Rating: ★★★★.25
Audience: Contemporary Romance
Length: 352 pages
Author: Laura Wood
Publisher: Atria Books
Release Date: July 1st, 2025
Image & Other Reviews on: Goodreads

BOOK SUMMARY:

The companion novel to Laura Wood’s Under Your Spell follows Theo Eliott’s best friend Cynthie Taylor as she’s pulled back into a fake PR relationship with Jack Turner-Jones, the one costar she swore she’d never work with again.

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?

Thank you to Simon Audio for the gifted audiobook.

HOT DANG.

I’m officially a Laura Wood fan now. Two books in and I adore the way she crafts romances. And I don’t even like celebrity romances?! Which just goes to show that the right author can change your view,

This was a hot and angsty second chance romance and I looooved all of the forced proximity filming content that brought Cynthie and Jack together again and again. The banter, pranks, tender moments, we got them all. And I didn’t mind most of the flashback chapters either because it did truly help set the scene more and understand what created the initial fallout.

I was swooning, smiling, laughing throughout. The audiobook is stellar and this book is a gem. I liked it even more than Under Your Spell.

Overall audience notes:

• Contemporary Romance
• Language: strong
• Romance: 2-3 open door
• Violence: low
• Content warnings: cheating (not the main characters), strained parent relationships

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