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Cover Story
A THEM BEST LGBTQ+ BOOK OF 2025
From the author of Under the Rainbow, a hilarious, emotional love story about an anxious publicist who's tasked with keeping an extremely gay starlet in the closet—but ends up falling for her instead.
It's 2005, and Ali is a publicist for Hollywood's biggest stars. Part of her job entails keeping gay celebrities in the closet—which is pretty ironic, since she's a lesbian. When Ali is assigned a new gay client, Cara Bisset, who's breaking onto the scene with a (hetero) romantic blockbuster, keeping Cara's sexuality under wraps becomes Ali's biggest challenge yet.
Cara is unruly and unpredictable, and hates that she has to hide her identity. After a series of increasingly close calls, Ali is sent on the worldwide promotional tour for the movie to help keep Cara in line. Instead, she finds herself drawn to Cara's confidence and bravery. For the past year, Ali has been mired in grief after losing her partner in a freak accident. But with Cara, Ali's fears about the world subside, and she begins to question the Hollywood closeting system she’s helped perpetuate.
As Cara's fame continues to rise, both Ali and Cara have to decide which is more maintaining the status quo, or risking it all for another chance at love.
From the author of Under the Rainbow, a hilarious, emotional love story about an anxious publicist who's tasked with keeping an extremely gay starlet in the closet—but ends up falling for her instead.
It's 2005, and Ali is a publicist for Hollywood's biggest stars. Part of her job entails keeping gay celebrities in the closet—which is pretty ironic, since she's a lesbian. When Ali is assigned a new gay client, Cara Bisset, who's breaking onto the scene with a (hetero) romantic blockbuster, keeping Cara's sexuality under wraps becomes Ali's biggest challenge yet.
Cara is unruly and unpredictable, and hates that she has to hide her identity. After a series of increasingly close calls, Ali is sent on the worldwide promotional tour for the movie to help keep Cara in line. Instead, she finds herself drawn to Cara's confidence and bravery. For the past year, Ali has been mired in grief after losing her partner in a freak accident. But with Cara, Ali's fears about the world subside, and she begins to question the Hollywood closeting system she’s helped perpetuate.
As Cara's fame continues to rise, both Ali and Cara have to decide which is more maintaining the status quo, or risking it all for another chance at love.
370 pages, Kindle Edition
First published March 25, 2025
97 people are currently reading
5490 people want to read
About the author
Celia Laskey
4 books223 followersCelia Laskey’s debut novel Under the Rainbow is out now with Riverhead Books, and her second novel So Happy for You is forthcoming from Hanover Square Books June 7, 2022. Her other work has appeared in Guernica, The Minnesota Review, Day One, and elsewhere. She has an MFA from the University of New Mexico and currently lives in Los Angeles with her wife and their dog Whiskey.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 235 reviews
April 11, 2025
This author has openly stated that she based this book off of conspiracy theories around Taylor Swift. She traffics in tropes that Swift has made clear make her uncomfortable. This is not an author or story line worth supporting.
April 11, 2025
this book is completely disrespectful to the queer community and to taylor swift as an individual. how dare an author promote conspiracy theories about an individual she does not know and use it to promote her book? this author should genuinely be deeply ashamed. the publishing company should be ashamed. also her writing is bad.
April 25, 2025
here we go again after goodreads removed my review for the second time. if this keeps up i will genuinely leave this platform forever and encourage my friends to do the same. goodreads told me to focus my reviews on the “content” of the book rather than the behavior of the author, so here you go!
i do not recommend this book for a variety of reasons. this review will focus on the CONTENT of this book, not the author’s behavior. the CONTENT of this book is based on an incredibly disrespectful conspiracy theory that claims that taylor swift is a lesbian and all her relationships with men have been fake/pr. the CONTENT of this book is badly written and flat. the CONTENT of this book portrays mothers and young children in a super strangely negative way. the CONTENT of this book is cheesy and i didn’t sympathize with any of the characters.
thank you to netgalley and the publishers for an arc in exchange for an honest review.
i do not recommend this book for a variety of reasons. this review will focus on the CONTENT of this book, not the author’s behavior. the CONTENT of this book is based on an incredibly disrespectful conspiracy theory that claims that taylor swift is a lesbian and all her relationships with men have been fake/pr. the CONTENT of this book is badly written and flat. the CONTENT of this book portrays mothers and young children in a super strangely negative way. the CONTENT of this book is cheesy and i didn’t sympathize with any of the characters.
thank you to netgalley and the publishers for an arc in exchange for an honest review.
May 4, 2025
Could have been a hundred pages shorter but it was a nice palette cleanser
(Almost took another star off for using the phrase "her vagina gulped")
(Almost took another star off for using the phrase "her vagina gulped")
April 12, 2025
Cover Story was a huge disappointment for me as I’ve been anticipating this book for years. Firstly, it shouldn’t have been set in 2005, I understand from the author’s note that Laskey was told to set this book in 2005 to make this more realistic but it just didn’t work for the story. Plus there was so many references to 2005 such as Britney Spears, what movies were on, Ali using her Blackberry phone and even mentions of Guantanamo bay on the news. Laskey tried too hard to set this in 2005 and these references took me out of the book and started to annoy me. For example, it’s like setting a book in 2025 and mentioning Donald Trumps tariffs on the news, The White Lotus TV show, Apple iPhone and Sabrina carpenter being a really popular singer. It takes you out of the story and dates it.
