When I first began reading this, it seemed like another rom com story and I was a little bored. As I kept reading, I wanted Emmy and Grayson to get together.
As a seasoned reader, sometimes I can predict where a story is going. I was able to still be surprised and interested in how everything wrapped up. Cute and fun.
Thank you to @netgalley for the advance copy.

*Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this early arc in exchange for my honest review.

I am a Falon Ballard fan, first and foremost. This was one of my most anticipated books of the years. For two years in a row before this I had a Falon Ballard book in my top 5 Rom-coms of the year. She just gets my rom-com wants. And this book is no exception!

Hollywood darling Emmy Harper is considered the queen of writing romantic comedies. She takes a hiatus after a personal tragedy, but now she's back and ready to dive back in to happily ever after. But more is at stake than just writing reputation, because this time she's been convinced to put herself in front of the camera and dust off her acting chops last used a decade ago. She's nervous but excited....until she finds out her nemesis, Grayson West, is her leading man. Grayson is anyone’s dream of a romantic lead. Anyone except Emmy, who still blames him for her disastrous first movie and the early end to her acting career. Their friction is ruining the moving, the one salvageable scene they've shot is the one where they were thrust out of their comfort zones and forced to trust each other. So the two are pushed to get their acts together—and quickly—or they risk tanking the entire movie, and in this case working things out means a co-workers with benefits situation. How long can they keep this arrangement going before real feelings get involved? And what happens to the movie and their media careers if it implodes?

I read this in one sitting. I ate it up. I love the characters, the main and the myriad of side characters. Our leads are vulnerable, charming, genuine, and relatable. They're chemistry is an electric current throughout. I'm not the world's biggest fan of a miscommunication trope, and I appreciate that our character isn't given an easy out from it. There is real introspection, and our leads call each other out for their bullshit. Family and friends are supportive, but also honest and non-pittying. I have already re-read it just for the warmy-gooey feelings it gave me.
Tropes:
He falls first, she falls harder
Enemies to lovers
Co-workers with benefits
Hollywood
Second Chance Romance
Forced Proximity

I believe this book has potential and others would love it, but I didn’t.

I found the MMC to be annoying and way to mean and standoffish. I liked the overall plot and story line.

I give it 2.5 stars.

All the heart eyes on this delightful romcom - coming February 27th! I’m a big fan of @falonballard and this was chock full of my favorite tropes - enemies to lovas, “one bed”, and the infamous third act breakup. Not super steamy but not closed door either. Pick it up if this is your thing - you’ll like.

This book fell flat to me. The characters were not fleshed out or loveable. The pacing was off too. The book should have more of a build up towards the main characters feelings.

i ate this book up!!! like read it in one sitting. thats how much i loved it. emmy and grayson were so much fun. i think that the way this whole story played our was executed perfectly and i really enjoyed it. we have a classic enemies to lovers workplace romance that highlights how important communication and trust can be in a growing relationship. emmy has a lot weighing on her throughout this book; her grief of losing her father, acting again, and the pressure she feels to perform well and not be a disappointment. grayson himself is working on trying to show people he can be taken seriously as an actor, and diving into the mindset of doing things that you love because you should be true to who you are. these two come together to show build each other up, and push each other to be better in the end. I found their romance to be fun and humorous at times, but also heartwarming and very swooony. oh and of course spicy. other than delivering two amazing main characters, as always, falon also gives us side characters that have us laughing and wanting to be their friends too. definitely recommend this read!

This was a classic (and amazing) enemies to lovers trope! I flew through this book and loved every second! 😍

Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for the arc of this book. This is the first Falon Ballard book I have read and I was not disappointed. The female main character in this story hooked me from the start. This book had wonderful characters and a great plot. This book also had some spice. I read this book in one sitting. I could not put it down.

I LOVED this book! Such a fun, different storyline. So many steamy parts from the get-go. Emmy and Grayson have great chemistry and their enemies-to-lovers path is so smooth and easy to root for. Definitely recommend!

This was my first Falon Ballard book, but it definitely will not be my last! I was so pleasantly surprised with Right on Cue (not that I was expecting it to be bad, I just went in with no expectations as I hadn’t yet heard of Ballard’s work).

Emmy, a former actress turned screenwriter, is shocked to learn that after agreeing to play the FMC she wrote, her nemesis Grayson West is cast to play opposite her in her next RomCom. She can barely stand to be in the same room as him, so how can she possible pretend to fall in love with him for the sake of her movie?

While it took me a little while to get onboard with Emmy and Grayson as the MCs, I really did end up liking them by the end of the book. However, what I really loved was how Ballard takes the tropes we all know and love - enemies to lovers, only one bed, fake dating/relations - and gives them a new spin. There of course was a touch of my least favorite trope in the world - miscommunication - but I did appreciate how her supporting characters at least acknowledged how dumb the miscommunication was. Most importantly, the build in Emmy and Grayson’s relationship felt natural and had me rooting for them!

