Raine Quinn was a huge disappointment to her haters.She wasn’t supposed to make it out of Waco, TX. She wasn’t supposed to land even one acting job. And she sure as hell wasn’t supposed to fall in love with her best friend.Will Callahan liked to call himself the younger, hotter Shatner, minus the ham acting and distracting toupee. He loved everything comics, he loved playing the hero of the … playing the hero of the beloved, defunct space western, AURA and he loved his best damn friend, Raine Quinn.
Raine and Will shot up the Hollyweird ranks together. They became stars, Geek legends and over the years, family. But one night, with the meddling of their dearly departed friend, too many shots and too much time reminiscing, Raine and Will cross a line…and it’s one they can’t jump back over.
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Loved this story! Friendship Hollywood style. Portrays the side of actors that you don’t see. This story made me laugh and cry. I could not put this story down.
Not at all what I expected. The blurb and title suggest light and fluffy and I expected a lot more awkwardness. Even their closet geekiness wasn’t all that geeky. Instead, it was a bit heavier. I was sad and frustrated the whole time for Raine and some tiny part of the time for Will too. The whole story was the breakdown of the loss of their friendship and the ups and downs in the film industry. Don’t get me wrong, I really liked the story! It just wasn’t what I thought it was going to be.
The story was told in back and forth time jumps so sometimes it got confusing as to when things were happening and how it fit into the overall timeline of it all. It was an interesting style. There were really great characters that kept it together.
It was a fun – yet sorta sad – tale with a cute and geeky happily ever after!
I was expecting a little different type of story than what this turned out to be. I was expecting more humor and a lighter read. So had I known this was going to be a heavier read I wouldn’t have started when I mentally needed light and funny. I enjoyed getting to known Raine and Will. I did have a few places where I had to go back to figure out where the story was since it happened in the past and the present. I was concerned early on about the volume of characters but they all fit when it was done. I liked the authors writing style and will go check out other books she has written.
Favorite Quotes:
The blonde with him looked like every typical L.A. starlet wannabe: I wannabe rich. I wannabe connected. I wannabe famous.
Let’s be friends and quote Star Wars and laugh at lesser mortals.
It didn’t matter that I’d just hit thirty. You are never old enough to discuss your sex life, or sexual mishaps, with your old Southern mama. Ever,
‘Rainey, I don’t mean to step on any toes at all,’ Mama started and I repressed a snort. Sometimes it felts like stepping on toes was her favorite form of cardio.
He’d brought snacks. I knew he meant business.
My Review:
Between the large sections of angst and melancholy present day narrative, I relished the memories and recollections of the characters’ flashbacks as their history was laden with bright and shiny humor, amusing texts, and witty exchanges. The larger present day chunks stuttered with disappointments, grief, heartache, and betrayal – tropes that I find painful and frustrating and make my heart hurt. Although, thankfully, events were not always as they seemed to the stubborn and shortsighted Raine – who was the first person POV narrator of the tale. Despite my innate discomfort with tension and conflict, the emotive and witty writing kept me engaged and on the hook. I am an Eden Butler neophyte, having only experienced her impressive skills during from a short story among the Night Shift anthology, but I plan to plunder her listings. She has mad skills.
Great book! With all the geeky references, it was right up my alley! And learning about what the characters were, how they met, how they got to today and how they move on…perfect!