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Wynette, Texas #5
What I Did for Love
How did this happen?
Georgie York, once the costar of America's favorite television sitcom, has been publicly abandoned by her famous husband, her film career has tanked, her father is driving her crazy, and her public image as a spunky heroine is taking a serious beating.
What should a down-on-her-luck actress do? Not go to Vegas…not run into her detestable former costar, dreamboat-from-hell Bramwell Shepard…and not get caught up in an ugly incident that leads to a calamitous elopement. Before she knows it, Georgie has a fake marriage, a fake husband, and maybe (or not) a fake sex life.
It's a paparazzi free-for-all as two enemies find themselves working without a script in a town where the spotlight shines bright…and where the strongest emotions can wear startling disguises.
Georgie York, once the costar of America's favorite television sitcom, has been publicly abandoned by her famous husband, her film career has tanked, her father is driving her crazy, and her public image as a spunky heroine is taking a serious beating.
What should a down-on-her-luck actress do? Not go to Vegas…not run into her detestable former costar, dreamboat-from-hell Bramwell Shepard…and not get caught up in an ugly incident that leads to a calamitous elopement. Before she knows it, Georgie has a fake marriage, a fake husband, and maybe (or not) a fake sex life.
It's a paparazzi free-for-all as two enemies find themselves working without a script in a town where the spotlight shines bright…and where the strongest emotions can wear startling disguises.
401 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 2009
543 people are currently reading
5999 people want to read
About the author
Susan Elizabeth Phillips
47 books15.8k followersSUSAN ELIZABETH PHILLIPS
Susan Elizabeth Phillips has been called the “Queen of Romantic Comedy and is the creator of the sports romance, beginning with her 1989 bestseller, FANCY PANTS. An internationally acclaimed author, her books have been published in over 30 languages. She’s the only four-time recipient of the Romance Writers of America’s prestigious Favorite Book of the Year Award, and a recipient of their Lifetime Achievement Award.
Susan's newest book, SIMPLY THE BEST, is coming in hardcover, ebook and audiobook in February 2024. SIMPLY THE BEST is book #10 in the highly acclaimed CHICAGO STARS football series. Susan is also known for the Wynette, Texas book series and many stand-alone women's fiction/romance novels.
In addition to being a New York Times, Publisher’s Weekly, and USA Today bestseller, she is a hiker, lazy gardener, horrible singer, passable cook, passionate reader, wife, mother of two grown sons, and grandmother.
You can visit Susan on Facebook, Instagram or on her website.
https://www.facebook.com/SusanElizabe...
https://www.instagram.com/SEPauthor/
http://susanelizabethphillips.com/
Susan Elizabeth Phillips has been called the “Queen of Romantic Comedy and is the creator of the sports romance, beginning with her 1989 bestseller, FANCY PANTS. An internationally acclaimed author, her books have been published in over 30 languages. She’s the only four-time recipient of the Romance Writers of America’s prestigious Favorite Book of the Year Award, and a recipient of their Lifetime Achievement Award.
Susan's newest book, SIMPLY THE BEST, is coming in hardcover, ebook and audiobook in February 2024. SIMPLY THE BEST is book #10 in the highly acclaimed CHICAGO STARS football series. Susan is also known for the Wynette, Texas book series and many stand-alone women's fiction/romance novels.
In addition to being a New York Times, Publisher’s Weekly, and USA Today bestseller, she is a hiker, lazy gardener, horrible singer, passable cook, passionate reader, wife, mother of two grown sons, and grandmother.
You can visit Susan on Facebook, Instagram or on her website.
https://www.facebook.com/SusanElizabe...
https://www.instagram.com/SEPauthor/
http://susanelizabethphillips.com/
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 1,311 reviews
August 7, 2015
I have officially placed Susan Elizabeth Phillips on my favorite author’s pedestal. I love her writing style, her plots are always creative and she works her magic with the development of her characters. SEP also dares to give you supporting characters that could possibly steal the show but instead strengthens the plot and keeps the reader engaged.
Georgie York and Bramwell Shepard really do love to hate each other. Their lives were spinning in the same circle for a while as young TV stars. Bramwell was a reckless, self-absorbed and self-satisfying guy. Georgie was the one that everyone fell in love with, the one that made all the right choices. But she made one decision that involved Bramwell that she was ashamed of and something she would struggle to let go of.
Bramwell ~ could be a real prick, a trait that followed him from his younger days when he put Georgie’s heart through the ringer. But he was a prick that I quickly fell in love with. He was super sexy and slowly but surely his sweetness surfaced.
Georgie ~ she was rather sassy and a bit feisty. She was always the good girl, the one that never rocked the boat. But life has changed her. She has come to be a flirtatious and passionate woman living her life satisfying her needs instead of everyone else.
Following different paths within their movie careers, Georgie and Bram live their lives without having to spend any time together. But being a star and living in Hollywood isn’t as easy as it appears.
When Georgie’s life is in a little bit of a downward spiral she decides to escape for a few months. Her escape begins with a trip to Las Vegas only to have it end with her married to Bram. Once she gets past the utter shock of it she immediately goes into damage control mode. They’d remain married putting on the show of their lives.
The plan was supposed to be simple. Both Georgie and Bram had the “script” they would go by while remaining married but their outside worlds started to leak through the cracks that were in their plan. They each had their own intentions and their own goals. But things started to change. Georgie was seeing things in Bram that weren’t there before and Bram didn’t know what the hell to do with this sexy and desirable woman. They both struggled with this unexpected place they were finding themselves in. Was it love or was it lust? What side would they land on?
What I Did for Love was such a wonderful read. SEP has the knack for adding in fantastic supporting characters. In this one I loved Chaz and Aaron. Chaz was Bram’s housekeeper who was always a bit grumpy and lacked a sense of humor. She was paired with Georgie’s PA Aaron who lacked the typical hot guy persona. These two were very different yet so perfect for each other. They went on a bit of a journey themselves and I really enjoyed it. Then we have Paul and Laura who offered up that side romance that rounded out the story perfectly.
Oh and the Epilogue was perfect. ❤
Georgie York and Bramwell Shepard really do love to hate each other. Their lives were spinning in the same circle for a while as young TV stars. Bramwell was a reckless, self-absorbed and self-satisfying guy. Georgie was the one that everyone fell in love with, the one that made all the right choices. But she made one decision that involved Bramwell that she was ashamed of and something she would struggle to let go of.
Bramwell ~ could be a real prick, a trait that followed him from his younger days when he put Georgie’s heart through the ringer. But he was a prick that I quickly fell in love with. He was super sexy and slowly but surely his sweetness surfaced.
Georgie ~ she was rather sassy and a bit feisty. She was always the good girl, the one that never rocked the boat. But life has changed her. She has come to be a flirtatious and passionate woman living her life satisfying her needs instead of everyone else.
Following different paths within their movie careers, Georgie and Bram live their lives without having to spend any time together. But being a star and living in Hollywood isn’t as easy as it appears.
When Georgie’s life is in a little bit of a downward spiral she decides to escape for a few months. Her escape begins with a trip to Las Vegas only to have it end with her married to Bram. Once she gets past the utter shock of it she immediately goes into damage control mode. They’d remain married putting on the show of their lives.
The plan was supposed to be simple. Both Georgie and Bram had the “script” they would go by while remaining married but their outside worlds started to leak through the cracks that were in their plan. They each had their own intentions and their own goals. But things started to change. Georgie was seeing things in Bram that weren’t there before and Bram didn’t know what the hell to do with this sexy and desirable woman. They both struggled with this unexpected place they were finding themselves in. Was it love or was it lust? What side would they land on?
What I Did for Love was such a wonderful read. SEP has the knack for adding in fantastic supporting characters. In this one I loved Chaz and Aaron. Chaz was Bram’s housekeeper who was always a bit grumpy and lacked a sense of humor. She was paired with Georgie’s PA Aaron who lacked the typical hot guy persona. These two were very different yet so perfect for each other. They went on a bit of a journey themselves and I really enjoyed it. Then we have Paul and Laura who offered up that side romance that rounded out the story perfectly.
