3.5🌟
It’s a cute fast read. Ivy finding her way in the new office and her struggles felt really fun to read. Seeing her improve and find herself made this book have a really feel-good vibe. All of Ivy and Ethan’s decisions were really reasonable, which was a nice thing because what irritates me the most in books are decisions that came out of left field.
Ethan’s character arc felt very satisfactory. Him growing and moving up in the office hierarchy and then making decisions for himself finally felt so great to read.

lighthearted, medium-paced
Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.75 stars

The first half of the book is good but the second half feels very insta-love, where the characters existed and 2 seconds later they were obsessed over the other. I missed the closure of the prior relationships of both main characters. It seems like they didn't took anything from that and just went for the next thing that showed up.
I read the book in the audiobook format. The audio had good quality and the narrators had a good tone and passing and they delivered the text well, maybe it could have had more sentiment but overall good. There is 2 narrators in this audiobook and they each read the chapters narrated by their characters.

Content Warnings:
Graphic: Sexual content and Toxic relationship
Moderate: Cursing, Infertility, Miscarriage, and Alcohol

(review from Storygraph)

The book seemed a little all over the place and timeline wasn’t very clear. Characters reactions weren’t believable and I kind of wished I had DNF’d this.

⭐️⭐️⭐️
🌶️🌶️

This was the perfect in between read for me after coming off the back of something heavy.

Ethan and Ivy are so completely well matched, from their mannerism, work ethic and suitability towards commitment. To listen to Ivy go from a shell of herself after Rob, the prick, treated her the way he did to this strong women capable of anything was absolutely captivating.

And my oh my, now I know your lying if you also didn’t swoon and fall all over Ethan. He shed some really important light on how a relationship can be flipped and the man can be the one staying for the sake of “oh but I love her”.

This book shows the side that sometimes you shouldn’t stay in a relationship just because you think you’re doing the right thing and you were happy once.

This book showed me even more than why I love reading so much because fictional books can also be very therapeutic and educational, that doesn’t mean you should let your children read this book 😉

I really enjoyed The Makeup Girl by Eddy Twice. I'm really looking forward to reading more of her books in the future.
The Makeup Girl is a charming office romance between Ivy and Ethan, both recovering from toxic long-term relationships. This sweet rom-com is ideal for anyone looking for a light, heartwarming, easy read/listen

I was given advanced access to the audiobook. It was narrated by Daniel Rosenberg and Bonnie Walsh and they did a fantastic job.

#TheMakeupGirl #NetGalley
Publication Date- November 1, 2024

This was cute and enjoyable! I really liked this book. It was a great read and I loved the audiobook.

I will definitely read more by this author.

Thank you to NetGalley, Victory Editing NetGalley Co-op and Eddy Twice for giving me an advanced listener's copy of this book.
I loved the narrators.

I was pleasantly surprised by this book! I would give it a 3.5 because it has so much potential to be a 4 if the story continued! I loved having dual narrators, and they did a great job with the characters. Plus, I love an accent.

The cover and title need some work. I had the cartoon cover and it doesn't accurately reflect the character's looks. In the story, they mention Ivy's red hair many times, so I would love to see that on the cover. I feel like there could be a more fitting and creative title to match this story. Yes, she works at a makeup company, but that is not what it is about. She doesn't even know how to do makeup or understand the name of the products.

The story itself was great for how short it was. I figured the characters would end up together, it was a great path to get there. As well as greatly written steamy bits. I do wish the story continued so the story could be wrapped up more. The last chapter seemed way too abrupt, but glad it was happy. It was a cute romance that could be finished in a cozy afternoon.

I published this review on my goodreads and instagram. Links below.

I really loved the premise for this story. Ivy gave up her dreams to be a PR professional to support her boyfriend Rob. She eventually gave up pieces of herself until she was no longer the same person and Rob left her, taking everything but the lumpy, old couch.

After being off the job market for so long she was desperate for a job that met her qualifications and took the first job that would have her, as assistant copy editor for a beauty brand. Her new boss, Ethan, is grouchy, and difficult to work with.

Ethan is having trouble at home with his leech of a girlfriend, Lily. She criticizes him relentlessly, doesn’t take his work seriously, and spends all of his money. When she comes into Ethan’s office during a tense meeting and makes a scene, he cuts her off.

Ivy and Ethan run into each other at a club and drunkenly leave together. One thing leads to another and the story takes a very spicy turn.

I really wanted to like this book, but in the end it just wasn’t a good fit for me. The idea is cute and the story has potential, it just wasn’t well executed. It felt like a bunch of ideas jumbled together. The characters and the love scenes they shared felt very robotic and didn’t make a lot of sense placement wise. The story jumps around and there’s no easy to follow timeline. Also the title doesn’t make sense. Ivy doesn’t even wear makeup until later in the book.

