From the blurb, bright yellow cover, and marketing I expected a bubbly, trope-filled romance. And while we do get enemies-to-lovers, forced proximity, second chances, and yes, even the iconic one-bed trope, what took center stage for me was Andie’s unresolved grief over the loss of her father.

This story is more about Andie learning to process her heartbreak and let go of misplaced anger than it is about rekindling a flame with Jack. Grief isn’t pretty or linear, and Gillam does a solid job of showing how it can haunt even our happiest moments—and cloud our judgment.

I do wish the big “what actually happened with Jack” moment came earlier. It would have left more time for emotional resolution and felt more satisfying in the romance department. As it is, the romantic payoff feels a bit rushed after such a long build-up of tension and hurt.

“Bad Publicity" by Bianca Gillam is the kind of book that grabs you by the collar, throws you into the bustling chaos of city life, and refuses to let go until you've laughed, swooned, and maybe snorted coffee through your nose once or twice.

Gillam’s sharp, witty prose is the perfect pairing for this fast-paced metropolitan rom-com. The characters? Think quick comebacks, awkward run-ins at the worst possible moments, and that delicious tension only a second-chance romance can deliver. The chemistry between the characters is electric, fueled by sarcastic banter and heartfelt moments that sneak up on you like a cab in midtown traffic.

What sets "Bad Publicity" apart is its ability to balance humor with genuine emotion, all against the backdrop of a city that feels like its own character. It’s clever, it’s charming, and it’s got just the right amount of chaos. If you love your romances sprinkled with snark, heart, and hiccup-laughter moments, this one’s a must-read.

Cute read! The topic of grief was handled well in this and it made me connect with Andie. I do wish there was more to the ending. The big secret of why the FMC is mad at the MMC was revealed a little too late for me. Sadly, this just wasn’t for me!

A story about deep pain, sorrow, and guilt. Andie and Jack were getting closer in college when it all blew up. At the same time, her beloved father died. She buried her grief deeply and ran from facing it. This played havoc on her until, as his publisher, she had to travel with Jack on his book tour. Things begin to surface, causing her to continue to deflect the emotions. A moving story.
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of the book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

2.5

I was excited to dive into this book since it sounded really interesting and I love a second chance romance but this was ok.

I thought Andie and Jack’s travels around Europe was fun but I wish there was more romance. I feel like there were only bits.

Overall this one fell flat and was not for me.

Thank you Penguin Books and Netgalley for the arc

This workplace second chance romance follows Andie, a deeply flawed and often unlikeable protagonist at the start. Her anger issues, immaturity, and unprofessional behavior made her difficult to root for. She struggled in all areas: at work, with friends, and especially with her mother, making her a hard character to connect with early on.
The novel leans heavily on the miscommunication trope, which is personally one of my least favorite. The college flashbacks didn’t resonate with me either, and at times the emotional immaturity felt frustrating. However, what the story does well is showing Andie’s growth. Despite her rocky start, she eventually earns her redemption by working on her relationships, particularly with Jack and her mom.
Themes of grief and emotional baggage are woven throughout the book, adding depth and a sense of realism to Andie’s journey. While it wasn’t a perfect read for me, the character development and hopeful ending gave the story a satisfying conclusion.

Thank you NetGalley and Penguin Books for the ARC!

This was a debut with a fresh take on celebrity and PR drama. I really enjoyed the premise and the behind-the-scenes look at damage control in the spotlight. While the setup was strong and the banter entertaining, some of the characters and emotional beats felt a bit underdeveloped. I liked the chemistry between the leads, but I wanted a little more depth in their connection. Overall, it was an enjoyable read with promise,

Bad Publicity was such a fun, romantic story. Great banter, fun chemistry and a truly enjoyable read.
From the first page to the last, this book held me spellbound. The characters are so richly developed, and the storyline is beautifully crafted.
Bianca Gillam really makes the reader experience the emotional highs and lows throughout the novel.
The chemistry between these characters feels genuine, and their witty banter is entertaining.

I’ll start with what I liked about this book. I love a book about people who work in books! I have to say I did enjoy all of book related parts of the plot. Also, I felt that the main characters grief and how that played into her relationship with her mom was done very well by the author. As well as the MMC’s backstory. But, what did confuse me at the beginning of the book was the main characters visceral hatred for the mmc, it was almost too much at some points. Especially when there is a premise like this the crime is never as bad as the punishment. But, I feel like this is the first book I read where i feel like she forgave him too easily. Like I understood when he explained himself to her but before that I don’t think she should’ve given him any grace or worked with him at all. Which brings me to my next issue which is this big conflict between the two characters was so unexpected. We got no inclination about what caused them to stop being friends, I really think this book could have benefitted from a prologue where we can see a preview of the characters’ conflict and then we get into the story.

This was such a cute book. It felt like a romcom but it also dealt with serious topics, such as cancer, bullying, death of a parent, and sexual harassment, very well. I loved Jack and Andie so much!!! Their relationship was so well written and developed well throughout the book!!

