The Villain Edit by Sarah Brenton is a gripping read that tells the story of Ashley Foley, the bad girl everyone loves to hate. The book takes us on a journey where Ashley, after being betrayed and branded as one of reality TV's greatest villains, finds herself too toxic to get work. To make matters worse, she watches the man she loves walk down the aisle with the wrong woman. But being a bad girl, Ashley has a plan up her sleeve - to seduce the groom at the reception. However, things take an unexpected turn when she realizes she's with the wrong man.

Hollywood Golden Boy Gabriel Sinclair walks into the room, and Ashley's plan blows up in her face. Gabriel shouldn't have fallen for the trap, but he did. He sees this as an opportunity to hold onto his gritty superhero role, which has been under the fandom's scrutiny for being too much of a do-gooder. Ashley's reputation could use his shine, and they both agree to a fake dating arrangement. But fake dating means bringing Ashley on Gabriel's cross-country road trip, and she's a temptation he can't afford, especially when he realizes she might not be the bad girl she's been portrayed to be.

The Villain Edit is a page-turner that will keep you on the edge of your seat. The chemistry between Ashley and Gabriel is electric and will leave you wanting more. The development of the characters is excellent, and the plot twists are unexpected. If you're looking for a romantic read with a touch of drama, then The Villain Edit is a perfect choice.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

The Villain Edit is the 3rd book in the series and can be read as a stand-alone, however, it seems to begin in the middle of a storyline and takes a little bit to adjust and figure out what's going on.

Ashley is perceived as a bad girl after being portrayed as a villain on a reality TV series. In real life she's living up to that reputation by trying to seduce a groom on his wedding day. The wrong man walks into the room and blows up all her plans. But is it the wrong man.....

Ashley and Gabriel have instant chemistry. I wish there had been more plot to this one and a little less steam, but still an overall quick fun read.

the book was okay, but also disappointing at the same time. i really loved the premise of the story and the book had so much potential to be something but it wasn't anything special to me. and i really wanted to connect with the characters, especially Ash and Gabe, but i wasn't able to. some positives on the other hand though, are that it is fast paced, still enjoyable and it made me laugh. if you like a quick read with fake dating, road trips and celebrities then go for it.

𝐼 𝒶𝓂 𝓂𝑒. 𝒜𝓃𝒹 𝐼'𝓂 𝓉𝒾𝓇𝑒𝒹 𝑜𝒻 𝓃𝑒𝓋𝑒𝓇 𝒷𝑒𝒾𝓃𝑔 𝓌𝒶𝓃𝓉𝑒𝒹, 𝑜𝒻 𝒶𝓁𝓌𝒶𝓎𝓈 𝓌𝒶𝓃𝓉𝒾𝓃𝑔

The book follows Ashley and Gabriel who are to set out on a road trip to alter both of their images in the public.

I started enjoying the book but could not get over how fast-paced and underdeveloped some of the events were. The book seriously had potential and I thought I would like it but I ended up disappointed in the end.

One of my biggest issues was how David talked to and about Ashley throughout the novel. All in all, I decided to DNF the book at 50% so I'm not sure how much weight my review truly holds.

I really enjoyed this book, I love an awful FMC! I have not read books 1 or 2 but this was such a fun way to be introduced to this author and series. I loved how Sarah wrote Ashley and Gabriel's Story. This is definitely a must read if you love redemption arcs, fake dating, road trips and unlikeable FMC's!

From time to time this book had me laughing and drawn into the story but overall I didn't really connect to any of the main characters, which put me off reading every now and then. I don't think that's the author's writing but more me that wasn't able to get into the book.

great premise, absolute letdown though. i couldnt find a redeemable quality about either character to make me interested enough to continue reading.

I think this was a "It's not you, it's me" situation. There was just something about the main female character, Ashley, that I didn't connect with, and then really stopped me from getting into the story - perhaps she was trying too hard, I don't know, but she just wasn't for me. And as for Gabe, I just felt nothing for him at all.
I'm slightly disappointed because I loved the premise of the story, and wanted to love it son badly. This is why I think perhaps the issue was with me and not the actual book.

