Five Stars for the Daydreams! This book give Taylor Jenkins Reid vibes and I absolutely loved it. From the romance to the friendships and the strife in between, this one had me rushing to see how everything turned out. Highly recommended!

Really enjoyed this book and the 2000s vibes. However it wasn't very memorable. It was an entertaining read and the writing was good.

I LOVED this book!! Reminded me of some of my favorite titles by Taylor Jenkins Reid! So much drama, so many twists and turns in the story. Love love love.

The perfect read for anyone who can’t get enough of the Britney Spears and Justin Timberlake drama, The Daydreams is a deliciously entertaining novel about the challenges of being in the spotlight.

A lawyer in Washington, D.C., Kat has put her past as one of the four stars of the popular teen show The Daydreams behind her. But when the fans demand a reunion special, Kat can’t help but be pulled back. As Kat, Liana, Noah, and Summer rediscover the magic of the show, old secrets threaten to resurface—including the real reason behind the show’s downfall. Will this reunion be a chance to make things right, or will it be the biggest mess the world has ever seen?

marketed as a ~daisy jones~ esque book from the 2000s, and while it was an entertaining read, it is definitely missing the high stakes that make daisy jones so impactful.

The Daydreams is an easy book to burn through. The premise pulls you right in--a hit TV show that ended unexpectedly has an opportunity for a one-time reunion. Time has passed since everyone has seen each other, but the dynamic between the cast easily falls back into place. And maybe this would be a happy thing, if there weren't secrets and the remaining nubs of bitterness, threatening to reignite at any second. I had fun reading this!

While I didn't love this as much as another recent reunion-type book (ahem, Daisy Jones), I did really enjoy this! Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with an advanced copy of The Daydreams by Laura Hankin.

The blurb sold me on this right away, however, by the time I got around to reading I saw multiple negative reviews so I went in with low expectations. I decided to pickup the audiobook as well because sometimes that helps me get through and I have to say I really enjoyed it. This hits so many things I love with its O.C. vibes, a bit of Hannah Montana, celebrity gossip and that really buoyed me through the book. The premise was stellar, but the characters never really felt fully developed. I would suggest it if the content sounds like things you loved growing up, but I would be hesitant to give it a blanket recommendation based on the quality alone.

Could not finish this one - got to about 40%. I liked the idea of the story but was annoyed by the predictability of the plot.

I would like to thank NetGalley, the publisher, and the author for giving me the opportunity to read this book in exchange for my honest review.

There were many things that I enjoyed about this story, from the pop culture nostalgia to the HEA.

WHAT TO EXPECT
-single POV
-childhood actors
-Hollywood
-teen drama

*many thanks to Berkley and Netgalley for the gifted copy for review

The fallout of teen stardom is explored through the former cast of a teen television series reuniting for the first time.

Characters

Katherine (Kat) was the villain of the series, often playing the snarky counterpoint trying to sabotage the beloved lead. In real life, Kat has left the show behind and worked hard to become a successful attorney in Washington D. C. She is dating a fellow attorney named Miheer.

Liana was the best friend and token black character on the show. Often overlooked, Liana never got full solo numbers despite being the most talented singer on the show. In real life, Liana has become the trophy wife to a famous football player named Javier, earning the wealth and status that eluded her on the show.

Summer and Noah were the central couple and teen heartthrobs on the series. Summer was the golden girl—pure, virginal, and sweet. But off the show, Summer’s life has spiraled out of control, leading to a series of tabloid headlines over the years documenting her behaviors while intoxicated, stints in rehab, and relapses. Meanwhile Noah is the only former cast member to continue acting, slowly cementing himself as a household name with all the success that the others didn’t achieve.

Plot

In The Daydreams, four teen actors and singers were members of a fictional band by the same name as the book on a tv show. The line between reality and fiction was blurred, with the characters being named after the actors. But their personas weren’t necessarily the same as on the shows. And the pressure of the spotlight, manipulative industry leaders, and the stress of growing up in the spotlight led to a dramatic and chaotic live show in 2005 that ultimately was the last time the four would appear together.

Until 2018 when a reunion show is proposed. All four had different reasons to return to the stage for one final performance. Told in flashbacks between the days on the show in the early 2000s and present day leading up the live reunion, The Daydreams tells the story of four people who experienced the rise and fall of stardom. Well, three, since Noah never really took the hit the girls did.

Thoughts

Kat is our primary narrator and I loved her perspective as someone who went on to have closest to a normal life off the show. But that doesn’t mean Kat has escaped the trauma of what happened. Every character had secrets they were holding onto from the collapse of the show. Some that could save them and others that could bury them. The question on the reader’s mind is whether they will spill everything and what the fallout will be.

I initially wanted to hear more balance in POVs from all four main characters, but by the second half I understood why we stuck mostly with Kat and I grew to appreciate why she was the narrator of the story. The characters were all redeemable and even likable, which made me want them to make it through the reunion winning what they felt they’d lost many years before.

A story of trauma, healing, redemption, and accepting our past, present, and futures selves as worthy people. I was satisfied with how it ended, but I also wanted more which is a hallmark of a great book.

