Seeing Stars

a Mashad Family Novel

by Candice Jalili

⭐⭐⭐⭐

Thank you @Netgalley and Disney Hyperiod for this ARC copy in exchange for my honest review.

If you love fake dating and reality television like The Kardashians, The Hills, or Jersey Shore, this is a must-read for you.

Meet Mona Marshad, a girl most of the world already knows because she has grown up on television for the last 10 years. 

I'm not a big fan of reality TV, but I enjoyed this book more than I thought I would, and I read it all in one sitting! It takes the feelings of a teenage girl as she grows up and falls in love, and throws it all under a microscope. It absolutely paints a picture I never would have imagined from the perspective of the people who choose--or don't, as how could a child make that choice?--to live their lives for everyone to see? And, of course, dissect.

In this second book of the Mashad series, Mona Mashad is trying to discover who she is and what her next step will be. She wants more than anything to do something on her own and discovers the only way to find the support she requires to succeed is to be in a fake relationship with the president's son, Lucas. At the same time, she meets Kai, who is a boy she wants to spend time with because he makes her feel normal. 

As expected in reality TV, witty banter, first-world problems, and drama ensue as Mona finds her way to her happy ending.

I will be finding more to read by this author.

Rules for Fake Girlfriends by Raegan Revord

 Rules for Fake Girlfriends

by

Raegan Revord

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the eARC in exchange for an honest and voluntary review.

This had a very strong start and fantastic premise: Rom-com about rom-com-obsessed college-bound girl who makes the drastic choice to forego Columbia to attend her mother's alma mater in order to follow the first clue to a scavenger hunt her mother sent her just before she died. The distance between our Avery and her father, and the separation as she parts ways with her best friends to go to a different college, solidify the connections to the main character right away. Right away, we pivot to the introduction of Charlie, Avery's new friend/fake girlfriend, which was so ridiculous it was fun! I very much enjoyed the reading Avery's journey from knowing it wouldn't end well--to swearing it has to end--to where she winds up.

The story was a fresh take on an old idea, and had moments of real charm; however, the execution and character development needs some more work for consistency and pacing. There were some descriptions that did not add up, many repetitive words and emotions that slowed the overall story, and the pacing for the scavenger hunt was sporadic. That said, it does come to a conclusion I think readers will enjoy.

I would rate this 3.5 Stars but rounded up to 4 on Goodreads. The author had a great idea, fantastic chapter titles that suck you in, and a great idea. I hope they continue writing and would read another book they pen.