“There is never just one thing at a time. There’s room for many things, always. Light and dark, all at once.”

pub day: May 20, 2025

read if you like:
+ processing grief
+ enemies to lovers
+ slowwwww burn
+ books about authors

For me, this book was a classic case of not-what-I-was-expecting. The description calls it a “sparkling rom-rom” but to me it was about 10% rom-com and 90% processing grief, dealing with past hurt, and self-discovery *which is totally great, it’s just not what I was expecting.*

The burn on this one was slooowwww—for the romance, yes, but even more so to find out the truth about Jack and Andie’s past. My favorite character was Andie’s mom—she was so patient and kind, and I wanted more of her!

So honestly, if you go into this one expecting a storyline focused on grieving and finding healthy relationships, it’d be a good read! But don’t expect a lighthearted rom-com.

Thank you to NetGalley and Penguin Books for the ARC!

Thank you for the ARC!

The premise was wonderful, and the book was a great insight into the publishing world and it also depicts grief so truthfully. However I had issues with the huge event that happened 5 years ago as when we finally learn what happened - about 75% in - it seems like an afterthought. It does explain why Andie is so mean to Joe but learning about it so late makes you think that maybe she shouldn’t even be in the same room with him, even though there’s obviously a huge miscommunication trope going on. The book also just has so much of just avoidance of talking with characters literally cutting off the other characters when they’re about to explain.

Overall, the book tour and the descriptions of bookish places were fun. I am not the biggest fan of a dual POV but here it felt like it would have improved things a bit since we don’t really learn much about Joe other than his relationship with his father because Andie dislikes him so much.

A welcome addition to the bookish romcom canon! Andie’s new job in publishing comes with an unpleasant surprise — a blast from the past in the form of Jack Carlson and memories she’d rather not dredge up. The chemistry between these characters has a little heat, and a reader can’t help but root for them. Takes a little while to get to the resolution but worth the read.

Spice level: 🌶️/4

Andie is a book publicist that just landed a new job, only to find out her top author is Jack, a man from her past she hates. We spend a good deal of the story knowing something critical happened in Edinburgh shortly before Andie's father's death, but we don't know what. Jack is still hot, very successful, and her first order of business is a month long book tour in Europe; what could go wrong?

There is some comparison to fans of Emily Henry enjoying this book and I think that's super apt comparing allusions to the past much like People We Meet On Vacation. I didn't love this format and was a little taken aback when we do find out about the events from 5 years ago when Andie and Jack were attending University of Edinburgh in the third act. Andie is not the most likeable character particularly at the beginning. That said, Bad Publicity has a very true to life potrayal of complicated friendship and how people act when dealing with trauma and grief. It does handle some heavier topics than I was expecting, so please mind content warnings (grief from death of a parent, some on page physical violence, trauma from online sexual harassment).

Thank you to Penguin Books for an ARC on NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own. This book is due to be published 5/13/25.

Andie is finally doing the job she's always dreamed of! Working as a book publicist in New York! Unfortunately, one of her clients is a man named Jack who she has despised since a run-in during their university days. As his publicist, she must now accompany him on a month-long book tour through Europe. Can she put aside her hatred to help Jack's career?

This was a cute rivals to lovers romance and loved all the sightseeing through Europe. I also sympathized with the discussions on Andie facing the grief over her father's death. The book reminds me a bit of Emily Henry's books. I thought the reason behind their rivalry was too drawn out and wish it had been explained earlier in the book.

*** I received this book as an ARC from NetGalley. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own. ***

Thank you to Netgalley, the publishers and the author Bianca Gillam for letting me read & review this advanced copy. This was the first novel I have read by this author was a three star amazing along with being a funny romance read that releases Thursday February 27th 2025.

Andie recently started her job as a senior publicist that's been her dream for a long time. The only down part is her first client a big author Jack Carlson who she hasn't spoken to in. five years since college. This was a great book and I can't wait for people to enjoy it as much as I did.

