4.5 ⭐

A charming and fun rom-com.

Very much character driven with the plot a loose (but very important) point moving things along at a good pace. Even the secondary characters are really well-written: the actors, producers, the crew, etc.
Cali's relationship with her sister and Jory's relationship with his father is used really well to contrast the two characters, their personalities, their struggles, and their choices.

Recommended. 👍

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

I was a little hesitant about this book, nervous that the spice would outdo the plot. However, that was not the case. This book was actually a really sweet story. However, it followed the romance writing bible with no wiggle room: two characters, miscommunication, love, third-act break-up, and a HEA. There's nothing wrong with that pattern; it was a fun and easy read. For a debut novel, this was a great first book and hooks the reader. 

Read if you like:
- Enemies to Lovers
- Workplace romance

Love, Camera, Action is the story of directors on a movie set, directing mostly sex scenes. I had some reservations from the first page of this book because of that premise. The relationship and sexual tension between the main characters did not make sense to me and their personalities were not relatable. Unfortunately, I had to abandon the story at about 50%.

Thanks to NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review Love, Camera, Action.

This book was great! I really enjoyed the enemies to lovers! Great to see the two main characters overcome their personal trials!!

This book had a fairly slow start but I am glad I kept going. I loved both of the main characters. They each had their own struggles but still found their way! I loved getting to see the real side of the sister.

I think this is a 3.5 read.

Cali is a director who wants to deliver a show which will help springboard her big-time career in film and television. Jory is a block to this. He is the director of photography for the show and after a recent health scare is re-thinking the vision of the show and craves the director spot. The friction is real between the pair and this of course sparks chemistry. As they collaborate (in more ways than one), they need to decide if chasing their dreams is worth losing their future together.

I appreciated that there are some big subjects handled in this novel in a polite way (that is the best way I can describe it), two of those subjects being genetic disposition to cancer and sexism in the film and tv industry.

I don’t enjoy the miscommunication trope. I did enjoy this book, but really I want adults to ask literally one question and be able to get to the bottom of the conflict. When they don’t it seems immature to me. I didn't think the MMC had given any indication of duplicity, so the 'miscommunication' made the ending feel forced

I thought the writing and pacing was easy to absorb and kept the pace of the story going. There is some good banter between the pair, and they seemed to work through things together well, which was another reason the miscommunication threw me. Both characters took a bit of time for me to warm up to them, but overall I think if you enjoy quick reads and a workplace romance then you will get something out of this book.

A cute rom-com with well-developed characterisation and a less developed setting. The world feels a little small, a little contained - but for anyone looking for an easily readable, quick rom-com, this works well; there’s enough crackle to make it genuinely entertaining, if forgettable.

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I am grateful, whatever my personal views expressed, for the opportunity provided to me by NetGalley and Alcove Press to read this ARC.

This book had a lot of potential for me, but fell a bit short. Love camera action follows a director and director of photography on set of a Supernatural-come-romance tv show. As someone with heaps of friends in the film industry and married to an ex-film professional, I was excited to see this setting as the main stage for a romance novel.

There were references to the rampant sexism in the film industry and the me too movement, which is important to see in 2024. However I don’t think the books went far enough in its depiction of this, and the general exploitation felt by people working in the film industry (including unpaid work, sexism, lack of job security and flexibility, long hours and unsafe work).

I feel Noel Stark did too much in this book by trying to include elements of this in a romance plot, but feel like this needed more nuance and space to give it what it deserved. There was also information about the main characters back stories that while interesting, didn’t have enough development to feel like a strong element of the book. I’m not sure we needed the complex family histories in a book of this length.

All things considered, I enjoyed this book enough to give it 3 stars, and think the setting was interesting enough to keep me entertained throughout the book.

ARC review, book provided by netgalley in exchange for an honest opinion.

This book has everything I quite enjoy in romance, banter, strong characters, a cool setting, and different points of view.

