I really enjoy Laura Wood’s writing and her execution of the romcom/romance novel. The characters are well-formed and realistically complex, the set up is fun and interesting, the side characters are fabulous, and her use of tropes is perfectly executed. Her newest has all these things and particularly the last one. My least favorite trope (the one that will make me DNF a book immediately) is lack of communication, but here the characters have honest miscommunications or things they are holding back that make sense. I didn’t even realize that this trope was happening until I was almost done and was so delighted to not care one bit! It just worked here. Overall this one was a big win for me and has solidified Wood as an auto-buy author. Can’t wait to read whatever she has up her sleeve next!

I really enjoyed this rom-com. For fans of the author, this book is steamier than the author’s previous books, but I loved it!

3.5, rounded up to 4

Loosely related to Woods’ first adult novel (“Under Your Spell"), "Let’s Make a Scene " focuses on Cynthie Taylor and Jack Turner-Jones, two actors who were co-stars early in their careers in a successful movie—“Lady of Quality”—a Regency-era romance similar to a Jane Austen novel. It was the first major role for both of them, and helped to launch their careers.

To help generate publicity for the film, Cyn and Jack pretended to be in a relationship during the promotional tour. Although there is an attraction between them, Cyn and Jack did not get along well during the production. Cyn suffered bouts of impostor syndrome due to her lack of classical training, and the fact that she got the role through an open casting call. Also, following a terrible initial table read of the script, she overheard Jack complaining about her to one of the co-directors.

For his part, Jack was hiding the fact that he suffered from panic attacks. His anxiety was exacerbated by the constant “notes” and suggestions from his self-absorbed parents, a famous acting couple, who had him taking acting, dance and voice lessons since he was a small child.

Neither Jack nor Cyn felt secure enough to be honest with the other about their situation so misunderstandings and miscommunication abounded during the filming. Despite (or maybe because of) the tension between the two leads, the physical attraction between Cyn and Jack eventually is too strong for them to ignore and they end up have sex once before movie production wraps up. They part ways once filming is completed without ever discussing it.

Thirteen years later, plans have finally solidified for a sequel, and once again, Cyn and Jack are asked to pretend to be in a relationship. Only now the stakes are higher because a film crew will be on set to film a “making of” documentary so Cyn and Jack will have to fake a relationship for a much longer time and under closer scrutiny.

Despite this additional pressure, Cyn agrees to do the film. After getting attacked on social media when it is revealed that she had an affair with the director of her last film (a married man who told her his marriage had long been over), her career is on the skids and her self-confidence is in shreds. She needs a win, and after reading the script, she thinks that “Lady of Quality 2” could provide the boost she needs.

Jack has his own reasons for agreeing to the sequel, so he and Cyn find themselves working (and playing) together again. However, as they are both more than a decade older and wiser, they manage to communicate better than during their first go-round, eventually getting to a place where they can have some honest conversations about their relationship.

This story has a dual timeline and there is a lot of back-and-forth between the present filming of Lady 2 and 13 years ago during the original film. This made the story feel choppy to me, interrupting the smooth flow of the narrative.

Still, this was a very enjoyable follow-up to “Under Your Spell.” It features great characters who believably grow and mature, an interesting storyline that weaves in some serious #MeToo-related issues, and a strong finish that revolves around a “grand gesture” that involves most of the cast and crew of Lady 2. For readers of “Under Your Spell,” there is also the pleasure of a brief appearance by Theo and Clemmie from the first book.

Thanks to #NetGalley and #AtriaBooks for the ARC.

I loved this book! The characters, the plot, the tension, the found family and trauma healing! everything about this book was spot on!

this book features our FMC Cynthie and MMC Jack. They are both actors and did their first films together. the book flip flops from their time doing their first movie together, to the present (13 years later) filming the sequel.

to watch where they came from and where they ended up was so beautiful! the ending had me in tears! happy beautiful years! I need a man like Jack (don't tell my husband).

thank you so much NetGalley for this amazing and awe striking ARC read. I will be thinking about this love story forever ❤️

Title: Let's Make a Scene    
Author: Laura Wood    
Genre: Romance   
Rating: 4 out of 5

When Cynthie Taylor gets her first real acting job, starring in a small British movie, she is over the moon. There is only one problem…Cynthie’s arrogant and annoyingly handsome costar Jack hates her, and the feeling is definitely mutual. While they may be at war behind the scenes, their on-screen chemistry is palpable, and the studio sees an opportunity—have the two young stars fake a romance that will charm fans and draw crowds.

