Katie Bohn's "Romance Is Dead" is a witty and captivating first novel that skillfully weaves together an enemies-to-lovers romance and a gripping murder mystery. Against the disorderly backdrop of a horror movie shoot, the tale follows scream queen Quinn, who's ready to retire from acting, and her infuriatingly attractive co-star, reality TV bad boy Teddy. Their on-set anger bleeds off-screen until a genuine death on set makes them set aside their differences.

The author's wit is sharp, providing more than a few laugh-out-loud moments and genuinely hot chemistry between the leads. The mystery is cleverly integrated, allowing readers to try and figure it out along with the rest of the characters while the romantic tension bubbles along. It's an enjoyable read for anyone looking for a clever whodunit coupled with a healthy dose of will-they-won't-they romance, showing that even when romance is "dead," a good book can really revive it.

This was really fun. I think I enjoyed the mystery a little more than the romance, it felt a little sidelined but it was still good. This was one of those books that I didn't want to put down but I also put off reading because I didn’t want to finish it.

I liked Teddy and Quinn, they were cute and I loved their relationship progression. I would have liked to see it a bit more, it did feel a tad rushed, or maybe more like it moved along a little too fast and I missed them actually falling for each other. It was still very cute and a good romance, I just wanted a little more.

I will say I did guess the killer, but not the reason. The reveal was well done for the most part, but after we knew who the killer was they kind of became a bit one dimensional, like all other personality was gone. I think that was my biggest issue with the book, so not much to complain about.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ 4 stars

I had so much fun with this one!

Romance Is Dead is like if a cozy mystery and a Hollywood romcom had a slightly stabby, sarcastic baby. Equal parts witty banter, murder shenanigans, and slow-burn enemies-to-lovers chemistry with a dash of horror movie satire for good measure.

Quinn is the ultimate horror heroine: tough, over it, and ready to leave her scream queen days behind. I loved her sharp edge, her dry humour, and the way she refused to put up with Teddy’s himbo energy until she kind of couldn’t help herself. 👀

Speaking of Teddy: on paper, he’s a walking red flag. Reality TV playboy, no acting chops, perfectly tousled hair. But watching him grow into someone with real heart and drive (and surprisingly good detective instincts??) made him totally endearing. He and Quinn have that perfect enemies-to-allies-to-uh-oh-I-like-you energy.

The mystery element gave it a fun bite and while it didn’t dive too deep into thriller territory, it kept the stakes high and the pacing quick. And their amateur sleuthing gave us plenty of great one-liners, awkward tension, and accidental bonding moments.

What I loved:
* Behind-the-scenes Hollywood drama (and satire)
* Acting lessons turned murder investigation partnership
* Surprisingly sweet emotional arcs beneath all the snark
* Strong, jaded heroine + secretly soft golden retriever boy
* Romcom + whodunit = YES PLEASE

The only reason this isn’t a full 5 stars is that the ending wrapped a bit too quickly for me, I would’ve loved just a little more emotional resolution or epilogue fluff, but I’d still recommend this in a heartbeat for anyone looking for a fun, offbeat romcom with knives (metaphorically and literally).

First of all i would like to thank Quercus Books and Katie for letting me review such a wonderful read .

so here is a bit of an outline of the story .An actress named Quinn who is acting as a scream queen sick of being in horror films .
and a very swoon worthy Teddy the leading man reality t.v star and known for being a play boy . both trying to find new ways to enjoy their lives.
They come together Quinn teaches Teddy how to act to get better acting jobs .
But what they did not see coming as a dead body which they find on set could be a freak accident or and Quinn thinks something more fishy happening . and there i will stop .

my thoughts ;
This book is so much fun to keep on my toes and loved pulling carpet from under me . pretty fast paced .
I loved the mystery of the story and such a great romance Their chemistry is amazing between the characters .
i thought Quinn was great character great as a lead she was a strong and determined.
Teddy i thought was so fun and i liked as he was happy for Quinn to take the lead sometimes .

i thought Katie's writing was wonderful. She mixed the dark with the light part of the story with all the romance perfect .

i am giving the 4.5 hot thrilling romance stars

Romance is Dead started really slowly for me and I really think didn't feel incredibly romancey or my typical genre until it bloomed and developed so beautifully! Bohn's writing is beautifully smooth and wonderfully paced, with a steady but gripping build. I really enjoyed the mystery/suspense along with the romance and a view of the acting/media world, especially with a less typical horror bend to it!

A fun read, the story of Quinn and Teddy, both starring in a horror movie that ends up with real murders. Can they work out who is behind the deaths before they are in danger themselves? A great read

I really liked the mystery element to this book but unfortunately that's the main thing that kept me reading rather than the romance. I felt the main characters had a good physical attraction but I found it a bit lacking other than that

‘romance is dead’ is one of my favourites of the year so far, a perfect blend of romance and mystery. taking place on the set of a movie, our lead character and ‘scream queen’ ends up falling for a realty star who is new to the acting industry, all while trying to solve a murder. at times it’s funny and there’s horror movie references galore. overall, it’s a blast.

