The Seat Filler

The Seat Filler is a 2021 contemporary romance by Sariah Wilson, set in Los Angeles.

Juliet Nolan runs her own dog-grooming business and volunteers as a seat filler at one of Hollywood's biggest award nights, keeping the empty chairs from showing on camera. She lands next to Noah Douglas, a movie heartthrob whose first impression is pure arrogance. To take him down a peg, she pretends she has no idea who he is, and the evening turns into a night of flirtatious banter.

A week later Noah calls her for emergency dog grooming and asks to see her again. Juliet refuses, for a reason she has told almost no one: attempting to kiss anyone brings on a panic attack. Noah proposes a fix — kissing lessons, taken slowly. The complication is that Noah has no patience for liars, and Juliet still has not admitted she knew exactly who he was that first night.