Romance Readers Reading Challenges discussion

**

Hi Chiara! This is my first time doing a buddy read :)

Hi Sarah! Sorry I just read your message!
This is my 4th buddy read and so far I've enjoyed the experience!
I've checked your TBR and we don't have many books in common..just 6 books that we both have on our TBR lists and haven't read!

1.
2. (which is the 4th book of the series and I haven't read the previous 3!)
3.
4.
5.
6.

Is there one in particular you're more keen on reading?!

They all look good to me but I agree with the 4th book. We could do random number generator between the other ones lol

Ok so we have a sports romance, a couple of chick-lit, a young adult about a teen rock star and an emotional one.
I’m fine with all of them..I don’t have a “favorite” among them!
What about you?
A friend of mine told me that When It's Real is really good, so we could choose this one if it’s ok with you!
Or we can really choose randomly! :)

Fantastic! When It's Real works for me. I had heard its quite good as well. 🙂

Ok perfect!! When It's Real it is then! :)

When do you want to start? And do you want to discuss the book as we read (like chapter by chapter or every few chapters or you want to discuss it once we've both finished reading it?

We can start on the 1st if you like :) There are 38 chapters plus the epilogue. Not sure how much you can read each day, or how you normally work it; but I am happy with reading 4 or 5 chapters a day (complete it in a few weeks); or more chapters a day and complete it in a week. I'm pretty easy, I have it on ebook and can read at work :)

I normally read one or maximum 2 books at the same time so it would be a problem for me if it took us a few weeks to read it!
The book is around 400 pages so I'd prefer your second option (which is read more chapters a day and complete in a few days) if it's ok for you!

I usually comment as I read..if something is worth discussing then I post a comment, mentioning the chapter I'm in, and I hide the comment with the spoiler tag, so if you haven't reached that point yet is not a problem. Would it work for you?
Anyway, if you prefer to comment once we've both finished just let me know! I'm fine with both options! :)

I usually read two books (or more) at the same time as well :)

I like the idea of commenting as we go. Perhaps not having a specific page count per day, but read at our own pace (sounds like we are both quick readers) and posting here.

Thanks for dealing with me as a newbie lol

Yes it's better if we don't have a specific page count so we're free to read how much we like (or how much real life allows us!!)

I'm not a veteran myself of the BR challenge..this is the first year I'm doing it! I hope you'll enjoy it!!

Where do you live? (so we can calculate the time difference!!)
I'm from Italy :)

I'm in Toronto, Canada :) So a bit of a time difference lol

Ok..if Google is correct, it should be 10.40AM there and, since it's 4,40PM here, it means there's 6 hours difference..not bad! 😊

I've just downloaded the book..now we just have to wait until the 1st to start!

Not too shabby and yes, the time is correct. I must be good and not start the book early :)

May 1st is finally here! I’m ready to start whenever you are..just let me know! 😄

I will be starting today!!

Perfect! Then I'll start today as well!

I’ve read the first couple of chapters..so we’re dealing with a huge teenager pop star. Too bad I usually envision someone Bieber style when I read about young music stars (and I don’t like Bieber at all!)
Apart from this small detail, I think the authors are doing a great job describing the music environment, the pressure, the social media mania, and all the compromises an artist has to make to please the label, if he wants to keep doing his job.

The “fake relationship” is also quite common in the show business, in my opinion..I believe that more relationship that we can imagine are indeed staged.
But usually famous people date among each other, in order to gain mutual visibility. I don’t think a famous person would pretend to date someone “ordinary”, much less a fan, in real life. So maybe this detail is a bit unrealistic. But still..anything is possible!

I have a feeling one of the main topic of this book is related to how further a person would go to fulfill his dreams. How much would a person compromise to achieve what he wants..
In this story both Oak and Vaughn want/need something. He wants to keep doing his music, and wants King to produce his next album. And she desperately needs money to support her family. I’m curious to find out where their limits lie.

