Loved the push and pull and how they both really had a life in between their relationships. Hated both exes

I have read and enjoyed Elissa Sloan's work in the past, but this one was a bit of a miss for me. The pacing felt off to me.

Ben and JLo
Brad and Angelina
Justin and Brittney
David and Victoria Beckham
Maiko and Adrian

Hollywood power couples have always been a fan favorite of the media and also the general public. We obsess over them, we root for their successes and also feel personally offended when something happens. Culturally, they are a fascination that people can never get enough of and this book explores that with the relationship between Maiko and Adrian.
This is the story of one couple and how they fell in love, how fame and fortune tested them and how it ultimately drove them apart. Maiko and Adrian meet when they are both aspiring models/actors. They do a couple of model shoots together and fall in love. He makes it big when he is cast in a superhero movie franchise and she also explodes in popularity and becomes a supermodel. Fame and fortune change them both and they ultimately break up.

Over the years they keep bumping into each other on movie sets and even though they are both with other people their connection is always there and the public love to see them together on screen. This book follows them both on their whirlwind careers while they each battle their own demons and celebrate their successes.
I really enjoyed this journey that they both went on. They both had their flaws and their reasons but both showed growth and strength. I'm a sucker for a love story that spans decades and even though they weren’t together the whole time they were always a part of each other's lives and thoughts.

I appreciated Maiko’s strength. She was not a pushover and trusted her gut even when she wasn’t sure of the truth. She knew her boundaries and didn’t let any man overstep them. I was so proud and heartbroken when she left Adrian because you knew they loved each other but that wasn’t enough and she knew there was nothing she could do to change his ways, he had to change himself first.
Then with Thomas, the gaslighting was awful but when she saw it happen she didn’t cower, she took inventory and figured it out on her own and fought her way out.

Adrian was a little weak minded but at the same time thoughtful. He didn’t mean to be such a bad partner at times but he was his own worst enemy. I did like how he grew throughout the book and even though he battled his demons, he overcame them and knew his limits and most importantly, he knew what he wanted.
A very solid second chance romance that spans years that was well written and kept great pace. It didn't jump too far ahead and spent the correct amount of time at each section of their lives.

Huge thanks to NetGalley and William Morrow for sharing this book’s digital advanced review copy with me in exchange for an honest review.

I read this book through a digital ARC from NetGalley
Author: Elissa R. Sloan
Genre: Romance, Women’s Fiction
Troupe: Second Chance Romance

This book was fine, I think it had the bones to be great but the pacing was a little off, the writing a little clunky, and didn't truly love the characters enough to root for them.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for gifting me this book for free in exchange for my review! All opinions are my own.

This was an addictive novel that I read over the course of one afternoon. I devoured this novel. I loved this story and I think EIissa R. Sloan knows how to write a good thriller/drama. I am excited to check out the audiobook as well, because I think this book will be fabulous on audio!

If you love Hollywood gossip and a sexy romance, I can guarantee you will enjoy this book. My only complaint is that the ending seemed a little bit too abrupt.

4.5 stars rounded up

Many Thanks again to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with this book in exchange for my honest review.

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Double Exposure is a difficult book for me to review because it's unlike many (if any) other romances currently hitting shelves. It rides the line between literary and upmarket with complicated characters and triggering subjects while also maintaining a hefty dose of "will they/won't they" tension. It examines love from the POV of two famous people conducting a romance in the public eye. Both have gone into their notoriety willingly with differing results. Maiko, a model, struggles with disordered eating and undergoes multiple abortions during the course of the novel, and Adrian has his own struggles with body image, self-esteem and substance abuse. The book takes place in the early aughts and really feels like a piece of nostalgia from that time. I'd recommend it to anyone who might be new to romance as a genre after reading mainly literary or general fiction.

Thank you to William Morrow for allowing me access to this digital ARC to review!

2.5 stars rounded up because two stars is unfair to the author, but I found myself bored and flicking through as it seemed like endless chapters of Maiko's horrible husband deliberately putting her and Adrian together and neither of them taking charge of their lives.

To me this book started strong but then was just okay but the writing also didn't really engage me.

Thanks to William Morrow and Netgalley.

Thank you William Morrow for Double Exposure. I tend to enjoy Hollywood stories, behind the scenes stories and complex romance stories. Something was a bit off with this one for me, perhaps it was too slow a start, a bit too much disjointed character perspectives, and a pace that never got me truly into the characters and their stories. I was left feeling a little uninterested in returning to the book, not engaged enough to see what would happen/what did happen.

Loved!!! This was a fun nod at celeb culture and the "what could've been" relationship trope. I really enjoyed this one and it was a super fast read.

I tried to read this book, but I couldn’t relate to the characters or story. I suspect that it might be enjoyed by a different demographic.

Thank you Netgalley for this ARC.

This is a poorly written rom com that will not remake as a bad soap opera. Sorry to report, don’t bother reading this often told boy meets girl, they break up, they still love each other, etc etc etc.An overtold story with all the Hollywood excesses. Sex, drugs, abuse, infidelity and a cast of characters stereotypically portrayed. I pushed myself to finish and advise no one starts.

