This book has possibly my favorite cover of the year, so I wanted to LOVE it. And I almost did, but it fizzled into more of a like. I appreciate a romance with more serious themes and the depiction of OCD and mental illness resonated with me as a reader with OCD. However, the pacing never quite got me hooked and I think some of the grounding in 2005 got a bit distracting occasionally. Still, the writing was solid and I know this will be a hit, especially with that gorgeous cover.

I’m not the right audience for this book. I’m a rom-com fan. This book is very dark and grief-focused, even though it’s described as “hilarious.” DNF.

Thanks, NetGalley, for the ARC.

Set in the not too distant past of 2005 this is the story of Ali and Cara. Ali is a Hollywood successful, hardworking publicist working with A list stars. Ali still grieves for her partner of 11 years who died unexpectedly. She also is physically and emotionally recovering from a car accident a few years previous and from a difficult childhood. But work is where she knows how to succeed. Her newest starlet is Cara Bisset. Cara is an up and comer who is on the verge of stardom. Her new film is a romantic blockbuster that will generate money and awards.

Cara doesn’t want to live closeted but listens to the advice of those around her, especially Ali, that she can’t come out. That isn’t how the Hollywood world works and it will be detrimental to her career. Ali is asked to go on a world wide promotional tour for the new film allowing the two to get to know each other. But as Cara’s stardom rises, Ali feels she is being left closeted as Cara’s secret gal pal.

I enjoyed the story. It is more Ali’s story and journey (roughly 65% Ali, 35% Cara) making it read more like women’s fiction. It is also told from her POV. But the romance is there including spice. I liked during intimate times there were moments of laughter but also reflection on grief. It makes Ali feel more real. There are a lot of the early aughts that make it into the story. Everything from music, pop culture, Hollywood and more. Some of it was fun and other times it took me out of the story and I wondered if it was adding to the book. At closer to 400 pages it is longer than most romances I read. There were several times when one paragraph filled my entire screen on my Ipad. That tells me there is a lot of detail being told to me. I liked the women more when they were talking, often very honestly, to one another. I also would have screamed at how poorly the two children were portrayed in the story if that hadn’t gotten resolved in the book.

Overall I liked the characters and storyline but I would have liked a little more editing. But I’m happy to see more mainstream publishers including f/f romances in their catalogs. (3.5 Stars)

This was a book I really tried taking my time with and focusing on. When reading the description, I was immediately hooked. The pacing of the book was well executed and it really did keep me working to finish it. I loved how the book depicted living with grief and the challenges of moving on. Would definitely recommend this book to others.

3.5 stars <3

This book and I have been on a wild journey together — because all the way back in 2023, Celia Laskey’s tweet randomly came across my Twitter, celebrating the sale of her book! This very book, in fact. So I can confidently say that I’ve been eagerly awaiting “Cover Story” and chomping at the bit to get my hands on this WLW masterpiece longer than 95% of its readers.

It’s a truly delightful, original concept, and I want to sit down with Celia Laskey and pick her brain for hours. I loved reading about Cara and Ali’s relationship, ups and downs and middles and all. Something I didn’t know or expect going into this was the heaviness of the topics discussed — anxiety, mental illnesses like bipolar and OCD, grief and trauma, losing loved ones, etc. This is not a light read, but its heaviness doesn’t take away from the buoyancy of Cara and Ali’s love…it actually enhances it.

Example: “All I can say is. . .grief and joy can sit right beside each other, sometimes. And you might as well give yourself more opportunities for the joy to sit down.” This is just one of the many excerpts showing how carefully and empathetically the novel handles grief. I have to say, one of the best I’ve seen.

The whole concept of closeting in a fundamentally homophobic society really hit home for me, as a queer girl who briefly dated another girl who refused to kiss her in public (mind you, in a California college town). It makes you feel so small, so othered. The fear of being who you are, in case people don’t accept you or it ruins your life/career, doesn’t just stop in places like California. It’s everywhere, all the time. I felt that the tension this created between Cara and Ali was very realistic. There’s never a perfect way to handle a situation where someone is ready to come out and one isn’t.

