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Public Relations
Young PR star Rose Reed is thrown into the big leagues when her boss leaves town the day of the firm's meeting with Archie Fox, a young, hot, internationally famous British singer-songwriter. The meeting is going badly until Rose suggests a staged romance with up-and-coming, young indie star Raya. He'll do it, but only if Rose becomes his publicist.
As the faux-mance begins to rehabilitate Archie's faltering career, Rose finds his herself having unexpected, inconvenient and definitely unprofessional feelings for the crooner. But do late night texts and impromptu burrito binges mean he feels the same? In the end, Rose will have to decide whether to let her fantasy crush go, or to risk her reputation to be with the charming, handsome, scoundrel-y but sweet pop star she's grown to love.
As the faux-mance begins to rehabilitate Archie's faltering career, Rose finds his herself having unexpected, inconvenient and definitely unprofessional feelings for the crooner. But do late night texts and impromptu burrito binges mean he feels the same? In the end, Rose will have to decide whether to let her fantasy crush go, or to risk her reputation to be with the charming, handsome, scoundrel-y but sweet pop star she's grown to love.
368 pages, Paperback
First published May 9, 2017
64 people are currently reading
2701 people want to read
About the author
Katie Heaney
9 books404 followersKatie Heaney is the author of Public Relations, Dear Emma, and Never Have I Ever, as well as the forthcoming memoir Would You Rather? (Penguin Random House, February 2018). Her writing has also appeared in New York magazine online, Cosmopolitan, The Atlantic, Racked, and The Hairpin, among other places. She lives in Brooklyn.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 377 reviews
May 17, 2017
3.5 stars!
Review at Of Pens and Pages.
I love fake relationship stories, especially the ones that involve at least one celebrity. Public Relations took a whole new take on the faux-mance trope. Instead of a couple falling in love while being in a fake relationship, the romance blooms between the client and the publicist. In this case, we have English pop star Archie Fox and PR extraordinaire Rose Reed. It was a breath of fresh air.
For the first time in her PR career, Rose Reed takes the reins and handles a PR stunt for their company's hot new client—musician Archie Fox. The stunt? A fake relationship between Archie and up and coming singer Raya. Her life is now filled with constant social media listening, tips to a trusted paparazzi, and plans for her client's future dates. All the while taking a dip in the dating pool.
Handling the job isn't hard for Rose, but ignoring her feelings for the man who was too charming for his own good? Now that's a different story.
Obviously someone plans the fake relationships in fictional and real celebrity faux-mances, but we rarely see what it's like for them. As someone who works in a similar arena as Rose, I really enjoyed reading about what goes on behind the scenes. I could relate to her so much and enjoyed her interactions with her best friend and workmates.
I wasn't too sure about Archie. For me, he seemed like a cardboard cut-out version of Harry Styles. Don't get me wrong. I love the man and was a fan of One Direction, but I don't know. He's an English pop star with a penchant for silk shirts, ripped skinny jeans, and boots. And there was a part where his tattoos were described. There was a mention of a pair of birds across his chest. Archie's character seemed two-dimensional. Or maybe I just didn't see enough of him to know who he really is.
(I still love you, Harry!)
Most of the story was about Rose's life in PR. Because of that, some of the parts felt dragging. I also think that because of that, there wasn't enough time to expose the readers to the blooming romance between Rose and Archie. I loved each interaction between the two, but there wasn't enough to establish a real connection between them.
I think this book is more woman's fiction or chick lit than romance and would recommend it as such. From what I've read, it was more about Rose's life as a 20-something trying to balance life inside and outside work—a career in PR she genuinely enjoys and is good at and an awkward and sometimes painful attempt at finding love in Tinder.
Public Relations is a novel told in the heroine's perspective. It's unique, relatable, and very millennial. I think Harry Styles fans, slow burn lovers, and Young and New Adult readers will enjoy this light and fresh novel.
*ARC received in exchange for an honest review.
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Review at Of Pens and Pages.
I love fake relationship stories, especially the ones that involve at least one celebrity. Public Relations took a whole new take on the faux-mance trope. Instead of a couple falling in love while being in a fake relationship, the romance blooms between the client and the publicist. In this case, we have English pop star Archie Fox and PR extraordinaire Rose Reed. It was a breath of fresh air.
For the first time in her PR career, Rose Reed takes the reins and handles a PR stunt for their company's hot new client—musician Archie Fox. The stunt? A fake relationship between Archie and up and coming singer Raya. Her life is now filled with constant social media listening, tips to a trusted paparazzi, and plans for her client's future dates. All the while taking a dip in the dating pool.
Handling the job isn't hard for Rose, but ignoring her feelings for the man who was too charming for his own good? Now that's a different story.
Obviously someone plans the fake relationships in fictional and real celebrity faux-mances, but we rarely see what it's like for them. As someone who works in a similar arena as Rose, I really enjoyed reading about what goes on behind the scenes. I could relate to her so much and enjoyed her interactions with her best friend and workmates.
