I had no idea what to expect from Let's Make a Scene but I absolutely loved it. The story is simultaneously deeply touching and laugh-out-loud witty. I was especially impressed by how the author wove the two timelines seamlessly together. Will definitely be reading more from Laura Wood!

I thought I loved Under Your Spell, but Let’s Make a Scene was even better.

Cynthie & Jack have an explosive adversaries to lovers relationship that is told through flashbacks from 13 years ago. They worked on their first film together and had to fake a PR relationship at the time and find themselves in the same predicament currently with the sequel.

I love a good second chance romance and this one really fleshed out their past whereas many books with this trope seem to skim over it. I loved the swoony tension, yearning, angst and ultimate growth and character development for both leads.

Jack in particular in the current timeline had really redeemed himself of his past actions.

This book was SO GOOD!!! The writing has a certain charming and addictive quality that’s so strong it’s hard to stop reading. I loved getting scenes from 13 years ago to 13 years later and seeing the growth in Jack and Cynthie personally, professionally, and together. Every character is so well developed and the found-family of it all made this story so much more enjoyable and meaningful. This is the kind of story you can get lost in. You feel *everything*. The love, the grief, the trauma, the heartbreak, the silly moments between characters. I can tell Laura put her heart and soul into her writing. It’s clear with how well she crafted the makings of a film, the ins and outs of press and promotions, and the dark side of acting. The insane chemistry between Cynthie and Jack left me feeling fizzy inside. I’m so pleased with how well she developed their love story. Being able to feel the tension, yearning, and love between the two was the cherry on top for me. I loved the pacing of this book and the ending???!!!! LAURA!!!! Just pure bliss, this book. “Let’s Make a Scene” has quickly become a top favorite read of 2025 and I am so honored to have been chosen to read this ARC.

Thank you NetGalley and Atria Books for the advance copy of this book to review. I absolutely enjoyed following along Cynthie and Jack’s love story! Cynthie and Jack’s enemies to lovers story began with pranks and misunderstanding. The laugh out loud moments kept me hooked. I normally do not like books that flip back and forth from past to present, although this one kept me entertained as I wanted to know what happened next. This book had some spice, which added to their relationship. I was rooting for their relationship the whole time! I also liked how it touched upon the mistreatment of women in Hollywood, without it taking over the storyline. Overall, I really enjoyed reading this book and plan to read Laura Wood’s other book and any future books she may write. I recommend reading this book if you are looking for a light and captivating romcom!

4.5/5 - loved it!

Tropes:
dual POV
rivals to lovers
fake relationship (x2)
second chance
yearning (LOTS)
slow burn

Jack and Cynthie's love story spans over a decade as we watch them "hate" each other from the start but are forced together into fake relationships (TWICE!). There's tons of tension and great chemistry between the characters. The book switches from "THEN: 13 years ago" and "Now: 13 years later," and although there are parallels between the timelines (literally filming the same movie franchise with the same set and people), it was nice to see how different Jack and Cynthie were as people and how they evolved over the 13 years. There was such great growth and contrast with each character compared to their former selves: Jack was previously insecure and under the pressure of his parents' expectations and is now self-assured and warm, able to be the man that Cynthie deserves. Cynthie grows from being unsure and a novice to a seasoned and award-winning actor able to take control of her career, but she's also been through a lot as part of the negative side of show business, including an abusive relationship. Jack becomes her rock and someone that she can trust to open up to and vice versa. I loved reading Jack's POV: the years of yearning and the hoping and longing for a relationship with Cynthie really tugged on my heartstrings. And I loved it when Cynthie stands up for Jack with his parents when he himself has given up on doing so.

I loved witnessing their explosive/tension-filled arguments (SO MUCH sexual tension - poor Steve Carrell). Jack and Cynthie really overcome a lot to be able to finally come together all these years later - it's such a slow burn, but it's worth the journey.

Thank you to Atria Books and NetGalley for the ARC!

I loved this! I was really surprised when I picked up Under Your Spell and the voice was so fun and fresh, so I was super excited for this one.

Cynthie (despite having a truly terrible name shortening, what's wrong with Cynthia or Cyn?) is to die for, I love her and would kill to protect her. I love her found family, I love her full life, and I love her coming to terms with her trauma and being her awesome self.

Jack is such a sweetie, and I love how you can see his development throughout the book. He has so much substance and I loved seeing things from his perspective, another win for those of us who love dual POV! I also love the way we can see him living his life for himself, and not making choices based on making his family happy. Thirteen years is a long time, but I loved seeing how the characters branch and grow, and once again the supporting cast stole my heart. Hannah is my favorite, though I loved all of Cynthie's little crew and Lee was adorable.

CWs: hostile workplace, abusive relationships, parental abandonment

UNDER YOUR SPELL made me want to crawl into the pages and stay there while throwing 5-star reviews at it anywhere I could. This follow-up featuring a secondary character from that book is just as wonderful.

Cynthie is a film star dealing with a broken heart and PR nightmare when she’s approached by her loving BFF and agent with an offer: reunite with the cast and crew from her first film — the one that launched her career 13 years ago — for a sequel. That movie’s new fandom is begging for it. Her image could benefit from it.

Of course this means reuniting with Jack, the co-star and entanglement she has deftly avoided ever since.

Of course there are contract stipulations that will force her to finally address all that happened so long ago.

Cynthie and Jack’s dual POV neatly bounces between their experiences in present day and back then in a way that weaves one of my new favorite love stories (romantic and friendship love).

