Wed or Alive

by Portia MacIntosh

Discover the BRAND NEW laugh-out-loud romantic comedy from MULTI-MILLION-COPY bestseller Portia MacIntosh

She's not getting hitched. He's just here for the ride.

Whitney's life is not going to plan. Her romantic comedy novel isn't selling, her career feels stuck, and by the time she realises she's in love with her best friend and roommate, Andy, he's back from his work trip with a fiancée - and a wedding date that is alarmingly soon.

Enter a cowboy with his own problems, including a country estate he's desperate to buy and an owner who doesn't trust developers - or men without roots. When a viral moment throws Whitney and Jake together, they strike a deal. Whitney gets the real-life love story publishers want. Jake gets to look like a committed, family-minded man who belongs at Rosewood. All they have to do is pretend they're in love.

As Andy's wedding approaches, Whitney uncovers a plot twist that could change everything for him - but the romcom she's acting out with Jake is starting to feel dangerously real.

Falling for your best friend is complicated, but riding off into the sunset with a cowboy is pure fiction… Right?

Genres: Romance, Audiobook, Westerns, Fiction, Contemporary

234 pages, Paperback

Published April 28, 2026

About the author

Portia MacIntosh is the bestselling author of over 30 romantic comedy novels.

From disastrous dates to destination weddings, Portia’s romcoms are the perfect way to escape from day to day life, visiting sunny beaches in the summer and snowy villages at Christmas time. Whether it’s southern Italy or the Yorkshire coast, Portia’s stories are the holiday you’re craving, conveniently packed in between the pages.

Formerly a journalist, Portia has left the city, swapping the music biz for the moors, to live the (not so) quiet life with her husband and her dog in Yorkshire.

Find out more at www.portiamacintosh.com

Reviews

[Beth · Rating 5 out of 5]

Portia MacIntosh has fast become one of my favourite auto buy romance authors. Probably because I know exactly what I'm getting whenever I read one of her books and she never lets me down.
I know every time before starting her books that I'm going to get an enjoyable, entertaining, fun easy read. Nothing life changing, but such a reliable author who will always release a good quality book. There is just something about her writing style that just clicks with me.
And I have to say I think this is my favourite book by her so far!
Right from the start I was hooked. I liked our FMC Whitney and I really liked her best friend JJ and the banter between them did have me chuckling throughout.
I enjoyed the romance in this too. One thing this author does well is write romance books that are reasonably clean. A big plus for me personally. I liked the connection between Jake and Whitney and I liked being in their company.
I found all the characters likeable and the plot was totally charming. This features my favourite trope in romance too: fake dating. I eat that up.
Was it predictable? Of course but show me a romance book that isn't.
I absolutely loved this from start to finish, it was just what I was looking for and I will 100% be reading more from this author.

Thanks to Boldwood Books for the ARC I received in exchange for an honest review

[Kirsty · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wed or Alive by Portia MacIntosh

I received an advance review copy for free thanks to Rachel's Random Resources and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

Blurb

Whitney’s life is not going to plan. Her romantic comedy novel isn’t selling, her career feels stuck, and by the time she realises she’s in love with her best friend and roommate, Andy, he’s back from his work trip with a fiancée - and a wedding date that is alarmingly soon.

Enter a cowboy with his own problems, including a country estate he’s desperate to buy and an owner who doesn’t trust developers - or men without roots. When a viral moment throws Whitney and Jake together, they strike a deal. Whitney gets the real-life love story publishers want. Jake gets to look like a committed, family-minded man who belongs at Rosewood. All they have to do is pretend they’re in love.

As Andy’s wedding approaches, Whitney uncovers a plot twist that could change everything for him - but the romcom she’s acting out with Jake is starting to feel dangerously real.

Falling for your best friend is complicated, but riding off into the sunset with a cowboy is pure fiction… Right?

My Opinion

Wed or Alive is another delightful novel by Portia MacIntosh. With some relatable characters Wed or Alive was a quick and easy read. Portia MacIntosh has written a page-turner that had me laughing in places. A highly recommended novel.

Rating 4/5

[Samantha · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.75 ⭐️
Fade to 🖤

RTC

[VickydpBooks · Rating 4 out of 5]

laugh-out-loud fake dating romantic comedy
It was very funny I enjoyed it!!

Sometimes love shows up in cowboy boots 🐎❣️

Falling for your best friend is complicated, but riding off into the sunset with a cowboy is pure fiction… Right?

Tropes:

✨ Fake dating

✨ Cowboy hero

✨ Wedding setting

✨ Chaotic meet-cute

✨ Forced proximity

[ADHD Book ✨Gal · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5/5 Audiobook 🎧

Fun, engaging, keep my attention and some good humor and lol moments I was giggling 🤭 but didn’t have spark I was expecting.

Hoping it might turn into 2 POV from Whitney and Jake but all Whitney and she felt typical Romcon FMC and flat to me.


I hope someone else enjoys but just didn’t like the 1 POV.

