One to Watch by Kate Stayman-London: A Bitter Disappointment

One to Watch by Kate Stayman-London
Published: July 7th, 2020
Publisher: Dial Press
Tropes: Reality TV
Heat level: 🔥🔥
My rating: 2.5 stars
# of pages: 432
Acquired this book: From the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for honest consideration
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Bea Schumacher is a devastatingly stylish plus-size fashion blogger who has amazing friends, a devoted family, legions of Insta followers--and a massively broken heart. Like the rest of America, Bea indulges in her weekly obsession: the hit reality show Main Squeeze. The fantasy dates! The kiss-off rejections! The surprising amount of guys named Chad! But Bea is sick and tired of the lack of body diversity on the show. Since when is being a size zero a prerequisite for getting engaged on television?

Just when Bea has sworn off dating altogether, she gets an intriguing call: Main Squeeze wants her to be its next star, surrounded by men vying for her affections. Bea agrees, on one condition--under no circumstances will she actually fall in love. She's in this to supercharge her career, subvert harmful anti-fat beauty standards, inspire women across America, and get a free hot air balloon ride. That's it.

But when the cameras start rolling, Bea realizes things are more complicated than she anticipated. She's in a whirlwind of sumptuous couture, Internet culture wars, sexy suitors, and an opportunity (or two, or five) to find messy, real-life love in the midst of a made-for-TV fairy tale. In this joyful, razor-sharp debut, Bea has to decide whether it might just be worth trusting these men--and herself--for a chance to live happily ever after.

I had high hopes for One to Watch - a fat Instagram-famous fashionista going on a reality dating show to find love? Sign me up! I was expecting something cute, funny, empowering, romantic, and feel-good. What I actually got was slammed in the face with a book full of fatphobia, making One to Watch incredibly difficult to read and often downright depressing.

I love when I can relate to a character, whether it’s because they’re fat or deal with mental illness or they’re nerdy or love to travel or whatever. If I can connect to a character because of common life experiences or interests, it makes it that much easier to love a book. In the case of One to Watch, my connection to Bea stirred up a lot of painful emotions. See, like Bea, I’m fat. I’ve always been fat. I’ve been made fun of, I’ve been bullied, I’ve been ridiculed, I’ve been judged. And like Bea, I’ve worried that no one will ever see past my size and love me for me. After so many rejections, both big and small, it becomes impossible to fathom that anyone would ever find you desirable or love you or be in a relationship with you. I’ve felt invisible for so long that it’s become a shield, and I saw that in Bea - her suspicion and mistrust and defensiveness around people, especially guys.

While on the one hand it was nice to see myself in Bea and to see the struggles many fat people face talked about with brutal honesty (emphasis on the 'brutal'), it was also too much at times. Bea couldn’t seem to catch a break. For most of the book, it seemed like her fears about how she was perceived and would never find love were completely founded. People treated her like shit. They judged and ridiculed her. So much of the book was Bea being relentlessly humiliated by fatphobic assholes and questioning her self-worth. At times it felt overwhelming seeing all my own fears and insecurities play out right before my eyes. 

All of this isn’t to say I didn’t like Bea, because I did. I could see myself being friends with her and I’d definitely love to get some fashion tips from her! I appreciated how strong and smart and real she was. The reality TV aspect of the book was interesting; I used to be obsessed with The Bachelor and The Bachelorette, so I enjoyed reading about the fictionalized version of a show like that with all its ups and downs, the drama, and the dream dates. I didn’t connect to any of the guys, though, and didn’t think any of them were really right for Bea. With the premise of the book being a reality dating show, the guys’ motivations weren’t clear (were they there for fame? Did they want to use the show to advance their own careers? Did they want to get a spot on one of the franchise’s spin-off shows?) and we didn’t get to know any of them well enough to know whether they suited Bea long term. Her constant doubts about them didn’t help either because I found myself mistrustful of every single one of them, waiting for the moment when she would be humiliated yet again...which always, always happened.

Overall, this book was a miss for me. There were too few triumphs for Bea after so much pain, heartache, and humiliation. I was hoping for a book that would leave me feeling hopeful and happy, not depressed and disappointed. I would have loved to see Bea have more things work out in her favour, more circumstances where she was the winner instead of the loser. She was obviously a confident, self-assured woman, but we got to see very little of that because she was constantly put in crappy situations that often left her feeling like the butt of a bad joke.

