Love a good enemies to lovers! Kind of reminded me of Book Lovers by Emily Henry, so if you enjoyed that book I would recommend!

This was not quite what it was marketed to be, and ultimately fell flat. Thank you for this ARC in exchange for an honest review! I am working through my backlog, and will be momentarily posting reviews for the stories I have yet to get posted but have finished reading.

I wanted to love this book so bad. An author and a publicist? Perfect, sign me up. But the pacing was off from the get go. Andie is also just a bit... cruel. She wasn't very nice and didnt feel like she had any redeeming (or even mature) qualities about her. Unfortunately this was a miss for me.

4.5 rounded up to 5
"There’s room for many things , always. Light and dark, all at once.”
Catharsis.
That's the word that came to mind while reading this. I laughed, I cried, I felt all the feelings.
There were times when Andie really bothered me and I did wish that there would've been more details revealed about why she hated Jack before 70% through the book, but the last 25% made up for it!
TW: Death of a loved one (talked about throughout but happens before the book takes place)
Also some swearing.

Thank you to NetGalley and penguin publishing for this eARC!
I think the focus of this book was on way too many plot lines. And unfortunately none of it was really flushed out well enough for me to give this anything more than a 2 stars.

There seems to be a possibility of a second chance romance but we truly don’t find out anything about these two characters until 70%. The romance isn’t believable enough by that point, and unfortunately, after that, it is too late.


She is also dealing with the loss of her father but it always seems to be brought up at the most random times and never truly fits in with what she’s going through.

Also, the minor sub plots and side characters in the story just felt unnecessary and didn’t really add anything to improve our characters. Maybe if they had been given a more thorough or thought about story, they would’ve been cared about a little bit more.

And I understand that a mother will always be there for her child. However, I felt that the way our FMC treated her mom was harsh.

I wish this book would have focused on more of her grief and not as much as the second chance romance that was rushed at the last 20% of the book with no character build up to it or after it.

Bad Publicity blends some of my favorite rom-com tropes—forced proximity, second chance romance, and enemies to lovers—with deeper themes of grief and loneliness. While it carries the structure of a light romance, there’s definitely more emotional weight than expected, and a more closed-door approach to intimacy. I especially enjoyed the dynamic between the author and publicist—it added a fun, behind-the-scenes twist to the book world that I love. Overall, an enjoyable read that balances heartache and humor in a thoughtful way.

Thanks to NetGalley and Penguin Books for free copy of the book in exchange for my honest review.

Terrific Tour

Andie and Jack sizzled throughout. I felt the dimension of lightheartedness and looming past throughout. The scenes set- I felt like I was in the cities of the book tour with them. The way Andie develops throughout her journey, there is so much growth and subjects you can’t not resonate with. A top tier choice for second chance romance.

The fact that this is Bianca Gillam’s author debut is brilliant and shocking. It is illustrated so well as I read this I could visualize watching the scenes as a movie in a theater or my living room. It would be a box office crime to not develop this into an instant Rom-Com cinematic classic. Beat the masses and read this gem first before it’s on the big screens.

Thank you to Bianca Gillam and Penguin Group Penguin Books for providing this book. I am voluntarily leaving a review. All opinions are my own.

Bianca Gillam's debut novel, Bad Publicity, is a compelling blend of enemies-to-lovers romance and personal growth, set against the backdrop of a European book tour.

(Review for the ARC provided by Netgalley)


It's touted as a rom-com. I'd call it more women's lit than comedy or a romance. One of the things that I especially liked was that the MFC (Main female character) had beef with the MMC since 5 years prior to the start of the book, and her interactions with him were very realistic. She did not fall at his feet immediately and got lost in his "dreamy eyes". She *^%&ing hated his guts and did her best to stay away from him. As a reader, you immediately go, "Yup. That's what I would have done"


The MFC has a ton of trauma and it is absolutely unprocessed. I have been reading a lot of romance/women's-lit so it didn't hit me so bad but for newbies, they could go, "HUH????"

For his part, the MMC was also shown in a much more realistic light. Was the whole premise realistic? No, but then this is fiction so it's ok. The fact that they got together first without resolving the conflict irked me but that's because I'm a millenial and we talk our shit out in therapy.

The conflict between the MMC and MFC is also not revealed until the end ( and yes it's a doozy). I'm glad they did end up talking about it.


Overall, a good read

I enjoyed this book. The cover and synopsis was intriguing. My issues with it that was the story didn't quite fit into the rom-com trope like I was expecting. It felt more women's fiction than romance to me. The female lead was compelling and I like her story. The romance never really connected with me but I enjoyed because I connected with her. The author's writing was great though and I look forward to more stories from her.

