I loved Lyra and Guy in this sweet romance story. I have read other books from Laura Carter so had high hopes for this one, I definitely wasn't disappointed.

I rated this book 3.5 stars. Lyra is a wedding photographer for a struggling business following her dreams who disappointed her family by not following in their footsteps of becoming a doctor. Lyra’s “perfect” sister did. Guy is a wedding singer/naked butler who was a rockstar until the death of the bands lead singer who was Guy’s little brother. It was a very easy and quick read, I think the name of the book was very cute and does actually make sense in regards to the story line, I just found the actual storyline a bit boring and not very fleshed out or developed. We don’t really resolve Lyra’s family issues, but we do start to make progress on Guy’s issues. I found their romance just ok, it didn’t really do lot for me, I didn’t really feel much connection or tension between them.

A wonderful read!
This novel drew me in from the very first page and kept me hooked until the end. The characters were vibrant and relatable, the writing was engaging, and the story had just the right balance of heart and humor. Highly recommend!
Many thanks to NetGalley, the author, and the publisher for my ARC. All opinions are my own.

Lyra meets Guy when she is a photographer at a hen night. Things have changed a lot for both of them since the past time they met. What will happen this time round. A great read, I liked how it was told from both points of view.

This was such a brilliant romantic read. I loved the characters and the humour and the writing is excellent. It really kept me engaged throughout.

Laura Carter's 'Catch a Falling Star' is a sweet and sentimental second-chance romance. The tale elegantly unwinds as wedding photographer Lyra by chance runs into her childhood idol, ex-rock star Guy, now a wedding singer. Their adventure is brimming with cheeky repartee and unshakable chemistry, which makes it a genuinely compelling read.

The author masterfully interweaves lighter, humorous moments with more introspective emotional exploration, especially around themes of regret and discovering one's way. The supporting cast provides charm and richness to the story. Although the initial tempo is sedate, the story comes into bloom as a sweet and pleasing romance that will leave you smiling. Ideal for readers who love feel-good, character-based love stories.

The cutest romance I've read in a while. Both characters showed growth in person and professional life after thier first meet with eachother. I enjoyed the book very much. It's was a quick read, fun and sweet book

This came so, so close to five stars! It’s rare that a book pitched as “laugh out loud” actually makes me do that. Humour is subjective and mine leans to sarcastic and/or surreal. Or a little bit rude – any book with a chapter title that mentions naked butlers is probably going to cause a giggle or two.

I loved, loved, loved the premise. Lyra is funny and sweet, and I was rooting for her from the get-go. Guy is also sweet, but clearly carrying a ghost or two. The “glue” is Lyra being a wedding photographer and Guy being a rockstar turned wedding singer. They just keep bumping into each other!

Yet, Catch A Falling Star isn’t all sweetness and light. It deals with deep issues, some better than others. This is a book about second chances and how you need to work for them, and having the confidence to grab those chances when they present themselves.

But as I said, not every issue is dealt with as well as I personally would like. Guy has family issues that don’t really get resolved. Lyra’s sister is a cow and deserved to get more pushback in my opinion. These issues didn’t, however, take away my enjoyment of this book. In fact, I’ll be keeping my eye out for more books from Laura Carter.

I love this books! First, of all I like the wedding setting, then both their jobs, Lyra being a photographer and Guy, the wedding singer. They are forced to work together during the wedding season. Both have family dramas, past unresolved traumas, but the chemistry is hard to ignore.
Rom com full with humor and second chance romance.
Thanks to the author, the publisher and Netgalley for the advanced copy.

A solid romance. Great backstory with just the amount of personal angst thrown in to keep the reader hooked. If you are looking for a romance that is not over the top steamy, has a solid plot with great character arcs.

Highly recommend!

Thank you to the publisher and to NetGalley for an arc. All opinions expressed are my own.

4.5 rounded to 5

First of all, thank you NetGalley for giving me the opportunity to read this book!

Wow. Since starting this book, I was a bit nervous to read it as I’ve read similar in the past that I didn’t like. But my expectations were EXCEEDED!

I loved this book. And most of all I loved Guy and Lyra’s enemies to lovers, grumpy x sunshine, Fangirl and rockstar type relationship.

They really experienced the ups and downs that is expected in every relationship. I think that’s what made me love them more. There relationship seemed almost realistic. Their families seemed normal, and had the normal toxic side that some families have.

Would definitely read another Laura Carter book in a heartbeat!

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

I have been lucky enough to read some great books this year. That being said, you know the books that having you yelling at the characters when they are doing something stupid? Or saying out loud “It’s about time!”
This was one of those books.

The night they were supposed to meet, you guessed it, they didn’t. Then they had a not so meet-cute in a stalled elevator.

