A quick, easy, enjoyable read.

Only reason I couldn't give it another star is it felt like there were too many plot lines happening at once that all were revealed at the same time. I wish some revelations came earlier in the book. This also felt like more of a contemporary romance than a rom-com. But overall I enjoyed the characters and finished it in a day!

Okay, it wasn't easy to turn my tangled thoughts into something slightly organized.

Andie's dream job as a senior book publicist quickly becomes complicated when she discovers her main author is Jack Carlson, the man who ruined her life in university five years ago. Now, she needs to figure out how to survive a month-long European book tour with him. She is determined not to let their complicated past derail her career opportunity – even if she occasionally fantasizes about running him over with a car.

The main themes of this book are grief and friendship. The romance is in the background.
Since the first few chapters, I had no empathy towards Andie. I found her extremely annoying and rude to her mother. I understand she was avoiding all thoughts about her father, therefore, not giving much attention to her mom, she never griefed properly and still doesn’t want to face those feelings but damn.
And for a second, I even thought she might have been romantically in love with her best friend. Maybe I'm just bitter and lonely.

I was waiting to feel butterflies like I always do when I read romcoms, but that didn't happen with Bad Publicity. As I mentioned, the romance is in the background. Andie hates Jack with all her might for something hideous he did to her that we have no idea what it is. I felt like they barely interacted throughout the story, so I couldn't even root for them. Also, because Andie is the least likable character I've ever read in a while.

I'm not saying this is a bad book. It's well written, but it's not a rom-com. Andie, trying to deal with the death of her father, is the biggest story here. And that's why I'm rating it a 2-star, because I came here for a silly enemies-to-lovers, but it's a bit deeper than that, without any warning. That should be mentioned somewhere in the summary.

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

This was described as a rom-com but it wasn't very funny. More than anything, it's Andie navigating her grief. I don't mind difficult or 'unlikeable' protagonists but Andie didn't have any quality that made me root for her, and found myself not enjoying her character in the slightest. By the time the reveal of what happened between them came, I was checked out.

Did not finish book. Stopped at 30%.
I didn’t click with this and honestly the amount of contempt and anger that Andie had for Jack with absolutely no explanation to the reader was super frustrating.

It felt like a book that wanted to be about grief, but also a romance and story of friendship and growth. Sometimes it felt like too many things were being juggled and none of them fully felt flushed out. The big reveal of why the two main characters weren’t friends felt forced, and didn’t feel like that part of the storyline had closure. 3.5 stars, rounded uo to 4 on Goodreads.


Thanks to NetGalley and Penguin Books for this ARC in exchange for my honest opinions.

Thank you to NetGalley and Penguin for the free ARC in exchange for an honest review.

The set up is this: Andie’s dream promotion turns into a nightmare when she realizes the high profile author she’s working with is the man she despises from her uni days. Andie can’t stand to be near Jack, but she can’t pass up a European book tour… She’s just going to have to work through it.
Key tropes: Enemies to Lovers and Second Chance Romance

My thoughts:
I loved this and couldn’t put it down! It’s crafted to be perfect easy reading material, but that being said, this is not the light-hearted rom-com it’s been marketed as, it’s the story of a young woman navigating difficulties in her twenties but with a strong romantic element. It deals with some heavy topics, and it’s not a breezy story -check content warnings accordingly- but it wasn’t a downer overall.
I’m huge on a strong setting and Gillam does a great job of setting up each location. She’s not description heavy like you’re right there with the characters, but there’s a sufficient sense of place for so much travel and some recognizable locations.
This is perhaps the first time I’ve found the whole enemies-to-lovers concept believable and haven’t found the enemies set-up to be laughable. It was excellent use of a popular trope.
A small complaint: I wanted more. I’d have liked some more exploration of the characters romantic connection (it felt like it was rooted in more than attraction but this was mostly off-page) and I wish it had been longer. I liked the ending, it felt right, but I wish there had been one more chapter as I found I was almost satisfied.

Final note: With such a strong debut, I can’t wait to see what the author writes next.

