Thank you to NetGalley and Penguin Books for an ARC in exchange for my honest review!

This book was sweet. I love books about book people, and throw in second chance/enemies to lovers and it makes for a great time. Unfortunately I didn’t feel invested in these characters and wished there was more banter early on, but the story was overall cute.

This book was such a great story of love and grief woven together so beautifully. I related a lot to Andie with the passing of my father and the grief that followed. This was a big theme in the book. As someone who has lost a parent, I understand how grief is intricately woven into the fibers of your being for so long. I also know how cathartic it is to face it and walk through it. Gillam did a great job of portraying this without overdoing it. Bad Publicity gets a solid 4 stars from me.

Thank you to Bianca Gillam and Penguin Books for the ARC of this novel. All thoughts and opinions are authentically mine.

I loved this story so much! The different places we traveled through were so beautifully written, I felt like I was actually there. Andie was such a relatable character and her journey with her grief was beautiful to witness

Andie is a publicist excited to jump into her new role until she finds out her first major assignment is an international book tour with a man from her past, who she wishes would stay there. They have history and Jack her charming author charge seems determined to try and win back Andie’s favor no matter how she feels about it.

Thanks Netgalley for providing me with this digital Arc in exchange for my unbiased review. This was a total meh read for me. The story had significant pacing issues and I really struggled to find characteristics I liked about Andie which makes it hard to root for her. She constantly references some event that occurred between her and Jack at university that was horrible and the cause for her hatred of him, but it’s not until nearly 80% through you even find out what happened. Once you do it made me understand her a bit more but without the context she seemed overly whiney and self-absorbed for the majority of the book. I wanted to tell her to get a therapist a few times rather than dumping on her poor friend. For a quasi-romance book, the tension was also super mild and just didn’t have the simmer needed to make the build up worth it. Quick read, but not one I’d go out of my way to recommend or purchase.

🌶: 2.5 out of 5
⭐️: 3.75 out of 5
🍿*: 4 out of 5

I was given early access to Bad Publicity by Bianca Gillam and I was pleasantly surprised with how enraptured I was with the plot! It was a good pace throughout with enough breadcrumbs to keep me curious on what happened to Andie and Jack. I love that the book tours through Europe in some of my favorite cities. The whole time I needed to know what happened in Edinburgh!

This story touches on topics of grief, loss, feelings of isolation and guilt. As someone who has recently lost a loved one, I could relate so much to Andie and her journey of recovery. I think the author did a great job of capturing Andie's inner monologue while going through her turbulent emotions.

However, since the book touches on such serious topics I do feel as though the ending was a bit rushed through to try and tie things off in a clean way. Didn't ruin the book but it wasn't as satisfying as I would have liked it to be.

*Popcorn scale is referring to how easily consumable the book is overall

Thank you to Netgalley, the publisher, and the author for the advanced reader copy of Bad Publicity! I was drawn to this title as I love books set within the book industry...and who doesn't love an enemies to lovers book?

On Andie's first day of her dream job, she learns her biggest author client is none other than Jack, the man who screwed her over in uni 5 years ago. The book follows Andie and Jack along a book tour to promote his latest release. Andie is trying to make it through the trip by avoiding Jack and any discussion on their past. Meanwhile Jack is trying to honor Andie's wishes at a cost to himself.

What I most enjoyed about this book was the author's writing on grief. Andie's father passed away not long after her fall out with Jack in college. Shortly after these big life changes, Andie moved across the world for a brand new job. She's become excellent at pretending everything is fine until she can't anymore which is deeply uncomfortable and deeply relatable for those who have lost someone they love and/or for those who respond to big life changes by not addressing them, but rather avoiding them. I also enjoyed the way Jack approached asking Andie and a bookshop owner about their loved ones who have passed away. We so often don't know how to talk to people about grief and it was beautiful to see this done.

I did not feel I got to know either main character well and I did not understand the main characters connection to each other. From their past to their present, a romance (and especially them being in love with each other towards the end) felt rushed to me as the reader. For most of the book, we see them rarely have a meaningful conversation and when we get a glimpse into their past, it is such a short, fleeting moment that they shared before things turned sour.

I really enjoyed the elements on the book industry and on grief, but the romance was not there for me in this book. I am grateful to have read Bianca's story - it's gotten me to reflect on my relationship with grief and explore my own avoidant behaviors!

This is an enemies to lovers romance. What I enjoyed most about the book were the publishing/marketing insights, the delicate yet well down discussion of grief and the male character. I did not find much redeeming about Andie, the main character, although I did feel she became more mature and realistic in the end. As a result, I did not enjoy the book as much as other books by the same author.

Thank you to the author, publisher and NetGalley for a chance to preview this book in exchange for an honest review.

4.5/5

I enjoyed the characters very much and the way the author writes their inner thoughts and dialogue is perfect. I will say it's a little on the slower side of pacing near the beginning, so it took me about 1/3 of the book before it became "un-put-down-able" - but once it did, I couldn't get enough. I think it took me about 3 weeks to read the first 1/3 and about 3 days to do the last 2/3. The end has a really quick (maybe too quick?) pacing in comparison and it felt like it wrapped up too fast. I would've liked a true epilogue - the final chapter didn't really feel like one and it would have been nice to see more of the relationship on the page. Really juicy, delightful story, I just wish the first part of the book was a little faster paced and captivating.

