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notagreatreader's review
lighthearted
relaxing
medium-paced
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.0
Well, this book was sure a series of decisions that the author made. There were some good ones but I'll get to that.
First, I sure would like to know what went through the author's head when choosing to write a sapphic romance told from two POVs and make one of those POVs the most obnoxious mysoginistic racist dudebro on the planet? Like, how would that be appealing to a target audience for a sapphic romance? What's worse, the book starts off with the chapter from the dudebro's perspective and I almost stopped reading then and there, but I knew the romance was coming so I just skimmed the dudebro's chapters. I did, however, read enough to notice that like 95% of stuff coming out of his mouth was racist nicknames and objectification and insults to women. And it's one thing that his dudebro friends barely objected to this behavior, but he had one female friend who was just like oh he's not so bad when you get to know him. And she was otherwise a smart discerning girl. Like, seriously? I'm supposed to buy that? To add insult to injury, throughout the course of the book even the girl he keeps calling a racist nickname among other things somehow becomes friends with him, even though he doesn't change his behavior in any significant way. Like, it's somehow charming that he's a racist asshole who only talks to women to objectify them and to have sex with them? Like, sure, he does a couple barely decent things, like letting her crash at his guest house, meanwhile this girl fucking bails him out of a drunk tank and solves a bunch of problems for him to a rather great personal cost to herself, as it turns out. But no one points that out. Somehow, over the course of the book he becomes just slightly less of an asshole (still uses racist nicknames though), and I could appreciate this type of arc if he suffered some sort of significant personal consequence for his actions, but he didn't.
So, onto the half of the book that was actually kind of enjoyable. Vanessa's story line was quite interesting. I liked the portrayal of what it's like to be a young actress of color in Hollywood and the pressure coming with that, especially concerning the public image one is pressured to maintain. One good thing Josh's POV gave this story is to show how much more a white straight dudebro can get away with compared to queer actors of color.
I enjoyed Vanessa's self-discovery and coming out arc, which was obviously the key of this book. I appreciated that the major source of panic and apprehension in this case wasn't so much they gay thing but more the choice Vanessa had to make in respect to whether publicly come out or not. I liked that she waffled a bit on that, how important it was to her to protect her career.
I also liked the portrayal of behind-the-scenes Hollywood life. And the relationship between the two love interests was cute. They were both vulnerable despite one of them having more experience in that respect, I liked that. Oh, and the emphasis on continuous consent during sex was lovely too.
First, I sure would like to know what went through the author's head when choosing to write a sapphic romance told from two POVs and make one of those POVs the most obnoxious mysoginistic racist dudebro on the planet? Like, how would that be appealing to a target audience for a sapphic romance? What's worse, the book starts off with the chapter from the dudebro's perspective and I almost stopped reading then and there, but I knew the romance was coming so I just skimmed the dudebro's chapters. I did, however, read enough to notice that like 95% of stuff coming out of his mouth was racist nicknames and objectification and insults to women. And it's one thing that his dudebro friends barely objected to this behavior, but he had one female friend who was just like oh he's not so bad when you get to know him. And she was otherwise a smart discerning girl. Like, seriously? I'm supposed to buy that? To add insult to injury, throughout the course of the book even the girl he keeps calling a racist nickname among other things somehow becomes friends with him, even though he doesn't change his behavior in any significant way. Like, it's somehow charming that he's a racist asshole who only talks to women to objectify them and to have sex with them? Like, sure, he does a couple barely decent things, like letting her crash at his guest house, meanwhile this girl fucking bails him out of a drunk tank and solves a bunch of problems for him to a rather great personal cost to herself, as it turns out. But no one points that out. Somehow, over the course of the book he becomes just slightly less of an asshole (still uses racist nicknames though), and I could appreciate this type of arc if he suffered some sort of significant personal consequence for his actions, but he didn't.
So, onto the half of the book that was actually kind of enjoyable. Vanessa's story line was quite interesting. I liked the portrayal of what it's like to be a young actress of color in Hollywood and the pressure coming with that, especially concerning the public image one is pressured to maintain. One good thing Josh's POV gave this story is to show how much more a white straight dudebro can get away with compared to queer actors of color.
