I kind of expected a soft, funny book with lots of shenanigans and on-set hi-jinks, but Love Scenes by Bridget Morrissey turned out to be a whole lot more. This an emotional read, featuring an actress heroine from a big, diverse, creative extended family who are all in the Hollywood business. They write, they direct, they do movie scores… this is a bright and fun group who has issues but loves each other.

Sloane Ford is the daughter of Hollywood big wigs and has taken a made up job as a producer on the set of a family movie project after her character is killed off on her longtime weekly tv series. Her career is in a slump and she feels like she doesn’t quite measure up. The star of the production is none other than the man who made her life hell when they co-starred in a movie several years prior. Sloane hates Joseph, but she’ll make this situation work, she’ll do whatever it takes to make this movie a success.

This is an enemies to lovers romance that takes place mostly on a movie set. I was surprised at how angsty and emotional this read was. While the entire book is told in Sloane’s POV, both she and Joe each go through their own character journies. Their romance builds slowly and sweetly, full of distrust at first and then onto a true friendship and eventually love. Joe is charming and believable in his sobriety and quest to find redemption from his past behavior, and Sloane is strong, yet also vulnerable while she starts to believe in herself and find a connection to her craft again..

This was a good read. Enjoyed.

I’m not quite sure how to go about talking about Love Scenes. The premise is cute but angsty – and I’m not a huge fan of angst. Sloane’s family is unreal – all the remarriages and they’re all somehow still friends? How they all have their noses in each others’ business? It seemed a bit too far-fetched for a cut-throat business where everyone is competing for work and recognition. And then they write a movie that they’re going to produce, give her a pity-job, then tell her to babysit the lead actor – who Sloane has a bad history with (that they didn’t believe)? I’d have walked. Cutesy, but toxic.

What I did like about Love Scenes are the scenes (haha) with Sloane and Joseph and how they gradually develop a friendship and then a relationship. I think all the family stuff muddied up the romance, which is a shame, really. I also liked that there’s LGBTQ+ representation, although it’s still shunted off to the side (which I don’t have too much of an issue with, as this isn’t an LGBTQ+ romance) and we don’t see too much of Mara, Sloane’s sister’s girlfriend, other than an occasional mention and one scene. Which is weird, considering how much the rest of the family shows up everywhere.

I do wish there was more on the whole ex-boyfriend & ex-coworker drama. They were such big deals in the story, then fizzled unresolved. Did karma visit? Were they sorry for being such douche-nozzles? We’ll never know.

All in all, Love Scenes is a fun-enough rom-com, if you can just read through it and not get hung up on the stuff I did. Maybe if I’d read it while lounging by the pool or on the beach…

drey’s rating: Pick it up!

Say it isn't so!

Out of work, Sloane agrees to work on her family's movie, knowing full well it could be the biggest mistake of her life. Little does she know her mother, producer, director and actor, hired Sloane's nemesis, Joseph Donovan as the lead actor. Having to run lines with him as associate director is killing her but what can she do now that her career is in the toilet? Turns out however that Joseph isn't the man he once was and sparks fly. When the lead actress is fired, Sloane takes over, and soon Sloane realizes what true love really is.

This sounded so cute.. and I was super excited for this one, but the writing.. Gosh. It just didn't work for me from the first chapter. I kept reading and reading and got to about 40% and then just had to dnf as it didn't get any better,. At times, the storyline was super choppy and oddly, parts of the book simply didn't make sense. There are lots of stellar reviews out there for this one, thus I guess I'm simply not the right reader for this novel.

Thanks to Netgalley and Berkley Pub for the arc.

This is an enjoyable beach/summer read. Easy to digest with no real surprises, I wouldn't necessarily recommend it, but I would speak highly of it if asked!

The Ford family is a juggernaut in Hollywood, with parents and siblings alike all playing roles in the filming of the newest movie. Of course it stars Joseph Donovan, who Sloane Ford had a terrible experience with years ago on one of her first films as a lead actress. She is a producer on this one, until things happen to find her starring opposite her old nemesis.

It's delightful, if not entirely predictable.

4.5 STARS

Sloan Ford’s acting career is at a low after being killed of her TV series. As a member of a famous Hollywood family, she is given the nebulous title of a producer on their historical drama dragging Sloan back into the studio despite her desire to wallow in her bad mood. When Sloan discovers the lead actor is her longtime nemesis, Joseph Donovan, she is incensed the family would resort to such trickery disregarding her feelings. Several years before, Sloan worked with Joseph in a miserable movie experience because of his bad boy behavior on set. Working with her divorced parents, step-parents, siblings, and assorted girlfriends on a multi-million-dollar project is just a tad stressful for Sloan. To make things even more traumatic for Sloan, her musician ex-boyfriend wrote an album about her in a less than flattering light.

