I can't think of a way of explaining how difficult I am about rom-coms, especially since everything has already been made. Don't get me wrong, I love rom-coms, I grew up watching them and dreaming about my very own, which makes it even more tough to surprise me.
But Falon Ballard succeeded.

Emily and Greyson’s story could be misinterpreted as a written version of some Hallmark movie, but it isn't.
It's like reading the behind-the-scenes of your favourite rom-com, already knowing what will happen, but instead of some cliché that will break up your favs, there are totally good reasons why they could not work out together. There are plausible real-life problems and solutions, with the constant reminder of not being in a movie or a love story but their life.

It's classic but fresh, with the feeling that the author is trying just enough: perfectly made descriptions, dialogues filled with enough cultural references to not seem fake, Emmy’s internal dialogue expressing every concern any person could feel in her spot, spicy but without being too unnatural.
It's a story written by an author who knows her audience, and that overshadows any doubt you might have.

Thanks to PENGUIN GROUP Putnam and NetGalley, who provided me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest opinion.

“Right on Cue” is a new funny, emotional and sexy new romcom by Falon Ballard. This is the first book I have read by this author and am so glad I did. I will definitely be reader her other stories!

“Right on Cue” is about Emmy, a screenwriter, who is coerced into acting in her own movie, something she hasn’t done in over 15 years when Grayson West humiliated her and broke her heart at the tender age of 15. Grayson, unbeknownst to her, becomes her leading man, replacing her friend.

There are lots of assumptions of ill intent and miscommunication about the past, which is usual for this trope. However, Ms. Ballard’s writing is fresh, has depth and writes romantic tension so well that it doesn’t feel like a well worn trope. She digs into the past of each main character deftly and brings out pieces like an onion being peeled back slowly, propelling the relationship forward and making the reader care about the protagonists and invest in their relationship. I won’t say more so I don’t give away the best parts, but I highly recommend this book!

This is the third Falon Ballard novel I've read and it did not disappoint. Usually books about Hollywood/celebrities aren't my first choice, but this one was fun. I liked the inn and the location and that there was some past drama between Emmy and Grayson. I wanted more of the friendship aspect between Emmy and Liz. Also, the miscommunication/overhearing part of a conversation thing is so overdone and Hallmark-y and I expected something a little bit better as that felt like a generic cop-out.

Kindly received an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Hilarious, hot & heartwarming meta rom-com, perfect for fans of Olivia Dade!

I laughed and squee’d throughout this entire strawberry starburst, fresh hot glazed donut of an enemies-to-lovers turned costars-with-benefits romance between nepo baby screenwriter Emmy, and the thirst-trap action hero (and two-time Sexiest Man Alive!) Grayson. After co-starring in a disastrous film a decade earlier, the two are reunited for Emmy’s latest project, a Nora Ephron-inspired small-town romance,

This novel announces itself right out of the gate as being a romance about romance and the romance genre --written for romance readers. In that sense, it is in every way predictable and cliché, and with all the right beats in all the right places. It is very funny and peppered with hilarious banter and a cast of minor characters who all contributed to make this book a fast, breezy, and truly enjoyable read. I loved Emmy’s mom, Liz, and Sam. I loved the setting and atmosphere of the small town. I loved the ongoing joke of calling Grayson “Grayson fucking West” throughout the novel.

Technically, this novel is well written, and although there are no surprises here in terms of plot, characters, conflicts and resolutions, at the end of the day it delivers on all of the promises that a rom-com makes to the reader who wants straight-up, feel-good escapism. Take this to the beach, to your pedicure, to Starbucks after your trip to Target to enjoy over a caramel macchiato on a day off, or curl up on a Friday night with a glass of wine after your kids are gone to bed. I promise you’ll love it.

Thank you NetGalley and PENGUIN GROUP Putnam, G.P. Putnam's Sons for the opportunity to read and review this novel. All opinions are my own.

This is such a cute, low key holiday romance read. You find yourself cheering on our (literal) leads the whole way.

Falon Ballard has become a must read author for me and Right on Cue did not disappoint.This book is the perfect blend of romcom x2 as it's a romantic comedy about a romantic comedy! It's always fun when watching your favorite romcom to imagine whether the characters were actual into each other irl, or speculate on the chemistry and "does it seem real" or not. Reading the fictional behind the scenes take on said situation was entertaining for sure.

