Did not read. Have way too many books on my shelf - need to cut back. Hoping to get to it in the future though.

This book is clever, fun, and addicting! It is a rivals to lovers romance with the perfect blend of witty banter and yearning. The main characters are raw and complex and the side characters are lovable and help create the best found family. I really enjoyed the dual POVs and the flashbacks between past and present. It not only highlighted the growth of the characters but allowed you to truly see the evolution of their relationship. I also loved the early 2000s pop culture vibe and the cameos from Under Your Spell which is also an amazing book and should be read first for full effect! To say I’m a huge fan of this author’s writing is an understatement…Laura Wood is now an auto read author for me.

I would like to thank NetGalley and Atria and Books for the opportunity to read and review this advanced copy.

Thank you to Netgalley and Atria books for the ARC! I can always expect a hit when it comes to Atria books.

Let's Make a Scene is for the girlies who loved Pride and Prejudice 2005 and thought "What if Kiera Knightley and Matthew Mayfadyen fell in love irl?". It has a split timeline POV, present day and 13 years ago. This is a second chance romance, and I wouldn't necessarily say it's enemies to lovers. In the 13 years ago sections, they're absolutely enemies. Present day, they're more like aloof coworkers with a shared past. Which honestly, I respect that. Being upset about slights against you from thirteen years ago would be extremely childish imo.

Overall I enjoyed the read! Very cute universe, would love a Hannah novel next!!

Okay, I loved Under Your Spell by Laura Wood, but I think I loved this one even more! Jack and Cynthie are adorable! I really enjoyed the then/now timeline to see how their relationship was compared to how it is now. Loved the found family dynamic and the banter between all the characters. Very creative story and one I will definitely reread!

This was such a feel good book. I enjoyed reading this so much. Cynthia and Jack are such great well drawn out characters that I really felt so good. I really felt for Cynthia she was such a great character who I really rooted for her. The rest of the characters were quirky and so much fun to watch them change and grow throughout the book.

This was a fun read and I will recommend this again and again.

I want to thank NetGalley and Atria Books for this advanced reader copy and this is my honest review of this book.

I loved Laura Wood’s first adult novel, Under Your Spell, and was so excited to get an ARC of her next, Let’s Make a Scene.

The book follows Cynthie, an actress who dated Theo from Under Your Spell and they remained friends. She’s currently trying to rehab her image after a scandalous relationship with a predatory married director. The book flip-flops between past and present, when Cynthie made her first movie 13 years ago with Jack, the son of acting legends. There was an insane attraction between the two but lots of animosity as well and they haven’t seen each other in years until a sequel to the movie they starred in together is proposed as well as a suggestion that they let the public think they’re together for the good publicity it will bring. The problem is, they like each other a lot and it never stopped even if they haven’t seen each other in years and didn’t part on good terms but Cynthie has a lot of baggage from the relationship with the director.

I thought this book was so entertaining and I spent half of it laughing and half of it lost in the emotion of it. An excellent balance and one I thoroughly enjoyed.

I didn’t even realize there was a first book about another character but I fully plan to go read it. I’m now a huge fan of Laura Wood’s writing. I didn’t want to put this one down, it instantly had my attention and I loved Cynthie and Jacks story. Thank you NetGalley for this arc.

My absolute favorite trope is enemies to lovers/rivals to lovers. And this book had that down perfectly. I absolutely loved that Jack and Cynthie had history, that they were reprising their roles as on screen lovers. Their relationship development is wonderful, although I could do without the flashbacks and past issues. The tension, the chemistry, all of it was an A+ for me.

Jack was definitely the highlight of the book for me. Some things with Cynthie bothered me a bit, but she cannot be perfect so I will forgive her past indiscretions. Jack though, absolutely passionate and amazing and I need to meet him hahaha

I am so glad I got the chance to read this amazing book, and I HIGHLY recommend to everyone else.

Dare I say this book was even better than the first in the series. I absolutely devoured this book in 2 days and could not put it down. This book follows Cynthie and Jack who fake date to get their careers going thirteen years ago. Now, they also fake date to generate buzz for their sequel. The chemistry and tension between the two of them was evident now and thirteen years ago, and burns inferno hot. Whew! The characters grow throughout the story as you get to see them older and wiser than they were thirteen years ago. Thank you to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for the gifted eARC and physical ARC. All opinions are my own.

Instagram post will be live week of 15Jun25

What a fantastic story! We meet Cynthie and Jack. Cynthie is brand new to the acting world and lands a part opposite Jack when heads butt and sparks fly between them. We learn Jack isn’t new to the acting world but his role opposite to Cynthie will hopefully be his big break. It was a fantastic look behind the curtain of Hollywood life as well as learning to overcome fear and what others say about you and what you should be doing with your life. Jack and Cynthie’s chemistry was feral and I loved every second of it. The tension was delicious and when things finally came to a head it was so sweet and swoony. I loved seeing Cynthie grow and find her family when she didn’t have one. Jack was fantastic when he finally stood up to his awful parents. The throwbacks and nostalgia was amazing too! I loved it. If you enjoy found family, slow burn, tension and rivals to lovers this one is definitely for you!

Thank you Atria for the opportunity to read this book!

I gave Lets Make a Scene 3 1/2 ⭐️⭐️⭐️. Thank you Atria Publishing, Laura Wood and Net Galley for this ARC. These are my honest opinions.

I enjoyed this book as a palate cleanser and recommend it for that or a quick rom-com/enemies to lovers book.

I really liked the characters and loved their development. The chemistry between the FMC and the MMC was perfect! I loved their development little things, like how a person would truly act the first time they saw their name on an actor’s trailer on a movie set. I loved the little doses of reality like that.

