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brandypainter's review
3.0
I didn't like this as much as the first two books in the series. There was nothing wrong with it. It's still a fun, good romance. I just had a hard time getting invested in either the story or the characters. I'm still trying to figure out why.
balletbookworm's review
4.0
3.5 stars rolled up to 4. I had a weirdly hard time getting into this book. I think I was initially put off by the animosity between Leo and Trix at the beginning of the book, since we met them both in the previous book [b:Pretty Face|30631124|Pretty Face (London Celebrities, #2)|Lucy Parker|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1479518906l/30631124._SY75_.jpg|51166184] and they were both likeable characters. It's uncomfortable for a bit (plus Trix's boss (and Leo's, since he joins the makeup team) at The Festival of Masks is such a shit that it's very grimace-inducing) and I put the book aside for a while. But once Leo and Trix clear the air (which, that was a hot scene by the end) the plot loosened up and I really came to like this couple. Plus, this is a very different aspect of stagecraft, with an aerial Cirque du Soleil-like show compared to the other three books currently out.
And now I'm all caught up and ready for [b:Headliners|52069082|Headliners (London Celebrities, #5)|Lucy Parker|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1569971230l/52069082._SX50_SY75_.jpg|71670067] (book 5, due out January 2020, I lucked into a digital galley approval on Netgalley, but I am contemplating a re-read of [b:The Austen Playbook|42279630|The Austen Playbook (London Celebrities, #4)|Lucy Parker|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1550200262l/42279630._SY75_.jpg|63884092] to get ready for Sabs and Nick).
And now I'm all caught up and ready for [b:Headliners|52069082|Headliners (London Celebrities, #5)|Lucy Parker|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1569971230l/52069082._SX50_SY75_.jpg|71670067] (book 5, due out January 2020, I lucked into a digital galley approval on Netgalley, but I am contemplating a re-read of [b:The Austen Playbook|42279630|The Austen Playbook (London Celebrities, #4)|Lucy Parker|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1550200262l/42279630._SY75_.jpg|63884092] to get ready for Sabs and Nick).
nevclue's review
4.0
It's official, Lucy Parker is my favorite contemporary romance author right now. Making Up, like her other two books, is set in the West End. Trix works as an aerialist in a Cirque du Soleil-esque show; Leo joins the show as a make-up artist after a disastrous job has left him with a tarnished reputation. Trix and Leo are old frenemies and now that they're working together sparks fly. Trix is dealing with the lingering after effects--both professionally and personally--of an emotionally abusive prior relationship. Lucy Parker handles this issue in such a nuanced and compassionate manner. Charming and delightful romance. Plus, yay for some diversity in this series (Leo is a POC and the cover even reflects that!).
hannahe479's review
4.0
Love Lucy Parker. Love Trix and Leo's relationship. I felt like the Epilogue was a bit much and wasn't totally necessary...but still very enjoyable!
themaritimereader14's review
4.0
Oh, this book was so fun to read. It felt totally different from the two that preceded it, and I was so into Trix's story and her past connection with Leo. Their jobs were incredibly interesting and it was impossible not to root for them to follow their dreams throughout this book. I loved reading about characters from the previous books. There were a few slightly unlikable characters in this book but I'm sure they will redeem themselves in future books. Maybe. I adore the entire "world" Lucy Parker has introduced to me in these books - it's endlessly fascinating to read about the London theatre world.
I also loved the epilogue and the additional short story (thank you, Kristen, for sharing that)...and I am overjoyed that Lucy Parker has written a fourth in this series, which I can't wait to read ASAP!!
I also loved the epilogue and the additional short story (thank you, Kristen, for sharing that)...and I am overjoyed that Lucy Parker has written a fourth in this series, which I can't wait to read ASAP!!
falulatonks's review
5.0
4.5/5 stars - was all-in on this from the moment I read the blurb a few months ago, but I fell super in love in the second chapter when I realised THEY HAD HISTORY and knew each other as teenagers! My favourite thing about that - and about every bit of either character's backstory, actually - is that it feels like Parker is fully cognisant of the baggage that comes with certain tropes and navigates around them in a really balanced, level-headed & still emotionally true way: I really love the way she interacts with the emotional stuff that's happened or is happening in all of her characters' lives, because it feels so present but not overwrought, nor doom and gloom; all of them push back against it, work to be and feel better, both for themselves and the other person. That's the other thing I've loved about all three books, too: there's a lot of work these characters put into themselves, and even into their relationships, but I like seeing that work, without external conflicts or ugliness - which I know is down to romance preferences.
