SET PIECE

A Hollywood heartthrob reunites with the bartender he shared a one-night stand with five years earlier.

Jack Felgate is an actor whose career is on a meteoric trajectory. When a night out with friends is ruined by passionate fans, his rescue comes in the form of a quick-thinking bartender. A couple of drinks in a closed bar lead to a memorable night for the two of them. A lot has changed for Cara “CJ” Ericson in the five years since her tryst with Jack: She’s a single mother and, no longer a bartender, she’s working in production design. Things have changed for Jack, too: His celebrity status has been cemented and he’s been tapped to star in a highly anticipated adaptation of The Great Gatsby—where CJ is the production designer. When they meet on set, Jack immediately recognizes CJ, much to her surprise. She’s worried that their history will create problems for her on the set of her first big project, and she’s combative toward Jack. Over six months of filming, though, the two of them begin to feel the familiar attraction they once shared, and they both imagine what might have been beyond a fantastic night in Jack’s hotel room. Covering such a long time span in such a short novel is a tall order, and the pacing occasionally feels off-kilter. Falling in love comes rather easily for CJ and Jack, as they observe each other in their elements in front of and behind the camera. Whatever obstacles stand in the way of their romance are quickly dealt with or handwaved. Now in their mid-30s, they both know who they are and what fulfills them professionally and personally, and it’s exciting to see two characters who are secure in their adulthood, but the brevity of the novel doesn’t provide enough space to dig into CJ and Jack’s backstories and character quirks.

A snappy appetizer of a romance that’s fun, but fleeting.