3 Saturn Return's Stars ⭐️
Spicy Level: 0/5 (Only Kissing)
‘Jessica Jones,’ he murmurs, voice tantalisingly low. ‘I’ve been yours since the moment I saw you on day one here. I think you’re incredible.
𝙎𝙮𝙣𝙤𝙥𝙨𝙞𝙨: The story follows Jessica Jones, who’s just come out of a breakup and heads off on an all-inclusive spa getaway with her two best friends from college as a much-needed escape, a mini-reunion, and a chance to catch up. When she arrives, she encounters this absolute Adonis of a man, Luke. He is gorgeous, sexy, toned, sculpted, absolutely perfect, and they have a definite spark. The only problem is, it turns out he also happens to be the little brother of one of her best friends. So Jess should most definitely not have feelings for him and should not be attracted to him at all, but she most definitely does. This complicates matters slightly.

𝙏𝙝𝙤𝙪𝙜𝙝𝙩𝙨 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙁𝙚𝙚𝙡𝙞𝙣𝙜𝙨:
This book was very chaotic... what unfolds is a light, flirty story full of meddling friends, influencers, a touch of movie star drama, and just the enjoyment of a great little getaway. This is very much the type of book where you can judge it by the cover, because that's exactly what you're going to get. It is the perfect type of book for when you're on a beach or holiday escape. It's not going to change your life. It's not going to revolutionize how you perceive romance. It's not going to be incredibly hard-hitting, but it is going to be a fun and relaxing time.

Now, unfortunately, this book wasn't fully for me... and I was very much the problem. I know the saying is cliché, where it's not "you", it's me...But in this, I am really the issue. But in this case, I really am the issue. The book had elements that I don’t typically enjoy as a reader. There’s nothing wrong with the book, it's just a matter of personal preference. And since I review based on my enjoyment, it definitely impacted my experience.

The first thing to note is that this book is told entirely in the first-person POV of Jessica. As a result, there’s almost this vibe of instalove from Luke, because we never get to see his thoughts, his feelings, his opinions, or how his love for her develops. He seems completely besotted with the main character from the very beginning, and he clearly has no qualms about her being his sister’s best friend. He doesn’t struggle with the idea of telling his sister, or with the fact that he’s younger than Jessica. He just likes her, right from the start.

This also creates a situation where I felt like I couldn’t fully connect with the MMC, because I didn’t get to see how his mind works. I only saw his actions, filtered through Jessica’s perspective. Sometimes this narrative choice can work, but in this case, it felt like it lacked the deeper connection with Luke that I would have appreciated. It also introduced miscommunication and misinterpretation of situations, which tend to annoy me in books.

The second issue that really reinforced the “instalove” vibes was the fact that their entire relationship developed over the course of a week. Their feelings, and everything that happens between them, just felt very fast. I know this is supposed to be a spontaneous little holiday romance, and as a result, it’s meant to have that instant soul mate connection. And that’s very much what’s portrayed between these two. There’s this spark and zing, like they’re magnets, and it genuinely feels like they’re made for each other. But it goes from “Hi, nice to meet you” to “I love you” in the space of seven days. SEVEN DAYS!!! So yes, it’s sweet and cute, but for me, it felt a bit unrealistic. It just seemed a little too fast for that level of emotional connection to truly develop.

Then there was the chaos. There was so much happening, so much going on, it felt like everyone spoke over each other constantly or wasn’t actually listening. This made it so much harder for Jess to communicate because there never seemed to be a right time to actually say something.

𝙏𝙧𝙤𝙥𝙚𝙨 and 𝙈𝙞𝙘𝙧𝙤 𝙏𝙧𝙤𝙥𝙚𝙨:
▶ Brother's Best Friend
▶ Holiday Romance
▶ Forced Proximity
▶ Tending to Injuries
▶ Banter
▶ Intsalove
▶ Cinnamon Roll
▶ View is Amazing (Looking at Her)
▶ Age Gap

Overall this is meant to be a spontaneous, escapist romance, something light and zingy, where two people just click in the chaos of holiday magic. And that’s exactly what it is. I would recommend this if you're looking for a quick whirlwind rom-com.