Trix in particular feels so whole to me - I adored seeing her clearly still in a rut, but as someone with spine. And I loved Leo in reaction to her - so careful, but also so fully knowing of the fact that she doesn't want to be treated with kid gloves. Also, Leo on his own was just plain dreamy; I'll just knock off a couple of points for his bratty (but YOUNG, fine, sigh) sister. Their romance was wonderful - like I mentioned before, I love that Parker knows The Tropes, but works with them in a way that feels fresher and with newer dramatic turns that don't feel frustrating; I liked that they got their shit out of the way earlier than I thought they would, I loved them sitting down and straight-up talking about their issues more than once. That's the shit I want in my romance novels.
Final note - I've been rec'ing Pretty Face to pretty much everyone who'll listen for the last year, lmao, so it was really nice to see Lily and Luc here, I can't wait to waste the rest of my day rereading that one instead of getting any work done. At the same time, despite a couple of scenes taking place at their wedding (!!!) in this book (a wedding I wish I could go to! gelato truck!), I super appreciate when books in a romance series don't spend too much time on people I already know - I wanted every moment I could spend with Leo and Trix.
Trix in particular feels so whole to me - I adored seeing her clearly still in a rut, but as someone with spine. And I loved Leo in reaction to her - so careful, but also so fully knowing of the fact that she doesn't want to be treated with kid gloves. Also, Leo on his own was just plain dreamy; I'll just knock off a couple of points for his bratty (but YOUNG, fine, sigh) sister. Their romance was wonderful - like I mentioned before, I love that Parker knows The Tropes, but works with them in a way that feels fresher and with newer dramatic turns that don't feel frustrating; I liked that they got their shit out of the way earlier than I thought they would, I loved them sitting down and straight-up talking about their issues more than once. That's the shit I want in my romance novels.
Final note - I've been rec'ing Pretty Face to pretty much everyone who'll listen for the last year, lmao, so it was really nice to see Lily and Luc here, I can't wait to waste the rest of my day rereading that one instead of getting any work done. At the same time, despite a couple of scenes taking place at their wedding (!!!) in this book (a wedding I wish I could go to! gelato truck!), I super appreciate when books in a romance series don't spend too much time on people I already know - I wanted every moment I could spend with Leo and Trix.
ailinnr's review
2.0
I'm honestly at such a dilemma with the rating because I love this author and I think she's amazing at writing NA, but I didn't like this book as much as I thought I would.
Truth is, I didn't feel connected to this couple and something I thought would be the focus of the plot (the haters-to-lovers trope) was just the conflict of the beginning, and was instantly solved, with the couple getting together and quickly moving on to different conflicts that unexpectedly became the main ones in the whole plot in general. Apart from that, the couple started the book with so much history together that the main connection and the justification of the love they had for each other was based on how much progress it had in the past, in a timeline that's outside of the one we're reading in the book, so that's mainly why I couldn't connect with them. I was more focused on what was happening with Lily and Luc (the protagonists of the previous London Celebrities book, Pretty Face, but made secondary characters in this book) than in our two protagonists Trix and Leo.
But another truth is that I think this author's writing style is really good and she deserves the world. And I want to acknowledge that, but I don't feel like I can with this book. The two previous books in this series are so good that I feel like Making Up doesn't reach that level. But I also acknowledge that a lot of my feelings about it are super subjective and personal and that the book is still good... just not for me. So, sadly, I'm leaving this with 2.5 stars, but it's a rating that might change in the future, when I decide what the proper and final rating should be.
Truth is, I didn't feel connected to this couple and something I thought would be the focus of the plot (the haters-to-lovers trope) was just the conflict of the beginning, and was instantly solved, with the couple getting together and quickly moving on to different conflicts that unexpectedly became the main ones in the whole plot in general. Apart from that, the couple started the book with so much history together that the main connection and the justification of the love they had for each other was based on how much progress it had in the past, in a timeline that's outside of the one we're reading in the book, so that's mainly why I couldn't connect with them. I was more focused on what was happening with Lily and Luc (the protagonists of the previous London Celebrities book, Pretty Face, but made secondary characters in this book) than in our two protagonists Trix and Leo.
But another truth is that I think this author's writing style is really good and she deserves the world. And I want to acknowledge that, but I don't feel like I can with this book. The two previous books in this series are so good that I feel like Making Up doesn't reach that level. But I also acknowledge that a lot of my feelings about it are super subjective and personal and that the book is still good... just not for me. So, sadly, I'm leaving this with 2.5 stars, but it's a rating that might change in the future, when I decide what the proper and final rating should be.