Wow this book was a rollercoaster! Amazingly I could literally envision this entire book and I haven't even been to Benidorm.

That being said, Connie must literally have the worst luck in the world. If I was Matteo I would be sending her straight home on a plane cause she seems like very bad news. The first few accidents seemed funny and a bit fated but they just kept happening! I really felt sorry for her at points as she was clearly struggling with grief and depression and noone was really supporting that, but overall the trip definitely seemed to help her find herself even if it did all happen within a week.

The Dollz were absolute characters and honestly chaotic, they never seemed to make any progress and I couldn't really grasp what they were adding to the story positively. Although I definitely want friends like Ged & Liam! I weirdly don't really know what to think of this book but it definitely gave me some giggles.

Connie is down on her luck. She's depressed over her mother's death. She tanked her audition. And she just lost her singing job. But the next day her boss offers her a chance to redeem herself. A popular singer has had to bow out of a job, so Connie is offered a chance to be his replacement. She travels to Benidorm for a week accompanied by the Dollz, her opening act. These 5 ladies are opposite of Connie--they are loud, they are free-spirited, they love to drink, and they don't seem to take their jobs seriously. Can Connie survive the week with her career and her dignity intact?

If you are looking for a fun summer romance, this is it! It has been a long time since I laughed out loud during a book. The story was a comedy of errors. Connie reminded me of Mia in the Princess Diaries. Just when you think things couldn't get any more messed up...guess again! I love how the Dollz helped Connie evolve as a person and as a singer. The only thing that could've been better was her relationship with Matteo. I felt it could have been fleshed out a little bit more. It went from hate/annoyance to attraction to love fairly quickly. Overall, it was a lighthearted, feel good read.

It took me a few chapters to get into this book, Connie is struggling with grief and is a performer that gets offered a week singing in Benidorm. She reluctantly takes it and after a very rocky start bonds with the girls who are also performing with her.

I laughed, it was cheesy and predictable but a fun summer book. It leans more on the comedy than romance too.

Matteo seems lovely, although we actually don't know much about it or Nacho by the end of it. I also definitely wouldn't want to be on that flight to Alicante with Cherry and the rest of the girls twerking, singing and causing chaos. (Although I have been on a few flights to Alicante that are almost the same).

Each poolside read, I finished in a couple of hours. Overall I finished reading feeling positive about the book and enjoyed the story.

If you're craving a feel-good read that feels like a holiday in book form, Girls Just Want to Have Sun delivers. It’s messy, funny, and full of heart—with a chaotic girl group, big dreams, and just the right amount of romantic tension. Connie is totally relatable as she stumbles (and sparkles) through a week that challenges everything she thought she knew.

It’s not all poolside drinks and drama—there’s real emotion and growth tucked in with the glitter. One star off because I wanted a bit more depth in the romance, but this book absolutely shines when it comes to friendship and figuring yourself out.

I can see why other people liked this book but unfortunately it wasn’t my style. The humor was a bit too over the top and slapstick for my liking. And since I didn’t find the characters antics humerus, I didn’t have much to point to as an offset to their downsides (i.e., Connie is stuck up and judgmental, the Dollz are vapid).

However, if slapstick comedy is your thing, this could be a good summer read - easy, ridiculous, and light hearted.

Thank you to Jo Lyons, Boldwood, and NetGalley for providing me with an advanced reader copy in exchange for an honest review.

This is the ONLY book you should be reading while lounging by the pool or on the beach with your favorite cocktail! It is such a fun ride full of humor, heart, and margaritas.

☀️​🏖️​ Loads of sunshine | 😁​ Laugh out loud Rom-Com | 🇪🇸​ Benidorm / Spain

Your holiday beach read for this summer!

If you’re looking for a sun-drenched, feel-good escape packed with belly laughs, chaotic charm, and just the right dash of romance, then Girls Just Want to Have Sun is your perfect getaway read. This was my first book by Jo Lyons — and the first in the Girls series — and I’m already excited to see where the series goes next. It made me want to book a flight somewhere warm and dance my worries away.

We meet Connie, a classically trained singer whose career is floundering, her confidence is shot, and her personal life is still reeling from the loss of her mum. When her agent ships her off to Benidorm to fill in for a cheesy tribute act, Connie has no idea what she’s walking into — or that she’ll end up with her life turned upside down by a bunch of wild women in glitter and fishnets, a sun-soaked resort full of chaos, and one maddeningly attractive local man named Matteo.