Both characters had their highs and lows - Emmy was clearly still hurting and insecure, but she was also closed off and unwilling to listen/communicate while Grayson was obstinate and a bit frustrating to read.

Lack of communication tropes seem to be gaining in popularity - or I just happen to be reading a ton of them lately - and I'm getting. bit tired of it . At least there weren't chapters upon chapters of angst to deal with in this novel!

Thanks to NetGalley for the digital ARC.

I enjoyed Just My Type and Lease on Love, so I was excited to see Falon Ballard's new title, Right on Cue. Unfortunately, I think this may be my least favorite of the three books. I felt like compared to the previous novels, this one lacked the depth that really made you feel more connected with the characters and their struggles. Personally, I had a hard time relating to Emmy and her insecurities from being a nepo baby. I didn't feel like there was enough context or character building to make Emmy's experience growing up in the spotlight feel like it justified her communication issues and fears with Grayson. The miscommunication became one of the main reasons I had a hard time fully enjoying the book.
Otherwise, the romance element was cute! This was a second-chance type romance/right person, wrong time and had a bit of enemies to lovers. Emmy and Grayson have chemistry as the main characters and I also wish we saw more of their relationship outside of the bedroom.

Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC.

Thank you Putnam Books and NetGalley for the ARC! All opinions are my own.

I loved Lease on Love so I was excited to jump back into Ballard's writing with Right On Cue! I ended up devouring this book and it was a fun read!

A few things that caught my attention:
I loved Emmy and Greyson's interactions and character growth as they fall in love. We also got a good peak at their day-to-day relationship that you don't see very much in romance books which I loved.

This didn't affect my enjoyment of the book, but it does give off Christmas vibes for much of the book. The characters are filming a romance movie at an inn during the winter. There is snow and ice skating and fireplaces, so while it is not a Christmas book it does have those vibes.

For readers who don't love spice, Emmy and Greyson do have a costars with benefits to lovers relationship. There are couple explicit scenes and then sex is mentioned frequently since that was a major point of their early relationship. The explicit scenes are easy to skip if desired, but maybe skip this one if you don't like frequent mentions of sex.

This could easily be marketed as an enemies to lovers romance since Emmy has been mad at/hated Greyson since they were teenagers. I wouldn't go that far, but that might depend on your definition of "enemies". While Emmy has hated him for years, we learn Greyson hasn't hated her and it is resolved easily enough that I would categorize it as more of along the lines "strong dislike/one bad impression that last years."

My biggest (and probably only) gripe with the book is that the miscommunication trope is major plot point. This felt a little out of character for their relationship and could have been solved with one conversation. I felt like the same emotions could have been shown without miscommunication playing such a big part.

Overall a fun read and recommend if you like Ballard's other books or celebrity romances!

Reeling from the death of her father, Hollywood darling Emmy Harper is ready to reenter the movie scene when her romcom script No Reservations is picked up for production. Emmy begrudgingly allows her best friend and the film’s director Liz to cast her in the leading role. Emmy hasn’t acted since she was fifteen; she’s nervous, yet excited, to give performing another shot. That is, until a last-minute injury benches her trusted co-star and there’s only one other actor available on such short notice: Grayson West. Grayson is anyone’s dream of a romantic lead, anyone except Emmy’s, who still blames him for her disastrous first movie and 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, or they risk tanking the entire movie. But if working things out leads to sizzling chemistry on screen, what might happen when the cameras stop rolling?

Thank you to @netgalley, @falonballard, and @putnambooks for the ARC! Falon Ballard is quickly becoming an automatic author for me so I was delighted when my request for this ARC was approved. This was by far and away the best celebrity romance I have read. Sometimes celebrity romances tend to fall into the same plot schemes but this book definitely did not! Emmy and Grayson were such well written characters and I love how the book delved into their feelings and internal personal struggles. The enemies to lovers development was so well executed and the tension and banter was next level. Grayson and Emmy’s chemistry truly sizzled! I also really loved all of the supporting characters and their dynamic with Emmy. Such a fun romcom, I highly recommend adding this to your TBR! Right on Cue will be released February 27, 2024!

