I haven't read many second chance romances books but I found myself drawn into the relationship and I enjoyed the povs.

I really liked this one! Second chance romance isn’t my favorite trope, but this one was done so well!! I devoured this book in a day. I really enjoyed the back & fourth timeline- I think this is what made me love this book the most. Seeing the friends to lovers evolve over time was perfectly done.

Some of my favorite moments were the jinx scene and the mtv movie awards!

Thank you so much Caitlin and NetGalley for a chance to read and review this lovely book!

I was really excited to read this because I love second-chance romances, and the fact that they were childhood friends/co-stars intrigued me. Unfortunately, the story fell flat for me. As a second-chance romance, I was hoping for more tension between the characters, especially since they hadn't spoken for years. There was no build-up of anything, which led me to feel no real chemistry between Wil and Dax. I'm also a big fan of dual timelines in books, and I could tell the author was trying to form a connection between the characters through the "then" chapters, but honestly, it just felt disjointed to me. The premise of the book definitely had potential; it just needed better execution. This was still a solid debut novel, and I am definitely interested in seeing what the author plans to write next.

Thank you to 8th Note Press and NetGalley for the eARC in exchange for an honest review.

Wilhelmina and Dax were child stars on a popular TV show, they had a nasty breakup when the show ended. Years later, they meet again on the set of a movie. Sparks start flying again, making things complicated.

This was such a fun second chance romcom, I enjoyed the dual timeline as well as dual POV. These two were cute, I enjoyed their story 💖

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC!

Finished this book in one sitting!!
I loved how fast paced it was, i'm definitely a fan of dual timeline and this second chance romance didn't disappoint.
I'm in love with Wil and Dax's story.

ON SCREEN & OFF AGAIN by Caitlin Cross

Pub date: Feb. 4th, 2025
Publisher: 8th Note Press
Rating: 3 / 5



Ever heard that famous saying, "You know I adore you, I'm crazier for you // Than I was at 16, lost in a film scene"?

Wilhelmina Chase had the dream teen star life. She had a hit TV show, happy home life, and her best friend/co-star/first love Daxon Avery. But that was 7 years ago. Now, Wil is just another child star turned tragedy. Meanwhile, Dax has made a name for himself as one of Hollywood's hottest actors. His newest project, To The Stars, is looking for a female lead, and Dax has his eyes set on Wil. Starring in this movie means a second chance for Wil's career... and maybe for Wil and Dax too.

ON SCREEN & OFF AGAIN is a debut romance that follows two people relearning what their dreams look like. The book alternates between Wil and Dax's POVs in the past and present. There are also sections following the movie script of To The Stars. The movie characters are clear parallels of Wil and Dax, and while the script adds a fun multimedia aspect to the story, the book sometimes feels more invested in the movie characters than Wil and Dax. There is very little build up to them getting back together, and their present day relationship felt rushed and superficial. It was also hard to feel like the characters grew at all when Wil is essentially the same at 17 as 24. Dax is definitely a highlight of the book, with truly swoon-worthy lines and charm, but the lack of action and conversations on page takes away some of his depth too. Romance fans looking for a light read with Hollywood drama and second chances will likely enjoy Wil and Dax's story.



(Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing an ARC in exchange for an honest review!)

ARC Review

Thank you to Caitlin Cross, 8th Note Press and Netgalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Spice: 🫑
Stars: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Tropes:
📽 childhood best friends
🥰 second chance

This book was so cute! I loved the romance! I was rooting for Dax and Wil as individuals and as a couple the entire time!

Vibes:
1. Hannah Montana meets Bling Ring (in part) meets celebrity comeback (i.e. Lindsay Lohan)
2. Tom Holland protecting Zendaya from the press

This is my new go to recommendation for anyone that wants a good romance book!

Ooooooh, what an enjoyable read!

I was really anticipating this book, and it did not disappoint. It's got "if former Disney Channel stars reunited on a movie set as adults and fell back in love" energy and I was HERE. FOR. IT. Former friends to lovers second chance is my kryptonite, and Cross did this so well. The writing is engaging and beautiful, the characters are well-developed, and the plot is captivating from start to finish. A delicious read.

Can't wait to read what Caitlin Cross writes next.
 
Thank you to 8th Note Press and Netgalley for the e-ARC in exchange for my honest, unbiased review. ON SCREEN & OFF AGAIN is out 2/4/25.

