This was a cute workplace romcom with grumpy vs sunshine tropes. This was a light, easy paced read. While Ivy and Ethan were easily relatable, I felt some of the story just wasn’t that realistic and it was just so fast paced and choppy in places. The banter between them was funny. Overall it it was a good read. If you are looking for something to read in-between other heavier reads.

Listened to audio.
Narrated by Bonnie Walsh and Daniel Rosenberg. I enjoyed the dual narration they did a wonderful job.

Thank you #netgalley, #VictoryEditing and of course the author #EddyTwice for the opportunity to listen to this advanced copy of this Audiobook.

The book is about Than and Ivy. Ivy, who is down on her luck, she's just split with her boyfriend of 8 years, he's left her with nothing, she has not worked during their relationship and finds herself having to make a lot of changes and bold moves in her life.

She does exactly that. She finds herself an apartment and a job. She is getting used to her new lifestyle and starting to enjoy it. She finds love with her boss, Ethan, who has also become single at the right time. The story follows a bit of their work and personal,,,, oh, so personal (yes, there's a little bit of spice), and how they both get their happy ending.

The narration of this audio book was quite good. The female voice was very sweet, soothing and easy listening. The male voice, wasn't quite as smooth at first, but I quickly got into it. It's a nice, easy to follow, girl meets boy with a happy ending story.

This book was able to make me have emotional reactions to the characters and scenes so that is really saying something. Talk about a grumpy boss.... Ethan was for sure an absolute turd in the beginning. Lily made me angry as well. Poor Ivy, trying to get her life sorted. I know a lot of the reviews kinda bash this title but I honestly enjoyed it. If you would like a quick (ish) book to listen to grab this.

Ultimately this is a cute grumpy boss romance book. Set in the work space of a makeup company. I would 100% recommend this to my friends.

Thank you, NetGalley and Audio ARC provided by Victory Editing NetGalley Co-op, for the advanced reader copy! I loved the workplace romance, enemies to lovers, and grumpy x sunshine tropes! This books was adorable, but a little predictable. The characters were a little childish and it gave me young adult vibes, but I still overall enjoyed this audiobook!

This was fantastic. I really enjoyed it and couldn’t stop listening. I was hooked from the first minute! The narration was wonderful. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read and review this audiobook.

Ethan feels trapped in his relantionship with his somehow abusive girlfriend. Ivy has just been dumped for her boyfrien, almost homeless and jobless due to them been trying to get pregnant for a long time. Noe He is his boss and she is trying to stand by herself. After a company party they click but it’s not going to be easy for them to finally find happiness. The audiobook with Daniel Rosenberg and Bonnie Wash makes the story better. Thanks to NetGalley for the ALC copy. This is my honest review.

This book was fine moved a little slow and was a touch to long. I wish it had something more to it. The voice actors sounded great

NetGalley review of ALC.

3/5 stars listened 8.17.25 to 8.19.25

Book review: over all was alright. The fast pace instalove story. Predictable.

The ALC review: actors did great. I enjoy listing to these narrators.

Thanks to NetGalley for letting me listen and review this. The Makeup Girl from Audio ARC provided by Victory Editing NetGalley Co-op

Publisher: Audio ARC provided by Victory Editing NetGalley Co-op
Narrator: Bonnie Walsh. Daniel Rosenberg
Publication: Nov 1, 2024

Honestly, this might be the worst book I’ve ever read – and I once sat through Fifty Shades out of sheer morbid curiosity, so that’s quite an achievement.

The characters are all supposedly grown adults with professional jobs, yet they speak to each other like they’ve just finished Year 9 and are trying to sound clever in the playground. Imagine a group of doctors discussing surgery but in the style of Love Island. Painful.

As for the structure – there isn’t one. Chapters end as if the author got bored and wandered off to put the kettle on. Nothing flows, nothing connects; it’s like trying to watch a TV series but the episodes are played in the wrong order.

The narrators don’t improve matters. Their delivery is so flat it makes the Shipping Forecast sound dramatic. You could be halfway through a heated argument or a car chase, and they’d still sound as if they’re reading out a shopping list. The female narrator is infinitely better than the male, though that’s a bit like saying a soggy custard cream is better than a Rich Tea that’s been dropped in the sink.

And then there’s our main character. How she managed to get the job she applies for is beyond comprehension, let alone keep it. She speaks to her new boss with all the tact and charm of someone complaining about cold chips in a Wetherspoons. We’re told it’s “sarcasm,” but honestly, it comes across more like bad manners and a head injury.