Oh and the Epilogue was perfect. ❤
February 10, 2009
This was discussed earlier in Celeste's review, but I think it is fair to say that What I Did for Love is the author's commentary on Jennifer Aniston, Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie. In fact, it was extremely difficult for me to picture anyone but Jennifer Aniston and Brangelina while reading this book.
The similarities are obvious ... Lance's (Brad Pitt's) interest in architecture. The fact that he leaves his wife while filming a movie with St. Jade (Jolie), a do-gooder that travels worldwide to help the less fortunate and who has no qualms about stealing another woman's husband. Even the physical description of Jade fits Jolie - tattoos, pouty lips and all. And then there is Georgie (Aniston) who became "America's Sweetheart" on a popular sitcom where she was forced to sign a contract NOT to cut her hair or change her hairstyle. Now she is filming a series of bad romantic comedies.
Sound familiar?
While Georgie is trying to create a public image that she is over Lance and her disastrous marriage, she has the misfortune of running into Bram Shephard (John Mayer?). As a teenager/young adult, Bram co-starred on Georgie's sitcom for several years. There is bad blood between them because Bram was a playboy, a jerk and downright cruel to Georgie. In fact, a sex tape was released of Bram that ultimately ended up being the reason for cancelling Georgie's sitcom.
Bram and Georgie somehow end up in Las Vegas together. End up at a party together. Get drunk. Get married. And when the paparrazi find out and start hounding them for a statement the next morning, Georgie and Bram decided it would boost both of their careers if they stayed married for one year.
I am disappointed to say that I had a very hard time forcing myself to finish this book. I didn't find myself invested in the characters or really caring what happened to them. There were a few scenes that kept my interest - Georgie and Bram visiting a posh erotic boutique with peepholes in the dressing rooms was HOT!
SEP is an auto-buy for me. I love her writing style and enjoy her sassy sense of humor. She is the queen of metaphors. For instance ... "grape lollipop eyes" ... "gumdrop green eyes" ... "caramel brown eyes that slid over her like hot fudge on a sundae" ... all of these are from previous SEP books that I really enjoyed. But in this book ... well ... surfers bobbing on the ocean waters like fetuses in amniotic fluid was just too much for me.
I think I need to go back and re-read Match Me If You Can or This Heart of Mine to remind myself why I love SEP's books.
The similarities are obvious ... Lance's (Brad Pitt's) interest in architecture. The fact that he leaves his wife while filming a movie with St. Jade (Jolie), a do-gooder that travels worldwide to help the less fortunate and who has no qualms about stealing another woman's husband. Even the physical description of Jade fits Jolie - tattoos, pouty lips and all. And then there is Georgie (Aniston) who became "America's Sweetheart" on a popular sitcom where she was forced to sign a contract NOT to cut her hair or change her hairstyle. Now she is filming a series of bad romantic comedies.
Sound familiar?
While Georgie is trying to create a public image that she is over Lance and her disastrous marriage, she has the misfortune of running into Bram Shephard (John Mayer?). As a teenager/young adult, Bram co-starred on Georgie's sitcom for several years. There is bad blood between them because Bram was a playboy, a jerk and downright cruel to Georgie. In fact, a sex tape was released of Bram that ultimately ended up being the reason for cancelling Georgie's sitcom.
Bram and Georgie somehow end up in Las Vegas together. End up at a party together. Get drunk. Get married. And when the paparrazi find out and start hounding them for a statement the next morning, Georgie and Bram decided it would boost both of their careers if they stayed married for one year.
I am disappointed to say that I had a very hard time forcing myself to finish this book. I didn't find myself invested in the characters or really caring what happened to them. There were a few scenes that kept my interest - Georgie and Bram visiting a posh erotic boutique with peepholes in the dressing rooms was HOT!
SEP is an auto-buy for me. I love her writing style and enjoy her sassy sense of humor. She is the queen of metaphors. For instance ... "grape lollipop eyes" ... "gumdrop green eyes" ... "caramel brown eyes that slid over her like hot fudge on a sundae" ... all of these are from previous SEP books that I really enjoyed. But in this book ... well ... surfers bobbing on the ocean waters like fetuses in amniotic fluid was just too much for me.
I think I need to go back and re-read Match Me If You Can or This Heart of Mine to remind myself why I love SEP's books.
August 8, 2015
While I did enjoy this one, it just didn't hit the high notes that her previous books did. What was missing? I have no idea. Maybe the fact that I just finished two really good suspense books ... this one was just too different ... maybe. My mind was still on the other books and the fact that I was dying to read the conclusion to the Trilogy ... (BTW, thank you Sharon for Book 3.)
It's kinda pathetic really but when the hero in a book is blonde or has light coloured hair, I don't like him as much as my heroes with dark hair!!
Loved the banter between Georgie and Bram.
Most of it is set in LA. I visited there recently so it was nice to see references to the places I visited ... and the places I should have visited. Should have gone to The Ivy one day to see if I could spot a celebrity.
Still a great read by a fabulous author.
Something happens in the book between Bram and Georgie and I think that coloured my feeling for him and no matter how much he tried to redeem himself, he never quite made it for me.
Two enemies find themselves working without a script in a town where the spotlight shines bright . . . and where the strongest emotions can wear startling disguises.
It's kinda pathetic really but when the hero in a book is blonde or has light coloured hair, I don't like him as much as my heroes with dark hair!!
But there were no easy answers, and eventually she dozed off to the sound of the brass wind-bells.
"Ever since we woke up in Vegas, we've been on this crazy
Ferris wheel ride."
Loved the banter between Georgie and Bram.
Most of it is set in LA. I visited there recently so it was nice to see references to the places I visited ... and the places I should have visited. Should have gone to The Ivy one day to see if I could spot a celebrity.
Still a great read by a fabulous author.
Something happens in the book between Bram and Georgie and I think that coloured my feeling for him and no matter how much he tried to redeem himself, he never quite made it for me.
August 5, 2015
Another winner!
February 27, 2016
Review to come..
My favorite quote:
“As for your back rubs... Study an anatomy book, pal, because what you've been rubbing isn't my back.”
My favorite quote:
“As for your back rubs... Study an anatomy book, pal, because what you've been rubbing isn't my back.”
May 4, 2016
Susan Elizabeth Phillips je zaista odlična i zabavna spisateljica. Više i ne znam u kojoj sam njenoj priči najviše uživala.
Sad mi je trenutno na umu samo Bramwell Shepard. ♥ Ovaj glavni junak je pravi selfish asshole -.- a i dalje ga volim.
Sad mi je trenutno na umu samo Bramwell Shepard. ♥ Ovaj glavni junak je pravi selfish asshole -.- a i dalje ga volim.
October 8, 2012
Hehe... I am going to start of with my almost common line, "Oh. My. God! I loved it!!!"
This book was amazing. The beginning was a bit boring, but still interesting enough to keep me reading. The story got deliciously exciting and let me just tell you that even though the lead characters were a bit twisted, I couldn't hep but love them.
Bramwell Shepard, the oh-so-gorgeous actor with those beautiful lavender eyes, amazing body and a mouth that makes you think dirty, he's not only the Hollywood bad boy but has layers to him that add glamor to his personality. With his snarky comments and a made-up cocky attitude, boy he's walking-talking danger to good women with weak hearts.
Georgie York, once the costar of a favorite television sitcom, has a sweet, smart-mouth, charming and yet funny personality, is now a heartbroken divorcee of that two-timing, spineless jerk of a husband Lance and is suffering from paparazzi attacks into her not-so-personal life. Where Lance is codling up with his new wife Jade, a successful actress who has not only managed to snare Georgie's unfaithful husband behind her back, is also pregnant with his child.
