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The Wonder of You
It's a big deal to kiss someone for the first time, especially if the whole world is watching.
Emily Montgomery and Josh Sacco have two things in they have played the main characters in a hugely popular film series, Wonderwick Woods, since they were teenagers, and they cannot stand each other.
Emily is a bookworm with movie star looks, famous for her never a hair out of place professionalism, she knows that she will have to fight to be taken seriously as an actress after coming of age as a beloved children's book character. She is always on time to set and always knows her lines.
Josh is a Hollywood nepo baby, famous for being everyone's favourite bad boy, always having a new girl on his arm and being splashed across the tabloids. He's always late, always playing pranks, and constantly forgets his lines.
As they head back to set for the latest movie, both know that there's pressure on them to deliver the biggest moment of the series yet, a kiss between their characters.
But can you kiss someone convincingly when you've always hated them?
Emily Montgomery and Josh Sacco have two things in they have played the main characters in a hugely popular film series, Wonderwick Woods, since they were teenagers, and they cannot stand each other.
Emily is a bookworm with movie star looks, famous for her never a hair out of place professionalism, she knows that she will have to fight to be taken seriously as an actress after coming of age as a beloved children's book character. She is always on time to set and always knows her lines.
Josh is a Hollywood nepo baby, famous for being everyone's favourite bad boy, always having a new girl on his arm and being splashed across the tabloids. He's always late, always playing pranks, and constantly forgets his lines.
As they head back to set for the latest movie, both know that there's pressure on them to deliver the biggest moment of the series yet, a kiss between their characters.
But can you kiss someone convincingly when you've always hated them?
298 pages, Kindle Edition
Published May 7, 2026
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Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
Thank you, Willow Green, Netgalley, and Bonnier Books UK | Zaffre for the ARC. I couldn't put this book down. Willow Green has crafted a very engaging and swoony slow-burn celebrity romance that kept me hooked from the very first page. There was so much to love here: the plot development felt fresh, the pacing was spot on, and I found myself completely enveloped in the story.
Emily and Josh absolutely stole my heart. Their chemistry was a delight, and I loved watching them slowly form a genuine friendship as they began to see the "real" person behind the public persona. It was refreshing that the story didn't just end when the cameras stopped rolling on Wonderwick Woods; seeing them navigate the obstacles that followed felt very natural.
If I had one minor gripe, it’s that the timeline between filming and the premiere felt a bit rushed. Since it usually takes about a year for a film to hit the festival circuit or theaters, I found myself wishing for a few "X months later" markers to give a stronger sense of time passing.
What I Loved
The Character Arcs: Emily’s journey to break out of her "straight-laced" reputation and find her voice against her overbearing parents was brilliantly done. Growing up on screen is tough, especially when people still want to see you as a teenager at twenty.
The Parallel Journeys: Josh had a similar struggle with his "nepo baby" status and producer parents who wanted to keep him boxed into blockbusters. I actually found myself wishing for one more Josh-POV chapter just to see him take charge of his career on-page!
The World Building: Willow Green perfectly captures the pressure of being a star in a long-standing series. The stress of being pigeonholed and the intense weight of fan expectations felt very grounded and, at times, truly heartbreaking.
Final Thoughts
This is a gorgeous read for anyone who loves an enemies-to-lovers trope with a celebrity twist. Watching Emily and Josh realize they might be exactly what the other needs to heal was a total joy. I was smiling, swooning, and I’ll admit feeling a bit heartbroken for them at times.
If you’re looking for a romance that makes you feel deeply invested in the humans behind the famous roles, this is it. I was far too invested in their happy ending, and I’m so glad I spent my time with them. If you love enemies-to-lovers with a celebrity twist, this is 100% worth picking up. It’s emotional, engaging, and just… such a gorgeous read. Emily and Josh completely stole my heart and, honestly, my entire evening.👌🏻
Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐.5
Emily and Josh absolutely stole my heart. Their chemistry was a delight, and I loved watching them slowly form a genuine friendship as they began to see the "real" person behind the public persona. It was refreshing that the story didn't just end when the cameras stopped rolling on Wonderwick Woods; seeing them navigate the obstacles that followed felt very natural.