I related to Ali’s anxiety but unfortunately she had too many issues to tackle in this book, chronic migraines, her mum died when she was young, her partner died not long ago and she doesn’t have a great relationship with her dad. This wasn’t written in a romance book style either and it did feel more general fiction. The romance was non existent to me mainly because Cara didn’t get a POV and it just wasn’t very romantic. I read a review of this that said some things were thrown in this book to make it more liberal and I agree because it did feel like gay and transgender side characters were just thrown in here. It pains me to give this one star but I can’t say I really enjoyed any of this and I honestly didn’t care if Ali and Cara ended up together. I really just feel annoyed when I think of this and I’m sad about it.
I’m also quite uncomfortable with the way this author talks about Taylor Swift with the whole Gaylor thing. I understand Laskey said she would never want to out anybody but why are we speculating about people’s sexuality in 2025?
I related to Ali’s anxiety but unfortunately she had too many issues to tackle in this book, chronic migraines, her mum died when she was young, her partner died not long ago and she doesn’t have a great relationship with her dad. This wasn’t written in a romance book style either and it did feel more general fiction. The romance was non existent to me mainly because Cara didn’t get a POV and it just wasn’t very romantic. I read a review of this that said some things were thrown in this book to make it more liberal and I agree because it did feel like gay and transgender side characters were just thrown in here. It pains me to give this one star but I can’t say I really enjoyed any of this and I honestly didn’t care if Ali and Cara ended up together. I really just feel annoyed when I think of this and I’m sad about it.
I’m also quite uncomfortable with the way this author talks about Taylor Swift with the whole Gaylor thing. I understand Laskey said she would never want to out anybody but why are we speculating about people’s sexuality in 2025?
March 25, 2025
A sweet and interesting romance, like the lesbian version of Red, White & Royal Blue- Kara is an up and coming actress and Alli is her publicist. The year is 2005 and there are a lot of Hollywood celebs in the closet and in beard-type marriages. Alli is a window, her partner Natalie was killed as a pedestrian in a car accident a year earlier. Alli tried to be straight until she was 22 then fell in love with Natalie and thought she'd never be with anyone else. She hasn't really grieved, hasn't sought therapy, and has high anxiety, IBS and migraines. Alli is also a workaholic.
Alli is really the main character and Kara is the love interest, this is not multi-POV. Alli has to reconcile her trauma, her job is to keep Kara in the closet and she struggles with the morality of this. She feels like a hypocrite, to say the least. Traveling with Kara and her costar Dobby, sparks fly and they have a secret relationship.
There are a lot of interesting themes here, but it is mainly about being closeted and what that was like 20 years ago. In some ways, that was a less friendly time but in many ways it was better than what the LGBTQ+ community is going through today. It makes you sad to reflect on how far back we have gone in a short period of time.
While I would have liked to see more character building in Kara and the minor characters, Alli's parents, coworkers, and Dobby, I did really appreciate Alli and found myself rooting for her. After all she had been through it makes sense that she turned to work in order to feel better.
This is a good fun new queer spicy romance sure to be in many beach bags this summer.
Alli is really the main character and Kara is the love interest, this is not multi-POV. Alli has to reconcile her trauma, her job is to keep Kara in the closet and she struggles with the morality of this. She feels like a hypocrite, to say the least. Traveling with Kara and her costar Dobby, sparks fly and they have a secret relationship.
There are a lot of interesting themes here, but it is mainly about being closeted and what that was like 20 years ago. In some ways, that was a less friendly time but in many ways it was better than what the LGBTQ+ community is going through today. It makes you sad to reflect on how far back we have gone in a short period of time.
While I would have liked to see more character building in Kara and the minor characters, Alli's parents, coworkers, and Dobby, I did really appreciate Alli and found myself rooting for her. After all she had been through it makes sense that she turned to work in order to feel better.
This is a good fun new queer spicy romance sure to be in many beach bags this summer.
July 22, 2025
Cover Story has a compelling set-up: a closeted Hollywood publicist, Ali, is tasked with managing the image of rising lesbian star Cara during the early 2000s, a time when LGBTQ+ visibility in the industry was still heavily suppressed (not that it isn't now). Celia Laskey explores an important and emotionally complex topic, and the novel shines when it delves into the tension between personal identity and professional obligation - something both women wrestle with as their relationship strains under the weight of secrecy.
That said, the pacing feels uneven. Some moments that should have carried greater emotional weight are rushed, while some chapters don't quite click. The chemistry between the leads is present but underdeveloped, and the emotional payoff of their bond never fully lands. Still, it's an engaging read. While it doesn't quite reach its full potential, Cover Story offers an interesting look at fame, image control, and queerness in a deeply closeted era of Hollywood. It also cements how far we have to go, two decades later.
