I really enjoyed this one! I found myself struggling to put it down. It transported me to the beach and made me desperate for a big family holiday.
There were parts of it that felt a bit unneeded in the story and they seemed to drag a bit which is why I gave 4 stars. But the storyline was right up my street - brothers best friend, forbidden love and all the tension filled moments between them.
I loved all the characters in this book. Except Adonis obviously - I had serious Rosh, Rachel & Paolo vibes 🤣

Thank you to publisher Penguin Random House UK Cornerstone, NetGalley and author Laura Jane Williams for this eARC.

Firstly the title. Are the enemies in the room with us? Because I can't find them.

While I really liked some scenes in this book - the ones where the whole family was there and the ones with Flos parents - and it was a quick, easy pool read with a gorgeous greek island as a setting, the entire plot is based on one of my aboslutely most hated tropes - miscommunication/lack of communication. The whole book i was just screaming at the characters to just TALK to eachother! Like if they were teenagers, fine but these are supposed to be grown a** adults. Behave like it, use your words!
Just writing this review I'm getting angry again!

A huge thank you to @Netgalley and fora gifted copy of this lovely eBook to read and review - all thoughts are my own.

“The opposite of anxiety isn’t calm. It’s trust”

Let's start of by saying just how eye catching that cover is, I was instantly taken by it, and then the blurb completely sold me, however I will get my main issue out of the way first, this book to me is the very bare minimum of an enemies to lovers, if anything this is more of a
miscommunication or “men thinking they have a say in women's virtues” type trope, so please don’t pick this book up just based on its title, thinking it’ll be full of a couple who despise each other and grow, that really is not the case.

However, saying that, this story is still very heartfelt, and it is lovely to watch the couple and the MC grow, I loved Flo as the main character, despite having a “breakdown” she has come out and stronger and more willing to grow and enjoy her life. Majority of the side characters eere lovely, and it was so refreshing to read about a family that are so close and enjoy each other's company, it felt so realistic and I would have loved to be on that holiday with them, the banter between all three siblings just felt relatable, and their competitive side had be laughing throughout, it was interesting to watch their interactions with one another, andI really like how the author made each siblings relationship different, I especially loved Alex and Flo’s nose wrinkles, its sweet!

The plot in all honesty was quite tunnel sighted, this was just a cutesy read with the idea of a couple who have known each other for years finally get together, there were a couple of subplots which were okay, but I did have an issue with the Adonis subplot, I felt that the cave scene was completely unnecessary, or for it to still be there, then more needs to be said around his behaviour – not just brushed off, I feel this puts a negative spin on sexual harassment.

Either way this is an easy uplifting summer read, that despite its page count was a quick and engrossing read, with stunning world building, and a gorgeous setting, I mean those beach scenes just felt so idyllic, this is one that I did enjoy, it just needed a bit more angst and
development in places.

3.5

4 ⭐️
1 🌶️

- Brothers best friend
- mental health rep

Flo has been through some hard times. But she is currently on vacation with her family and her brothers best friend, the guy who she’s had a crush on forever. The guy who led her on at Xmas but then walked away.
Their relationship is very much one step forward two steps back.

A fairly light read (does dive into mental health issues) and it does have plenty of humour.

Thank you for the eARC negalley and Random House Cornerstone, Penguin.

Truly the best romance trope there ever was and ever will be. Throw in some Greek sunshine and we’re off to the (beach) races for another five star summer read!

Thank you to Cornerstone for the E-Arc of this book! I really loved the summer setting and family atmosphere the book gave but struggled so much to see the romance and flow between Flo and Jamie.

I often found myself not reaching for the story and feeling that it was a bit jumpy between loving and hating each other and Flo’s emotions. The storyline on Flo’s mental health was written well and felt relatable in some ways - with her inner thoughts and feelings etc but for me the main plot wasn’t there.

Very grateful to have had the opportunity to read anyway and enjoyed the other aspects of the story

Meet flo & Jamie. Flo is piecing her life back together after a breakdown & Jamie is flo's older brother, lauries best friend.
Something happened last xmas that has turned these two into enemies, so imagine the shock & disbelief for flo when Jamie turns up on flo's greek family holiday. the hate between them seems obvious enough for flo & Jamie but then something changes & an unlikely friendship blossoms turning into something more.
This book had laughter, tears & a few home truths. It is more of a fluffy romance than a spicy one but it is a lovely story that warms your heart.

The perfect summer holiday read, set in Greece, a will they, won't they story about relationships. Devoured it on a hot sunny afternoon lazing on a sun lounger!

I really enjoyed this. I’ve read books from this author in the past and really liked them too. The perfect location and perfect enemies to lovers story!

Enemies to Lovers is a quick, fun summer novel that is perfect to read by a beach. It’s fast-paced and very funny, and it’s my favourite Laura Jane Williams book so far.