I loved parts of intentional writing, it made me feel the ache of grief, of a strained friendship, and the suffocation of withholding your struggles and thoughts while simultaneously trying to hold your life together. I did not like how long the miscommunication lasted.

Andie shines in those classic rom-com vibes, full of hilarious misunderstandings and charmingly muted moments. Yet, the story doesn't quite capture that deep romantic soul needed for a romance novel. While some plot points are beautifully detailed, the ending feels a bit rushed. Jack's respectful nature is sweet but can sometimes feel a tad much. Overall, it misses that spellbinding romance to be a true love story. Still, Andie dazzles in those iconic rom-com scenes with delightful miscommunication and a playful reluctance to let others share their views.

2nd chance romance after misunderstanding in college. Late 20s FMC and MMC. He’s an author and she’s his publicist… forced proximity, enemies to lovers, slow burn. He falls first. He’s gorgeous (obvi). Spice is 1/5. She’s a bit self-absorbed, but you find yourself rooting for her to figure her life out. 3.8/5

I enjoyed this debut novel by Bianca Gillam. It was thoughtful in its exploration of grief and navigating adult friendships, but it was not a rom-com as advertised. This novel follows Andie who starts a new job as a publicist only to find out her first big client is Jack Carlson a man she does not like from her past though we don't know why. Now she must go on a long book tour in Europe with this man she despises. The story really just gets right to that main plot point with no lead up and keeps the circumstances around their past very vague. Were Andie and Jack friends, lovers, academic rivals?? Why does she hate him so much? He is so kind to her throughout the all this so the enemies part of the enemies to lovers was very one-sided. I found that I really needed to know what Andie and Jack's past was in order to buy in and care. The chemistry was there, but the emotional tie in for the romance was not. The book also wasn't that funny. Beyond a few clumsy acts from Andie, the book mostly dealt with her grief in losing her father and how that has effected her relationship with her mom and best friend. Even her past with Jack turns out to be brief and sad. I liked her friend Sara and her mom grew on me by the end. A few moments did bring tears to my eyes. I enjoyed the travel throughout Europe. I think the author did a good job creating the setting.

Overall, I would recommend this book, just not as a romcom. I look forward to what Gillam writes in the future. Thank you to NetGalley for this eARC!

I really like the premise of the book and also loved the middle-end of the book starting around chapter 17 but up until that point I found it really difficult to root for Andie because of how seemingly rude she was acting towards her mom, Sara, and Jack. I think once we got some more context Andie became a much more likable protagonist and much easier to root for, but until that point I found it hard to root for her in the story.

Bad Publicity is an absolutely stunning debut. It is well-written, charming, and laugh-out-loud funny as it covers deeper topics that pour reliability into the pages and invite times of personal introspection for the audience. For the Emily Henry fans out there- this book reminded me of Beach Read in the most complimentary way. I would give it more than 5 stars if I could. I read it in one sitting and cannot wait to read everything Bianca writes.

Rating: 3.5

Bad Publicity surprised me. I expected something light and romance-forward, but what really stood out was the way grief shaped the main character’s entire emotional world. That line “Hating him was the most alive thing I’d done in years”, really stuck with me.

You can feel how scared she is to connect with people again, how much she’s holding herself back because of the pain. That felt real.

I do wish I understood more about Jack—why she fell for him, and why he felt the same. Their chemistry was there, but the emotional side felt rushed. Also… what happened to Robbie?? I kept waiting for closure that never came.

Loved the setting though, especially the Shakespeare and Co. scene. I felt like I was in it. The ending felt a little quick compared to the slow burn pacing, but overall, it had something to say—and I’ll definitely check out whatever Bianca Gillam writes next.

If it were possible, I would give the first 75% of this book 2 stars and the final quarter 4 stars. Andie is one of the least likable female main characters I’ve ever read in a romance novel. Her self-absorption is endless and the number of times she could have avoided future pain and conflict if she just stopped interrupting people is ridiculous. However, in the last bit of the book, her redemption arc is finally completed and I’m unsure if it would have been as satisfying if it weren’t for all the unnecessary strife in the rest.

