This was a fun, steamy, and sweet romance. I read it pretty quickly as I needed to find out what this couple’s happy ending would look like. I found the celebrity and forced proximity aspects made this story even more fun to read. The third-act conflict was frustrating but luckily it didn’t last too long. There was a good amount of miscommunication throughout the story, but once Emmy and Grayson got into a good rhythm, their love and connection were obviously strong. I think I found myself wanting a bit more from the characters overall, but I still enjoyed reading this one!

Many thanks to NetGalley and GP Putnam's Sons for the digital ARC of Right on Cue, which comes out on February 27.

This story follows nepo baby Emmy Harper, who has made a name for herself as a screenwriter. Once upon a time she sought to follow in her parents' footsteps as an actress, but her disastrous first film convinced her to change course. Until now.

Now, her best friend and producer has convinced her to star in her latest film project, a romantic comedy called No Reservations. The problem? At the last minute, they swap out the expected male costar for none other than the man who ended her film career all those years ago, Grayson West. While West went on to have a successful action movie career, she stepped behind the camera. And she's not looking forward to having him around for her first attempt to step back into the spotlight.

Enemies-to-lovers is always a hard sell for me, so I'm pleased to say that this one absolutely worked for me. The reason for their "enemies" vibe is small enough that I can buy them getting over it, and the chemistry between them just sizzles from the moment they're first on the page together.

This is one of those romances that grabs you and won't let go. The pacing was swift and the chemistry was on point, with a healthy dose of spice for those who enjoy it.

I really liked seeing the character growth for Emmy and Grayson as their relationship matures, and the maturity they bring to communication for most of their relationship was refreshing when so many rom coms rely heavily on miscommunication. There's a bit of that here, but it's well handled and understandable enough.

Overall, Right on Cue was a delightful romance with just enough spice and some fun behind-the-scenes movie industry tidbits. I highly recommend it to fans of enemies to lovers romances and to those who've enjoyed Ballard's previous books.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing an ARC for review.

This story follows Emmy, a film writer, and Grayson, a film star, who are thrown together to star in Emmy's latest rom-com. They have a past connection that makes it difficult to work together. The novel takes place during the filming of their movie, plus a few months later. Their whirlwind romance was a bit too whirlwind for me, and everything falls together in a fairy-tale kind of way, so if you like that trope, you'll love this. This is a steamy novel, too. The main character's chemistry was great but I felt that overall, this falls into the trap of miscommunication and too fast to be believable.

I received an ARC of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

This has been my favorite of all of this author's book. I really enjoyed it!

4 stars

- enemies to lovers
- no strings attached
-childhood friends
- devastating 3rd act break up
-1.75/3 🌶️

Emmy and Greyson are the stars in a movie when they're teens. It goes horribly wrong and forces Emmy to never act again but hold a massive grudge toward her costar. Fast forward 10 years later they're costars again.


Thank you for the ARC NetGalley, PENGUIN GROUP Putnam, G.P. Putnam's Sons, and Fallon Ballard

Pub Date 27 Feb 2024

RIGHT ON CUE - FALON BALLARD

3.75⭐

PLOT
Emmy Harper finally writes a romantic comedy for which she is known and is forced to star too as they are unable to find any one more suited for the part but the trouble is she hasn't acted since over a decade thanks to her then costar Grayson.West who is actually a last minute replacement and Emmys romantic costar now.
As they begin filming friction between them is evident exp the sexual tension which is the only thing working for them and this which continues even when the cameras aren't rolling!
MY THOUGHTS -
This was a quick read and I enjoyed reading about how they filmed the movie, the scenes leading to the actual shots and whole vibe on set. I however found both MCs lacking depth in their characters and the miscommunication didn't help in the story at all. Would have loved Graysons POV to understand him a bit more.
Check this out of your like celebrity/workplace romance, 2nd chance romance, enemies to lovers vibe with steamy scenes.

3.75 stars
Acclaimed screenwriter and nepo baby Emmy is forced to make her latest movie with her teenage nemesis Grayson- and it’s a rom com. Fallon Ballard’s latest romance is charming and a quick read, but at times I struggled to root for this couple and I think your enjoyment of Right on Cue will depend largely on your feelings about the enemies to lovers and miscommunication tropes in romance.
For me, I found the reason for their initial animosity a little petty for grown adults, and the third act breakup felt similarly overblown and exhausting. I think miscommunication can be hard to pull off and I’m not sure this totally does.
This was still a fun read with a little spice and the glamour of a celebrity romance. This is actually my first Fallon Ballard read and I’d absolutely go back and read her other novels- I think most of my issues here come down to trope preferences so if you like or don’t mind miscommunication, I’d absolutely pick this up!

