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Fire on Fire
Isla Marriano is used to coming second in life. With her family, with her friends, and with love. One afternoon, Isla’s grandmother invites over the worst possible man for her, or so she thought. The hatred started from the beginning of their relationship, never fraying. Everywhere she went, he was there. Isla could not escape him. Until one night, Noah Oldfield became her saviour and the air drifted between them. From that point on, they meant something different to each other. Something more than either of them have ever experienced.
Noah Oldfield does not see the point of dating after a failed relationship when he was eighteen. That set the tone for his romantic life. When Noah met Isla, he despised her with every morsel in his body. She was infuriating to him and all he wanted to do was avoid her at all costs. Somehow though, their relationship was rocking between acquaintances and lovers, completely missing the friendship part. Not that it mattered.
How do you go from burning hatred to being each other’s saviours?
Noah Oldfield does not see the point of dating after a failed relationship when he was eighteen. That set the tone for his romantic life. When Noah met Isla, he despised her with every morsel in his body. She was infuriating to him and all he wanted to do was avoid her at all costs. Somehow though, their relationship was rocking between acquaintances and lovers, completely missing the friendship part. Not that it mattered.
How do you go from burning hatred to being each other’s saviours?
296 pages, Kindle Edition
Published June 14, 2026
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Displaying 1 - 18 of 18 reviews
July 5, 2026
0 stars.
My hatred for this book fittingly “started from the beginning … never fraying.” I am appalled to see that this book has received reviews upwards of two stars. Ratings should not merely reflect taste or interest in tropes, they must reflect the execution of the piece. The writing in this novel is of such poor quality, I am shocked that it made it through an editor’s hands to the public for purchase, and it is concerning that people are praising this train wreck of a final product. How far the standards of literature have dropped.
The countless number of flaws has left me wondering where to begin and how many should be covered in this review, but I’d particularly like to address Noah’s abhorrent behaviour and attitude towards women, the “enemies to lovers” fail, and the absence of any creative efforts in what is supposed to be a creative piece.
I will start off by saying that this book reads as a 13 year old’s diary interspersed with scenes from a 16 year old’s attempt at a spicy Wattpad story. These 20+ year old characters are horrendously immature, and not one person is capable of respecting boundaries nor has developed communication skills. The conflict, interactions and attitudes are stupid, pathetic and unbelievable, which made getting through the novel a laborious task. This is demonstrated right away in the initial meeting of the MCs, with Noah acting like a sulky toddler in a non-verbal mood and Isla being ridiculously insulting.
Several particular characterisations and scenes throughout the book portray Noah as a misogynistic, abusive and controlling pervert. The method he uses to get Isla to agree to a date with him involves forcibly stopping her from leaving and getting in her car by putting his hands on her, repeatedly refusing to take no for an answer, and consistently ignoring her demands to leave her alone. Isla herself even states on page 20 that the men “refusing to understand the word no” at the club are creepy, leaving me at a loss as to how she found Noah’s vile behaviour endearing. While on the date, Noah says, “As much as I’m all for women in power, losing to a girl is an ego deflator”, earning only a playful scoff from Isla. This juvenile sexism is disgusting to read in an adult novel and is yet another indicator of Noah’s red flags. Noah’s abhorrence culminates in the scene where he abruptly leaves his own sister’s wedding to have sex with Isla because he is senselessly angry from seeing Ruby. I would like to know what the thought process was behind this scene because it was wholly inappropriate and utterly sickening.
Noah is the embodiment of toxic masculinity and boasts zero self control, feeling an uncontrollable compulsion to let his frustration out by abandoning a family milestone to release his aggressive sexual urges, arguably not giving Isla a choice in the matter. The author then shamelessly advertises this scene with “she lets him f*** her until he forgets about his ex”. It is truly obscene and offensive. Readers should be devastated for Isla and disgusted in the choices of this author. This is not attractive. This is not normal. This is plausibly nonconsensual filth.
I struggle to see how this passes as an enemies to lovers romance. Noah and Isla become “enemies” for no good reason. The author states in the inelegant blurb that “somehow though, their relationship was rocking between acquaintances and lovers.” “Somehow” truly hits the nail on the head, as their progression to lovers occurs, again, for no good reason. The MCs go from talking about how annoying and infuriating the other is, to how “sweet” and “amazing” they are, even though the audience is not presented with any evidence to suggest that the MCs demonstrate these positive qualities. There is an astonishing lack of meaningful and intentional interaction/conversation between them and as a result we see zero emotional connection, leaving us to believe that they only end up dating because of a purely physical attraction.
This book also lacks any kind of creative and original imagery. There is a plethora of sights, smells, emotions, objects, interactions and experiences that cry out for an artistic touch, but the telling rather than showing in these moments that had so much potential is mind-numbing and disappointing. The exemplar of such non-descriptions is found in the only depiction of the restaurant in what is supposed to be the last hurrah of the book. “It is a simple restaurant. There is a classic vibe to it, which I like,” accurately summarises the thoughtless nature of the author’s work. The characters are profoundly basic and stereotypical. The brainless overuse of “chestnut waves”, “chocolate” and “dark” hair, and “hazel eyes”, which another reader identified in their review, is lazy and infuriating, as is the inclusion of innumerable cliches and similes taught in early primary school. The fire motif was absolutely butchered, with clunky and nonsensical descriptions that were embarrassing to read. Please note that, contrary to what is described in the book, a fire cannot be continuously ignited once it is already lit.