I experienced so many emotions reading this book, and that’s a good thing. All that being said, if you believe in second chances against almost impossible odds, you may just enjoy “Catch a Falling Star” as much as I did.

I would like to thank NetGalley for an advanced reader’s copy. The lack of sleep from reading it in one sitting and the opinions above are all mine.

Happy reading!

A heartwarming, feel-good romance that brings together a wedding photographer chasing her dreams and a former rockstar trying to find his way. Lyra and Guy’s unexpected connection is equal parts sweet and complicated, unfolding against the backdrop of a busy wedding season. With charming moments, emotional depth, and just the right spark of chemistry, this story is about second chances, self-discovery, and finding love when you least expect it.

Catch a Falling Star by Laura Carter

This novel is a dual POV starring Lyra and Guy. Lyra is a young woman who had ambitions to be a doctor from her parents, but seven years prior decides that she is going to give up their dream and become a photographer. That night she happens to be at her favorite band’s show, The Hand Me Downs. She is invited backstage to meet the band but she gets bad news from her family that seems to derail all of her dreams.

From there, we learned that Lyra has become a wedding photographer, staying closer to home, and she runs into the former rockstar Guy Walker who is dealing with his own fall from grace.

When I was about 30% into the book I thought at the most this would be a four star read. The premise was fun and seemed like it would be a cute love story. Lyra is written as this “good girl” who almost looks on the sunny side and is happy dealing with how her life is but the reality is that she is unhappy not fulfilling her dream or the ones her family had for her. Which is intrigued but as the book went on she became more unlikable and a bit immature. It is like hearing an adult say fiddle sticks when something truly awful happens. Guy is no different, he starts as a tortured rockstar who is dealing with his own family trauma but has to work as a naked butler and a wedding singer but will never sing his own songs. He processed from a character that could have true depth to one that is a forgettable washed up rockstar.

At 70% I knew this one was a 3 star read. It felt drawn out and I almost didn’t care how it would end. I pushed through to get the ending hoping for a big redemption of the book like the one Lyra and Guy were also seeking for much of the novel. No surprise they both fight their personal demons and the things that are holding them back from having the life they wanted.

I feel like I wanted more from this book but that isn’t to say this wasn’t a good read. The problem is that I have read amazing variations of a similar plot recently.

📚BOOK REVIEW 📚

Catch a Falling Star - @lauracarterauthor @boldwoodeverafter

"She looks like a rockstar, but embarrasses like the girl next door"

Why am I only just discovering this wonderful author? This book was amazing! I absolutely adored it and if you are a romantic music lover then this is the perfect book for you.

Guy Walker was once in a rock band called the Hand Me Downs and one night when performing he spots Lyra Clarkson in the crowd and asks for her to come back stage. She accepts but just as they are about to meet she disappears after a phonecall. He has never forgotten her though.

Years later, Lyra is now a successful photographer and Guy is performing at Weddings. He is also working as butler in the buff much to his embarrassment to being in a wage.

Their meet cute happens when they get stuck in a lift together and their attraction is as strong as it was all that time ago at the concert. They end up covering the same events during the wedding season and as they get to know one another their relationship develops.

The story is told from a duel point of view which is my favourite in romance books. Flashing back to the past and present we get a good insight into the characters and all the things they have been through to lead them to this moment. I really enjoyed the character development from both characters.

They both had things they were dealing with but they genuinely made each other better. This was such a great second chance romance and I loved all the nods we got to some of the bands. It was pure nostalgia in parts but I also liked getting Guys lyrics etc. I can picture him so clearly in my mind. I wish he was real 🤣 He was written so well and especially some of his complex problems. He was every fan's fantasy. When you adore someone famous but they see you.

Lyra was a fab character. She was kind with no judgements and her outlook on life was inspiring. Always putting other before herself.

This was just such a special book. I loved it so much. It was a great. I can't wait to read more from this author.

“I’m trapped in this dungeon, with no way out, and my tortured soul has been repressed by a woman who is my opposite in every way. From the way she loves and is loved, to her willingness to put others before even her own happiness. She’s the sun to my storm cloud and she should be repelled by me, yet everything inside me is fuelled by her warmth. And I… Damn it, I want more.”


The way this book made me want to curl into feral position in a corner and cry but yet also rage to the point where I hated all men. You know a book is good when it makes you feel your highest highs, and your lowest lows. Ugh this damn book. There were points when I was looking up the British lingo and word because I was like “What the hell does that mean…” but in all honesty this book was spot on for a great romance with a lot of heartbreak.