Thank you to NetGalley for providing this ARC 💕

First of all- OH MY GOD?!? This was amazing!!!

We follow our main character Quinn, a leading lady in the horror movie industry on the set of her latest movie when suspicious people and unfortunate events start to unfurl. After a PA dies on the first night of filming, Quinn enlists her male costar to help investigate what she believes to be a murder.

I absolutely ate this up! Quinn was a very likeable main character, grappling with her decision to quit acting as well as her struggling friendship with her makeup artist. Her knowledge of the horror genre offered an insight into the industry as a whole that I found fascinating to read about and gave her an edge when trying to find the killer.

Teddy (the mmc) was so sweet!! He’s fresh into acting so seeks out Quinn to teach him how to improve and his backstory gave him so much depth and honestly I just adored the chemistry he and Quinn had!

I would absolutely recommend this to romcom fans wanting to get more into mystery novels because this book had an excellent balance between the two genres and had me on the edge of my seat the entire time I was reading :)

I could not put it down!!

This book is a solid 4.5⭐️ read for me.
It was a great mix of a realistic, tension filled romance build up with also a captivating, complex murder mystery plot.
Every time you thought you knew who the murderer was, it was proved wrong.
And the one person I was adamant it was, turned out to be innocent and it was someone I never expected.
I loved the writing style of the book and feel as though the author put a lot of time and effort into it. Especially with all the mentions of other horror movies and horror characters.
I would happily recommend this book to people.

As someone who loves romance books, a good mystery and horror movies, this book combines the three perfectly into a story that I couldn’t get enough of.
I loved seeing Quinn and Teddy fall for each other. From their banter to the sexy acting lessons, they had incredible chemistry and I was kicking my feet at parts.
I also never thought I would be swooning at someone giving Jigsaw (the mastermind in the Saw movies) as a nickname.
The movie set setting worked well too. Whether it was getting an insight into how unsexy sex scenes can be to the dynamics on set - from the props department to the director - this drew me in.
As for the horror movie elements, you can tell that this author knows her stuff and is as big a fan as I am. I loved all the references and ways that it was cleverly woven into the story.
I did have a pretty good indication as to who the killer would turn it to be, and I was right. But it didn’t lessen the enjoyment for me and made a lot of sense.
Let's just say, I will be raving about this book to anyone who will listen. And what a debut.
Thank you to Netgalley for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

The setting, characters and storyline have the potential to be a real, catch your breath, scary thriller/romance but for me, it did not quite live up to that potential. It is an easy read, enjoyable with interesting characters. It covers film life, social media, friendships and romance well but I didn’t get any OMG moments where you need to turn the page quickly to find out what happens next. However, it makes a nice easy read for summer afternoons in the garden.

Although I read this book right to the end, I must admit I didn’t really enjoy it at all. The writing style didn’t leave me hooked, and the mystery had zero clues, so even after the reveal when I thought back on the entire book, I couldn’t see anything which could’ve hinted at it. The language is quite juvenile, and the sex scenes were excessively long. I have given it 3 stars to be kind as it was a unique storyline, but I definitely wouldn’t recommend.

This is a great mix of a romance story and a captivating thriller plot set on a horror movie set. I don't think I've ever read a book like this before but I enjoyed every page of it.
I was surprised by the reveal of the killer and thought it was brilliantly done.

thank you Netgalley and Quercus Books for the digital ARC

It was so fun. I really enjoyed the characters and the plot. I do love a murder mystery with some comedy thrown in. I enjoyed the setting in this book, especially seeing behind the scenes of a movie set.

I would have loved a little more in-depth with the characters and maybe a bit more humour in between. But altogether it was a cheesy and fun read.

first off a huge thank you to NetGalley for providing an arc of this book! 🥹🩷

I really enjoyed this! It’s the perfect mix of a cozy crime and a really well thought out romance. I loved the pacing, I didn’t feel like it was too rushed. I thought that when things come to fruition just made sense, and were extremely hooking! It’s clear that for a debut novel, Ms Bohn has so much talent!

The plot was so well thought out and SO much fun, I didn’t see the twist coming at all! I found it just added that extra little bit of spice to a romance book.

I think the MMC was an absolute cutie, and I really loved our FMC too!!! I don’t think I’ve read anything involving actors in Hollywood so this was SO fun, everything was explained so well and just made so much sense!