I wasn't too sure about Archie. For me, he seemed like a cardboard cut-out version of Harry Styles. Don't get me wrong. I love the man and was a fan of One Direction, but I don't know. He's an English pop star with a penchant for silk shirts, ripped skinny jeans, and boots. And there was a part where his tattoos were described. There was a mention of a pair of birds across his chest. Archie's character seemed two-dimensional. Or maybe I just didn't see enough of him to know who he really is.
(I still love you, Harry!)
Most of the story was about Rose's life in PR. Because of that, some of the parts felt dragging. I also think that because of that, there wasn't enough time to expose the readers to the blooming romance between Rose and Archie. I loved each interaction between the two, but there wasn't enough to establish a real connection between them.
I think this book is more woman's fiction or chick lit than romance and would recommend it as such. From what I've read, it was more about Rose's life as a 20-something trying to balance life inside and outside work—a career in PR she genuinely enjoys and is good at and an awkward and sometimes painful attempt at finding love in Tinder.
Public Relations is a novel told in the heroine's perspective. It's unique, relatable, and very millennial. I think Harry Styles fans, slow burn lovers, and Young and New Adult readers will enjoy this light and fresh novel.
*ARC received in exchange for an honest review.
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June 18, 2017
I loved this synopsis and even though the cover is sort of off putting, I couldn't wait to get into this story.
I really liked these characters. Rose is smart and savvy and honestly, a good person. She's polite and for the most part has a great inner monologue. Of course Archie was adorable and blatantly based on Harry Styles. The two of them had chemistry and excellent banter. I wish the authors would have relied on that to carry the story.
For me, the downside to this story was the pages and pages and paaaaaaaages of text without dialogue. It was a lot of telling instead of showing and I found myself skipping passages here and there because I was bored. I did enjoy seeing the other side of the machine, so to speak and it did have a satisfying ending.
Overall, it was a quick and fairly enjoyable read.
**Huge thanks to Grand Central Publishing for providing the arc free of charge**
I really liked these characters. Rose is smart and savvy and honestly, a good person. She's polite and for the most part has a great inner monologue. Of course Archie was adorable and blatantly based on Harry Styles. The two of them had chemistry and excellent banter. I wish the authors would have relied on that to carry the story.
For me, the downside to this story was the pages and pages and paaaaaaaages of text without dialogue. It was a lot of telling instead of showing and I found myself skipping passages here and there because I was bored. I did enjoy seeing the other side of the machine, so to speak and it did have a satisfying ending.
Overall, it was a quick and fairly enjoyable read.
**Huge thanks to Grand Central Publishing for providing the arc free of charge**
October 2, 2017
This was the perfect dose of Harry Styles fic that I needed in my life and I’m obsessed. SO CUTE.
April 25, 2017
This is a fun and quirky novel about the life and times of an upcoming PR rep. I enjoyed the interaction between her and her best friend – funny and so relateable. As well as the inter-office relationships. Very true to life. In fact, I have seen some of these issues myself! The authors did a great job setting up the unique and interesting characters, so in that aspect it was a pleasurable and in-depth discovery.
But being a midlife wife, the story lands very far into the YA (young adult) category. A lot of music references and conversations that is decidedly YA. Multiple references of social media stalking (shhhh – it’s part of the job), tracking information, interacting with the younger crowd. Very much a millennial read.
This was fine for me. I understood it because I work in this arena. However, for someone of my age group or someone who is not involved online, this could be difficult factor to relate to how it works in the story.
The authors were also leading up to a potential love match in a very subtle way. The first half of the book was really mainly about the life and times of the PR rep. It wasn’t until you were quite far into the story that you understood “a crush” was occurring. And then you didn’t know if it was reciprocated or not. But stringing us along is not necessarily a bad thing.
The last quarter and the ending to me was the best part of the whole story. It made up for a lot of the way the book was written and the obscurity of the up-and-coming potential romance. Plus, they set up a possible second book??
The authors did do a great job in creating interesting and unique characters that you want as your BFF’s. They all had a wonderful role in the book that made it engaging and hard to put down. Plus, the book is written in first person which makes it a very personal story with a unique perspective. The writers included a lot of humor and feeling into the story that make this a stand out that you won’t soon forget.
Overall, this book was very well written with great characters and a witty plot. We all had that rock star crush at one time or another in our lives. This book is today’s version, targeted to the current culture of the big city 20-somethings. Perfect for that lazy weekend or beach read!
But being a midlife wife, the story lands very far into the YA (young adult) category. A lot of music references and conversations that is decidedly YA. Multiple references of social media stalking (shhhh – it’s part of the job), tracking information, interacting with the younger crowd. Very much a millennial read.
This was fine for me. I understood it because I work in this arena. However, for someone of my age group or someone who is not involved online, this could be difficult factor to relate to how it works in the story.
The authors were also leading up to a potential love match in a very subtle way. The first half of the book was really mainly about the life and times of the PR rep. It wasn’t until you were quite far into the story that you understood “a crush” was occurring. And then you didn’t know if it was reciprocated or not. But stringing us along is not necessarily a bad thing.
The last quarter and the ending to me was the best part of the whole story. It made up for a lot of the way the book was written and the obscurity of the up-and-coming potential romance. Plus, they set up a possible second book??
