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Bad Reputation
In this whip-smart workplace romance from the author of Chick Magnet, a former teen star and an accidental intimacy coordinator have a plan to fix their images—and falling in love would ruin everything.
Cole James’s reputation as Hollywood’s favorite himbo no longer suits him. His fans can’t separate the real man from the character he played on a soapy teen drama decades ago. But that’s going to change with Waverley, the hit streaming historical romance series.
Maggie Niven hates her own notoriety. Fired for directing a divisive play, Maggie takes her fight against censorship public. When Hollywood comes calling, she becomes the new intimacy coordinator for Waverley. But it’s harder than she imagined to focus on the job.
Cole isn’t what she expected—and Maggie is more than he dreamed of. As filming gets underway, the cast’s old traumas lead to real intimacy, and Cole and Maggie struggle with feelings they shouldn’t have. Having an affair on set could destroy his comeback and her new career.
The show must go on. But if Cole and Maggie want a happy ending, they’ll have to start doing things their own way.
Cole James’s reputation as Hollywood’s favorite himbo no longer suits him. His fans can’t separate the real man from the character he played on a soapy teen drama decades ago. But that’s going to change with Waverley, the hit streaming historical romance series.
Maggie Niven hates her own notoriety. Fired for directing a divisive play, Maggie takes her fight against censorship public. When Hollywood comes calling, she becomes the new intimacy coordinator for Waverley. But it’s harder than she imagined to focus on the job.
Cole isn’t what she expected—and Maggie is more than he dreamed of. As filming gets underway, the cast’s old traumas lead to real intimacy, and Cole and Maggie struggle with feelings they shouldn’t have. Having an affair on set could destroy his comeback and her new career.
The show must go on. But if Cole and Maggie want a happy ending, they’ll have to start doing things their own way.
316 pages, Kindle Edition
First published October 8, 2024
2788 people are currently reading
12036 people want to read
About the author
Emma Barry
29 books221 followersEmma Barry is a teacher, novelist, recovering academic, and former political staffer. She lives with her high school sweetheart and a menagerie of pets and children in Virginia, and she occasionally finds time to read and write.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 341 reviews
September 11, 2024
i hate to say it but this book was SO boring. the plot was a good idea but there was nothing that made me want to keep reading. i finished by sheer determination. there wasn’t a single duo of characters that had any chemistry. from friends to lovers to enemies, there wasn’t any emotion in any of it.
May 4, 2024
Emma Barry gets better and better with every new book, and this was SUCH a total win from beginning to end, immersive and heartfelt, starring a couple who are older than the usual romance pairing (38 and 41, IIRC), trying to figure out the next act of their lives in the midst of a perfectly-realized and fascinating setting.
Cole is an actor who’s spent the last 16 years trying to make up for his thoughtless teen years, when he starred in a hit show and did a lot of stupid teenage stuff that torpedoed his career for a while. He’s not just trying to improve his career, though; he’s trying to make up for his years of not noticing what was happening around him, after a recent documentary brought out the toxic awfulness that happened to actresses on his show (not from him, but from the adults in charge). He’s just gotten his best role in years, starring in a season of Waverly - in this world, it’s the new hit show that’s an equivalent to Bridgerton, full of gorgeous costumes and romance and sex, and based on Sir Walter Scott’s Waverly novels (given happy endings). He’s desperate to prove himself as an actor and as a person.
(Can I just note that I LOVED that whole concept and was so pleased Emma included a fun set of details about the show after the end of the book? I would totally devour every episode if it were real.)
Maggie spent the last 16 years as a drama teacher and thought that would be her life forever - until a nasty rightwing parents’ group got her fired for putting on a supposedly “inappropriate” play. She won the lawsuit to get her job back, but the toxicity meant she couldn’t take it anymore. Now she has a second chance, as the intimacy coordinator on Waverly, and she’s desperate to make her new life and career work.
So it’s the worst timing for both of them to fall in love with each other…but it is the most satisfying slow burn, because they’re both grown ups who take their responsibilities and ethics seriously. Around 60% of the way in, I had to take a couple hours away because I was so full of EMOTIONS - I mean, they were SO PERFECT for each other! I needed them to be together! But also, I understood why they couldn’t, and I didn’t want them to throw away important things. Augh!
I loved the ending, and I just loved THEM, along with every fabulous moment along the way. And they were surrounded by SO many great characters in the cast and crew of Waverly. I loved every single vivid detail of the filming and prep work! And seriously, I want this show.
I really loved this book and will definitely be re-reading it!
