THE SEAT FILLER is a standalone contemporary romance by Sariah Wilson. This will appeal to romance fans who enjoy stories in which a celebrity falls in love with a regular person. Juliet Nolan is a dog groomer who recently started supplementing her income by helping a friend of a friend and acting as a “seat filler”. As a seat filler, Juliet fills out gaps at events, so the tv camera doesn’t pan out and capture an empty look in the crowd. At one such event, Juliet winds up sitting next to the wildly successful and handsome movie star Noah Douglas. Depending on your perspective, they have the opposite of a meet-cute. Noah comes off a bit grumbly and Juliet doesn’t take his bs. Even though she obviously recognizes him, she plays it off like she doesn’t. A move that you just know will inevitably come back to bite her later. This introductory interaction is a little reminiscent of the antagonistic encounters between Mr. Darcy and Elizabeth Bennet from Jane Austen’s classic PRIDE AND PREJUDICE.

Because THE SEAT FILLER is told strictly from Juliet’s perspective, you can’t help but empathize with her more. It also reinforces the celebrity otherness of Noah. There is plenty of snarky flirting going on for the first part of the book, before Noah charms Juliet totally and they get to know each other better. Although Juliet initially tries to create some distance between her and Noah while he pursues her, friends and circumstances keep throwing them together until she stops resisting. A lot of this story is fantastical in some respects as well as being fun, and sexy brain candy, but there is a lot of emotional punch packed in the story too. You root for this couple as the story progresses, and the deep conversations and witty banter add complexity to this romance. Even though one of the two main characters is a celebrity, both characters are realistically flawed. The biggest obstacle to a HEA for these characters comes from them. Juliet and Noah each have their own baggage to work through before they can accept happiness. There is a tiny amount of romance related angst near the end of THE SEAT FILLER, but it doesn’t last long.

THE SEAT FILLER is a compelling story, and an emotionally powerful romance with complex characters. Sariah Wilson adds enough humor and sexy tidbits to balance the drama. I loved the secondary romance involving Juliet’s BFF. I don’t know if Sariah Wilson previously released the story of how they met and their early romance, but I would be interested in reading that. I look forward to reading Sariah Wilson’s next book.