This book kinda seemed to remind me of Jennifer Aniston and Brad Pitt's divorce, how Brad met Angelina on a movie set in which they both worked together and after which they got married. Like Brad had an extra marital affair, just like it says happened with Lance and Jade. Anyway, that just might be my imagination running away.
I loved the plot, it made me laugh and scowl, inciting other such emotions and looks with every new page. Lance was one of those characters who I absolutely hated. Like, really.. and couldn't help but think- What a douche?!
It was really nice reading about the improvement of Georgie's relationship with her dad. It was touching how Paul overcame his sorrows and reconciled with is daughter and found his new love. This book is about love, friendship, second chance and trust. A good read, an excellent story and a truly wonderful concept.
This book was amazing. The beginning was a bit boring, but still interesting enough to keep me reading. The story got deliciously exciting and let me just tell you that even though the lead characters were a bit twisted, I couldn't hep but love them.
Bramwell Shepard, the oh-so-gorgeous actor with those beautiful lavender eyes, amazing body and a mouth that makes you think dirty, he's not only the Hollywood bad boy but has layers to him that add glamor to his personality. With his snarky comments and a made-up cocky attitude, boy he's walking-talking danger to good women with weak hearts.
Georgie York, once the costar of a favorite television sitcom, has a sweet, smart-mouth, charming and yet funny personality, is now a heartbroken divorcee of that two-timing, spineless jerk of a husband Lance and is suffering from paparazzi attacks into her not-so-personal life. Where Lance is codling up with his new wife Jade, a successful actress who has not only managed to snare Georgie's unfaithful husband behind her back, is also pregnant with his child.
This book kinda seemed to remind me of Jennifer Aniston and Brad Pitt's divorce, how Brad met Angelina on a movie set in which they both worked together and after which they got married. Like Brad had an extra marital affair, just like it says happened with Lance and Jade. Anyway, that just might be my imagination running away.
I loved the plot, it made me laugh and scowl, inciting other such emotions and looks with every new page. Lance was one of those characters who I absolutely hated. Like, really.. and couldn't help but think- What a douche?!
It was really nice reading about the improvement of Georgie's relationship with her dad. It was touching how Paul overcame his sorrows and reconciled with is daughter and found his new love. This book is about love, friendship, second chance and trust. A good read, an excellent story and a truly wonderful concept.
February 9, 2009
If writing this craptastic novel is what Ms. Phillips does 'for love' then I can only hope she is more motivated in the future by hatred.
I am normally a huge fan of Susan Elizabeth Phillips but this book was a total bomb. I found myself skipping pages, hoping that the end would be better. She added a couple side plots that were a lot more interesting than the shallow, self-involved main characters, who had lots of unconvincing sex, no chemistry with one another, and nothing to make me interested in them at all. Unfortunatly, she didn't wrap up the side plots very well at the end. I've rarely seen an established author go this far downhill with a novel. I can only hope she takes a vacation and starts fresh for the next one.
I am normally a huge fan of Susan Elizabeth Phillips but this book was a total bomb. I found myself skipping pages, hoping that the end would be better. She added a couple side plots that were a lot more interesting than the shallow, self-involved main characters, who had lots of unconvincing sex, no chemistry with one another, and nothing to make me interested in them at all. Unfortunatly, she didn't wrap up the side plots very well at the end. I've rarely seen an established author go this far downhill with a novel. I can only hope she takes a vacation and starts fresh for the next one.
November 9, 2016
At one point, I put this down with the intent never to pick it up again. I'd even started my scathing review where I castigated Bram in my accustomed, semi-florid manner. But I wanted to be extra-special scathing about what a complete waste he is and figured that evidence was only a chapter or two away so I picked it up again. And didn't put it down until I'd stayed up way too late and finished it.
So, uh, yeah.
The thing is, I fell for Georgie almost immediately because she's so sweet and kind and vulnerable. And in the first fifth of the book, or so, we see Bram not only pass on opportunities to help, but take actions that exacerbate her pain. Worse, we get a flashback of a truly horrid event in their past where he's every woman's worst nightmare of an initial crush, . His behavior in the present seems on the same continuum, so I was waiting for some indication he wasn't the hardened user he was then. And SEP manipulates things (by giving us little from his PoV and what little we see are his worst backslidey moments) so that we seem to get confirmation that he's still the same guy.
So he was a creep, and SEP makes it look like he still is one, and it was so bad I nearly gave him up as irredeemable. He wasn't irredeemable, of course. Indeed, he stands near the end of a character makeover that has been years in the making. Once that became apparent, it was a really fun ride as he becomes instrumental in helping Georgie grow and discover who she wants to be and begin taking steps to get there. And she reciprocates by helping him the last few steps towards humanization. So this ends up my favorite kind of romance where you can see how each is good for the other and where their strengths fit their respective weaknesses and bond to become better than they could be apart.
If SEP hadn't played games up front, this may have made a full five stars. Certainly, it was that good by the end. Unfortunately, I can't forget how very disappointed I was and how close I came to missing it all, so I'm actually having a hard time assigning the four stars I'm going to give it.
A note about Steamy: There are two explicit sex scenes and one with a secondary couple. It feels like there are more because we get a lot of them initiating passionate embraces but then drawing the shades. So this is the middle of my steam tolerance, but edging to the upper ranges there. I really liked the progression of the intimacy with Georgie and that this is where she started her journey of being able to go for what she likes. It was an interesting way to show a growth in personal empowerment; particularly with such a strong companion.
So, uh, yeah.
The thing is, I fell for Georgie almost immediately because she's so sweet and kind and vulnerable. And in the first fifth of the book, or so, we see Bram not only pass on opportunities to help, but take actions that exacerbate her pain. Worse, we get a flashback of a truly horrid event in their past where he's every woman's worst nightmare of an initial crush, . His behavior in the present seems on the same continuum, so I was waiting for some indication he wasn't the hardened user he was then. And SEP manipulates things (by giving us little from his PoV and what little we see are his worst backslidey moments) so that we seem to get confirmation that he's still the same guy.
So he was a creep, and SEP makes it look like he still is one, and it was so bad I nearly gave him up as irredeemable. He wasn't irredeemable, of course. Indeed, he stands near the end of a character makeover that has been years in the making. Once that became apparent, it was a really fun ride as he becomes instrumental in helping Georgie grow and discover who she wants to be and begin taking steps to get there. And she reciprocates by helping him the last few steps towards humanization. So this ends up my favorite kind of romance where you can see how each is good for the other and where their strengths fit their respective weaknesses and bond to become better than they could be apart.
If SEP hadn't played games up front, this may have made a full five stars. Certainly, it was that good by the end. Unfortunately, I can't forget how very disappointed I was and how close I came to missing it all, so I'm actually having a hard time assigning the four stars I'm going to give it.
A note about Steamy: There are two explicit sex scenes and one with a secondary couple. It feels like there are more because we get a lot of them initiating passionate embraces but then drawing the shades. So this is the middle of my steam tolerance, but edging to the upper ranges there. I really liked the progression of the intimacy with Georgie and that this is where she started her journey of being able to go for what she likes. It was an interesting way to show a growth in personal empowerment; particularly with such a strong companion.
August 18, 2017
Creo que me quedan unos cinco libros de todo lo publicado por esta mujer en castellano. ...y me los voy dosificando. ...
Maravillosa. ..que diálogos, que chispa y que personajes....he dicho que adoro a SEP?
Maravillosa. ..que diálogos, que chispa y que personajes....he dicho que adoro a SEP?
April 2, 2011
I’ve given 5 stars to most all of SEP’s books. More than one of her books has landed on that shelf entitled "If you could only keep one." This is my first disappointment and it was a big one.
