"Right on Cue" is a sweet and spicy romance with an enjoyable plot, charming characters, and a delightful small-town setting. This was my first time reading a Falon Ballard novel, so I wasn't sure what to expect, but this was a very entertaining read. If you are a fan of the enemies-to-lovers and forced-proximity tropes, then you will love this book. I really enjoyed the witty banter and all of the tension between Emmy and Grayson, and the supporting characters were so much fun. I am always a fan of celebrity romance, and I loved getting the "behind-the-scenes" of making a movie. My biggest issues with this book were the third-act breakup and the miscommunication. Overall, though, a super fun rom-com!

Thank you to NetGalley and G.P. Putnam's Sons for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This second chance romance about costars starting in a romcom really caught my attention, I was excited to read about the behind the scenes of filming a movie while watching the main characters fall in love again. Unfortunately, all this book did was showcase their “costars with benefits” relationship for half the book where their only conversations were in the bedroom. I didn’t get to see the behind the scenes I wanted or any emotional connection at all. The chemistry was unbelievable for that very reason. The FMC was frustrating with her self sabotaging nature and her inability to believe anything anyone tells her. The MMC was immature enough to completely ruin the movie they were trying to film by throwing his scenes with her out the window to make a point. The plot had a lot of potential but unfortunately, it didn’t do anything for me.

I am such a Falon fan, so of course I enjoyed this book, but not as much as her previous ones. It was a fast and fun read that I didn't have to think too hard about.

My biggest issues:
- Grayson, the male MC and eventual love interest, was supremely unlikeable and unprofessional for almost the first half of the book.
- Having worked in film and theater, I took issue with a lot of the choices that seemed unrealistic and sometimes held Emmy accountable for Grayson's bad behavior and the questionable choices of her production team.
- I am hardly ever a fan of the miscommunication trope.
- Unnecessary repetition of "Grayson effing West"

What I enjoyed:
- Tropes of second chance romance and enemies to lovers
- Fantastic supporting characters (most notably mom, Sam, Alex, and Jenna)
- Swoon-worthy sexual chemistry

Despite my issues with the story I did enjoy reading it and will continue to gobble up books by Falon Ballard.
Thanks to Netgalley and Penguin Group Putnam for the advanced review copy. All opinions are my own.

3.75 ⭐ rounded up.

First of all, I liked the premise and it reminded me of another book that I loved. I liked the incorporation of different types of media like interviews, articles, chats because it gave some outsider perspective. Especially given we only see the story through Emmy's eyes.

Chemistry and banter were fun! I flew through most of the book, and it was really smooth sailing for me until we hit the third-act break-up. I thought it quite unnecessary, and I didn't really like where the story went in trying to resolve the MC's issues.

Could have inserted more groveling from both Emmy and Grayson and I probably would have enjoyed the book more. Sadly, this one didn't work for me as well as Just My Type did.

I still want to thank the author, Penguin Group Putnam, and Netgalley for the chance to read this book in advance in exchange for my honest opinion.

𝚁𝚊𝚝𝚒𝚗𝚐: 4⭐️
𝙶𝚎𝚗𝚛𝚎: contemporary romance 📚

𝙼𝚢 𝚃𝚑𝚘𝚞𝚐𝚑𝚝𝚜:
A fun and sweet romance with a little bit of spice. Gave me A Holly Jolly Ever After vibes.

𝚁𝚎𝚊𝚍 𝚒𝚏 𝚢𝚘𝚞 𝚕𝚒𝚔𝚎:
Enemies to lovers
Great chemistry
Celebrity romance
Second chance
Forced proximity
Hallmark vibes but with some spice
Cute small town inn setting
Quick reads

𝚃𝚑𝚒𝚗𝚐𝚜 𝙸 𝚕𝚒𝚔𝚎𝚍:
All the reassurance

𝚃𝚑𝚒𝚗𝚐𝚜 𝙸 𝚍𝚒𝚍𝚗’𝚝 𝚌𝚊𝚛𝚎 𝚏𝚘𝚛:
I wish we got Grayson’s POV
Lots of miscommunication
I wanted more from the ending

This book was just an all around delight. I loved reading this story and could classify it as either enemies to lovers or 2nd chance romance. The chemistry between Emmy and Grayson is off the charts and everyone can see it. I loved that they were filming a romance movie together at a small town inn. It was basically a Hallmark movie in a book.

Falon Ballard is quickly becoming a must-read author for me!

RIGHT ON CUE offers the romantic vision of a return to the screen for a former actress, forced to act with a leading man who seeks to tank her efforts at every opportunity. Just the regular hating-coworkers-become-lovers trope that is adored by many readers. This book offers plenty of Hollywood backstory and glitter for scene setting and world building. Will they or won’t they end up together? Do you need to ask? I received my copy from the publisher through NetGalley.