It was an easy and fun read, but honestly it reminded me a lot of a Wattpad story. The drama moves fast, the characters are entertaining enough, but they don’t really get the depth I was hoping for. It’s the kind of book you can fly through in a sitting, but it felt more surface-level than I wanted. If you’re into light, dramatic reads with that online-serial vibe, it’s definitely worth a try, but I was left wishing for a bit more substance.

This audiobook was provided by NetGalley and posted to GoodReads and Fable on 22/8/25

Unfortunately I really did not enjoy this book. I am not normally an audiobook person however I have listened to a few recently (and enjoyed them) and thought the concept of this book might be fun. Immediately I found that I did not like the male narrator and though he took me out of the book, the book was also not enjoyable.

Firstly I found Ivy and Ethan to have total insta love. There was zero connection or chemistry between them so their drunk get together seemed completely random. Both Ivy and Ethan had two very close friends each, yet we are given zero information about them but they are just sooooooo close. Again, no connection.

The pacing of the book was really off. There were weird time jumps that weren't explained yet their whole relationship happened within months? I think? I can't be sure honestly as there was no indication of time passing. When there was, it seemed like an odd choice of time to have all these events take place in.

I truly cannot work out where this book took place. I missed the location name and honestly don't want to go back and listen but when the company was expanding globally, they went to the London office. Both narrators had a British accent? Is it global but the new office is in the same country? I can't work it out.

I also did not understand the company. They're copywriters but they are also developing the product but also there's an app but also they're working with someone writing a book? Maybe it's plausible but it didn't make sense and had me checking Google to confirm I actually knew what a copywriter was (I did and was still confused).

The analogies and comparisons don't make sense. There were so many and I just kept getting more and more confused. I heard the phrase, "my lips curled," and something about the fire behind her eyes at least three times in one chapter. Let alone throughout the book.

Now into some really specific stuff that totally threw me off!

1. When he engaged, he put the foil ring on her right hand. Is this a thing? No clue what that was about. Why did they specifically say it was her right hand too? Did it matter? (Also the spur of the moment engagement did not feel like wow he couldn't wait he had to be spontaneous it felt cringey and uncomfortable)
2. Unless the time jump was unclear (again), Marcus knew he couldn't go to the wedding the DAY after Ethan proposed? And the group chat they're all in is NEVER mentioned until then so it felt like an afterthought that oh this is how Marcus found out.
3. Spelling them differently for clarity (no idea what the name is in the physical book) but are Eva and Ava different people? Ivy says Eva and all of a sudden Ethan says Ava. Is it a bad choice of character names and they're two different people or is the continuity terrible? Maybe both. Who knows.
4. Again, can't totally remember and really don't want to check but both Ethan and Ivy were in 8 year relationships? Huh?
5. Too many random comments about bodies/appearances that felt off-putting and nasty.
6. Another afterthought - Ivy mentions her black hair (when did that happen) oh and by the way I love the hair change! Instead of mentioning a hair change, it was sprung upon us and now I have a reason I can explain it away.
7. In the 'epilogue' (not called that because why would things be clear) they're getting it on in the tent and Ethan states the "lines between them blurred" but they're married with children so seems pretty clear to me.
8. One of them early on says facade but pronounced it Fa-Kade. Ouch.
9. They leave their bosses wedding to go fuck? And no one says anything about it?
10. They start making out in the office and he "guides her legs to wrap around him instinctively." If you have to guide them, it's not instinctive.

I really tried to like this. The more I listened, the angrier I got. I googled the author to see if it was written by a man, and was very surprised that it wasn't. Also, trigger warnings for infertility/miscarriages was definitely necessary, it came out of NOWHERE. There is a lot more I could say sadly, but I truly have spent enough time on this book. I'm quite disappointed that it left this bad of a taste in my mouth but it felt like an unedited Wattpad story, and I love Wattpad. 1 star is all I am willing to afford this book.

This was a cute easy read, however the plot was too predictable, in some parts it felt childish the dialogue felt like they were teens instead of adults at workplace, if you enjoy enemies to lovers, workplace romance and grumpy MC then you'll enjoy this read

The Makeup Girl was a 3/5 ⭐️ for the Audiobook version! Ivy and Ethan were a bit of a predictable couple throughout the book but it was a nice change for a book!

This was a 3/5 star for me because of the predictability and the ending. While I love that there was a HEA, I did feel that it was dragged out a bit too long. Some parts of the story were cute, especially the banter between Ivy and Ethan while other parts were a bit harder to get though because they weren’t as well developed or repetitive.

Thank you NetGalley and Eddy Twice for the alc for this book and allowing me to share my own opinions on this audiobook!