The authors did do a great job in creating interesting and unique characters that you want as your BFF’s. They all had a wonderful role in the book that made it engaging and hard to put down. Plus, the book is written in first person which makes it a very personal story with a unique perspective. The writers included a lot of humor and feeling into the story that make this a stand out that you won’t soon forget.
Overall, this book was very well written with great characters and a witty plot. We all had that rock star crush at one time or another in our lives. This book is today’s version, targeted to the current culture of the big city 20-somethings. Perfect for that lazy weekend or beach read!
July 26, 2017
4.5 stars
Public Relations is a fun beach read. I thoroughly enjoyed the story line and the characters. Rose Reed is a fabulous protagonist, and I loved reading about all of the behind the scenes shenanigans and use of social media to promote young actors’ and singers’ careers. I highly recommend this for anyone looking for a light, highly entertaining read.
Public Relations is a fun beach read. I thoroughly enjoyed the story line and the characters. Rose Reed is a fabulous protagonist, and I loved reading about all of the behind the scenes shenanigans and use of social media to promote young actors’ and singers’ careers. I highly recommend this for anyone looking for a light, highly entertaining read.
March 23, 2017
This book is exactly what you would expect from two authors who work for Buzzfeed.
There were some good moments in the book but they don't happen until at least 70% into the book. Up until then the book is slow and the characters are boring. I enjoyed reading about Rose's relationship with her boss but her relationship with her best friend fell flat for me. Her relationship with Archie was fun to read but they don't actually get together until about 80% into the book.
One of my complaints is that Rose's second love interest is an attractive, 36 year old surgeon using Tinder to find a relationship. If that is how Tinder is actually used, then I have been grievously misinformed. The number of pop culture references were also a little much.
Now onto my main criticism of the book: Archie is Harry Styles. Someone who isn't a fan of One Direction may miss this but it was something I couldn't look past. Allow me to list out some things that Archie and Harry have in common: 1.) British 2.) pop singer 3.) long hair usually pulled up into a bun 4.) two identical bird tattoos on chest 5.) heart tattoo on shoulder 6.) wears sparkly ankle boots 7.) wears a flamingo shirt 8.) dated an older woman at the beginning of his career. One or two I could've looked past but it began to become unbearable towards the end.
If you are looking for some easy to read chick-lit (or fanfiction), then Public Relations may be for you but I wouldn't risk the time.
And in case you didn't believe me:
Flamingos
Tattoos
My Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/beccatheboo...
My Blog: http://rebeccathebooklover.blogspot.com
There were some good moments in the book but they don't happen until at least 70% into the book. Up until then the book is slow and the characters are boring. I enjoyed reading about Rose's relationship with her boss but her relationship with her best friend fell flat for me. Her relationship with Archie was fun to read but they don't actually get together until about 80% into the book.
One of my complaints is that Rose's second love interest is an attractive, 36 year old surgeon using Tinder to find a relationship. If that is how Tinder is actually used, then I have been grievously misinformed. The number of pop culture references were also a little much.
Now onto my main criticism of the book: Archie is Harry Styles. Someone who isn't a fan of One Direction may miss this but it was something I couldn't look past. Allow me to list out some things that Archie and Harry have in common: 1.) British 2.) pop singer 3.) long hair usually pulled up into a bun 4.) two identical bird tattoos on chest 5.) heart tattoo on shoulder 6.) wears sparkly ankle boots 7.) wears a flamingo shirt 8.) dated an older woman at the beginning of his career. One or two I could've looked past but it began to become unbearable towards the end.
If you are looking for some easy to read chick-lit (or fanfiction), then Public Relations may be for you but I wouldn't risk the time.
And in case you didn't believe me:
Flamingos
Tattoos
My Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/beccatheboo...
My Blog: http://rebeccathebooklover.blogspot.com
Read
April 23, 2017I've been in a bit of an overall life slump and looking for something fun and different to read, so I picked this off Netgalley. The weird, confusing cover is doing this book NO favors at all -- no, this is not a gender-bending remake of the 80s movie Mannequin -- inside is actually a cute and engaging piece of romantic chick lit. (I found it in the New Adult section, where the cover stands out like a sore thumb amidst all the naked, tattooed abs, but there's not a player or a virgin or a whiff of angst in sight -- it really reads to me like classic 90s chick lit.)
Rose is a twenty-something in Manhattan, trying to move up the ranks at her PR firm. Rose's boss can't make a meeting about how to boost the flagging career of British singer-songwriter Archie Fox,** so Rose is told to sit in, take notes, and keep her mouth shut. But when a (male) colleague's horrible proposals start to tank the meeting, Rose blurts out her own idea: a fauxmance between Archie and an up-and-coming indie singer.
Archie not only approves the fauxmance idea, he asks Rose to act as his handler during it, despite the fact that her firm thinks she's too junior for the job. And -- of course -- as Rose is masterminding every romantic detail of Archie's new relationship, she's falling hard for him herself.
I've always had a weird fascination with celebrity fauxmances, but usually books about them have the pretending-to-be couple fall for each other, so I liked that this book gave things a new twist. I'm not usually the biggest fan of love-with-a-celebrity stories, but this one won me over.
