I.... Loved this book. I ended up carrying my kindle around all of Saturday like a security blanket. The humor was just my type. The banter was great. Chemistry was fire. Hilarious supporting characters. I have to go read Under Your Spell immediately.

📚 Let's Make a Scene
✍ Laura Wood
📖 Contemporary Romance
⭐4.5/5
🌶️ 🌶️
📆 Out 7/1/25

➡ Thirteen years ago on the set of their very first film, sparks flew between Cynthie and Jack, just not always the good ones. Behind the scenes of the now cult classic film were prank wars, harsh words and an undeniable chemistry but now it's all history...until an offer to make a sequel comes at an opportune time in both of their careers. The catch? To market the film, they'll have to pretend to date and a camera crew is going to be documenting the whole thing. Can the rivals build a friendship after years of being adversaries or better yet, can they move their chemistry past their scenes and into real life?
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🙏 Thank you to Atria Books for the advanced copy of Let's Make a Scene. All opinions are my own.
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🎯 What I loved: I love Laura Wood's writing! She has the perfect balance of charm, wit, humor and tension and this enemies to lovers, celebrity romance gave me everything I wanted in a book! I loved Cynthie and Jack and found their banter delightful. The way scenes from their past and present were balanced led to a deep understanding of how they developed their feelings for each other and made the ending feel especially satisfying. I wrote this about her previous book Under Your Spell (which I also LOVED!) and I feel it's true of this one too: Wood's humor reminds me of Notting Hill. It's quirky, sweet and leave you swooning when you least expect it.

🙅‍♀️ What I didn't: I wanted slightly more balance in terms of past/present chapters in the first half of the book. The first third of the book was primarily backstory and while this really helped me understand the characters, I found myself craving a bit more of a present connection earlier.
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Read if you love:
*enemies to lovers
*celebrity romance
*set on a period drama & its sequel
*fake dating
*second chance romance
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See also: How to Fake It in Hollywood, Right on Cue, Twice in a Blue Moon

I just love to pretend I'm behind the scenes and getting all the gossip on how a couple of actors that made their first movie together at the beginning of their careers and started a relationship to then spend the next THIRTEEN years without speaking to each other and after those THIRTEEN years, announce they'll do a sequel to that first movie everyone loooooved and that they are rekindling their relationship BUUUUUT it's actually kind of fake.

Laura, if you see this, the only reason this isn't a 5 star rating is because I'm not a fan of dual timelines but I KNOW this was necessary, there was just too much story between these two and you totally won me over with this book.

Another reason is because I felt they were robbed of those 13 years when they could've been together, this already happened to me once in another book and I was SOOO mad, this time iit was kind of a given so I wasn't surprised.


Thanks a lot to Atria books, Netgalley and of course Laura Woods for this arc!

★★★☆☆

Let's Make a Scene is a cute, well-written romance packed with some of my favorite tropes—rivals-to-lovers, fake dating, and a second-chance twist. While it took me a little time to warm up to the main character, I really enjoyed the chemistry between Cynthie and Jack as they navigated their complicated past and on-screen spark. A charming, easy read for rom-com fans!

Thank you to NetGalley for the advance reader copy!

I was super excited to get this eARC based on the blurb, but quickly realized I need to get the preceding book (Under Your Spell) from the library first in case reading in order was important. As it turns out, I think you could likely read this as a standalone (or even out of order) and still enjoy both books. This was a fun second chance romance that was a great vacation read. I enjoyed the way this story gave us some behind the scenes on a movie set and into an actor's headspace. The conflict and the HEA resolution were satisfying.

Thanks to Laura Wood, the publisher, and NetGalley for the eARC in exchange for this honest review.

I thoroughly enjoyed this novel and will recommend it to friends! Not only was the main romance really moving, with both protagonists learning to love and trust each other, but the ragtag crew of found family sparkled, too. I loved both Cynthie and Jack, and I hope Jack’s sister gets a romance in the next book! The sexy times are PG-13/R, so I can recommend to my mother in law without worrying about upsetting her. I appreciated the discussions surrounding women in film and also panic attacks. I legit laughed out loud at times. I also really appreciated that there wasn’t some last minute misunderstanding that comes out of nowhere, it was more about Cynthie’s growth and learning to trust people. Recommend!

