The F List

The F List was like a breath of fresh air,and exactly what I needed to escape from the pandemic for a few hours. It was quite a departure from the Innocence trilogy, and instead was more flirty and fun like Love Chloe or even Hollywood Dirt, Still, it managed to pack a punch regarding the way so many people these days are so wrapped up in their social media feeds that they seem to have forgotten how to distinguish reality from fantasy and the only way they know how to measure their self-worth is by the number of followers and likes they can wrack up. As a person who shuns social media as much as possible, that world is pretty foreign to me, yet the author did a great job of bringing it into my living room with this romance between Emma, a rather self-absorbed young woman who wants nothing more than to be famous, and Cash, “Hollywood royalty” with a well-known and beloved actress mother, who has lived his entire life in the spotlight and knows exactly how to play the game. In a bit of a twist, Emma is the one that everyone loves to hate, while Cash is a genuinely nice guy who is able to see past Emma’s shell to the vulnerable person underneath the brittle surface. As always, I love how Alessandra draws the reader into her story and makes it impossible to put down. I voluntarily read and reviewed an advance copy of this book. All opinions are my own.

The F List was so unlike the other books I’ve read by Alessandra Torre, but I enjoyed it none the less. The F List gave me a lot of insight to what goes on to make an influencer famous. I have seen influencers, but didn’t really quite get it. Emma is a nobody who wants to be famous. She pays a lot of money to make it happen. Cash Mitchell is an actor who was born to a celebrity mother. The two of them, along with four other people, were put in a house together kinda like Big Brother. There were always cameras on them and a lot of the situations were planned. Emma and Cash don’t have a good relationship, but they both secretly crush on the other. This story was written in an interesting format that I totally enjoyed. I liked the social media aspects and watching the Emma and Cash really get to know one another.

A fun, entertaining enemies to lovers story, although I must say, that for pretty much the whole book they’re enemies. Even though they’re secretly attracted to each other, they would never admit it. Emma was brought up in a trailer park, Cash grew up in Beverley Hills. Cash hated the spotlight, Emma lived for it. Two opposites with so much in common. For one, they both had lousy parents, and secondly, they both needed, no wanted, more followers on their social media. After a lousy fake date with Cash, Emma ends up publicly trashing him, herein starts a public hatefest that culminates in a celebrity reality TV show that has them, and 4 others, sharing a house for 6 weeks. It’s fun, it’s emotional and the characters, no matter how flawed as individuals they are, were all consuming for me, I loved them. Faultless writing, and a fun addictive storyline. I could not put this book down. I received an advanced copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley. This is my honest review.

#cutefeelgoodstory #cashandemmahavemyheart
Alessandra Torre is a chameleon. She can write hot and sexy, mystery and suspense, and light and fluffy. The F List is a fast paced, lighthearted sweet story that has moments of tenderness, humor, anger and eventually love. Two social media influencers who share a moment and then become enemies. In today’s world, the story’s relatable qualities made me ponder and smile and be happy that sometimes reading sweet romance is wonderful and enough.

Emma Blanton wants it all and I mean all. She wants fame, fortune and followers. She grew up with nothing and vows to get and be something no matter what. Cash Mitchell is a celebrity’s son who has grown up with everything, including the spotlight and now the followers. But these two don’t play nice, even though they each think about the other, they can’t look past their stubbornness. But eventually walls come down but nothing lasts forever. Throw in family drama and a sweet brother named Wesley, The F List makes for a delightful afternoon read. #lovedeverytminute