Forget all the Brad/Ang/Jen Hollywood stuff that I could have lived without. Lord knows the Eddie/Liz/Debbie thing was much worse as there were babies involved and Taylor was tragically, really grieving for Mike Todd. (BTW Debbie was baby-sitting Liz’s kids while Liz was being "consoled" by Eddie; how’s that for a pair of stones?)
Obviously, I’ve pick up a rare Hollywood rag and an occasional biography. And I won’t mention that any current tinsel-town drama is definately not why I pick up a SEP hardcover book. Why I clutch it to my bosom with glee, assured - despite the cost - that I'm in for a superior read.
Yup, forget all that.
Let’s concentration on what’s important: How Bram treats Georgie. I was so upset by this that I actually set the book down for more than a week before I could bring myself to pick it back up again. I only did so b/c I knew - just knew - how great SEP was at the groveling scene that would surly come from one or both parties. If anyone could get me past my upset, it would be her. But what did I get? Yuk!
So, what did I do to get over it? Why, I re-read several of SEP's other books. Pick one, any one, but not this one. IMHO.
P. S. The only reason I gave this book 2 stars was because of the interesting secondary characters.
P.P.S. I’m envious of all the people who gave this book 4 & 5 stars. I know how they feel after a good SEP read. *sigh*
Revised March 31, 2011
Forget all the Brad/Ang/Jen Hollywood stuff that I could have lived without. Lord knows the Eddie/Liz/Debbie thing was much worse as there were babies involved and Taylor was tragically, really grieving for Mike Todd. (BTW Debbie was baby-sitting Liz’s kids while Liz was being "consoled" by Eddie; how’s that for a pair of stones?)
Obviously, I’ve pick up a rare Hollywood rag and an occasional biography. And I won’t mention that any current tinsel-town drama is definately not why I pick up a SEP hardcover book. Why I clutch it to my bosom with glee, assured - despite the cost - that I'm in for a superior read.
Yup, forget all that.
Let’s concentration on what’s important: How Bram treats Georgie. I was so upset by this that I actually set the book down for more than a week before I could bring myself to pick it back up again. I only did so b/c I knew - just knew - how great SEP was at the groveling scene that would surly come from one or both parties. If anyone could get me past my upset, it would be her. But what did I get? Yuk!
So, what did I do to get over it? Why, I re-read several of SEP's other books. Pick one, any one, but not this one. IMHO.
P. S. The only reason I gave this book 2 stars was because of the interesting secondary characters.
P.P.S. I’m envious of all the people who gave this book 4 & 5 stars. I know how they feel after a good SEP read. *sigh*
Revised March 31, 2011
June 18, 2021
Not quite up to my favorite SEPs’ standard, but still I liked it as all her stories, characters and atmospheres enthral - irrespective.
‘Skip and Scooter’ is a nice touch with a fascinating world and story of their own. All the secondary characters are well drawn, with the ubiquitous older strong female character/s also thrown in (- thankfully not the H’s ex this time).
Secondary romances also checked out.
As for the h/H themselves, they start out strong but lose momentum midway. The 3rd act could have been executed better. The h’s unexpected turnabout, anger and need for revenge didn’t do anything for me. Otherwise I loved her throughout.
As for the H, his precipitous enlightenment of love is quite eyerollingly ridiculous. I liked and rooted for most of his d-b moves, as that’s what makes for a good angsty romance. A bad boy doesn’t develop a halo overnight and if he does it should be slightly tarnished, slightly off kilter. And he was perfect that way!
The Jen-Jolie-Brad analogy was unambiguous, and alternately amusing and annoying. Although I felt that descriptively, the h’s ex fitted more into the Tom Cruise mould. So, is the author batting for all the dumped Hollywood women?
Chaz and Paul, the h’s father are my favorite sec characters.
‘Skip and Scooter’ is a nice touch with a fascinating world and story of their own. All the secondary characters are well drawn, with the ubiquitous older strong female character/s also thrown in (- thankfully not the H’s ex this time).
Secondary romances also checked out.
As for the h/H themselves, they start out strong but lose momentum midway. The 3rd act could have been executed better. The h’s unexpected turnabout, anger and need for revenge didn’t do anything for me. Otherwise I loved her throughout.
As for the H, his precipitous enlightenment of love is quite eyerollingly ridiculous. I liked and rooted for most of his d-b moves, as that’s what makes for a good angsty romance. A bad boy doesn’t develop a halo overnight and if he does it should be slightly tarnished, slightly off kilter. And he was perfect that way!
The Jen-Jolie-Brad analogy was unambiguous, and alternately amusing and annoying. Although I felt that descriptively, the h’s ex fitted more into the Tom Cruise mould. So, is the author batting for all the dumped Hollywood women?
Chaz and Paul, the h’s father are my favorite sec characters.
November 16, 2011
Birbirlerinden nefret eden aynı dizi oyuncularının önce arkadaş, daha sonra da birbirlerine aşık bir çift olmasını anlatan, komik diyalogları ve eğlenceli kurgusuyla müthiş bir kitap daha. Hiç sıkmadan akıp giden bir üslubu da var. Kesinlikle tavsiye edilir.
November 20, 2018
4.5 Lo que hice por amor, es un libro de amor odio, de fácil lectura y con el cual me divertí mucho con las discusiones de los protagonistas. Todos los personajes son fantásticos y lo que siempre me encanta de SEP es que les da vida a los secundarios y hace que nos encariñemos tanto con ellos como con los protagonistas.
August 28, 2020
Tam SEP özleyip re-read yaparken serinin yeni kitabının çıkacaģını görmek 🎉🎉🎉
June 13, 2020
Sevgili yazarım beni biraz hayal kırıklığına uğrattı. Sevimli, sıcak bir hikayeydi, fakat ben karakterlerin arasındaki aşkı çok oldu bittiye gelmiş gibi buldum ve aralarında çokta mükemmel bir ilişki yoktu. Normalde Susan çiftleri gerçekten mükemmel bir şekilde yazar ve o aralarında oluşturduğu aşkı da gerçekten kalemiyle bana her okuduğum kitabında hissettirmişti. Ama nedense bana bu çifti çok üstten yazmış, üstünde pek durmamış gibi geldi. Bu yüzden de pek beğenmedim. Kitapta baştan sonra severek okuduğun tek karakter Bram'di, ki beni gerçekten çok güldürdü. Sanırım Susan Elizabeth'in oluşturduğu en mükemmel erkek karakterdi, gerçekten bayıldım. Fakat gel gör ki kitabı bu mükemmel karakter bile benim gözümde toparlayamadı. Olsun, Bram benim için çok özel bir karakter oldu, artık kitaba baktıkça 'Bram' diyerek iç geçiririm.
February 20, 2009
I’ve read everything by this author, and will without a doubt be first in line to buy her next book. I think this book would have been better titled ‘Ripped from the Headlines!’ The direct similarities to so many true Hollywood tales were abundant! And as someone who doesn’t follow celebrity BS, I wasn’t that entertained.
While ‘What I Did For Love’ was a decent read, it wasn’t SEP’s typical great read. The core story is about two young Hollywood TV child stars that grew up to hate each other, and later who fall in love while pretending their impromptu drunken Las Vegas marriage isn’t really a sham. Unfortunately the story does not come together until the end, and by that point I really didn’t care what happens to these two nut cases. The story centers on a lot of negative issues, which was a buzz kill to read: their hate for each other, their lagging careers, their broken family life, and (last but not least) their identity crisis. And its not just Bram and Georgie with all the negative issues, it seams everyone had some huge issue that this story needed to resolve: homelessness, weight gain, being able to stand up for yourself, grief…etc. And yes, the book solves everyone’s problems.
It is interesting that my two least favorite books by SEP stars a Hollywood hero with an identity crisis. Breathing Room (which was a lot better than WIDFL) being the other.
I wanted to really like this one, but without likable characters and some humor added here and there, it just wasn’t meant to happen. The only reason I gave it 3-stars as it did come together in the end for a decent ending. If you have not read SEP, do not start here. In fact, read everything else first.