If I had one minor gripe, it’s that the timeline between filming and the premiere felt a bit rushed. Since it usually takes about a year for a film to hit the festival circuit or theaters, I found myself wishing for a few "X months later" markers to give a stronger sense of time passing.
What I Loved
The Character Arcs: Emily’s journey to break out of her "straight-laced" reputation and find her voice against her overbearing parents was brilliantly done. Growing up on screen is tough, especially when people still want to see you as a teenager at twenty.
The Parallel Journeys: Josh had a similar struggle with his "nepo baby" status and producer parents who wanted to keep him boxed into blockbusters. I actually found myself wishing for one more Josh-POV chapter just to see him take charge of his career on-page!
The World Building: Willow Green perfectly captures the pressure of being a star in a long-standing series. The stress of being pigeonholed and the intense weight of fan expectations felt very grounded and, at times, truly heartbreaking.
Final Thoughts
This is a gorgeous read for anyone who loves an enemies-to-lovers trope with a celebrity twist. Watching Emily and Josh realize they might be exactly what the other needs to heal was a total joy. I was smiling, swooning, and I’ll admit feeling a bit heartbroken for them at times.
If you’re looking for a romance that makes you feel deeply invested in the humans behind the famous roles, this is it. I was far too invested in their happy ending, and I’m so glad I spent my time with them. If you love enemies-to-lovers with a celebrity twist, this is 100% worth picking up. It’s emotional, engaging, and just… such a gorgeous read. Emily and Josh completely stole my heart and, honestly, my entire evening.👌🏻
Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐.5
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
I couldn't put this book down. Willow Green writes a very engaging and swoony slow-burn celebrity romance. There was just so much to love about it. The plot development felt fresh and it was well-paced. I loved Emily and Josh's chemistry and the way they slowly form a friendship as they see another side each other. Refreshingly the book didn't just cover filming Wonderwick Woods, but beyond with a few other obsctacles in a way that felt natural. However I wish that more time passed between filming and the premiere as it seemed a bit quick (normally it can take up to a year for a film to be screened or head to an awards festival), or that the chapters would say 'X months later' to give a stronger sense of time.
I also really loved was Emily's journey to break out of her straight-laced reputation and find new challenges beyond Wonderwick Woods. After growing up onscreen, she also has to find her voice to take control from her well-meaning by overbearing parents who want her to keep playing teenagers despite being 20. Josh had a similar journey with his big wig producer parents wanting to control his career doing only blockbuster movies instead of stretching himself. I just wish it had at least one more Josh chapter to see on-page him take charge about his career.
A wonderfully swoony celebrity romance that feels fresh and engaging.
I also really loved was Emily's journey to break out of her straight-laced reputation and find new challenges beyond Wonderwick Woods. After growing up onscreen, she also has to find her voice to take control from her well-meaning by overbearing parents who want her to keep playing teenagers despite being 20. Josh had a similar journey with his big wig producer parents wanting to control his career doing only blockbuster movies instead of stretching himself. I just wish it had at least one more Josh chapter to see on-page him take charge about his career.
A wonderfully swoony celebrity romance that feels fresh and engaging.
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
I really liked this romance with a movie star background. If you enjoy enemies to lovers with a celebrity twist then this is a great one for you.
Emily and Josh have grown up together on the set of the film series Wonderwick Woods - but their off screen relationship is nothing like what has been developing within the pages of the books the films are based on.
With the next film just about to start, Emily has to face up to the fact that in this book she has to kiss Josh. Despite his charm and good looks, it’s not something she is looking forward to.
But is there more to nepo baby Josh? Has Emily been too hard on her gorgeous co-star?
The Wonder of You is a swoony romance that will cause a heart flutter or two.
Emily and Josh have grown up together on the set of the film series Wonderwick Woods - but their off screen relationship is nothing like what has been developing within the pages of the books the films are based on.
