If you like celebrity-normal "disaster" human romances, you'll like this book. Marlowe is super relatable, Angus is adorable (eventually), and I want Tanareve and Cherry to be my best friends.

How do you come back from Hate At First Sight?
Read Marlowe Banks, Redesigned and find out!

This is my forst Jacqueline Firkin's book and it shall not be the last.

This is my second debut adult romcom by an established YA author in a row and if the quality of these books is any indication, it's a natural progression! I loved this book and thought the romance between "regular" Marlow and "famous" Angus developed so naturally and beautifully. Who doesn't love a Hollywood setting? This was a lighthearted read but it also touched on serious subjects like a gaslighting ex and lack of self-confidence/fear of not measuring up. The platonic friendship between Marlowe and her co-worker Cherry was wonderful. Even the demanding boss was redeemed! I will definitely read more from this author!

4 stars / This review will be posted on goodreads.com today.


Too bad Angus isn’t a real person. Because Angus is almost every woman’s dream. Except Marlowe’s. Of course, Marlowe was smitten before she started work on Heart’s Diner, the TV show that stars Angus (as well as other actors.) But now that she’s a glorified gopher in the costume design department, she’s had her run-ins with Mr. Wonderful, and he’s just not.

Marlowe gave up her engagement, career, apartment, friends, to move to LA and start over. She’s living in a rat trap apartment that overlooks a cemetery. She’s working for one of the world’s toughest bosses who keeps her busy from dawn till, well, dawn. She’s a dog walker/sitter and errand runner for this boss, who also occasionally does give her costume jobs. Like picking up clothing. Overall it’s not what Marlowe dreamed of, but it’s also not New York City and the dumpster fire she left behind.

But now her literal run in with Angus has her rattled. And a mistake with a uniform is going to rattle her even further. Of course, maybe that’s not such a bad thing?

This book was so much fun. Marlowe is a woman who desperately needed a do-over, but now that she’s got one, isn’t so sure about it. Angus is truly the bad boy personified, but that’s his public persona. What’s he really like on the inside? All the supporting characters are truly fun too. From Marlowe’s coworker and confidante Cherry to the beautiful Tanareve. Each character has their place.

The story is a romance/chick lit book, but it’s not gushy romance. It’s romance in all the right places. Marlowe isn’t the toughest chick around, but she’s very likable. And Angus, well, I believe I’ve covered Angus. It’s all put together in a way that keeps you turning those pages. Loved it.

Falling in love on the set of a TV show!

Marlowe Banks had taken a job in Los Angeles as a production assistant on the costume team for a television show to get out of New York City after the end of her engagement to Kelvin and the horrible reviews of her latest costume design. Marlowe always planned to be on the other side of the camera with her degree in costume design but those plans changed when she volunteered to be in a diner scene serving coffee with some glances between Marlowe and Angus Cordon caught on camera. Maybe Marlowe could help get the show another season where they figure out their characters for real.

I love how Angus helped Marlowe as a friend they slowly fell in love.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book from NetGalley. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

I really liked this book, we meet Marlowe and Angus tangled up in the Enemies-to-lovers trope that always gets to me, because you know when these characters finally get together it will be dynamic and it was exactly that. A ton of flirting, stolen moments, romance and humor. I loved how strong Marlowe is at times and how vulnerable she can be all in the same book, and also how funny she can be. Angus is the actor here the famous guy and it wasn’t about him at all, even though it’s a romance novel, I felt like Marlowe stole the show COMPLETELY in this book. It’s hard to explain how sweet of a romance novel this was, y’all have to read it to understand. The story got straight to the point, and it was a speedy read that kept you interested because you wanted to know how this will REALLY end. Besides the romantic aspect of it.

Thanks NetGalley and the publishers for giving me the opportunity to read this book.

Marlowe Banks,Redesigned was a fun behind the scenes look into a hit TV show.
It sends a powerful message about how you should not judge a person's life on what is seen on their social media pages.
I enjoyed the slow burn budding romance between Marlowe and Angus, Friends to Lovers is one of my favorite troupes. The comic relief in so many of their meetings had me laughing out loud. It was nice to see how much growth the characters displayed over the course of the story.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for my eArc. All thoughts are my own.

