Sloane comes from acting royalty and her character has just been killed off in her TV series. With her family involved in a movie production set in the 1940s, she is roped in to assist.
Among her duties are running lines with her former co-star, Joseph, who made her life hell on the set of another movie. When the leading lady is fired, Sloane steps into the role and finds romance blooming both on and off set.
This book not only narrates the hate-to-love relationship between Sloane and Joe, it also focuses on the dynamics of a family all involved in the biz – from Sloane’s siblings in first-time director Tyler and soundtrack composer Powell, to her producer-slash-actress mother and famous father.
While the behind-the-scenes drama started off well, the plot became quite boring and flat towards the end.

I was really excited for this book. The premise sounded really good. But i just didn’t care for it.
I found the relationship to be toxic and Sloan was just this annoying, whiny child. It drove me nuts!
I’m sorry but this was miss for me.
Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing an arc in exchange for my honest review.

This was a really enjoyable book. I was hooked from the beginning and didn't put it down until I was finished.

I really enjoyed this story which is what kept me moving along at such a rapid pace. It's different from similar books about movie stars because it focuses more on an individual and her personal life rather than the perks of her career and being famous.

Our main character is Sloane and she begins this book disgruntled with people in her life and feeling a bit coerced into doing a job made-up by her family just to get her involved. At first, I was feeling a bit frustrated with the writing because it seemed like Sloane's feelings about things were all over the place. She seemed a bit unsteady and had lots of contrasting feelings. Then, I realized that her inconsistent feelings were kinda the point of the book. She needed to figure where she stood in life and where she wanted to be moving forward. She begins the book a bit directionless and has to find her footing along the way. A lot of that footing involves her feelings about her family, friends, and people of her past.

Speaking of people from her past, lemme talk a second about Joseph. Joe was an interesting character for me (and one that I really loved) because of his past. Sloane hates Joe because of what he did to her years ago, but the interesting thing about this book is that we never get to know that Joe. We only know about the guy he used to be from Sloane's memories and past experiences. The Joe the reader gets to know is completely different and he never regresses. That's also what makes him so different from similar characters in other books. He knows his messed-up past is meant to be left behind and he never looks back.

There are a lot of family themes in this book that are briefly explored on Sloane's path of clarity. Some of these themes or issues are thoroughly explored, but not all of them. I like that not every problem with Sloane's family or even Joe's family is completely resolved because that's not how real life is. Things just don't all magically come together all at once. It takes time and sometimes problems can regress after some progression. I liked the reality of this while still keeping with a happy ending.

The romance could have been a little bit better in my opinion, but I didn't hate it. I think if there had been more "sweet scenes" or scenes that really helped me to know that the two of them were getting to know each other better, I would have been more satisfied. We do see a couple, but I would have liked more.

Overall, I'm very happy I ended up reading this book. It was real, emotional, and romantic. I'd recommend it!

This book had all the hits. You have two people who absolutely did not get along in their last on-screen romance, who then have to work begrudgingly together a few years later, Well, begrudgingly on one side, and hopeful on another. I really loved the setting of this book. It had all the checks and I was pumped to read it. It kind of fell a little flat to me though. I didn't really see or feel the chemistry between the two characters.

I honestly was more interested in how Sloane was so down on herself and her family was down on her two. The interaction between her and her family was what kept me going, not the romance itself (which is why it fell flat, since this is a romance novel). The family dynamic was *chef's kiss* and I loved to see everything unfold there.

Over all, this was really enjoyable! I just don't see myself ever picking it up for a reread.

Thank you to NetGalley for my copy of this book!

As someone who has spent a little bit of time on sets, I found this to be a fun and interesting read. I would have rated this a little higher, but I felt as if the ending was a bit rushed and felt a little slightly out of character. That being said, this was a cute read!

The initial plot idea drew me in. It could have been so good but I found all of the characters, including the heroine and hero, deeply unlikable. If I wanted to read about passive aggressive petty backstabbing with no real character growth, I would read the newspaper.

