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meganlouise815's review
2.0
I only picked this up last night because I was slightly stoned and wanted something light and girly to read. This was that but I didn't enjoy it, hence the 2 stars. It basically read like one of those beauty guru/zoella fanfictions you find on Wattpad. Lacey, the main character, was fine. Kinda dull, kinda stupid. Her only personality trait seemed to be that she liked make-up and that she wasnt like other girls when it came to swooning over Tyler Lance (who gets with her after like... a third of the book).
Throughout the time I was reading, I was debating between giving it 2 stars and 3 stars and told myself whilst I was nearing the end that ifLacey continued to realise that Tyler was not worth her time and that he was kind of a dick and not worth it, then I would give it 3 stars. But... alas, the last chapter saw them get back together again. Ugh. I don't know why I didn't expect that to happen - of course it was!
Anyway, this book just wasn't for me. I am in no way a girly girl, don't wear make-up and have a limited interest in clothes. Really should have expected not to enjoy it when I picked it up but whatever.
Throughout the time I was reading, I was debating between giving it 2 stars and 3 stars and told myself whilst I was nearing the end that if
Anyway, this book just wasn't for me. I am in no way a girly girl, don't wear make-up and have a limited interest in clothes. Really should have expected not to enjoy it when I picked it up but whatever.
samwlabb's review
4.0
Rating: 4.5 Stars
Lacy lives for her YouTube channel and dreams of reaching that one million subscriber mark. She is one of three YouTubers selected for a summer internship at On Trend Magazine. Her job will be to rep the products from a sponsor selected by the magazine and to help with the image makeover for brooding pop star, Tyler. She wants her channel be the next big thing, but what price is she willing to pay?
I LOVE romances like this. When I was reading it, I kept getting that Jennifer E Smith vibe, and well, I adore all that is JES. So, definitely a good thing. The story was just so adorable, and I found myself suffering from endless smiles.
Lacy was a very likable MC. She was goal orientated, but very caring. She didn't want to step on others or exploit people to get what she wanted. She had a desire to earn her accolades, and I totally respected and admired that. She also probably cared too much. Lacy was often weighed down by other people's problems or opinions, and realizing this was an important part of her journey as she defined herself during this story. I liked that she was a work in progress and grew so much during this book. She had to experience those missteps to grow and change for the better, as that is part of real life.
There were quite a few characters, who contributed to this story's success for me. Tyler was complicated, but there were so many super-cute-sweet moments between these two. I think I giggled like a 13-year-old a time or two. I am just a sucker for this sort of stuff. I loved Kendall as well. She was a great mentor to Lacy, and was almost like her fairy godmother, in that she guided her, while also gifting Lacy with great opportunities. I consider both On Trend and Primetime Tonight characters as well. There was a certain energy associated with these two locals in the story, and there was usually something interesting and fun going on there. It is not surprising that the intern experiences have a certain depth and were captured so well, as Summer interned on both Fallon and Conan.
There was a lot of interesting social commentary woven in the book as well. This idea of fame and the trade-offs associated with that achievement, as well as this idea of compromising your ideals/selling your soul to attain that desired star-status. It was presented from both Lacy's and Tyler's perspectives, which were slightly different, and thus, gave me more to think about. Although there was stuff to think about, but this was by no means a heavy book. In fact, I loved the lightness of the story, as I am a big escape reader.
I am not a YouTuber, but I found all that stuff pretty interesting. I appreciated that way Summer depicted that it's a lot of work, because that is similar to blogging, and I thought she captured the way I feel when I get a comment.
The book blurb mentions The Devil Wears Prada, and I can see the comparisons, but I also feel confident comparing it to Little Black Dresses, Little White Lies. It had a similar feel, as LBDLWL was set in the fast-paced magazine world, but At First Blush was on the sweeter side, as it didn't have that cut-throat element that was in LBDLWL.
Overall: A fun, light, and totally adorable read, which put a perma-smile on my face.
**I would like to thank NetGalley and the publisher for the advanced copy of this book
BLOG|INSTAGRAM|BLOGLOVIN| FRIEND ME ON GOODREADS
Lacy lives for her YouTube channel and dreams of reaching that one million subscriber mark. She is one of three YouTubers selected for a summer internship at On Trend Magazine. Her job will be to rep the products from a sponsor selected by the magazine and to help with the image makeover for brooding pop star, Tyler. She wants her channel be the next big thing, but what price is she willing to pay?
I LOVE romances like this. When I was reading it, I kept getting that Jennifer E Smith vibe, and well, I adore all that is JES. So, definitely a good thing. The story was just so adorable, and I found myself suffering from endless smiles.
"It's sort of important to know when something's over."
"Maybe I didn't want it to end."
Lacy was a very likable MC. She was goal orientated, but very caring. She didn't want to step on others or exploit people to get what she wanted. She had a desire to earn her accolades, and I totally respected and admired that. She also probably cared too much. Lacy was often weighed down by other people's problems or opinions, and realizing this was an important part of her journey as she defined herself during this story. I liked that she was a work in progress and grew so much during this book. She had to experience those missteps to grow and change for the better, as that is part of real life.
