Marlow Banks, Redesigned by Jacqueline Firkins begins on the set for a TV series, where Angus is one of rising stars of the show and Marlowe works as PA to an unhappy yet legendary costume designer for the show, who uses her as dog-walker, delivery girl, instead of training her to assist her with the job. One accidental collision ends with splashing coffee and soaked t-shirt starts for the flames of hate at first sight between Angus and Marlowe to occur. When Marlowe tries to help a coworker fix a wardrobe malfunction by playing the waitress for one episode, she ends up sharing the most intense LOOK with Angus; which soon becomes the most trending topic on social media. This ends up with Marlow playing Angus’ old flame for three episodes, allowing her to experience her fifteen minutes of fame.

The enemies-to-lovers trope between Marlowe and Angus grows slowly, turning into a beautiful friendship. Marlowe realizes Angus isn’t the womanizing, bad boy she was lead to believe; instead it’s a mask to hide the introverted, bookish, caring man, who came from a crowded, lovely family. Throughout the story, she grows and learns to take charge of her life. You can't help rooting for and falling for Marlowe and Angus. I highly recommend Marlow Banks, Redesigned to other readers.

I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this book.

Marlowe Banks life is slowly unraveling. Her engagement has ended and her career is in tatters, literally. Angus ya a rising star of a show Marlowe is a PA for. One bumping accident that leaves Angus covered in coffee gets her into even more trouble. With her past always on her shoulder and now things going downhill still today, can she find herself and the love she deserves.

I love how messy Marlowe is. She’s in the open and overly frazzled clumsy type. This story is an enemies to lovers, slow burn story. It’s about Marlowe redefining herself while also learning. I loved the chemistry between her and Angus. And the fact he’s the baby boy as well. Grumpy/Sunshine bad boys are the best!

If you love super fun, main characters who learn to grow than this one is definitely one to read.

Placeholder - I’m almost finished with this book and absolutely loving it so far. I’ll be back soon with a full review.

I honestly went into this book with zero expectations because I had been disappointed by several books right before picking it up, quite a few of them romances, so I was almost certain that I'd either DNF or it'd just be okay. Well, was I wrong!! You know how a book just makes you feel happy and bubbly and cozy while reading it? Well, that was this book. I LOVED it.

Marlowe Banks has an MFA from Yale and used to design costumes on Broadway until a bad review sent her fleeing her NYC life (and an ex-fiancee) for LA and a job as a Production Assistant on a super popular television series. She does it all, works long hours, gets little pay, and doesn't love her job. She loves designing costumes but is afraid to go back to NY, so she has no idea what to do and her life is in turmoil. In the meantime, she gets stuck playing a role in the TV show she works on thanks to a costume mix-up, but she's not an actress and doesn't want to play opposite bad boy actor Angus Gordon. He's always rude to her, and she doesn't want to deal with him. Yet sparks fly between the two on set and as they spend time together, off set too. Maybe there's more to Angus than she knows...


There wasn't a single character that I disliked, even Marlowe's pain in the booty boss was bearable. I have a teeny tiny, maybe bigger than that, crush on Angus, the male protagonist! At first, I thought maybe he was going to be a jerk but then, he turned out to be the most amazing guy with all these depths and layers. Just wow...As I read this book, it made me think about perceptions and maybe we see what people want us to see or what we want to see, but that doesn't always mean that's realistic or the true person inside, so we need to be careful not to judge other people. I thought that was a great underlying lesson in the book.

It was a joy to read and so much fun! The banter between Marlowe and Angus flowed so effortlessly just like their relationship. I loved how they went from enemies to friends to lovers. There's just enough steam to satisfy you, and the romance is so so sweet!

Such a delight! I highly recommend it!

Thank you NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the ARC in exchange for my honest review. All opinions are my own.

-review posted to Goodreads, Twitter, and Amazon on 10/29/22

Marlowe Banks is an extremely talented Broadway costume designer who flees New York for California after devastating reviews of a play point the blame at her poor designs. At the same time, Marlowe broke her engagement to fiancé Kelvin although he continues pursuing her. Now, her designer skills are under utilized as she’s working as a lowly production assistant for an arrogant costume designer on a hit television show. The star of the show is a social media sensation and too full of himself to attract Marlowe. However, after she spills coffee down the front of his shirt, events take an interesting turn.

It quickly becomes obvious to readers that Marlowe is seriously underemployed. It's clear she's hiding - trying to avoid drawing attention to herself as she blends into the background of her mundane life. However, when Angus Gordon plows into her world, things begin to change as they slowly get to know each other - not the projected images, but the core of what's inside. I feel the author does a fantastic job of portraying each character's weaknesses and allowing readers to follow their transition and growing confidence. While the romance is sweet, for me it's the personal growth and the way these two characters prove vital to each other in deeper ways that makes this an important read.

