3.5 stars
This book is really about Marlowe finding herself and acknowledging what she deserves. She's moved to LA to get away from her ex-fiance and horrible reviews at her last design job. She takes a job which is basically being the on-call personal assistant for anything and everything the head costume designer needs, both for the show and personally. It's not challenging (other than juggling) or fulfilling.
The ex won't stop texting her. The leading man on the show is a jerk but then starts showing his humanity. After Marlowe ends up standing in for a small role, everything explodes. She and Angus become friends, he helps her navigate what's being asked of her for participating in the show, and as he demonstrates what a good guy is like and makes her believe she has talent and is worthy, Marlowe starts to stand up for herself. Then they have to figure out if they're willing to try a relationship, given how different their lives are and how much fame bothers Marlowe.
I loved Marlowe's friendship with Cherry, he coworker. There was a lot here on the inner workings of costume departments and TV production. I really enjoyed watching Angus shed his layers and show Marlowe who he really was.

Marlowe Banks, Redesigned by Jacqueline Firkins
Contemporary room com.
After a harsh review of her design work and a relationship breakup, , Marlowe moves to Los Angeles to work as an assistant gofer. She’s always had a crush on actor Angus Gordon but being around him on set has her avoiding him because of rumors and his entourage. Marlowe is ordered to take Angus shopping and spending time with him alone reawakens her crush. Can he really be more than just a pretty face?

A cute romance with Marlowe learning a lot about movie shopping and secretly pining after her ideal version of Angus. Reality is quite different as the two clash until he admits to not doing his own social media. The angst smooths out and a relationship builds.
I liked how clearly his emotions are shown to Marlowe although I’m not sure I know anyone well enough to look into their eyes and read conflicting emotions.
Overall a satisfying and quirky romance.

I received a copy of this from NetGalley.

I have to say I absolutely adored this book!! I enjoyed the characters and the overall story development. This was witty and oh-so-adorable in it’s presentation. I found myself smiling and cheering for Marlowe throughout the entire book

A huge thank you to St. Martins Press and NetGalley for the advanced copy of this book!
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My home base is in theatre, but I have a little bit of experience working in television; and I can definitely relate to Marlowe’s self-doubt when it comes to making it in the theatre industry. It is obvious that Firkins has experience working in both arenas, and the world-building is the better for it. Marlowe could be any young costume designer I know in real life, and Angus would fit right in with other young performers. The reality of the world and people definitely contributed to the plot feeling plausible yet completely outside of the world of the general reader.
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The slow burn was extremely well done and when we got to the steam it totally paid off. I was totally invested in their relationship and could not really predict what direction it would go as they battled the pressures of fame for one and not the other. I also loved the way Firkins approached the idea of failure through Marlowe, and how she had to confront rejection and find what it is that actually defines success for herself.

4 stars!

Jacqueline Firkins' book "Marlowe Banks, Redesigned" is a charming, slow-burn, open-door romance with a hefty dose of self-discovery and a bunch of witty banter to keep readers interested. It deals with reinventing oneself after failure, handling professional, personal, and public criticism, the foibles and perils of celebrity, learning to grow, self-esteem, and being in a partnership that's not strictly hinged on the physical (though the steam sure doesn't hurt!). The main characters, Marlowe and Angus, are both thoroughly developed, well-rounded characters who come from very different backgrounds. They both assume things about one another, but when they get to truly know each other, those assumptions come crashing down around them. Marlowe is an exceedingly relatable pull-yourself-up-by-your-bootstraps hot mess who is *not* looking for love when she (literally) runs into Angus. He's also relatable in his way, minus the whole Hollywood stardom thing. They find common ground in one another and grow mutual respect and mutual "liking" out of it. Just a really wonderful book, I thoroughly enjoyed it! It's a breeze to finish because the writing is so good!

Here's a link to my Instagram review: https://www.instagram.com/p/CkqoIrTpkQg/

Thank you to NetGalley, Jacqueline Firkins, and St. Martin's Press/St. Martin's Griffin for providing me with an ARC copy of this book! All opinions are my own, and I was not compensated for my review.

This is a cute and light read. I loved how the main character was really relatable and doesn’t have her life and career figured out yet. I also enjoyed how the relationship that involves a celebrity was developed as it definitely felt like it could possibly happen that way.

