Cover Image: #Starstruck

#Starstruck

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Member Reviews

This contemporary romance centers on Chase and Zoe. Zoe sends movie star Chase Covington a message on Twitter. Chase actually responds! Then the fun begins. This is the fantasy of every fangirl in the world. I am a sucker for a celebrity/rock star romance. I really enjoyed this couple as they deal with the outside pressures and the press. This is a sweet contemporary that left me smiling. I will continue the series.
Thanks to Montlake Romance for sending me an ARC of this book via Net Galley in exchange for an honest review.

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I'm a huge fan of movie star/regular people romances and #Starstruck was just what I was looking for. It was fun and cute and my only complaint was that it took so long to get to the kissing! Zoe and Chase definitely balance each other out and bring out the best in each other. I wish Zoe had not kept things of this importance a secret from her BFF, that was kind of low, but I also get it because her BFF was a huge Chase fan. All's well that ends well though and it most certainly did for Chase and Zoe. Zoe's siblings were just too cute and I kind of want to adopt them. I loved that Zoe was still working on her relationship with her mom and we got to see that.

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This had some great banter and ideas ... The complication of Best Friend obsessing about this star and then Zoe dating him was a bit hard to handle as it continued... but over all cute.

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Personally, I had a hard time grasping the connection between the hero and the heroine at first. Essentially, Zoe (an average college girl) is slightly “stalking” Chase Covington (an Academy Award nominated actor) and is a huge fan of his, following his social media accounts, has posters of him on her walls, etc. I wasn’t quite sure how/why he started to follow her back. He was the first one to like her tweet, “#ProTip Rented a car and didn’t know which side the gas is on? The gas icon on the dashboard has an arrow that points to the correct side,” but it wasn’t funny, witty, or especially memorable. If Zoe had done or said some something extraordinary to catch his attention as someone more than a fan (who happened to be the first one to criticize him/tell him he wasn’t perfect), than I might have believed their relationship a little more. I also find it hard to believe she was the first fan to ever critique him.
Their first romantic interactions left me wanting more. They also felt a little stereotypical on some level; How many times can a protagonist be surprised and close a door on someone or have them climb out a window? I’ve read a lot of very similar scenes across other stories. Yet, I love them. Zoe and Chase were immediately attracted to one another, but unsure how to proceed. Her vow of celibacy (until she was married) versus his declaration to never get married did come across as a conundrum. It was very easy to like Zoe and Chase as a couple and root for them to find happiness.
I will note that Zoe’s characterizations weren’t always in line for me as a reader. On one hand, Zoe is quiet and insecure (a self-declared introvert), but a few pages later, she is announcing her very personal views on celibacy to an entire classroom. Chase was much more consistent for me as a reader. He was sweet, funny, and caring. I would have liked to have learned more about his past prior to dating Zoe. We learn he is in AA, but we don’t get too much information on what drove him to drink then seek help. (SPOILER) When Zoe and Chase are broken up, he mentions being in AA meetings. This would have been a perfect moment for him to divulge more about his past and insecurities. Since I liked Chase so much, I wanted to know more about him.
The pop culture references in the book also made me smile. Zoe mentions “Dirty Dancing,” “Call Me Maybe,” and “Guardians of the Galaxy.” There is no doubt this is a contemporary book with the social media elements as well as the references.
One unique element of the book was the inclusion of actual text messages and tweets. The designs were extremely well-done, looking real. I’ve read other books that cited tweets and or social media posts, but the inclusion of the character’s profile pictures was something new that I hadn’t seen before. I found that to be a nice touch differentiating this book from others in the library.
My favorite line from the book was “This is feminism…a sisterhood of women who stand up for one another, who support one another, and know that they’re stronger together.” In light of the current state of things, this line really stood out to me. I also liked the line, “I want to remember the happy times…But all I can remember is that he hurt me. Why is that? Probably because happiness doesn’t leave scars.” These were especially well-written sections and poignant to me.
Overall, I enjoyed this book. The last twenty percent or so was my favorite. At the very end, I was so invested in Chase seeking Zoe’s forgiveness. I LOVED the inclusion of Jeopardy, to win her heart. I give #Starstuck it three and a half stars (rounded up to four).

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@realchasecov You’ve done better.
What can thirty-three characters do on twitter? Well, they can start a whirlwind romance between one of the hottest actors in Hollywood and just a regular ole college girl.
Because of the obsession her best friend has with actor Chase Covington, Zoe Miller has become a fan by default. She’s spent hours/days/years listening to her best friend Lexi plan her marriage to chase even down to the lime-green bridesmaid dress she’s supposed to wear. When Chase tweets to his fans about his latest performance Zoe sends a response that not only has Chase’s fans ready to tar and feather her but it actually gets a response from Chase himself and then he goes so far as to message her personally. Thus begins a secretive, whirlwind romance.
This is my first Sariah Wilson book and I have to say, I really enjoyed it; going along for the ride while Chase and Zoe fell in love was a really enjoyable experience. I really liked Chase but no matter how hard I tried I could not make myself like Zoe. I definitely get her hesitation in telling Lexi about Chase but at some point it just got ridiculous. She made situations way more difficult than they needed to be and dragged out things that just did not need to be dragged out. Aside from Zoe and her antics (that inevitably blow up in her face), this was a real romance story. This was the guy sweeping the girl off her feet with both small and grand gestures. One of the most adorable things in this book was Chase’s secret tweet to Zoe…if it was meant for Zoe; the “s” in the word was replaced with a “z”. There were a few lulls but for the most part the flow was excellent. The banter was good and they both had a pretty good sense of humor, lots of chuckles in this book as well as swoon worthy moment. I loved the characters I was meant to love (well, maybe for except Zoe), like Zoe’s little sister Zia who claimed Chase as her “Cheese”. My favorite, “I loves him. My Cheese”; and I hated the characters I was meant to hate (Zoe’s boss and coworker).
This appears to be book one in a series…I’m curious as to what book two will be and who it will include. In the meantime I will definitely be checking out more books by Sariah.

