Hot to Go was cute and easy to fall into, with enough heat and heart to keep things interesting. Important parts of the story is revolving around summer and vacation, making it a perfect beach read. But what stood out to me the most in the book was the dialogue. It felt natural and witty, and added so much charm to the characters.

There were a few unexpected turns that kept the plot from being too predictable, which I appreciated. This book is not groundbreaking, but knows what it is and delivers with confidence.

There are some mildly funny parts, and I almost like Charlie but I didnt like the way it was written, I cant put my finger on it, something was just off putting to me.

<b>What happened in Mallorca didn't stay in Mallorca</b>

I was hoping this would be a light summery read. What I got instead was a story that jumped back and forth between being crass to dull and back again. There was potential in the novel, but it was overshadowed by the OTT sexual dialogue that read as both odd and needless vulgarity. I'm not one to clutch pearls over language or sexual content, but this felt desperate. It came across as trying to add shock value for laughs but missed the mark.

Two foreign language teachers lie about their identities during a quick vacation fling. However, when the light of day shines upon a new school year the gig is up. The pair is shocked to find out that they are colleagues in the same department. Their fake names and occupations make for some funny banter. Did he or didn't he ghost her?

The writing is decent. There was such potential in the MMC's family dynamics. That was interesting and gave him a bit of depth. I wish that had been explored more than all the time they spent at school which felt like it moved at a snail's pace. Suzy the FMC needed more development. She has a lot of cousins, is getting divorced, and organizes things, that's it.

The way the beginning and the ending tie in was weird. 🙄

I think this will have an audience it just wasn't this reader.

Please check out other reviews for this title as many readers are giving it 4- and 5-star reviews. I may end up being an outlier.

Thank you to Storm Publishing for providing a complimentary ARC via NetGalley. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

A delightful, cute new Kristen Bailey romance perfect for a light vacation read.
Susie and Charlie meet on vacation and both pretend to be someone else. They reunite unexpectedly at work and work to figure out how to make their relationship work. It was sweet, funny and sexy and just what I needed for summer. Thank you to NetGalley and Storm Publishing for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

🏫Teachers letting loose romance🌅🏖

I found Hot To Go an easy, breezy romcom with a heap of coincidences and miscommunications and a make or break secret. Leads Suzie and Charlie meet on a beach on Mallorca and immediately proceed to lie about their identities, then get close and promptly lose touch due to unfortunate circumstance. They remeet in London on the first day of the new school term and their real identities are uncovered; their attraction would lead to more but for constant kinks that crop up so it's move closer then back repeatedly. I liked both of them; they're good people, and I especially loved their scenes in Seville with the students and on their own during a midterm school excursion.

The secondary characters, like their students and their family members, added a good touch of humor and even heart to the story. Lucy, Suzie's youngest cousin, came off as a loose wire but in a fun way. Lucy and her sisters featured in the Callaghan sisters series where I found Lucy more than a bit annoying. Either I've mellowed or she has, or maybe she's easier to take in smaller helpings, but her antics and protective attitude toward Suzie added some sass and whimsy without bugging me.

This was easy to get into and kept me engaged first to last page.

Thanks to Storm Publishing and NetGalley for sharing a complimentary advance copy of the book; this is my voluntary and honest opinion.

Review shared on 7/7/25 on Goodreads and Bookbub, and with Barnes & Noble. To be shared with kobo upon publication.

I liked this! It was honestly British enough that I sometimes didn't understand the slang, but everyone was charming, I liked the setup, and twist was believable, and the use of shifting omniscient/limited third person perspective was well done. The setup was probably too big a part of the book, though. But a solid 4 star read.

I received a free ARC from NetGalley.

Kristen Bailey always delivers the comedy in her rom-coms and I look forward to her books each year. Her summer rom coms are usually centered around high schools teachers which lends to some funny student interactions and heartwarming moments. This one wasn’t my favorite of hers, but I still enjoyed it. I didn’t connect with the characters quite as much as usual. That being said, whenever you read a Kristen Bailey book you have to pay attention to the little details she weaves in where the characters seem fated to be together. For example, in this book the main characters are both reading the same book on vacation and notice the same stranger in a hotel they’re at. It’s just little details that you might miss because they’re casually mentioned and not in your face, but when you recognize them they add a little touch of magic to each of her books that I love!

Thank you to NetGalley and Storm Publishing for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I received Hot To Go by Kristen Bailey for free in exchange for my honest review. I have not read anything by this author before. It ended up being enjoyable. Both of the main characters are a bit awkward and their inner monologue is quite amusing. I really did enjoy this book. The ending was not unexpected, but the ride was enjoyable. I would definitely read more by this author.

A slice of ordinary teacher life served up rom-com style, complete with a generous helping of very specific humour. It’s light, quirky, and unapologetically British.

That said, I found myself wanting more depth from the characters—something to connect with beyond the surface-level humour and hijinks. The situations were entertaining, but I didn’t always feel the people in them.

Still, it’s an easy, summery read—perfect for flicking through by the pool with a cocktail in hand.

This was the first book I have read by Kristin Bailey. It started off really slow for me but once I got farther in I wanted to find out what would happen. There were definitely parts in this story that were slower for me but also loved their romance fling and was rooting for them to be together. I was also mad that she didn't tell him the 2nd time they were together that she was in the process of a divorce. Overall it was a fun summer read.