The nonsensical writing persists in the contradictions of the sub-plots, particularly in the cheating controversy. There was no continuity in Connor’s, Noah’s, or Isla’s feelings towards the situation by the end. The author’s time would have been better spent formulating a consistent, convincing and realistic ending to wrap up what was supposed to be a significant part of the story.
The editor of this book should be ashamed of how many spelling/grammatical errors and inconsistencies litter this final copy, as well as how unrefined and messy the piece turned out to be. The author plays a part in this, certainly, but I sincerely believe that this novel would have been improved with a different editor. It is clear that the author did not get the help that they required and I feel that the book would have benefitted from a more extensive and honest review process.
While I acknowledge that this is a debut novel, I am evidently disheartened that this was the end product. I do hope that the author’s passion encourages them to take creative risks in the future. I am confident that their writing has the ability to strengthen if they devote more time to learning how to utilise the English language to produce something worth reading.
My hatred for this book fittingly “started from the beginning … never fraying.” I am appalled to see that this book has received reviews upwards of two stars. Ratings should not merely reflect taste or interest in tropes, they must reflect the execution of the piece. The writing in this novel is of such poor quality, I am shocked that it made it through an editor’s hands to the public for purchase, and it is concerning that people are praising this train wreck of a final product. How far the standards of literature have dropped.
The countless number of flaws has left me wondering where to begin and how many should be covered in this review, but I’d particularly like to address Noah’s abhorrent behaviour and attitude towards women, the “enemies to lovers” fail, and the absence of any creative efforts in what is supposed to be a creative piece.
I will start off by saying that this book reads as a 13 year old’s diary interspersed with scenes from a 16 year old’s attempt at a spicy Wattpad story. These 20+ year old characters are horrendously immature, and not one person is capable of respecting boundaries nor has developed communication skills. The conflict, interactions and attitudes are stupid, pathetic and unbelievable, which made getting through the novel a laborious task. This is demonstrated right away in the initial meeting of the MCs, with Noah acting like a sulky toddler in a non-verbal mood and Isla being ridiculously insulting.
Several particular characterisations and scenes throughout the book portray Noah as a misogynistic, abusive and controlling pervert. The method he uses to get Isla to agree to a date with him involves forcibly stopping her from leaving and getting in her car by putting his hands on her, repeatedly refusing to take no for an answer, and consistently ignoring her demands to leave her alone. Isla herself even states on page 20 that the men “refusing to understand the word no” at the club are creepy, leaving me at a loss as to how she found Noah’s vile behaviour endearing. While on the date, Noah says, “As much as I’m all for women in power, losing to a girl is an ego deflator”, earning only a playful scoff from Isla. This juvenile sexism is disgusting to read in an adult novel and is yet another indicator of Noah’s red flags. Noah’s abhorrence culminates in the scene where he abruptly leaves his own sister’s wedding to have sex with Isla because he is senselessly angry from seeing Ruby. I would like to know what the thought process was behind this scene because it was wholly inappropriate and utterly sickening.
Noah is the embodiment of toxic masculinity and boasts zero self control, feeling an uncontrollable compulsion to let his frustration out by abandoning a family milestone to release his aggressive sexual urges, arguably not giving Isla a choice in the matter. The author then shamelessly advertises this scene with “she lets him f*** her until he forgets about his ex”. It is truly obscene and offensive. Readers should be devastated for Isla and disgusted in the choices of this author. This is not attractive. This is not normal. This is plausibly nonconsensual filth.
I struggle to see how this passes as an enemies to lovers romance. Noah and Isla become “enemies” for no good reason. The author states in the inelegant blurb that “somehow though, their relationship was rocking between acquaintances and lovers.” “Somehow” truly hits the nail on the head, as their progression to lovers occurs, again, for no good reason. The MCs go from talking about how annoying and infuriating the other is, to how “sweet” and “amazing” they are, even though the audience is not presented with any evidence to suggest that the MCs demonstrate these positive qualities. There is an astonishing lack of meaningful and intentional interaction/conversation between them and as a result we see zero emotional connection, leaving us to believe that they only end up dating because of a purely physical attraction.
This book also lacks any kind of creative and original imagery. There is a plethora of sights, smells, emotions, objects, interactions and experiences that cry out for an artistic touch, but the telling rather than showing in these moments that had so much potential is mind-numbing and disappointing. The exemplar of such non-descriptions is found in the only depiction of the restaurant in what is supposed to be the last hurrah of the book. “It is a simple restaurant. There is a classic vibe to it, which I like,” accurately summarises the thoughtless nature of the author’s work. The characters are profoundly basic and stereotypical. The brainless overuse of “chestnut waves”, “chocolate” and “dark” hair, and “hazel eyes”, which another reader identified in their review, is lazy and infuriating, as is the inclusion of innumerable cliches and similes taught in early primary school. The fire motif was absolutely butchered, with clunky and nonsensical descriptions that were embarrassing to read. Please note that, contrary to what is described in the book, a fire cannot be continuously ignited once it is already lit.
The nonsensical writing persists in the contradictions of the sub-plots, particularly in the cheating controversy. There was no continuity in Connor’s, Noah’s, or Isla’s feelings towards the situation by the end. The author’s time would have been better spent formulating a consistent, convincing and realistic ending to wrap up what was supposed to be a significant part of the story.
The editor of this book should be ashamed of how many spelling/grammatical errors and inconsistencies litter this final copy, as well as how unrefined and messy the piece turned out to be. The author plays a part in this, certainly, but I sincerely believe that this novel would have been improved with a different editor. It is clear that the author did not get the help that they required and I feel that the book would have benefitted from a more extensive and honest review process.