Bridget Morrissey was a featured author on the FreshFiction.com blog in an exclusive interview. You can see that interview here: https://freshfiction.com/page.php?id=11347

There is so much more behind this fun cover than what originally might meet the eye. I usually find privileged characters to be somewhat annoying or hard to relate to, but in this book I think it just worked with Sloan. I liked the fact that Sloan was self aware and wasn't just blind to her privilege. I do wish we had seen a bit more of her life growing up as I think it would've been interesting even though I can see how it isn't necessary. I found the behind the scenes part of acting and the would have Hollywood to be just fun because it's a world that I won't experience in real life. Donovan while was a bit intolerable in the beginning I think had huge character development, and I overall was rooting for him towards the end. I also think that the romance in this book was great. Totally recommend. such a fun read!

I started this one and really had trouble getting into it - I didn't feel like the 2 main characters had that much chemistry and the whole thing felt forced.

This was adorable! Sloane and Joseph are actors who previously worked together on a film and it was a disaster. Enter him being cast in her famous family’s new film as the lead and Sloane is one of the producers in a role her family basically made up after she was fired from her current job. Joseph is struggling at the beginning of the shoot and Sloane thinks déjà vu! That is until she’s tasked with helping him rehearse so he doesn’t blow it on her families production. Is he the same old Joseph or has he changed? Soon Sloane is blurring the lines of reality and just may be falling for her costar…

Love this one! It was so cute. Loved watching the line between on set and real life blur as they got caught up in each other. The perfect read to hopefully get me out of my slump!

I tried my best to get into this one on two different occasions. It's a DNF for me. While I love stories about Hollywood, I wasn't interested in this heroine. May be a case of the wrong reader at the wrong time.

I’ll be upfront and honest that I don’t get people’s fascination with celebrities at all. I never have and never will, but there was something about the synopsis of the book (not the cover at all) that made me request it and my wish was granted. I liked this book a lot, I felt like it explored celebrity families very well and showed just how messed up and honestly crazy they can be. I felt the heroine was a bit of a drama queen and not as strong as everyone around her seemed to think she was. I enjoyed the hero quite a bit, there were a lot of layers to him and he was the one character I felt was properly developed. The secondary characters were a varied group and added a lot of interest into the story almost too much though because I felt the romance/relationship suffered because there were just so many other characters. Granted the book would not have been the same without them, but I personally needed to see the two main characters together more on their own developing their relationship and sadly that didn’t happen.

Sloane Ford grew up in a famous family, her actor father was a multi-award winner, her actress mother was as well until after their divorce she was blackballed (not related to the divorce but her sexuality), her younger sister is a director, her younger brother scores movies, her once step-mother is an actress, her step-father is a director so to say her life is all Hollywood is putting it mildly. Fired from the series she’s been working on for 5 years (actually killed off of it) Sloane has no choice but to accept a producer role in a film written by her step-father, being directed by him and her sister, featuring a sub-romance between her mother and her step-mother, scored by her brother, and her former co-star that almost ruined her career starring in the lead. She is not looking forward to working on this movie because of Joseph Donovan, her co-star who she will not have to see every day of production.

The chaos of making the movie was interesting to read about and I felt I was part of the action which is always a good thing. The immediate tension between Sloane and Joseph was easy to feel and I could tell that they had a lot to accomplish to become lovers and I enjoyed their journey, there just wasn’t enough time with them once they figured it all out. Sloane’s family dynamics was fascinating and I enjoyed watching how everyone interacted with each other because they were one huge dysfunctional family yet there was an underlying sense of camaraderie between them all that was interesting to watch.

The biggest disappointment in this story were the storylines that went nowhere; Sloane’s ex, a singer Kearns Adam releasing and entire album painting her and their relationship in a bad light and then doing a benefit concert on the night of a gala her foundation hosts every year. The album I get, it made her reassess and look at her life and their relationship, but the concert on the night of a gala was made out to be this huge thing and it honestly went nowhere, and it could have been handled so easily by someone reading a gossip column about how poor of a turnout his concert had or something, there was NOTHING and it just hung out there stinking up the story. Why didn’t Joseph’s dad show up beside the “he missed his flight” and why wasn’t the scene written in, the conversation between them so the reader can get a better feel for their strained relationship? Leaving these two big tangents hanging made the story feel unfinished.