The opening started a little slow for me, but once Connie landed in Spain and met The Dollz — think Pussycat Dolls with less polish and more poolside cocktails — I was completely hooked. These women were brash, boozy, and completely different from Connie, and I’ll admit, I wasn’t sure I’d warm to them. But as the layers peeled back, they really grew on me. They’re loud, yes, but also loyal, driven, and surprisingly deep. It turns out everyone’s hiding something — including a heart of gold.

The chemistry with Matteo is undeniable and brings some lovely romantic tension to the story, but this book is just as much about Connie’s journey of rediscovery as it is about romance. Watching her break out of her tightly wound shell and learn to let go — even if it means singing cheesy pop hits to drunk tourists — was oddly empowering. And funny. So funny. There were some properly laugh-out-loud moments, especially the airplane scene at the beginning and some of the nightlife chaos that followed. There are margaritas, mishaps, glitter-related accidents, and moments of both cringe and heart.

Yes, a few jokes felt a little forced at times, but it never took away from the joy of the ride. It reads like the kind of romcom you’d happily binge on a sunny Sunday afternoon — or better yet, while lounging poolside with a cocktail in hand.

Girls Just Want to Have Sun is a feel-good and fabulously funny read. It’s about grief, reinvention, female friendship, and letting yourself shine — even if it’s under a disco ball in Benidorm. I devoured it in just a couple of days and would absolutely recommend it as a summer or holiday read.

Well I think I have found a new favourite author! This was completely and utterly hilarious and is the sort of book that should be read on everyone's summer holidays.

It's just a whole lot of fun, and I was laughing out loud within the first 10% which doesn't happen that often. There is something about this author's way with words and how she describes the utterly bonkers situations that Connie and Matteo continually find themselves in that is just so so funny.

And we get a great feel for the main strip in Benidorm, I can't say I will definitely add it to my holiday plans in the next couple of years, as I don't think I drink enough to get the full benefit, but the amount of tribute acts about, makes me thing I'd enjoy some of the entertainment on the strip!

Connie and the Dollz are like chalk and cheese, and seeing how their relationships change over the course of the week is really heartening to see. They start with the Dollz treating Connie as their skivvy, and then forgetting she exists and leaving places without her. But as dramas ensue on the strip that never sleeps, and with a high energy week ahead of them, partying hard and allegedly working, things do improve.

Although the amount of farcical drama in this is brilliant.

In fact this would make a fabulous rom-com film for the big screen, I would love to see the Dollz actually do their amazing routings, and seeing them strut around in some outrageous costumes.

I couldn't get enough of this book and I was over the moon to discover this is just the first book of a trilogy. I literally can't wait to read the others.

This is 100% my sort of book, it is so entertaining and is brilliant light hearted escapism. Simply superb!

Thank you to Boldwood Books and Netgalley for this copy which I have reviewed honestly and voluntarily.

2.5 rounded up. Thank you NetGalley for an e-arc of this book in exchange for an honest review. This book was just not for me. The plot was fine but nothing special but the characters were so unlikable. I kept reading in hopes that there would be some growth and redemption but it just didn’t happen. The Dollz especially seemed so unrealistic to me and every time you thought they are learning something they don’t change. The first few accidents happening were funny I guess but they just kept happening to the point it felt predictable after a while and way overdone.

Thank you to NetGalley and Boldwood Books for the ARC in exchange for my review. I did like the cover but wished the title were a better fit for the book. Connie and Matteo were very likeable characters. I found myself eager to read on to see where the chemistry would lead. I found this book to be lighthearted and fun. I did find the supporting cast a bit over the top for my personal taste. But the Dollz were an integral part of the story. I'm giving this 3 stars for a fun summer read.

Connie’s singing career is going nowhere fast, so when a last-minute gig in Benidorm comes up, she grabs it—even if it’s totally outside her comfort zone. She finds herself thrown in with the Dollz, a glitter-crazy girl group full of chaos, and keeps running into Matteo, the broody local guy who’s as frustrating as he is good-looking. Cue a week full of sun, drama, and Connie trying to figure out if this is a total disaster or a fresh start.

It kicked off like a classic rom-com—funny meet-cute and plenty of drama to keep things moving. I really felt for Connie; it seemed like nothing ever went right for her!