Thirteen years later, Cynthie and Jack have successfully kept their promise to stay far away from one another, until a surprising offer comes to make a sequel to the cult classic that launched their careers. But there’s a catch: they must also rekindle their pretend relationship…and this time there’s a documentary crew following their every move.

Cynthie and Jack both desperately need this film to work, but can two ex-rivals ever really trust each other? And what happens when the roles they’re playing start to feel all too real?

This was a really cute read! I liked Cynthie and Jack both a lot and enjoyed how much they’d gown as people between the past timeline and the now. The secondary characters were great, too, and really fleshed out the story. I liked seeing Cynthie start out just so innocent to how everything worked on set and became a comfortable, strong leader on set, too. This is perfect for a binge read!

Laura Wood is an award-winning author. Let’s Make a Scene is her newest novel.

(Galley courtesy of Atria Books in exchange for an honest review.)

(Blog link live 7/8).

4 ⭐️

Thank you NetGalley and Atria Books for this arc!!

I’ll be honest, I was worried this was going to be a hot mess… we’ve got enemies to lovers, second chance romance, fake dating all in one book… but it actually somehow worked and it wasn’t as “tropey” as I thought it was surely going to be. Jack and Cynthie’s story wasn’t cookie cutter or super predictable and that was very refreshing. I loved the mental health elements too!

I will say that I preferred the “current day” story line over the past. I actually wish there had been more reconciliation between the two timelines…. Like there wasn’t enough connection between why Cynthie was hurt by Jack in the past vs where they stand today. I think more conversations about that would’ve helped. But the passion between them was so well done and stood on its own as a reason for loving this book.

Overall, great series and I will be reading more from this author!

✨3 STARS✨

Cynthie and Jack find themselves in ANOTHA PR relationship 13 years later.

3 Stars for a few reasons. PROS; cute - I love a silly little romance and I love a hot man in regency regala. Pro: they were British, but (con) I kept forgetting they were? Like it wasn't British enough - don't be shy hit me with the slang, and BIG CON: and I'm crossing fingers they are pulled from the final cut - so many freaking like weird pop culture sayings that should stay in memes - it completely pulled me from the book multiple times and if it wasn't an ARC - high cause to DNF.

Overall fun, and Laura Wood did a great job setting up for the potential next book, which is iconic <3

Thank you NetGalley & Atria Books for the e-ARC! ✨

This was such a cute book! I loved how the author did flashbacks to show how the characters first met and their relationship at that time. It made sense as she showed current day from their perspectives. Side characters were such a delight and added some humor! It was also interesting to hear how movies are made and the settings used to shoot. Definitely recommend.

3 1/2 ⭐️ rounded down

So this was a different reading experience for me from Wood’s previous book, Under Your Spell, which i absolutely loved and was a 5 🌟 read. Let’s Make a Scene was a good book with some great characters, it just took a bit too long for me to connect with the story and the alternating time lines and POVs didn’t work well for me.

The main characters, Jack and Cynthe, were both charming and interesting, with family issues that drive so much of their personalities and decisions, for better but a lot for worst. They made great enemies when they first met and brought some teeth to their relationship and I liked them a lot as a couple at the end. There are also a fun cast of supporting characters who add color and the second half of the book, where Cynthe and Jack find their way back together was my favorite part.

I had a couple of problems, though. In the early part of their relationship, I didn’t feel the tension that makes for a great enemies-to-lovers scenario work. When Jack and Cynthe first met, they really seemed to hate each other straight up and then also lust for each other. I didn’t get any of the basis for caring or love in their early relationship. There are a lot of comments about being attracted to each other, with remorse, and one short but heartfelt conversation and that was it. I didn’t see any basis for them to be in love until it was explained through a photo montage at the end of the book. That gap made it hard for me to buy into them secretly carrying torches for each other over a 13 year gap in their relationship. Thirteen years with no contact at all while secretly pining for each other after actively hating each other for 6 months was just unrealistic and way too long - 3 years, 5 years, that works. Thirteen? Too long.

When the two meet again 13 years later, Jack is basically a completely different human. He has transformed from an outwardly haughty and arrogant person with obvious parent issues to a kind, sweet, thoughtful man living his best life. I like the transformation but would have loved some content about why and how he made that happen. It would have been nice to get more content in general about the intervening 13 years and how it brought them to who and where they were when they came together.

