This was such a fun, fast-paced romance. Falon Ballard is one of my favorite standalone romance authors -- Lease on Love being one of my favorite standalone romance books overall -- and I was so excited to dive into her newest book: Right on Cue.

This book followed Emmy and Grayson, two film industry professionals that crossed paths when they were teenagers and haven't spoken since, after comments Grayson made about Emmy ruined her reputation as an actress. Emmy has since become an Oscar-winning screenplay writer, and Grayson a blockbuster action movie star. Their paths cross again when Emmy decides to play the leading role of her newest movie -- a small town romcom -- and Grayson is cast as the leading man... aka her love interest. They are both determined to create a successful movie and deliver believable performances to solidify themselves as reputable actors, but their personal feelings and animosity towards each other may make that difficult.

Overall, I enjoyed reading Emmy and Grayson's story. As with a lot of standalone romance novels, I do have a few issues with the pacing of the story, especially surrounding the third act conflict and reasons for Emmy and Grayson's initial "hatred" towards each other. A lot of major character development for both characters seemed to happen in the last two chapters; I wish we had more time to dive into their respective pasts and how they affected their future careers. Diving deeper into Emmy's parents and how them being big players in the film industry impacted her career as an actress. Flashbacks to Emmy and Grayson on the set of their first movie. Emmy dealing with the repercussions of Grayson's comments as they were happening. How/why she decided to go the screenplay writer route. Grayson's relationship with his parents. I think these facets of the characters could have been fleshed out more to give even more emotional depth to their story.

I think these issues combined led me to favor the FMC way more than the MMC. I did think Emmy's reactions to certain things went above and beyond what was warranted, but Grayson's reactions to her reactions seemed dismissive, and she ended up apologizing more. I think he could have taken more responsibility for his actions and owned up to being the cause of a lot of Emmy's hurt. Both could have been more communicative with each other, but alas, the miscommunication trope is something I've grown accustomed to while reading romances (even though it never gets less frustrating!).

Thank you NetGalley and Penguin Group Putnam for an early digital copy in exchange for my honest review!!

I adore Falon’s character development and plots - she has become an automatic read for me! The story of healing past hurts and misunderstandings and growing through them was such an endearing way to start the new year and I loved the cast of characters in this one.

This book is perfection! Falon Ballard is one of my favorite authors for a reason - she writes the most beautiful rom coms that just melt my heart! Emmy and Grayson's journey is filled with love and laughter and a healthy dose of will they, won't they. I loved this book from start to finish. Very few people can write book boyfriends the way Falon Ballard does and as a result I am a little bit in love with Grayson myself. And when he calls her Ems... swoon! Enemies to lovers at its finest!

Five stars for me. A beautiful and spicy romance with strong characters who love, support and truly care for one another, what could be better!

View my full review on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/p/C2uMgx9LzGd/?igsh=cXM4cnlmdDRvbmlj

This was a great read! It's currently 4am, so I will update the morning with my actual review, though I will probably forget so maybe in a week lol!

Let me start by saying LOVED Lease on Love. The depth of the characters and the love story was so beautiful and I really connected with it.

Sadly, for this book I didn’t connect.

Let me say some things that I loved first:
The MOM! Every time she opened her mouth was golden hehehe
Hollywood
Movie Set
Spicy Hallmark vibes
Second Chance romance
The make up and hair stylist characters
Fame

I honestly love a good second chance romance with some famous characters so I thought I would love this one.

I liked Emmy for most of the book. Except how many times she thought “Grayson fucking West” in her head or said it. I really could NOT deal with her at the end and how she handled that situation. If you truly love someone you’ll hear them out and hope for the best out of them, right?

Grayson, the MMC, has moments where he is sweet and sexy. However, he felt very flat to me. It was never really explained why he was ruining all the scenes at the start of the book? Like, actors are professionals too and feels like he should’ve been able to do that? Idk

This was a solid 3 stars of a light and fun romance until the ending (iykyk).

For that reason I’m giving it 2.5⭐️

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC. I hope other people can connect to this story more than I could.

