Off Script

I love a fake dating trope, especially with these two strong-willed POC. Jade has been burned before, her career is only now getting back on track and she needs to stay away from drama. Tristan is also wanting to stay dram free so he I can advance his career and more, Both are forced to fake date to save face however neither are blameless and they can't stand each other, they have horrible ex and future jobs on the line. The fire and chemistry between these two are wild and awesome to read. When they finally came together it's a ride. It a great exciting romance with some sticky situations

This is a fun book to get lost into, especially if you like reading US Weekly or People. The characters are easy to like, and you find yourself rooting for them throughout. I flew through this one. Loved the diversity of characters. We need more books like this.

LOVE a fake-dating scenario!

Jada is an up-and-coming actress trying to bounce back and keep her career afloat after a messy breakup with her costar. Tristan is a popular Hollywood playboy who Jada accidentally catches cheating on his current starlet girlfriend. The fallout leads to a PR nightmare after the gossip sites get a hold of a video of Tristan confronting Jada about what she saw. Tristian's agent proposes a PR spin to save both their reputations...Jada and Tristan should pretend to be a couple and that the leaked fight was just a scene rehearsal. They agree, but keeping up their faux-mance brings them more drama than they bargained for.

I really liked this book! Both main characters and their friends were so fun. Jada is determined to be professional and get her career back on track and I loved watching her become more confident throughout the book until she finally faced her past and stood up for herself. Her cousin/roommate, Mikayla is kind of Jada's opposite, but I love how supportive, if a little too mischievous, she is. Tristan comes off kind of awful at first, but as Jada (and we!) get to know him, he is actually a total sweetheart with some baggage of his own. Tristan and Jada's chemistry is off the charts, even when they hate each other and are barely tolerating their fake-dating PR stunt. As they get to know each other and start admitting their true feelings, they help each other realize a lot of things about themselves and grow. I also really liked how the story touched on the struggles Jada faces as a Black woman trying to make it Hollywood and the microaggressions she and other actresses like her face on casting calls. Tristan faces similar struggles as a Latino man trying not to be typecast, and I think both of their experiences mirror very real issues POC in the entertainment industry face that many people don't realize are happening. Even though fake-dating isn't a super realistic scenario, the characters and their experiences come off realistically.

Overall, this was a great, quick read. I would definitely recommend it to any fake-dating trope fans out there as well as romance readers in general. Definitely a couple steamy scenes, too!

Thank you to NetGalley and Wattpad books for this ARC!

Okay, so, I almost quit reading this one. Really, I kind of didn't particularly like Jada OR Tristan in the beginning and I wasn't sure that his actions could be redeemed to be honest. But something told me to keep reading, and I did!

I really liked it because the characters so imperfect and they make really dumb decisions and say things that they shouldn't and it just causes a heap of misunderstandings. I feel like these characters could very well be "real" people because they really and truly made some not-so-great decisions and tried to rationalize them before finally getting their act together and turning things around.

I liked the epilogue and the fact that both characters acknowledged that they are not perfect and that the relationship requires work. This was a refreshing, quick, read with some realistic feel to it!

Off Script by Ashley Marie is a fast-paced romance with comic overtones, set in the world of film making with interesting behind the scenes information. Jada Berklee is an upcoming and talented actress. She almost had her career derailed after her breakup with one of her leading men (cheater). She is determined to keep her head down and just turn out stellar work. She has recently been given the opportunity to work as a supporting actress with the very handsome Tristan Maxwell. Tristan is a former child star and has the reputation of being a playboy. He is more sensitive than he is portrayed in the media but that does not stop him from embarking on a liaison with his current leading lady. Unfortunately, while he is looking for nothing long term, she is determined to hold on to their tenuous relationship. Inexplicably (perhaps self destructively), Tristan has a one off with a member of the backstage staff. Jada is pulled into this mishmash when Tristan thinks she disclosed his actions to the stalkerish leading lady and berates her very publicly. Their solution to this brouhaha: pretend to be dating. I liked both characters but found them both to be somewhat childish. Tristan had a lot of baggage from his family that he never seems to deal with, and Jada is drawn to him but is inconsistent. She did not make a very believable fake girlfriend! Ms. Marie wisely did not settle all of their problems by the end of the book; they had some real growing up to do but the reader can imagine them making strides together. In addition to Jada and Tristan, the book has at least two other couples poised for stories. I would really enjoy reading about Mikayla and Alia and in the process catch up the sure to be matured Jada and Tristan or JaStan/TrisDa.
Thank you to NetGalley for this ARC for an honest opinion!

