Being a huge Lucy Parker fan, I was highly anticipating this novel. When I got the opportunity to read it, I was on cloud 9. I enjoyed this novel so much and continue to fall in love with Parker's stories. Each one is better than the previous one, I can totally say that. I love the hate to love trope, so I know I'm going to get a good couple dynamic every time I read a Parker novel. You just KNOW.

Nick and Sabrina didn't start off really well. In fact, they have been hating each other since the last book in the series, The Austen Playbook. We all know about Sabrina's family now, thanks to Nick, and she will never forgive him for that. But now they have to work together to keep their jobs and in this holiday season, everything can happen. Even... liking each other. I love how Parker always does it smoothly; the falling in love. So easy, so natural, like these two were meant to be since time ago. My heart belongs to Nick and Sabrina and their beautiful love story.

Having read the earlier books in the London Celebrities series, I already believed that Lucy Parker was one of the best writers of contemporary romantic comedy writing today. Headliners more than affirms that. Take the opening passage:

<blockquote>There were scenes in life so gut-punchingly beautiful, they were impossible to do justice with words. Like the final rays of the falling sun, glittering across the Thames as the river turned dark and impenetrable, a silken blanket of shadows. The infinite wonder of the night sky, a stretch of potentially endless stars, the scope beyond human comprehension. Or the video footage of the biggest wanker on British television single-handedly cannonballing his career in less than three minutes. </blockquote>

Genius. This is classic Parker. She’s got the writerly skills for the most elegant observation and an impeccable, irreverent sense of comic timing. This time the story centers on Nick Davenport (the wanker in question) and Sabrina Carlton, longtime journalistic rivals, who are forced into sustained close proximity as cohosts on a morning chat show neither one of them really wants. Sabrina and Nick are popular news anchors who used to have their own shows on rival networks but have cocked up their careers a bit with scandal. Cohosting the morning show is the network’s way of combining penance and a second chance following a merger.

Sabrina and Nick are adults, ambitious, driven and a little bit knocked around from past experience. Their primary obstacle is trust. Or distrust, rather. They have history. They’ve been professional competitors and Nick reported a story that did major damage to people Sabrina loves. There’s no big misunderstanding between them or major tricks and gimmicks. But there is a lot of banter, intelligent conversation and heat. While it isn't my favorite book in the series, Headliners is still a strong romantic comedy and better than the vast majority of its peers. The writing and character development are as sharp as they were in the previous three, and the relationship progresses at a believable pace. Parker is adept at balancing emotional depth and laughs, and I enjoy everything she writes, Headliners included.

I adore the London Celebrities series, and I was so excited for the next book! Headliners was a bit different from the other books in the series in that it’s a direct follow-up to The Austen Playbook with different protagonists, so we get to see more of the consequences of the last book. Thus, this book, and therefore this review, will contain spoilers for The Austen Playbook; however, you can read Headliners as a standalone!

After a series of scandals, Nick and Sabrina have to be co-hosts of a morning variety show in order to keep their jobs. Easy enough, except for the fact that they’re enemies and had a reputation for being horrible to each other even before Nick aired out Sabrina’s family’s drama on live television. The enmity between them is at a peak, but now they have to pretend to like each other in front of an audience that knows all their drama.

So yeah, this book has an enemies-to-lovers romance, and you know how that ends. Add in the fact that someone on the show is sabotaging them, and this book is just one mishap after another. I loved Nick and Sabrina’s dialogue; their wit is hilarious, and their attempts at being cordial to each other always ends horribly. The mishaps on the show also added humor.

Miscommunication was a trope that easily could have been an obstacle in this book, but thankfully, Lucy Parker does not allow it. Once Nick and Sabrina get over their differences, they communicate so well. He’s really respectful of her feelings. Their relationship is so refreshingly healthy.

The family relationships were also so great. Nick is close to his family and is able to bring Sabrina into that world as well. Meanwhile, Sabrina is incredibly close to her sister but is dealing with her negative feelings toward her dad, despite the fact that she knows he loves her.

One of my favorite parts of this book was all the cameos from past protagonists. I think this might have had the most cameos in any of the London Celebrities books? I particularly loved seeing Freddie and Griffin again!

Overall, Headliners was another lovely addition to this amazing series, and I cannot wait to see what Lucy Parker brings to the table next.

One thing I really love about Lucy Parker's books is that they contain adults that actually have conversations with each other. It's refreshing. There's isn't some huge drama because the characters didn't just talk to each other like mature adults. In 'Headliners,' TV presenters Nick and Sabrina are forced to work as cohosts on a morning talk show. It's a love to hate relationship that was well-written and fun to read. There's also knitting which I thoroughly enjoyed. All in all, I really enjoyed this romance and would highly recommend. I'm really looking forward to more books by Lucy Parker.