[Roxanne · Rating 4 out of 5]

My first cowboy romance and it was so good! I read this all in one day and could not put it down. So cute and had me feeling back and forth. Portia Macintosh does a fantastic job of explaining conflicting feelings and misunderstanding feelings. A great quick read!

[Fabienne · Rating 1 out of 5]

A little light relief in the form of a rom com. Well that's what I was hoping for.
There was absolutely no tension at all, just going through the motions. All the "issues" got sorted out super easily and the characters were caricatures. It was most definitely not hilarious.
This was not it.

[Pip Reads · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another great Rom com by the queen of Rom coms! I loved this! I especially loved that you start off routing for one person before you see they’re not right together and route for someone else!

Thank you NetGalley for sending me an eARC to review!

[Alexis Gaddy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Classic cheesy romcom

[Get Your Tinsel in a Tangle · Rating 4 out of 5]

Whitney is out here living the kind of life that makes you want to gently take her by the shoulders and say, “Babes… we need to make better choices.” Not bad choices, just… aggressively avoidant ones. She’s stuck in a career that isn’t popping, writing a rom-com no one wants, and casually realizing she’s in love with her best friend Andy at the exact worst possible time. Which is, of course, the moment he returns from a trip engaged to someone else with a wedding date that feels personally offensive in its urgency.

And I’m sorry, but nothing will ever hit quite like that specific emotional gut punch. That is not a plot twist, that is a targeted attack.

The setup is giving "My Best Friend’s Wedding but add a cowboy,” and honestly, I was seated. Fully buckled in. Ready to spiral with her. Because Whitney’s whole thing is that she’s not dramatic, but her life is quietly on fire. And her best friend JJ, who is also her agent, is out here throwing gasoline on that fire in the name of “career growth” and “main character energy.” JJ is… a lot. Like, I get what she’s trying to do, but also if my friend set me up on that many chaotic dates, I would block her number and move to a different country.

Which, coincidentally, might still be less chaotic than what actually happens.

Enter Jake, the cowboy. And listen, I know “cowboy” in a rom-com is basically a personality trait, but he really is just… a nice man. Like, aggressively nice. Calm, supportive, emotionally available in a way that makes you suspicious. He swoops in via a viral moment that feels straight out of a Netflix montage, and suddenly we’re in fake engagement territory because Whitney needs a real-life love story to sell her book, and Jake needs to look like a wholesome family man to secure this estate deal. Capitalism, but make it romantic.

The trope math is working overtime here. Fake dating, forced proximity, best friend angst, a looming wedding, a viral moment. It’s like the book opened Pinterest and said, “Yes, all of it.”

And I did have fun. I’m not going to sit here and pretend I didn’t. The humor is very easy, very breezy, very “I could read this on vacation and forget my responsibilities exist.” Whitney is likable in that self-deprecating, slightly messy way where you’re rooting for her even when she’s making choices that make you whisper, “Girl… no.”

But here’s where I lean over and lower my voice like we’re gossiping in a corner booth.

The pacing is… strange. It takes a while to even get to Jake, which is bold for a book where he is literally the cowboy on the cover. By the time he shows up, you’re like, “Oh! Right. The man I was promised.” And then once he is there, everything moves very quickly, but also somehow not deeply. It’s giving fast-forwarded feelings.

And the chemistry? It’s cute. It’s pleasant. It’s two very nice people being nice to each other. But I kept waiting for that moment where I feel slightly unwell about them. You know the one. That “oh no, I am emotionally invested in strangers” feeling. And instead I was like, “Aw, good for them.” Which is… not the same thing.

Jake especially feels like he wandered in from a different book where he has a full personality and a tragic backstory, but here he’s mostly just being supportive and handsome. Which, don’t get me wrong, is a great quality in a man. But in a rom-com, I want a little chaos. I want a little tension. I want at least one moment where I question his decision-making skills.

Instead, he’s just out here thriving emotionally while Whitney is still mentally circling Andy like a confused Roomba. And speaking of Andy… the emotional core of this book is actually less about the romance and more about Whitney figuring out the difference between loving someone and being in love with them. Which I did appreciate. That’s real. That’s messy. That’s the kind of thing that sneaks up on you and ruins your week.

But the execution sometimes feels like it’s juggling too many plotlines. You’ve got the career arc, the fake relationship, the best friend wedding drama, the viral fame angle, and some side character chaos that doesn’t always land. So instead of one strong emotional throughline, it’s more like a bunch of smaller ones politely taking turns.

Still, I can’t be mad at a book that made me laugh, gave me a cowboy, and let a woman have a full identity crisis without punishing her for it. This is a solid 3.5 stars. The kind of book you text your friend about like, “This was cute, I had a good time, I just wish it hit a little harder emotionally.” It’s charming, it’s chaotic in a low-stakes way, and it absolutely delivers on the rom-com fantasy… just without that extra spark that would have made it unforgettable.

And honestly, thank you to Boldwood Books and NetGalley for the ARC, because nothing says self-care like watching someone else’s romantic life implode while a very polite cowboy stands nearby, emotionally available and ready to fix things.