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The Heir Affair by Heather Cocks and Jessica Morgan: An Emotional Punch With a Side of Intrigue and Scandal

The Heir Affair by Heather Cocks and Jessica Morgan
Published: July 7th, 2020
Publisher: Grand Central Publishing
Genre: Contemporary Royal Romance
My rating: 4.5 stars
Acquired this book: From the publisher in exchange for honest consideration
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After a scandalous secret turns their fairy-tale wedding into a nightmare, Rebecca “Bex” Porter and her husband Prince Nicholas are in self-imposed exile. The public is angry. The Queen is even angrier. And the press is salivating. Cutting themselves off from friends and family, and escaping the world’s judgmental eyes, feels like the best way to protect their fragile, all-consuming romance.

But when a crisis forces the new Duke and Duchess back to London, the Band-Aid they’d placed over their problems starts to peel at the edges. Now, as old family secrets and new ones threaten to derail her new royal life, Bex has to face the emotional wreckage she and Nick left behind: with the Queen, with the world, and with Nick’s brother Freddie, whose sins may not be so easily forgotten — nor forgiven.

Since I was late to the game reading The Royal We, I was able to start The Heir Affair with all the happenings and characters fresh in my mind. After spending over a week with Bex, Nick, Freddie, and the gang, they became very real to me, with their saga feeling as if it played out like a movie in my head. Now I miss these characters and their world!

Part of why The Royal We was so fun was because it was familiar in a way. I didn’t follow Will and Kate’s relationship in the early days, but I became obsessed with the couple when they announced their engagement, so getting to read a fictionalized version of a story with many similarities to their relationship was entertaining and amusing. The Heir Affair was completely different, though; it was still a lot of fun and I was still entertained and amused, but it all felt fresh and new and much less like Will and Kate fanficiton.

We so rarely get to see what happens after the ‘and they lived happily ever after’. Most romances feature couples falling in love and, while they struggle and overcome obstacles, you know a happily ever after (or happy for now) is guaranteed. But what happens when the shine of a new relationship wears off and the honeymoon is over? What happens when the obstacles in a marriage seem insurmountable? That’s what we got in The Heir Affair. We still got the ‘behind the scenes’ of royal life/life in the public eye and how that affected every aspect of Bex and Nick’s life, but their relationship had more depth because more was at stake. While most people can’t relate to dodging paparazzi and having every aspect of their life scrutinized under a microscope, the authors managed to make it relatable. It helped that real-life issues like infertility, infidelity, secrets and lies, and mental health were woven through the plot.

While The Royal We felt mostly like fun escapism, The Heir Affair dealt with much heavier subject matter. It was still hilarious and definitely had plenty of fun, light-hearted moments, but it also made me tear up and outright cry on several occasions because Bex’s pain was so authentic. Also, as someone who has had mental health struggles for years, I appreciated the way mental health was dealt with in an honest and open way, with references to therapy and coping mechanisms. I also continued to enjoy Bex's relationship with her college friends (I want a friend like Gaz in my life - in fact, I think we all need a Gaz), the different (and healthier) dynamics between her and her sister Lacey, and Bex's relationship with various royals. There are several scenes with the Queen that had me grinning and laughing throughout. With all the heavy subject matter, this book easily could have turned depressing, but the authors struck a good balance between the parts that felt like an emotional gut-punch and the parts that were truly hilarious.

If you haven’t read The Royal We, I highly recommend picking up a copy, along with The Heir Affair. This royal saga will make you laugh, cry, rage, and fall in love. Full of surprises and lots of heart, The Heir Affair is one of the best sequels I’ve ever read, and I'm grateful to the authors for giving us the opportunity to return to this world. I know Bex, Nick, and the others will stick with me for a long time.

Read my review of The Royal We

Have you read The Heir Affair or The Royal We? Do you have a favourite sequel? Or a book you wish would get a sequel?

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The Royal We by Heather Cocks and Jessica Morgan: A Royally Good Romance

The Royal We by Heather Cocks and Jessica Morgan
Published: April 7th, 2015
Publisher: Grand Central Publishing
Genre: Contemporary Royal Romance
# of pages: 558 (Mass Market Paperback)
My rating: 5 stars
Acquired this book: Won on Instagram
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American Rebecca Porter was never one for fairy tales. Her twin sister, Lacey, has always been the romantic who fantasized about glamour and royalty, fame and fortune. Yet it's Bex who seeks adventure at Oxford and finds herself living down the hall from Prince Nicholas, Great Britain's future king. And when Bex can't resist falling for Nick, the person behind the prince, it propels her into a world she did not expect to inhabit, under a spotlight she is not prepared to face.