That said, the pacing feels uneven. Some moments that should have carried greater emotional weight are rushed, while some chapters don't quite click. The chemistry between the leads is present but underdeveloped, and the emotional payoff of their bond never fully lands. Still, it's an engaging read. While it doesn't quite reach its full potential, Cover Story offers an interesting look at fame, image control, and queerness in a deeply closeted era of Hollywood. It also cements how far we have to go, two decades later.
July 10, 2025
i'm such a nostalgic woman
this brought me back to reading "Everyone in This Room Will Someday Be Dead" last summer and gosh I LOVE this style of writing
*full rtc when I dont have mental hangover*
rep: LESBIANS MCS!!!!
rep plus: lesbians with BODY HAIR! unshaved Queens! I think this is the only lesbian book that I have come across that speak about leg and armpit body hair. I was obssessed. Cara the woman you are 🛐
this brought me back to reading "Everyone in This Room Will Someday Be Dead" last summer and gosh I LOVE this style of writing
*full rtc when I dont have mental hangover*
rep: LESBIANS MCS!!!!
rep plus: lesbians with BODY HAIR! unshaved Queens! I think this is the only lesbian book that I have come across that speak about leg and armpit body hair. I was obssessed. Cara the woman you are 🛐
tbr-2
November 6, 2025
April 11, 2025
Reads like a Twitter or Reddit thread. No real story.
April 30, 2025
Fun & sexy romance between two characters who really shouldn't, and really can't, be together but do anyways! These people had a lot of real world problems keeping them apart, 1 grieving the loss of her long term partner just 1 year prior, the other a celebrity being forced to stay in the closet to be successful. One a 10-years-older publicity agent who is encouraging the other to stay closeted. I liked watching them overcome all of this, and how Cara helps Ali work through her neuroticism & anxiety (relatable).
I'm a big fan of talking about the Hollywood closeting system, the rationale people have, and how stifling it is. It's exciting to see more visibility on this issue as more celebrities start bravely coming forward with their stories, and I look forward to a day where this archaic system hopefully dissolves.
Admittedly, I don't feel like these characters are destined to be together forever, but they're a good match for now helping each other improve.
Thank you to the publisher for sending me an ARC in exchange for an honest review. All opinions remain my own.
I'm a big fan of talking about the Hollywood closeting system, the rationale people have, and how stifling it is. It's exciting to see more visibility on this issue as more celebrities start bravely coming forward with their stories, and I look forward to a day where this archaic system hopefully dissolves.
Admittedly, I don't feel like these characters are destined to be together forever, but they're a good match for now helping each other improve.
Thank you to the publisher for sending me an ARC in exchange for an honest review. All opinions remain my own.
May 13, 2025
well that was mediocre bordering on bad 👍🏻
however, i did like ali’s personal growth and the moral of that story. the blacking out of closeted celebrities’ names felt like a kind of cool craft choice.
the writing was not great and not very believable. it felt very empty. i didn’t feel any of the emotions in the writing and it didn’t feel true. i feel like ali and cara caught feelings soo quickly, and despite the book being ~340 pages long, it didn’t feel like there was enough development. there were quite a few cringy moments, and every conflict felt like it wrapped up so smoothly and quickly. and then ali and namisa just created their own PR firm and it worked out?? immediately?
the blind item at the end adds important context/reasoning that i think people should read. personally, i do not give a fuck if people speculate if taylor swift is gay (bc i’ve done it too.) my beef w the book is completely unrelated to speculation.
however, i did like ali’s personal growth and the moral of that story. the blacking out of closeted celebrities’ names felt like a kind of cool craft choice.
the writing was not great and not very believable. it felt very empty. i didn’t feel any of the emotions in the writing and it didn’t feel true. i feel like ali and cara caught feelings soo quickly, and despite the book being ~340 pages long, it didn’t feel like there was enough development. there were quite a few cringy moments, and every conflict felt like it wrapped up so smoothly and quickly. and then ali and namisa just created their own PR firm and it worked out?? immediately?
the blind item at the end adds important context/reasoning that i think people should read. personally, i do not give a fuck if people speculate if taylor swift is gay (bc i’ve done it too.) my beef w the book is completely unrelated to speculation.
April 18, 2025
Kara was giving Cara delevigne to me??? Although unsure if she was actually closeted or if I just didn’t know she was gay for the first few years of her career.
Anywayyyy, Celia writes characters in a way that I find interesting and complex and allows me to dislike them and still be interested in what happens to them.
Anywayyyy, Celia writes characters in a way that I find interesting and complex and allows me to dislike them and still be interested in what happens to them.
April 21, 2025
can’t believe I bothered with this book lol the characters were insufferable
if you want queer Hollywood read the 7 husbands of Evelyn Hugo instead
if you want queer Hollywood read the 7 husbands of Evelyn Hugo instead
July 11, 2025
I am a sucker for any book set in Hollywood or featuring a fictional celebrity. Make it sapphic, and I’m 1000% in.
