I like a fake-relationship trope as much as the next romance reader and paired with the glitz 'n glam of Hollywood this has the potential to be a winner.

It only succeeded in part. While the story and characters in itself had potential, the writing could be improved. Especially in the beginning there is a lot of telling and infodumping. This does improve somewhat as the story progresses, but the author's style of writing didn't really work for me as a reader.

It did have some cute moments and after I moved past the beginning, I found myself quite invested in how it all played out.

Jada and Tristan are both actors who need a publicity boost. Can their fake relationship fool everyone or are they only fooling themselves?

This was just an okay read for me. I enjoyed Tristan and Jadas banter and their chemistry was great. However, Jadas internal monologue was a bit overwhelming for me; the constant back and forth and self sabotage because repetitive and annoying. She had repeated overreactions to Tristan and if I were him I would have said my goodbyes and cut my losses. Tristan wasn’t an angel either in the way he acted or spoke.

Off Script by Ashley Marie is a fast-paced romance with comic overtones, set in the world of film making with interesting behind the scenes information. Jada Berklee is an upcoming and talented actress. She almost had her career derailed after her breakup with one of her leading men (cheater). She is determined to keep her head down and just turn out stellar work. She has recently been given the opportunity to work as a supporting actress with the very handsome Tristan Maxwell. Tristan is a former child star and has the reputation of being a playboy. He is more sensitive than he is portrayed in the media but that does not stop him from embarking on a liaison with his current leading lady. Unfortunately, while he is looking for nothing long term, she is determined to hold on to their tenuous relationship. Inexplicably (perhaps self destructively), Tristan has a one off with a member of the backstage staff. Jada is pulled into this mishmash when Tristan thinks she disclosed his actions to the stalkerish leading lady and berates her very publicly. Their solution to this brouhaha: pretend to be dating. I liked both characters but found them both to be somewhat childish. Tristan had a lot of baggage from his family that he never seems to deal with, and Jada is drawn to him but is inconsistent. She did not make a very believable fake girlfriend! Ms. Marie wisely did not settle all of their problems by the end of the book; they had some real growing up to do but the reader can imagine them making strides together. In addition to Jada and Tristan, the book has at least two other couples poised for stories. I would really enjoy reading about Mikayla and Alia and in the process catch up the sure to be matured Jada and Tristan or JaStan/TrisDa.
Thank you to NetGalley for this ARC for an honest opinion!

Goodreads:
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/4446684316

Barnes and Noble:
https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/off-script-ashley-marie/1139985532?ean=9781990259159&bvnotificationId=0440f622-6dbf-11ec-98bb-0ab38a7b9f49&bvmessageType=REVIEW_APPROVED&bvrecipientDomain=gmail.com#review/195211353

Okay, so, I almost quit reading this one. Really, I kind of didn't particularly like Jada OR Tristan in the beginning and I wasn't sure that his actions could be redeemed to be honest. But something told me to keep reading, and I did!

I really liked it because the characters so imperfect and they make really dumb decisions and say things that they shouldn't and it just causes a heap of misunderstandings. I feel like these characters could very well be "real" people because they really and truly made some not-so-great decisions and tried to rationalize them before finally getting their act together and turning things around.

I liked the epilogue and the fact that both characters acknowledged that they are not perfect and that the relationship requires work. This was a refreshing, quick, read with some realistic feel to it!

This ARC was provided to me via Kindle by Wattpad Books and #NetGalley for my honest opinion. Opinions expressed are completely my own.

I feel like it’s an overdone troupe. While it’s well- written, I’ve come to expect more in 2021/22. That me.

LOVE a fake-dating scenario!

Jada is an up-and-coming actress trying to bounce back and keep her career afloat after a messy breakup with her costar. Tristan is a popular Hollywood playboy who Jada accidentally catches cheating on his current starlet girlfriend. The fallout leads to a PR nightmare after the gossip sites get a hold of a video of Tristan confronting Jada about what she saw. Tristian's agent proposes a PR spin to save both their reputations...Jada and Tristan should pretend to be a couple and that the leaked fight was just a scene rehearsal. They agree, but keeping up their faux-mance brings them more drama than they bargained for.

I really liked this book! Both main characters and their friends were so fun. Jada is determined to be professional and get her career back on track and I loved watching her become more confident throughout the book until she finally faced her past and stood up for herself. Her cousin/roommate, Mikayla is kind of Jada's opposite, but I love how supportive, if a little too mischievous, she is. Tristan comes off kind of awful at first, but as Jada (and we!) get to know him, he is actually a total sweetheart with some baggage of his own. Tristan and Jada's chemistry is off the charts, even when they hate each other and are barely tolerating their fake-dating PR stunt. As they get to know each other and start admitting their true feelings, they help each other realize a lot of things about themselves and grow. I also really liked how the story touched on the struggles Jada faces as a Black woman trying to make it Hollywood and the microaggressions she and other actresses like her face on casting calls. Tristan faces similar struggles as a Latino man trying not to be typecast, and I think both of their experiences mirror very real issues POC in the entertainment industry face that many people don't realize are happening. Even though fake-dating isn't a super realistic scenario, the characters and their experiences come off realistically.

Overall, this was a great, quick read. I would definitely recommend it to any fake-dating trope fans out there as well as romance readers in general. Definitely a couple steamy scenes, too!

Thank you to NetGalley and Wattpad books for this ARC!

This was a mixed bag for me. I love the fake dating trope so was keen to read this. There was a bit of character whiplash though which led to the fake dating. Tristan at first didn’t really seem like a player despite his questionable choices with Angela and him and Jada had a cute friendly connection. Then the Erica thing happened (which was a bit wtf and not as the blurb made it out to be) and their somewhat friendly relationship suddenly turned into some sort of love/hate thing with Tristan acting like a bit of a jerk. There was a lot of back and forth, hot and cold with the two leads which got a bit tiresome and I found myself wanting to read more about the supporting characters like Mikayla and Ren at some points. Overall though there was some chemistry and an interesting premise and the author’s writing style is good. Not the best in the trope but still worth a look.

This is a fun book to get lost into, especially if you like reading US Weekly or People. The characters are easy to like, and you find yourself rooting for them throughout. I flew through this one. Loved the diversity of characters. We need more books like this.

I love a fake dating trope, especially with these two strong-willed POC. Jade has been burned before, her career is only now getting back on track and she needs to stay away from drama. Tristan is also wanting to stay dram free so he I can advance his career and more, Both are forced to fake date to save face however neither are blameless and they can't stand each other, they have horrible ex and future jobs on the line. The fire and chemistry between these two are wild and awesome to read. When they finally came together it's a ride. It a great exciting romance with some sticky situations

Maybe i dont want to read the guys horny perspective did you ever think about that romance writers huh? Did you ever? Maybe i would like to experience everything from the heroine’s pov