My reading took a backseat to other things in life in the months leading up to pub date for this book and I was not able to read and review. I still haven’t fully caught up on my backlist, but I hope to get to this book in the future and I look forward to reading it.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher and my sincere apologies. Life is like that sometimes.

This story was enjoyable, however, I do not think it was one of Wilson's best stories. I liked the book overall, however, I did not relate or find the characters very likable.

"The Hollywood Jinx" was a sweet small-town romcom that reminded me of a cozy hallmark movie. Nick is invited to Ohio for the town's harvest festival by Jane and of course they are going to fall in love, but also have the tension of being a small town librarian and big city movie star. This was a very cute and fun book.

The Hollywood Jinx by Sariah Wilson is a super cute read that had me laughing quite often. I always enjoy a good celebrity romance in a small town. The banter was great between Jane and Nick. Definitely a good book to read in the fall as it was a fall festival and the cozy vibes.

Sweet small town rom-com is the best way to describe this book. There were some missed opportunities throughout the story to enhance the plot but overall I enjoyed it. This book is low on the spicy scale but makes for a quick read.

Truly, this was such a sweet book about overcoming so many real life issues… working with toxic people, learning to trust again after deep painful relationships, and also about building new relationships, taking those one at a time steps, aiming for the long haul and not just surface relationships. Nicely done letting fiction reflect reality. Okay, it’s not everyday a movie star lands in a small town and falls in love. But maybe if you are fortunate, you might smile because you’ve experienced some of those sweet romance moments in your own life.

A cute read with all the perfect elements for a celebrity romance. Both characters were likeable in their own ways, and it was great when Jane stopped fighting their attraction. I loved the community in this and the banter. Jane’s brother and best friend were funny.

What to expect:

- celebrity romance
- small town romance
- pretty clean
- working together to save the town festival

The premise of this sounded so fun - a big Hollywood star coming to a small town to help out for their annual festival - and it definitely was! I always enjoy a small-town setting and the tight-knit community that normally comes with it, and this was no exception, but I do think if the book was slightly longer it may have allowed for some of the secondary characters to be developed more. Even the two main characters, Jane and Nick, felt a bit underdeveloped at times, and personally, I found it a bit unrealistic that Nick, a huge celebrity, would open up to the extent that he did with Jane so soon after meeting her, even if it did come from a level of attraction and trust. However, the chemistry between Jane and Nick was ridiculously entertaining, and I sped through the book as a result of it - the slow burn, the anticipation! Definitely one to check out if you enjoy a cleaner romance too.

A fun rom-com set in a small Ohio town. Jane and Nick are cute, but I just felt like nothing really stood out for me. Those who enjoy a good slow burn will likely appreciate, but there really wasn’t much that completely gripped me on this one.

I usually like Sariah Wilson's books for a quick, lighthearted read. I don't know if I just wasn't in the mood for this or if I just didn't connect with this particular story of hers or if I've just read enough of her stories that this one feels repetitive, but I didn't really like this.

This is a very standard romance, and all of the characters felt like they needed just a bit more development. The romance itself felt a bit instalove-y and flat, and the non-romance plot was pretty weak.

This is an okay book if you're just looking for something quick and surface level, but this isn't one that I'll be picking up again.

3 stars.

"The Hollywood Jinx" by Sariah Wilson is a kind of cute, suuuuper slow-burning romance... but it's also, like, wildly corny?? It's seriously one of the corniest books I have read in recent memory. I love a slowly-paced build-up to a wildly romantic pairing, but I just didn't feel connected to the characters at all here. This book is far too long for a story as simple as this, and the longer it went on, the more annoyed I got. The main character, Jane, really got on my nerves for most of the story. The plot revolves around Jane obsessing about how much she likes the fallen-out-of-grace movie star, Nick, who is staying in her small Ohio hometown while he rehabilitates his image. She is obsessed with him and wants to date and do more with him, but she also doesn't want to get involved with him for......... reasons?? The reasons they don't get together right away are so silly and juvenile. They both want to hook up, they are both adults, so just DO IT already and release me from my misery! I got more and more bored with every page turned. The insta-love in this story doesn't work for me as it was difficult for me to suspend my disbelief that Nick fell in love with Jane simply after seeing a video of her! There is some good banter between Nick and Jane, as well as some funny quips from several secondary characters, but not enough to raise my opinion about this book as a whole.