Very very much enjoyed this, to the point of reading straight through the night (who needs sleep?). It truly was quite intriguing to see how the whole “fame game” works as an influencer. Though you meet quite a few characters, the main ones are Emma, an everyday girl who is desperate for fame, fortune and to be seen by everyone, and Cash, a guy who’s spent his life in the spotlight. Emma has crushed on Cash for years, so when her manager gets her a lunch with him, she’s excited & nervous, and brings up something she wasn’t supposed to. Cash says something not nice (buttons were pushed!) and walks out. Emma decides to use this as a stepping stone, and starts wracking up the followers. Their interactions don’t go well over time, and then next thing you know, they are in a reality show, in a house, together, with 4 other influencers. This leads to many, many ups and downs, intriguing interactions, a whole lot of fun, heartbreak, and so much more. There are secrets (I won’t say…) and some explosive moments, and again, I point out, I read straight through the night (into the morning), because I just couldn’t put it down. There are times I didn’t like either of them, and times where I truly loved them. And always keeping my fingers crossed! There’s also someone else you’re gonna love (and a few you’ll want to smack), but again, I’ll leave it to you to find all that out. And truly you should!!!

No longer is it about someone getting his or her 5 minutes of fame…with the influx of reality television and the varying social media platforms allowing everyday people to step into the limelight in a way that not only gives them notoriety but also might just bring in some income simply for influencing trends or being willing to do whatever is needed to secure more likes, more follows, etc.

Drama is the name of the game – the more dramatics, the higher the ratings, the more followers, the more ways to influence and the players of this game are those who want fame, fortune, and followers, no matter the cost.

There’s a definite Almost Famous vibe to The F List, which makes sense given the drastic steps some are willing to take to be deemed newsworthy, regardless of how they’re shown on social media, which makes a whole lot of sense given the fact that even when ‘haters gonna hate,’ that negative attention catapults these social media divas and deviants, securing them more time to make it big…to make it rich, even if these popular media icons are simply playing a role…being a character.

What I’ve always enjoyed about Alessandra Torre’s writing and storytelling is the differing approaches she takes to her books. She strives to craft a unique perspective, a plot line that doesn’t follow a normal sequence or include cookie cutter characters, at least in the sense that they are nothing more than formulaic heroes and heroines, and Torre accomplishes just that with Emma Blanton and Cash Mitchell.

It’s interesting how one unexpected encounter jumpstarts a quest for stardom and prompts perhaps a less than desirable role to be played at least when it comes to Emma’s social media moniker compared to her golden boy counterpart Cash. And boy do these two play off each other, creating mass hysteria all over social media, sparking rumors that are way more salacious than the truth, at least in terms of what these two are working to become, which is much more than the adversaries they claim to be.

The F List showcases the highs and lows, the ups and downs of being a celebrity in any capacity; what it also does is provide the multiple reasons why most want even the smallest taste of fame and fortune. What readers also get is an enemy to lovers’ story line with enough snark, pithy exchanges, and sexual tension to keep the likes and the follows coming for quite some time.

Torre’s newest release is a great read – one that provides a bit of a crash course into how social media starlets become famous for no other reason than they know how to play a role that the world seems to like or at least find interesting. The one aspect of the story I did want a bit more of was the building romantic connection between Emma and Cash and where they end up when everything is said and done, and maybe that’s because I’m a hopeless romantic always looking for a couple’s happily ever after and I wanted more of that for Emma and Cash and for readers, too.

4.5 Poison Apples

The blurb had me excited to read this story because it’s unlike any I have ever read before. I have to say that this was a well-written and unique romance read but this story turned out to be just an okay read for me. Emma was an okay character but it definitely took me a while to warm up to her. I didn’t connect with her like I had hoped. I enjoyed Cash a lot, along with some of the side characters. Their story was fast, light and funny and I enjoyed the back and forth banter between the two. However, some parts felt a bit rushed. I wanted to see more growth from the characters and I wanted to believe in or feel their love and I didn’t. It’s like I needed more time with them as a couple to make me believe it and with an ending that felt unrealistic, it hurt their story a little. This wasn’t a terrible read. I just need more of a connection from the characters and needed it to be believable.

