Take a photo of a barcode or cover
3.52 AVERAGE
3.52 AVERAGE
lighthearted
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
emotional
hopeful
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Felt really meh about this read. I have adored these authors writing before but this was certainly not my favourite. It all felt very cliche and the ending left me unsatisfied.
3.5 stars. This was a light, quick read and I certainly enjoyed it but didn't really feel the chemistry between the two leads as Christina Lauren's other works.
Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for this digital arc.
I LOVE Christina Lauren and will gobble up any book up written by these ladies so it's hard to say that this book wasn't my favorite. It honestly felt like their weakest story to date.
Tate (18) and Sam (21) meet in London while on vacation. They quickly get to know each other and seemingly fall in love. She confides in him that her dad is a famous actor and she's been out of the spotlight for many years. Sam betrays her and sells her story to the tabloids and her life is flipped upside down. Fourteen years later, she's filming a movie with her dad and the screenwriter happens to be the one and only Sam.
Something was off about this book and I can't put my finger on it. I really enjoyed reading Tate and Sam when they were young and the build-up was classic Christina Lauren. You get a mixture of YA romance and regular romance in this book but it doesn't feel even to me. Young Tate and Sam's story gets nearly half the book so the second half, set in the present, doesn't get nearly as much depth and detail as I would have liked. There are a fair amount of supporting characters to keep track of that I didn't feel that I could be invested. The story could use probably 50 more pages to really build the chemistry back up with Sam and Tate as adults because it feels a bit rushed. I didn't particularly like how the format of filming scenes was written either. I like that they tried and wrote movie scenes but it could have been cleaned up. The ending worked well and that's what earns the rating. There wasn't the same kind of comedy and snappy dialogue in this one as their other stories. While I appreciate the attempts to put more heartfelt moments in the plot, it doesn't work as well as Love and Other Words. I also wish there was an epilogue to this one because the story would have greatly benefitted from it. The story was middle of the road and I enjoyed the story as a whole (enough to read it in two sittings) but it's not one I would re-read and come back to. I would recommend other Christina Lauren books over this one but I will still be reading any future books published by them.
I LOVE Christina Lauren and will gobble up any book up written by these ladies so it's hard to say that this book wasn't my favorite. It honestly felt like their weakest story to date.
Tate (18) and Sam (21) meet in London while on vacation. They quickly get to know each other and seemingly fall in love. She confides in him that her dad is a famous actor and she's been out of the spotlight for many years. Sam betrays her and sells her story to the tabloids and her life is flipped upside down. Fourteen years later, she's filming a movie with her dad and the screenwriter happens to be the one and only Sam.
Something was off about this book and I can't put my finger on it. I really enjoyed reading Tate and Sam when they were young and the build-up was classic Christina Lauren. You get a mixture of YA romance and regular romance in this book but it doesn't feel even to me. Young Tate and Sam's story gets nearly half the book so the second half, set in the present, doesn't get nearly as much depth and detail as I would have liked. There are a fair amount of supporting characters to keep track of that I didn't feel that I could be invested. The story could use probably 50 more pages to really build the chemistry back up with Sam and Tate as adults because it feels a bit rushed. I didn't particularly like how the format of filming scenes was written either. I like that they tried and wrote movie scenes but it could have been cleaned up. The ending worked well and that's what earns the rating. There wasn't the same kind of comedy and snappy dialogue in this one as their other stories. While I appreciate the attempts to put more heartfelt moments in the plot, it doesn't work as well as Love and Other Words. I also wish there was an epilogue to this one because the story would have greatly benefitted from it. The story was middle of the road and I enjoyed the story as a whole (enough to read it in two sittings) but it's not one I would re-read and come back to. I would recommend other Christina Lauren books over this one but I will still be reading any future books published by them.
emotional
funny
inspiring
lighthearted
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
I received a free copy of this book in e change for an honest review.
Tate Jones is the reclusive daughter of a huge Hollywood icon. When she was 8 years old, Tate's mother took them away from the madness of Hollywood and moved back to the small town in California where she had grown up to raise her daughter. Away from the lens of the Hollywood Paparazzi, Tate was said to have disappeared. The name of Tate's father is a closely guarded secret known only by a handful of people.
For her high school graduation, Tate and her Grandmother head to London. While there, Tate finds her first love. Seduced by stars and the magic of love, she tells this young man closely guarded secrets.
When he in turn sells her story and her true name to the tabloids, Tate's life is forever turned upside down. Her first true love disappears into the mists of time, and Tate forges an image, identity, and brand out of the resulting chaos.
14 years later, Tate is handed the role of a lifetime. Talk of Oscar nominations are floating before filming even begins. Tate will be working with her father in this film, playing his onscreen daughter. As Tate is preparing for the first table read, she looks up to see the man who sold her story sitting at the far end of the table. He's the screenwriter for the movie. And Tate quickly discovers that she is not as "over him" as she had led herself to believe. Unresolved feelings abound as Tate struggles to maintain her composure.
They say a deep love like this only happens once in a blue moon. But if you're given a second chance, can it happen twice? Find out is this sweetly funny tale of love, loss, and quirky relationships.
Tate Jones is the reclusive daughter of a huge Hollywood icon. When she was 8 years old, Tate's mother took them away from the madness of Hollywood and moved back to the small town in California where she had grown up to raise her daughter. Away from the lens of the Hollywood Paparazzi, Tate was said to have disappeared. The name of Tate's father is a closely guarded secret known only by a handful of people.
For her high school graduation, Tate and her Grandmother head to London. While there, Tate finds her first love. Seduced by stars and the magic of love, she tells this young man closely guarded secrets.
When he in turn sells her story and her true name to the tabloids, Tate's life is forever turned upside down. Her first true love disappears into the mists of time, and Tate forges an image, identity, and brand out of the resulting chaos.
14 years later, Tate is handed the role of a lifetime. Talk of Oscar nominations are floating before filming even begins. Tate will be working with her father in this film, playing his onscreen daughter. As Tate is preparing for the first table read, she looks up to see the man who sold her story sitting at the far end of the table. He's the screenwriter for the movie. And Tate quickly discovers that she is not as "over him" as she had led herself to believe. Unresolved feelings abound as Tate struggles to maintain her composure.
They say a deep love like this only happens once in a blue moon. But if you're given a second chance, can it happen twice? Find out is this sweetly funny tale of love, loss, and quirky relationships.
emotional
lighthearted
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
emotional
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
This read very different from the other books I’ve read by these authors. It was much more serious, without the signature snark and quirky humor of their usual books. And while I appreciated and enjoyed the more intense feel, I missed the snark. I think there could have been room for both with this story.
I love a second-chance story, the way two people come back together. And not every second-chance has to come after angsty events, but when it does, there needs to be a deep acknowledgment of whatever those events might have been. There was acknowledgment, but it definitely didn’t feel as explored between the characters as it should have been. It felt like their reunion was just too easy.
Another aspect that bothered me was the relationship between Tate and her father. I hated the way he treated her, and I hated even more her acceptance of it. She felt like a doormat, never calling him out for his behavior, not once. No matter what he did, she justified it, excused it. It felt uncomfortable, how easily she accepted it.
But I did love the chemistry between Sam and Tate. I felt his guilt, even if Tate didn’t make him work harder for forgiveness. And I loved the intensity of the film they worked on together, the script Sam wrote. That was the story that needed to be told.