Stood Up: A contemporary romantic comedy!

by E Chapman

When successful lawyer Nikki Harper’s disastrous date with Lewis, an insurance broker, leaves her questioning her life choices, a chance encounter introduces her to James Keller, Hollywood’s most enigmatic star.

Swept into his dazzling world of fame and fortune, Nikki finds herself torn between thrilling adventures, heartfelt moments, and the harsh realities of his high-profile lifestyle.

Will their connection overcome the challenges of their vastly different worlds, or is true love just another Hollywood illusion?

Prepare for laughs, passion, and glamour in this captivating romance!

396 pages, Kindle Edition

Published August 28, 2025

Reviews

[marz native · Rating 2 out of 5]

Literally nothing happened for most of this book except drinks getting topped off Nikki going to pilates and being told James travels a lot??? I was willing to ignore the slow start for the first half of the book but then it got 200 pages in and I realized oh.. this actually doesn’t have any real conflict… For a book that started off so charming and has such **grown** characters you would think the communication would be better and just the overall atmosphere around the characters would be a bit more serious? Instead serious moments were so… juvenile? I’m a bit disappointed. Nikki’s pov didn’t allow us to see more about James as a man or as a character because why were we not allowed to see how his divorce affected him and let that hang in the air a bit? Huge chunks of time would pass in the narrative and I would be so stumped thinking “when did that happen” because, as a reader, I felt like I was reading the same scene every other chapter so suddenly randomly being thrust into new situations with no build up would jar me?


Thanks Netgalley and the publisher for this Arc in exchange for an honest review but unfortunately this one was not for me. #Netgalley #Arc.

[A Rush Of Emotions · Rating 5 out of 5]

I absolutely loved this debut novel! It features one of my favorite tropes ever! I love when famous people fall for regular people, and in this book we get to see a well known Hollywood actor fall for a lawyer from England. Yes please!


Nikki finds herself stood up one night on what was supposed to be a first date. She's feeling down, but that doesn't last long because James hears her tell the bartender what happened and he swoops in and makes an awkward situation, well, even more awkward. Why does a famous actor invite her to his table, with his friends? And why does she say yes?


I love that so much of this book was about Nikki going off of pure instinct and trusting in fate to work things out. She and James connect so well, and soon begins their whirlwind romance while he's in town filming. He gives, she gives. Walls come down, fires ignite, and soon they find themselves trying to see if they can really make it work?


I gobbled this book up and I'm so happy it's a debut novel because I'll absolutely be reading everything else this author writes.

[LJT · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5 Stars!

Stood Up by E. Chapman is truly an enjoyable read. The story is well written and the characters are well defined. I formed an immediate connection with both Nikki and James, in addition to the secondary characters. Their feelings for each other developed at a wonderful pace and their time together is full of warmth and passion. This book is replete with celebrity, good friends and a bit of spice.