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3.52 AVERAGE
3.52 AVERAGE
Standing in the freezing cold at some insanely early hour of the morning just to be an extra in some movie isn’t Chloe Winters’ idea of a great time. The things one does for one’s star obsessed room-mate. So when the star of the film and current Hollywood heart-throb approaches Chloe out of all the people standing around, she’s not all that impressed. Especially when he brings up the fact that he knows and was friends with some members of her family she’d rather not be related to – never mind associated with.
But Jason Vanderholt isn’t going to take no for an answer. He’s instantly captivated with one of the few people on the planet who isn’t infatuated with him. To him Chloe is intelligent, brave and beautiful. To Chloe, Jason is over tanned and his teeth are just a little too perfect. But despite all this they manage to form a friendship of sorts.
When Chloe’s past comes back to haunt her and the pressures of her friends, family and Jason’s lifestyle threaten to interfere with their delicate relationship, she’ll find out if she’s strong enough to get the happily ever after she’d never even dreamed of having…
I’ll admit it. I’m a bit of a fan of the TV show, The Bachelor. And for me, this novel had all the things I love about that show and none of the things that constantly make me want to rip my hair out. It’s the fairytale story of the handsome and wealthy guy courting the everyday woman. He has everything and it’s almost as if he’s from another world. But I liked that Chloe isn’t like those woman from the show who are knocking each other over and doing everything they can just for the slightest bit of attention from the leading man. She’s got more self-respect than that. She wants really love and respect and to enjoy life with whatever man she is in a relationship with. I admired that about her.
Chloe is a strong and independent woman. Her life hasn’t been easy and she’s managed to overcome all the nightmares and all the drama of her childhood and come out the other side as a woman to be admired and looked up to. She has issues but they’re understandable all things considered and she’s aware of her own shortcomings. I loved her as a character. I loved how she grew as a character. There were times when her behaviour frustrated me but I could understand why she did what she did and why she thought what she thought. To be truthful, I’d have been disappointed had she not been the person she was. She’s an honest character with flaws but they just made her better well-rounded as a person.
And then there’s Jason. Oh my. I can understand why Chloe referred to him as being the lead in fairytale and being cast as the Prince Charming role. He’s kind of perfect. But not so perfect that he annoyed me. I like flaws and whilst he appeared to be seemingly perfect (and he was practically perfect in every way) he did have his own past that he and Chloe had to overcome and I enjoyed that he was more than just what he seemed on the surface.
The secondary characters were great too. I enjoyed Jason’s family and Chloe’s friends.
I loved the fairytale. And in my eyes it is very much like a fairytale – where Chloe was the downtrodden maiden whose family and circumstances kept her from being all that she could be – much like Cinderella. Yes there’s no magical sparks or anything in this story but it’s adorable. It’s not all sweet and innocent – there are some quite dark and heavy issues involved. I thought they added to make the novel a little more real and to stop it from being too over the top warm and fuzzy.
But Jason Vanderholt isn’t going to take no for an answer. He’s instantly captivated with one of the few people on the planet who isn’t infatuated with him. To him Chloe is intelligent, brave and beautiful. To Chloe, Jason is over tanned and his teeth are just a little too perfect. But despite all this they manage to form a friendship of sorts.
When Chloe’s past comes back to haunt her and the pressures of her friends, family and Jason’s lifestyle threaten to interfere with their delicate relationship, she’ll find out if she’s strong enough to get the happily ever after she’d never even dreamed of having…
I’ll admit it. I’m a bit of a fan of the TV show, The Bachelor. And for me, this novel had all the things I love about that show and none of the things that constantly make me want to rip my hair out. It’s the fairytale story of the handsome and wealthy guy courting the everyday woman. He has everything and it’s almost as if he’s from another world. But I liked that Chloe isn’t like those woman from the show who are knocking each other over and doing everything they can just for the slightest bit of attention from the leading man. She’s got more self-respect than that. She wants really love and respect and to enjoy life with whatever man she is in a relationship with. I admired that about her.
Chloe is a strong and independent woman. Her life hasn’t been easy and she’s managed to overcome all the nightmares and all the drama of her childhood and come out the other side as a woman to be admired and looked up to. She has issues but they’re understandable all things considered and she’s aware of her own shortcomings. I loved her as a character. I loved how she grew as a character. There were times when her behaviour frustrated me but I could understand why she did what she did and why she thought what she thought. To be truthful, I’d have been disappointed had she not been the person she was. She’s an honest character with flaws but they just made her better well-rounded as a person.
