I was drawn to Bad Publicity by the colourful cover and the intriguing premise. Although light and fun in places, there was more of a serious undercurrent within the plot, which I wasn't expecting. If you enjoy a slightly more grown-up rom-com, I think you'd enjoy this title by Bianca Gillam.

I love an enemies to lovers trope and the premise for this really caught my attention as I also work in publishing and enjoy a bit of drama (and drama between a publicist and author, sign me up)!

This book surprised me. I wasn’t expecting it to be quite emotional and deal with serious issues, like grief and guilt but I think that’s what makes the book stand out from other similar romance books.

It started off really fast paced and then became really slow moving, but I persevered and I’m glad I did. A 3.5 star from me.

Thanks NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with a digital arc.

I found this an easy light-hearted read and enjoyed the story, however I don't think it stood out to me compared with other titles in this genre

Pick up this gorgeous hug of a book and get transported to your happy place… wraps itself round you like a cosy blanket. It has warmth, charm, laugh-out-loud moments and a wistful nostalgia. I absolutely loved it.

I really liked the idea and concept of this book. It touches on some sad topics, such as grief, which I have to say was handled and written incredibly well. It drew me to the characters. I felt there wasn’t enough character development, and the character development that there was, didn’t portray our protagonists in the best of lights. Overall, I did enjoy it and I did finish the book.

This is a romance with a good backstory and has a great enemies to lovers feel to it. I was very invested and found it hard to put the book down. Their chemistry and banter was fab, and had me hooked from the start. It is a fairly slow burn, which is something I love.

3 stars - a fun concept but struggled to connect with the main character

Bad Publicity has all the makings of a great book, and the plot seems like the perfect set up for a romance. The depiction of grief and how it affects us was handled in a sensitive and empathetic manner, and reflected the realities of how it impacts your life. The pacing was good and it moved quickly enough to keep my interest throughout, though some scenes could have been developed a bit further.

What held me back from rating this book higher was the lack of connection with the main character, particularly in the first half of the book. While some of her actions and choices were tied to her grief, she also came across as quite a selfish friend to Sara, and often put her own problems above anyone else's. While there's nothing wrong with an unlikeable main character, it has to be done carefully for the reader to still connect with them and this aspect let the book down for me.

I really enjoyed this book! It was a sweet romance that dealt with some really difficult topics in a sensitive and well rounded way. At times I found parts of the plot slightly repetitive and felt that perhaps there was a bit much going on in terms of character complications, but on the whole it tied together well and I really loved the characters’ journeys both as a couple and as individuals. By the end I found myself completely invested and thoroughly heart-warmed! Well worth a read!

I’m sorry but what the biscuit is wrong with the fmc???? She was so mean towards the mm. without any reason. Ok, he did something a couple years ago to her, but that doesn’t justify the way she acted towards him HALF PERCENT OF THE BOOK
I wanted to love this so much cause it sounded so so good but i couldn’t get over the way she was acting
The mean girl behaviour doesn’t always work

Thank you netgalley and the publisher for the arc 🫶🏻

this review won’t be long - i initially liked the idea of the plot a lot since it sounded like typical enemies to lovers banter. however, the storytelling kind of fell flat for me. i think the topic of grief was handled extremely well and it made me connect deeper to andie, however, the plot just felt boring and i was not really invested in their relationship. the flashback chapters were the only two that genuinely made want to read more but they only came up at the end. therefore, i think the writing style just wasn’t something for me. but it wasn’t bad at all and i’m sure a lot of people will enjoy it!!

Bad publicity was a great read which managed to be romantic as well as hitting on serious subjects such as sexism and misogyny.
I cared about the characters and was really rooting for a happy ending.

Bad Publicity by Bianca Gillam - 4⭐️

I was honestly thoroughly impressed by this book. If you want to read a romance that had a bit of a backstory, and will wrench your heart, this book is literally perfect for that. I am always unsure when there’s been a bad situation in the past between characters and it isn’t disclosed what that is early on, usually I am not the biggest fan of this. But the author did this really well, and didn’t put too much of an emphasis on it being this huge mystery. Loved both the main characters, but I definitely have a soft spot for Jack who is such a sweetie, and a very well developed character. Once the story had reached the two characters actually getting on tour together as author and publicist, I was very invested and found it hard to put the book down. Their chemistry and banter was very well written, and had me hooked from the start. I would say this is a fairly slow burn, which isn’t usually my favourite, but just happened to love it in this.

Thank you very much to the author and publishing team for letting me read an ARC of this book!!

