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3.68 AVERAGE
3.68 AVERAGE
After my last 2 books left me spiraling into an existential mid-life crisis, I knew the follow-up had to be rom com or horror. Went with a rom com ARC from NetGalley.
You know what I hate? When a book is also a song title. And especially when it’s an earworm song.
Anyway, Suzie is on a girls-trip holiday with her cousins. Charlie is on a bachelor holiday with his friends. They hookup. And like, no big deal, right? It’s not like they’ll ever see each other again - they’re in another country! Oh, what’s that? Charlie and Suzie are teachers at the same school now? Whoopsie!
Look, I don’t want to say there was way too much filler nonsense and not enough romance, but there was way too much filler nonsense and not enough romance. And soooo much about teaching. Boring, mundane, too-much-word-count teaching life. I swear that was my complaint on the author’s last one too. But you don’t what it didn’t do? Send me spiraling into a mid-life crisis. So there’s that.
Anyway, it’s trying too hard to be funny - so over-the-top… I mean, teachers and students can’t possible behave like this with each other… and not trying hard enough to be romantic. There was no connection, there was no relationship… just no. Thanks for proving that sometimes books can just be books, I guess. They don’t all have to change lives.
You know what I hate? When a book is also a song title. And especially when it’s an earworm song.
Anyway, Suzie is on a girls-trip holiday with her cousins. Charlie is on a bachelor holiday with his friends. They hookup. And like, no big deal, right? It’s not like they’ll ever see each other again - they’re in another country! Oh, what’s that? Charlie and Suzie are teachers at the same school now? Whoopsie!
Look, I don’t want to say there was way too much filler nonsense and not enough romance, but there was way too much filler nonsense and not enough romance. And soooo much about teaching. Boring, mundane, too-much-word-count teaching life. I swear that was my complaint on the author’s last one too. But you don’t what it didn’t do? Send me spiraling into a mid-life crisis. So there’s that.
Anyway, it’s trying too hard to be funny - so over-the-top… I mean, teachers and students can’t possible behave like this with each other… and not trying hard enough to be romantic. There was no connection, there was no relationship… just no. Thanks for proving that sometimes books can just be books, I guess. They don’t all have to change lives.
adventurous
emotional
funny
inspiring
lighthearted
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
I knew that Kristen Bailey was the queen of romantic banter but I didn't realise that her books followed a set. The 5 sisters featured in this book have all had their own book already and the school in question in this book is the same one in two of her previous books. What is more, the characters all appear in each others books! My TBR just got a lot bigger!
The best part about this book was the humour. The relationships of sisters, cousins, siblings, colleagues and new love all have the banter and humour that really speaks to me. All of her characters are funny, flawed and fantastic and it is a ray of sunshine to read a Kirsten Bailey book.
Being a teacher myself, the foray into a high school in England is a lot of fun. I love the different sides to the characters as they deal with student issues and behaviours, especially on a school trip to Spain.
Charlie seems to me to be the perfect book boyfriend and along with the sweetness of Suzie, they make a lovely couple. There are moments of bonding, backstabbing and bondage along with hilarity, holidays and handcuffs. All in all, don't go past this book!
The best part about this book was the humour. The relationships of sisters, cousins, siblings, colleagues and new love all have the banter and humour that really speaks to me. All of her characters are funny, flawed and fantastic and it is a ray of sunshine to read a Kirsten Bailey book.
Being a teacher myself, the foray into a high school in England is a lot of fun. I love the different sides to the characters as they deal with student issues and behaviours, especially on a school trip to Spain.
Charlie seems to me to be the perfect book boyfriend and along with the sweetness of Suzie, they make a lovely couple. There are moments of bonding, backstabbing and bondage along with hilarity, holidays and handcuffs. All in all, don't go past this book!
Hot To Go is the very definition of a romcom!! I haven’t laughed this hard reading a book in a while. The humor leans heavily into secondhand embarrassment—borderline cringey at times—but I absolutely didn’t mind. In fact, I loved it. The banter was on point—not just between Suzie and Charlie, but also with the friends and family around them. The whole cast added so much chaotic charm to the story.
This book brought the heat, the laughs, the mess, and all the awkwardness that reminds you just how gloriously human love can be. What made it extra special, though, is how magical Suzie and Charlie felt together. From the beginning, Kristen painted them as two souls completely in sync, and you could feel how much they genuinely adored one another.
As someone who hoards stationery like Suzie and swoons for dorky, gentlemanly guys like Charlie, this book felt like it was written for me. I cackled, I swooned, and I had the absolute best time reading it.
Thank you NetGalley for the ARC!
funny
lighthearted
relaxing
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Thanks to NetGalley and Storm Publishing for the eARC.
What a fun, sweet rom-com! I laughed out loud several times and had an audible "awww" at least once. I'm a big fan of dialogue and the banter between Charlie and Suzie is excellent - light-hearted, occasionally angsty, and more or less realistic. But, also the dialogue between the cousins/friends is really good and supportive. I love strong, female relationships in books, and this had that without being heavy-handed and or overly sappy. The main characters are pretty young (mid 20s) but they've both been through some difficult situations, so they don't come off as immature, even to this Gen X reader.