Rose was a really great main character and - as a former twenty-something who's lived the non-glamorous life in Manhattan - I thought the book really got all the small details right. I'll admit that this book did take a while to get going. Weirdly, my very favorite parst of the book were 1) learning how fauxmances work from behind the scenes and 2) all the PR stuff. I was fascinated by the way Rose tracked the success of the fauxmance on Twitter and Instagram.
The romance was sweet and very, very, very slow-burn. If you read NA for the steamy romance, this is way more PG and may not be for you.
But definitely check this one out if you're a fauxmance fan like me or just looking for a cute romance!
**Okay, so Rebecca The Book Lover's Goodreads review has pointed out Archie's eerie similarity to Harry Styles. Whom I know next to nothing about. So that's seriously weird and may cause me to reconsider my opinion.
Read more of my reviews on YA Romantics or follow me on Bloglovin
The FTC would like you to know that the publisher provided me a free advance copy of this book, that free books can be enjoyable or not, and other readers may disagree with my opinion.
Rose is a twenty-something in Manhattan, trying to move up the ranks at her PR firm. Rose's boss can't make a meeting about how to boost the flagging career of British singer-songwriter Archie Fox,** so Rose is told to sit in, take notes, and keep her mouth shut. But when a (male) colleague's horrible proposals start to tank the meeting, Rose blurts out her own idea: a fauxmance between Archie and an up-and-coming indie singer.
Archie not only approves the fauxmance idea, he asks Rose to act as his handler during it, despite the fact that her firm thinks she's too junior for the job. And -- of course -- as Rose is masterminding every romantic detail of Archie's new relationship, she's falling hard for him herself.
I've always had a weird fascination with celebrity fauxmances, but usually books about them have the pretending-to-be couple fall for each other, so I liked that this book gave things a new twist. I'm not usually the biggest fan of love-with-a-celebrity stories, but this one won me over.
Rose was a really great main character and - as a former twenty-something who's lived the non-glamorous life in Manhattan - I thought the book really got all the small details right. I'll admit that this book did take a while to get going. Weirdly, my very favorite parst of the book were 1) learning how fauxmances work from behind the scenes and 2) all the PR stuff. I was fascinated by the way Rose tracked the success of the fauxmance on Twitter and Instagram.
The romance was sweet and very, very, very slow-burn. If you read NA for the steamy romance, this is way more PG and may not be for you.
But definitely check this one out if you're a fauxmance fan like me or just looking for a cute romance!
**Okay, so Rebecca The Book Lover's Goodreads review has pointed out Archie's eerie similarity to Harry Styles. Whom I know next to nothing about. So that's seriously weird and may cause me to reconsider my opinion.
Read more of my reviews on YA Romantics or follow me on Bloglovin
The FTC would like you to know that the publisher provided me a free advance copy of this book, that free books can be enjoyable or not, and other readers may disagree with my opinion.
November 28, 2017
It was interesting to read a book in the profession I’m studying. I really enjoyed how it didn’t act like it’ll be easy. However, it was a new adult contemporary and I did feel it dragged in some places. It was enjoyable though and the writing was funny!
No full review to come.
No full review to come.
September 4, 2017
I enjoyed the hell out of this.
May 19, 2017
This would make THE BEST movie!
October 22, 2017
This book made literally no effort whatsoever to file the serial numbers off of Harry Styles, and I am better because of it.
November 20, 2017
I loved this SO MUCH. Yeah, it doesn't fit neatly into any genre (it's not quite contemporary romance, not quite young adult, not quite chick lit to me), but it was everything I never knew I wanted.
Harry Styles Archie Fox was a great hero and I ADORED Rose, and how competent she was at her job, and how she was a Normal, and how they were really into each other, and I also really liked for the most part how NYC was portrayed in this.
I know some people are going to hate that this was basically Harry Styles fanfiction, but I was HERE. FOR. IT. Not even going to lie.
Just, I thought this was really, really great.
Minor complaint is that Rose's friendship with Harper seemed really one-sided, but I hope we'll get a book from Harper's POV at some point in which she gets to be a little self-involved, too. I don't feel like their issues are unfixable, but Harper does deserve better.
I know some people are going to hate that this was basically Harry Styles fanfiction, but I was HERE. FOR. IT. Not even going to lie.
Just, I thought this was really, really great.
Minor complaint is that Rose's friendship with Harper seemed really one-sided, but I hope we'll get a book from Harper's POV at some point in which she gets to be a little self-involved, too. I don't feel like their issues are unfixable, but Harper does deserve better.
August 16, 2017
3.5
This was cute and enjoyable, but also the relationship wasn't built up well enough for me. Amanda called it chick lit and I'd agree with that.
Which is cool! I like chick lit and wish it was more of a thing these days. But it's not what I expected.
This was cute and enjoyable, but also the relationship wasn't built up well enough for me. Amanda called it chick lit and I'd agree with that.
Which is cool! I like chick lit and wish it was more of a thing these days. But it's not what I expected.
June 7, 2017
I am like 95% sure that this is just some Harry Styles fan fiction.
Is the book well written? Not really. Is the story that exciting? Not really. Is the book a bit bland and predictable? Yes, definitely.
Is the book well written? Not really. Is the story that exciting? Not really. Is the book a bit bland and predictable? Yes, definitely.