With the next film just about to start, Emily has to face up to the fact that in this book she has to kiss Josh. Despite his charm and good looks, it’s not something she is looking forward to.
But is there more to nepo baby Josh? Has Emily been too hard on her gorgeous co-star?
The Wonder of You is a swoony romance that will cause a heart flutter or two.
May 11, 2026
Thank you Bonnier for the opportunity to read this book!
The idea of two movie stars that have grown up together in a franchise and move from enemies to lovers sounds perfect, just my cup of tea. and yes, this book is perfectly fine, the pacing is decent and the realness of stardom is well executed.
my little critiques lie mainly in the style of writing… the overuse of exclamation marks, the heavy descriptions of sets and places but the lack of descriptions of feelings and emotions left the story feeling a little unbalanced.
it’s a very easy read, i managed it in a day and if you’re looking for something fluffy and sweet, this is definitely a book for you. i think i just need a little more oomph and yearning from my books 🤷🏻♀️
The idea of two movie stars that have grown up together in a franchise and move from enemies to lovers sounds perfect, just my cup of tea. and yes, this book is perfectly fine, the pacing is decent and the realness of stardom is well executed.
my little critiques lie mainly in the style of writing… the overuse of exclamation marks, the heavy descriptions of sets and places but the lack of descriptions of feelings and emotions left the story feeling a little unbalanced.
it’s a very easy read, i managed it in a day and if you’re looking for something fluffy and sweet, this is definitely a book for you. i think i just need a little more oomph and yearning from my books 🤷🏻♀️
May 17, 2026
Thank you to the publishers for sending over a copy of this book! 🎥✨
I enjoyed the concept and the idea of this book and that’s originally what drew me in, because I LOOVEEE an enemies to lovers. This being said, I think it lacked tension and I didn’t really get that they hated each other, more like mildly inconvenienced by one another.
The writing was lovely and really enjoyable and the story was really sweet. This is perfect for those who enjoy books heavy on the fluff I think I personally would have appreciated a bit more angst.
All in all really enjoyed the book and will definitely be reading more from the author!
I enjoyed the concept and the idea of this book and that’s originally what drew me in, because I LOOVEEE an enemies to lovers. This being said, I think it lacked tension and I didn’t really get that they hated each other, more like mildly inconvenienced by one another.
The writing was lovely and really enjoyable and the story was really sweet. This is perfect for those who enjoy books heavy on the fluff I think I personally would have appreciated a bit more angst.
All in all really enjoyed the book and will definitely be reading more from the author!
June 20, 2026
Actual rating 4⭐
July 13, 2026
~3,5★
July 14, 2026
An easy audiobook but nothing special
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
I actually flew through this book. The plot development en pacing was great, I never thought like the story was dragging at all. Sometimes I feel that things were mentioned which the author could've gone into detail about a little more, but overall that wasn't bothersome or anything.
I liked the character development for both characters. It was really interesting to see them find who they wanted to be and break out of the box that they had been placed in since they started working on the film series. Both definitely matured a lot, with Emily trying to loose her good girl reputation and trying to grow more into a well rounded actress and at the same time the adult she wanted to be & Josh trying to break free from the nepo baby (okay you can't lose that lol) role of a boy who doesn't really care about anything and just messes about, and of course his own insecurities that come with that.
Oh and I loved the little throwbacks we got in Josh' POV, it gave a good insight into the development of their dynamic before the start of the book.
Overall a very enjoyable read!
Thank you Zaffre for the ARC!
I liked the character development for both characters. It was really interesting to see them find who they wanted to be and break out of the box that they had been placed in since they started working on the film series. Both definitely matured a lot, with Emily trying to loose her good girl reputation and trying to grow more into a well rounded actress and at the same time the adult she wanted to be & Josh trying to break free from the nepo baby (okay you can't lose that lol) role of a boy who doesn't really care about anything and just messes about, and of course his own insecurities that come with that.
Oh and I loved the little throwbacks we got in Josh' POV, it gave a good insight into the development of their dynamic before the start of the book.
Overall a very enjoyable read!
Thank you Zaffre for the ARC!
Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews