I never listened to it because my NetGalley app wasn't working properly. So I had to uninstall it and then all but two of my audio books were gone.

This is a review of the audiobook.

“It Happened One Fight” by Maureen Lee Lenker is a swoony romantic comedy set in the glamorous world of 1930s Hollywood. Joan Davis, a talented movie star, finds herself perpetually annoyed by her co-star, Dash Howard. Hollywood only seems to notice her when she shares the screen with him. But when a prank gone wrong leads to a legal marriage between Joan and Dash, their on-screen rivalry takes an unexpected turn. As they navigate fishing competitions, intimate moments, and public scrutiny, Joan discovers a different side to Dash—one that challenges her initial assumptions.

“It Happened One Fight” blends enemies-to-lovers chemistry with Hollywood charm. Lenker’s debut novel captures the magic of old-school romance.

I did not finish It Happened One Fight by Maureen Lee Lenker, and will not be writing a review. Thank you so much for the opportunity to read it!

Set in the world of 1930s film, the story revolves around Joan Davis, a talented movie star, and her complicated relationship with Dash Howard, a leading man in Hollywood. The plot thickens when Joan and Dash, due to a prank gone wrong, find themselves accidentally married, leading them to star in a film together in Reno, where they can legally get divorced.

The Golden Age of Hollywood as a setting is similar to a cozy country house mystery -- there's a familiarity and a nostalgia and comfort to it. The accidental marriage setup and the references to classic films and actors add a charming touch to the story. It was a fun and entertaining take on the fake marriage and enemies-to-lovers tropes, providing a fresh perspective on these classic romantic comedy elements.

I was a bit dissatisfied with the third act of the book; I found it overly dramatic and frustrating due to the lack of communication between the main characters. That's such a cliched trope of the rom-com that always aggravates me, so that personally didn't work. But it was a nice, escapist read for anyone who enjoys romantic comedies set in the glamorous world of Old Hollywood.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for a copy of this audiobook in exchange for an honest review.

I loved the era this book takes place in and love all the throwbacks to the golden days of Hollywood. Dash and Joan were hilarious and I loved the pranks they played on each other. The banter between the two of them was so great. This was a fun read and was great.

This book was so much fun! The narrator was such a delight and it was a breath of fresh air reading this. Such an early Hollywood vibe. Loved it.

Enemies to Lovers is one of my favorite tropes but this is done quite differently because of the settings.
Its not everyday you get to read a historical romance book that's set in the Golden Age of Hollywood,
This was okay but i think it'll make a really great movie.
3.25⭐️
Thanks NetGalley & Dreamscape Media for this Audiobook

IT HAPPENED ONE NIGHT was a fun story with all the wit and emotion.

I paired the book with audiobook, and enjoyed both formats, but together it was such a great reading experience!

WHAT TO EXPECT
-forced proximity
-historical romance
-enemies to lovers

*many thanks to the publisher and Dreamscape Media and Netgalley for the gifted copy for review

This was a phenomenal book!

The characters have great development. You can’t help but love Dash and Davis. They were witty and fun. They had depth and their traumas from the past really helped to create who they were without overshadowing their growth. They had emotional depth that isn’t felt with a lot of books.

I listened to the audiobook and the narrator did a great job. Her character voices were fluid throughout the entire book. She was able to transition characters in a way that immersed you into the story. It was also as is I was watching it happen.

The plot was great and it was like you walked straight into the 1930’s! If you want a cute book that’s easy to listen to, I highly recommend this one. I have a feeling the print book is just as good.

A forced proximity romance is a great trope. Especially one where there is already some tension building. That’s exactly what this one is. There’s conflict and desire there when the two stars are pushed together. The end of the plot really wraps it up well too.

🌀Synopsis
Joan and Dash have worked together for many times. Joan thinks he’s a hotshot though and too big for his britches. It’s not her choice but the two are so good together that their careers depend on them working together.
When the media gets intense, the two are sent away to finish their film. It’s the isolation that pushes them together- past what they thought they hated about each other. They find a true romance and they’re ready to share it with the world.
That is, until the past tries to come back and threatens to push them apart again.

I saved this audiobook so I could listen to it right before I went on vacation to Hollywood. I was delighted to visit places mentioned in this book, like Musso & Frank's, and it put me in the mood for spotlight and luxury. The romance was sweet, though it was a little infuriating at times just how much Dash would flirt with and instigate situations with Joan while thinking she was truly engaged to someone else. It was problematic at times, but it was endearing.

This book was not for me and I could tell pretty quickly. I didn’t care for the characters or the way the plot was starting out. I don’t mind a lot of external machinations usually, but when everything about the plot appeared to be external machinations, it was too much for me. That said, I’m grateful to the publisher and Netgalley for giving me an ebook and audio ARC and I think Patti Murin was doing an excellent job with the source material. But not every book can be for every reader and I hope this one finds the right audience!

