I really wanted to like this one but found it a bit difficult to follow and get into. DNF at 10%. It's a shame as where it's been likened to Daisy Jones I thought it would be a no brainer.

A-list actress Whitman ("Win") Tagore and playboy Leo Milanowski are a hot famous power couple. She’s a British Indian superstar in Hollywood. He is an heir with good looks. They are a made for each other couple acc to the public. But their relationship is fake. the perfect kind of summery read. I am a Taylor Jenkins Reid fan and I think those who enjoy Reid might enjoy this glitzy romance story with bad press, potholes, drama, feelings over fake relationships too.

This was an enjoyable read and a fun take on the fake dating trope.
It feels very now and you can actually imagine these two 'celebrities' engaging in such a deal to pretend to be a couple.
It definitely reminded me of Taylor Swift and Tom Hiddleston, in his 'I Heart T.S.' shirt, for some reason.
I liked how their love for one another bloomed and it was just a bit different to other rom coms and romances that I've read recently, which was nice.
It also gave me a lot of escapist vibes, which would make it a great beach or holiday read.
If I could have asked for anything more, it would have been more on Win's relationship with the media. And maybe just a little bit more from the romance.
But I would definitely be up for reading more from this author in the future, based on this.
Thank you to Netgalley for providing me with an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

A Hollywood messy romance will always be high on my “to read” list! The View Was Exhausting didn’t disappoint.
We’re following Wit and Leo who fake their romance in order to boost their careers. It works for both of them… until it doesn’t. It’s a story of friendship, love, career, bad choices and ultimately landing where you’re meant to be. Very enjoyable.

As someone who struggles to recognise most Hollywood celebrities and is the wrong side of forty I wasn’t expecting this debut novel, centred on a fake romance between a movie star and the playboy son of a millionaire, to hold much appeal. As it turned out this wasn’t the case as the prose is so on point it sparkles, the dialogue is as slick as can be and the chemistry between the two leads leaps off the page. In addition to this, the story also offers a probing exploration of privilege and the pressure to be perfect - especially for women of colour - in Hollywood. Amongst all these positives however, one thing prevented me rating the book higher and that is the languid pace and the fact that the story, as unexpectedly poignant and perceptive at it turned out to be, isn’t hugely eventful. To be honest if the book has wrapped up at about thirty percent of the way through I would have come away satisfied and I felt it needed more content to justify the length, especially given the pace is more literary than that of an average beach read.

The novel opens in Saint-Tropez with British Indian actress Whitman “Win” Tagore trying to escape the limelight after an ex-boyfriend’s scathing remarks about her control issues. Teetering on the brink of becoming a talent who can demand exactly what roles she likes, keeping a tight rein on how she is perceived in the public conscience is crucial. The arrival of Leo Milanowski, a former model and heir to the family hotel chain, is the man to help turn things around and garner Win the positive publicity that keeps her career on track by way of their on/off fake romance. The pair are old friends and long-time allies with a flashback revealing how Leo first came to Win’s aid seven years earlier when their mutually beneficial fake romance began. Throughout all of this, Win, her team and even Leo have one eye on her career the entire time. But what happens when a romance that started as faked for the media feels like it’s tipping over into the real thing, especially when the couple in question have spent some many years pretending in order to control the narrative?

At times I did feel like Win was a bit of a cold fish and so focused on her career to the exclusion of all else that I found myself questioning how much she cared about, not just Leo, but also her lifelong best friend. The authors did an excellent job of portraying Leo’s inability to recognise that Win needed an audience and would only alienate directors if she explicitly spoke out about her experience of racism in the movie industry. Whilst the eventual outcome of the fake romance probably won’t be a big surprise to many readers, for the quality of the writing alone I would recommend this book. Definitely worth a read but at times it did feel like things were a bit drawn out.

The View Was Exhausting is the Hollywood book you've been waiting for. An all consuming read that shines a light on Hollywood, the lives of those in it and how what we see in front of the cameras isn't even one tiny page of the real story that goes on behind them.