Loved this book. It was full of emotions, love, disappointments, heartbreaks… just about everything. I did have a hard time connecting to the characters, but the things they went through and how they got through life were pretty relatable and flowed very naturally. Trigger warnings: there are multiple abortions and infertility that is a pretty big part of the story. Over all it was very well written and I would recommend.

i have mixed feelings about this one. the story definitely sucked me in and I was hooked on the drama, however, I wanted things to end up slightly different for the main characters. I really love fame tropes but it also covered some really difficult topics like familial estrangement, abortion, addiction, death of a loved one, loss of pregnancy, and domestic abuse. These definitely incited a lot of emotion for me but overall I enjoyed the story I just wish things played out differently. I would still recommend this book, just be mindful of all the trigger warnings if you do decide to read.

I cannot bring myself to rate this book, but I really want y'all to know that I did not like it.

If Elissa R. Sloan has million fans, then I'm one of them.
If Elissa R. Sloan has one fan, then I'm THAT ONE.
If Elissa R. Sloan has no fans, that means I'm dead.

But that said, please don't read this book. Like Sloan's previous two books this is set in Hollywood, we are chronically the rise of a famous individual and the path that led them to where they are in the present. In this instance we have model turned actress Maiko and actor Adrian. The two meet on set one day and begin a relationship that would eventually become something of a tabloid staple. In the middle of the book we see what drives these characters apart, sending Maiko off to be in an abusive age gap relationship with a producer and Adrian into a relationship with a rising musician.

It's really in the middle that this book feels off to me. It tries to tackle themes of infertility and I'm not sure that they really hit the mark there. I could be reading too much into things, but it just really left a questionable taste in my mouth. Adrian also is an addict, and that's part of what breaks him and Maiko up along with just some general misogyny...

The book never feels complete though. All the beats are there, but it feels like the story just needs a little more meat on the bones. It felt like I was making through a seven course meal of dishes entirely composed of interesting foam concepts and nothing that I could actually chew on. Because it is a romance you know where the story is eventually going to end and so having something to chew on in the middle would be nice.

I didn't always appreciate that this was a dual perspective book. I did appreciate that Maiko and Adrian had a lot going on separately though and we weren't wasting our time seeing the sae thing from both people which feels like it is becoming something of a lately. In previous books Sloan has used time to bounce back and forth between the past and the future, here we get a mostly linear narrative. The issue becomes we are spending about two decades with these characters with every chapter coming with a time jump that did sort of add to the disjointed feel that I had with this particular book.

Maybe people that go in with different expectations will have a better time than I did... but I think that either of Sloan's previous books, The Unraveling of Cassidy Holmes or Hayley Aldridge Is Still Here would be better places to start for most readers unless you are really determined to read a romance and aren't interested in books that are solidly more general fiction.

While reading Double Exposure, I'm also riveted by the marriage and possible break-up of Ben and JLo. This could be their story. Two huge stars in love - who then break up - and 20 years goes by, and they reconnect.

I think this is a fun look at celebrity and the lifestyles that seem so exciting. That said, the writing was a bit cold. I knew they loved each other but didn't sense any warmness.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for the opportunity to read and review.

This book had me hooked shortly after it started. I loved reading about Adrian and Maiko and honestly wish it hadn't ended so I could be in their lives for longer. There is some heavy material that might be hard for some to read but other than that I would highly recommend for anyone to read.

3 Stars This is my first book by Elissa R. Sloan and it was fine. Not great, not bad. It was an easy read and follows a former couple of A-list stars over a span of 20 years. The writing style isn't my favorite.

This was a good plane read, but I think the clinical writing style prevented it from being as deep and emotional as it wanted to be. I felt like I was being held at arm’s length. It was also rather choppy and disjointed.

Discovering a new author can be a deeply moving experience, especially when the characters feel so real and their stories resonate on a personal level. I recently delved into a novel where the emotional depth of the male protagonist struck a chord with me. His journey, filled with struggles and raw vulnerability, was compelling and unforgettable.

The story unfolds as he and the female lead, both carrying the weight of their painful pasts, navigate a tumultuous relationship. Their initial connection, filled with hope and intensity, eventually crumbles, only for them to reunite under the spotlight of a stage. The way their paths intertwine again is both heart-wrenching and beautiful.

What captivated me was how authentically the author portrayed their individual and shared hardships. Both characters endure difficult relationships, and it's clear they deserve more than what life has handed them. The author's ability to capture their struggles and aspirations made their eventual reunion all the more poignant and satisfying.

This novel left a lasting impression on me, as it skillfully blended emotional depth with a compelling narrative. It's a testament to the author's talent and a reminder of how powerful storytelling can be when it touches on the complexities of the human heart.

Genuinely one of my favorite books I’ve read this year. I’ve always loved Elissa Sloan, but this pacing and character building in Double Exposure was the best from her yet. I will say the ending was the only part that felt rushed, but other than that I loved this book.