Marlowe Banks, Redesigned by Jacqueline Firkins follows Marlowe, a costume designer who works on Broadway and lives in New York City. When one of her costume designs is panned in a review, Marlowe’s self-esteem is sent on a downward spiral and she flees New York for L.A. to hide out for a while and lick her wounds. When we meet Marlowe, she is working as a production assistant/errand runner for a popular TV show, sorting a bin full of socks, and very much over-qualified for the job.

Marlowe captured my attention and my heart right from that opening scene and I wanted to know more about why she was so quick to give up her old life, not to mention her boyfriend, and move 3,000 miles away. Marlowe is a messy and flawed character, which of course makes her very relatable since we’re all a bit messy, and she’s also someone who needs to learn to stand up for herself and confront what is dragging her down rather than hiding from it, again something that makes her very easy to relate to. There are a lot of layers to Marlowe and the more Firkins allowed me to start peeling back those layers, the more invested I became in seeing Marlowe bounce back from what she perceives as a huge failure on her part. I couldn’t wait to see what, or who, would be the catalyst that helps her bounce back and reclaim her life. And oh boy, what a catalyst it was!

Angus Gordon is not only the rising star on the TV show where Marlowe works, but he’s also a Scottish hottie who makes everyone swoon when he’s around. Angus also has the reputation for being an arrogant bad boy, and when Marlowe accidentally crashes into him and spills coffee all over his shirt, she gets to experience firsthand why he has that reputation. When a costume mishap requires Marlowe to actually step into a scene as Angus’ potential love interest, the death glare Marlowe and Angus give each other somehow convinces the producers that Marlowe should actually be written into the show, and things take an even more awkward turn.

Just as with Marlowe, it soon becomes clear that there’s a lot more to Angus than meets the eye. He has created the bad boy persona as a way to shield himself from a lot of the pitfalls of fame and in many ways, he’s hiding just as much as Marlowe is. I loved the way Firkins has their relationship develop. Even though they start out as enemies, Angus ends up taking Marlowe under his wing and mentoring her to help her get comfortable on camera and working with him. This leads to a budding friendship as they slowly get to learn more about each other, which then immediately had me rooting for them to become more than friends as it became clear that they were great together, each helping the other to grow. I loved the journey for both of them.

Marlowe Banks, Redesigned is Jacqueline Firkins’ adult debut novel, and having been a fan of her YA novels, I was eager to get my hands on a copy. It’s a fun and moving story and if you’re a fan of slow burn romances and stories about second chances and picking yourself back up after failure has knocked you down, I think you’re going to love it!

Read if you like:
❤️ Romance
👗 Fashion
📺 TV shows
🔥 Steamy Scenes
🗣️ Banter

This one was so cute, but a bit long for my liking as some areas were a bit repetitive in the plot. But the steam and banter made the length worth it in the end.

I loved the layers of Angus and how he really opened up and was more than an entitled jerk with Marlowe.

I also liked the look at celebrities and social media and the realities of what’s on social media isn’t the whole or true story.

Marlowe Banks, Redesigned
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Genre: Romance
Format: Kindle eBook
Date Published: 10/26/22
Author: Jacqueline Firkins
Publisher: St. Martin’s Press
Pages: 352
GR: 4.15

I requested a digital advanced readers copy from NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press and providing my opinion voluntarily and unbiased.

My Thoughts: I absolutely adored this book. Marlowe and Angus were perfect together under a classic trope of enemies to lovers, one of my favorite tropes. Then the relationship blooms into an endearing friendship. I adored Marlowe from the beginning and throughout the book, even if she was timid, shy, and insecure, however, she grew so much throughout the story. However, Angus, I did not like, his character was rough and abrupt, but as the layers begin to peel away, he really is a sweet, kind soul. The way the author played on the celebrity/social media mix was raw, accurate, and a glance at how damaging it can be a person’s persona. I loved the message of this story, how to deal with criticism through failure and reprieved, and how to be vulnerable. The characters were developed very well with depth, witty banter, oh the banter was wonderful, chemistry, and were creatively portrayed. The author’s writing style was complex, multifaceted, intriguing, and just beautiful. I would love to see a spin off with the other supporting characters from this story. This book is already released and I would highly recommend picking up today!

This was such a fun book! Enemies to lovers, great friendships and a behind the scenes of a tv show. The banter and chemistry between the two main characters really hooked me. Very enjoyable book!

Nothing against the book or the author, but I couldn't really get into it! I'll be more cognizant of what's right for me when I'm requesting in the future.

This is an enemies to lovers romcom following a costume designer who gets off on the wrong foot with a TV star.

