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Tuesday, May 9, 2017

#CJSReads REVIEW: Public Relations by Katie Heaney & Arianna Rebolini

Public Relations by Katie Heaney & Arianna Rebolini
Grand Central Publishing
Releases TODAY 5/9/17

A fun palate cleanser for #CJSReads2017 - a collective 4 star review across the board - see below for what we thought of this highly entertaining read.






Synopsis from Goodreads:

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.  
 

Jessica's Thoughts:
4 / 5 Stars

Public Relations by the duo of Katie Heaney and Arianna Rebolini is a light-hearted fiction read. Definitely not what we would typically pick for the #CJSReads trio. This is a book I definitely wouldn't have grabbed off the shelf if I saw it at a bookstore. It's not that the cover isn't interesting (I like it!) or that the plot is bad, I'm just not a fan of the more YA/RomCom books - but in the name of #CJSReads, I read it! I will say that I was pleasantly surprised by it.
We follow Rose Reed, a PR up-and-comer that has been advancing quickly in her new job. When her boss can't sit in on a meeting with a high-profile pop artist, she asks Rose to be her eyes and ears - and to NOT talk. Well when the meeting is taking a constant nosedive, Rose can't help but speak 
up. She comes up with a recommendation that their client - an International pop singer/songwriter (think Harry Styles from One Direction) - start a 'relationship' with a rising pop sensation. Archie Fox (singer) and his manager like the idea and when her superiors try to take control of the idea and situation, Archie says he'll only do it if Rose is his point person.
This is the typical romantic comedy type story: boy meets girl, they develop feelings for each other, they aren't supposed to have feelings for each other, and so they must overcome this. For what it was, it was very entertaining! It was a quick read and if you're a fan of a good romantic comedy, then this is the book for you. 


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Sam's Thoughts:
4 / 5 Stars

When her boss leaves town, PR agent, Rose Reed, is finally given her chance to take the reins with a client; too bad that client is a hot, rugged, young, international singer-songwriter, Archie Fox.   Ignoring her unexpected, inconvenient and unprofessional budding feeling for Archie, Rose arranges a staged romance with an up and coming indie singer.   Things start to get complicated, and, in the end Rose will have to decide whether to let her feelings go or to risk her reputation…it’s all just another day at the office…

Public Relations (Kate Heaney and Arianna Rebolini) has been one of my top guilty pleasure reads of this year.  Fun and fluffy, this was an easy read that I breezed through.  It really reminded me a bit of The Devil Wears Prada with a slightly nicer boss and in PR, instead of fashion.  My only regret?  I didn’t read it while at the beach.

I am obsessed with celebrity gossip; I am one of those people who refer to celebrities by their first names like they are my friends (“I’ll never get over what Brad did to Jen!”).  So, needless to say, I was interested in the concept of this one and seeing the “behind the scenes” type of look into the celebrity lifestyle.  

For the most part, I found that this one read like a more mature YA type of novel, especially in regards to all the social media references; I could easily see a reader in a different age group being put off by this and not being able to connect.  Since I consider myself a member of the “social media stalking” generation, I had no issues with that.   

As for plot and characterization, I found that the stock characters and the generalized plot was comforting to me; sometimes I just want to know where a novel is going and this one did that for me.  Boy meets girl, girl likes boys, some stuff happens and it gets tricky, everyone lives happily ever after.

Overall, I’d say if you are looking for something to read at the beach or want something light and entertaining, this would be a good choice.   I also feel it would be a good foray for readers who generally enjoy Young Adult fiction; this would be a nice transitional read!  I give it 4/5 stars, famous ones, with British accents.
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My Thoughts:
4 / 5 Stars

Rose Reed has already climbed the ranks faster than most people her age in the PR industry.  A chance meeting with international star, Archie Fox, ends up with his team wanting her as the publicist, causing friction within her own office while affording her the opportunity to show what she can really do.  As Rose rehabilitates Archie's career with a fake romance with new indie star, Raya, she finds that he's more like a "real" person than she could ever have thought.  Will her new feelings toward him ruin her reputation, career and own sense of self?  Or will she find he feels the same and then have to sort through a whole new set of problems instead?


Full disclosure: from the dedication to 1D alone, I did not think I would like this book.  It's so far from what I normally would read and if it wasn't for a group read, I probably never would have picked it up.  That being said, I was absolutely surprised at how much I ended up enjoying this novel (I begrudgingly say).  My guilty pleasures are reading what I call "smut" magazines and engrossing myself in celebrity lives.  (Oh admit it, you do too.)  So while I did cringe at some of the acronyms used and how annoying Rose's character was most of the time, the authors did a great job in portraying that generation (do I sound old here or what?), how social media really does make or break you when you're a star in this day and age, and the ins and outs of how crazy a crush on someone can make feel.  While you know exactly where the book will go, it's a pretty fun ride getting there.  Those who love reading US Weekly, People, InTouch and the like will love this book.  I, for one, am glad it was forced on me... and now that my palate has been cleansed, it's back to my normal genre.













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