I enjoyed this book, but it did fall short for me. The MC was just not all there for me. Overall not the worst.

LOVE LOVE LOVE THIS!! The tension, the enemies to lovers, the second chance just LOVE IT ALL! Bianca is an amazing author and is going to have a very successful time in front of her! I am excited to have her on my list of autobuy authors!

I needed a good romance to read, and Bad Publicity delivered. Andie has started a new position as a book publicist, but she finds herself going on tour with the one author she would like to avoid...Jack Carlson, whom she has a past with that she's been trying to forget for the past five years. Back at university in Edinburgh, they had a brief relationship that ended in emotional turmoil and heartbreak for Andie followed soon after by her father's death. Now, the two are thrown together and while she tries to hate Jack, there's just something there they cannot ignore.

This novel explores emotional trauma stemmed from bullying and sexual harassment, so if those are trigger points, be warned. There's not too much detail but sometimes the telling of these types of events can be difficult to some. Bianca Gillam does a great job of building characters, especially Andie in her portrayal of the deep emotional scarring she has held over time and grief that for some is hard to overcome.

This was a quick enjoyable read as well as a sweet romance.

Thank you to Penguin Books and NetGalley for the ARC. I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

Thank you NetGalley Bianca Gillam and Penguin for this ARC. Officially the book is 2.75 stars. If you are looking for a quick read to bring you some immediate satisfaction - this is it! I wasn’t expecting so much grief. The writing shows promise for a debut novel! I thought the author did a good job describing the locations and I enjoyed the book publishing storyline. Forced proximity and second chance are my favorite! I enjoyed the chase through the book to find out what their history was. The pacing of the story wasn’t as consistent as I thought it would be for a book of this length. I would read another book by this author.

I enjoyed this book and read it under 24 hours! This story covers Andie and Jack’s romance. In my opinion this was good book to clear your book palate. I felt like the author really wanted it to make it an enemies to lovers but Jack treated Andie like he loved her the whole time. I resonated with Andie’s stubbornness throughout the storyline but I do wish that told use about the history earlier because about 50% through I was like okay can we know what he did for you to write him off. This book was ok but the history was lowkey flat I didn’t really feel the spark between the couple I felt like it was all about the potential or history of couple and not necessarily about the present. Rating 2.99/5 stars

Hashtags : #enemiestolovers #secondchanceromance #grief

On the first day of her new dream position in publishing, Andie sees Jack’s name on the list of authors she now represents. It couldn’t possibly get worse from there… except it does because she’s about to spend a month with him on his European tour for the launch of his fiction debut.

It would be fine, if not for the fact that they haven’t seen or spoken to each other since their catastrophic fallout back when they were schoolmates; an event that Andie has come to largely associate with the worst loss of her life. And Jack continues to make their agreement to pretend nothing happened and act like strangers harder every day Andie spends with him.

The first line of this book was the word “f*ck,” which made me like it right off the bat (it’s my favorite swear word, what can I say?).

I admit that I took a pretty long break in the middle of this because I didn’t prioritize it, and then I put off writing this review for almost a month, so I don’t actually remember a lot of the specifics. However, I do know that this is a pretty solid romance with plot lines that I definitely haven’t seen before, which I think is really hard to do in this genre and I found it very refreshing.

I constantly found myself thinking about How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days—mainly because of the name association between the female leads—and Leap Year—because of their rough experience on the Dublin part of the tour—while reading, and I think that somehow made the experience more vivid for me. It felt like one of the classic romantic comedies the late 90s and early 2000s were constantly churning out that always satisfy that itch in my brain.

Overall, it was a pleasant surprise that 100 percent made my midnight Tube ride from the airport better.

Thank you, NetGalley and Penguin for this e-ARC.

Thank you to NetGalley, Bianca Gillam, and Penguin Books for providing this eARC in exchange for an honest review.

I genuinely think someone on the publishing end messed up in the marketing of this book, because I understand where the low ratings are coming from now. For a book that's marketed as a second-chance romance, this was the most depressing romance book I've ever read in my life.

Andie wants a fresh start. After a disaster at her university in Edinburgh leaves her upset and heartbroken over Jack Carlson, she attempts to move on from everything. Five years later, when she lands a job as a senior book publicist, she runs into Jack again when she finds out her first book campaign she'll be working on is for his debut fiction novel. He's the last person she wants to see, but she'll have to spend a month on the road with him traveling across Europe to Berlin, Paris, Dublin, and London and try not to kill him--or redevelop feelings for him--in the process.

All in all, I didn't think that the writing was absolutely horrible for a debut. I flew through the entire book in one day; the chapters were short and the story was engaging enough to keep me reading because I love a book that dives into the publishing industry and what happens behind the scenes with all our favorite books that we read and the book tours and campaigns the authors go on to promote their book.

If you read the official synopsis/blurb of the book, you'll assume right away that you're signing up for the "sparkling rom-com" that is a laugh-out-loud, palate cleansing, second-chance romance, right? NOPE. Not once did I laugh. Not once did I giggle and kick my feet.

