I didn’t expect this book to be as emotional and heavy (also beautiful) as it is was. Ali and Kara had real chemistry and real emotion woven into them. I loved the setting being back in 2005 and hearing all of the nostalgic references.

I loved this book so, so much. It’s 2005 and Ali is a celebrity publicist who is grieving after her partner’s sudden death. Part of her job is advising queer celebrities not to come out, as the industry and the world writ large are still (and still today) incredibly homophobic. Ali is queer herself, and although occasionally she feels icky about her role in facilitating the closeting of celebrities, she doesn’t really question it until she gets a new client and sparks fly.

This book made me laugh, cry, and smile like an idiot. It's rare that a book features a character with such intense anxiety, and I appreciated the care with which Laskey approached Ali's paranoia and compulsive tendencies. I loved the evolution of Ali's grief journey, and Laskey so compassionately depicts how lost and scared Ali fels every moment of every single day. In one particularly moving chapter, Ali recounts the day of her partner's death, and it is absolutely gut-wrenching, but also such a beautiful testament to how deeply you can love someone.

The love story in this book is also so beyond tender - you immediately feel the spark between Ali and Cara, and we watch as they both grapple with self-acceptance and the competing pressures of fame, stability, and the shame of having to be publicly closeted. Ali and Cara's push and pull as they navigate everything feels so realistic, and I appreciated that Laskey wasn't afraid to make them both seem unlikable and selfish at times - it made them seem so much more human. This story feels especially poignant when it feels like the country is regressing with regards to queer rights, and I feel very lucky to have read it.

Thank you to NetGalley and Grand Central Publishing for an advanced reader's copy in exchange for an honest review!

Cover Story at a glance is about a celebrity publicist named Ali who develops a romantic relationship with her new client Cara, an up and coming star.

In reality this is largely a story about Ali becoming aware of and recognizing her trauma and mental health issues with a rom com thrown in. Ali’s mental health issues cause her to be so blinded that other people could be suffering from complex emotions that she comes off as selfish. It was a big sticking point for me in this book. Her expectations of others in her relationships far outweigh what she gives them herself.

There were parts of the book I enjoyed. Celia Laskey does a wonderful job writing fully dimensional characters. The joy Ali and Cara brought each other was infectious. Cara definitely stole the show both in the plot and on page as a character.

This romance is a slow burn and most of it happens in the second half of the book. The writing can be overly descriptive at times. Laskey does go in depth with certain traumatic events so I would recommend looking up trigger warnings before diving in.

I rated this 3 stars on Goodreads. The story was ok but I couldn’t get over Ali’s selfishness and naivety

I normally am not a fan of the age-gap trope, but this was a fantastic read. It felt authentic to the early 2000s without being forced, I was interested in the characters and their growth, and I loved the representation of mental health issues at that time.

It's 2005. Blackberries are all the rage. Jennifer Aniston and Brad Pitt have broken up. Lindsay Lohan has a Janet Jackson moment. And blogger Perez Hilton is threatening to 'out' in the closet celebs like Lance Bass and the fictional Cara Bissett, the latter who happens to be a client of the PR firm that our MC Ali works for.

In additional to temporarily shoving her out of the closet clients back into the closet from whence they came, Ali is dealing her own set of problems. She's got a little- ok, A LOT of- anxiety. And she's neurotic. And a little bit of a hypochondriac. Basically, she's chicken little and the sky is always falling. It doesn't help that she's still dealing with the grief of losing her partner Natalie, and is having trouble re-learning to stand on her own two feet. Or that her dog Glen may have halitosis.

When Ali gets roped into joining Cara on her whirlwind press tour (about a girl who falls in love with a video game sim, no less), to help Cara hide that literally everything about her screams gay, they bond in an unexpected way that helps Ali heal and feel all the feels again. But a falling for client spells disaster, especially when Cara is supposed to be faux-mancing her costar and not romancing her publicist, and Ali and Cara have to figure out what's at stake and if they can make it in the real world.

