I really love Laura Jane Williams she has never written a book I haven’t enjoyed. I loveddddd the character of Jamie and the tension between them and the chemistry leapt off the page. Thank you to the author, the publisher and NetGalley for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

Flo Greenberg: highly strung and an overachiever. She's heading on a family holiday to Greece, Sun, Sea, Relaxing, & Jamie Kramer. He's her brother's best friend, Who's she's been avoiding for the last few months.

With two surprise weeks of sharing meals, boat trips and sun-loungers, Flo must endure the company of Jamie. But after what happened last year, she’s determined not to let him get the better of her.

Flo uses the fact that he's around for 2 weeks to get to know the real him and is sure she's going to hate what she finds out.... or so she thinks. When exposure therapy takes a turn.

I was stuck in a bit of a reading slump when I started this book, It took me a couple of chapters to actually get into it. Once I was in, I dived right in. I hated putting it down and was always wanting to know what's next. Unfortunately work & life happened and I couldn't read it as quickly as I would've liked. I made the big mistake of reading a chapter or two before work just as I hit 80%ish and it was all I could think about. I couldn't get home from work quick enough to finish it off.

I loved the character development of Flo, and truly felt for her at times. She made me cry at the end and I couldn't even see the words on my screen. You'll know where I mean when you read it. I really liked the different takes on her brothers and felt more versatility was added from Alex.

- Single POV
- Enemies to lovers (sort of)
- Brothers best friend
- Forced proximity
- Bits of spice

I give this book a 3.75 star rating

this book was a quick easy read, it follows Flo and Jamie (brothers best friend) on a family holiday. They had a bit of a fling at Christmas but Jamie leaves by putting a note under Flo’s door.

HATED Laurie. Typical “protective big brother.” Alex was iconic in his own little ways.

I definitely think a trigger warning would be good as one chapter touched a topic that could be triggering to some people. Although it’s not massively graphic it’s still a sensitive topic.

There was also a page with a random = sign in the middle to a sentence and I’m not sure if it was meant to be there?

but overall i did enjoy this book! It was cliche but that’s one of my favourite things about it💅🏼

Thank you to NetGalley, the author and the publisher for an ARC of this book.

This is my first ARC & I couldn't wait to get started. I loved the greek setting and think this would be a perfect beach read.

Flo was relatable and I think the book has good mental health rep. Jamie was also an interesting character, but feel that readers could benefit from knowing a bit more about him.

The story flowed really well, with short chapters. The author's take on therapy and mental health added depth to the characters.

Overall, it's the perfect summer read, and I feel lucky to have read it before its official release on 15th August!

Loved this story and all it offered, it was a great story with sub plots and a fabulous main story! Thoroughly enjoyed this book and couldn't out it down!

In Enemies to Lovers, we follow the story of Flo who is setting off on a holiday to Greece with her family who seem to be slightly tip toeing around the fact she had a breakdown pretty recently and don’t know how to be normal again with her. While trying to seek solace among the Greek sunshine and reconnect with her relatives, Flo’s relaxing break is set slightly off kilter when her brother’s best friend Jamie shows up. The pair are slightly at odds after an encounter last year that’s left them feeling less than friendly towards one another. Spending time in proximity only makes the pair realise that they might not quite be the enemies they thought they were.

Laura Jane Williams’ characters almost feel like curling up with a blanket - comforting and familiar. You warm to Flo and Jamie right from the offset and follow along to see how they navigate the trials and tribulations of the Greek holiday together. For me, the pacing of this felt a little off, and I didn’t love it as much as I thought I would. Previous books of Laura’s excites me more than this one did, but it remains a good sunlounger read if you’re looking for the following:

• Brother’s best friend
• family friend
• missed opportunity
• close proximity
• enemies to lovers (more like dislike to lovers I would say)

I adored reading this book. Just a sassy FMC Flo who has been trying to find peace in her life is derailed by the appearance of Jamie, brothers' best friend, on a family holiday.
Queue accidental bikini mishaps, swimming pool brawls, and slow burn romance that makes you kick your feet.
I am excited to read more from Laura Jane Williams as this is a perfect wee read.

“The opposite of anxiety isn’t calm, it’s trust”

“I am head-over-heels for you, Jamie Kramer”

4⭐️
Holiday in Greek with your family and the guy who broke your heart that lead to a mental breakdown and is now your sworn enemy. Also he is your brother’s best friend.

