Thank you to Netgalley and PENGUIN GROUP Penguin Books | Penguin Books for an early copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. I loved this book and read it in one day. I loved the storyline and all the characters. I thought the characters had great growth. I would definitely recommend this book!

A second chance enemies to lovers forced proximity romance that's also about moving through your grief. Andie is thrilled with her new job in publishing except that her first project is shepherding Jack on his book tour. These two have a back story that we don't get until too late in the book, although Andie complains about him a lot (a lot) without explaining. And he seems like such a nice guy. Then there's Andie's grief over the death of her father, which hovers but isn't explored. This had potential (always like a look behind the scenes of publishing) but felt too trope-y for me in the end. Thanks to the publisher for the ARC. Over to others.

I enjoyed this book and found it to be well-written; however, it does not appear to have been marketed completely accurately. I was expecting a romance from the description and there was certainly a romance subplot, but I believe it was a women's fiction book than a romance. As long as readers go in with the right expectations, I think this book is definitely worth reading.

When a book says it’s part Devil Wears Prada mixed with part 10 Things I Hate About You, I’m going to read it! Bad Publicity by Bianca Gilliam is a second chance romance with some enemies to lovers vibes. We follow a senior book publicist (Andie) and her biggest author (Jack) as they embark on a one month European book tour to promote Jack’s newest book. We get a peek into their past, go through some grief with them, and eventually end up somewhere happy.

This book was.... interesting. I enjoyed our MMC, but at times it felt as if there was no backbone and by the end of the book he became a doormat. Our FMC, rather than dealing with her trauma and addressing it in an appropriate way, takes it out on the people around her and feels that it is okay for her to do so. Also, I love a good suspense when it comes to a "what happened in the past," as much as the next person, but this was dragged on for soooooo long. The entire book our FMC references this horrible thing that happened between her and the MMC that makes her treat him the way she does and we dont end up finding out what it actually is until the 75% mark and by that point, i was more interested in what could've happened than the story at hand. Overall the enemies to lovers felt one sided.

This was a quick, nice read. I have to shout out the author for not doing the thing that annoys me more than anything and gave the character a reason for being in NYC and speaking in British-isms. The quick explanation made all the difference. This at times went a little slow and I wouldn't say it was entirely a romance more aboit grief with a bit of romance thrown in. This is one where you have to ignore the unbelievability of a person going from paid intern (do those even still exist?) to senior whatever in 5 years right from finishing college and just enjoy the human connection. The quitting a perfectly good job because you want to maybe do domething else without lining anything up thing just doesn't happen anymore for someone who comes from the background this main character does. If you can put that stuff aside it's enjoyable.

Oh, man… I was not a fan of this at all 🫣 There will likely be spoilers in this review, but here it goes.

The FMC was very unlikable from the get-go. Like very unlikable. She was selfish, irritable, and extremely unprofessional. She treated other people like trash but expected it not to blow back on her. She pushed people away but got butt-hurt when they did the same to her. Everything revolved around her and what she was feeling.

When they introduced Jack into the picture, she immediately was a major B to him. Regardless of him being her client and her refusing to disclose their past to her employer. She just proceeded with her job but took the low road and treated him like crap - constantly telling him to “fuck off” and intentionally thinking of ways to make him look bad. When he tells her maybe she shouldn’t go on tour with him, she takes it as an insult when she’s been thinking the same thing. About 25% in, she realizes what’s she’s doing and stops being unprofessional… somewhat.

She constantly talks about how she feels distant from her best friend or how she gets worried when she has kissed notifications from her mom. Yet she only talks about herself to her best friend even as she notices her best friend is going through a rough relationship and doesn’t ask about it and isn’t there for her. Then she very purposefully doesn’t respond to her mom or doesn’t listen to her or doesn’t call her when she thinks about it.

From the beginning, I knew that whatever this secret “terrible” thing that Jack did in college that “ruined her life” was, it was not worth how she treated him. There was nothing short of murder that would have made sense to me. I was right. Of course it was an overreaction and she refused to take anyone’s view or story into account because she wanted to wallow in her self pity… Jack deserved better and never should’ve ended up with her.

She also used her grief over her dad’s death as an excuse for acting like she did. It was her only personality trait, her grief, but it also wasn’t even believable. It only came up when she wanted to feel bad for herself.