Thank you to HQ | HQ Digital, Netgalley and Hannah Doyle for the gifted copy! All thoughts and opinions are my own

Overall it was an okay read. I really enjoyed The Pick Up so when HQ reached out, I didn’t hesitate to pick this one up.

The banter was good, I loved the premise, and I liked some of the side characters, but something just felt missing to me. Maybe that’s related to the main characters because I couldn’t fully vibe with them.

It was a quick, easy read and while it was a romance, I did enjoy the friendship aspect. Thank you to HQ and NetGalley for the ARC.

This is my second Hannah Doyle and I enjoyed it just as much as the first.

Jess is off on an exciting spa week trip with her two besties. I don't think I've ever connected with a character quicker. All the chaos on one short trip up to the coast was exactly how it would have gone in my life. The difference? Jess arrives at the spa and gets to spend the day ogling a HOT man in the pool. Guess what! Turns out that hot man is one of her BFFs younger brothers. Oh Lord.

I loved this one so much. The MCs are so much fun but those side characters really send this one out of the part. I love Dita so much. The cab rides. The local pub. All of it was just so entertaining.

Thank you to NetGalley, HQ Digital, and the author for the opportunity to read and review this book.

The Spa Break is a light-hearted, comforting, fun, and heartwarming story full of the power female friendships, taking charge of your life and romance.

Luke was a great MMC and the chemistry between Jess (FMC) and him was there from the start. I loved seeing how their relationship built up and enjoyed their quirky flirting and conversations. Although it could sometimes feel superficial and juvenile. Yet, I still loved the way their relationship developed, it was refreshing that it was a closed-door romance and how that fact allowed the story to focus more on character growth and the emotional connection between them. It also opened the space for us to connect more to all of the characters. The secondary characters were as much a part of the story as the main couple. No part was too small and drove the story forward. But I think my favorite part about this story was Jess's friendship with Em and Stella. It reminded me a lot of my friend groups and how friendships can evolve and change and still feel the same as they did back when they started.

This really was a cute story to read and perfect for the Summer!

I really enjoyed Doyle’s last release, The Pick Up, and was excited for this one!

The Spa Break is cute and fun, but feels chaotic and at times like it doesn’t know which characters or what part of the story it wants to focus on. I found myself not eager to pick this up because I wasn’t left wanting more.

Thank you to HQ and NetGalley for the eARC!

I was hooked from the beginning!!
It was amazing and engaging.
I was instantly sucked in by the atmosphere and writing style.
The characters were all very well developed .
The writing is exceptional and I was hooked after the first sentence.

I received this as an arc from NetGalley and I’m voluntarily leaving my honest review.

This was a great best friend’s brother romance. It was a really well written story with a slow burn nature. I really liked the characters and I felt like even the side characters brought something special to the story, especially Dita who was a great character. Jess and Luke had great banter and I loved that. Their relationship definitely wasn’t problem free but I liked how they were able to work through things.

This was my second time reading a book by this author and I’m already looking forward to the next one.

Thanks to the Publisher and Netgalley for an early review copy.

I enjoyed read this book.

The story is about Jess and her two friends and Luke, the person she notices when she’s at a luxury break in a hotel, as she’s sitting by the pool.

It had plenty of twists and turns to keep you turning the pages and find it hard to put down.

It was well written and portrayed how women find it hard to make time in their busy day to day lives to meet friends and spend time with the talking of past days.

I recommend this book.

*rings bell*
Hannah Doyle sold me on the Pick Up and her novels just always make goofball smile out of me. Her latest novel, The Spa Break takes the reader to this super high end resort with three besties who are ready for some me time.
Jess was so much fun to follow along as she navigated her time at the resort spa with her besties, her credit card (dear Lord will her credit ever recover from her boutique spending?), dealing with her sluggish ex, her career challenges, and her budding forbidden romance with Luke. I loved that the timeline for Jess's story as a week and we get to experience the real time events of her choices. Also Dita Ortiz your bell ringing and Yessica vibes are everything!!!

Thank you to HQ, Netgalley, and Hannah Doyle for the advanced E-ARC of this book!