Whoever did the marketing or the blurb for this book has some serious explaining to do, because what was supposed to be a rom-com turned into a story about Andie processing her grief over the death of her father, who passed away five years ago. The majority of the story is Andie (mostly) running away from her problems instead of facing them head-on. I understand that people process grief in different ways, and there's no set timeline for grief and how long you can mourn someone for. However, it was getting to the point where she was self-sabotaging herself and her relationships with the people she loves. I felt bad for her best friend Sara; she had to sit there and almost push her issues aside to try to make sure Andie was okay the entire way through her book tour and I don't think Andie ever once cared to ask if Sara was okay and doing well in NYC. I didn't think the subplot with Sara's life in NYC was relevant to the story at all, though; it was kind of irrelevant to the entire story and it didn't feel necessary to include.

As for the whole "second-chance romance" aspect to the book, we don't even know WHY Andie is upset with Jack until around the 80% mark of the story. We get the first 80% of the book, which is Andie being passive-aggressive and rude to Jack with literally no explanation or backstory as to why she treated him the way she does, and I found it totally uncalled for...until the 80% mark. It was a totally valid reason for her to be upset with him for what he did, but there were SO many times where Jack wanted to explain his side of things to her and she would just refuse to listen or cut him off and walk away. Once we get Andie's perspective on what happened, I literally said, "Oh fuck no," and wondered why she still had feelings for him even though he did what he did. Once we get to hear Jack's side of the story, it makes a little more sense and things start to fall into place a little more, but I wish that this was explained earlier on in the story. Does it justify anything he did to Andie? No, but I can see how there was a gray area in his choice in doing so.

If you're looking for a happy ending to this story...look somewhere else, unfortunately. I can see why the story needed to end the way it did, but for a story so depressing and advertised as a rom-com, you would think that it would have an HEA. Nope! The epilogue is somewhat open-ended and you can come up with your own ending in a way depending on how you look at it, but I think I set myself up with that one, thinking that a depressing book would have anything else but a somewhat depressing ending.

Overall, I think that advertising this book as a rom-com is giving the book bad publicity (pun intended) in its own right. It wasn't a "sparkling rom-com," it was a contemporary fiction book about grief, processing it, and finding a new way to move on in life. I think that if more people went into this book knowing that--and I should emphasize that the synopsis doesn't give ANY indication of that being anywhere in the book-- then more people would have a better opinion on the book overall. However, to disguise a book with such heavy topics as a rom-com is doing readers a disservice.

⭐⭐⭐

Bad Publicity
Author: Bianca Gillam
Source: NetGalley
Publication Date: May 20, 2025

Another delightful enemies-to-lovers trope featuring the LFC, Andie, who obtains a new and significant job as a senior book publicist. Her first client, though, is the successful MLC, Jack Carlson, a very famous writer. This would have been her dream job, but Andie & Jack’s have a secret past from their days at Edinburgh University marked by bitter feelings. Despite their animosity, Andie is determined to succeed and must work with Jack on a European tour to promote his latest fiction novel. The tour is grueling, and it’s challenging to sympathize with Andie. I can understand holding a grudge for almost five years, but this takes it to an extreme. Of course, Andie is also grappling with the loss of her father five years earlier, which explains her constant tears throughout the book. I was beginning to wonder if the emotional rollercoaster would ever end. Thankfully, the story concludes on a satisfying note, leaving me with a pleasant and heartwarming read (without the tears). Jack’s efforts to win Andie over eventually pay off, and he receives a chance to redeem himself. This book has great potential, and I eagerly anticipate Ms. Gillam’s next work.

#Romance #Contemporary #Enemiestolovers #BookWithinBook #fiction #secondchanceromance  #forcedpromimity #workplace romance #netgalley
@penguinbooks @netgalley

I received a complimentary copy of this book. The opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own. Thank you to the publisher, Netgalley, and the author for the opportunity to read this novel.

The cover and synopsis of BAD PUBLICITY suggests a light romance with an enemies to lovers trope. This is not that book. This book is about long term grief unaddressed and poorly understood. Does that make it a better book than described? Well, it’s neither fish nor fowl. There’s not much romance and the deep secret causing all the problems is not enough to justify the contretemps. This is a difficult book to enjoy. I received my copy from the publisher through NetGalley.

thank you to netgalley & penguin for this arc! unfortunately it just really wasn’t the book for me. i know grief affects a lot of us and the way we try to avoid grief is to work around it & do constant avoidance to forget that time. andie continues to push jack away at every opportunity, and the moment she let him in for one second they immediately stop once more and are back to square one.

this entire book andie runs from everything - her family, jack, even her amazing best friend sara. like, we all need a sara in our lives. she was the only character i was content with. everyone else needs to get a grip - yes, jack knew he was at fault for how andie chose to put a space between them, but all i’m saying is that every choice has an effect…