Cole is an actor who’s spent the last 16 years trying to make up for his thoughtless teen years, when he starred in a hit show and did a lot of stupid teenage stuff that torpedoed his career for a while. He’s not just trying to improve his career, though; he’s trying to make up for his years of not noticing what was happening around him, after a recent documentary brought out the toxic awfulness that happened to actresses on his show (not from him, but from the adults in charge). He’s just gotten his best role in years, starring in a season of Waverly - in this world, it’s the new hit show that’s an equivalent to Bridgerton, full of gorgeous costumes and romance and sex, and based on Sir Walter Scott’s Waverly novels (given happy endings). He’s desperate to prove himself as an actor and as a person.
(Can I just note that I LOVED that whole concept and was so pleased Emma included a fun set of details about the show after the end of the book? I would totally devour every episode if it were real.)
Maggie spent the last 16 years as a drama teacher and thought that would be her life forever - until a nasty rightwing parents’ group got her fired for putting on a supposedly “inappropriate” play. She won the lawsuit to get her job back, but the toxicity meant she couldn’t take it anymore. Now she has a second chance, as the intimacy coordinator on Waverly, and she’s desperate to make her new life and career work.
So it’s the worst timing for both of them to fall in love with each other…but it is the most satisfying slow burn, because they’re both grown ups who take their responsibilities and ethics seriously. Around 60% of the way in, I had to take a couple hours away because I was so full of EMOTIONS - I mean, they were SO PERFECT for each other! I needed them to be together! But also, I understood why they couldn’t, and I didn’t want them to throw away important things. Augh!
I loved the ending, and I just loved THEM, along with every fabulous moment along the way. And they were surrounded by SO many great characters in the cast and crew of Waverly. I loved every single vivid detail of the filming and prep work! And seriously, I want this show.
I really loved this book and will definitely be re-reading it!
August 20, 2024
I mostly like Emma Barry's books though I often feel they could be better, more complete.
In Bad Reputation we get an actor who was a teen star and is now struggling to find his way towards a more serious and fulfilling career and former drama teacher fired for staging an allegedly inappropriate play in her high school who is an intimacy coordinator in Hollywood.
I know, it is a lot and honestly, there was too much going on with the characters which made many aspects of the story appear just superficial. There is a lot external conflict (family issues, work-related stress, harassment, personal drama) and I felt it just lacked depth.
Cole was mostly motivated by a desire to make amends for his past but we never get to see what his big transgressions were. We constantly hear about his regrets but never learned any details about his mistakes.
Maggie, I can understand her struggles to settle into a completely new career, her sadness over the loss of what she though was the best path for her. But again, I feel like the termination of her teaching career was not explored in depth.
The work of intimacy coordinator was presented in great detail and I really liked it. The whole process of making movies from a more technical perspective was an interesting element in the story.
I overall liked the romance though their first intimacy scene did not work for me at all - too much directing, not enough spontaneity.
||The scandal with his agent did not make much sense to me but honestly, it's just a minor quibble||.
Way too neat happy ending, everything is resolved, all the villains are punished, all the good guys get their HEA and everything is right in the world. It's nice but more wishful thinking than reality for me.
Overall, I have mixed feelings about this book. It wanted to explore some Big Emotions but there was way too much external drama. Still, I like the author's style and appreciate the topics she explores, so I will definitely be reading more of her books.
CW: sexual harassments (off page, in the past), parental abuse (off page in the past), censorship
In Bad Reputation we get an actor who was a teen star and is now struggling to find his way towards a more serious and fulfilling career and former drama teacher fired for staging an allegedly inappropriate play in her high school who is an intimacy coordinator in Hollywood.
I know, it is a lot and honestly, there was too much going on with the characters which made many aspects of the story appear just superficial. There is a lot external conflict (family issues, work-related stress, harassment, personal drama) and I felt it just lacked depth.
Cole was mostly motivated by a desire to make amends for his past but we never get to see what his big transgressions were. We constantly hear about his regrets but never learned any details about his mistakes.
Maggie, I can understand her struggles to settle into a completely new career, her sadness over the loss of what she though was the best path for her. But again, I feel like the termination of her teaching career was not explored in depth.
The work of intimacy coordinator was presented in great detail and I really liked it. The whole process of making movies from a more technical perspective was an interesting element in the story.
I overall liked the romance though their first intimacy scene did not work for me at all - too much directing, not enough spontaneity.
||The scandal with his agent did not make much sense to me but honestly, it's just a minor quibble||.
Way too neat happy ending, everything is resolved, all the villains are punished, all the good guys get their HEA and everything is right in the world. It's nice but more wishful thinking than reality for me.
Overall, I have mixed feelings about this book. It wanted to explore some Big Emotions but there was way too much external drama. Still, I like the author's style and appreciate the topics she explores, so I will definitely be reading more of her books.
