Love, Unscripted by Denise Hunter Review

 Happy Wednesday Friends :)

I pray today finds you all doing well, and I'm so thankful you've taken the time to drop on by The Preppy Book Princess today for another book review.

Are you starting to get in the mood for more springtime and/or summery reads? Or are you still enjoying curling up with titles more reminiscent of winter?

I'm finding myself kind of split down the middle right now actually. I'm enjoying reading titles that are giving me all the spring vibes, but I'm also still enjoying the coziness that comes along with reading titles set during the winter months.

And that brings me to today's review which is for another title from My 2024 Most Anticipated Releases Post, and is set during the spring and summer months. 

I can't wait to tell you guys all about this lovely read, so I hope you'll all join me down below for today's full review.

Love, Unscripted by Denise Hunter:

Source: Publisher via NetGalley

Publisher: Thomas Nelson

Publication Date: March 12th, 2024

Genre: Christian Fiction/Contemporary Romance

Synopsis:

The perfect boyfriend only exists on paper…doesn’t he?

Fresh off the heels of a bad breakup, Chloe Anderson poured her heart into penning the perfect boyfriend—and the result was an off-the-charts debut beach read that resonated with women worldwide. Now, Chloe’s scripted hero is headed for Hollywood, with her book destined to become a major motion picture.

When Chloe gets wind that silver screen bad boy Liam Hamilton has been cast as the ideal-in-every-way hero of her novel, she’s horrified by the film director’s choice. How could a player like Liam possibly do Chloe’s perfect hero justice? Unafraid to speak her mind, Chloe lets her executive producer know she’s one hundred percent opposed to the casting. And oops—the call is on speakerphone, where the annoyingly attractive Hollywood star hears Chloe’s unbridled outrage firsthand.

With Liam’s reputation already on the rocks, his agent concocts a PR plan to upgrade Liam’s image while putting the story—and the film—in the spotlight. The catch? During the movie’s filming in Chloe’s cute hometown of Stillwater, North Carolina, Chloe and Liam will fake a wholesome, committed relationship. Both stand to gain something from the arrangement. Liam’s fans will see him in a new light, while Chloe can boost her struggling social media following and further her writing career. What could possibly go wrong?

As author and actor navigate the waters of the PR relationship, they’re unpre­pared when their professional agreement turns into an actual friendship. And when serious sparks start to fly—well, that’s an unread chapter for both of them.

Charming contemporary romance Stand-alone novel. Book approximately 83,000 words. Includes discussion questions for book clubs

(synopsis from goodreads)

My Review:

Denise Hunter has long been one of my favorite authors, and Love, Unscripted was one of my most anticipated 2024 releases. I'm happy to say this lovely and sweet contemporary did not disappoint, and I continue to adore reading "bookish" books. 

Readers follow Chloe Anderson, who after a bad breakup decided to pen a romance novel, and create the perfect book boyfriend. Of course, other women are in need of this perfect boyfriend themselves, and her book quickly becomes a bestseller. This character means the world to Chloe, and she's horrified when she learns that the movie adaptation has cast Hollywood playboy Liam Hamilton to portray her beloved book hero. To say Chloe and Liam get off to a rocky start would be an understatement, but his manager has a brilliant plan. Pretend the two of them are dating to improve Liam's image, and help Chloe gain a larger social media following. Only it soon appears to everyone including themselves that Chloe and Liam's relationship is no longer the fake dating one it was supposed to be.

Sometimes I stumble upon a rare book that seems to have combined all of my favorite reading tropes into one wonderful story, and that was definitely the case here. Chloe was a protagonist that was easy to root for, and I loved how heartbreak has basically caused her to shelter her heart, and look entirely to fiction for her romance. Liam and Chloe's relationship was truly swoon worthy and beautiful, and I loved as a reader getting to watch each other break through the walls they'd so carefully crafted around their hearts. While this story definitely had its whimsical moments, I appreciated how it also dived into some deeper topics that made a good story even better, and showcased Denise Hunter's beautiful talent for the written word.

Final Rating: 4/5.

It wholeheartedly lived up to my expectations, and I'd love to see this adapted into a made for TV movie someday.

Thanks so much to Thomas Nelson for allowing me to read and review this title!

I voluntarily read and reviewed a complimentary advance reader copy of this novel from the publisher (Thomas Nelson) via NetGalley. I was not required to give a positive review. All thoughts and opinions are my own, and this is my honest review.

Thanks so much for reading guys! Have a great rest of your day :)