Starting as a salacious ripped-from-the-headlines story and delivering a heartfelt group of characters who are still living their stories in real life one day at a time.

Everyone has a favorite musical teen television series, and for many people during the 2000’s that show was The Daydreams. For two successful seasons, Summer, Liana, Kat, and Noah helmed the popular series until a disastrous live finale derailed not only the show, but also most of their careers. Now, thirteen years after the scandal, all four actors are back for a reunion show and as rehearsals go on, the grudges and secrets that have laid dormant are also making a comeback. This is a well told soap opera, showcasing the aftermath of a teenage dream turned into a nightmare

this was such a fun read. as a pop culture enthusiast it was so easy to immerse myself into the story. it's very daisy jones and the six reminiscent, but the characters fall a bit flat. however, it was such an easy and fun and nostalgic read!!

This was a whole lot of frothy, bubblegum fun! There were times when the characters acted slightly childishly, but I guess that's to be expected because they were teenage TV stars at one point. The revenge plot that Kat gets involved in seems a little farfetched in its plausibility and what it's trying to accomplish, but it's fine. I thoroughly enjoyed the lighter, skim-the-surface kind of approach this book had to a Disney-like empire that's churning out child stars.

There are some glimpses into the world of child/teen actors and how hard it is for them to deal with reality once they're no longer stars. But, again, it's fine. If you go into this thinking of it as a beach read, that's exactly what you'll get. It's just deep enough to make you stop and consider some things but not so deep as to overwhelm or depress you.

Also, I LOVE the representation of an Indian character! More of Miheer, please!!

Overall, a nice easy book.

The Daydreams by Laura Hankin was one of my favorite reads of this summer.

This books centers around the reunion special of a popular teen show The Daydreams more than a decade after the original show ended in a scandalous live finale.

Katherine, formerly Kat, thought she had moved on with her life. She left acting and went to college and eventually became a lawyer. She and her co-stars all went their separate ways. Summer was in and out of rehab, Lianna married a famous soccer player and Noah became an accomplished actor, screenwriter and director…. and eventually the catalyst for the reunion special.

Throughout their time together preparing for the live reunion special, they all have secrets they would like to hide. But will they stay hidden or will they ruin their chance at redemption before it even begins.

Overall, this was a highly enjoyable and engaging read. This was the third book I have read by this author and it is probably my favorite so far. I loved the characters, as well as following the trajectory of their lives. I also loved how the secrets unraveled and how everything was much more complex than any of them realized. I also loved the ending and the happily ever after vibes it gave me.

I am disappointed to not like this because I did love Hankin's first book. this just felt too Daisy Jones to me and I really didn't like Daisy Jones. I had a hard time caring about the drama and the characters. not for me!

In The Daydreams, 13 years after a disastrous live season finale - and the varying fallout experiences of those involved - the 4 main stars are back for a reunion special each with their own reasons and hopes for redemption. What could possibly go wrong? 😏

It’s been a while since I’ve fan-girled over a TV show but I so distinctly remember religiously following my favorites when I was younger (I’m looking at you Dawson’s Creek 😍). The Daydreams - a WB-esque show following 4 singing, dancing teenagers - definitely fits the vibes of something I would have planned my weekday nights around.

Beyond the main storyline of what happened to blow up the live special and the staging of the reunion, I liked the dual timeline and appreciated how the past was revealed in character soliloquies. I also love when books include interspersed articles and social media feeds. I went back and forth between which character I disliked most and who I was rooting for - which felt very authentic to my teenage experience. By the end I didn’t really love any of the characters, but I was caught up in all the behind the scenes drama. 🎬 An engaging take on the early 2000s vibes and a fun summer read for sure.

I switched between audio and print and enjoyed both versions. A fun fact is that the author is one of the narrators. I think she and the other narrators did an excellent job capturing the tone and emotions of all the characters.

The story was told from a single point of view (Kat's) with media excerpts between chapters to give some context. I
enjoyed the format, and the slow mystery of why the show imploded the way it did. I also enjoyed seeing the characters interact after being apart for so long and getting the flashbacks to how they were together when filming the show. The context of the reunion of the hit TV show was a nice backdrop to explore the relationships between the characters. I was definitely invested in the characters decisions.

Thanks to the publisher for sharing a copy with me. All opinions are my own.

Back in 2004, The Daydreams had it all: four teenagers acting and singing their hearts out, amazing ratings, and a will-they-or-won’t-they romance. Until the live season two finale, it all imploded. Now, the four stars are reuniting for a reunion special - lawyer Kat, housewife/influencer Liana, Hollywood star Noah, and cautionary tale Summer. The stars all have private reasons to come back: forgiveness, revenge, a second chance with a first love.

This is my third Laura Hankin novel, and she is a must read for me. Her books are so different from each other, but they are all well written. I feel like I’ve read a lot of books this year that are set in Hollywood, and The Daydreams shows a darker side of teenagers working in Hollywood. I really enjoyed it!

An entertaining gossip-style read about a group of childhood actors who attempt a reunion after a spectacular falling out of their hit tv show and discover that this may be their last chance to learn the truth of what happened that night.