What a fun, swoony escape! RIGHT ON CUE by Falon Ballard is a fast-paced, read-it-in-a-day romance that combines so many of my favorite tropes: second chance, right person/wrong time, forced proximity, and enemies-to-lovers. The chemistry between Emmy and Grayson jumps off the page quickly, and the shift from costars-with-benefits to lovers is so satisfying to read. Both characters are well developed, the backdrop of their fame makes for extra fun complications, and the opposites-attract banter is snappy from the start. I particularly loved the picturesque settings throughout, and I really liked Emmy's friendship with Liz. Overall, it's a great, cozy rom-com I'll definitely recommend to friends.

I received an Advanced Reader's Copy from NetGalley.

This fun rom-com stars Emilia Harper, a Hollywood baby born to two Hollywood greats, who has made her way as a rom-com screenwriter. Her costar is Midwest-born Grayson West who has made a name for himself from starring in action films and being named Sexiest Man Alive twice.

Emmy, after some cajoling from her best friend director, Liz, agrees to star in the film as Isobel beside actor Jonathan Brentwood's Josh, after they couldn't find a suitable actor to match Emmy's reading with Joshua. Well, last minute casting change happens and it's now Grayson who's going to be Emmy's costar. The problem is that these two acted once before together, their first movie ever, and it went horribly. Despite being teens at that time, they were raked across the coals by the critics. Can they put aside their hatred for each other to make a great movie?

In a fun enemies-to-lovers, forced proximity, and second, even third chance rom-com, Right on Cue was pretty lighthearted and a fun read for me. Ms. Ballard did a pretty good job at keeping the two main characters from being one dimensional. Both had their insecurities and personal demons, as well as their mischaracterizations of the other.

There are several intimate scenes with the first starting after the two are dressed down for their poor acting with each other. But the ease into actual relationship from a friends-with-benefits start was pretty well done, I felt. As would be expected, there were some frustrating moments to see as the reader and a few of the standard rom-com cliches, but overall, despite one or two missed grammar errors in this ARC and the focus on pointing out a character's race (I saw it mostly when referencing a white woman), I honestly enjoyed this book. I give it 4 out of 5 stars and recommend any who like the rom-com genre give it a try. Right on Cue comes out February 26, 2024.

This is the first book by this author. It won’t be the last. It was a cute story that was different in the enemies to lovers trope. Emmy is the daughter of America’s acting sweethearts so she’s not a stranger to Hollywood. When she’s cast in her own movie with her arch nemesis from her first and only acting role, they have to learn to work together without killing each other. They soon find out love and hate are close neighbors. I highly recommend this story.

I stopped reading this book at about 60% because it just didn't keep my interest. I really wanted to love it. The concept of enemies to lovers filming a movie together, it caught my initial interest immediately. The FMC had major problems with the MMC, naturally, and she was determined to keep him at a distance. This was expected and fine, but 60% of the way in and they still hadn't talked about it. They hadn't had any meaningful conversations really, and the one time they did, she bailed so quickly that it went nowhere. By 60% usually the couple has softened toward each other and talked through some of their issues if not all of them. They jeopardized the movie for like 5 days of filming, then successfully survived an intimate scene and decided sex was the answer to their problems. That's a fine plot point as long as there's forward motion, but there just wasn't. I might pick it up again in the future to give it another shot, but I just couldn't stay interested long enough to finish it now.

3.5 stars - this is my first Falon Ballard book, and for a genre that is typically outside of my typical read, I truly enjoyed it! It was a super fast read, and I felt like this book was going to be a solid 4 stars. Up until the party that ruined everything - I guess I was waiting for something more monumental or disastrous than a misheard eavesdropping situation. Although I think the majority of readers could’ve guessed that Kevin was going to be the crux of the issue, I thought there was actually going to be a huge mistake on Grayson’s part. It just made Emmy look immature, and it knocked her character down a notch in my view.