Never got the chance to read Laura Wood's first book, but I'm going to remedy that right now as her latest dual POV romance was such a fun time.

Thank you to Atria Books and NetGalley for providing an eARC for a honest review.

I loved this so much!! It was a great follow up famous person romance to her first book. It didn't have quite the same charm factor as Under Your Spell but I really loved the characters and how their relationship built. The end bordered on cheesy for me but I also didn't want it to end. Will read everything Laura Wood writes from here on out :)

Thank you NetGalley and publisher for this ARC! Something about the story just didn’t work for me. The flashbacks didn’t hold my attention and I found it to be just okay.

This book is humorous and hot, with delightful on and off-screen chemistry! I love a celebrity romance and this took it to a whole new level. So excited for whatever Laura Wood writes next!!!

This was one of my most anticipated reads of the year and so excited to get an early arc for this one.
Under Your Spell was one of my fav reads last year, so when I saw Laura Wood was putting out another adult romance, with cameo's from Clemmie and Theo, I was so excited.
This novel focuses on Cynthie Taylor, who we got a brief glimpse of in Under Your Spell. It's a dual POV going back and forth between Jack and Cynthie, as well as a dual timeline going back and forth from their first movie they filmed together, and the second 13 years later. So many things I loved: the fake dating, enemies to lovers, the ice cream scene, the movie kiss scene. I could go on and on.
Laura- you've done it yet again. I'll read anything you write.... but please please please more swoony celebrity romances ❤️

Then to see my book club mentioned in the acknowledgements had me in tears. 😭

An easy 5 stars from me.
Thank you to Atria books and Netgalley for the early arc- can't wait to buy my own copy. It releases July 1st!

Let's start at the end. The last chapter of this book was an absolute dream! Truly one of the most well-executed grand gestures I've read.

The tension between Jack and Cynthie was delicious. The found family dynamic with the crew from the filming of A Lady of Quality was so lovely and genuine.

The only reason this wasn't a 5-start read for me was that it ran long, especially in the beginning the preamble felt like it dragged before we actually got to the story. I just would have preferred a bit quicker of a hook to start the book.

Laura Wood's books always take me a bit to sink into but then I love the characters and their story so much that I can't put them down. It's like she makes me earn their love story. lol. This is a lot of things that I just love in a romance.

Second Chance
Hate to Lovers
Celebrity
Fake Dating.

yes. All in the same couple. It was messy and honest and so swoony. I loved the present day story line. I loved their found family. I loved the period piece movie set. It was all of the things in such a good way.

⭐3.5⭐
I still love Laura's work and Under Your Spell & it's one of my top books to read. Her newest novel, Let's Make a Scene made me really confused. Jack and Cynthie are the rival to lovers pair we dream to see on camera. What made them rivals? I still don't know and don't fully understand. Was it Jack's pretentious background? Cynthie's stubbornness? The god awful pranks? I still am scratching my head on that one. Their flashbacks take the reader to ground zero of their meeting and small relationship. What didn't work for me was the duo narration. Over time the two voices sounded as one and I had a hard time deciphering when Jack was talking and when Cynhtie was talking.
I do love Laura's style of writing and the friendships formed in this story.

Thank you to NetGalley and Atria Books for providing this e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.

first book I've read by this author and I went back and ordered her list!
I loved this book so hard.
Tropes: enemies to friends to lovers
fake dating
he falls first
found family
dysfunctional family
psychological abuse

The story is told in two alternating time frames, from the perspectives of the two main characters, Jack and Cynthie, the female and male leads. Two actors who meet and are filming their first movie. Sparks ignite, but with it an animosity that is palpable.. The two never see or speak again. Time travel 13 years to the present day and something happens where both the actors are recruited to make a sequel to that first movie. Neither wasn't to do it but both need to.
I wont add spoilers, but this book was such a lovely slow burn love story. I totally inhaled it and I would highly recommend it!!!
5 stars.
Thanks to the author and Netgalley for the opportunity to read an arc.