I really, really, really liked this sapphic romcom-esque love story. The nostalgia of got me right away and it felt a little bit like being thrown back in time (Cara wears Adidas track pants and Converse; Ali keeps a binder and her boss has a Lisa Frank notebook). The characters were absolutely wonderful too. Ali, even though she was a ball of anxiety, it wasn't her defining factor, and Cara was a unique character who felt perfectly herself.

The message of the story felt really powerful too. It's so crazy to remember there was a time not so long ago when gay and lesbian actors had to worry about their personal lives upstaging their acting careers- or suffer the Anne Heche effect where being out sabotaged their career altogether. Cover Story reminds us of that period of time and then shatters the stereotypes through this books of healing, laughs and love.

I highly recommend this read! Thank you Grand Central Publishing, Hachette Book Group and Netgalley for my arc.

I'm glad I stuck with this one because I'm going to be honest-the first few chapters was a struggle. I found the era-specific references to be heavy-handed and Ali to be needlessly annoying. After a few chapters, I started enjoying the story more and the writing didn't annoy me as much as in the beginning. I really liked the characterization of Cara and wasn't prepared for the emotional depth she had. The cover is a bit deceptive as the story us much heavier and emotional than the cover makes it seem Laskey handled the topics of sexual assault and grief well. I liked that there wasn't too much of a third act break up and found myself rooting for Ali and Cara by the end. I think some readers will be surprised at how sad this book can be but romance readers will enjoy it.

Cover Story by Celia Laskey was just everything.
Put your preorders in now. I promise you, it is truly that good.
This book instantly captured my attention and kept me glued to the pages.
I absolutely loved this book! I couldn’t put it down and read it in one day.

Kara is an up-and-coming indie actress (ala Kristin Stewart) and Ali is her publicist. Even though Ali is openly gay, part of her job is to cover for clients who are not out. Ali is still reeling from the sudden death of her partner when she befriends her new client, Kara. Against both of their better judgements, Kara must pretend to be straight as she makes a bid for the Oscar best actress race. They find their friendship turning into more and have to decide how to publicly deal with their private feelings as they weigh what is acceptable in 2005 Hollywood.

I really liked this sapphic rom com. It was a little different take on a celebrity/ normal person romance, and I thought it was well written and had interesting characters as well as realistic stakes about being publicly out in the mid-2000's Hollywood. I really liked the resolution and would read another book by Laskey has she has the gentle touch for a book that's a rom com, plus, much like Abby Jimenez or Emily Henry. If you liked The Charm Offensive by Alison Cochrane, then this one is for you.

Thank you to Netgalley for the advance copy for review.

Loved this book and loved these characters! It was a fun blast from the past to read a book set in 2005 and the way the way grief was addressed was really beautiful

3.75 stars! I love a good celebrity romance, and if you do too, you'll definitely want to check out COVER STORY. It's 2005 Hollywood, and Ali is a publicist for some of the biggest stars around. Part of her job also involves keeping gay celebrities in the closet, although ironically, Ali is a lesbian herself. She's just been assigned a new client, rising starlet Cara Bisset, who's set to take the world by storm with a new romantic blockbuster. The only problem? Cara is gay, and she hates that she has to hide her identity. After some close calls, Ali is sent on the worldwide promotional tour for the movie to try to keep Cara's secret under wraps. Ali also suffers from severe anxiety, which has been worsened in the past year by the sudden loss of her partner. Only when Ali's with Cara, she finds herself able to relax and let go of her fears a little, and she becomes increasingly drawn to Cara's outspoken, carefree nature. Will Ali risk the status quo for another chance at love?

I really enjoyed this book! I liked how detailed the writing style was—I truly felt like I got to know Ali as a character, her life, her career, her struggles, and everything in between (shoutout to her adorable sidekick, Glen the dog—loved that he was so heavily featured in the story, too, and that he helped Ali heal in some ways from her anxiety and grief). The relationship between her and Cara was so well-done, as they complemented each other perfectly. Despite their strong chemistry and connection, I would say that this isn't exactly a romcom—it is romantic, and funny, but the story also tackles some heavier themes, which lends even more depth to the characters, but creates more of a serious tone overall. Still, Ali and Cara's relationship balances those aspects out with its humor, charm, and lightheartedness!