CW: sexual harassments (off page, in the past), parental abuse (off page in the past), censorship
October 11, 2024
Bad Reputation is a combination of general fiction and contemporary romance.
It is Cole (41) and Maggie’s (38) story. He is an actor who was a teen actor. But he wants to be known as more than a hunky star. She was a drama teacher and is now an intimacy coordinator for tv/film.
The romance part of the story is very slow burn. Cole and Maggie meet on the set of the hit period show, Waverley. He is the star of season three. She is the new intimacy coordinator for the show.
I really liked seeing the behind the scenes details and enjoyed seeing what it’s like filming a streaming tv series.
This book is very different from most romance books that I’ve read. The two main characters definitely liked each other. But romance is not the focus for most of the book.
The book definitely changed at 70%. There were some very important developments after filming is over.
Overall I did enjoy reading this book. It features Interesting characters and deals with some important topics.
Thanks to netgalley, Montlake Romance and Over The River Public Relations for allowing me to read this book.
It is Cole (41) and Maggie’s (38) story. He is an actor who was a teen actor. But he wants to be known as more than a hunky star. She was a drama teacher and is now an intimacy coordinator for tv/film.
The romance part of the story is very slow burn. Cole and Maggie meet on the set of the hit period show, Waverley. He is the star of season three. She is the new intimacy coordinator for the show.
I really liked seeing the behind the scenes details and enjoyed seeing what it’s like filming a streaming tv series.
This book is very different from most romance books that I’ve read. The two main characters definitely liked each other. But romance is not the focus for most of the book.
The book definitely changed at 70%. There were some very important developments after filming is over.
Overall I did enjoy reading this book. It features Interesting characters and deals with some important topics.
Thanks to netgalley, Montlake Romance and Over The River Public Relations for allowing me to read this book.
Read
June 26, 2025DNF at 30%. No rating/no review.
All I will say is that I found the writing flat. It didn’t help that there were a lot of technical references to the film making that dragged down the storytelling. Sad, since I was a huge fan of her other novel, Chick Magnet.
All I will say is that I found the writing flat. It didn’t help that there were a lot of technical references to the film making that dragged down the storytelling. Sad, since I was a huge fan of her other novel, Chick Magnet.
September 28, 2024
While I liked the characters and interesting set up (intimacy coordinator + actor), the writing and romance came off clinical in some ways, a little devoid of passion and fire.
I wanted to finish, and I’m glad I did, but there were a few times I really wanted to set this one down.
This is a Hollywood/celebrity romance for contemporary fans who like older MCs (mid-30s and 40s).
I wanted to finish, and I’m glad I did, but there were a few times I really wanted to set this one down.
This is a Hollywood/celebrity romance for contemporary fans who like older MCs (mid-30s and 40s).
September 1, 2024
My first read from the author & definitely not my last!!
I loved this story, the way it was written had me completely hooked. The characters were completely adorable and so perfect for each other.
Cole James is an actor best known for a show he filmed in his teens, but that character couldn’t be further from the man he’s become. Maggie is fresh out of a job, and somehow finds herself enlisted as intimacy coordinator on a hit drama. When their paths cross, they know they have a connection. But a workplace romance wouldn’t help either of their reputations.
I definitely recommend this read!!
Thank you to the publisher for the gifted ARC
I loved this story, the way it was written had me completely hooked. The characters were completely adorable and so perfect for each other.
Cole James is an actor best known for a show he filmed in his teens, but that character couldn’t be further from the man he’s become. Maggie is fresh out of a job, and somehow finds herself enlisted as intimacy coordinator on a hit drama. When their paths cross, they know they have a connection. But a workplace romance wouldn’t help either of their reputations.
I definitely recommend this read!!
Thank you to the publisher for the gifted ARC
Read
December 22, 2024Very funny and delightful central premise - the star and the intimacy coordinator on a trashy American historical drama set in Scotland (apparently a sexy version of Walter Scott (!!) fall in love. Lots of great lines, too. Very bad book. Incoherent arcs, a very limited understanding of, idk, Scotland, the country in which two thirds of it is set, and slow and therapy-speak laden. So much potential, could have been so much better.
October 22, 2024
It’s probably not bad if your frontal lobe isn’t fully formed ?
October 7, 2024
Appealing, tender, and sweet!
Bad Reputation is a bighearted, uplifting tale that takes you into the lives of two main characters. Cole James, an actor struggling to be known for more than just his long-running image as a teen heartthrob and himbo, and Maggie Niven, a former drama teacher turned intimacy coordinator, who is determined to fight censorship and prove just how wrong her dismissal from the school board for diverseness truly was.
The writing is touching and light. The characters are charismatic, genuine, and endearing. And the plot is an engaging mix of heart, humour, friendship, attraction, chemistry, relationship drama, romance, and the intricacies of movie making.
