Thanks to NetGalley, Grand Central Publishing, and author Celia Laskey for the chance to read and review the ARC of Cover Story!

This book centers heavily around these topics: grief of tragically losing a longtime partner, severe anxiety related to the death, the costs of being closeted in Hollywood, and Hollywood actor life. Secondary topics are a stressful parent/child relationship (past and present) and mental illness.

Overall I think Laskey handles juggling all of these items well enough to make an interesting story. I liked the main characters of Ali and Cara, even if their relationship and Cara's career are highly idealized. I felt a bit overwhelmed with all of the Hollywood references even though it did help to establish the timeframe of this book (mid 2000s). Cover Story does have a happy ending, which is what I love in a sapphic romantic comedy. It also contained some gems (which I bookmarked) of insight into grief and being queer.

This is such a fun light read that will have you feeling each feel by the end. I didn’t want it to end. It was just so cute and I cherished the characters relationship.

4.5 stars. I finished this book a couple of weeks ago and needed to sit with it. I really loved this book and connected to the characters, almost too much. Ali's level of anxiety and the way it manifests for her hit way too close to home, which made this book relatable but simultaneously painful to read because I saw a lot of myself in her. The book dives into her grief and her processing of a lot of trauma, but I thought the way it was written was well-done and realistic. I loved the development of the relationship between Ali and Cara and really liked both characters, Cara seems so fun. This book has also had me thinking for weeks about how complicated it is to be queer in Hollywood, both back in the day and today.

Definitely would recommend!

I am a sucker for any book set in Hollywood or featuring a fictional celebrity. Make it sapphic, and I’m 1000% in.

This story takes place in the early 2000s and follows a grieving, hypochondriac publicist who lost her partner a year ago. She has been assigned to work with an up-and-coming young actress on the brink of success. The actress is initially described as a dirty bro-dude type who sleeps around and flirts with any pretty girl in close proximity but later develops into the sexy Hollywood starlet struggling to come out due to fears about how it might affect her career. And, of course, the publicist and the actress wind up in a romance.
The premise sounded fun, light, and entertaining. And it was—partly. Hence, the three stars.

The writing itself was a struggle for me. There were some parts that gave me the ick. For example, it was, a choice, to equate having a large poop with orgasming. And did you really have to describe everything that needed to be spread in the shower to get clean? No, ma’am, you did not. The author had a habit of going into unnecessary detail—but what I really mean by that is, I did not need to read graphic descriptions of a dog’s injuries from a dog fight in what is supposed to be a rom-com.
I also didn’t need the author to go on and on (and on) about how neurotic and depressed the main character was. I got it. I get it. I don’t need 30 more pages of it spread across different chapters.

The conversations between the main character and the side characters (like her dad!) could have been cut down by 75%, and it would have been an improvement.
It felt like this author was trying—and failing—to create a novel that meshed queer authors Emily R. Austin and Amy Spalding together.

Now I feel bad. Because while these are the things that annoyed me and led me to deduct two stars, there are still three perfectly good stars left, and you’re probably wondering why. So, I’ll remind you: I’m a sucker for Hollywood-set, sapphic celebrity romances. And in between all the things that frustrated me, there was a very fun romance (yes, with spicy scenes) that I genuinely enjoyed.

Thank you to NetGalley and Grand Central Publishing for providing me with an advanced copy in exchange for my honest thoughts and feedback.

This has been posted on my Goodreads.

This book wasn't what I was expecting but that was a good thing. I was expecting a by the numbers romance but what I got was a story about tragedy and anxiety that I could really relate to. This book also had a really sweet romance running through it to help cut some of that sadness. Overall this was a solid read.

Thank you NetGalley and Grand Central Publishing for the ARC of this book.

I read and enjoyed Celia Laskey's "Under the Rainbow" so I was excited to read another of her books. "Cover Story" takes place in the early 2000's in Hollywood, a time when, oddly enough, I moved there. Given my experience, I felt the story rang completely true. It's also sort of crazy how recent it was that A-listers began to be comfortable coming out. At the same time, the story is so relevant to what the LGBTQIA+ community is going through right now with the administration trying to take away their rights and even their basic identity.

Publicist Ali is tasked with wrangling a very talented up-and-comer in the movie industry, Cara. The biggest hurdle is that, as Cara says, being a lesbian is her whole identity. Ali, who is also queer, counsels Cara to stay in the closet for the sake or her career. But when Ali falls for Cara, she begins to question the validity of that counsel.

Laskey writes very believable characters, fun side characters, and interesting situations without losing depth or emotion. As with "Under the Rainbow," things are very relatable, even for non-LGBTQIA readers. Yes, it's a Rom-Com, but it's also a celebration in authenticity and loving oneself.