Chapter 3
(view spoiler)[I have a degree in communication studies so everything that is “behind the curtains” really interests me. I enjoyed the meeting between Vaughn and Oak’s team. It really takes a village sometimes to organize famous people’s life!
It’s fascinating to see how these people are planning and plotting to build up an entire story..from Vaughn’s fake breakup, to the drawing, to Oak’s responding and so on..
I despised the part in which they start criticizing Vaughn’s look. The show business can really be an unpleasant world..and it’s a place full of sharks. I hope they won’t devour Vaughn! (hide spoiler)]

Chapter 4
(view spoiler)[Oak is indeed an asshole..I’m getting more and more Bieber’s vibes!
And I like Vaughn sassy attitude..I hope she’ll keep it throughout the whole book and she won’t be influenced by the star system. (hide spoiler)]

Chapter 5
(view spoiler)[ok I still think Oak is a douchebag, but I feel a bit bad for him because I think it’s hard to build real and honest relationships when you’re a famous person. What his friend Luke did is quite shitty..I can understand how famous people are often closed off and don’t trust anybody. Probably I would feel the same, never knowing who to trust and if the person is my friend because he cares or because he wants to gain something out of it. (hide spoiler)]

Up to Chapter 5
(view spoiler)[ I am getting major Bieber vibes from Oak, down to them talking about the underwear spread he did in Vogue magazine, and I can't stand Bieber.

I'm actually having a hard time liking either Vaughn or Oakley at this point. I get that this situation is pretty common place in the industry, but it just felt very "quick" how everything go rolling at the beginning; and he was a major d**chbag during their first meeting. (hide spoiler)]

Chapters 6, 7 & 8
(view spoiler)[ So the breakup has happened and Vaughn told W as much as she could, after he signed a NDA. My big issue here is that she should have broken it off. I just don't understand their relationship. I feel like he isn't really in the relationship and that he is only sticking with her in hopes that she will have sex with him, or now with working with this talent company, help him grow his YouTube channel.

I do understand W's frustration at the end of Chapter 7 when he realizes what is going on and it becomes clear to him. The breakup between him and Vaughn will be happening soon I am sure.

I'm still not sure at this point how much I like the story, I'm on the fence with both Vaughn and Oak, but I will admit its interesting and it's keeping my interest. (view spoiler)[ (hide spoiler)] (hide spoiler)]

Sarah wrote: "...I just don't understand their relationship. I feel like he isn't really in the relationship and that he is only sticking with her in hopes that she will have sex with him, or now with working with this talent company, help him grow his YouTube channel"

I think we need to keep in mind that they're high school kids..that's why their actions seems a bit childish or superficial sometimes (In this case I'm talking especially about W, 'cause Vaughn seems a mature and responsible girl for her age)

Chiara wrote: "Sarah wrote: "...I just don't understand their relationship. I feel like he isn't really in the relationship and that he is only sticking with her in hopes that she will have sex with him, or now w..."

I agree and yes, I have to keep remembering that :)

Re-reading my last comment I've noticed I wrote that they're all high school kids but technically that is not correct, cause none of them is in high school! Anyway, what I meant is that they're all teenagers, therefore still quite childish! ;)

Chapter 9
(view spoiler)[Clearly W is an immature guy and he's probably not really in love with Vaughn. His only concerns seem to be a) become famous thanks to his youtube channel and b) not look like a loser.
He's not really jealous that Vaughn is gonna fake-date Oakley..he didn't even seem too upset on chapter 7 when Vaughn told him they wouldn't be able to see each other in public or even text for a whole year. He definitely doesn't seem like a guy that is deeply in love with his gf! (hide spoiler)]

Chapter 10
(view spoiler)[I think Oak might start being intrigued by the whole situation..he sees it as a funny game and he enjoys to break the rules! (hide spoiler)]

How's it going? Are you still not liking the story?

Chiara wrote: "Re-reading my last comment I've noticed I wrote that they're all high school kids but technically that is not correct, cause none of them is in high school! Anyway, what I meant is that they're all..."

Yes, I am reading it and its getting enjoyable. I guess my thing is that I did find the set up to be a bit unbelievable (but probably does happen quite often). I am starting to enjoy it more now, and liking the characters a bit more now as well.

