What happens when the reality TV show villain and the golden boy actor find themselves in a precarious situation that ends up photographed and made public? That’s the incident that kicks off this novel about Ashley and Gabriel who end up fake dating in order to darken his reputation for his upcoming role and brighten hers as she has no work coming in (especially after their moment together in the beginning). Their fake dating, public story takes twists and turns as Ashley and Gabriel discover more about themselves together than they ever had before and maybe might be falling in love all at the same time.

I was so excited by the premise of this novel but the more I read the less enthused I became. Both characters start very unlikable and it’s hard to see their redeeming qualities, save for Ashley, who by the end I did feel for, as for Gabe, he didn’t stop being, for lack of a better word, a dick, until basically the second to last chapter. They also had quite a bit of past trauma between the two of them, but it sometimes felt so out-of-the-blue as it came up in their thoughts, thrown in as if an afterthought needed for the plot. Also, there were a few parts where I felt the characters contradicted themselves but maybe that was just me. As for the writing, there were moments when I read a piece of information presented to us exactly as it had been made 15 pages prior, and felt redundant.

At the end of the day, it’s a very smutty romance featuring two people who find love when they least expect it. If you like quick, easy reads, then pick this up, but if you like something with a little more depth (despite dealing with some traumatic themes) it is probably not for you. I’d give this novel 3 stars because it delivers on its promises, but I just wished for something a little more well-written with deeper characters. For content notes regarding themes check the author's website.

The Villain Edit solidifies Sarah Brenton on my romance auto-buy list. The premise initially made me uneasy - our FMC Ashley starts off the book by trying to seduce her cousin's groom (our book two power couple)! But within two chapters I was sold. Ashley is such a dynamic, shocking, extremely addicting character, and she 100% took me by storm.

While our MMC Gabriel has his merits as well, I truly think of this book as Ashley's inner redemption arc. As the book points out, the world today has very little tolerance for females who are anything short of nice. Ashley provided a perfect example of the new age fallen woman, and in doing so challenged a series of biases I didn't even realize I had. Regardless of her relationship, she grows so much while still maintaining the humor, kindness, and integrity that makes her such a wonderful character.

World views aside, the book is also deliciously steamy. In the moments my heart wasn't feeling like it was getting ripped out of my chest, it was pounding right alongside our smitten MCs. The enemies to lovers trope was strong with this one!

Overall, this book is officially my first book hangover worthy read of the year. Fingers crossed we get more from Brenton soon!

Many thanks to NetGalley and Victory Editing for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review!

this novel was so good. The story had a great combination of sweet and spicy. I hope there will be more from these characters in the future.

This book was such a fun journey with Ashley & Gabe! After reading Sarah Brenton’s first two books I was absolutely hooked on her stories! This is no exception. The chemistry, real-life struggles, and drive to find your (true!) self is incredibly relatable. Also the open door scenes are 🔥🔥🔥. Highly recommend this (and all books by Sarah Brenton)! Already cannot wait for the next. 🫶
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️

As a result of a bit of a mixup, a so-called reality villain gal ends up in a sticky situation with Hollywood’s golden boy. For the sake of both their careers, Ashley and Gabriel begin to “date” and ensure their curated relationship shows up on social media and in the tabloids. As they take a road trip together, both characters reveal more of their personalities and lives - and everything turns out a bit differently than they both expected.

The Villain Edit is the third book in a series but works as a standalone. (I haven’t read the other two and got on just fine!)

I enjoyed the dual POVs, the direction the plot takes and the character development. I will say that the opening chapters with the setup with a bit clunky, but I’m glad I persevered. The spice was spicyyyyy, with lots of very heated moments throughout the book. If you like stories with fake dating, celebrity culture, reality TV and second chances, this book is for you.

Thanks to NetGalley and author, Sarah Brenton for an ARC in exchange for my honest review.

