This book was exactly what I needed to get me out of a reading slump!

I loved all the characters, but especially Marlowe.

Okay so I love reading romances that have the celebrity angle, but one of my issues is that not a lot of them deal with the struggles of being a celebrity. Like, okay you're famous and have a big house but IF YOU HAVE FANS WHO LOVE YOU A LITTLE TOO MUCH ANYONE YOU DATE MIGHT BE AFFECTED.

And this! I adored this. And I got what I wanted!

Marlowe was delightful and I loved her arc and how realistic it was. I loved Angus! I liked that he was gruff and had issues and was worried and was delightfully funny. I loved all of Marlowe's friends. I loved all of Angus's friends!

I'm not going to lie, I was weirded out by one thing - if homegirl jumped from doing costuming to being on the camera... is this whole set... non-union? I only happen to know about this because of what happened with Netflix's "Nailed It" so unless I was laughing so hard and skimmed over a section, that is a weird.... part. A part almost no one would notice -- but I did!

Anyway. This was incredibly delightful.

I would never have imagined one of my book boyfriend’s names would be Agnus, but here we are…

Honestly, this book covered so much and is the perfect combination of contemporary romance, with women’s fiction.

Due to Marlowe leaving New York, and with a twist of fate, she now finds herself as the love interest for Agnus on a TV show.

This book had romance, spice, slow burn, banter, processing failure, and a revealing message regarding the impacts of social media, critics’ reviews, and celebrity worship.

This was fun and quick paced read and I think most people would enjoy it!

Marlowe Banks. Guys. This book was so good. You get skeptical when the MMC is named Angus but man, he can heat things up. I absolutely loved this story. Marlowe and Angus are such an amazing romantic couple and their relationships with the side character is so wonderfully written (I'm obsessed with Angus and Edith you guys). This Hollywood romance is a whirlwind of unexpected fame, secret love affairs, and ex's that should probably mind their own business. However, Marlowe and Angus find their way to each other and show their devotion in the simplest of ways. For any lover of the romantic comedy, you need to get your hands on this book!!

Thank you to Netgalley & St. Martin's Press for the advanced reader copy.

Marlowe is working behind the scenes helping costume the stars of a popular TV show, when she is suddenly thrust into the spotlight herself and given the opportunity to experience a taste of life in front of the camera, and time with the brooding star, Angus. She is already starting over in a new state and new job, trying to leave past mistakes behind. What will this twist of fate mean to her already tenuous plans for her future?

I had a hard time with the first part of this story, when Angus and Marlowe are first interacting. Angus would act like an a-hole and then when Marlowe would stand up for herself, he would launch into a lecture about what how hard it is to be a celebrity when everyone is making assumptions about you. No assumptions being made my friend, what you said was totally rude. On the other hand, Marlowe really loved to make speeches of her own for no good reason. If the intent was set up tension and to illuminate the challenges of being famous and dating someone who is famous it can be, and has been, done better.

Luckily when the perils of fame have been well documented, the story finds its footing. There is the push and pull of attraction and Angus shows his inner kindness while Marlowe remains a bit of a charming mess. I really enjoyed reading about Marlowe's struggles with her career and evening found the tedious errands her Miranda Priestly like boss sent her one interesting to read about as I have never considered what goes into costuming a TV show,

It is always fun to escape into a book about a Hollywood fantasy and after all of the caution tape surrounding this one was unwound, the charm was able to breathe.

I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I want to thank Netgalley and the author for gifting me the ebook. Cute chic lit. Easy and fast read.

I wasn't entirely sure what to expect from this novel, but I thoroughly enjoyed it! It's half romance and half women's lit, and does a great job at exploring the growing romance between Marlowe and Angus, while ultimately being about Marlowe's personal journey. Marlowe left her old life in New York City behind after the criticism from both theater critics and her ex-fiancé got to be too much. As Marlowe takes on a small role on the hit tv show she works for and starts to spend more time with its star, Angus Gordon, she faces more criticism from strangers about both her role and her relationship. I loved the message that although we live in a world full of criticism, both positive and negative, it shouldn't stop us from doing what we love.

Failure is hard, and Marlowe Banks has had it hard. She retreated from failures both romantic and professional in New York to Los Angeles, where she works as a lowly production assistant on a television show nearing the end of its run. Her boss fills her day with trivial tasks, and she spends most of her time driving around the city buying and returning items for wardrobe. Until. One day she pitches in on set and pours a cup of coffee, and her world turns upside down.
I loved the taste this book offered of the inner tedium of glamourous Hollywood, and I appreciated watching Marlowe learn to distinguish reality and reality TV. She stands on her own two feet, and her arc is a pleasure to read.

This is gonna be a short review because I think you should go into this with an open mind and knowing that you’ll close the book thinking about one of the big themes: failure

Dealing with adversity all wrapped up in a relatable book. And no, clearly don’t mean we all work in tv, but we all have that pain of being criticized and the self esteem issues that comes with it. It’s celebrity meets reality in a steamy self exploratory contemporary romance.