While ‘What I Did For Love’ was a decent read, it wasn’t SEP’s typical great read. The core story is about two young Hollywood TV child stars that grew up to hate each other, and later who fall in love while pretending their impromptu drunken Las Vegas marriage isn’t really a sham. Unfortunately the story does not come together until the end, and by that point I really didn’t care what happens to these two nut cases. The story centers on a lot of negative issues, which was a buzz kill to read: their hate for each other, their lagging careers, their broken family life, and (last but not least) their identity crisis. And its not just Bram and Georgie with all the negative issues, it seams everyone had some huge issue that this story needed to resolve: homelessness, weight gain, being able to stand up for yourself, grief…etc. And yes, the book solves everyone’s problems.
It is interesting that my two least favorite books by SEP stars a Hollywood hero with an identity crisis. Breathing Room (which was a lot better than WIDFL) being the other.
I wanted to really like this one, but without likable characters and some humor added here and there, it just wasn’t meant to happen. The only reason I gave it 3-stars as it did come together in the end for a decent ending. If you have not read SEP, do not start here. In fact, read everything else first.
December 26, 2014
Absolutely zero emotional pay off in this. There was no connection between the main characters and me as the reader and it took a lot to swallow the idea of Bram and Georgie falling in love when there was barely any page time actually showing them falling for each other. And lets not forget that cockamamie confusing-as-hell stunt Bram pulls near the end. Are you kidding me? Seriously SEP?
Instead 90% of the book shows little to no movement in the story or couple's relationship for that matter. It was weird to see how much page time was wasted on showing these two going through day-to-day routines while trying to avoid each other and plaster fake smiles and fake brittle lovey dovey moments for the public while there was zero intimate genuine moments (including the sex). It all came off so hallow and fake. I think SEP went a little too far in convincing readers that their marriage is indeed a sham and totally fake cause that's exactly what I was getting through the entire book. What we really get is a whole bunch of shallow bickering, goading, sarcastic half truths used as cute 'banter' filler with no real genuine meaningful dialogue between them. There wasn't even ONE meaningful moment between these two. And yet here I am supposed to buy the ending where Bram has his magic 'aha!' moment where he discovers that he really does love his 'wife'. Oh please. Sure snarky jabs can be fun and great to use as humor but it can only go so far. Half the time I wasn't sure whether either one was being serious or pulling another snarky lie to play up the sham of the marriage they are trying to convince everyone is real. It just got to be one big muddled mess. I struggled the entire time to see these two actually falling in love given the countless lies and easy denials coming from both about not loving the other. It's not cute or funny.
And once again in typical SEP fashion we get a chauvinistic self-centered cruel dickwad for a hero in this, Bramwell Shepard. He's a real pill in the first half of the book but of course he shows another side of him that no one expects to see and of course everyone (including Georgie) sells him short continuously thinking he's never going to change (which I found irritating as hell). I love broody angsty messed up heroes who have a little bad side in them but SEP's heroes push the boundaries and test my limits with how much fuckery and assholiness I can take. And Georgie frustrated me too at times, at one point I wanted to throw my shoe at her. I did like the epilogue in this, it was needed considering the initial ending I found to be weak so the epilogue did help and made me less agitated. But still, the overall pacing and momentum of this story needed serious cutting down or juicing up. I was surprised at how much unnecessary tedious filler crap was stuffed into this story only for it to drag out to a shaky poor underwhelming ending. The pay off wasn't there IMO.
Instead 90% of the book shows little to no movement in the story or couple's relationship for that matter. It was weird to see how much page time was wasted on showing these two going through day-to-day routines while trying to avoid each other and plaster fake smiles and fake brittle lovey dovey moments for the public while there was zero intimate genuine moments (including the sex). It all came off so hallow and fake. I think SEP went a little too far in convincing readers that their marriage is indeed a sham and totally fake cause that's exactly what I was getting through the entire book. What we really get is a whole bunch of shallow bickering, goading, sarcastic half truths used as cute 'banter' filler with no real genuine meaningful dialogue between them. There wasn't even ONE meaningful moment between these two. And yet here I am supposed to buy the ending where Bram has his magic 'aha!' moment where he discovers that he really does love his 'wife'. Oh please. Sure snarky jabs can be fun and great to use as humor but it can only go so far. Half the time I wasn't sure whether either one was being serious or pulling another snarky lie to play up the sham of the marriage they are trying to convince everyone is real. It just got to be one big muddled mess. I struggled the entire time to see these two actually falling in love given the countless lies and easy denials coming from both about not loving the other. It's not cute or funny.
And once again in typical SEP fashion we get a chauvinistic self-centered cruel dickwad for a hero in this, Bramwell Shepard. He's a real pill in the first half of the book but of course he shows another side of him that no one expects to see and of course everyone (including Georgie) sells him short continuously thinking he's never going to change (which I found irritating as hell). I love broody angsty messed up heroes who have a little bad side in them but SEP's heroes push the boundaries and test my limits with how much fuckery and assholiness I can take. And Georgie frustrated me too at times, at one point I wanted to throw my shoe at her. I did like the epilogue in this, it was needed considering the initial ending I found to be weak so the epilogue did help and made me less agitated. But still, the overall pacing and momentum of this story needed serious cutting down or juicing up. I was surprised at how much unnecessary tedious filler crap was stuffed into this story only for it to drag out to a shaky poor underwhelming ending. The pay off wasn't there IMO.
February 6, 2009
Hmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm, what to say? Well, I'll start by saying, I think she fashioned this book (in the beginning at least) after Brad Pit, Jennifer Aniston, and Angalina Jolie! You'll understand if/when you read it! Trust me! If you follow celebrities even a little you'll see the similarities, no problem.
I only gave three stars because, while I enjoyed the book, it didn't really grip me and make me feel as if I HAD to continue reading. When I read a book, it generally takes me a day to two days to finish reading it. This book took me almost an entire week. Which in my world, is an eternity! My husband even mentioned, "you're still reading that book?" lol. Which says a lot for him to notice something like that!
Having said that, I am glad I read it, and of course remain a big fan of SEP's. It just wasn't one of my favorites for this author.
I only gave three stars because, while I enjoyed the book, it didn't really grip me and make me feel as if I HAD to continue reading. When I read a book, it generally takes me a day to two days to finish reading it. This book took me almost an entire week. Which in my world, is an eternity! My husband even mentioned, "you're still reading that book?" lol. Which says a lot for him to notice something like that!
Having said that, I am glad I read it, and of course remain a big fan of SEP's. It just wasn't one of my favorites for this author.
February 28, 2019
3.5 stars. Top notch writing by one of the best authors in romance. But....
I feel like I need to beg forgiveness for rating a book by Susan Elizabeth Phillips anything under 4 stars, but I just didn’t love Georgia and Bram. Bram never redeemed himself and I never felt their connection. But as with many books by SEP, there were 2 bonus love stories with side characters, and in this case, I found them more interesting than the main one. Lots of laughs from one in particular.
Still a highly entertaining book, just not my favorite.
I feel like I need to beg forgiveness for rating a book by Susan Elizabeth Phillips anything under 4 stars, but I just didn’t love Georgia and Bram. Bram never redeemed himself and I never felt their connection. But as with many books by SEP, there were 2 bonus love stories with side characters, and in this case, I found them more interesting than the main one. Lots of laughs from one in particular.
Still a highly entertaining book, just not my favorite.
June 18, 2017
a fun story about the complexity of hetero life. as usual, Julia Gibson does a fab narration
February 2, 2018
SEP can do no wrong.
June 26, 2025
This is a fake relationship celebrity romance, and it’s one of the best I’ve read with those tropes. I like this author, but I had avoided this book because it has a lot of bad reviews. Most of them are like, “this is too transparently fanfic of the Jennifer Aniston / Brad Pitt / Angelina Jolie situation.” Well, it IS very clearly inspired by that. But, the heroine was different enough from Jennifer Aniston for this book to feel like its own thing.