This was slow to start for me as I didn't love Marlowe early on, however Angus had me hooked. I liked watching him show Marlowe the real person behind the celebrity and help change her critical impressions of him. They had great banter and chemistry and I enjoyed the slow burn of their romance.

I liked the behind the scenes look at costume design and working on tv sets, and enjoyed this one overall.

Thanks St. Martin's Griffin for my advance copy in exchange for an honest review.

What a good book! This one just hits right; it gave me all the feels in the best possible way. It touches on so many subjects, but with a light touch. I laughed, I got teary, I feel empowered.

Marlowe Banks, Redesigned was an interesting and lovely book that takes place on the set of a TV show that showed a unique and eye-opening view into behind the scenes. The things you never think of and what's involved. Add to that a sort of enemies to lovers theme, which shows how misunderstood people in that industry could be (not saying all by any means) and how our assumptions can really hurt us and others if we don't get to know one another. I enjoyed each character separately (even Babs in the end) and loved how easy Marlowe and Angus were together. Thank you to St. Martins Griffin and NetGalley for providing an ARC in exchange for an honest opinion.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ 4/5

Two celebrity romances in a row! How did I get so lucky?

I started out reading this book a bit skeptical. I didn’t like how harshly Marlowe’s first encounter with her future love interest came off and it had me considering if this was going to be the book for me. But as I kept reading, we peeled back the complicated layers of Angus and got to know that as a Hollywood actor, not everything is what it may seem.

After breaking off her engagement, Marlowe Banks leaves New York and heads to LA where she gets a job as an assistant to a very demanding designer on a hit Hollywood TV show. Marlowe wants to hide away from the problems she left behind in New York, but she quickly finds herself unable to remain invisible when she is the only one on set who fits into a certain costume when a mix-up lands this opportunity in her lap.

Hollywood stand-in actress was never a career path Marlowe had considered, but when she arrives on set and delivers a look to the actor she can’t manage to stay away from, despite her best efforts, fans go crazy with speculation. And for good reason.

That look captured on camera begins to blend into real life and Marlowe soon has to grapple with Angus’s public and private personas and how she fits into his life. She also has to determine if she can handle the scrutiny from fans who thought she had ripped apart Hollywood’s ‘it’ couple.

Throughout the story, Marlowe dealt with copious amounts of internalized self-doubt stemming from her last relationship and her parents’ constant scrutiny. Somewhere along the line, she also lost her voice. This story was a redemption arc for not only Angus who wants to be seen for more than his chiseled abs, but also for Marlowe who is learning to love herself again. They both drew strength from one another and the love that blossomed between them was really something else. Overall, I really enjoyed this book and look forward to what comes next for the author.

Marlowe Banks, Redesigned was published on October 25, 2022.

Thank you to Jacqueline Firkins, St. Martin’s Press (@smpromance), and NetGalley for an eARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I'm on the fence if this is more 3 or 2 star read, but leaning towards 3.

I struggled a bit with our heroine's needy, whiny, patheticness. This included a resolution with her ex that just went on too long and I was thinking about when that part will end. What got me through was Angus and some of the initial tension. After reading the feminist ramblings in this book, I realized I fell for the quintessential cliche of a good-looking bad boy that secretly has more brains and heart than we give the external packaging credit for.

I see so many people LOVED this book but I just couldn't love Marlowe. I immediately felt like she rubbed me the wrong way and then the meet cute felt too contrived. I found that I really didn't care about Marlowe's career which felt like it was really important to the story. There were moments that were cute and made me laugh but overall, I sadly did not love this book.

I absolutely loved this one! There was character growth, sarcasm and humor, romance, and a behind the scenes look at what goes into fashion and clothing for a TV show. Marlowe left her fiance and moves from NYC to LA to escape everything. She starts working on a TV show where she meet Angus, whom she immediately judges as his character on the show instead of who he really is. I enjoyed their first few interactions so much! Marlowe is quirky, clumsy, and the sarcasm and one-liners between the two of them was so entertaining. Marlowe grows a great deal throughout the book and I was happy to see that. I loved the mix of tropes too- enemies to friends to lovers, workplace romance, celebrity romance. This is definitely a slow burn but it pays off and I loved it!

Absolutely yes! I really enjoyed reading this novel. The characters were fun, it held my interest, and provided an escape from reality. I would definitely recommend!

I received this advanced copy by Jacqueline Firkins. I never read a book by this author and was pleasantly surprised how easy the book snagged my attention. The story was great and about finding oneself and betting on yourself.