[Kimberly · Rating 4 out of 5]

Portia MacIntosh’s Wed or Alive grabbed me by the collar, threw me headfirst into a fountain of secondhand embarrassment, and then had the audacity to ask me to pick a man while I was still soaking wet and emotionally compromised. Published by Boldwood Books—huge thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the gifted ARC that absolutely hijacked my reading schedule and my sanity in the best way.

This is one of those rom-coms that knows exactly what it is and leans all the way in—messy feelings, chaotic timing, and a love triangle that refuses to behave. Whitney is a struggling rom-com writer whose life is already teetering when she realizes she’s in love with her best friend and roommate, Andy… only for him to return from a trip very much engaged and very much not hers. Enter emotional damage. And then, because the universe clearly thrives on chaos, she quite literally crashes into Jake—a cowboy with his own agenda—and suddenly she’s fake-engaged, semi-viral, and starring in the kind of love story she’s been trying to write.

And listen… this reading experience felt like being inside Whitney’s head in the most painfully relatable way. The overthinking? Olympic level. The denial? Professional grade. I spent half the book yelling “GIRL PLEASE” and the other half clutching my chest because I got it. Andy is that comfortable, history-heavy love that feels safe but complicated, while Jake is the unexpected plot twist—the one who shows up halfway through and somehow rewrites the entire story without even trying too hard. The tension between what’s real and what’s performed is where this book quietly shines.

“There’s a difference between the life you think you want… and the one that actually makes you happy.”

Let’s talk characters, because they carry this story. Whitney is messy but endearing—the kind of main character who doesn’t always make the right choice but feels very human doing it. Andy had me pacing because I could not decide if I wanted to root for him or stage an intervention. JJ? Absolute chaos agent. She’s bold, intrusive, occasionally doing the most—but also the kind of friend who forces you to stop playing small, even if it’s a little unhinged. And Jake… yeah, no notes. Sweet, steady, cowboy energy with just enough emotional depth to make you believe in the slow shift from pretend to something very, very real.

Now, real talk—the pacing isn’t flawless. It takes a minute to fully settle in, and some of the emotional transitions happen a little faster than I wanted. I wanted just a bit more tension, a little more time to sit in those feelings before everything clicked into place. But once it hits its stride? It’s the kind of book you fly through with a grin on your face and zero regrets.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

This is for the reader who lives for fake dating, accidental viral moments, chaotic best friends, and that delicious “wait… this isn’t fake anymore, is it?” realization. It’s for anyone who loves their romance with humor, heart, and just enough emotional confusion to make it feel real. It’s not here to devastate you—it’s here to entertain you, wrap you up in a little chaos, and remind you that sometimes the story you planned isn’t the one you’re meant to live.

So be honest… are you choosing the person who’s always been there—or the one who walks in late and somehow becomes everything?

#WedorAlive #PortiaMacIntosh #RomComReads #FakeDating #CowboyRomance #Bookstagram #NetGalleyReads #ARCReview #RomanceBooks #WomensFiction #ChickLit #BookReview #CozyReads #EnemiesToLoversVibes #FriendsToLovers #BookishObsessed

[Maxine · Rating 5 out of 5]

ARC copy received from Netgalley.

My Best Friend’s Wedding meets The Longest Ride… with a delightfully chaotic twist.

There is something magical about diving into a book without dissecting the synopsis beforehand. The story unfolds like a surprise gift, and this one delivered in the best way.

What started as a seemingly familiar friends-to-lovers setup quickly pivoted into something far more entertaining.
At first, it felt like a gentle, predictable path… and then Jake arrived. From that moment on, the entire story shifted gears. He didn’t just enter the narrative, he completely took it over, and suddenly I was no longer invested in the “expected” outcome. Andy faded into the background while Jake effortlessly stole the spotlight.

Romcoms are a favorite for me due to their comforting predictability, but Wed or Alive managed to keep that charm while still surprising me. The plot zigged when I expected it to zag, and I found myself flying through the pages, completely hooked on every unexpected turn and chaotic moment.

The humor is absolutely top-tier. This is not a gentle chuckle kind of funny. It is full-on, laugh-out-loud, unfiltered cackling that sneaks up on you when you least expect it. The kind of humor that makes a good story, great and unforgettable.

Whit is incredibly relatable as a character. A classic reader and writer, always caught in her own thoughts, comfortably introverted, and prone to overthinking everything. Her internal spiral over her feelings is both endearing and genuinely funny, making her easy to connect with from the very beginning.

Jake, however, is the undeniable standout. Sweet, attentive, and an animal lover, he brings a warmth to the story that is impossible to resist. Every scene with him feels like a highlight.

JJ adds a bold, chaotic energy to the mix. While her sass and humor bring plenty of entertainment, her intensity can feel a bit overwhelming at times. Still, her loyalty and fierce love for her best friend shine through, grounding her character in a way that makes her role meaningful.

Overall, this romcom is an absolute joy. Sweet, charming, and filled with just the right amount of chaos. The country estate setting wraps everything in a cozy, small-town atmosphere, while the romance remains tender, funny, and full of heart. The friendships are messy, loud, and beautifully real, tying the entire story together into a five-star reading experience.