Yes please

Tropes:
Enemies to lovers
Brother’s best friend
Forbidden Romance

Thanks to penguin random house for the arc. I would definitely read this author again.

I found this book a quick,easy read. The characters easy to understand and easy to connect to. And did I mention it’s a slow burn!!!

This book I would say is the perfect beach read. It’s quick and gives you those summer vibes!!

The tension and the angst in this book!!!!! Flo and Jamie were just so perfect for each other and I’m glad they found their happy ending.

An enjoyable summer read from start to finish! I loved the Greek island setting and will now be definitely planning my own trip to one. Whilst there were moments where I struggled the engage with Flo as an MC, it was only smaller moments

A perfect book for the summer!
Lots of romance and good vibes which is exactly what I wanted

Thank you for the ARC 🤍

I raced through this in a day. A thoroughly entertaining read about a family holiday that everyone will wish they were part of.
The heat and beauty of Greece, the close knit family, the secrets. A great easy read.

This seemed like such a good book based on the title but Jamie & Flo were barely enemies. I failed to see the chemistry between them and while I liked Flo, I disliked Jamie to the core. The was a fully grown man, yet his action were that of a stupid teenage boy. The only reason I'm giving this book an extra star is because of the Greece setting and the family. They were all really fun characters and I liked the bond between the siblings. These were the only positive things in the book. Flo deserved better than Jamie tbh.

I received an ARC from Netgalley in exchange of an honest review

a brilliant read - lots of romance, family drama and plenty of drama between the two main characters. can't wait to read more by this author

Laura Jane Williams has delivered another five-star novel, solidifying her status as an author whose work I immediately pre-order. I adore everything she writes, and this latest piece is no exception. I eagerly anticipate acquiring a physical copy and any future works she publishes.

My thanks go to Netgalley and the LJW Publishing team for granting my request and giving me the opportunity to read this incredible story.

Another cracker by LJW. I just love everything she writes and this is no exception. I can’t wait for the next one.

Thank you so much for this ARC in exchange for an honest opinion.

First of all, I loved the setting. A Greek island was definitely the right choice for a summer book.
I enjoyed that even though the characters were all grown ups, they still had a family holiday – the Greenbergs were a chaotic but lovely and absolutely hilarious family. It was great to see them spending time together and opening up to each other.
Now, to the romance part. I liked that Flo wasn’t the typical bubbly sunshine fmc but someone who was recovering from a breakdown and trying to improve her mental health. She had a great character development dealing with her anxiety, starting to open up to the world and learning to trust herself and others. The tension between her and Jamie made me curious and I couldn’t stop reading because I wanted to figure out why they were so cold to each other. Normally, I’m not a fan of the misunderstanding trope, but here it actually made sense and I could understand that choice. Jamie definitely fell first and I liked the way he was the only one who really saw Flo as a person rather than a porcelain doll after her breakdown. However, I think there could’ve been more details to his character and who he was as a person other than that he was a hot guy who lost his parents. It improved in the end and that’s why this book is a 4.5 star rating for me.

Overall, I can recommend this book to everyone who’s looking for a summer romcom :)

Thank you to Netgalley, the author, and the publishers for providing me with an early arc.

Exposure therapy with the enemy?!

My commutes have been so much fun while reading this book. The chemistry between Jamie and Flo is palpable, and their interactions are filled with witty banter and yet an underlying undeniable attraction. As their relationship develops, the tension between them only grows when things from the past begin to arise, making for a captivating read that will have you eagerly turning the pages to see what happens next.

The family dynamics in this book are both heartwarming and hilarious. From adventurous and hilarious parents to chaotic siblings, each character adds depth and humour to the narrative, making it a joy to read. (These characters have no filter, regardless of who is in the room, and I absolutely love it!)

I was completely swept away by this book, racing through the pages with excitement. It was love at first read for me, as I have a soft spot for captivating romances (especially enemies to lovers!) set in sunny locations.

This book is a wholesome, sizzling slow-burn, filled with side eyeing jealousy and a burning conversation that needs to take place on this gorgeous 2-week sunny holiday.

Enemies to Lovers is set in Greece as a family take a summer holiday for two weeks, however, what Flo does not know is that her brother's best friend, Jamie, who she hates because last Christmas they kinda got together but then he slipped a note under her door saying he led her on and to never discuss again, shows up on the holiday.

Let me start off by saying, I was so disappointed in this book, I thought this is going to be the perfect summer read and the concept of the book was good and the book itself had so much potential but it was a MASSIVE let down. Let me explain what frustrated me about this book.

