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.

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.

-

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.

This novel has a really strong premise with good representation of how grief can control your life and I really loved how that was embedded into every part of the plot. Andie is a publicist who is tasked with following author Jack on tour, who she has a turbulent history with. The theming of grief felt very well-cared for by the author and it was the best aspect of this book.

The parts with romance and banter were great too, but I was left wanting a little more. The story focuses more heavily on Andie’s struggle with grief than the romance, which is not bad at all, but I think I was expecting more on the romance side. Especially because I really loved Jack, but there were moments left unanswered with him that I wish we got.

Also, I felt pretty frustrated with Andie’s choices most of this book, and I wish the ‘reveal’ of what happened between her and Jack was revealed sooner. Her struggle with grief really ties into some of these choices, but it came to a point where I was struggling to root for Andie. I think this, along with the lack of romance for a majority of the book made Andie and Jack’s love story fall a little flat, because the pacing was odd when you take in the amount of plot dedicated to Andie’s grief. But god, the actual romantic moments between them were beautiful. I really loved the way they handled one another when they let themselves go and I wanted more!!!

Stating again that I really loved this premise, especially the traveling aspect and there were some great passages relating to place, but there were times we moved on too quickly from moments and scenes within the cities Andie and Jack visit, that I think could have been really interesting.

This is a really nice book to read if you like themes around grief because it does really deliver on that front, just don’t expect as much of the romance! It’s an emotional book that will hit you in your feels and for that, it’s very worth the read!

Thank you to NetGalley/Penguin Books for the ARC!!!

BAD PUBLICITY is a second chance romance that will appeal to fans of TV’s THE BOLD TYPE. It checks off all the boxes: wanderlust, only one room, competent female character, realistic friendships and complicated family life. An easy read for this summer!

Bad Publicity had a really strong start for me. I loved the hook of having to work with a former flame and pretend to be happy while falling in love. What I didn’t love was the relationship between Andie and Sara. This type of dynamic is not how I think friendship should work and if someone is your best friend, they don’t act like how Sara acted to Andie. Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for this arc ebook in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

Book Review: Bad Publicity by Bianca Gillam
⭐️⭐️⭐️½

I would like to thank NetGalley and Penguin Books for the opportunity to read and review this ARC.

This novel is a quick and engaging read, featuring some of my favorite tropes—forced proximity, second-chance romance, and enemies to lovers.

Andie, a newly appointed publicist, is assigned to manage Jack’s European book tour. Jack is a bestselling author, but he also happens to be someone from Andie’s past—someone she despises. Despite her personal history with him, Andie keeps this information from her company and convinces herself she can handle the job. She extends a truce to Jack, which he surprisingly accepts.

Supporting Andie throughout the story is Sara, her former roommate and confidante. Andie also grapples with unresolved grief following her father’s passing, something she has avoided confronting until Sara urges her to stop running from it. The novel delves into themes of coping with grief, reconciling with the past, and repairing strained family relationships—particularly with Andie’s mother, who still resides in England.

While Bad Publicity has a lot of strong elements, I felt some loose ends were left untied. A more conclusive ending, perhaps with an epilogue, could have made the story even more satisfying.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Enemies-to-lovers? Forced proximity? A European book tour with a hot, infuriating ex-nemesis? Yeah, I ate this up.

Andie just landed her dream job as a senior book publicist—only to find out her biggest client is Jack Carlson, the same Jack who single-handedly ruined her life in college. Now she has to spend a month traveling across Europe with him, promoting his book and resisting the urge to strangle him. (Or, you know, fall for him. Whichever happens first.)

This book is so fun—sharp banter, ridiculous tension, and just the right amount of pettiness. Andie is a walking disaster in the best way, Jack is exactly the kind of smug-but-secretly-soft love interest I adore, and their chemistry?? Painfully good. Add in some stunning European settings and a few unexpected emotional gut punches, and you’ve got the perfect vacation read.

Highly recommend if you love slow-burn romance, workplace drama, and main characters who would rather die than admit their feelings.

In "Bad Publicity," Bianca Gillam offers a lively and engaging exploration of the tumultuous world of book publishing through the eyes of Andie, a determined new publicist. Landing her dream job is overshadowed by the sudden reappearance of Jack Carlson, her former university nemesis, who now happens to be her biggest author. Their unresolved history adds an electric tension to the narrative, perfectly setting the stage for an engaging mix of romance and rivalry.

As Andie embarks on a month-long book tour across Europe with Jack, she finds herself in a whirlwind of conflicting feelings. Gillam adeptly crafts their interactions, blending humor and tension as Andie battles with her professional ambitions while fending off the complicated emotions tied to her past. The beautiful European backdrop enhances the storyline, providing a rich context for their rekindled connection amid picturesque landscapes and the exciting world of literature.

With witty dialogue and relatable characters, "Bad Publicity" is a delightful read that captures the intricate dance of love, ambition, and second chances. Gillam's narrative ultimately encourages readers to navigate their own pasts while embracing new opportunities, making this story a refreshing take on romance in the literary world.

I liked this book. It was a fine, fluffy romance, but it wasn't very memorable. I found the twist to be incredibly interesting and it would make a really good book on its own. I don't think it fit for this particular book, though.