This one had so much promise, but just missed the mark. It was a little too much insta-love, and even that burned a little too slowly for me.

While I was very excited to read this book when I first looked into it, I lost interest very quickly. There were too many factors that I just could not push through. Because of this, I was unable to finish reading. I’m sure there are many people who will enjoy it, it just wasn’t for me, personally.

I am a big fan of Sariah Wilson and was thrilled when NetGalley approved me for an advanced copy. Thank you NetGalley, Sriah Wilson and Montlake! The Hollywood Jinx introduces us to Jane, who is back in her home town after her dad has a heart attack. There is a lot of backstory as to why she is in charge of the Festival that is coming up and it really does lay a great groundwork that is different than any book I have read before. Then we get to meet Nick, who is our Hollywood Jinx! Nick is smooth and at first you don't know if he is being genuine or not - could our hero actually be this good a guy? This book really has a lot of great stuff going for it, but it does have a few things that I think detract too. I don't really believe in love at first sight, lust for sure, but love, the story really has to be exceptional for me to believe in love at first sight. While this story is really good, it isn't quite there to convince me of the insta love. I did believe that they were a couple that would get there, I just didn't feel like the couple was there yet in this story. There are a lot of funny scenes in this book and some very funny one liners - loved the snark of our heroine! The epilogue tied up the story beautifully too. This book is a strong 4.5 stars rounded to a 5.

Things I loved about this book:
Celebrity/Small-town girl romance
Classic Hallmark romantic comedy vibes
Friends to lovers
Humorous town characters
The small-town setting, including a library where the FMC works
The backstory involving parental neglect
Embezzlers
Arson
Movie scores
Real people vs Hollywood-staged relationships

The story is a lot of fun; a pretty classic Hallmark-style romance. The villains are fun to hate, and the movie star and his small-town (but talented) love interest are easy to root for. The humor is found in many of the secondary characters, and their machinations are entertaining when you suspend your disbelief and go along for the ride. Recommended for readers who are looking for a light, sparkling read with some heart.

I love the chemistry between Nick and Jane, and enjoyed the read. However, this is not a5 star book for me. It’s not a bad book, it’s just not Sariah Wilson’s best one….I’m a big fan of hers, but this one is a bit bland. It’s not as exciting and addicting as her previous book, and the plot is a bit slow.
Maybe it’s not fair to compare this to other books, so judging on its own merit, it earns a solid 4 stars from me

Title: The Hollywood Jinx
Author: Sariah Wilson
Publication Date: 07/25/23
Publisher: Montlake
Pages: 300
Genre: General Fiction (Adult), Romance
Format: Kindle
Amazon Rating: -
Goodreads Rating: 3.36 ⭐️
My Rating: 3.5 ⭐️ (rounded up to 4.0 ⭐️)

I know when I grab one of Sariah Wilson’s books, I will be immersed into a slow but steady feel-good read. I don’t care what the plot is, if Sariah wrote it, I want to read it. While half of me loved The Hollywood Jinx the other half wishes there was more to it. The characters were mostly relatable, although Jane felt a bit off to me. I think too much time was spent on Jane avoiding Nick that it took from the Jinx plot. I would have loved to read Nicks POV and circle back to more of Gretchen and Heath. If you like clean romance, light laughter, love at first sight, small town feel-good plot, this one is for you. Seriously though, you can’t go wrong with a Sariah book.

Librarian, Jane Wagner will do just about anything to help her small hometown of Patience, Ohio who is in financial ruins. When she and her sister-n-law, Gretchen makes a video pleading for the big-time movie star, Nick Haddon to make an appearance at her towns festival she envisions flocks of people crashing the festival which would spike the revenue the town so desperately needs. Fast forward: Nick agrees, Agent intervenes, Nick arrives, Nick falls in love, Jane tries to deny her feelings, Jane pushes Nick away, very pregnant sister-n-law Gretchen is giddy over the brewing romance, Library ladies conspire to pair the duo, Nick and Jane fall in love, town is saved. The End.

I simply need more Jinx! Thanks Sariah Wilson, Montlake and NetGalley for my copy in exchange for my honest review.

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The small town of Patience needs a financial boost. Temporary librarian and aspiring film-score composer Jane Wagner’s plan? Invite movie star Nick Haddon to the town’s harvest festival and stand back for the tourist surge. No one thought he’d say yes—much less that he’d bring a documentary crew to stream his visit.

Given Nick’s affinity for trouble, his reputation and films are tanking. Patience is the perfect stopover on a journey of self-improvement and his chance to put good karma out in the universe. Spending time with a sweet and lovely guide like Jane is a bonus. But Jane’s heartbroken past keeps her on guard against men. Especially when they’re jinxed.

The truth is, Jane’s falling hard. But she can’t ignore the differences between them. He’s famous. She isn’t. He’s here for two weeks. This is her home. Where can it possibly lead? She’ll see. Because day after blissful day, Nick’s encouraging Jane to trust again and, best of all, to dream beyond Patience.

I think this had such potential but overall I couldn’t connect with Jane and Nick. The background kept me hooked and I love a Hollywood type of romance so if that’s the type of book you love, would give it a try!

I thought this would be a cute read as I've read a few of the authors other books and really enjoyed them. This one although having some of my favourite tropes fell a bit flat for me. It was a quick and cute read overall but I didn't enjoy it like I hoped I would.

