When It's Real

When It's Real 
by Erin Watt

 

Oakley Ford may be one of the most famous singers in the world, but he's also one of the most infamous singers. He's got a major image problem and that is getting in the way of him working on his next album with one of the best producers in the biz.

Vaughn is the ultimate good girl who finished school early in order to get a job to help out her sister after their parents died. She's got a boyfriend and a very clean reputation.

She's perfect.

Oakley's PR team selects Vaughn to be his fake girlfriend for a year (and $20k a month) in order to help his image and her family.

Vaughn's current BF is willing to go along at the beginning, but it's tense.

Things start getting more and more confusing as Vaughn sees more in Oakley than a spoiled brat and Oakley starts seeing Vaughn as more than just a snotty prude.

Final thoughts: Eh. This is a combination YA/NA book, so it may not be appropriate for everyone. This new trend of girls dating/fake dating/not knowing their social media dating celebrities is already getting tired and cliche. This book did move along at a decent pace, but the end was strangely rushed and felt a little empty. There is also an obvious story line left for a possible sequel, but it's not a cliffhanger or anything. Vaughn's BF was a jerk from the first moment and there was absolutely no chemistry there, so it's very difficult to believe that they were together for 2 years. And that final conflict was ridiculous. But if you can suspend reality on those things, you may enjoy this. If nothing else, it's cotton candy for the mind.

Rating: 3/5

Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC.

In Some Other Life

In Some Other Life

by Jessica Brody

Kennedy "The Closer" Rhodes made a decision just over three years ago that put her on course to resurrect the school newspaper, become editor-in-chief, win prestigious awards, and set her course to Columbia University to major in Journalism.

That decision was essentially choosing a guy over the most coveted spot in Windsor Academy, a prep school that has an 89% acceptance rate to Ivy League schools. For the last three years, she's never regretted her decision. She's got a fantastic best friend, a great boyfriend, and an amazing high school journalism career.

Until she catches her best friend and her boyfriend making out.

Now she wonders about her decision. She wonders if things would be better if she'd chosen the school instead.

Then she falls... literally.

When she wakes, she's now Kennedy "The Crusher" Rhodes, who crushes at everything she does. She's top of her class at Windsor Academy. She never worked the school paper. She never dated that guy. She never lost her best friend.

Everything is similar, but different. Now Kennedy has the chance to redeem her choice from three years before and be the girl she's always wondered if she could be. But it looks like The Crusher has a lot more secrets and a lot to hide.

Final thoughts: Cotton candy "Sliding Doors" type of book. Flowed pretty well, but VERY predictable. That predictability doesn't make it an impossible read, but it can get frustrating when the lead can't see what is so obvious to the reader.

Rating: 3/5

ARC provided by NetGalley