A lot of the details come out at the end, but that was later than I’d have liked. I would rather have seen three sections - 13 years ago, the middle 13 years and now - rather than the alternating. It left too many gaps for me that left me disconnected. I missed the funny humor of her previous book, also. This book had a more serious tone and the humor was a little more forced.

Overall this was a good book and it got better at the half way point as more of the pieces fell into place and the main characters got more development. I will definitely read more books by this author in the future. I’m thinking Nico and Lee for the next book with a return to some of the laugh out loud humor from Under Your Spell!

Thank you to NetGalley, Simon & Schuster and the author for the opportunity to read this book and share my thoughts.

Really cute and flirty second chance romance! I loved watching both Jack and Cynthie grow from their original meeting. I also loved the period piece tucked into the premise, such a fun aside. I liked that there wasn’t a stereotypical third act for this romance. Some of it felt like it went on for longer than needed and could have been shortened by 50ish pages but overall a great read!

Let's Make a Scene is a swoony second chance romance with adorable characters and a bite of humour. I completely adored it, and hope this is a series that continues for many more books!

Thank you to the publisher for providing a copy to review

This book was so fun! From the beginning I was hooked. I couldn't wait to see the backstory between Cynthie and Jack, figure out why they hated each other and what happened the first time they had to fake date. And let me tell you- I was not disappointed. This was a fun "second chance" fake dating story. The relationship between Cynthie and Jack was awesome, the flashbacks between the past and present were so fun, we got to see just how they became enemies but it was contrasted by their fake relationship in the present day and how they were navigating the new circumstances. And it was a great way to see how both of them had grown and matured both personally and professionally compared to when they first met and were shooting their very first film.

I really bought the reasoning of why they disliked each other so much at the start, but also loved the way even that dislike relationship grew and changed over the course of the movie and their first fake relationship. I felt like the relationship was very dynamic and well established throughout the book, even from the beginning. You knew these two people had a complicated history both as a couple, but also as individuals. It felt like we really got a good look at the individual personalities of both of them and how those experiences shaped who they were when they reunited after 13 years for a new movie and a new fake relationship.

ARC REVIEW:

I honestly loved this story - only complaint is that I wish there was either less going back to the past OR more slip ups/ longing in the past that we could have seen. I had never heard of Laura Wood before but I absolutely will be going back to read her other book and hopefully signing up for an arc of her next story (fingers crossed for Nico and Lee?!)

Thanks to Netgalley & Atria Books for the E-ARC! So cute! Great characters & enjoyed the Hollywood setting. Will read more from this author.

I enjoyed the slow burn of this romance, and the fake dating enemies to lovers trope is always a favorite. The story was fun and the chemistry was strong, which creates the perfect formula for a swoony rom-com! I would recommend! Thanks NetGalley for a copy of this arc!

(Thanks to Netgalley and Atria Books for providing me an e-ARC. The review is my own.)

Tropes: m-f, second-chance, long-term-love, slow-burn, humor, fiery-love, funny, friends-are-family, he-falls-hard, alpha-to-beta, beta-hero, independent-heroine.

Ok. Here it is. THIS IS A 5 STAR READ!
OMG. OMG. OMG.

From the first paragraph, I was hooked. The way Laura wrote the scenes made me feel like I was there. I have read over 150 romance books this year (to date). This book has become my favorite find yet!

Favorite things:
- The writing is impeccable. The description is so vivid that you feel it's happening right in front of you.

- The character arc of the MMC is STUNNING. Jack's growth from an asshole to a mature and understanding man is realistic. I have had so many encounters with former asshole classmates/collegues who have changed (for the better) as they have matured.

- The way this book is written, the movie, that MMC and MFC have been a part of, is a character and it acts beautifully to support the growth of our characters.

-I literally imagined Penelope Cruz and Javier because, why not? It's hard to maintain relationships in the entertainment industry and these two have ALSO worked on a movie a long time ago and reconnected and now they have a couple of kids, right? It made Jack and Cynthie's story plausible to me.

- The side characters were really well-written. I loved them all.

-No third act break up ( thank the good lord!)

- Funny, in an understated, every day. Not a deliberate, "I have to put in a joke here" way, but just naturally... pleasant.