When I first began reading this, it seemed like another rom com story and I was a little bored. As I kept reading, I wanted Emmy and Grayson to get together.
As a seasoned reader, sometimes I can predict where a story is going. I was able to still be surprised and interested in how everything wrapped up. Cute and fun.
Thank you to @netgalley for the advance copy.

*Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this early arc in exchange for my honest review.

I am a Falon Ballard fan, first and foremost. This was one of my most anticipated books of the years. For two years in a row before this I had a Falon Ballard book in my top 5 Rom-coms of the year. She just gets my rom-com wants. And this book is no exception!

Hollywood darling Emmy Harper is considered the queen of writing romantic comedies. She takes a hiatus after a personal tragedy, but now she's back and ready to dive back in to happily ever after. But more is at stake than just writing reputation, because this time she's been convinced to put herself in front of the camera and dust off her acting chops last used a decade ago. She's nervous but excited....until she finds out her nemesis, Grayson West, is her leading man. Grayson is anyone’s dream of a romantic lead. Anyone except Emmy, who still blames him for her disastrous first movie and the early end to her acting career. Their friction is ruining the moving, the one salvageable scene they've shot is the one where they were thrust out of their comfort zones and forced to trust each other. So the two are pushed to get their acts together—and quickly—or they risk tanking the entire movie, and in this case working things out means a co-workers with benefits situation. How long can they keep this arrangement going before real feelings get involved? And what happens to the movie and their media careers if it implodes?

I read this in one sitting. I ate it up. I love the characters, the main and the myriad of side characters. Our leads are vulnerable, charming, genuine, and relatable. They're chemistry is an electric current throughout. I'm not the world's biggest fan of a miscommunication trope, and I appreciate that our character isn't given an easy out from it. There is real introspection, and our leads call each other out for their bullshit. Family and friends are supportive, but also honest and non-pittying. I have already re-read it just for the warmy-gooey feelings it gave me.
Tropes:
He falls first, she falls harder
Enemies to lovers
Co-workers with benefits
Hollywood
Second Chance Romance
Forced Proximity

I believe this book has potential and others would love it, but I didn’t.

I found the MMC to be annoying and way to mean and standoffish. I liked the overall plot and story line.

I give it 2.5 stars.

All the heart eyes on this delightful romcom - coming February 27th! I’m a big fan of @falonballard and this was chock full of my favorite tropes - enemies to lovas, “one bed”, and the infamous third act breakup. Not super steamy but not closed door either. Pick it up if this is your thing - you’ll like.

This book fell flat to me. The characters were not fleshed out or loveable. The pacing was off too. The book should have more of a build up towards the main characters feelings.

i ate this book up!!! like read it in one sitting. thats how much i loved it. emmy and grayson were so much fun. i think that the way this whole story played our was executed perfectly and i really enjoyed it. we have a classic enemies to lovers workplace romance that highlights how important communication and trust can be in a growing relationship. emmy has a lot weighing on her throughout this book; her grief of losing her father, acting again, and the pressure she feels to perform well and not be a disappointment. grayson himself is working on trying to show people he can be taken seriously as an actor, and diving into the mindset of doing things that you love because you should be true to who you are. these two come together to show build each other up, and push each other to be better in the end. I found their romance to be fun and humorous at times, but also heartwarming and very swooony. oh and of course spicy. other than delivering two amazing main characters, as always, falon also gives us side characters that have us laughing and wanting to be their friends too. definitely recommend this read!

This was a classic (and amazing) enemies to lovers trope! I flew through this book and loved every second! 😍

Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for the arc of this book. This is the first Falon Ballard book I have read and I was not disappointed. The female main character in this story hooked me from the start. This book had wonderful characters and a great plot. This book also had some spice. I read this book in one sitting. I could not put it down.

I LOVED this book! Such a fun, different storyline. So many steamy parts from the get-go. Emmy and Grayson have great chemistry and their enemies-to-lovers path is so smooth and easy to root for. Definitely recommend!

