I adored this author's previous book, Under the Rainbow. This one is more of a romance, which was fine--I did love the characters. They felt so real and I wanted to be friends with them. It's also very steamy. Very detailed love scenes. It's a story of grief, of lost love, of new love, and accepting yourself. It's set in the early 2000's so the references were fun! Enjoyed this one.

Ali, our grieving anxious hypochondriac lesbian MC, lost her partner a year ago in an accident and has been having a hard time coping. It doesn't help that she sort of fell into her job as a celebrity publicist who spends a lot of her career encouraging her clients to stay in the closet. But her newest client, Cara, isn't like the others - being a lesbian is a core part of her identity, and while she wants to be a star and do what Ali says - she's going to upend Ali's life in all the best ways in the process.
This is a book that tackles a lot of topics - mental health, grief, forced closeting, to name a few sexual assault - so don't go into this thinking you're getting a fluffy celebrity romcom - you're getting a story about 2 people finding love in each other but navigating a lot of hurt along the way. Cara and Ali's relationship was so beautifully built, Cara's gentle battering ram to Ali's self inflicted seclusion really made me root for them both. I found Ali's experience of grief really honest - the way it would sneak up on her at unexpected times - and Cara's care for Ali in those moments was really tender and effective for me as a reader to see the feelings she has for Ali.
I found it interesting to learn in the authors note that this was originally written as a modern story but they could only sell it once she set it in 2005 because 'closeting doesn't happen anymore.' And like obviously it does, because as Laskey says in her authors note - that math isn't mathing. and i would be so interested in reading that original version because my main criticism of the book was how hard it felt like it was trying to convince me we were in 2005, it became distracting at times. i'm also not convinced i loved the XXXXXXX stand in for presumably actual celebrity names, as opposed to just further developing the world with more fake celebrities?
overall this is a great read for anyone looking for a sapphic celebrity romance with a lot of depth and reflection on the role of celebrity and the ways in which enforcing invisibility harms the queer community.

Set in 2005, Ali, a woman in her mid-thirties, is grieving the death of her partner and dealing with mental health issues. As a publicist, she has experience of keeping Hollywood stars in the closet to protect their careers even though she doesn’t like it. Enter Cara, an up-and-coming actress who needs help keeping her sexuality covered up. Sounds simple, but what happens when she develops feelings for her client? 


It was a blast from the past that gave me a few laughs, but a good chunk of the book was about heavy topics. Death of a loved one, grief, trauma, and mental health disorders. I recommend readers to look at the trigger warnings before diving in. As for the writing, I would’ve preferred some more dialogue and not so much narration. The amount of narration tempted me to skim through it, but I pushed through it because it was well written. Ali’s fear of falling in love again was understandable, but I was glad she still wanted that for herself. Overall, I thought the book was sweet and heartfelt, and I recommend giving it a read. 

I’d like to thank NetGalley and Grand Central Publishing for providing me with a free arc in exchange for an honest review.

This book was a roller coaster that took on so many issues including death of a long-term partner, death of a parent, mental illness within self, mental illness within a parent, repressed childhood trauma and anger, chronic illness, forced queer identity closeting, witnessed pet being mauled (survived), rape, eating disorders, homophobia, and I’m probably even missing some. I kept thinking to myself that the book was biting off more than it could chew, but none of these topics felt forced - meaning I didn’t feel like any of them were in the book just for the sake of being able to discuss them or include them. They all made sense within the plot and story and were not shortchanged in the narrative. It was just a lot to process, as the reader, to one second be on a really heavy, awful subject, and then all of the sudden we flip the page and there’s a sweet happy moment that turns into a steamy sex scene. I would just say it was a lot. However I really liked the story, I loved the characters (flaws and all), and I enjoyed the plot and journey they took!

Thank you to the publisher, author, and NetGalley for providing me with an ARC in exchange for my honest rating and review.