While I acknowledge that this is a debut novel, I am evidently disheartened that this was the end product. I do hope that the author’s passion encourages them to take creative risks in the future. I am confident that their writing has the ability to strengthen if they devote more time to learning how to utilise the English language to produce something worth reading.
May 2, 2026
0.25⭐️
Thank you The Berry Agency for providing this eARC!
This book is marketed as an enemies to lovers romance but it just felt forced, the reason they were ‘enemies’ in the first place was so stupid, i believe this book could have started off stronger is the ‘enemies to lovers’ pipeline wasn’t followed and they just started off as strangers who got to know each other normally without the added ‘hate’.
The characters read SO young and immature, i felt as if i was reading about two 16 year olds trying to navigate a relationship for the first time which personally isn’t my vibe. As the book went on and they started to warm up to each other, it felt as if the author was trying to grasp onto the fact that they were ‘enemies’ by adding unnecessarily tension and disagreements between the main characters that it honestly just got boring.
⚠️SPOILERS⚠️
Another thing that i didn’t like was how quick Noah was to forgive Connor, his literal childhood best friend for sleeping with his ex multiple times while they were still together, Noah was given a shitty explanation that borderline blamed him for getting in the way of Connor and Ruby’s(Noah’s ex) connection and was immediately understanding and went on to root for them?? Realistically the trust would be gone and i feel like the author only added this extra storyline to give the book more flair but it’s just wound up backfiring for me, cheating is irredeemable and i personally couldn’t continue a friendship with someone if i knew that they were the reason that me and my ex broke up.
⚠️SPOILES END⚠️
Something else that bothered me was Noah’s friend, Billy, he was absolutely disgusting. Constantly treating women like objects to sleep with, it’s was incredibly unpleasant to read about.
The only positives that i could take away from this book was that it was short and there was no useless third-act breakup but other than that, this book was a hot mess and it read like a poorly written wattpad fanfic, if i could rate this book any lower i would. I definitely would not recommend.
Thank you The Berry Agency for providing this eARC!
This book is marketed as an enemies to lovers romance but it just felt forced, the reason they were ‘enemies’ in the first place was so stupid, i believe this book could have started off stronger is the ‘enemies to lovers’ pipeline wasn’t followed and they just started off as strangers who got to know each other normally without the added ‘hate’.
The characters read SO young and immature, i felt as if i was reading about two 16 year olds trying to navigate a relationship for the first time which personally isn’t my vibe. As the book went on and they started to warm up to each other, it felt as if the author was trying to grasp onto the fact that they were ‘enemies’ by adding unnecessarily tension and disagreements between the main characters that it honestly just got boring.
⚠️SPOILERS⚠️
Another thing that i didn’t like was how quick Noah was to forgive Connor, his literal childhood best friend for sleeping with his ex multiple times while they were still together, Noah was given a shitty explanation that borderline blamed him for getting in the way of Connor and Ruby’s(Noah’s ex) connection and was immediately understanding and went on to root for them?? Realistically the trust would be gone and i feel like the author only added this extra storyline to give the book more flair but it’s just wound up backfiring for me, cheating is irredeemable and i personally couldn’t continue a friendship with someone if i knew that they were the reason that me and my ex broke up.
⚠️SPOILES END⚠️
Something else that bothered me was Noah’s friend, Billy, he was absolutely disgusting. Constantly treating women like objects to sleep with, it’s was incredibly unpleasant to read about.
The only positives that i could take away from this book was that it was short and there was no useless third-act breakup but other than that, this book was a hot mess and it read like a poorly written wattpad fanfic, if i could rate this book any lower i would. I definitely would not recommend.
May 17, 2026
Thank you The Berry Agency for an advanced copy of Fire on Fire.
I write this review with the best intentions, and my feedback is only supportive. I believe this novel would have benefited from a more thorough Beta reader process. (I do not know if there were Beta readers, or what readers were used) but I think some honest feedback during the writing process would have been beneficial before completing this final copy.
The "enemies to lovers" trope felt very forced here, and not naturally earned. Within moments of meeting each other, the MMC and the FMC "hate" each other and it doesn't feel warranted. The banter is forced, and juvenile even for university aged adults. The behavior was fairly immature, so much so, that the spice in the book felt awkward and out of place. Like it was thrown in there to make it more grown up.
The plot was predictable, but if you are looking for an easy read, this would be fine.
It seemed like the dwelling on the high school girlfriend cheating on the MMC wasn't a believable plot, and a strange thing to be hung up on, and it felt very dragged out. Especially when it had happened 5 years prior to the present day, and again, the involved characters were teenagers.
There was a lot of telling rather than showing, which again I believe could have been significantly improved with some extra editing. A lot of over explaining in areas that either didn't really require it.
However, I will say, that I do believe the characters in the immediate friend groups are well described. I think each person's personality is well developed and consistent.
Overall, for a debut novel by an Indie author, I think this particular work has potential but it would need to be revisited in a lot of areas.
I write this review with the best intentions, and my feedback is only supportive. I believe this novel would have benefited from a more thorough Beta reader process. (I do not know if there were Beta readers, or what readers were used) but I think some honest feedback during the writing process would have been beneficial before completing this final copy.
The "enemies to lovers" trope felt very forced here, and not naturally earned. Within moments of meeting each other, the MMC and the FMC "hate" each other and it doesn't feel warranted. The banter is forced, and juvenile even for university aged adults. The behavior was fairly immature, so much so, that the spice in the book felt awkward and out of place. Like it was thrown in there to make it more grown up.
The plot was predictable, but if you are looking for an easy read, this would be fine.