This was a cute read! I really liked the writing and the characters. Andie was relatable but a bit selfish at times, while Jack was intriguing. The standout for me was the friendship between Andie and Sara—it was one of the best parts of the book.

Andie lands her dream job as a book publicist in NYC, only to find out her number one author is Jack Carlson, a guy from her past with a lot of unresolved tension. She ends up traveling to Europe with him to promote his new book, and the buildup to their backstory kept me hooked, though it did drag a bit at times.

Themes of friendship, heartache, and second chances really resonated with me. Andie’s personal growth and the flashback scenes revealing what happened between her and Jack were well done. I liked learning the truth alongside her.

I couldn't put this book down. SO much chemistry and a little suspense waiting for to find out the story of the main characters. Really appreciated the depth of this story.

I had hoped for more from this book. While the writing was solid and the male lead, Jack, wonderful—I have never encountered a more unlikeable protagonist in Andie. I understand the consequences of trauma and don't negate them, but the author went too far with Andie, making her emotional intelligence completely non-exsistent and her a very selfish and juvenile lead. It was extremely frustrating, especially since the writing was engaging. I found myself wanting to like Andie, but couldn't. I wish Gillam would have invested more time up front allowing us to know Andie a bit more and come to love her before we met the completely self-destructive side of her. And then on top of that she has someone as wonderful as Jack completely devoted to her. This story had the potential of really being something different, but instead leant far too heavily into the selfishness of Andie's largely self-made/self-inflicted world. Honestly, I wanted better for Jack, so much so that the ending felt unrewarding.

I am actually going to DNF this one. Honestly, the FMC was so mean to the MMC and I swear, he better have murdered her father if she’s going to be that mean. And she’s so unkind to her mother? Fully unlikeable and not in a “I see redemption coming” way.

I absolutely loved this one. I'm a sucker for the enemies to lovers trope and this one definitely delivered! The tension was there, the build up was great! I so enjoyed this book! I was very invested in the relationship and honestly couldn't put it down until I'd finished!

Premise: Andie lands her dream publishing job, her first assignment is a book release and tour with a boy from her past. Something really dark and troubling happened back in uni and it enrages her to not only have to see him, but travel with him for a month. Will this book tour completely unravel her?

Bad Publicity is a book that is very heavily steeped in grief and unresolved healing. (so it may, perhaps, be a trigger warning to some) However, I will say that the author did such an incredible job describing that heartbreak and pain in such a visceral and human way. This torment and struggle accompanies our FMC like a storm cloud throughout the book. At times, it can be really frustrating to read, but again, it's a very real and true portrayal of the waves of grieving.

3.75 ⭐️ I liked the characters and it was a great and believable storyline but took a bit to unveil what happened between Andie and Jack. For fans of Abby Jimenez's The Happily Ever After Playlist and Just for the Summer -- this one's for you!

Thank you #NetGalley for the opportunity to receive this ARC in exchange for my honest thoughts!

Great book! I was really looking forward to this one and it hit the spot for me. If you like romance this should be your next read.

Thank you to NetGalley and Penguin Books for an ARC in exchange for my honest review!

This book was sweet. I love books about book people, and throw in second chance/enemies to lovers and it makes for a great time. Unfortunately I didn’t feel invested in these characters and wished there was more banter early on, but the story was overall cute.

This book was such a great story of love and grief woven together so beautifully. I related a lot to Andie with the passing of my father and the grief that followed. This was a big theme in the book. As someone who has lost a parent, I understand how grief is intricately woven into the fibers of your being for so long. I also know how cathartic it is to face it and walk through it. Gillam did a great job of portraying this without overdoing it. Bad Publicity gets a solid 4 stars from me.

Thank you to Bianca Gillam and Penguin Books for the ARC of this novel. All thoughts and opinions are authentically mine.

