Tash is an independent author who has written a “dystopian feminist” hit drawing a body of passionate readers. When optioning her book to the big screen she has been picked up by a production house who are not known for their kid gloves or accurate rendering of feminine power. Enter, Caleb, mild mannered and patient intimacy choreographer, to work with Tash to bring her words to life through the spice on the screen. Where Tash is protective and resents giving ground, Caleb tries to bring her to the middle so as not to alienate the production company while developing a hot and heavy relationship.

As readers, we classically want authors to ‘show us, don’t tell’ and this is Caleb’s job in bringing Tash’s book to the screen. The irony that I wanted the author to do the same was not lost on me.

The 3rd person POV worked but holds the reader at arms length. The prose has moments of being very flowery and wordy. Just get to the point.
I find miscommunication isn’t a favourite trope of mine. The Dirty Version is circuitous to the max and the 3rd act blow-up is self-orchestrated. My sympathy or emathy for the FMC was a small range. I understand the plot choice but this character was in her own way despite the open doors available to her.

Speaking of doors, this leaned to closed door fade to black, which was classy given the topic. This is the second book I have read in recent time that uses the #metoo movement for the framework of their workplace romance plot.
3.5-4

My thanks to Netgalley and Verve Books for the eARC to read ahead of publication. All opinions are my own

The Dirty Version by Turner Gable Kahn is a fun and steamy debut romance that delves into the tension and chemistry between a feminist author and an intimacy coordinator as they collaborate on writing sex scenes for a TV series based on her hit book.

Tash, the author, is thrilled when the dramatic rights to her surprise hit book are purchased by an indie film studio. But things take an unexpected turn when a big-shot action-movie director demands a more risqué version of her book, pushing her strong, complex female characters into roles that feel like mere eye candy. Assigned to work with Caleb, the studio's intimacy coordinator, Tash is frustrated. She’s convinced Caleb is the enemy, a handsome man who doesn’t understand her vision. However, as they work together to transform her characters, sparks fly—both creatively and romantically.

What begins as a professional collaboration soon turns into a passionate relationship. Tash is torn between her growing attraction to Caleb and her determination to maintain control over her work. As their personal and professional lives blur, they must navigate the complex intersection of love, creativity, and career.

Kahn’s writing is witty and engaging, capturing the tension and chemistry between the characters beautifully. The dialogue is sharp and full of humour, and the setting in coastal Florida adds an unexpected charm to the romance. The book does an excellent job of exploring the complexities of falling in love while trying to retain a sense of self. With relatable characters and a plot full of twists and turns, The Dirty Version is a delightful and entertaining read for anyone who enjoys steamy romance with a dash of humour.

Read more at The Secret Book Review.

Ah well the story is about adding spice into the script, but I wished this was also added in the actual book… I had some trouble with the flow of the writing too as I kept losing interest and/or felt disconnected to the story and characters. Even 50% into the book I felt so detached.
Sadly, not one for me.

3 out of 5 stars

It’s never great when you like the sound of the book mentioned in the one you are reading better. That’s how this went down. I wanted to read the feminist dystopian that the main character, Tash wrote in the book then the romcom she was in. She has a complicated relationship with men. All men in general and most of her family but yet we are meant to believe that she isn’t the problem and everyone else was. She meets and immediately gets off on the wrong foot with the man who has to help her write the ‘sexy’ script for an adaptation of her bestselling book. He is an intimacy coordinator expect that is never fully explained why he is important and is just sort of assumed that he needs to be here. They eventually get together but in my opinion is because of the heightened pheromones of writing sex scenes all day and not a genuine connection. Then as we have learnt before, Tash learns something that makes her fly off the handle and comes back to all men are bad and I should have nothing to do with them. Spoiler she doesn’t listen to herself again.

Whilst this book is quite frustrating it did have good pacing and I actually enjoyed the male lead, Caleb. The book is worth the read as long as you accept the book Tash wrote is better then the one the author wrote about Tash.

Three words to describe the book:
Script
Trees
Longing

A light and fun premise that unfortunately fell flat. The storyline would probably make a good Netflix adaptation, but somewhat ironically the novel just did not work.

The characters were dull and not fully fleshed out, making it difficult to connect. Despite the title, there was little chemistry between the main characters.

Nevertheless, a quick read that would be good for a pool day.

A sexy workplace, Hollywood romance? Ok, I’m sat! LOVED the writing style. I didn’t really know what to expect with the spice but it did not disappoint! Would I class this as enemies to lovers? No, however I liked the aspect that these characters played that trope. A strong female character not afraid of her desires and intimacy as well as her vulnerability is very much needed in today’s society and I was here for it.
Loved this!! Thank you NetGalley for this opportunity and thank you to Turner Gable Kahn.

I love a good Hollywood esque romance and I loved Tash and Caleb’s story. I find it really relatable to what goes on in the film industry at the moment . I highly enjoyed watching their chemistry heat up in addition to the script they are working on and readers looking for a nice cozy romance will highly enjoy this one!

2.75 stars

little summary:
tasha's book is being made into a tv show, but the show's director wants to change things about the story. caleb is an intimacy coordinator and is hired to work with tasha to make the story more 'suitable' for tv.

i think that the premise of the book was fun but the execution wasn't quite there. the story felt quite choppy and like we were jumping around and i just struggled to connect to any of the characters which may have party been due to the book being written in thrid person as it felt less personal. there was also SO MUCH miscommunication which made it difficult to read. but overall, the idea of the book was fun and maybe when the book is officially published it will feel more seamless!