And then there’s Jason. Oh my. I can understand why Chloe referred to him as being the lead in fairytale and being cast as the Prince Charming role. He’s kind of perfect. But not so perfect that he annoyed me. I like flaws and whilst he appeared to be seemingly perfect (and he was practically perfect in every way) he did have his own past that he and Chloe had to overcome and I enjoyed that he was more than just what he seemed on the surface.
The secondary characters were great too. I enjoyed Jason’s family and Chloe’s friends.
I loved the fairytale. And in my eyes it is very much like a fairytale – where Chloe was the downtrodden maiden whose family and circumstances kept her from being all that she could be – much like Cinderella. Yes there’s no magical sparks or anything in this story but it’s adorable. It’s not all sweet and innocent – there are some quite dark and heavy issues involved. I thought they added to make the novel a little more real and to stop it from being too over the top warm and fuzzy.
The title and appearance of this particular novel gives the appearance that it's something that it isn't. Lately I've been in the mood to read silly contemporary romances preferably leaning toward young adult genre so far removed from real life that their whole purpose is to make you smile. The young adult factor makes it more so because a teen protagonist feels things at a much more exaggerated spectrum than an adult protagonist would. There's nothing heavy about this sort of book and sometimes that's the perfect sort of book for escapism because it's just realistic enough to not feel like fiction but is the ultimate happily ever after. When looking for a book that's meant to be nothing but a mood upper such as this one finding one where a movie star falls for a normal girl fits the bill. In fact it fits the bill so well it doesn't get much sillier. So when I bought this book that's what I was looking for. The cover screams silly unrealistic romance. The thing is in a way it is, but really it isn't that at all. It wasn't what I was looking for at all but the first person narrative from Chloe's point of view had me hooked from the very first page.
The book and the series in general fall more into the lines of romantic suspense or mystery with silly undertones than they do into your typical Cinderella romance. Tippetts presents a broken heroine that is the sort of broken where she doesn't truly realize she's broken. As it's a first person narrative we don't get insight into what the other person is thinking or feeling about her and in the beginning it's not even completely clear who the opposite side of this romantic pair will be. The protagonist is in her early twenties and if anything is the opposite of an emotionally exaggerated teen, her emotions are kind of stilted to the point she doesn't completely recognize them most of the time. She doesn't really understand people or their motives and she doesn't really understand herself either. If what Tippetts was shooting for was a romance the book should have ended when Chloe came to the conclusion that she was truly in love with Jason and then took the necessary steps to get him back. It should have ended with a kiss over ice cream where the two romantic leads declared their love for one another. However this scene while touching in an under done sort of way isn't anywhere near the end of the book. It's probably past the half way point but to be honest I wasn't really keeping track. I just remember that a whole bunch more stuff happens after that.
The book is sort of hard to categorize and pin down as one specific genre because it's not really about a plot, but rather about a character and her emotionally growth throughout the novel. While it's marketed as a love story, I wouldn't really call it that. While it has crime, a criminal and a victim (the protagonist herself) I'm not sure I'd really call it a mystery either. It's more about stepping into the shoes of someone who's learning to recognize emotions both in herself and others. The relationship between Chloe and her messed up mother is in my opinion equally important to the relationships between Chloe and Jason as well as Chloe and Matthew. The relationship between Chloe and Jason's niece Kyra as well as that between Jason himself and Kyra I think bear equal importance in this novel. I didn't turn the pages wondering who is Chloe going to end up with or who exactly slashed Chloe's tires and broke her windows. I turned the pages wondering hmm how is she going to react to this event or that one. I turned the pages wondering if Chloe was going to realize that she never let anyone in and if she was going to learn how to do that.