Overall, this was a delightful read. Lots of Hollywood magic and the perfect amount of spice. Would definitely recommend and can’t wait to read through Ballard’s backlist.

4/5 stars

Thanks to NetGalley and Penguin Group PUTNAM for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. These opinions are my own.

The Gist: Emmy Harper is an Oscar winning screenwriter who is no stranger to the Hollywood spotlight. She had her first on-screen role as a teenager alongside her childhood crush, however, the movie tanked and Emmy hasn't acted since. Fast-forward 15 years, Emmy has been convinced to give acting another go by starring as the female lead in her most recent romcom screenplay. She is excited about the prospect- that is until the male lead is unexpectedly recast as action star, Grayson West (who happens to be the one man Emmy blames on abruptly ending her acting career). The friction and unresolved tension between the two is palpable, causing many issues on set. They have to learn how to work together, putting the movie, their reputations, and hearts on the line.

Things I loved:
- I love a good enemies-to-lovers trope
- The tension between the characters was so good and led to really great spicy scenes
- This was really my first "Hollywood Romance" and I really enjoyed the premise

Things I didn't love:
- There was SO much miscommunication in this, and the 3rd act break up could have easily been avoided with just an ounce of effort to have a conversation
- I could not get over how many times Emmy referred to Grayson as 'Grayson F***ing West' (it was 32 times)
- You could have told me Emmy was still 15, I probably would have believed you

My Takeaway: This was a cute & spicy read that doubled as enemies-to-lovers and second chance romance. I really enjoyed the tension between the two main characters, and became invested into heir relationship as it strengthened. However, I felt like there was too much miscommunication that could have very easily been avoided, and I would have loved more depth and character development from both leads. It was still a sweet story and if you're looking for a fun, quick read, I think this could be a good option!

Thank you NETGALLEY and Penguin Group Putnam for the eARC in exchange for an honest review.
Official publication day is February 27, 2024!

I thought this was sweet, fun, a little bit spicy and at times emotional. I really loved it, it grabbed and held my attention and I read it in 2 sittings. I love that Emmy didn't have a huge character arc, it made her seem more human to make the same mistake again. And I love that the conflict didn't get resolved by just saying I'm sorry, it had to take more time and patience. Both characters definitely had their flaws and I wanted to smack them both sometimes for their non communication. I like how the side characters called the main ones on their BS, I love when that happens. I really enjoyed Emmy's mom as well, especially when she comes to visit Emmy in the end. I also enjoyed the mental health representation even if it was just one remark, it was in there. The spice was descriptive but not explicit and we got several scenes throughout. There were a few emotional moments throughout as well, nothing too deep but enough to tug the heartstrings. There was no high drama but there is a third act breakup.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publsiher for early access to Right on Cue!

Emmy Harper is a screenwriter who is finally staring in a movie of one of her scripts. Little does she know, her love interest will be played by Grayson West, her enemy number 1 after they stared in a movie together as teenagers. However, as they spend time filming, things get spicy to help them resolve the tension between them. This was my fist Falon Ballard novel and while I liked it, miscommunication played a huge role in the drama of the story which is a pet peeve of mine. The miscommunications could have been easily cleared up when they were teenagers and in the present story if they had just had a conversation. There was some good spice in this story and the Grayson will definitely snag a piece of your heart but overall this was a like not a love for me.

This was a wonderful addition to Falon Ballard’s catalogue. I loved the story of a screen writer and actor who had a past and having to get over themselves to make a movie work. I loved the back story both Emmy and Grayson had with their fathers, while so different each clearly impacted them greatly. Watching These two fall literally into each other and then in love with each other was a pure joy! As always, thoroughly readable, at times laughed out loud, and of course felt the love of the inn at the center of the story as well as our more minor characters Liz, Sam, and Amanda who played their roles perfectly and added such a fun element to our MCs storyline.

Recommend to: anyone who loves a hallmark movie in book form, rom com lovers, fans of Emily Henry, Katherine Center, Catherine Walsh, Sarah Adams

I have been a fan of Falon Ballard since she released Lease on Love in 2022. I am beyond grateful to the author, NetGalley, and G.P. Putnam's Sons for giving me an ARC of her third novel.

Right on Cue is about Hollywood's beloved nepo baby, Emmy Harper. She has become a success in her own right as a screenwriter but is still haunted by her one failed attempt at acting alongside Grayson West in their teenage rom-com.

15 years after their first movie bombed (largely in part to negative comments Grayson made about Emmy), the two find themselves co-staring in a new romance movie written by Emmy herself. When Emmy arrives on set and realizes who her co-star is, she immediately reverts to the teenage insecure version of herself that she was the first time they acted together.