4.5 stars rounded up for mature adults having actual conversations! And because it's Lucy Parker, after all. She's one of my go-to authors for sweet and hilarious contemporary romances that just leave you feeling giddy and warm.

This was another excellent addition to the series, and I loved seeing all of the previous couples again. Ok, mostly just Richard and Lainie. They remain one of my favorite couples ever. But I digress…

It's very rare I enjoy an "enemies" to lovers story, but in the capable hands of Lucy Parker, this becomes a story about setting aside past hurts and moving past them, of letting go and forgiving, and I adored every second of it. It's so rare to find two characters I both love as individuals and as a couple, and Nick and Sabrina were both awesome people who I genuinely loved spending time with. I loved how openly they addressed their issues and gradually realized that they are kind of made for each other, always knowing instinctively when to challenge and tease, and when to just be there for each other. It was incredibly sweet to see them work things out, and my only slight criticism is that the sub-plot of someone trying to sabotage their show dragged on a tiny bit too long for me.

But other than that, this book was just perfect for sitting all cuddled up on a couch, hot cocoa in hand, and just ignoring the world for a while.

Sabrina hates Nick. He did a devastating expose about her family. But these two serious journalists are both in trouble with management at their TV station and are being demoted: to a morning show! The two enemies have until Christmas to make it work despite their animosity. The plot really supports their falling in love and the dialogue makes them real characters. Subplots and characters are wonderfully drawn.
I will recommend this book to my patrons.

As always, Lucy Parker brings the banter and the snark in the latest instalment in her London Celebrities series. It's not really a standalone -- you need the context of the previous book, The Austen Playbook, to really understand the animosity between Sabrina and Nick, and particularly what Nick has done, which is one of the major sticking points in their relationship. It's a hard thing for him to come back from, and I think the grovel needed to be stronger with Sabrina and with the other people he hurt. The physical comedy got a bit excessive after a while, and the mystery of the pranks being pulled is fairly obvious. All that said, the chemistry between Nick and Sabrina is great, there are laugh-out-loud funny moments, and the whole story is charming and sparkling.

I'm running out of adjectives to describe what a genius Lucy Parker is. This was just as brilliant as all of her other books: smart, sexy, full of banter, full of feelings, and just perfect from start to finish.

I loved this book. Rival television presenters are forced to partner and host the morning show or get the boot entirely. Sparks have flown between them before, but not in a positive way.

I really really really enjoyed this book. Enemies to lovers. A bit of forced proximity. Knitting. And a mystery to be solved. Lucy Parker is a treasure. I appreciated how the "enemies" part wasn't predicated only on a professional rivalry, but also on an act by one of them (that I believe was an important plot point of Parker's previous book) that had profound personal impact on the other. But they manage to move past that act and its fallout in a realistic manner. Both MCs have support structures that realistically react to the news that they're now together.

And of course you get the delicious "I can't possibly like this person but oooooh I really like this person."

Lucy Parker always writes compelling romances with likeable, flawed heroes and heroines, and HEADLINERS is no exception. Sabrina Carlton's journalism career has floundered in the wake of revelations about the extended Carlton family. It doesn't help that the news was broken by Nick Davenport, her rival and nemesis on the evening entertainment circuit.

When Nick does something foolish to put his own career at jeopardy, Sabrina is appalled by the studio's solution. She and Nick are forced to team up to run the failing morning show. They have the first 24 days of December to turn the show around, or they are both out of a job.

Nick, who has felt guilty about revealing the Carlton news for months is equally appalled, until being forced into close proximity with Sabrina every day forces him to admit that he's attracted to her. Charming and funny, with a surprising depth as Sabrina and Nick are forced to confront their past actions toward each other, and decide if they can truly forgive each other, HEADLINERS is a wonderful holiday romance.