Lastly, this would make such a delightful rom-com (albeit one on the more serious side). Someone, please produce this as a movie!!! OMG!!! I would pay a million bucks to see it. I can already imagine all the 2005 L-Word-esque fashions and the beautiful montage of different places from the world press tour. And although this book wasn’t crazy spicy, it was delightfully steamy, and I felt their chemistry burning through my screen.

However, in the name of total honesty, here are some things I didn’t vibe with as much:

1. The characterization of Ali’s best friend Dana as a mother — so unnecessarily negative, it kinda gave me the ick. “How depressing it was seeing what Dana’s been reduced to” was…certainly a sentence. The whole point of being a girl’s girl is supporting your friends’ choices, so why is Ali putting down Dana for having kids? Having kids is perfectly acceptable, and so is not having them. Children are always discussed in a strangely negative light. I did appreciate their honest discussion about it towards the end.
2. Ali’s disillusionment with Cara’s fame seems unfair, since Cara was honest with her from the start about the fact that she wanted to be famous and successful. It’s not as if Cara’s love of attention and stardom came out of thin air. Honestly, Ali acts or thinks in a way contrary to reality a lot of the time — like concerning everything with Cara’s costar. It seems as if she switches her mind on things, then expects everyone else to instantly switch with her, even if she was the one who orchestrated the original plans. In fact, it makes her seem like a hypocrite — like when she says that Cara’s moral compass has skewed since they first met. Girl…if her compass is skewed, then so is yours!
3. Re her costar situation, I feel like it did not have to be taken as far as it did for everyone involved to garner good publicity. Like it drags on and on into a longterm thing to the detriment of everyone involved…
4. The book tries very hard to be grounded in 2005, with countless oblique references to stars of the time, relationships of the time, current events of the time. Sometimes this very much took me out of the story. Also, sometimes this book gives the Twitter “solo polyamorous hijabi amputee” meme. As in, every single diversity marker has to met. Sometimes, certain characters or scenes felt like they were only there to reaffirm Ali or Cara as “perfect” liberals.
5. The fact that Ali and her dad reconcile decades of hurt with one ten-minute conversation seemed a bit unrealistic. Same goes with her and Dana.
6. I think this book could've been edited down to 3/4 of its length and still deliver the story in a meaningful way...some scenes felt unnecessary and didn't add anything to plot or development (i.e. felt like repetitive filler).

Thank you very much to NetGalley, Celia Laskey, and Grand Central for a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review <3 It will also be posted on my Storygraph under the same username!

thank you so much for the approval- i cannot wait to dive in, this is one of my most anticipated reads of the year! i will be sure to leave a review on GR/retailers to come! 💞

I have some mixed feelings about this, I'd put it somewhere around 3.5 stars! I thought the 2005 setting was so well done. It wasn't over run by pop culture references but rather the actual culture and news around that time. Some side plots were a bit too long and/or went into more detail than I personally enjoy though.

Cover Story is the story of Ali, a young publicist and recent widow. When she is tasked with keeping her new client’s sexuality in the closet, Ali reluctantly agrees, knowing that - unfortunately - it will only help the actress succeed in her career. She’s done this before, so she knows the drill. What she doesn’t know is that she and this client are about to fall in love.

This novel is a Time Machine back to early aughts Hollywood — the details are dead on. I did struggle with the third person narration and the pacing, though. Ultimately the book wasn’t for me but I do think for the right reader it could be a different experience!

I requested this book on NetGalley after a friend suggested it and I am really glad I did!

I really enjoyed this one! Honestly for most of it, it was hovering more towards a 5 star rating but a few elements changed my rating to the still respectable 4 stars.

I really loved the romance in this book and how it also dealt a lot with other topics such as grief and anxiety. I did feel pretty frustrated with the MC at times because of her lack of willingness to get help for her severe anxiety. She was always going to doctors for physical elements but refused to address her mental health. I did also find the deep dive into anxiety at times stressful to read about.