The story was well written and had a great amount of humor and seriousness.

I wasn’t completely sold on the rivalry that happened 13 years ago, when our MCs were barely adults, but has carried forward all that time. It wasn’t that big of a deal and it showed the maturity level of characters at that age - but, it wasn’t enough to make an enemies to lovers truly believable 13 years (and lots of maturity) later.

Overall, I think you’ll like this book!

I’m writing this from the floor. I melted early on while reading Let’s Make A Scene and never recovered. Oh what a fabulous, swoony, enemies-to-lovers treat this was!! This was my first book by Laura Wood and I have now found a new favorite author.

I was rooting for Cynthie from the start, and Jack? Ooooooo Jack….. 🥵 Their connection felt so real; I almost forgot this was fiction! I thought about them when I wasn’t reading. That’s a really good story if you ask me!

With dual POV, and also past/present timeline, you get a full picture of the start and continuation of these two cuties’ relationship. I really enjoyed the shenanigans and banter between Cynthie and Jack in the past timeline, and then I REALLY enjoyed the tension and tenderness the present timeline gave.

I don’t feel like giving too much detail, because reading it yourself will be that much better. I will say that the filming of their movie set in the regency era touched on my love for Austen (honorable mention to the breeches, horseback riding, and the wet clinging-shirt scene) which was really fun.

Go ahead and fall in love with this book. I’ll wait.

Thank you to Atria Books for the ARC via NetGalley! All opinions are absolutely my own.

I loved this story! Cynthie and Jack are so easy to root for. The character development, timeline and pacing was perfect. Definitely recommend for an easy read!

Thanks to NetGalley and Atria Books for providing me with an e-arc in exchange for my honest thoughts.

If you loved Theo and Clemmie, you’ll love returning to their world with Cynthie and Jack. This second chance romance is a dual POV and a dual timeline as it follows their story from thirteen years ago to today as they make a movie and its sequel. I hope this series continues - can’t wait to read more.

Thanks to Atria Books and NetGalley for a copy of this book.

thank you atria and netgalley for the arc !!

this book was a cute palate cleanser ! i don’t think much of the story stood out to me long term and there were parts of the book that moved a little slower (or maybe i’m getting slumped)

but i loved the dual pov past and present !! i feel like it really created a narrative that built up to now

jack and cynthie are costars who during their first meet they did not get along. but because their chemistry is through the roof they sort of fake date to really sell the movie

call it a one and done to get it out of their systems??? OR SO U THINK HAHAHAAH

anyway the third act conflict that caused them not to talk for 13 years, not gonna lie i saw it coming but i think knowing both jack and cynthie it wasn’t the time for them to be together so the “third act” conflict while it could annoy me i felt like they both needed that development to be who they are now

anyway anyway the books “present” is they’re filming a sequel to the movie they filmed 13 years ago but the catch is there’s also a documentary being filmed simultaneously so they have to fake date AGAIN, while hating each other

i think maybe for me the plot got a little confusing because the stories were so similar in the past and present tense but i was still able to enjoy the romance both in the past and present !

i def want to tune in to theo and clemmies story bc from the crumbs ive gotten he seems OBSESSED and i can’t wait

Thank you @atriabooks #partner for the gifted copies of this book!

This was my very first Laura Wood book and let me just say — as soon as the temps start creeping up, I find myself craving those summery, flirty, romcom reads. Let’s Make a Scene totally scratched that itch.

This one is an enemies to lovers situation book, which is one of my favorite tropes because let’s be honest… there’s something so satisfying about watching two people bicker their way right into each other’s hearts. This one had the perfect balance of humor, chemistry, and a few more serious, reflective moments to give it some depth.

I also really appreciated that the drama made sense. You know how sometimes in romcoms you’re like no one would actually do that, Becky? Not here. Laura Wood did a great job building the characters’ past frustrations and issues in a way that felt believable and logical.

The chemistry between the two leads was perfectly written. I was rooting for them, laughing with them, and swooning a little too. And the fact that it’s a second chance romance just made my heart extra happy.

If you’re looking for a smart, charming, feel-good romcom to kick off your summer, this one’s worth a spot on your TBR!

I love a fake dating tripe. And rivals to lovers. And the whole documentary aspect? Fantastic, give me 14 of them.

Cynthie and Jack are rivals from the very start. They have insane chemistry while filming their movie, but they hate each other. Since their cheminstry is so amazing, they have to fake date for movie promo. 13 years later and they want to make a sequel with a requirement that the two leads, who have not seen or spoken to each other in 13 years, must fake date again. This enemies to lovers, second chance romance book is a great read for those who like easy romances.

this kinda reminded me of a book I read by Katherine Center once and honestly I preferred Katherine Center.

I loved this 😍 It didn’t bring any crazy emotions but the vibes were *there*. The writing style was great and made it a very easy read. The characters were well flushed out. The side characters were perfect. So so good.

I was worried at the beginning because Jack was straight up just an asshole for no reason 😅 but he really turned it around. And I honestly loved their bickering and their pranks in the “earlier” chapters. You could feel that they weren’t really enemies, they didn’t actually despise each other. But the real bread and butter was their “now” chapters. Oh the connection was so evident. I loved the growth of Jack and how vulnerable he was able to be once he got out from under his parents’ thumbs.

Cynthie… yea you can’t help but love her from the very beginning. She could’ve easily cowered and let him win during the first film. She was the newbie. She couldn’t believed what they were saying and let it break her down. But, oh no, she let Jack have it from the start! Seeing her then battle her way out of the pit in the “now” chapters and learn to trust herself and others again was perfect. I loved the way their relationship came around in the end.

Now I need to go back and read the first book in the series because I had no idea it existed!!