Hallmark movie at its best, but make it spicy! I absolutely loved this book, from start to finish. The perfect enemies to lovers with a little bit of a twist. I loved how real the main female character was, albeit a bit annoying at times but very relatable. I loved how the main characters relationship developed and the setting was just magical.

When screenwriter Emmy Harper is forced to fill the heroine's shoes in her latest rom-com, she finds herself playing opposite Grayson West, the hero who destroyed her confidence and derailed her acting career. Will this pairing be their second chance to right the past?

*Applause. Applause*

I am three for three with Ballard, and I swear, she can do no wrong. I know many of us roll our eyes when we see the rom-com label slapped on a book, but this was a legit rom-com. First, the story involved filming a rom-com, so I was treated to all those fun on-screen antics, but there were also a plethora of fun, sweet, cozy, and swoony moments that took place off-screen. I have to admit, I was in a happy place as I read this book.

A fantastic cast of character and a picturesque setting added to the fun, but it was Emmy and Grayson who owned my heart. I was so invested in them resolving their past issues, acting on their sizzling attraction, and falling in love. I really enjoyed seeing their bond grown with each page. I will admit that the third act break up was my least favorite thing - am I the only one who doesn't need this drama? But, I forgave Ballard because she made it up ten-fold with an ending that had the happy tears flowing.

I would definitely label this an enemies-to-lovers story which is not necessarily my favorite kind of romance, but this one was so well done. The history Emmy and Grayson shared from their joint debut film really left a mark on Emmy. It was that early disaster that forced her behind the scenes, and it was that experience that made her hate Grayson. I did feel bad for her, but I was happy that she took her chance and put herself back in front of the cameras while also working things out with Grayson.

Overall, this was such a wonderful story. I flew through the pages with a smile on my face, eagerly awaiting that HEA, and I was not disappointed.

Short synopsis: Emmy Harper, daughter of two of Hollywoods elite actors, is cast as the main female character alongside her teenage crush turned heartbreak Grayson West.

My thoughts: I’m pretty much to the point where I will admit, I will read anything Falon writes. Her characters are so developed and feel so “real” to me.

I am a sucker for a celebrity Romance and this did not disappoint. The small town hotel setting, the growth of Emmy as she comes to terms with her own abilities and insecurities, the reconciliation and communication from the past fallout…. It all just worked for me!

I especially liked how the resolution for the third act breakup took some time, forgiveness, conversation, and understanding. I think it really helped the characters feel more lifelike knowing it wasn’t an instant fix, when there was some deep hurt (and miscommunication) from both sides.

Read if you love:
- Enemies to Lovers
- Celebrity Romance
- Small town locations
- Charcoal and Pine (and forearms, and abs)
- Rom-com movies

Emmy and Grayson!!! I could NOT get enough. Such a fun rom com! I’m a sucker for an enemies to lovers, 2nd chance romance. I really enjoyed The concept of them meeting at a young age while acting in a movie together and then having a fallout after Grayson publicly making a comment about how kissing her was the worst. Heartbreaking. Especially because it led to Emmy leaving behind her dream of acting. It’s very relatable, as I’m sure we’ve all have had an experience with rejection that we’ve allowed to change the direction of our plans.

As much as the miscommunication drove me nuts, it was still a super enjoyable read. Fallon is one of my absolute favorite authors. Thank you for gifting me this read.

4.5 stars rounded up

This had sooo many elements I loved by an author I always enjoy! We have celebrity romance, film set, and somewhat of a second chance romance. I also loved the friends with benefits but mutual pining. That’s always a favorite of mine and they were so freaking cute in this one.

One thing I love about Falon is how she writes FMCs. Emmy is not perfect and I love her for it. There’s times she acts on emotion or has thoughts about our MMC that in hindsight are pretty hypocritical. But that’s real life and at the end of the day she’s a goofy and loving person that feels deeply.

Okay yall, the sexual tension will knock you over in this. Basically they are enemies-ish (more like just general dislike) thrown together to film a sex scene of their movie and they have to learn to trust each other again in find a level of intimacy that will translate on screen. The push pull, doubt and then attraction is fire-y af. And it just accelerates from there. Their chemistry on and off screen absolutely drives this.

The one hang up I had is that this felt like it was written very quickly. I don’t mean that the plot progression was rushed just more like felt like a stream at some points instead of designated acts. I also want to give a warning that if you are not a fan of 3rd act breakups or the miscommunication trope there is a certain part of this that will make you so mad. Me personally, I can work with it and the angst was through some intensity into the last little bit but yeah if you take too many steps back it’s a little ridiculous.