July 25, 2017
This book was incredible and everything I want from storytelling and there was a hilarious joke about a ghost amongst the hot, charming British musician exists to create wonderful sexual tension with a normal so I was sold.
September 9, 2017
I would have liked a teeeeensy bit more romance, but overall this was pretty cute.
November 12, 2017
(***Note: Good Reads is saying I read this book 2 times b/c I accidentally marked it "Read" instead of "Currently Reading" when I started it. Reading this book once was way more than enough.***) I wanted to read this because I thought it sounded a little bit reminiscent or Dating You/Hating You by Christina Lauren and When It's Real by Erin Watt, both of which I loved. However, Public Relations fell far, far short of my expectations. The main character, Rose, was pretty awful. She was incredibly self-centered, completely unprofessional, and just so, SO unlikable. I did not find her to be a sympathetic character at all and I almost wished things would've blown up in her face by the end instead of following it's obviously predictable path just because I would've liked her awful behavior to have some type of consequence. I also found the book way longer than it needed to be, filled with so much pointless detail that I had to skim some parts. So why am I giving this 2 stars instead of 1? Archie Fox! I often found myself smiling at scenes he was in and even though I did not understand at all why he was into Rose, I enjoyed their scenes together (though she often ruined it by the end of the scene). Sadly, though, even Archie Fox is not enough for me to recommend this book to anyone.
July 30, 2017
Soooooo good. I'm a sucker for twentysomething girl in NYC career-focused books, and I was pleasantly surprised by how feminist this one was. Some books like this heavily feature needless girl hate and blatant stereotyping (for some reason a LOT of similar girl in NYC books are fat-phobic), but there was absolutely none of that here. Just all around refreshing.
March 12, 2017
Sexy, sweet and funny. I'd watch the hell outta this movie, and I adored this book.
October 30, 2017
The most predictable, delightful book I've read all year!
June 30, 2017
This is a perfectly executed self-insert longform fanfiction about a gifted but under-confident young PR flack who devises a brilliant strategy for and then falls for charming, dimpled, floppy-haired British singer Harry Styles Archie Fox.
Public Relations is a great companion read for Grace and The Fever, and would also suit a lot of readers of Meg Cabot's office romances from the early-to-mid-oughts. I loved this book, and if you relish pondering what goes on behind the scenes in celebrityland (hint: it’s a ton of emotional labor! Mostly done by women! Many of whom on the fan side go unpaid!), you will, too.
Public Relations is a great companion read for Grace and The Fever, and would also suit a lot of readers of Meg Cabot's office romances from the early-to-mid-oughts. I loved this book, and if you relish pondering what goes on behind the scenes in celebrityland (hint: it’s a ton of emotional labor! Mostly done by women! Many of whom on the fan side go unpaid!), you will, too.
May 26, 2017
Workplace romances, especially when taboo, are some of my favorite books to read. They just have an oomph other books in a similar setting don't. So I was expecting lots of hot, smoldering glances and fireworks from the get go, but that wasn't what I got. Instead, I got a story that slowly developed, and then a third of the way in, became really interesting and exciting, and not because I got the glances and fireworks I was expecting.
Allow me to elaborate. Rose Reed finds herself publicist after speaking up in a meeting with hot, super star, Archie Fox and his manager. She realizes the recommendations a partner in the firm she's in is making heinous suggestions as to what will help revive Archie's fan base and help him pick up new followers and fans. Rose feels she's immune to Archie's good looks and talent, but as her time working with him progresses, things begin to change.
Now the book is told entirely from Rose's point of view. So while it's really easy to understand what's going on with Rose, it's much harder to get a read on what's happening to the people around her. For example. Rose usually has a great first date, but the second date is where she finds something wrong with the guy and ends things there. She doesn't see it that way, but her best friend Harper calls it a second date curse. Rose goes on a number of dates with someone and he says something on their first date that upsets her. I didn't understand what upset her or other events that happened. It was also hard to see how/why/when she became attracted to Archie and if he was interested in her.
All of the above being said, I liked Rose. She worked hard, had her head in the right place, and besides being a little self concerned about things, she seems like the type of person I'd like to be friends with. And I also liked Archie. For a superstar and international phenomenon, he seemed down to Earth. His thoughts and motivations were a total mystery. I even like Raya, the star Rose set Archie up with. I mean she seemed a little idealistic, but at 20 with stardom looming on the horizon, who wouldn't be. I even liked Harper, Rose's BFF who also works with her. Besides the characters, I really liked how the story included parts of what happens in PR and the Hollywood glam machine. It wasn't too gritty, but it also wasn't glossed over either.
This is my first book Katie Heaney and Arianna Rebolini. It didn't grab me right away, but when it did, I couldn't put it down. The characters are great, as is the story. If it starts out slow for you the way it did me, don't give up on it. The end of the book and everything that comes before it is worth it.
Allow me to elaborate. Rose Reed finds herself publicist after speaking up in a meeting with hot, super star, Archie Fox and his manager. She realizes the recommendations a partner in the firm she's in is making heinous suggestions as to what will help revive Archie's fan base and help him pick up new followers and fans. Rose feels she's immune to Archie's good looks and talent, but as her time working with him progresses, things begin to change.
