Andie lands the job of every young PR’s dreams - accompanying a famous author on an international book tour. But Andie doesn’t want to do it - she had a thing with this famous author pre-fame, back in their undergrad days, and now she hates him and would prefer not to be around him, thank you very much.

This book is not my favourite, particularly because it revolves around a baseline liking for Andie whose only claim to this seems to be that she’s a human. I wasn’t feeling it. She lies to herself, she seems only okay at her job, and she’s a shit friend & daughter. This would be fine, but she’s not self-aware or funny enough to be endearing at it.

Basically, Emily Henry… you’re fine.

The writing was done so well that I’m honestly upset the plot wasn’t executed well. Andie is an emotionally unavailable and stunted woman in her late 20s. I couldn’t relate to at all and I definitely did not want to empathize with her. The way Andie dramatized their enemy origin story you would have thought that Jack ran over her puppy in front of her. Based on that alone, I believe this book should’ve been placed in college/at an internship or the reasoning for hating should have been something different. The hatred is completely one sided and makes Andie look like a bitch, especially because Jack is like a golden retriever, eager to please. I also didn’t feel Andie’s connection to her mother or her best friend, it all felt very surface level. We were told that they’re close or that she misses them but it wasn’t felt at all, like I said Andie’s emotionally unavailable.


Thank you to Netgalley and Penguin for the ARC!

I enjoyed Bad Publicity by Bianca Gillam very much. Andie and Jack's slow-burn, enemies to lovers story kept me interested and entertained. This book felt like a cross between Emily Henry and Josie Silver. Great read!

Thanks NetGalley for the ARC.

Andie finally lands her dream job in NY as a senior book publicist. On day one she realizes her biggest author, Jack Carlson, is also her biggest enemy. Of course a one month book tour across Europe entails and you slowly learn more about Andie and Jack’s past from their perspective views.

Filled with emotional depth, the story navigates through the couple’s history as well as grief and second chances. I especially connected with Andie as she was grieving the loss of her dad. There was a moment in the book when she finally broke down that was especially poignant.

I love a slow burn enemies to lovers romance so this book was a 5-star for me!

Adding Bianca Gillam to my must-read authors list! Thank you NetGalley for the ARC of this book!

Terrific Tour

Andie and Jack sizzled throughout. I felt the dimension of lightheartedness and looming past throughout. The scenes set- I felt like I was in the cities of the book tour with them. The way Andie develops throughout her journey, there is so much growth and subjects you can’t not resonate with. A top tier choice for second chance romance.

The fact that this is Bianca Gillam’s author debut is brilliant and shocking. It is illustrated so well as I read this I could visualize watching the scenes as a movie in a theater or my living room. It would be a box office crime to not develop this into an instant Rom-Com cinematic classic. Beat the masses and read this gem first before it’s on the big screens.

I was sent a free book and am voluntarily leaving this honest review. Thank you to Bianca Gillam and Penguin Group Penguin Books for providing this book for review consideration. All opinions are my own.

This book had me at the first f bomb. I loved Andie so much and I’m pretty sure we’d be friends if she was real. The story follows Andie, who has finally landed her dream job as a senior book publicist, on her first day at her new job. She finds out her biggest author is actually a man she knew in college, but we don’t get many details about what went down.

Over a month, the two navigate the European book tour and their feelings for each other. Andie is also still grappling with the loss of her dad.

The book ends up being far more emotional than I expected at the beginning. It’s refreshing to read a book where the characters are actually emotionally aware. The spice is relatively mild, but well done. Absolutely loved this book.

Bad publicity follows Andie, a senior book publicist, and an old flame and new client, Jack. Jack - love him, he is so caring and wants to healthily resolve old issues. Andie makes me roll my eyes so hard and shut the book. Her attitude towards everyone, really, was so despicable because she was so selfish. I think she was written this way so we could see a redemption arc, but her crap attitude went on for too long for me to care.

Bad Publicity, by Bianca Gillam, was not the book I thought it would be. Based on the bright yellow cover and blurb given to describe it, I was expecting happy silly comedy of errors style romance. This book relied on an enemy to lover trope that didn’t resolve til the last 1/4 of the book. It touches on parent loss, grief, and your past attempting to ruin the life you’ve built for yourself.
The first 120 pages or so Andie is highly unlikeable with almost no explanation. The book mentions the ”incident” but she comes across as unprofessional and whiney. Reading is borderline stressful, it seems as if every day is a bad day in her life. When the incident is revealed it is genuinely upsetting. Had I known this is what the book was going to hinge on I would not have chosen this. Although this book has some romantic moments it is not a pleasant read.
The book wraps up in a nice way but for probably 80% of the book I felt Andie was making things out to be worse than they were or I was downright uncomfortable.
Anyone in search of a fictional story with a hint of romance may enjoy this, but should be prepared for parental loss, feelings of shame, and abuse.

Thank you to Bianca Gillam and NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for a review

The main trope is miscommunication with some alleged enemies to lovers peppered in. The pacing of this book was v odd — the first 75% is basically “mean girl goes to work and is primarily unprofessional”. A lot of planes, airports and automobiles. Not a lot of chemistry between the 2 characters. Not even a lot of dialog between them, which made it really difficult to cheer for them when suddenly in the last 15% of the book everything gets resolved.

