I love this author!!! I also love books surrounding Hollywood so this one just worked for me. It was so fun and sweet. Emmy was a little annoying at times but I really loved Grayson!

An amazing rom com writer refuses to write more rom coms, but then does AND is going to act in it as the star opposite her rival/enemy as a cruel twist of fate. There was a lot of fun in this book, but I didn’t like Emmy and how she treated Grayson. She calls him Grayson Fing West tooooooo many times in the book. It was funny the first few times, but it was too much. She was very unclear about how she felt about him and even when she decided she was in love still treated him like crap. I like Falon Ballard’s writing and will read from her again, but this one was a bit of a miss.

This was my second listen to Right on Cue by Falon Ballard. Notes sure why I didn’t write a review last time but here we go.
This is my third book by Ballard. I adored Just My Type. Lease on Love was not my favorite to be honest. Right on Cue was definitely closer to Just My Type for me. There was only a few things that bothered me that didn’t have my rounding up to five stars.
The main reason it is only four and not five stars was the repeated “Grayson Fucking West”… I mean I probably should have counted because… just too much.
I also had some issues with Emmy, but I feel bad because they are her issues that bothered me. I didn’t grow up in the limelight like she did, I definitely was embarrassed at 15, so if I magnify that by being famous, I feel bad for it bothering me that she believed everything about him without asking him to clarify.
I understand that the third act breakup is the bread and butter of NA, this premise, however, bothered me.
All that to say, I really liked the book, Falon Ballard is an auto read for me.
I would have loved to have gotten a chapter or two from Grayson’s POV just to see more of his view of what happened when they were kids and then during their break up. Maybe a little more about his (non)relationship with his father or even a reconciliation. Maybe that’s too much to ask from a romance. But I just feel like we get him saying he fell in love with her when he was 17, knew he was gonna marry her when he saw her again, I just didn’t pick any of that up, of course, I think Emmy is a pretty unreliable narrator.
Again, I did really enjoy the book, probably more the second time around!
That spice?? Whew.. 🔥🔥🔥 that man was always taking care of her.
I enjoyed that he was the one that wanted to cuddle, wanted her to stay the night, etc., but her insecurities couldn’t let her feel that safe and comfortable with him in the beginning and then it scared her when she realized it was what she wanted. I can only imagine what it would be like growing up with parents who had that true love, meant for each other lives together. It would be hard to believe in it because it is so rare, so how could it happen to her too?
Right on Cue is a win for me!

Overall: 4.25
Audio: 4, I like when they brought the male narrator in
FMC: 3.75, I liked her but didn’t love her
MMC: 4.25, he’s a big man to forgive, honestly
Spice: 3.5, it was definitely hot, he took care of his woman!

I know you’re sick of me saying I love a celebrity romance, but it remains true. I was very excited for a celebrity romance from Falon Ballard, but this one missed the mark.

It went from 0 to 100 a little too quickly. I got whiplash.

I wish there was a more solid reason for them to “hate” each other. It mostly felt like they were enemies for no reason. I also wish there was more pining and sexual tension (not their awkward tension).

I don’t know why they hate each other, but I also don’t know why they like each other. They barely talk about it, and it seems mostly about sex.

I just need more romance in my romance books.

I love books that take place in the film industry and take place on film sets! i really enjoyed the writing and the characters! such a good book!

Any romance with a third act breakup is going to immediately lose 2 stars. Both Grayson and Emmy were very flat for me. Full of miscommunication and lackluster characters.

I never ever want to read the words Grayson fucking West again.

That was another disappointing read! :( I keep hoping to find the magic that I came across in Fallon Ballard's debut book but all of her releases after that have had such lackluster storylines with so many misunderstandings between the characters and miscommunication - it really ruins the romance for me!

This one was just ok for me. I ended up dnf"ing at 80% because I just didn't care and the storyline felt very predictable.

This book was the perfect blend of Hollywood glitz, second chances, and enemies-to-lovers tension! Emmy Harper, a former actress turned rom-com screenwriter, is finally ready to step back into the spotlight—both behind the scenes and in front of the camera. But when her co-star gets injured right before filming starts, she’s forced to act opposite Grayson West, the one man she can’t stand (and who may have helped tank her early acting career).

What follows is witty, emotionally layered, and just the right amount of steamy. The banter between Emmy and Grayson was a highlight for me—snappy and full of underlying tension. I loved watching their dynamic shift as they were forced to confront the past and work toward something real, both on and off screen.

The behind-the-scenes film world was such a fun backdrop, and Emmy’s journey back to herself (and to writing happy endings) had real heart. While a few moments felt a bit predictable, the emotional beats landed beautifully.

If you love your rom-coms with smart dialogue, a bit of angst, and characters with history, this one’s definitely worth the read!

Thank you to Netgalley and Putnam for the opportunity to read and review this book.

A little late to share my review, but finally! While I've enjoyed Falon's first and second books, I don't think this one was for me. Every time I read "Grayson fvck!ng West", it took me a bit out of the story because it was a lot of times (34 to be exact). It was hard for me to believe in them falling in love when she referred to him that way almost every time.

Lease on Love was one of my favorite romances the year I read it (and I also really enjoyed her recent holiday rom com) but this one missed the mark for me (especially disappointing because I love celebrity romances). I don't LOVE third act breakups but this one happened and then resolved way too quickly (after a sloooow burn). I will definitely keep reading Ballards books though and am looking forward to her next one.

Thank you @putnam for the eARC! Thank you to @prhaudio for the gifted audiobook!