On the other hand, Jack is a wonderful book boyfriend. Thoughtful, considerate, emotionally mature…. He definitely deserved better than Andie’s BS.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for giving me the opportunity to read this book, and many thanks to the author for wrapping it all up nicely.

Unfortunately, this book was not for me. Execution just wasn't great. Thank you netgally for the opportunity.

I really loved the premise of this book but the execution let me down.

I really wish Andie’s character had been developed more and that she had worked through her grief better. I feel like she doesn’t really work through her issues, and she just kinda sits with them and they weigh her down. She makes awful decisions and it got to a point where I wasn’t really invested in her story.

I also wish there had been more romance in this book. I went into it thinking it was a romcom, and it is not. Grief is the central focus, and the romance is like a very small side plot. I also think Andie’s reason for hating Jack was so stupid. The reveal of what happened between them just frustrated me. I couldn’t believe THAT was all it was.

Note: there were a few typos and missing words throughout the book. Would recommend sweeping through another time for editing.

Goodreads review:
Going into this book, I was expecting a lighthearted romance with a simple enemies to lovers trope. Unfortunately, it opened with the protagonist Andie so vehemently against the main male lead (Jack), that for a majority of the book, I was completely appalled at the idea of how Andie could possibly give up her extreme (unexplained) hatred towards him and become romantically involved somehow.

It turned out that in the end, this entire book was about Andie needing to work through her own trauma, and Jack was little but a convenient plot device to do so (and for the author to write some spicy scenes).

This book honestly was so frustrating, written from the perspective of someone so deeply traumatized and irrational, yet framed as a romance (which felt majorly inappropriate). On top of that, the readers were spoon fed Andie working through her grief in the most heavy handed way.

Overall, I would say this was not worth the read, whether it’s for the “romance” or the “growth” of the lead character.

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Additional thoughts:

This book felt very heavy handed at the end--it's clear to readers that Andie has serious issues facing her past and the author continuously seems to need to assure that we are aware that she is running from her problems. I did not find Andie particularly likable and often felt frustrated with her actions. While I understand how she reflects the cycle of running from her grief, it feels force-fed to readers and makes Andie's decisions and perspective feel more and more ridiculous. Finally, her final growth feel rushed and not particularly satisfying.

I really liked this -- but I know I could have LOVED it with a few differences.

I wish we dived more into Jack and Andie's relationship. I loved the aspects of Andie dealing with her grief, but I almost wish the end of the book was actually the 50% mark and we would have another half to keep working through her relationship and her dealing with the loss of her father. What I'm trying to say is that, while enjoyable and well-written, I was left wanting more.

4.5 Stars!

Bad Publicity is a moving story of second chances, although I didn't feel it fits the typical rom-com labels. Bad Publicity explores grief and healing with emotional depth as Andie, a rising book publicist, finds herself thrust back into a complicated relationship with the very person who once devastated her life. Though the pacing can feel a bit slow at times, the undeniable chemistry and the slow burn enemies-to-lovers dynamic make it a rewarding read.

umm... There was very little ROM and absolutely no COM! There was in fact ALOT of grief going on...
I requested this ARC because it was labeled as a Rom-Com, yet nothing was funny. There was no feet kicking or giggling while reading this. In fact if anything, this book carries ALOT of grief about the FMC's father.
While it was in fact enjoyable and fun to see how the publishing side of books work, it was really frustrating to read from Andie's POV, for she is kind of an asshole to Jack... and poor jack just takes the hits and lets them roll right off his shoulder.
Andie keeps referring to an incident that happened between Jack and her, in college; and the way she goes on about it and whines about it, you'd think that Jack and her dated for awhile and then Jack did something AWFUL for her to hate him so much....
But when we FINALLY find out what he did, it was so anticlimactic, because it was literally her hating this man for it the ENTIRE book!
I wanted something funny...and this was not what it was advertised to be...

Thank you NetGalley for my ARC copy in exchange for my honest review.