Summary: Emmy, a well known and award winning screenwriter. Is convinces by her best friend, and director to star in her very own romcom movie after over a decade. After her male costar had to back out at the last minute, she is not so welcomed by Grayson, the heartthrob actor who is blamed for her acting career ending a decade ago. Sexual tension rises between them throughout the set and filming until they're made to sit in a room and put their hate and tension away.

Nothing surprised me in this book. I did feel rushed with the romance and it ending abruptly. I found it hard to see the chemistry between Emmy and Grayson when reading because Emmy's grudge towards him took most of the book to get past it. It felt forced. This is your typical Hollywood enemies to coworkers to lovers romcom. I did enjoy the addition of tabloids and social media articles every other chapter. Emmy's relationship with her mom was a great development for her character. I'm a huge movie buff so reading the process of making the movie was enjoyable, as well. If you love Hollywood romcoms, and a fan of Fallon Ballard, this book should be on your TBR.

Thank NetGalley for the ARC for an honest review. Right On Cue releases 2/27/24

The writing didn’t work for me. “I ignore her alien brain probing and focus on taking a long sip of coffee, which of course is prepared exactly how I like it.” Not for me. I stopped after chapter 1 (6%).

Thank you to NetGalley and Penguin for the ARC.

Right on Cue by Falon Ballard

I received a digital copy of this book from NetGalley for review. My opinions are my own.

4/5 stars

Im not normally into celebrity romance themed romance but it sounded intriguing because the female lead is an actress, turned screenplay writer who is begged to star in her latest film. A little different than the usual celebrity and normal person trope so I picked it up.

This was a fast-paced read. I would have actually loved to read more about the movie that they were working on.

Read this book if you like celebrity romance and enemies to lovers.

AGGHHHHH this book was so cute! I loved the chemistry between the characters, their conversations, the sweet pillow talk and the tension- OOF.
Besides the romance, every aspect of the characters were so expertly curated, especially adult insecurities, their roots in younger ages, and how prolonged the effect is. We explore the longevity of grief and its persistent role in the life of FMC as well.
As most romcoms go, this book followed much of the same structure, pace, and conflict. However, I do believe that a lot of the bonding scenes between the main characters were done off-page. There is more focus on their relationship within the bedroom than it is on the actual milestones of the relationship.
It is a great romcom and an even better selection to get out of a reading slump. So yes, I will recommend it as a light read.

Emmy Harper, Oscar-winning screenwriter and nepo baby, is ready to get back in the rom-com game after four years away after the death of her father. The only problem is that she and her producing team can't find the perfect female leader for her newest script, No Reservations. When her best friend, and producer for the film, Liz, convinces her to step into the role, Emmy has to grapple with her acting anxieties that step from a historically bad first (and only) film performance.

When Emmy shows up for the first day of filming she runs headlong into her worst nightmare, Grayson F**king West, the co-star of that film flop, her first kiss, and the man/boy that spread the rumor that she had no talent for kissing or for acting. West has taken the place of the newly injured previous lead. How's Emmy supposed to fake falling in love with him?

After a week of disastrous results, and some wise (re)direction from Liz, Emmy realizes that while she may despise Grayson, their chemistry is impeccable and maybe they can just bang one out to get the anger out of their system... What could possibly go wrong?

I'm sure you can surmise some of what happens next. This is definitely enemies-to-lovers, plus forced proximity, with a sprinkle of "he's always secretly loved her" pining, which we learn about through interstitial gossip and news articles covering the two co-star's past and current. That piece of the book is well done. Post-Olivia Dade's masterful use of the tactic, I've read several books that have attempted this kind of chapter-break plot device and it doesn't always work well. Ballard, however, uses it to give us some background on both characters and drives the plot forward without adding a lot of pages.

My biggest quibble is with the third-act drama/break-up. I'll avoid spoilers, but for a character that was extolling the virtues of therapy a few chapters earlier, the actions of Emmy seem strange and immature. Ballard had added plenty of authentic drama to the plot--Emmy is dealing with the death of her father and what it means to potentially lose another love and Grayson is grappling with a family that doesn't support or respect what he does. Either of those factors could have better structured the third act. It's the exact kind of drama that Emily Henry so masterfully employs to build her books, for instance.

Regardless of this, I liked both Emmy and Grayson, as well as the broader cast of characters. This is another great book from Ballard, who is on an impressive run.