Love Scenes was definitely enjoyable, but more of a women’s fiction with romantic elements than a romance when you get down to it. Did it hold my attention? Absolutely, but the plot lacked depth and the romance was lacking leaving me feeling a bit unsatisfied.

Besides books, movies are one of the things I’m passionate about. I particularly love going to the theater as I much prefer movies there over watching at home. When I saw Love Scenes as a book, I knew this was going to be a book I enjoyed.

Sloane is an out of work actress after her crime show series ends. She’s forced to help her famous family with their newest movie starring… her ex costar Joseph Donovan. Joseph is a charming Irish actor that Sloane has worked with previously. When the leading lady gets fired, Sloane must step in to save the day. It seems like Joseph has changed. Working so closely together, definitely changes Sloane’s opinion of Joseph.

I enjoyed this book! I thought the movie scenes and the family struggle were very genuine. Her parents had split up and her father has a new wife and Sloane has a much younger sister now. There was some very real talk about alcoholism and coping techniques for dealing with the movie industry. I also appreciated Sloane discussing what’s it like for a woman in Hollywood. It seems so glamorous, but it’s really hard work.

Thank you so much to @berkleypub, @bridgetjmorrisey, and @netgalley for my copy of the book. Love Scenes is on sale now!

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the ARC.

LOVE SCENES was an excellent debut. It was a lot of fun and surprisingly educational. I learned more than I expected to about the inner workings of a Hollywood film set. The characters were endearing, and I really loved how Morrissey focused on the dynamics of a large, loving, blended family.

Knocking off a star because the romance often took a backseat to the movie-making. I wasn't particularly bothered by this because I found the film stuff fascinating. But the book is billed as a romance, so I think it's worth noting.

I’m a total sucker for Hollywood set rom-coms - something about the glitz and the glam and the gritty underbelly really grabs my attention every time. Naturally, when I got the opportunity to read an early copy of Love Scenes, I was thrilled - a family dynasty in Hollywood and enemies-to-lovers romance? Sign me up.

I found the plot of Love Scenes to be overall lackluster. There were so many storylines that were set up that just sort of fizzled out before they could realize their full potential. For example, I kept waiting for a bigger conflict with Sloane’s ex, but he just sort of disappeared despite his competing benefit / revenge album storyline. Overall, the story was just slow - towards the middle it was a bit of a slog and I just kept waiting for something more exciting to happen.

The root of my problems with this book comes from the main character, Sloane. I liked who she was pitched as: an out of work actress trying to cut her own teeth in Hollywood (rather than taking the opportunities her celebrity family afforded her). Unfortunately, as the story moved forward, I found her characterization to be muddled at best. She kept highlighting her desire for Hollywood to treat women better, and then she just rolled over when her family steamrolled her. The real nail in the coffin on Sloane’s character for me was her choosing to work with Joseph again.

I really was not a fan of the relationship between Sloane and Joseph - their start was super toxic and though there were some apologies made, their rocky start felt insurmountable to me - particularly given Sloane’s passion for the betterment of treatment of women in Hollywood. It felt exceptionally out of character for her to fall for the guy that almost made her quit acting. They had their cute moments, but their rough start loomed over their whole relationship for me. I also never really liked Joe - he never really earned Sloane’s forgiveness in my opinion.

Love Scenes suffered from an overabundance of characters - several could have been cut out (her dad’s ex and his current girlfriend, for starters) and the story would have been overall unaffected. All of these characters being shoehorned into the story really took away from the overall plot for me. Also - I kept waiting for redemption arcs to happen for Sloane’s family - they regularly walked all over her and disregarded her feelings and very legitimate concerns, but they never really grew or changed.

