The writing was kind of all over the place for me. I felt like there were so many repetitive things and words that I was losing my mind.
I also feel like this was kind of exploitative as this was a "fiction" story about Carrie Fisher.
Now don't get me wrong - I am someone who has never seen Star Wars but it just wasn't sitting right with me that this was written & released after her death in the way that it was.

If you are listening to this out loud, be advised that there is a lot of cursing and obscene words in this novel that are NSFW.

I received a review copy of this book from the publisher through NetGalley for my honest review. The opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own.

I loved this book! I laughed out loud so many times! The characters were extremely likable, and relatable. I would definitely recommend this one!

A Star is Bored // by Byron Lane // narrated by Noah Galvin

Phew. I hate to say it but I'm very glad to be done with this book. I'm not sure what first draw my eye to it and why I requested it but it just did not work for me at all. Maybe it was because I very much enjoy memoirs so having a fictionalized version based in part at least on real events was what did it? I know the author says this is purely made up but from the hubbub surrounding this book, I'm not sure I 100% believe that. What I do know is that this celebrity setup will not be one I will pick up again anytime soon. Maybe it's because I don't really care about celebrities in real life either? I've never obsessed over a single person in any way like Charlie, the main character in this book, did so it was very bewildering to me how he worshiped this lady that is so rude and disrespectful and, to me at least, not the genius he made her out to be. So by not being on board with his obsession, that pretty much took the entire premise away from anything that would interest me until the end. I don't want to give anything away but I do think the ending brought it up at least a little bit.

I do think this book probably has its audience. I'm sure some people find the situations he finds himself in with his employer humorous. I also think there are moments where the character's anxiety is very believably portrayed. Overall though, it just was not the right book for me.

Now to the narration... this is the most contradicting I have ever felt about an audiobook. I want to start out with saying that I think this narrator perfectly fits the main character. I think he did a great job portraying the excitement, anxiety, and other emotions of the character. My problem is that he did it so well that he exaggerated my negative feelings about Charlie Besson, which made it even more difficult for me to get through this book. So despite this book just not working for me in any way, I do think that the narrator was chosen well and that if this is your type of book, you will enjoy him a lot.

Thank you for the free copy in exchange for an honest review.

Thinly veiled reveal of author's real life experiences. It was over-the-top, but also a fun guilty read.

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC for an honest review.

What a fun read. This book isn't just all fun though. There are layers to it which makes it all the better. The heart in this story is just as wonderful as the humor sprinkled within the pages.

Also, the narration in this book was spot on. I loved Noah Galvin.

I will not be posting a review (Goodreads, Amazon, etc.) for this book because I found the main character too vapid. He got on my nerves and I bailed on the book.

This was an entertaining read. I wish I didn’t know it was loosely based on Carrie Fisher to be honest. I was always a big fan of hers and it was a little awkward reading some of these things with her in the back of my mind. However, it was fun and I definitely wasn’t bored at any points. The audio narrator was good and added a good layer to the overall performance.

The narrator made this audio book for me. It was such a fun breezy listen that was better because of it's narration (that's rare in an audio book!) From the first few chapters you're cheering for Charlie and waiting with bated breath to see what Kathi will do next. Following this unlikely pair was the perfect laugh out loud end to the year.

I had been following Byron Lane and his battle with cancer through his Instagram account and fell in love with his resilience, his ability to share such intimate life moments with the world, and his path to writing this book, so I knew this would be a must-read for me!

I appreciated that Byron took his real-life experiences and translated them into a fun but authentic piece of fictional literature with A Star is Bored. From witty dialogue to serious family issues, and all that comes with being an assistant in Hollywood, this book truly has it all.

This was a fun and inspirational read and I recommend it to anyone who could use a good laugh and/or is trying to figure out their place in the world!

I loved the idea of the story and the lens into being a personal assistant but the story was not very enjoyable overall.

I have a lot of mixed feelings about this one. On one hand, I love the premise, but the book was really boring for me.

It really struggled to hold my attention. I felt like there was nothing going on to keep me coming back. About a third of the way in I had to put the book on high speed so I could get through it.

I really enjoyed the main characters. Unfortunately, it felt like the same interaction over and over again.

I don’t think I would recommend this book, but I did enjoy the narrator.