This was a wonderful book! Fast paced, spicy, complex characters, sweet romance, lots of drama, and some much deserved grovelling. Ash is now one of my favourite FMCs! Such a badass, so much growth and her redemption arc was everything. Gabe. Meh. More grovelling required. This book will be released on Jan 16 - definitely recommend. Thanks to @netgalley and @sarah_brenton.author for the ARC! ♥️

I was unprepared for just how wholly I would love these two, but my god, this book was utter perfection,

While the spice was spicing, my favorite thing about this book was how damn heartfelt it was despite it literally being billed as a villain story. I just…Gabe when he started to come undone and stopped trying to live up to the standards his late uncle set was SO HOT. And Ashley, who had been taken advantage of by her parents for her entire life, who had been vilified by the press thanks to the edit she received on a reality show…when she finally started showing who she REALLY is, my heart absolutely went out to her.

These two were hit and heavy, full of drama and spilled secrets and all sorts of crazy celebrity gossip. It was just utter perfection, and I can’t wait to read more by Brenton!

Wow! This book was filled with such angst carried by both characters from their childhoods. Ashley was a character I grew to understand and love and throughout the book I was just cheering for her endlessly. Gabe, as infuriating as he was in some parts, was also relatable as life gives us ultimatums without our realization and we need to sit there for a moment and think. Just think alone with our thoughts. Gabe needed that time, and he used it wisely even though it took too long to realize. I loved Ashley's character redemption, I think the book was paced perfectly, Sarah Brenton did phenomenal writing it out. I have never read her books and when I saw Netgallery and Sarah offering it "Read Now" for a few days, I did not want to miss the chance. I usually write long, thoughtful reviews on how I feel about a book, but I do not want to spoil anything until after its release date. I will definitely be picking up book 1 and 2 soon, because this book truly was incredible. Thank you Netgallery and Sarah Brenton for this ARC for an honest review! Be sure to be on the lookout for this lovely read coming out on January 16th!

Alright alright! When I read the blurb for this book I thought it sounded interesting. Bad girl everyone loves to hate, reality TV villain, seducing a groom…….sign me up! We love a good redemption arc and then top it all off with fake dating, enemies to lovers, forced proximity and one bed tropes and this book is one hell of a ride.

You know that feeling when you are at the end of your vacation and you think back to the activities you did the first couple days and it feels like soo long ago because you have done and seen so much in such a short amount of time? This book is that. About 3/4 of the way through I realized that so many things have happened to these characters and they haven’t even known each other that long!

I really enjoyed this book. I enjoyed their journey and the turns the story took and balance of story and spicy scenes. Highly recommend!

uhm hello?? this was actually so good. definitely recommend for anyone who wants a cute little romance with a bad girl/golden boy with the aspect of fame!!
★★★★/5 stars

ashley was such a good character, she was so outgoing and confident. she's what we normally see in book boyfriends but honestly, they get boring after a while because they are all the same. she was just perfect, the 'villain' of the story, yet she was the nicest character.

the only flaw in this book was gabriel. he was irritating at times but not really a bad character. ashley treated him really well even with her obvious issues, caused by her parents and he still didn't always treat her right. in the end, he grovelled so im not that mad.

thank you to sarah brenton and netgallery for early access to this amazing book in exchange for an honest review!

Enemies to lovers
Forced proximity
Fake dating

Check TW before readings. Sarah does us all a service by posting them without spoilers.

This is the 3rd book in a series. Highly recommended adding to your TBR and reading the other books first. It will have you not only in love with the Foley family and their significant others, but on the edge of your seat to see how Sarah wraps up this debut series!

The Villain Edit is filled with scandal upon scandal. Sarah took a character we all wanted to hate, and got us all to fall in love with Ashley. Honestly, impressive. I didn’t think I could have an ounce of empathy for Ashley after how she is briefly mentioned in book 1&2, being tied to a family feud, and trying to break up the marriage of Nic and Jessie (my favorite couple!)

Ashley slowly falling in love with Gabe through a deep emotional connection will have all readers along for the ride from their roadtrip to navigating their careers and the nuances of being the bad girl and the golden boy of Hollywood.

Sarah’s characters are multidimensional and experience beautiful growth throughout her stories. Her future works will be must reads for me.

This book taught me you’re not supposed to wear black to a wedding. As a New Yorker, this is news to me!! (Sorry to anyone I’ve ever offended for wearing black to their wedding!)

Overall, standing ovation for Celia Foley. May we all strive to be the incredible matriarch she is when we grow up.

Side note: I love that both Maggie North and Alexandra Kiley are part of Sarah’s circle ands they’re sharing their works with another before us. Getting to read their debut novels alongside the end cap to the Over the Top Love Series has me excited for their future projects. Women supporting women, it makes this community that much more beautiful.