It seemed like the dwelling on the high school girlfriend cheating on the MMC wasn't a believable plot, and a strange thing to be hung up on, and it felt very dragged out. Especially when it had happened 5 years prior to the present day, and again, the involved characters were teenagers.
There was a lot of telling rather than showing, which again I believe could have been significantly improved with some extra editing. A lot of over explaining in areas that either didn't really require it.
However, I will say, that I do believe the characters in the immediate friend groups are well described. I think each person's personality is well developed and consistent.
Overall, for a debut novel by an Indie author, I think this particular work has potential but it would need to be revisited in a lot of areas.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Review of advance copy received from Publisher
I received this book as an arc in exchange for an honest review
In the kindest way possible, I absolutely hated this book. The premise of this book had me so excited but this couple was never enemies. Like the way their “hatred” started for each other was just childish. And then like 40% in he was basically obsessed with her? Like that’s not enemies to lovers. They were both really childish and had no character development. I absolutely despised Billy. Like the comment of “Plus, she’s really drunk so she’ll do anything you want” was absolutely disgusting. And the fact that all the friend group thought he was disgusting yet kept him around also says a lot about them.
And then the way the Noah just forgave Connor after he was the guy his ex cheated on him with? Like what is going on. Isla pushed to hard to make them be friends again when I can tell you right now I would never be friends with someone who did that to me again. I don’t think I liked any of the characters from this book. There was no character development for any of them and it’s like absolutely nothing happened throughout this book
In the kindest way possible, I absolutely hated this book. The premise of this book had me so excited but this couple was never enemies. Like the way their “hatred” started for each other was just childish. And then like 40% in he was basically obsessed with her? Like that’s not enemies to lovers. They were both really childish and had no character development. I absolutely despised Billy. Like the comment of “Plus, she’s really drunk so she’ll do anything you want” was absolutely disgusting. And the fact that all the friend group thought he was disgusting yet kept him around also says a lot about them.
And then the way the Noah just forgave Connor after he was the guy his ex cheated on him with? Like what is going on. Isla pushed to hard to make them be friends again when I can tell you right now I would never be friends with someone who did that to me again. I don’t think I liked any of the characters from this book. There was no character development for any of them and it’s like absolutely nothing happened throughout this book
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
July 8, 2026
If you want an Australian based, quick paced, dual pov romance, this is it!
This book is heart warming, cheeky and spicy. Following along with Isla and Noahs story is relatable for young love, epically based at an Australian university.
This couple goes from getting off on the wrong foot to falling for each other, helping one another get through past challenges.
Bella did an amazing job on her first novel and I am keen to see what is next to come!
This book is heart warming, cheeky and spicy. Following along with Isla and Noahs story is relatable for young love, epically based at an Australian university.
This couple goes from getting off on the wrong foot to falling for each other, helping one another get through past challenges.
Bella did an amazing job on her first novel and I am keen to see what is next to come!
May 29, 2026
Thank you to The Berry Agency for providing this ARC. And thank you to Bella Marie writing is hard and while I hated it I appalled you for putting your work out there.
I love this being set in Australia, and definitely think more books should be set in Australia. However believe I am too old for this book now. the main characters were annoying I found them to be immature and whiny. Firstly how are you gonna spend most of the book complaining you are broke while going out drinking most nights.
The whole book felt rushed I know it was over 7 months but there was no character development and honestly the whole thing felt like it happened in the span of a month if that.
Also where was the enemies part of this enemies to lovers? I am more enemies with my neighbours friend who kept stealing my parking spot for a month than they ever were in this entire book.
But also he is just gonna forgive them? If my best friend and boyfriend cheated on me no explanation would justify forgiveness.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
May 20, 2026
ARC Review
First chapter did not set a good tone… I found the enemies to lovers trope, particularly in the first chapter, felt rushed and immature. I found the FMC irritating throughout the ‘hate’ phase, she definitely seemed younger than a 20 year old uni student. If the authors intention was for the FMC to be annoying, then they’ve done a good job.
It probably would have been more enjoyable if it was set around high school / college students. It definitely felt more like turning 18 in Australia, getting your drivers licence, driving around, going out, hookup culture, the naivety around relationships/situation-ships etc.
The trust issues trope took over majority of the novel and it became boring towards the end. The plot was predictable. Once through the first quarter of the book it was a relatively easy read.
The last three chapters felt like a rush to tie all loose ends together. It wasn’t a page turner, it was okay. I ly had potential, I thought it would have more exciting plot given the title.
First chapter did not set a good tone… I found the enemies to lovers trope, particularly in the first chapter, felt rushed and immature. I found the FMC irritating throughout the ‘hate’ phase, she definitely seemed younger than a 20 year old uni student. If the authors intention was for the FMC to be annoying, then they’ve done a good job.
It probably would have been more enjoyable if it was set around high school / college students. It definitely felt more like turning 18 in Australia, getting your drivers licence, driving around, going out, hookup culture, the naivety around relationships/situation-ships etc.
The trust issues trope took over majority of the novel and it became boring towards the end. The plot was predictable. Once through the first quarter of the book it was a relatively easy read.
The last three chapters felt like a rush to tie all loose ends together. It wasn’t a page turner, it was okay. I ly had potential, I thought it would have more exciting plot given the title.
June 25, 2026
This was such a nice quick paced read between the mmc and fmc starting off hating each other to giving dating a go. I really enjoyed the relationship between Isla and Noah from where they first started off right through to the end. Noah had my heart with how sweet and patient he was with Isla and how he made her feel so comfortable
Thank you to The Berry Agency for sending me the arc of Fire On Fire to read and review
Thank you to The Berry Agency for sending me the arc of Fire On Fire to read and review
July 8, 2026
My sister asked that I read this book once she'd finished, after expressing disappointment in what she had consumed. Having now read it myself, I can see where she's coming from.
