Thanks so much to the publisher and to Netgalley for providing me with an e-ARC copy of this book! My reviewing & platforms information is linked in my profile.

Brief Synopsis:

Hollywood darling Emmy Harper is considered the queen of writing romantic comedies. That is, until tragedy struck and she swore she’d never write another happy ending again. After some time away and lots of encouragement, Emmy is finally ready to dive back into the genre with her latest project. But more is riding on this movie than just her return to the big screen. This time, Emmy has also been convinced to star as the lead, dusting off acting skills she hasn’t used in over a decade.

Emmy is nervous, yet excited, to give performing another shot, until a last-minute injury benches her trusted co-star. With filming about to start, there is only one other actor available: Grayson West. A blockbuster action star known for his mega-watt smile and impossible abs, Grayson is anyone’s dream. Anyone except Emmy, who still blames him for the early end to her acting career.

As filming begins, the friction between Emmy and Grayson is palpable. The two are pushed to get their acts together—and quickly—or they risk tanking the entire movie. If working things out leads to chemistry on screen, what might happen when the cameras stop rolling?

Thoughts:

Thank you @putnambooks and @netgalley for providing me with the opportunity to read the ARC for Right on Cue, Falon Ballard’s new rom-com due out on February 27, 2024.

This is such a well-written, entertaining story. Emmy is quite a spitfire, so I enjoyed following her through her chaotic, movie-centric life. The banter between Emmy and “Grayson f*cking West” is enjoyable, perhaps especially because of the characters’ chilly start and miscommunications. The story’s settings are charming and its cast of characters are interesting. My only complaint is that I would have loved for Emmy to experience a bit more personal growth.

This is a great book to watch for next year as you plan your TBR. I will definitely be checking out more of this author’s books!

I really enjoyed her other two novels. Sadly, this one missed the mark for me. The concept is great and the twist at the end was a good one. I just felt like the characters lacked so much depth. Like couldn’t we have had a scene where they go visit Grayson’s family and make amends? Or his dad shows up to the premiere and they make amends? And everything was so surface-level for both characters. I wanted more with Emmy’s connection to her dad and they way she struggled in the industry. I just kinda wanted more this whole book. The “enemies-to-lovers” plot line felt very childish. Which is fun at times, but it wasn’t portrayed very well. You have to mix the fun with the sincere. I’m a lil disappointed that this one was just kinda mid

I honestly loved this book. I felt like the drama between the two characters was handled very well, the tension of working on set was interesting, and the main female character was portrayed interestingly. Often I feel as though the female MC can be very stagnant, but Emmy was very well written. From her Nepo-baby status being addressed in a satisfying way to her relationship with Grayson, I was never not rooting for her. The scenes that took place on set were always very well-explained so people not familiar with the film industry will have an easy time following along. Overall, I am super excited to read this again!

I hate to say it because I have really enjoyed all of Fallons previous books but this one just didn't do it for me.

I felt so detached from the characters and overall the book felt really cliche but not even in the trope-y way you can really lean into and appreciate with romance books. This book was a bit like a lifetime movie where during the read you're like "this is fine" but as soon as its over you forget every aspect of what happened.

I loved Falon Ballard’s last book and was so excited for this one and did it enjoy it for the most
part! One of the areas I felt this book was lacking was the emotional depth with the characters. It all felt a bit rushed and quick at time, which can work for some books, but after reading her last book, I know there was potential for a little bit more here.

like every other one of Falon Ballard’s books, I F L E W through this book in one day.

Emmy Harper is stepping back into the spotlight for the first time in 10 years, only for her leading man to be the very reason she quit acting in the first place. Grayson West, sexiest man of the year and well known action star, is not supposed to be acting in a rom-com, but especially not in Emmy’s rom-com. there’s tension, there’s enemies to lovers, and there’s costars with benefits— but can a Hollywood couple really make it when the cameras stop rolling??

I love books set in the Hollywood world, and was ecstatic to get an advanced copy of this book. I did find Emmy getting on my nerves a time or two (open your eyes, sister!!), and I’ve never been a fan of the miscommunication trope, but I still found myself really enjoying this book!! a big thank you to NetGalley and Putnam books for the advanced copy!