I enjoyed Vanessa's self-discovery and coming out arc, which was obviously the key of this book. I appreciated that the major source of panic and apprehension in this case wasn't so much they gay thing but more the choice Vanessa had to make in respect to whether publicly come out or not. I liked that she waffled a bit on that, how important it was to her to protect her career.
I also liked the portrayal of behind-the-scenes Hollywood life. And the relationship between the two love interests was cute. They were both vulnerable despite one of them having more experience in that respect, I liked that. Oh, and the emphasis on continuous consent during sex was lovely too.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Misogyny and Racism
Minor: Drug use and Homophobia
candise's review
3.0
Full disclosure: I read this book for free via NetGalley. Honestly, I'd just finished All the Light We Cannot See, and I wasn't ready to delve into another book of that size or emotional commitment. I wanted a trashy summer read. I'd heard pre-publication hype about this novel on After Ellen, and when I saw it available on NetGalley, I just picked it up on a whim. It was perfect.
So first off, I HATED both of the main characters for at least the first three chapters, and it took me nearly the whole book to even begin to warm up to Josh (one of the two alternating POV characters). Beef #2: It seems like every other lesbian "new adult" book lately is set in LA with very beautiful and mostly rich ladies. I'm all for fantasy, but I'm also kind of over it.
Now that all the shit-talking is out of the way, I still genuinely enjoyed this book. I read it obsessively for two days, and the lady-lady romance was hella cute. And since it is "new adult," it would be remiss of me to not mention that there is definitely sexy times in this book. I know this is the second book in a series, but you don't need to read the first book to dive into this one -- the author catches you up quickly. So if you are in the mood for a super short and cute summer read, there you go.
So first off, I HATED both of the main characters for at least the first three chapters, and it took me nearly the whole book to even begin to warm up to Josh (one of the two alternating POV characters). Beef #2: It seems like every other lesbian "new adult" book lately is set in LA with very beautiful and mostly rich ladies. I'm all for fantasy, but I'm also kind of over it.
Now that all the shit-talking is out of the way, I still genuinely enjoyed this book. I read it obsessively for two days, and the lady-lady romance was hella cute. And since it is "new adult," it would be remiss of me to not mention that there is definitely sexy times in this book. I know this is the second book in a series, but you don't need to read the first book to dive into this one -- the author catches you up quickly. So if you are in the mood for a super short and cute summer read, there you go.
laurenjamesauthor's review
This book is the follow up to Behind the Scenes, a straight contemporary romance about teenagers involved in the Hollywood celebrity world.
The story is divided between Josh and Vanessa, two teenage actors who are both struggling to reconcile their fame with growing up. Despite the rare situation the characters find themselves in, I think there will be a lot of modern teenagers to relate to. Both have to face their own goals compared to their parents’ expectations of them, and make huge decisions about their future at a very young age - all on top of Vanessa’s struggles with her sexuality.
I really enjoyed the love story between Brianna and Vanessa, it was very sweet and enjoyable. I’ve not read many LGBT books that use the teenage TV show style melodramatic plotlines in their romance/drama/angst. It was a refreshing take on common tropes; full of misunderstandings and unnecessary jealously and accidental flirtations. I think it’s going to appeal hugely to younger teenagers, and it’s the perfect book for fans of the first book who weren’t necessarily expecting an LGBT follow-up.
I did find the Josh scenes dragging a little - his journey wasn’t entirely satisfactory to me - but I did enjoy his character. He was really well written, and the book perfectly captured the kind of terrible teenage boy we all know and love to hate. It was nice to find a romance-less storyline for a protagonist too, which are still pretty rare in YA.
Overall this was a lovely, easy read. I would recommend it for fans of the first book, and Everything Leads to You.
The story is divided between Josh and Vanessa, two teenage actors who are both struggling to reconcile their fame with growing up. Despite the rare situation the characters find themselves in, I think there will be a lot of modern teenagers to relate to. Both have to face their own goals compared to their parents’ expectations of them, and make huge decisions about their future at a very young age - all on top of Vanessa’s struggles with her sexuality.