Marlowe Banks, Redesigned is a sweet, intelligent contemporary romance that goes beyond the expected. I enjoyed the journey of personal growth the author puts these characters through and also liked the slow burn romance. Firkins writing style makes for easy reading, and her characterizations are spot-on. Highly recommended to fans of contemporary romance with a greater than normal depth of plot line.

Marlowe has escaped a bad breakup and career disaster in New York for a TV filmset in LA. While somewhat in her field, Marlowe is staying under the radar as she figures out her next steps. Volunteering to be an extra is more about saving her friend's bacon than the opportunity to step into the limelight but her heated exchange with TV charmer Angus take to the public in a big way. Unfortunately, the heat is more enemies than lovers and Marlowe would rather just not.
This book is a fun slow burn celebrity romance. Angus and Marlowe on paper do not work, but their relationship is everything I wanted. I really enjoyed Marlowe as an MC and am glad I decided to pick this up!
Thank you to St Martin's Press and Netgalley for the advanced copy. All thoughts in this review are my own.

This was such a sweet and fun romance that had me flipping the pages.
This was a new to me author and am happy to have found her.
I was enthralled instantly with the characters from the beginning and they were quite relateable.

I received a copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for fair and honest review.

Marlowe Banks, Redesigned

📚Available Now📚

📖My Thoughts📖

What a fun book! This is my jam right here! I love love love reading rom-coms that have a celebrity romance! It’s been a bit since I’ve read one, so this was a nice treat! It was so light and fun, with just a touch of spice, but nothing over the top. I loved the character building and how the protagonist seemed like every other average person, thinking they weren’t good enough but then seeing her grow and learn how to stand up for herself and even go for what made her happy. I especially enjoyed the simplicity of the relationship (you’ll have to read it to understand, I’m not giving it all away). Overall it was a really good heartwarming read that I absolutely recommend to anyone who’s looking for a good rom-com!
Thank you Netgalley, Jaqueline Firkins and St Martin’s Press for the opportunity to read and review this delightful book! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Marlowe Banks is hiding out. She broke her engagement and fled critics’ panning of her costume design on a play in New York. Now she’s working as a costume production assistant on a popular TV show in Los Angeles. The work is menial and doesn’t allow her to really use her skills and creativity (or that master’s degree from Yale), but she can go unnoticed.

She still has to deal with her high-achieving parents’ disappointment in her lack of achievement, as well as regular texts from her ex-fiance. Her boss is demanding, and Marlowe certainly doesn’t fit in to L.A.’s overly zealous health-and-appearance culture. Even so, it’s easier than going back to New York.

Then a costume mix-up leads to her stepping in to a background role as a waitress in a scene on the show. It’s just one time and no one will really notice her. But then the camera catches heated looks between her and the bad-boy lead, Angus Gordon, and she’s thrust into the spotlight. The show’s writers write her in to three episodes, and she has to spend more time with the arrogant (though admittedly hot) Angus.

As the two spend time together, Marlowe learns that Angus is hiding too. He’s not who he appears to be; even a star can be lonely. But if she is to even think about a relationship with him, Marlowe will have to come to terms with the realities of both his life and hers — the one she’s been escaping. It will be time for a redesign, a time to face hard truths and work on herself.

I found myself really invested in these characters. Marlowe is a young woman who has a lot to give but has been put down by enough people in her life, particularly those who should have lifted her up, that she feels unworthy, not enough. Over the course of the story, she slowly builds up the strength and confidence to face hard things and rewrite the script about herself. She ponders what she’s been told and has allowed herself to believe. As she does so, she realizes she can change how she thinks and how she interacts with others.

The romance between Marlowe and Angus is real and very sweet. Their TV show characters are “shipped” online, and I shipped them as their off-screen selves. They have tender, true-to-life, sometimes awkward interactions and create cute inside jokes.

For a while as I started reading, there was almost no profanity, and I was starting to hope this romance book would be fairly clean. That hope was dashed, with some strong language and several detailed sex scenes. But I was really pleased with how the story was resolved and how this character grew. I recommend it (if you want to skip the sex scenes).

This book was such a good balance of lighthearted romcom but with some depth. I really enjoyed the setting and the slow burn romance. Recommend!

Are you looking for a fun read about someone who has more problems than you? Marlowe has a problem at work, her parents are disappointed in her, her student loans are due, and that is only the start. this is a delightful escape into Marlowe's world and you will have a blast reading it!

Such a good fun rom com! Marlowe is such a relatable main character, which can be hard to find sometimes in the romance genre.