I'd say that perhaps this novel's biggest issue is simply its unoriginality. Fire on Fire was advertised by being distilled into a litany of overdone tropes, such as enemies-to-lovers, forced proximity and trust issues. I hate to imagine that Maria felt obliged to constrain her writing to a set of clichés rather than strike out and find new ground.
As someone who loves literature and has dreamed about pursuing/publishing a work of my own, I understand the goal to make something just like your favourite books or movies and such. There is something instinctual and deeply human about liking a piece of media and wanting to add your own spin on it so others can see what about it you liked. There is merit to that. However, what is the point of standing on the shoulders of giants if only to reach for the same shelf? It is evident that this book had a clear foundation, but lacked a key originality to its idea to warrant a read over most other books in the genre.
I was interested to see how the Australian setting contributed to the narrative, as this was another core selling point. Unfortunately, its role is entirely decorative. The story reads identically to any other romance set in any other country, only with a few proper nouns changed to reflect notable Sydney locations, such as USYD or the Harbour Bridge (which I do understand might be more meaningful to readers other than myself). I felt that the inclusion of Aussie slang, namely the inordinate cursing, only detracted from the seriousness of the story, coming across as juvenile.
Something that could have been a lot better is the effort made in the descriptions. There was a lot of repetition (hazel eyes/chestnut waves were mentioned upward of 20 times each), a lot of uninspired clichés, and also a few malaphors/mistakes (such as “the clogs were ticking behind your eyes” on p.231). It is evident that the editing process was not as thorough as it ought to have been, and it held back Maria's storytelling ability.
The narrative quality also suffered heavily from a lot of telling instead of showing (or reasoning). Isla and Noah strangely became enemies over something so trivial, and the "lovers" part felt pretty contrived. Each MC abruptly transitioned from kindergarten-level spite to inexplicable infatuation. The only evidence there is to suggest they love each other and have chemistry/compatibility lies purely in them just saying so repeatedly. That's one of the instances where the plot feels flimsily held together. Others include the matter of the MCs refusing to communicate, the entire Noah/Connor saga toward the end, and even the most foundational aspect of Noah's character (his feelings for Ruby on p.237 entirely contradicting what he drove home at every previous mention of her name).
A source of disappointment for me was that I felt the structure of a dual-POV novel was underutilised and occasionally underdeveloped. It felt very out-of-character for Noah to describe the golden, flowing locks of his friends or the way their handsome features sparkled. This novel would have benefited greatly from more time being spent on developing a unique, interesting voice for each MC. Too many times did it sound like Maria herself was speaking directly through the characters, and not from them.
It is then important to mention the unfiltered stream-of-consciousness style of narration. I'm sure that some readers would find it charming; however, I'd argue it more often than not reads as a primary school student's journal, rather than the mind of an adult. Whilst it could have been intentionally unrefined (or refined to seem that way), the general consensus among readers is that it feels as though the target audience for this book is very young adult, despite the spice.
I would also like to mention the out-of-place and unapologetic misogyny that makes several appearances. Billy is unremorsefully disgusting, characterised only by his treatment of women as sexual objects. Whilst this type of person does obviously exist in humanity, the other characters in this book often seemed entirely unbothered by his sleazy remarks, almost as if to endorse them.
Then there is the matter of Noah's utterly unforgivable admission on p.129, and his outrageous behaviour toward Isla in ch.16. Whilst I don't believe it was Maria's intention to portray him as a raging misogynist who views women as below him, and pays no respect to the boundaries of the people around him, the way he is written here unfortunately betrays him as exactly that. It left a very sour taste in my mouth.
One thing that stood out to me as being particularly creative was the shift in narration during ch.33. I love this kind of experimentation with form/structure that breaks up the otherwise predictable phases of narration.
Of course, I am aware that this is Maria's debut novel. It's not entirely unexpected that a few spelling errors or simple writing faux pas (such as tautological errors or the overuse of paragraph breaks) would slip through the cracks. As mentioned previously, I'm sure that greater pains will be taken in the future to ensure that Maria learns from her many mistakes.
I'd say that perhaps this novel's biggest issue is simply its unoriginality. Fire on Fire was advertised by being distilled into a litany of overdone tropes, such as enemies-to-lovers, forced proximity and trust issues. I hate to imagine that Maria felt obliged to constrain her writing to a set of clichés rather than strike out and find new ground.
As someone who loves literature and has dreamed about pursuing/publishing a work of my own, I understand the goal to make something just like your favourite books or movies and such. There is something instinctual and deeply human about liking a piece of media and wanting to add your own spin on it so others can see what about it you liked. There is merit to that. However, what is the point of standing on the shoulders of giants if only to reach for the same shelf? It is evident that this book had a clear foundation, but lacked a key originality to its idea to warrant a read over most other books in the genre.
I was interested to see how the Australian setting contributed to the narrative, as this was another core selling point. Unfortunately, its role is entirely decorative. The story reads identically to any other romance set in any other country, only with a few proper nouns changed to reflect notable Sydney locations, such as USYD or the Harbour Bridge (which I do understand might be more meaningful to readers other than myself). I felt that the inclusion of Aussie slang, namely the inordinate cursing, only detracted from the seriousness of the story, coming across as juvenile.
