Y'allywood Billionaire by Terra Weiss Review

 

* This review is spoiler-free *

4.75/5 ⭐

Tropes

➮ Enemies to lovers

➮ Coworkers to lovers

➮ Fake dating

➮ Forced proximity

Synopsis

Maddox and Riley are co-stars in a popular TV crime series Urban Dawn. On the screen they are a steamy duo, off the screen they don't even talk. That was until an awkward encounter at a nude beach leaves them reeling. As they begin a fake relationship for ratings, they have to deal with getting to know the real versions of each other.

Best Quote From the Book

“I want to try. Whatever it is, I want to make it work. I'm into this Riley. This feels different for me."

My Thoughts

Maddox and Riley feel like a pairing where it makes sense that they ended up being forced together. They have a lot of loved ones in common and their characters have a lot of chemistry. 

Who would've thought toilet paper gowns would be something to bond over? This concept really summarizes the type of humor this book has. They end up in wacky situations and have to do their best to figure it out in some rather wild ways. The humor in this book reminds me of A Love Catastrophe in that it involves a lot of comedic and clumsy chaos. 

This book also has a deep-running family and found family storyline. Particularly with the loss of Riley's grandmother. These relationships help push the story forward and give the characters purpose beyond their roles in Urban Dawn. 

I really like the pacing of this book. The various plot points are perfectly placed. It keeps things exciting but is still easy to follow. As a first read of 2024, I am quite happy with it. The cast of characters is so genuinely funny and engaging. For a group of rich people, they are quite down-to-earth and not snobby. I'd be happy to read other books that follow other members of this group. 

For once a book where people set boundaries and defend them. It was such a refreshing inclusion. When Riley and Maddox establish their fake relationship, they clearly state what they are and are not okay with. After establishing the ground rules, they stick to them and enforce them. I'd appreciate seeing more of this from the fake dating trope. 

This book provides a nice representation of the positive benefits of therapy. Riley genuinely benefits from it and it isn't blown out of the water that she sought help for her mental health. 

My one complaint about this book is the inclusion of the pandemic. Honestly, it is just too soon for me to enjoy reading about characters suffering from the ramifications of the pandemic. It felt a bit too, currently accurate to keep it a nice reading experience for that portion of the book. 

The plot twist at the end (which I will not say too much about) is very perfect for Riley's character. It spreads an important social message and is an important reminder that our actions and decisions do impact others.

This book does have a few spicy scenes so keep that in mind. They can be skipped but are embedded in chapters. 

As a note, I did get the chance to read this book as an ARC. This review is entirely voluntary. I really enjoyed this reading experience. With a fun cast of characters, positive mental health representation, excellent pacing, and lots of funny moments, I am happy to recommend this book.