I was really excited to read this after loving the last Celia Laskey book I read, but unfortunately this one didn’t hook me and I couldn’t get into it. I’ll try again some other day.

I didn’t expect this book to be as emotional and heavy (also beautiful) as it is was. Ali and Kara had real chemistry and real emotion woven into them. I loved the setting being back in 2005 and hearing all of the nostalgic references.

I loved this book so, so much. It’s 2005 and Ali is a celebrity publicist who is grieving after her partner’s sudden death. Part of her job is advising queer celebrities not to come out, as the industry and the world writ large are still (and still today) incredibly homophobic. Ali is queer herself, and although occasionally she feels icky about her role in facilitating the closeting of celebrities, she doesn’t really question it until she gets a new client and sparks fly.

This book made me laugh, cry, and smile like an idiot. It's rare that a book features a character with such intense anxiety, and I appreciated the care with which Laskey approached Ali's paranoia and compulsive tendencies. I loved the evolution of Ali's grief journey, and Laskey so compassionately depicts how lost and scared Ali fels every moment of every single day. In one particularly moving chapter, Ali recounts the day of her partner's death, and it is absolutely gut-wrenching, but also such a beautiful testament to how deeply you can love someone.

The love story in this book is also so beyond tender - you immediately feel the spark between Ali and Cara, and we watch as they both grapple with self-acceptance and the competing pressures of fame, stability, and the shame of having to be publicly closeted. Ali and Cara's push and pull as they navigate everything feels so realistic, and I appreciated that Laskey wasn't afraid to make them both seem unlikable and selfish at times - it made them seem so much more human. This story feels especially poignant when it feels like the country is regressing with regards to queer rights, and I feel very lucky to have read it.

Thank you to NetGalley and Grand Central Publishing for an advanced reader's copy in exchange for an honest review!

Cover Story at a glance is about a celebrity publicist named Ali who develops a romantic relationship with her new client Cara, an up and coming star.

In reality this is largely a story about Ali becoming aware of and recognizing her trauma and mental health issues with a rom com thrown in. Ali’s mental health issues cause her to be so blinded that other people could be suffering from complex emotions that she comes off as selfish. It was a big sticking point for me in this book. Her expectations of others in her relationships far outweigh what she gives them herself.

There were parts of the book I enjoyed. Celia Laskey does a wonderful job writing fully dimensional characters. The joy Ali and Cara brought each other was infectious. Cara definitely stole the show both in the plot and on page as a character.

This romance is a slow burn and most of it happens in the second half of the book. The writing can be overly descriptive at times. Laskey does go in depth with certain traumatic events so I would recommend looking up trigger warnings before diving in.

I rated this 3 stars on Goodreads. The story was ok but I couldn’t get over Ali’s selfishness and naivety

I normally am not a fan of the age-gap trope, but this was a fantastic read. It felt authentic to the early 2000s without being forced, I was interested in the characters and their growth, and I loved the representation of mental health issues at that time.

It's 2005. Blackberries are all the rage. Jennifer Aniston and Brad Pitt have broken up. Lindsay Lohan has a Janet Jackson moment. And blogger Perez Hilton is threatening to 'out' in the closet celebs like Lance Bass and the fictional Cara Bissett, the latter who happens to be a client of the PR firm that our MC Ali works for.

In additional to temporarily shoving her out of the closet clients back into the closet from whence they came, Ali is dealing her own set of problems. She's got a little- ok, A LOT of- anxiety. And she's neurotic. And a little bit of a hypochondriac. Basically, she's chicken little and the sky is always falling. It doesn't help that she's still dealing with the grief of losing her partner Natalie, and is having trouble re-learning to stand on her own two feet. Or that her dog Glen may have halitosis.

When Ali gets roped into joining Cara on her whirlwind press tour (about a girl who falls in love with a video game sim, no less), to help Cara hide that literally everything about her screams gay, they bond in an unexpected way that helps Ali heal and feel all the feels again. But a falling for client spells disaster, especially when Cara is supposed to be faux-mancing her costar and not romancing her publicist, and Ali and Cara have to figure out what's at stake and if they can make it in the real world.

