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3.9 AVERAGE
3.9 AVERAGE
challenging
emotional
hopeful
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Kaliya is tired of her dead end job that she got to pay her dues to rise up the ranks of film production. For years she had been over looked, under appreciated and under paid. Until one day an old college fling turned more, Danny, walked into her job to pitch his new movie about his parent’s love story. After not seeing each other for seven years the electric feeling is still there. He offers her a directors assistant credit in the movie and she takes it. But complications in the production, sabotage, and relationship complications leads to a new direction for them and the movie. In the end they find their way back to each other after major soul searching and self sufficiency in the light of a love past but not forgotten. The writing really saved it for me, the pros and the feeling of the words that made the story have so much depth. The characters are deeply flawed and I kinda like how they didn’t lean on each other to fix themselves because there previous cycle would have continued. The love they have felt real and most importantly earned the way they needed it to. The drama with the movie also highlighted the character relationship not just the main couple but the side characters as well. Very good for her debut novel but leaves ample room to expect more.
hopeful
inspiring
sad
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Loved it so much!!! Second chance romance for the win!
This romance was a quick read! I liked the writing. It flowed very naturally and easily. I appreciated the conflicts based on the glass ceiling for people of color in all industry but especially the film industry in this case, and the exploration of the love story of the biracial main character's parents. That was a lovely subplot. I did not quite understand the female main character's reluctance to get to together with her love. I felt her motivation was not well explicated. Other than that, though, this was a very satisfying romance and I will definitely recommend it to romance lovers at our bookstore!
Thanks so much to publisher and NetGalley for the ARC!
Thanks so much to publisher and NetGalley for the ARC!
emotional
funny
hopeful
reflective
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
emotional
funny
lighthearted
reflective
medium-paced
emotional
funny
lighthearted
fast-paced
hopeful
lighthearted
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Kaliya has spent years trying desperately to break into the world of entertainment and paying her dues. After getting a degree in film and working on several projects, she still isn’t taken seriously and has had to take a job as an office assistant at a film studio.
That all changes when Director Danny Prescott walks back into her life. After dating in college, Kaliya and Danny ended things when it got too serious and neither ever got over each other. Now Danny is back and at Kaliya’s company to produce his new project, What Love Made. It is a project near and dear to Danny because it is the true story of how his mother and father had an interracial marriage in the Jim Crow South. Danny then invites Kaliya to join him on the movie, giving her the break that she has always wanted. This is where all the struggles begin.
First, Kaliya is forced to take another, less prestigious role than the one Danny offered. Danny’s girlfriend (although we find out later that they were actually not together anymore) makes life hard for Kaliya every chance she gets. Eventually, Danny and Kaliya begin dating.
When Kaliya overhears and records a video conference where Danny’s ex and his primary funding supporter spew racial remarks and try to change the focus of the movie, Kaliya goes to Danny and tells him. Danny’s ex follows through on her threat to smear her name with tabloid piece framing her to be “the help” that Danny had an affair with. Kaliya and Danny take a break from dating. They find their way back to each other and Kaliya realizes that her passion is now to help others who face the politics and prejudices of the entertainment world.
That all changes when Director Danny Prescott walks back into her life. After dating in college, Kaliya and Danny ended things when it got too serious and neither ever got over each other. Now Danny is back and at Kaliya’s company to produce his new project, What Love Made. It is a project near and dear to Danny because it is the true story of how his mother and father had an interracial marriage in the Jim Crow South. Danny then invites Kaliya to join him on the movie, giving her the break that she has always wanted. This is where all the struggles begin.
First, Kaliya is forced to take another, less prestigious role than the one Danny offered. Danny’s girlfriend (although we find out later that they were actually not together anymore) makes life hard for Kaliya every chance she gets. Eventually, Danny and Kaliya begin dating.
When Kaliya overhears and records a video conference where Danny’s ex and his primary funding supporter spew racial remarks and try to change the focus of the movie, Kaliya goes to Danny and tells him. Danny’s ex follows through on her threat to smear her name with tabloid piece framing her to be “the help” that Danny had an affair with. Kaliya and Danny take a break from dating. They find their way back to each other and Kaliya realizes that her passion is now to help others who face the politics and prejudices of the entertainment world.
hopeful
lighthearted
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I’m a total sucker for second-chance romances—there’s just something thrilling about anticipating that fiery reunion! But with this story, I found myself oddly okay with Kaliya and Danny staying apart. The flashbacks lacked that magical chemistry, and their reunion didn’t spark the passion I was hoping for. Without that emotional pull, I couldn’t fully root for their love story.
That said, I loved the non-romantic elements! The exploration of racial discrimination, privilege in Hollywood, and Kaliya’s struggles to break into the industry as a woman of color were incredibly powerful and engaging. The focus on storytelling, filmmaking, and fighting for justice really elevated the plot.
Overall, while the romance fell flat, the ending tied things up nicely, with the characters growing into inspiring, world-changing figures. A solid story with great themes, just not the love story I was hoping for!
That said, I loved the non-romantic elements! The exploration of racial discrimination, privilege in Hollywood, and Kaliya’s struggles to break into the industry as a woman of color were incredibly powerful and engaging. The focus on storytelling, filmmaking, and fighting for justice really elevated the plot.
Overall, while the romance fell flat, the ending tied things up nicely, with the characters growing into inspiring, world-changing figures. A solid story with great themes, just not the love story I was hoping for!