When It's Real by Erin Watt (Website, Twitter, Facebook, Goodreads)Also by this author: One Small Thing
Published by Harlequin Teen on May 22nd 2017
Genres: Coming of Age, General, Young Adult, Young Adult Fiction
Pages: 384
Format: eARC
Meet Oakley Ford-teen celebrity, renowned pop star, child of famous movie stars, hottie with millions of fangirls… and restless troublemaker. On the surface he has it all, but with his home life disintegrating, his music well suddenly running dry, and the tabloids having a field day over his outrageous exploits, Oakley's team decides it's time for an intervention. The result: an image overhaul, complete with a fake girlfriend meant to show the world he's settled down.
Enter seventeen-year-old Vaughn Bennett-devoted sister, part-time waitress, the definition of "normal." Under ordinary circumstances she'd never have taken this gig, but with her family strapped for cash, she doesn't have much of a choice. And for the money Oakley's team is paying her, she figures she can put up with outlandish Hollywood parties and a team of publicists watching her every move. So what if she thinks Oakley's a shallow, self-centered jerk? It's not like they're going to fall for each other in real life…right?
Okay, I’m just going to say it… I read this duo’s other series of books and when I downloaded this one, I was super terrified that I was going to get more of the same.
I’m happy to report I did not.
I loved this book.
Oakley Ford lives his life behind a wall of celebrity. He’s the son of famous movie stars and ventured out and made a name for himself. But that celebrity came with a price. Sure it may seem like he has it all, but he is estranged from both his mother and father, and the only people he would count as friends are the body guards that he spends his days with. Even the members of his band are all trying to get something out of him. But his biggest worry is becoming irrelevant because he hasn’t been able to come up with new music that he loves.
Oakley’s PR team decide it’s time for an overhaul.
Vaughn Bennett hasn’t exactly had it easy over the last few years. The deaths of her parents forced her to grow up faster than her friends and so at 17 she’s graduated from high school but completely unsure what her future holds because she’s not passionate about anything. Then an opportunity presents itself in the form of becoming Oakley Ford’s fake girlfriend. Not only would the money be helpful to her struggling family, but it will definitely shake up her regular, normal life she’s been living.
I, for obvious reasons, love the idea of regular girl meets famous boy and they fall madly in love. I absolutely love that Vaughn kind of totally hates Oakley from the get-go. He’s a jerk and she’s already got a boyfriend… she is absolutely only in this for the money. Until she isn’t.
Let me just say that I hated her douche bag of a boyfriend and I kind of hate that he was a part of this story. He was so super cliché it is probably the one thing that I totally hated here. I wish that there was more to him and her relationship (especially after 2 years) that was explored and that we weren’t just presented with surface stuff that caused this rift and then watched him become the biggest asshole on the planet. ALSO I really hated that she was so meek with him and yet the complete opposite with Oakley.
So what I loved was the relationship that evolved between Cassie and Oakley. These two started out barely tolerating each other and eventually found the commonalities in their lives. Plus they were pretty cute together and the feelings between them were believable and I loved how they pushed and supported each other.
This was a super quick read for me, and extra bonus, no cliffhanger. This is a standalone, but I can’t say I’d be disappointed if these authors decided to write Paisley’s story.
Even if you weren’t a fan of the first books by this writing duo, make sure you check this title out. I’m so happy I gave them another chance and if you’re a fan of contemporary YA this one will most likely hit all the right notes for you too!
Thank you to the publisher for an early copy in exchange for my honest thoughts.
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