Overall, Bad Reputation is another charming, witty, delightful tale by Barry that has all the elements I’ve come to know and enjoy in her novels, including a fierce heroine, an attentive alpha male, and a slightly unique, swoony storyline.
Bad Reputation is a bighearted, uplifting tale that takes you into the lives of two main characters. Cole James, an actor struggling to be known for more than just his long-running image as a teen heartthrob and himbo, and Maggie Niven, a former drama teacher turned intimacy coordinator, who is determined to fight censorship and prove just how wrong her dismissal from the school board for diverseness truly was.
The writing is touching and light. The characters are charismatic, genuine, and endearing. And the plot is an engaging mix of heart, humour, friendship, attraction, chemistry, relationship drama, romance, and the intricacies of movie making.
Overall, Bad Reputation is another charming, witty, delightful tale by Barry that has all the elements I’ve come to know and enjoy in her novels, including a fierce heroine, an attentive alpha male, and a slightly unique, swoony storyline.
February 28, 2025
“The meaning of art was in making it. The meaning of life was in living it.”
September 8, 2024
Not terrible but not great. It was fine.
April 5, 2025
Bad Reputation
is a celebrity romance about Cole, a 90s TV star who can't shake his jocular past.
It's also about Maggie, a high school drama school teacher who makes a heel turn into intimacy coordination after she's fired from her teaching job. She sues, and the tension from her court case becomes a lightning rod for parental censorship, reaching the U. S. national media. A showrunner meets her during the end of her press tour, likes what she sees, and changes her life.
Cole and Maggie meet on what is basically Outlander, but with episodic seasons like American Horror Story so that cast changes each time. It's got great PR buzz and Cole finally sees the chance to step into the person he's always wanted to be while Maggie gets a do-over on her career path.
What I liked:
- Older characters
- Scottish scenery (there's a fun hiking moment)
- Extremely slow burn (mostly for understandable work reasons)
- Strong grounding in what intimacy coordination is and why it may foster stronger performances
- Negotiation in the sex scenes, both for the show and the relationship
Where my attention wandered:
- On the b storyline about a Hollywood mogul's inappropriate behaviour (thematically it works, but the juxtaposition didn't keep me drawn in because that is inherently sad shit to read about)
- Some names and background detail jarred (e.g., there's a supporting character who makes a wild third act decision that doesn't feel entirely earned)
That said, I was in the mood for a celebrity romance and read it in two sittings. If you also like that and workplace dynamics, you might like this novel, too.
It's also about Maggie, a high school drama school teacher who makes a heel turn into intimacy coordination after she's fired from her teaching job. She sues, and the tension from her court case becomes a lightning rod for parental censorship, reaching the U. S. national media. A showrunner meets her during the end of her press tour, likes what she sees, and changes her life.
Cole and Maggie meet on what is basically Outlander, but with episodic seasons like American Horror Story so that cast changes each time. It's got great PR buzz and Cole finally sees the chance to step into the person he's always wanted to be while Maggie gets a do-over on her career path.
What I liked:
- Older characters
- Scottish scenery (there's a fun hiking moment)
- Extremely slow burn (mostly for understandable work reasons)
- Strong grounding in what intimacy coordination is and why it may foster stronger performances
- Negotiation in the sex scenes, both for the show and the relationship
Where my attention wandered:
- On the b storyline about a Hollywood mogul's inappropriate behaviour (thematically it works, but the juxtaposition didn't keep me drawn in because that is inherently sad shit to read about)
- Some names and background detail jarred (e.g., there's a supporting character who makes a wild third act decision that doesn't feel entirely earned)
That said, I was in the mood for a celebrity romance and read it in two sittings. If you also like that and workplace dynamics, you might like this novel, too.
October 5, 2024
Romance on a historical romance film set.
I’m glad I didn’t look at the ratings on this one first! Bad Reputation by Emma Barry a (very) slow burn, low spice friends to lovers story about two really good humans. It’s mostly about starting over and redemption and standing up for yourself and for your sense of what’s right.
I loved the insider’s view of a historical romance TV show’s production. It felt authentic, except maybe everyone was too nice. I believed I was there.
Barry gets other things right, too: She writes about what it’s like to be a former child star signing posters at a fan convention 20 years later, understanding the fan PoV but also his ambivalence about the early part of his career when he was a teen and got famous too fast. She tells the story of a great drama teacher who is accused of corrupting her students and loses her job. Those are the two points at which the story begins and they both felt spot on.
Most of the story, tho, is how the filming of the show helps them find themselves and each other. I had never heard of an intimacy coordinator, and it was fascinating to see how the tv show’s sex scenes were negotiated and choreographed.