This story takes place in the early 2000s and follows a grieving, hypochondriac publicist who lost her partner a year ago. She has been assigned to work with an up and coming young actress on the brink of success. The actress is initially described as a dirty bro-dude type who sleeps around and flirts with any pretty girl in close proximity but later develops into the sexy Hollywood starlet struggling to come out due to fears about how it might affect her career. And, of course, the publicist and the actress wind up in a romance.
The premise sounded fun, light, and entertaining. And it was...partly. Hence, the three stars.
The writing itself was a struggle for me. There were some parts that gave me the ick. For example, it was, a choice, to equate having a large poop with orgasming. And did you really have to describe everything that needed to be spread in the shower to get clean? No, ma’am, you did not. The author had a habit of going into unnecessary detail—but what I really mean by that is, I did not need to read graphic descriptions of a dog’s injuries from a dog fight in what is supposed to be a rom-com.
I also didn’t need the author to go on and on (and on) about how neurotic and depressed the main character was. I got it. I get it. I don’t need 30 more pages of it spread across different chapters.
The conversations between the main character and the side characters (like her dad!) could have been cut down by 75%, and it would have been an improvement.
It felt like this author was trying (and failing) to create a novel that meshed queer authors Emily R. Austin and Amy Spalding together.
Now I feel bad. Because while these are the things that annoyed me and led me to deduct two stars, there are still three perfectly good stars left, and you’re probably wondering why. So, I’ll remind you: I’m a sucker for Hollywood set, sapphic celebrity romances. And in between all the things that frustrated me, there was a very fun romance (yes, with spicy scenes) that I genuinely enjoyed.
Thank you to NetGalley and Grand Central Publishing for providing me with an advanced copy in exchange for my honest thoughts and feedback.
This story takes place in the early 2000s and follows a grieving, hypochondriac publicist who lost her partner a year ago. She has been assigned to work with an up and coming young actress on the brink of success. The actress is initially described as a dirty bro-dude type who sleeps around and flirts with any pretty girl in close proximity but later develops into the sexy Hollywood starlet struggling to come out due to fears about how it might affect her career. And, of course, the publicist and the actress wind up in a romance.
The premise sounded fun, light, and entertaining. And it was...partly. Hence, the three stars.
The writing itself was a struggle for me. There were some parts that gave me the ick. For example, it was, a choice, to equate having a large poop with orgasming. And did you really have to describe everything that needed to be spread in the shower to get clean? No, ma’am, you did not. The author had a habit of going into unnecessary detail—but what I really mean by that is, I did not need to read graphic descriptions of a dog’s injuries from a dog fight in what is supposed to be a rom-com.
I also didn’t need the author to go on and on (and on) about how neurotic and depressed the main character was. I got it. I get it. I don’t need 30 more pages of it spread across different chapters.
The conversations between the main character and the side characters (like her dad!) could have been cut down by 75%, and it would have been an improvement.
It felt like this author was trying (and failing) to create a novel that meshed queer authors Emily R. Austin and Amy Spalding together.
Now I feel bad. Because while these are the things that annoyed me and led me to deduct two stars, there are still three perfectly good stars left, and you’re probably wondering why. So, I’ll remind you: I’m a sucker for Hollywood set, sapphic celebrity romances. And in between all the things that frustrated me, there was a very fun romance (yes, with spicy scenes) that I genuinely enjoyed.
Thank you to NetGalley and Grand Central Publishing for providing me with an advanced copy in exchange for my honest thoughts and feedback.
July 23, 2025
➥ 4 stars ⋆˚࿔
rtc!! this was HEAVY but I loved Ali (mc) so so much
rtc!! this was HEAVY but I loved Ali (mc) so so much
April 23, 2025
Y’all this book is not based on gaylor theories about Taylor Swift.
To the folks who are leaving 1-star reviews stating that this is a book based on Gaylorism and inappropriately or invasively speculating on Taylor Swift’s sexuality and personal life: first of all, get a grip. Second of all, it's obvious you didn’t read the book because, regardless of what this author has said on twitter, this narrative doesn’t resemble any key gaylor theories that speculate on Taylor Swift's romantic relationships. If the author’s intention was for it to be based on gaylor theories, she definitely failed in that regard. The biggest difference is that Cara is an actress, not a musician, and so the strategies she used to beard/stay closeted are very different from the types of things that gaylors think Swift has done. Even still, I don’t feel like anything about the two main characters or the narrative references Swift or her supposed secret sapphic relationships. The general conversation around closeting, bearding, pr relationships, etc. that gaylors often partake in is definitely present, but that can apply in a lot of different celebrities/situations and isn’t specific to Taylor Swift. Feel free to dislike the author for being a gaylor, but don’t pretend you read her book and that it has content that it doesn’t have.
Aside from that, I thought this book was just okay. I honestly just didn’t like the main character very much. Kind of crazy that it took her literally being in a closeted relationship to feel guilty about encouraging her clients to closet????? BE SERIOUS.