Marlowe Banks, Redesigned follows title character Marlowe as she hides out in California after her life on the East Coast has fallen apart. Her career is on hold after her latest project was highly criticized, she fled her engagement, and her parents are disappointed in her. While working at a menial job in LA, Marlowe draws the eye of a star actor on her set. As this brief interactions develops into more, Marlowe begins to rediscover herself and what she wants in her life.

I am an admittedly intermittent romance reader. I like my romance novels to have good banter and depth. I'm happy to say, I was pleasantly surprised by this novel. It checked those boxes and ended up being a novel I really enjoyed!

What I enjoyed:

- Marlowe. I found her to be a relatable character! She was awkward, but not so awkward to the point where I was cringing and uncomfortable.
- The relationship hurdles Marlowe and Angus had to overcome. They felt real and of actual substance and provided more depth to the novel than light-hearted rom-coms
- Marlowe's growth and development throughout the novel. I'm a sucker for some good character growth, so this was another facet of this book that I truly loved.
- The minor levels of social commentary on women, media, and Hollywood lives.
- Enemies to lovers (my favorite trope)
- Angus. Seems too good to be true

What I would see adjusted:

- As much as I enjoyed Marlowe, she also frustrated me sometimes. She jumped to conclusions too quickly and was not good at communicating. It made for good plot but still frustrated me.
- The ending. I would have like to see Marlowe and Angus on slightly more certain grounds.

Overall, I really enjoyed this one and I believe this will be a hit for fans of the romance genre!
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This book is totally charming. It hits on a lot of relevant topics, like imposter syndrome, owning who you are, online privacy and clickbait, and self-valuation. And it’s a love story! And funny! But to be honest, I think my favorite point of the whole book is that Marlowe is tall. Yay tall girls!

I received a copy of this book from the publisher through NetGalley.

Our FMC Marlowe, is at an all time low. After ending an engagement, being shredded for her designs, and simply needing a break - she finds herself running away to New York. Her new position as a costume designer’s assistant lands her on the set of a new popular TV show. After a mix up, she agrees to be an extra on set for a single scene. Her assignment - pour coffee for the lead actor, Agnus. The only problem with this she quickly learns - is that lead actor is the same one she bumped into earlier in the day. There is still tension, hostility and obvious chemistry between the pair. And the best (or worst part according to Marlowe), is it is all caught on camera… and people LOVE it! Next thing Marlowe knows, is her “extra” role just became a permanent spot in the show!

The banter between the pair had me laughing out loud. The chemistry lead to well written spicy scenes - which hello… who doesn’t love that?! The character development was awesome to dive into as the story progressed. At first I was not a fan of Agnus, but was won over in the end as we slowly get to see the depth beneath the surface of his persona.

Marlowe was incredibly relatable. I don’t handle failure well, and that seemed to be a big theme throughout the book. Having the strength to continue to pursue your dream after facing all she has was inspiring, and I hope this resonates with readers once this comes out!

I loved this book! I love the concept of normal girl who accidentally has falls into a small acting part. Angus. Oh, Angus. I love him so much. He was so kind. This book was so funny it definitely had me laughing out loud a few times. I loved the inside jokes Marlowe and Angus developed. The whole thing was just so sweet.

A cute, fun, light read. A bit of angst but not too over the top. I hated Babs and wanted everyone to stage a coup. The female main character was a bit of a pain. I didn't like that she was just assuming she knew how everyone's life was but got mad when they assumed things about her. The banter was great but overall, the female main character was awful and I didn't want her to have her happy ending.

Oh Marlowe. She's starting over in Los Angeles after a fleeing a mess in New York, where she worked as a costume designer. Now, she's an assistant- a gofer- and she's struggling. She's not impressed with Angus, the star of the show her boss is working on. especially after he spills coffee, but it turns out he's not the person she assumed he was. These two build a friendship which turns to love, even as Marlowe begins to rebuild her confidence and her life. It's as trope-y as can be but it's got the nice benefit of info about costumes in Hollywood thanks to Firkin's own work. Thanks to netgalley for the ARC. A fun read.