So... how do you film a romance movie with two actors who despise each other? After a week of filming epically awful scenes, Emmy and Grayson come up with an interesting way to resolve their on screen awkwardness and simmering sexual tension.

What I love about this book: The characters are realistically flawed and fully developed, with backstories that explain why they feel and act the way they do.

What I don't like about this book: A third-act breakup caused by miscommunication (my least favorite trope).

This book comes out on February 27th. I recommend reading if you like:
🎬 Hollywood & Filmmaking
😤 Enemies to Lovers
🌶️ Spicy Scenes
🏠 Small Town B&Bs
💔 Third Act Breakups

⭐⭐⭐⭐

Thank you NetGallery for this ARC!! It was such a cute read and I loved the plot. I did not like the 3rd act breakup over miscommunication, but the enemies to lovers second chance storyline was so good. Loved Emmy for sticking up for herself!

This was hot. Kind of an enemies-to-lover that blossomed into a friends with benefits that turned into love. I really enjoyed the amount of respect Emmy and Grayson grew to have with one another, even if we had to get through many moments of miscommunication to get there. Falon Ballard has become an auto-by author for me.

I was so happy to receive this ARC of Falon Ballard's latest novel! I was such a fan of Just My Type when I read it as an ARC and even went out a purchased Lease on Love! Sadly, this book fell flat for me.

With the classic Falon set up, we have two main characters with instant heads butting. While I love enemies to lovers, this one didn't give me that feel completely. It was more hurt teenager heart mixed with stubborn grudge.

Emmy is producing and acting in her own movie after taking a hiatus when her first acting experience took not only a huge critic bashing, but her first kiss and crush, Grayson, broke her heart. Grayson West went on to star in a bunch of action movies and is now on Emmy's movie playing opposite her as her love interest. The tensions are high and these two pick petty fights between them until they decide to sleep together to get over the tension between them.

Here are the things I noted that made this book not work for me:
-She runs into Grayson literally multiple times. It is always "I ran into a hard something/ hard chest" and by the second/third time I was over it.
-she called the male main characters "Grayson fucking West" or just his full name every single time she refers to him. It’s exhausting. I felt like Grayson West took up 40% of the text in this book.
-They have sex and it cures all the awkward tension they’ve had the entire 8 days of shooting??? No conversations are hard. No getting to know why he talked trash about her when they were kids? And then they just throw out the 1 time rule and bang like rabbits??? And expect to not catch feelings?
-She can only have sex with him? She constantly harasses him about having sex even when he clearly isn’t in the right mental state to do that. She seems to not want to know him as a person and only wants to have sex with him. It’s all surface level superficial. I felt like a few times she should have tried to have a conversation with him about what was bothering him, but it felt more transactional and cheap. I didn't like it one bit. Tried to push the limit of being costars who sleep together and someone who cares about the person they're sleeping with.

Overall, it was an interesting story that would have been better without the constant use of the male MC’s name. Thank you Netgalley, Penguin Group, and PRH Audio for this ARC!

Right On Cue is a fun enemies-to-lovers rom-com about two former co-stars who, after 15 years, are forced to work together again, despite their dislike for one another. Think Hallmark, but make it hella spicy!

As usual, Falon Ballard's writing is just so fun and captivating and makes you invested in the story from page one. And dare I say, this is her spiciest book so far! And while I will forever be a Falon Ballard fan (Just My Type was one of my faves of 2023), this one just didn't totally work for me.

First up, I didn't really vibe with either of the MC's. I understood why Emmy had ill feelings toward Grayson, but man, girl can hold a grudge. And Grayson...he was an absolute d*** for no reason. It was honestly hard for me to root for them after such a negative first impression.

I also just wanted longer tension out of the enemies-to-lovers storyline. I'm not a big fan of the "lets get it out of our system" trope, but I know a lot of people love it!

Overall, if the premise of this book sounds good, 100% give it a try. While it wasn't totally my cup-of-tea, it absolutely won't detour me from reading Ballard's books in the future!

Thank you to NetGalley and Putnam Books for an advanced reader's copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I absolutely loved Just My Type so when I saw this author had a new one coming out I jumped at the chance to read it.
I liked Grayson and Emmy and I thought they were cute together. However, my problem was twofold. The first thing I didn’t like was the fact that they jumped into bed and all of a sudden all their problems were gone. Also, I’m not a huge miscommunication trope lover. In fact, I hate it. This book had it in spades and I found myself constantly rolling my eyes and wanting to yell at the characters to just get out of their own heads and talk to each other!
This one didn’t necessarily work for me for those reasons but I can see this being a very popular book!

Thanks to NetGalley and Penguin Group for an eARC in exchange for my honest review.