I really enjoyed the love story between Brianna and Vanessa, it was very sweet and enjoyable. I’ve not read many LGBT books that use the teenage TV show style melodramatic plotlines in their romance/drama/angst. It was a refreshing take on common tropes; full of misunderstandings and unnecessary jealously and accidental flirtations. I think it’s going to appeal hugely to younger teenagers, and it’s the perfect book for fans of the first book who weren’t necessarily expecting an LGBT follow-up.
I did find the Josh scenes dragging a little - his journey wasn’t entirely satisfactory to me - but I did enjoy his character. He was really well written, and the book perfectly captured the kind of terrible teenage boy we all know and love to hate. It was nice to find a romance-less storyline for a protagonist too, which are still pretty rare in YA.
Overall this was a lovely, easy read. I would recommend it for fans of the first book, and Everything Leads to You.
reader_fictions's review
4.0
4.5 Stars
Dahlia Adler is a dear friend of mine, and yadda yadda yadda this is my disclaimer in case that affects your opinion of my opinion. I totally wouldn’t lie to you guys, but it’s up to you. So, moving on, I am so freaking excited about this book. I’ve enjoyed all of Dahlia’s books, but Under the Lights is my favorite. It’s been so amazing watching each book get better and better, and I am so incredibly proud of her. Also, I’m in the acknowledgements which is kinda cool. You know, nbd. Under the Lights is hilarious, sassy, and has many scenes with hot girls kissing, so yeah you want this.
Under the Lights is the most Dahlia of all of her books so far, which I mean for the biggest compliment possible. For those who don’t know Dahlia and have somehow missed her Twitter, she is hilarious, smart, sassy, and filthy-minded, and all of that is represented in Under the Lights. It’s those things that really make this novel pop alive for me, and I thought the voices were so strong in Under the Lights, not just the POV characters either. The secondary characters are coming to life for me too, and I was even happy to see Liam and Ally again, which is notable since I often don’t like couple cameos in contemporary companions.
There’s a lot about Under the Lights that really makes it stand out from the other contemporary novels I’ve read. First off, I’m kind of in love with Josh’s perspective. I’m starting here because I think he’s going to get ignored a lot, which I totally get because VAN AND BRI, but also I very much appreciate Josh. To completely appreciate Josh, I think it very much helps to have read Behind the Scenes, in which he plays a pivotal role, and you really get to see the side of him he hides most of the time, even from himself.
In Under the Lights, Josh is playing his role of himself, which means that he’s a grade A douchebag. He’s a horndog who makes sexist comments, calls Van by a racist nickname, and generally makes himself unlikable. Of course, there is more to him, but it takes time to see it, for himself and for the reader. Deep down, he does care, and, in Under the Lights, we get to see a bit about why he’s turned out like this. Josh’s perspective adds to the story for me because 1) it’s really nice to see him growing 2) the friendship ARC between Josh and Van is really great and challenges first impressions and 3) it’s a dual POV where the girl and guy don’t end up together, which is truly novel.
Obviously, though, I was SO HERE for Van. She’s a Korean American TV star acting on a CW show (basically), and she’s questioning her sexuality. HERE FOR THIS. Van has fought for what she has in Hollywood, and unlike Josh and Liam, she knows that this is precisely what she wants to do with her life. She goes along with what her agent suggests, like dating pop star Zander from a boy band. She fights with her parents about going to college and finding a real career. Van is determined to make it, and she’s going to work as hard as possible.
Her feelings for Bri though make her question her career, because she’s not sure if she has both. This is the primary tension between Van and Bri, not Van’s sexuality, which I love. Van’s a bit stunned to discover that she’s into girls, but she’s not like tearing her hair out over it or anything. What she is worried about is whether she’ll have a career is she’s both Asian and gay. Though Van and Bri’s relationship feels a bit instalovey, it also worked for me, because you feel that intense passion that Van is experiencing. Like DAMN do you feel it, so you totally get why she’s so emotional about everything. It goes fast, but also you are totally rooting for them so who cares. Also they get to have sex on the page. It doesn’t fade to black. HELL YES.
Under the Lights is a fabulous and rather unique contemporary. I highly urge you to give this one a try, even if you haven’t read Behind the Scenes. Bear with Josh (you’re not meant to love him at first, don’t worry) and stick around for the hot f/f sex scene later on because it will be worth it.