Joseph was in a bad place emotionally when on that film with Sloan; now, he is determined to prove to everyone, especially Sloan, the woman unfairly wronged, that he has matured. Sloan’s whole blended family is involvement in the production add lots of family drama too. The part was originally written for her and so when the lead actress is fired, Sloan is pressured to take over the role despite her many misgivings and conflicted feelings about Joseph. Sloan and Joseph both come from famous parents who are icons in the movie business so they have a lot in common besides a growing mutual attraction that Sloan resists at every turn.

This story gives insight to what it might be like for actors and their families living under the glare of spotlights, voracious paparazzi, and enormous egos conflicting while living life in their fantasy world. Neither Sloan nor Joseph trusts easily because in this business, true friends are hard to come by; everyone seems to be a user or looking for a leg up. As Sloan and Joseph work through their roles on the film portraying a couple in love, real life, art, and fiction get all wrapped up together in one big emotional ball. Especially with Sloan’s Hollywood family mixed in the dynamics, parts of this are at times humorous, frequently exasperating, and for the reader, very entertaining.

Sloane originally wanted nothing to do with this film, but with no work in sight, she accepted a position her mother created just for her. On the set, she found herself face-to-face with the man who had made one of her early films a nightmare. Forced to work with him, she discovered he had changed and found herself unable to fight their growing attraction. Sloane couldn't help wondering: was real or was it movie magic?

I have to admit, I hear "rom-com", and I immediately pounce on a book. I love swooning and laughing, and getting that all wrapped up in a single package is heaven for me. Obviously, I was eager to give this book a look, and it didn't disappoint.

The "rom" part of this tale was via Joe and Sloane. They actually went back a long way having starred in a film together some years ago. But that had not been a good experience for Sloane, and it was one that left her with a reputation in the industry, while Joe's star continued to rise. Needless to say, she had feelings about him, and they were not positive ones. When her mother pushed Sloane to serve as Joe's rehearsal partner, Sloane started noticing the differences in Joe. I enjoyed seeing their relationship grow and change. Joe would say and do these things, which were clear indications of how much affection he held for Sloane, and I found myself very much invested in seeing this thing between them grow. I liked the way their feelings fueled their on-screen lives, and I hoped for something real and solid for them both.

As much as I was onboard with this romance, it was Sloane's family that honestly kept me glued to the pages. Her family was made up of her parents, her siblings, her father's ex-wives, her father's girlfriend, oh, and the ex-wives' new husbands. It was an interesting group comprised of Hollywood royalty, who took some sticky circumstances and were able to build a rather loving family from it. Their dynamic was utterly fascinating to me. The scenes when they were all together were some of my favorites, and every member of the clan was wonderful and vibrant, someone you would want to know better.

I can attest that there was swooning and laughter, but I also appreciated Sloane's journey. She had been going through a lot in her professional and romantic life, and because of who she was, it all played out quite publicly. By joining the film, she had time in that "bubble" to work through her feelings, and it was beautiful the way being part of that film gave her some perspective into her own life.

Overall: A delightful and charming story about second chances that was bolstered by a fun and fantastic supporting cast.

LOVE SCENES is full of raw emotions, real tender moments and an irresistible romance. It stars a stunning actress, Sloan Ford, who is currently unemployed after her hit TV series killed her off. Her famous family needles her into acting in a starring role in the current film they are shooting. She refuses but then is hired as a producer. When the lead actress is fired, she is talked into starring opposite Joseph Donovan, hunkalicious movie box office star. He is big trouble, irresponsible, and annoying. However, Sloane's heart ping pongs all over the place when he is near. Oh no, this is not good.

Joseph Donovan is to handsome for his own good. He promises Sloane that he is a changed man when they are slated to work together. That remains to be seen. Rehearsing lines with Joseph brings out the cattiness in her. Sloane can't seem to forget how terrible he was to her on a past film. But, Joseph is determined to prove how sorry he is for his past mistakes. While Sloan grapples with an ex-boyfriend's cutting remarks that cut to the core, she maturely acts with aplomb with Joseph while filming. Spending time with him is proving dangerous to her heart, stirring up emotions and sparks of attraction. Plus, Joseph is filled with admiration and love for Sloan. Being near her stirs him up and he likes how she makes him feel. Is he falling in love? Will they ultimately do the mattress tango?

LOVE SCENES is filled to the hilt with Hollywood gossip, complicated characters, and a surprising romance. It's set against a Hollywood background with complex family problems, a disgruntled actress, Sloane, and a troublesome actor, Joseph. Ms. Morrissey pulls out all the stops with this over-the-top, will she or won't she fall in love, romance. Absolutely loved it! Sloane is hurting emotionally from abandonment issues. I wanted to hug her and be there for her. Although, Sloane's sister wonderfully stabilizes her when they get together. I loved the slow sizzling romance between Joseph and Sloan as they discover the magnetizing force when they are together. This is definitely a swoonworthy Hollywood love story. LOVE SCENES is refreshing and scrumptious, like a delectable, drippy ice cream cone on a hot summer day!