There's no question where this book is going to end up, but I wasn't expecting the twist to play out the way it did.
As an American, some of the particularities of the schools was unfamiliar to me, but it didn't really matter. Some of the conversations between the students and teachers seemed a bit familiar, but that might be a cultural thing, too (e.g., teasing one student about her crush on another,). I did have to look up what a vest-top was *(for the Americans - it's a sleeveless top, like a tank top, or maybe I'm the only one who didn't know that).
The spice is 3 🌶️🌶️🌶️. The spicy scenes are relatively short but they are descriptive and there are several. But, it's pretty vanilla (excepting some public places). The author writes the spice well, getting the "feel" (pun somewhat intended) without being blow-by-blow (pun totally intended).
This would be a perfect summer vacation, beach read.
What a fun, sweet rom-com! I laughed out loud several times and had an audible "awww" at least once. I'm a big fan of dialogue and the banter between Charlie and Suzie is excellent - light-hearted, occasionally angsty, and more or less realistic. But, also the dialogue between the cousins/friends is really good and supportive. I love strong, female relationships in books, and this had that without being heavy-handed and or overly sappy. The main characters are pretty young (mid 20s) but they've both been through some difficult situations, so they don't come off as immature, even to this Gen X reader.
There's no question where this book is going to end up, but I wasn't expecting the twist to play out the way it did.
As an American, some of the particularities of the schools was unfamiliar to me, but it didn't really matter. Some of the conversations between the students and teachers seemed a bit familiar, but that might be a cultural thing, too (e.g., teasing one student about her crush on another,). I did have to look up what a vest-top was *(for the Americans - it's a sleeveless top, like a tank top, or maybe I'm the only one who didn't know that).
The spice is 3 🌶️🌶️🌶️. The spicy scenes are relatively short but they are descriptive and there are several. But, it's pretty vanilla (excepting some public places). The author writes the spice well, getting the "feel" (pun somewhat intended) without being blow-by-blow (pun totally intended).
This would be a perfect summer vacation, beach read.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content
Moderate: Infidelity, Death of parent
emotional
funny
lighthearted
medium-paced
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
funny
slow-paced
Two people who have a vacation fling find out they are new co-workers 😳
Suzie is heading to Mallorca (an island in Spain for us geography challenged people) for a trip with her cousins and Charlie is going with his brother and his friends for a Stag do (bachelor party for us American people)
They meet on the beach and end up having a fun and sexy night together. They agree to meet up again the next day but Charlie doesn't show up. Suzie assumes it was just a vacation fling but inside she is disappointed.
When they both start their teaching positions at a new school, it's quickly revealed at the beginning of the year staff meeting that Suzie is the new French teacher and Charlie is the new Spanish teacher. Mon Dieu! Dios Mio!
Awkward doesn't even begin to describe what Suzie is feeling and now she must navigate a new school with new students and new co-workers all while trying to avoid her vacation fling. But what happens when these two realize that maybe it's more than just a fling and real feelings start to emerge?
I cringed in the best way at times with how awkward their interactions were. It was able to feel the embarrassment from both characters just as I feel like it would have been in real life. There is no way you don’t feel weird in this situation and she nailed these feelings perfectly. Some of the story was over the top and almost too comical but overall this was a fun summer read.
Kristen Bailey always knows how to bring the laughs and British humor that I love.
Huge thanks to Storm Publishing and NetGalley for sharing this book’s digital advanced review copy with me in exchange for an honest review.
emotional
funny
lighthearted
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I absolutely steamed through this book. Charlie & Suzie were just adorable.
This book is the epitomy of the miscommunication trope!
Slightly spicy but full of Spanish heat!
Thanks to Netgalley and Storm Publishing for this eARC.
This book is the epitomy of the miscommunication trope!
Slightly spicy but full of Spanish heat!
Thanks to Netgalley and Storm Publishing for this eARC.
adventurous
emotional
funny
lighthearted
4.5 rounded to 5.
Suzie is recovering from her partner having an affair and goes away on a girls trip with her cousins. Charlie is recouping from a relationship that blew up in his face, and forced him to move on from his job. Thankfully his brothers stag is coming up and he's looking forward to letting off some steam. He isn't expecting to cross paths with she skinny-dipping French woman, Aurelia, on the beaches of Mallorca who captivates him, nor is she expecting to cross paths with the helpful local Spaniard, Carlos, who offers up his shirt. Except they aren't really Carlos and Aurelia at all, everything about them is fake, unlike their undeniable chemistry.
*****
This was one of those books that's only 350 pages long, but it feels like you've settled in for twice as much. The pacing was perfect as we get to watch Suzie and Charlie's lives, misfortunes and questionable decisions play out in ways that were both sweeter and more challenging than expected.
