I almost never read celebrity romances. Second-chance romances really turn me off, mostly. Enemies-to-lovers is tough to make convincing. I am so glad that I didn’t judge this book based on my past experience of these tropes because this story was ELECTRIC, particularly the chemistry between the two protagonists! I had a phenomenal time reading it.

Cynthie Taylor is 20 years old and has been cast in a small British Regency movie. This is her very first professional acting gig. Her co-star, Jack Turner-Jones, is a nepo baby and 24 years old. He’s been in training since he was a kid. She’s had no training whatsoever. They clash immediately.

Thirteen years later, there is a sequel in the works which is good for both of them at that stage in their careers. During the promo for the first movie, they had a PR relationship. For the sequel, they’re asked to do the same, only this time there is a documentary crew filming behind the scenes of the film shoot.

As setups go for fake relationships, it works because it’s clear what the benefits would be for both of them. As setups for a second-chance goes it works because the chemistry is definitely there the first time around, but they are just not the right people for each other at that stage. The enemies-to-lovers aspect is also constructed well because both characters remain mostly likeable (thanks to the dual POV) while their animosity makes sense, too.

But let’s quickly chat about our two leads. There are two distinct Cynthies in this story. The 20-year-old and the 33-year-old. The narrative bounces between the two points in time with about an even amount of time spent in each era. The young Cynthie is magnetic, raw, sensitive and in over her head. The older Cynthie has been through a really tough ordeal with her latest film and she’s finding it incredibly difficult to trust again. Up to this point, all of her relationships have been disastrous.

There are also two distinct Jacks. The 24-year-old is desperate to prove himself and make his famous parents proud. This is his first movie (but not his first acting gig) and he will do whatever it takes to make it work. He’s horrified to be acting alongside such a wildcard. At the start of the book, it’s not at all clear what 37-year-old Jack is going to be like, but the initial signs are promising.

Throughout the novel, we bounce between the two eras. The two eras are distinct (it’s clear from our leads’ behaviour that a full 13 years has passed) and are cleverly interwoven so that they act as a foil for the other era. This was a little different to what I anticipated. I thought there’d be a couple flashbacks to illuminate the origin of the animosity, but actually a lot of time is spent with young Jack and Cynthie. I was surprised to find myself enjoying time with the young versions because usually I exclusively read romances featuring older protagonists. Both timelines have their share of scorching chemistry, one of my favorite aspects of this story.

This is an emotionally rich novel spanning the full gamut of human emotions. From deep despair to heartbreak to euphoria to awkwardness to hot hot chemistry. The lead characters felt really well developed. As most of the dual timelines happen on film sets, there are a lot of side characters who are necessarily flat but still interesting to read. This book is also impossibly romantic. I won’t give you examples so as not to spoil anything, but so often I’d find myself smiling giddily as I read. The blurb tells me that this is a companion novel. I haven’t read the first in this series but I didn’t struggle at all to follow this story. I’m sure if I read book one, I would get more out of book two, but I personally didn’t feel the lack.

In some ways, this story is a love song to movies, specifically romantic comedies. There are many film references to classic 90s and 2000s movies and they make it really fun. It was a lovely jolt of nostalgia for me. Something that I didn’t realise would come with celebrity romances is that you get this titillating feeling of peeking behind the curtain, the imagined other side of the velvet rope separating the celebrity world from us plebs. I really enjoyed it!

If you are looking for that sweet, sweet escapism and need it in the form of an emotionally rich story with some really well-handled tropes, then I strongly recommend Let’s Make a Scene. Oh, and that chemistry? Flames! So hot!