- SLOW BURN! but not boring or draggy in ANY WAY. Everything was just sooooooo! Ooooph!


AAAAAH I love this book!!!!!

The way that the MMC and MFC looked back at their behavior was so... natural yet full of angst, that it really hits hard. It could be that I'm an older millenial but that the MFC and MMC both did therapy and destigmatized it really plays a big role. Bring in a diverse supporting characters in a very natural way ( sort of like the cast of Brooklyn 99) and you have a hit on your hands.

Going in my re-read pile.

My first Laura Wood book—and definitely not my last.

If you love enemies to lovers, fake dating, and the delicious tension of co-stars who can't decide whether to kiss or kill each other (spoiler: they choose kissing), this one’s for you. Former on-screen enemies turned real-life heart-throbs Jack and Cynthie reunite thirteen years after their original rom-com hit... for a sequel. And guess what? They have to fake date again. Hollywood really said: if it worked once, do it again with more unresolved sexual tension.

Told in dual POV, this book has it all—snappy banter, smoldering chemistry, nostalgic glances, and just the right touch of drama (okay, maybe a bit of miscommunication, but we’ll let it slide). Honestly, I came for the fake dating, but I stayed for the heart.

Do I regret not reading the first book before diving in? Maybe a little. But like any good sequel, this one still stands on its own—although now I have to go back and see how this chaos all started.

Big thanks to NetGalley, the publisher, and Laura Wood for the advanced copy—and for reminding me that sometimes, love just needs a little red carpet and a second chance.

Thank you @atriabooks for the complimentary copy. #atriapartner

Let’s Make a Scene is a companion book to Under Your Spell. They can be read as standalones but I recommend reading in order.

While I do enjoy romance and read it pretty often, I am really picky about what I enjoy. There has to be a good story, and it can’t be based around the characters falling in and out of bed. It can’t be too cute, or too dark. I have to care about the characters; they can’t be too perfect, or too flawed or quirky. Bonus points if you can make me get attached to the side characters. Wood manages all of this well.

In the past, fake dating is not a trope I’ve enjoyed, but it made sense in this story and I was fully invested. I enjoyed seeing Theo and Cammie from Under Your Spell again, and I loved the entire cast of side characters. Arjun and Patty cracked me up. Told in dual timelines and POV’S, which leads me to my first issue. While I wanted to know what happened in the past, I would have liked that timeline to be wrapped up earlier in the book so I could focus on the present storyline. Also, I found the part of the ending a little over the top, veering into the saccharine. I think it could have been a little more subtle and felt even more special. Cryptic I know, but no spoilers here.

Laura Wood has just cemented herself as an autobuy author for me, I loved Under Your Spell, and Let’s Make a Scene was such a fun read. I know it’s called the Theo and Cynthie series… but I’m hoping there will be another companion book - maybe Lee and Nico?

Thanks to NetGalley, the publisher, and the author for the opportunity to read an advance copy of this book.

4 stars, entirely for the second half
I really disliked the first 35% but I absolutely loved Under Your Spell so I kept going, and I'm SO glad I did. The first part was very confusing with the different timelines and I often couldn't figure out who was speaking. I don't think the dual timeline worked here. Early on there was a chapter heading called Jacki - not Jack - which I'm sure was a typo in the ARC, yet I thought it was an entirely different character - a woman - and had to re-read the entire thing once I figured out it was really Jack.

Anyway, on to the good stuff. After that 35% point in the story, it was almost like a different book. I had a smile on my face the whole time. It was so funny in so many scenes: the horse on the movie set reacting to Hannah; all the side characters; "operation grand gesture" (hilarious). Lots of swoon worthy moments too: the Dirty Dancing scene, and from one of my all-time favorites, the While You Were Sleeping lean. *sigh* Jack and Cynthie
(I kept calling her Cynthia in my head) grew so much, not only in their relationship, but as individuals as well. The ending was perfect.

I hope this series continues. Could Hannah's story be next??

I LOVED THIS BOOK!!! Having read Wood’s previous book, I knew I was in for a treat. Cynthie and Jack are just the thing I needed after being stuck in a reading rut for awhile. The fact that there are dual timelines and in both they are shooting a regency-era movie requiring full Mr. Darcy wet shirt kissing is just…chef’s kiss. The writing here is funny and the references to classic romcom’s are perfect. This man quotes You’ve Got Mail and can do the lift at the end of Dirty Dancing? Sign me up!