"No. You're the good kind of unexpected. Like when you smell that awesome sunblock smell in the deal of winter, or you eat a chocolate Easter egg in the fall."
There were quite a few characters, who contributed to this story's success for me. Tyler was complicated, but there were so many super-cute-sweet moments between these two. I think I giggled like a 13-year-old a time or two. I am just a sucker for this sort of stuff. I loved Kendall as well. She was a great mentor to Lacy, and was almost like her fairy godmother, in that she guided her, while also gifting Lacy with great opportunities. I consider both On Trend and Primetime Tonight characters as well. There was a certain energy associated with these two locals in the story, and there was usually something interesting and fun going on there. It is not surprising that the intern experiences have a certain depth and were captured so well, as Summer interned on both Fallon and Conan.
There was a lot of interesting social commentary woven in the book as well. This idea of fame and the trade-offs associated with that achievement, as well as this idea of compromising your ideals/selling your soul to attain that desired star-status. It was presented from both Lacy's and Tyler's perspectives, which were slightly different, and thus, gave me more to think about. Although there was stuff to think about, but this was by no means a heavy book. In fact, I loved the lightness of the story, as I am a big escape reader.
I am not a YouTuber, but I found all that stuff pretty interesting. I appreciated that way Summer depicted that it's a lot of work, because that is similar to blogging, and I thought she captured the way I feel when I get a comment.
The book blurb mentions The Devil Wears Prada, and I can see the comparisons, but I also feel confident comparing it to Little Black Dresses, Little White Lies. It had a similar feel, as LBDLWL was set in the fast-paced magazine world, but At First Blush was on the sweeter side, as it didn't have that cut-throat element that was in LBDLWL.
Overall: A fun, light, and totally adorable read, which put a perma-smile on my face.
**I would like to thank NetGalley and the publisher for the advanced copy of this book
BLOG|INSTAGRAM|BLOGLOVIN| FRIEND ME ON GOODREADS
kellyhager's review
Lacey is a Youtube star who's just gotten her dream internship at On Trend magazine. It'll boost her followers and maybe even get her a Glass Cube contract. Better still, she'll have access to so much makeup (her channel is beauty vlogs). And then she meets the celeb guest editor: Tyler Lance. He was in...I guess you'd call them a Hanson-esque boy band? But he's now a solo act with a bad rep. And he's (a) super cute and (b) seemingly into Lacey.
This book is adorable. I seriously dare you to read it and not smile.
I feel like this is also sort of everyone's daydream, right? Who doesn't want to fall for a rock star? And this feels fairly realistic (if also totally swoon-worthy and idealized).
Perfect beach read. Recommended.
This book is adorable. I seriously dare you to read it and not smile.
I feel like this is also sort of everyone's daydream, right? Who doesn't want to fall for a rock star? And this feels fairly realistic (if also totally swoon-worthy and idealized).
Perfect beach read. Recommended.
leahmichelle_13's review
5.0
At First Blush is one of the cutest reads of the year, and it’ll take a mighty, mighty book to beat it for me. It had everything I love in a book – it’s contemporary which is an automatic yay, YouTube which I love because let’s be real: a lot of things go down on YouTube so it’s only right that we can read about YouTuber’s in books, which isn’t really happening too much AND it’s a love story with a rock star. CAN I GET A HURRAY? I absolutely love books about famous people. Some will scoff and say as if a normal girl can fall in love with a rockstar BUT IT HAPPENS ALL THE DAMN TIME. Famous people are, at the end of the day, just people, too. *Swooning*
At First Blush is also about make-up, of which I know diddly squat. I’m learning all the time, and I have more make-up now at 26 than I’ve ever had in my life, and I’m learning how to contour and conceal and all that other stuff to make you look good and even though I am literally no good at it, I like it. I like how make-up makes me look so what the hell? I admire girls like Lacey, who can put on make-up like it’s no big deal – I see all these crazy make-up photos on Facebook and I just have the most insane amount of envy because I can’t even do the basics. I suck at liquid liner! But I know it takes practice, it still doesn’t stop me from wanting Lacey with me every second of every day as my own, personal make-up guru.
I absolutely loved Lacey. She’s the perfect narrator – she has her head screwed on – you have to! To get to so many subs on YouTube, to get an internernship at hot magazine On Trend, and I really liked her. She came across was warm, smart, funny, and a tad naive. Because she does tend to let people walk all over her – her parents needed a real dressing down for everything they put on her shoulders, but the good thing is that IS addressed. Her best friend Cynthia gets on her own internship and forgets Lacey exists, but, again, it IS addressed. So a lot of my issues with Lacey’s character were addressed, but also, I kinda understand them because I am Lacey in lots of ways. I don’t like confrontation, I actively AVOID confrontation, in fact. So I could see why she let people run over her, because it’s SO easy to, when you don’t know how to stand up for yourself.