Overall I’d absolutely recommend this though. Falon really is a great writer and the romance is everything. Thank you to penguin group putnam, GP Putnam’s sons for this eARC.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for allowing me to review this book.

I devoured this book. I couldn't put it down. I have read two books by Falon Ballard and loved them both. She has a way of writing that makes the characters feel so real and engaging that you can't look away. I loved the plot and the story and how it comes to life as you read. Everything is there for me, from the characters to the pacing to the plot. I truly loved this book.

Thank you to the publisher for the eARC. All opinions expressed are my own.

This is my third Falon Ballard book, and it will not be my last. I am in love with her writing style. It feels so fun and fresh; plus it hits you right in the feels during the more emotional scenes. The writing style also works really well with the cast of characters, all of whom are the actual best.

The plot of this book is what really drew me in (other than the author being Ballard ofc), and it did not disappoint. There were so many moments of screaming into a pillow throughout from the tension and pining. Absolutely loved it!

I recommend this book for fans forced proximity, celebrity romances, flawed/vulnerable characters, and Ava Wilder's 'Will They or Won't They.'

Wonderful story, great character development, great writing! Highly recommend this book. I thoroughly enjoyed it

I enjoyed Falon Ballard’s last novel, but I loved Right on Cue. It’s enemies to lovers in the truest rom-com fashion. Emmy and Grayson dislike each other over what ends up being a misunderstanding when they were teens, but when they finally spend time together as adults, they have incredible chemistry. Even if on screen, they can’t seem to get it together. They need to figure it out fast if Emmy wants to save her movie.

Emmy is clever and talented and so relatable with her insecurities. Grayson is a golden retriever of a book boyfriend, utterly lovable, and I would have loved some chapters from his POV because I feel like being inside his head would be so interesting. And their chemistry, once they acknowledge it, is so good and so natural. I loved them together.

The movie-on-location setting worked so well. It created this incredible, insular little world. Sometimes Hollywood books don’t work for me because there’s too much going on, interviews and meddling agents and rival actors. But the world of Right on Cue was cozy and warm, even when Emmy and Grayson were arguing.

The inevitable third act drama was a little predictable, but every great rom-com needs a roadblock before we get to HEA. It’s worth it to see how Emmy and Grayson’s story ends.

Did I spend an hour in bed this morning furiously finishing this one? Absolutely! And zero regrets 🔍

Vera Wong’s Unsolicited Advice for Murderers is one of my fave types of books - multiple perspectives, a quirky cast of characters and just the right balance of heart and humor🔍

Very Wong owns a teashop, and spends her time catering to her small but loyal clientele and keeping tabs on her son who she really thinks should be married and text her back more often. One morning Vera comes down to the shop from her upstairs apartment and is shocked to find a body. Though always one to find the silver lining, Vera realizes she can put all of her tv watching to good use and investigate the case itself 🔍

This was such an entertaining, witty and enjoyable book. A perfect cozy mystery for a long weekend! Bravo, @jesseqsutanto - I loved it 🔍

Will post this review on goodreads, retail sites and my bookstagram @scottonreads

Right on Cue by Falon Ballard
Narrators: Curt Bonnem, Rachel L Jacobs, Gail Shalan, Andrea Emmes
Rating: 4 stars
Steam: 2 chilis
Pub date: 2/27

Thank you so much to Putnam Books for my physical copy and PRH Audio for my free audiobook.

Emmy Harper has written a phenomenal screenplay for a new romantic comedy, but her team can’t find anyone suitable to play the lead. The director, and Emmy’s best friend, convinces her to dust off her acting chops and star in her own movie. She’s more than a little unhappy to find out that her arch nemesis and the man she hates most in the world, action star Grayson West, is playing her love interest. There’s a lot of animosity between the two of them, and if they can’t put it aside, it could tank the whole movie.

I absolutely love Hollywood romances, so right away, I knew this was going to be perfect for me. Emmy is funny and relatable, and I liked her immediately. Grayson acts like a jerk at first, not in a cute way, but he starts to lighten up as the story goes on. The enemies-to-lovers vibes are in full effect, and the steam is very steamy. The coworkers with benefits situation and all the sneaking around add to the tension and make this feel believable, and I think this is Fallon’s spiciest book yet!

The audiobook narration was done so well! The addition of interviews using different voice actors really added to the experience and made it seem like I was listening to an actual interview.

This was one of my most anticipated romances this year, and it did not disappoint! I loved Falon Ballard's previous books, also, and I can’t wait to see what she does next.

