This is a cute and light read. I loved how the main character was really relatable and doesn’t have her life and career figured out yet. I also enjoyed how the relationship that involves a celebrity was developed as it definitely felt like it could possibly happen that way.

Marlowe Banks, Redesigned by Jacqueline Firkins follows Marlowe, a costume designer who works on Broadway and lives in New York City. When one of her costume designs is panned in a review, Marlowe’s self-esteem is sent on a downward spiral and she flees New York for L.A. to hide out for a while and lick her wounds. When we meet Marlowe, she is working as a production assistant/errand runner for a popular TV show, sorting a bin full of socks, and very much over-qualified for the job.

Marlowe captured my attention and my heart right from that opening scene and I wanted to know more about why she was so quick to give up her old life, not to mention her boyfriend, and move 3,000 miles away. Marlowe is a messy and flawed character, which of course makes her very relatable since we’re all a bit messy, and she’s also someone who needs to learn to stand up for herself and confront what is dragging her down rather than hiding from it, again something that makes her very easy to relate to. There are a lot of layers to Marlowe and the more Firkins allowed me to start peeling back those layers, the more invested I became in seeing Marlowe bounce back from what she perceives as a huge failure on her part. I couldn’t wait to see what, or who, would be the catalyst that helps her bounce back and reclaim her life. And oh boy, what a catalyst it was!

Angus Gordon is not only the rising star on the TV show where Marlowe works, but he’s also a Scottish hottie who makes everyone swoon when he’s around. Angus also has the reputation for being an arrogant bad boy, and when Marlowe accidentally crashes into him and spills coffee all over his shirt, she gets to experience firsthand why he has that reputation. When a costume mishap requires Marlowe to actually step into a scene as Angus’ potential love interest, the death glare Marlowe and Angus give each other somehow convinces the producers that Marlowe should actually be written into the show, and things take an even more awkward turn.

Just as with Marlowe, it soon becomes clear that there’s a lot more to Angus than meets the eye. He has created the bad boy persona as a way to shield himself from a lot of the pitfalls of fame and in many ways, he’s hiding just as much as Marlowe is. I loved the way Firkins has their relationship develop. Even though they start out as enemies, Angus ends up taking Marlowe under his wing and mentoring her to help her get comfortable on camera and working with him. This leads to a budding friendship as they slowly get to learn more about each other, which then immediately had me rooting for them to become more than friends as it became clear that they were great together, each helping the other to grow. I loved the journey for both of them.

Marlowe Banks, Redesigned is Jacqueline Firkins’ adult debut novel, and having been a fan of her YA novels, I was eager to get my hands on a copy. It’s a fun and moving story and if you’re a fan of slow burn romances and stories about second chances and picking yourself back up after failure has knocked you down, I think you’re going to love it!

Read if you like:
❤️ Romance
👗 Fashion
📺 TV shows
🔥 Steamy Scenes
🗣️ Banter

This one was so cute, but a bit long for my liking as some areas were a bit repetitive in the plot. But the steam and banter made the length worth it in the end.

I loved the layers of Angus and how he really opened up and was more than an entitled jerk with Marlowe.

I also liked the look at celebrities and social media and the realities of what’s on social media isn’t the whole or true story.

Marlowe Banks, Redesigned
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Genre: Romance
Format: Kindle eBook
Date Published: 10/26/22
Author: Jacqueline Firkins
Publisher: St. Martin’s Press
Pages: 352
GR: 4.15

I requested a digital advanced readers copy from NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press and providing my opinion voluntarily and unbiased.

My Thoughts: I absolutely adored this book. Marlowe and Angus were perfect together under a classic trope of enemies to lovers, one of my favorite tropes. Then the relationship blooms into an endearing friendship. I adored Marlowe from the beginning and throughout the book, even if she was timid, shy, and insecure, however, she grew so much throughout the story. However, Angus, I did not like, his character was rough and abrupt, but as the layers begin to peel away, he really is a sweet, kind soul. The way the author played on the celebrity/social media mix was raw, accurate, and a glance at how damaging it can be a person’s persona. I loved the message of this story, how to deal with criticism through failure and reprieved, and how to be vulnerable. The characters were developed very well with depth, witty banter, oh the banter was wonderful, chemistry, and were creatively portrayed. The author’s writing style was complex, multifaceted, intriguing, and just beautiful. I would love to see a spin off with the other supporting characters from this story. This book is already released and I would highly recommend picking up today!