They start the book pacing out their own stories, until they finally meet on separate vacations about 20% into the book. From there we get to see their chemistry explode as they start a summer fling that has so much potential, but ends up caving in on itself. Adding the twist as they come back to their regular lives was sweet, especially with both Suzie and Charlie struggling to know how to exist in each others sphere's when they weren't Carlos and Aurelia.
I loved the underlying thread of the universe constantly pushing them together, and how they were both finally willing to accept that they had something important that wasn't worth giving up on. It was so genuine, heartfelt and sweet, and I fell in love with how human both leads were. The banter was impeccable as well, and kept me burning the midnight oil to finish this one.
*****
Thank you to Storm Publishing for the Advanced Reader Copy. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
Suzie is recovering from her partner having an affair and goes away on a girls trip with her cousins. Charlie is recouping from a relationship that blew up in his face, and forced him to move on from his job. Thankfully his brothers stag is coming up and he's looking forward to letting off some steam. He isn't expecting to cross paths with she skinny-dipping French woman, Aurelia, on the beaches of Mallorca who captivates him, nor is she expecting to cross paths with the helpful local Spaniard, Carlos, who offers up his shirt. Except they aren't really Carlos and Aurelia at all, everything about them is fake, unlike their undeniable chemistry.
*****
This was one of those books that's only 350 pages long, but it feels like you've settled in for twice as much. The pacing was perfect as we get to watch Suzie and Charlie's lives, misfortunes and questionable decisions play out in ways that were both sweeter and more challenging than expected.
They start the book pacing out their own stories, until they finally meet on separate vacations about 20% into the book. From there we get to see their chemistry explode as they start a summer fling that has so much potential, but ends up caving in on itself. Adding the twist as they come back to their regular lives was sweet, especially with both Suzie and Charlie struggling to know how to exist in each others sphere's when they weren't Carlos and Aurelia.
I loved the underlying thread of the universe constantly pushing them together, and how they were both finally willing to accept that they had something important that wasn't worth giving up on. It was so genuine, heartfelt and sweet, and I fell in love with how human both leads were. The banter was impeccable as well, and kept me burning the midnight oil to finish this one.
*****
Thank you to Storm Publishing for the Advanced Reader Copy. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
funny
lighthearted
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
sad
medium-paced
Loveable characters:
Yes
Thank you to the author and the publisher Storm Publishing for allowing me access to an e-read ARC of this book.
Meet Suzie, teacher and newly single thanks to her husband of two years having an affair!
Suzie leaves her home and job for a fresh start. With the summer holidays ahead before starting her new job, there's time for a girls' holiday with her five cousins. Hooking up with Carlos, holiday fling, Suzie (using the alias Aurelia from Fance) wasn't expecting to fall for him, but after he stands her up, she goes home disappointed.
September arrives, and Suzie is not the only new teacher to start. Suzie is shocked to find Carlos is the new Spanish teacher, only he's not Carlos from Spain, he's Charlie from England!
We then follow the highs and lows as the pair try to make a go of the relationship as their true self's without the magic of Spain.
I loved this book. It's a fab, fun summer read, filled with so many funny and satirical points. I was constantly reading out sections to family as they queried my laughter! I loved both Suzie and Charlie's characters and the beautiful relationship each has with their families. Their attitude and connection to their pupils had me wishing they had taught me at school!
I loved hearing their inner dialogue and how it showed that relationships aren't always sunshine and roses. They can be messy with misread signs and false starts. Yes there were moments where you could guess what might happen next but that in no way spoiled it for me. I enjoyed meeting other members of staff and was pleased to discover they have their own stories, which I can't wait to pick up.
If you're looking for a hilarious summer romance for your holiday read, look no further! This is the book for you!
Meet Suzie, teacher and newly single thanks to her husband of two years having an affair!
Suzie leaves her home and job for a fresh start. With the summer holidays ahead before starting her new job, there's time for a girls' holiday with her five cousins. Hooking up with Carlos, holiday fling, Suzie (using the alias Aurelia from Fance) wasn't expecting to fall for him, but after he stands her up, she goes home disappointed.
September arrives, and Suzie is not the only new teacher to start. Suzie is shocked to find Carlos is the new Spanish teacher, only he's not Carlos from Spain, he's Charlie from England!
We then follow the highs and lows as the pair try to make a go of the relationship as their true self's without the magic of Spain.
I loved this book. It's a fab, fun summer read, filled with so many funny and satirical points. I was constantly reading out sections to family as they queried my laughter! I loved both Suzie and Charlie's characters and the beautiful relationship each has with their families. Their attitude and connection to their pupils had me wishing they had taught me at school!
I loved hearing their inner dialogue and how it showed that relationships aren't always sunshine and roses. They can be messy with misread signs and false starts. Yes there were moments where you could guess what might happen next but that in no way spoiled it for me. I enjoyed meeting other members of staff and was pleased to discover they have their own stories, which I can't wait to pick up.
If you're looking for a hilarious summer romance for your holiday read, look no further! This is the book for you!