Famous by Default

A sweet teen romance with lovable characters.

Famous by Default is a teen/young adult stand-alone romance by M.K. Harkins.

M.K. Harkins is a new author to me. I saw this book offered to readers on NetGalley. The cover and blurb both looked interesting. In exchange for an honest review they awarded the book to me.

The book’s blurb promised I would find two emotionally broken down characters that have built up protective walls around themselves for different reasons. The book definitely delivered on did that and then some

Jax Jayne’s brothers formed a famous rock band that has legions of salivating teenage girls stalking them as well as paparazzi hot on their heels. Jax, the youngest at seventeen years old and quite possibly the most handsome of the brothers also has musical talents but wants no part of the famous life or the band and tries his best to stay under the radar. This only makes the fans and paparazzi more rabid because of the mysteriousness surrounding him. His mother and father being concerned he’s getting more withdrawn and avoiding his musical talent send him to Iowa to stay with his Aunt Betty on a farm to take a breather and recharge. At the farm he meets a seventeen-year-old girl named Sivan Holt who Jax’s Aunt Betty is fostering along with two other younger girls. Sivan’s parents died 7 years prior and since then she has been shuffled around the foster system that included being in a few abusive homes. Her caseworker finds a potentially forever home on Jax’s Aunt Betty’s farm. Sivan is beautiful, cautious, damaged, and struggles to trust anyone. On the farm Sivan bonds immediately with Betty but trusting Jax proves to be a challenge.

This is a sweet coming of age love story about trust, love, life, and overcoming tragedy and loss. I wouldn’t call this story deeply moving and was a bit predicable but nonetheless its heartwarming and fast paced that I did enjoy reading it. In my opinion the best part of this story are the three main characters, Jax, Sivan, and Betty. The author so beautifully develops them that I fell in love with every single one especially Aunt Betty. I wish I had my very own Aunt Betty!

The romance is sweet, there is no violence, and perhaps there was less than four mild curse words used in the entire book. I’d recommend this for readers aged 14 years and older who like sweet romance stories.

Famous by Default – M.K. Harkins is a remarkable story of love, coming of age, life and loss. This story centers around two characters named Jax and Sivan. Jax is the youngest brother of a famous boy band. While he loves music and can play the guitar, he wants no part of that world. Sivan becomes a foster child of the state after losing her immediate family and having no relatives. She has seen more than her fair share of the abuse and neglect that sometimes accompanies foster care. They both get sent to Miss Betty’s, a farm in Iowa that is in the middle of nowhere. Betty is Jax’s aunt and Sivan’s foster parent. At first there is tension between the two, both have different pasts and are struggling to deal with their own issues. However, they soon begin to rely on each other and finds ways to help the other deal with their own demons. This book has many ups and downs making you want to cry one moment and smile the next. There are a few issues in this story that involve the hardships that some foster children have to face. Harkins does an amazing job of addressing such issues! His style of writing is easy to follow and he seamlessly goes from Jax’s point of view to Sivan’s. I really enjoyed reading this story and look forward to reading more of his books.

Amazing story. So many wonderful bits, it'll be hard to note them all.

I'll admit my first reaction was "ugh a book about teens". But that was quickly dislodged. Replaced with giddiness b/c foster care (esp of older kids) is something near and dear to my heart. (Yes I knew this from the blurb before reading, but still I wasn't in the correct mindset when I started.)

Sivan wins your heart from the beginning car ride out to the farm. She never lets go of your heart and turns on the dust bunnies at times. (I'm not crying, you're crying) Betty is the perfect foster mom for her.

Jax, you want to hate his whiny self, but you just can't. You can try, but you won't succeed.

This is a story about loss, love, and overcoming what life hands you. I am so impressed with these two. It's not really your typical HEA story and it's one I feel I'll have a book hangover from for a while. I know this story will stick with me for life and will be one I will re-read often. I want more of them. While the epilogue was just what I needed it did leave me wanting more and that is never a bad thing when it comes to good books.