To the folks who are leaving 1-star reviews stating that this is a book based on Gaylorism and inappropriately or invasively speculating on Taylor Swift’s sexuality and personal life: first of all, get a grip. Second of all, it's obvious you didn’t read the book because, regardless of what this author has said on twitter, this narrative doesn’t resemble any key gaylor theories that speculate on Taylor Swift's romantic relationships. If the author’s intention was for it to be based on gaylor theories, she definitely failed in that regard. The biggest difference is that Cara is an actress, not a musician, and so the strategies she used to beard/stay closeted are very different from the types of things that gaylors think Swift has done. Even still, I don’t feel like anything about the two main characters or the narrative references Swift or her supposed secret sapphic relationships. The general conversation around closeting, bearding, pr relationships, etc. that gaylors often partake in is definitely present, but that can apply in a lot of different celebrities/situations and isn’t specific to Taylor Swift. Feel free to dislike the author for being a gaylor, but don’t pretend you read her book and that it has content that it doesn’t have.
Aside from that, I thought this book was just okay. I honestly just didn’t like the main character very much. Kind of crazy that it took her literally being in a closeted relationship to feel guilty about encouraging her clients to closet????? BE SERIOUS.
June 3, 2025
GOD I wanted to love this, I wanted to be obsessed with this.. It's secret relationship and hollywood and media and publicity and closeting..
Ali, you're a fucking adult, go to therapy and get drugs, it's legal.. Kara, making being gay and annoying your entire personality is not fun or attractive.
I'm SO annoyed by how much potential this book had and how bad it was. 2 stars instead of zero stars so people won't think I'm review bombing this book because straight swifties think this is inspired by Taylor? like if you're linking Taylor's name to something at least make it good.
Also, I think there are a couple more mental illness and phobias the writer forgot to make Ali has..
Ali, you're a fucking adult, go to therapy and get drugs, it's legal.. Kara, making being gay and annoying your entire personality is not fun or attractive.
I'm SO annoyed by how much potential this book had and how bad it was. 2 stars instead of zero stars so people won't think I'm review bombing this book because straight swifties think this is inspired by Taylor? like if you're linking Taylor's name to something at least make it good.
Also, I think there are a couple more mental illness and phobias the writer forgot to make Ali has..
March 19, 2025
✨
The format of this review is a bit different because I wrote this review shortly after finishing Cover Story. I have literally been so excited to share this book with you all. 💕
✨ F/F lesbian romance
✨ Spice 3/5
✨ Medium paced (but felt fast because I loved it so much!)
✨ Moods: hopeful, playful, funny
✨ Tropes: age-gap, celeb/publicist (idk if that’s a trope but I’m making it one)
[Content warnings at bottom > beware of spoilers]
Cover Story is the lesbian rom-com I have been waiting for! The novel follows Ali, an anxious grieving widow, who also happens to be the publicist assigned to a younger up and coming actress, Cara. A very lesbian actress who Ali (also lesbian) is tasked with keeping in the closet. A not-so-easy feat when the sparks start flying…
While Cover Story is a rom-com, it delves into deeper topics such as grief and anxiety. Ali is not perfect, but I found her struggles to be relatable. Her character growth left me, the reader, feeling hopeful. I appreciated the communication efforts between Ali and Cara. Unlike other romances I’ve read, I didn’t find myself yelling at the page trying to get the characters to just talk it out already!
I thought Celia Laskey’s writing was humorous and almost bubbly at times. I felt giddy while reading the interactions between the main characters. I think that’s what I loved the most about this book: The characters felt sexy and silly and real. As a lesbian myself, I could see a genuine relationship between Ali and Cara. Their relationship didn’t feel overly sexualized, romanticized or fantasized. When reading, this easily could have been a story starring someone I know.
Five stars for the lesbian representation and the perfect balance of silly, sexy, and heartfelt. This book was cathartic for me, and I especially appreciated the author’s note.
I highly recommend this book especially those looking for: les fic, rom-com, age-gap, or a romance with depth.
Thank you NetGalley for the advanced review copy. All opinions above (and below) are my own.
Final thoughts:
- verboten
- Glen is perfect
Content warnings below, beware of spoilers, and please note these may not be all inclusive.
Content Warnings: anxiety/mental health, past de*th of a loved one, de*th, compulsory heterosexuality, s*xual assault (recounting/discussed with partner), s*xually explicit content, alcohol, systemic homophobia
The format of this review is a bit different because I wrote this review shortly after finishing Cover Story. I have literally been so excited to share this book with you all. 💕
✨ F/F lesbian romance
✨ Spice 3/5
✨ Medium paced (but felt fast because I loved it so much!)