If there's one thing I struggled with a little bit, it was the story's setting. I completely understood why it was set in 2005, and that angle made the central conflict even more pressing (also, I always enjoy stories set in early-2000s Hollywood!). However, I did feel like sometimes there were almost too many references to the time period, that didn't always feel natural/like they flowed well within the story. It didn't take away from my overall enjoyment of the book, but could get a little distracting at times. I'd still recommend this one for fans of celebrity romances, and would be interested in seeing what Celia Laskey writes next! Thank you to NetGalley and Grand Central Publishing for the ARC.

dnf’ing 30%

this takes place in the 2000s which i was NOT expecting (which is totally my bad for not being a blurb reader and preferring to go into books blind) yet this is chock full of references that felt a bit overbearing as well as very grief heavy themes so far that are too sad for me! 😢 i wanted to love this so bad but i will 100% check out her NEXT release

I’m a sucker for anything sapphic and Hollywood. I really loved the dynamic between the two FMCs and how sweet their relationship was. The book definitely touched on some heavier topics (ie: grief, sexual assault, etc) and I think they were all handled really well. I found myself rooting for the FMCs and their relationship and I’m so, so happy that this book has a lesbian happily ever after. The writing style was very easy to breeze through!

It’s 2005 and Ali is a PR agent to the stars, but her super power is keeping her famous gay clients in the closet and it’s been making her miserable, especially since she is gay herself and feels that role models could have helped her when she was figuring out who she really was when she was younger. Then Ali’s new client, an up and coming star named Cara becomes her most challenging client yet with her strong sense of self and reluctance to remain closeted. Cara makes Ali question what she has been doing (not that she hadn't been quesitioning herself all along). Ali suffers from severe anxiety which has only gotten worse in the past year since her partner died. Cara’s carefree attitude gives Ali a new sense of safety and happiness, feelings that she didn’t think she’d ever feel again.

It honestly took me a while to like Ali, her neurosis were a bit over the top for me that she annoyed me at the beginning of the novel, but as she grew as a character I warmed up to her. I enjoyed having a story about how the Hollywood machine functioned in a time when everyone was basically hiding their sexuality (not that everyone is out now), and how it affected some of those who were deep in it. I thought the author did an excellent job of painting depth into the characters and slowly burning the relationship. I had a few minor quibbles with the book but nothing that really hurt the reading experience.

3.75 stars

Thank you to Grand Central Publishing and NetGalley for the ARC to review

I unfortunately did not finish Cover Story. I had a hard time connecting with the characters and didn't feel the romance between them or even a friendship.

Cover Story by Celia Laskey ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Fans of early 2000s Hollywood drama will love this full-of-heart story about finding love and being yourself.

I caught myself several times with a big grin on my face from all the hilarious and touching moments. On its face, it’s a love story, but deep down it’s about identity, truth, and moving on. It packed an emotional punch, but it balanced it out with thoughtful, funny moments.

The “rooted in reality” 2005 references took me out of the story. I’m a reader that if you are going to use real life people in stories, you have to make me believe your character is also real. But I didn’t feel that way with Cara and Ali (even though I enjoyed them tremendously). I also felt like this could be edited down (less superfluous descriptions of migraines and washing oneself in the shower) and it would’ve packed a bigger punch.

Fans of books focusing on the celebrity/non-famous relationships, romcoms, and books that tackles emotional subjects will enjoy this one.

I gave this 2.5 but I'm rounding up to 3 because I really enjoyed the premise. Dealing with grief, new relationships, past familiar trauma, I was really hopeful this book would wow me.
I don't know if I got lost in the small things of the book but I kept getting distracted with references to all things 2005. At first(as someone who graduated in 2005 so this was a memorable year for me) I kind of liked some of these but then it just felt annoying to see all these specific tidbits throughout the book. Almost as if to say SEE IT'S SO 2005.

