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lifeand100books's review
4.0
Utterly adorable read, which characters you can't help but fall for. Fantastic debut.
norwayellesea's review against another edition
4.0
What a hoot! Act Like It is a fun, witty and sexy inside view of actors' working within London's West End theatre-land.
Lainie Graham is the new darling of the West End stage and already making headlines as much for her private life as her professional one. After the humiliation of being dumped by her real-life, cheating co-star, she's definitely not looking to hook up with another actor, least of all the drop-dead gorgeous Thespian playing the villain in her current play.
Richard Troy is like a member of acting royalty with an impressive pedigree. He has aspirations to use his connections to cement a move into politics, only he's not at all media friendly. He's a PR's worst nightmare come true and his petulant behaviour is impacting on ticket sales. Cue, a plan to turn Richard into a charming, likeable, marketable heart-throb...He has the looks, so just needs a personality to match and a willing leading lady to help the cause!
The dialogue between the protagonists is witty and clever as we wade through back-handed humorous comments with sarcastic undertones. Lainie and Richard are real West End “luvvies,” hamming up their “Showmance” for the benefit of the ticket paying public, only the lines between acting and reality quickly become blurred. Lainie is a true darling by seeing right through Richard's prickly persona by finding a caring, loving man lurking under years of heartache and painful memories. Their backgrounds are worlds apart, but yet they complement each other perfectly.
I enjoyed the playful, light-hearted banter in this highly entertaining romance. The theatre backdrop is a refreshing change for me and is further enhanced by the colourful supporting cast, including the leading man, Will Farmer a.k.a Lainie's cheating ex and Richard's theatrical rival.
I'm, impressed this is a début novel and will be looking out for future books by this author.
***arc generously received in exchange for an honest review***
Lainie Graham is the new darling of the West End stage and already making headlines as much for her private life as her professional one. After the humiliation of being dumped by her real-life, cheating co-star, she's definitely not looking to hook up with another actor, least of all the drop-dead gorgeous Thespian playing the villain in her current play.
Richard Troy is like a member of acting royalty with an impressive pedigree. He has aspirations to use his connections to cement a move into politics, only he's not at all media friendly. He's a PR's worst nightmare come true and his petulant behaviour is impacting on ticket sales. Cue, a plan to turn Richard into a charming, likeable, marketable heart-throb...He has the looks, so just needs a personality to match and a willing leading lady to help the cause!
The dialogue between the protagonists is witty and clever as we wade through back-handed humorous comments with sarcastic undertones. Lainie and Richard are real West End “luvvies,” hamming up their “Showmance” for the benefit of the ticket paying public, only the lines between acting and reality quickly become blurred. Lainie is a true darling by seeing right through Richard's prickly persona by finding a caring, loving man lurking under years of heartache and painful memories. Their backgrounds are worlds apart, but yet they complement each other perfectly.
I enjoyed the playful, light-hearted banter in this highly entertaining romance. The theatre backdrop is a refreshing change for me and is further enhanced by the colourful supporting cast, including the leading man, Will Farmer a.k.a Lainie's cheating ex and Richard's theatrical rival.
I'm, impressed this is a début novel and will be looking out for future books by this author.
***arc generously received in exchange for an honest review***
shesagift's review against another edition
Advertised as a slow burn and KINDA but it was so fun and borderline realistic so I don't even care.
somasunshine's review against another edition
3.0
3.5 stars
Lainie was very likeable. The romance was cute. However, after having read Battle Royal by this author, I noticed the huge similarities in the characters and the way the story unfolds. As a result, this book felt very much like Battle Royal minus the cooking show and the royal wedding cake i.e. it felt like there wasn't enough going on. The way that the author writes romances (that is to say that much of what goes on in the relationship is not directly seen) is more suited for books with several plotlines (imo).
Lainie was very likeable. The romance was cute. However, after having read Battle Royal by this author, I noticed the huge similarities in the characters and the way the story unfolds. As a result, this book felt very much like Battle Royal minus the cooking show and the royal wedding cake i.e. it felt like there wasn't enough going on. The way that the author writes romances (that is to say that much of what goes on in the relationship is not directly seen) is more suited for books with several plotlines (imo).
meghan111's review against another edition
3.0
A romance between two theater actors in London with a surly handsome older leading man. Fun.
sarahmorgan's review against another edition
emotional
funny
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
lailybibliography's review against another edition
3.0
3.5/5 stars
I... did not expect to like this as much I did. Despite my recent forays into paranormal and urban fantasy romances; chick-lit was not, and still isn’t, a genre I’m planning to dip my toes into. However, Enemies-to-Lovers and Fake Dating are the best tropes, and you know damn well I’m showing up whenever I hear those words in a synopsis. This was a quick, feel-good, light read.
I... did not expect to like this as much I did. Despite my recent forays into paranormal and urban fantasy romances; chick-lit was not, and still isn’t, a genre I’m planning to dip my toes into. However, Enemies-to-Lovers and Fake Dating are the best tropes, and you know damn well I’m showing up whenever I hear those words in a synopsis. This was a quick, feel-good, light read.
tessisreading2's review against another edition
5.0
I was so in the mood for a really light-hearted, easy-read contemporary romance, and this definitely fit the bill. The dialogue and writing was great and the verbal chemistry was off the charts. As other reviewers have mentioned, the sex scenes felt a little "meh," but this book was so much what I was wanting to read, when I wanted to read it, that I'm still counting this as a five-star read.
idgetfay's review against another edition
4.0
Lucy Parker writes the sweetest romances. By reading the blurb you would think this would be tropey, cookie cutter, and vapid. It pleasantly surprised me! I’m not super interested in celebrities as protagonists because, well, I have no desire to be a celebrity so that does very little for me. However, I felt like Parker did a great job elevating the book beyond its tropes. It’s not really enemies to lovers, although there’s a fair amount of banter. And while on the surface it is for sure a fake dating book, the main characters never fall into the trap of just utterly failing to communicate that their feelings are real. They are almost always on the same page. Some things are handled much more logically in this book than they usually are in romances. For instance, when the heroine gets really sick, her mom comes to help out. Imagine that! A mom showing up instead of the hero showing his soft side by overstaying his welcome at a deliriously ill woman’s apartment. And when the couple inevitably have their falling out, the hero and heroine talk to one another and work out what caused the issue, they didn’t just mope and brood until an epiphany prompted a grand gesture. There was a sexual assault scene that almost dropped this book an entire star, since I didn’t feel it was necessary to the plot at all and was just thrown in there as an opportunity for the love interest to act possessive and heroic. At no point did anyone call the police, which I was desperately hoping for. So, I mean, nobody’s perfect. But I like Parker’s writing and her approach to tropes… she doesn’t shy away from them, but tries to elevate them with realistic characters and execution.