✨ Moods: hopeful, playful, funny
✨ Tropes: age-gap, celeb/publicist (idk if that’s a trope but I’m making it one)
[Content warnings at bottom > beware of spoilers]
Cover Story is the lesbian rom-com I have been waiting for! The novel follows Ali, an anxious grieving widow, who also happens to be the publicist assigned to a younger up and coming actress, Cara. A very lesbian actress who Ali (also lesbian) is tasked with keeping in the closet. A not-so-easy feat when the sparks start flying…
While Cover Story is a rom-com, it delves into deeper topics such as grief and anxiety. Ali is not perfect, but I found her struggles to be relatable. Her character growth left me, the reader, feeling hopeful. I appreciated the communication efforts between Ali and Cara. Unlike other romances I’ve read, I didn’t find myself yelling at the page trying to get the characters to just talk it out already!
I thought Celia Laskey’s writing was humorous and almost bubbly at times. I felt giddy while reading the interactions between the main characters. I think that’s what I loved the most about this book: The characters felt sexy and silly and real. As a lesbian myself, I could see a genuine relationship between Ali and Cara. Their relationship didn’t feel overly sexualized, romanticized or fantasized. When reading, this easily could have been a story starring someone I know.
Five stars for the lesbian representation and the perfect balance of silly, sexy, and heartfelt. This book was cathartic for me, and I especially appreciated the author’s note.
I highly recommend this book especially those looking for: les fic, rom-com, age-gap, or a romance with depth.
Thank you NetGalley for the advanced review copy. All opinions above (and below) are my own.
Final thoughts:
- verboten
- Glen is perfect
Content warnings below, beware of spoilers, and please note these may not be all inclusive.
Content Warnings: anxiety/mental health, past de*th of a loved one, de*th, compulsory heterosexuality, s*xual assault (recounting/discussed with partner), s*xually explicit content, alcohol, systemic homophobia
May 20, 2025
2.5 * If I could offer this writer any advice, I would have to borrow the immortal words of Miss Vanessa Vanjie Mateo: you gotta pick a struggle, you can't struggle at everything.
Choices had to be made and they weren't really made. Ali had literally every bad thing in life happen to her, and while that's possible, it doesn't feel real, if that makes sense. It's just too much, and the character's 'triumphant arch' just feels absolutely unearned. Cara is a thinly veiled reference to Kristin Stewart (even referencing one of her later outfit of 'formal shorts'), and T. Swift, but lacked the impact of their stardom or public personas (also, I'm 78% sure Cara is a also a wink to Supergirl). There was what I'm assuming is a Jodie Foster reference in the nameless two time Oscar winner, but even in that, the focus is on her partner, with little to no understanding of the fear of coming out as a public person, be it Cara or xxxxxxxxxxx. In fact, the only time anyone remotely says or does anything to challenge Ali is when her best friend calls her out in the third act, and even that's resolved with no real drama or weight.
While I understood why one would choose to set this in 2005, the point is labored, and, if we're honest, the conditions haven't changed enough to make it seem like a far away and long ago time (other than the blogosphere) and feel the impact and the ending would've been a little more relevant if it was sent in current day where Pedro Pascal, Paul Mescal, and Bad Bunny have all been painted with the Cary Grant 'Batchelor' brush. If anything, I think the stakes are higher now, as we lurch heavily back to the right, with rights being rolled back (or threatening to be rolled back) on the regular.
Choices had to be made and they weren't really made. Ali had literally every bad thing in life happen to her, and while that's possible, it doesn't feel real, if that makes sense. It's just too much, and the character's 'triumphant arch' just feels absolutely unearned. Cara is a thinly veiled reference to Kristin Stewart (even referencing one of her later outfit of 'formal shorts'), and T. Swift, but lacked the impact of their stardom or public personas (also, I'm 78% sure Cara is a also a wink to Supergirl). There was what I'm assuming is a Jodie Foster reference in the nameless two time Oscar winner, but even in that, the focus is on her partner, with little to no understanding of the fear of coming out as a public person, be it Cara or xxxxxxxxxxx. In fact, the only time anyone remotely says or does anything to challenge Ali is when her best friend calls her out in the third act, and even that's resolved with no real drama or weight.
While I understood why one would choose to set this in 2005, the point is labored, and, if we're honest, the conditions haven't changed enough to make it seem like a far away and long ago time (other than the blogosphere) and feel the impact and the ending would've been a little more relevant if it was sent in current day where Pedro Pascal, Paul Mescal, and Bad Bunny have all been painted with the Cary Grant 'Batchelor' brush. If anything, I think the stakes are higher now, as we lurch heavily back to the right, with rights being rolled back (or threatening to be rolled back) on the regular.
April 22, 2025
Cover Story is a thoughtful, at times moving novel about grief, fame, and complicated love—but it wasn’t quite the book for me. The story centres around Ali, a recently widowed publicist navigating the murky waters of mental health and unexpected romance with rising actress Cara, set against the backdrop of mid-2000s Hollywood. While the premise was compelling, and Celia Laskey certainly has a knack for crafting layered, dimensional characters, I found myself struggling to stay invested in the narrative.
The book is heavily focused on Ali’s emotional journey, and while that can be powerful, her self-absorption and lack of awareness of other people’s feelings made her a tough protagonist to root for. The romance with Cara is very much a slow burn, with most of the relationship developing in the second half, and I wish there had been more chemistry shown on page to make their connection feel earned. There were moments of joy and genuine tenderness—especially with scene-stealer Glen the dog—but the story often lingered too long in overly detailed scenes, particularly in conversations with side characters, which made the pacing feel uneven.