I did not like the immaturity that Ali showed when she was the one in the first place who expected Cara to keep herself a secret and then later on demanded that she go against that and force her the other way. I thought those issues were not resolved appropriately.
Same with her dad and their talk it felt too clean and tidy for a book that talked about a lot of mess.

🦇 Cover Story Book Review 🦇

❓ What's the biggest lie you've told about yourself?

🦇 It's 2005, and Ali is a publicist for Hollywood's biggest stars. Part of her job entails keeping gay celebrities in the closet—which is pretty ironic, since she's a lesbian. When Ali is assigned a new gay client, Cara Bisset, who's breaking onto the scene with a (hetero) romantic blockbuster, keeping Cara's sexuality under wraps becomes Ali's biggest challenge yet. After a series of increasingly close calls, Ali is sent on the worldwide promotional tour for the movie to help keep Cara in line. Instead, she finds herself drawn to Cara's confidence and bravery. As Cara's fame continues to rise, both Ali and Cara have to decide which is more important: maintaining the status quo, or risking it all for another chance at love.

💜 Celia Laskey's Cover Story is silly, sexy, and messy in all the best ways. Let's break it down.

✨ Characters (5/5): Laskey's characterizations are by far some of the strongest I've seen in a long while. Ali and Cara are layered, beautifully and realistically flawed, and above all else, human. They aren't two characters created to fit a plot; they breathe life into themselves with every word on the page. Cara is spunky and rebellious and fun (the exact kind of trouble Ali needed in her life). Though Ali is lost in her grief from page one, we see her return to the present as she spends more time with Cara. Each secondary character is included in the story for a reason, adding both to the plot and Cara and Ali's layered character development.

✨ Plot and Pacing (3/5): At the start of the story, we're wallowing in Ali's grief alongside her, and it slows the plot a little. It's not until we meet Cara (and the two spend more time together) that the story really amps up. The pacing follows Ali's moods, realistically representing one's mindset during a struggle with grief and/or depression. The plot (Ali helping Cara hide her sexuality while trying to rise in Hollywood) seems tired and done, but Laskey's execution is meaningful and purposeful, directing the story and women toward opportunities for growth.

✨ World-Building (3/5): I can't remember the last book I read that was set in the 2000s, as bloggers take over journalists and the internet takes the world by storm, but the timing was perfect for this story. Ali faces conflicting feelings about encouraging clients to remain in the closet in front of the public eye, but that situation wouldn't have fit in 2025, when everyone with a phone is a self-proclaimed journalist and secrets don't last. My one issue was the choice to redact real celebrity names. While this works as a play on the secrecy, it also pulls readers out of the story (using fake names would have worked instead).

✨ Romance (4/5): The relationship between Cara and Ali has such an easy, natural progression. I adored the choice to have Cara's beard relationship mirror her relationship with Ali, which forces Ali to question everything. The vulnerability between them is comforting in its rawness; their emotional conversations are by far the strongest component of the book. In fact, the story has a spark of renewed energy (showing us moments when Ali isn't thinking of her grief) every time the two women speak to one another. The age gap never feels too weird (but we see it clearly through Cara's lack of judgment at times). Unfortunately, the smut did feel technical and stilted at times. There's an awkwardness to these scenes as well, but it comes off messy and playful and real; an exact representation of Ali and Cara's relationship.

✨ Mystery/Suspense (4/5): I'm grateful that we don't get the full, in-depth flashback into the night Ali lost her partner until later. We sit in her grief throughout the entire story, but it's not until she talks about that night that we start to experience some relief. Her opening up, even just to the audience, allows her to heal. The question of whether Ali comes out does draw to the very end (a topic for discussion that's perfect for book groups), adding a slight element of tension to what is somewhat of an exhaustive story.