Dating Nick immerses Bex in ritzy society, dazzling ski trips, and dinners at Kensington Palace with him and his charming, troublesome brother, Freddie. But the relationship also comes with unimaginable baggage: hysterical tabloids, Nick's sparkling and far more suitable ex-girlfriends, and a royal family whose private life is much thornier and more tragic than anyone on the outside knows. The pressures are almost too much to bear, as Bex struggles to reconcile the man she loves with the monarch he's fated to become.

Which is how she gets into trouble.

Now, on the eve of the wedding of the century, Bex is faced with whether everything she's sacrificed for love-her career, her home, her family, maybe even herself-will have been for nothing.

The Royal We has been on my radar since 2015. I kept saying I would read it, but I always put it off, and after all these years I have to admit the hype had me nervous to finally start. The hype was justified, though, and I loved this book for so many reasons.

I’ve been a ‘royal watcher’ since I was a child. Like many, I adored Princess Diana, and I mourned with the world when she died. I’m halfway between Princes William and Harry age-wise, and having lost a parent myself just a few years before, watching them publicly grieve made me feel a strong connection to them. I paid slightly less attention to them as I grew up, but Will and Kate’s engagement rekindled my interest. The fact The Royal We is basically Will and Kate fanfiction was a huge draw for me, and it didn’t disappoint.

My favourite part of the book was the beginning, when Bex and Nick were in Oxford, largely in their own little world, separate from the duties and responsibilities of Nick’s usual life as a prince who would one day be king. I enjoyed watching them become friends and then watching as their friendship blossomed into something more. This part of the book was the most relatable - watching them fall in love, watching Bex make new friends, adjust to life in England, miss her family back home, and basically have a normal college experience except for the fact she was friends with a prince.

I did thoroughly enjoy the royal aspect of the book too. You could feel Bex’s frustration and pain at not being able to go public with Nick while still having to deal with the press. I loved her friendship with Nick’s brother Freddie (the ginger-haired spare who was known for being a partying playboy...hmm, I wonder who he was based on?), and I appreciated the complexities of her relationship with her twin sister, Lacey. One of the things that really stuck with me is just how pervasive the media is. I don’t think I ever quite grasped the lengths people will go to for a story or a photo of a member of the royal family (or any celebrity). I’ve always been aware of the gossip - I make a point to scan the ludicrous headlines of the tabloids in the grocery store waiting line, just for giggles - but I try not to believe anything unless it comes from an official source. Many people don’t feel the same way, though, and will treat any and every crumb of gossip as fact, even if it’s wildly false. This book really makes you think about how things can be twisted and turned for the sake of a headline, how relationships can be damaged or ruined, and the strain it puts on the people who aren’t able to step outside their door without having it turned into a story.

Royal romances can be hit or miss for me, but this one knocked it out of the park. It’s laugh-out-loud funny, romantic, and it pulls at your heartstrings. Part of me regrets waiting so long to read it, while the other part of me is grateful I let the hype monster keep me away for so long because it meant I got to start the sequel, The Heir Affair, immediately and spend more time with these characters who came to mean so much to me.

Have you read The Royal We? Do you like royal romances? Have a favourite?

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Review: Royal Marriage Market by Heather Lyons

Royal Marriage Market by Heather Lyons
Series: Standalone
Published: December 15th, 2015
Publisher: Cerulean Books
335 pages (ebook)
Genre: Contemporary romance
Acquired this book: Bought
Warning: May contain spoilers
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Every decade, the world’s monarchs and their heirs secretly convene to discuss global politics and social issues—and arrange marriages between kingdoms.

Elsa may be the Hereditary Princess of Vattenguldia, but she finds the entire situation archaic and unsavory. While she wants what's best for her country, she isn't about to jump into an unwanted relationship—let alone a marriage—with a virtual stranger. Of course, her feelings matter little to her parents, whose wheeling and dealings over trade pacts and alliances achieved at her expense begin the moment they set foot in California for the Summit. So when a blindingly handsome royal runs into her, she doesn't hesitate to tell him there's no way she's marrying him.

