Reel Love follows Anna Kovác, a struggling film director trying to revive her career, and John Mills, an actor/screenwriter tired of being typecast as the “pretty face.” When fate brings them together on a chaotic movie set in Rome, sparks fly. Still, they must navigate Hollywood’s complexities, Anna’s vengeful ex-husband, and their undeniable attraction to find a happy ending.

I initially picked this book due to the Hollywood setting and reverse age gap proper (which you don't see that often), and I'm glad I did.

I loved all the behind-the-scenes details about the set life and how movies are made; they added authenticity to the book, and you really felt like you were there. It was fun to experience the not-so-glamorous world of movie-making alongside Anna and John.

The chemistry between Anna and John was undeniable from the start. I liked that their relationship evolved from a flirty encounter to something more meaningful as they worked together.

The reverse age gap trope was an interesting touch - Anna, as an older and more experienced director, was the one who was torn between professional caution and personal desire. It also allowed the book to touch on the double standards faced by women in Hollywood and, in general, with Anna dealing with ageism, sexism, and scrutiny for dating a younger man.

John’s support during these moments, however, helped showcase his values and why he's such a great love interest. He was really easy to root for.

I was annoyed a bit about Anna’s ex-husband stirring up trouble because Tom's motivations felt so shallow and petty. But the sabotage did serve to heighten the stakes and province challenges for our two MCs to overcome.

And Anna was just quirky enough to feel real and interesting to follow.

There was heat but very little actual spice. So, Reel Love is a cute, quick read that is perfect for those looking for an entertaining escape into the world of movie-making and a swoony.

2☆
DNF @20%
The cover art is beautiful, and the premise of this story is interesting: "Anna Kovacs is thirty-seven, divorced, and her credit card just got declined. John Mills is twenty-seven, a part-time bartender/screenwriter/shirtless-werewolf-on-the-left, and he can't make rent." But it just wasn't for me and wasn't keeping my attention.
𝐂𝐨𝐧𝐭𝐚𝐢𝐧𝐬
Age gap
Workplace romance
He fell first
Forced proximity
Enemies to lovers
Romantic comedy
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Thank you, Netgellay, and BooksGoSocial for the ebook in exchange for my honest review.

This book really wasn’t for me. The writing style didn’t grab me and I couldn’t connect to the characters well at all. This was Hollywood romance and usually I would be sold but it felt too superficial

Oh I ADORED this book! Is it the finest piece of literature ever written? No. Is it a romance that feels “real” and will have you feeling the feels? YES!!

I enjoyed that this plot was kind of predictable. It made me devour this book quickly. The characters were well developed and relatable. They felt like real people and not the perfectly sculptured fakes that we so often see in romance novels.

This was such a warm and fuzzy book!

I tried my very best to get into this read. The overall story line captivated my attention. However, I was unable to stay interested in the book. It was an extremely hard, slow, painful read. I made it close to 50% into the book until I gave up. In all honesty I would give it a 0/5 if I could. I think the storyline has potential if re-written.

Spicy, male female, reverse age gap (fmc is 37 & mmc is 27), contemporary romance. It's so funny to me that when the female main character is older it's a REVERSE age gap. Anyway, I love an age gap where the gap isn't too wide and BOTH parties are adults with fully developed frontal lobes. Slow burn with lots of film industry behind the scenes, some drama, great characters and dialogue.

A short read age gap Hollywood romance.
I really enjoyed the concept of this one, especially since the woman was the older partner in this relationship, but unfortunately overall just wasn’t for me. The fmc felt a little too insecure at times, and John was cute but their chemistry didn’t deliver. Maybe because it was Hollywood themed, I expected a little more drama/depth, but this one couldn’t keep my attention. The beginning pace was a little too slow for me and then towards the end I found myself counting down the pages. However, I did enjoy the concept of a director and a screen writer relationship in a coworker environment and the behind the scenes Hollywood details did add ambiance.