I’m really bummed that Love Scenes fell flat for me - I had high hopes that it would be not only a rom-com but also a story about the experience of women in Hollywood. If you’re looking for books that cover the experiences of women in Hollywood, I would highly recommend The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo, If The Shoe Fits, and One To Watch. 1/5

This is definitely a book about finding yourself despite pressure and learning how to take advantage of second chances. Here it is Sloane, an actress trying to find herself and recover from pressures from her family, the media, and most importantly, herself. Who she is and how others see her and who she wants to be. It’s a bit of an odd story in the sense that I often didn’t like many of the characters, including Sloane, but then something would happen and you could see how it all worked together. Her family is awful, selfish, and weirdly loving. She and her siblings have become so busy with work that they’ve stopped putting effort into their relationships with each other. And Sloane seems to have stopped putting effort into figuring out herself. Encountering Joseph Donavan again, the man who almost made her quit acting, shakes up her life. I wish we’d gotten more about Joseph, but the book is from Sloane’s point of view so we only get what she sees. And while she and Joseph turn their encounter into a second chance romance, she takes an awfully long time to really SEE Joseph. Or get him. Or get out of her head and get over her insecurities. I enjoyed the movie scenes and the behind the scenes of the movie they were making. I wish we could have gotten more from other characters like Joseph and sister Tyler. But at the same time the length and pacing of the book worked, seeing the crazy pressure and back stabbing of parts of the industry worked, and I liked how eventually Sloane starts figuring out how to come out of her comfort zone and start really living.

This is a book I’ll definitely read more than once to see how my feelings shift and I would definitely read more books author Morrissey does in this world.

I received an Arc of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review

Love Scenes was a fun romance! I particularly enjoyed the behind the scenes look at the film industry. I love when a writer is able to bring me into a new world that I am unfamiliar with. This was a great second chance, workplace romance that is worth a read.

A dramatic, fun rom-com with a high-stakes Hollywood filming setting, featuring a second-chance romance and lots of twisty, messed-up family dynamics.

As an actor, I love reading books about “behind the scenes” of theatre and film. It’s fun to see if the author can get it right and also gives me a sense of belonging. When I read the synopsis for Bridget Morrissey’s Love Scenes, I know I had to read it.

Synopsis:

“Out-of-work actress Sloane Ford is in desperate need of something to do after losing her steady TV gig. When her famous family ropes her into working as a producer on their World War II-era romance, they neglect to mention that the film will be headlined by Joseph Donovan, her least favorite former co-star of all time. The roguish actor made her life a living hell the last time they worked together, using his movie star good looks and Irish charm to cover for his erratic professional behavior. On their new film set, he promises he's different now, but Sloane is far from convinced.

As filming gets underway, it becomes clear that anything that can go wrong will go wrong. When the lead actress is abruptly fired, Sloane agrees to step in and take over the role, and she starts to remember why she fell in love with acting in the first place. On camera, she and Joseph share an electric chemistry. Off camera, they've been honing their characters and, much to Sloane's surprise, growing closer. But playing the role of a woman in love with Joseph Donovan is a dangerous business, and the more time they spend together, the less Sloane can tell what's real between them, and what's just for show.” —Bookshop.org

What I Liked:

The Idea—As an actor, I always love stories about behind the scenes of set life. They’re relatable and fun and are the part of the process I enjoy most. This book made me long for the community of show business. I missed being part of a cast and working on my craft.

The Intimacy Coordinator—Love, love, LOVE seeing these included in stories about theatre and film. An intimacy coordinator is someone who is hired on a set to make sure the actors feel safe and supported during intimate scenes. They keep the crew professional and respectful and are there to advocate for actors in an extremely vulnerable situation.

The Writing—I liked the author’s writing a lot! It was easy and breezing but still kept me engaged.

What Didn’t Work:

The Pacing—I don’t know how to describe what was missing from this story but maybe it just didn’t have the build up and pacing I enjoy.

TW/CW:

Alcoholism

Character Authenticity: 3.5/5 Steam Rating: 0.5/5 Overall Rating: 3.9/5

An adorable story that follows Joseph and Sloane on the set of a new movie. Sloane and Joseph had worked together when they were younger leaving which left Sloane hating Joseph. Joseph has grown up and changed and has to try and convince Sloane that. Filled with a great cast of side characters this book was a very entertaining ride and I look forward to reading what Bridget Morrissey comes out with next.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for providing me with an arc for an honest review!