Something that could have been a lot better is the effort made in the descriptions. There was a lot of repetition (hazel eyes/chestnut waves were mentioned upward of 20 times each), a lot of uninspired clichés, and also a few malaphors/mistakes (such as “the clogs were ticking behind your eyes” on p.231). It is evident that the editing process was not as thorough as it ought to have been, and it held back Maria's storytelling ability.
The narrative quality also suffered heavily from a lot of telling instead of showing (or reasoning). Isla and Noah strangely became enemies over something so trivial, and the "lovers" part felt pretty contrived. Each MC abruptly transitioned from kindergarten-level spite to inexplicable infatuation. The only evidence there is to suggest they love each other and have chemistry/compatibility lies purely in them just saying so repeatedly. That's one of the instances where the plot feels flimsily held together. Others include the matter of the MCs refusing to communicate, the entire Noah/Connor saga toward the end, and even the most foundational aspect of Noah's character (his feelings for Ruby on p.237 entirely contradicting what he drove home at every previous mention of her name).
A source of disappointment for me was that I felt the structure of a dual-POV novel was underutilised and occasionally underdeveloped. It felt very out-of-character for Noah to describe the golden, flowing locks of his friends or the way their handsome features sparkled. This novel would have benefited greatly from more time being spent on developing a unique, interesting voice for each MC. Too many times did it sound like Maria herself was speaking directly through the characters, and not from them.
It is then important to mention the unfiltered stream-of-consciousness style of narration. I'm sure that some readers would find it charming; however, I'd argue it more often than not reads as a primary school student's journal, rather than the mind of an adult. Whilst it could have been intentionally unrefined (or refined to seem that way), the general consensus among readers is that it feels as though the target audience for this book is very young adult, despite the spice.
I would also like to mention the out-of-place and unapologetic misogyny that makes several appearances. Billy is unremorsefully disgusting, characterised only by his treatment of women as sexual objects. Whilst this type of person does obviously exist in humanity, the other characters in this book often seemed entirely unbothered by his sleazy remarks, almost as if to endorse them.
Then there is the matter of Noah's utterly unforgivable admission on p.129, and his outrageous behaviour toward Isla in ch.16. Whilst I don't believe it was Maria's intention to portray him as a raging misogynist who views women as below him, and pays no respect to the boundaries of the people around him, the way he is written here unfortunately betrays him as exactly that. It left a very sour taste in my mouth.
One thing that stood out to me as being particularly creative was the shift in narration during ch.33. I love this kind of experimentation with form/structure that breaks up the otherwise predictable phases of narration.
Of course, I am aware that this is Maria's debut novel. It's not entirely unexpected that a few spelling errors or simple writing faux pas (such as tautological errors or the overuse of paragraph breaks) would slip through the cracks. As mentioned previously, I'm sure that greater pains will be taken in the future to ensure that Maria learns from her many mistakes.
July 14, 2026
“Let’s see if fire on fire doesn’t explode into a huge burning mess.” It did and it was catastrophic.
I was looking forward to reading this but it was unfortunately a massive let down. I completely agree with the other reviews in that the enemies to lovers part was way too forced and silly, the characters are very immature, the cheating part was ridiculous and unrealistic. Some people also mentioned that the writing style/techniques were below par and that Noah is an absolutely disgusting person - I couldn’t agree more, and Noah deserves a lot more hate over how he treated Isla. I’m genuinely in shock that people are normalising his forceful and offensive behaviour (especially the wedding scene which was completely unacceptable so I’m glad it was finally brought up), and animalistic lack of self control.
I wanted to touch on a few things that deserve a mention.
- There is wayyy too much swearing in the book, it gets so boring and is painful to read with how immature it comes across.
- The whole second place motif made no sense the way that it was described. It was just a forced comparison and a lot of waffling, it made the characters sound dumb and really self pitying.
- Isla said literally 5 times that she wouldn’t get involved in the situation between Noah & Connor, then proceeded to go behind Noah’s back, disrespect his wishes, and get involved. She had absolutely no right to do what she did and this arc’s resolution was just forced by the author to tie loose ends. It was completely unrealistic and immature.
- Noah’s trust issues were weak and poorly represented. Trust issues don’t just go away when you hear about what happened from the other person’s point of view. And in this instance, it should’ve made his issues even worse lol.
- So many cliches with many of them being reused throughout. Really unoriginal and boring.
- Isla said that she doesn’t believe in “there are more fish in the sea,” but instead believes in “there is a perfect person out there for everybody” which literally means the exact same thing??
- The characters repeatedly thought to themselves “I don’t have the words to describe it” which is crazy and is the very height of laziness because this is literally a novel. Describe it!!!!
- The constant cursing of the universe was so self-important and immature.
- Why did Noah start using that nickname for Isla when they weren’t even together? It gave me the ick and Isla should’ve been grossed out like a normal person.
- The male friend group was so one dimensional and it seemed like they were just based off Joey from Friends. Speaking of which, Friends was mentioned too many times and there were multiple very similar, uninspired parallels.
- Isla made a big deal out of how there was supposedly a deep, hidden message when Ginny said, “Someone has to be the responsible adult”, but it didn’t come back up at any point in the book and it was just stupid.
- The ending was so rushed and it felt like the writing got significantly worse in the last few chapters.
- So many errors, mistakes and contradictions. I don’t understand how the sheer number of them was missed.
*Spoilers!!!*
- The talk of saviours in the blurb didn’t amount to anything. No one was in danger, no one’s life was saved. What are they supposed to have saved each other from??? It was like a deleted scene and was very misleading because it was talked up so much.
- Why on earth did Connor go to Ruby’s house during a supposedly active break-in?!? Why were the police not called? This was so mind-numbingly stupid and I couldn’t believe what I was reading.