What makes the story worth reading is that it's different, it's not easily categorized and it reminds you of how broken people can be without realizing that that are. Chloe's character has gone through things that I can't even imagine but at the same time I found myself relating to her so easily. I can relate to not knowing how to react when people you aren't close to try to hug you with being uncomfortable with them in your personal space but not really knowing how to say that their offered comfort has actually only succeeded in making me more uncomfortable. I can relate to over analyzing every situation and wondering if I missed something. She's not easy with affection or good with people and the story is in my opinion about finding the path to that. The character is memorable, and the story with all it's many elements and character interactions is interesting. I guess what I'm trying to say here is what makes the story worth reading is that it's characters and plot lines are different however I feel it's worth pointing out that the story is somewhat marketed as something it's not. It's not a romantic comedy or a Cinderella story where a rich handsome movie star sweeps the girl off her feet. More than anything I think it's about a girl learning that life isn't black and white and how to fit people, real people into her life.
The book and the series in general fall more into the lines of romantic suspense or mystery with silly undertones than they do into your typical Cinderella romance. Tippetts presents a broken heroine that is the sort of broken where she doesn't truly realize she's broken. As it's a first person narrative we don't get insight into what the other person is thinking or feeling about her and in the beginning it's not even completely clear who the opposite side of this romantic pair will be. The protagonist is in her early twenties and if anything is the opposite of an emotionally exaggerated teen, her emotions are kind of stilted to the point she doesn't completely recognize them most of the time. She doesn't really understand people or their motives and she doesn't really understand herself either. If what Tippetts was shooting for was a romance the book should have ended when Chloe came to the conclusion that she was truly in love with Jason and then took the necessary steps to get him back. It should have ended with a kiss over ice cream where the two romantic leads declared their love for one another. However this scene while touching in an under done sort of way isn't anywhere near the end of the book. It's probably past the half way point but to be honest I wasn't really keeping track. I just remember that a whole bunch more stuff happens after that.
The book is sort of hard to categorize and pin down as one specific genre because it's not really about a plot, but rather about a character and her emotionally growth throughout the novel. While it's marketed as a love story, I wouldn't really call it that. While it has crime, a criminal and a victim (the protagonist herself) I'm not sure I'd really call it a mystery either. It's more about stepping into the shoes of someone who's learning to recognize emotions both in herself and others. The relationship between Chloe and her messed up mother is in my opinion equally important to the relationships between Chloe and Jason as well as Chloe and Matthew. The relationship between Chloe and Jason's niece Kyra as well as that between Jason himself and Kyra I think bear equal importance in this novel. I didn't turn the pages wondering who is Chloe going to end up with or who exactly slashed Chloe's tires and broke her windows. I turned the pages wondering hmm how is she going to react to this event or that one. I turned the pages wondering if Chloe was going to realize that she never let anyone in and if she was going to learn how to do that.
What makes the story worth reading is that it's different, it's not easily categorized and it reminds you of how broken people can be without realizing that that are. Chloe's character has gone through things that I can't even imagine but at the same time I found myself relating to her so easily. I can relate to not knowing how to react when people you aren't close to try to hug you with being uncomfortable with them in your personal space but not really knowing how to say that their offered comfort has actually only succeeded in making me more uncomfortable. I can relate to over analyzing every situation and wondering if I missed something. She's not easy with affection or good with people and the story is in my opinion about finding the path to that. The character is memorable, and the story with all it's many elements and character interactions is interesting. I guess what I'm trying to say here is what makes the story worth reading is that it's characters and plot lines are different however I feel it's worth pointing out that the story is somewhat marketed as something it's not. It's not a romantic comedy or a Cinderella story where a rich handsome movie star sweeps the girl off her feet. More than anything I think it's about a girl learning that life isn't black and white and how to fit people, real people into her life.
I love how Chloe doesn't want to change her life just because she fell in love with a famous guy. It's great to see that she remains the same person, no matter who he is. Not everyone can go through these situations with the media invading their privacy and still feel the same way about each other. Reading about her complicated past was also great. I'm glad Jason was there by her side to support her. And her mom? Hilarious! I loved her. I'm giving it 3 stars because some characters were a little too boring for me, like Kyra and Jen. And also, this cover doesn't reflect the story at all. Worst choice ever for a cover. But anyway... Great book!
I really really liked this book. It was not what i expected but, I am glad i own a copy.
I gave this book a 5/5 because I loved the heroine Chloe, her sense of humour and personality in evry much like mine. And I loved the story. I wish though that the chemistry between Chloe and Jason was more gripping and intimate, at time I didn't feel the connection. But the story line in my opinion, makes up for that ten folds.
I Love this book.