I really, really, really liked this sapphic romcom-esque love story. The nostalgia of got me right away and it felt a little bit like being thrown back in time (Cara wears Adidas track pants and Converse; Ali keeps a binder and her boss has a Lisa Frank notebook). The characters were absolutely wonderful too. Ali, even though she was a ball of anxiety, it wasn't her defining factor, and Cara was a unique character who felt perfectly herself.

The message of the story felt really powerful too. It's so crazy to remember there was a time not so long ago when gay and lesbian actors had to worry about their personal lives upstaging their acting careers- or suffer the Anne Heche effect where being out sabotaged their career altogether. Cover Story reminds us of that period of time and then shatters the stereotypes through this books of healing, laughs and love.

I highly recommend this read! Thank you Grand Central Publishing, Hachette Book Group and Netgalley for my arc.

I'm glad I stuck with this one because I'm going to be honest-the first few chapters was a struggle. I found the era-specific references to be heavy-handed and Ali to be needlessly annoying. After a few chapters, I started enjoying the story more and the writing didn't annoy me as much as in the beginning. I really liked the characterization of Cara and wasn't prepared for the emotional depth she had. The cover is a bit deceptive as the story us much heavier and emotional than the cover makes it seem Laskey handled the topics of sexual assault and grief well. I liked that there wasn't too much of a third act break up and found myself rooting for Ali and Cara by the end. I think some readers will be surprised at how sad this book can be but romance readers will enjoy it.

Cover Story by Celia Laskey was just everything.
Put your preorders in now. I promise you, it is truly that good.
This book instantly captured my attention and kept me glued to the pages.
I absolutely loved this book! I couldn’t put it down and read it in one day.

Kara is an up-and-coming indie actress (ala Kristin Stewart) and Ali is her publicist. Even though Ali is openly gay, part of her job is to cover for clients who are not out. Ali is still reeling from the sudden death of her partner when she befriends her new client, Kara. Against both of their better judgements, Kara must pretend to be straight as she makes a bid for the Oscar best actress race. They find their friendship turning into more and have to decide how to publicly deal with their private feelings as they weigh what is acceptable in 2005 Hollywood.

I really liked this sapphic rom com. It was a little different take on a celebrity/ normal person romance, and I thought it was well written and had interesting characters as well as realistic stakes about being publicly out in the mid-2000's Hollywood. I really liked the resolution and would read another book by Laskey has she has the gentle touch for a book that's a rom com, plus, much like Abby Jimenez or Emily Henry. If you liked The Charm Offensive by Alison Cochrane, then this one is for you.

Thank you to Netgalley for the advance copy for review.

Loved this book and loved these characters! It was a fun blast from the past to read a book set in 2005 and the way the way grief was addressed was really beautiful

3.75 stars! I love a good celebrity romance, and if you do too, you'll definitely want to check out COVER STORY. It's 2005 Hollywood, and Ali is a publicist for some of the biggest stars around. Part of her job also involves keeping gay celebrities in the closet, although ironically, Ali is a lesbian herself. She's just been assigned a new client, rising starlet Cara Bisset, who's set to take the world by storm with a new romantic blockbuster. The only problem? Cara is gay, and she hates that she has to hide her identity. After some close calls, Ali is sent on the worldwide promotional tour for the movie to try to keep Cara's secret under wraps. Ali also suffers from severe anxiety, which has been worsened in the past year by the sudden loss of her partner. Only when Ali's with Cara, she finds herself able to relax and let go of her fears a little, and she becomes increasingly drawn to Cara's outspoken, carefree nature. Will Ali risk the status quo for another chance at love?