Wow... I really loved this book from beginning to end. I like the forced proximity scenario for Sabrina and Nick and that from day 1 they try to be as professional as possible. I also enjoyed that we get treated first hand on Nick's regret and the repercussions of his actions and choices. Lucy Parker is a *great* author and her books always pull me in to the point that I can't stop reading. I enjoyed the plot and how they move from animosity to partnership to attraction to love. It's a natural progression and it's incredibly well-handled in the book... it feels natural and organic and you can believe that these two are finally falling in love as they were meant to be.
What I also love the most? The lack of unnecessary drama as a source of conflict in the romance. Once Nick and Sabrina are they... they are IN. They don't hesitate, they don't backtrack and they deal with things as adults. Even when they have moments of conflict, they communicate with one another in a mature way. It's such a great example of what a mature and healthy relationship is/should be that I cannot thank Lucy enough for continuing writing these examples in her books. I love the moment in which Sabrina hesitates for one second and then deciding that she trusts Nick and I love that she comes clean to him and acknowledges that. I love that he, in return, explains that it hurt him and frustrated him for about 10 minutes before he realized that it was natural and that he was happy that they are moving forward. It's not a "oh, everything is perfect from now on" but the little moments of conflict are dealt with communication and maturity. That is such a catnip for me!
The only criticism I have for this book and the reason why it's not a 5 star for me is that I felt that the dual PoV was unbalanced. There's a very important part in the middle in which we only read from Sabrina's pov and is such an integral part of how their relationship is progressing that I felt I was being cheated out of following Nick's feelings as well. It hinder my experience a little as I prefer that when you do a dual pov it should not 50/50 but as balanced as possible that we get to be in the journey with both characters at the same time and not just one with the other as a supporting role.
But a wonderul wonderful book and I loved that Griff made an appearance because he's my favorite.
Is Charlie next?

Quick note: I would say that unlike the previous novels in the London Celebrities series, this book is not completely stand-alone. I highly recommend reading The Austen Playbook prior to reading this book, and not just because I absolutely adored TAP (Austen murder mystery show, grouch with a heart of gold, absolute ray of sunshine who coaxes him into actually smiling? SIGN ME UP)

Having said the above, let's cut to the chase. Headliners is a great book and an excellent addition to the London Celebrities series. It had drama, banter, and hilarity in SPADES. It had me laughing out loud when I was supposed to be sleeping as I desperately tried to fit in just one more chapter.

The main characters will be familiar to readers of The Austen Playbook as both made their debut there, and much of the initial friction between the two stems from events in the closing chapters of that book. However, after some honest communication, they get past that particular point of difference with admirable grace. Goodness, I do love it when characters actually talk to each other.

There are a few fun cameos from previous books - nothing jarring - and the best scene in this book had me telling absolutely everyone around me. It's this beautiful moment of vindication that is all the more satisfying for being delayed (no spoilers, but you'll know it when you see it). I also loved that there were enough interesting side characters that the author has a wealth of future stories to tell.

Five fabulous stars for a book I thoroughly enjoyed.

Disclaimer: I received a copy of this book from NetGalley; all opinions are my own

I received a copy of this novel from the publisher via NetGalley.

I haven't really read this series since the first (Lainie/Richard), which I really enjoyed. I remember skimming the second and enjoying it less, and after that, I gave up. I think readers who have kept up wth the series would be at an advantage, since the first half of this novel involves a lot of repetition of the Freddy/Griff novel (not sure which instalment that was), which I will now never need to read, as I feel as if I have already done so after ploughing through this one.

I didn't really enjoy the first half of this novel, but it did pick up during the second half. I found it very slow to get going. The opening chapters concern Sabrina and Nick, TV presenters and enemies (for reasons discussed during the Freddy/Griff novel) forced to work together to present the morning show. Neither came across as particularly likeable and the novel presupposes the expectation of an elevated level of interest in the private lives of "celebrities" (ie breakfast show presenters) by the paparazzi and the public in general. Since this is very far from my personal experience of TV (I don't really watch it), the whole novel seemed like a lot of fuss over nothing. The scene in the wine cellar in France was so unexpected for me that it really took me out of the story, although I did later warm up to the idea of Sabrina and Nick.

The second half was much more successful for me, featuring adults actually leaving one another to make decisions and respecting those choices, as well as normal, mature communication. There was no big miscommunication and I believed in the happy ending. The breakfast show scenes are enlivened by a villain, trying to ruin things for Sabrina and Nick: do not read this novel for the mystery, because it is not very mysterious.

As always, a lovely, warm, cheering romance from Lucy Parker. I’m never sure if I’ll like enemies-to-lovers (despite it being a favourite trope of mine) but this one hit it out of the park easily. Cute fun read, would recommend.

I’ve really liked the London Celebrities series, but this one seemed to drag on a bit, unfortunately.