Andie was one frustrating fmc. I wanted to scream at her to let people just talk. She would literally cut everyone off just because she didn't want to hear what people had to say. All the miscommunication, would of been solved if you just let people say what they needed to say, even if you don't want to hear it.
I felt for Jack, he did everything to resolve things but got so much push back from Andie.
There is much diversity, and things honestly fell flat for me. I wish the author luck on her future books, but unfortunately this book just wasn't for me.

2 stars.

Bianca Gillam does a great job of capturing how grief and trauma, which when ignored, create bigger problems - in particular to relationships. I’d love to have rated this novel higher, but the overall flow of the novel just doesn’t fully work for me.

Loves: book industry, slow burn, enemies to lovers, second chance, descriptions of scenery, Jack’s need to impress his father, Jack’s character

Dislikes: story flow, not sharing what the incident was until very late in the book, Andie’s treatment of pretty much everyone (inclusive of verbal abuse at times), side characters often glossed over, ending

This book will likely be enjoyed if you are looking for women’s literature. If you are looking for true rom-com, this should probably be a pass for you. I’m middle of the road, so will be interested in reading more of Bianca’s books.

This book is so good. If you have a hard time with characters who run away from their problems and their feelings, this book probably isn’t for you. This book is a romance, but grief is inextricably a part of the romance. The main character is trying to run from grief within all aspects of her life and it takes her quite awhile to step outside of herself and let her family, friends, and loved ones in. The process is slow, but it feels more real that way. It’s not a super steamy book, but the characters are invested in each other and I find that far more romantic.

Bad Publicity by Bianca Gillam is a complicated read. It had everything I want from a romance novel: forced proximity, enemies-to-lovers, and a second chance romance between Andie and Jack that left me swooning. It also deals. well with issues of grief, and slut shaming. These issues appropriately often take the forefront of the story, with an excellent best friend character to move it forward. For readers looking for a late twenties 'coming-to-terms' story I would recommend, though I fear readers seeking primarily romance will be unhappy with the balance in this book.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for my review e-arc.

Andie is excited about her new job. After years of working in publishing, she’s just been promoted to senior publicist. She will be working with fiction authors on promoting their books, starting with her top author Jack Carlson. When her new boss hands her the list of authors she’ll be working with, Andie is taken aback by his name on the list. He is known as a non-fiction author, and this is his first novel. The publisher is excited about it, so they’ve got him going on tour in Europe. And since his last European tour was a confused mess, he’s insisting that a publicist go with him and make sure all the details are taken care of. And Andie just got the job of being that publicist.

Andie knows Jack from university, where their friendship ended badly and suddenly. For Andie, that incident was followed by a personal tragedy, so it still burns hot in her memory. But she really wants this job, so if that means traveling through Europe for weeks with the person she can’t stand, then she will swallow her personal feelings and do the job the best she can.

The tour starts smoothly. The publicity team back in New York did all of the prep work, making sure they had flights and hotels and knew the schedule for appearances. Andie and Jack act professionally and the interviews and book signings are a success. Andie has time to answer emails from some of her other authors, and she’s on track to get through the tour okay. But when Jack’s book hits the bestseller lists, all bets are off.

Andie hears from her boss that because of the popularity of his book, they were able to schedule him some appearances in Edinburgh. And Andie tries to stay professional, but being back in the city that broke her before means that her facade is coming loose. Her best friend in New York is dealing with her own issues, and her mother is distracted with her grief group. Andie is left to deal with her pain alone, as well as her feelings for Jack, which go back and forth between anger and attraction. Everything is on the line for Andie. Will she be able to keep her job and her sanity, or will she see it all get swept away from her?

Bad Publicity is a debut novel about the ones who get away and the chances we get in life to make things right. Readers who love books about publishing will enjoy the insider view of publicity, and fans of enemies-to-lovers romances will find something to love here. There is a lot of bookstore love as well as some genuinely funny travel scenes.

This book is not perfect. Readers are left in the dark about what happened in Edinburgh that damaged Andie so much; it is not revealed until deep into the story, but it’s the excuse she uses to push everyone away from the beginning. Because of that, she comes across as unlikable and selfish, and it’s hard to root for her. Eventually we get the whole story, but I worry that readers may have already given up on her and stopped reading. The writing is strong, and the characters have a lot of potential. I thought the ending was strong, and that helped a lot. I wanted to like Bad Publicity more than I did, but I did still enjoy the story. It may not be for every reader, but I’m glad I read it.

Egalleys for Bad Publicity were provided by Penguin Books through NetGalley, with many thanks, but the opinions are mine.

Is there such a thing as bad publicity? This fast paced, well written novel gives this age old question a fabulous twist.

