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A review by iamivan91tx
Lost in You by Heidi McLaughlin
4.0
Is there a guy out there without a celebrity crush? There’s something about movie stars and pop singers that we find appealing. They’re not only attractive, they’re…admirable in a role model way. What if you had a chance to meet one of them? As for me, I’d die happy if I were to meet Dakota Fanning or Lily Collins in real life. They’re incredibly gorgeous.
That’s sort of the premise of this book. The main character, Ryan Stone, couldn’t be more average if his life depended on it. He’s pretty much unremarkable. Ryan also doesn’t own a smartphone, or even an iPod. He lives in the small town of Brookfield, wishing for graduation to come so he can leave. As if that wasn’t enough, Ryan’s parents hardly care about him. Ryan is particularly wary about his father, who's the definition of ‘strict’.
In contrast, Hadley Carter is a parallel to the likes of Selena Gomez. She’s a famous, successful musician currently on a tour. Hadley even has Grammys under her belt already. This girl has pretty much everything, but what she wishes for is to find love. Unfortunately, Hadley is not only too busy for a serious relationship. She is wary about it. Hadley went through a scandalous breakup years ago, one that still haunts her. She isn’t sure she can trust a guy with her heart again.
Ryan is one of the few people at his high school who doesn’t know who Hadley Carter is. Music is out of his budget. One day, Dylan Ross (Ryan’s best friend) wins tickets and a backstage pass to Hadley’s concert. She invites Ryan to come along with her. After the concert ends, they go backstage. When Hadley lays eyes on Ryan, she feels an instant, powerful attraction. Ryan, though, is absurdly shy. Hadley decides to have a party at her hotel so she can introduce herself. It surprised me a little when she reveals she’s attracted to Ryan. Unfortunately, there’s a huge obstacle: Ryan is seventeen, and Hadley is twenty-two.
Hadley curses her luck. Despite this, she still pursues a relationship with Ryan. Hadley thinks she’ll be able to keep things PG until Ryan turns eighteen in a few months. Ryan, though, feels elated that such a beautiful, unreachable girl likes him. He doesn't take advantage of her, though. Ryan's a gentleman with Hadley. However, his "infatuation" with her drives a thorn into Dylan’s side. Ryan doesn’t know why she appears bothered. Hadley does fear that Dylan might want more than a friendship with Ryan. He doesn’t realize this, because Ryan sees Dylan as nothing more than a friend. They’ve been that way for years.
This book is an emotional rollercoaster. Will Ryan and Hadley end up together, or is their age gap and social differences too much? I identified with Ryan a lot. Like me, he had the bad luck of being born in a shitty town. Ryan's situation is still much worse than mine, though. I admire him for pulling through and not giving up on his dreams. I also like Hadley’s character. She’s not spoiled, as you’d expect given her job and social status. Hadley is hard not to like, and someone to admire. She loves meeting fans and giving back to them, rather than let fame and money get to her head. Hadley’s one of my favorite book heroines now, along with Camryn Bennett of The Edge of Never.
My rating: ★★★★ 1/2
4.5 stars - A fantastic page-turner!
That’s sort of the premise of this book. The main character, Ryan Stone, couldn’t be more average if his life depended on it. He’s pretty much unremarkable. Ryan also doesn’t own a smartphone, or even an iPod. He lives in the small town of Brookfield, wishing for graduation to come so he can leave. As if that wasn’t enough, Ryan’s parents hardly care about him. Ryan is particularly wary about his father, who's the definition of ‘strict’.
In contrast, Hadley Carter is a parallel to the likes of Selena Gomez. She’s a famous, successful musician currently on a tour. Hadley even has Grammys under her belt already. This girl has pretty much everything, but what she wishes for is to find love. Unfortunately, Hadley is not only too busy for a serious relationship. She is wary about it. Hadley went through a scandalous breakup years ago, one that still haunts her. She isn’t sure she can trust a guy with her heart again.
Ryan is one of the few people at his high school who doesn’t know who Hadley Carter is. Music is out of his budget. One day, Dylan Ross (Ryan’s best friend) wins tickets and a backstage pass to Hadley’s concert. She invites Ryan to come along with her. After the concert ends, they go backstage. When Hadley lays eyes on Ryan, she feels an instant, powerful attraction. Ryan, though, is absurdly shy. Hadley decides to have a party at her hotel so she can introduce herself. It surprised me a little when she reveals she’s attracted to Ryan. Unfortunately, there’s a huge obstacle: Ryan is seventeen, and Hadley is twenty-two.
Hadley curses her luck. Despite this, she still pursues a relationship with Ryan. Hadley thinks she’ll be able to keep things PG until Ryan turns eighteen in a few months. Ryan, though, feels elated that such a beautiful, unreachable girl likes him. He doesn't take advantage of her, though. Ryan's a gentleman with Hadley. However, his "infatuation" with her drives a thorn into Dylan’s side. Ryan doesn’t know why she appears bothered. Hadley does fear that Dylan might want more than a friendship with Ryan. He doesn’t realize this, because Ryan sees Dylan as nothing more than a friend. They’ve been that way for years.
This book is an emotional rollercoaster. Will Ryan and Hadley end up together, or is their age gap and social differences too much? I identified with Ryan a lot. Like me, he had the bad luck of being born in a shitty town. Ryan's situation is still much worse than mine, though. I admire him for pulling through and not giving up on his dreams. I also like Hadley’s character. She’s not spoiled, as you’d expect given her job and social status. Hadley is hard not to like, and someone to admire. She loves meeting fans and giving back to them, rather than let fame and money get to her head. Hadley’s one of my favorite book heroines now, along with Camryn Bennett of The Edge of Never.
My rating: ★★★★ 1/2
4.5 stars - A fantastic page-turner!