A second-chance romance set in the movie industry, #RightonCue tells the story of Emmy Harper and Grayson West, who are starring opposite each other in the latest rom-com written by Emmy. Emmy and Grayson worked together previously in a disastrous rom-com when they were both teenagers starting out and have managed to avoid each other in the intervening 15 years.

Emmy is second-generation Hollywood, the only child of a well-known and highly successful pair of actors, who is still getting over the sudden death of her father. She has become very successful in her own right as a screenwriter—including winning an Oscar—leaving acting behind after her awful initial experience. Grayson, who grew up in Minnesota, has become a leading action hero. Raised to be a hockey star by his overbearing father, Grayson is now estranged from his dad since he chose to pursue acting over hockey.

Emmy is reluctantly talked into appearing in front of the camera again after the casting process for her latest script fails to identify the lead actress the team is looking for. Right before shooting is to begin, the leading man has to drop out due to an accident; Grayson is the last-minute replacement.

The story has an interesting set-up and some clever dialogue. Unfortunately, it relies very heavily on miscommunication to drive the narrative. While this is understandable in their initial experience when Grayson and Emmy were teenagers, it’s frustrating to see this continue to play such a major role throughout the book. Miscommunication is the reason behind every setback in their relationship. After Emmy and Grayson grow close during the filming, it’s especially hard to believe that Emmy would be so quick to leap to the worst conclusion based on overhearing part of a conversation, without giving Grayson a chance to explain. This was disappointing as it seemed like a missed opportunity for the characters to demonstrate some growth.

With an appealing cast of main and secondary characters, this story was very readable but had the potential to be even better.

Thanks to #NetGalley and Penguin Group of @PutnamBooks for the ARC.

I’ve read 3 books by this author and this one might be the best yet! It’s the story of a nepo baby screenwriter who decides to act in one of her movies and ends up costarring with a man she knew from an earlier movie who she hasn’t spoke to in years. It was very cute and well written. It was neat to be in the mindset of a Hollywood movie production as well as the hookups behind the scenes. Enemies to lovers trope is one of my favorites and this didn’t disappoint. I loved Emmy and Grayson as characters and it was heartwarming to read their story!

Thank you to Net Galley, Falon Ballard, Putnam, and Penguin Random house for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

“‘𝙳𝚘𝚗’𝚝 𝚍𝚎𝚗𝚢 𝚢𝚘𝚞𝚛𝚜𝚎𝚕𝚏 𝚜𝚘𝚖𝚎𝚝𝚑𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚋𝚎𝚊𝚞𝚝𝚒𝚏𝚞𝚕 𝚋𝚎𝚌𝚊𝚞𝚜𝚎 𝚢𝚘𝚞’𝚛𝚎 𝚊𝚕𝚛𝚎𝚊𝚍𝚢 𝚝𝚑𝚒𝚗𝚔𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚊𝚋𝚘𝚞𝚝 𝚠𝚑𝚊𝚝 𝚑𝚊𝚙𝚙𝚎𝚗𝚜 𝚒𝚏 𝚒𝚝 𝚐𝚘𝚎𝚜 𝚠𝚛𝚘𝚗𝚐.’”

📖 𝙍𝙞𝙜𝙝𝙩 𝙤𝙣 𝘾𝙪𝙚 𝙗𝙮 𝙁𝙖𝙡𝙤𝙣 𝘽𝙖𝙡𝙡𝙖𝙧𝙙

Let me just start this review by saying I read this in one sitting. It was such a fun romcom that I just couldn’t put it down. Thank you NetGalley for my ARC in exchange for my honest review! This book releases on February 27th! 🩶

Emmy has grown up in stardom with two movie star parents. When she was 15 she landed her first roll starring beside Grayson. There was instant chemistry between the two but an unfortunate misunderstanding between them on the first day of filming tears them apart. The movie tanks and Emmy chooses to never act again. Instead, she builds a oscar winning career as a screenwriter. Her latest script is all ready to go but lacks a leading lady. She is pressured to take on the roll and gets the shock of her life when she releases her costar is none other than Grayson.