The premise of this book is what initially drew me in and it definitely had some twists and turns I wasn’t expecting. I found myself laughing a lot, however at times, it felt like the author was trying to offer up commentary on too many topics — the small conversation about nepotism in Hollywood, Gabe’s privilege as a white man with money, etc., without saying anything definitively which caused the writing and plot to feel rushed and underdeveloped at times. As such, the book could’ve used maybe 50-75 more pages and a second epilogue from Gabe’s POV.

I found it funny that at first I could not see myself rooting for the FMC, Ash, at first because she was just not a good person but then over time as we pulled back her layers, and got to the core of who she was, you could tell that she was unsure of who she was and going through a lot with very little support. And by the end you were rooting for her. And on the flip side, you like Gabe when you meet him, feel bad for the shit he’d been dealt and then you’re like why the f*** is he making these stupid ass decisions, that cause you to not like him as much as the beginning. I think there definitely needed to be more groveling on his end following the third act break-up.

But also at times, seeing the way he was struggling with his public and private life, had me feeling very empathetic towards my favorite actors/public figures because I think the author shared a fictionalized tale of the ups and downs of what it’s like to live in the public eye, and dealing with following your true wants/desires versus what’s expected of you, and how quickly you can lose sight of who you really are under the weight of others expectations of you— from your family, your team and those who claim to adore you.

The characters had good chemistry and the spice scenes were hot. I just wish there was more time spent exploring who Ash was a person outside of her public persona and her relationship, as well as what she got up to post 3rd act breakup, more of Gabe groveling and apologizing because a penthouse of flowers was a just a start, more of W and Ash’s friendship, what going back to LA was like following their reconciliation— learning to be open and honest in the public eye while protecting their relationship, the life they built together and future Gabe continuing to discover who he was and living up to being the person Ash deserved.

Thank you to NetGalley for the e-Arc, all opinions and thoughts are my own.

I really enjoyed the first to books in this series, with Holiday Vibes being one of my favorite Christmas books this year. So when the author reached out to offer me an advanced copy I jumped on it. Sadly I struggled with this one. More on a personal level because I just couldn't like Ashley and her determination for at last half the book to willing destroy a marriage. I've had my own Ashley, and it skewed my enjoyment of the book. But don't let that stop you from picking it up. It is not most peoples hang up. Her snark and sass did crack me up though. She also redeemed herself slightly by the end of the book, but not enough to make me like her. I did like Gabriel right up to a bit of a hiccup at the end. But people have their moments.

That said I did like the premise, if not the characters. As well as getting to see some favs from the previous books make a return. And the steam was on point. Just what I expected. None of the above stopped me from reading through it in 2 days either. It was a quick paced, easy read. Would recommend to rom com lovers without my personal issues.

Oof. I was intrigued by the tag line for The Villain Edit, “He’s the best. She’s the worst.” I like an “unlikable” woman. Ashley was actually pretty great. Gabriel, who was supposed to be the best, is the actual worst. I got to a point where I knew he was going to be awful to her so I jumped ahead. He was awful to her, did some light groveling, and got her back. I just don’t want to read about men being awful to women. I wish Ashley had called the Whole Man Disposal Service.

When I started this book I was convinced it was going to be a 5 star read but at about the half way point it lost me. I thought I was going to hate Ashley because her actions at the start are terrible but she soon grew on me & I felt sorry for her. Gabe was the opposite. I enjoyed the start of the fake dating and them winding each other up but the tension didn't last long enough for me. They were obsessed with each other way too quickly.

I didn't reall understand Gabriel. He kept saying that he wasn't the good guy everyone thought he was but all he seemed to be hiding was a couple mistakes as a CHILD and the fact that he liked sex. He also turned into a massive dick at the end. I hated the way he treated Ashley in the 3rd act conflict and their was nowhere near enough apologizing and grovelling. I honestly didn't want them to end up together and Ashley ended up coming across as pathetic instead of the badass she should've been.