I absolutely LOVED this book. Marlowe is a costume designer who flees her life in NY and heads to LA after receiving bad reviews on a play she worked on. She ended her relationship with her fiance when she made the move and took a job hiding in the background as a PA for the show Heart's Diner. Babs is her boss and Cherry, who is Bab's design assistant, is the best friend she has in LA. Angus is one of the main characters on the show. Ten weeks into the job, Marlowe bumps into Angus while walking through the lot with Cherry. Angus is less than thrilled to have coffee spilled on him. Due to a mixup with a waitress costume, Marlowe ends up doing a spot on the show. Marlowe has very limited social media and getting involved in the show and with Angus exposes her in ways with which she's not comfortable. Here's a snippet from the book: "you're the first person I've met who wants his life to be quieter. In a world filled with messages to be louder and bigger, to take up more space, to garner more attention, denying those messages seems pretty brave to me." Loved this as I think people live way too much on social media platforms. Really great book!

Marlowe Banks, Redesigned slow-burn romance was so cute! Marlowe's incredibly clumsy and that becomes a little annoying. I enjoyed reading about Angus so he ended up being the reason I was able to finish this book,

This was such an enjoyable read! My initial feelings involved eyerolls for the handsome and wildly popular actor feeling like a victim by having to overcome the pitfalls of fame. But alas, Firkins’ handling of and writing for angsty Angus was chef’s kiss! With overarching themes of worth, courage and manufactured images, this book packed a lot of heart.

Marlowe is a down-to-earth, highly likable character. She has low self esteem- from not only her hard to please, hyper successful parents- but also from her jobs where criticism is par for the course. She is currently in a Personal assistant roll on set for a hugely popular TV show, for a hard to please boss, after escaping her design job in New York to move to LA. She becomes a somewhat unwilling side character in the TV show, opposite bad boy and heartthrob, Angus. Angus is everything she tries to avoid in a guy. But wait- is that really who he is, or is she believing every piece of publicity as if it’s fact?

The story follows Marlowe’s struggle to find her way. In her job, in her relationships and in her self-worth. I loved the bend toward female strength and representation in this book. The banter and sexual tension between Marlowe and Angus was perfect. There were several great side characters and the pacing was also good. By the middle of the book, I was flipping pages quickly to see how this would all end up. I was very satisfied with the ending and loved that neither one had to gave up their dreams.

Definitely recommend this one! Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for the ARC to read and review.

the setup…
Marlowe Banks is hiding out in L. A. She’s a Broadway costume designer who is extremely talented and, until her last play fiasco, showed lots of promise. When reviews of the play called her costuming a disaster, she packed up and fled to California. Marlowe also broke her engagement to fiancé Kelvin, which was long overdue. Now she’s working as a production assistant for a demanding costume designer on a hit television show, assigned fairly menial tasks but still applying her creative skills in helping to find the clothes specified by her boss. The star of the show is Angus Gordon, an actor who Marlowe doesn't think much of (based primarily on his social media). However, their first accidental encounter leads to a sequence of events that is life changing for both.

the heart of the story…
I took my time with this one as there was much to savor. It doesn't take long to figure out Marlowe is seriously underemployed and I wanted to know what happened to send her with tail between legs to Los Angeles and why she broke things off with Kelvin. She’s extremely complicated and her issues aren’t easy. We’ve all been there, experienced some level of failure, but something about hers damaged not only her confidence but belief in herself. Her boss doesn’t help much, never missing an opportunity to keep her in her place. But it’s when Angus Gordon crosses her path, things shift as he turns out to be polar opposite of the image projected through social media and these two become places of refuge for each other. Their conversations were thoughtful, reflective and respectful…something both craved and lacked in their lives. The evolution of their relationship was rather lovely, so much so that every word was important and not to be missed.

the bottom line…
I was expecting something fairly lighthearted and it turned out to be more of a precious gem. There’s a lot about what’s entailed in costuming decisions and show production, which I found fascinating. I’d imagined the process but it’s much more methodical and meticulous. But what captivated me was the relationship between Marlowe and Angus, not so much the romance but what they evoked from each other. Their sincere interest in each other’s well being brought them both to healthier places and stronger self perceptions. It’s one of the best paths to romance I’ve read in a long time. The writing is mature and smart with equally interesting secondary characters. The author is new to me and I’d sign up for whatever she plans next.