✨ Tone/Prose (2/5): As I said, the narration mirrors Ali's grief, which sometimes makes the prose difficult to enjoy. The writing is more "tell" than "show" at times, which can get exhausting fast (another reason the dialogue between Cara and Ali strengthens, or even carries, the story). There's a lot of repetitive filler that causes the pacing to drag, despite it being reflective of Ali's anxiety. The story is marketed as a rom-com, but the story's emotion-driven elements are stronger than any hints of comedy I saw (why does the synopsis call it "hilarious"?). I would love to see this story on-screen, though, to remove all the "telling" and allow the characters to show us their story instead.

🦇 Recommended to fans of Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo, Rachel Lacey, and Alexandria Bellefleur.

✨ The Vibes ✨
🎬 Queer / Lesbian Romance
🎭 Age Gap
🎟 Hollywood Romance
🩷 Early 2000s
🩷 Single POV
🎟 Spice
🎭 Grief
🎬 Mental Health Rep

🦇 Major thanks to the author and publisher for providing an ARC of this book via Netgalley. 🥰 This does not affect my opinion regarding the book. #CoverStory

⚠ Content Warnings: anxiety/mental health, past death of a loved one, death, compulsory heterosexuality, sexual assault (recounting/discussed with partner), sexually explicit content, alcohol, systemic homophobia

💬 Quotes
The first time Ali called herself a lesbian out loud, her whole body vibrated with confirmation. She couldn’t believe it had taken her so long to figure it out— looking back, it was wildly obvious. But when society lied and told you everyone was straight, you assumed you must be straight, too.

Ali believes the general public would actually relate more to stars if they were completely honest about their experiences and opinions.

You’d be surprised how much two women can get away with under the guise of being friends.

When she came out at twenty-three, everything finally made sense. She felt like she met herself for the first time.

Cover Story

Five stars!

✨ F/F lesbian romance
✨ Spice 3/5
✨ Medium paced (but felt fast because I loved it so much!)
✨ Moods: hopeful, playful, funny
✨ Tropes: age-gap, celeb/publicist (idk if that’s a trope but I’m making it one)
[Content warnings at the bottom > beware of spoilers]

Cover Story is the lesbian rom-com I have been waiting for! The novel follows Ali, an anxious grieving widow, who also happens to be the publicist assigned to a younger up and coming actress, Cara. A very lesbian actress who Ali (also lesbian) is tasked with keeping in the closet. A not-so-easy feat when the sparks start flying…

While Cover Story is a rom-com, it delves into deeper topics such as grief and anxiety. Ali is not perfect, but I found her struggles to be relatable. Her character growth left me, the reader, feeling hopeful. I appreciated the communication efforts between Ali and Cara. Unlike other romances I’ve read, I didn’t find myself yelling at the page trying to get the characters to just talk it out already!

I thought Celia Laskey’s writing was humorous and almost bubbly at times. I felt giddy while reading the interactions between the main characters. I think that’s what I loved the most about this book: The characters felt sexy and silly and real. As a lesbian myself, I could see a genuine relationship between Ali and Cara. Their relationship didn’t feel overly sexualized, romanticized or fantasized. When reading, this easily could have been a story starring someone I know.

Five stars for the lesbian representation and the perfect balance of silly, sexy, and heartfelt. This book was cathartic for me, and I especially appreciated the author’s note.

I highly recommend this book especially those looking for: les fic, rom-com, age-gap, or a romance with depth.

Thank you NetGalley for the advanced review copy. All opinions above (and below) are my own.

Final thoughts:
- verboten
- Glen is perfect

Content warnings below, beware of spoilers, and please note these may not be all inclusive.

Content Warnings: anxiety/mental health, past death of a loved one, death, compulsory heterosexuality, sexual assault (recounting/discussed with partner), sexually explicit content, alcohol, systemic homophobia

I'm honestly getting tired of the "Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo" books, and so I went into this one expecting yet another mediocre knock-off, but what I found was a very sweet and uniquely alternative take on the gay celebrity romance genre that honestly left me in tears. It's amazing to see how far we've come in LGBTQ+ rights in the past decade alone, so it was fascinating (and a little scary considering it was not that long ago) reading about the experience of being a closeted celebrity in the 2000s. This novel was fantastic in exploring grief, internalized homophobia, sexual trauma and abuse, fraught parental relationships, mental health and chronic illness, and even lesser represented issues of friendship (feeling resentment towards your friends having kids). I felt like Ali and Cara were such strongly written characters, and the side characters also brought a lot to the story as well!