I understand what you meant. I typically don't read a lot of YA and what I do read the characters tend to be a bit more mature, which I know isn't the norm :)

I don't usually read YA either..I prefer NA or Adult..because I'm 37 (and my teenage years are quite far away!!!), so it's harder to relate with YA characters and it's easy to consider them a bit childish and immature.
Anyway so far I'm enjoying this story!
I like Vaughn and I believe that Oak's real nature will soon come out and he'll stop being a jerk!
I agree with you because, as I said earlier, the story is not 100% believable. I don't think a celebrity would fake-date an ordinary person in order to redeem himself! Anyway, it is not so uncommon that in romance books we can find unbelievable stories..that doesn't mean it cannot be an enjoyable read nonetheless :)

So true! I'm 39 and feel the same way. When I do read YA I think to myself, did I really ever act like that!

I agree about Oak, I'm reading the scene now where they are all out to dinner with Vaughn and her siblings. I can see the 'real' Oak and he seems like a nice guy.

Sarah wrote: "So true! I'm 39 and feel the same way. When I do read YA I think to myself, did I really ever act like that!

I agree about Oak, I'm reading the scene now where they are all out to dinner with Vau..."

Yes the dinner is a nice scene where the real Oak comes out a bit! I’m sure from now on Vaughn and Oak’s interaction will increase more and more and this will probably lead to an inevitable breakup with W!

I’m on chapter 14 and Oak is still pretty much an a#&@ole!

Chiara wrote: "I’m on chapter 14 and Oak is still pretty much an a#&@ole!"

I have a feeling he will be for most of the book. I'm hoping to get to Chapter 16 tonight.

I’m about to go to bed so I think I’ll quit at the end of chapter 15 for today!

Chapters 16-20
(view spoiler)[Two things caught my attention in this 5 chapters:

1. The more I read and the more I realize that the show business is depicted as a very cynical and sterile world. It gets to the point where Oak's mother tells Vaughn "Hollywood, right? Everything is done through agents and publicists, even conversations between a mother and a son."
I wonder if the authors are doing a caricature of the star system, emphasizing its worst features, or if this world is truly so shallow.

2. W is a total douche..not only he cheated on Vaughn, but he's trying to tell her that it's her fault and that they needs to have sex if she doesn't want to lose him. I hope she understands that he's a terrible bf and breaks up with him... (hide spoiler)]

Chapter 27
(view spoiler)[What happened at the end of chapter 27 (Vaughn drunk making out with Luke) is one of the reasons I usually avoid reading YA romance...too much drama, too many childish behaviors..
At the beginning of the book I really liked Vaughn. She seemed really mature for her age, strong and sassy. But as the story progresses I’m not liking her so much anymore. I didn’t like the way she reacted to W. He was the one who cheated. He was the one who treated her poorly and she didn’t react at all. She just cried. She should have gotten mad at W. And now getting drunk and kissing Luke at a party?!?! Not cool at all! (hide spoiler)]

Chiara wrote: "Chapters 16-20
Two things caught my attention in this 5 chapters:

1. The more I read and the more I realize that the show business is depicted as a very cynical and sterile world. It gets to the p..."

Yes on both these accounts!

The whole sex thing with W, it made me so mad! I remember in high school hearing that from my female friends that those were things their boyfriends told them. It is so sad that we haven't progressed from that yet. W is an a$$hole, big time! Vaughn is so much better off without him.

Chapter 35
(view spoiler)[I’ve just started the chapter but I’m very confused. Oak blocked Vaughn’s number, he left for New York without telling her and for what?! Because she kissed Luke months before (and he already knew about that)?! This story doesn’t make any sense. I know that towards the end there is always a turning point, a moment of chaos before the final happy ending, But I have the feeling the authors risked a bit too much with the turning point they’ve decided because IT MAKES NO SENSE!!! Totally unbelievable..
I’m really confused at this point.. (hide spoiler)]

Chapter 37
(view spoiler)[Ok now it’s starting to make sense...they were both played by his entourage..they both believed they were dumped..but it was all staged. The shallow show business world strikes once again! (hide spoiler)]

I finished..I’m gonna wait for you to finish before giving my thoughts! Take your time :)

I'm almost done... I will complete it tonight... work has been crazy! :)

Sarah wrote: "I'm almost done... I will complete it tonight... work has been crazy! :)"

Don't worry! :)

Ok, so I finished reading this on my lunch. All in all, I enjoyed it and I'm glad I read it. It was a really entertaining story and kept me wanting to read more.

