a murder mystery thriller surrounding a cast from an old teen drama………yeah of course it was good!! loved the past and present povs, loved the little inserts from social medias and gossip blogs, loved the short chapters. it was fun!! I’m so glad I got to read, thank you netgalley for the early copy!!!

This twisty mystery with an ending that blows your mind is my first by the author but certainly won't be my last. I lost hours engrossed in this story of actors who come back together for a TV show reunion that turns deadly. Soooooo good, Samantha Bailey is an auto-buy author now!

I absolutely devoured this book! I loved it! Twisty, fast paced and kept me on my toes til the end! I haven't had a thriller send me on a rollercoaster like this in a long time!

HELLO, JULIET was a quick and entertaining read that packed a lot of action and twists. The dual timelines were easy to follow and Ivy was a relatable protagonist. The chemistry between some of the characters seemed a bit forced, which made some of the motivations a bit unbelievable. Still a generally fun read and would recommend.

Thanks to NetGalley and Thomas & Mercer for the opportunity to read and review HELLO, JULIET.

Show Business Can Be Murder!!
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I have been a fan of @sbaileybooks for many years and have loved each one of her books! I have been looking forward to her 2025 release since it was announced, and was very excited when I got approved for an early copy to read! 📖
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I really enjoyed #HelloJuliet and the behind the scenes of show business and how it can change people for the better…or worse!! Samantha did a wonderful job at developing the characters and I loved how the book would go back/forth between past and present (an aspect of her books she writes very well)
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Hello, Juliet is full of twists and turns, red herrings, mystery, and the giltz and glamour of Young Hollywood!! 📺
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Another solid novel and I can’t wait to discuss Hello, Juliet with other readers!! Make sure to pick up a copy on April, 29th 2025!!

My new favourite book from Samantha M Bailey!! Gosh this was good! i wish I had started it when I could have just binged the whole thing, it could very easily be done. I love a Hollywood story, getting behind the scenes is so much fun. And my goodness, the ending was brilliant!! Was absolutely on the wrong track and I loved it.

Without giving too much away, this is the story of a show called Hello, Juliet and its cast. The lead actress, Ivy, was a nobody in Hollywood until she gets this role. Strong friendships formed with the other actors. And now a reunion is on the cards….

I suggest going in knowing very little and you will love it. It Is twisty, it is full of surprises believe me. I formed some quite strong feelings about these characters whilst reading this. Just fantastic!!

All of us at Thriller Book Lovers: The Pulse have been eagerly awaiting this book and it did not disappoint at all. Publishes on April 29th by Thomas and Mercer. Get it in your TBR.

I feel like I just got off of a Hollywood themed rollercoaster! This one was a wild ride that was full of unexpected turns. When I had to take a break from reading because you know, life, I found myself thinking about this book and looking forward to when I had time to read some more. Hello, Juliet was full of unexpected and interesting characters!

Ivy Westcott has been off the big screen for awhile when she gets her big break in a teen drama called Hello, Juliet. But there’s not just drama onscreen, there’s also loads of offscreen drama with her castmates – friendship, romance, and backstabbing – with tragic consequences. Now years later, someone wants to film a reunion show, and Ivy needs the money to support herself and her devoted mother. But drama rears its ugly head again when Ivy arrives at the soundstage to find one of her old costars dead, and ends up right in the police’s crosshairs as a suspect.

Between the twists, turns, and teen angst, Samantha M. Bailey has another winner on her hands! The dual timeline structure unfolds the past and present at such a fast pace that I couldn’t put it down. Those short, snappy chapters and their cliffhanger endings had me in their grip and were not letting go! I loved how the snippets of social media posts and the Hollywood gossip articles made this such a juicy read. And then the big twist – oh, that twist! Never ever saw that coming! Satisfyingly shocking!

If you’ve ever loved a WB show or you’re a thriller lover who loved Honey by Isabel Banta, this one might be right up your alley! I know my friends at Thriller Book Lovers: The Pulse are going to be buzzing about this one!

Woah! This book was excellent. Nothing was as it seemed. We go back and forth in two time lines, 2014 and 2024. Both narrated by Ivy, or Poison Ivy to her haters. Ivy is/was an actress in a popular teen drama. (Think 90210) it’s hard to tell the plot without ruining some of the book, so I won’t say much more. I was hooked though and finished the book quickly.

I loved this book as it hooks you in on the first page. Ivy Westcott was cast as the lead in television show Hello, Juliet. She was excited that this was going to make her career. Unfortunately, she is cast into the limelight and the media nicknames her #poisonivy. Her life spirals out of control and she flees the Hollywood scene. I enjoyed how this was told in present and past points of views with mixed media. You get a feel for all the characters.

Now, years later Ivy is invited back for a reunion show of Hello, Juliet. She wants to make peace with Lauren and be able to provide financially for her mother.

This are so many secrets that keep you guessing who is the puppet master behind the scenes.

I’ve been a fan of Samantha M. Bailey since Watch Out For Her and was eager to read this.

Ivy Westcott fled LA as her acting career imploded. ‘Hello, Juliet’, the series that should made her a star, with her first leading role, cancelled before the final episode aired. A decade later she hopes a top-secret reunion episode could offer a fresh start and financial stability.

It opens brilliantly with Ivy finding her ex-friend and costar dead…

This is a very ambitious thriller. Past and present, deaths and drugs and dreams of stardom. There’s plenty of depth, in the plots and in the characters, Ivy was always an outsider, feeling out of her depth in a cast of stars.

I don’t have the nostalgia for the 90s TV shows that I’ve seen mentioned in a lot of the reviews. It kept me reading and entertained. Ivy’s character was my favourite element and the world she inhabits is very convincing.

