JaxBuried,By my family’s fame.Dying to escape the limelight,And finally, I do.Being raised as a Jayne, I’m under constant scrutiny. The rock band my brothers formed makes it impossible to stay under the radar. Paparazzi, tabloids, rabid fans–you name it and I’ve got it. It all makes me sick. But getting shipped off to crazy Aunt Betty’s house in my senior year of high school isn’t any better. … senior year of high school isn’t any better. After all, there isn’t a stray kid or pet in the world that my aunt wouldn’t take in.
Then I meet her. She’s cautious, suspicious, and not interested in me at all. But that’s fine by me. Sivan Holt may be beautiful and intelligent, but she’s nothing I’m looking for.
Sivan
Drowning,
In my past.
Struggling to feel settled.
And finally, I do.
Growing up in the foster care system, I longed for a sense of belonging. All I wanted was a place to call home.
At the age of seventeen, I’m finally starting to feel it here. Home.
When he comes along, it unsettles me. I don’t want him to ruin everything we’ve built–everything that matters. Jax Jayne is arrogant, privileged, and I want nothing to do with him. But those green eyes of his keep drawing me in. If I let down my walls, will it be my final undoing?
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This was such a refreshing read. Famous by Default took me by surprise. The writing was great and the story flowed easily. It took me no time to read this book and was hard to put down. Jax and Sivan were wonderful characters. The story was simple, funny, emotional, and hard to put down.
I think Jax may be my favorite character in this book. He at first comes off bratty when he goes on a tirade when its clear his simple life will never be the same when he three brothers band becomes an instant sensation. He can’t go out in public, he lost all his friends, and he needs a constant bodyguard. So his parents decide to send him to his Aunt Betty’s farm. It while he’s there that he meets Sivan, one of his Aunt’s foster children. Sivan has been through a lot, losing her family, and bouncing from one terrible foster home to another. But she has hope when she meets Betty that things will be different at the farm.
Sivan was a very interesting character. She harbored so much pain and was still having a hard time dealing with things that happened to her. But Betty was great and didn’t pressure her to share her ordeal or judge her. She accepted her. This was really good for Sivan’s healing. Jax was another story. He didn’t want to be at this aunt’s farm at first, but his attraction to Sivan was one thing that kept him there. It was also healthier for him and helped him to embrace the things he wanted for his future. Sivan and Jax were so great together. Jax was very understanding of Sivan and didn’t push her at all. He helped her healing process and even made her realize what she wanted to do with her life, something she never thought about. The banter between them was funny and quick romantic moments were often very sweet. I really couldn’t get enough of them together.
I loved that this book isn’t filled drama and the characters acting dumb. It was genuinely sweet and a really good contemporary novel. It was refreshing to read about kids with their head on straight and no drama surrounding them. All the characters were really great and quite lovable. Betty was seriously the best part of this book with her kind and generous heart. This book gave me all the feels and I finished it with a happy sigh.
It was a cute, fairly straight forward teen romance. There was minimal conflict, which wasn’t until almost the end. I would’ve liked to see more clashing between the male and female main characters maybe a little conflict from outside them. Nonetheless it was a great book; the world and characters were all well developed and felt like real people. I loved the famous by default concept and the fast forward epilogue.
I received a free copy of this book via Hidden Gems Books and am voluntarily leaving a review.
I received this book for free from eBook Discovery. I voluntarily review this book. This is my honest review. This book was beautifully written. The story of two 17 year old whom seemed well beyond their years for the lives they had lived. The story draws you in and doesn’t let go. You really feel the heart and courage of the characters. I’m so glad I took a chance on this book as I have not heard of the author before. I can’t wait to read more!
Great story of “young” love with a couple (Jax and Sivan) who have both weathered “adult” situations in their past. Jax’s Aunt Betty is a wonderful “grounding” influence on both main characters, showing such all-encompassing love that she freely gives in spite of her own heartache. Some tragedy but HEA too! Different situations than the average story and a very pleasant read. I received this book for free from eBook Discovery. I voluntarily post this review. This is my honest review.
Oh boy. Sivan and Jax are such interesting and wonderfully complex characters, and I love their story in MK Harkins’ Famous by Default. This is a really well done beautiful romance. Not a simple story at all but a totally fun one nonetheless. I’ve not read anything by this author before but I’m going to have to change that as this book was superb. But for the fact that I’m literally dictating this review to my husband from my hospital bed I could go on and on with praises. The book definitely deserves it. Since I can’t do that I will simply note that the book is most definitely one to read, and it is easy to highly recommend.
As I started to read Famous by Default, I gave an inward groan and thought, “Not another highschool romance!” However, the further I got into this book the more it grabbed my attention and kept me riveted. As the reader is introduced to Jax and Sivan one’s first impression is that they were two self-absorbed teenagers whose main concerns were their own needs. As the story unfolds with wit, pathos and a good tug at the heartstrings, I found myself loving all of the characters in the book. Aunt Betty was an angel who had the ability to see beyond the hurt and frustration in the lives of her young charges. Once Jax got beyond the resentment he had towards the fame generated by his family, his maturity came to the fore as he started to realise that Sivan was no Goth girl with a bad attitude. His sensitivity towards her and her needs demonstrated his gallantry and innate goodness. With Aunty Betty and Jax’s acceptance, Sivan finds she has a safety net that allows her to let go and start to heal and when she does, she astounds everyone by her hidden depths. I found myself chuckling out loud throughout the book, but kept a box of tissues handy as well as I shed more than one tear. I’m really glad I took and chance and read this book. I received this book for free from eBook Discovery. I voluntarily post this review. This is my honest review.
This book is very easy read. The characters were fun and engaging, the story flows very nicely. It definitely sucks you in and makes you feel for the characters. It would be a great first story if the author chooses to write about each one of the brothers. I received this book for free from eBook Discovery. I voluntarily review this book. This is my honest review.
I loved this story. It was very sweet and so enjoyable to read. I was concerned the characters would be too young for me to relate to but the author did a really good job making them relatable. I received this book for free from eBook Discovery. I voluntarily review this book. This is my honest review.
I think this is my favorite MK Harkins book so far!
I liked the characters, very good writing–draws you in. Has some romance and drama. Love how the two main characters meet. One of the things I dislike is the minor cussing but I’m picky. If you like High School Musical style, you’ll like this book.
Wow! I read this book months ago and forgot to leave a review! I love this story!! The concept alone is enough to get me reading. The setting is so well described by MK Harkins, you’ll feel like you’re living on that farm with the characters or you’ll wish you were. All of MK’s character’s come to life in this story. There are no wallflowers here, everyone MK writes about will make you feel something.
There are tons of books about rock stars but not many about the anti-rock star. Jax is a fantastic character. He’s smart, well rounded and knows what he wants out of life, and being a rock star isn’t one of them. I really felt for him in the beginning of this book. Constantly fighting off a crowd of stark raving mad fans can’t be fun.
Sivan is not your average heroine. She’s been through a lot and her journey is an emotional one. It was heartwarming to read about her fighting her demons and coming to life in this story.
When the two of them finally get together, it’s obvious they are each exactly what the other needs. You can’t help but root for this pair to finally come together and get their happy ending.
Be warned, this book will make you cry. Keep the tissue handy. Honestly, I want a book that makes be feel emotions. If it doesn’t make me laugh, cry and get angry then it’s not a 5-star. Famous by Default did all of the above. It’s simply a great story.