Dahlia Adler is a dear friend of mine, and yadda yadda yadda this is my disclaimer in case that affects your opinion of my opinion. I totally wouldn’t lie to you guys, but it’s up to you. So, moving on, I am so freaking excited about this book. I’ve enjoyed all of Dahlia’s books, but Under the Lights is my favorite. It’s been so amazing watching each book get better and better, and I am so incredibly proud of her. Also, I’m in the acknowledgements which is kinda cool. You know, nbd. Under the Lights is hilarious, sassy, and has many scenes with hot girls kissing, so yeah you want this.
Under the Lights is the most Dahlia of all of her books so far, which I mean for the biggest compliment possible. For those who don’t know Dahlia and have somehow missed her Twitter, she is hilarious, smart, sassy, and filthy-minded, and all of that is represented in Under the Lights. It’s those things that really make this novel pop alive for me, and I thought the voices were so strong in Under the Lights, not just the POV characters either. The secondary characters are coming to life for me too, and I was even happy to see Liam and Ally again, which is notable since I often don’t like couple cameos in contemporary companions.
There’s a lot about Under the Lights that really makes it stand out from the other contemporary novels I’ve read. First off, I’m kind of in love with Josh’s perspective. I’m starting here because I think he’s going to get ignored a lot, which I totally get because VAN AND BRI, but also I very much appreciate Josh. To completely appreciate Josh, I think it very much helps to have read Behind the Scenes, in which he plays a pivotal role, and you really get to see the side of him he hides most of the time, even from himself.
In Under the Lights, Josh is playing his role of himself, which means that he’s a grade A douchebag. He’s a horndog who makes sexist comments, calls Van by a racist nickname, and generally makes himself unlikable. Of course, there is more to him, but it takes time to see it, for himself and for the reader. Deep down, he does care, and, in Under the Lights, we get to see a bit about why he’s turned out like this. Josh’s perspective adds to the story for me because 1) it’s really nice to see him growing 2) the friendship ARC between Josh and Van is really great and challenges first impressions and 3) it’s a dual POV where the girl and guy don’t end up together, which is truly novel.
Obviously, though, I was SO HERE for Van. She’s a Korean American TV star acting on a CW show (basically), and she’s questioning her sexuality. HERE FOR THIS. Van has fought for what she has in Hollywood, and unlike Josh and Liam, she knows that this is precisely what she wants to do with her life. She goes along with what her agent suggests, like dating pop star Zander from a boy band. She fights with her parents about going to college and finding a real career. Van is determined to make it, and she’s going to work as hard as possible.
Her feelings for Bri though make her question her career, because she’s not sure if she has both. This is the primary tension between Van and Bri, not Van’s sexuality, which I love. Van’s a bit stunned to discover that she’s into girls, but she’s not like tearing her hair out over it or anything. What she is worried about is whether she’ll have a career is she’s both Asian and gay. Though Van and Bri’s relationship feels a bit instalovey, it also worked for me, because you feel that intense passion that Van is experiencing. Like DAMN do you feel it, so you totally get why she’s so emotional about everything. It goes fast, but also you are totally rooting for them so who cares. Also they get to have sex on the page. It doesn’t fade to black. HELL YES.
Under the Lights is a fabulous and rather unique contemporary. I highly urge you to give this one a try, even if you haven’t read Behind the Scenes. Bear with Josh (you’re not meant to love him at first, don’t worry) and stick around for the hot f/f sex scene later on because it will be worth it.
jamiebooksandladders's review
2.0
See this review and more on Books and Ladders!
DNF @ 6%
This is a case of "I went in expecting something different than what I got" and has nothing to do with the book itself. Because I have loved Dahlia's other writing and work but this one just didn't pick up for me right away. Maybe because I have read her New Adult and that was what I was expecting? Did I somehow become a fan of NA???? Anyway! This just wasn't for me at all and I hope other people enjoy it!