I wasn’t sold on the Dollz at first—they came off a bit childish and over-the-top—but they grew on me by the end. Still not my faves, but they added some fun to the mix.

The side characters helped the story unfold nicely, and overall, it was a quick, fun read. This was my first Jo Lyons book, and I’ll definitely be checking out more from her!

Thanks to NetGalley for the advanced copy!

Thank you NetGalley for the arc!
Rating - 3.5
Such likeable characters, I was reeled in right from the beginning.
Driven more so by said characters but I liked that & the humor.
The romance got me I can’t lie, give me a MMC like that and I’m there
I have not read a rom com like this it was enjoyable
I did wish I was on a beach basking in the sun reading this (mentally I was, physically in bed)
Side note - I was imagining the TV show Benidorm as it being set there and Matteo…

Looking for a quick & easy summer Rom com? -with a side of deeper elements-
This one is for you!

A very funny, laugh out loud beach read perfect for anyone that loves humor with their romance and friendships. I really love this

fun romcom, focusing on com more than rom but with a strong element of rom too. awesome beach read. 4 stars. tysm for the arc.

This book is the ultimate girly rom-com extra helping of com. I loved the summer party holiday feel but with a deeper emotional plot that was so fun to read. It was a book of self discovery, self love and grief but with funny, original characters and humour that it gave the story balance. This was such a funny read from the start with a few cringy and awkward scenes that just added to the humour of the book.

I loved the main character Mateo from the start and the hurricane that was Connie as she attempted to fit in with the Dollz. This book was entertaining from start to finish and had the perfect pacing that I really got lost in the girls holiday feel. The author perfectly captured the feel of brits in Benidorm and the Dolz were the perfect group to bring Connie out of her shell. I will definitely need to check out more by this author. The writing was so easy to enjoy and funny.

And I do find it to be rare to find both the main characters and the side characters equally fun and interesting. They all brought something to the table.

This was a very fun read, I just wanted more from the actual story and its pacing. But I can see a lot of people loving this, especially as a casual little summer beach read.

This book is the ultimate girly rom-com extra helping of com. I loved the summer party holiday feel but with a deeper emotional plot that was so fun to read. It was a book of self discovery, self love and grief but with funny, original characters and humour that it gave the story balance. This was such a funny read from the start with a few cringy and awkward scenes that just added to the humour of the book.

I loved the main character Mateo from the start and the hurricane that was Connie as she attempted to fit in with the Dollz. This book was entertaining from start to finish and had the perfect pacing that I really got lost in the girls holiday feel. The author perfectly captured the feel of brits in Benidorm and the Dolz were the perfect group to bring Connie out of her shell. I will definitely need to check out more by this author. The writing was so easy to enjoy and funny.

This was a riot of a book.

Connie is grieving the death of her mother and its affecting her job as a cabaret singer, after a disastrous show she has one last chance to replace a tribute act in Benidorm.

Connie is a classical singer and when she meets her support act The Dollz things go from bad to worse.

She manages to be aat away from them on the flight and falls asleep on the shoulder of a very handsome Spanish gentleman, but after the flight she should never see him again right.

This was a hilarious romp, disaster after disaster, I must.say I laughed a lot with this book. Definitely a light hearted read.

The frequency of my reading updates are chaotic, but oh well.

This was a easy to read, funny little summery book. (I would consider it a rom-com.)

Where this story shines is really with the characters, not so much the plot. I did want a little more oomph from the plot, but at the end of the day, I am a character-based reader. I can forgive a lot if you give me some entertaining and likable characters. These characters are funny and bounce off of each other well, main and side characters!

And I do find it to be rare to find both the main characters and the side characters equally fun and interesting. They all brought something to the table.

This was a very fun read, I just wanted more from the actual story and its pacing. But I can see a lot of people loving this, especially as a casual little summer beach read.

Thanks to NetGalley for the e-ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review! My Goodreads review is up and my TikTok (Zoe_Lipman) review will be up at the end of the month with my monthly reading wrap-up.

I couldn't read this past the first chapter. The first page had me cringing. The "dipping toes" comment from father to daughter was HORRIFYING. It's completely wrong for a father to share his sex life with his daughter, let alone using terms such as. DNF

This novel is fast paced, chaotic fun! I want to see the Dollz in real life, and hear Connie’s power house voice. The setting was vibrant fun and sun soaked sexy. A really easy fun read perfect to enjoy in the sunshine.