Rating : 4 out of 5
Blurbs :
A year in a gorgeous Italian castle…
When Anna Roberts’ life implodes, an online search leads her to an ad for the ultimate dream job – management of a gorgeous castle on the shores of Lake Como, accommodation included. The only catch? Anna can’t do it alone…With the last man on earth she’d choose!
The castle owners will only accept a couple as caretakers, which means Anna needs a man on her arm at the interview. Enter her neighbour, Jake Tucker. Though Anna and Jake have never seen eye-to-eye, Jake’s had a rough few years and an escape to Italy sounds ideal. Yet, when they get the job and jet off, Anna and Jake face an unexpected challenge. Pretending to be a couple is difficult … but pretending the tension simmering between them doesn’t exist is quickly proving impossible!

Thoughts : Wow...my romantic heart can't take it! It's a fake-dating + Italy + actually a neighbor (LOLOL)! Thanks Netgalley and the publisher for the e-ARC!

This was cute. Maybe a little more trite than I initially expected, and cliched, but I enjoyed it, and I’ll recommend it to my romance loving friends!

A nice quick summer read! Definitely makes you crave a summer away in Italy.

The story follows Anna and Jake on their journey from neighbors to something much more. For fans of the fake dating trope, this one is for you!

While I loved the premise of the story, I found the chemistry between the main characters to be lacking. I felt like the chemistry was focused only on how physically attractive Anna and Jake were. It missed any depth.

My favorite thing about The Italian Job were the side characters - Rosa and Sara in particular. Probably because we got to see Anna and Jake through their eyes. They told us about the chemistry that I thought was missing on the pages.

Overall, a lovely read!

I’ve come to really enjoy Kathryn Freeman’s novels. They are always, light, funny, a little steamy, and full of great characters - and The Italian Job is no different. Then, add in Enemies to Lovers trope, Italy, Lake Como - and you have perfection! In her latest,
Kathryn Freeman introduces us to Anna and Jake - two neighbors both down on their luck. Anna just out of a bad relationship and Jake, fresh out of prison for assaulting Anna’s ex (for an unrelated reason). Anna finds the opportunity of a lifetime in Lake Como - just one problem, the position requires two people (one chef and one to manage the property) - without saying too much more - Jake agrees and what follows is a terrific storyline between the two.
Once I was fully invested in their story, I found the book hard to put down. A perfect summer read!

Thank you to NetGalley, Kathryn Freeman, and One More Chapter for this ARC - all opinions are my own.

Cute and fun, definitely was drawn in by the cover. Sadly, a strong start didn't keep my interest. Loved the setting and the enemies to lovers trope!

This was a fun summer romance read. I enjoyed the setting and the plot and although I didn’t love it I would definitely read another book by this author.

Thank you to NetGalley for the advanced copy of The Italian Job!

I wanted to love this book, I really did! Enemies to lovers in Italy? Sounds right up my alley.

Unfortunately it did fall pretty short for me. I thought I was never going to get through it. I can usually read romance books in a few days, and this one took me almost two months. I had trouble connecting with the Anna and Jake, and found some of the language a little sexist in the first half of the book.

The book was not ALL bad, though. There were a few sweet moments and the ending came together well. The last 1/3 of the book was definitely the most fast-paced and enjoyable, so I’m glad I stuck around until the end.

find it hard to resist a book set in Italy and who doesn’t love a summer read with a healthy dollop of romance thrown in for good measure?

One of the things I enjoyed most about this book is that although you can guess from the off where the storyline is going in terms of the two main characters, their journey to the inevitable is nevertheless thoroughly entertaining! Their interactions with each other and the locals in Como provide plenty of humour and the family dynamics add another interesting angle.

I can see plenty of myself in Anna’s need for planning and organisation and loved the cards she prepared for Jake at the start of the story so they could be fully prepared for the interview! Jake is a highly likeable character especially when he begins to let his guard down and you see the person behind the bravado.

This is a hugely satisfying, easy read, perfect for summer holiday reading!

With thanks to the author, Rachel at Random Resources and One More Chapter publishing for the opportunity to participate in the tour.

4.5 stars
Omg I loved this story so much!! It was cute funny and omg i was hooked and couldn’t wait to see what happened!!
If you enjoy:
Grumpy x sunshine
Boy next door
Fake dating
It’s always been you
This is the story for you! I love a good fake dating story and watching how they slowly fall in love is the best especially when you can see it happen from both sides like in this story!

This is the story of Anna and Jake, two people who do not get on. Their story is told over the course of 36 Chapters and an Epilogue. This story is very easy to get into and with a beginning that will intrigue readers and make them want to dive into this story.
One aspect of this story that I loved was the job. It really is the dream job. Being in gorgeous Italy and living in a castle. If this job exists sign me up!
Anna is a chef who is very organised and loves a good to do list. Whereas Jake doesn't like to be told what to do but who also enjoys his freedom. His past makes him enjoy his freedom even more.
As this story progresses the reader gets to witness these enemies become lovers. Though this road is not smooth at all but readers will get to watch as their walls come down and lust makes an appearance.
Overall i thoroughly enjoyed this book. It is not my first by this author and it certainly won't be my last. Her books are easy to read rom coms that draw readers in with new book boyfriends and some dreamy locations.