I was fortunate enough to get an ARC of this novel, which meant that I got to read it in the lead up to Christmas, which fits the structure of the book very well. Sabrina and Nick have both managed to disgrace themselves with their network - Sabrina largely through no fault of her own when her family scandal was revealed live on air by Nick; Nick in an act of foot-in-mouth live-mike stupidity. As their last chance to remain employed at the network, they are required to co-host the network's failing Breakfast show for the weeks leading up to Christmas. Since they loathed each other even before Nick's revelations about the Carlton family, the sparks that are expected to fly are not sparks of Christmas love, peace and joy. And yet...
This novel was utterly delightful and laugh-out-loud funny. Parker writes snappy dialogue and physical comedy brilliantly well, but she also knows how to get to the heart of characters. I loved the many – oh, so very many – ways the lightweight content of the morning show could go wrong, and I especially loved the way every time anyone fell over or got locked in a wine cellar or whatever, somehow, Sabrina and Nick would wind up looking as though they were holding hands or snogging or were otherwise amorously inclined, and then someone would snap a photo and their 'secret relationship' would be all over the tabloids. I liked the way Nick's behaviour at the end of The Austen Playbook – which you should definitely read first if you care about spoilers – was addressed and given weight, without it being a source of angst that took over the entire story. I also enjoyed the Davenport and the Carlton families, and the resolution of a few storylines and issues from earlier books. And it was nice to see a story where quality of life was a factor in a career choice, not just the opportunity to be in the top of one's field. Just because one can do something, that doesn't mean it will be the thing that makes you happiest in life.
Honestly, I just Headliners in every way. It's going to be on my annual December reading list every year for sure, and I expect it will go on my comfort read shelf for the months in between.

Lucy Parker’s London Celebrity series has been one of my favorite romance series of the past few years. In general, they have been loosely connected, with characters from previous books showing up in later books. However, until Headliners, they have been stand alone books. In order to understand an important division between the MCs in Headliners you will need to have read The Austen Playbook. I will do my best to avoid spoilers, but you can assume that Freddy and Griff have ended up happily together.

Near the end of The Austen Playbook, a Carlson family secret came out and was scooped by Nick Davenport on his evening news program. The secret has left Sabrina with a tarnished public image just as Nick and Sabrina are competing for one slot as the evening news commentary show host. When Nick is recorded expressing his honest opinion about the head of the media company, he loses his advantage over Sabrina. In a last ditch effort to save their careers, they are jointly offered a failing morning program.

Even before the events of The Austen Playbook, Sabrina and Nick had a contentious rivalry, occasionally taking potshots at each other, but since Nick chose to break the story, contentious has turned to hostile. As they are forced to work together, overcome a common foe, and save their careers, they become a team. Eventually they become lovers. I love that they handle their disagreements and misunderstandings like adults, I thought Nick could have grovelled more, but I understood the point that Parker was making about seeing the whole picture of people instead of reducing them to caricatures. The older I get the more I want to see lovers hashing it out instead of storming off dramatically. Lucy Parker delivered with a pair of romantics who balance their heads and their hearts, but with the wit she is known for.

As I said, before you read Headliners, you should read The Austen Playbook (you should read it anyway). Parker is growing a lovely family of characters in her London Celebrities books. Family is important to her – both the harm family can do and the support family can give – blood, made, and found. This will be released January 2020 and will be a nice way to start your year.

This was an arc from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

*Puedes encontrar esta reseña en español al final.*

It is so difficult to find good stories. It seems easy, but it is not. But, between thousands and thousands of clichés, melodrama and pompous prose, occasionally you meet one. Because there are authors who decide that telling a story is more than a HEA. Something more than a bag of trite ideas wrapped in cheap melodrama that lead to the deliberate happy end. Sometimes I meet authors like Ms. Parker who decide that in romance, more important than the usual happy ending is the path that leads to it. To my everlasting joy (and enjoyment).

The background in this series are the performing arts and TV world in all its forms: cinema, theater, circus and finally television.
But the most important thing is how the story is told. Is all about the people who struggle every day to achieve their dreams. And we are the privileged spectators who see how this happens.
Where other authors fall into the temptation to turn the lifestyle of these controversial characters into the protagonist of the story, namely high-end cars, jewelry, fancy dresses, high performance brands and houses like castles, etc., Ms. Parker focuses all her attention on the little things that can go unnoticed: family and friends relationships and the day-to-day life of the characters that give them that third dimension that some of us readers need to connect with the story.
And although the MC´s are obviously at the center of the story, around them swarm ideas, images, situations and secondary characters enough to turn the story into a little piece of reality.

And the icing on the cake was the end. Because, as I said before, is more about the journey than the destination, and this time Ms. Parker has turned that end into something beautiful and original forgetting the so dreading pre-established script. Perfect.

To sum it up, flawed but charming characters, interesting dialogues, zero melodrama and a HEA that will last long after closing the book. I can´t say this a lot.

I loved it.

