I read another great book this summer. Since “Book Tok” didn’t fail me with “Before I Let Go,” I figured they wouldn’t fail me with another recommendation. After taking a deep dive into TikTok late at night, I found a few recommendations. One of which was called “Behind the Scenes” by Christina C. Jones. To me, the book is about two individuals (Logan and Pierre) who hooked up for an unexpected one-night stand and then ended up working with each other on a television show. A couple of tropes would be forbidden love and both are in their 30s. Over time, they try to stay professional but the chemistry between them is undeniable. While working on the show, they also face generational curses and old things come up while navigating their new lives.
I didn’t rush to finish this one because I wanted to digest each chapter. It took me almost three weeks to finish. So, here are my thoughts.
WARNING: If you plan on reading this book and do not like spoilers, then I suggest you stop right here. To help, overall, I would give it 5 out of 5 stars ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ I loved it and I would recommend it to anyone. Now, leave this blog and go read it. Then come back 😉
First of all, I. LOVED. IT. The book was engaging and I looked forward to each chapter. Logan hooking up with Pierre after hitting his car at 3:00 a.m. is a wild way to start the book! I could tell early on that Logan and Pierre had great chemistry! I was worried at first that it may not go anywhere besides friends since Logan is working with Pierre to get his show off the ground. Plus, Logan just broke up with her fiancé. In spite of what’s going on in their private life, I was glad that Logan and Pierre remained cool throughout the book and working on the show. At the same time, for a man to appear to be so fine in the book, Logan’s fallback game is STRONG. I think I knew early on that Pierre was my book boyfriend. I’ll tell y’all why later.
Secondly, I loved how Christina C. Jones touched on many issues without overpowering the story. The deep roots in their individual families are interesting! I’m not quite sure how realistic it is, but it is fiction after all. Logan is in a family of lawyers, while Pierre is in a family of Hollywood entertainers. Logan wanting to go into production and entertainment, with her parents’ disdain, was a bit triggering. Having expectations for children to go into a certain profession without thinking of their happiness is never okay with me. So, seeing Logan go through it with every emotion was intriguing. The heartbreaking reality of Logan building her own legacy meant the idea of damaging the relationship she had with her parents. She even said, “They had so much to say about how they’d raise me, but instead of trusting the job they’d done, they’d rather treat me like a black sheep for not doing exactly what they said.” Whew! Logan’s parents equipped her to become a lawyer in the future vs. equipping her to be a well-rounded adult. I take it as breaking a generational curse of becoming a lawyer, a profession that she wasn’t in love with. Nevertheless, I’m glad that Logan’s parents eventually listened to her when she told them about her experience working at the family firm. I’m glad that they slowly but surely warmed up to her desires. I’m glad to see that Logan had a conversation with her dad and mom separately and that her parents are going to do their best to adjust to her new life. I love how Christina touched on the adversities that women go through in a predominately male corporate work environment. Although I was frustrated that her mother suppressed those issues initially, I love that her mom talked to her about her personal experience with being at their law firm and the changes they’ve made to their company.
Sienna. Oh, Sienna. Pierre asking Sienna, his former fling, for “advice” was the worst move ever! She is a whole trigger warning, someone in his past that he doesn’t need in this new life. I’m glad Logan knocked some sense into her and him. The banter between Logan and Sienna was so entertaining to me! Logan professionally read her without getting rachet. I loved it. I had hoped that she wouldn’t get brought up again, but of course, I was wrong. I knew she was the type to get even, be petty, and remorseful. Sienna TRIED IT with this attempt to sabotage Pierre’s career before it took off. It seemed sloppy and unoriginal. So, I wasn’t wowed.
Christina C. Jones almost gave me a heart attack when I thought Logan and Pierre weren’t going to be cool. Then, Logan started dating Anthony?! He was trying way too hard for me, but I understood the position Logan was in since her cousin spoke up for her. I will admit that I thought it was funny how both Logan and Pierre made assumptions about the other’s personal relations. Logan was only dating Anthony, yet I knew something was off about that guy. He was trying way too hard to get with her. Plus, the discussion Logan had with Anthony after her argument with her dad did it for me. In the end, I’m glad that Logan broke it off with Anthony because he doesn’t seem like a malicious person. Yet, he was clearly using her in the end.
When I read that Logan and Pierre were going to work out this relationship, I leaped for joy… in my head. Logan’s thoughts on this relationship with Pierre sound relatable to me. She’s so used to taking care of other people that she never thought of her own happiness (i.e., her love life) outside of her career. So, in my point of view, she didn’t take it as a relationship until it was discussed further. Even her cousin had to tell her what it was! I didn’t think this was discussed enough for me.
I didn’t expect Logan to get pregnant. At the same time, I wasn’t surprised. Those intimate scenes between Logan and Pierre were steeeaaaaamy! Steamy honey! Like, a cold shower, catch-your-breath steamy. Christina didn’t play about these scenes! Moreover, the way Logan told this man she was pregnant was hilarious, yet genius. She’s a logical thinker since she came from a family of lawyers, so I figured she wasn’t thinking of lovey-dovey when she was going to tell him.
I don’t know how I feel about the ending though. I wish I had more on what would happen between Logan and Pierre, but I have a theory. I don’t know if Christina planned this, but the way she planned the ending was GENIUS. While Pierre talked to his relative in an interview about his show, he was told whether leaving the story in his show incomplete without a 2nd season. (Sidebar, the whole relative that he didn’t like coming to his house in the last chapter was unnecessary to me and that could’ve been left out.) Pretty much Pierre said, in so many words, that he mimicked what his father told him that he was not going to tell a character’s complete story. “‘If you’ve done your job right, that character’s story is this endearing thing, that carries on forever… Our job is to tell the story we see. Anything else has to be left to the imagination.'” Boy did she leave me with a cliffhanger of Pierre responding to Logan’s idea of her parents possibly “pushing” marriage on him! Girl, GENIUS!
Now, I wouldn’t consider this a romance novel because it wasn’t much of a “romance” to me. It was more of two people accepting the chemistry between each other. Even though it was a bit of forbidden love, no one around them treated it like it was forbidden except Logan’s father and cousin. Nevertheless, the book lived up to its title. Overall, I would give it 5 out of 5 stars ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ I loved it and I would recommend it to anyone.
Pierre is officially my book boyfriend. He’s a bit rough around the edges, calls Logan “Shorty,” thoughtful, sincere, level-headed, and loves his family… ugh! Gurl!
What did you think about it? I’d love to know!
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