So good. Thank you to the publisher for the gifted copy in return for an honest review.

I thought this was an easy read, and I feel like it will be loved by many members of the Booktok community. However, I wasn't the biggest fan of Angus and I felt as if the book was a bit slow at times. Regardless, this was a cute, lighthearted read and I would recommend it to others!

Light romance. Pretty cute, but nothing particularly special about this one for me. I found it a bit slow.

This book and I didn’t agree and I didn’t care about Angus.. That being said I’m sure this book will be good received in booktok.

Special thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for a free, electronic ARC of this novel received in exchange for an honest review.
Expected publication date: October 25, 2022
Marlowe Banks is a costume designer- although not if you ask the critics from her last job, who tore her apart publically. After breaking up with her fiancée, and desperate to avoid the ever-present disappointment of her uber-successful parents, Marlowe decides to move to Los Angeles from New York, leaving everything she knew behind in order to start over. When she takes a menial job as a design assistant on a popular soap opera style TV series, Marlowe knows she can do better. After a coffee spilling fiasco thrusts Marlowe into the spotlight (literally), she finds herself acting opposite lead heartthrob Angus Gordon. Marlowe immediately judges Angus as being self-obsessed, arrogant and rude but as she gets to know him her feelings change, in more ways than one. But Marlowe does not enjoy the spotlight and Angus lives every day in the centre of it all- can two people who are so different make a go of it in one of the most tenuous and cutthroat professions in the world?
Jacqueline Firkins newest romance, “Marlowe Banks, Redesigned” is a charmingly adorable story about starting over and finding your voice (with a Hallmark movie style romance with two people from very different worlds who meet and fall in love at its centre). Marlowe is a hot mess, escaping to Los Angeles after breaking off her engagement, trying to find refuge in the hardest city to disappear in, especially when she starts a relationship with big-time movie star, Angus. Angus, of course, has the “bad boy with a gentle soul” thing going for him, and with the Scottish roots and red hair, he gave off a Sam Heughan vibe (which is not at all a bad thing).
As is typical for this genre, the plot was predictable and the ending was pretty much set in stone from the beginning. There were no unexpected twists, and the characters ended exactly where you expect them too. But that doesn’t mean it’s not an enjoyable experience. I loved reading about the background players in the Los Angeles movie scene, and hearing all the dirty details that are normally hidden on the big screen.
“Marlowe Banks, Redesigned” is a perfect summer read! Light, uplifting and charming, Firkins brings two adorably broken characters together, and I couldn’t help but root for both of them!

I loved this slow burn love story! I appreciated that the author was able to tie in the deep and negative impacts of social media without it feeling like I was being lectured about the pitfalls of social media! As someone who is always questioning my skills and abilities, I could empathize with Marlowe and felt that Firkins did a good job at capturing the realities of imposter syndrome.

It was also clear that the author had a background in fashion--that came through clearly in her book and descriptions.

Special thanks to Net Galley and St Martin's Press for this ARC! Truly enjoyed this read!

This was not for me. I didn't love it. I was bored and kept trying to just reach the end. I feel their are readers would love this but not me.

Marlowe like the detective and Angus not like the beef…it’s a meeting between total opposites who fall for each other once they let the assumptions and social media fantasies fall to the side. It’s all predictable but it does ask some tough questions about who deserves love and what is real when you look at anyone’s social media.

Thanks to NetGalley and St Martins for the arc.

This book was such an interesting and well balanced mix of fantasy and realistic romance. The fantasy is played out in the romance between a famous actor and a down to earth woman. The realism is where this book stands out. Both main characters are well developed, their fears and insecurities are extremely relatable. Both Angus and Marlowe are misunderstood in different ways and their complicated relationship with social media is well integrated into the plot. This is an endearing slow burn romance, but it is also a thoughtful book that covers many relevant issues about how we portray ourselves to the world and how the world forces us into certain molds.

I wanted to love it. Marlowe being happy at her job, other then the boss, was so nice compared to so many books where people hate their job. However the actual plot and love felt so slow. I loved Marlowe but I could have easily forgotten the love interest.

I don't always love these kind of books but this one was good. I thought Marlowe was a great character and I loved going on this journey with her.

It was honestly a great cleanser after all the horror books I have been reading. I would definitely recommend this as a feel good read.

A line that really stood out to me was when Marlowe told Kelvin that he told her upon her breakup that she would never find anyone better and she responded that she had and it was "me". She knew that she didn't have to settle for just fine and being stubborn and outspoken was a terrific attribute to get what you deserve whether it be personal or professional. She knew that what she wanted and would continue to want is her relationship with Angus and they could make it work. Unlike TV filled with costumes, this is reality and not continuously magical. She took Babs advice and became an advocate for real people and all of their flaws such as clumsiness and nerves.