This was a sweet, romantic, clean read. There was a very long build up of attraction between Jane and Nick, but it was understandable that Nick didn’t want to jump into a relationship with Jane because he wanted a connection that actually meant something to both of them and wasn’t just another Hollywood hook-up. I would love to read more about their relationship from the point of the festival to their wedding - I feel like a big chunk is missing- especially with them possibly relocating to California or staying in Ohio.

I liked it and was excited to read more each day- it’s not funny at all but it’s cute. Like a hallmark movie, not a Netflix rom-com.

Thanks for the arc publisher and netgalley:


This books couple had amazing chemistry and were adorable but the longest slow burn of all time like others said is a fact! Painfully long. First I was annoyed with her being dumb and annoying at beginning being like does he like like me or just being nice nonsense. Then his nonstop no kiss ban?!? Really unnecessary denying of themselves and that! I could have enjoyed this book and given it 5/5 if we didn't have to wait till literal end of book for him to finallyyyyy kiss her and then he ran off bc of jinx? God that was annoying and painful so sadly 3/5 because they were annoying for me majority of book with their weird tendacies!

3.5 stars. The Hollywood Jinx is a light and cute romance with not a lot of spice. The chemistry in this forced proximity romance between Nick and Jane is sweet and genuine. I enjoyed reading about their story unfolding, but it is a little underwhelming. If you want to read a feel good light romance this is the one for you!

Thanks to Netgalley and Montlake for a digital ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I love a good Rom Com but found this one to just be ok. For me it dide not have anything special. I'm sorry to say it just wasn't for me but not to say that others would like to give it a try.

The Hollywood Jinx is a slow burn, small town celebrity romance that is an incredibly quick read.

Jane is the librarian in her small town in Ohio, and she is currently planning the festival that makes the town a good deal of their money. They need extra help this year, so her sister in law records a video that goes viral, resulting in Hollywood actor Nick Haddon coming to town to appear at the festival and get some good publicity. Jane owns a B&B, so Nick will be staying with her while helping out. Of course the two will fall madly in love!

What I liked- the snarky dialogue had me cracking up; the side characters, in particular sister in law Gretchen; and the concept of the story. I also loved that Jane was into composing music and how it talked about her playing notes with her fingers or humming, I often find myself doing that while listening to music!

What didn’t work for me- I’m not a fan of the insta-love trope, and boy did this have it. Nick was basically declaring his feelings on day one. That doesn’t mix well with a suuuuper slow burn, but that is the other thing we got. Nick decides he needs to wait and take things very slowly to prove to himself that he can ( and why he has to prove this to himself is never really explained), making for a very frustrating romance. I could see this working on the screen as a hallmark movie, but it just didn’t read well for me.

I also couldn’t decide how I felt about Jane. She was so feisty with everyone in town, but seemed to turn into a different person with Nick. Awkward, bumbling, unable to say what she thinks. She is supposed to be 22 and the youth and immaturity were definitely showing at times.

I did enjoy the storyline, but found myself frustrated quite often by the scenes with just Nick and Jane.

Thank you to NetGalley and Montlake for the ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

This book is a flirty romance from Sariah Wilson. The first half of the book was slow for me because it took so long for the two lead characters to get together. The second half of the book held my attention much better and I loved the storyline. Hollywood meets small town Ohio in this book. This story needed a little more character development to fully hold my attention all the way through but I enjoyed it overall. Thanks to Netgalley for this ARC.

I love Sariah Wilson! Every book I've read has been sweet and I've enjoyed each one.

This one is no different! Jane gets notice that a famous actor will be coming to her town because of a viral video. One she crushed on when she was younger. When he comes, it's kismet. And I loved that fact. There was no games being played. Nick was very swoony. He was a great MMC.

I really loved Jane's relationship with her best friend/sister in law. She was there to push her and be there for her. The small town had some great side characters too.

I really like Sariah Wilson books!! They are light hearted and fun to read. This one did not disappoint.
The story is about a Hollywood heart throb who comes to a small town to make a documentary about helping them raise money for their yearly harvest festival. He meets the temporary librarian who invites him to stay at her family’s B&B. They end up falling in love. The story dragged on at times but overall an enjoyable book.
Thank you to Netgalley and Montlake Publishers for the advanced copy in exchange for my honest review.

This one was just a little eh for me. I don't know why. I have read books by Sariah Wilson before and I enjoyed some pieces of the story, but it felt like it just wasn't fully what I was hoping for based on the blurb. Thank you netgalley for this arc in exchange for my honest opinion.

This is a four-star read that is so easy to fall in love with. I am a fan of this author and always love the stories, I get swept up and taken away, this time, I got swept but sadly not taken away, that being said I still enjoyed the story, I just found it a little long. I honestly feel like with a bit of a chop this will be a great read, like everything else I have read from this author. Nick was super sweet, which surprised me, as I thought at first, he may be your typical Hollywood heartthrob, but when he sees himself as a jinx, that surprised me and me feel more for him. Jane was lovely, if a little wishy washy at times, but then she surprised me in the end and I really loved her then. There was something about Patience that made me wanted to really see the video this bunch would produce, as I can only imagine it would have been hilarious if it was real.

I typically love Sariah Wilson's book, but The Hollywood Jinx was a disappointment. I thought that the plot was pretty boring and there were just no sparks between Jane and Nick. Like at all. This definitely wasn't my favorite of Wilson's books, but I would definitely try to read another of her books in the future because she's had some hits in the past.