Change Up by Barbara Barrett

An intriguing look at all the blood, sweat and tears (minus the blood actually) that goes into planning a renovation TV show before the filming even starts. Step aside Property Brothers, UnderWright Productions is in the house!!

What’s it About? 

Soft? His boss says he’s soft with clients? Entertainment attorney Ryan Donahue is simply more “in tune” with his clients’ needs than his resentful associates. But if he wants to make partner so he’ll be viewed as an equal amongst his medical family, he must suck up his pride and accept the assignment to represent the boss’s financial interests on a fledging TV production.

Unable to find another gig after the cancellation of her travel show, producer Ainsley Hilton uses her interior decorator sister’s apartment renovation project to cheer up a friend as the inspiration for her own show, “Change Up.” All she needs is financing. Her best bet is the head of a large entertainment law firm intent on broadening his investments. He’s not about to part with his money unless she agrees to his conditions, including the ongoing presence of his representative charged with monitoring every penny spent.

He begrudges his babysitting job. She detests his continual meddling in her decisions. Neither wants to like the other, let alone fall in love. But who can account for the heart when it finds its soul mate?

First Impressions

I gotta say, I enjoyed this book more than the first one. While we do get to connect with some of the same characters from book one, we’re also introduced to a whole slew of new characters that overall I found to be more engaging than those we’ve met before. I think a big reason I liked them was that as they all work in getting this new reno TV show produced, you can tell that they actually care about what they do. In book one it sort of felt like our characters were just trudging along trying to make things work, whereas there’s more passion and feeling to the actions of our new characters.

Not to mention, the premise of a home renovation show that also seeks to improve people’s overall well-being was significantly more enjoyable to read about than the “beauty” competition show from book 1 where the ugliest woman wins. I guess it helps when you are actually rooting for the show and our characters to succeed than to want the show from book 1 to fail or change at least have a dramatic change to the premise (which does eventually happen in the first novel). And well…it also didn’t hurt that our lead couple went for a tumble in the bedroom much earlier on in this second book compared to the first. And multiple times on top of it!

A Look Behind the Curtain

One can also appreciate how this second book takes a different approach to the whole TV show side of the plot than what was presented in book one. While both deal with securing funding and finding contestants (not to mention convincing me this entire industry sounds like an ulcer waiting to happen), book one dealt more with the actual filming of the show, whereas this one focuses more on what goes on in the pre-production stage.

I will say, I was slightly disappointed we didn’t get to see any of the actual filming, or the renovation results. We go through the selection of the people whose homes will get a change up, and we also sort of become invested in their stories. Sure, I was interested in seeing the chemistry develop between our two main characters, but I was also hoping to see the aftermath of these renovations for our lovable supplemental characters. The fact we don’t even see the start of filming left things feeling a tad unfinished from this particular reader’s point of view.

An Uneven Balance

Similar to book one, I think we see how there could be more of a fine-tuned balance between the story arcs of the romantic and TV show side of things. In book one, there was almost too much of a focus on the TV show, and the relationship between our lead characters was almost an afterthought. In Change Up, I will say this significantly improved, as the complex relationship between our leads is primarily the main focus of the story. Their work on the TV show is what brings them together, and their struggle to work as a team, as well as navigate the complexities of a physical relationship was an intriguing facet of their romance. However, there was still an unbalance to the overall story, as I was left wanting more from the TV side of things. Again, definitely an improvement form the first book, and hopefully a sign of good things to come for book 3! One thing is for absolute certain though, the fact these people can fall in love, get a TV show up and running, and deal with LA traffic all in the same day simply boggles the mind. Do they live on 3 hours of sleep or something???

*A copy of this book was provided for an honest review*

Series: UnderWright Productions, book 2. I don’t know if we’ll ever get it, but I’m desperately craving a novel featuring Ainsley’s brother, Matt, who is trying to re-adapt to life and love after being stricken to a wheelchair. One of the most magnetic characters in the series to date.

Should you read it? The shining lights in this novel were undoubtedly the characters. They were so much more likable than those from book one (not that they were terrible or anything) I was definitely rooting for them to succeed as a couple. There were still some aspects of the novel which could have been more refined. While it started strong, things could have come together more succinctly in the end, and unfortunately the renovations involving our secondary characters felt completely unfinished for me. Maybe we’ll see a conclusion in book 3!

Smut Level: Sex at the kitchen table is a first for our lovebirds. Something tells me it won’t be their last!

Get it on Amazon: Click Here. $3.99 Kindle Price. Self-Published. 237 Pages.