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This story was so cute! I absolutely loved the tweets and the banter between the characters. It is one of those sweet stories that leave you smiling. It is a story that I think most girls fantasize about. Getting to know their favorite celebrities. This was my first book by Sariah Wilson, but I am already looking forward to reading more.

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I've read several of this author's works before, and I find I enjoy them more when she's doing more contemporary works, rather than historical. I was excited to read something new from this author, and this SO didn't disappoint!

I loved the banter between Zoe and Chase! Their relationship was very well done, and I loved the fact that Chase actually had to work to woo Zoe a bit! I loved how Zoe stuck to her morals, even when tempted to walk away from them! I especially loved Chase's inventive way of helping Zoe stick to her morals! I even loved the reference to the other series of the author's that I had enjoyed, The Monterran Royals!

This was a clean romance, but I didn't mind it. It was such a feel good read! I'm eagerly awaiting the next book in the series!

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A thoroughly enjoyable story, especially if like me you love books about normal girls falling in love with celebrities!

I haven't read anything else by this author but i will definitely be interested now!

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A fun, easy read that delves into the world of fandom and celebrity crushes! The story is well written and it is a fantastic book to read if you’re looking for an escape for awhile! Really enjoyed it.

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I started this book with high hopes but it felt like I was reading a piece of fanfic. I could not relate to the characters, or connect with them.

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"You've done better." <-- exactly what I told myself when I started to get the flavor of the book and the author's writing style. This story lacked a lot of flavor and smart. The tone and storyline was flat and tried too hard at times to be witty or hot, but the author lacked the sophistication to elevate the material. It read like a child wrote it. As for the tweets or IMs, some were kinda cute. SALTS. It made me zmile a little, then I ztopped as zoon az I kept reading this boring zo zo ztory.

So many fans fall in love with rich, good looking celebrities. Readers, you can all do better.

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LOVE LOVE LOVE LOVE LOVED IT! Sariah Wilson has proven once again why she is one of my favorite authors. This book has so much heart and so much character depth without the cheapness that other authors tend to use as filler. I loved Zoe and I loved Chase. I laughed, I cried, I had all the feels!

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I can’t stop smiling after reading this book. It was romantic and funny. It read like a conversation with your very best friend. I love the twitter feed throughout the book. It brings the book alive in unexpected ways. There’s so much anticipation and sitting on the edge of your chair full of excitement. I smiled almost the entire time I read it. It’s an unforgettable story! Some books you read are easy to forget. This one is NOT that!! Characters are ones you want as your friends. They are real and deep and charming. I was rooting for them. The plot is simple but unique and so interesting. I loved this book.
I received a digital copy from netgalley and the publisher in exchange for my honest review.

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Love love love love love this book! I may have read it in less than a day. Impossible to put down as you just have to know what will happen next. Chase and Zoe's story is wonderful and I love how they incorporated their Tweets into the story.

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Cute, clean and a bit predictable but also a lot of fun. I was attracted to the cover and blurb and expected something a bit more mature. Loved the Twitter exchanges and also: who wouldn't want to meet his or her hero and have them fall for you!?

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This was my first book by Sariah Wilson and it will not be my last. Chase and Zoe have the kind of chemistry that cannot be faked or invented and Sariah did an incredible job at capturing that. It was fun and so different, and surprisingly quite normal in a way. Their story unfolded at a nice pace, and was not without twist and turn. A must read in my book.

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Imagine if your all-time movie star crush suddenly answered one of your tweets - would you believe it was him? How excited would you be to be that one in a million girls who have direct contact with him - unbelievable right? Well that is what happens to Zoe in this book. Not only that but she starts to work has his personal assistant. I just loved this book it was a beautiful romantic read with some poignant moments and some hilarious moments. Zoe begins to realise that Chase underneath all his movie star glamour is just a normal guy who wants to spend time with her and at the same time keep her out of the paparazzi spotlight. Unfortunately despite his best efforts things go awry, but that's Hollywood! Of course everyone has a HEA.

I received a copy of this book as an ARC and this is my true opinion. I would certainly recommend this to anyone looking for an easy clean romantic read. It is a lot of fun.

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This is a new author to me so I wasn't sure if this book would appeal to me. I was pleasantly surprised! I really enjoyed the romance between Chase and Zoe. I liked Chase and how sweet he was with Zoe. Zoe annoyed me at times with some of her decisions, so she was the lesser favorite character of mine, but overall, she wasn't too bad. I thought the grand gesture made by Chase at the end was adorable and creative. Although the characters had chemistry and you could feel the passion they felt for each other, this was a clean read. Overall, this was a read I'd recommend!

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Received an ARC book through NetGalley. This wasn't the first book for this author I had read and it won't be the last. This book was a sweet light read, with an HEA and no Cheating.

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Cute story. Certainly a meet cute scenario.. The story seemed a little predicable at times and the reader knew when the conflict would arise and why.....

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