Christian is all too happy to agree: no marriage. As the Hereditary Grand Duke of Aiboland, his main goal is to get through the summit without a bride being foisted on him. Which is why he suggests they help each other field potential intendeds. As Christian slowly gets to know Elsa, though, he realizes they have a lot more in common than just their feelings about the Royal Marriage Market. Only he can't fall for her, because royal or not, they're not meant for each other.

Elsa and Christian will have to evaluate matters of the heart verses those of state and crown, and decide whether or not tradition trumps love.

Royal Marriage Market is a fun, lighthearted modern fairy tale. I was completely captivated by this story from beginning to end.

Told alternately between Elsa and Christian, it was nice to get inside both characters’ heads. Their lives were fairly similar - they were destined to rule their respective countries, and their families were manipulative. They cared about their countries and their royal duties, but drew the line when it came to arranged marriage. They both saw their parents’ loveless marriages and wanted more for themselves, not to mention they didn’t want to be part of such an archaic tradition. Both characters were complex and easy to connect with. Their encounters ranged from funny to sweet to sexy to romantic. I loved that they had running jokes from early on in the story. It helped me not only connect to them, but it also made it easy to root for them, because underneath the surface of trying to keep their relationship friendly, it was obvious they were falling for each other.

This is the second book I’ve read lately where instalove was done right. Usually it feels contrived, but Lyons did a great job of making Elsa and Christian’s relationship believable. It was so much fun watching them fall for each other and wondering how they could possibly make things work.

If you’re looking for a book that’ll make you laugh and swoon in equal measure, Royal Marriage Market is a must read. It’s the perfect escape from reality when you want something sweet, light, and enchanting. This was my first Heather Lyons book, but it won’t be my last!

Have you read Royal Marriage Market? What did you think? If you haven't read it, do you plan to? Do you enjoy books about fictional royals?

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Review: Under the Lights by Dahlia Adler

Under the Lights by Dahlia Adler 
Series: Behind the Scenes #2
Published: June 30th, 2015
Publisher: Spencer Hill Contemporary
Genre: Contemporary upper YA/NA
Acquired this book: Via NetGalley in exchange for honest consideration
Warning: May contain spoilers
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{Read my review of Behind the Scenes || Read my review of Last Will and Testament}

Josh Chester loves being a Hollywood bad boy, coasting on his good looks, his parties, his parents' wealth, and the occasional modeling gig. But his laid-back lifestyle is about to change. To help out his best friend, Liam, he joins his hit teen TV show, Daylight Falls...opposite Vanessa Park, the one actor immune to his charms. (Not that he's trying to charm her, of course.) Meanwhile, his drama-queen mother blackmails him into a new family reality TV show, with Josh in the starring role. Now that he's in the spotlight—on everyone's terms but his own—Josh has to decide whether a life as a superstar is the one he really wants.

Vanessa Park has always been certain about her path as an actor, despite her parents' disapproval. But with all her relationships currently in upheaval, she's painfully uncertain about everything else. When she meets her new career handler, Brianna, Van is relieved to have found someone she can rely on, now that her BFF, Ally, is at college across the country. But as feelings unexpectedly evolve beyond friendship, Van's life reaches a whole new level of confusing. And she'll have to choose between the one thing she's always loved...and the person she never imagined she could.

Under the Lights was one of my most anticipated reads of 2015, and I’m happy to say it didn’t disappoint! I read the first book in this companion duology, Behind the Scenes, shortly before reading this one, so I was excited to see where things would go with Josh and Vanessa.

Under the Lights deals with a lot of issues while still managing to be a fairly light, amusing, and overall positive read. Despite the two main characters being actors in Hollywood, they deal with ‘real life’ things, which I loved. Things like parental issues, falling in love, friendship problems, coming out, racism, sex, and just growing up in general. They experience the fun, glamorous aspects of Hollywood life you’d expect, but they feel like real teens you can relate to.  

Josh is one of those characters that a lot of people probably hate. He’s not supposed to be likeable - he’s a dick, and he’s the first to admit it. I kind of loved Josh, though. Or at least loved to hate him. In a weird way, I understood him, and I appreciated that he was who he was and he didn’t give a crap what anyone thought. His growth was one of my favourite aspects of the book, because I didn’t necessarily expect it. It could have gone horribly wrong and felt forced or cheesy, but it felt so natural and within character. Adler did a fantastic job of taking a difficult character and making him...slightly less difficult. He was still Josh, just a little more evolved.