I really enjoyed this book, it was different and lighthearted with some serious underlying issues. The whole social media influencer concept is intriguing and yet hard to believe for us, everyday people. Cash and Emma have individually captured the eye of the world on social media platforms and now there is a spark. I loved the storyline where they are thrown into a reality show, pitted against each other yet pushed together. The key to the whole story is why each of them needs to be in the spotlight. I loved the way the book is written to provide that insight. Wesley, Cash’s special needs brother is a special treat in this great book. Lots of smiles and tears.

When I started to read this book, I was very confused. I had no idea what I was reading about. What I got was this girl Emma, who was at a party, and was being bullied because of her teeth. Then Cash came to her rescue and told her she was beautiful. Like any insecure teenager, she didn’t believe him and disappeared on him, “like Cinderella but without the slipper”.

Fast forward five years and Emma won a million dollars from a cheap scrap-off ticket and went on to make her dreams come true: become someone famous in Hollywood.

“And what I wanted… what I really wanted was to be famous. To be seen, known, sought after.”

She got a manager and they started to make her a celebrity. And this is when I realized that this book was about the life of an influencer and that’s why the titles of the chapters were hashtags, like those used in social media. What an idiot!

After I hit myself in the head, I knuckled down to read this very different and intriguing story that Alessandra Torre wrote. I loved learning about the world of an influencer, all the efforts that are needed to be seen and followed in their social media pages. Very mind-boggling! It’s the world of appearances where everything is fake and nothing is true. Reality is manipulated into make-believe. I found this world fascinating and somewhat repulsive, and I was by now loving each word and loving Emma and Cash.

From the moment they met, they were hooked on each other. Emma didn’t at any moment believe that Cash would ever look at her.

“Cash Mitchell is Jocelyn Mitchell’s golden son. His baby pictures were sold to People Magazine. He wasn’t normal—had never been normal. And he knew it.”

When they were cast for a reality show in MTZ, they have this fascination for each other at the same time they act hostile to each other. I loved their hot and cold moments and the way that Cash was so fixated on Emma. During one beach bonfire, he realized he was “staring across the fire at a girl who I didn’t particularly like but was somehow falling for.”

I hated Dana, the program director, and her manipulations to sensationalize everything and make drama out of simple everyday things. She was ruthless and scheming and didn’t care if she damaged someone in achieving maximum drama for her program. I found that reality shows are demeaning and invasive on the privacy of the participants and I had no idea why they tolerated those weeks. What people do for fame!

Cash was going through some issues related to his life. His life was not as golden as many people believed. He was increasingly disinterested in the race for being seen and being famous.

“Years ago, I craved the approval and attention. Now, as my fame grew and my unhappiness lingered, I was beginning to understand it would never be enough.”

And that was Emma’s charm; she made him start to feel alive again. And as she got to know him better, she did recognize the normal man behind the golden aura, and her lust started to change into love.

I loved this different story from this author. I found the writing brilliant and mesmerizing, and I loved learning about the world of an influencer. It was romantic and bittersweet, full of secrets and apparent betrayals, brilliantly paced, and as the pages flew, increasingly enthralling. There are other twists and turns included in this fascinating story that you just have to read to find out. Another masterpiece by Alessandra Torre!

I love when you find an author who consistently writes stories that are addicting, well thought out and who can pull off range.

Alessandra Torre is that type of writer for me.
She has managed to surprise me once again by changing up and giving me something that is not only unique in its storyline, but delivered in a more toned down fashion than some of her previous books(what I’m used to)and I was hooked all the same!

Emma wants to be a social media star, by any means necessary.

Cash is already social media’s “it boy” who had his fill a long time ago.

But when a reality show brings a select group of people together, what you see online is not necessarily what is underneath.
To disclose anything further would be a disservice to any future readers of this book.

I will say, I could easily see this book being called a fantastic beach read for the summer with its lighthearted romance theme and fun storyline.
Definitely a fast, enjoyable and easy read from beginning to end.

I would highly recommend this book and any other book by this author. She is consistent in her writing and her words are deliciously addictive!