Cole is an absolute sweetheart and we get to watch Maggie bloom and gain confidence in her new role on the set. They’re both calm, articulate, mature people who can’t act on their attraction for most of the book.
Anyway, I adored this book.
I’m glad I didn’t look at the ratings on this one first! Bad Reputation by Emma Barry a (very) slow burn, low spice friends to lovers story about two really good humans. It’s mostly about starting over and redemption and standing up for yourself and for your sense of what’s right.
I loved the insider’s view of a historical romance TV show’s production. It felt authentic, except maybe everyone was too nice. I believed I was there.
Barry gets other things right, too: She writes about what it’s like to be a former child star signing posters at a fan convention 20 years later, understanding the fan PoV but also his ambivalence about the early part of his career when he was a teen and got famous too fast. She tells the story of a great drama teacher who is accused of corrupting her students and loses her job. Those are the two points at which the story begins and they both felt spot on.
Most of the story, tho, is how the filming of the show helps them find themselves and each other. I had never heard of an intimacy coordinator, and it was fascinating to see how the tv show’s sex scenes were negotiated and choreographed.
Cole is an absolute sweetheart and we get to watch Maggie bloom and gain confidence in her new role on the set. They’re both calm, articulate, mature people who can’t act on their attraction for most of the book.
Anyway, I adored this book.
August 22, 2024
I love Emma Barry's writing so much and always have a great time! She is really great at showing the emotional connection of the characters so while this is a slowburn it almost does not feel like one. I also think she is really clever with some of her phrasing.
I really loved both Maggie and Cole as characters. They are both figuring themselves and their careers at in their 40s (I think) which was really cool to see.
I loved seeing an intimacy coordinator in action and seeing how passionate and great Maggie was at the job. The TV show setting was great.
I also loved the tiny secondary romance which was really cute and I loved how they came together and seeing them together afterwards.
This doesn't have a third act break up and has a third act conflict which mostly worked for me. It happened a tad late for my liking, but it's fine bc Maggie and Cole were mature and worked it out pretty quickly so it worked.
BUT ALSO THE ENDING WAS GREAT AND THE LAST LINE IN THE EPILOGUE HAD ME LIKE !!!!!!
Overall I had a great time with this one.
CW: creepy men in hollywood
*thanks to Emma Barry for an ARC; all thoughts are my own*
I really loved both Maggie and Cole as characters. They are both figuring themselves and their careers at in their 40s (I think) which was really cool to see.
I loved seeing an intimacy coordinator in action and seeing how passionate and great Maggie was at the job. The TV show setting was great.
I also loved the tiny secondary romance which was really cute and I loved how they came together and seeing them together afterwards.
This doesn't have a third act break up and has a third act conflict which mostly worked for me. It happened a tad late for my liking, but it's fine bc Maggie and Cole were mature and worked it out pretty quickly so it worked.
BUT ALSO THE ENDING WAS GREAT AND THE LAST LINE IN THE EPILOGUE HAD ME LIKE !!!!!!
Overall I had a great time with this one.
CW: creepy men in hollywood
*thanks to Emma Barry for an ARC; all thoughts are my own*
September 25, 2024
If you like slow burns.... you'll definitely love this one.
I've been screaming so much in my head at the 2 MC TO GET IT TOGETHER AND ACT, it felt so frustrating at times... I understand pinning, it felt sooo real, I knew the stakes. But I couldn't help it. When two people are attracted to each other, I just want them to be happy. Pinning is not happy. Being together is happy😅🤣
Once they understood they each felt the same way though... I was there for it!!
I'm not that into insta-love, but I understand that pinning after someone for a long time can seem like forever.
And I do enjoy my HEAs.
Many thanks to Otrpr, the author and the publisher for the complimentary copy of this book as part as a book tour. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.
I've been screaming so much in my head at the 2 MC TO GET IT TOGETHER AND ACT, it felt so frustrating at times... I understand pinning, it felt sooo real, I knew the stakes. But I couldn't help it. When two people are attracted to each other, I just want them to be happy. Pinning is not happy. Being together is happy😅🤣
Once they understood they each felt the same way though... I was there for it!!
I'm not that into insta-love, but I understand that pinning after someone for a long time can seem like forever.
And I do enjoy my HEAs.
Many thanks to Otrpr, the author and the publisher for the complimentary copy of this book as part as a book tour. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
November 4, 2024
i finally got around to finishing this book. i am giving this a pretty low rating because i simply couldn’t get into it. i will say the last quarter of the book was actually pretty enjoyable, but the whole first chunk was just a bunch of the same thing over and over for 200 pages. i got this book through the prime reading $2 special. didn’t hate it enough to not finish it, but probs wouldn’t recommend? idk it was alright, but the whole story could’ve been told in 100 pages, not 316.