The book opens up with “The Night” seven years in the past, with Lyra at a concert with her best friend. Feeling absolutely care free because she finally decided to live life for herself and leave the medical program and finally follow her dreams of being a photographer. Lyra and her friend are having the time of their life and when one of the singers to the band asks for her to come back stage, her friend makes her go for it. I mean this is the guy she has been obsessing over, this is Guy, singer of The Hand Me Downs, she has to go, right? Feeling high on life she decides to go. Then on the way to the dressing room she gets a call that will change her life forever.

Fast forward seven years and we learn that Lyra is now a wedding photographer and living day to day with helping her family out and is the photographer for her sisters hen party (bachelorette party is what we call it in the states) and she gets stuck on an elevator with a rugged looking man, who she swears is the man she was suppose to meet “That Night” seven years ago. She brushes it off as there is no way it can be him, even though he shares the same name, Guy.

After the party is over she finds herself outside with Guy and realizes she is definitely attracted to him, even though he is extremely standoffish and downright rude. Things happen that lead to her kissing him and this is the moment when both of their lives change forever.

I don’t want to give away too much but this was one of the best second chance romances I have read. There were moments when you really wanted to hate Guy but then also find yourself feeling completely helpless for him and how his life has turned out and root for him to get his act together and realize he needs to stop living in the past.

Lyra was always trying to be happy go lucky and when she finally decided to stand up for herself against her family, sister and even Guy I was fist bumping for my girl. Absolutely loved this story and the characters you meet.


“She’s my longest day of the year. My favourite day of the year. And she’s pulling me in like gravity. A force I can’t see, one that’s hard to explain, but it’s real, it exists, and I’m powerless to stop it.”

This was such a tender, slow-burn romance about missed chances, emotional walls, and the strange ways fate sometimes intervenes. The couple at the heart of the story keeps finding themselves literally trapped together—first in an elevator, then in a dungeon—and it’s in those moments that their connection really shines. I loved how these situations mirrored the emotional barriers they’ve been trying to navigate.

Both characters are weighed down by guilt and grief, and while the pacing dragged a little in the middle, their emotional journeys felt honest and well-earned. What surprised me most was how much the story emphasized the power of friendship and laughter. Grief is a quiet presence throughout, but it’s the warmth of connection and the lightness of humor that helps them find their way back—not just to each other, but to themselves.

If you love slow-burn romance with emotional depth, a bit of fate-fueled fun, and characters who find healing in unexpected places, this one is worth picking up.

Catch a Falling Star by Laura Carter

I received an advance review copy for free thanks to Rachel's Random Resources and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

Blurb

Lyra Clarkson has built a career capturing other people’s perfect moments. She loves her work as a wedding photographer – despite her family’s disapproval – but she’s never quite found her own path.

Guy Walker, former rock star turned wedding singer, has hit a new low. Desperately needing cash, he’s agreed to take any gig his manager can get him, even if this new form of entertainment isn’t just singing.

As Lyra and Guy’s paths cross – in the most bizarre way possible – an unexpected kiss will change everything. But was it simply a chance encounter or is fate bringing them back together?

Now forced into each other’s lives for the entire wedding season, the unlikely pair may just figure out together how to realise both their dreams…

My Opinion

Catch a Falling Star is a lovely read. Laura Carter has once again written a book that was difficult to put down. Lyra and Guy almost met after a concert but Lyra was called away, seven years later the pair are given a second chance. A charming book that I would highly recommend.

Rating 4/5

Thank you to the Laura Carter and Boldwood Books for letting me read this ARC via NetGalley.

Genre: Cozy Romance
Vibes: 🎶🎸📸👰🏻‍♀️💒💕
Rating: 3.75 ⭐
Tropes: second chance romance / forced proximity / workplace (wedding photographer / musician) romance

I really don't have much else to say for this except for that it was a very sweet, very cute, refreshing read. About 75% of the way through, I decided that I was all on board for the relationship between Guy and Lyra and I was very satisfied with the ending.

My Thoughts :
We meet Lyra Clarkson and Guy Walker.
Guy was once in a rock band called The Hand Me Downs, he had spotted in Lyra in the crowd one night at a gig, but without any warning Lyra dissapeared, she had to leave the show after a phone call.
Moving on several years later, Lyra is now a photographer after droping out of med school and Guy has taken up wedding singing and being a butler in the buff for extra money.
They both find themselves in a lift on their way to work, but do they remember each other and that one glance in the crowd all those years ago!?.
As we follow the couple and learn more about their past and what they have been doing all this time, we get to see the chemistry between them, but can they both get past trust issues.
Laura Carter has done a great job in bringing the characters together, or back together I should say.
A perfect story full of fun, friends, laughs and relationships.
Looking forward to more from Laura Carter in the near future.