Author: Amy Finnegan
Genre: Young Adult, Contemporary Romance
Source: Bloomsbury Australia
Goodreads
Millions of people witnessed Emma Taylor’s first kiss—a kiss that needed twelve takes and four camera angles to get right. After spending nearly all of her teen years performing on cue, Emma wonders if any part of her life is real anymore . . . particularly her relationships.Review by Nara
Jake Elliott’s face is on magazine ads around the world, but his lucrative modeling deals were a poor substitute for what he had to leave behind. Now acting is offering Jake everything he wants: close proximity to home; an opportunity to finally start school; and plenty of time with the smart and irresistible Emma Taylor . . . if she would just give him a chance.
When Jake takes Emma behind the scenes of his real life, she begins to see how genuine he is, but on-set relationships always end badly. Don’t they? Toss in Hollywood’s most notorious heartthrob and a resident diva who may or may not be as evil as she seems, and the production of Coyote Hills heats up in unexpected—and romantic—ways.
This novel in the deliciously fun If Only romance line proves that the best kinds of love stories don’t follow a script.
Well, this was a surprisingly decent read.
Okay, maybe that sounds a bit insulting, but my expectations of this book were pretty low, firstly because my GR friends had given the book low-middle ratings, and secondly because the plot and cover in general seem pretty simple. And yeah, I can't deny that it was a pretty simple book, but it was simple in a way that was pretty satisfying.
The romance between Jake and Emma was actually pretty well developed. I would say that there's certainly an element of insta-attraction (which is fine), and it doesn't progress onto instalove. There were quite a lot of swoonworthy moments, mostly stemming from the fact that the two are friends long before they're in a romantic relationship, and you know, the whole time you're like GET TOGETHER ALREADY.
It's a little bit cliched at points, and on the whole quite predictable, but this wasn't something that bothered me. Really with that blurb and that cover and that title- you kind of know that this is going to be a fluffy book, and you're looking to get the warm fuzzies, not to see something completely fresh or dark or feels inducing. There's quite a bit of drama, which was of the sort that you'd expect with a celebrity romance, and I feel like maybe not all of it was necessary- but it wasn't so much drama that you're rolling your eyes or bashing your head on the wall waiting for it to stop.
Not in the Script was a satisfying read at about the level that I expected, with a great romance and plenty of drama. Give it a go if you're looking for something quick and fun.
Just as a sidenote: you don't need to read the other books in this series to read this one. They're all actually standalones; they're just in the same "series" which share a common theme of "if only". The characters and authors are different.
Liked it
Ratings
Overall: 7/10
Plot: 3/5
Romance: 4/5
Writing: 4/5
Characters: 3/5
Cover: 1/5
