5 STARS -- This was my first ever ARC and it was easily one of the cutest and most enjoyable books I’ve ever read. The characters are so well fleshed out. Romance characters often fall flat for me but these??? So realistic and it’s so easy to get invested in. Even the villains, while it doesn’t make me like them any more, you can clearly see their motives and goals behind what they do.

This book was an absolute rollercoaster. One thing about getting so invested in fictional characters is that you emotionally feel it when a betrayal happens. The amount of times I wanted to slap some of the people in this book is a testament to how well D.J Murphy writes her antagonists. You finally think you know what’s going on and BAM another surprise happens, it keeps the book incredibly engaging through all 261 pages.

The reality show premise also helps this, the dynamics & drama are so exciting to read about. I’m known for being a pretty slow reader and I got through this book in less than twenty-four hours.

Overall, I’ve never been a love triangle girlie but this book might have swayed my opinion. I will definitely be keeping up with D.J Murphy’s future work and I’m excited for the sequel that was teased at the end.

“It’s weird how the world continues as normal when everything inside you is collapsing.” - Indigo

Lipstick & Camera Clicks by D.J. Murphy is a standalone novel and is hands down one the most refreshing, tantalizing, steamy, and dramatic stories I’ve read in a while. After Indigo gets cheated on, she devotes herself to her career. But when the guy she’s had a crush on since forever and the guy she’s pretending to date for a show, starts to open her up to love again, she has to figure out life again.

I have never yelled at a book so much in my life! The way some of these people are completely horrible, yet entertaining is beyond me! With that being said, I really enjoyed this book! Between the childhood crush relived in adulthood to the career focused female, there’s so much happening. I love that it’s a deep rooted love that she has for someone who may or may not even look at her the same way, sort of an unrequited love.

We’ve all been there at some point, the hyperfocus on work because we don’t want to deal with problems or getting hurt again. It’s portrayed so well in this story and Indigo has a serious rollercoaster ride of events happening to her. I also love the relationships presented throughout. The strained, overbearing, yet wanting the way for her daughter, relationship with Indigo and her mom. The friend trio who have had each other’s backs since childhood and then the new situations, no matter how chaotic they may be.

I also enjoyed the fact that this is centered around a Black female lead and has potential for not one but two interracial relationships. Love triangles are always fun! I wish there was more on the perspective of being the child of a person with mental health and the toll that takes on you. The only thing that I wasn’t a fan of was how annoyed some of the characters made me feel, which of course is a great thing, they did their job!

I highly recommend this book to anywho who loves soulmates, close proximity, fake dating, love triangles, interracial couples, BIPOC characters, independent women and let’s not forget reality tv! This is for you! Enjoy!

*This was an honest review for a complimentary copy of Lipstick & Camera Clicks from D.J. Murphy via NetGalley

📖 Lipstick & Camera Clicks
By: D.J. Murphy
Genre: Romance
Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ 4/5

Lipstick & Camera Clicks by D.J. Murphy is The Bachelor meets Classic Rom-Com. The voices of the characters are well defined and their individual stories were very well written. I love the connections between Indigo and River and how it ties into her friendship with Ryan. I also was surprised by how things ended up going down with Kade. His character is the most complex in the story in my opinion. Not to mention the diversity in the contestants personalities on The Love Meltdown. The banter, teasing, and flirting… had me kicking my feet and gigglin’. If you are looking for a unique best friend’s brother trope (or even just best friend trope) this may be for you. For those of you wondering, yes, there is spice. I liked how she wrote watching Kade with the other girls on the show. How Indie (Indigo) had to watch him have things like inside jokes, cute banter, and equally good chemistry with the other girls too. It didn’t feel like it was hyper focused around the main character 100% of the time in a way where you only get to see a select few characters or only the love interests like some books have. It doesn’t feel like they were in a bubble. There were a few parts that felt forced and entirely awkward and a bit cringey when it came to the show, although… that’s reality TV. The excitement of the reality show leaves readers in suspense as we see the twists and turns unfold and secrets being revealed. The uncertainty of it all keeps the story engaging until the very end. I love the little note about us getting to see more of Kade in a following book. There is plenty to like about this book. Now, I will be honest about the downfalls as well as the praise worthy qualities. I did see a few issues one being the mistakes that were not caught in the editing process. Simple things like misspelled words, wrongly used spellings of words like “site” instead of “sight”, and various other little easily correctible mistakes that the editor should have caught. I was wishing there had more details in the writing as well. I felt like the book was written dialogue heavy, which led to me getting confused on a few things where I felt more detail in certain parts would have easily cleared that up. There were some chapters that left off open ended, leaving me wanting to know more of what was going on, but when we pick back up it says it’s a week later and like I had said above, I felt we could have used a little more detail. Overall, this book was a fun little read and I enjoyed the story. I will be very curious to see what D.J. Murphy does next.