This is the stuff of fanfiction dreams, truly. Wilhemina and Daxon were child stars on an extremely popular TV show, but had a bad breakup when the show ended. Seven years later, Daxon's star is on the rise, while Wil has faded into obscurity. They are reunited on a blockbuster movie, and of course, sparks fly and things get complicated.

I went back and forth on whether to give this book three or four stars, and I landed on four stars because this was a fun, easy read with lots of familiar tropes that were relatively well-executed. I felt the chemistry between Wil and Daxon, but the degree to which I was rooting for them was definitely dampened by the fact that I thought Daxon treated Wil pretty shittily. When he was young, of course, I gave him a bit of a pass (even though I feel like the way he treated her was indicative of how little he actually respected her), but in the present-day timeline, it felt like he was still willing to do anything for his career and he was unwilling to really remedy the rift between them with real accountability. The movie Wil and Daxon are working on is also extremely cheesy, and there was way too much of the script in there for my liking. But this didn't feel like a three-star book to me because it is actually really well written, and I loved Wil as a character.

Thank you to NetGalley and 8th Note Press for an advanced reader's copy in exchange for an honest review!

i wanted to love this SO BADLY. so so so badly.

and i didn’t.

i don’t really have anything to say other than that it’s a romance book in which the two characters have no chemistry, no tension, and no real connection. they didn’t feel like a couple. they didn’t come across as being in love with each other at any point.

you cannot have a romance with no romance.

that is all.

thank you to netgalley & 8th note press for the arc! all opinions are my own <3

i really love a dual timeline book and the script concept was so cool to read !!! i read this in one sitting and i liked it. but i need to say that it was just rushed, for example, once the movie production ended, it seemed like the rest of the book wasn’t as well connected since it made me feel like the end of the story was close when it wasn’t.

by the end i realized i needed more wil and daxon content, i feel like i know more about their teenage years than the current moment. as for the past chapters, i really wish wil had talked more about how harris ended her career and the fact that he’s a pedophile. i get understand why daxon didn’t want to say about not renewing his contract and wil’s reaction? i’d say expected since the show was everything to her.

i really liked wil’s dad redemption at the end but daxon’s relationship with his dads needed more development just like katrina’s desire to mess things up for wil. but yeah i liked this read but i wish it had more characters developments.

thank you netgalley, 8th note press and caitlin cross for the arc in exchange for an honest review !

Read This Book If…The Notebook is one of your favorite movies!

⭐️⭐️💫/5
On Screen & Off Again by Caitlin Cross

Genre: romance
Spice Level: 1/5🌶, closed door
Setting: Los Angeles and South Carolina
POV: dual, 1st person, present tense
Tropes: dual timeline, second chance, childhood friends to lovers to strangers to lovers, celebrities, neighbors

My Thoughts:
As someone who LOVES a second chance romance with a dual timeline, I was so excited for this read! Unfortunately, it fell a little flat for me.

There was not enough chemistry and tension between these characters, and absolutely no steam on page. It’s totally fine for a romance to be closed door, but it felt like there was no lead-up to the door being slammed in my face.

I think this story would have benefited from there being at least 10 years between timelines. 24 is still so young and it didn’t feel like these characters had matured at all.

While in movie they’re starring in sounded good (heavily inspired by The Notebook), there was a ton of script in the book that could have been dedicated to the two of them actually working through their relationship while acting together.

Overall, the writing wasn’t bad, I just thought the characters and their relationship could have been fleshed out more.

Memorable Quote: “You’re the only person who makes me feel found instead of lost.”

Thank you to the publisher for my advance copy!

I absolutely love second-chance romances, and anything set in Hollywood always grabs my attention. I was so excited to dive into a story about two younger Hollywood actors reconnecting after time apart—it’s a trope I can’t resist! But despite my excitement, the book didn’t live up to its promise.

From the start, the connection between the characters felt inauthentic. Their bond was presented as profound, but it seemed to come out of nowhere. A single, perfectly timed phone call magically reignited their relationship, but without much buildup or emotional depth, I couldn’t buy into their connection. It all felt too easy, and there wasn’t any real conflict to ground their story.

The tone of the book also threw me off. It read like a young adult novel, yet it was packed with constant references to sex—without ever showing any of it. The inclusion felt unnecessary, almost like it was there just for the sake of being mentioned. I couldn’t help but feel that the story would have worked better as a true YA, where those elements wouldn’t have been needed at all.

