The View Was Exhausting by Mikaella Clements, Onjuli Datta is a perfect fit for readers who crave a lighthearted, emotional, and swoon-worthy romance that explores the complexities of being a woman of color in Hollywood, with a dash of fake dating and celebrity glamour, making it a must-read for fans of romantic comedies and stories about self-discovery.

This was only an excerpt of a whole book.
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This excerpt definitely made me excited to pick up the book in the future! I have a feeling this one will be a fun time! Not much else to say as this was not the full book but I’m sure I will love it. 3 stars for now!

This was an easy bingeable read for me. I thought that parts were really smart and witty, and other parts I was just waiting for something to happen. I think that this was a very middle of the road book for me which seems to be the minority as a lot of people seem to be very either side on this one. Overall I thought that it really benefitted from the shorter length as it helped keep pace.

Not my favorite. Needed more from the characters. I felt I couldn’t feel the relationship between the characters

I really enjoyed this excerpt! The main character Win is immediately interesting and complex, with both an interesting backstory and an interesting current plotline. The assumed leading man Leo doesn't have such immediate complexity of character, but the author sets up some serious personal and relationship depth to be explored in the rest of the book. Definitely would recommend this book to the Taylor Jenkins Reid fans out there, or anyone who enjoys stories about complicated rich people and their champagne problems. I will say that I would not, however, recommend it to anyone on the fence about a story about a bunch of rich people's issues, all the PR talk will probably annoy you. But, overall, a very strong start!

Excerpts from my BookPage review (see link below to the full article):
A captivating, thought-provoking, glamorous deep dive into the politics of celebrity culture, race and relationships, The View Was Exhausting doesn’t so much straddle the line between general fiction and romance as obliterate it.

At the center are two beautiful young people.
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The first week they spend together reveals combustible chemistry on camera, as well as a strong attraction and mutual understanding when the cameras are off. ---
Through Win and Leo’s complicated, inconvenient arrangement, married co-authors Mikaella Clements and Onjuli Datta explore the juxtaposition of privilege and marginalization that surrounds celebrities who sit outside of the dominant culture. ---

The one thing Clements and Datta don’t quite deliver is the romantic payoff. Though the authors effectively deploy many romance tropes, the beats of the novel’s ending may be unsettling or unsatisfying to some romance readers. Between the artifice, the time between encounters and Win’s protective shield, their romance holds more anger than intimacy, more turmoil than tenderness, and ultimately more pining than joy. Their happy ending is more of a brief glimpse than a full, rapturous swoon. Still, readers who want to sink into a Hollywood exposé will find much to admire in this high-wire celebrity romance.

Read the review on BookPage.com: https://www.bookpage.com/reviews/26447-mikaella-clements-view-was-exhausting-fiction/

There is a lot going on in this excerpt. I love the concept of this book, but the writing is dense, taking a lot of brain power to process. Honestly, when I read the excerpt I knew I couldn't finish the entire book written like this at this point in my life, no matter how much I was loving it. So I didn't request the entire book, but I have since bought it, and I look forward to clearing some time to read it. Thanks for the excerpt on this one. It was just what I needed on this one.

I’m a sucker for a good Hollywood glitz and glam novel, and The View Was Exhausting was everything I needed! The book follows Whitman (Win) Tagore, an A-list British-Indian actress and her splashy relationship with playboy Leo Milanowski. Their enviable kisses under tropical sunsets explode the internet and live on every front page cover and this on-and-off again romance has captivated the press for nearly a decade. However, this dreamy relationship is all an act; Win has mastered the art of controlling her public image and distracting her scandals with the help of Leo and their pretend romance. They’ve settled into a reliable friendship, but they can’t deny the intense, earth-shattering chemistry and history they share.


If you love a good Hollywood romance and glamour, this book is your next read! The story flows smoothly and captivated me from the start. If you’re a fan of Taylor Jenkins Reid (think: The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo) then this is your next #TBR

After reading the expert, I am looking forward to reading the rest of the book. I loved the introduction to all of the characters. I didn’t know much at all about the book before starting, but this seems very fun and I am looking forward to reading more about these characters!

From the excerpt, I am definitely interested in reading this book! I love a good fake dating trope, and this one seems like it will check all of those boxes. It also seems like there is chemistry between Win and Leo, which I would like to explore more!

Really fun excerpt that made me want to read the whole book. The writing was crisp and the characters leapt off of the page. Can't wait to see where this goes.

This review is for an excerpt of the first four chapters. I loved the introduction to the characters. I’m invested and looking forward to reading the rest!

Thank you Grand Central Publishing and NetGalley

This book is so much fun! It's got an on-and-off again staged relationship between celebrities, scandal, and Hollywood. I appreciated that the narrative about a women of color trying to break down barriers as an actress is shown here (something not often explored).

Thank you NetGalley for this excerpt! I've been wanting to read this book since I first heard about it, because of the premise and the fact that Taylor Jenkins Reid recommended it, and I'm so happy I was able to read the first couple chapters. I'm definitely going to order it!

This was my first read from married duo Mikaella & Onjuli and I truly enjoy reading this story from beginning to end.

As you start to follow the life of movie star/celebrity Whitman 'Win' Tragore you see the behind the scenes of what it's like to be a woman of color in the limelight of Hollywood life.

With her most recent breakup and the rumors flowing, Win struggles to keep a well known name from it all. When the gossip start rolling she calls on her trusted long-time friend/faux love interest Leo Milanowski to dim down the negative talks. Leo, a rice playboy from family money, is always willing to jump in and help Win out of a jam.

As you read you get some back story how Win & Leo met and become friends, or partners in crime. They realize that their new found friendship can truly become magic in her lifestyle. So they create a faux on-again off-again celebrity romance that the world can’t get enough of. That’s what they been for each other for the past seven years, but it they most recent get together things start to become a lot more intense for the two. The charade of their relationship starts to blur and things don’t seem to be at a professional capacity anymore. Trouble starts to loom as Leo’s past comes knocking and Win’s gets some sad family news and turns everything upside down.

Through all the PDA and semi fake smiles, Win and Leo start to see maybe there’s more than all what they thought could be there between each other and they needs to decide on whether its all worth it behind and in front of the camera.

I loved it….. you could see that there was so much more between Win and Leo that they just are afraid to realize and their back and forth through out the year shows you how their friendship has become so much more than that. I will say that there are some part in the book that where a little dragging, some chapters or scenes were extended longer than needed but overall great story, great writing.

Read If You Life:
- Slow Burn
- Angsty
- Humor
- Fake Dating
- Friends to Lovers
- Celebrity Main Characters

𝚁𝚊𝚝𝚒𝚗𝚐: 4/5 ⭐️
𝚂𝚝𝚎𝚊𝚖 𝙻𝚟𝚕: PG-13 🔥

I'm excited to read this full book! A portrayal of Hollywood romance and what it is to be a woman of color in a world run by white men. I can already tell the secrets are going to be juicy and I'll be highlighting some great quotes :)

I absolutely LOVED this book. It was a top favorite of the year and I cannot recommend it enough. I wish I could read it again for the first time. The characters and story were all phenomenal.

Was a fun read just didn’t keep my attention. I was so confused until like the last 50% of the book. I do think if I reread and put all my focus into it I would really enjoy it.

I just received an excerpt of this and I can’t wait to get my hands on the actual book. The writing has been sucked in from the first page! I need to make an Amazon order tonight.

Thank you to NetGalley for the excerpt in exchange for my review.