1. The main character, Flo, was so annoying, I did not like her. I found her to be so negative all the time and she seemed so self-centred and wanted everyone to pity her. At one point she pities herself because she was not apart of the family email chain, only, wait a minute, she was, the emails were going into her spam folder!

2. This book was just so cringy, within the first few chapters during a volleyball match with the FULL family, Flo's bikini top comes off and she is flashing everyone but seems in no rush to cover up! Like, babe, c'mon. There is also a scene where Flo is on top of Jamie, just about to kiss and he starts crying! Like imagine the person you have known for years and you fancy and you're just about to press lips and they start crying, if that happened to me I would be laughing and flinging myself off the boat.

3. With an enemies to lovers plot, we expect angst, banter the sexual tension but with Flo and Jamie, we got nothing, they went from not speaking to suddenly being in love, it just felt so rushed. They had NO connection at all. I am a huge romantic and tend to also ship the characters, with these two, I felt nothing. They seemed to have more of a sibling relationship than romantic.

4. Another thing which bugged me was at the start Flo said that it would be embarrassing to move back in with your parents at 26. Honestly, in the things are right now, it is more common for people to still be living with parents for all kinds of reasons. Especially with the renting crisis and how expensive things are right now.

Now, what I did enjoy about this book was the setting, I loved how it was sunny and hot. The family dynamics was the best part of this book, I think this would have worked out better if it was just a book based on a family holiday which maybe had some funny things going wrong

The book was okay, but I would not read again.

Thank you to Netgalley for this e-book arc in exchange for an honest review.

TikTok-Kirstinreadsx

The topic of mental health and Flo's past experience with a nervous breakdown is an important one, and I appreciate it because it helps to break down the "taboos" surrounding mental health issues.
I enjoyed this book. The dialogues, messy family life, and tension between family members were all well-written and brought to life in a way that made me feel like I was part of the story. The closeness between Flo's family was also well-portrayed, with both love and irritation felt by the reader. Additionally, the book had a cinematic feel to it, with the plot moving along and descriptions of scenes that reminded me of a movie.
Every day, the attraction between Flo and Jamie grows stronger, leading to a series of unexpected and heartwarming moments. As they share more experiences together, they discover hidden aspects of each other's personalities and realize that their initial dislike may not be as deep as they thought. Through laughter, heartache, and self-reflection, "From Enemies to Lovers" examines the complexities of love, friendship, and forgiveness. The story proves that sometimes, the most beautiful love stories start with the least likely of friends.

Thank you to netgalley and Random house UK , Cornerstone for the arc in exchange for an honest review.

I’m going to start off with the positives which are that this was an okay book. It would be a good one to read whilst on holiday where you don’t want anything with the stakes too high and you can get through it quickly. I also can appreciate the mental health representation and the fact she’s worked so hard to overcome it. Although i didn’t agree with everything, mental health is extremely personal and so no further comments.

Now for the less positive points I’ve found throughout this book. I found it utterly juvenile. The characters, the concept, the language and although this may have led me to read it faster I could not take the book seriously AT ALL. It felt extremely Americanised which isn’t a bad thing but it’s slightly odd if you’re going to mention their backgrounds so often and just people do not talk like this… if they do they need to stop IMMEDIATELY. There were definitely times I thought everyone and everything was utterly pathetic.

One of the main themes throughout the book was Flo’s family still treating her like a glass object that could break at anytime due to her previously mental health struggles. I was not satisfied with how this was resolved- I didn’t think things were completely finished or clarified enough, especially with her mother. The end conversation just turned circular and into a “woe is me” rather than any actual accountability. Further on in this conversation there was the whole “family messes up sometimes but you need to forgive”… no you don’t lol I’m actually sad I like Kate bc she deserved better.

I did recognise the “plot twist” pretty immediately but I thought the writing was trying to hide it too much instead of playing into it. (Side note: very obviously not enemies to lovers but that’s just what you get with contemporary romance). There is no way a conversation about the note wouldn’t have come about sooner… especially with the “do you ever think about christmas” conversation. ALSO why is the whole thing on Flo?? Jaime could have spoken to her directly too.

The reconciliation conversation between Jamie and Flo didn’t hit the way it could have done. It was very much… yes this happened and it was bad, kiss and make up, the end.

If you want a quick read that’ll have you annoyed at every character read on :).