This was a fun, easy read but unfortunately it didn’t hook me in like I wanted it too. It was predictable, which isn’t terrible. If this was written in 1st POV I feel like I would have liked it more!

The central thought that comes to my mind when I think of this book is the seemingly realistic insights it gave into the film industry, with greater emphasis on the production aspect. The plot of the story is quite promising, but unfortunately, the execution wasn't great. My biggest issue with the novel is the amount of conflict that was unnecessarily shoved in. I understand that misunderstandings are pretty heavy while using them in a plot, but the author almost leaves the story devoid of healthy communication. The romance too wasn't it for me and I felt it lacked chemistry. To make things worse, the pacing was really off and I couldn't read the story with a logical flow when I just couldn't pay attention.

Naaah I didn't enjoy this book at all... Very boring plot, very immature characters... I had a hard time to get into this book and keep my interest up. It was a dnf for me after 34%.

Thank you netgalley and the publisher for an advanced copy of this book.

"Reel Love" by Evie Browning is a heartfelt exploration of romance set against the backdrop of the film industry. The story follows the journey of its protagonist, who navigates the complexities of love, ambition, and self-discovery. Browning's writing is vivid and engaging, capturing the allure of Hollywood while delving into the emotional depths of her characters.

The chemistry between the leads is palpable, and their growth throughout the story is both believable and relatable. The plot weaves in elements of humor and drama, creating a balanced narrative that keeps readers invested.

Browning’s ability to blend a love story with the challenges of pursuing one’s dreams makes "Reel Love" a compelling read. Overall, it’s a delightful romance that offers both entertainment and insight into the nuances of love in a high-stakes world. Highly recommended for fans of contemporary romance!

The book introduces us to Anna and John, and their story begins with a chance encounter at a bar, where they bond over their shared love for movies—Anna, a broke director unable to even pay for her beer, and John, a screenwriter moonlighting as a bartender while hoping to sell his script. What starts as a casual hookup soon turns into something deeper when fate brings them together to work on the same film, setting the story for a workplace romance.

One of the things I found particularly interesting was the insight into the behind-the-scenes roles in the film industry. The books shows the inner workings of a movie set, offering details on everything from directing to scriptwriting, which gave me a glimpse into the often-overlooked jobs that make a film come to life. It felt like an insider’s look at Hollywood, and I enjoyed that aspect of wondering what it must really be like on a movie set.

The romance between Anna and John is sweet and satisfying. The way they start as strangers with common goals and slowly build a deeper connection was engaging, making it an enjoyable and fast read. I ended up finishing the book in one sitting—it’s that quick and entertaining.

However, one thing that bothered me was the third-person POV. It made me feel a bit distant from both Anna and John’s perspectives. I would’ve enjoyed it more with a dual POV that let me dive deeper into their individual thoughts and emotions. That shift could’ve added more depth to the story, helping me connect with the characters on a more personal level.

For my final thoughts, this book is an easy and nice read with Hollywood industry insights and workplace romance. Despite the third-person narrative being a slight drawback for me, it’s a satisfying story overall.

Thank you to NetGalley, the publisher, and the author for providing me with this ARC in exchange for my honest review!

Not reely (get it?) what I was expecting, but still good. nonetheless!

Overall, it was very lighthearted and an easy read, but it just kinda dragged for me. The steam was great, but it seemed like it took a while to get there, and when we did, it was like a one hit wonder. The characters themselves are great, and this being in third person pov, it didn't seem as personal, but Evie did a great job of describing what was happening and mostly what the characters thought. There was also a LOT of show-biz talk, which was actually super interesting, but at times, it made the story drag on and seem to lose a little bit of focus.

I really don't have much else to say about this book, but it was a super cute read with the extravaganza of Hollywood. Would def recommend!

Anna, a director who career is currently in shambles. After going through a recent divorce with a hollywood big wig manager, she is picking up the pieces of both her personal and professional lives. John a bartender and an aspiring screenplay writer hoping and waiting for his big break in the industry.