This book was recommended to me after I read and adored Robinne Lee's The Idea of You so I came to it with high expectations. Sadly this book was very different and I was rather disappointed. Although it covers some hugely important issues I found it to be a light read with little emotional depth and I had no connection to or belief in the characters.
Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read and review this digital ARC.

This story follows actress Win and playboy Leo who have a complicated on/off relationship which has been manufactured to create an illusion. It is glamorous, with a jetset feel with the many locations you would expect with these characters. A fake relationship constructed to protect Win's image, but morphing into a romance you will root for.

If you love celebrity gossip and scandals, you will love this.

Overall a really enjoyable read! The dating-for-publicity, especially after a public break up, and a lot of Win's personality and how the media treated her reminded me of Taylor Swift (and Tom Hiddle... Loki). I would have liked if the novel went more in on Win vs the media, with a mixed media format of the coverage she has had (as per the epilogue). I think this would have made the transitions to the previous "on again" scenes with Win and Leo - these are few and far between so if you are expecting chapters detailing all their trysts and fake dates this does not really explore them....and when the book does go to their past it is in the middle of a current chapter and a 'remember when...' flashback rather than bringing us there. This is a problem I have with friends to lovers and long relationship stories, we are rarely showed the DECADE leading up to the current day...so while the chemistry between our two main characters was there, I wanted more. I wanted inside both of their heads more. It just fell a bit flat in that aspect due to my expectation after the first chapter.

Overall a really enjoyable read! The dating-for-publicity, especially after a public break up, and a lot of Win's personality and how the media treated her reminded me of Taylor Swift (and Tom Hiddle... Loki). I would have liked if the novel went more in on Win vs the media, with a mixed media format of the coverage she has had (as per the epilogue). I think this would have made the transitions to the previous "on again" scenes with Win and Leo - these are few and far between so if you are expecting chapters detailing all their trysts and fake dates this does not really explore them....and when the book does go to their past it is in the middle of a current chapter and a 'remember when...' flashback rather than bringing us there. This is a problem I have with friends to lovers and long relationship stories, we are rarely showed the DECADE leading up to the current day...so while the chemistry between our two main characters was there, I wanted more. I wanted inside both of their heads more. It just fell a bit flat in that aspect due to my expectation after the first chapter.

Regardless, this is a very quick read and very enjoyable....

This book is the PERFECT Covid read, whisking you away to the most luxiurious of destinations whilst you sit on the sofa. The details are incredible, the stakes high, and a sexy couple to root for - could not recommend this enough for your next summer read.

Any Publicity Is Good Publicity…?
Any publicity is good publicity? A power couple using the media for their own ends, glamour, beauty and stunning backdrops - it’s all here. A romance, intense and messy. A glossy world. Stylishly written, punchy narratives, credible characters and with much insight. A critique of modern times.

Whitman Tagore and Leo Milanowski are the Hollywood couple everyone loves to follow. Over the years their love story has been something to aspire to. However the movies is all smoke and mirrors so why would high profile relationships be any different.

I had seen this book around but as soon as I saw comparisons to Taylor Jenkins Reid and a recommendation from the author herself I was sold. I'm a sucker for celebrity romances so I was intrigued to read a story from 'behind the scenes' Whitman (Win) and Leo's relationship is engineered right from the start and is mutually beneficial. Win is the actress desperate not to be pigeonholed and Leo is the man about town trying to maintain the family name. I was the proverbial fly on the wall as I got to know the real Win and Leo over the years and although I could see what was coming I took pleasure on how they got there along the way. Whilst I was reading I couldn't help but wonder which real life celebrities have done some of these things if not all. There was real depth to the characters as their individual insecurities rose to the surface as the story progressed. A couple of small niggles were I didn't love Whitman as a character name, especially as there was a lot of back and forward between her full name and nickname Win. Also the ending felt a bit forced and formulaic but up until then I had really enjoyed it.

The View Was Exhausting is an excellent debut and the authors are ones to watch.

This was a fun and glitzy novel, however, I did find the main characters not entirely believable and made up. It was a good debut but not the strongest book I have read.