Flash backs tell the story of Cynthie and Jack. They meet at the reading for a British feature film. She is untrained and innocent. Jack is the child of stars who has been groomed for stardom.

Missteps lead to pranks, snark and ...hot sex.

13 years later they are thrown together for a follow up film. Older and wiser the story is told thru flashbacks. How they ignited and exploded. How they learned to look below the surface into love.

Thank you Neltgalley for the ARC.

🎥ARC review🎥

Let’s make a scene by @lauracwood
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
🌶️🌶️🌶️

This was so cute and romantic. The banter and hate between this just made it so much better. There is a fine line between love and hate and these characters crossed it. Hand written love letters and movie screenings to show your love… swoon worthy ! Jane Austen would be proud 💥

Tropes:
— enemies to lovers
— found family
— dual timeline / dual POV
— fake dating
— second chance
— right person, wrong time
— open door

Cynthie Taylor lands her first leading role and is over the moon. But the first meeting before filming reveals that her arrogant co-star, Jack, hates her — and the feeling is mutual. Despite that, their on-screen chemistry is undeniable. To promote the movie, the studio sees the perfect opportunity in their fake relationship.

Thirteen years later, they’re offered a chance to star in the sequel to the film that launched their careers — and once again, they find themselves in a fake relationship.

I’m in love. It was funny and heartfelt. The chemistry between the characters — and their hatred laced with longing — was amazing. I’m usually not a fan of second-chance romances, but this year (most of the books I’ve read had the second-chance trope), and this book in particular, proved me wrong.

Cynthie’s struggles and inner turmoil were incredibly relatable. Jack’s letter was beautiful and deeply moving.

The side characters? Absolutely huggable.

There’s a scene that feels like the lovechild of Anthony Bridgerton’s lake moment and Mr. Darcy in the rain — I’m obsessed!
I’d love to see that on screen…

And let’s not forget the iconic scene that, in my opinion, gave off more Crazy, Stupid, Love vibes than the original source material.

Highly recommend for fans of Jane Austen and Bridgerton. For some reason, this book gave me the exact same vibe as behind-the-scenes footage from the Bridgerton set.

P.S. Now I want to rewatch Persuasion. Pretty sure I know how I’m spending my evening.

Thank you to NetGalley and Atria Books for providing this e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Cynthie Taylor and Jack Turner-Jones were once co-stars in a small British film that unexpectedly became a cult classic. Behind the scenes, their relationship was anything but amicable, leading to a mutual vow to never work together again. Thirteen years later, they're offered a chance to reprise their roles in a sequel, with the added twist of faking a romantic relationship for the cameras. As they navigate the blurred lines between performance and reality, old tensions resurface, and unresolved feelings come to light. Told through dual timelines, the novel explores their past animosity and present-day reconnection, offering a heartfelt look at second chances and the complexities of love in the spotlight.

This novel offers a compelling blend of humor, tension, and emotional depth. The chemistry between Cynthie and Jack is palpable, making their journey from enemies to lovers both believable and engaging. The dual timelines enrich the narrative, providing insight into their growth and the evolution of their relationship. Laura Wood's writing captures the nuances of fame, personal growth, and the challenges of rekindling a past connection. It's a delightful read for fans of romantic comedies with a touch of drama.

This book was written for you if:
- You enjoy enemies-to-lovers and second-chance romance tropes.
- You're intrigued by stories set in the entertainment industry.
- You appreciate narratives that balance humor with emotional resonance.

This book had everything I like and it should have really worked, but for some reason, it just didn’t click for me. Individually, I enjoyed all the characters but when they interacted, they all just kind of fell flat. I also found the original story from thirteen years early a bit boring and the narrative just felt a bit slow. Overall, a fun read but just not my favorite read.