It’s funny and raw and swoony and uncomfortable and safe and moving and hopeful and healing.

Highly, highly recommend.

Read the content warnings.

Read if you like:
Contemporary romance
Healthy friendships
Dual POV
Really, REALLY good kisses
Film production behind-the-scenes
Main characters’ relationship at present day (ages 33 and 37) vs “back then” (ages 20 & 24)
Found family
Wet shirts
Horses
Open-door spice

This was such a good book. I loved the story and the writing so much. The characters were great and the story flowed smoothly. Will definitely read more books by this author in the future.

4.5 stars

Stayed up til 3am to read this because I couldn’t put it down. A hero who leans towards the heroine a la 'While You Were Sleeping'? Oh be still my heart, Jack! Loved it, but structurally could’ve done without too many ‘13 years earlier’ chapters. I think flashback chapters are employed a bit too much for second chance romances and messes with the pace (hence the half star dropped).

Cynthie and Jack were just wonderful together when they could finally put down their weapons. They oozed so much chemistry. I loved that Jack was a older and wiser, aware how he contributed to his and Cyn's poor relationship when they were younger. I adored seeing Clemmie and Theo make an appearance, especially Clemmie and her vigilante justice!

I just love the way Laura Wood writes characters and settings that feel so real, I'm heartbroken by the end that they're not. Why can't I see Cynthie and Jack's movies or heart Theo Eliott's songs? WHY?! A worthy companion to Under Your Spell that's swoony and sparkly.

Thanks to Atria and NetGalley for the ARC.

I discovered Laura Wood last year with Under Your Spell. When I saw she was coming out with another adult romance, I was excited. Let's Make a Scene did not disappoint! I adored this book😍 I liked that this story had a dual timeline and POV. Cynthie and Jack's chapters were distinct and insightful. Wood did an incredible job developing their characters. Cynthie was relatable, resilient, and funny. Jack was charming, sweet, and respectful. I loved how he treated Cynthie in the later segments. I liked how he supported her and didn't rush her. I enjoyed watching them put their guards down. I was happy with how their relationship developed. There were so many cute scenes with Jack and Cynthie. The bonfire, tap dancing, love letter, and Reckless Ed scenes were my favorite. I thought Wood's humor was spot-on. The award show scene with Steve Carell was hilarious. Also...that kiss was 🔥. I appreciated the way Wood wrote the filming scenes. She did a great job of explaining the movie set and process. As someone who doesn't know much about movie making, I didn't feel lost. The side characters were well-rounded and significant to the story. I enjoyed all of the side characters and the found family trope. I liked the ending with everyone working together for the grand gesture. It gave me season nine Office vibes. The only (minor) complaint I had was Cynthie's narrative sometimes talking to the reader. With how infrequently that happened, it felt jarring and out of place within the story. Overall, Let's Make a Scene was another hit out of the ballpark. Thank you to NetGalley and Atria Books for the ARC.

a perfect companion to under your spell. i adored every single moment.

the back and forth between the past and present reminded me of the last five years in the best way. i already can’t wait to read this all over again <3

Swoon!

Cynthie is one of the world’s most successful and talented movie star. However, her stellar career and image is at risk after a public scandal. Her agent quickly suggests Cynthie reprises the role that made her a movie star 13 years ago. The only problem is that means Cynthie has to see her former co-star, Jack, for the first time since their disastrous parting.

This was wonderful - Cynthie and Jack are lovely, the plot is interesting, and the flashbacks are just as compelling as the present day storyline.

Let’s Make a Scene can be enjoyed as a standalone though I highly recommend reading Under Your Spell (I was delighted by the Clemmie and Theo (and David) cameos!). Highly recommended!

Thank you very much to Atria and NetGalley for the opportunity to read a copy.

Cynthie and Jack made a movie together 13 years ago at the start of their careers and faked a romance to generate more publicity . Which was difficult given their mutual disdain for each other. Now they’re back filming a sequel while faking their romance once more -but are they lying to the world or to themselves?

This romcom jumps straight into the story which doesn’t always work for me but I was so charmed by Jack and Cynthie that in this case I was all in immediately! The story is told from dual perspectives over dual timelines which sometimes feels a bit much to me but I found it worked here. I was so invested in the main characters and their second chance romance that was also a bit of an enemies to lovers vibe that I stayed up late reading which I almost never do right now since I have a 1 year old and sleep is precious! I loved this book and I will definitely be seeking out more by Laura Wood.

4.5 stars. How I adored this book! I loveeedddd “Under Your Spell”, which is the companion novel to this one (though you definitely can read this as a standalone). I was so excited to receive the ARC of “Let’s Make a Scene”. I finished this in 24 hours, I could not put it down.

Read if you go feral for:
*** Second chance romance
*** “Enemies” to lovers
*** Fake dating
*** “The one that got away”
*** Dual POV

“Is it possible to drown in sexual tension? Is that even what this is? It feels more like a medical catastrophe. Maybe I’m not hopelessly attracted to my worst enemy. Maybe I just have the plague. Fingers crossed”.

Cynthie and Jack just ooze chemistry. This was just such a great romcom, and so effortlessly easy to sit back and enjoy. And I just couldn’t get enough of our MMC Jack. Ohhhhh Jack, you wonderful, handsome man.

I will absolutely be buying a copy of “Let’s Make a Scene” when it comes out in July! Laura Wood has now become an autobuy author for me. Can’t wait to see what she writes next!

Thank you to Netgalley and Atria Books for the ARC of this novel; all opinions are my own.