Let's Make a Scene by Laura Wood
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?
Review: A huge thank you to Netgalley and Atria Books for an advance copy of this novel.
I was not surprised at all that I loved this! Laura Wood's Under Your Spell was one of the best rom com books I read this year, and I was over the top thrilled to receive an advance copy of this companion novel. This book follows Theo from the first book's best friend Cynthie Taylor. It was fun to see Theo and Clemmie again in this book, but they are truly standalone novels and can be read together or on their own.
Years ago, Cynthie and Jack were costars together on their first big film. Jack is movie star royalty. His parents are both accomplished actors and he grew up trained to fill the role. Cynthie is an unknown, with no acting training or background to speak of. Cynthie immediately sees Jack as arrogant and the two bristle with animosity, but also with an undeniable attraction and chemistry that likely got them cast in the roles in the first place! Now, thirteen years later, they are both successful actors with a lot of experience under their belt. When they are offered the chance to make a sequel to their cult classic film, it comes with the stipulation that they must pretend to be a relationship for PR reasons.
I loved that Wood chose to make her leads actors. The chapters of the book when the pair is in period costume filming on location, hate lusting after each other but denying their true feelings vehemently, gave me serious Julia Quinn/Bridgerton Season Two/Anthony and Kate vibes! It was absolutely irresistible to see them detest each other while also being forced to film intimate scenes that force the issue of their attraction. Their acting careers made the forced proximity/fake dating seem plausible and it worked SO well. And it presented the opportunity for some absolutely epic scenes, like a dramatic kissing in the rain scene from their period film. And later a grand scene on stage at an awards show that reminded me of the great Ryan Gosling/Rachel McAdams award show case after filming The Notebook together. I was here for all of it!!!
This was also very funny! Cynthie delivers some absolutely devastating verbal blows while filming with Jack, such as when she finds him working out in front of a mirror and says he is like a "parakeet with its favorite toy." And I loved all the pop culture references! At one point, the two discuss the "Bill-Pullman-Leaning scene in While You Were Sleeping" and that everyone knows it "is the hottest thing to ever happen." I love that Jack is caught reading Persuasion! I love that Cynthie and Jack are turned into a bookstagram meme: "Me looking at the new Emily Henry novel, one Instagram account I follow had written over a picture of Jack gazing down adoringly at my face." The characters also had a lot of depth - issues with their family, their mental health, concerns with their careers - that gave the book some weight and gravity.
I did think the grand gesture plotline was a bit cheesy at the end. But I did love that because they were actors, there would have been a lot of footage of them together that would make the scene possible. I was also sort of pained that the two timelines were THIRTEEN years apart. That is so long to keep a flame alive for someone else! I understand that they needed to find their own way, but somehow, it would have felt more believable that they had never stopped thinking about each other if it hadn't been over a decade apart. These were truly my only quibbles with this book. It was otherwise a five-star read for me.
Stars: 4.5
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