Bad Publicity is a book lovers' dream romance, encorporating an enemies to lovers trope , as Senior Book Publicist Andie and her ex, famous novelist Jack Carlson, find themselves travelling around Europe on a month long book tour. Swoon! Andie is still seething and hurting from their last encounter over 5 years ago, but pastes on a professional face to do her job. The adventure sees them touring European cities from London to Berlin and onward to Paris. Each city presents additional challenges with the opportunity for growing tensions to turn into sizzling hot temptation. The dialogue is pacy and witty with lots of witty retorts between the pair. Both characters are flawed but so likeable, and there is so much growth for both of them as the storyline develops. Between the building sexual tension, and spicy scenes, there is also heartbreak and grief and some very real and moving moments. A perfect balance between the serious, the hilarious, the romantic, and some heat. Bad Publicity is a fast paced romance giving us readers a little glimpse into the publishing world. It is a mesmerising tale of two exes, an upsetting history, trauma, grief friendship, and family. An absolute page-turner that I read in one sitting. My ideal holiday read. With thanks to @BloomsburyPublicity and @biancagillam for a copy of the book, due out on shelves January 2025. #badpublicity #biancagillam #romance #netgalley #frenemies

I read this book expecting a standard light-hearted romance novel with potentially a bit of cheesiness thrown in for good measure. Though the book did definitely provide these expectations with the well-used tropes we all know and love, it also offered more depth than just your standard romance.

I enjoyed the reference to past events throughout the book which was gradually built upon until we eventually saw the big reveal, I think this was done very well without being rushed or prolonged.

I also enjoyed the way in which the author discussed grief throughout the book. It felt like it wasn’t just used as a trope to gain insight into the main character, it was a topic which was present throughout the story. It made it feel more real in that it affects all areas of the main character’s life and perspective of the world and those around her. Though this was a big theme of the book, the author managed to make sure the book remained reasonably lighthearted and enjoyable.

Overall a fun read which provides both relatable emotion and excitement. The storyline was quite original for a romance and I’d be happy to read more by this author.

What a great read this was. I liked the characters and how they worked together. It is quite emotional in places and it definitely made my eyes well up briefly. Captures how grief and shock can affect people extremely well. I look forward to more books from Bianca. (I have also pre-ordered a print copy). A fabulous book.

Two exes, one month in Europe on a publicity book tour? What could go wrong?

What to expect
Forced Proximity
Second Chance Romance
Grief representation
Mental health Representation

Even with the sensitive subject matters and triggers, Bianca still makes this book flow in such a way that it almost feels like a light hearted summer read. But at its core its book about all sorts of healing. Both from trauma and grief, and how confronting it head on is always better than running away from the past and your feelings.

This book also isn't just about the relationship between 2 people. Andie never fully processes the trauma in her past and the grief she feels after the loss of her dad, she can't even separate the 2 events because they happened so close together. This affects all her relationships, with Jack, with her best friend and her mum.

It was a relatively short book, great to devour in an afternoon or evening. Because of this, the story doesn't have a huge amount of build up, it heads straight into the main story from the get go. I loved the mention of Shakespeare and Company, and the other bookshops along the tour, many I would love to go visit!

Highly recommend this one if you're looking for an easy read that's also quite deep.

Thanks Bloomsbury and Netgalley for the ARC.

This was a very easy read which I finished in a day. I enjoyed the story line but I thought the character development fell flat. I wasn't invested in the characters especially Jack and Andie's relationship. It felt like it was a bit to rushed with not a lot of insight into the day to day of the characters.

Overall, this was not my favourite rom com but it's worth reading to make the decision for yourself.

This is a lovely story where Andie, our main character, learns a lot about herself when faced with Jack, a living reminder of a traumatic event in her past. Their chemistry is palpable and believable, but I struggled to side with Andie when the miscommunication between them reached its peak. It’s a good use of the miscommunication trope, especially as Jack is a reminder of a time in Andie’s life before her father’s death. Grief is discussed in a really beautiful and touching way, which was great to read! Overall, I liked it and would recommend it to someone looking for a romance story with emotional depth!

When English expat Andie starts her dream job as a senior book publicist for a New York publisher she's horrified her first book tour is accompanying author Jack Carlson, the man who, five years ago ruined her life at university. Debut author Bianca Gillam crafts a lovely, slow-burn travel romance touching on grief, parental neglect and second chances.

Andie will frustrate as she stubbornly refuses to air her grievances with Jack despite his many attempts. She can't help but let her enmnity show. However as she slowly opens up we learn her feelings about Jack are linked heavily to her unaddressed grief from her fathering dying at the same time. Jack, too has father issues, striving for success under his neglectful father's shadow and nursing regrets over Andie.

Refreshingly, Gillam provides a compelling and justified reason for her hostility, though pacing wise I wish this was revealed earlier. Too often the 'secret' is often something badly communicated or overheard slight or something completely ridiculous. What did surprise me was Andie's decision about her future, I was surprised that she made what i thought was a bit of an extreme decision given the circumstances.

I breezed right through this book and couldn't put it down. I look forward to enjoying more work by her.

Thanks to Bloomsbury Publishing and NetGalley for the ARC.

Overall, I really liked this book but I didn't gel with the main female character as I found her quite selfish and childish. However, that aside I really enjoyed the rest of the book. I really liked the plot, I found it overall to be funny and a good rom com.

Thank you to the author, publisher and NetGalley for providing an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.