October 17, 2024
I was into this one based on premise alone! It’s definitely more of a slow burn than Barry’s other recent romances, but that’s somewhat par for the course given that these two meet in a professional setting and need to approach a potential relationship once they’re not technically coworkers anymore. It doesn’t mean that there aren’t some charged looks along the way, though, and I appreciated that more of the angst revolved around making big professional choices rather than wavering about the romance, at least once things really got going. Definitely my favorite of Barry’s so far, too!
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this edition from the publisher via NetGalley. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this edition from the publisher via NetGalley. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
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January 25, 2025To finish this you will have to have pure determination! OMG why was this so boring 😭 DNF
March 31, 2025
I did have ethics in intimacy coordination concerns because I'm me, but I was actually very satisfied with that element of this! The ending with the heroine going into film production was a little too, I don't know about this for me, but I really liked this book a lot!
August 4, 2025
So many story lines in this book made it hard to do all the things well and keep the story tight
November 16, 2024
Not the best writing/character depth, but the theater kid references made my heart sing :)
September 4, 2024
Bad Reputation is a well-written and entertaining slow-burn romance. I loved the premise, thought the story was unique, and found the characters intriguing. I enjoyed the romance and appreciated how the author handled the complicated situations.
My biggest issue with this book was the pacing. The pacing was too slow at times which made it hard to stay in the moment.
Overall, I thought this was an okay read and look forward to checking out more from this author in the future.
*I was provided an ARC copy of this book via the publisher & NetGalley, in exchange for an honest review*
My biggest issue with this book was the pacing. The pacing was too slow at times which made it hard to stay in the moment.
Overall, I thought this was an okay read and look forward to checking out more from this author in the future.
*I was provided an ARC copy of this book via the publisher & NetGalley, in exchange for an honest review*
October 21, 2024
Firstly, thank you Montlake and Netgalley for letting me read and review this book!
📚Book Review📚
Rating: 3.75🌟
Bad Reputation was such an insightful read about the challenges of filming intimate scenes on a TV set with a side of romance.
The romance side was slow burn, it wasn’t the main focus of the book meaning there wasn’t half as much as i’m usually used to reading, but it worked as it added more depth to Maggie and Cole’s personal character development.
You can really tell a lot of research has gone into the writing of this book, credit is definitely due! I also quite liked the episode by episode breakdown at the end of the book, was unique!
Personally i’d of liked a bit more on the romance side as it was very workplace heavy, it felt like it took me a while to get into it but I enjoyed it nevertheless!
📚Book Review📚
Rating: 3.75🌟
Bad Reputation was such an insightful read about the challenges of filming intimate scenes on a TV set with a side of romance.
The romance side was slow burn, it wasn’t the main focus of the book meaning there wasn’t half as much as i’m usually used to reading, but it worked as it added more depth to Maggie and Cole’s personal character development.
You can really tell a lot of research has gone into the writing of this book, credit is definitely due! I also quite liked the episode by episode breakdown at the end of the book, was unique!
Personally i’d of liked a bit more on the romance side as it was very workplace heavy, it felt like it took me a while to get into it but I enjoyed it nevertheless!
October 13, 2024
2 stars 🌟 colemaggie were sweet and the slow burn did its thing but this was just not that good 😅 they don’t get together until 70% which isn’t a big deal, but confessing their love felt so out of nowhere when they barely had any palpable chemistry 😓 i had a hard time believing that they couldn’t live without each other because all maggie did the entire book was turn him down, and then all of a sudden they are in love 🤷♀️ cole was a sweetheart and i liked the filming portion of this but it was a little boring and lacked a lot of obvious connection between the two main characters
a special thank you to netgalley and montgalley for the arc in exchange for an honest review!
a special thank you to netgalley and montgalley for the arc in exchange for an honest review!
September 24, 2024
1.5 stars. Subpar writing, plot, and characters, but a bonus half star because it was free.
November 8, 2024
DNF at 40% because nothing was happened?
February 13, 2025
Cole James was a teenage actor on a much loved long-running teen drama twenty years ago (ish). The character he played always made stupid mistakes (I thought of him like Chuck Bass from Gossip Girl/Joey from Friends) but everyone loved him for it. Unfortunately, Cole let it go to his head and got a reputation for partying hard off screen too. He's spent the past few decades trying to learn to act properly (as opposed to showing off his abs on demand) and has rehabilitated himself one small role at a time guided by his agent. Finally, the work has paid off and he has been cast as the male lead in the next series of Waverley (think Bridgerton but in the Scottish Highlands and I don't think it is anything to do with the Walter Scott novel of the same name). This role could lead to him getting meaty roles, with depth of character rather than the shoot-'em-up fast car films he's been doing.