Cover Story is a book set in 2005, before being gay in Hollywood was widely accepted. It follows Ali, a Hollywood publicist and her new client, Cara Bisset. Cara has to hide her true self to the world while her star is rising. Ali, who is struggling with not only migraines but the loss of her partner, Natalie, embarks on a promotional tour of Caras movie with her. As they continue on the tour, their feelings grow for one another, do they hide who they are in public, or show the world their true love?

The story had a good mix of humor and romance. The story really made me feel for Ali. Not only with her anxiety, which stems from her childhood with her mother, but also losing a partner. I also enjoyed the throwbacks to the early 2000s gossips magazines. I'm glad the world is more accepting of gay people today.

Definitely thought this was going to be more of a rom com than it was but I really liked this a lot. Readers should check for possible triggers as it has some heavy topics but it is very well written and sweet and romantic along with the heavy stuff

As an Hollywood romances’ sucker, I was immediately attracted by this book. And I was right. It’s an hell of a book! The writing is really good and it’s a romance full of grief and other stuffs (please, read the TW!). I like when a romance talking about this kind of themes.
Yes, something get me off, because it felt like we were in the 2000s, and yes that period was not so bad, but was also full of negative things, slurs, etc. but it’s realistic and I like it.
And I love the love story between Ari and Cara. They were wonderful.

Thank you Netgalley and the publisher for the arc.

So right off the bat I was struggling with this book because it tries to throw in a lot of tragedy/serious stuff, and I don't love that in my romance novels. As the book continued, I just found it to be poorly written and poorly paced, and I thought it was very dated. Obviously the book takes place in the mid-2000s, but that doesn't mean it has to (in a bad way) feel like it was written in the mid-2000s! Part of what contributed to this was how the book talked about a variety of groups of people. The characters asking each other if they were gold star lesbians felt gross, especially when it became clear that this was just a reason to later bring past sexual assault into the story as a one page aside. The use of the r slur a few times in a passage was uncomfortable, even if it was supposed to be a "sign of the times." The Black side character naming her business with the main character after Gone with the Wind, a famously racist book/film was a weird choice. The way that Dana talked about her trans partner and his transition felt iffy to me. There being one bisexual side character whose entire personality was being slutty felt stereotypical, and I don't even usually mind a slutty bisexual character, but combined with everything else it rubbed me the wrong way! I also did not care for how Ali's mom's bipolar disorder was handled.

This was lovely! Celia Laskey writes with a lit-fic-esque edge, which I loved, and coupled with the early 2000s nostalgia, the Los Angeles vibes, and the really sensitively done exploration of grief (falling in love again after the loss of a partner), this is going to hit with fans of Ava Wilder. But despite the heaviness and (deeply relatable) anxiety that circles Ali at the beginning of the novel, what Ali and Cara have is rather playful, lighthearted, and charming, with plenty of deadpan humor and wit. Come for a sapphic love story with plenty of spice and substance, but also an underlying sweetness that I think many will find healing.

Thank you to NetGalley and Grand Central for the ARC in exchange for my honest review 🙂

Cover Story is a supernova of a romance novel, bursting with humor, heartbreak, and hope. Celia Laskey takes readers on an unforgettable journey through closeted celebrity hijinks in early 2000s media and the emotional rollercoaster of love after loss. Ali and Cara have a permanent place in my heart.

I loved this so much. Its fun and flirty, its about grief and anxiety. It really has everything. My favorite romance of the year.

Cover Story by Celia Laskey is a hilarious and emotional journey set in 2005, where Ali, a publicist, is tasked with keeping her new client, rising star Cara Bisset, in the closet. It’s an ironic job for Ali, who is a lesbian herself, and as she grows closer to Cara, she begins to question everything she’s been complicit in. Cara’s fearless authenticity challenges Ali, and as the two bond, Ali must decide whether to keep up the façade or embrace love and truth. This book is a perfect mix of humor, heart, and emotional depth, with a love story that will stay with you.

This story follows Ali, a grieving, neurotic widow as she falls for an up-and-coming actress navigating the mid-00s and what being gay in Hollywood could mean for a career.

Overall, I think there were some portions that were too TMI in a way that took away from finding chemistry between the characters. I think overall, Glen the dog was my favorite character. I think it's unnecessarily long in portions, the dialogue suffers from trying to be a period piece, and it's hard to see the chemistry between the two leads. Cara is first described as the embodiment of Gross Dude- greasy hair, pimples oozing, etc. And it's just hard to buy into the romance portion of it all.

Some sections were very long and a bit too much detail. It often has more telling than showing, which is a little frustrating. This is not to negate the style. I do believe the author is a good writer, I think it could use a bit more editing.

This was such a cute, lovely, and gun sapphic read!!! I loved the characters and the story reminded me of early 2000s romcoms- which is the BEST feel for romance books to have. I will continue picking up books by this author!!