Also, authors, a plea: it’s deeply unrealistic that a woman in her 20s or 30s has exactly two contacts in her phone: her best friend (who she only has time for when it services her) and her mother. Please, I beg you: consider the existence of friendships. Or therapists.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for the e-arc. I’m sorry if I’m the mean girl in this review.

I LOVED THIS BOOK!! From the first word in the first chapter I was hooked!! This book is so well written and I was instantly attached to the character's and their stories. It flowed so well, was detailed but not overly so, and the characters were so relatable and lovable (except Robbie, he can step on a Lego)

"Bad Publicity" by Bianca Gillam is a fun, fast-paced romantic comedy that delivers equal parts tension and charm. Andie, a senior book publicist, is ready to conquer New York’s publishing world—until she’s forced to work with Jack Carlson, her college nemesis and the last person she wants to see.

Gillam expertly builds the chemistry and banter between Andie and Jack as they navigate a high-stakes book tour across Europe. The tension from their unresolved past is electric, making every interaction entertaining and full of sparks.

Filled with humor, romance, and European charm, "Bad Publicity" is a delightful story about second chances, facing the past, and discovering that sometimes your worst enemy might just be the best thing that ever happened to you.

A die is forced to deal with a history she’s been running from when the first client at her new publicity job is central to that past. There are many good and well-handled parts of this book, and I enjoyed reading it. At the same time I also was hung up on the number of times the female lead is dealing with emotions or she’s described as emotional. It was overused and although I don’t think this was the intent, it plays into the overly emotional woman stereotype. It was jarring to pull me out of the story. The character’s emotional state was clear without that added layer of description.

This was a very quick read, and very well written! However I felt it lacked chemistry between the main characters. I would have liked more between them, especially at the end. Maybe a couple more chapters or even an epilogue. This was more than just a miscommunication trope to me which led to me wanting more from the characters. Even the side characters like her best friend. It was entertaining and I read it in less than a day, I just would have liked the story to continue longer.

Thank Netgalley Penguin books for a early copy of Bad Publicity, Bad Publicity I'm sure you guess it: is a enemies to lovers romance it a very typical read experience. Andie are main character get this big job as a book publicity to travel through Europe on a book tour for a month the catch is she work alone side her enemies who she haven’t seen in five years name Jake to make his book tour the biggest it every been. I'm not a big fan of enemies to lovers I really request this book because of all the book references ( which we definitely get) Throughout the month book tour we find out why Andie hate Jake so much and this was the problem for me it's was a OK reveal. Topic of grief was handled extremely well and make you connect to the book in a very deep way. The writer is very simple, simple is good i fell into the book very quick but once I put I down I won't think of it again, but again it's your very typical enemies to lovers book.

So thankful for the opportunity to read this ARC.
Having lost a parent also, I found myself relating to Andie often throughout the book. This book did a beautiful job of how individuals navigate their way through grief.

The slow burn of Andie and Jack’s relationship without knowing about their past was done so well. I appreciated that the flashback didn’t occur until almost the end of the book. It really allowed readers to be able to learn who Andie and Jack are objectively.

Thank you NetGalley for giving me this ARC.
"Bad Publicity" by Bianca Gilman is a powerful and emotionally gripping read that left me in tears. The protagonist's journey is filled with heartache and resilience, making it impossible not to empathize with her struggles. Her love interest added depth to the story. The tension between hate and love was masterfully portrayed, showcasing the complexity of their relationship. The love interest is truly amazing, bringing warmth and support that the protagonist desperately needs. Gilman’s writing draws you in, making every emotion feel real and palpable.
Overall, this story is a beautifully crafted exploration of love, forgiveness, and personal growth and grief. It had me invested from start to finish, and I can’t recommend it enough!

1.5 ⭐️
I don’t think there’s a more boring romance book on the planet. The main characters had no chemistry. The dialogue was all like “there was a spark and i know you felt it too” and I was so confused because these characters could be siblings with the amount of bickering and romantic chemistry they have. There was no spark.

The flashback was interesting but it was one chapter 80% of the way into the book. If this wasn’t an ARC I probably would’ve DNFd it. Although People We Meet on Vacation isn’t my favorite book, I think if this book was structured more like that it could’ve been better. Break the flashbacks up and spread them throughout the book. Also the reveal for the “awful thing Jack did” needs to be sooner. By the point it’s revealed I don’t even care anymore and I found Andie just super annoying and whiny.

I never felt that butterfly feeling but I don’t have a specific explanation for why. I love a good slow burn but there’s a difference between a slow burn with stolen glances and lingering touches and a boring story with characters with no chemistry

Andie's avoidant personality made it hard to root for her or believe she formed a deep attachment to anyone the way she seemed so self-involved to the detriment of her other relationships.
I didn't quite buy chemistry between her and Jack because the personal growth seemed to come pretty late in the story arc.

I usually wait until i'm at least halfway thru but I couldn't do it anymore. I feel bad being mean bc I got an arc but this is just not written well and it's probably the english major in me but the quotations were not properly punctuated half the time and the fmc was so annoying and the lack of explanation abt the main characters past wasn't enticing enough to make me wanna keep reading and find out what happened it was just annoying and took away from the story imo. also why doesn't goodreads let us see the little notes we leave when we update our progress that just pissed me pff too

I liked it overall, I feel like the main characters could’ve had more chemistry and close proximity. I know some people like less dialogue but I like dialogue and it did lack some dialogue. But I like the story and where it took place.