Another enjoyable read from Portia MacIntosh. I personally felt the love triangle was a little unnecessary as it was obvious from early on who Amber was going to end up with, and the last minute drama felt like it was resolved a little quickly. But overall an enjoyable read.

"You Had Me at Chateau" is a delightful romantic comedy filled with charm, wit, and a healthy dose of laughter. Portia MacIntosh weaves an irresistible story of Amber Page, a romance writer stuck in a rut who reluctantly heads to a writer's retreat in the French Alps. The setting, an exclusive château, is perfect for the kind of inspiration Amber desperately needs—except she’s being pushed to "up the spice" in her novels, which isn’t quite her style. What follows is a laugh-out-loud journey as Amber navigates not just her writing but also her own love life.

With two leading men vying for her attention, Amber’s life begins to feel like a romantic comedy of its own, and MacIntosh’s quirky cast of fellow writers adds even more hilarity to the mix. The setting, the witty dialogue, and the humorous situations make this book an absolute joy. If you’re a fan of forced proximity romances, love triangles, or stories about writers finding their mojo, this one is a must-read!

You Had Me at Chateau is Portia MacIntosh’s latest workplace romantic comedy that involves a love triangle. While the characters are British and the story contains British phrasing, it is easy for Americans to understand. There is no profanity or sex scenes.
Amber Page is a romance writer at a crossroads in her career. Her editor told her that she needs to "up the spice" in her books, which is not something that she’s comfortable doing. When she is offered the chance to attend a writer's retreat at an exclusive château in the beautiful French Alps, she agrees to go. Amber hopes the change of scenery will inspire her to write “spicier”.
Unfortunately for Amber, the other romance writers at the retreat are eccentric and not helping her writing. She bumps into Caleb, a social media influencer who she met previously at her publisher’s office. She also attracts Henri, a resident at the chateau. Between exploring the romantic possibilities with Caleb and Henri, she’s getting a lot of phone calls from her family members because her parents are separating.
You Had Me at Chateau is an enjoyable winter romance that contains many funny scenes. Amber is a likable heroine, and the reader wants her to find success as a writer.
The writers’ retreat is an excellent setting for Amber to find a romance of her own. Amber’s family drama adds to the hilarity of her circumstances. The descriptions of the food and scenery will make readers want to book a trip to the Alps. If you are looking for a clean romantic comedy that features a romance writer, then You Had Me at Chateau is your weekend read.
I received an Advance Review Copy (ARC) from NetGalley and Boldwood Books for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

Romance novelist Amber is facing a creative slump and pressure to write spicier novels. She attends a writer’s retreat at a chateau in the French Alps. Amid a group of eccentric authors, she finds unexpected inspiration—and romance—in two charming men.

I loved this—it’s heartwarming and hilarious, uplifting and fun. The hero and heroine are sweet together. I enjoyed the audiobook narration by Karen Cass.

Thanks, NetGalley, for the ARC I received. This is my honest and voluntary review.

I enjoyed this romantic and humorous read with bookish themes and numerous romance tropes cleverly interwoven into the story. Amber is likeable and relatable from the onset. She is living the literary dream, but it's not what she expected. I like the familial relationships created, especially the sibling relationship. There is a good mix of likeable and unlikeable characters, all seen from Amber's viewpoint, and the interactions with the other female writers provide many humorous moments. The romance is gentle and conflicted, giving the reader all the heartwarming and heartbreaking moments they need. I like the witty dialogue, the laugh-out-loud moments and the glamorous, wintry setting.

I received a copy of this book from the publisher.

I feel like I say this after every Portia MacIntosh book I read, but she must write with a magic pen because every book is wonderful. Normally, I shy away from love triangles but this one had me wondering if I’m really not against them. This book was filled with humor and wit, as I’ve come to expect with her.

I absolutely love Portia MacIntosh, and this book just reaffirms why. From the very beginning, I could hardly put this book down. As always, I found myself both laughing and crying during the book. By far my favorite author to escape into. I love that it's about an author, and the constant jokes crack me up! Thank you to NetGalley and the Publisher for the opportunity to review this book.

As per usual, Portia has given us a book that has it all- fake dating, one bed, friends to lovers, meet cute , miscommunication-every trope under the sun and yet it still works. I loved all the little side stories-they were so well flushed out and the humor, oh my gosh, the humor! This is a rom com that is heavy on the com, and that makes it a win for me! It is also closed door so if you don’t like steam with your romance, you’ll be good with this one.
The story takes a look behind the scenes of the publishing industry as Amber is a struggling author and her editor sends her on a retreat in France with other authors to get some inspiration when her latest work in progress needs a lot of help. While she’s there she meets Caleb, who’s an influencer who needs help promoting some items while keeping his breakup a secret, and agrees to help her book to try and get it done so she get back home in time for Christmas.
The writing was light, funny and engaging and the chapters were short which made it easy to fly through the story. And of course there was the gorgeous setting. It sounds like paradise! And the food sounded amazing too!
Overall this was another winner by Portia for me.
Thanks to Boldwood Books and NetGalley for this eArc in exchange for my review.

📚 PUBLICATION MONTH BOOK REVIEW 📚

You Had Me At Chateau
By Portia Macintosh
Publication Date: September 15, 2024
Publisher: Boldwood Books

📚MY RATING: ⭐⭐⭐⭐✨
(Rounded up to 5⭐)

📚MY REVIEW:

This is my second read from Portia Macintosh, and she created yet another swoon-worthy rom-com with You Had Me At Chateau!