Thank you Netgalley and Publisher for approving the request of the audiobook of The Makeup Girl:Crash On You.
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It was my second audiobook and now I'm getting more grip on this i had started applying for more audiobooks on Netgalley. These are so convenient because i could easily listen to them while commuting to work.
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The book was overall just average,nothing anticipating or i didn't even feel any chemistry sorry. I hate this drunk-mistake trope, one second they didn't like each other and all of sudden all they could think about on each other😭😭.
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i keep zoning out half of the time because there was nothing progressive going on 😕 their friends felt so extra to me idk what to say. all they did was go out even when the FL was so broke 😭 excuse me miss you have to get yourself a bed first. Same with ML, if your ex-girlfriend was that rich why is she spending your money like having some proper conversation with her before breaking up with her.
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anyways the ending was a bit cute even after all those cringe and clichés. i think we all should keep reading books like this cause they really help you get out of reading slump😌🙌🏻

This audiobook is a delightful mix of humor, heart, and a touch of glamour that kept me entertained from start to finish.

The narration was fantastic! The voice brought the characters to life in such a vibrant way, making their journeys feel incredibly real. I found myself laughing out loud at the witty dialogue and rooting for the protagonist as she navigated the ups and downs of her world.

What I loved most was how the story explored themes of self-acceptance and the power of friendship. The insights into the beauty industry were fascinating, and I appreciated the way the author tackled both the fun and serious sides of it.

💄The Makeup Girl✨by Eddie Twice
Thank you @netgalley for this ALC, this is my honest review.
⭐️⭐️⭐️🌶️
💭My thoughts: This was a cute short listen. I wasn’t a fan of the male narrator but the female narrator did exceptionally well. Both fresh from breakups, Ethan and Ivy both have to figure out how to navigate their.. relationship? He’s her grumpy boss and she’s his new assistant. After a drunken night together they wake up not feeling much regret and wanting more. I recommend giving this a listen if you want a short workplace romance.

I'm left pretty confused with what I read here. It felt like the author left us with the outline of a book and not necessarily the full thing. I remember thinking multiple times this reminded me of the internet videos where people fed an AI bot thousands of pages of holiday love movie scripts and asked it to write a new one in that style. Here we had many classic romance troupes all forced into one but none, really were fleshed out well enough to make them believable. I felt like the makeup piece was also really forced into this story, and could've really done without it entirely. I also listened to this via audio and had similar feelings that the narrators perhaps could use a little more practice. Ultimately, I'd say skip this book.

<b>Thank you to Victory Editing and NetGalley for providing me with an advanced reader copy of this audiobook. Here are my honest thoughts and review - to follow.</b>

Rating: 2.5/5 ⭐. but rounded down

The story follows Ivy as she rebuilds her life after leaving a toxic 8-year relationship. Her friend helps her land a job as a personal assistant to Ethan, a workaholic with a gold-digger fiancé. As Ethan ends his engagement, his relationship with Ivy begins to grow beyond professional boundaries.

<b>Tropes</b>
🏢 Workplace romance
👔 Boss x personal assistant
🌞 Grumpy x sunshine

I adored the subtle message about how makeup can be empowering—not just a cosmetic tool, but a source of confidence and emotional support in someone’s life.

<b>What I disliked</b>
- The story read as a bit juvenile, mainly due to the immaturity in actions and dialogue. Despite being in their 30s, the characters often felt more like teenagers than mature professionals.
- Ivy’s unprofessionalism on her first day at work was frustrating, especially since she was already late. There are better ways to create banter between the FMC (Ivy) and the MMC (Ethan) without sacrificing credibility.
- Both Ivy and Ethan are healing from toxic, traumatic relationships, making them relatable in some ways. However, their connection felt superficial—more about convenient circumstances than genuine chemistry.
- The pacing felt rushed, with abrupt developments and little follow-up. Events moved quickly, sometimes without proper resolution or depth.
- The spicy scenes were underwhelming—short, overly polished, and lacking detail. For all the buildup, they might have worked better as closed-door moments.

<b>Missed Opportunities</b>
I wanted more insight into Ivy’s tragic backstory with Rob. It was barely touched on and remained surface-level. The same applies to Ethan’s previous relationship. Adding this depth would have enriched the storyline and given the characters more layers.

<b> Narration</b>
The audiobook is narrated by Daniel Rosenberg and Bonnie Walsh. While the dual narration was decent, it wasn’t exceptional. I expected consistent character assignments (e.g., Ivy's lines by the female narrator and Ethan's by the male narrator), but instead, narration alternated by POV per chapter. This inconsistency made the listening experience feel clunky.

<b> Final Thoughts </b>
📚 This was a quick, okay read (especially as an audiobook). The story had potential but suffered from its brevity, which limited character and relationship development. With more time and depth, this could have been a stronger novel. Unfortunately, it’s not very memorable and likely won’t stick with me.