This book is pure fun. The opening chapter sets the scene beautifully, throwing tissue boxes and delivery Indian food along with fun characters and lots of time spent in the sun where it is hot hot hot. The tension between Suzie and Charlie is ramped up in the sunshine and then continued back in the uk. The supporting characters are also a laugh with teacher banter and a strong support network in place. The misunderstanding is funny and gives the tone of the book. Likeable characters that I willed on throughout the book and sizzling sexy time.

Hot To Go is a rom-com about a holiday romance and fate. A really light-hearted, relatable, fun and enjoyable read. You’ll be laughing out loud! The perfect holiday read.

Thank you to NetGalley, Storm Publishing and the author for access to this eARC in exchange of an honest review.

First of all, thank you very much for the ARC.
The writing is captivating and easy to read, I couldn’t put the book down because I kept wanting to know more about the characters.
Personally, I’d say this book is perfect for people who enjoy rom-coms: it’s comfy and funny read, especially for summer. I absolutely recommend it. Perfect for mood readers looking for something new! 3,5 stars.

love Kristen’s book so was excited to read Hot to go!
This book was a great rom com full of misunderstanding,laughter angst, sexual chemistry, chaos, love and second chances!
The main characters Suzy and Charlie both very different but so likeable in both their personas particularly as Aurelie and Carlos where we see a different side to them and their holiday romance !
Was also lovely to be reunited with other characters such as lovely Ed and the cousins gave a nice bit of familiarity to the book.
Would highly recommend as a lighthearted, fun, slightly spicy read perfect for summer!
Thank you NetGalley for this early read

This was a cute vacation rom-com. No real spice so it was pretty tame. I did laugh out loud a few times as the banter was funny. Usually I find these types of books cringy and get second hand embarrassment for the characters and the scenarios they find themselves in and I have to speed read through those sections. I actually enjoyed this one.

This book is a steamy, second chance, summer romance 🏖️ Suzie has a piping hot holiday fling but is shocked to learn her Spanish lover “Carlos” is actually the new hire, Charlie, at her new school teaching gig.

I thought this book had a great concept but fell a little flat in execution. In my opinion it took a little too long for the main characters to meet and for that reason it felt very slow in the beginning. The writing style was also a bit confusing at times and hard to follow. Also, I found I missed a lot of the British lingo and references (mostly in the beginning) since I am not British myself. The ending felt rushed and my biggest (albeit silliest) gripe is that no one dealt with the bed bugs!?

I read this book while on a beach vacation myself and I think it brought the perfect vibes for that! Suzie and Charlie had great chemistry and banter for sure. Definitely read if you’re looking for smutty, holiday vibes 🤭 3⭐️

Thank you so much NetGalley and Storm Publishing for the ARC!

Hot to Go is equal parts hilarious and spicy. Suzie and Charlie meet on holiday in Mallorca using fake names and nationalities and their chemistry is off the charts. Unfortunately fake names also means missed opportunities to stay in touch. But what if the stars align, and the universe crosses their paths in their ordinary lives? Can those sparks exist in everyday London?

This is a perfect summer vacation read - there's laugh out loud banter and shenanigans, there's steamy love, there's familial and found family love and not one but two trips to Spain. I especially enjoyed the side characters of Suzie's fiercely loyal Callaghan cousins and the motley crew of teachers at the school. When I'm looking for another book full of banter and sizzle, Kristen Bailey's back catalog will keep me busy with those characters in her previous Callaghan series and Sex Ed and Textbook Romance.

Thank you Storm Publishing and NetGalley for the digital galley. #HotToGo #NetGalley.

3.75⭐️

This is a sweet story about two basically star crossed lovers who keep finding their way to each other only to be interrupted by inopportune life events. I want to say this upfront because there are some flaws that readers should be aware of going in, but I don’t want them to seem like deal breakers or to turn you away from giving this a go.

I’ve seen other reviews suggest an issue with the editing. However, it’s not the editing, it’s the formatting that’s confusing.
Examples:
Dialogue is written with single apostrophes instead of quotation marks. This makes it less obvious to the eye when conversation starts and ends.
Internal dialogue is not differentiated between narrative and internal dialogue. We’re used to see this on separate lines and italicized, in Hot to Go it’s just another sentence in the same paragraph.
Both things take some getting used to, but you will get used to, but they are not insurmountable.

This book is also written with a heavy English voice. It’s mostly in the first third of the story, and gets less bogged down by slang as you go. Or maybe this is something I got used to? Maybe I’m now just so well versed in London slang I could go on Holiday!

Despite the description, this book is not as spicy as I thought it would be. I’d put it at a 2.5 using the Romance.io rating scale, somewhere between glimpses and open door. Come for romance, not the spice. It’s not unsatisfactory, but it’s not…inspiring, if you know what I mean.

Overall, I really liked the characters and their connection. I wish they met up sooner in the story so we got more time with them (it’s about 17% of the way in where they finally meet). I would read more about them if I could! However, this book is not without its flaws, none of which should be deal breakers. Give it a go, you wanker!

I have liked to read this book a lot, but the first 20-30% where a bit slow. And she quite says the same stuff over and over again and I got a bit annoyed .
As the story goes I got more and more envolve in it. And I like how it ended, but that back and forth that they had made me a bit angry 😂

Thank you Storm Publishing and NetGalley for the advanced copy.

This book is a perfect summer read. It's a fun story about Charlie and Suzie who seem to keep finding each other while navigating their relationships. You'll find witty remarks, funny moments and plenty of romance. I will definitely be adding more of Kristen Bailey's books to my TBR.