Tropes:

- Slow Burn
- Reality Show
- Childhood Best Friends
- Friends to Lovers
- Fake Dating
- Love Triangle

So first of all I’d like to thank Netgalley for allowing me to read this arc. Second of all, this book wasn’t what I was expecting but I fucking loved every second of it. This book is the bachelor where one of the girls actually has a huge crush on her childhood best friend who also turns out to be apart of the crew…Yeah, let that sink in. Indigo is just a girl trying to get over her cheating ex, so she takes risks to help boost her career. She was incredibly relatable and honestly made the same decisions I would have made. I think that’s why I liked this so much, it felt so real and imperfect. There ended up being sort of a found family and platonic love going on that I still think about. Not to mention the fact that there was lots LGBTQ rep in here that added every bit to the plot. Speaking of, the drama in this book was TOP tier holy shit. Not to mention the angst?? I actually felt everything in my soul, not kidding. This drama invested, heart clenching book was well worth reading and I’ll definitely start recommending this! This was also already posted on my blog, livnmaddysbookcorner!

The book was really giving the vibes of love island and I was here for it.
I liked the plot of the book and how it developed through the story and I was routing for both sides of the love triangle at different points of the book, I just never felt connected enough with any of the characters. Some I got confused on who they even were until around the 60/70% mark.
The plot also a bit of a rollercoaster of emotions especially towards the end of the book which drew me in, I just wish it was a bit more like that to draw me in the first section as for me it only really picked up halfway through.

This was such a fun read! I wasn’t sure what to expect as I had never read a book centered around a reality show but this one was so fun! The story still focuses on the romance while using the show in a unique way to push the characters together. The drama is SO good and doesn’t distract from the romance. Read this in one sitting!

Loved it! Has all my favorite tropes! But is written in a way that doesn’t make you feel like the author was trying to force them in. Both male leads are likable in their own ways and I would have been happy with either being chosen. The book is fun and fast paced with a colorful cast.

This book was a joy to read and I can't thank Victory Editing NetGalley Co-op for my ARC.

Our main character was truly a well rounded individual that I really enjoyed being in her perspective.

D. J. really put together a wonderfully casted book that had three dimensional characters. There was really a focus on having diverse people and backgrounds that anyone can relate to.

<spoiler>This was a very fun love triangle between Indigo, River, and Kade. Im not gonna lie, im sad that it wasn't Kade at the end. I really loved him as a character. It's not that River is a bad choice, he just wasn't my choice.</spoiler>

I think this is a great romance book and it delivers a fun romance without focusing too much on the aspects of the show.

Indie is very relatable character and her connection with Ray and River was amazing. They were there for each other, no matter what. Kade’s character had a great development and in the end he was actually quite likeable.

This story is going to make you laugh, cry and it will also make you angry at times. It’s definitely an emotional rollercoaster. So buckle up!

The romance is slow burn, but when it finally gets to those anticipated scenes, the level of spice is absolutely not low! I would give it 3.4/5 🌶️

This book was an easy read that pulls you in and you don’t want to put it down until you find out the ending.

This book is a contemporary version of the Selection, which I was excited about. I found it difficult to empathise with the characters, especially Indigo, since I didn't really understand her drive to join the reality TV show. I liked Rayn's character, but the others felt mostly two dimensional. Overall, I thought the book was okay but did not enjoy it greatly.