I LOVED this book more than I thought I would. Rom coms are one of my favorites, but I've been in a slump. I instantly connected with Marlowe's character and was immediately invested in her future. I think that we can all understand what it feels like to be a "peon" at work and aspire to something greater to some degree. While Marlowe works in the background as a PA to a costume designer, she has an opportunity to help in a pinch and jump in as an extra on the TV show she works at. Thrust into the spotlight when the camera catches a look between Marlowe and the leading bad boy, Angus. A happenstance turns Marlowe's world upside down as she tries to decide if she really knows who Angus really is.

This was a great read and I look forward to reading more from Jacqueline Firkins. 5 out of 5 stars.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the advanced copy for review.

I knew nothing about this book or the author, but I must say it was an absolute treat! I read this in one sitting. I loved the slow burn romance between Marlowe and Angus amid the backdrop of a tv show where Angus is the lead actor and Marlowe is a PA to the costumer. She actually is a costume designer in her own right from New York Theatre but now living in Los Angeles the jobs are hard to find. There are a lot of themes in this book, from social media issues to women having more of a say in Hollywood, but it all incorporates well to the storyline. A woman’s fiction book I really could get into

Take a meet-cute between Marlowe (like the detective) and Angus (not like the beef) on the set of a hit TV series, add in a 𝘋𝘦𝘷𝘪𝘭 𝘞𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘴 𝘗𝘳𝘢𝘥𝘢-esque work situation and some fantastic banter and you get 𝗠𝗔𝗥𝗟𝗢𝗪𝗘 𝗕𝗔𝗡𝗞𝗦, 𝗥𝗘𝗗𝗘𝗦𝗜𝗚𝗡𝗘𝗗.

Though it may sound like a romcom, I would categorize this book as women's fiction that includes a romance. I enjoyed Marlowe's journey and her relationship with Angus, and the subplot about her emotionally abusive ex-boyfriend added an extra layer of depth to the story.

Give this a read if you enjoy:
🕶️Celebrity-normal person romance
😡Enemies-to-lovers
🎬A TV show setting
🛍️Fashion
🔥Slow burn romance
👭🏻Fabulous female friendships

3.5 stars rounded up.

Thanks to St. Martin's Press for the copy to review.

This was such a fun story! I loved reading about the main character reclaim her passion and pursue clothing design. The romance was also a perfect compliment to the story!

Thank you to St. Martin's Press and Jacqueline Firkins for this ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

I loved these characters! The banter was everything and more! The character development was top-notch. Marlowe was such a hard worker and that showed throughout the book. One thing I can't get over is the name Angus, all I thought about was steak the entire time. But this book was still good, and one I will recommend.

I don't remember requesting it on Netgalley and had no idea what it was about when I started reading... but it LOVED it. The characters were annoying, fun and ridiculous. Their relationships were the same. I honestly just smiled while reading this. The back and forth between the characters was perfect. Their slow burn low story was amazing. I really just enjoyed every minute of this.

Marlowe Banks moved to LA when her engagement ended, her job was attacked and she wanted to escape what felt like her failure of life. When she finds herself in the spotlight opposite Angus Gordon, she finds herself opening up to the bad boy... and that he is doing the same. Is she ready to confront her demons and restart her life?

Thank you Netgalley for my advanced reader copy!

Romance

I love it when a romance novel makes the story more about the growth of the character than the romance. Firkins does a great job with that aspect of the story.

Marlowe banks left NYC after she received a negative review on the costuming of one of her shows. She also broke up with her fiance and needed a change. She takes a 6 month position working as a PA on a TV series. The job is the lowest paying, errand running, barely costume adjacent job she could have and is doing nothing for her self esteem.

She and the lead actor have some initial interactions that set them up as unfriendly coworkers. Sparks fly, but those are just from anger, right? Well . . . no. Marlowe gets thrown in as a stand-in on the show because she fits the costume and her and Jake's chemistry shows up on screen, causing the producers to create a small role for Marlowe. This forces her and Jake to have to work together and actually get to know one another.

Meanwhile, her ex keeps texting her, her friends from NYC are trying to get her to move back and take a chance on another show, her coworker in LA is trying to get her to sign onto another gig with her, but Marlowe is still afraid to try.

Here is where my issues with this novel occur - Marlowe really doesn't get her confidence back until Jake encourages her. Can she go outside her comfort zone to go after what she wants? Does that include a relationship with Jake even though he is famous and it draws a lot of unwanted attention to her? The answer, of course, is yes. She grows as a character, but Jake's character remains a little flat.

All in all this was a very enjoyable read.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for my ARC of this novel.

This was a fun read - drama and mixed messages on a set where first impressions give way to deeper character dives. A cute coming of adulthood and self-realization story!

Thank you to Netgalley and St. Martin's Press for the ARC.