Macintosh is SUCH a master at writing strong, intelligent, and witty female main characters, who feel like your best friend by the end of the first chapter. In Chateau, our female MC, Amber, is a romance writer who finds herself struggling to write spicy scenes in her books. She'd much rather write murder mysteries with a romance subplot -- much to the chagrin of her editor, who wants her to stick to what sells... With more spice.

After a hilariously awkward meet-cute with reality TV star Caleb, in the elevator of her publisher's office, Amber is sent off by her editor for a reset at a writer's retreat in a chateau in the Swiss Alps with three other successful female authors. As an aspiring writer myself, the idea of a writer's retreat pulled me in when I read the book's summary and I was intrigued to see where this one would go...When Caleb shows up at the chateau too, the rom-com plotline really kicks into high gear.

This is an absolutely adorable friend-to-lovers trope that was a quick read for me. The romantic setting of the Swiss Alps provided a fantastic backdrop for the cast of supporting characters. The hilarity of the dramatics happening within Amber's family, including her parents' pre-Christmas announcement that they are now in a "pre-divorce" phase of their marriage and their decision to embroil Amber and her brother Tom into the middle of their daily petty arguments, added so many fun subplot storylines to the main rom-com plot of the book.

There was just so much to smile about in this one and I highly recommend it to anyone who loves a good rom-com! If you haven't yet read a book from Portia Macintosh, and you enjoy reading rom-coms, be sure to grab one of hers as soon as you can! She's definitely become an auto-read author for me. A huge thank you to NetGalley and Boldwood Books for this advanced e-copy in exchange for my honest review!

#YouHadMeAtChateau #PortiaMacintosh #NetGalley #NetGalleyReviews #ARC #BoldwoodVIPs #boldwoodbookclub #bookreviews #bookrecommendations #romcomreads #romcoms #bookcommunity #booklover

I really enjoyed this book, the chemistry between them and the story was really interesting.
Thanks Netgalley and the publisher for my book

Fn, breezy read - perfect for an afternoon on vacation.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC in excahnge for an honest review.

As always, thanks to Boldwood Books for giving me the opportunity to read this ARC!

This is hands down THE BEST Rom Com I've ever read!
The banter, flirting and wit was perfection. The chemistry between the characters left me swooning! This was a great fun and light read. I've never read a Portia MacIntosh book before, but I will for sure be putting many more on my TBR!

This book was very slow to start. I was about 40% in before I really started to enjoy the book. It became very funny and I caught myself laughing out loud at times. I wish the entire book would've have been written that way. I also could've used a little more spice and a little more romance between the two main characters.

Author Amber is trying to finish her new book, but her editor wants her to "spice" it up with more sex scenes. Amber would rather be writing a murder mystery than a sexy rom-com, but her editor is having none of it. To help inspire her, the editor secures her a spot at a writer's retreat at a ski resort in France. It's the last place that Amber wants to be right before Christmas, but she goes anyway.

Amber finds herself involved with two men at the resort - Caleb, an influencer and social media star, and Henri, who resides at the Chateau. Meanwhile, at home, her parents have announced that they are "pre-divorcing" and Amber finds herself taking calls from both her mom and dad, along with her brother, who feels stuck in the middle of their parents' battles!

This book was engaging and very funny - pick this one up now! Special thanks to the Publisher and Net Galley for the Advanced Reader Copy of this title!

As expected, Portia MacIntosh's latest novel, You Had Me at Chateau, is a winner. This rom-com is a funny page-turner from the beginning to the end. The great plot, interesting characters, and witty text made this an easy afternoon read.
Thanks, NetGalley and the publisher, for providing me with the ARC ebook I read and reviewed. All opinions are my own.

Amber Page, a rom-com writer in a creative slump, is tasked with adding more "spice" to her books—a challenge she dreads. In a bid to find inspiration, she attends a writer’s retreat at a luxurious château in the stunning French Alps. Surrounded by eccentric romance authors, Amber’s attempts to heat up her writing don’t quite go as planned. However, her real-life romantic comedy begins to unfold when two leading men enter the picture, leaving her caught between work struggles and unexpected romance. It’s a delightful story full of humour and heart.

Enticed by the title I had to read it. Loved it. Just what you come to expect from Portia's books. Funny, set in a great location and filled with fab characters. I must admit I do like books with authors as characters... and this didn't disappoint.

This book had a great plot with intriguing characters. I’ll definitely be looking out for more from this author.

So, Amber is a romance author who is struggling to finish her book. Her editor sends her on a writer's retreat with 3 other authors who are the bitches of Eastwick. Amber also (weirdly) looks like the ex-girlfriend of reality TV star, Caleb, who decides that they can help eachother out as he needs to promote some stuff online.

It was a slow starter and I'll admit that it wasn't my favourite book by Portia MacIntosh (I, unashamedly, am Millsy til I die) and was VERY monologue heavy.

I found the premise of the book interesting though as it did make me consider the fact that Ms. MacIntosh is also not good at writing smut. However, the other authors had me wondering if they were based on anyone in particular!!

I didn't really see the point in Henri, he seemed like a bit of a useless character, although I can appreicate that he did move the plot along somewhat.

In direct comparison to the slow start, the ending seemed somewhat abrupt.

I enjoyed the story but it was not my favourite book by Portia MacIntosh.

What an adorable comedy romance! Just in time for the change in seasons (for Minnesota at least) and getting me ready for Christmas and the holidays. I loved the MC and storyline, but what I felt was missing was the SPICE! How can we have the MC on a writers retreat to find more spice and not get any SPICE? Still a really good read, recommend it for this winter!