Honestly, this took me quite a while to finish, and if it hadn’t been an ARC, I might not have pushed through. That said, I do think Laskey is a talented writer with a strong voice, and fans of introspective literary fiction or slow, emotionally layered romances may find more to love here than I did. I just wanted a bit more spark—and a bit less telling—for the story to really shine.
Many thanks to Netgalley and Grand Central Publishing for a copy of this novel. ARC provided in exchange for an honest review.
The book is heavily focused on Ali’s emotional journey, and while that can be powerful, her self-absorption and lack of awareness of other people’s feelings made her a tough protagonist to root for. The romance with Cara is very much a slow burn, with most of the relationship developing in the second half, and I wish there had been more chemistry shown on page to make their connection feel earned. There were moments of joy and genuine tenderness—especially with scene-stealer Glen the dog—but the story often lingered too long in overly detailed scenes, particularly in conversations with side characters, which made the pacing feel uneven.
Honestly, this took me quite a while to finish, and if it hadn’t been an ARC, I might not have pushed through. That said, I do think Laskey is a talented writer with a strong voice, and fans of introspective literary fiction or slow, emotionally layered romances may find more to love here than I did. I just wanted a bit more spark—and a bit less telling—for the story to really shine.
Many thanks to Netgalley and Grand Central Publishing for a copy of this novel. ARC provided in exchange for an honest review.
April 11, 2025
Set in 2005, Ali, a woman in her mid-thirties, is grieving the death of her partner and dealing with mental health issues. As a publicist, she has experience of keeping Hollywood stars in the closet to protect their careers even though she doesn’t like it. Enter Cara, an up-and-coming actress who needs help keeping her sexuality covered up. Sounds simple, but what happens when she develops feelings for her client?
It was a blast from the past that gave me a few laughs, but a good chunk of the book was about heavy topics. Death of a loved one, grief, trauma, and mental health disorders. I recommend readers to look at the trigger warnings before diving in. As for the writing, I would’ve preferred some more dialogue and not so much narration. The amount of narration tempted me to skim through it, but I pushed through it because it was well written. Ali’s fear of falling in love again was understandable, but I was glad she still wanted that for herself. Overall, I thought the book was sweet and heartfelt, and I recommend giving it a read.
I’d like to thank NetGalley and Grand Central Publishing for providing me with a free arc in exchange for an honest review.
April 10, 2025
*3.5
Who wrote the second half of this because I’m upset…
The writing got so poor and it was peak millennial cringe when she was describing a rainbow blazer dress. Not a fan.
Ali’s hypocrisy about the coming out thing was also ridiculous. I was initially so excited about this book but the second half ruined it for me.
Also the smut was not written well.
Who wrote the second half of this because I’m upset…
The writing got so poor and it was peak millennial cringe when she was describing a rainbow blazer dress. Not a fan.
Ali’s hypocrisy about the coming out thing was also ridiculous. I was initially so excited about this book but the second half ruined it for me.
Also the smut was not written well.
April 11, 2025
DNF. The book is not well written with holes. Could not even finish.
June 16, 2025
I really, really enjoyed this Sapphic romance set in the early 2000s between a rising star actress advised to stay in the closet and her publicist who suffers from anxiety, migraines, ovarian cysts and IBS not to mention grief over the loss of her long time partner. Emotional and a perfect read for Pride Month, the author did an excellent job bringing to life early 2000s Hollywood where few celebrities felt safe to be out for risk of damaging their careers. Good on audio and perfect for fans of books like I kissed a girl, Rachel Lacey's Cover story or Amy Spalding's Out in Hollywood series. Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an early digital copy in exchange for my honest review!
August 29, 2025
a fun sapphic romance. this was a solid read. Not a stand out to me, but it was entertaining!
March 18, 2025
Thank you NetGalley for providing me with this book in exchange for an honest review.
I'm honestly getting tired of the "Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo" books, and so I went into this one expecting yet another mediocre knock-off, but what I found was a very sweet and uniquely alternative take on the gay celebrity romance genre that honestly left me in tears. It's amazing to see how far we've come in LGBTQ+ rights in the past decade alone, so it was fascinating (and a little scary considering it was not that long ago) reading about the experience of being a closeted celebrity in the 2000s. This novel was fantastic in exploring grief, internalized homophobia, sexual trauma and abuse, fraught parental relationships, mental health and chronic illness, and even lesser represented issues of friendship (feeling resentment towards your friends having kids). I felt like Ali and Cara were such strongly written characters, and the side characters also brought a lot to the story as well!