A Hollywood rom com with a witty enemies to lovers romance trope that includes a ton of entertaining family drama. The two main characters in this book were amazing and the author did such a good job building up the tension between the interactions and acting. The slow burning romance had me dying to find out how it ended, but just a warning this is a closed door romance.

A perfect summer romance read - I mean who can pass up an enemies to lovers on a movie set with tons of family drama intertwined.

I loved every second of reading this book, honestly couldn't put it down. It was just the kind of entertaining read I needed

The cover: 4/10: points for not being photographical, but the drawing is a bit ammeter and sloppy. I prefer digital drawings with cleaner lines and more detailed color work.

The characters: 6/10: I liked them, but they felt pretty surface level. Not a lot of depth in the majority of them. The real standout was Joseph, who was fairly interesting and well written.

The plot: 3/10: What was the point to this book?? The gala felt like a really boring sub-plot, there was no resolution to our main characters poor experience with her selfish ex boyfriend despite it being a large part of the plot at a couple points, but I did like the co-stars dating trope and the plot of their relationship.

Writing: 8/10: the writing was typical for a rom-com, nothing super special, but certainly enjoyable to read.

Other notes: I like the way queerness was treated in this book, the author handled a lot of nuances really well in my opinion, and it was enjoyable to read that, however minor it was to the plot.

Overall, a very average book. I wouldn't call it a waste of my time, but there are other rom-coms out there that are /more/ worthy of my time. Thank you to Netgalley for the ARC!

Sloane Ford is down in her luck. After a several season stint as the main character on a television drama, she’s killed off, leaving her jobless. Her musician ex-boyfriend released an entire album about her. She turned down the leading role in a movie that was literally written for her. And now, she’s working on said movie with her entire family, and the man who almost made her quit acting forever, Joseph Donovan. Sloane’s mother forces her into helping Joseph rehearse, and Sloane finds the more time she spends with him, the more she’s warming up to him and all the ways he’s changed since the last time they worked together. But she has very strict rules about how their relationship is supposed to go, and when Joseph suddenly changes the game, Sloane has to find a way to play along, or lose him forever.

This book was 𝙨𝙤 𝙛𝙧𝙚𝙖𝙠𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙘𝙪𝙩𝙚. I loved Sloane right from the very beginning. She’s trying her hardest to pull herself out of a funk when she is once again faced with the man who almost made her give up her career. Her mother is her harshest critic, never giving her even an inch of leeway when it comes to screwing up, and it hurts her more than she’s willing to admit. Despite that, she’s strong willed and speaks her mind.

And I absolutely adored Joseph right from his very first appearance. He’s so sweet, gentle, and kind-hearted. He can turn on the charm when he needs to, and he is the king of romantic gestures. His relationship with Sloane is goals.

This is such a fun, sweet, swoon-worthy summer read.

This was a very nice fast-paced read that I really enjoyed reading.

Love Scenes follows Sloane Ford, daughter of two divorced huge movie stars. Her career is not the best at the moment so her mom gives her a job on a new movie they are filming as a producer. However, when she gets on set, she finds out that one of the stars in the film is her former co-star, Joseph Donovan. Her past with him is not one she’d like to look back on. Chaos ensues and the female lead gets fired, and Sloane agrees to take the role. Forced to spend time together, Joseph and Sloane grow closer and develop a relationship through healing. However, their relationship becomes strained and it’s up to them to figure out what they both truly want.

I truly enjoyed reading this with its witty dialogue and intense chemistry. I absolutely loved all the characters, even the side characters, they were all just really nicely developed. I really enjoyed seeing how even the side characters got their own character development, especially Sloane’s mom. I have to admit, the characters were a bit hard to keep track of at the beginning of the book but Morrissey introduced them so well that I quickly caught on to who was who.

If you enjoyed reading Beach Read, I think you’ll really enjoy this book as well!!

I am not sure why, but this one just didn’t work for me. It felt all over the place, and I just never felt connected to the characters.

I think it was more of an editing thing than writing. It took me some time to understand the history between Sloane and Joseph and why she was so resistant to him. And then all her stuff with her family was also all over the place.

Overall, it missed the mark (pun intended). There were some funny and sweet movements, but they didn’t outweigh everything else.

Thank you so much to the publisher and Net Galley for an advanced e-reader of this book.

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.