I adored Lease on Love, but Ballard's enemies to lovers romances just haven't been hitting the right notes for me - though I typically love the trope. There's a particularly mean-spirited feel about this one, with the hero having completely derailed the heroine's career before it could even get started, and basically doing the same thing yet again the second time around. I could tell there were deeper undertones to their disagreement, but I didn't find either character - or their potential romance - compelling, so this was easy to set aside and leave unfinished. I do enjoy Ballard's overall writing style and just how bingeable her short, fast-paced stories are, but I would've liked this one to play out differently. It was a DNF for me.

I love everything Falon Ballard writes, and this was no exception. I am normally not a huge fan of Hollywood/entertainment industry books, but this one was so cute and well done. The second chance romance trope is a favorite of mine. I think I enjoyed the side characters much more than the main characters, but it was still a fun and cute read.

Thank you to Netgalley and Penguin Group Putnam for the arc!
Pub date: 2/27/24

Falon Ballard has written a gorgeous rom-com that takes place on a Hollywood set. She hits all her marks; she delivers all of her lines perfectly; and she has delivered one beautiful book. Right on Cue surpasses her other work,. of which I am a huge fan. It has been a delight to watch Ballard grow as a writer with each title. I eagerly await her next book.

I am a huge fan of Falon . She writes such cute and fun romance books. This one was no different. I loved the enemies to lovers vibes and the sexual chemistry was flying off the pages. I did have a few issues with how many times the FMC used Grayson effing west, it felt a tad repetitive. I enjoyed the story , but I felt it could have taken a different direction at times

Emmy is Hollywood royalty and Oscar winning screenwriter who is staring in her next romcom. An unexpected accident lands her costar unable to be in the movie and the role is backfilled by Grayson. Grayson and Emmy have a complicated past.

This is a miscommunication trope (x2) which isn’t my favorite, but I did enjoy this book. I really liked the characters, but there were parts I wish had more depth to the supporting stories.

Thank you to NetGalley and Penguin Group Putnam for giving me this ARC in exchange for an honest review!

This was such a fun, lighthearted read by Falon Ballard. Emmy Harper and Grayson West starred in a total flop movie as teens — now, they’re starring in the romcom Emmy wrote and have to put aside their hate. Second chances is one of my favorite tropes, and that paired with enemies-to-lovers, he falls first? Absolutely swoon-worthy. I do wish we saw some of those teenage years, or at least heard more stories from back then, as I’d love to see how their characters grew and changed and loved in comparison to back then. I think that would have also helped the relationship feel less rushed in the book, since I wished there were more scenes of longing, pent-up romance, a higher sense of anticipation. I do love Grayson’s insecurities, his confident nature sometimes slipping; it made him such a lovable MMC. Emmy standing up for him was also such a lovely moment that I can’t wait to reread. Falon Ballard does a great job writing the insecurities of two flawed characters who have such a wonderful connection.

I was so excited to receive this ARC because of how much I’ve enjoyed Falon’s books in the past. Unfortunately, this was a disappointing read for me- I’ll read her books in the future, but this was definitely a strike out.

First of all, I felt like the premise itself was lackluster- anyone who reads romance has read plenty of “enemies become coworkers and lovers” books, or read something where celebrities work together and fall in love. The story didn’t stand out, and I didn’t feel like there was anything that made it especially unique, unlike other “celebrity romance” books I’ve read and enjoyed in the past.

Secondly, I found the characters had about as much personality as a cardboard box. Grayson and Emmy hardly had any backstory or chemistry, and Grayson was a jerk to Emmy throughout most of the book. I especially disliked the third act breakup over something incredibly dumb, and I thought Emmy’s response was immature and frustrating. Unfortunately, because her character wasn’t well fleshed out, I didn’t know if that reaction made sense for her or not, and it just left me confused and disappointed. Unfortunately, by the end of the book, I couldn’t wait for it to be done.

Overall, I believe that Falon is a talented writer and I’m hopeful that this is just a blip in the radar!

This book was a delicious romp, with just the right amount of Hallmark vibes to add a dash of sweetness to the spice. If you enjoy the feeling of an old Hollywood romance with a contemporary twist, Right on Cue is the book for you. Falon Ballard is quickly becoming an auto buy author for me, and if you enjoyed Lease on Love, you won’t be disappointed with her latest release. Thank you to #Netgalley and Penguin for my gifted ARC.