I gave this book a 5/5 because I loved the heroine Chloe, her sense of humour and personality in evry much like mine. And I loved the story. I wish though that the chemistry between Chloe and Jason was more gripping and intimate, at time I didn't feel the connection. But the story line in my opinion, makes up for that ten folds.
I Love this book.
Originally posted in: charmedlass: thoughts under the radar
This is my first book of EM Tippetts. The book cover caught my attention at first, I don’t know why. I just remembered I squinted to see what actually is going on in there. And then, I read the blurb. I must admit, famous guy/normal girl plot always makes me curious. Maybe because I know that although it happens in real life, it is not the norm. And then, I get curious as to how the author will handle this plot. Will she make it so cliché? Will it be fast love again? How much trouble will the paparazzi and crazy fans make this time?
Chloe Winters, as a character, is relatable to many people. Her family background is not ideal. She has problems and fears. A mostly absentee mother, a father who doesn't acknowledge her, half-siblings who doesn't care about her. She focuses in her studies in order to get over her past. She has friends she can rely on, although, one of them turned out to be such a douche. She’s seems real.
Jason Vanderholt is indeed swoon worthy. Not only because of how he was described, but because of how he acts around Chloe. He’s always sensitive about her feelings and treats her with utmost respect. He’s not perfect as well. Like most real life celebrities, partying hard and women were some of his mistakes too in the past.
The plot seemed light at first. And then the author keeps dropping hints here and there about Chloe’s past. Then the readers were shown this past and it was dark and it was scary. I appreciate the back story because it made me understand her better.
No fast love here too. Chloe was not charmed by Jason during their first meeting unlike her other friends. Instead, she and Jason become good friends first. They went through some trust issues, insecurities, failed relationship attempts, crazy fans, snooping paparazzi and insane brother before they become a couple. However, when they finally get together, there will be no doubt in the reader’s mind that they indeed belong to each other.
The ending may be too much of a fairytale already. However, I find it understandable why it was necessary.
Conclusion:
I’m glad to have stumbled on this book. It may not yet be popular, but it is a good one. I enjoyed it a lot.
A-
This is my first book of EM Tippetts. The book cover caught my attention at first, I don’t know why. I just remembered I squinted to see what actually is going on in there. And then, I read the blurb. I must admit, famous guy/normal girl plot always makes me curious. Maybe because I know that although it happens in real life, it is not the norm. And then, I get curious as to how the author will handle this plot. Will she make it so cliché? Will it be fast love again? How much trouble will the paparazzi and crazy fans make this time?
Chloe Winters, as a character, is relatable to many people. Her family background is not ideal. She has problems and fears. A mostly absentee mother, a father who doesn't acknowledge her, half-siblings who doesn't care about her. She focuses in her studies in order to get over her past. She has friends she can rely on, although, one of them turned out to be such a douche. She’s seems real.
Jason Vanderholt is indeed swoon worthy. Not only because of how he was described, but because of how he acts around Chloe. He’s always sensitive about her feelings and treats her with utmost respect. He’s not perfect as well. Like most real life celebrities, partying hard and women were some of his mistakes too in the past.
The plot seemed light at first. And then the author keeps dropping hints here and there about Chloe’s past. Then the readers were shown this past and it was dark and it was scary. I appreciate the back story because it made me understand her better.
No fast love here too. Chloe was not charmed by Jason during their first meeting unlike her other friends. Instead, she and Jason become good friends first. They went through some trust issues, insecurities, failed relationship attempts, crazy fans, snooping paparazzi and insane brother before they become a couple. However, when they finally get together, there will be no doubt in the reader’s mind that they indeed belong to each other.
The ending may be too much of a fairytale already. However, I find it understandable why it was necessary.
Conclusion:
I’m glad to have stumbled on this book. It may not yet be popular, but it is a good one. I enjoyed it a lot.
A-
2.5*
Gorgeous cover! I wouldn't go so far as to say "shame about the contents," but I do think this romance wasted a great idea with poor structuring & a meandering pace. I think the book would have been improved with a bit of judicious pruning - say 50 pages. IMO, clean romances are hard to pull off in this day & age, so they need to be really fast paced
& better use could have been made of both Chloe's other admirer & her half brother.