Cali is a new female director who has a lot to prove. In a predominantly male industry, this new job will make or break her career.
Jory is the film producer, who has seen many directors come and go. He's set in his way of doing things and doesn't like to take risks. After years of thinking he can be better than the directors he works with, he wants that position himself.

I really enjoyed the banter with these 2, especially when, in the end, it resulted in amazing shot scenes.

I liked the background story of both of them individually, thought very different type of trauma, trauma is trauma and presents differently to everyone.

I enjoyed the representation of sexual harassment in the workplace, especially the film industry. Although some scenes by the actors from the film left a lot to be desired, things in the end didn't really compute.

Jory attitude was also a bit weird, they are both set in their rules of no workplace involvements, but (after a steamy kiss), Cali saying no more, one and done, he's like oh were on baby! Doesn't compute!
Anyway, was still a fun and easy read, would recommend.

This is the story of Cali and Jory, a new director getting a shot at a great opportunity and a well-established director of photography. They clash, but they’re attracted to each other and working on set with their relationship constantly in flux makes life tough for everyone else. I enjoy a romance that has more background story than just the mushy parts. This book had that, but I often wondered if the author was trying to do too much here. Both main characters have personal trauma that holds them back from opening up to others, but workplace misogyny, patriarchy, the MeToo movement are also brought in as an extra layer. Then there were the other relationships at play as well: Cali’s sister, Jory’s dad, other cast and crew members. For how much this story tried to tackle, the plot was pretty thin. The story resolves itself extremely quickly given how much of the timeline is dedicated to creating layers and layers of tension between all of the characters. Overall, it was fine.
I’ll give it a solid 3 stars.

The story follows Cali Daniels, a talented but a rookie director hired to film a steamy episode for a TV show. Alongside her is Jory, a renowned director of photography. From the start, their professional relationship is rocky, filled with frustrations and misunderstandings, but there's an undeniable attraction between them.

Set against the backdrop of TV sets, the narrative unfolds over a few intense weeks. Despite the tension, both Cali and Jory grapple with their growing feelings for each other. Will they confront these emotions and take a leap into something more?

While the story touches upon significant themes such as workplace harassment, gender discrimination, and personal health challenges, it does so in a hurried manner, leaving some topics feeling underdeveloped. I appreciated the author trying to be more inclusive but, it felt forced rather than integrated into the plot.

Unfortunately, I found it hard to connect with the characters, and the chemistry between the leads felt lacking. I also felt like I was dropped into the middle of the story without enough context, making it difficult to fully engage with their journey.

Overall, while the premise held promise, the execution left me wanting more depth. This book might appeal to those looking for a quick read, workplace romance with a backdrop of behind-the-scenes drama, but it wasn't quite my cup of tea.

Thank you @netgalley and @alcovepress for the ARC

A fun, romantic romp that checks all the boxes. Whilst not necessarily revolutionising the romance genre, it definitely offers a warm winter romance for all looking for it.

The chapters were amazing and it kept me engaged till the very end. The plotline not only focused the romance and sparks between our protagonists but also emphasized on their individual being which made this book more wonderful. This one was such a fun and quick read 😁 I love to read quick easy breezy and romcom so this came in the perfect time 🤩💅

Both the characters were brilliantly penned down plus the plotline 🤌✨💫 I loved it. I had a great time reading this one.

"Love, Camera, Action" di Noel Stark è una commedia romantica che esplora la dinamica "nemici-amanti" sul set di una serie televisiva. La storia segue Cali Daniels, una giovane regista determinata a farsi strada nell'industria televisiva, e Jory Blair, un esperto direttore della fotografia con cui si scontra fin da subito. Sebbene la tensione professionale tra i due sfoci rapidamente in una chimica irresistibile, il romanzo si sofferma molto sulla descrizione del loro lavoro e delle dinamiche dietro le quinte.

Ho apprezzato in questo libro, l'evoluzione dei protagonisti e i dialoghi ricchi di battute brillanti. Tuttavia, personalmente ho trovato la prima parte un po' lenta. L'autrice dedica troppo spazio alla descrizione tecnica del lavoro dei personaggi, che rallenta la narrazione. Avrei preferito che queste spiegazioni fossero integrate più fluidamente nel corso della storia, piuttosto che essere concentrate all'inizio.