It is a quick easy read with spice and it did make me laugh. I was disappointed in the ending though.

2.5 stars

I received a copy of the ebook via NetGalley and have given an honest review

This was so fun!! A super spicy and quick read! I need to go back and read the rest of the series now!

I thought this was such a cute book! It was definitely a different twist than I’ve read before. The parallels I feel like we all live around faking it until we make it ring so true!

The Villain Edit has a fantastic roadtrip setting and that perfect opposites attract chemistry. My favorite part was the way the female main character was the morally gray character or villain while the male main character was the Hollywood golden boy with a strait laced reputation. In the first opening chapters I was conflicted on how I viewed the FMC until I realized it was my own implicit bias as a woman to excessively judge women for going after their own desires. We often celebrate morally gray men and condemn villainous women! So if you’re searching for a book that explores those themes and want a FMC redemption arc with some great tension and sex positive/open door steam, this is the next romance read for you!

3.5⭐️

•• He’s the best. She’s the worst ••

I’ll be honest, at the beginning I didn’t like Ashley Foley. Famous for being a reality tv villain, and sometimes feels like one irl. Her character growth and redemption arc was great. Her family was interesting and explains some of her behavior.

Gabriel was definitely an uptight Hollywood nepo star at the beginning of the story. But after digging deeper into his past, he was a lot more complex of a character. He definitely made some questionable choices.

While the two had chemistry in spades, I ended the story not wanting them to be together. Gabriel did too little too late for me to think he deserved a second chance with Ashley after everything blew up. I’m not sure why it was easier for me to forgive Ashley’s bad decisions over Gabriel’s.

I still enjoyed this book. It was fun and well written. I would recommend it- some people forgive easier than I do.

Tropes: Bad girl/good guy, Hollywood and Hollywood adjacent, fake dating, road trip, spice

Thank you to the author and NetGalley for the book early read. All thought and opinions are my own.

So I went into this with zero expectations and was pleasantly surprised. It was a super fun a quirky premise with a likeable heroine and heroine. I really liked Ashley and while she could definately benefit from thereapy, not nearly as much as Gabriel, she is very likeable. I liked that she was more of a headstrong take no prisoners heroine and that while she had needed growth she still remained true to the biotchiness of her character that makes her fun. I also really liked Gabriel howevere he really needs to get over himself and his ideas of what he should be. His aunt Cora deserves her own book and new romance given that she is now a widower.I also really liked Wendy, david and all the other side characters. I would have like to see more of them and her realtionships with everyover. Overall however this was a fun quick rom-com and im currently debating going back and reading the first 2… i probably will lol.

After reading the blurb for this one, I thought this book had the power to leave my jaw on the floor. It had the good boy/ bad girl trope that is so underrated, with some spice of celebrity and fake dating. It had the ingredients. The recipe just got lost somewhere along the way.

The book starts off in an intriguing way. You rarely see a female main character so unapologetically herself (despite all the bad gossip) and set on her goals. I have to say that I disliked Ashley at the beginning, but she slowly grew on me. And Gabriel only slowly descended to my liking. Once the 3rd act started, I realized that Ash carried the whole book on her back. The spice was pretty good, too.

Overall, the fact that this book had so many tropes that I liked influenced my rating, but some of the tropes were executed well. It was a nice book, but it left me a bit disappointed in the end.

My favorite Sarah Brenton book changes on the reg, but this might be my ride or die.
Gabe is a Hollywood golden boy struggling to hold onto a grittier role in the face of a skeptical fandom. Ash is a reality TV show villain with nothing left to lose.

He needs his reputation tarnished and she needs a glow up. A cross country road trip with an enemy. What could go wrong?

The banter is so sharp, the steam is Georgia in August levels, the vulnerability and heartfelt moments are all the more sweet for the enemies-to-lovers arc.

My first book by this author but it won’t be my last (I immediately bought the other two!). It was impossible to put down and it was sexxxxyyyy.