Maggie Niven was a High School drama teacher until certain elements in her town tried to stop her directing a play that had 'subversive elements'. Maggie felt so strongly that her students should be allowed to perform the play, which only reflected the truth of some children's experiences, that she took on the school district publicly. Unfortunately her notoriety didn't help her keep her job, or her boyfriend who didn't want to be associated with her in case it lost him business. Whilst appearing on a daytime women's chat show (think of the UK TV show Loose Women), Maggie is approached by the producer of Waverley who asks her to be the intimacy coordinator for the next series. I have to admit I didn't understand the story with this play (although since You Know Who was elected and started signing executive orders willy nilly I can see where that could happen) or how standing up for the right to put on a controversial play automatically qualified her to be an intimacy coordinator, but never mind.
Cole and Maggie hit it off from day one, but Cole's co-star and best friend is a tougher nut to crack, she dismisses all Maggie's attempts to discuss scenes or how she feels about them, yet Maggie notices that she has not had any nudity in any of her films since she was about eighteen and Maggie suspects there may be some drama there.
As Maggie and Cole work together, especially when Maggie advises a young actress that despite signing a waiver she can still make stipulations about what she wears and how love scenes are shot, Cole realises that he has been equally as exploited over the years, made to expose his body at the drop of a hat, never consulted about how he feels about the characters he plays, and he becomes very conflicted about playing his character in Waverley, who treats women very badly initially. Maggie helps him to understand his character's motivations, why he loves and leaves one woman but would sacrifice himself for another, etc.
But how would the outside world view an off-screen romance between an actor and the intimacy coordinator? And how would it affect Maggie's second career?
I saw this available on NetGalley and thought the premise of a romance with an intimacy coordinator felt weird, hence I didn't request it. But I had read Chick Magnet and recently read an ARC of Bold Moves so when it became available on Kindle Unlimited I snapped it up. Oddly, I think I liked it more than Bold Moves which felt too close to the TV series Queen's Gambit.
So anyway, thoughtful forty-something romance that I really enjoyed.
Maggie Niven was a High School drama teacher until certain elements in her town tried to stop her directing a play that had 'subversive elements'. Maggie felt so strongly that her students should be allowed to perform the play, which only reflected the truth of some children's experiences, that she took on the school district publicly. Unfortunately her notoriety didn't help her keep her job, or her boyfriend who didn't want to be associated with her in case it lost him business. Whilst appearing on a daytime women's chat show (think of the UK TV show Loose Women), Maggie is approached by the producer of Waverley who asks her to be the intimacy coordinator for the next series. I have to admit I didn't understand the story with this play (although since You Know Who was elected and started signing executive orders willy nilly I can see where that could happen) or how standing up for the right to put on a controversial play automatically qualified her to be an intimacy coordinator, but never mind.
Cole and Maggie hit it off from day one, but Cole's co-star and best friend is a tougher nut to crack, she dismisses all Maggie's attempts to discuss scenes or how she feels about them, yet Maggie notices that she has not had any nudity in any of her films since she was about eighteen and Maggie suspects there may be some drama there.
As Maggie and Cole work together, especially when Maggie advises a young actress that despite signing a waiver she can still make stipulations about what she wears and how love scenes are shot, Cole realises that he has been equally as exploited over the years, made to expose his body at the drop of a hat, never consulted about how he feels about the characters he plays, and he becomes very conflicted about playing his character in Waverley, who treats women very badly initially. Maggie helps him to understand his character's motivations, why he loves and leaves one woman but would sacrifice himself for another, etc.
But how would the outside world view an off-screen romance between an actor and the intimacy coordinator? And how would it affect Maggie's second career?
I saw this available on NetGalley and thought the premise of a romance with an intimacy coordinator felt weird, hence I didn't request it. But I had read Chick Magnet and recently read an ARC of Bold Moves so when it became available on Kindle Unlimited I snapped it up. Oddly, I think I liked it more than Bold Moves which felt too close to the TV series Queen's Gambit.
So anyway, thoughtful forty-something romance that I really enjoyed.
November 5, 2024
It took me almost a month to get through this not very good book.
Sigh. I have so many thoughts and I’ll try my best to not just blather on here….
First of all, I love a feminist book, and a “man written by a woman” vibe to a character, but every man in this book borders on completely unrealistic. Not in a hot way, not in a cool way, in a way where i’m not sure if the author has ever been in deep conversations with men, or even surface ones. She just can’t write a convincing male voice. Things like “you dweeb” isn’t something I think realistically a man is saying to himself in his head, at least not the way she executed it. Cole was just relentlessly Nice Guy. Flat character, more like.