I went back and forth on liking and not liking Vaughn and Oakley, but by the end I did think they were great characters. Both had their flaws. I really didn't like Jim and Claudia and I saw the fake breakup coming a mile away. I wasn't surprised at all when it happened.

I enjoyed how the relationship was portrayed with the Oak's fans and such. I read a lot of these rock star type romances and I find that those books don't often touch on what it would really be like. I think that puts a ton of strain and added pressure on a relationship. I mean, getting egged by your boyfriend's fans... not cool at all.

I adored Paisley and Ty, they need their own book! Perhaps in the new adult category.

I have to say the one thing that really bothered me, and it bothers me in a lot of YA, is the talk and descriptions of drinking and drug use. I'm no prude, I was 17 as well and I was probably no different than any of these characters. But I don't like that fact that its made to be ok. I mean Vaughn is only 17 in the book. If they were both maybe a few years older, 19 or 20 it won't bother me as much; but 17 just seems so young to me (or maybe I'm just old now lol).

I would love to find out where Oakley and Vaughn are 5 or 10 years from now. Like a lot of teenage romance, did they split up or are they still together? It would be interesting to see.

I'm glad you enjoyed. I enjoyed too and I would rate it a 3.5 stars. As I said before, I think the story was a bit too unrealistic and a bit too much fairytale-style (something like "awesome prince meets poor ordinary Cinderella"), but apart from that it was a really entertaining story.

I think Elle Kennedy and Jen Frederick (aka Erin Watt) did an amazing job in depicting the show business world, especially in regard to the social media life of a famous person.
Social media can be a very useful tool, but also a very cruel one, because everyone feels entitled to say anything they want. And if you're a famous person, it's even worse. We live in a world where it's considered almost normal to insult the person the actor/singer is dating.

This book was a great opportunity to think about the ups and downs of the life of a famous person. Of course these people have money and fame and they can have everything they want, but they don't have any privacy. They cannot even go out without being followed or harassed by fans or paparazzi. They're judged for every single thing they do or don't do. And the media often makes up stories that are totally false. I honestly don't think this is an easy life. You get to do what you love (whether it's singing or acting or dancing or hosting), but you also lose a lot. When you're a popular person everyone wants a piece of you and this can be frustrating. It's hard to understand who is truly your friend and even your own entourage can betray you. We've seen it in the book, both with Luke and with Jim and Claudia!
And that is probably why, if they don't have a good and strong support system, often times famous people end up abusing alcohol and drugs, or having anxiety, depression, breakdowns and other mental health issues.

Concerning what you said about not liking the use of drugs or alcohol in YA book, I have to say that I don't think it depends on the fact that you're too old ('cause we're not old at all!!!), but it's probably more related to the society you live in.
I don't like the use of drugs in books in general, but I don't usually have a problem with teenagers drinking if it's a one time thing like in this book (Vaughn gets drunk just once and because she's upset and probably she's a bit immature and doesn't know when to stop drinking). And probably the reason why we have different opinions on this topic is because in Italy the drinking age is 16. This means I grew up thinking it's normal for a teenager to drink a beer or a cocktail when you're out with your friends. It's the abuse that is wrong. And that is why, even now that I'm 37, I just drink a glass of wine every now and then, and nothing more.

I agree with you on the epilogue part. I would have liked to see them later on in their lives. I was curious to know if Vaughn finally finds her true passion and what career she would pursue. And I would have liked to see them as adults and find out if their love is still going strong or if they go their separate ways.

Nice review and I agree with a lot of what you said. Very interesting part about the drinking and how our cultures view that.

I really enjoyed reading this book with you. Also I knew the author was a writing team but didn't know who they were lol now I have a reason to check out their other work!

Sarah wrote: "Nice review and I agree with a lot of what you said. Very interesting part about the drinking and how our cultures view that.

I really enjoyed reading this book with you. Also I knew the author wa..."

Yes, it’s interesting how people can have different opinions based on the culture they live in. That is why I love getting to know people from different countries!

I really like these two authors..I like their series The Royals and I ADORE Elle Kennedy..her series Off-campus was amazing and I also loved the m/m duet she co-wrote with Sarina Bowen titled Him. I haven’t read anything by Jen Federick yet but she’s on my TBR!
Thanks for being my BR partner, Sarah! :)