The whole Tyler/Lacey thing made me so indescribably happy. I read a review that says Tyler is basically a fictional Justin Bieber. Oh, please. As if. That is so incredibly inaccurate. Tyler is a bit of a jerk, at first. Come on! You’ve grown up with everyone catering to your every whim, you’re going to be a teensy bit spoilt, but the more we got to know the real Tyler, the better he became and he was just incredible. All of his scenes with Lacey made me indescribably happy, because they were just so cute! The chemistry was dripping off the page, and I was just shipping so hard for them, man. It’s why I LOVE romance because if an author does it right (as Beth Ellyn Summer has), it can be incredible.
Probably the best bit about At First Blush, excluding anything involving Tyler/Lacey because that’s automatically the best, was the look into the life of a YouTuber. It isn’t all fantastic. It can be time-consuming, as any hobby can. But that added pressure, of reading comments from subscribers? That’s tough. I couldn’t do it. So I appreciated seeing how YouTube changed Lacey’s life, good and bad. It’s tough. I struggle just to type up my reviews, through sheer laziness, never mind shooting, editing and uploading videos three or five days per week. That takes some serious dedication, and it’s not all rosy. I liked how we saw Lacey grow up, as the book progressed, how that Glass Cube contract maybe wasn’t the answer to all of Lacey’s prayers, like she thought it would be.
I genuinely loved this book so hard. It just had everything that I love, all wrapped up in a delightful package. The romance, the plot, the whole peeking behind the scenes of what it is to be famous, the characters, it all just added up to such a brilliant read. So much so that I put off finishing the book for a day, just so I could be with Tyler and Lacey and Kendall and Cynthia for that little bit longer, even though I knew the worst was likely to come, in terms of the plot. I just wanted to be wrapped up in this book for that extra day. Beth Ellyn Summer is a brilliant new YA writer, she just gets what it’s like to be a teen and I freaking lapped it up.
At First Blush is also about make-up, of which I know diddly squat. I’m learning all the time, and I have more make-up now at 26 than I’ve ever had in my life, and I’m learning how to contour and conceal and all that other stuff to make you look good and even though I am literally no good at it, I like it. I like how make-up makes me look so what the hell? I admire girls like Lacey, who can put on make-up like it’s no big deal – I see all these crazy make-up photos on Facebook and I just have the most insane amount of envy because I can’t even do the basics. I suck at liquid liner! But I know it takes practice, it still doesn’t stop me from wanting Lacey with me every second of every day as my own, personal make-up guru.
I absolutely loved Lacey. She’s the perfect narrator – she has her head screwed on – you have to! To get to so many subs on YouTube, to get an internernship at hot magazine On Trend, and I really liked her. She came across was warm, smart, funny, and a tad naive. Because she does tend to let people walk all over her – her parents needed a real dressing down for everything they put on her shoulders, but the good thing is that IS addressed. Her best friend Cynthia gets on her own internship and forgets Lacey exists, but, again, it IS addressed. So a lot of my issues with Lacey’s character were addressed, but also, I kinda understand them because I am Lacey in lots of ways. I don’t like confrontation, I actively AVOID confrontation, in fact. So I could see why she let people run over her, because it’s SO easy to, when you don’t know how to stand up for yourself.
The whole Tyler/Lacey thing made me so indescribably happy. I read a review that says Tyler is basically a fictional Justin Bieber. Oh, please. As if. That is so incredibly inaccurate. Tyler is a bit of a jerk, at first. Come on! You’ve grown up with everyone catering to your every whim, you’re going to be a teensy bit spoilt, but the more we got to know the real Tyler, the better he became and he was just incredible. All of his scenes with Lacey made me indescribably happy, because they were just so cute! The chemistry was dripping off the page, and I was just shipping so hard for them, man. It’s why I LOVE romance because if an author does it right (as Beth Ellyn Summer has), it can be incredible.
Probably the best bit about At First Blush, excluding anything involving Tyler/Lacey because that’s automatically the best, was the look into the life of a YouTuber. It isn’t all fantastic. It can be time-consuming, as any hobby can. But that added pressure, of reading comments from subscribers? That’s tough. I couldn’t do it. So I appreciated seeing how YouTube changed Lacey’s life, good and bad. It’s tough. I struggle just to type up my reviews, through sheer laziness, never mind shooting, editing and uploading videos three or five days per week. That takes some serious dedication, and it’s not all rosy. I liked how we saw Lacey grow up, as the book progressed, how that Glass Cube contract maybe wasn’t the answer to all of Lacey’s prayers, like she thought it would be.
I genuinely loved this book so hard. It just had everything that I love, all wrapped up in a delightful package. The romance, the plot, the whole peeking behind the scenes of what it is to be famous, the characters, it all just added up to such a brilliant read. So much so that I put off finishing the book for a day, just so I could be with Tyler and Lacey and Kendall and Cynthia for that little bit longer, even though I knew the worst was likely to come, in terms of the plot. I just wanted to be wrapped up in this book for that extra day. Beth Ellyn Summer is a brilliant new YA writer, she just gets what it’s like to be a teen and I freaking lapped it up.