I found A Star is Bored to be somewhat stilted in its humor, and its caricature of actress-who-will-remain-unnamed to be uninteresting. There were points that were amusing, but I was also distracted by the writing style, e.g., “I’m thinking… [blank] I’m thinking… [blank]…I’m thinking…[blank].” It seemed sometimes like this was happening on almost every page, although it was difficult to tell with this being an audiobook. Overall, I wanted to like this book a lot more than I did—but I don’t doubt that it will be very successful for what it is.

I absolutely adored this brilliant, funny, heartmelting book. You attend Lane's party because you miss Carrie Fisher and her mother Debbie Reynolds and are swiftly reunited with them in the fictional characters of Kathi Cannon and Miss Gracie. However, you stay because you fall for the protagonist, Charlie. Noah Galvin nails the different character voices.

This book was super good. It was super original and I flew through it. It didn't feel like anything I've read in the past. Can't wait to read more from the author!!

I very much enjoyed this story which tells about the relationship between a famous actress and her assistant. Heartfelt, funny, and sad, this story resonates with the reader who will no doubt relate to the many very human experiences of struggling with family, relationships, and your own insecurities. A fascinating account of a insider's view into the life of a celebrity that will have you equal parts shedding tears and laughing out loud.

Thanks to NetGalley and MacMillan Audio for the alc for this book. I like the premise of the book, essentially a former news writer becomes a personal assistant to an actress. (I'm assuming is based on Carrie Fisher. ) I recommend this book to people who want a behind the scenes look into Hollywood and love larger than life characters.

Unfortunately this is a miss for me at the moment. The tone of the book is a bit over the top for me. This is one I can see revisiting though because it may resonate better at a different time.

'A Star Is Bored' is a very enjoyable, well developed novel. When we meet the narrator, Charlie, he is an aimless, lonely gay man in his twenties living in Los Angeles. He becomes assistant to Hollywood icon, Kathi Kannon, who played an iconic character in a sci-fi movie series in the 80s. The author, Byron Lane, was personal assistant to Carrie Fisher, so it seems inevitable to picture her as Kathi Kannon. Kathi is creative, brash, and... bored. When we meet Kathi, her career is at a standstill and her troubles aren't immediately apparent. Charlie is still recovering from childhood loss and trauma. Charlie becomes a devoted assistant and celebrity shenanigans ensue! We learn more about the underlying reasons for Kannon's behavior. Charlie's develops a close relationship with Kannon and begins to come into his own. The plot was a little predictable, but the characters were really well developed. The audiobook narrator was wonderful, emotive, and engaging. I really enjoyed the uniqueness and depth of 'A Star Is Bored'.

Thank you NetGalley and MacMillan Audio for providing this ARC.

This was a fun and refreshing read. :)

Author Byron Lane spent 3 years working as actress Carrie Fisher's personal assistant and though he insists in the forward and acknowledgements that all characters in this book are fictional, it is clear that his time with Carrie influenced this story.

Charlie Besson is from New Orleans and now lives in California working as a news writer. He doesn't love his job so when a friend tells him that his favorite actress Kathi Kannon is looking for a new assistant he jumps at the chance. Kathi is mostly famous for her iconic role as a priestess in a blockbuster space movie. She's also an author, the daughter of a famous actress....and has a history of trouble with substance abuse. (sound familiar?). Charlie is super nervous at his interview and Kathi is brash and sarcastic. She dubs him "Cockring" because it also starts with C and she says she can't remember his name. Charlie ends up getting the job and so begins his misadventures.

You can't help but picture Kathi as Carrie Fisher and I don't think that is a bad thing. The author is clearly fond of Carrie Fisher and it shows. I really enjoyed the story and recommend it to anyone looking for a fictional, humorous roller coaster ride with a troubled Hollywood star. There were quite a few laugh out loud moments along with some more serious bits. We also see Charlie come into his own and learn to love himself.

QUICK TAKE: funny and heartwarming, I really enjoyed this "fictional" story of an assistant and the difficult celebrity he works for. Byron was Carrie Fischer's assistant, and it's hard not to compare his fictional celebrity character here to Fischer. The story is a love letter to those who find family and community in an unusual place. We listened to this one on audio and the narration was very good.