This was a bittersweet family drama-romance that did a good job of capturing the messiness of trying to figure out our pasts and who we are and what we want while also trying to figure out how we might share that with someone we love... even if we're afraid to take the leap with them. I love when romance books go a little deeper than the surface, and this one does that well while remaining a not-too-heavy read.

Was a really quick read, which I enjoyed but there was some aspects I did think it was lacking something.

It took me forever to finish this book and sadly it did not did it for me. I'm not sure it was just not engaging.

I received this book through the PW Grab a Galley event. This book was very difficult for me to get through and I almost DNFed several times. Even though romance isn't my usual genre, I've recently started to enjoy some and the description sounded like this one could be a fun read. However, it gets very strange in the middle and it felt like the premise got lost. The characters felt underdeveloped as well and just weren't that interesting to me. Unfortunately, the book doesn't live up to the expectation the description gives.

A very cute and fun YA rock star story covering what happens when someone suddenly becomes famous. I found it to be cute, but nothing too special or unique about it.

Cute, but uneven story about two friends and how their lives changed when one became famous.

Maybe this didn't hit with me because I'm not the target audience.

Thank you Netgalley and Wattpad WEBTOON Book Group, Wattpad Books for the ARC!

This was such a cute read! I'm honestly not sure why this book is getting so much hate! It was confusing a bit at times but overall I enjoyed it!

I love the friends to lover vibes. The premise is so cute too I couldnt resist. It was honestly so cute. It's a nice easy and light read. Perfect for summer.
Give this novel a chance. It's cute!

Thanks to netgalley and publisher for this arc. I liked it!

Unfortunately this one did not work for me. It was confusing on how old the characters were at times, and I just couldn't get into it.

Fun YA rock star romance! Aaliyah and Tyler were childhood friends until he became a rock star. Now he’s back for the end of high school. Great for middle and high schoolers looking for light romance.

This book is horrible. There were way too many things happening, the author needed to pick one and go with it. Also the timeline in this book was so hard to follow. There were never descriptions when a scene changed, it seemed like characters would just pop up. It also feels like the story wasn't resolved but I couldn't really tell you because the writing is so bad that I don't know.

I received an arc through netgalley.

"The world could pull us apart, but the music would always bring us back together."

I just love books about pop stars falling in love with people who know the real side of them :)

Aaliyah Preston and Tyler Moore have always been best friends since childhood. With Aaliyah being a dancer (WHICH WE LOVE BECAUSE I'M A DANCER TOO HEHE) and Tyler being a singer, the two are known for being the most talented duo out there. The two had plans to enter a talent show together, but after Aaliyah finds out her mom is in the hospital, Aaliyah backs out and Tyler auditions on his own. Flash forward many years later, Tyler's a pop star with his songs known worldwide, while Aaliyah's completing senior year in her small town, with dreams of going to the Boston Conservatory, just like her mom. When Tyler comes back home, their friendship continues as they make up for all the years they've lost. But....could there be feelings between the two that insists they should be more than friends? Hmm...even though they do end up together, there's family drama that's always getting in the way between both of them (also, MAJOR PLOT TWIST at the end when it comes to their families😯😯). On top of that, Tyler's life is always in the spotlight, which means constant pressure. Tyler loves his music, but is all this stress of being famous really worth it? Aaliyah doesn't really know if she has a place in Tyler's life, especially when there's so many barriers in their relationship. Despite all of this chaos, Aaliyah and Tyler learn that following their dreams and doing what their hearts desire is what matters most. This is an awesome book about childhood friendships, true love, and chasing your dreams.

I realize this is YA and I’m an adult but boy was this story all over the place. Might be a fun read for a teen but it wouldn’t be my first recommendation.

Sadly this title does not do it for me. I’ve picked it up and put it down a few times over the past week and cannot bring myself to go on. This is all about me, I think I’m just not in the right zone for YA titles right now.

Genre: Young Adult
Actual Rating: 3 stars
Spicy Meter: 1 fire emoji
Content Warnings: Mentions violence. Contains some sexual content.

“How (Not) to Date a Pop Star” follows Tyler Moore, an extremely famous pop star, and his childhood best friend, Aaliyah Preston, to whom dancing and the arts is more than a pastime, as they reconnect after fame and busy schedules got in the way.