This is your typical romcom hallmark type book. The main characters start basically as enemies & then find themselves not hating spending time with each other. Whether you’re a die hard romcom fan or looking for something out of your norm (for me I typically lean towards suspense) I think either way this book is a win. It’s cute!! Marlowe’s character cracked me up & her clutsy character I could relate to so much. It didn’t take me long to warm up to Angus’ character. Angus! Maybe it’s because I live in farm country where there are alllll the cows but I can’t with his name lol. Like hey y’all, meet my new boyfriend Angus or Holstein or some other animal you’d find on a farm. No!😂 That is probably my biggest hang up with this book is the names of the characters. Tanareve?! Edith for a DOG! And Babs…I could only picture her as some bitchy old lady but for all I know she’s like 40.

This is definitely a slow burn of a book but it was done well to where the reader isn’t bored & it gave us a chance for her relationship to develop with Angus while also giving us more of Marlowe as far as her other relationships (new & old friends, exes) & her life in general. For me I think it would have been nice to have more of Angus since we really only get him when he’s with Marlowe. I liked the idea of Marlowe & Angus & they’re cute together but I had a bit of a hard time with her character. She didn’t like to be judged but she’s kind of judgy herself. As far as her & Angus as a couple it almost seemed like a stretch because, for me at least, she just really didn’t seem his type. She’s painted right off the bat as not being pretty (“invisible”), not that that matters, but with Angus being some heartthrob it just seemed like an unlikely match & the entire time I pictured Marlowe as a simple nerdy dork type character. I couldn’t really get there visually as seeing her as Angus’ love interest? Angus though he was pretty hard not to like & I like how his character developed throughout the book. Even with Marlowe not necessarily being his type it was impossible not to root for them though, I loved them together!

Constructive criticism maybe for the author. I feel like there was a lot of repetition with words (‘stubble’ comes to mind immediately as far as his beard or lack of). The sex scenes. I’m not anti sex in books at all but the sex scenes seemed kind of out of place, overall the entire book seemed almost PG (Hallmark!) and then there are a couple random sex scenes that are quite the opposite, it just just didn’t go with the cheesiness & hallmark feel of the rest of the book…it’d be like watching a hallmark movie & some random porn scene comes on here & there. I’m exaggerating but you get my drift. OH I almost forgot. Multiple times the author used the word ‘spat’ when referring to Marlowe biting her nails & spitting them out, all I could think about was someone spitting while chewing (tobacco)😂😂
And my last nitpick..I do feel like it was bordering on being a slow burn going into just too long of a book.

With all that being said I did really dig this book. This was the perfect romcom book to read especially since this isn’t what I’d typically choose. Super cute!! The banter between the two main characters was perfect, funny, & not over the top to where the author was trying too hard to be funny. Marlowe on her own had me smiling throughout the book so many times. This is my first book by Firkins. I love her writing style & sense of humor, this was an easy book to get into & just enjoy. I’d definitely read another book by her!

Thank you to both NetGalley & St. Martin's Press, St. Martin's Griffin (St. Martin’s you always seem to put out great books!) for the advanced readers copy in exchange for a review!

This book, I loved. I easily connected with the characters and was invested in their romance. The steam was a slow burn but excellent. Writing style was easy and flowed well, and I’d happily read another by this author. I particularly enjoyed the messages about representation and the dichotomy of good and bad in social media.

I read this ARC in exchange for an honest review.
There's something about this book that makes it memorable. It could be the very relatable leads, or the witty dialogue. Whatever it is, this book is a pleasure to read.
Angus is adorable, and Marlowe is flawed and delightful. They make a good team. Cherry and Tan are also lovely side characters.
The novel gives people good insights into all the work that goes on behind the scenes in a tv series or movie.