Read if you like:
*Hollywood romance
*second chance romance
*friends with benefits
*enemies-to-lovers
*forced proximity

Emmy is a rom-com screen writer who comes from Hollywood royalty. She acted once in her past and it was a total flop. The reviews were awful so, she switched to writing the scripts and never looked back. For her newest film, they can’t seem to find the right actress to play the leading lady. Emmy did too good of a job in a read through and now they only want her. Her co-star ends up being her nemesis from that first movie that flopped, Grayson. The two can’t seem to get it together, yet again. The tension between Grayson and Emmy is so good. At first, I wasn’t sure if I liked Grayson because he comes off like a complete jerk but he quickly grew on me and I loved him in the end. Such a fun read with a very sassy and smart-assy FMC who has some issues to sort out. The MMC is surprisingly tender but has some insecurities to sort through and watching them do it together makes for a great love story.

Thank goodness this came along to break my 3-star streak. I was starting to worry it was me.

There’s always something so delightful about an celebrity second chance, enemies-to-FWB-to-lovers romance, and Falon Ballard really nails it with Emmy and Grayson, who first met and fell for each other as teenagers making their first movie. After their on-set fallout tanks the film, Grayson goes on to a career as a Hollywood himbo, while Emmy retreats behind the scenes, where she’s carved out success writing rom-coms and a surprise Oscar-winning drama penned after the unexpected death of her father. So when casting proves impossible for the heroine in her latest romantic flick, and Emmy reluctantly steps in, she’s furious to learn her director (and BFF) Liz has brought Greyson in to play the romantic lead after their original star breaks his leg and has to bow out. Grayson is still just as hot, and as big of an asshole, as Emmy remembers, tanking their scenes together on camera and treating her with disdain off. As their long-carried baggage threatens to ruin another movie, Emmy and Grayson must decide if they can bury the hatchet. But what’s left when the hatred has burned away, and old feelings turn out to be not so much gone but still very much alive?

Right on Cue was pretty much perfect for me – a movie set in a charming small town winter wonderland, a romance writer without an ounce of shame for her genre, a clever (and HOT) meta-twist on the one bed trope, and two leads with a boatload of chemistry and just as much history. The single-POV – Emmy’s – made the payoff all the much sweeter when it became clear that her only sex, no feelings boundary is thoroughly one-sided (here’s me loving the he-falls-first trope). There’s a great cast of side characters - Liz, sassy (and observant) hair and makeup team Sam and Amanda, fellow actress Jenna, and especially, Emmy’s funny, nosy mom Diane.

If I have one complaint (OK, two), it’s that Grayson doesn’t get his ass handed to him for his unprofessional behavior in his scenes with Emmy on set. Sure, she lets him get under her skin and turns in equally bad performances, but she really doesn’t share the blame for the ruined scenes. And second, I really could have done without
(SPOILERS)
the misheard conversation that spurs the third-act breakup – especially since it’s *exactly what happened when they were teenagers*. Especially especially when people like Liz and her mom try to get Emmy to ask Grayson about what she thought she heard, but she’s convinced she knows the truth. In my view, Emmy could have immediately confronted Grayson about what she’d heard, and her lack of trust in him could have still provided enough conflict to give the necessary drama at the end.
(SPOILERS OVER)

⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ 💫 4.5 stars: Knocking off half a star (and rounding down) for those quibbles, but really, this is Ballard’s best yet.

Thanks to NetGalley and G.P. Putnam’s Sons/Penguin Group for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This was my first Falcon Ballard book and it will definitely not be my last!

Emmy and Grayson were peak “idiots-to-lovers” energy and I mean that in the absolute best, most squeal worthy way! It is so obvious they are into each other from the start but our girl Emmy just can’t see it due to an angsty incident that happened when they were teenagers.

Emmy being a screen writer meant that she was voicing the book community thoughts at different points of the story which I thought added an additional layer of entertainment. Plus it was a different take on the “books about writers” trope as opposed to having an author MC.

I also LOVED the behind the scenes of being on a movie set. I feel like all my theater peeps will really enjoy that aspect too.

This book made me smile, laugh, SCREAM, and want to cry at different points and I absolutely loved it! Y’all won’t want to miss this one when it comes out next week!!!

{Big thank you to Netgalley & Putnam Books for providing the eARC to my first 5 star read of the year!}

4.5 Stars

Emmy Harper is the queen of writing romantic comedies, but after suffering a tragedy writing rom-coms just doesn't come easy. Taking a break and writing more serious movies was just what she needed. But time has past and maybe rom-coms are just what she needs. What she didn't need was to star in her return to rom-coms, and especially not with the costar that ruined her acting career in the first place. Grayson West is a blockbuster action start that anyone would be ecstatic to work with. His name will bring people to the theaters alone. So sucking it up and working with him is just what Emmy will have to do. She is a professional after all. Filming starts and it's clear Emmy and Grayson have some things they need to work through. Sizzling chemistry on screen doesn't necessarily mean sizzling chemistry off screen, right?