The Makeup Girl is a delightful office romance with engaging characters. Ivy and Ethan are both healing from toxic long-term relationships and unexpectedly find love again in each other. This cute rom-com is perfect if you're looking for an easy, heartwarming read. Thank you to Eddy Twice and NetGalley for this ALC!

The Makeup Girl
by Eddy Twice
Narrated by Daniel Rosenberg. Bonnie Walsh

The narrators were great. I wasn’t sure they would work as dual narrators at first, but they nailed it!

I received an ARC of this audiobook from Netgalley.

I definitely like this book. I like the characters, the character development, the secondary characters.

I don’t like the title. It is seriously misleading. It might be better to make this book into a romance series. This book could be: When Life Gives You Lemons or The Grumpy Boss or An Unlikely Pair or Warming up Mr. Cold Shoulder. And it could be part 1 of The Dream Team series.

I thought the book was going to be about a girl/woman that works as a makeup artist or who works at a makeup counter or in a makeup store or as a makeup influencer on social media. I did not think she was just going to be part of the makeup industry. Makeup is but a vehicle for the story, she could have just as easily worked in a different industry.

The ending was jarring, abrupt, too short, and left me wanting more. It really sets the scene for a book 2. There are so many characters that deserve their own love story: Mia, Kara, Aria, Trey, and Vincent.

This is a cozy romance that you can listen to in a day or two. I do recommend this book. I just figured it’s only fair to state my opinions on things.

The main characters are Ethan (Mr. Cold Shoulder/grumpypants) and Ivy (Ms. Down-and-out but still sunshiney). Their romance caught my interest from the beginning and held it to the end. I hope you’ll give it a whirl!

📚 The Makeup Girl by Eddy Twice
🎧 Format: Audiobook
🎙️ Narrated by: Daniel Rosenberg & Bonnie Walsh
📕 Genre: Contemporary Romance
📖 Read: November 2024
✨ Rating: ⭐️⭐️

‧₊˚✧ 𝑻𝑹𝑶𝑷𝑬𝑺 ✧˚₊‧
ꕥ Workplace Romance
ꕥ Grumpy/Sunshine
ꕥ Enemies to Lovers

This was just fine.

This book started off strong, but halfway through it just fell flat. While I enjoyed both Ethan and Ivy's characters, I felt no chemistry or connection with them. Everything just seemed surface-level. Ivy's backstory with Rob was almost tragic; however, it was barely discussed. I also found the timeline to be a bit disjointed. The chapters move from one thing to another with little to no follow up. Honestly, at times I felt so lost.

The audio was also just ok. Ivy's narrator was easy to listen to, however, it took me a while to get used to the male narrator.

I will say, I do appreciate that there was no third-act breakup, but unfortunately, I don't think I'm going to remember this book in a few days.

𝘊𝘩𝘦𝘤𝘬 𝘰𝘶𝘵 𝘮𝘺 𝘉𝘰𝘰𝘬𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘨𝘳𝘢𝘮 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘢𝘦𝘴𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘵𝘪𝘤𝘴: 𝘩𝘵𝘵𝘱𝘴://𝘸𝘸𝘸.𝘪𝘯𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘨𝘳𝘢𝘮.𝘤𝘰𝘮/𝘣𝘰𝘰𝘬𝘦𝘥.𝘢𝘯𝘥.𝘭𝘪𝘴𝘵𝘦𝘯𝘪𝘯𝘨/

Thank you NetGalley, Victory Editing and Eddy Twice for giving me the opportunity to listen to this ARC in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

This book is a mix of workplace romance, grumpy boss, and enemies-to-lovers tropes. It is slow moving, a little disjointed and lacked a good hook for me. I wanted to love it but it ended up just being okay. It is not bad just not memorable.

Probably more like 3.5-star star rating. The story was okay honestly nothing stood out to me besides the accent I love a good accent. Ivy lived with her ex-boyfriend up until he broke it off with her and left her with nothing. She had to get a Job to support herself that's where she starts as assistant at a makeup company and meets Ethan who is a total grump. He also is in a terrible relationship. Eventually they get drunk, and they do a one night stand that eventually leads to more

First thing’s first: thank you Netgalley for the ALC of this book!
The Makeup Girl by Eddy Twice was truly terrible. I’m sure there are people who will love this, but it SUPER wasn’t for me. Manic pixie dream girl type FMC who just doesn’t even GET makeup, ya know?! But somehow she’s also hired on at a makeup company despite being late for the interview and not interviewing well and then being late on her first day?? Okay…. Sure! Weird sudden horniness leads to weird and cringe instalove between her and her boss (she’s his assistant) after both of them get out of long term relationships and then he turns down a job offer so he can stay in town with her??? Idk man I realllllllly hated this book and while I don’t know for sure if Eddy Twice is a man, the sex scenes sure suggest he is. The ONLY good thing about this book is that it was short.
.5⭐️

We meet the love interests friends a few times and the ruin the whole already slightly annoying character. I can't get behind thinking anything nice about a guy who intentionally hangs out with people like that.