main characters waxing poetic about how much he/she misjudged their new love interest, who was certainly so amazing now. It was probably to help convince me they were soulmates because aside from Archie being shirtless 24/7, there wasn’t a lot of chemistry there. But I liked the story, the setting, the pacing and the side characters so I would recommend this read!

Piper's mum is divorcing Archies's dad. At the centre of the divorce is the beach house, where both Piper and Archie need to stay. Who will give up their territory first? A great read

This is the second book in the Love in LA series. It has a standalone story and can be read without having read the other book in this series or the previous series that this series is a spin off of, Love in Paradise Valley. But personally I found it more enjoyable since I had read those other books to see recurring characters in this book. Again, it isn't necessary to understand and appreciate this book though.

If you like pranks being played, you will really enjoy this book. Some of the pranks played made me laugh out loud. The background of these two, being step siblings, may be cringeworthy for some people. But the fact that they didn't really grow up together helps in that area. I really had a good time reading this book.

I was given the opportunity to read an advanced copy by the author via Netgalley. I am voluntarily leaving an honest review.

3 stars-because although It was a lovely read, it just didn't hit the spot for me-I felt there was something missing in it.
A cute vacation romance about growth and choosing yourself.

When piper decides to temporarily stay at her mom's LA beach house which she'll be getting as a divorce settlement - she didn't expect to find her stepbrother still there - who should've moved out before her arrival. Even worse? he's refusing to sign papers for transfer - hence piper is forced to hatch up a plan that would make her stepbro move out. This was their start-which led to prank wars and beachy shenanigans with their close proximity fueling the tension between them. Will piper accomplish her mission?

I like the book enough, it's entertaining, a light hearted palate cleanser - perfect after a heavy read.

Lovely
-Archie's growth was clear - when his apologies went from -[ I'm sorry you're so sensitive...] to genuine accountability and what he wants to be and HOW he can become that. Realising that sometimes our beliefs aren't always true AND that you gotta love for yourself
-How Archie's relationship with his dad was handled- how subtly the manipulation was shown, the feeling of wrongness , his hopelessness and optimism despite everything - handled perfectly.
-Piper being so level headed and fun character - her pranks-showing her wit and ability to talk about her experiences with archie, accepting her shortcomings and improving herself. These were the qualities that were present in both characters
-Their love was gradual, and the fact the tension between them was palpable- though I do wish it was shown more prominently
-The ending- I loved how the third act was handled- No breakup or anything, they got together in the very end AND overcame whatever was handled their way.

Unlovely
-Both characters were quite childish - the pranks although entertaining, were over the top considering Archie being 28 and Piper dyeing his hair purple- without knowing the implications
although she apologized for it later - Him changing her perfume to garlic essence while she was running late....he also apologised for it
-Archie's repeated use of reckon - I was rolling my eyes every time it came up
-They went from disliking each other to being swoony in a span of TWO weeks--not very
believable, It felt rushed. A lot was happening - but it only took two weeks felt mind boggling.

It isn't something grand or spectacular but - it doesn't need to be. It's a goofy, silly escape read.
This is perfect for anyone who wishes to read a cute fun romance- laugh at silly antics and soak up beachy vacation vibes, and decompress

This had a slow start and pacing. I struggled to connect to the characters and story. It was just okay for me.

Who Are Archie & Piper?
In Terms of Un-Endearment, we meet Archie Forsythe—a privileged, laid-back guy trying to launch his own surfwear brand while squatting in his ex–stepmom’s beach house. His landlord? His ex-stepsister, Piper Quinn, an ambitious fashion intern with nowhere else to go thanks to LA’s housing crunch. Stuck together for two weeks under one roof, their mutual annoyance quickly turns into an all-out prank war—hiding towels, swapping coffee, full of snark, sparks, and unexpected vulnerability. As they butt heads, they also start to see each other in a whole new light.

Why Terms of Un-Endearment Works
1) The Banter Is On Point
Archie and Piper’s back-and-forth is sharp, funny, and feels natural. Every sarcastic jab and prank makes their chemistry build in a believable way you’ll be rooting for them long before they realize they like each other.

2) A Romance With Heart
Under all the jokes and one-liners, both characters are dealing with personal baggage and big dreams. Watching them grow, both as individuals and as a couple makes the happy ending feel earned.

3) Setting That Adds to the Story
The beach house isn’t just a backdrop it adds to the tension and the intimacy. The summer-by-the-ocean vibe makes every scene more swoony and every argument feel even more charged.

Should You Dive in?
Yes! Especially if you love enemies-to-lovers, slow-burn tension, and emotionally grounded characters who fight, fall, and find each other in between. Archie Forsythe and Piper Quinn will stay with you long after the last page.