Plenty of stories are inspired by real life situations or celebrities – this book wears it on its sleeve, but the heroine, Georgie, and the hero, Bram, felt like their own people who didn’t really have real-life celebrity counterparts. So, it wasn’t too distracting. It felt like it used that real life situation more as a launch point, which is how these things should go.
Georgie (31), the heroine, is in a situation like Jennifer Aniston was in the early 2000s: she was married to a big Hollywood leading man, then he cheated on her and left her for a sexy brunette actress who is a humanitarian. Now, she’s constantly chased by paparazzi and tabloids are speculating about her mental state and anguish. She rose to fame as a teenager on a sitcom with the hero, Bram (the sitcom is very different from Friends – the Jennifer Aniston comparison would have been too much if the show was similar, but it’s not).
Georgie's physical appearance is different from Aniston’s, she has a stage dad manager, which I don’t think Aniston had, and Georgie ends up getting into documentary filmmaking, which Aniston doesn’t do. Georgie is different enough that she’s not a direct stand-in for Jennifer Aniston. All the reviews saying “she IS Jennifer Aniston” are lying. So, I regret avoiding this book for so long. (Her ex-husband and his new girlfriend ARE more direct stand-ins for Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie, but they’re not in the story much, so it’s not that distracting. Even then, he’s not fully Brad Pitt, he's more like a combo of Pitt, Tom Cruise, and Ben Affleck circa the early 2000s).
Georgie and Bram (33) hate each other. He came from nothing, got fame and money fast when he was young and immature on their sitcom, got into drugs, had a sex tape, and got their show cancelled. Now, he’s unemployable, so he's a hot sleazy loser. (This author writes hot losers so well). For Plot Reasons, they accidentally end up married. To avoid the fallout in the tabloids, they resolve to pretend they’re in love and stay married for a year before “amicably” divorcing. For him, it boots his reputation to settle down with a more "respectable" star, and for her, it makes her look less pathetic and like she’s moving on from her husband.
Too many "fake dating" stories lack real stakes or a real reason to do it. This one had a good reason, and real stakes: they both can't afford to have their public images ruined more, as they work in an industry that depends on that.
This author is good at writing contemporary “enemies to lovers” that has real teeth. To me, it’s not real “enemies to lovers” unless they’re literally trying to kill each other, or they HATE each other. Otherwise, what’s the point? So many contemporary romances do weaksauce “enemies to lovers” where it’s clear they’re in love all along. Not here! They don’t want to kill each other, that would be too much, but there is genuine hatred. They make some real cruel comments to each other. And, they weren’t in love all along.
Bram is a jackass – and this author is good at slowly showing us his reasons why, while not letting him totally off the hook just because his life was bad. He also doesn't soften too much and lose his edge, even as he does soften for Georgie a bit. She has the guts to REALLY make her heroes bad / cruel, but then she fleshes them out and gives them depth and development, until before long, you’re like, “somehow, I like him?” She threads that needle well, of writing difficult and often cruel heroes, while still eventually making them likable. This book did a good job with that. This author is also good at writing heroines who might not be sympathetic - in Georgie's case, because she's rich and famous - but she makes them emotionally downtrodden enough to be sympathetic.
This has all the hallmarks of a Susan Elizabeth Phillips book: snappy banter, a secondary romance and some side character POVs, good writing with a good sense of place – she captured the nature of the tabloids and Hollywood well. A cruel hero who also isn’t quite as bad as he seems, he lets his heroine assume the worst of him and doesn’t correct her, until she finds out later. A determined and chaotic heroine. All good stuff.
I was getting burnt out on too many romances feeling like “trope salad.” Or, as someone else put it, romances where it feels like the author wrote it to be “content" rather than because they're a real writer who wanted to tell a good story. But, Susan Elizabeth Phillips is an author I turn to when I’m feeling burnt out on the genre, and this book delivered.
Plenty of stories are inspired by real life situations or celebrities – this book wears it on its sleeve, but the heroine, Georgie, and the hero, Bram, felt like their own people who didn’t really have real-life celebrity counterparts. So, it wasn’t too distracting. It felt like it used that real life situation more as a launch point, which is how these things should go.
Georgie (31), the heroine, is in a situation like Jennifer Aniston was in the early 2000s: she was married to a big Hollywood leading man, then he cheated on her and left her for a sexy brunette actress who is a humanitarian. Now, she’s constantly chased by paparazzi and tabloids are speculating about her mental state and anguish. She rose to fame as a teenager on a sitcom with the hero, Bram (the sitcom is very different from Friends – the Jennifer Aniston comparison would have been too much if the show was similar, but it’s not).
Georgie's physical appearance is different from Aniston’s, she has a stage dad manager, which I don’t think Aniston had, and Georgie ends up getting into documentary filmmaking, which Aniston doesn’t do. Georgie is different enough that she’s not a direct stand-in for Jennifer Aniston. All the reviews saying “she IS Jennifer Aniston” are lying. So, I regret avoiding this book for so long. (Her ex-husband and his new girlfriend ARE more direct stand-ins for Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie, but they’re not in the story much, so it’s not that distracting. Even then, he’s not fully Brad Pitt, he's more like a combo of Pitt, Tom Cruise, and Ben Affleck circa the early 2000s).
Georgie and Bram (33) hate each other. He came from nothing, got fame and money fast when he was young and immature on their sitcom, got into drugs, had a sex tape, and got their show cancelled. Now, he’s unemployable, so he's a hot sleazy loser. (This author writes hot losers so well). For Plot Reasons, they accidentally end up married. To avoid the fallout in the tabloids, they resolve to pretend they’re in love and stay married for a year before “amicably” divorcing. For him, it boots his reputation to settle down with a more "respectable" star, and for her, it makes her look less pathetic and like she’s moving on from her husband.
Too many "fake dating" stories lack real stakes or a real reason to do it. This one had a good reason, and real stakes: they both can't afford to have their public images ruined more, as they work in an industry that depends on that.
This author is good at writing contemporary “enemies to lovers” that has real teeth. To me, it’s not real “enemies to lovers” unless they’re literally trying to kill each other, or they HATE each other. Otherwise, what’s the point? So many contemporary romances do weaksauce “enemies to lovers” where it’s clear they’re in love all along. Not here! They don’t want to kill each other, that would be too much, but there is genuine hatred. They make some real cruel comments to each other. And, they weren’t in love all along.
Bram is a jackass – and this author is good at slowly showing us his reasons why, while not letting him totally off the hook just because his life was bad. He also doesn't soften too much and lose his edge, even as he does soften for Georgie a bit. She has the guts to REALLY make her heroes bad / cruel, but then she fleshes them out and gives them depth and development, until before long, you’re like, “somehow, I like him?” She threads that needle well, of writing difficult and often cruel heroes, while still eventually making them likable. This book did a good job with that. This author is also good at writing heroines who might not be sympathetic - in Georgie's case, because she's rich and famous - but she makes them emotionally downtrodden enough to be sympathetic.
This has all the hallmarks of a Susan Elizabeth Phillips book: snappy banter, a secondary romance and some side character POVs, good writing with a good sense of place – she captured the nature of the tabloids and Hollywood well. A cruel hero who also isn’t quite as bad as he seems, he lets his heroine assume the worst of him and doesn’t correct her, until she finds out later. A determined and chaotic heroine. All good stuff.
I was getting burnt out on too many romances feeling like “trope salad.” Or, as someone else put it, romances where it feels like the author wrote it to be “content" rather than because they're a real writer who wanted to tell a good story. But, Susan Elizabeth Phillips is an author I turn to when I’m feeling burnt out on the genre, and this book delivered.
July 28, 2017
I liked the anticipation and emotions I felt while reading this book.