*Spoilers over*
I’m sorry to say that this was flaming garbage but I hope that the author is able to take everything onboard and build on it in their future projects.
I was looking forward to reading this but it was unfortunately a massive let down. I completely agree with the other reviews in that the enemies to lovers part was way too forced and silly, the characters are very immature, the cheating part was ridiculous and unrealistic. Some people also mentioned that the writing style/techniques were below par and that Noah is an absolutely disgusting person - I couldn’t agree more, and Noah deserves a lot more hate over how he treated Isla. I’m genuinely in shock that people are normalising his forceful and offensive behaviour (especially the wedding scene which was completely unacceptable so I’m glad it was finally brought up), and animalistic lack of self control.
I wanted to touch on a few things that deserve a mention.
- There is wayyy too much swearing in the book, it gets so boring and is painful to read with how immature it comes across.
- The whole second place motif made no sense the way that it was described. It was just a forced comparison and a lot of waffling, it made the characters sound dumb and really self pitying.
- Isla said literally 5 times that she wouldn’t get involved in the situation between Noah & Connor, then proceeded to go behind Noah’s back, disrespect his wishes, and get involved. She had absolutely no right to do what she did and this arc’s resolution was just forced by the author to tie loose ends. It was completely unrealistic and immature.
- Noah’s trust issues were weak and poorly represented. Trust issues don’t just go away when you hear about what happened from the other person’s point of view. And in this instance, it should’ve made his issues even worse lol.
- So many cliches with many of them being reused throughout. Really unoriginal and boring.
- Isla said that she doesn’t believe in “there are more fish in the sea,” but instead believes in “there is a perfect person out there for everybody” which literally means the exact same thing??
- The characters repeatedly thought to themselves “I don’t have the words to describe it” which is crazy and is the very height of laziness because this is literally a novel. Describe it!!!!
- The constant cursing of the universe was so self-important and immature.
- Why did Noah start using that nickname for Isla when they weren’t even together? It gave me the ick and Isla should’ve been grossed out like a normal person.
- The male friend group was so one dimensional and it seemed like they were just based off Joey from Friends. Speaking of which, Friends was mentioned too many times and there were multiple very similar, uninspired parallels.
- Isla made a big deal out of how there was supposedly a deep, hidden message when Ginny said, “Someone has to be the responsible adult”, but it didn’t come back up at any point in the book and it was just stupid.
- The ending was so rushed and it felt like the writing got significantly worse in the last few chapters.
- So many errors, mistakes and contradictions. I don’t understand how the sheer number of them was missed.
*Spoilers!!!*
- The talk of saviours in the blurb didn’t amount to anything. No one was in danger, no one’s life was saved. What are they supposed to have saved each other from??? It was like a deleted scene and was very misleading because it was talked up so much.
- Why on earth did Connor go to Ruby’s house during a supposedly active break-in?!? Why were the police not called? This was so mind-numbingly stupid and I couldn’t believe what I was reading.
*Spoilers over*
I’m sorry to say that this was flaming garbage but I hope that the author is able to take everything onboard and build on it in their future projects.
Review of advance copy received from Publisher
2.5⭐
Thank you so much to The Berry Agency for this arc copy!
Fire On Fire is a dual POV romance novel that follows Isla and Noah, who meet and instantly hate each other.
This wasn't a bad book by any means, but I felt it really lacked character and plot depth, and needs to be polished a bit more.
This is a romance book so of course there isn't going to be a crazy plot, but not much happens in this book at all. We mainly just get scene after scene of our characters interacting, but there's no overarcing story or flow. We see a little bit of Isla's work life, and Noah's footy games, but beyond that we really don't know our characters, their hobbies, or their life outside of this relationship. It made it really hard for me to connect with the characters, I had no reason to root for them.
Also this book is dual POV, but we don't get a lot of insight into our characters emotions/thoughts, like I feel like it scratches the surface, but that's it. There will be a scene in Isla's POV and I'll be like oh I can't wait to see this scene or the aftermath of it in Noah's POV. But then the next chapter in Noah's POV will be about something completely different, like we skip his POV all together.
There was a chapter where Noah couldn't remember Isla's name, then in the next one in his POV he suddenly just knows it with no explanation as to how. I don't know if that's on purpose or something that wasn't picked up in editing.
Whilst this book is marketed as enemies to lovers, I didn't feel that that was the case. Yes Isla and Noah hated each other, but there wasn't really much of a basis to it. Like Isla thought Noah was rude during one small interaction and that's essentially it.
There were also some editing things that weren't picked up that took me out of the story a bit, obviously that's a quick fix though!
I did enjoy the spicy scenes though, they were written really well!
Overall this book was okay, it just lacks in depth and would benefit from being fleshed out some more.
Thank you so much to The Berry Agency for this arc copy!
Fire On Fire is a dual POV romance novel that follows Isla and Noah, who meet and instantly hate each other.
This wasn't a bad book by any means, but I felt it really lacked character and plot depth, and needs to be polished a bit more.
This is a romance book so of course there isn't going to be a crazy plot, but not much happens in this book at all. We mainly just get scene after scene of our characters interacting, but there's no overarcing story or flow. We see a little bit of Isla's work life, and Noah's footy games, but beyond that we really don't know our characters, their hobbies, or their life outside of this relationship. It made it really hard for me to connect with the characters, I had no reason to root for them.