This has a lot going for it: great chemistry between the main characters, snappy banter, a well-developed multiracial and LGBTQ+ supporting cast, strong heroine, and no frustrating continual misunderstandings between the leads—which are all too frequent in romances. There were a number of places where Morrissey could have shown rather than telling, especially in regards to the changing nature of the leads’ conversations, but overall this was a great read.

4.5 Stars for this fun, well written lovable novel. The characters were in depth, flawed, relatable, and you end up falling for them. It’s apparent that either the author did amazing research or actually worked in the Hollywood industry. Having worked there myself, it was accurate with the way a movie shoot can run.
This was a fun read that I definitely will recommend!

This behind the scenes story from Bridget Morrissey stars Sloane Ford, an actress who just lost her steady role on a TV show and her boyfriend to boot.

With a family legacy to live up to, Sloane reluctantly agrees to be a producer for a WWII drama that has her mother as a supporting member of the cast. In addition to that, her dad and stepsister are tag teaming as director and to top it all off, Joseph Donovan, a major star who undermined Sloane during a past project, is the leading man!

To make matters worse, her mother insists that Sloane be Joseph's acting coach, a task that she dutifully performs while expecting very little for her pains there. Surprisingly, Joseph seems to have turned a new leaf and is starting to make amends for his past behavior.

When the lead actress leaves the film in midstream, Sloane is eager to step into the role yet her onscreen chemistry with Joseph is not enough to make their potential relationship work in real life. Will Sloane be the star of her own life or keep playing second banana to others, including Joseph?

I do love a Hollywood themed tale and this one has plenty of popcorn passion on deck. While movie watching in theaters is still a bit uncertain, Morrissey offers us some movie magic between the covers of this engaging read.

This romance was an entertaining story about enemies turned to friends and lovers. Sloane Ford is one of a famous Hollywood family. Her parents are both actors though her mother has turned to producing in recent years. Both have remarried which has extended the family by her parents' current and former spouses. Her sister is a budding director. Her brother is a composer. Sloane, herself, is a working actress. However, she was just written off the television series she'd been starring in for three years and her ex-boyfriend has just dropped an album that contains songs about her which don't paint her in a positive light.

Her family is involved in making a movie which is a romance set during World War II. She had been asked to take the starring role but turned it down because of her TV series. Of course, she would have turned it down anyway because Joseph Donovan has been hired to star in the drama. She and Donovan made a movie a few years earlier that almost made Sloane give up acting. Donovan was a major pain during the whole production and Sloane would be glad never to work with him again.

But Joseph Donovan has changed. He's having some trouble working with the actress who is his co-star and her mother, the producer, has tasked Sloane with helping him learn his lines and improve his acting. At first, she's not willing to forgive him despite the changes he has made in his life. They gradually get closer together though Sloane is the one who drags her feet and is not ready to trust him again.

When the actress who is playing the lead is fired, Sloane is drafted to take over the role. Despite all of her acting experience, lines get blurred between the romance they are filming and the one that is building in real life. It doesn't help that Sloane also has to deal with her family who all want the best for her and are sure what that is even without consulting Sloane.

I loved the family dynamics and the strong relationships within the large blended family. I liked that the romance grew naturally and realistically. I really liked both Sloane and Joseph as characters.

Read this in one sitting. Overall pretty good. I think Sloane's family is pretty messed up but I'm assuming that's the business life. Joe was obviously my favorite character because he had clearly grown so much before the book even started and was starting to grow more.

I know this is weird but I need like an extra credit scene about that ex-boyfriend. Idk maybe about how Sloane's gala did better than his or how the truth came out that he is the worst. Idk I need someone about him. They talked way too much about him in the story if he was just not ever going to show up.

TW/CW: alcoholism, misogyny, divorce

Love Scenes by Bridget Morrissey tells the story of recently out of work Sloane Ford who is now working as a producer on a movie directed by her step-father. On the movie set, Sloane has to face her previous costar, Joseph Donovan, whom she despises. The filming of the movie is intensely chaotic with everything possible going wrong. Sloane and Joseph must see beyond their rivalry in order for the movie to be finished. I really enjoyed this novel. I thought it was an overall fun time even with its faults. Sloane has a tendency to be really mean which can make her a hard heroine to root for throughout the story especially with her treatment of Joseph. I really liked the active incorporation of LGBTQ+ representation. Morrissey doesn’t use token diversity characters in this story, but instead has their identities form how they make decisions in-world. With the good diversity in the story, I still feel the need to express that the main characters are both straight, cis, and white. The diversity is solely in the side characters in the story. This book is a fade-to-black romance, but is done in a way that veteran romance readers would still enjoy. I recommend this novel to people who want a fun Hollywood romance that is a quick read with minimal steamy scenes. This is definitely a good beginner’s romance. Rating - 4/5

*Note: I was given an E-ARC in exchange for a review from NetGalley and Berkley