READ IF you love:
✨ hollywood romance
✨ enemies to lovers
✨ quaint inns with a fireplace
✨ falling in love while ice

Thank you to NetGalley and Penguin Group Putnam for giving me this ARC in exchange for an honest review!

Right on Cue follows Emmy Harper who is a writer, and she finds herself reluctantly having to be an actor in her own movie. She is not thrilled for this opportunity when she is still scarred from her first acting gig that was years ago. However, when she arrives at the set location, she finds it charming and begins to get excited. That doesn't last long. Not at all when she literally collides with Grayson West in the entrance. The one who is responsible for her first acting gig going so horribly wrong. Why is he on the set? Oh, because somehow on the last minute he was cast to be her co-star in this Romcom. Emmy and Grayson have to work together shooting scenes, some intimate scenes, while loathing one another. Will they be able to set their past aside and finish the movie? Or will the movie have to be scrapped because they simply can't?

I enjoyed this read, but I wouldn't say it is a favorite of Falon's. I really liked the location of the story, the component of enemies to lovers, and the adorable ice-skating scene. However, I just felt as though something were missing. I find that some of the characters were underdeveloped, and there was miscommunication involved. which is my least favorite trope. Set those aside, it was a good read, and I would recommend it!

Falon Ballard is an auto-buy author for me, so I was so excited when I received this ARC. This book wasn't a favorite of hers for me, but that's okay. She dedicated this book as her "heart-book", and I am so happy for her in doing so. I will still continue to buy any book she creates!

This review is posted to my Goodreads account on 9/10/2023, and it will be posted to my Bookstagram account on 9/12/2023.

Yes! This book was so good! It was easy to read and the dialogue between the characters were good. I think in the beginning it caught me a little off guard but once you continue it, it’s good! I liked the characters and the balance between romance and self discovery in this book. Would recommend! Bravo!

"Right on Cue" was a fun and quick read for me. Light and cute, Emmy & Grayson pulled me out of a reading funk and had me feeling ready for cozy winter weather. I enjoy Falon Ballard's writing style and this was just what I was craving at the time: an enemies-to-lovers, forced proximity, he-fell-first, everyone-sees-it-but-then romance. I am rarely a fan of the miscommunication trope but at least the drama wasn't too drawn out and I knew that HEA was right around the corner. As Emmy's mama says, "Love is only complicated when we make it complicated." If you're looking for a pretty lighthearted Hollywood romcom in book form, put this one on your TBR for February 2024!

Thank you to Putnam Books and NetGalley for the advanced digital copy in exchanged for my honest feedback.

Genuinely surprised at the quality here. Even at their weakest points, Ballard's two previous books were still filled with humor and chemistry. This book didn't have any of that.

Overall this book was good, but not great. I was a big fan of Falon Ballard's other books (Lease on Love and Just My Type) so I had relatively high hopes for this one.

Some things I liked:
-I enjoyed the small-town scenes and the descriptions of the inn and the town
-Grayson was very charming and I enjoyed him trying to break out of his himbo reputation
-The makeup artist and hair stylist were both great and provided both good advice and comedy
-The behind the scenes type descriptions of filming the movie were also fun while still moving the story along

Some things I didn't like:
-This book is just one big ol' miscommunication trope, so if you're not into that this might not be the book for you
-A lot of parts just felt really rushed, especially the third-act resolution
-The backstories (especially Emmy's) weren't really fleshed out. I didn't get a good sense of why the characters acted the way they did
-Emmy was constantly jumping to conclusions and not letting people explain themselves and there wasn't a whole lot of character development on her part
-Honestly, not a lot happened

All in all, I don't think this was a bad book by any means. There were a lot of scenes where the mc's had great chemistry and I thought it was a cute, easy read, it just didn't stand out to me, especially compared to Ballard's previous books

Thank you to NetGalley and Putnam Books for the ARC!

Thank you to NetGalley for another winner from Falon Ballard! It was adorable, spicy, and heartwarming! I flew through this book in a day it was so good! It had a charming plot and extremely likable characters from the leads Emmy and Grayson to the mom, best friend, and even Sam the makeup sylist! It was funny and touching. I loved how every character and setting had charm and felt cozy.
Once again another 5 star from Falon Ballard! I highly recommend this book along with her others!