This was my first Falon Ballard book, but it definitely will not be my last! I was so pleasantly surprised with Right on Cue (not that I was expecting it to be bad, I just went in with no expectations as I hadn’t yet heard of Ballard’s work).

Emmy, a former actress turned screenwriter, is shocked to learn that after agreeing to play the FMC she wrote, her nemesis Grayson West is cast to play opposite her in her next RomCom. She can barely stand to be in the same room as him, so how can she possible pretend to fall in love with him for the sake of her movie?

While it took me a little while to get onboard with Emmy and Grayson as the MCs, I really did end up liking them by the end of the book. However, what I really loved was how Ballard takes the tropes we all know and love - enemies to lovers, only one bed, fake dating/relations - and gives them a new spin. There of course was a touch of my least favorite trope in the world - miscommunication - but I did appreciate how her supporting characters at least acknowledged how dumb the miscommunication was. Most importantly, the build in Emmy and Grayson’s relationship felt natural and had me rooting for them!

Overall, this was a delightful read. Lots of Hollywood magic and the perfect amount of spice. Would definitely recommend and can’t wait to read through Ballard’s backlist.

4/5 stars

Thanks to NetGalley and Penguin Group PUTNAM for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. These opinions are my own.

The Gist: Emmy Harper is an Oscar winning screenwriter who is no stranger to the Hollywood spotlight. She had her first on-screen role as a teenager alongside her childhood crush, however, the movie tanked and Emmy hasn't acted since. Fast-forward 15 years, Emmy has been convinced to give acting another go by starring as the female lead in her most recent romcom screenplay. She is excited about the prospect- that is until the male lead is unexpectedly recast as action star, Grayson West (who happens to be the one man Emmy blames on abruptly ending her acting career). The friction and unresolved tension between the two is palpable, causing many issues on set. They have to learn how to work together, putting the movie, their reputations, and hearts on the line.

Things I loved:
- I love a good enemies-to-lovers trope
- The tension between the characters was so good and led to really great spicy scenes
- This was really my first "Hollywood Romance" and I really enjoyed the premise

Things I didn't love:
- There was SO much miscommunication in this, and the 3rd act break up could have easily been avoided with just an ounce of effort to have a conversation
- I could not get over how many times Emmy referred to Grayson as 'Grayson F***ing West' (it was 32 times)
- You could have told me Emmy was still 15, I probably would have believed you

My Takeaway: This was a cute & spicy read that doubled as enemies-to-lovers and second chance romance. I really enjoyed the tension between the two main characters, and became invested into heir relationship as it strengthened. However, I felt like there was too much miscommunication that could have very easily been avoided, and I would have loved more depth and character development from both leads. It was still a sweet story and if you're looking for a fun, quick read, I think this could be a good option!

Thank you NETGALLEY and Penguin Group Putnam for the eARC in exchange for an honest review.
Official publication day is February 27, 2024!

I thought this was sweet, fun, a little bit spicy and at times emotional. I really loved it, it grabbed and held my attention and I read it in 2 sittings. I love that Emmy didn't have a huge character arc, it made her seem more human to make the same mistake again. And I love that the conflict didn't get resolved by just saying I'm sorry, it had to take more time and patience. Both characters definitely had their flaws and I wanted to smack them both sometimes for their non communication. I like how the side characters called the main ones on their BS, I love when that happens. I really enjoyed Emmy's mom as well, especially when she comes to visit Emmy in the end. I also enjoyed the mental health representation even if it was just one remark, it was in there. The spice was descriptive but not explicit and we got several scenes throughout. There were a few emotional moments throughout as well, nothing too deep but enough to tug the heartstrings. There was no high drama but there is a third act breakup.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publsiher for early access to Right on Cue!

Emmy Harper is a screenwriter who is finally staring in a movie of one of her scripts. Little does she know, her love interest will be played by Grayson West, her enemy number 1 after they stared in a movie together as teenagers. However, as they spend time filming, things get spicy to help them resolve the tension between them. This was my fist Falon Ballard novel and while I liked it, miscommunication played a huge role in the drama of the story which is a pet peeve of mine. The miscommunications could have been easily cleared up when they were teenagers and in the present story if they had just had a conversation. There was some good spice in this story and the Grayson will definitely snag a piece of your heart but overall this was a like not a love for me.