I did not get this book by this author I got the first one. So based on what I thought of the first book, I don't think I will love this book. That's my honest opinion since I can't review the first book.

Portia MacIntosh is extremely talented. This was so hard to put down and definitely one of the best ones I've read so far! Definitely reading more of hers in the future.

This was a pleasant read! I really liked this story and the characters were lovely, I connected with them. I am excited for more works by Portia Macintosh!

A brilliant read and one I really enjoyed. The characters are loveable. The plot is one that is engaging and I found myself completely drawn into the story and enjoyed the writing style.

I love fake dating and second-chance romances, but this one was just meh. I found the extended family to be too pushy, and overbearing. It was pretty predictable. I loved Charlie and part of me was pulling for him and Cara to get together. The date scenes were entertaining and slightly funny, definitely, not the side-splitting-laughter-inducing funny but slightly funny and sometimes cringy, but most romcoms have their fair amount of cringe. The constant miscommunication between the two main characters was annoying and made the story drag on, seriously, if they had sat down and had a conversation like civilized adults I can guarantee you, this book wouldn't have made me want to pull my hair out at times.

Overall, it wasn't bad and it wasn't great, it was okay. It's not one of those books that I'm going to be thinking about days down the road.

After reading it and reading through other reviews I found out this was a sequel, so my rating might have been higher had I known that before reading this book.

Unfortunately, I did not finish this book.
I do love the fake date trope but i didn't felt chemistry between the characters.

I really enjoyed this, I’ve read a few books from this author and she always writes so well. This was a very festive read (kind of regretted reading it whilst it was warm!) where Cara and Millsy have decided to split up but pretend to still be together for their joint family Christmas. There is chaos and they always manage to get intro trouble which made for fun reading!

I received this arc in exchange for an honest review. 🤍

as much as i thought the writing style and pacing was good, plot-wise this book just wasn’t for me. the entire time i felt like it was going to end up being a story where she realises how much better she can do but that wasn’t the case. they were separated for the entire book and get back together and engaged on the same day?? it was just all over the place

i feel like the saving grace for this book wouldn’t been a dual pov. if we saw joe’s side of things from the beginning the experience would have been so much different

Thank you for my eARC of this book. Sadly I didn’t finish this as I just wasn’t invested enough to continue.

The "fake it through xyz" vibe reminded me a lot of Happy Place. I did highly enjoy this one. There was tension, chemistry, and romance. The miscommunication started to grind my gears a bit, but I understand why it was necessary for the story. Overall it was a very cute romance!

Fake dating tropes are my cryptonite. I just can’t get enough of them. I really enjoyed this story and look forward to reading more from this author.

This book was great, it felt fresh and not like anything else I've read lately. It kept me intrigued all the way through, I didn't want to put it down.

I love fake dating tropes, but this one didn't hit the mark for me. I saw no chemistry between Cara and Millsy, and second chance romances don't often work for me.

This was a great read, my first book by this author and I'll definitely be checking out more from them

I really enjoyed how chaotic the main characters were together, it lead to a lot of funny moments

The ending/the getting back together felt a bit rushed, I wished it was dragged out a little more and got to spend some time with them actually together

- second chance
- fake dating-ish / pretending to still be together
- slow burn

Thank you to NetGalley and Boldwood books for the arc - all opinions are my own

Cara and millsy decide to not tell their families they broke up 6 weeks ago.
Honestly this couple had no chemistry. I didn't really like any of the characters and millsy voice coach was so annoying.

Cara and Millsy broke up but decided for the sake of their familie to pretend to still be together until after Christmas. This is a cute holiday themed fake dating/second chance romance, and I would have liked this more if I wasn't beaten over the head with the miscommunication between the two characters.

I love all the tropes and the cute story! I have enjoyed Portia MacIntosh's writing and was so glad I got to read this one! Definitely recommend. :)

Thank you NetGalley and Portia MacIntosh!

Great easy read, I had no idea it was a sequel, but it didn’t affect the story for me.

Thank you NetGalley for my complimentary copy in return for my honest review.

I liked the premise of this book, and felt that although predictable, it was sweet. I hadn't read the first in this series, but didn't think that impacted my reading of this one.

Lovely book, easy to read with lighthearted humour throughout. Would recommend alongside all the other books by the same author