Grayson lacks confidence in himself as an actor and it causes him to have a chip on his shoulder that he is only capable of being an action star. A buff guy that is incapable of acting in other roles.

In order to produce a successful movie, Emmy and Grayson try to work through their differences and form a costars with benefits relationship.

🎬This was a quick read but I really enjoyed the plot for this book. It was fun getting a look into how films are made! Grayson is definitely a book boyfriend! 🫠 The side characters in this book were all great and provided support for our leads! My one wish for this book was that it was dual POV. I feel like the story could have benefited from having a look into Grayson’s POV. Without that it felt like their romance was more one sided.

🔥There is spice in this book, but I thought it was pretty tame! Spice level: 2🌶️

Tropes: enemies to lovers, enemies with benefits, daddy issues, book boyfriend material, showmance

meh. it was kind of redundant with the storyline and them coming to terms with each other. not terrible but not the best.

Many thanks to NetGalley and the Publisher for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This is a great celebrity enemies to lovers romance. I really enjoyed the characters and the storyline really grabs you and keeps you connected. I knocked off one star because I was annoyed by the way one of the miscommunication tropes that worked its way in. I saw it coming, but didn't see a good enough reason for the way it was handled. Regardless, it's fun, it's spicy, and you should certainly give it a read!

I really enjoyed this book. The second (née third) chance, Hollywood romance is a troupe I’m becoming more and more fond of. I love how all the characters support each other through the whole book and there’s some sound wisdom as well. It had some cute laughable moments that were on par with a rom-com. The were a couple things that bothered me: the amount of sexy time. We get it you like each other, it’s a friends to lover troupe, we don’t need it in every chapter. It also deeply frustrates me when there’s obvious miscommunication in books, it makes the characters seem juvenile and over dramatic causing unnecessary fights. In this case insert (third chance).
But overall I did enjoy this book and would read more by Falon Ballard.
Thanks to Netgalley!

At this point, just inject “Hollywood based enemies-to-lovers” into my veins. Excellent—clearly, it’s time for me to read the rest of Falon Ballard’s books.

Hopeful and sexy and reads like the best kind of movie in my brain. I read it all in one day—it’s that good.

It’s wonderful reading books about talented women with supportive friends/family who allow them to make mistakes and learn and grow.

It’s important to read tingle books with clear consent and respect.

It’s fun to watch (in my brain) two people as they navigate what they thought they knew of each other, who they are now, and figure out what they really want next together.

Also? I really, really want to watch the rom-com they filmed during the book immediately.

I loved Falon Ballard’s other books (LEASE ON LOVE and JUST MY TYPE), and was thrilled to get an early peek at this one, too. I’ll buy and read anything she writes from now on.

For fans of love stories like:
How to Fake it in Hollywood
Will They or Won’t They
Nora Goes Off Script
You Had Me at Hola
Funny You Should Ask
Once More with Feeling
Battle Royal
So We Meet Again
Waiting for Tom Hanks
Ship Wrecked

Big thank you to Penguin Group Putnam and NetGalley for the opportunity to read Right on Cue.

To me, this book gave a sneak peak behind the scenes of a holiday rom-com movie in the making. It was cute, made me smile, had just the right amount of spice, brought a tear to my eye, and of course a happy ending.

Emmy and Grayson’s journey of enemies turned lovers is such a cute story. I could picture what this book would look like on screen the entire time. I can’t wait to read what Falon writes next!

I wanted to love this book. It had all the right parts but I didn’t really feel the connection between the characters to be genuine. They were a bit over-dramatic, too much miscommunication, and the overuse of the f-word made me roll my eyes way too many times.

Thank you NetGalley and Putman’s Sons for the e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Right on Cue is a second chance romance, enemies to lovers, celebrity romance.

