Thank you to the publisher for allowing me access to an eARC via Netgalley!

January is traditionally the slumpiest month of the year for me both book wise and personal life wise, and I am so glad that I had this little ray of sunshine in my pocket to cheer me up! RIGHT ON CUE is the Ballard's third novel, and what a fun ride they've all been. I knew that this one would be perfect for me to read when I needed a pick me up.

4 things I loved about this book:
1. The book taking place on a movie set was pretty unique to me as a reader. I don't recall ever having read one before! Along with the setting, some lovely side characters were introduced (Sam being my favorite).
2. The FMC Emmy felt very down to earth and humble. Throughout the story, when she messes up, she admits it. She's never too proud to own her mistakes.
3. The MMC had a unique softness to him that made my heart swell. Any man that not only says, "You can trust me" but PROVES it with his actions is a winner in my book.
4. The third act break up (while in itself is trope-y) was not constructed in a way that made me want to pull my hair out. This breakup made sense, and I sympathized with both Grayson and Emmy.

This book was a bit steamier than I typically prefer, and while I don't knock stars off for steam in romance novels (unless it's terribly overdone), I still like those reading my reviews to be aware. The main reason I didn't give this one 5 stars is because I felt the ending was far too rushed - I wish the story were another 15-20 pages longer! I guess of all things to complain about, this isn't the worst, since I'm basically saying that I loved the characters so much that I wanted to see more of them.

Overall, another knockout from Falon Ballard, and she will remain on my auto-read list!

Title: Right on Cue by Falon Ballard
Publication Date- 02/27/24
Publisher- Penguin Group Putnam
Overall Rating- 5 out of 5 stars

Review: Review copy given to me by the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

I have had a really difficult time connecting to romance novels in the last few months. They are either too smutty, cringey or just aren’t interesting. I am happy to report that Right On Cue was a five star romance. I previously read and loved Lease on Love by Fallon Ballard and was blown away by it. She knows how to balance real life and whimsical romance. Though I have yet to read her release last year, I can tell her writing and storytelling has grown a lot since Lease on Love. I thoroughly enjoyed these characters, they were realistic and interesting. I enjoyed being on a movie set, navigating second chances and going through the ups and downs that they face together. There were several points in the book that I thought “oh why does it feel like we’ve reached the end and there’s still a lot of book left.” Well, Ballard does a good job of making you think the story is over and then adding layers that make sense. I appreciate that she used intimacy as a connecting factor and not as a method to sell the book. If you like really spicy romances, this isn’t for you. It has its moments but this is really a story about love, second chances and how love can exist even when two people are deeply flawed (as we all are). Fallon Ballard continues to be an auto read author for me. This did not let me down.

I loved Just My Type so I was super pumped to read this one and it did not disappoint at all! I've become a big fan of Falon Ballard and I can't wait to read more by her!

This was a cute and rather spicy rom-com that had me laughing out loud and cheering for the main love interests.

I loved Emmy and Grayson's romantic journey. They were both well developed and felt like real characters. There was humor, tension, and spice, what more can you ask for? It had just the right amount of spice, I loved it!

Highly recommend this feel good, light hearted story that I read in one sitting because I couldn't get enough!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this arc in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you NetGalley and PENGUIN GROUP Putnam for this ARC! I’m a big fan of Falon’s and I loved her other two books.

This was a spicy and adorable story with a perfect enemies to lovers portrayal! I only had a slight issue with the trope in the last half, but the ending made for it.

Fans of Falons other books will love this one!

I literally devoured this adorable rom-com in one day!! I laughed, I swooned, and I couldn’t put it down. The witty banter, and enemies to lovers was so well executed. I loved her writing style, it felt so fresh, current, and cozy, like I was having a conversation with my best friend. The entire plot was full of swoon-worthy rom-com moments and events, that were interesting and new. I loved the incorporation of celebrity main characters, childhood crushes, and a romance writer herself starring in her own story (literally and figuratively). The conflict resolution felt a teeny bit rushed, but overall, I loved this book from start to finish. This was an amazing feel-good light-hearted rom com that sucked me in from the very start.

This was my first book written by Falon Ballard, and I can’t wait to read her others!!

Thank you to Penguin Group Putnam and NetGalley for the e-ARC in exchange for my honest, unbiased review.

This was a super cute, easy to read RomCom. I will say the only thing that I struggled with was the miscommunication in it but at the same time that made it relatable because we’ve all been there before. Emmy and Grayson were well written and I absolutely recommend giving it a read!

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!