This is a slow burn but not in the way that builds tension. I felt kinda adrift with a love interest the FMC doesn’t like but we’re not sure why until the very end of the story.

That sort of bland feeling doesn’t help the story progress. And I struggled to stay interested.

I also wasn’t a huge fan of the ending (or the spice).

I very much enjoyed reading this book. A first for me by this author and I will be adding her to my must read all her books list!

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for a copy of the eARC in exchange for review. I enjoyed the premise of this book being within the literary industry, but didn't personally connect with the characters much. A quick, easy read - 3 stars.

“I always feel less lonely around books… does that sound insane?”

Thank you Penguin Books and NetGalley for the opportunity to read an early copy of this book. All opinions are my own.

This story includes a mix of tropes -- second chance, enemies to lovers and a ton of forced proximity. Although the premise is fairly straightforward, Bad Publicity is also a story that explores the delicate fragments of grief that are gently woven into every aspect of our lives when we lose someone that we love. Processing that grief is hard and the emotions that become tied to those events are often difficult to untangle.

There are parts of this story that I really enjoyed but my one criticism is that there is a huge build up to the thing that Jack did to hurt Andie all of those years ago. But when that story is revealed, what happened doesn’t seem to warrant the anger and resentment that Andie has held onto all these years. I wish there was more time spent unpacking what happened as opposed to describing the hatred that Andie felt because in the end she forgives Jack without ever really dealing with her anger.

Overall, there were lots of wonderful parts to this story and I would still recommend reading it especially if you can overlook some miscommunication and enjoy books that include travel as the characters visit so many fun places on their publicity tour!

I liked the overall theme of the book but felt like the main character was a bit abrasive and I couldn’t find myself rooting for her! Some things didn’t make sense but I also felt like the ending could have been a bit more realistic for the plot!

Bad Publicity by Bianca Gillam
Rating: ★★★☆☆

Cue the chaos, grab the popcorn, and get ready for ALLLL the drama because this book was PURE ENTERTAINMENT.

Bianca Gillam’s Bad Publicity is an absolute ride—like being on a rollercoaster at a media circus and realizing halfway through that the drama isn’t stopping anytime soon. The story follows Libby Bell, an ambitious publicist working to save a sinking celebrity account (a faded pop star with more scandals than hits), all while dodging her very own PR disaster. If you love messy protagonists, spicy headlines, and the occasional laugh-out-loud mishap, this one’s for you.

Libby is a trainwreck you can’t help but root for. She’s smart but flawed, sharp-tongued but also wildly relatable in her quest to prove she’s more than just damage control. And the supporting cast? ICONIC. From the deliciously unhinged client to the love interest who gives major slow-burn vibes (IYKYK), every character added so much spice to the story.

And let’s talk about the media world Gillam creates—it’s messy, chaotic, and SO FUN to get lost in. The plot twists? Chef’s kiss. Just when I thought I knew where things were going, BAM, scandal city.

BUT. (Because there’s always a “but,” right?) There were a couple of things that didn’t quite hit for me. Some of the over-the-top drama bordered on too ridiculous, making it harder to stay fully invested in the stakes. And while I loved Libby as a character, her constant missteps got a teensy bit repetitive—it was like, girl, can we PLEASE learn from the last PR disaster? 😅 Also, the romance (which I wanted to love) felt underdeveloped—almost like it got overshadowed by the whirlwind of media mayhem.

That said, Bad Publicity literally had me GIGGLING, cringing, and gasping at every turn. It’s the perfect binge-read for anyone who lives for juicy stories with flawed-but-lovable characters.

Would I recommend? 1000%. Just maybe don’t read it at work because your coworkers WILL ask why you’re laughing. 😏

#Bookstagram #BadPublicity #BiancaGillam #BookishChaos #PRGoneWild #FlawedProtagonistsAreTheBest #ReadItForTheDrama

More of a 3.5 stars as I did find it very sweet and endearing! But some of the choices the author made I didn't love. Thank you so much for the arc copy I would definitely give it another read when it's released!

I found this book to be very endearing. When I first realized that we were not going to be told right away what Jack did to break Andie's trust, I was frustrated. But frustrated in a "I can't wait any longer" way. But the wait was worth it in my opinion. The catalyst event was well thought out and I really did get the pain on Andie's side but then it was nice to get Jack's point of view as well. I tend to read much darker themes but this was a refreshing "lighter" read for me, but that doesn't mean there wasn't angst and passion. The parallels in Andie's relationship with her mom and best friend and even Jack were well thought out and described and it all made sense when the author tied it back to losing her father. There were some grammatical errors, but very minor and did not deter from the story at all which is why I did. It let that affect my 5 star rating. Over all this was a great book and I would definitely recommend and read more from this author!

This is a fabulous contemporary romance from a rising star. Love books set in the publishing world. Only one note: trigger warnings for sexual and physical harrassment related to a surprisingly dark late-in-the-book reveal. Thanks very much to the publisher!

A cute story. I felt the main female character was a bit stand offish but liked her. I also enjoyed the story taking place in several different locations across the globe.

I love a good enemies-to-lovers trope and this certainly delivered! I wasn't expecting such a heavy storyline surrounding the "enemies" portion of the book, but when we finally got to it, I thought it was written really well. It made me understand why Andie was SO angry and rude to Jack, but I wish that could have happened a little sooner because the "lovers" portion didn't feel like it got the pages it deserved. Overall, I thought the author did a really great job with mixing grief topics with more light-hearted themes. I didn't love Andie in the beginning, but by the end, I was able to empathize - I just wish she would have seen a therapist so that her character development could have happened sooner (for her own sake).

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC.

“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.