This was such a fun book! Enemies to lovers, great friendships and a behind the scenes of a tv show. The banter and chemistry between the two main characters really hooked me. Very enjoyable book!

Nothing against the book or the author, but I couldn't really get into it! I'll be more cognizant of what's right for me when I'm requesting in the future.

This is an enemies to lovers romcom following a costume designer who gets off on the wrong foot with a TV star.

This was slow to start for me as I didn't love Marlowe early on, however Angus had me hooked. I liked watching him show Marlowe the real person behind the celebrity and help change her critical impressions of him. They had great banter and chemistry and I enjoyed the slow burn of their romance.

I liked the behind the scenes look at costume design and working on tv sets, and enjoyed this one overall.

Thanks St. Martin's Griffin for my advance copy in exchange for an honest review.

What a good book! This one just hits right; it gave me all the feels in the best possible way. It touches on so many subjects, but with a light touch. I laughed, I got teary, I feel empowered.

Marlowe Banks, Redesigned was an interesting and lovely book that takes place on the set of a TV show that showed a unique and eye-opening view into behind the scenes. The things you never think of and what's involved. Add to that a sort of enemies to lovers theme, which shows how misunderstood people in that industry could be (not saying all by any means) and how our assumptions can really hurt us and others if we don't get to know one another. I enjoyed each character separately (even Babs in the end) and loved how easy Marlowe and Angus were together. Thank you to St. Martins Griffin and NetGalley for providing an ARC in exchange for an honest opinion.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ 4/5

Two celebrity romances in a row! How did I get so lucky?

I started out reading this book a bit skeptical. I didn’t like how harshly Marlowe’s first encounter with her future love interest came off and it had me considering if this was going to be the book for me. But as I kept reading, we peeled back the complicated layers of Angus and got to know that as a Hollywood actor, not everything is what it may seem.

After breaking off her engagement, Marlowe Banks leaves New York and heads to LA where she gets a job as an assistant to a very demanding designer on a hit Hollywood TV show. Marlowe wants to hide away from the problems she left behind in New York, but she quickly finds herself unable to remain invisible when she is the only one on set who fits into a certain costume when a mix-up lands this opportunity in her lap.

Hollywood stand-in actress was never a career path Marlowe had considered, but when she arrives on set and delivers a look to the actor she can’t manage to stay away from, despite her best efforts, fans go crazy with speculation. And for good reason.

That look captured on camera begins to blend into real life and Marlowe soon has to grapple with Angus’s public and private personas and how she fits into his life. She also has to determine if she can handle the scrutiny from fans who thought she had ripped apart Hollywood’s ‘it’ couple.

Throughout the story, Marlowe dealt with copious amounts of internalized self-doubt stemming from her last relationship and her parents’ constant scrutiny. Somewhere along the line, she also lost her voice. This story was a redemption arc for not only Angus who wants to be seen for more than his chiseled abs, but also for Marlowe who is learning to love herself again. They both drew strength from one another and the love that blossomed between them was really something else. Overall, I really enjoyed this book and look forward to what comes next for the author.

Marlowe Banks, Redesigned was published on October 25, 2022.

Thank you to Jacqueline Firkins, St. Martin’s Press (@smpromance), and NetGalley for an eARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I'm on the fence if this is more 3 or 2 star read, but leaning towards 3.

I struggled a bit with our heroine's needy, whiny, patheticness. This included a resolution with her ex that just went on too long and I was thinking about when that part will end. What got me through was Angus and some of the initial tension. After reading the feminist ramblings in this book, I realized I fell for the quintessential cliche of a good-looking bad boy that secretly has more brains and heart than we give the external packaging credit for.

I see so many people LOVED this book but I just couldn't love Marlowe. I immediately felt like she rubbed me the wrong way and then the meet cute felt too contrived. I found that I really didn't care about Marlowe's career which felt like it was really important to the story. There were moments that were cute and made me laugh but overall, I sadly did not love this book.

I absolutely loved this one! There was character growth, sarcasm and humor, romance, and a behind the scenes look at what goes into fashion and clothing for a TV show. Marlowe left her fiance and moves from NYC to LA to escape everything. She starts working on a TV show where she meet Angus, whom she immediately judges as his character on the show instead of who he really is. I enjoyed their first few interactions so much! Marlowe is quirky, clumsy, and the sarcasm and one-liners between the two of them was so entertaining. Marlowe grows a great deal throughout the book and I was happy to see that. I loved the mix of tropes too- enemies to friends to lovers, workplace romance, celebrity romance. This is definitely a slow burn but it pays off and I loved it!

