I’m going to be honest and say I haven’t read the first two books in the Over The Top Love series, but this does make me the ideal person to say that The Villain Edit can definitely be read as a stand-alone.

But you won’t. Because if you’re anything like me you’ll immediately download books one and two to read after…

I loved this book.

I’d seen people I follow on Instagram talk about it towards the end of the year so when I was able to get an ARC copy I jumped at the chance.

The world of “reality” tv and all the behind the scenes drama, combined with the state of dating when famous in such a social media heavy world are handled so well in this book.

Our FMC Ashley is unquestionably a villain at the start of the story, but social media and an equally as villainous press magnify this tenfold. Her journey, her growth, the relapses and her honesty make her a very engaging character from the start. She views herself as the world portrays her and that is what really made me feel for her, even when she was at her worst.

The MMC is out golden boy Gabriel. His journey is equally as engaging. Watching as he breaks out of his shell, learns to stand up for himself, makes some silly but very human decisions and discovers who he really is reads so well alongside Ashley’s story. They have strong chemistry and the spice *really* reflects that!!

With fun side characters (who maybe I’d recognise if I’d read books 1&2 but this doesn’t distract). This book was a 5⭐️ read for me, it hits the ground running from page one and I read it all in one afternoon.

Thank you to Sarah Brenton and NetGalley for gifting me this ARC in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

Book Description from Authors Website

The Villain Edit

Ashley Foley is the bad girl everyone loves to hate—a role she embraced long before a series of betrayals branded her as one of reality TV’s all-time greatest villains. But now she’s too toxic to get work and worse, she just watched the man she loves walk down the aisle with the wrong woman—again.

 

What’s a bad girl to do?

 

Seduce the groom at the reception, of course.

 

But when the wrong man walks into the room, her plans blow up in her face.

 

Hollywood Golden Boy Gabriel Sinclair should have left that room the moment he sensed the trap. But getting caught with TV’s bad girl might give him the edge he needs to hold onto his gritty superhero role in the face of a fandom that sees him as too much of a do-gooder to play their beloved morally-gray superhero. And Ashley’s reputation could use his shine.

 

But fake dating means bringing Ashley on his cross-country road trip. She’s a temptation he can’t afford, especially once he realizes she might not be that bad after all. Because Gabriel Sinclair isn’t the good boy he’s been pretending to be.

 

THE VILLAIN EDIT is the third and final book in the Over the Top Love series and can be read as a standalone. This fake dating, road trip, celebrity romance features a starchy hero who isn’t what he seems and an unlikable heroine on a reluctant path to redemption finding their Happily Ever After. It also contains explicit sex scenes and strong language.