I loved this story so much! The different places we traveled through were so beautifully written, I felt like I was actually there. Andie was such a relatable character and her journey with her grief was beautiful to witness

Andie is a publicist excited to jump into her new role until she finds out her first major assignment is an international book tour with a man from her past, who she wishes would stay there. They have history and Jack her charming author charge seems determined to try and win back Andie’s favor no matter how she feels about it.

Thanks Netgalley for providing me with this digital Arc in exchange for my unbiased review. This was a total meh read for me. The story had significant pacing issues and I really struggled to find characteristics I liked about Andie which makes it hard to root for her. She constantly references some event that occurred between her and Jack at university that was horrible and the cause for her hatred of him, but it’s not until nearly 80% through you even find out what happened. Once you do it made me understand her a bit more but without the context she seemed overly whiney and self-absorbed for the majority of the book. I wanted to tell her to get a therapist a few times rather than dumping on her poor friend. For a quasi-romance book, the tension was also super mild and just didn’t have the simmer needed to make the build up worth it. Quick read, but not one I’d go out of my way to recommend or purchase.

🌶: 2.5 out of 5
⭐️: 3.75 out of 5
🍿*: 4 out of 5

I was given early access to Bad Publicity by Bianca Gillam and I was pleasantly surprised with how enraptured I was with the plot! It was a good pace throughout with enough breadcrumbs to keep me curious on what happened to Andie and Jack. I love that the book tours through Europe in some of my favorite cities. The whole time I needed to know what happened in Edinburgh!

This story touches on topics of grief, loss, feelings of isolation and guilt. As someone who has recently lost a loved one, I could relate so much to Andie and her journey of recovery. I think the author did a great job of capturing Andie's inner monologue while going through her turbulent emotions.

However, since the book touches on such serious topics I do feel as though the ending was a bit rushed through to try and tie things off in a clean way. Didn't ruin the book but it wasn't as satisfying as I would have liked it to be.

*Popcorn scale is referring to how easily consumable the book is overall

Thank you to Netgalley, the publisher, and the author for the advanced reader copy of Bad Publicity! I was drawn to this title as I love books set within the book industry...and who doesn't love an enemies to lovers book?

On Andie's first day of her dream job, she learns her biggest author client is none other than Jack, the man who screwed her over in uni 5 years ago. The book follows Andie and Jack along a book tour to promote his latest release. Andie is trying to make it through the trip by avoiding Jack and any discussion on their past. Meanwhile Jack is trying to honor Andie's wishes at a cost to himself.

What I most enjoyed about this book was the author's writing on grief. Andie's father passed away not long after her fall out with Jack in college. Shortly after these big life changes, Andie moved across the world for a brand new job. She's become excellent at pretending everything is fine until she can't anymore which is deeply uncomfortable and deeply relatable for those who have lost someone they love and/or for those who respond to big life changes by not addressing them, but rather avoiding them. I also enjoyed the way Jack approached asking Andie and a bookshop owner about their loved ones who have passed away. We so often don't know how to talk to people about grief and it was beautiful to see this done.

I did not feel I got to know either main character well and I did not understand the main characters connection to each other. From their past to their present, a romance (and especially them being in love with each other towards the end) felt rushed to me as the reader. For most of the book, we see them rarely have a meaningful conversation and when we get a glimpse into their past, it is such a short, fleeting moment that they shared before things turned sour.

I really enjoyed the elements on the book industry and on grief, but the romance was not there for me in this book. I am grateful to have read Bianca's story - it's gotten me to reflect on my relationship with grief and explore my own avoidant behaviors!

This is an enemies to lovers romance. What I enjoyed most about the book were the publishing/marketing insights, the delicate yet well down discussion of grief and the male character. I did not find much redeeming about Andie, the main character, although I did feel she became more mature and realistic in the end. As a result, I did not enjoy the book as much as other books by the same author.

Thank you to the author, publisher and NetGalley for a chance to preview this book in exchange for an honest review.