But overall, this is such a sweet book about finding love after the death of your spouse and honestly so much more! I really enjoyed this book and would recommend it to anyone who likes romance, especially LGBTQ romance.

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for the arc!

Cover Story is a love story about Ali, a talented but anxious publicist for celebrities, and Cara, an actress about to have a major break out role. Ali has been put in charge of Cara's publicity for her new film and has to fight her growing attraction to Cara on the publicity tour even as her position requires her to keep Cara quiet about her personal life.

The 2005 setting was fun for me, because of all the fun blasts from the pasts it involved, and how much reading this really does highlight how different things already are now, 20 years into the future. The book is set in a time where celebrity gossip blogs were still new and coming into their own. In addition, it talks about how few celebrities were out at that time, which was so surprising to me, but also, as I was reading, the story jives with my memories of the time period and which famous actors were out.

I really liked both Ali and Cara. Ali's partner Natalie died a year prior, and she is still very much struggling with her anxiety and grief. Cara is younger than Ali, and is warm and extroverted. The two characters are great together, though I missed a bit in the chemistry of them getting together initially. In spite of the vibrant, fun cover, I would not classify this as a romcom type book at all. The emotion runs pretty deep in this one. Ali and Glen (her dog) are a super sweet pair, and this book is written with so much detail that really make both of them feel very real. Ali struggles quite. a bit, and her push to find herself at home in the world is a story worth following as well.

The question of whether Cara can or should conceal the fact that she loves women to further her career is talked about in depth through the whole story, and the 2005 setting makes the issue seem so much more pressing. I would definitely recommend this story for anyone who loves emotional romances. Thank you NetGalley and Grand Central Publishing for the ARC of this book.

The grief of losing a long-term partner, extreme anxiety over the death, the expenses of being closed off in Hollywood, and the life of a Hollywood actor are the main subjects of this book. drama! A little bit of everything! What a fantastic book!

Thanks to NetGalley, Grand Central Publishing, and author Celia Laskey for the chance to read and review the ARC of Cover Story!

This book centers heavily around these topics: grief of tragically losing a longtime partner, severe anxiety related to the death, the costs of being closeted in Hollywood, and Hollywood actor life. Secondary topics are a stressful parent/child relationship (past and present) and mental illness.

Overall I think Laskey handles juggling all of these items well enough to make an interesting story. I liked the main characters of Ali and Cara, even if their relationship and Cara's career are highly idealized. I felt a bit overwhelmed with all of the Hollywood references even though it did help to establish the timeframe of this book (mid 2000s). Cover Story does have a happy ending, which is what I love in a sapphic romantic comedy. It also contained some gems (which I bookmarked) of insight into grief and being queer.

This is such a fun light read that will have you feeling each feel by the end. I didn’t want it to end. It was just so cute and I cherished the characters relationship.

4.5 stars. I finished this book a couple of weeks ago and needed to sit with it. I really loved this book and connected to the characters, almost too much. Ali's level of anxiety and the way it manifests for her hit way too close to home, which made this book relatable but simultaneously painful to read because I saw a lot of myself in her. The book dives into her grief and her processing of a lot of trauma, but I thought the way it was written was well-done and realistic. I loved the development of the relationship between Ali and Cara and really liked both characters, Cara seems so fun. This book has also had me thinking for weeks about how complicated it is to be queer in Hollywood, both back in the day and today.

Definitely would recommend!

I am a sucker for any book set in Hollywood or featuring a fictional celebrity. Make it sapphic, and I’m 1000% in.

This story takes place in the early 2000s and follows a grieving, hypochondriac publicist who lost her partner a year ago. She has been assigned to work with an up-and-coming young actress on the brink of success. The actress is initially described as a dirty bro-dude type who sleeps around and flirts with any pretty girl in close proximity but later develops into the sexy Hollywood starlet struggling to come out due to fears about how it might affect her career. And, of course, the publicist and the actress wind up in a romance.
The premise sounded fun, light, and entertaining. And it was—partly. Hence, the three stars.

