Love is blind? This starlet doesn’t believe it. Then again…she’s never been starstruck.As a child star turned teenage diva, Avery has played a lot of roles in her lifetime. Not one of them was as difficult as pretending to be an ordinary girl at a normal high school. Well, relatively normal. Trudale is a boarding school for the arts, catering to the elite. But even in a school overflowing with … arts, catering to the elite. But even in a school overflowing with celebrities and children of celebrities, Avery is an anomaly. She’s a superstar, a bona fide supernova in their midst. So untouchable she’s never even had a date. Her lonely nights are spent listening to her favorite voice actor bring her beloved books to life. But when it turns out that the audiobook narrator she’s been crushing on attends the same school, it’s clear this is kismet…or a cruel joke.
As Trudale’s token scholarship kid, Seth’s as jaded as they come. Being paired up with the new girl who represents everything he hates about this world is basically torture. Except that the more he gets to know Avery, the more he realizes that there’s more to her than meets the eye. And maybe, just maybe, he can let her in on his secret. He’s the guy behind the voice she’s been crushing on, not his roommate. But trusting Avery means putting his faith in something he doesn’t quite understand.
One thing’s clear, either this is true love or Cupid’s got a sick sense of humor.
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Ooh, I loved this one! So fun! It was so fast-paced I was absolutely riveted. I’m pretty sure I guessed who the author was talking about at the end (no spoilers here!) and what a fun twist to end with! No cliffhangers, no sex, some swearing. I could definitely see this becoming a series and I would love to read more. But if not, that’s okay too because this author always writes great stuff! She has a far reaching audience too because, although it’s written for a teen /young adult audience in mind, a lot of the references to the eighties and nineties also resonate with those of us who are, ahem, a bit more, shall we say… “mature”. Definitely recommend this book.
I get a lot of early reader copies of ebooks from publishers, authors, publicists, etc. I always write my own thoughts and opinions and have no obligations to write reviews. I receive no compensation for any of them.
I’ll admit it took me a while to warm up to Avery – but by the end I felt all the warm fuzzies for her and Seth. They complemented each other well and had great chemistry.
I particularly liked the idea of the Hollywood teenie star being absolutely starstruck – there were some truly funny moments right there. 🙂
I hope this is the first in a new series!
I’ve read a number of Maggie Dallen’s books and enjoyed every one of them, but this one is my new favorite. I absolutely loved both the lead characters — they were smart, funny, complex, and endearing. I do have to blame Ms. Dallen for how tired I am today — I stayed up waaaaay too late reading this. I’ll forgive her, though, as long as she keeps writing. 😉
Aural Transcendence. Over the last 18 months or so, I’ve found myself reading most of this author’s work – and this particular book is easily among the best she has written. Dallen does young adult romance well, but this one is truly particularly transcendent. The depth of emotion in this book is among the best in romance today, better than many works by far more famous authors. Dallen has truly outdone herself with this one, and I for one hope to see more in this particular world.
Cute, G-rated, YA, contemporary romance
Seventeen-year-old Avery has been acting since she was a small child and is a famous TV star. Most recently, she’s been playing the part of a teenage vamp in a long-running nighttime soap opera for the past three years. Her mother, Shirley, is outstanding as Avery’s cynical, well-connected manager, but lousy as a nurturing mother, and there is no father in the picture, because he abandoned Avery and her mother when Avery was only eight.
Avery is an extreme introvert who has never dated and never been kissed for real–only fake kisses onscreen. Her preference for an ideal evening is lounging in pajamas at home, listening to the sexy voice of the young, handsome voice actor, Trent Wagner, who narrates Avery’s all-time favorite, young-adult, steampunk, pirate-romance series, Rogue Debutante. The only boy that Avery, in her secret daydreams, longs to date is Trent.
Unfortunately for Avery’s peace of mind, in order to further her career, Shirley has insisted for some time that Avery constantly play the part of child star turned diva teen as her brand. This basically consists of an image for the entertainment press of Avery as, best case, a mysterious loner, who is a kind of modern-day Greta Garbo type and, worst case, a cliche Mean Girl who is a stuck-up bubblehead. As utterly false as that persona is, given that the real Avery is humble and very smart, at least Avery has avoided playing the part of Avery the Diva as a typical, Hollywood Bad Girl, an extroverted party gal who frequently gets into trouble, flits from guy to guy, and incessantly vies for splashy coverage in the entertainment tabloids.