Emmy Harper and Grayson West first worked together as teenagers and things ended horribly. When Grayson is unexpectedly cast in Emmy’s romcom movie the two have to work together. On set they have awful chemistry and their constant anger is bringing down the whole film. One thing leads to another and they decide to be enemies with benefits for the sake of the movie. Will they be able to play it cool and keep their enemy status or will someone catch feelings?

This book is full of banter, tension, and spice. It is also a really sweet and heartfelt love story about how our past hurt can impact our ability to fully connect and trust in a relationship.

Thank you to Penguin Group Putnam for the e-arc for the addictive book! All opinions are my own.

After reading, Just My Type and really enjoying it, I was super excited when I got approved for this book. I love Hollywood romances so the premise sold me instantly as well. The first movie Emmy and Grayson were in tanked and they were reunited for a new Hallmark-esque film that Emmy wrote. While I liked the characters and the premise, I found myself kinda disappointed with how huge of a role miscommunication especially towards the end of the book. At the beginning of the story, there’s a lot of mentions of Emmy’s grief & while we get to see little glimpses of it, I wish it was more central to the plot than it was. Once the romance starts, it felt like all of the side plots went away. The dedication at the beginning of the book said “this one’s for me,” so I’m glad Ballard got a write a book they were excited about and you really do get to see that passion and fun through the book!

Thank you to Netgalley and G.P. Putnam & sons for and arc in exchange for an honest review.

Solid 4 and at times more like a 4.5. Thank you NetGalley for the ARC of this new to me author. I didn't go into this book with any expectations but I certainly loved it! The story was cute and I enjoyed the characters and their banter. I enjoyed the books theme a lot as well. Though it wasn't a Christmas book per say there were definitely some Christmas-y elements sprinkled in which I liked. I'm usually not a fan of the friends with benefits story line but this one o enjoyed. My biggest complaint was the last minute drama. It seemed a little forced and unrealistic in some ways. The way Emmy decided to overhear a part of a conversation, jump to conclusions and not at least talk or listen to Grayson's side of the story annoyed me. Overall it was a fantastic read and I'll be sure to read more books by this author in the future

Falon Ballard does it again! I loved every second of this book. A steamy enemies to lovers forced to be in a movie together after their debut together was a total fail from their teen years. After hating every second of working together, what's the one way to get rid of all the tension... get involved in an enemies with benefits arrangement. Nothing bad can come out of that correct?

This book centers around the making of a romantic comedy film from Emmy, the daughter of Hollywood royalty, and hunky action star it man Grayson. You see them hate each other, love each other and then hate each other again before they really talk through their issues. I really enjoyed seeing the behind the scenes of what filming a rom com could be like. The female relationship between and Emmy and her best friend/director Liz was wonderful to see two women work together, challenge, and support each other.

This was such an enjoyable read and made me wish the movie was actually being made! Thank you NetGalley and Penguin Group Putnam for providing me with this addictive read's digital review copy in exchange for my thoughts and feelings!

After a string of of awful rom coms in my TBR list, that I unfortunately skimmed through, Right on Cue was like a breath of fresh air. It was funny, it was romantic, it was sweet, and it was everything I look for in romance novels. It had heart, it had depth and it did an excellent job capturing the love between Emmy and Grayson.

I enjoyed following along to their story, how they ended up reconnecting years later and the slow burn that took place to ultimately cause them to fall in bed together. ;-) It was sweet to see Emmy slowly lower her walls, and allow herself to fall in love with Grayson, and on the flipside, Grayson was a kind, sweet, underestimated actor wishing for someone to just *see* him.

The one piece that I wish had a bit more background was Grayson's side of things from their breakdown as teenagers. We knew what happened, but it clearly left such an impact on Emmy 15+ years later. We need to have more of a dialogue or conversation to explain Grayson's side, for Emmy to properly explain what that did to her, and honestly, to hear what that breakdown did to *him.* That's the one piece that I wish the author had gone more into detail with.

Overall, I will absolutely be recommending this to friends and family!