I really enjoyed this book! I liked how detailed the writing style was—I truly felt like I got to know Ali as a character, her life, her career, her struggles, and everything in between (shoutout to her adorable sidekick, Glen the dog—loved that he was so heavily featured in the story, too, and that he helped Ali heal in some ways from her anxiety and grief). The relationship between her and Cara was so well-done, as they complemented each other perfectly. Despite their strong chemistry and connection, I would say that this isn't exactly a romcom—it is romantic, and funny, but the story also tackles some heavier themes, which lends even more depth to the characters, but creates more of a serious tone overall. Still, Ali and Cara's relationship balances those aspects out with its humor, charm, and lightheartedness!

If there's one thing I struggled with a little bit, it was the story's setting. I completely understood why it was set in 2005, and that angle made the central conflict even more pressing (also, I always enjoy stories set in early-2000s Hollywood!). However, I did feel like sometimes there were almost too many references to the time period, that didn't always feel natural/like they flowed well within the story. It didn't take away from my overall enjoyment of the book, but could get a little distracting at times. I'd still recommend this one for fans of celebrity romances, and would be interested in seeing what Celia Laskey writes next! Thank you to NetGalley and Grand Central Publishing for the ARC.

dnf’ing 30%

this takes place in the 2000s which i was NOT expecting (which is totally my bad for not being a blurb reader and preferring to go into books blind) yet this is chock full of references that felt a bit overbearing as well as very grief heavy themes so far that are too sad for me! 😢 i wanted to love this so bad but i will 100% check out her NEXT release

I’m a sucker for anything sapphic and Hollywood. I really loved the dynamic between the two FMCs and how sweet their relationship was. The book definitely touched on some heavier topics (ie: grief, sexual assault, etc) and I think they were all handled really well. I found myself rooting for the FMCs and their relationship and I’m so, so happy that this book has a lesbian happily ever after. The writing style was very easy to breeze through!

It’s 2005 and Ali is a PR agent to the stars, but her super power is keeping her famous gay clients in the closet and it’s been making her miserable, especially since she is gay herself and feels that role models could have helped her when she was figuring out who she really was when she was younger. Then Ali’s new client, an up and coming star named Cara becomes her most challenging client yet with her strong sense of self and reluctance to remain closeted. Cara makes Ali question what she has been doing (not that she hadn't been quesitioning herself all along). Ali suffers from severe anxiety which has only gotten worse in the past year since her partner died. Cara’s carefree attitude gives Ali a new sense of safety and happiness, feelings that she didn’t think she’d ever feel again.

It honestly took me a while to like Ali, her neurosis were a bit over the top for me that she annoyed me at the beginning of the novel, but as she grew as a character I warmed up to her. I enjoyed having a story about how the Hollywood machine functioned in a time when everyone was basically hiding their sexuality (not that everyone is out now), and how it affected some of those who were deep in it. I thought the author did an excellent job of painting depth into the characters and slowly burning the relationship. I had a few minor quibbles with the book but nothing that really hurt the reading experience.

3.75 stars

Thank you to Grand Central Publishing and NetGalley for the ARC to review

I unfortunately did not finish Cover Story. I had a hard time connecting with the characters and didn't feel the romance between them or even a friendship.

Cover Story by Celia Laskey ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Fans of early 2000s Hollywood drama will love this full-of-heart story about finding love and being yourself.

I caught myself several times with a big grin on my face from all the hilarious and touching moments. On its face, it’s a love story, but deep down it’s about identity, truth, and moving on. It packed an emotional punch, but it balanced it out with thoughtful, funny moments.

The “rooted in reality” 2005 references took me out of the story. I’m a reader that if you are going to use real life people in stories, you have to make me believe your character is also real. But I didn’t feel that way with Cara and Ali (even though I enjoyed them tremendously). I also felt like this could be edited down (less superfluous descriptions of migraines and washing oneself in the shower) and it would’ve packed a bigger punch.

Fans of books focusing on the celebrity/non-famous relationships, romcoms, and books that tackles emotional subjects will enjoy this one.