The Bodyguard, by Katherine Center

After my last few reads, I was ready for a palate cleanser. I kept seeing The Bodyguard, by Katherine Center all over BookTok so I decided it was time to dive in. I had a full day of house cleaning post Christmas festivities, so I listened to this one on Audible.

Hannah is a bodyguard and recently hired to protect superstar Jack Stapleton from his stalker while he visits his family on their ranch. Jack doesn’t want his family to know he’s in danger, so he pretends Hannah is his girlfriend. Like any predictable Hallmark movie, boy and girl fall for each other, but things get really complicated.

I have to admit that I didn’t get the hype surrounding this one. Don’t get me wrong. It was a sugary sweet, lighthearted, entertaining read. But it fell just a bit short for my personal taste. I almost wish I went into this one knowing absolutely nothing and never hearing or reading a review because I think my expectations were way too unrealistic for this one to measure up.

So many cliches throughout the story that had me rolling my eyes at this and that. I loved Hannah and Jack and all of Jack’s family, but the team of agents working with Hannah were cringe. Fake dating tropes are usually a hit for me so it goes without saying that I loved that element. A very unrealistic story, but truthfully I don’t think I would’ve enjoyed it as much if it were really plausible. I love abandoning disbelief, especially in a rom com.

My very personal opinion is that I think this book has been overhyped. While I enjoyed the story as a whole, I felt like it was just as entertaining as any other run of the mill rom com I’ve read. Lots of fun and really cute…nothing out of the ordinary. If you need an escape from reality, I think you’ll enjoy this one, too.

3.6 out of 5 stars