What’s the biggest lie you’ve told about yourself?
It’s 2005, and Ali is a publicist for Hollywood’s biggest stars. Part of her job entails keeping gay celebrities in the closet—which is pretty ironic, since she’s a lesbian. When Ali is assigned a new gay client, Cara Bisset, who’s breaking onto the scene with a (hetero) romantic blockbuster, keeping Cara’s sexuality under wraps becomes Ali’s biggest challenge yet. After a series of increasingly close calls, Ali is sent on the worldwide promotional tour for the movie to help keep Cara in line. Instead, she finds herself drawn to Cara’s confidence and bravery. As Cara’s fame continues to rise, both Ali and Cara must decide which is more important: maintaining the status quo, or risking it all for another chance at love.
Celia Laskey’s Cover Story is silly, sexy, and messy in all the best ways. Let’s break it down.
Characters (5/5): Laskey’s characterizations are by far some of the strongest I’ve seen in a long while. Ali and Cara are layered, beautifully and realistically flawed, and above all else, human. They aren’t two characters created to fit a plot; they breathe life into themselves with every word on the page. Cara is spunky and rebellious and fun—the exact kind of trouble Ali needed in her life. Though Ali is lost in her grief from page one, we see her return to the present as she spends more time with Cara. Each secondary character is included in the story for a reason, adding both to the plot and Cara and Ali’s layered character development.
Plot and Pacing (3/5): At the start of the story, we’re wallowing in Ali’s grief alongside her, and it slows the plot a little. It’s not until we meet Cara (and the two spend more time together) that the story really amps up. The pacing follows Ali’s moods, realistically representing one’s mindset during a struggle with grief and/or depression. The plot (Ali helping Cara hide her sexuality while trying to rise in Hollywood) seems tired and done, but Laskey’s execution is meaningful and purposeful, directing the story and women toward opportunities for growth.
World-Building (3/5): I can’t remember the last book I read that was set in the 2000s, as bloggers take over journalists and the internet takes the world by storm, but the timing was perfect for this story. Ali faces conflicting feelings about encouraging clients to remain in the closet in front of the public eye, but that situation wouldn’t have fit in 2025, when everyone with a phone is a self-proclaimed journalist and secrets don’t last. My one issue was the choice to redact real celebrity names. While this works as a play on the secrecy, it also pulls readers out of the story (using fake names would have worked instead).
Romance (4/5): The relationship between Cara and Ali has such an easy, natural progression. I adored the choice to have Cara’s beard relationship mirror her relationship with Ali, which forces Ali to question everything. The vulnerability between them is comforting in its rawness; their emotional conversations are by far the strongest component of the book. In fact, the story has a spark of renewed energy (showing us moments when Ali isn’t thinking of her grief) every time the two women speak to one another. The age gap never feels too weird, but we see it clearly through Cara’s lack of judgment at times. Unfortunately, the smut did sometimes feel technical and stilted. There’s an awkwardness to these scenes as well, but it comes off messy and playful and real: an exact representation of Ali and Cara’s relationship.
Mystery/Suspense (4/5): I’m grateful that we don’t get the full, in-depth flashback into the night Ali lost her partner until later. We sit in her grief throughout the entire story, but it’s not until she talks about that night that we start to experience some relief. Her opening up, even just to the audience, allows her to heal. The question of whether Ali comes out does draw to the very end (a topic for discussion that’s perfect for book groups), adding a slight element of tension to what is somewhat of an exhaustive story.
Tone/Prose (2/5): As I said, the narration mirrors Ali’s grief, which sometimes makes the prose difficult to enjoy. The writing is more “tell” than “show” at times, which can get tiring fast—another reason the dialogue between Cara and Ali strengthens, or even carries, the story. There’s a lot of repetitive filler that causes the pacing to drag, despite it being reflective of Ali’s anxiety. The story is marketed as a rom-com, but the story’s emotion-driven elements are stronger than any hints of comedy I saw (why does the synopsis call it “hilarious”?). I would love to see this story on-screen, though, to remove all the “telling” and allow the characters to show us their story instead.
Recommended to fans of Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo, Rachel Lacey, and Alexandria Bellefleur.
The Vibes
- Queer / Lesbian Romance
- Age Gap
- Hollywood Romance
- Early 2000s
- Single POV
- Spice
- Grief
- Mental Health Rep
Content Warnings: anxiety/mental health, past death of a loved one, death, compulsory heterosexuality, sexual assault (recounting/discussed with partner), sexually explicit content, alcohol, systemic homophobia
Quotes
“The first time Ali called herself a lesbian out loud, her whole body vibrated with confirmation. She couldn’t believe it had taken her so long to figure it out— looking back, it was wildly obvious. But when society lied and told you everyone was straight, you assumed you must be straight, too.”
“Ali believes the general public would actually relate more to stars if they were completely honest about their experiences and opinions.”
“You’d be surprised how much two women can get away with under the guise of being friends.”
“When she came out at twenty-three, everything finally made sense. She felt like she met herself for the first time.”
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