[Lilith · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a light and fun read. But not enough to go over the 3 ⭐ rating for me. To go over that, I need more depth and intensity.

📖 Story: Whitney is a writer desperate to publish her own romance novel, in her own name, not biographies for others. But the market it tough and JJ, her bestie, who's also her agent, tells her she needs to become viral.
Whit' also desperately single. While her male best friend and roommate, Andy, is away on a business trip, JJ sets her up on blind dates...that go so poorly!
But what if all those dates are awful because Whitney's in love with Andy?
Unfortunately for her and her grand gesture, Andy's come home with a girl... and he's engaged to her! And they're getting married next month.
By a twist of fate, she meets a guy that has main love interest energy. Plus he's a cowboy. And they went viral!
Fake dating that is a win-win-win starts.
And well.. you'll have to read to find out if there's a love triangle and who Whit' ends up with.


📚 Tropes: fake dating or rather fake engagement, marketing ploy, cowboy x writer, set in England.
🌶️ Spice: None. It's a closed doors romance.


🤓 This was a fun and light read. I know romcoms are supposed to be short but it lacked a bit of substance.
The cowboy Jake felt a little flat. Main love interest energy, good listener, extremely hot. Sure but... he was so easy going that it seemed he didn't really have a personality.
He made women drool and I kind of expected us to get at least one pick in the bedroom but we just had a couple of kisses. I'm not one that demands smut in her book. It is clearly not needed all of the time. But here? It would have made so much sense.
All in all, the booked lacked a bit of the secret sauce for me. It was still a good story and a good time!
It was a page turner so if you want that and an easy going fake engagement, go for it!


I received the ARC in exchange for an honest review. Thank you to the publisher, author and NetGalley!

[Tamara · Rating 3 out of 5]

*Thanks to Boldwood Books and NetGalley for this eARC; the review is my own.*

If you’ve watched My Best Friend’s Wedding, you’ll have a bit of deja vu while reading this book. It’s not an exact copy, but it does have quite a few of the same plot points. That said, this book was decent. MBFW has never been my favorite rom-com for many reasons, one of which is that (spoiler!) Julia Roberts ends up by herself. Well, unless you count her friendship with a gay guy—but the point of a rom-com is to give you a happy ending with a couple in love. The movie is unromantic, rarely comedic, and often painful. So when you consider that this book bears a strong similarity to that movie, know that these main characters are a bit more reasonable and the ending is much, much better; I might actually enjoy this version if I could watch it.

My quips are less to do with the story (which I generally liked) and more to do with what just might be my American preferences. The amount of sex-related humor in this book was tedious. Honestly, it felt tacky to me. All the penis-shaped tiaras, the awkward game the group played the night before the wedding, JJ’s single-minded obsession with sex, the things Whitney overhead when JJ brought a random guy back to the apartment (and into Andy’s room, btw—gross), etc. You know how young kids (especially boys between the ages of 7 and 11) are stuck on bathroom humor? Sex became the bathroom humor of this book. It wasn’t even funny; it was just, as I already said, tacky. I’m not under any mistaken beliefs that American writers are angels, but for some reason, I’ve encountered this very same specific style of cringey sex humor in a lot of British rom-coms, and that’s it.

I also take issue with JJ, who I thought was a terrible friend. But at least Whit could hold her own and not give in to JJ’s constant influence.

Whitney and Jake, though! I liked them. In fact, I think the book needed more Jake. I swear I was halfway through by the time he even showed up, which didn’t give him a whole lot of time to make an impression. But he was wonderful. He and Whitney were such a great match and both genuinely good people, so it was easy to root for them.

How it ends: Whitney gets roped into being best “man” for the wedding and has to pick up the ring for Andy. She tries it on, and it gets stuck. Somehow, she falls into a fountain then she tries to take it off, and Jake pulls her out. He kneels down and helps her remove the ring, and a photo someone captured of what looks like a proposal goes viral. JJ suggests that the two of them fake the engagement so that 1) Whitney will have more social media presence and hopefully be able to sell her book, and 2) Jake will appear to be the settled family man that Artie will want to sell Rosewood (the location of the wedding). JJ also tells Whitney that maybe it will make Andy jealous, as she believes herself to be in love with him (thanks to JJ, btw).

As the charade goes along, Whitney and Jake start to develop real feelings. The sleep together after the bachelor/bachelorette party, and in the morning, Jake asks her what to meant to her. She says it meant something.

Cordelia gets a little bridezilla because she’s jealous of the relationship Andy and Whitney have. She also does some very suspicious things, and JJ suggests to Whitney that Cordelia has been married twice before, still isn’t sure if she’s divorced, has lots of debt, and is a gold digger. She wants Whitney to confront Andy to tell him all of this and her feelings.

Except Whitney has fallen for Jake and realized her brief feelings for Andy were only loneliness, friendship, and the fear of losing him. She tells JJ to leave it alone.