Win is an actress, trying her best to climb her way to the top of the Hollywood pile. Leo is a from a wealthy family, an "it boy", and their fake relationship is beneficial to both of them. Whenever Win's reputation needs a boost, she called Leo, who swoops in to provide PDAs for the press and a sympathetic ear for Win. But things are set to get complicated as Leo has a secret which will threaten their agreement.

I really enjoyed this book. A story about the love lives of the rich and famous is always fun but this had more depth than that. Win's struggles to always control her narrative, seemingly at the expense of her happiness and Leo's efforts to become his own man meant that both characters really grew over the course of the book. Win also had to balance the impact of her race and sex on the way she was perceived and it was good to see these considerations dealt with. The development of the relationship between them was convincing too and overall, the book was well written with convincing characters and great dialogue.

I love me a good love story and this one was my favorite for 2021 so far. The fake relationship turns into a new and exciting one between the two stars, each of them dealing with emotional baggage and personal hardships.

THE VIEW WAS EXHAUSTING was a highly enjoyable debut novel from Mikaella Clements & Onjuli Datta. I loved this summery book!!!!! I’ve realised that I’m a big fan of narratives where characters are famous (eg Evelyn Hugo) and this one was just as good. It was a glitzy, glamorous story that focused on Whitman ‘Win’ Tagore, a woman of colour in Hollywood and her constant wrestle with how the media perceive and portray her. Whenever scandal hits, she calls in her human PR stunt - Leo Milanowski, a playboy with a good heart and some crazy secrets.

This book is a plane ticket to exotic locations such as Saint Tropez and California, a readable, dreamy delight that sweeps you up in the fizzing, bittersweet life of fame. With discussions of racism, sexism and privilege in the shadow of the starry American dream, the story was eye-opening and believable.

The only thing I would’ve loved from this was MORE! Especially more insight into Win’s rise to stardom. It was occasionally confusing, jumping time and location in a way that wasn’t always clear. However, as a married couple, Clements and Datta made light work of a seamless storyline. Sometimes co-writers don’t always exude cohesion, but these two did excellently - I was fully gripped and didn’t find it jarring whatsoever.

A cool breeze beach martini of a read, I devoured this stylish sea-salt story & can’t wait to see what these fab writers come out with next!

Thankyou so much @headlinebooks for my gifted copy in exchange for review

Written jointly by married couple, Mikaella and Onjuli, it really doesn't read as if it were written by two people. I tried to figure out how they might have divided the writing, but just couldn't seem to see any obvious way in which the style changed or the writing split, so that's impressive to begin with!
This is a really great summer read. I was immediately drawn into Win and Leo's story, and I enjoyed the chemistry between them, and the unfolding of their story. I found myself caught up in their lives, and invested in their future. I didn't always like Win though, frequently wondering what the hell she was thinking. But then at other moments, you understand the pressures she is under, and that desperation to try to claw back some control over who the media portray her as, and you think actually you DO like her after all. I did read it thinking about who on earth would want to be famous! The story looks at the casual racism she encounters, fame and social media, family relations and grief, as well as being ripe with sexual tension.
It's really slick writing. I raced through it, and really enjoyed it. Definitely one to read on a hazy summer evening with a cocktail.

I wasn't sure this was going to be my kind of book but I found myself deeply invested in the relationship between Win and Leo. Thrown together to keep up appearances, the books traces their on and off relationship, as well as their backgrounds and events that have shaped them, to show the darker side of celebrity and the constant awareness of life through the eyes of others. A wonderful summer read - a slow start, but absolutely worth it!

Not for me. I can see the appeal - I usually love novels about the darker underside of the glamour of Hollywood, but this book was just dull. Not a lot happens and there's far more 'let's tell you about their feelings and what happened in the past' than 'lets focus on the events of the present and make it interesting for the reader.' There are some real vapid moments, which I'm sure is part of the point, it was just...boring. If you've read for nearly a third of the book and nothing of real interest or movement has happened, it's not something you're going to stick with.