And he wouldn’t have been so flat, except for the fact that Coles “bad reputation” seems to not exists in the slightest as he’s even nicer on set than on screen and has never had a scandal. I mean, the BOOK is CALLED Bad Reputation and she couldn’t cook up a single, direct example of a scandal to share? The worst thing he does in the whole book is say “I love you” the first time while he’s screwing her on a counter, which to be honest, deviated from his personality to me. Not very romantic Cole.
Also, he needs more reassurance than any bad boy i have ever read about before. “How am I doing”-type questions flooded the book. This 40-something guy sounds like he’s had sex with one person, ever. Just all over the place.
Speaking of sex, this isn’t a slow burn as some reviews suggest, it’s a no burn. The first sex scene is blithering on for 20 or so pages of mundane conversation, asides, and lackluster metaphors. It is truly, unbelievable at best and hard/boring to read at worst. It was so specific I truly felt that I was reading about, maybe, the authors particular kink? The heel of the hand over and over throughout the end of the book, just seemed so, I don’t know, exact?
Here’s some things I didn’t hate: Maggie’s relationship with her best friend Savannah (who’s queer, we love that) was likable and flowed naturally comparatively and sort of stuck out like a sore thumb. Tasha, she’s the most dynamic character by and large. Scotland’s landscape. Drew getting fired.
Ultimately, I only finished this book because I had so many DNFs already this year. It felt plotless and lacked drive, repetitive and drab, drones on like intention-less nonfiction with no real urgency or interests to pique in the story until at least 83% in. And that story just sort of…dissolved behind scenes, with the author barely giving us crumbs of it. C’mon, it was the best part!
The author should shoot for classic fiction or nonfiction, but romance is definitely not a strength of hers. Cole and Maggie’s “love” was bland and unbelievable, based on the scenes the author shared with us.
I just had to throw in an example of one of the metaphors that just absolutely pulled me out of the story, so I’ll leave you with this: “His words were firmer and more serious than the pledge of allegiance”.
1.5 Stars. Rounded up to two because I really wanted to like it as a theater kid myself.
Sigh. I have so many thoughts and I’ll try my best to not just blather on here….
First of all, I love a feminist book, and a “man written by a woman” vibe to a character, but every man in this book borders on completely unrealistic. Not in a hot way, not in a cool way, in a way where i’m not sure if the author has ever been in deep conversations with men, or even surface ones. She just can’t write a convincing male voice. Things like “you dweeb” isn’t something I think realistically a man is saying to himself in his head, at least not the way she executed it. Cole was just relentlessly Nice Guy. Flat character, more like.
And he wouldn’t have been so flat, except for the fact that Coles “bad reputation” seems to not exists in the slightest as he’s even nicer on set than on screen and has never had a scandal. I mean, the BOOK is CALLED Bad Reputation and she couldn’t cook up a single, direct example of a scandal to share? The worst thing he does in the whole book is say “I love you” the first time while he’s screwing her on a counter, which to be honest, deviated from his personality to me. Not very romantic Cole.
Also, he needs more reassurance than any bad boy i have ever read about before. “How am I doing”-type questions flooded the book. This 40-something guy sounds like he’s had sex with one person, ever. Just all over the place.
Speaking of sex, this isn’t a slow burn as some reviews suggest, it’s a no burn. The first sex scene is blithering on for 20 or so pages of mundane conversation, asides, and lackluster metaphors. It is truly, unbelievable at best and hard/boring to read at worst. It was so specific I truly felt that I was reading about, maybe, the authors particular kink? The heel of the hand over and over throughout the end of the book, just seemed so, I don’t know, exact?
Here’s some things I didn’t hate: Maggie’s relationship with her best friend Savannah (who’s queer, we love that) was likable and flowed naturally comparatively and sort of stuck out like a sore thumb. Tasha, she’s the most dynamic character by and large. Scotland’s landscape. Drew getting fired.
Ultimately, I only finished this book because I had so many DNFs already this year. It felt plotless and lacked drive, repetitive and drab, drones on like intention-less nonfiction with no real urgency or interests to pique in the story until at least 83% in. And that story just sort of…dissolved behind scenes, with the author barely giving us crumbs of it. C’mon, it was the best part!
The author should shoot for classic fiction or nonfiction, but romance is definitely not a strength of hers. Cole and Maggie’s “love” was bland and unbelievable, based on the scenes the author shared with us.
I just had to throw in an example of one of the metaphors that just absolutely pulled me out of the story, so I’ll leave you with this: “His words were firmer and more serious than the pledge of allegiance”.
1.5 Stars. Rounded up to two because I really wanted to like it as a theater kid myself.
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