But JJ doesn’t listen. She tells Andy everything, and it looks like the wedding is off. Whitney corrects her, but Jake overhears just enough to possibly think Whitney was using him.

Whitney fixes the problem between Andy and Cordelia, and they get married. Then she finds Jake and tells him about everything that happened. She says it’s real for her and she wants to be with him. He feels the same way.

December of 2027, everyone is visiting Jake and Whitney at Rosewood. They’re engaged (still?). Cordelia and Andy are expecting a baby. Whitney’s writing her second book.

Language: Some, mostly f words
Violence: None
Alcohol & drugs: Maybe a little drinking?
Physical Intimacy: Fade to black
LGBT: None
Other: Quite a bit of sex-related humor

Audiobook Narrators & Comments: Karen Cass
This narrator was okay. I’ve listened to some other books she’s narrated, and I don’t hate her. But I don’t love her either. Her way of reading feels somewhat unnatural to me most of the time, like she’s putting on an act. Her voices are okay. But her American Texas rancher accent was truly painful.

[CWilly · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thank you NetGalley and Boldwood Books for sending this book for review consideration. All opinions are my own.

Wed or Alive was quite the ride! At first, I was worried the plot might be predictable but was pleasantly surprised by a snowball of unexpected happenings that kept changing the playing field. I really appreciated the author's restraint for each event to unfold in turn, barely giving the reader and characters to continually adjust. This kept the story fresh and engaging, and I felt like these dominoes propelled the characters along more rapid development that, perhaps, should have been happening more gradually over the years that Whitney and Andy remained comfortable and, essentially, idle in their relationship(s).

Whitney is a delightfully relatable FMC. When we meet her she's in a relatively comfortable job and living situation, seemingly content to continue on status quo. However, JJ, her female BFF and literary agent, is pushing her to reach for something more. Tired of Whitney sidelining herself, JJ chaotically drags her off the metaphorical couch and aggressively (and repeatedly) douses the unfussy Whitney in main character energy. Thank God she does because, eventually, we see our leading lady step out and step into the spotlight of her love life.

Jake, our MMC, comes in to be Whitney's leading man. This swoony cowboy millionaire agrees to help Whitney in a mutually beneficial business arrange. He makes all the right moves and checks all the right boxes. He's exactly what Whitney needs, but he's a little too much of a strong and silent type for me. The overall story was hilarious and engaging, and I wish we could have seen a little more personality from Jake, especially set against such an expressive and extroverted cast. But, perhaps that just my personal preferences for the quirky and weird coming through.

[María Navarro · Rating 4 out of 5]

Definitely this was not what I was expecting when I received the advanced copy of this book!

I went into this expecting a fairly standard friends-to-lovers romcom… and while it starts that way, it very quickly turns into something way more chaotic, funny, and unexpectedly addictive.

Whitney is a romcom writer whose life is very much not giving “romcom” at the moment, and realizing she’s in love with her best friend right as he comes back engaged? Yeah… emotional damage from page one. From there, everything spirals in the best way — including a viral moment and a fake engagement with a cowboy (could not be better tbh with Jake as MMC).

What I really loved is how this plays with your expectations. At first, I thought I knew exactly where the story was going and who I was supposed to root for… and then Jake shows up and completely shifts the dynamic. Suddenly, it’s not so clear-cut anymore, and I found myself rethinking everything alongside Whitney.

Speaking of Whitney — I feel so identified to her. A chronic overthinker, a bit of a mess, and constantly stuck in her own head.

Jake is definitely the standout for me. He has that calm, steady, golden-retriever-but-make-it-cowboy energy that’s just impossible not to love. Their fake relationship turning into something more felt soft, sweet, and just the right amount of swoony.

The humor is also a huge highlight — this isn’t just cute-funny, it’s genuinely laugh-out-loud novel.

Overall though, this was such a fun, light, and entertaining read. If you’re in the mood for something easy, funny, and full of heart, this one’s definitely worth picking up.

*Thanks NetGalley, Boldwood Books and Portia MacIntosh for this ARC!

[Meg Pearson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wed or Alive is a fun, chaotic, and effortlessly readable romcom that delivers exactly the kind of lighthearted escapism you want when you pick up a Portia MacIntosh book. Whitney is muddling through a life that isn’t quite working, stuck in a career that won’t take off and slowly realizing she might be in love with her best friend Andy at the absolute worst moment possible… right as he returns engaged with a wedding date that feels wildly too soon. That emotional setup alone is enough to hook you, and from there the story leans fully into its romcom energy with fake dating, a viral meet cute, and the arrival of Jake, a genuinely lovely cowboy who brings a completely different kind of possibility into Whitney’s life. I had a lot of fun with this one. The humor is easy and breezy, Whitney is relatable in her slightly messy and self aware way, and the premise is packed with all the best tropes. That said, the pacing felt a little uneven at times, especially with how long it takes for Jake to properly enter the story and how quickly things then move between them. While their dynamic is sweet and enjoyable, I found myself wanting a bit more depth and emotional intensity to really feel invested. What stood out most for me was the underlying theme of Whitney figuring out the difference between loving someone and being in love with them, which added a thoughtful layer beneath all the chaos. Overall, this is a charming, feel good read that made me laugh and kept me entertained, even if it did not quite hit as deeply as I wanted it to. Thank you to NetGalley and Boldwood Books for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

[Amanda Felizardo · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was funny and very easy to read, read it in one sitting and had so much fun! It’s messy, has a little bit of drama, a love triangle and the kind of story that feels like it could totally be a Netflix movie / rom-com.