Look, if you’re grabbing a book titled “How (Not) to Date a Pop Star”, you absolutely know what’s coming. Not only is it being published by Wattpad, but it reads 100% like a Wattpad story, and that’s what I loved about it.

If you’re coming in to find an insightful, deep romance, don’t. Do not grab this book, you’ll be disappointed. Now, you’re looking for a silly book that’ll go right over you and just give you the good vibes of a friends-to-lovers quirky story involving a mega pop star? Then go ahead and grab this.

This one is for the fanfic readers and StarStruck (2010 Disney TV movie) lovers. I don’t regret grabbing this advanced reader copy because it was exactly what I needed to get out of this reading slump I’ve been in.

If you click here, you’ll be redirected to Goodreads, so you can add the book to your TBR list.

ARC provided by NetGalley and Wattpad Books in exchange for an honest review.

Publication Date: July 11, 2023

DNF. I won this in a Publishers Weekly Grab-a-Galley, so really wanted to like it, but from the beginning I unfortunately just didn't buy it. The backstory given in the back-cover summary blurb isn't really expanded upon in the ~100 pages I read so I felt like I was just thrown in, and then the mafioso plotline came out of nowhere, where I think the teenage drama itself would have been enough. Not the YA for me, unfortunately.

Aaliyah and Tyler were best friends, she a dancer, he a musician and they were going to take part in a TV talent show together. When Aaliyah's mother got seriously sick, Tyler went alone and won. Years later he is a famous pop star and unhappy with his life, so he comes back to town to make up for lost time and even plan a future for them. But there are secrets that may not only ruin their plans but put them in danger.

The forthright and intimate 1st person POV that is often insightful gives us little breadcrumbs leading to future mysteries that pique your curiosity. The author has a knack for making us 'see' events and places with wordy, but in a good way, descriptions.

Aaliyah is gutsy and sensitive, cares for others and tries to do the right thing. Tyler is not as self-absorbed as expected and is surprisingly grounded for someone so famous at such a young age. He is genuinely a good guy. They complement each other. There is cuteness and an endearing quality to the protagonists amidst the drama from family and Tyler's celebrity status.

The flow of the narrative seems to stutter in parts, jumping from one thing to another with seemingly no rhyme or reason, and that is true also for some of the characters' actions. And it seems like parts of the narrative are missing. But it does get better as the story moves along and I can enjoy the intrigue, the danger vibe and how teenage stereotypes are given a run for their money.

You know how some side characters steal the show? Keep your eye on Aleksander.

This book emphasizes being yourself no matter what life throws at you and that you should always dream. This is not the full of awkward, comical moments rom-com you'd expect from the title, but an interesting, more complex than it originally seems read, with some truly lovely & sweet moments, but also suspense and a lot of surprises.

I love the friends to lovers trope, add to that pop star and I was so excited to read this book, it's cute, funny with some angst and drama, Tyler and Aaliyah used to be best friends but Tyler leaves and comes back as a pop star, they reconnect and soon emotions begin to resurface, and we also have a few unexpected twists.
Quick and enjoyable read

It was a very nice quick read, however, I really could not fully get into the storyline. It felt so unrealistic and so stretched. They honestly wanted to stop reading the book more than keep going. I didn’t enjoy the writing, I could tell it was Wattpad. I really wish I could’ve enjoyed this book, because it is such a cool premise. There are just so many other books with pop stars that are just better.

It was a struggle to finish this book. There just seemed to be so much happening that didn’t flow. I felt no tension because I simply didn’t care about the characters. I was not invested in the story.

This book was a good idea but I did not care for it. It was very unbelievable and jumped around to much. One minute Aaliyah is being attacked and the next she is in dance team practice. I also was confused about why everything was her responsibility to pay debts and take care of other peoples problems. And last I cannot fathom how all of the people who “care” about her just let her keep going to handle these situations. All she has to do is say “it’s something I have to do” and they just let her go off to her possible death. These problems were all started and were related to Tyler’s dad. Why wasn’t he the one dealing with this? Also why were the kids the ones dealing with this? This is the adults problem.

I was just very confused by most of this book and annoyed.