Hannah Brooks looks more like a kindergarten teacher than somebody who could kill you with a wine bottle opener. Or a ballpoint pen. Or a dinner napkin. But the truth is, she’s an Executive Protection Agent (aka “bodyguard”), and she just got hired to protect superstar actor Jack Stapleton from his middle-aged, corgi-breeding stalker.
4/5 stars – I picked up The Bodyguard because of the casting for the upcoming Netflix movie, and I have to admit that added to my enjoyment. I could totally picture Leighton Meester and Jared Padalecki as Hannah and Jack the entire time. This was such an easy, entertaining read that I ended up finishing it in one sitting. The premise is fun, the banter is genuinely funny, and the humor was easily my favorite part. I loved the goofy situations they found themselves in, and if anything, I wish the book had leaned into that even more.
The story isn’t particularly surprising and can be pretty predictable, but that didn’t take away from the experience. The pacing jumped forward at times without showing us what happened between the characters, but I still believed the progression of Hannah and Jack’s relationship. I also appreciated how they worked through their past traumas together, which gave their blossoming romance a bit more emotional depth. The ending didn’t work quite for me & dropped me from a 5 to a 4. Everything that happened at Thanksgiving with Jack’s ex felt over-the-top, and giving Wilber a highlight in the epilogue was annoying.
Overall, I had a great time reading The Bodyguard, and I’m excited to see what the movie keeps and changes.