The story follows Whitney, who's a writer and not having much luck with getting her romance novel career take off. Her best friend tries to set her up and she just gets failure after failure until she realizes she’s in love with her best friend and roommate, Andy, right as he comes back from a trip with a fiancée and a wedding date that is way too soon. Then she meets Jake, and after a random viral moment that brings them together, they agree to fake date so Whitney can create the kind of real-life romance story publishers want, while Jake gets the image he needs to raise roots locally.

What I liked most about this book is how fun and easy it is to read. The humor feels very light and rom-com movie coded. They're that typical couple that get the lines between pretending and real feelings very blurry. I love how attentive he is of her and how he demonstrates it with little things. The chemistry is there - even though the Matthew McConaughey of it all gave me a little bit of an ick with the southern accent overdone - but still made me want to keep reading just to see how things would play out.

That said, it wasn’t a perfect book for me but still a great and enjoyable read! I still enjoyed the ride, this was still a fun and entertaining story. It’s the kind of book you read when you want something light.

Thank you NetGalley, the publisher and the author for providing me this ARC in exchange for an honest review!

[Emma Ashley · Rating 5 out of 5]

🩷 Blurb-
Whitney’s life is not going to plan. Her romantic comedy novel isn’t selling, her career feels stuck, and by the time she realises she’s in love with her best friend and roommate, Andy, he’s back from his work trip with a fiancée - and a wedding date that is alarmingly soon.
Enter a cowboy with his own problems, including a country estate he’s desperate to buy and an owner who doesn’t trust developers - or men without roots. When a viral moment throws Whitney and Jake together, they strike a deal. Whitney gets the real-life love story publishers want. Jake gets to look like a committed, family-minded man who belongs at Rosewood. All they have to do is pretend they’re in love.
As Andy’s wedding approaches, Whitney uncovers a plot twist that could change everything for him - but the romcom she’s acting out with Jake is starting to feel dangerously real.
Falling for your best friend is complicated, but riding off into the sunset with a cowboy is pure fiction… Right?
💖 Review -
This was such a cute and entertaining read. I have enjoyed other books by the author and Wed Or Alive certainly didn't disappoint. I loved Whitney's character and I wanted her to have the happy ending that she deserved. I also loved hers and Jake's chemistry and the small town place setting in the story sounded cute. Overall a brilliant novel that I highly recommend to other readers. I look forward to reading more by the author.
💜 Thank you to Boldwood Books, the author Portia Macintosh and Netgalley for my arc ebook copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.

[Theresa · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wed or Alive by Portia MacIntosh is a fun, fast-paced romantic comedy that delivers plenty of laughs, chaos, and heart along the way.

From the very beginning, the story throws you into a whirlwind of wedding drama and unexpected twists. MacIntosh has a great talent for creating hilarious, slightly over-the-top situations that still feel grounded enough to keep you invested. The premise is playful and a little outrageous in the best way, making it such an entertaining escape.

The main character is easy to root for—relatable, flawed, and often caught in increasingly awkward situations that had me cringing and laughing at the same time. Her internal monologue adds a lot of humor, and I appreciated how her journey wasn’t just about romance, but also about figuring out what she really wants.

The romance itself is sweet and engaging, with a nice buildup of chemistry. It doesn’t overshadow the humor, but rather complements it, adding emotional depth beneath all the chaos. Watching the relationship develop alongside all the wedding madness made for a satisfying payoff.

The pacing is quick and keeps the story moving, though some moments lean into predictability. Still, the charm, humor, and lively writing style make it easy to overlook a few familiar tropes.

Overall, Wed or Alive is a lighthearted, feel-good read that’s perfect when you’re in the mood for something fun and uplifting. It’s ideal for fans of romantic comedies who enjoy quirky situations, lovable characters, and a happy ending that leaves you smiling.

[Joanna · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5 stars for me.

Whitney’s life is comlicated,her books are not pickup by any publishing agency,and her best friend Alex comes back from work aboard with fiance.Just in time when she realised that she love him maybe more than a friend.To the rescue comes a cowboy Jack,literally he rescued her in the fountain,and the video went viral,while he was checking her ankle it looks like he proposed.Both need something,Whitney a book deal and Jack a steady girlfriend so he can be seen as a serious family man.Alex's wedding is just days away,and maybe he see that Whitney is the one?It's all getting confusing as Jack is really a good fiancee,and they both getting better at the pretending.Whitney must decide,who she really wants,is it Alex,or Jack who with passing day stealing more of her heart?