* Thank you to Penguin Group/Putnam and NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for my honest review! *

3.5 ⭐️

Thank you to Putnam and Net Galley for the ARC of Right on Cue. This is the story of two actors with history that come back together at pivotal times in their careers. What starts out to be a rocky on-set and screen dynamic, evolves into much more.

I love Falon Ballard’s writing style. She has a fun, effervescent approach and the words pop off the page. I read this super fast, and in huge part to her writing talent.

The story itself felt a bit underdeveloped in places. The characters were somewhat flat and one dimensional. This love story features the enemies to lovers and miscommunication tropes. This is personal to me, but those are two of my least favorite tropes. In this case they both rang hollow.

I’m glad I read this and would recommend it to anyone who loves EtL.

a hollywood story with full of heart. I've always said I needed more hollywood romances with both the leads being famous for it to truly feel like a hollywood romance and falon ballard heard me!

this is just the book you should be picking up for a great time.

Four stars. Wonderful characters and plot. Fun Rom Com!! Will be recommending and reading anything in the future from this author. Thank you for the title.

I love Falon Ballard’s books, and this was a cute, quick read, though it doesn’t take the top spot as my favorite of hers. I’m giving it the same rating as her previous two releases, but I don’t think it’s *quite* as strong as those were.

Emmy Harper is a once-actress-now-romcom-screenwriter who ends up taking the leading role in her newest movie when they can’t find an actress who fits the part. Enter Grayson West as a last minute emergency casting as her love interest and watch sparks fly as past animosities flare while they have to fake falling in love.

I really liked Emmy’s character and her outlook on life as a filmmaker. She unapologetically made art that made her happy and brought joy to others. She wasn’t in it for awards and accolades. I enjoyed the glimpses of her relationship with her director and best friend, Liz, and her mom. I thought they had a fun dynamic among the three of them.

I also enjoyed Grayson’s character. He didn’t feel one-dimensional. He had a backstory and his own insecurities to face as a successful Hollywood leading man. I thought the chemistry between Emmy and Grayson was great too. They antagonized, but they brought out fire in each other as well. I thought it was beautiful once they gave into their feelings for each other. Emmy’s support of Grayson in the face of his self-doubts and question his worth as an actor was lovely. I truly believed they really saw each other and gave strength and mutual understanding between them.

Where things fell a bit short for me was that I didn’t really feel the full impact of their history on their reunion. While I don’t usually love flashbacks, I think one would’ve worked here rather than just been told what went down when they were teens. Grayson’s initial behavior on set and his phoning it in during their early scenes together didn’t feel like it ever really got explained.

I didn’t love the third act conflict either. This particular scenario felt like it was thrown in just for the sake of drama. If they were still teenagers, I’d be saying “oh yeah, I could absolutely see that playing out that way”. As adults, not so much. I’m not sure I’d be so quick to forgive if I were the person who wasn’t allowed a chance to offer my side of things.

All’s well that ends well though, and the ending was sweet and satisfying for me. I probably wanted to make it a lot deeper than this book ever had intentions of going, so go into it as a lighthearted, fun Hollywood romance and it definitely works.

4 stars out of 5!

This was a really cute romcom where the main characters had undeniable chemistry. I liked both Emmy and Grayson and thought they were very well written. The reason I rated it 4 stars instead of 5 was due to the repetitiveness in some areas and it also dragged on in the beginning. Overall this was a breath of fresh air and I really enjoyed reading it.

In Right on Cue, Emmy has written a perfect script and she ended up being the leading lady. Her co star had an unexpected accident and was replaced by her nemesis Grayson West. It turns out Grayson and Emmy stared in a movie together 10 years ago and there are still some unsettled feelings. Throughout the movie shoot it appears maybe they put their past behind them, or did they?

Thank you Netgalley and PENGUIN GROUP Putnam, G.P. Putnam's Sons for this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

This was so cute! I’m typically not a huge fan of romcom, it’s just not my go to. But this book was cute, funny and charming! I rated this 4 stars on goodreads, because some parts dragged on more than I’d like. However, I loved every character in this book, I absolutely loved the film industry vibe of it! It’s different from anything I’ve read. It was a light fluffy read and I would recommend!