The haunted house scene? Hello? river is so hot. 🫣

“𝙏𝙝𝙞𝙨 𝙘𝙤𝙪𝙡𝙙 𝙧𝙪𝙞𝙣 𝙚𝙫𝙚𝙧𝙮𝙩𝙝𝙞𝙣𝙜.“
”𝙄’𝙢 𝙖𝙡𝙧𝙚𝙖𝙙𝙮 𝙧𝙪𝙞𝙣𝙚𝙙“

I didn’t think I’d enjoy this book as much as I did. I’m normally not a big fan of love triangles (although it’s low key my guilty pleasure) but I fell in love with both Kade and River.
And the drama in the entire book just felt like watching the making offs of bachelor and I enjoyed every second of it.

Also the lgbtq+ and mental health representation? I’m obsessed.

I never wanted the book to end and I cannot wait for the next book and for his happy ending !! I hope some of the other candidates also get their happy ending.🤭🤭

𝙄’𝙢 𝙨𝙪𝙧𝙥𝙧𝙞𝙨𝙚𝙙 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙚𝙫𝙚𝙣 𝙥𝙖𝙞𝙙 𝙖𝙩𝙩𝙚𝙣𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣 𝙩𝙤 𝙖𝙣𝙮𝙩𝙝𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙜𝙤𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙤𝙣 𝙬𝙞𝙩𝙝 𝙢𝙚 𝙬𝙝𝙚𝙣 𝙮𝙤𝙪’𝙫𝙚 𝙗𝙚𝙚𝙣 𝙨𝙤 𝙘𝙖𝙪𝙜𝙝𝙩 𝙪𝙥 𝙬𝙞𝙩𝙝 𝙝𝙚𝙧.”
“𝙄 𝙘𝙖𝙣 𝙣𝙚𝙫𝙚𝙧 𝙣𝙤𝙩 𝙥𝙖𝙮 𝙖𝙩𝙩𝙚𝙣𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣 𝙩𝙤 𝙮𝙤𝙪.”

Rating: 4.25/5⭐️
Spice: 2.5/🌶️

Tropes:
- love triangle
- Reality show
- Best friends brother
- Friends to lovers
- Fake dating
- ”tell me to stop.”🫣😩

Indy, grappling with a tarnished reputation, seeks to reshape public opinion by participating in “The Love Meltdown”, a Bachelor-style competition. The narrative unfolds with an intriguing love triangle involving River, the producer and childhood crush, and Kade, the initially annoying Bachelor that Indy can't stand.

The book offers a breath of fresh air, making reality TV aficionados, like me, rejoice. The author skillfully captures the essence of the show, providing readers with a vivid experience that feels like watching it unfold on screen. The promised drama is delivered in abundance, keeping the pages turning as Indy navigates the complexities of both the competition and her love life.

The dynamics between the female contestants feel authentic, mirroring what viewers often witness on such shows. The mysterious undertone adds an extra layer of excitement, leaving readers in suspense about the unfolding twists and secrets. This uncertainty keeps the story engaging until the end.

Overall, this books promises an entertaining blend of romance, drama, and reality TV intrigue and it resulted in an amazing debut novel. Looking forward to read more of this author.

****THIS IS A NETGALLEY ARC REVIEW****

This book definitely feels like a modern day new adult romance in the best way. The dialogue sounded exactly on par with the ages of this book, the main character was likeable (always a plus), and honestly, the story concept was super interesting.

It’s giving the bachelor, all with a very interesting, very well done love triangle that I was surprised I enjoyed. My one gripe with the love triangle was that it was pretty obvious from the jump who she was going to end up with, but I do like that we had that glimmer of possibility with the other love interest. I also like that his story was open ended and we’ll be coming back to him in the future!

I love the ties between Indigo and River as well as her friendship with Ryan. I love the depth to their backgrounds and how they’ve been intertwined. I loved Kade, and how flawed he was. And I definitely enjoyed the personalities of the different girls on the Love Meltdown and what they had to offer.

I do wish the author was more descriptive in certain scenes— some settings are fleshed out, but others are left lacking.