It was a fun rom com,time flies by reading this story.Whitney was a typical avoid problems person,who likes to just have peace.Her friend JJ didn't let her hide,and both so different compliment each other.Jack was a nice surprise a genuinely good guy with fun and caring side.Both were working so well,I was rooting for Whitney to make up her mind and don't let that guy go.Little bit fun,little bit hot and little emotional it was a great read,and author become my first to pick up when I crave reading a chick lit and rom com.

Would without a doubt recommend this book for fake dating rom com fans.

Thank you netgalley and Boldwood books for arc,my review is honest and my own.

[Rachel · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a very funny and entertaining read. I devoured this in less than a day.

Whitney is such a relatable main character - the want for a big love, how she views herself. I genuinely sat here only wanting the best for her.

I got a thing for books on books (even if it is technically adjacent being books on author of said books), as well as a strange love for cowboy romances. I’ve been on one horse in my life and I’ve given a goat a manicure (not sure how that counts) but there is something so satisfying about a good cowboy romance.

Everything about this book was just adorable from the meet-cute, to the plot twists. I love the characters and their dynamics with one another; JJ was obviously a hoot and a half.

I will note, this is a very quick read. From being able to finish in one sitting, to the general pacing of the book - everything is almost at light-speed post the first 100 pages. If you're looking for yearning and slow burn, this book probably isn't for you. If you're looking for a book unapologetic with use of common rom-com tropes, with a real guilty pleasure kind of feeling, then this is definitely for you.

I will definitely find myself reading more from this author soon.

Thank you NetGalley, Boldwood Books and the wonderful Portia MacIntosh for this eARC in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts are my own.

[Sasha · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thank you to NetGalley and Boldwood Books for sending this book for review consideration. All opinions are my own.

Okay so the beginning was a little slow and I was a little unsure in the opening chapters and genuinely wasn't sure it was going to be for me. But something shifted and before I knew it I was completely along for the ride.

Our FMC, Whitney, is really easy to get behind. She's a bit of a mess, a bit lost and very relatable, exactly the kind of character you find yourself quietly cheering on without really realising you're doing it.

Honestly I go back and forth on my feelings about JJ, Whitney's best friend and publisher. Some moments I loved her fiercely- she's funny and loyal and the kind of friend who refuses to let you shrink yourself, which I loved so much. But other moments she was just a lot. I think that's what makes her interesting as a character but it also meant I had very complicated feelings about her throughout which I wasn't entirely expecting.

Jake is such a green flag. He literally moves to a different country, sells his old ranch so he can spend every last minute with his sick dad.

But overall? Really fun read. Genuinely entertaining, an easy read and the kind of book that once it gets going, really gets going. Stick with the slow start, it's worth it.

Sasha
@sash_wilcox

[Tanya · Rating 3 out of 5]

Wed or Alive was a light, easy romcom read—fun and bingeable, but it stayed a bit surface-level for me 🫶🏼
Whitney is a romance writer trying to get her own big break, stuck publishing everyone else’s stories while secretly dreaming of her own. Add in a chaotic dating life, a best friend/agent pushing her toward “viral” dating content, and a blind-date disaster streak… and things spiral fast.
And then there’s Andy—her best friend and roommate—who might actually be the real love story she’s been avoiding all along. Except he shows up engaged. To someone else.
Enter Jake: cowboy, fake engagement, and instant “main love interest energy.”
✨ what I enjoyed:
• fake dating / fake engagement trope
• best friend’s brother energy vibes
• cowboy MMC
• fast, easy-to-read romcom pacing
• fun premise with viral marketing twist
✨ spice level:
🌶️ closed-door / no spice (clean romance)
✨ what didn’t fully work for me:
• lacked emotional depth and intensity for a 3+ star read
• Jake felt a bit underdeveloped / one-note at times
• relationship dynamics could’ve used more buildup and substance
• I personally wanted more tension (and more something) to really sell the love story
overall: a cute, light fake-dating romcom that’s an easy page-turner, but didn’t quite have that extra spark for me 🤍

[Tanisha · Rating 4 out of 5]

Books have always been my safe place, and romance is the genre I come back to again and again. One author I have really come to enjoy is Portia MacIntosh. I have already read “Going Overboard,” “A Lot to Unpack,” and “A Shore Thing,” and even though her books are not heavy on spice, I always find myself completely pulled in by her storytelling. There is just something about her writing style that feels fun, easy to read, and hard to put down.

Just like with her other books, this one grabbed my attention right from the start. One of my favorite tropes is “fake relationship,” and this book delivered exactly what I was hoping for with that. I also really enjoyed the “male best friend that she is in love with” element, which added an extra layer of tension and emotion to the story. Watching those dynamics play out kept me fully invested and turning pages.

All in all, this was such an enjoyable read. It had the charm, humor, and heart that I have come to expect from Portia MacIntosh. I finished it with a smile and already looking forward to whatever she writes next. And I am definitely hoping that J. J. gets her own story in the future.

**I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.**

[Misty · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5⭐️

✨️ Fake Engagement
✨️ Cowboy x Romance Author
✨️ Forced Proximity

This was a super cute, light and entertaining read. The characters were fun, the setting was great and I loved the premise of the story.

