Thank you so much to @PRHInternational for sending me an e-ARC in exchange for an honest review!
A talented Hollywood starlet and a reclusive A-lister enter into a fake relationship . . . and discover that their feelings might be more than a PR stunt in this sexy debut for fans of Beach Read and The Unhoneymooners.
Grey Brooks is on a mission to keep her career afloat now that the end of her long-running teen soap has her (unsuccessfully) pounding the pavement again. With a life-changing role on the line, she’s finally desperate enough to agree to her publicist’s scheme… faking a love affair with a disgraced Hollywood heartthrob who needs the publicity, but for very different reasons.
Ethan Atkins just wants to be left alone. Between his high-profile divorce, his struggles with drinking, and his grief over the death of his longtime creative partner and best friend, he’s slowly let himself fade into the background. But if he ever wants to produce the last movie he and his partner wrote together, Ethan needs to clean up his reputation and step back into the spotlight. A gossip-inducing affair with a gorgeous actress might be just the ticket, even if it’s the last thing he wants to do.
Though their juicy public relationship is less than perfect behind the scenes, it doesn’t take long before Grey and Ethan’s sizzling chemistry starts to feel like more than just an act. But after decades in a ruthless industry that requires bulletproof emotional armor to survive, are they too used to faking it to open themselves up to the real thing?
TW: Addiction, Grief
This book was an absolute delight to read. From the moment I started it, I was hooked. It’s told from 3rd person’s perspective, which I’m not always on board with for romances, but I thought it worked really well with this one!! It was just such a lighthearted and cute read, and yet it still managed to discuss some heavier topics and deliver some powerful and emotional scenes. Definitely a fun romance book with just a smidgeon of smut (one scene). Honestly, who of us never fantasized about dating their celebrity crush?? Which just makes this book feel so much more like a romantic fantasy. Plus FAKE DATING. That one is always a winner for me.
Grey & Ethan’s characters were really well fleshed out. I felt like they were both coming from very different stages of their lives, yet they had so much in common with one another and their circumstances. It’s funny to think how someone who’s in such a different position than yours, might have a ton in common with you. They were both very guarded, especially due to their past trauma. Both hesitant and untrusting. Both in a stale stage in their career and life. Their bickering was quite funny. I enjoyed seeing Grey give Ethan the occasional proverbial slap to the face he very much needed.
I really appreciated how this book discussed the topics of grief & addiction. Ethan thought Grey was his “cure”, but by the end of it all… he realized that she wasn’t, and he just needed to heal alone before diving into a relationship. He didn’t really on her anymore. They both realized that they don’t NEED each other, but they WANT each other.
I also really liked that they put the emphasis on character and personality being tied to these traits rather than circumstances. As Ethan says in the book, being an actor didn’t push him into becoming an addict- his career choice just certainly did not help matters…
Make sure to pick this one up if you like:
- Fake Dating Trope
- DILF
- Age Gap
- Witty Banter
- Celebrity Crush to Lovers
- Only One Bed Trope
ShakedReads 