I cannot get enough of Falon Ballard’s writing. I ended up reading her books somewhat backwards, this is my 3rd book by her and one of my favorites so far. Emmy and Grayson are SUCH a great couple, the chemistry is immediately off the charts and their “enemies to lovers” Schlick is tantalizing. This book is handled so well - from the intimacy coordinator scene (in which our leads get intimate not physically but emotionally - the sexual tension is HIGH though) and the breakdown of the communication and 3rd act break up. I love the direction Falon Ballard took this. Steamy, sweet, and the only nepo baby I’ll ever root for 😂. I definitely recommend this romance.

Falon Ballard has never steered me wrong and this one is proof. I loved the banter, the flirting, the lightheartedness of this read. It flowed quickly and is a perfect summer read. I fell in love with the story and was right in there until the end. Highly recommend.

It seems to me that this book has just solidified that I don’t like hate-to-love stories! It took me a whole month to even finish the book because I desperately didn’t want the characters together. I had no emotional connection or attachment whatsoever to any of the characters either. Unfortunately, I did not enjoy the book whatsoever.

Fallon Ballard might end up being an auto-buy author for me. I loved Lease on Love and I thoroughly enjoyed Right on Cue.

It is interesting to me… I know, obviously, that reading is incredibly subjective. And yet, I can’t, for the life of me, understand why this book ( and Lease on Love tbh) has below a 4 star rating.

There is so much that I enjoyed about this book. For one, Emmy is my current favorite fictional nepo baby. I think she comes off as very relatable, with a lot of insecurity mixed in with a lot of pride for her work. I also liked Grayson but I wish we got more from him. We get a little bit of backstory and sweetness from him but he is still so snarky and off-putting in the beginning with no explanation. I just wish we had some kind of resolve for that, it would have made me like him even more. Their chemistry was well done, and I screamed at the Oscar Isaac/Jessica Chastain reference on the red carpet!!!!!!

Don’t get me wrong. There are some things that I would like to grab both MCs by the collar and give them a good shake about. One, telling Grayson to man up & apologize about what happened when they were teenagers. On the flip side, telling Emmy that Grayson was, in fact, a teenager. It doesn’t outright excuse his actions but explains them. Literally just talk to him and see if he has grown at all before literally almost tanking your movie because you can’t work with him. Also, the third act conflict. I can’t say I would act any different than Emmy, truly, but from an outsider perspective I was like come on!!!!!

I really enjoyed the plot line of them working together on a movie despite animosity in their past. As a rom-com lover, I loved that Emmy is a screenwriter for solely rom-coms and that she won an Oscar for it. Amazing. I also enjoyed getting to see all the BTS stuff from their time filming the movie. I feel like that’s not a plot that I see happen very often.

Thank you to NetGalley, PENGUIN GROUP Putnam | G.P. Putnam's Sons for a copy of this book. All opinions in this review are my own.

I loved this book. As someone who grew up in SoCal and have acted most of my life (and subsequently grew up with a lot of child actors as well), this book was both relatable and still a fun fantasy. The relationship was cute, and I love the enemies to lovers and were they ever really enemies to begin with vibes. It is a fun and easy read, but not fluff by any means. It was a good time and I look forward to reading it again. 4.5/5

Right on Cue | Falon Ballard
Have mercy, the rivalry!!

The tension between Emmy and Grayson is wuld so tightly that it is bound to explode in fireworks – and it does! I loved the taste of Hollywood and the local (to me) mountains setting gave me lovely nostalgic vibes. I had a hard time understanding Emmy’s firm grip on her hatred, but I’m not much for holding grudges. This was a delightful winter romp with a spicy/cozy sneaking around the B&B thread. I’m glald they got out of their heads and into bed – their jobs were on the line and we couldn’t end in a flop (because of course it ends with a HEA)!

4/5 stars!
Big thanks to Putnam, NetGalley and Falon Ballard for the ARC for review!

Love Falon Ballard. Would read her grocery list, to be honest… this one was a good one! From the angsty banter to the enemies to lovers, it fit my “favorites” perfectly. The spice was spicy, the dialogue fun, and the plot was easy to follow. I really did enjoy this one! Thanks for the opportunity to read!

I'm not usually a fan of celebrity romance stories, but I love enemies to lovers. Unfortunately, this fell short for me in that department. The writing was fine, but it was only through the FMC's POV, and I didn't feel like the MMC had enough of a personality to stand out without any insight into his head. Never got much of an explanation for why he was initially a jerk when they met as teens, except he was having issues with his dad 🙄 Cry me a river. Then no apology when the FMC brought up the situation, just a 'get over it' attitude. Charming. The 'big misunderstanding' was also beyond contrived and solved within a couple pages.

Having said that, I feel that this would be a good 'starter' romance for someone just getting into the genre. It has all the trope elements to give a decent taste of a contemporary romance story.

🎬📽Book Review:
Title: Right On Cue
Author: Falon Ballard
Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️/3 stars

She's of my favorite authors, but unfortunately, I wasn't a huge fan of this book. I wasn't as engaged with this one, but that's okay! It's an enemies to lovers, small town romance troupe if you're into that type of thing!

The main female character, Emma Harper, has grown up in the spotlight, being the daughter of a legendary Hollywood couple. When she was 15 years old, she was cast aside Grayson West in a film that required a kiss between the two. West went on to describe said kiss as the "worst he's ever had," which led to a social media disaster that ultimately seemed to destroy Harper's reputation.

Years Later, Emma has written the script for a new romcom, and her persuasive best friend, Liz, convinces her to be the leading lady role. When an accident leads to the main male role dropping out, Grayson West is pulled in. No matter how much Emma fights for this to not be the case, she eventually pulls herself together to play the role of a lifetime. Acting like she's in love with her male co-star will take everything's she's got as an actress, especially since she wants her romcom to be a success.

Published: February 27th, 2024

Thank you, @netgalley and @putnambooks, for the ARC in exchange for my honest review!