STORY BRIEF:
Georgie and Bram starred in a TV sitcom for eight years. Bram was unreliable due to drugs, alcohol and sex. Georgie initially liked Bram but he hurt her during his bad boy days. Now they dislike/hate each other. Georgie is a good girl. Everyone loves her. She married Lance an A list movie star. Lance had an affair, divorced Georgie and married Jade (think Angelina Jolie). Georgie is tired of everyone feeling sorry for her and believes that if she gets married, the tabloids will leave her alone. Bram and Georgie accidentally show up at the same party in Las Vegas. Someone drugs their drinks, and they wake up the next morning shocked to find they are married. They decide to stay married for awhile; each has their own reasons.
REVIEWER’S OPINION:
I love this author’s talent. She doesn’t churn out books as fast as I would like, because she writes quality which takes time. Georgie and Bram insult and lie to each other. The conversations are clever and entertaining. I loved the character development. There are several characters who change, grow, become better, or become different by the end of the story. Whenever I put the book down to do something else, I couldn’t wait to get back to it. It’s a little longer than most romance novels, and I enjoyed every minute.
REVIEWER’S COMMENT TO OTHER REVIEWERS:
I noticed some reviewers complained that it was too much like the Jen/Brad/Angie saga, but I say who cares what it was like. It was entertaining. There are only a limited number of story lines out there for romance novels. Every story I’ve read has already been told by someone else. The key is the author’s voice, and this author’s voice is one of the best. Some reviewers said they didn’t like Georgie and Bram. I didn’t think about that as I was reading the book, but I agree that some of their early actions were not likeable. However, by the end of the book they both had gone through changes from who they were eight years earlier. I liked the people they became and many of the things they did for others. The best part of the book was all the changes that various characters went through, not just Georgie and Bram, but others as well. In addition, the period of dislike created some interesting conflict and entertaining dialogue.
AUDIOBOOK NARRATOR: Julia Gibson did an excellent job. But for some undefinable reason I think I preferred reading this instead of listening to it.
DATA:
Narrative mode: 3rd person. Story length: 401 pages. Swearing language: strong but not often used. Sexual language: mild. Number of sex scenes: 7. Setting: Los Angeles area, California, Las Vegas, Nevada, and Mexico. Copyright: 2009. Genre: contemporary romance.
OTHER BOOKS:
For a list of my reviews of other Susan Elizabeth Phillips books, see my 5 star review of “It Had To Be You.”
STORY BRIEF:
Georgie and Bram starred in a TV sitcom for eight years. Bram was unreliable due to drugs, alcohol and sex. Georgie initially liked Bram but he hurt her during his bad boy days. Now they dislike/hate each other. Georgie is a good girl. Everyone loves her. She married Lance an A list movie star. Lance had an affair, divorced Georgie and married Jade (think Angelina Jolie). Georgie is tired of everyone feeling sorry for her and believes that if she gets married, the tabloids will leave her alone. Bram and Georgie accidentally show up at the same party in Las Vegas. Someone drugs their drinks, and they wake up the next morning shocked to find they are married. They decide to stay married for awhile; each has their own reasons.
REVIEWER’S OPINION:
I love this author’s talent. She doesn’t churn out books as fast as I would like, because she writes quality which takes time. Georgie and Bram insult and lie to each other. The conversations are clever and entertaining. I loved the character development. There are several characters who change, grow, become better, or become different by the end of the story. Whenever I put the book down to do something else, I couldn’t wait to get back to it. It’s a little longer than most romance novels, and I enjoyed every minute.
REVIEWER’S COMMENT TO OTHER REVIEWERS:
I noticed some reviewers complained that it was too much like the Jen/Brad/Angie saga, but I say who cares what it was like. It was entertaining. There are only a limited number of story lines out there for romance novels. Every story I’ve read has already been told by someone else. The key is the author’s voice, and this author’s voice is one of the best. Some reviewers said they didn’t like Georgie and Bram. I didn’t think about that as I was reading the book, but I agree that some of their early actions were not likeable. However, by the end of the book they both had gone through changes from who they were eight years earlier. I liked the people they became and many of the things they did for others. The best part of the book was all the changes that various characters went through, not just Georgie and Bram, but others as well. In addition, the period of dislike created some interesting conflict and entertaining dialogue.
AUDIOBOOK NARRATOR: Julia Gibson did an excellent job. But for some undefinable reason I think I preferred reading this instead of listening to it.
DATA:
Narrative mode: 3rd person. Story length: 401 pages. Swearing language: strong but not often used. Sexual language: mild. Number of sex scenes: 7. Setting: Los Angeles area, California, Las Vegas, Nevada, and Mexico. Copyright: 2009. Genre: contemporary romance.
OTHER BOOKS:
For a list of my reviews of other Susan Elizabeth Phillips books, see my 5 star review of “It Had To Be You.”
July 15, 2018
When I first read this a year ago it pissed me off. SEP puts her heroines through hell - frequently at the hands of the hero. And I couldn’t take disastrous pathetic Georgie or dickhead Bram. But I went into the reread with a little more patience and had a much better time. Yes, she has a formula. And yes that formula works for me. SEP is a wonder.
****Original review below****
Mean hero. Sissy heroine. Controlling father. The trifecta of death.
****Original review below****
Mean hero. Sissy heroine. Controlling father. The trifecta of death.
February 13, 2009
Susan Elizabeth Phillips is one of the few romance authors I read, and I usually love her books, but this one? Meh. One of her strong suits is humor. I didn't even smile as I trudged through this story with characters based on Jennifer Aniston, Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie. Even the sex scenes are blah. Only one character, Chaz, was remotely interesting. The book reads like it was written to fulfill a contract obligation rather than from the heart. Phillips can do, and has done, much much better.
May 26, 2021
O poveste complexă, complicată, cu multe situații tensionate, cu emoții variate.
“Ce-am făcut pentru dragoste” este povestea lui Georgie și Bram, foști colegi de platou în tinerețe, într-un serial care fusese anulat datorită acțiunilor lui Bram — pe atunci un tânăr rebel, dependent de alcool și droguri. În prezent cei doi sunt dușmani declarați.
Viața reală nu a fost ușoară pentru nici unul dintre ei. Georgie a fost părăsită de soț și cariera ei pare a fi în cădere liberă... Bram, pe de altă parte, nu are o carieră, deși și-a învățat lecțiile din greșelile tinereții. Doar că nimeni nu este dispus să-i acorde o a doua șansă...
Într-o călătorie în Las Vegas, unde cei doi se întâlnesc, după ce li s-au pus droguri în băutură, se trezesc a doua zi intr-un pat și descoperă că s-au căsătorit.
El vrea să divorțeze rapid, dar Georgie simte că nu poate face față unui nou divorț. Astfel, cei doi se înțeleg să joace rolul vieții lor: să prezinte în fața ziariștilor, a cunoscuților și a publicului larg, o pereche de îndrăgostiți care au decis să nu mai aștepte și s-au căsătorit.
De aici, totul este o tragi- comedie. Nici unul dintre ei nu este complet sincer cu celălalt, dar treptat prietenia înflorește între ei. Fiecare descoperă ceva nou la celălalt, ceva neașteptat. Cu toate acestea sunt precauți, jucându-și în continuare rolul. Atracția dintre ei și pasiunea explozivă par a fi benefice relației, dar imaginea pe care trebuie să o arate permanent celorlalți își are și momentele ei de fisură.
Apar situații neprevăzute, durerea și suferința sunt inevitabile, iar despărțirea lor este inevitabilă.
Cei doi par a avea nevoie de o reală zguduitură pentru a realiza ce simt cu adevărat, pentru a arunca maștile cu care s-au obișnuit atât de mult.
Ce mi-a plăcut la volumul de față? Faptul că personajele au fost înfățișate publicului cu calități și defecte, cu bune și cu rele, pășind temători pe drumul maturizării.