A wonderful debut novel, so much fun. Highly recommend picking this up 🩷

(***) Ahhh!!! I absolutely LOVED this book. I devoured it in 2 days it was so good. It had me staying awake until 5am to finish it and then I was so sad it was over. Firstly, I loved the setting. A horror movie set?! Um, yes please! Such a unique setting for a book that I haven't seen before. Quinn is a horror movie scream queen filming what only she knows is her last ever movie. Teddy, is a reality tv star turned actor who... kinda sucks. A little bad history from a failed previous hookup between the two sets the tension for an enemies to lovers romance - even if Quinn is the only one considering them enemies ;) When they both find a dead body they team up to solve the murder no one believes is a murder. In exchange for acting lessons for poor Teddy. I instantly loved Teddy. He struck me as far more than the pretty Love Island style himbo that Quinn set him up to be. I loved how he was with Quinn and the banter between the two. Quinn struck me as slightly uptight (or even jaded, given her history) and Teddy really helped lighten her up and soften her character. Plus, I love that he nicknamed her 'Jigsaw', I'm a sucker for nicknames and something about this one just really made me smile. The chemistry between Teddy and Quinn was strong from the beginning and the slow burn of their relationship had me not wanting to put the book down. I also really enjoyed the murder mystery element of this story, it was well done and it wasn't until maybe one or two chapters before the reveal, that I started to think I knew who the killer was. When I was proven right, I felt incredibly vindicated. I giggled, smiled and even kicked my feet in excitement over this book, I loved it that much. Overall, I loved everything about this book from start to finish. I didn't want to put it down but I also didn't want it to end either. I will absolutely be adding this book to my re-reading list because it was just that good. If you're a lover of enemies-to-lovers, slow burn, good banter and even a little murder mystery, then this book is absolutely the book for you! I highly recommend this book to all my fellow book lovers!

*** I received a copy of this book as an ARC. All opinions are my own and have in no way been influenced by receiving this book for free.

Scream Queen Quinn is ready to hang up her 'Final Girl' title and retire - but when real life and death interferes she is going to find out if she has what it takes to make it to the end.

This wastes no time in jumping you into the action - by a mere 10% in the book we have many of our players laid out, a dead body and all manner of tension. It's fast paced all the way through, a real roller-coaster of a ride.

The characters are all brilliant, your staple slasher flick fare, all brilliantly crafted albeit sometimes a little 2D. And then a character will suddenly show a side you didn't expect but was brilliant to see. The only thing I didn't enjoy was Quinn and Mara's friendship. Mara sadly is relegated to best friend and doormat that so many friends are in novels. Her sole purpose seems to be providing drinks and being ignored by Quinn who is a terrible friend. Mara at least calls her out on it, which is more than a lot of these coded characters do.

I didn't really see the point of the 'acting lessons'. Well, I did, they were to heighten the tension and spice, but story wise, they didn't contribute much or explain Teddy's motivation, he overcomes his acting issues/emotional trauma very fast and they move on, I would have liked more of his lessons. And as for Teddy - well, he is a brilliant MMC. A total himbo, utterly braindead at first, in that entertaining in fiction sort of way, but then as the novel develops, so does he and you get to see some of his depth, his reasoning and he's a total sweetie pie. If a little too aware of how hot he is.

I really liked the scene where they were filming a sex scene. The novel hit the right notes of how awkward and unsexy it is having to film it, while at the same time both of them struggling with their natural urges. And then the spice that followed was a lovely little contrast.

Originally I wasn't sure about the killer reveal/motivation. It wouldn't work in a lot of books, but this is a horror slasher based novel, and it 100% would work in a movie like Scream so why not here? Embracing that element of cheese and ridiculousness really will increase your enjoyment of the story and there is a lot to enjoy.

3.5 stars

A fun premise and a fun read that also has a bit of a celebrity romance thrown in. Horror actor nepo baby Quinn is done with Hollywood. While filming her swan song, she and her co-star, the very hot reality TV start Teddy find art is imitating life. Or is it life imitating art?

This was a fun easy read and I really liked the romance, with Quinn less sold on Teddy, thinking he’s a bit of a vapid manwhore. Yet every step of the way Teddy shows he’s caring and a good partner. Their idea of crime solving – blundering into terrible interrogations was also amusing. I loved their chemistry and the way Quinn slowly comes to realise how awesome Teddy is. I was also kept guessing with the mystery too.

I do wish, however that there was more depth to the career part of the book. For instance, the acting lessons was built up to be more than it was. Having more scenes with that, I think it would’ve shown more development of Quinn realising Teddy was a solid guy) and also nicely tying in with the epilogue. While I loved the resolution to Quinn’s career in the epilogue, I don’t understand why she didn’t take her dad’s friends offer, given it would’ve been a much better swansong for her acting career. Finally, the storyline with her best friend Mara also felt like too much thrown in for the sake of throwing in more stakes instead of adding more depth.

An absolutely fun, sexy and funny debut that pays an homage to horror. I look forward to Katie Bohn's next book.

Thanks to Quercus and NetGalley for the ARC.

I love a good genre mash, and this mystery, thriller, romance book absolutely delivers.

Katie Bohn combines a fantastic who-dun-it plot with a romance sub-plot, set on the set of a horror movie. Quinn ropes MMC reality TV star Teddy into helping her solve a murder, and falls in love with him along the way. All of this is combined with the scene of a horror movie filming, which adds the extra detail and creepy theme that helps to contribute to the story.

The banter between the characters is great across the story. The character development is slightly lacking, but it's kept very vague so it keeps the reader guessing who the murderer may be.

I do think that it was quite easy to guess, and I'm usually not very good at these. The romance part of the story was really good though, I loved Teddy and Quinn together.