Goodreads review posted on: 08/20/2025

This was a fun, flirty workplace rom-com with a grumpy MMC and sunshine FMC who had great chemistry. I alternated between the Kindle and audiobook, and the narrators really nailed the characters. The only downfall was that the story felt rushed in places with some unclear time jumps—but overall, I still enjoyed it.

This was such a cute romcom!! I was giggling & kicking my feet. I like Ivy and Ethan as a couple! Individually, I like Ivy more than Ethan but I love the character development that they both have in the book!! I like that I could use this as a palette cleanser in between my 350+ pg books. I’ll definitely be looking for Eddy’s next book!!
Thank you Victory Editing NetGalley co-op for my audiobook ARC🩷

Ivy lost it all, her boyfriend, her home, her furniture, even her bed. And when she's forced to get a job after not having had one for a while, she lands a job at a makeup company. I found it hard to believe that Ivy just landed a job based on a friend's recommendation with no skill set at all. And to have found an apartment as quickly as she did seems to be a little unusual too.

While the banter was good in this book, I found it very difficult to keep my focus. The ending was satisfying, but was sped up so quickly that I felt like I missed some of what happened in the interim.

Bonnie Walsh and Daniel Rosenberg did an okay job with the narration.

I'd like to thank the publisher and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this book.

1.5🌟 1🌶️

I'm gutted that this book isn't a higher star. The premise of this book promises a good rom-com, but unfortunately there are too many issues with it for me to enjoy it. I didn't DNF the book, as I kept hoping it would get better, but unfortunately it didn't. This was an arc read from Netgalley in an audio format-for which I offered an honest review.

The book is set in the UK with British characters, yet they constantly use American words to describe things like diaper, trash, pants (nappy, rubbish and trousers in the UK mostly). The 🌶️ scenes seemed forced and full of awkwardness, as if written by a teenager. The chapters would jump all over the place, the best one being at the airport about to go abroad then the next chapter the character was back home- sometimes I thought I'd fallen asleep mid chapter with how skitty the timeframe was.

The FMC managed to gain and maintain a job, even though she had no idea about the products or application process, she bumbled her way through her interview and was late on her first day. Her character didn't develop naturally, but did gain confidence quickly to answer back to her colleagues (very confident to say she had no idea how to carry out her job).

It sort of felt like the author found a lost of popular troupes and wedged them together with a soft semblance of a plot, but was unsure how to execute it well.

I am absolutely gutted that I didn't enjoy this book.

This was such a amazing read. Starting from the characters, plotline and scenarios, everything was on top notch and the pace was well maintained throughout the whole book. The characters were penned down brilliantly, not only the protagonists shine throughout the story but also the side characters too. The spotlight was given to each and every character to shine and contribute to the book.
I had a great time reading this one.

After ending a toxic relationship and working to rebuild her life, Ivy gets a fresh start with a new job at a fast growing makeup company.
But her fresh start is quickly challenged by her brusque and cold new boss, Ethan.
After a chance run in outside of work, a spicy encounter leaves Ivy and Ethan caught between professionalism and a growing desire that’s hard to ignore.

The setup has all the ingredients of a solid workplace romance, especially with the classic grumpy/sunshine dynamic. Both characters are recovering from toxic past relationships, which adds some emotional weight to their connection, but isn’t overly explored in the story.

Their enemies to lovers style romance felt a bit rushed and the overall pacing feels a bit choppy in places.
As an audiobook, it’s an easy, quick listen. The female narrator did a great job bringing Ivy to life, but I found the male narration a little less engaging.

Overall, this was a simple and sweet read. If you’re in the mood for a light office romance with some spice and a fast moving plot, it’s worth checking out.

Thank you to NetGalley for my review Copy.

I listened to the audiobook narrated by Bonnie Walsh and Daniel Rosenberg who did a fantastic job.
Ivy has given up everything for her boyfriend of eight years to be dumped. She finds a job, but shows up late because she was out drinking. I thought I wasn't going to like this character much at this point, but maybe she was drinking because of the break-up and she would grow. Then she is suddenly extremely hardworking and fantastic as soon as the hero is available.
Ethan is a doormat for his beautiful but inept and spoiled fiancé. She spends all his money and throws out his things, but he "loves " her. He works too much and has nothing to show for it. His fiancé ignores his wants and throws tantrums. It felt like these characters were 16.
Despite this, I liked this story until about 60% in. Then it went downhill. There were random days and contrived issues brought up with no resolution or purpose. It bounced around and the characters were inconsistent and lacked depth and growth.
This story has potential but needs a good editor and to be worked over.