3.0 (1 rating)

The Seat Filler A Novel

The movie star and the dog groomer are one kiss away from the perfect love story. That's the hiccup in a warm and witty romance by the bestselling author of Roommaid.

The meet-cute award goes to dog groomer Juliet Nolan. It's one of Hollywood's biggest nights when she volunteers as a seat filler and winds up next to movie heartthrob Noah freaking Douglas. Tongue tied and toes curling in her pink Converse, she pretends that she doesn't have a clue who he is. It's the only way to keep from swooning.

She's pretty and unpretentious, loves his dog, and is not a worshipping fan. No way Noah's giving up on her, even if his affectionate pursuit comes with a bump: Juliet has a pathological fear of kissing and the disappointments that follow. What odds does romance have without that momentous, stupendous, once-in-a-lifetime first smooch? Patient, empathetic, and carrying personal burdens of his own, Noah suggests a remedy: they rehearse.

The lessons begin. The guards come down. But there's another hitch they weren't betting on. As for that cue-the-orchestra-and-roll-credits happy ending? It might take more than practice to make it perfect.

Published: April 15, 2021

Pages: 320

ISBN: 9781542025713

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Reader Reviews

3.0

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Read Letter D.

Feb 8, 2026

**So, here's the thing, BEFORE I read the acknowledgements (I did not make the Adam Driver connection on my own, as beyond Star Wars I don't really follow him./his career so I was able to enjoy the character without this semi-creepy connection), this was a solid 4, but after... well it was a kinda cringey 2 , but I'll average it out and sit with a 3 **

3 stars
(review before the acknowledgement revelation)
I am a big fan of this author so it was no surprise that I enjoyed this book. I love the interesting jobs of her characters - this leading lady is a mobile dog groomer - and a night out as a seat filler puts her next to her celebrity crush. How cute.

I appreciated that this was not really your typical celebrity romance - Juliet was weary of the idea of dating Noah because of his celebrity and we got to see how that played out in his interactions with fans and at events.

I always a love a "we're just friends, and it's going to stay that way!" arc for a romance and this one worked really nicely. Of course, add in a lot of kissing (as Noah helps her get over her kissing phobia) and that 'friends' line all but dissolves, in a cute way. I think we all want to imagine our favorite stars as also great guys (looking at you Leo and your totally EWW dating habits) so this was a nice fantasy to live in for a bit.

I kind of wish we'd had some of Noah's pov as the big 'issue' of his trust felt like a bit of a pop-in toward the end. Yes we saw some of his insecurity, but it still felt like an overreaction when Juliet finally told the truth about their meeting.