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dianaschmidty's review
adventurous
emotional
funny
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
I loved this book! I’ve loved basically every romance about celebrities that I’ve read, and the fact that this was also second chance romance just made it perfect for me! This book gave me butterflies so many times, and that’s when I know that it’s a least a 4.5 star book!
Emmy and Grayson had amazing chemistry! Enemies to lovers was done very well in this book because it actually felt like they loathed each other (despite one of them actually only ever having lovey dovey feelings🤭) and I feel like that’s rare in romance books. But then once Gemma’s hate turned to lust, it was so much fun to read, especially as their filming scenes got better and better!
I also really liked their backstories and the side characters. The book felt very fleshed out because of all of the little details about both their lives and the lives of the people around them.
I’ll admit that I didn’t really like the third act conflict. I predicted that it would happen at like the 50% mark and then the next 100 pages just felt like I was waiting for the show to drop, which is a feeling I kind of hate having in a romance book. I also didn’t like the conflict itself because I didn’t like how Grayson didn’t just fire his manager. I hope he did after everything went down, but they never explicitly state that.
I will say that I absolutely loved their reunion scene, so much so that I went and reread it again!
Go read this book!
Thank you to Falon Ballard, Putnam, and Edelweiss for providing me access to this book!
Emmy and Grayson had amazing chemistry! Enemies to lovers was done very well in this book because it actually felt like they loathed each other (despite one of them actually only ever having lovey dovey feelings🤭) and I feel like that’s rare in romance books. But then once Gemma’s hate turned to lust, it was so much fun to read, especially as their filming scenes got better and better!
I also really liked their backstories and the side characters. The book felt very fleshed out because of all of the little details about both their lives and the lives of the people around them.
I’ll admit that I didn’t really like the third act conflict. I predicted that it would happen at like the 50% mark and then the next 100 pages just felt like I was waiting for the show to drop, which is a feeling I kind of hate having in a romance book. I also didn’t like the conflict itself because I didn’t like how Grayson didn’t just fire his manager. I hope he did after everything went down, but they never explicitly state that.
I will say that I absolutely loved their reunion scene, so much so that I went and reread it again!
Go read this book!
Thank you to Falon Ballard, Putnam, and Edelweiss for providing me access to this book!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content
Moderate: Toxic relationship
readingwithjessica_w's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Heart racing, stomach flipping—these are actual feelings I had while reading Right on Cue. Falon Ballard has perfected the frustration, the sexual chemistry, and the tension of enemies to lovers so well that I could literally feel it myself. Like holy (insert curse word here) these two just are so perfect for each other, and the single point of view from Emmy giving limited insight into Grayson’s feelings makes the suspense that much stronger. This is one of my favorite tropes, especially when a character is in denial about their own feelings because how could they possibly rationalize having emotions for someone that frustrates them?
The set up is that Emmy has written a Hallmark-esque romcom set in a snowy little town and with no actresses wowing her director best-friend Liz, she must act as the female lead—a role she abandoned at age 15. When she discovers a last minute fluke has landed Grayson West, her first crush and teen failed movie costar opposite her, it’s all Emmy can do to even be in the same room with him. Working on a movie together is the perfect dynamic for the forced proximity of two costars who have amazing sexual chemistry, but let their own misgivings (Emmy’s mostly) keep them from discussing it.
The stakes are amped up even higher between Grayson and Emmy by forcing their characters to block a sex scene—ahhh! intimate touching!—amidst the awkwardness of even looking at one another. Although sex is what initially helps bind these two (an actor must do what an actor must 😉), it becomes pretty clear that feelings are inevitable and the major factor keeping Emmy and Grayson at arms length. This book is super steamy (my fave) and also very funny. Grayson’s sex puns had me rolling, but more than that, it’s about people learning how to be vulnerable with each other and learning to let someone into their heart when they’ve had it broken before. Here’s your warning, there IS a third act breakup that lays heavily into the miscommunication trope, but knowing Emmy’s character, it seemed completely plausible to me. Through it all I rooted for these two, laughed at them, and cheered them on when life got complicated outside the filming bubble. Fallon Ballard has become an autobuy author for me and I would strongly encourage you to give Right on Cue a read. I received an early copy from NetGalley and Putnam. All opinions are my own.
Content Warnings
Minor: Toxic relationship and Death of parent
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