I loved this one. It kept me up reading late into the night saying to myself "just one more chapter". I honestly struggled to put it down when I needed to. I've loved Falon's writing since the first book I read from her and this one was no different. The characters are well developed, the story is fleshed out, and the writing just flows over the pages. Even with the single POV I never doubted Grayson and his feelings for Emmy. I loved the character growth we got to see from Emmy and I appreciated how the third act conflict played out, thought it could have been avoided with a little communication (which is frustrating but not unexpected in romance novels). I loved how the relationship between Emmy and Grayson developed. I loved the tension between them as well as the easy nature they developed.

All around, I had a fantastic time with this book and I will 100% be reading whatever she comes out with next.

✔️ Enemies to Lovers
✔️ Workplace Romance
✔️ Bed First, Feelings Later
✔️ Forced Proximity
✔️ Hint of Small Town
✔️ First Person Single POV

Thanks, netgalley, for allowing me to read this book. This is the 3rd book I've read by Falon Ballard, and I find all her female characters to be the same and really surface level . The build up in this book took so long and I was just reading to finish it. The sneak around was so obvious and the main male character was very unprofessional and coddled by the film crew which I didn't appreciate

You want two idiots in love???? You freaking got it. One thing Falon is good at is writing a romcom that should be made into a movie. She just gets it!!!

We have Emmy Harper, our award winning writer and Nepo baby, coming back to act for the first time in YEARSSS. Only to act opposite, Grayson West, the man that ruined acting for her. And now they have to film a small town, spicier than usual hallmark movie. Maybe it’s more Amazon prime vibes…

If you’re not a fan of miscommunication then idk if this book will be your vibe, but if you’re like me and don’t mind some miscommunication because it makes you feel something?? Then I HIGHLY recommend this. Emmy and Grayson are chaotic. They’re petty. But it’s so entertaining that I finished it in like 2 days. They have this tension and attraction that even if they’re being stupid, I can’t help but want them to be endgame. They’re your 2 dumb friends that “don’t get along” but secretly love each other.

Also, having the book being a celeb/hollywood romance made it even more fun! Basing Emmy off my fav Nepo baby, Miss Dakota Johnson <3.

Anyway, Falon can do no wrong. If you loved the movie Anyone but You, you’ll also love this.

Thank you netgalley and Putnam books for this arc in exchange for an honest review!

Emmy Harper is Hollywood royalty, the daughter of two Hollywood superstars. Grayson West is an action movie hero. They once starred together as teens in a movie. That acting experience left Emmy fearful of going in front of the camera again. She became a screen writer instead. She won an Oscar for her latest screenplay and is now ready to start filming her newest rom-com. They've been unable to find a lead actress and so Emmy agrees to take on the role. She goes on location and finds from the producer - her best friend - that the male lead has broken his leg and has been replaced by Grayson West. I loved this story - have thoroughly enjoyed each of this author's books! 4 1/2 stars

Emmy Harper is a successful rom-com screenwriter who hasn’t been in front of the cameras for over a decade while Grayson West is a successful action movie star with a list of blockbuster movies under his belt. But they can’t stand each other and being brought together on the location of her latest movie, especially one she’ll be playing the female lead on, is nothing short of a recipe for disaster.
I picked this book because I like the enemies to lovers’ trope and this one seemed like a fun read which it definitely was. I liked the premise and execution, found the characters believable and relatable and enjoyed the story altogether.
One of the best things for me was Grayson’s backstory and personality, the man underneath the veneer and the depth of his feelings for Emmy. He was definitely my favorite of the two and though she’s a likeable character and I understood her insecurities, sometimes I just wanted to hit her on the head.
In all, Right on Cue is a nice, fun read about a Hollywood couple who start making a movie with a heavy dislike for each other only to find the easiest path through it all was the one that leads to a HEA.


4 stars

Emmy Harper came from an Oscar winning Dad who had passed away and was a Hollywood icon. Emmy was a writer and they are ready to start the shoot to her movie. Liz her best friend was the director and she had told Emmy that they needed her to be the leading lady in the movie. Emmy didn’t want to do the acting because previous she had a flop of a movie. Then the leading man Jonathan Brentwood could not be in the movie so in walks Grayson West. Emmy couldn’t stand Grayson because that is who was in the movie with her before. She did everything she could to avoid Grayson and he likewise was making the scene shooting difficult for Emmy as well. I loved Sam and Amanda they were the makeup and hair artists and so witty. The skating rink scene was awesome!
This is first book I have read from this author but hope to read more.

I received this ARC from Netgalley for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.