Book Cover and Synopsis:
Chloe Winters is a college student who hasn't bothered to see most of his movies.
When they meet by chance, he is smitten and Chloe becomes the woman every other woman in America is dying to be, but it just isn't her fairytale.
My Thoughts:
What a fun story! I think we all find celebrities intriguing and even peculiar at times, so the premise for this book instantly grabbed me. Thankfully, I wasn't disappointed! Chloe is a very likeable character, and Jason was immediately interesting as well; he's a big-time actor yet acts like an everyday guy. Jason's fame and popularity don't impress Chloe at all, in fact on more than one occasion she defines his life as "weird".
I think many of us have a false idea of what celebrities lives (like Jason's) are really like; it's not all glitz and glamor, and they're mostly just regular people like everyone else. This story gives a realistic-feeling look of what's it's like to have zero privacy, with people literally watching your every move.
Chloe really seems to have her head on fairly straight, and while she does make a few mistakes she genuinely tries to do what's right, even when it's difficult. At one point Chloe calls herself a Christian while saying she sometimes goes to church on Easter and Christmas, but unfortunately she never again expresses interest in spiritual things. Though this is a mainstream YA novel, Chloe is still a virgin at the age of 21 and wants to wait until marriage. (Sadly this has been the demise of all her past relationships.) She admits that wanting to wait isn't "normal", but I was happy to see she had a desire for abstinence and a firm standing on the issue.
For those concerned about content, here's some of the topics you may want to be aware of:
Chloe's was born out of wedlock during her mother's long-running affair with a married man; this is frequently discussed as it's something that bothers Chloe. A couple mild make-out scenes are shown. Old accusations (including rape) from Jason's wild past are brought up. Chloe's roommate frequently stays the night with her boyfriend (nothing is seen). Jason's teenage niece rebels against her parents by dating an older guy, among other things. Chloe was the victim of a criminal attack at the age of 11, and the ramifications of it are still disrupting her life.
Though this is not a Christian book, I didn't find the content or language to be graphic or offensive. It does touch on common worldly issues, but I felt it was done tactfully and without dwelling on the topics overly long. I actually found the overall story to be very charming and a great escape; it really does have a fairy-tale feel. I very much enjoyed it, and I'll definitely be keeping my eye on this author!
My Rating: 5 stars
My general age recommendation would be for 16 and up...but keep in mind if this were a movie, I'm 100% positive it would only hold a PG rating.
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