I was able to read this book early via e-arc, which I was got from Edelweiss. So thank you, Edelweiss!

TW: sexual harassment in a work environment which leads to #metoo storyline, toxic parent, asthma attack, mention of parental death

While I did mostly enjoy my experience reading this novel, unfortunately I was not able to love it as much as I wanted to. The story started off strong, and ended strong, but the middle started to drag. Overall, I personally felt that the pacing of the romance felt really low-stakes, which is fine, but it then it seemed like the story was exaggerating the romantic conflict that did exist, to the point where it started feeling a little unrealistic. Then, a plot point happened that made the book abruptly shift tone. It's not that this particular plot point bothered me specifically, but it did add to the overall disjointedness that I felt existed within the novel. As for what I did like, I really liked the discussion about the sexism, racism, and homophobia within Hollywood, especially in regards to Jo being a queer woman of color. In fact, I really liked reading from Jo's perspective, period. As for Emma, I liked reading about her going to the temple, and how interacting with the rabbi and the community there was important to her.

In the end, I would recommend this book to anyone who wants a slow burn low-stakes(ish) romance, set against the backdrop of the Hollywood film industry, and various complications that can arise with that.