Also this book is dual POV, but we don't get a lot of insight into our characters emotions/thoughts, like I feel like it scratches the surface, but that's it. There will be a scene in Isla's POV and I'll be like oh I can't wait to see this scene or the aftermath of it in Noah's POV. But then the next chapter in Noah's POV will be about something completely different, like we skip his POV all together.
There was a chapter where Noah couldn't remember Isla's name, then in the next one in his POV he suddenly just knows it with no explanation as to how. I don't know if that's on purpose or something that wasn't picked up in editing.
Whilst this book is marketed as enemies to lovers, I didn't feel that that was the case. Yes Isla and Noah hated each other, but there wasn't really much of a basis to it. Like Isla thought Noah was rude during one small interaction and that's essentially it.
There were also some editing things that weren't picked up that took me out of the story a bit, obviously that's a quick fix though!
I did enjoy the spicy scenes though, they were written really well!
Overall this book was okay, it just lacks in depth and would benefit from being fleshed out some more.
Read
June 21, 2026I’d call this new adult with strong YA vibes, the only thing that really pushes it into NA territory are the few spicy scenes.
The plot had a lot of potential. The banter was good, and the way the main characters kept running into each other felt fun and there was just enough angst between them to keep things interesting.
Noah has a lot of baggage from his past and some serious trust issues that get even worse after a big bombshell gets dropped. It definitely holds him back from letting anyone in, but once he stops being in his own way, he starts to realize there’s more to life than what hurt him. Isla is the opposite, inexperienced when it comes to love and doesn’t really know how to handle her feelings. She doesn’t get a lot of reassurance growing up, but she really comes into her own.
The friend group as a whole was a highlight for me. They’re all so different but somehow just work together, and each of them has their own little quirks!
The plot had a lot of potential. The banter was good, and the way the main characters kept running into each other felt fun and there was just enough angst between them to keep things interesting.
Noah has a lot of baggage from his past and some serious trust issues that get even worse after a big bombshell gets dropped. It definitely holds him back from letting anyone in, but once he stops being in his own way, he starts to realize there’s more to life than what hurt him. Isla is the opposite, inexperienced when it comes to love and doesn’t really know how to handle her feelings. She doesn’t get a lot of reassurance growing up, but she really comes into her own.
The friend group as a whole was a highlight for me. They’re all so different but somehow just work together, and each of them has their own little quirks!
Review of advance copy
Thank you to The Berry Agency for providing me with this ARC.
I really enjoyed this book and found it a nice easy read. I loved the banter when Noah and Isla first met at her grandparents house, especially when he told her he lived with his friends and she called it ‘like a swingers house’. It was great to see their relationship go slow, for them to make sure it was right for them and not just jump straight in and take off running. I did feel like the part with Cameron and Ruby was great advice that it was in the past and to move on but I still felt like it was almost too rushed. I don’t think I could forgive that quickly if my best mate did that to me. I’ve really enjoyed how this book is set in Australia, being a fellow Aussie I find most books set in this University life are mostly set in America so that was nice.
I really enjoyed this book and found it a nice easy read. I loved the banter when Noah and Isla first met at her grandparents house, especially when he told her he lived with his friends and she called it ‘like a swingers house’. It was great to see their relationship go slow, for them to make sure it was right for them and not just jump straight in and take off running. I did feel like the part with Cameron and Ruby was great advice that it was in the past and to move on but I still felt like it was almost too rushed. I don’t think I could forgive that quickly if my best mate did that to me. I’ve really enjoyed how this book is set in Australia, being a fellow Aussie I find most books set in this University life are mostly set in America so that was nice.
June 28, 2026
Isla and Noah’s enemies to lovers was a classic introduction into typical Australian university life. I enjoyed the banter between the characters and the way they played off each other. They grew together and made each other vulnerable and open to love. Bella went into how Eastern European culture impacts the next generation. Like Bella I too am running out of room on my bookshelves from the romance genre. I didn’t like how quickly the conflict was resolved between Connor and Noah. I didn’t like Billy but he is a stereotype that you come across in Australian university life. I loved the team jersey moment and swooned when that happened. I hope you continue with a series with the rest of the group Bella! *ARC READ*
June 22, 2026
“There are people who pop into your life unexpectedly and end up becoming the ones worth keeping around. Noah is one of those people…”
Fire on Fire by Bella Maria was such a sweet and comforting read. Isla and Noah’s story felt incredibly relatable, and I loved the reminder that you should never give up on love because sometimes the right person comes along when you least expect it.
If you’re looking for a light, heartwarming romance that will leave you smiling, I definitely recommend giving this one a try.
Fire on Fire by Bella Maria was such a sweet and comforting read. Isla and Noah’s story felt incredibly relatable, and I loved the reminder that you should never give up on love because sometimes the right person comes along when you least expect it.
If you’re looking for a light, heartwarming romance that will leave you smiling, I definitely recommend giving this one a try.
Review of advance copy received from Publisher
This is an ARC review: Unfortunately, this book was not for me. Don’t think this can be considered as an “enemies to lovers”, they supposably cannot stand each other for no real reason? Yet suddenly they start liking each other? Both the storyline and the characters felt immature to me. It lacked depth and build up. Could’t relate to the characters or how the storyline went. If you leave out the 🌶️, it would feel like the intended audience of this book would be 13 Y/O.
May 31, 2026
This book was a quick easy read but it definitely wasn’t enemies to lovers - maybe mild annoyance to lovers. The hatred felt forced and the build up to lovers wasn’t there - they just suddenly were. The story was still cute though and it was nice to see an Australian University setting when so many books are based around American colleges.
Review of advance copy
The fact they hated each other for thier parents setting them up and then they kept running into each other it was a love story destined to happen
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