Read if you like:
😡 Enemies to Lovers
🎥 Hollywood Romances
💞 Workplace Romances
💋 First Kisses
🛌 Coworkers with Benefits

Oh my gosh, Falon’s books just get better and better and leave me swooning!

I truly loved the mix of tropes as it put a unique spin on the Hollywood x workplace x enemies to lovers plot with Emmy and Grayson having been each other’s first kisses during their first movie roles and now reunited on set starring opposite of each other in Emmy’s newest screenplay.

The tension between Emmy and Grayson was so well done and truly loved the turning point and how it was written with their vulnerability and them protecting each other in that very vulnerable situation they were in while filming an intimate scene for the movie.

My only criticism is the use of the miscommunication trope as it happened when they were teenagers (understandably) and then again in their adult relationship leading to a third act breakup that, honestly I think could have been avoided and written another way that was more satisfying. However that isn’t enough to reduce my enjoyment and I truly thoroughly loved this one and it will land in my top spot for romances read in January 2024.

Thank you so so so much to the publisher for my ARC in exchange for my honest review!

Love love loved this celebrity romance by one of my favorite authors! I loved all the characters and the small town setting and it was so fun going behind scenes on a movie shoot! Falon is a master a banter and chemistry. Highly recommend this one if you love enemies-to-lovers and second chance romance.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Right on Cue by Falon Ballard
Pub date: February 27, 2024

As always thank you so much for this ARC @falonballard, @putnambooks, and @netgalley!

Ok- this is difficult for me. There were parts I LOVED and there were parts that I got super frustrated with.

Loved: the supporting cast, the premise of making a rom com movie, the spiiice
Frustrating: the LACK of communication between Emmy and Grayson. I think my issue is that I get so exasperated when a simple conversation could clear up the big, terrible thing that drives people apart.

That being said- I read this book in an afternoon and couldn’t put it down. 🤷🏻‍♀️

This was my first read by Falon Ballard and I will say, I had high expectations going in. I really liked the premise of this, so I was really excited to get a copy. And I enjoyed it! Overall, the characters were interesting and the situations were fun. I had a bit of trouble with the third act breakup, because miscommunication is my least favorite trope, but this book does make me want to check out Falon's other ones!

Having not completed the dreadful Just My Type last year (could not get past the whiny heroine, ridiculous co-workers and main character getting drunk stupid), I gave this author another chance with Right on Cue and... just no. While I was determined to finish this one, I did find the storyline cliched with very little joy in the overall story, romantic chemistry and hiccup to overcome. Sadly, lots of borrowed moments from pop culture -- from Hallmark movies to nepo babies -- collaged together made this story feel very forced and clunky. 1.5 stars.

Can rom-com within a rom-com be my favorite genre? This book was everything! So much fun and I loved every detail. The setting was idyllic and the cast of characters was hilarious!

This is my third book by the author and I enjoyed this one but loved the first two. The first half of this book was great but the third act breakup brought the rating down a bit for me. I don’t enjoy a misunderstanding trope and just dislike the overall lack of communication. The romance and spice were enjoyable though so overall I rate this as a 3.5.

For the third year in a row Falon Ballard gives us another amazing read!

Emmy and Grayson are staring in their second movie together 15 years after their first. The first movie was an absolute disaster and tanked Emmy’s acting career, and caused the pair not to speak for 15 years. Now in a twist of fate the two have another chance to star in a movie together, one which Emmy wrote.

I really enjoyed the progression of the relationship between Emmy and Grayson. We get a lot of information about their past, and how it is affecting them and their relationship now.

I could have done without the third breakup act. Specifically because it was a miscommunication trope , and that’s personally annoys me. How this miscommunication was done was particularly frustrating because if the characters waited 2 extra minutes, it would have never happened.

Even with the miscommunication trope, this was still an amazing novel, and Falon has a talent for making me love every character she writes.

Thank you Netgalley and Putnam Books for allowing me to read an advance copy of this book in exchange for an honest review

Tropes
-Enemies to Lovers
-Miscommunication
-Celebrity Romance

Thank you to Falon Ballard, GP Putnam, and NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for an honest review!