Now the book is told entirely from Rose's point of view. So while it's really easy to understand what's going on with Rose, it's much harder to get a read on what's happening to the people around her. For example. Rose usually has a great first date, but the second date is where she finds something wrong with the guy and ends things there. She doesn't see it that way, but her best friend Harper calls it a second date curse. Rose goes on a number of dates with someone and he says something on their first date that upsets her. I didn't understand what upset her or other events that happened. It was also hard to see how/why/when she became attracted to Archie and if he was interested in her.
All of the above being said, I liked Rose. She worked hard, had her head in the right place, and besides being a little self concerned about things, she seems like the type of person I'd like to be friends with. And I also liked Archie. For a superstar and international phenomenon, he seemed down to Earth. His thoughts and motivations were a total mystery. I even like Raya, the star Rose set Archie up with. I mean she seemed a little idealistic, but at 20 with stardom looming on the horizon, who wouldn't be. I even liked Harper, Rose's BFF who also works with her. Besides the characters, I really liked how the story included parts of what happens in PR and the Hollywood glam machine. It wasn't too gritty, but it also wasn't glossed over either.
This is my first book Katie Heaney and Arianna Rebolini. It didn't grab me right away, but when it did, I couldn't put it down. The characters are great, as is the story. If it starts out slow for you the way it did me, don't give up on it. The end of the book and everything that comes before it is worth it.
May 18, 2017
This smart, funny and romantic read will lighten and lift your spirits. Public Relations is the first collaboration between author's Katie Heaney and Arianna Rebolini and I'm certainly hoping for more. This was just a such an enjoyable read, the perfect balance of hope and angst. In it the authors capture the world of marketing and impact of social media. This serves as a great reminder that what we see is often fed to us with cunning calculation.
Rose is an endearing character. A young woman working her way through the entertainment business PR field when she finds herself suddenly managing a campaign to reinvigorate the declining popularity of a rock star, Archie Fox. Her idea to bolster his popularity means spending time with Archie and encouraging his "new relationship" with up and coming music sensation Raya. Well, you can imagine the surprise when Rose is suddenly unsure if the relationship she created is more than she so carefully planned it to be. With bruised ego's and half truth's being flung about, how would she be able to trust what's real?
The problem lies in the chemistry between Rose and Archie. The banter between them is flirty, sweet, and fun and they just seem to get each other. The undercurrent of sexual chemistry between them which creates a conundrum with Roses's work ethics and the potential to ruin the entire plan and possibly her career. I got where Rose was coming from both in my heart and in my head and was rooting for her all the way.
The story is fast paced and the characters are perfectly developed - we just get a good rounded sense of all the primary and secondary characters. I pretty much gobbled this up in one sitting as I could hardly wait to see how Rose would solve the problem that hits as the truth comes out. Would she be brave or bury her head in the sand? I encourage any reader of contemporary romance to pick this up. There's something that everyone can relate to, whether it be work circumstances, your entertainment interests, or friendships. 5 Stars!
*I was gifted a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review*
Rose is an endearing character. A young woman working her way through the entertainment business PR field when she finds herself suddenly managing a campaign to reinvigorate the declining popularity of a rock star, Archie Fox. Her idea to bolster his popularity means spending time with Archie and encouraging his "new relationship" with up and coming music sensation Raya. Well, you can imagine the surprise when Rose is suddenly unsure if the relationship she created is more than she so carefully planned it to be. With bruised ego's and half truth's being flung about, how would she be able to trust what's real?
The problem lies in the chemistry between Rose and Archie. The banter between them is flirty, sweet, and fun and they just seem to get each other. The undercurrent of sexual chemistry between them which creates a conundrum with Roses's work ethics and the potential to ruin the entire plan and possibly her career. I got where Rose was coming from both in my heart and in my head and was rooting for her all the way.
The story is fast paced and the characters are perfectly developed - we just get a good rounded sense of all the primary and secondary characters. I pretty much gobbled this up in one sitting as I could hardly wait to see how Rose would solve the problem that hits as the truth comes out. Would she be brave or bury her head in the sand? I encourage any reader of contemporary romance to pick this up. There's something that everyone can relate to, whether it be work circumstances, your entertainment interests, or friendships. 5 Stars!
*I was gifted a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review*
June 17, 2022
Rounded up to 3.5!
This book...was so very clearly Harry Styles fanfic, which doesn't detract from my ability to enjoy it, but I do think it was so glaringly obvious that this book was written 2014-2016 that it was hard to ignore it, lol. While I definitely did enjoy it (I loved reading about Rose's career and her friendship with Harper), Rose and Archie's relationship felt forced. I wish we could have seen a bit more of them spending time together before they just like...decide they love each other? After a month?
Either way, I read this so fast and despite the low-ish rating, I would recommend it as a romance novel, because the parts that I didn't like might be ones that you do!
This book...was so very clearly Harry Styles fanfic, which doesn't detract from my ability to enjoy it, but I do think it was so glaringly obvious that this book was written 2014-2016 that it was hard to ignore it, lol. While I definitely did enjoy it (I loved reading about Rose's career and her friendship with Harper), Rose and Archie's relationship felt forced. I wish we could have seen a bit more of them spending time together before they just like...decide they love each other? After a month?