Worn out with constantly living a fake life as an arrogant, entitled jerk, Avery longs for a chance to play the most desirable role she can imagine–pretending to be an ordinary, unassuming teenage girl. Since she’s been home-schooled via excellent, demanding tutors her whole life, she is fully capable of inserting herself seamlessly into the course load of a brick-and-mortar school, and she demands that her mother allow her to attend a real school, with real people, for her junior year in high school. Wonder of wonders, after a great deal of nagging, Shirley finally gives in but, given Avery’s superstar status, the closest to a regular school she can safely attend is Trudale, an extremely exclusive boarding school for the arts, which caters to the snooty offspring of the rich and famous.
Seventeen-year-old Seth is one of the few, token scholarship students at Trudale. As a junior in high school, his passionately desired career path is to become a filmmaker. Though he is also a talented voice actor who has been the ghost-voice behind the recordings created under the name of his roommate, Trent, for the bestselling, Rogue Debutante series, he has no acting ambitions. The job is just a much needed paycheck which came about because Trent is massively lazy and has been more than happy to let Seth record the books in his name. This arrangement has allowed Trent’s demanding father, an iconic, British star of blockbuster, James Bond type spy movies in the 80s and 90s, to be satisfied that Trent has supposedly fulfilled a gig dear old Dad got him, and Seth gains a profitable means to fund his upcoming university studies.
The first meet between Avery and Seth is not propitious. They are assigned as partners for a crucial, final project in a highly competitive film class, and Seth, who sees Avery as a total poser and an incompetent idiot due to her Diva persona, makes no secret of his disdain for her. He has a huge amount riding on this project, given that important people will view the project at the end of the semester, and he is extremely worried that Avery will mess up his big chance to make vital connections in the film business.
Then, a few days after she arrives at Trudale, Avery discovers that Trent is at Trudale as well, and more than that, he is Seth’s roommate, which makes it imperative that Avery not remain Seth’s enemy. When, through Seth, she begins to get to know Trent, however, to her great disappointment, he is nothing like she previously pictured in her romantic fantasies. And, strangely enough, hipster Seth slowly reveals himself as having a personality very much like her idealized, imaginary Trent.
I really enjoyed this G-rated, young-adult, contemporary romance. Avery and Seth are both strong, compelling, sympathetic protagonists, and the evolution of their relationship from enemies, to friends, to romance is a fun journey for the reader to share. Both Avery and Seth have a strong growth arc, and their romance naturally evolves into a very satisfying, happy ending.
This story is told from the alternating points of view of Avery and Seth, which is a real plus for me, personally, as a reader, because it allowed me to truly get to know Seth.
This book is a keeper for me, and I’m sure I will read it again multiple times in the future. I highly recommend this YA romantic dramedy for romance fans of all ages.
I rate this book as follows:
Heroine: 5 stars
Hero: 5 stars
Subcharacters: 4 stars
Setting: 4 stars
Romance Plot: 5 stars
Artistic Careers Plot: 5 stars
Writing: 5 stars
Overall: 5 stars
The young adult years are difficult enough to handle without adding fame, fortune and a manipulative mother into the mix. All Avery wanted was normal. However, as most adults come to understand, “normal” is elusive and dependent on interpretation. Avery eventually gets her wish to attend high school, albeit one for gifted teens with aspirations of an acting career. She discovers that her mother’s publicity spin on her life clouds her reality and initially there isn’t a student who can see the real girl behind the facade. Being partnered with Seth in a school project starts off badly and whilst he has to accept the situation, he certainly isn’t happy about it. He is surprised when Avery fights for her right to participate in the project and even more surprised when he discovers the reasons for her secret crush. The story is sweet and clean but with a wealth of emotional pain and difficulties that both Avery and Seth have to face, far beyond anything normal teenagers have to deal with. Avery and Seth come to realise that trust in true friendship is essential and that together they can conquer everything that life throws at them. I received a copy of this well written book as a gift and this is my honest and voluntary review.