Oh what fun this was. I love a British romcom and this one didn’t disappoint. It took me a little while to realize I had it on my Kindle! Sorry and thanks so much for this cute little adventure.

okay i am sad with my rating of this book it makes me feel bad!
The book is wildly british with its slang that people their age don't really use but I loved the concept so i continued. It was an enemys to friends to fiance to ya know so it was a unique take. I loved the concept of the italian job as well.
However, the characters just bickered like teenagers for no reason, they were SOOO obsessed with his jail time, they were really hard to connect to and the book didnt get good until at least 30% and I put the book down soooo many times before even getting there.
I hope this book reaches the audience that would like it but it wasnt me.

Rating: 4.5 Stars

Award-winning author Kathryn Freeman dazzles her readers with a hilarious, heartfelt and wholly irresistible romantic comedy, The Italian Job.

With her life in ruins, Anna is in desperate need of a fresh start. While browsing online, she stumbles up an ad which would suit her down to the ground: a year managing a gorgeous castle on the shores of Lake Como in Italy. With her accommodation included, majestic scenery and a beautiful location, there is absolutely nothing Anna wouldn’t do to secure this position – even pretend to be in a loving relationship with her neighbour Jake Tucker, with whom she doesn’t exactly see eye to eye…

The castle owners will only accept a couple to take care of their castle and single Anna needs Jake to pretend to be her boyfriend. With the last few years having been particularly rough on Jake, escaping to Italy is just what the doctor ordered – even if it means having to spend twelve months with Anna, who isn’t exactly his number one favourite person!

However, little do Jake and Anna realize that under the sizzling Italian sun, temperatures will rise and the attraction that simmers between them will reach a surprising crescendo making their fake relationship all too real…

I adore Kathryn Freeman’s books and she has written another corker with her latest romantic comedy, The Italian Job. Fun, feel-good and sparkling with witty repartee, emotional intensity and compelling romantic drama that will hold readers spellbound, The Italian Job hits all the right notes and kept me giggling from the first page until the very last full stop.

As brilliant as ever, Kathryn Freeman has got another surefire hit on her hands with her latest romantic comedy, The Italian Job.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an Advanced Reader Copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Thank you to Netgalley and HarperCollins UK for my e-ARC in exchange for an honest review!
Maybe I've been a little nostalgic for Italy lately, but this was a really fun Rom Com. Primary tropes for this one are fake dating, enemies-to-lovers, forced proximity, and slowww burn. I really liked Anna as a character and felt like I could connect with her OCD attitude on the way she views the world. Jake was your typical bad-boy-next-door with a big heart and I really enjoyed these two's banter. A big plus of this story was the side characters and I enjoyed that the characters had relationships outside of their dating scenario to help the story along. The build up for these two was pretty intense and it took quite a while to get there (btw for my fellow smut lovers, there's steam but its more low grade). Some critiques, the story was a little long -- like the slow burn was a liiiitle too long for a forced proximity story for me. Also, the mentioning of these characters' flaw was a little obsessive -- it is mentioned REGULARLY that Anna is OCD and likes lists and order and that Jake is an ex-con struggling with acceptance. I think that could have been toned down a bit because it was established well pretty early on. The "villains" in this story were definitely despicable and easy to hate so you had an even bigger reason to root for the couple. Overall, super enjoyable and I would recommend it.

I really enjoyed this enemies to friends story. Witty and sweet. In a fan of this author’s writing. Lots of laugh out loud moments. once in a life time job with someone who she never thought she would spend her time with turning into a great romance, it could only be a great story. Love it.

The Italian Job started with lots of description and detail yet, I struggled to get past the characters. I wanted to love this book but, it missed the mark for me. I do not believe every book is for everyone and it is okay to not like or love a book.

I gave this book 5 stars despite my problems with it because it gave me what I expected. I wanted a light summer read with lots of laughing and loving and some crying.
We have an obviously attracting and gorgeous woman who has some issues and an obviously hot man also with issues of his own. Lots of hating and tension between the two of them. However they are likable so I didn’t mind their beauty that much and they have lots of issues that need resolving so the story isn’t boring.

All in all I enjoyed this fast and funny love story.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for my copy, all my opinions are my own and I’m leaving this review voluntarily.

A year in Lake Cuomo taking care of a castle? Yes, Please! The location is what made me want to read this book, but the storyline was great. I enjoyed Jake and Anna's "fake" romance. The setting was breathtaking and the storyline kept me entertained and turning the page. This was one of those I didn't want to put down.

Unfortunately I just wasn’t able to get into this one. I really liked the concept but couldn’t get onboard with the characters.

2 1/2* rounded to 3.

I don’t like to give bad, or even mediocre reviews, because honestly I like most everything I read. However, having just finished this it was mediocre to me at best. I had big hopes for this book, but I’ve read a lot of “pretend we are a couple turns to love” stories lately *maybe it’s trending?). I just had a hard time connecting with the characters, and I found myself working through the book to finish it instead of enjoying it.

#netgalley
#harpercollins