ARC granted by NetGalley, DNF @75%

Woof. I want to preface this by saying I got this Arc because I was so excited to read the third book by an author whose work I found cute and lovely but Holy Shit.
This whole idea should have been scrapped from Go. Like completely tossed in the burn bin. I say this as an professional actress who has worked in Intimacy Settings and on Professional film sets:
Falon, this isn’t how ANY of this works.
Write what you know. Because it isn’t this.
And I can’t comprehend the Toxic Waste that is Liz (Director/Best Friend/ Yeah Right) and Grayson (holy shit I would have burned him from day one this man is the worst person I’ve ever read outside of a DARK Romance. Whyyyy)


I can suspend my disbelief that the Production team wants the writer to act in her own piece, but only so far as the Writer clearly denies every actress because in her HEART, she knows it’s her story to tell. If you’re not an actress by nature or training, you CAN NOT just waltz in and be the ONLY option for the lead character all of LA. Emmy isn’t that talented, she hasn’t acted like ever and she takes no acting classes. She just isn’t prepared. I don’t care who your parents are.
You’re not Greta Gerwig. Unless you ARE, and at this point in the book, she better be because I’m running out of suspension of my disbelief.

I can NOT suspend my disbelief that the Writer/Producer/LEAD ACTRESS has ABSOLUTELY NO SAY in whether her greatest enemy as an actor is playing opposite her. The person who mocked her publicly and let her be smeared across the gossip cites as a teenager (BY THE WAY, THEY DONT HIRE 15 YEAR OLDS TO ACT IN ROMCOMS FALON. EVEN IN TEEN ONES. THEY HIRE ADULTS 18-YEARS OLD. ARE YOU INSANE?!? Truly even the concept of My Love On Top makes me want to gag.) With IMMEDIATE turn around and NO warning. That simply would not happen. Ever. Even in a Hallmark movie, which your concept sounds like because there is not one smack of Hollywood level on this set. They have something called Chemistry Reads where they let the replacement read with the Lead to be sure it’s a fit. And Obviously that wouldn’t have worked out in your book, based on the cold Read Through (that Grayson, who is the most unprofessional person IN THE WORLD clearly would have failed because of how bad the whooole read through and first like 2 weeks of filming goes)
And her Best Friend/Director Liz KNOWS the Tea and still Greenlights this. And then acts like Emmy is the one is behaving irrationally?? Didn’t y’all FORCE her into this role? Remind me where her personal choices have been taken into account here?
And Grayson is the ONLY ACTOR IN ALL OF FREAKING LOS ANGELES WHO CAN DO THIS ROLE AND MAKE IT TO NORTHERN FUCKING CALIFORNIA?
I’m sorry, this plot holds water like cheese cloth from page 5.
Also why is nobody ever rehearsing for anything?? She’s never skated IN HER LIFE and they film her first time and SHE DOESNT EVEN HAVE LINES TO SAY? Just admit it. You don’t have a Play Within the Play. You thought “I’ve seen that in movies” and just went with it?
But that’s why this book is also lazy. If you want it to be good, you should create a movie I WISH I could see. A set I WISH I could work on.
Lazy lazy lazy. You didnt even have to write us a script and you still couldn’t come up with the plot of a Rom Com that someone in Hollywood WOULD make?
And Grayson:
How on earth are we supposed to believe that someone so unbearably talented is so unprofessional as to turn into a robot when acting with the Female Lead in a First Read? As an actor professionally I don’t know any people who can TURN OFF their acting accidentally and it would be Work suicide to do it for spite. She’s the lead? His love interest. SHE’S THE MAIN CHARACTER, NOT HIM. I know the author has lived in LA forever but…this is not how any of this stuff happens, you know that right? HE knows she’s the Writer/Producer/Lead Actress?
ALSO IF HE’S GOING TO OGLE HER IN THE HALLWAY, (and it’s not flirty. After that introduction, that’s just sexual harassment. It was gross. I hate him) then WHY does he not give a fuck about acting with her?

Regarding FMC’s physical attraction to Grayson, I can’t take her even remotely seriously for the VERY REASONABLE anger at him fucking up every scene of the movie SHE wrote (except for the ones that she is not actually in) when her *toes are curling* at how hot he is. Listen, we’ve all known sexy people. And we’ve known some of them to be assholes. When they behave like shit, they suddenly are SO MUCH less hot. So I can’t take her emotions seriously if she’s spoon feeding us how hot he is supposed to be. Speaking of emotional range: WHERE IS GRAYSON’S? Cuz he’s hate-able for his behavior and lovable for nothing. I mean he hasn’t said a single KIND word by 25% of the book but he HAD said this:
“That is called acting, Emmy. You might have heard of it, even if you don’t seem to be familiar with the practice.”
ARE YOU KIDDING ME. I’m sorry, that kind of negging does not a Romantic Male Lead make. Holy fuck. That is mean. Followed by again this ridiculous “Oh He’s Hot” routine that once more holds no water. Literally we can’t even see him to corroborate this, and his behavior is vile.
The confrontation happens where Emmy finally asks why he’s being such a dick and his reasoning is that SHE acts like he has no business being there? So wait, it’s Emmy’s fault because a person who caused her severe trauma and who doesn’t even have the decency to remember her is cast opposite her by surprise in a role that she was FORCED to take on? We are really sticking with blaming Emmy because she made a lame first impression (which was completely called for) and *checks notes* because she “smells like vanilla and oranges?” FALON WHAT THE FUCK IS THIS BOOK. THIS ISNT SEXY. WHY does he keep INSULTING her and why do you think that’s something that can be excused and forgiven EVEN THOUGH HE NEVER APOLOGIZES.
REMEMBER WHEN HE LITERALLY REFUSED TO TAKE ACCOUNTABILITY FOR TRAUMATIZING HER SO THAT SHE STOPPED ACTING?! Yeah I do too, Falon. I remember that. You wrote that.
Fucking Unhealthy, dude. Grayson can die.