Absolutely yes! I really enjoyed reading this novel. The characters were fun, it held my interest, and provided an escape from reality. I would definitely recommend!

I received this advanced copy by Jacqueline Firkins. I never read a book by this author and was pleasantly surprised how easy the book snagged my attention. The story was great and about finding oneself and betting on yourself.

I wanted to love this - it kind of reminded me of a Finlay Donovan (one of my faves) kind of vibe at first, but it turned into a stereotypical romance. I read most of it, but I just wasn’t interested and couldn’t bring myself to finish.

If I were a romance reader, I would have probably loved it! It’s just not my thing.

I really loved this book and I've been a little off on most romance recently. What set it apart was the realism. Marlowe is kind of a hot mess, and I could easily identify with her, particularly with her clothing malfunctions. Nothing is going right in her life when the book begins. She has discovered that her fiance is cheating on her, and her parents think that she should try to make up with him. Her parents also disapprove of her chosen field of costume design for plays. Her student loans are stressing her economically. Her life has kind of fallen apart and at the suggestion of a friend, she applies for and receives a job in Los Angeles, all the way across the country.

It's a big step lower than the job she had before. Now she is a Production Assistant for a popular TV show, rather than costume designer for live plays. Her boss treats her as a gofer - gofer this, gofer that, and work hours are whatever her boss says they are. Quitting time is a suggestion to her boss. Fortunately for her she does have some good coworkers.

Another plus turns out to be Angus Gordon, the star of her TV series. She expects that he will be as arrogant as the character that he plays, and finds instead that he is down to earth and likeable. And he likes her back. Marlowe is torn about pursuing that possibility, as she doesn't want to jump too quickly into another relationship and she also wants to return to New York and work on live plays. She worries about jumping into another relationship too soon also. Angus also has his own set of issues, but he is sure about Marlowe. This was a lovely, realistic love story and I thoroughly enjoyed both the romance and getting a glimpse of what goes into producing an episode of a TV series.

I received a review copy of this book from the publisher St. Martin's Griffin via NetGalley, and voluntarily read and reviewed it.

Life is difficult for Marlowe Banks these days. She broke up with her fiance, lost her job, has tons of bills and her parents are not very happy with her. She leaves New York City and heads to Los Angeles. She gets a job as a Production Assistant on a TV show. It’s not the career move she wants to make, but it will have to do for now. Her goal is to be a costume designer, not someone who does personal chores for her boss, including walking her dog.

When a mix-up on the set occurs, Marlowe steps in to help. She takes on the small role of a waitress, However, the camera catches a look between Marlowe and the leading man, Angus Gordon. Suddenly Marlowe finds herself in the limelight. Even social media goes crazy. This isn’t what she wants at all, but she does find herself quite attracted to Angus.

This is a fun romantic comedy. The characters made me laugh. Marlowe finds herself in some wacky situations. The romance between Marlowe and Angus is slowly building. Their romantic scenes sizzle to say the least.

The book subtly shows how a mere mention in social media can really turn things around. The truth isn’t always at it appears to be.

This is a new-to-me author, but I will be checking out her backlist. If this book is any indication, her stories are delightful and a great way to spend an afternoon relaxing.




FTC Disclosure: I voluntarily reviewed a free Advance Reader Copy of this book from NetGalley and the publisher. I was not required to write a positive review. All opinions expressed are my own.

A completely delightful romantic comedy, featuring Marlowe, who is a lovable underdog as the story begins. She's fled New York for Los Angeles, where she works as a personal assistant on a film set. When circumstances force her to step in as a stand in, she meets Angus, an actor, who seems to be her total opposite. Eventually, Marlowe outgrows her underdog status and finds love, and as readers, we truly enjoy going along on the journey with her.

I received an advanced reader’s copy of Marlowe Banks, Redesigned by Jacqueline Firkins from the publisher.

Marlowe is a relatable character. She’s trying to make her way in a creative career and having to deal with criticism and the fears that the criticism brings up. Angus is different than what he initially appears to Marlowe. She learns that what she assumes about him from what she sees in the media is inaccurate. I really loved how their relationship was developed over the course of the story.

Babs and Cherry were great secondary characters. I especially liked how Babs’s character was revealed throughout.

This is a charming romantic comedy that was a fun read.