***

Es muy difícil encontrar buenas historias. Parece fácil pero no lo es. Pero entre miles y miles de clichés, de melodrama y de pomposa prosa de vez en cuando se encuentran. Porque hay autoras que deciden que contar una historia es algo más que un final feliz. Algo más que un saco de ideas manidas envueltas en melodrama fácil que llevan al deliberado Final Feliz. En ocasiones me encuentro con autoras como Ms. Parker que deciden que en el romance, más importante que el consabido final feliz es el camino que lleva a él. Para mi eterna alegría y disfrute.

Esta serie tiene como trasfondo el mundo del espectáculo en todas sus formas: cine, teatro, circo y finalmente televisión.
Pero lo más importante es lo que cuentan. Historias de personas que luchan día a día para lograr sus sueños y nosotros somos las espectadoras privilegiadas que ven cómo esto sucede.
Donde otras autoras caen en la tentación de convertir el estilo de vida de estos personajes tan controvertidos en el protagonista de la historia, a saber, coches de alta gama, joyas, vestidos de lujo, grandes marcas y aún mayores casas, etc. Ms. Parker enfoca toda su atención en las pequeñas cosas que pueden pasar desapercibidas: relaciones familiares y amistosas y el día a día de los personajes que les dan esa tercera dimensión que algunas lectoras necesitamos para conectar con la historia.
Y aunque los protagonistas son, evidentemente, el centro de la historia, a su alrededor pululan ideas, imágenes, situaciones y secundarios suficientes para convertir a la historia en un trocito de realidad.

Y ya como colofón el final. Porque cómo dije anteriormente, es más importante el camino que el final, y esta vez Ms. Parker ha convertido ese final en algo precioso. Y olvidándose de guiones preestablecidos. Perfecto.

Por hacer un resumen, personajes imperfectos pero encantadores, diálogos interesantes, cero melodrama y un final feliz que sí que durará después de cerrar el libro. No de muchas se puede decir eso.
Me ha encantado.

There is something about Lucy Parker’s books that makes you want to just go and bingeread all the romance books you can find (and yes, I am currently trying to resist the urge to do just that). Headliners is obviously no different.

In this installment of London Celebrities, we follow Sabrina and Nick, two rival TV presenters (and before you ask, no I couldn’t stop thinking Chilling Adventures of Sabrina either. And I haven’t even watched it). Sabrina hates Nick because he exposed her family to scandal, while Nick hates Sabrina for… reasons which are not entirely clear. Anyway. They hate each other, but then, suddenly they’re forced to work together on a failing breakfast show, else they both lose their contracts.

Obviously, my favourite aspect of the book was Nick and Sabrina’s relationship. I loved how it developed from hating each other to being reluctant partners and then like “oh shit we’ve been caught holding hands and everyone thinks we’re dating on the down low” and then to “oh shit now we’re really dating”. Honestly, just the way Lucy Parker develops her relationships feels so organic, like you could easily see it happening. And it makes you root for the characters because you can see how their viewpoints of one another are changing as the book goes on. It’s done so so well here.

Also done well is the complete lack of any sort of miscommunication. Nick and Sabrina actually communicate like adults! Yeah, I know, it’s depressing how exciting that is… But they do actually talk to each other throughout the book, and the tension at the end doesn’t revolve around any miscommunication. So I really appreciated that.

The one, less positive, thing I would say though is that there’s kind of a lack of tension from when they get together, around halfway through. I’m not sure what it was – possibly the fact that everyone knows about their relationship pretty early on so there’s nothing to hide – but I just felt like the tension wasn’t there. I mean, obviously, their dynamic was still great, but it was missing that little something.

Though, of course, that won’t stop me rereading this book until the end of time.

Four and a half stars.

Professional rivals and personal enemies are forced to work together …

Nick Davenport had a successful primetime TV show, until he was secretly videoed badmouthing the head of the network behind the scenes. Sabrina Colton also had a successful primetime TV show which rivalled Nick's until revelations about her grandmother's plagiarism and her very public fight with her ex-boyfriend turned her from media sweetheart to Cruella da Ville. Now they each have one last chance, work together on the dismal Wake Me Up London breakfast TV show.

Sabrina hats Nick because he was the one who broke the news of her grandmother's plagiarism which tarred both her beloved sister Freddy's career and her burgeoning love life and her own career where Sabrina was accused of profiting from her family's lies.


Both consummate professionals Nick and Sabrina do their best for WMUL but there are a series of stupid mistakes: wrong cue cards; using vinegar instead of water in a cake etc which make them look like amateurs - could someone be sabotaging their show?

Lucy Parker at her best with two charming characters and oodles of laughs and fun. Chuck in a cute dog, lovable ex-wife, scarily clever kids and a countdown to Christmas and you have a sparkling romantic comedy. Loved it.

I received a free copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley in return for an honest review.