As much as I enjoyed it, I fear the beginning of the book was far too long which ended up making the rest of the book feel rushed. We didn't even meet the MMC until over 100 pages in to a 281 page book. The first 100 pages we see the FMC, Whitney, go on dates before realising she's in love with her best friend, Andy. She spends all of her time thinking about how great he is, how much she misses him and how much he understands her. This really impacted the way I felt about Jake (the MMC) and made their insta-love chemistry feel unbelievable. I kinda wanted her to end up with Andy 😂 Jake was great, but his scenes felt very surface level.

I really enjoyed the time the group spent together prior to the wedding, especially the dancing and board games! and I really liked Whitneys sense of humour, she is so unapologetically British. I loved that she never settled and refused to give up on finding true love.

If you're looking for a quick and light romcom then I definitely recommend giving it a read.

[Zara Dal · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved absolutely everything about this book!

If you’re a fan of Bridget Jones's Diary and My Best Friend's Wedding, this is 100% your next must-read.

Whitney is such a relatable FMC—chaotic, flawed, and instantly lovable. You can’t help but root for her, even when she’s making questionable (but very entertaining) decisions. And JJ? Every girl needs a best friend like her—loyal, hilarious, and always ready to hype you up.

The premise is rom-com perfection: Whitney finally realises she’s in love with her best friend Andy… only for him to return from a trip with a fiancée. Enter Jake—a cowboy in the most unexpected setting—who offers a fake relationship that benefits them both. Naturally, chaos ensues.

And it is glorious.

There were genuine laugh-out-loud moments (the fountain scene lives rent-free in my head), balanced beautifully with emotional beats that really tug at your heart. Whitney’s journey felt authentic, messy, and full of growth.

I especially loved the first-person POV—it pulls you completely into Whitney’s head, making every awkward moment, every hopeful thought, and every heartbreak hit that much harder.

By the end, I was smiling, emotional, and yes… absolutely hugging my Kindle.

A perfect rom-com that delivers humour, heart, and all the feel-good vibes.

[Lisa Spofford · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received a gifted copy of this novel via Rachel’s Random Resources and am voluntarily writing this review. WED OR ALIVE is a recent release by Portia MacIntosh. Romance writer, Whitney, is convinced she is in love with her best friend, who returns from long business trip announcing his engagement. While dealing with this, she shares a viral moment with Jake the cowboy, and they agree to fake date to further their career goals. Next thing she knows, she is staying in a lodge with Jake, her crazy friend and literary agent JJ, her best friend Andy, and his new fiancé, all under one roof! This is a spicy, open door, first person, single POV, contemporary romcom with tropes including Fake dating, Cowboy hero, Romance Writer heroine, Wedding setting, Chaotic meet-cute, and Forced proximity. This was a really funny, super endearing romance novel. Whitney is adorably awkward and Jake is a down to earth Texas cowboy who was trying to purchase an equestrian center attatched to a big English manor estate. The two were just perfect together. Whitney’s friend JJ was incredibly zany and added the air of ridiculousness that brought this story over the top. I had so much fun reading this one. I recommend this book for readers who enjoy an English fake dating romcom.

[Katy · Rating 3 out of 5]

I received this ARC from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.

I’m not sure how to feel about this one. On one hand, it’s stunningly self-aware (it actually calls out to this on the last page), but on the other hand, it feels like every other romance novel I’ve read over the last few years. I enjoyed parts of it. I haven’t read anything by this author before, but I didn’t like how some of the book felt as though it was being written in past tense (particularly at the start of chapters) and other parts felt as though we were witnessing the action fall out in real time. I appreciated the small group of central characters, sometimes things can feel too confusing to follow, especially when the main purpose is to follow a story, rather than delve deeply into the character back stories. I do feel as though the start of the book was slow, it took me forever to get about half way through and then the resolution was completely rushed. I wanted Whitney and Jake to get to know each other better as it seems as though she decided she was in love with him after one picnic date? I don’t know. Not my favourite read of this year but a definite easy summer beach read.

[Frances Wilkinson · Rating 3 out of 5]

Perfect read for sunny days

This was easy read with an interesting mix of characters. With the exception of JJ, who was perhaps a great agent but did not always exhibit the best judgement as a friend.
Whitney was blindsided when her flatmate and long time friend, Andy, returned from working in Australia with a fiancée, Cordelia, after just 6 weeks. Whitney had begun to think that her awful dating history was because she compared every man to Andy and that he might be the one she was waiting for. A rethink was needed, however, a series of incidents resulted in her trending on the internet, as the fiancé of Jake, the cowboy.
It seemed that Jake needed look like he was in a settled relationship to complete a business purchase and Whitney needed the internet interest to convince a publisher to take a chance on her new book. JJ, her agent persuaded them both that it could work out well for both of them, so they played along.
There was scope for misunderstandings and revelations, but there were only a few, which was a nice change from some books where they occur every five minutes.
A happy read.