Thank you NetGalley and Sarah for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Rating: 3.5 stars

This book started a bit rough for me. From the blurb, I wasn’t expecting the female lead Ashley to be an angel, but she literally tried to ruin her cousin’s wedding by seducing the groom… That immediately put me off. However, as I kept reading, she turned out to be my favorite character. With each chapter, the author revealed more and more layers to her. She is by no means perfect, but she owns up to her mistakes and tries to be better. By the end of the book, I understood how she became the person she was at the beginning of the story and I sympathized with her. It helps that I’m also a sucker for flawed female leads, especially when they’re written well, and Ashley was.

The male lead Gabe I have mixed feelings towards. I didn’t like how he acted towards Ashley in the last half of the book. He treated her like crap and I thought she deserved better. He needed to grovel a bit more in my opinion.

As for the plot, it was super addicting and entertaining. The spice was great as well. So, all in all, I had a lot of fun with this one and would recommend if you’re looking for a rom com style book.

Ashley is the reality tv villain everyone loves to hate. But when she takes her antics one step two far and accidentally involves Hollywood's Golden Boy, Gabriel in her web, the two are forced to fake date to save face. Ashley, to rehabilitate her image, and Gabriel to put a little edge on him in advance of his upcoming, grittier role. The two begin roadtripping the country as part of a pre-planned trip of Gabriel's, with their dislike of each other hiding that deep down, Ashley has a heart of gold and Gabriel has a checkered past and rougher... proclivities.

This was the first book I've read by this author, but I love anything and everything about reality tv romances, so I had to give it a go. The first, say, half-chapter, made me a little nervous. The personality Ashley puts on is extremely unlikable and her voice is not one I gravitate to. Thankfully, we quickly learn the real Ashley and we grow to like her just as Gabriel does. Ultimately, the deeper and deeper we got into this book, the more I loved it. I ended up staying up way too late to finish it because I had to find out what happened next. I ended up really loving the book, and want to go back and read more by this author.

Thanks to the author for my eARC! All thoughts and opinions are my own.

5 stars - 8/10

I was given The Villain Edit by Sarah Brenton by NetGalley for my honest review.

I am not kidding when I say I inhaled this book. I started and finished in less than 24 hours.

The way that Ashley and Gabe’s fake relationship started out was great because they both hated the idea. It seemed to themselves as if they were both being punished even though the suspected outcomes was good for them.

The story shows that when you are made to put a show on for the rest of the world, you never know who is going to make you want to be the person you truly are and let that be seen damn the consequences.

I love the characters, even the ones who were supposed to be the “villain”. The author did a great job making not only the characters relatable but also the situations in which they characters fall into.

Quick, funny, spice read that I recommend anyone to pick up once published.

1 star

This was not it at all.
This book has the worst hero. I swear Gabriel was AWFUL and my least favorite type of heroine: "the liberated doormat" that feels like that is the only thing she brings to the table. I felt so bad for her. She made me sad.
Everyone is awful to the heroine in this book, including the supposed hero. It was awful and sad.
In the end, she deserved better friends and family and overall a better life.
I expected a fun fake dating romcom, and it was everything but fun.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publishers for the chance to read this book in exchange for an honest review.

This was a fun little book, a very entertaining read. I enjoyed the character arcs and all the drama.

I did not expect to like this as much as I did!fake dating and Hollywood?? Yes please. He’s a golden retriever good boy while she’s the “villain”. I ate this book up I liked how they show glimpses of the past to show where they came from, also the character development with how strong especially Ash is, and how she knows exactly what she wants and isn’t afraid.

It’s giving major Wattpad vibes from the get-go. I mean, the story kicks off with "I'M THE VILLAIN OF several stories, but mostly my own." Classic Wattpad material, right? 😂 And trust me, it's a rollercoaster of messiness, bringing back those 14-year-old-self feels when we thought these books were literary masterpieces. Ah, the nostalgia!