Thank you to NetGalley, Montlake, and Sariah Wilson for the complimentary ARC of this book. All opinions are my own. I was not compensated for this review.

I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are my own.

Although I loved the slow burn of the romance unfolding and the characters were really well defined, I wanted more.

I felt that both the bet and Jane's music could have been played out more to add to the story. I enjoyed reading the book and would read more of Shariah Wilson's books, I felt let down with this one.

i’m usually not a fan of insta-love, but this one was cute! this book had all of the things you’d expect from a small town romance — drama, meddling townsfolk, and more! jane and nick has really good chemistry especially in the second half! i really like how they connected over music. nick’s feelings for jane were so obvious even though this is single pov. i have to say that sariah wilson is an absolute expert at writing a steamy book that is still squeaky clean! the first kiss was off the charts and a well earned one — by the characters and the reader. 😂😂 this story really shined in the last 30% and the epilogue absolutely made me swoon!

thank you to montlake for an advanced copy. my thoughts are my own.

Hollywood Jinx is a sweet, charming book. It is an easy and fun read that I enjoyed, but it wasn't my favorite from the author.

I found Jane to be a relatable heroine and Nick was a fun hero. However, the story and relationship felt really rushed. I wished there had been more moments of Jane and Nick getting to know each other better before he started flirting/saying he was falling for her. I just didn't always feel like their connection was built on much.

Despite not being my favorite, this was still a nice book, and I liked the famous actor/normal person trope.

To save the small town of Patience, Ohio after an embezzlement scandal in the mayors office, stand in librarian is trying to set the town right by having a Hollywood star come during the towns festival. A video is made, goes viral, and for some reason this actually works (oh fiction how great you are) and he comes. While overall I thought this was a cute contemporary romance with Hallmark movie written all over it there were a few things that I found annoying and repetitive.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Reviews by the Wicked Reads Review Team

Ruthie – ☆☆☆
3.5 stars

This is a fun, sweet read which combines a Hollywood star who needs some rehabilitation and a small town (temporary) librarian who wants to save her town called Patience!

Jane Wagner was about to take a music-writing internship when she felt obliged to go home and help save her town from financial collapse. She has managed to snag Nick Haddon, and a documentary crew, but has to agree to host him, so that he doesn't go off the rails. But actually, Nick has decided all for himself to reinvent himself as a better person.

There are some fun incidents, and a bit of tension, but the instant attraction and emotions suggest that there are just details to iron out. I would say this is a perfect beach read!

A great read, the story of Nick and Jane. He is a Hollywood star and she is a small town librarian, but when she needs help he is there. A fun read, loved both main characters.

A sweet love story with someone that is famous coming to small town and falling for the librarian. What isn’t to love about that? I did think Jane was pretty immature when it came to dealing with her nemesis. She eventually has an epiphany about how she lets the girl affect her, but the interactions can be kinda cringe.

But the love story is super sweet! I really enjoyed it. You KNOW it is going to have a happy ending, but the author did a great job of leading you on a trail of not knowing until the end!

Jane has put her dreams on hold and returns to her hometown to try and revitalize it after a recent scandal. The town festival needs to be a success, so she figures she has nothing to lose by trying to recruit a famous actor into increasing the exposure but when he arrives she gets so much more.

Nick’s life and career isn’t turning out the way he expected, and he believes he has only himself to blame. Helping out a small town will not only give him positive media attention but will allow him to help others as well however Jane was a surprise he wasn’t expecting.

Although the reasons were very different both Jane and Nick’s past was affecting their relationship with each other. The story was fun, flirty and Nick was the perfect boyfriend as he convinced Jane to take a chance on love with him.

As always, Sariah Wilson manages to write a sweet romance that equally mixes adorable, nice characters with fun situations. nick is a movie star who has to redeem his reputation. Jane is in charge of keeping him occupied and happy to capitalize on his fame so the town can get a tourist booth. She doesn’t like him much in the beginning but they fit well together. The story is also full of a very likable cast of supporting characters. Overall, I smiled a lot, which is typical for a Sariah Wilson novel.