I also thought Cara's coming out was excellently handled. Recently I've been reading some romance novels where characters are essentially forced to come out by their partners, but I felt like Cara's coming out felt natural, without any pressure from Ali. She is introduced as a character wanting to live authentically, becomes distracted from that goal when her fame skyrockets, and returns to her original ideals after realizing her life in the spotlight isn't worth losing out on a great relationship. Coming out is such a nuanced issue, and having personally dealt with dating closeted partners before, I greatly empathize with Ali's struggle dating Cara and believe it's one of the most realistic depictions of internalized homophobia I've seen in a while.
My only gripes were that, one, I wish the age different were a little less drastic. 25 and 35 isn't "wrong," per se, but as a 26-year-old, I have no interest in dating someone in their mid-30s. However, seeing Ali and Cara's relationship play out, this stopped being an issue for me shortly in. Also, I do feel at times this book is very info-dumpy, especially near the beginning of the novel. All I can hear in my head are my creative writing professors yelling "show, don't tell!" and while I initially was perturbed at this novel for breaking that rule, I quickly let go of that criticism as well, as we all have different writing styles, and I think Laskey employed this writing method in a way that served the story well, especially since Ali is a character haunted by the ghosts of her past.
I will happily be purchasing this when it hits the shelves in a few days, and I would thoroughly recommend this novel to others as well!
I'm honestly getting tired of the "Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo" books, and so I went into this one expecting yet another mediocre knock-off, but what I found was a very sweet and uniquely alternative take on the gay celebrity romance genre that honestly left me in tears. It's amazing to see how far we've come in LGBTQ+ rights in the past decade alone, so it was fascinating (and a little scary considering it was not that long ago) reading about the experience of being a closeted celebrity in the 2000s. This novel was fantastic in exploring grief, internalized homophobia, sexual trauma and abuse, fraught parental relationships, mental health and chronic illness, and even lesser represented issues of friendship (feeling resentment towards your friends having kids). I felt like Ali and Cara were such strongly written characters, and the side characters also brought a lot to the story as well!
I also thought Cara's coming out was excellently handled. Recently I've been reading some romance novels where characters are essentially forced to come out by their partners, but I felt like Cara's coming out felt natural, without any pressure from Ali. She is introduced as a character wanting to live authentically, becomes distracted from that goal when her fame skyrockets, and returns to her original ideals after realizing her life in the spotlight isn't worth losing out on a great relationship. Coming out is such a nuanced issue, and having personally dealt with dating closeted partners before, I greatly empathize with Ali's struggle dating Cara and believe it's one of the most realistic depictions of internalized homophobia I've seen in a while.
My only gripes were that, one, I wish the age different were a little less drastic. 25 and 35 isn't "wrong," per se, but as a 26-year-old, I have no interest in dating someone in their mid-30s. However, seeing Ali and Cara's relationship play out, this stopped being an issue for me shortly in. Also, I do feel at times this book is very info-dumpy, especially near the beginning of the novel. All I can hear in my head are my creative writing professors yelling "show, don't tell!" and while I initially was perturbed at this novel for breaking that rule, I quickly let go of that criticism as well, as we all have different writing styles, and I think Laskey employed this writing method in a way that served the story well, especially since Ali is a character haunted by the ghosts of her past.
I will happily be purchasing this when it hits the shelves in a few days, and I would thoroughly recommend this novel to others as well!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
August 5, 2025
The concept was there but the execution was not…
November 26, 2024
This story follows Ali, a grieving, neurotic widow as she falls for an up-and-coming actress navigating the mid-00s and what being gay in Hollywood could mean for a career.
Overall, I think there were some portions that were too TMI in a way that took away from finding chemistry between the characters. I think overall, Glen the dog was my favorite character. I think it's unnecessarily long in portions, the dialogue suffers from trying to be a period piece, and it's hard to see the chemistry between the two leads. Cara is first described as the embodiment of Gross Dude- greasy hair, pimples oozing, etc. And it's just hard to buy into the romance portion of it all.
Some sections were very long and a bit too much detail. It often has more telling than showing, which is a little frustrating. This is not to negate the style. I do believe the author is a good writer, I think it could use a bit more editing.
Overall, I think there were some portions that were too TMI in a way that took away from finding chemistry between the characters. I think overall, Glen the dog was my favorite character. I think it's unnecessarily long in portions, the dialogue suffers from trying to be a period piece, and it's hard to see the chemistry between the two leads. Cara is first described as the embodiment of Gross Dude- greasy hair, pimples oozing, etc. And it's just hard to buy into the romance portion of it all.
Some sections were very long and a bit too much detail. It often has more telling than showing, which is a little frustrating. This is not to negate the style. I do believe the author is a good writer, I think it could use a bit more editing.
June 17, 2025
dios mío pensé que iba a ser a silly Little Lesbian romcom con smut pero tiene las peores y más cringeosas escenas de sexo lésbico que he leído AJAJa como porque hay una analogía a patinadores y una a tocar la guitarra ??? ahora, Ali neta es horrible personaje, desde el inicio me dio la vibra de que es la morra treinteañera que en el presente se enojaría de que Taylor Swift no ha salido del closet (y lo hace el problema de todos) porque se lo debe, según ella. me dieron ganas de mentarle la madre cuando se enojaba con sus amigas y con cara.
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