O lectură profundă, care ne lasă să aruncăm o privire spre modul în care funcționează psihicul uman. Susan Elizabeth Phillips ne-a adus în atenție, și de data aceasta, personaje complexe ce-și dezvăluie treptat gândurile și emoțiile, care ne se sfiesc să-și arate temerile și greșelile, dar care sunt capabile să recunoască că au greșit atunci când o fac.
“Ce-am făcut pentru iubire” mi-a adus o bucurie în plus, pe lângă povestea de viață, profund romantică. Ne-a readus în atenție întreaga galerie de personaje a seriei, lăsându-ne să observăm cum au evoluat de-a lungul anilor viețile lor.
O lectură deosebită, pe care o trăiești la intensitate maximă, savurând fiecare pagină.
“Ce-am făcut pentru dragoste” este povestea lui Georgie și Bram, foști colegi de platou în tinerețe, într-un serial care fusese anulat datorită acțiunilor lui Bram — pe atunci un tânăr rebel, dependent de alcool și droguri. În prezent cei doi sunt dușmani declarați.
Viața reală nu a fost ușoară pentru nici unul dintre ei. Georgie a fost părăsită de soț și cariera ei pare a fi în cădere liberă... Bram, pe de altă parte, nu are o carieră, deși și-a învățat lecțiile din greșelile tinereții. Doar că nimeni nu este dispus să-i acorde o a doua șansă...
Într-o călătorie în Las Vegas, unde cei doi se întâlnesc, după ce li s-au pus droguri în băutură, se trezesc a doua zi intr-un pat și descoperă că s-au căsătorit.
El vrea să divorțeze rapid, dar Georgie simte că nu poate face față unui nou divorț. Astfel, cei doi se înțeleg să joace rolul vieții lor: să prezinte în fața ziariștilor, a cunoscuților și a publicului larg, o pereche de îndrăgostiți care au decis să nu mai aștepte și s-au căsătorit.
De aici, totul este o tragi- comedie. Nici unul dintre ei nu este complet sincer cu celălalt, dar treptat prietenia înflorește între ei. Fiecare descoperă ceva nou la celălalt, ceva neașteptat. Cu toate acestea sunt precauți, jucându-și în continuare rolul. Atracția dintre ei și pasiunea explozivă par a fi benefice relației, dar imaginea pe care trebuie să o arate permanent celorlalți își are și momentele ei de fisură.
Apar situații neprevăzute, durerea și suferința sunt inevitabile, iar despărțirea lor este inevitabilă.
Cei doi par a avea nevoie de o reală zguduitură pentru a realiza ce simt cu adevărat, pentru a arunca maștile cu care s-au obișnuit atât de mult.
Ce mi-a plăcut la volumul de față? Faptul că personajele au fost înfățișate publicului cu calități și defecte, cu bune și cu rele, pășind temători pe drumul maturizării.
O lectură profundă, care ne lasă să aruncăm o privire spre modul în care funcționează psihicul uman. Susan Elizabeth Phillips ne-a adus în atenție, și de data aceasta, personaje complexe ce-și dezvăluie treptat gândurile și emoțiile, care ne se sfiesc să-și arate temerile și greșelile, dar care sunt capabile să recunoască că au greșit atunci când o fac.
“Ce-am făcut pentru iubire” mi-a adus o bucurie în plus, pe lângă povestea de viață, profund romantică. Ne-a readus în atenție întreaga galerie de personaje a seriei, lăsându-ne să observăm cum au evoluat de-a lungul anilor viețile lor.
O lectură deosebită, pe care o trăiești la intensitate maximă, savurând fiecare pagină.
February 2, 2009
This book wasn't brilliant. while it was characteristic Susan Elizabeth Phillips, it wasn't her best. so why couldn't I put it down? it's almost embarrassing--it's been awhile since I stayed up late finishing a book--why was this the one? I just didn't want to put it down. some of her similes, metaphores, and other descriptions are awkward (like early in the book when she says surfers in the ocean float "like fetuses in amniotic fluid"--so weird!) but somehow the overall book caused me to suspend disbelief and just keep reading and enjoying. (I was, however, both distracted and annoyed by SEP's attempts to comment on the whole Brad/ Angelina/ Jennifer situation via her plot. the characters for Jade and Lance were annoying in their lack of real or developed character, which is unusual for an SEP book. one of her usual writing habits, love it or hate it, is her overdeveloped supporting characters/ cast. She should stick to her usual stories, and stay out of "real world" celeb gossip. it reminded me of Make Him Look Good and that author's attempt to comment on J-Lo and Marc Anthony. yuck.)
you won't feel smarter or a better person for reading this book, but I bet you'll enjoy it a lot. (and isn't it always fun to figure out which of the characters in the current story are characters from previous novels of hers?)
you won't feel smarter or a better person for reading this book, but I bet you'll enjoy it a lot. (and isn't it always fun to figure out which of the characters in the current story are characters from previous novels of hers?)
October 29, 2012
As a young TV star, Georgie's first love was her co-star Bram. Back then he was completely self absorbed and after he took her virginity he walked out on her, leaving her alone and humiliated.
Fast forward 10 years and Georgie's husband has left her for a saint, she's had three box office flops and is looking a little frayed around the edges. She runs away from Hollywood only to run into Bram and after a drunken tryst finds herself wedded to him.
He's still the bad boy she loathes but she's desperate for some good publicity so they continue the charade, but as she gets to know him she discovers a passion and a compassion that she sorely needs.
What I Did for Love isn't my favorite Susan Elizabeth Phillips book, but of the half dozen or so I've read I think it's the most balanced.
What I often find with SEP is the supporting characters are much more interesting than her protagonists and it's true with this one as well. For me the real stars in this book are Bram's cranky house keeper and Georgie's dowdy agent.
Fast forward 10 years and Georgie's husband has left her for a saint, she's had three box office flops and is looking a little frayed around the edges. She runs away from Hollywood only to run into Bram and after a drunken tryst finds herself wedded to him.
He's still the bad boy she loathes but she's desperate for some good publicity so they continue the charade, but as she gets to know him she discovers a passion and a compassion that she sorely needs.
What I Did for Love isn't my favorite Susan Elizabeth Phillips book, but of the half dozen or so I've read I think it's the most balanced.
What I often find with SEP is the supporting characters are much more interesting than her protagonists and it's true with this one as well. For me the real stars in this book are Bram's cranky house keeper and Georgie's dowdy agent.
February 5, 2017
Suzan mi je jedna od omiljenih autorki i obožavam sve njene knjige koje sam pročitala. Priče su uvek zanimljive i smešne, a knjige se brzo i sa uživanjem čitaju.
Ova knjiga mi se dopala odmah pri samom čitanju sinopsisa. Ona popularna glumica, on posrnuli glumac, partneri iz popularne serije, mrze se, a u braku. Volim takve zavrzlamice, poslovne dogovore koji se na kraju završe sa "i živeli su srećno do kraja života". :)
Iako je Brem stvarno sebičan i misli samo na sebe, meni se sviđa. Džordži je baš zabavan lik i sviđa mi se kakva je kad je sa Bremom. Kraj je odličan, sviđa mi se to što vidimo koliko su glumci tinejdžeri iz popularne serije odrasli i sazreli.
Ova knjiga mi se dopala odmah pri samom čitanju sinopsisa. Ona popularna glumica, on posrnuli glumac, partneri iz popularne serije, mrze se, a u braku. Volim takve zavrzlamice, poslovne dogovore koji se na kraju završe sa "i živeli su srećno do kraja života". :)
Iako je Brem stvarno sebičan i misli samo na sebe, meni se sviđa. Džordži je baš zabavan lik i sviđa mi se kakva je kad je sa Bremom. Kraj je odličan, sviđa mi se to što vidimo koliko su glumci tinejdžeri iz popularne serije odrasli i sazreli.
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