Gorgeous cover! I wouldn't go so far as to say "shame about the contents," but I do think this romance wasted a great idea with poor structuring & a meandering pace. I think the book would have been improved with a bit of judicious pruning - say 50 pages. IMO, clean romances are hard to pull off in this day & age, so they need to be really fast paced
& better use could have been made of both Chloe's other admirer & her half brother.
I really really really wanted to like the book. It started off really good! But character development never really happened past the first few chapters. I thought Chloe and Jason's love story was really sudden and the build up just wasn't there for me. Its a cute story but I expected more emotion. Normally when I read a really good book, I feel all the emotions that the heroine does but here, it sometimes felt like Chole didn't have any emotions.
Despite not being an avid reader of YA romance, I really enjoyed this book. It was a cute love story that kept me interested. I couldn’t put it down. I usually get bored with light love stories, but this one was good. Not only was I able to get right into Chloe’s head as the narrator, but the story was absolutely unpredictable. I kept stopping and looking at the cover and thinking, “What does this title mean? What is going to happen? Why can’t I figure this out?” And that normally doesn’t happen to me with cute romance novels.
Another plus about the book is that it isn’t your typical boy meets girl insta-love that I know most people can’t stand. It’s not a lack of communication driving the entire plot love story, either, and it’s not predictable. It’s real and down to earth and believable. Chloe always put her thoughts into words and wasn’t afraid to discuss her fears with anyone. I thought Chloe was a likeable character with a lot of depth and strength. I enjoy seeing strong female characters in books and this one did not disappoint in that aspect. Not only was Chloe strong, but she was in college at the top of her class, motivated, and not quick to swoon. She stood up for herself and I can’t express how much I love this enough. I also love that she was not a fangirl. I could definitely relate to that and I think it made her even more real in my eyes.
Chloe’s past was another interesting part in the book. The backstory of her strange family really hooked me and the way she handled some of the things life threw at her amazed me.
Everything about this book is well done and perfectly executed. I won’t include any spoilers, especially after gushing about how unpredictable it was. It’s definitely worth the read, even if YA or romance isn’t your typical genre. Chloe’s qualities alone are likeable, but the entire relationship/love was believable and admirable in that sense.
A great book and I will definitely be checking out other works by Emily Mah Tippetts in the future.
http://meganm922.blogspot.com/2012/05/reviewsomeone-elses-fairytale.html
Another plus about the book is that it isn’t your typical boy meets girl insta-love that I know most people can’t stand. It’s not a lack of communication driving the entire plot love story, either, and it’s not predictable. It’s real and down to earth and believable. Chloe always put her thoughts into words and wasn’t afraid to discuss her fears with anyone. I thought Chloe was a likeable character with a lot of depth and strength. I enjoy seeing strong female characters in books and this one did not disappoint in that aspect. Not only was Chloe strong, but she was in college at the top of her class, motivated, and not quick to swoon. She stood up for herself and I can’t express how much I love this enough. I also love that she was not a fangirl. I could definitely relate to that and I think it made her even more real in my eyes.
Chloe’s past was another interesting part in the book. The backstory of her strange family really hooked me and the way she handled some of the things life threw at her amazed me.
Everything about this book is well done and perfectly executed. I won’t include any spoilers, especially after gushing about how unpredictable it was. It’s definitely worth the read, even if YA or romance isn’t your typical genre. Chloe’s qualities alone are likeable, but the entire relationship/love was believable and admirable in that sense.
A great book and I will definitely be checking out other works by Emily Mah Tippetts in the future.
http://meganm922.blogspot.com/2012/05/reviewsomeone-elses-fairytale.html
I started out really liking this book. It's set in Albuquerque, which is a city I've visited quite a bit, and as a New Mexico native I was drooling every time Chloe dug in to a sopapilla. The novelty of the plot idea (a megastar falling in love with a regular girl who hasn't even seen his movies) felt fresh and interesting.
But by about halfway through the book, the author had resolved all the major issues: the megastar's past, Chloe's past, even the love triangle. I felt like the couple was practically making up problems to fill the remainder of the book. There was little character growth or change (except maybe in reference to things that happened before the book even started) and that left me feeling pretty disappointed with this one.
But by about halfway through the book, the author had resolved all the major issues: the megastar's past, Chloe's past, even the love triangle. I felt like the couple was practically making up problems to fill the remainder of the book. There was little character growth or change (except maybe in reference to things that happened before the book even started) and that left me feeling pretty disappointed with this one.