I absolutely love Hannah Doyle’s writing and The Spa Break does not disappoint at all! This book was so freaking perfect and hilarious. If you’re looking for a fun and lighthearted read then I highly recommend this.

do not break girl code ever? oh but...
this book has the usual sparky and fun feeling that i got from reading Hannahs writing before. she is just so good at filling the room your reading in with such warm and heart.
i love how we get to see both friendships and love interests and both were on point in this book. i loved the girls together and would happily have the other girls stories in book form too.
i like how Hannah writes with such wit and humour but can also make you understand the depth of human nature and friendships too.
the love interest was so funny too. it felt like something they could both get over too if they wanted too,this pact from long ago.
i was rooting for every character in this book and the backdrop was described to perfection. it made me want to be able to win or afford such a break myself!

I absolutely loved this book. I don’t think I’ve read anything by this author before but after reading this that is definitely going to change! It was humorous. I loved the plot and the location sounded so dreamy!

A fab read if you want something lighthearted

Unfortunately, this one didn’t quite work for me. I went in with high hopes, especially because I really enjoyed Hannah Doyle’s The Pick-Up.

But in The Spa Break, I struggled to connect with the main character. Her story lacked direction, and I found it hard to relate to her decisions and emotional reactions—particularly the feelings of jealousy that sparked after just one conversation. It all felt a bit off for me.

Though the premise was promising, it didn’t deliver what I’d hoped for.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

I haven’t actually read Doyle’s last book, ‘The Pick Up’, so I went into this read completely blind to her style of writing. With that being said, I saw the summer cover and thought this was the exact kind of book I’d buy to read by the pool on a holiday so I had high hopes. I also love when I read books set in my city, the Northumberland Coast is so underrated.

I enjoyed the essence of this book and the cheery, easy read rom com style. The thing I struggled with the most, and what I found hard to bypass, was the almost immature style of writing. I found the dialect a little bit cringe in places if I’m being completely honest and that’s why I wouldn’t rate it very high. I also appreciate it’s a fictional tale, but it all felt very rushed and the speed of the love connection was a little bit far fetched even for me.

Overall I genuinely did enjoy this and it’s a perfect summer holiday pick me up if you’re in a bit of a slump and ithasn’t put me off trying the authors other books.

Loved this book...escapism at its best! Jess goes to a luxury spa with her two best friends. While there someone very much catches her eye... To say it's awkward is an understatement.She discovers Luke is one of her friends younger brother and a blast from the past.
An enjoyable light hearted read.

I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own. At a crossroads in her life, nothing could be better for Jess than spending a week with her 2 best friends, at a high end spa, figuring out what her next life move should be. Add to that, the hottest man she's ever seen (who turns out to be her BFs younger brother), a glamorous movie star, and a host of adventurous activities; and you have a quick, charming read that won't cause any heartaches but will make you smile.

A very cute book with everything you would look for in a romcom! Moments that make you laugh and smile and some more tender or tense moments. It had a little almost parent trap style vibes going on with the single parents angle and who doesn't love fake dating and a setting abroad?

This was a funny and light hearted read. Jess was likeable and her friendship group, although they seemed to live a rather entitled and spoiled lifestyle, were entertaining and clearly had strong sisterhood bonds amongst them. The spa setting was great, although the weather perhaps a bit unrealistic given they were in the North of England in May!! But it definitely made me want to stay somewhere like that with my gal pals and the celebrity drama/working out her feelings for her new crush were all fun to read about.

A week-long spa break with her best friends is exactly what Jess needs. And the guy she spots on the first day is a nice addition, too. Until she realizes it's someone she should've recognized.

I absolutely loved The Pick Up when I read it last year, so I gladly jumped at the opportunity to read this one, but it unfortunately fell a little flat for me. I liked the story, it was a quick, light-hearted read. The writing is really fun and immersive, and it makes it so easy to feel like you're right there with the characters as the story unfolds.

Personally, as the story takes place over a week, I feel like it all happened so quickly it made it a little hard for me to believe the connection between the two main characters. On top of that, the MMC didn't feel fully fleshed out to me, it felt like he was just there most of the times, with nothing more to offer. That said, there's one character that's an absolute stand out to me, and I really liked the friendship between the three girls.

Overall, I do think it is still is a very fun cleanser kind of book, and definitely worth a read. Very quick to get through, and with loads of funny moments.

Fantastic sounding setting for a lovely rom com romp with all the usual suspects of close girl-friends, chisel jawed heros and plenty of steam!
A good poolside option for the summer!