Either way, I read this so fast and despite the low-ish rating, I would recommend it as a romance novel, because the parts that I didn't like might be ones that you do!
August 30, 2017
I love "regular girl falls in love with a celebrity" romances and this one was PERFECT. The dialogue was funny and real, the characters were complicated and interesting, and Archie Fox was (imagine the fire emoji here). Honestly, I kind of want to read this book again already. So sweet and funny and full of GREAT romantic tension. Also HARRY STYLES.
September 2, 2018
Actual rating: 2.5 stars
Turns out that this book is a blatant Harry Styles fan-fiction. I was woefully unaware of this fact prior to scrolling through the reviews, after finishing the book. I didn't pickup on any of the crazy obvious similarities (or so people who are in the know tell me) between the book's leading man and 1D's Harry, as I'm 100% oblivious to all things 1D, to the extent that I couldn't even say how many members are in the band, much less their names. Anyways, point being, I wouldn't have picked up this book had I known this little tidbit. The Exo Next Door (K-Drama reference) vibes would have made me run for the hills, guaranteed.
As it stands, I thought a little fluff palate cleanser could revive me. And who knows. Maybe I'll still get my wish. I need to read another book right away to wipe out this generic, predictable story with no-plot to speak of after all. I'm probably being super harsh. It wasn't all bad. I liked the writing style and the NYC vibe of the book felt authentic. That's what the .5 star is for. Also, I didn't want to DNF it, I'll give the book that much. It's just that I was feeling incredibly underwhelmed. I didn't care for any of the characters. The story read like it was manically trying to appeal to our inner fan girls by bring to fruition a ludicrous romance between a celebrity and a regular person. The male lead felt two dimensional due to the vapid amounts of page real estate dedicated to his good looks and natural charms, and very little word count for his backstory and pretty much anything that'd give him agency and real substance as a semi-interesting main lead. The female lead was telling us from the first page how good she was at her job and we did get to see some of that very late in the game. But by then, the book had spent an unforgivable amount of time telling and info-dumping, rather than showing. Majority of the time, the people around the female lead were made to look like complete buffoons at work, just so her star could shine. She was better in comparison only, not because she was a work savant by any stretch of the definition. The romance was as insta-love as it comes. They basically hit it off from the get go, sparks flew, blah blah, blah, and the main leads spend the rest of the book making sure my Sunday would be wasted by them being in denial or whatever that was all about. The resolution to the love story was obsequious, as I feared it would be all along. Due to all this, I speed-read the majority of the book. Something I've never done before. I used to absorb every word and even reread sentences if I thought I'd zoned out. But 2018 has been an unexpected year altogether and I would have pegged myself as someone who'd get a kick out of a little harmless read, but here we are.
Turns out that this book is a blatant Harry Styles fan-fiction. I was woefully unaware of this fact prior to scrolling through the reviews, after finishing the book. I didn't pickup on any of the crazy obvious similarities (or so people who are in the know tell me) between the book's leading man and 1D's Harry, as I'm 100% oblivious to all things 1D, to the extent that I couldn't even say how many members are in the band, much less their names. Anyways, point being, I wouldn't have picked up this book had I known this little tidbit. The Exo Next Door (K-Drama reference) vibes would have made me run for the hills, guaranteed.
As it stands, I thought a little fluff palate cleanser could revive me. And who knows. Maybe I'll still get my wish. I need to read another book right away to wipe out this generic, predictable story with no-plot to speak of after all. I'm probably being super harsh. It wasn't all bad. I liked the writing style and the NYC vibe of the book felt authentic. That's what the .5 star is for. Also, I didn't want to DNF it, I'll give the book that much. It's just that I was feeling incredibly underwhelmed. I didn't care for any of the characters. The story read like it was manically trying to appeal to our inner fan girls by bring to fruition a ludicrous romance between a celebrity and a regular person. The male lead felt two dimensional due to the vapid amounts of page real estate dedicated to his good looks and natural charms, and very little word count for his backstory and pretty much anything that'd give him agency and real substance as a semi-interesting main lead. The female lead was telling us from the first page how good she was at her job and we did get to see some of that very late in the game. But by then, the book had spent an unforgivable amount of time telling and info-dumping, rather than showing. Majority of the time, the people around the female lead were made to look like complete buffoons at work, just so her star could shine. She was better in comparison only, not because she was a work savant by any stretch of the definition. The romance was as insta-love as it comes. They basically hit it off from the get go, sparks flew, blah blah, blah, and the main leads spend the rest of the book making sure my Sunday would be wasted by them being in denial or whatever that was all about. The resolution to the love story was obsequious, as I feared it would be all along. Due to all this, I speed-read the majority of the book. Something I've never done before. I used to absorb every word and even reread sentences if I thought I'd zoned out. But 2018 has been an unexpected year altogether and I would have pegged myself as someone who'd get a kick out of a little harmless read, but here we are.
April 14, 2017
Love, love, loved this.
Read
November 29, 2025Recommended for: Basic Bitches who know it
This book looks great. I love the cover. I love the premise. I even like that the authors, both with Buzzfeed bylines and addresses in Brooklyn, teamed up to give readers a look at the world of Public Relations and trying not to fangirl too hard over your own clients.