I've been so excited to read this book since it was announced as I've also worked in the work of book publicity. I'm glad I saw several of the reviews before I dived in because, as many people have mentioned, this isn't the fun rom-com that the title and cover depict, so it can be a bit misleading. I do think it should come with a trigger warning for grief. However, knowing I was going into a story about grief (as well as a second chance/enemies trope), I had my expectations in check. The inside baseball about publishing and how touring is not as glamorous as it seems, was spot on. Andie and Jack's relationship had a great slow burn, and the character of Andie really has a great overall arc.

I'm still devastated over this book.

I know this is about living with loss, but the way that it touches on the complexities of grief is so heartbreaking because it's so true. I've heard that grief comes in waves, and while that analogy feels right, to actually get to see someone else go through it illustrates it so much better. Andie is hit with her emotions the moment she goes back home and has to see all her loved ones' favorite things, all the places they spent time together, all the memories that are intertwined with so many other feelings.

The guilt of not being present enough and taking attention away from them, the stress of pretending that it's okay for the people who we think need our "strength", and to have a traumatic experience to contend with on top of everything else, I was sobbing right along with Andie. Sometimes, it's a lot, and sometimes, the best way out is through.

Jack is also a sweet man in a difficult position. All he wants is to do right by Andie, and it seems like he just can't figure out how. Meanwhile, the real villain of this story is a full-on sociopath with zero redeeming qualities. I'm so upset that portion of the story had no consequences for him, but I'm also not surprised considering the circumstances.

While this is a contemporary romance, and that part is such a focal point, it seems like a vehicle to understand Andie's solo trajectory—and honestly, I am more interested in that journey. I love that she can hold herself accountable and, eventually, takes active steps to heal herself and fix her relationships. This might be the beginning of her recovery, because facing feelings is so tough, but I'm so happy she's finally allowing herself to live.

Thanks to NetGalley and Bianca Gillam for the ARC!

Jack...you let me down.

This is an enemies to something...I really, really liked that Andie held her grudge against Jack for so long. I am so tired, exhausted of so called enemies to lovers with the men doing no groveling, no apologies and are forgiven in less than a paragraph. This book sucked me in cuz I had to know the dirty Jack did Andie and he did her DIRTY! He is the one who chose to wrong her and she is rightly angry with him. He does not deserve to be forgiven. He took a lot from her and did it on his own accord to save himself. PS, its at 70% in we find out the dirty he did Andie.

Its a good first book with the F word used a lot. I don't mind. The tropes are there: only one bed, enemies to lovers, second chances, author on a book tour.
Recommend.

First off - congratulations to the author on publishing! While this is definitely a quirky book, I intent to be honest with this review.

I unfortunately cannot finish this book. Out of respect for myself, I had to stop right around when the FMC receives a call about returning to the root of her trauma (63% mark). Just because Andie is willing to lie and fake enthusiasm about her predicament does not mean I can force myself to do the same. I simply cannot continue reading a story that's not getting along with me. Life is too short for books you don't like!

I will, however, give the benefit of the doubt that the ARC edition I've been reading is the unedited version. There were a lot of errors relating to grammar and punctuation, most commonly seen throughout dialogue between the characters. I'm hoping the published edition has been fine-tuned!

When I started this book, I was very excited to read about Andie's situation. I'm facing a similar predicament, myself - I may (very soon) find myself in a professional workspace with an individual that is the root of major trauma for me, and my body has been wracked with anxiety since finding this out. However, I immediately knew the sensible thing to do was seek guidance from a professional. The best thing you can do is to talk things out with someone equipped to help you. The absolute WORST thing you can do is follow Andie's lead in bottling up your emotions and refusing to acknowledge what's going on around you.

It was extremely frustrating to endure Andie's irrational train of thought. It felt like I was getting whiplash from how quickly she goes back and forth with everything. Oftentimes, the assumptions she made left me so confused. Even her lack of thought during pivotal points in the story were maddening.

If the author is using this story as a form of therapy to help work through trauma and grief, I applaud them for trying to better themself. But it is very bold to assume a mind similar to Andie's is going to get you anywhere productive in life.

That being said, I will attach the link to my Goodreads updates & review!

1/5 stars.

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Updating my review because curiosity got the best of me.

After skipping ahead a chapter or two, I finally made it to the drama - what really happened in the past between Andie and Jack. I finished the book from here, and let me tell you, it was so gratifying to finally see Andie process her emotions and talk openly with someone for the first time.

As much as I did appreciate the "all's well that ends well" ending, I can't justify a higher rating for the first 75% of the book. I stand by my opinion that Andie is extremely irrational. Her immaturity reflects in her actions, reactions, and intentions. It feels like she went from being a toddler with temper tantrums to suddenly displaying grace and emotional maturity with no real story to show her growth in between.

I'm glad everyone got their own happily ever after.

1.5/5 stars.