This book was fun (started off fun) but I almost didn't finish it. Technically, I flipped through the last parts because I just wanted to be done.

I think there is an audience for this one, I'm just not it.

I did a dual read and listen with an advanced listener copy from NetGalley. The audiobook was ok but it couldn't get me through the story.

I'm so sorry, this is my honest review.

Loved this book!!!!
I put my review in Delicate Condition on accident!

This is based on my favorite film: It Happened One Night with Clark Gable and Claudette Colbert.
The book had similarities and great character development.

⭐️⭐️⭐️💫

My love of 1930s and 1940s film has been realized in a romance novel. The dynamic Hollywood duo of Dash and Davisare box office gold, but in reality they hate each other, and yet find that through a combination of studio mismanagement and a prank gone wrong they find out that they are, in fact, married. The quick fix is to go on location to Reno, where after Sox weeks they can apply for a divorce. And so off they go…and you can probably figure out the rest, along with some plot twists and intriguing secondary characters.

What I really loved was a look into the glory days of Hollywood and the making of “pictures.” With some plays on names and characters real life personalities from the ‘30s are right there. Even the title is a play on the famous Oscar winning movie “It Happened One Night” starring Clark Gable and Claudette Colbert. It was a fun and delightful book and I’m glad I snatched it up.

Themes: 🎥🎬🎞️📽️🤩🌟💍💔❤️💖💞💗

My thoughts: 😃🤩😍🥰😘

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I haven't read many historical romances set during this period so this was refreshing. The enemies-to-lovers elements were great and the progression of the romance was very enjoyable. I loved all the moments when Dash realised Joan wasn't as hard and aloof as he'd thought and Joan realised Dash wasn't as arrogant and blithe as she'd thought. The mix up with the marriage was perhaps a little contrived but, honestly, I bought into it because it was a fun set up and brought the characters together with a little bit of forced proximity (which is always a trope).

An Old Hollywood scandal between two co-stars and frequent love interests with a contentious relationship. This was so fun! I loved these characters so much. My only complaint is this story seemed much longer than it needed to be. There's times when it felt like conflict was thrown in just for the sake of making the story longer - some of it just didn't feel necessary. I loved the audiobook though. The narrator did a fantastic job!

3.5/5

Thank you Netgalley for providing a digital ARC.

3.5 stars.

I enjoyed "It Happened One Fight" by Maureen Lee Lenker for the most part. It's a screwball light-on-the-romance romantic comedy that sticks with the tried and true formula and doesn't deviate from it much. Joan and Dash are both fantastic, layered characters. I dug their chemistry. It felt very the era, very Cary Grant/Katharine Hepburn-esque, full of squabbling, breaking up, making up, pranks, secret trysts, defending in public but schmoozing in private. I also loved the 1930s era and gossip-loving old Hollywood setting. I cannot recall ever reading a romance novel with this setting. The book feels relatively well-researched in this aspect. As a film buff, I lapped up every single second of the late-night dalliances, the catty nature of the era, the descriptions, and the *~drama!.~* It reminded me a little of "Babylon" by Damien Chazelle...actually, come to think of it, it's like *any* movie by Damien Chazelle. Unfortunately, "It Happened One Fight" is far too long for its own good. There is no way this book should be as long as it is. I thought the book was finished wrapping up, but then I looked and saw it was only at the 63% mark! Yikes! It's also very, very dry for long stretches of time. One big event/drama happens, and then there are several boring chapters with very little necessary dialogue or occurrences. I did not enjoy the third act at all. It all sort of falls apart in the back portion, which is a shame. With a little retooling and a ton of editing, I think this could have definitely been a 4-star novel. I must say, if I hadn't had the audiobook ALC of this, I wouldn't have finished it. Patti Murin was the perfect audiobook narrator for this project. Her cadence and voices really helped sell this era-specific romance.

Thank you to NetGalley, Maureen Lee Lenker, and Dreamscape Media for the complimentary ALC of this book. All opinions are my own. I was not compensated for this review.

I love Patti Murin's narration of audiobooks, so I jumped on this ALC of It Happened One Fight! The old Hollywood glitz and glam era with Gossip Girl vibes made for a very fun read. This enemies to lovers, secret romance had great banter, a little spice and a lot of drama. Definitely recommend!

Thank you to Dreamscape Media and NetGalley for this ALC!

Patti Murin is one of my favorite audiobook narrators so I was super excited to see that she was the narrator for this book.

I really enjoyed this story. I thought the time period was so much fun and it totally made me want to go watch old Hollywood movies.