The pacing was another issue for me. While the initial setup had promise, the resolution of major plot points felt rushed and unsatisfying. For instance, the show’s ending completely upended Wil’s life, but the fallout of WHY it ended was resolved so quickly that it lacked emotional impact. It felt like significant moments were glossed over, which left me wanting more depth and complexity.

Overall, while I was drawn to the premise of this book, the execution left me disappointed. I love the themes it aimed for, but I didn’t feel the authenticity or emotional payoff I was hoping for. If you’re a die-hard fan of Hollywood stories or second-chance romances, it might still be worth a read, but this one wasn’t for me.

While I loved the premise of this book, it unfortunately missed the mark for me...

I found it to be very difficult to form any sort of attachment to the characters. While Dax was kind of just alright (sweet, but underdeveloped in a lot of ways), Wil was completely insufferable. She treats everyone around her horribly for the entire book, which would've been okay under a normal character development arc, but she never apologizes to anyone or really shows much growth at all and everyone just kind of forgives her for being the worst because they love her.

I also noticed that the storyline seemed to very heavily rely on this being a second chance romance, so the actual romance development was just kind of messy and underdeveloped as well because the reader is just supposed to understand that these characters had a "relationship" before. While this was a short read, I would've been okay with it being longer if I saw a chance for the relationship to actually be developed instead of glazed over. I felt like we wasted a lot of page count on excerpts from the script of the movie the characters are working on. Which, to be clear, I usually love the inclusion of stuff like that and I understand how it was supposed to add to the story, but I felt like there was more than necessary. And I actually found myself connecting more with the characters in the script and even getting emotional for their story at times more so than I ever did with the actual main characters of the book.

Amazing celebrity romance,

lots of chemistry between the caracters, I loved every page of it.

The plot was amazing and the right amount of spice included.

I'm obsessed with this book! I loved it so much. I'm on a celebrity romcom kick and this book was perfect. The author clearly knows the industry. The pacing was great. The Hollywood backdrop was perfection, and Dax and Wil were adorable. This was a fantastic debut and I cannot wait to read more from this author.

I usually hate second chance romance tropes but this one pleasantly surprised me.

I do love the costars aspect to the main characters. I usually dont read a lot of books having actors and actresses in them because characters come off as shallow a lot but these two were so different and watching them grow from nothing to everything was cute.

I loved wils growth even though she did come off as a wild child actor but really she just wanted to be seen again.

And Dax ..that man. He was calm and funny and that man was so in love.

A sweet story 🩷 it’s like if a modern aspiring actors Degrassi and The Notebook were mixed together.

Felt rushed in many places to me and that story wasn’t fully expanded.
It was a quick and easy read, and while not my favorite it was a pretty good debut novel!

I would have loved a deeper analysis of the main characters and the conflict to be less about the two of them and more to do with the Katrina character. There were unresolved things there.

This is a fun second chance rom-com featuring star-crossed movie stars. Childhood sweethearts rekindle their spark while working together on a big movie set. Although it's marketed as New Adult Romance, the story reads more like YA to me.

The book frequently shifts between timelines and perspectives, alternating between the FMC and MMC in "Now" and "Then." It also interweaves the movie script as another timeline. While this approach aligns with the book's cinematic theme, it wasn’t to my liking. I often found myself flipping back or trying to keep track of who and when between the short chapters, which pulled me out of the story. As a result, I ended up reading it over several days instead of being fully engrossed.

The romance is closed-door, but the dialogue between the characters is fun. However, I didn’t feel much spark between them. The MMC came across as too vanilla for my tastes, and the FMC felt almost bratty at times.

The plot had some surprising moments and was told in an interesting way, but it felt overly long. I found myself skimming, particularly after the halfway point. The stakes in their relationship never felt as high as the characters made them out to be, and the Hollywood lifestyle issues were a bit unrelatable, or maybe just not to my taste.

Overall, the writing was fine, and the movie-style format might appeal to some readers, but it didn’t work for me.

Spice: 2/5
Plot: 4/5
Writing: 4/5
My Enjoyment: 3.5/5

***I received an ARC in exchange for an honest review

Review posted on Goodreads & romance.io. Will post on Amazon when available.

I went into this book with a little bit of expectation since it has been spoken about in the same breath (or sentence) as love and other words AND every summer after, so I am pretty damned satisfied with my reading experience. I love second chance romances and the angst it comes with. I loved their reconciliation and them getting to know each other all over again.

A huge thank you to the publisher and netgalley for giving me this arc in exchange for my honest opinion.