To be honest, this was a pleasant surprise! It started a bit slow, but really developed nicely. A book that eloquently told a story of grief, friendship, love, and self discovery... with some of the best tropes tied in (enemies to lovers and forced proximity to name a few)! I look forward to reading more by Bianca Gilliam.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for allowing me to read the arc of this novel! This book was so fun from the very beginning! I love a classic enemies-to-lovers story and this one delivers! The way this book had me dying to know what went down in the past between Andie and Jack was crazy! I was worried I’d be disappointed but I definitely wasn’t! The reveal of their past issues and how they overcame them validated the entire story for me. I think Bianca Gillam does a great job of tackling relationship and family dynamic issues throughout the story while giving Andie an absolutely hilarious inner monologue that I found incredibly relatable! I can't wait for this release and to read more from this author in the future!

I would say this was a solid 3 for me. I really liked the premise, but I found myself struggling to keep up with the writing. It felt like it took so long for the reader to get a full picture of what actually happened between Andie and Jack, and until we got there, I was just so confused and having a hard time connecting with them.
Thank you NetGalley & publisher for the early digital copy! All opinions are mine and mine only ✨

I’m really appreciative to NetGalley and the publisher for giving me this arc. Unfortunately, this book just wasn’t for me. I think the ending and the FMC just weren’t my cup of tea. In theory, the premise sounded really good but the execution just wasn’t there.

Enemies to lovers romance is a book where - from the very first page - all I wanted was for our main character was to get some therapy and start working through her grief. She does - eventually - but phew it’s a lot of grief-masquerading-as-anger for many many pages until we get there.

Overall, this was a good read! Kind of a second chance romance + enemies to lovers. The book tour element was fun. I did think the drama that kept them apart was held in so much suspense that I expected it to be MUCH MUCH worse when it came out in the open. But overall, it was a good read.

Thanks to netgalley for the ARC! I’d probably do 3.5 stars on this one because it took a loooooong time to get the full story of why Andie hates Jack, but it was cute & enjoyable overall, despite what I felt was a bit of an overreaction and avoidance on the part of the main female character (if you see my other reviews, I loathe a weak female who makes bad decisions, and this one was teetering). I like when a romace doesn’t have a lot of graphic sexual situations but shows a good attraction and some fun back and forth. I always enjoy a good female friendship like Andie has with Sara (although them referring to each other as A and S a lot and Andie seeming a little too needy and dependent on Sara got in my nerves a bit). The background hate story seemed believable for the most part. Although I like to think there’d be some possibility of a follow-up to the situation now that they’re grown and capable and one famous adult(s), it works. Overall, it’s a cute read, especially if you’re a sucker for an enemies/hate to lovers romance, but don’t look for a ton of depth to the story. FYI sexual situations, adult romance, profanity

Bad Publicity by Bianca Gillam was an okay read for me. It felt like it was going to be something a little different from what I got but it was still a good read. I liked the story but I felt like it took a little too long to figure out why the characters didn't like each other and it was almost to a point where I found it a little frustrating. I'm glad I pushed through and finished it because it was better.

I'd say 70% of my reaction to this book is a case of misaligned expectations. From the cover (color/art) and blurb's focus and tone, I expected a lighthearted enemies-to-lovers romcom with travel hijinks, fun banter, and an HEA.

It would be more accurate to describe this as [women's] fiction from the POV of a protagonist who is grappling with grief and the aftermath of a defining life event 5 years ago. The male protagonist played a role both in that life event and in the present-day plot, but I wouldn't go so far as to call him a love interest or this story a romcom. As for the hijinks, they only serve to fuel Andie's low self esteem, and the banter skews toward arguments--when she doesn't cut it off. There's too little rom and way too little com for those labels to apply.

I'd probably give this book 3 stars if I didn't share many readers' frustrations with the pacing and the protagonist. Andie's coping mechanism of cutting off any conversation that makes her remotely uncomfortable left me feeling like there's an entire story happening within the plot that we as readers can't access because we're limited to her POV. I hesitate to label her unlikable because she's so clearly hurting, but we don't see another side of her until the flashback at the 70%+ mark. After that point, the growth feels rushed and convenient rather than genuine.

Ultimately, this all feels realistic for a novel depicting someone steeped in grief. The writing drew me in and kept me reading. If I had gone in expecting a tender examination of grief, the way it sends us into survival mode, and limits our ability to engage with those around us, I would have said it mostly succeeded.

Thank you to NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Bianca Gillam's *Bad Publicity* is a delightful slow burn rom-com that expertly balances tension, grief, and self exploration. The story follows Andie, a passionate book publicist who unexpectedly reunites with her college nemesis, Jack Carlson. Forced to work with him to prove herself worthy of her dream job, their chemistry crackles from the start, setting the stage for an engaging journey of second chances and the complexities of past relationships.

Gillam shines in her portrayal of Andie's internal struggles and professional aspirations. Despite her flaws and missteps, you find yourself rooting for her to work through the things that are holding her back in life. The dynamic between Andie and Jack is both tumultuous and playful, with sharp dialogue that keeps readers invested in their journey.

The plot leans into familiar rom-com tropes while also giving the reader strong character development and clever twists which keeps it fresh and engaging. Overall, Bad Publicity is a charming read that will leave you rooting for Andie and Jack as they navigate the fine line between love and rivalry.

ARC provided by NetGalley

The grief theme was a lot for myself in this book. It wasn't quite as light hearted as I had hoped it would be but I still enjoyed it. I def had to take breaks while reading though as it was a bit tough to get through at times as I am a bog mood reader. Overall I thought it was good just fair warning on the grief aspect.

This was a super cute enemies to lovers story! It was filled with complicated love lives, grief, unsure friendships, family drama and so much more. Andre truly gets to explore herself and figure out who she is throughout this story and it will leave you with tears in your eyes.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the arc of this book. All opinions are my own.