Even though I liked it, I am a little bit conflicted. Unfortunately, I felt no romantic chemistry between the two main characters, Jamie and Flo, but I absolutely loved the mental health representation and humour in the writing. I also liked the setting of a family holiday in Greece, and the dynamics between each family member — some of the situations they found themselves in were just hilarious, and I frequently laughed out loud.

Enemies to Lovers is mostly based around a misunderstanding, and I feel like the main issues could have been resolved very quickly if the characters had acted more like adults rather than teenagers. Still, it didn’t bother me that much and I ended up very much enjoying it, so I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend it to fans of light, summery romances. I just wish I could have backed Flo and Jamie more!

3.5/5.

This hits all the marks for the genre, though it's firmly in the 'this could all have been solved if they just talked to each other' category. A fun read with an HEA.

Quick read was ok not amazing. Had some good story points but wouldn’t have me recommending it first to friends

The epitome of a perfect summer read - a romantic comedy full of slow burn, angst and mishaps all round.

Loved this book! Felt like a treat of a holiday read, swept away in to the family and their stories and will definitely be looking out for more Laura Williams books from now on.
Jamie and Flo are relatable main characters with their own flaws that just made me love them all the more. The tension between them was wonderfully written and I absolutely raced through it. Would thoroughly recommend.

Greece vibes, vacation, good food and drama.

Flo travels to Greece with her whole family without realizing that Jamie (her brother's best friend) will be there too...and well, their last meeting didn't go well. Which by the end of the book turns out to be a huge, mega unnecessary and selfish misunderstanding caused by another person. That kind of misunderstanding is just so exhausting and frustrating, but I was expecting it.

I could only relate to Flo about 50%. I liked how her breakdown and its consequences were portrayed, but that's why you'd think she could empathize with others. Because she was in a really bad way for a long time, but of course it's surprising that others could be like that. But at least she realizes it quickly and in general I thought the communication at the end of the book with the whole family was really great. There were typical sister-brother conflicts, but you can tell that they all stick together!

There was always a spark between Flo and Jamie, but of course this misunderstanding got in the way. In general, I thought Jamie lacked more depth, I found him a bit weak as a character...

Overall a good summer read and I loved the Greek vibes and all the food descriptions!

I just loved this book and I read in one sitting this whole family are just so warm and loving and it’s the way a family should be, there for each other through thick and thin and the love was just pouring out of them it made me really miss my family who are no longer here as that’s what we were like and it’s a beautiful book!

I would highly recommend this book as it was just beautiful and heartwarming.

I would like to thank Penguin and NetGalley the opportunity to read this book early.

Not the light hearted, fun, summer read I was expecting, with the constant reminder of the main character's (Flo) mental health issue that felt at time at odds with her behaviour. The Adonis subplot made little sense as his behaviour suddenly flipped without any good reason for it other then manipulating the action to fit quite an obvious plot. I also found the burping and farting and bullying and arguing and and shouting (and even vomiting) that filled the two weeks Greek family holiday was a bit off-putting - you would think that two lawyers, a doctor and a PhD may be able to act a bit more maturely than what described. And finally - I know this was an uncorrected arch but I'm pretty sure the colouring book mentioned should be called "Kama' (Sutra) and not Karma... the editor may want to check that.
Overall the writing was pleasant but I think that a younger demographic may appreciate this novel more than I did.

4.5 stars. Fabulous book.

The characters are believable, friendable, and fun. The Greenberg family have this wonderful competitiveness between the whole family but there’s a warmth with it. Flo is the younger sister, and as such, big brother Laurie and middle child Alex think she warrants protection.

Jamie is the super good looking, brother’s best friend. Flo and Jamie almost had a thing, but Jamie got cold feet and Flo, hasn’t got over it. She doesn’t expect him to turn up on the annual family holiday to Greece. She thought he was off shagging around the world on a boat. She’s fuming! Absolutely livid! But, he’s so pretty with his muscles and his tan.

I feel like I could be a Greenberg. Before I have breakfast I’m thinking about what’s for lunch, what’s for dinner and how many snacks I can consume in the intervening periods. Food isn’t just my fuel it’s my religion.

I loved this book. I loved the food. I loved the familyness. I loved the deliciousness of Jamie. I loved that Jamie wears his heart on his sleeve. I loved the strength and resilience of Flo. I love that I want to give Laurie a knuckle sandwich, a black eye and hit him with a sweeping brush (which by the way did actually happen in an epic Mitchell family fight over who knew the most about American football. Spoiler alert, it was me, I knew the most, but the middle brother insisted it was him so I tried to hit him with a brush, and then when that didn’t work, I punched him in the face).

Enemies to Lovers has a similar feel to the books by one of my current favourite author’s books, Emily Henry. If you like her books, I think you would like this one too.

Very cute quick read! I adored this book and it is perfect bc or summer! Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for a copy of this book.

I really enjoyed reading Flo and Jamie’s story, the enemies to lovers trope is my absolute favourite and Laura Jane Williams has done it justice. I also enjoyed the addition of the mental health aspect of the book and the family dynamics Flo had with her brothers. I will recommend this book.