I also thought Cara's coming out was excellently handled. Recently I've been reading some romance novels where characters are essentially forced to come out by their partners, but I felt like Cara's coming out felt natural, without any pressure from Ali. She is introduced as a character wanting to live authentically, becomes distracted from that goal when her fame skyrockets, and returns to her original ideals after realizing her life in the spotlight isn't worth losing out on a great relationship. Coming out is such a nuanced issue, and having personally dealt with dating closeted partners before, I greatly empathize with Ali's struggle dating Cara and believe it's one of the most realistic depictions of internalized homophobia I've seen in a while.

My only gripes were that, one, I wish the age different were a little less drastic. 25 and 35 isn't "wrong," per se, but as a 26-year-old, I have no interest in dating someone in their mid-30s. However, seeing Ali and Cara's relationship play out, this stopped being an issue for me shortly in. Also, I do feel at times this book is very info-dumpy, especially near the beginning of the novel. All I can hear in my head are my creative writing professors yelling "show, don't tell!" and while I initially was perturbed at this novel for breaking that rule, I quickly let go of that criticism as well, as we all have different writing styles, and I think Laskey employed this writing method in a way that served the story well, especially since Ali is a character haunted by the ghosts of her past.

I will happily be purchasing this when it hits the shelves in a few days, and I would thoroughly recommend this novel to others as well!

you had me at early 2000's hollywood romance!!!

ali is a publicist at a pr firm in LA in 2005. although it's not her true passion, ali climbed the ranks at her firm and has a long list of big celebrity clients that entrust her with their public image. when she't not juggling other peoples lives, she sticks to a routine she's had for months now - walking her dog, pulling the same food from her freezer, and falling asleep every night to episodes of frasier. in the safety of her routines and what she can control; she doesn't have to obsess over the loss of her partner who died in an accident a year ago, or her extremely complicated past with her mother, who also has passed away.

in comes cara - a young and hungry actress on the brink of stardom. the catch? her entire personality is being gay - and it's hollywood in 2005. cara's team brings their business to ali's firm, where it has become the norm to convince clients to stay closeted for the sake of their careers & success. cara is starring in her big breakout role, a romcom that is highly anticipated to do great at the box office. ali is tasked with the job of going on the world promotional tour as cara's pr agent, and making sure cara doesn't accidentally come out & risk her career in hollywood before it has even taken off. initially, cara is completely turned off by the idea of not being her authentic self, but as time goes on and she gets a taste of what success looks like in the industry, she begins to understand where ali & the rest of hollywood is coming from.

through getting to know one another, ali and cara are able to open up to each other in emotionally vulnerable ways that they've never been able to do with anyone else. they begin to heal from their pasts while on the tour - but will all of that carry over once they get back to real life in LA?

okay - i was so excited to read this book!! i feel like i could read ten more with a similar plot, early 2000's hollywood and the LGBTQ+ community within it. i think the starlet & pr agent was genius and messy and beautiful. i almost wouldn't say this is a romcom - i did laugh, but it touched on many deeper topics that enhanced and gave depth to the characters & i think romcoms stay a little more surface level. i LOVED the aspect of the world tour, i've been to most of places they stopped and i think it was done so incredibly well. i truly wanted in detail chapters of every city, i was eating those chapters up! i also felt like if we got a few more of those chapters, we would have been able to experience more of cara and ali's initial connection. i also loved gradually watching ali gain the courage to create change within her life - whether with her father, her career, her friendships, or the way she views herself.

i loved this book and will definitely recommend it to friends!! thank you so much for allowing me to read it in exchange for a review!