Bleh. Not my cup of tea…

This book tells the story of a Andie (a publicist) and Jack (an author) who have a history together on a book tour together for Jack's latest book. There is tons of bookish humor and a great slow burn and enemies to lovers storyline between the main characters. Honestly, any book that is set in both Europe and the bookish community is alreaduy going to be a winner for me. The banter between the characters is well written and I loved the descriptions and scene setting in the different countries that are visited.

This book deals a lot with grief and I was not quite expecting that. However, I believe that the way the FMC handles her grief is beautifully written and a journey that is worth going on. I was thrown for a bit of a loop though, mainly because this is being marketed as a romance novel, which is what I was expecting the main plot to be.

I had an issue with the pacing of the story and the big reveal of why the FMC and MMC became rivals in the first place. The way that the FMC talks about their falling out, I was expecting it to be this huge unforgivable thing. When it was ultimately revealed, it fell a little flat for me. I think this plot point could have been handled earlier on in the book to build the stor from there. It would help the reader justify some of the FMC's behavior and her feelings towards the MMC.

Overall, I will say this an enjoyable debut novel for this author. I am definitely looking forward to reading more from her in the future!

Oh my God, I spent three days reading this. The main character has the worst victim complex—an absolute nightmare. She cries non-stop throughout the entire book, over everything and nothing. She’s a horrible, selfish person who can’t get her own life together and ends up poisoning the lives of everyone around her—her mother, her friend, Jack, her boss, literally everyone. Imagine a selfish Carrie Bradshaw who’s constantly sobbing.

She left her mother behind and moved across the ocean after her father died, and then spends the whole book whining about how much she misses him. But how her mother has been feeling over the past five years? Barely a thought. At least her mom found the strength to keep living—unlike this clueless FMC.

She doesn’t deserve her best friend, especially when that friend needed her most. She doesn’t deserve Jack either—and I won’t spoil anything, but her behavior is pure trash. I don’t feel sorry for her at all. Everything that happens to her is just a consequence of her own choices.

All she really deserves is a lifetime subscription to therapy.

This book was your cute average romantic book. It was fun to read and I read the whole thing on an airplane.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for a copy to honestly review.

Unfortunately, this title wasn't for me. I felt that it had some pacing issues, and it had a lot of unexpected heaviness with grief being a main plot point. While I do not mind that, I was going into this under the impression it was a romance. I think I just was not ready for that. I would like to revisit this story in the future with that headspace in mind.

This book started unexpectedly, the first word being “fuck” I had high hopes for the story. But unfortunately it fell flat for me. It was a cute second chance romance, and a quick read, as I read it in one day.

I’m giving this book a 2 1/2. Well, I really liked the foundation of the plot. I do think it needed more developing. There were moments where I felt it was rushed and other moments where I felt it dragged on. I do like the characters, Andie and Jack. I liked that they had a backstory, although I didn’t love or more importantly did not buy the entire explanation of their history. I think that it needed much more developing. I also did not like the title. I think there might’ve been better options. I do think it was a good read. The story itself flowed, and I read it within a couple of days.

I went into Bad Publicity thinking this book filled with a publishing-centric, second-chance romance as an author and publicist who have history are forced to not only work together, but travel together on a book tour. But unfortunately, I found that this book fell a bit flat for me as it felt like the author wanted to write about grief and healing more than romance,

Though I don't mind a heavier, more emotional romance, and thought the way the second-chance scenario was handled was realistic, the actual romance of this book felt like a secondary (maybe even tertiary?) plot as the main character dealt with her grief, trauma, and career crash-outs. I felt tension between the main characters, but rarely chemistry, and wished there had been more sparks and sizzle so that the romance of it all could really shine.

+ forced proximity
+ enemies-to-lovers
+ second chance romance

Bad Publicity by Bianca Gilliam has all the right ingredients for a compelling debut: grief, second chances, and PR drama. Unfortunately, it never quite sticks the landing (or gets off to a strong takeoff, for that matter).

The emotional core of Bad Publicity was Andie’s (our FMC) grief, and where the story truly had something to say. Those moments felt the most grounded and sincere, and you could tell Gilliam was reaching for something deeper beneath the surface of a typical romance. Unfortunately, the surrounding plot didn’t always support that depth. The pacing dragged, and the romantic tension never quite landed, making it hard to stay engaged even when the emotional themes were compelling.