The book gives a behind the scene look into the world of film making and Hollywood which comes more from Anna side with her directing. However everything else I didn't love. It all felt a bit lacking and empty. The chemistry never felt right, never really clicked properly, and the tensions between them felt forced and so unnatural.

A thrid act breakup can sometimes be done so well, but sadly this one just missed. It felt so unnecessary and as if it was put in the story just so it could have a breakup. Some aspects were cute between there interaction, however when reading them everything was just looming over it.

Reel Love had real potential but it fell a little short for me.

Age gap (where she is older)
Workplace romance (film industry - heavy topic the whole book)
Jerkwad Ex

There was a lot of dialogue in this book, but barely any chemistry between the characters. I really wish there was a bit more chemistry with John & Anna, or even emotional depth to them.

Not sure if I am an outlier on this one or not.

Thank you NetGalley and McKinley Press Publishing for my DRC.

*3.5
This book was cute, as I expected. The premises were so good (reverse age gap, Hollywood romance, etc.) and I was satisfied by their execution.
Maybe I was expecting a little more. The banters sound a little flat, the switch between the 1st and 3rd person not very well delivered, but the romance was the cutest.
The story made me laugh and it was really a cuddle. Like a comforter.

Thank you NetGalley and the author for the arc!

First of all this books cover is so cute! It is definitely one of my favorites. The romance was so angsty and cute and there was great character development!

While the premise was cute, the book was a DNF for me. However, before putting it down, I read about 15% and figured I'd share my thoughts. I enjoyed the movie setting and the tropes included in the book. I struggled with the minimal world-building compared to the amount of dialogue. The book was very dialogue-heavy, at least in the first few chapters, which made it difficult to connect with the characters. I'm sure others will feel differently, though! Maybe I'll pick it up again someday, but it was a DNF for now.

3.5 stars

This book was a strong concept, and I really appreciated the reverse age gap and all that went into the characters stories. I feel like the pacing of this story made it not as enjoyable as it could have - the first 30% of the book was interesting, and then the last 50% of the book felt like it dragged. I found it much harder to be interested in the romance, even though this is when the romance picks up steam.

I also really struggled when the writing switched from 3rd person to 1st person, which only happened a few times, almost as if by accident. Even when that was not occurring, I found it hard to decipher who was speaking in the story and often had to reread former passages to try and gain clarity. Sometimes that helped, sometimes I still felt like I was unsure as to who was speaking. The lack of clarity in the dialogue did pull me out of the story.

It was an interesting, reverse age gap, romance, just not exactly as captivating as I hoped it would be.

Thank you NetGalley and the author for the advanced copy and chance to review it.

This was kind of a lackluster book for me, I'd give it maybe a 2.5
It was a little sweet, not very sexy, the banter wasn't there, very focused on film industry plot, which wasn't the strongest either.

They kept saying they both messed up, but I don't really see it. Anna was just focused on her work, i don't think her issues would've caused problems if they waited until after movie finished, unlike John's. She just seemed more focused on work than getting payback or standing up for herself, more like keep her head down and get through work. I don't think that's a bad thing. She's clearly competent and well liked at her job too, despite her insecurities she didn't care to fix things. I just think these are decisions many women make in male dominated fields. The way it was written implied she made those decisions because she was weak, but some slight changes and it could've been an "idgaf I only care about my work" vibe similar to John.

John was at fault for not coming clean once he realised. If he was younger I would say thinking he could fix it and get away with it would've made more sense, but idk I think at 27yo, you should know better. He was kinda really judgey too.

Not a slow burn, but a more chill book over all. Nothing is fast paced or rushed. Not super focused on sex and romance. Probably about as good as the vampire movie they're making, straight to dvd for a rainy day where you can't find much to watch. Nothing amazing, but some solid cute bits included.