Rose Reed is a junior level PR exec who falls into main-staging the upcoming album release of a major British pop-star/songwriter, Archie Fox. Archie needs a bit of a re-brand, and a love story, so Rose, tumblr savvy and young enough to be his core demographic, finds the perfect catch: an FKATwigs/Alexandra Savior hybrid who is about to blow up will be his newest “collaboration.”
Archie is patently modeled on Harry Styles, complete with an old TSwift-style heartbreak and some recognizable tattoos. He seems to be a little more interested in Rose than she expects him to be, and over the course of the novel she vacillates between trying to keep her feelings professional, and letting her crush go full blown.
There is less romance in this novel than there is good old girl crushing, but it’s still a fun read. I’ll let you guys decide if you think the authors really sold Archie falling for Rose, or if it reads like self-insert RPFic. Regardless, it’s a PERFECT summer read. I read it on the beach in record time while my kids burned because I forgot to reapply their sunscreen.
This book looks great. I love the cover. I love the premise. I even like that the authors, both with Buzzfeed bylines and addresses in Brooklyn, teamed up to give readers a look at the world of Public Relations and trying not to fangirl too hard over your own clients.
Rose Reed is a junior level PR exec who falls into main-staging the upcoming album release of a major British pop-star/songwriter, Archie Fox. Archie needs a bit of a re-brand, and a love story, so Rose, tumblr savvy and young enough to be his core demographic, finds the perfect catch: an FKATwigs/Alexandra Savior hybrid who is about to blow up will be his newest “collaboration.”
Archie is patently modeled on Harry Styles, complete with an old TSwift-style heartbreak and some recognizable tattoos. He seems to be a little more interested in Rose than she expects him to be, and over the course of the novel she vacillates between trying to keep her feelings professional, and letting her crush go full blown.
There is less romance in this novel than there is good old girl crushing, but it’s still a fun read. I’ll let you guys decide if you think the authors really sold Archie falling for Rose, or if it reads like self-insert RPFic. Regardless, it’s a PERFECT summer read. I read it on the beach in record time while my kids burned because I forgot to reapply their sunscreen.
April 27, 2017
Review by Trinette Dungee
Rose Read stubbles onto the project of a lifetime in the PR Firm she works for. Who knew offering a simple suggestion regarding the image of their newest client would have her up close and personal in his life. When Rose’s feelings toward Archie start to take a very unprofessional turn she’s not so sure how lucky this project was.
I had a very hard time connecting with these characters. I’m not sure what it was but I just couldn’t get into story. I liked the story line and there were certain parts that had me totally engrossed but it wasn’t consistent. I liked Archie and Rose’s friend Harper but I just could not make myself like Rose. I don’t know what it was about her but I just couldn’t make myself like her. This is not unusual and had nothing to do with my not being able to really become completely engrossed in this book. There were moments when I couldn’t figure out who was speaking to whom. There were times when the internal dialogue Rose had with herself was so lengthy that it seemed like it should have just be an actual conversation between her and whoever she was speaking with.
While this book didn’t work with me entirely, I do think it was a good story line and I did like the humor and the banter between Rose and Archie. The sarcasm and dry humor were right up my alley.
Rose Read stubbles onto the project of a lifetime in the PR Firm she works for. Who knew offering a simple suggestion regarding the image of their newest client would have her up close and personal in his life. When Rose’s feelings toward Archie start to take a very unprofessional turn she’s not so sure how lucky this project was.
I had a very hard time connecting with these characters. I’m not sure what it was but I just couldn’t get into story. I liked the story line and there were certain parts that had me totally engrossed but it wasn’t consistent. I liked Archie and Rose’s friend Harper but I just could not make myself like Rose. I don’t know what it was about her but I just couldn’t make myself like her. This is not unusual and had nothing to do with my not being able to really become completely engrossed in this book. There were moments when I couldn’t figure out who was speaking to whom. There were times when the internal dialogue Rose had with herself was so lengthy that it seemed like it should have just be an actual conversation between her and whoever she was speaking with.
While this book didn’t work with me entirely, I do think it was a good story line and I did like the humor and the banter between Rose and Archie. The sarcasm and dry humor were right up my alley.
November 1, 2020
Another kindle sale book. Hits all the right notes in a kind of mash up between something like Devil Wears Prada and a traditional fluffy romance.
Our main character Rose is hired to do PR for a pop star and while engineering a "romance" for him with another up and coming star, he decides he only has eyes for Rose.
I found it cute and quite funny - especially Rose's relationship with her best friend. Kept me up past my bedtime.
Note: I'm reading now that the pop star is very obviously Harry Styles but as a total old person I had no idea that was the case and inserted my own idea of who it was.
Our main character Rose is hired to do PR for a pop star and while engineering a "romance" for him with another up and coming star, he decides he only has eyes for Rose.
I found it cute and quite funny - especially Rose's relationship with her best friend. Kept me up past my bedtime.
Note: I'm reading now that the pop star is very obviously Harry Styles but as a total old person I had no idea that was the case and inserted my own idea of who it was.
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