Nota positiva è vedere una donna all'interno dell'industria cinematografica, ambiente prettamente maschile.

Inoltre, il livello di inglese utilizzato era leggermente avanzato per le mie capacità di comprensione, il che ha reso alcune parti del libro più impegnative da seguire.

This book started off slow for me and was hard to get into. I am one who likes to be engaged form the first chapter or two. I loved the idea of this book and thought I would enjoy it and I did! It's a cute story.

Cali is an up-and-coming director who was hired to replace the last one, who was fired after sexual assault accusations. She faces the challenge of coming in partway through a project as a female director (rare!) and establishing rapport with both the crew and actors. Jory, the grumpy hot director of photography (DP), starts as being resistant to Cali's unique methods of getting a good shot. But as the two spend more and more time together, they realize that there is a stronger connection that lies between them. A health scare and a visitor from the past challenges their relationship, but it is Jory who realizes what is needed to get the perfect shot: them together.

This was a super cute read that left me full of emotions. I laughed, cried, and burned over the love scenes. The beginning was slow, but necessary to create the slow burn between the love interests. Noel Stark's debut novel is gold. It is a film-centered, enemies-to-lovers romance to leave readers with all the 'feels.'

I kind of went into this one blind, I read the blurb and thought it sounded like a spicy romance idea. But actually this was so much more than I expected.

First off I’m a creative so I can’t tell you how much I enjoyed the detailed writing from behind the scenes of making a TV series. It clearly comes with not just experience in this area, but a true love of the craft, and I really felt that came through in the writing.

The character development was great, without going into huge detail we still got a really good understanding of why Jory and Cali had their reservations about love. With Jory starting out as Cali’s almost idol who she’s loved watching his work, to quickly becoming work rivals. There was good banter and build up to their story beginning.

It was a delight to read. And although they started on a film set for a raunchy show, this book was more about love, grief, connection and relationship than the spice and actually, I felt it was the perfect mix.

Loved the emphasis on females roles in the film industry and how the me too movement has impacted that and shone a light on the “boys club” mentalities.

Shocked that this is a debut novel, really looking forward to seeing more from this author.

This was an ARC thanks to NetGalley in return for an honest review.

The tea ☕️

🤩 - idol to rival to lovers
🎬 - behind the scenes
1️⃣ - one time
🚫 - co-workers
🌶️ - 1.5/5

Thank you to Ntegalley for an ARC copy of this book.

This wasn’t like anything I’ve ever read before which is a really good thing - I loved how driven both our characters were to excel in their career.

Now we have a strong but damaged FMC and a MMC with some serious health issues (trigger warning alot of discussion of parental death). These broken people need to work through their issues or blow up their dreams because they can’t keep their hands to themselves.

It was a fun, funny and often heartbreaking story - I cried! Overall it made me feel all the feels

My only critique is some supporting characters felt like plot devices only which I dislike but incredible for a first book!

In “Love, Camera, Action,” we follow the journey of Cali Daniels, an up-and-coming TV director who is determined to make her mark in the film and television industry. She has been given a significant opportunity to direct a highly anticipated steamy episode of the popular series “The Demon.” This job represents her chance to elevate her career, and she is ready to utilize her hard-knocks experience and creativity to deliver an outstanding show.

This novel is tailored for fans of romantic comedies and features themes of enemies-to-lovers dynamics within a workplace setting. It gives a blend of humor, romance, and emotional depth that will resonate with readers who enjoy stories similar to those by Ava Wilder and Tessa Bailey.

I did not love this book as much as I thought I would. It appeared to start off very slow and was hard for me to get into. Despite that, the main characters were easy to fall in love with and I enjoyed the premise as well as the enemies-to-lovers troupe that made me keep turning the pages. I also learned a lot about the movie industry that I was previously blind to. I loved seeing a feminine heroine working hard to be at the top of a male-dominated industry.