Unfortunately I had to DNF this at 55%. This was not the book for me, tried to keep going but couldn't anymore. For the description I though I would enjoy this but I couldn't get into the story at all.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for providing me with a digital copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Sexy workplace romance. I loved the premise of this book and was really excited to read it. I enjoyed the moments between Caleb and Tash when they were trying so hard to stay in control of their feelings. Tash's ex boyfriends were all red flags and I got so mad at them.

I didn't love the miscommunication but I did like how it was resolved. I don't know if it was the third person but I did not feel too connected to the characters. I have mixed feelings on this book as I did enjoy it i just also felt it was slight lacking.

Hm, I have mixed feelings about this book.
I was so excited to read this when I read the description of the book, unfortunately it wasn’t really my cup of tea though. Something about the writing style, and it being written in third person just didn’t click with me.
It’s not a bad book and I did enjoy it, I just didn’t love it.

What a fun and perfect concept for a spicy romance novel! A feminist writer and a male intimacy co-ordinator working side by side on adapting her book for screen. This made for some fantastic scenes and spicy and romantic moments. Not to mention the lighthearted 'enemies to lovers' trope, with Tash adamant she wouldn't co-operate with Caleb; and stuck in her mindset that a man couldn't provide the right outlook on the intimate scenes between her two characters. How wrong she was proved!

Caleb showed Tash the comfort in vulnerability, and gave her a safe space to let her carefully crafted guard down from her last unlucky encounters with men, intimacy and love.

The themes of power dynamics within Hollywood, and the s*xual and female empowerment throughout this novel were extremely thought provoking. I loved Tash and Calebs back and forth regarding these topics. They both had plenty to teach each other, and lots to learn! This was a very clever, well crafted book, whilst still being packed full of romantic tension, craving and desire.

Unfortunately, the 'spicy' aspect was a bit of a let down for me, which is surprising as this book is quite literally all about s*x scenes. At one point, Caleb explains to Tash that intimate scenes being 'shown' and not just 'told' to the viewer are very important for film, being a visual media, to keep the audiences attention; I think this should be the same for written media too, as I was disappointed to find that all of the lead up to Tash and Caleb being intimate together ended with 'fade to black'.

This was so well written, with beautifully formed sentences, however I did find some parts of it a little difficult to read at times, with maybe almost too much embellishment to the sentences. This author is clearly very intelligent, as were the characters themselves, with Tash and her friends and colleagues working in literature at a University. It took me a while to get used to the writing style, and I was still left confused many times by a lot of terms and descriptions which were new to me, which made it difficult to easily craft the scenes in my head.

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for giving me the chance to read and review this!

*I received this book as an Advanced Readers Copy (ARC) for free in exchange for an honest review*

Read this book for:
📚Workplace romance
📚Author x Intimacy coordinator
📚Forced proximity
📚Enemies to lovers
📚Grumpy/ Sunshine

Synopsis
Tash never imagined her fiercely feminist dystopian novel, the colony, would end up in the hands of a Hollywood action director bent on turning her nuanced characters into mere eye candy. Enter Caleb, the annoyingly confident intimacy coordinator tasked with turning her characters’ fiery battles into fiery romances. Determined to protect her creative vision, Tash resists his suggestions at every turn…until their brainstorming sessions turn into late-night confessions, and their work sparks a chemistry hotter than anything she’s ever written. When professional boundaries blur into passion, Tash is forced to rewrite the rules of both her script and her heart before everything she’s worked for goes up in flames.

My Thoughts
The storyline of this book was an absolute delight, filled with a slow-burn romance that kept me hooked from beginning to end. The dynamic between Tash and Caleb was particularly engaging—their creative collaboration sparked palpable tension, and watching their relationship evolve was so much fun. At first glance, based on the blurb and title, I expected a light, fluffy rom-com, but as I delved deeper, I was pleasantly surprised to discover a more profound layer within the story.

The underlying exploration of gender roles in Hollywood, paired with a thoughtful commentary on female sexuality within the film industry, gave the book a richness I didn’t anticipate. Those themes were woven into the story seamlessly, adding depth without feeling heavy-handed. That aspect, especially, stood out to me as incredibly well-written and thought-provoking.

The supporting characters—Janelle, Denise, Rohan, and Ilsa—were another highlight for me.

However, my one critique lies with Tash's anger. While I understood her need to protect her "precious baby" (her book) and appreciated the stakes that came with it, her constant defensiveness and the way she projected that anger onto everyone around her became frustrating as the story progressed. It felt a little over the top by the time the book reached its climax. I was relieved when Denise stepped in to address it, but honestly, that confrontation could have happened much earlier—it would’ve given Tash more space to process her feelings and grow.

Despite that, the book overall was such an enjoyable read. The balance between humor, romance, and deeper social commentary worked beautifully, making it more than just a steamy love story. It was equal parts fun and thoughtful, and I’d absolutely recommend it to anyone looking for a romance with a deeper meaning.

I received an e-ARC from NetGalley of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Intimacy Coordinators have always fascinated me within TV and Film and I loved that the romance involved someone in that role in the film industry. I loved the interactions between Tash and Caleb and found myself really rooting for their development. It was a lighthearted and sweet read while sensitively dealing with aspects of sexuality and femininity within films.

Tash is the author of The Colony - a feminist dystopian novel being turned into a TV show - forced to work with Hollywood hot shot intimacy coordinator, Caleb. She resents him and the studio, believing they are trying to over-sexualise her precious story, but she has no choice but to continue working with Caleb to stage those scenes and meet the studios deadline.

This was a really interesting plot. I went in to this expecting lighthearted and fun, and while this is a very enjoyable read, the subject matter takes a very interesting exploration of women’s sexuality and gender dynamics in Hollywood.
This portrayed these themes in a way that was still fun and digestible and I thoroughly enjoyed reading it!