The Intimacy scene made me want to commit murder.
I can’t even form words about how little Falon knows about the ins & outs of Staged Intimacy.

This book is possibly one of the worst things I have ever read. I have read books about creepy guys inviting idiotic young women to star in their movies set in a remote cabin with their 4-person film crew that was more accurate to what it’s like to be on a film set like that (Book is called Shudder and it’s also horrible) than this ridiculous book.

I’m sorry, I liked Just My Type. But this is for the burn bin.

I was so excited to receive this eARC as I have loved Fallon Ballard's book in the past! A Lease on Love is one of my favorite romcoms.

Right on Cue follows Emmy Harper, beloved screenwriter and daughter of Hollywood royalty, who finds herself in a tricky situation when she is set to star as the love interest to Grayson West AKA the man who derailed her acting career.

I'll begin with the things I enjoyed:
Hollywood Setting
Celebrity Romance
Second Chance romance
The Humor!
Emmy's mom
Older characters

That being said, I struggled feeling connected to either of the main characters throughout the story. Their personalities felt one-dimensional. I found myself enjoying the side characters the most! (Give me a book about them!!) In addition, I especially struggled with the third-act breakup due to miss-communication. While I do believe miss-communication in books gets a bad wrap and can in fact be done well, in this setting and with the age of the characters it felt really immature. Emotional maturity and healthy communication is sexy--- especially in characters in their 30's (coming from someone who is currently in her 30's!).

Overall while there were elements I enjoyed, this was not my favorite Fallon Ballard novel. I'm excited to continue reading more of her work!

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for the eARC in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you to NetGalley + Penguin Group Putnam for the eARC in exchange for my honest review.

This is my second time reading an early copy of Falon Ballard's latest release and I enjoyed Right on Cue quite a bit! Emmy and Grayson really fit the 'enemies-to-lovers' role to a T, and it was so fun to watch them bicker, banter, and eventually fall for each other. The sexual tension was chef's kiss, and the soft, sweet moments made my heart swell. I also loved the relationship between Emmy and Liz, and I'm glad working together didn't put a huge strain on their friendship.

Falon's writing is easy to get lost in — I read over 60% of the book in one day. It's fast-paced enough that you feel like the story is moving along without feeling like it's passing you by.

I'm personally not a fan of the third act breakup, and this one was definitely more on the obvious side, but I appreciated Liz calling Emmy out on her shit, as well as Emmy's mom going in for the closing argument.

Overall, this is definitely my favorite title by Falon I've read and I'm excited for it to come out this month!

I couldn’t connect with the first 40% of this book. The author was giving me teeny-tiny little insights into Greyson’s kind but I just wanted more!! I wanted more interaction (even if the were enemies) between Emmy and Greyson. Second, Emmy’s lack of trust in Greyson when he proved to be nothing but sincere was hard to swallow. Holding onto to drama from when you’re a teenager is rough and I wish they would’ve hashed it out sooner! Overall, the last 60% of this book i flew through! Liz, Sam, and Jenna really stepped up as supporting characters! Her mom joined in on the fun! It was a sweet book!

This was such a fun book!

Enemies to lovers romance about two former child actors who get off on the wrong foot, then years later unexpectedly do another movie together. The movie is a rom-com and this was my favorite part! The FMC is a rom-com movie writer, so there's tons of dialogue about tropes and how to write romance, it's so fun.

Emmy and Grayson had amazing chemistry and their banter was top notch. It was so exciting to see Emmy get back into acting and grow into herself. I loved the support of her best friend, who's the director of the movie, and her Mom. Grayson has so much depth and vulnerability. He's a pretty typical Falcon MMC, with a sad backstory and feet-kicking redemption.

The steam was perfect, open door, but not over the top. The backdrop of the movie added an extra layer too. Falon Ballard is a favorite of mine, so I was excited to get my hands on this early. I really enjoyed this ARC and think it's a perfect Month of Love Read.