Vanessa was easy to connect with, too. She loves acting and likes being a part of Hollywood, even if it means having decisions made for her, like pretend-dating certain guys because it looks good for their careers. She goes along with it, because it doesn’t take a whole lot of effort, and she knows it’ll help her image. She wants to be a role model, someone people can look up to, and also a beacon of hope in a way, to show other people of colour that it's possible to get roles in Hollywood and be successful. Like with Josh, I loved Van’s growth. A lot of that came once she befriended Bri and their relationship started to evolve into something more. She started wanting things she never knew she wanted (like hot tattooed redheads), and things she knew she wanted, but didn’t know how to achieve (like independence from her strict, controlling parents). I really enjoyed watching her relationship with Bri progress, and I appreciated that there were realistic complications and obstacles, and things didn’t happen easily. And, not gonna lie, I also appreciated that it didn’t shy away from the hot girl sex!

Under the Lights is a highly entertaining, emotional, sexy read about friendship, love in its many forms, and self-discovery. I cried happy tears through the last 10% of the book because everything came together in such a natural, beautiful, perfect way. I was proud of these characters and felt like I was a friend who got to watch their growth and cheer them on from the sidelines. I have now officially read and loved all of Dahlia Adler’s published books, and I can’t wait to see what she writes next.

Have you read Under the Lights? What did you think? If you haven't read it, do you plan to? Do you have a favourite YA or NA f/f book? How about a favourite character you love to hate? Let's talk here or on Twitter!

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Review: Behind the Scenes by Dahlia Adler

Behind the Scenes by Dahlia Adler 
Series: Daylight Falls #1
Published: June 24th, 2014
Publisher: Spencer Hill Contemporary
328 pages (ebook)
Genre: Contemporary Young Adult
Acquired this book: Bought
Warning: May contain spoilers
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{Read my 5-star review of Last Will and Testament}

High school senior Ally Duncan's best friend may be the Vanessa Park - star of TV's hottest new teen drama - but Ally's not interested in following in her BFF's Hollywood footsteps. In fact, the only thing Ally’s ever really wanted is to go to Columbia and study abroad in Paris. But when her father's mounting medical bills threaten to stop her dream in its tracks, Ally nabs a position as Van's on-set assistant to get the cash she needs.

Spending the extra time with Van turns out to be fun, and getting to know her sexy co-star Liam is an added bonus. But when the actors’ publicist arranges for Van and Liam to “date” for the tabloids just after he and Ally share their first kiss, Ally will have to decide exactly what role she's capable of playing in their world of make believe. If she can't play by Hollywood's rules, she may lose her best friend, her dream future, and her first shot at love.
 

I had my fair share of celebrity crushes as a teen (oh, who am I kidding, I still have a ton of celeb crushes and I’ve been out of my teens for ages), so a book about a regular teen girl dating a hot celebrity totally appealed to me. I liked that Adler put a new twist on the trope by having Ally actually live in Hollywood and be friends with a rising starlet, so her meeting/dating Liam wasn’t a chance encounter or a case of ‘girl stalks celeb, celeb happens to notice her, they have a meet cute, and start dating’. The story was also about a lot more than just their romance and the angst surrounding it; it had all the elements of what I adore most in YA: friendship, family, real life issues, genuine emotion, and character growth.

I really liked Ally. She was smart, funny, and driven. She knew what she wanted and wasn’t afraid to go after it. I enjoyed her relationship with her family, especially her dad. I really connected with her on that, since I lived through two years of my dad being in and out of hospital with cancer before he died. Her fear and uncertainty came through really well, and it broke my heart whenever she thought of the future without her dad, because I had so many of the same thoughts when my dad was sick. I also really liked her friendship with Vanessa. It was great to see them maintaining a friendship despite Van’s bursting schedule and rising popularity. Like a lot of Ally’s life, her friendship with Van couldn’t be ‘normal’, but they made it work. I loved how loyal they were to each other, how they stood up for each other, and considered each other in so many decisions, big and small. 

And then there was Liam. I loved Liam. He was the kind of celebrity I would have crushed on as a teen and hoped he was as awesome in real life as Liam actually was. He was smart, patient, and sweet, and he cared so much about Ally.

