Publisher: Walker Books (Bloomsbury)
Goodreads Synopsis:
Fans of romance don't need to look any further than the fauxmance brewing between teen idols Charlie Tracker and Fielding Withers-known on their hit TV show as Jenna and Jonah, next-door neighbors flush with the excitement of first love. But it's their off-screen relationship that has helped cement their fame, as passionate fans follow their every PDA. They grace the covers of magazines week after week. Their fan club has chapters all over the country. The only problem is their off-screen romance is one big publicity stunt, and Charlie and Fielding can't stand to be in the same room. Still, it's a great gig, so even when the cameras stop rolling, the show must go on, and on, and on. . . .
Until the pesky paparazzi blow their cover, and Charlie and Fielding must disappear to weather the media storm. It's not until they're far off the grid of the Hollywood circuit that they realize that there's more to each of them than shiny hair and a winning smile.
Review:
This was a bit different from what I was expecting, in a good and bad way.
Jenna, actually Charlie, is a bit of a bitch, and she's a bit too emotional, as well. When in her chapters, she wasn't really whiny in her thoughts, but some of the things she did seemed a bit whiny. And she got offended way too easily. I didn't like her earlier chapters, but she grew on me a little. At certain points, it seemed like we saw something deeper in, inner pain type of things, and then she would turn back into a priss.
Jonah, also known as Fielding, actually Aaron, is sweet. He can be a jerk sometimes, by reverting to some offensive comeback or ruining the mood, but otherwise I liked him. He's smart, and likes reading, and can dance.
Franklin's Charlie was alright, but I enjoyed reading Halpin's Aaron much more. He was funnier, and I didn't like Charlie as much as I could have.
I wanted more of their families, too. Charlie's emancipated, and it was obviously something that she needed to work out. She's still hurt by her parents, and I feel like she should have talked to them some. The same with Aaron. He's still somewhat close with his family, and there's a sweet moment between him and his dad, but he should have talked with his mom some. (And possibly cleared up the gay rumor.)
And we could have gotten a bit more of the other characters. Like I thought we were going to see their fan again, and was thinking it could have been good for Charlie, but we didn't. And we didn't see much more of Aaron's other friends.
The romance was also lacking a bit. Charlie felt that there was something there throughout all of the book, even if she was still too sensitive, and Aaron felt some of the attraction. And there's a cute moment near the end of the book. When Aaron realizes things, I felt more of the attraction on his side, but throughout the book before that, it just didn't feel right.
The famous aspect also seemed a little unrealistic. It seemed a little fake, but I think most of them when in books seem a bit fake. And it doesn't really matter if it includes real famous people or made up ones, although I think made up ones are better. And the big scene at the end, the speech part, I don't think needed to be caught publicly, it could very well have been done privately.
I wasn't expecting them to go do the play, though. And I enjoyed that. The people they meet are good, and help them in several areas. (Part of my favoring this might be because it's in Oregon, but still.) Some of the other things I wasn't expecting it to focus on, was their acting. And how they felt about it and worked on it. That was really interesting.
There were several parts of the book that seemed like it needed some work, but I still enjoyed the book, and will probably read their next book.
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