This was a fun read! It was good enemies to lovers book with a great location! This is a perfect summer read but not my favourite book of the year.

Jake and Anna have been neighbours since they were children, but not any old neighbours, they are neighbours that absolutely despise each other!

Despite this, the chemistry between them is off the roof. The plot begins with a fake dating trope, which quickly begins to change for Jake as he is beginning to see Anna in a completely different light. The tensions, bickering and chemistry between them both is a perfect mix.

This is the perfect book to read, if you are looking for something light-hearted. It has a summe feel to it as it is set in Lake Como, in a cute little village. It is a really good romance read and I would recommend.

The Italian Job by Kathryn Freeman is a wonderful book. It is a classic enemies to lovers set in Italy— how can you not love that? The characters and their backstories make an interesting story throughout. Overall, it is a solid read. I received a digital copy of this book from the publisher with no obligations. I also purchased it on my own. These opinions are entirely my own.

The Italian Job provides the perfect escape from the real world. Fans of enemies to lovers will enjoy this firey novel and the explosive chemistry between our leads. Very well written and bingeable!

A Castle in Lake Como? Please. I'm buying my plane ticket immediately. A fun enemies to lovers book that I read in one sitting.

This was just a case of not for me. I couldn’t really connect with the writing at all.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the advanced copy

The Italian Job was a cute story. I normally don't like forced proximity, enemies to lovers situations and this one felt a bit forced to me. The setting was beautiful, but the book just seemed all too good to be true and the ending was wrapped up a little too perfectly.

This book fell flat for me unfortunately


Thank you NetGalley and publisher for eARC in exchange for an honest review

I really liked the idea of the plot and LOVE enemies to lovers but only if it’s done really well. There’s a fine line between enemies that aren’t actually enemies and being mean and this just missed the mark for me unfortunately. It’s a shame because I like this authors other work.

I enjoyed the book but it wasn't really loving it. I liked the characters in the beginning and found myself skimming to get through. I don't mind bickering or even miscommunication but I just couldn't grasp on.

Thank you to Netgalley for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This is officially my favourite book by this author, i loved it enemies to lovers, HEA and great chemistry and character development.

fun and lighthearted for the most part, this was just an ok read for me. I did enjoy it but thought it could have been edited a bit better.

An irresistible brew of smart characterization and sensuality.
Many thanks to HarperCollins UK and to NetGalley for providing me with a galley in exchange for my honest opinion.

I've read books by this author before which I've enjoyed. This fell a little short compared to the previous books. I liked the idea of the plot, but I couldn't connect as well to the characters. The romantic interest could have been better - it did feel that the characters constantly argued with each other. I liked the beginning of the story and thought it had promise, but the storyline didn't hold my interest as much as I thought it would. It had a few moments which I enjoyed, and I did like Jake as the main male character,

I was excited for this rom com set in an Italian castle but the romance fell a little flat for me. I didn’t buy the characters and their connection as much as I would have liked. The writing was fine, but it was still a story I had to push through to finish instead of get swept away. Anna has just duped her boyfriend who is rich and powerful and cheated on her. She had worked in his restaurant and lived with him so this has left her unemployed, homeless, and back in her dad’s house. She finds the perfect job, being a cook in an Italian castle but the only catch is they are only interested in a castle. Jake is trying to get his life back on rack after serving six months in prison for hitting Anna’s ex and is finding himself black listed from getting a decent job. When Anna asks Jake if he would come with her and pretend to be her boyfriend and take care of the castle he agrees. The two of them snipe each other more like teenagers than enemies but eventually their fake relationship feels a lot less fake.

Escapism at it's finest.

Anna and Jake have always had eyes for each other - in the past mostly to roll at. Now, here is a chance to literally escape from their not-so good realities to a new job and a new country. And to a new, albeit fake, relationship. Things, feelings start to change, their characters start to deepen - in a setting that would surely bring out the romantic in everybody (OK, may be not everybody, but certainly most of us). A castle on Lake Como in Italy - Freeman managed to capture a sense of Italy and summer romance without being too cheesy, although I have to admit there were instances when the pages actually let off steam due to the hot chemistry between the main characters.

A lovely, summer night read - Hallmark movie material:-)

Anna and Jake.
They may have grown up next door to each other...but they're definitely not harboring any secret feelings, dreams, or desires starring each other.
At least...not yet.

When first we meet Anna, she's a girl on a mission...to escape the h*ll she's wallowing through. Her a**hat of an ex did a number on her professionally, personally, and mentally...and she's sinking fast. Oh sure, on the outside she presents a good front, but we all know it's what's on the inside that counts and that currently looks like the salesroom floor of a high end retailer having a closeout sale. She just needs a break from it all, and with her dad's advice...she just might get it. The chance she takes is more than a fresh start, but a chance to find her self again...and maybe a new star for her happily ever after in the form of the last person she'd ever have considered.

Meet Jake...the last person Anna would have ever considered. It's not that he's bad, despite his reputation, prison stay, and bad boy looks. He's...misunderstood...and as much as he would protest, he doesn't really know himself all that well either. He loves his family, would do anything for them (hence the jail time, but it's not what you think), and is an all around good soul. Just because he finds joy in winding up his next door neighbor, watching her squirm when he tests that invisible line, gives her hairbrained scheme a chance so she can chase a dream, and can't explain away how she's gotten under his skin doesn't mean he's gone soft. It doesn't mean the BIG L-word either. It just means he's a good guy that needs a second chance in SO MANY ways, and a year stay in a castle, yeah...that couldn't hurt either. Guess he can stand her company if it means a new lease on life...or something like that.

The sparks were there, even when they were throwing the lightning rods at each other like Zeus in a temper. Neither was as bad or good as they imagined, and both had life lessons that hit them upside the head with the force of a two by four, but it didn't make them scarred and unlovable, but rather even more compatible, if they can get past themselves, and the idiotic interferences surrounding. I had a bad feeling when Rutherford kept popping up. I mean his circle of friends, the extent of his influence just seemed like a big red light screaming in the dark, so when things get hairy, I can't say I was completely surprised, but boy did I enjoy the ending! Sorry, can't spoil it, and you shouldn't want me to either because that just makes this Italian escape perfectly complete.

A great read for Contemporary Romance fans and those who love a little enemies to something more than story line, and another wonderful addition to this writer's body of works.

Italian Castle? Enemies to Lovers? I was sold from the beginning, but unfortunately it was just not the book for me. I'm all for a good enemies-to-lovers, but when it crosses the line into being just downright mean to each other for no reason, it's an immediate turn off, and that was how Jake and Anna's story felt to me. DNF.

What can I say, I’m a sucker for an enemies to lovers romance. Told from both characters POV. Well written and a fun read

The Italian Job has the most promising premise. Who doesn't want to read about a year in an Italian villa?? Unfortunately, the meet cute is dismal, and everything nothing in me is screaming that the two main characters need time to heal from their major traumas, not continue to screw up their lives.

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC for an honest review.