Act Like It

Act Like It is set in London’s West End and I was hooked from the opening paragraph:
Almost every night, between nine and ten past, Lainie Graham passionately kissed her ex-boyfriend. She was then gruesomely dead by ten o’clock, stabbed through the neck by a jealous rival. If she was scheduled to perform in the weekend matinee, that was a minimum of six uncomfortable kisses a week. More, if the director called an extra rehearsal or the alternate actor was ill.

Lainie’s male co-stars are talented actors, but she has a low opinion of them as people. One is her unfaithful ex. The other is the short-tempered and brooding Richard Troy. When Richard’s public image threatens to affect ticket sales, Lainie is asked to be seen with him in show more public, to generate positive publicity through rumours that they’re in a relationship.
It is with mutual reluctance and irritation that she and Richard agree to this arrangement.

This is a lot of fun. I enjoyed the very British vibe and vocab, and the banter. I like that Lainie calls Richard out about his behaviour and that he listens to her. I like how their relationship develops, and how it is based around the way they’re able to be honest with each other and support each other.

Act Like It reminded me that I like stories about the theatre. I’m curious about what it’s like backstage and how the theatre can be someone’s workplace. And a story about actors has potential for quoting, references to other stories and the self-awareness that comes from analysing characters’ motives for a living.

I read this twice.

He glared at her. “My success has not gone to my head.” He ignored the rest of her insults in favour of the first observation, which seemed to truly offend him.“My personality has not once altered under outside influence.”
“Then I’m genuinely appalled, and your childhood nannies have my intense sympathy. You’ve got a bit of a nerve, don’t you think, accusing other people of vanity? You make Mr. Darcy look like the poster child for low self-esteem.”
“There is a difference between vanity and having a clear idea of your own abilities and potential.”
She grimaced, lifting her hands to her cheeks. “Oh my God. I have never had such a sisterly feeling for Elizabeth Bennet.” show less

Actress Lainie Graham is the sweetheart of the London stage, and her wholesome public persona is now especially sympathetic because she's recently been dumped. In contrast, her co-star Richard Troy is the quintessential bad boy. His Byronic good looks and considerable talent have counterbalanced some of his negative behavior, but the public is no longer willing to overlook his violent temper. Desperate to get public opinion back on their side, the theater manager and Richard's agent concoct a plan: Richard and Lainie will pretend to be in a relationship so that her positive image will rehabilitate Richard's negative one. At first, Lainie objects to the plan -- she can't stand Richard's obnoxious behavior and inflated ego -- but she is show more eventually convinced to play along. As she spends more time with Richard, however, she learns that there's much more to him than meets the eye. Meanwhile, Richard is surprised to discover that Lainie is intelligent, kind, and more than willing to match him quip for quip. But how can these two actors be confident that their so-called fake relationship has evolved into something real?

After a streak of books that weren't grabbing my attention, I was delighted to discover this sweet romance! I always enjoy the "fake relationship becomes real" trope, so I was predisposed to like the book anyway. But the adorable banter between Lainie and Richard is what really sealed the deal for me. Their sarcastic jabs at one another soon become playful teasing, and these interactions really made their chemistry believable. I appreciated how their careers as actors added another layer of complexity to the relationship; I especially enjoyed watching Richard seethe as Lainie had to pretend to be in love with her ex, another actor in the same play. The book does contain some of the romance genre's more annoying clichés, such as a physically perfect hero with piercing blue eyes and a Big Misunderstanding that needlessly threatens the relationship. But overall, this book was a lovely surprise that came along at just the right time for me. Definitely recommended for fans of romantic comedies! show less

Very impressive debut novel, with an arrogant hero and a spirited heroine who doesn't take any of his crap. Pretty predictable plotwise, but the language sings and the dialogue is delightful. I look forward to more from this promising author.

Act Like It has been on my watchlist for the longest time now, especially when I read so many raving reviews so I definitely had some high hopes for this book and I wish that I could say that I loved this book, that it swept me away and I couldn't put it down....sadly though that wasn't the case with Act Like It. I KNOW I am in the minority here, I definitely know that many won't agree with what I thought but you know....that is okay. So what issues did I have with this book? Well, there isn't too many, but one of the most important factors in reading (at least for myself) is that I am able to be fully engaged in a story. I almost reached 50% of the story before I started liking it. I really struggled with the first half, it just show more started so slow for me and even though I am a lover of dry humor (which was great by the way) there was just something off in the first half that I couldn't put my finger on. It was enough though that I almost put this away. But I just pushed my way through the story until half way and then the story started to really improve for me.

Act Like It is a story about two involved actors in the London West End. Richard Troy is really rough around the edges, he says exactly what he thinks and isn't shy about it and is not a "People Person" and needs some positive feedback and soon. So this is where we bring in our heroine, Lainie Graham. Lainie is ordered to pose as his girlfriend, to show the world that he has turned a "new leaf". But the job they are asking her to do is much more difficult than she even thought it would be. Soon these two go from enemies who don't really like each other, to really liking each other and this fake relationship starts to turn very real for them.

I will admit that the whole fake relationship set up is one of my favorite tropes to read and rarely do I ever see it in a contemporary setting. And I really enjoyed how the romance played out in the end even if the first half was a bumpy road for me. But once Richard and Lainie started connecting, the story just explodes. I did feel like the drama though was a bit overdone at times, however, the romance that develops between Richard and Lainie was refreshing. They don't have the most conventional of relationships and I liked that a ton. The hidden depths we see from both Richard and Lainie is heartwarming and tangible.

Overall....even though Act Like It wasn't an explosive romance that I was expecting, it was entertaining and an endearing read. show less

Need to say this. There are no grips in theatre. Or stagemen. They are stagehands and techs. That drove me insane.

Thankfully, that's the only wrong step in this book. I loved the banter and the heart of both of the leads. I laughed out loud more than once during reading it, which rarely happens for me. The relationship develops believably and the supporting characters are great. Definitely worth the read.

Elaine is a stage actress, currently appearing in a play with her ex-boyfriend Will and the very grumpy Richard. The stage manager and Richard's agent persuade Elaine to pretend to be in a relationship with Richard to improve his image and to improve ticket sales. (They also offer her some money towards a charity created in memory of her dead sister.) Richard is indeed very grumpy, but Elaine can give as good as she gets and the story is both funny and sweet. I particularly liked the way that, when Elaine makes a mistake wth significant consequences, she apologizes to Richard and he eventually forgives her - like real grown-ups. Richard was a great hero in the Darcy mould.

So basically this was pretty awesome, right up to the point when the sappy set in. And don't get me started on the ending. Me and my dentists shudder in unison.

I really loved the banter between Lainie and Richard. BUT. All that drama? Not so much.
The book starts its descent into sappity-sweet somewhere in the middle. And I really really could do without.

Fun quick read. With a whole whooping lot of wasted potential IMO. But maybe that's just my high standards talking.

FINAL VERDICT: You can try it.