DNF @ 6%
This is a case of "I went in expecting something different than what I got" and has nothing to do with the book itself. Because I have loved Dahlia's other writing and work but this one just didn't pick up for me right away. Maybe because I have read her New Adult and that was what I was expecting? Did I somehow become a fan of NA???? Anyway! This just wasn't for me at all and I hope other people enjoy it!
jenah's review
4.0
You know those books with a male and female MC who hate each other and bicker non-stop only to end up falling in love with each other by the end? This book starts out with that BUT the female, Vanessa, ends up falling for a gorgeous bi girl, Bri, who works for her agent. And the male and female are genuine friends by the end. And Vanessa is a 18 yo Korean-American actress who is also in a for-publicity-only relationship with a boy-band member. ❤ ADORABLE story!
abailey410's review
5.0
I know this book was the second in a series, but I was so excited to read it that I jumped right in.
I started this book hating Josh Chester. I mean who wouldn't he was an arrogant asshole living off of mommy and daddy, but as the story moved along it did something I would have never guessed; it made me really like Josh Chester.
In the beginning of the book I kept thinking that it was gonna be a Josh and Vanessa love story, but was pleasantly surprised when it became a much more powerful and beautiful story. The journey that Vanessa went on was so raw and beautiful and emotional that I couldn't put it down.
The book quickly became about growing up and being who you want to be even if the road is a little rocky. I loved how these revelations and journeys made each character stronger. The romance between Vanessa and Bri was so touching and raw it was almost tangible, and you feel every up and down right along with them.
I loved everything about this book. 5+ Stars.
Advance copy was provided by the publisher from Netgalley.
I started this book hating Josh Chester. I mean who wouldn't he was an arrogant asshole living off of mommy and daddy, but as the story moved along it did something I would have never guessed; it made me really like Josh Chester.
In the beginning of the book I kept thinking that it was gonna be a Josh and Vanessa love story, but was pleasantly surprised when it became a much more powerful and beautiful story. The journey that Vanessa went on was so raw and beautiful and emotional that I couldn't put it down.
The book quickly became about growing up and being who you want to be even if the road is a little rocky. I loved how these revelations and journeys made each character stronger. The romance between Vanessa and Bri was so touching and raw it was almost tangible, and you feel every up and down right along with them.
I loved everything about this book. 5+ Stars.
Advance copy was provided by the publisher from Netgalley.
kellyhager's review
5.0
This is my first Dahlia Adler book (I KNOW) and as someone who's a huge fan of contemp YA, that's kind of an embarrassing admission. This one is right on the line between YA and NA (okay, granted, definitely more NA than YA), and is also all kinds of awesome.
I was reading this and it's weird how nice it was to see myself (gay) reflected in a love story. And I'm 35. So I can't imagine how nice it is for people who are 19 or 20 to see themselves reflected. And it's weird; it's not something I really think about that often. It's something that really only comes up when I DO read f/f love stories. And it's like, oh yeah, this is actually awesome. (When I first came out, I went through a year or two where the vast majority of what I read was gay fiction but it stopped pretty quickly because, as nice as it was to see me in a novel, it was also less than fun because the writing and editing tended to be not great.)
Fortunately now even major publishing houses are releasing diverse books, and the writing is definitely much better. (Kids today, man. THEY HAVE IT SO EASY.)
I absolutely love Vanessa and her love story with Bri. And I love the way that Dahlia Adler didn't take the obvious story (Vanessa and Josh hate each other. UNTIL THEY DON'T AND NOW THEY ARE IN LOVE).
Highly recommended.
I was reading this and it's weird how nice it was to see myself (gay) reflected in a love story. And I'm 35. So I can't imagine how nice it is for people who are 19 or 20 to see themselves reflected. And it's weird; it's not something I really think about that often. It's something that really only comes up when I DO read f/f love stories. And it's like, oh yeah, this is actually awesome. (When I first came out, I went through a year or two where the vast majority of what I read was gay fiction but it stopped pretty quickly because, as nice as it was to see me in a novel, it was also less than fun because the writing and editing tended to be not great.)
Fortunately now even major publishing houses are releasing diverse books, and the writing is definitely much better. (Kids today, man. THEY HAVE IT SO EASY.)
I absolutely love Vanessa and her love story with Bri. And I love the way that Dahlia Adler didn't take the obvious story (Vanessa and Josh hate each other. UNTIL THEY DON'T AND NOW THEY ARE IN LOVE).
Highly recommended.
alyssakeiko's review
4.0
I loved this book. Queer Asian protagonist! Definitely something I haven't seen before and was thrilled about.