Love the plot and dynamics of the characters. Being an ARC read, this is definitely a fast read and very enjoyable! The writing style was really good and no part of the book was boring at all. The copy was a little hard to read on the kindle, but other than that, cannot wait for the book to be released!

First off, I love Falon Ballard’s books, but this one wasn’t quite as strong as her other work. Right on Cue is a fun and light rom com read that you will get through quickly. Unfortunately, a couple of weaker points made it slightly less enjoyable for me. The dialogue was a little saccharine and cringey at times. The use of a miscommunication trope twice in the book was a little much. I will say certain scenes were quite steamy and I enjoyed those. Overall it was a quick fairly enjoyable read, but this one is a miss for me, but any book by Falon Ballard is a must read for me!

Thank you to G.P. Putnam & Sons and NetGalley for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I’m not gonna lie, I wasn’t expecting to like this book as much as I did. I thought it was going to be overly cliché and reek of a Hallmark movie. I read this book in a day, it was such a quick read, and I actually fell in love with the characters (they actually had depth). I wish there was more development with the side characters (although I love how Liz an Emmy’s mom were there for Emmy towards the end, that was actually really heartwarming). It’s a little extra spicy and I would recommend reading it when it releases next year 😊

Thank you NetGalley and Putnam Books for the ARC in exchange for an honest review

RIGHT ON CUE by Falon Ballard is a Hollywood enemies-to-lovers full of metareferential trope tributes.

I kind of love when characters are like "if this were a movie" or "if we were in a book". Like, at one point she says she's waiting for the other shoe to drop in their relationship, literally waiting for the third act breakup (it's coming for you, girl!) or that she'll never look at the only one bed trope on the same way or that she releases the breath she was fully aware she was holding. (Although surely the romcom screenwriter should have know upfront the futility of "let's get it out of our system" lol.)

One thing I noticed and thought was great, even if it is totally unrealistic, is that she was eating cinnamon rolls for breakfast all the time with absolutely no body shame or weight anxiety. Yes please!

There is miscommunication that drives the breakup, which I know is not everyone's favorite, even if real people do it all the time!! But there's also caretaking and overcoming insecurities and a cute round of the Newlyweds Game and overall it's just a lot of fun!

I adored this book from start to finish. It seems Hollywood romance novels are all the rage right now (I can think of 5 that came out recently alone), and I should be tired of the costar tropes by now, but Falon Ballard blew me away. This is sweet, steamy (the on-camera sex scene had me squealing I tell you), and the perfect one-sitting read for anyone wishing to date a Marvel hunk.

Was it revolutionary? No, not really. But I loved each moment. Harper, you're my new favorite nepo baby. Thank you Putnam and NetGalley for the ARC!

I absolutely loved this book!! I'm not sure if it was a case of right book right time, but for me it was fantastic! I was a little hesitant going in because I really disliked Ballard's Lease on Love, but I'm so glad I gave this one a chance. I would recommend this to anyone looking for a lighthearted read.


Thanks to Putnam Books via NetGalley for allowing me the opportunity to review this book.

This was an adorable enemies-to-lovers/second-chance romance story that was also a celebrity romance. It had all of the elements of a good rom-com. The writing was entertaining and relatable.

Emmy was an interesting FMC. Being a "Hollywood Nepo Baby", she's not new to the biz, and it shows. She's a consummate professional who will do what it takes to get the movie made. Except... When it comes to Grayson.

Grayson was a worthy MMC. He was quick to admit his fault and learn from his mistakes, and he challenged Emmy like no one else did. And isn't that what every girl is looking for?

The chemistry between these two, on-screen and off-screen was written so well. Seeing their push and pull was incredibly entertaining. It was also pretty funny to see how they weren't fooling anyone else, and their feelings were obvious to everyone but them.

My least favorite trope is the miscommunication trope and from what I'd read up until around ~70% of the story, it did seem like Grayson and Emmy had grown out of that possibility and would handle their budding romance like mature adults. But, alas, What I didn't enjoy was her reasoning for the third-act breakup. It was as if all of her character growth from the rest of the story just vanished in one fell swoop. And it is for that reason that I'm giving this story 3 ⭐️