3.5⭐️ rounded up!

This was a super cute read! I have enjoyed both of Falon Ballard’s previous books so I was excited to read this one. I had a bit of a harder time being pulled into this book than I did her previous two books. I was really connecting to Emmy at first and while I liked the plot, it wasn’t something that I just couldn’t put down. However, around the 50% mark that all changed. The plot really righted up, the pacing was flowing, and the characters all seemed to be meshing together. I binged the last 50% of this book and absolutely loved it. The third act breakup/conflict was done so well in my opinion. I loved the communication and honest emotions that were expressed by both sides, and how Falon didn’t follow the typical formula for that trope. The final chapter and epilogue were so cute! Overall, an adorable and super easy read!

I really can't decide how I feel about this one... it wasn't BAD but it also didn't do much for me. Yes the MCs had chemistry, but they went from 0 to 100 pretty quickly, it was alluded to that they chatted and got to know each other while they were hooking up, but the readers didn't get to "see" that so it felt like things turned real very suddenly and without much context. And it was very repetitive... Grayson f-ing West... and how many times did Emmy need to storm away seeing red?? I think that this had a lot going for it but the execution fell pretty flat for me.

One thing I love about Falon Ballard's books is how easy they are to devour and lose yourself in! Right on Cue is no exception.

Emmy and Grayson are celebrities - she's primarily a writer and a child of Hollywood stars, he's an action hero actor - who made a movie together as teens that was widely panned and forgotten about. When Grayson steps in to fill a role in Emmy's latest movie - that she's acting in - it's quick to see Emmy has never forgotten what Grayson said about her. The tension and chemistry between these two characters was jumping off of the pages. When they finally, FINALLY gave in, I cheered!

I knocked a star off because of the third-act breakup. It was not necessary and I would not have forgiven her as easily as Grayson did.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the ARC.

ARC Review. 3 stars! This was an entertaining, cozy time. I LOVED the setting and cozy vibes. I appreciated the unique premise of the story. Pacing felt good up until the last 20%, which left me feeling frustrated. I felt like the story began to drag and the third act seemed to be a plot point simply to create drama or conflict. Overall I had a good time and would recommend for someone who wants a unique romance premise and has a free weekend to cozy up with a book that will entertain them.

Another fun, spicy rom-com from Falon Ballard! I read this in maaaybe two days, probably less! I loved the characters and the charming setting - it felt like watching a hallmark movie with a cup of hot cocoa and that is absolutely a compliment.

I'd give it 4.5 out of 5 stars, only because of the third act miscommunication plot point that felt a little out of place with the characters and their development up until then! But it was a small thing in an otherwise wonderful story!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this e-ARC in exchange for my honest review!

Emmy and Grayson have a history of working together when they are teens and sadly, the way Grayson acted led to Emmy not acting again. When Emmy can't find a leading lady for her current project, her partner asks her to take it on. The leading guy was not supposed to be Grayson, but he ends up with the role. They start out terrible and the tension in the room is so thick. They are told to get it together and strike up a costars with benefits deal to get past it. Will they be able to avoid the feelings that come with it or will it make them hate each other for good?

I loved this story and the sexual tension between Emmy and Grayson. I love celebrity romances and acting together and this was just perfect for that. I do hate a third act breakup due to miscommunication. This book has some spice, but I loved how it changed their relationship.

Right on Cue is an enemies to lovers romance following Emmy Harper, a script writer who steps in front of the camera to become the leading lady of her rom com movie. Only for an old costar to be cast as the love interest opposite her. The same old costar who ruined her first ever acting role and made her step behind the camera ever since.

It’s currently 1am as I write this review and I regret nothing. I stayed up super late to finish this book because it had me hooked. The characters had amazing chemistry and had me giggling and kicking my feet every scene. I thought their story progressed at the perfect pace and they truly had time to develop their feelings. The miscommunication trope at the end was slightly annoying, but it did not ruin the book or a 5 star rating for me. I highly recommend this book to anyone looking for their next cute read.