The writing itself was a struggle for me. There were some parts that gave me the ick. For example, it was, a choice, to equate having a large poop with orgasming. And did you really have to describe everything that needed to be spread in the shower to get clean? No, ma’am, you did not. The author had a habit of going into unnecessary detail—but what I really mean by that is, I did not need to read graphic descriptions of a dog’s injuries from a dog fight in what is supposed to be a rom-com.
I also didn’t need the author to go on and on (and on) about how neurotic and depressed the main character was. I got it. I get it. I don’t need 30 more pages of it spread across different chapters.

The conversations between the main character and the side characters (like her dad!) could have been cut down by 75%, and it would have been an improvement.
It felt like this author was trying—and failing—to create a novel that meshed queer authors Emily R. Austin and Amy Spalding together.

Now I feel bad. Because while these are the things that annoyed me and led me to deduct two stars, there are still three perfectly good stars left, and you’re probably wondering why. So, I’ll remind you: I’m a sucker for Hollywood-set, sapphic celebrity romances. And in between all the things that frustrated me, there was a very fun romance (yes, with spicy scenes) that I genuinely enjoyed.

Thank you to NetGalley and Grand Central Publishing for providing me with an advanced copy in exchange for my honest thoughts and feedback.

This has been posted on my Goodreads.

This book wasn't what I was expecting but that was a good thing. I was expecting a by the numbers romance but what I got was a story about tragedy and anxiety that I could really relate to. This book also had a really sweet romance running through it to help cut some of that sadness. Overall this was a solid read.

Thank you NetGalley and Grand Central Publishing for the ARC of this book.

I read and enjoyed Celia Laskey's "Under the Rainbow" so I was excited to read another of her books. "Cover Story" takes place in the early 2000's in Hollywood, a time when, oddly enough, I moved there. Given my experience, I felt the story rang completely true. It's also sort of crazy how recent it was that A-listers began to be comfortable coming out. At the same time, the story is so relevant to what the LGBTQIA+ community is going through right now with the administration trying to take away their rights and even their basic identity.

Publicist Ali is tasked with wrangling a very talented up-and-comer in the movie industry, Cara. The biggest hurdle is that, as Cara says, being a lesbian is her whole identity. Ali, who is also queer, counsels Cara to stay in the closet for the sake or her career. But when Ali falls for Cara, she begins to question the validity of that counsel.

Laskey writes very believable characters, fun side characters, and interesting situations without losing depth or emotion. As with "Under the Rainbow," things are very relatable, even for non-LGBTQIA readers. Yes, it's a Rom-Com, but it's also a celebration in authenticity and loving oneself.

Cover Story is a book set in 2005, before being gay in Hollywood was widely accepted. It follows Ali, a Hollywood publicist and her new client, Cara Bisset. Cara has to hide her true self to the world while her star is rising. Ali, who is struggling with not only migraines but the loss of her partner, Natalie, embarks on a promotional tour of Caras movie with her. As they continue on the tour, their feelings grow for one another, do they hide who they are in public, or show the world their true love?

The story had a good mix of humor and romance. The story really made me feel for Ali. Not only with her anxiety, which stems from her childhood with her mother, but also losing a partner. I also enjoyed the throwbacks to the early 2000s gossips magazines. I'm glad the world is more accepting of gay people today.

Definitely thought this was going to be more of a rom com than it was but I really liked this a lot. Readers should check for possible triggers as it has some heavy topics but it is very well written and sweet and romantic along with the heavy stuff

As an Hollywood romances’ sucker, I was immediately attracted by this book. And I was right. It’s an hell of a book! The writing is really good and it’s a romance full of grief and other stuffs (please, read the TW!). I like when a romance talking about this kind of themes.
Yes, something get me off, because it felt like we were in the 2000s, and yes that period was not so bad, but was also full of negative things, slurs, etc. but it’s realistic and I like it.
And I love the love story between Ari and Cara. They were wonderful.

Thank you Netgalley and the publisher for the arc.