“Oh my god, please tell me that was not your plan.”After being pushed off the stage at the VMAs last year, Alec Andreas’s life hasn’t gotten much better. Music fans everywhere hate him for his poor treatment of ex-girlfriend and former bandmate, Jenna Rollins. Fearing the backlash, the music industry has all but shunned him. Afraid of falling into obscurity, Alec reluctantly takes a spot on the … reluctantly takes a spot on the new reality show Starving with the Stars, where failing celebrities are stranded on a desert island to compete in challenges and outlast one another—and hopefully revive their flagging careers. Alec is certain that only one thing will make him likeable in the public eye; he needs to cuddle up to one of the cute girls on the island and remind all of America what a great boyfriend he can be.
When he meets Jillian Fall—an aspiring Broadway actress who’s become a cabaret-singing internet meme—he finds much more than the arm candy he was hoping for. And what can be the harm in reviving his career and getting the girl?
Alec’s falling deeper than he thought possible, but as the contestants vie for the coveted final spots in their island adventure, his schemes are brought to light. Alec’s lost everything, but losing her hurts the worst.
With the cameras always watching, can Alec convince Jillian he cares about her more than changing his image as pop music’s most notorious liar?
Starving With the Stars is a standalone romance with no cliffhanger, no cheating, and a swoon-worthy Happily Ever After. There is some R-rated sexual content and swearing.
“Packed with outrageous drama, family turmoil, and the tease of a love triangle, THE EXTRA sweeps the reader into the tumultuous life of a soap opera set.” –Kelly Siskind, author of New Orleans Rush
“Delightful, spunky, and deliciously well-written” –Bestselling Author Jen Greyson
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After the ups and downs of the last year, Alec is worried that he doesn’t have a place in the music world, that perhaps everything that has happened has made him appear unlikable. So when he’s offered the chance to go onto a reality tv show to try and rebuild his image, he jumps at the opportunity. The cast is full of other celebrities, all hoping to restart their careers in various ways, and if he can cozy up to a female, it will definitely make him look good, and he could gain a potential ally in the show. Jillian just might be the perfect person. What could possibly go wrong?
Some of the supporting characters were so much fun, I wasn’t quite ready to let them go, and then I saw that one of my favs would have her own book down the road, and I couldn’t be happier. The setting created some funny situations amongst the characters, and the characters were wonderful, all of it combined made the book really hard to put down at the end of the day.
I’ve read all the books that have come before this one in the series, and I think this one would tie for my most favorite with The Extra. I really loved how well Alex and Jillian got along. I loved Jillian’s personality and how complimentary she was to Alec. Because they’re surrounded by people all the time, and they’re being filmed, there aren’t many opportunities for true alone time, and that creates the perfect setting for a nice, slow-burn. Such a great addition to the series!
OK but not my favorite of the series
Starving with the Stars is the fifth book in The Extras series by Janci Patterson and I have read them from the beginning. I am just going to come out and say this – I do not like so called “reality” TV. I know this story contained that but I was not sure how large of a “character” it would be so I decided to pick this book up and continue to read the series. Well I am still not a fan of reality TV but I thought this book was OK. Alec was basically a really unlikable character from earlier books so I was hoping he would redeem himself in this story, or at least starve himself to death. So he did have some redeeming qualities and did some things that helped redeem him but he also did some real underhanded and scheming things that come to light. So he got about half way there in my estimation but definitely not all the way.
As with the other books the author’s have produced a well written book. The characters were interesting, even when you wanted to shoot them, and the story-line was for the most part entertaining. But again……………not a fan of “reality” TV so I could not really get into that part of the story.
I received a free ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review. My opinions are all my own.
I enjoyed this stand-alone story in this series. The premise was interesting and the way it evolved was very well done. It is a more mature book than the others in the series. Overall, I enjoyed it.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
I wasn’t a fan of Alex so it was interesting to see what was in store for him. His agent recommends going on a reality tv show with a lot of has beens to improve his imagine. Maybe hookup with someone so they can see another side to him but of course it backfires!
Jillian found fame in a commercial & has found it hard to be recognised for anything else. The reality show was for her sick mum.
If you’re a fan of this particular real life show you will love the similarities & how they made it their own version. It was witty, clever & there were some lols in the tale. The contestants were a good mix of uniqueness. Very typical of ones that get selected.
So where does this leave Alex? I suggest you read it to find out if gets his HEA!
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review. 4.5*
I really liked Starving with the stars! It’s the first book I’ve read in the series and I immediately want to read the rest! The story is mostly set on a deserted island. Some celebrities joined a Survivor-style show where they have to survive on the island, do some challenges and vote people out. It’s a show I love watching on tv, so reading about it is awesome for me. Everyone knows the participants are not really alone on the island, but it’s still fun to read about the behind-the-scenes in the book. For example, the cameramen are always following. The story was really well written. The events in the book were most of the time unpredictable. There were definitely some plot twists. I also could really feel with the characters, especially with Jillian. Sometimes they made references to tv shows or the judges in the challenges were real celebrities. This was fun to read. Like the synopsis says, the book has a happy ending. And it was a perfect one! I really loved it!
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.