Thanks to Netgalley and Thomas & Mercer

I think my students will love this one, tv show filled with unrequited love, admiring friendships, rivalry and present day complicated relationships and murder. There are some serious topics, mixed in with the drama, parental neglect, substance abuse, attempted rape, but overall tone is engaging and will appeal to my students. I thought it was a YA book but I guess not

Hello, Juliet is a fast paced, addictive, unputdownable thriller that had me consumed right from the start. The past and present timelines, the mixed media, the cliffhanger endings of the chapters truly made for such an engaging and thrilling ride. The way this book was set up, the way the plot was woven and unfolded perfectly blended with Bailey's signature storytelling skills made for a perfect thriller.

I was so hooked on the characters. They were all suspects in my head. The author kept throwing me in all the directions, making me doubt myself at every turn. All the twists, the turns were unpredictable and left me shocked. The ending was absolutely great, Bailey knocked it out of the park with that massive twist. I didn't see that coming at all!

A great roller coaster thrilling ride. A fast bingeable read, very fun and entertaining with an ending you won't see coming!

✨️Thank you to @thrillerbookloversthepulse, @netgalley, Thomas & Mercer and @samanthambailey for my gifted ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This is a fast read, a lighter look at fame and how it can turn against you. It is told in the past as Ivy gets an unexpected lead in a teen soap opera type of show, romances friendship, both in life and the plot of the show really affect her. It is told in the present as one of her co stars, a former friend is murdered and she has to confront the truth about what happened then and now. A bit over dramatic read but also fun, if you don't try to take it too seriously , though some serious issues are discussed

4.50 stars
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Hello, Juliet felt so nostalgic to me having grown up watching many teen soap operas. We follow our main character Ivy (who narrates our book in the past and present), and how she quickly went from a nobody to the main actress in a tv series. During her time on the show, she forms bonds with her castmates, until an incident happens, and she's now known to the world as #PoisonIvy.

A decade later, Ivy is invited to star in a secret reunion episode after a Hollywood expose puts her name back into the limelight. When she arrives on set to film, she's bothered that she can't find anyone else. That is...until she finds her former co-star dead. This sets off a world of panic for Ivy and her manager's mother, as they fear that they may be targeted next.

Our chapter are broken up with news articles, online forums, and comments mainly surrounding if you're team Ivy, or not. Once you pick up this book, you won't want to put it down. As secrets come out, you begin to wonder who you can trust, and who might want to see the downfall of Ivy. Once the killer is revealed, it makes sense, I however had guessed the twist in this one.
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Overall this was a great read, and it kept me up most of the night reading just wanting to know what happened in the end!
I would like to thank Thomas & Mercer, Samantha M. Bailey, and NetGalley for a copy of Hello, Juliet in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own, this book is set to be published on April 29th, 2025. Pre-order your copy today!

Wow! What a brilliant read from Samantha Bailey! Starts out at a thoughtful and deliberate pace A good slow burn, but don’t forget to fasten your seatbelt! Fantastic characters
that added to the inability to put this book down. Highly recommend!
Thank you NetGalley, Samantha Bailey and Thomas & Mercer for the opportunity to read and review this book.

This thriller follows a former actress pulled back into the spotlight for a reunion show, only to find herself facing dark secrets and danger. With plenty of twists, Hollywood drama, and shocking revelations, it’s a book you won’t be able to put down.

Overall, I really enjoyed Hello, Juliet. I'm a sucker for any Hollywood-centric mystery, especially one that includes a teen soap. It's a quick read with a few decent twists to keep the reader guessing.

I can't put my finger on it exactly, but the cover and the premise blurb feel very from the story itself. I think part of this disconnect comes from the flashback scenes, which largely drive the story. I wish the author would have spent more time in the present, allowing Ivy to truly unravel the mystery. Instead, it reads more like the past is revealing what happened to the reader, and Ivy's catching up in the current timeline. (In regard to the cover, I can't think of a single time a character was in a swimming pool, so maybe that's why?)

Without a doubt Samantha M Baileys BEST BOOK YET!!!

This book had me hooked from the beginning, I read this in one day extremely eager to see where the story went.

The plot follows Ivy who gets cast as the lead role in a tv series “Hello Juliet”. This is her biggest role yet and her lack of celebrity status and acting experience puts her under a lot of pressure from the director, reviewers and public scrutiny.

The cast on the show soon become fast friends and we follow their lives in past and present tense to see how and where it all went wrong ending with a present day murder mystery.

I loved each cast member and found myself so invested in their lives and well being along with the success of the show. If you grow to love these characters as much as me there is definitely some gut wrenching moments that will come your way.

I am still in shock from the big twist at the end, it’s definitely one that’s hard to process, I wasn’t on board at first however after the follow up chapters i had a change of heart and now I just feel distaste towards certain characters, the author does a great job of making you feel love and hate towards certain people at the right moments.

I am so glad I chose this book it was certainly a memorable read! I definitely recommend everyone to give this a go, especially if you grew up in the era of binge watching amazing tv shows like pretty little liars and vampire diaries etc, it gives you the behind the scenes vibes of how the actors lives may have been in the spotlight at a young age.

Thank you to the author as well as Thomas and Mercer for the EARC!

Publish date - April 29th 2025

For a bit of context - we follow a group of actors who get together for a secret reunion to film a TV show that made their careers. But then people start dying...

Short chapters, dual timelines, Hollywood celebrity style gossip setting and a mystery that will keep you guessing throughout all make this book into the phenomenal read that it is. The ending is so unexpected that I found myself shaking my head in awe. Samantha Bailey has done it again! Be sure to put this one on your radar for next year.