The writing? Super easy, felt like the author was spilling the tea face-to-face. But let's talk explicitness – it's turned up to eleven. After two months of YA fiction, diving into this was like whoa, too much! Younger me would've been all over it, but my older soul needs a breather. And let's talk about the cringe – most of the female MC's dialogue had me cringe so bad I had to look away…

Summary: Ashley Foley, the bad girl everyone loves to hate, on a mission after being branded a reality TV villain. Too toxic to get work, and she just witnessed her long time crush marrying the wrong woman – again. Her solution? Seduce the groom at the reception. But oops, wrong guy (Gabriel) walks in, and chaos ensues.

Ashley & Gabriel’s Relationship: Surprisingly decent. I expected more toxic vibes, but no. (questionable) Banter, chemistry, and tons of tension — almost a perfect fictional couple (if it wasn’t for gabriel being a dick towards the end). It's a fast-paced romance — the "I don't want you like that" act lasts about 20%, then they're all over each other. Also, Ashley's this proclaimed bad girl, but with Gabriel, no facades, just her being her. I assume that’s cute 🙃

Ashley: Oh my days, she cracks me up! Weird, carefree, and just plain strange. Every time she talks, I'm left with a jaw-drop. She's so morally grey, maybe even black, but oddly likable. Though, she's a bit self-centered, going on about her beauty – we get it, you're stunning. Mentioning it a gazillion times? Annoying.

”Bringing Gabriel Sinclair to the brink of seduction is exhausting, but I'm going to break him if it's the last thing I do.”

Gabriel: Golden boy star actor with an public image of perfection, but it's all a facade or something? I'm not even sure I understood his deal – like he wants to be a bad boy, but he's just nice and can't accept it? Confused? Whatever, anyway to me, he was pretty awful, and disrespectful. Didn’t like him.

“I'm stuck with a woman who would happily ruin me because she dislikes me. And I need her.“

Overall, a mess, a quite hilarious one though. Nostalgia hit hard too. Not my thing, but I bet younger people and Wattpad book enjoyers would dig it. I'm still like, "What did I just read?" Anyway this is a quick read, spice, fake dating, celebrity romance – if that's your jam, go for it.

Note: It's the third book in the "Over the Top Love" series, but it worked well as a standalone. You might miss some background on Ashley, but nothing crucial.

"Thank you NetGalley, Victory Editing, and the author for sending me a copy of this e-arc. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own."

I really enjoyed this, it's rare to see a heroine be an openly bad person (although as we were in Ashley's head, it's a little easier to see that she was also very much a product of her environment and nowhere near as bad as she tells herself she is). The chemistry between Ashley and Gabe was so strong and instantaneous that I'm glad they didn't give into it straight away as it was important to see them connecting on other levels too.

I'm about to go and read the other books in this series, this was great!

4.5 stars rounded up. This was easily my favorite book of the series and followed the trend of the series getting stronger as it went along.

Ashley Foley is the reality TV villain everyone loves to hate. Gabriel Sinclair is the Golden Boy of Hollywood who can do no wrong. When one of Ashley’s schemes goes wrong, the two find themselves in a fake dating situation to hopefully influence their respective careers in the direction they need to go. Before too long though, feigned affection turns into something very real.

I was genuinely concerned I wasn’t going to find a way to like Ashley. She had only been briefly mentioned in the previous two books, never in a positive light, and the beginning of this book made her seem incredibly vapid and selfish. However, it quickly became clear that her entire persona had been created as a defense mechanism. Her true character was revealed and she slowly let her guard down. She found a way to allow herself to be vulnerable and care for others and allow them to care for her in return. She found the strength to stand up for herself against the people who didn’t have her best interests at heart. She was brave in eventually sharing her authentic, flawed self as she decided what she wanted her life to look like. Her character growth arc was so well done, and by the end of the book she’d become my favorite character of the series.

Gabriel had his own faults and insecurities on the complete opposite end of the spectrum from Ashley. He was terrified to step a toe out of line and risk tarnishing the legacy and memory of the uncle who rescued him from a horrible home life. His misguided fears about Ashley damaging his reputation held him back from fully allowing her in, and as the book went on he firmly shifted into his own villain territory in his treatment of her. There was a point where I was unsure he could redeem himself, but in the end, he came around in a way that restored my faith in him.

This book was raw and real with heat and emotion between flawed but genuine characters. It was hands down the best of the series for me.

Thank you to NetGalley and Sarah Brenton for the eARC in exchange for an honest review.