Andie was tough to connect with (like girlie, be professional, and be a better friend!!), but I understand what the author tried to do: mirror the impact of unresolved grief and emotional walls. However, without more context or development, it created a disconnect that made it hard to root for her. And Jack, well… he was there.

Let’s talk about the romance: The book leans more into a slow, sometimes painfully slow burn and unraveling of past wounds than any real romantic development. The big reveal of what happened between our main characters five years ago boils down to the “just let them finish their sentence” trope, which made the buildup feel more frustrating than suspenseful.

The first half of the book was slow-going, and I kept waiting for that turning point where I’d fall in love with the characters. It did improve in the second half, but by then, I wasn’t as emotionally invested as I’d hoped to be.

That said, Bianca Gilliam shows real promise. The bones of a great story are here—emotional depth, messy characters, real-world challenges. With stronger pacing, clearer emotional arcs, and a little more levity (or actual romance), I’d love to see what she writes next.

If you're into books that prioritize introspection and emotional ambiguity over classic romantic beats, Bad Publicity is for you.

Thank you to Penguin Group Penguin Books, and Netgalley for the eARC. Bad Publicity is available for pre-order now and will publish on May 20, 2025.

Thanks to Netgalley and Penguin Group Penguin Books for my advanced readers copy for an honest review. Unfortunately, I DNF this one around the 30% mark. I couldn’t connect with the characters and thought it was slow.

Wow. I just finished this book, but I have a feeling its going to take a few days to really process.

This book is not what I thought it was going to be. I was thinking meet cute rom com, but it is so much more than that. I would actually market this as more of womens fiction with a side of romance. It reminded me a lot of some of Abby Jimenez and Emily Henry.

The best part about a book that is WF & Romance is that our FMC gets to be a fully developed character with a life outside of the romance. In romance books, I often find that outside of the relationship I dont know the characters or the MMC is such a 'perfect book boyfriend' that he outshines the FMC and that is definitely not this book.

This was very hard hitting and raw and honest. There are so many important lessons and themes in this book:
Forgiveness, grief, the importance of giving people the benefit of the doubt and seeing both sides of the story.

This book is very dear to my heart. AND A DEBUT NOVEL?! I'm speechless, but at the same time I could also probably tak about this book for an hour.

This is a VERY WELL DESERVED 5 STARS. I can't wait to purchase the physical book when its out, tell all my friends, and see what you publish next! I'll be waiting!!

bad publicity (arc)

thank you to netgalley and penguin publishing for the arc!

i’ll start by saying that while i wouldn’t personally recommend bad publicity, i wouldn’t not recommend it either. it wasn’t a hit for me, but i can definitely see why it could work for others!

my biggest issue was the pacing of the romance—it just didn’t land for me. the connection between the two main characters never really developed in a way that felt deep or believable, so by the time we got to the “i love you” moments, it felt… off. rushed, maybe. unearned/out of place.

another sticking point was the conflict. the fmc holds a grudge against the mmc for something that happened five years ago, and we don’t even find out what that something is until about 80% of the way through. and once it’s revealed, it turns out to be a misunderstanding—which, fine, i can roll with that—but even after clearing things up, the fmc still pushes the mmc away repeatedly. i just didn’t fully understand her reasoning, and it made the emotional payoff fall kind of flat.

all that said, it was an entertaining, super fast read. i honestly flew through it. and i really loved the setting—books set in the literary world are always a win for me, and following an author and publicist on a european book tour made for a fun, atmospheric backdrop.

just to clarify my rating system: 3 stars means i liked it and would recommend it. so while 2.75 might seem harsh, it’s not a total write-off—just not quite my thing.

2.75 stars

Loved this book but I disagree with its classification as rom-com! This story deals a lot with grief and loss and is much weightier than your average romantic comedy. All that said, it's a well-told enemies-to-lovers romance that I thought was really sweet and full of personal growth.

The FMC was interesting but I felt needed a bit more, or really a bit sooner. the MMC was nice but relatively flat. the romance took a back seat, which i felt worked quite well. 3.5 stars rounded up. tysm for the arc.