It’s hard to explain how I felt about certain parts of the book. On one hand, I understood Ally’s reservations and issues about dating Liam, and why she got upset about some things. But on the other hand, she said from the beginning she didn’t want anything to do with people in Hollywood other than Van, and she didn’t want to date a celebrity because she wanted a normal life, a normal boyfriend., etc...but she starts dating Liam and then gets upset that they can’t have a normal relationship, even though she knew that would be the case. She drove me nuts at times because she knew how things were and how they needed to be, but she kept freaking out. And yet, I could always sort of rationalize her behaviour in a way, between her age, and the fact she really liked Liam and wished things could be different. It was the weirdest feeling while reading - being incredibly frustrated with Ally while going ‘well she is eighteen, it’s hard enough being a teenager, then throw all this other crap in...’ Despite those odd and sometimes confused mixed feelings on my part, it didn’t take away from the fact that Ally was a good person, and I appreciated that she was flawed and realistic.

Overall, I really enjoyed Behind the Scenes. Ally had a great, authentic voice, tons of growth, and was easy to connect to. She had great chemistry with Liam (who’s one of my new favourite swoony book boyfriends), and her relationships with her family and Vanessa added so much to the story. This book made me giggle, tear up, and swoon. If you’re a fan of contemporary YA, especially ones that explore a relationship between a celebrity and a non-celebrity, be sure to pick up Behind the Scenes!

Have you read Behind the Scenes? What did you think? If you haven't read it, do you plan to? Do you have a favourite book about a 'regular' person dating a celebrity? Who was your biggest celeb crush as a teenager? Let's talk here or on Twitter!

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Review: This is What Happy Looks Like by Jennifer E Smith

This is What Happy Looks Like by Jennifer E Smith

Series: Standalone 

Published: April 2nd, 2013

Publisher: Poppy

416 pages (hardcover)

Genre: Contemporary young adult

Acquired this book: From the library

Warning: May contain spoilers

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{Read my review of The Statistical Probability of Love at First Sight}

When teenage movie star Graham Larkin accidentally sends small town girl Ellie O'Neill an email about his pet pig, the two seventeen-year-olds strike up a witty and unforgettable correspondence, discussing everything under the sun, except for their names or backgrounds.

Then Graham finds out that Ellie's Maine hometown is the perfect location for his latest film, and he decides to take their relationship from online to in-person. But can a star as famous as Graham really start a relationship with an ordinary girl like Ellie? And why does Ellie want to avoid the media's spotlight at all costs?

 

I read and loved The Statistical Probability of Love at First Sight last year, and couldn’t wait to get my hands on This is What Happy Looks Like. Jennifer E Smith has a knack for writing sweet romances that should seem almost unbelievable, but feel genuine, and make you believe in things like love at first sight, fate, possibilities, and overcoming obstacles.

I’d read several ‘meh’ books in a row before picking up This is What Happy Looks Like; I was hoping for something light, funny, and not too deep, and that’s what I got. This book is like a fairy tale for the 21st century - boy and girl meet by accident via email, boy turns out to be a famous actor who comes to girl’s town to shoot a movie, they meet in person and…well nothing after that is exactly simple.

When I was Ellie’s age I dreamed endlessly about meeting and falling in love with my favourite celebrities, and I know I’m not alone. This is What Happy Looks Like is like most teenage girls’ fantasy come to life in the pages of a book. It wasn’t necessarily believable, but that didn’t matter - it was one of those books where you can set aside reality for a while and imagine the possibilities. I haven’t been a teenage for a long time, but this book definitely touched my inner teen and made her sigh wistfully.

I loved the email exchanges between the two at the beginning of the book and then the beginning of each chapter. They were sweet and often had me laughing out loud. I liked the alternating POV throughout the book - I felt like I really got to know these characters. And despite the premise of the book being kind of fanciful, there were plenty of real life issues thrown in - fights with friends, problems with parents, uncertainty over the future. Through Graham we got to see that being a celebrity isn’t all glitz and glam - there’s very little privacy, most people only see you as a celebrity and not a real person, and you have to deal with people (agents, directors, etc) ‘handling’ you and other people constantly judging you - and through Ellie we got to see a girl struggling to make her dreams come true.

This is What Happy Looks Like is an enchanting story that came to life on the pages just like my favourite romantic comedies come to life on the screen. It’s cute, funny, and touching, and a must-read for fans of contemporary young adult romance. 

 

  

Have you read This is What Happy Looks Like? What did you think? Who were some of your celebrity crushes as a teen? How do you think you would have reacted if you'd actually met - or even dated - them? 

 

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