Goodreads:
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/4446684316

Barnes and Noble:
https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/off-script-ashley-marie/1139985532?ean=9781990259159&bvnotificationId=0440f622-6dbf-11ec-98bb-0ab38a7b9f49&bvmessageType=REVIEW_APPROVED&bvrecipientDomain=gmail.com#review/195211353

I loved this novel, and I found the dynamic between the main characters to be incredibly engaging and well-written. I would say that this book would be perfect for anyone looking for a super cute fake-dating romantic novel. The writing was very funny and easy to comprehend, and the concept and idea of the behind the scenes Hollywood romance was incredible!

*3.5

I enjoyed this book but it just felt as if it could of gone through a bit more development. The characters didn't even really become friends until over halfway through the book and even then it didn't feel like they connected that much. The chemistry was there I just feel as though there should have been a few more domestic scenes to make it believable.

I received an arc through netgalley.

Full review will be up on pop-culturalist closer to release month. Off script is perfect for fans of the fake dating trope!! I loved reading about Jada and Triston.

Thank you netgalley and Wattpad for the eARC of this book

It has fake dating which is one of my favorite tropes. It is just impossible not to enjoy this book. I was actually in shock when I found out this came from Wattpad because of how well-written and well-developed the romance and the book in general. Anyway, I love the romance between Jada and Tristan. This sort of reminds me of You Had Me at Hola because of the similar premise and tropes.

Jada is a strong woman, persistent and a hardworking drive to be the best. Jada is an actress on love locket. Tristen is the love interest who ends up getting into some conflict on and off the stage. Jada and Tristan work together to make themselves better.

I really enjoyed this book, it was a fun, quick read. Jada was an amazing character, with the hurdles in her career, she stood above others, dug her feet in and found drive to take steps toward her dream job.

The overall character development was great considering Tristen went from being egotistical, loud, and cocky to someone who could express feelings and be nice.

The execution on the book could have been more thoughtful as I didn’t feel like there was a specific plot. The perspective of the characters was all over the place and hard to understand. I was not sure who was talking and when they were talking as it was more so in a narrators way of writing.

I love fake dating and I love Hollywood romances so this was definitely the perfect book for me! Loved this and the main couple had great chemistry. Highly recommend for fans of light hearted romantic comedies.

Initial Thoughts
More of a 3.4 but I really enjoyed it despite disliking one of the MCs. The setup was cute and it was very fast-paced.
Marie writes well-rounded characters who feel like real people. Loved the messy lives of these characters.

Thank you Netgalley and Wattpad books for the e-arc in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you to the publishers and netgalley for my complementary E Arc. All opinions are my own. I loved this book never heard of this author. . And this book won't be the last one I read by her. It had romance it had humor it had good characters. It had good pacing. I didn't want it to end. I will be looking out for more books by this author.

I’m super happy to be accepted for an eArc of this. It’s one of my good reads this month! The blurb really got my attention & I wasn’t wrong to dive into this book and devour it👀 I loved it!

Holy Smokes!! This book was Auh-mazing!! I loved the characters and story. This book is perfect for someone wanting to get away into another persons story!

This story captured the glitz, glamour and hardships from the world of Hollywood. Full of drama, diversity, romance and a surprising amount of heart, Off Script tells the story of Jada and Tristan and how fake dating each other may just lead to something a lot more real.

This was a cute fake dating trope, this one is even better because the two main characters are strong people of color.

Jada is a new up and coming actress who is trying to get back on track after a messy breakup. Tristan is a well known Hollywood playboy who Jada catches cheating on his current girlfriend. Once the gossip sites get ahold of a video of Jada and Tristan fighting over what she saw it becomes a PR nightmare for both of them. Tristan's agent suggests that they spin this nightmare in order to save both of their reputations. The decision is that they pretend to be a couple and suggest that the leaked fight is rehearsal for a scene. They agree, but pretending brings more drama than either one wanted.

This book was very likeable. To me a likeable book has characters that I could see myself being friends with. The author did a great job in creating likeable characters, the main ones and their friends. I enjoyed seeing Jada grow in her profession and get her career back on track. As she did this she became more confident and was finally able to face her past and stand up for herself. At first Tristan is awful, but as Jada gets to know him she realizes that he isn't as awful as he seemed. He's actually quite sweet, he just has baggage just like she does. As the characters get to know each other, while fake dating, they get to know each other and start being honest about their true feelings.

This is definitely a book that everyone should read. It was quite enjoyable and one that I would recommend to everyone.

Thank you to NetGalley and Wattpad Books, W by Wattpad Books for the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest review.