3 Stars

Clara is a down on your luck gal who recently lost her job at a publishing company, who now finds herself living on her brother’s sofa. To make some extra cash, she gets a temp job at a storage company, cleaning out abandoned storage units. Talk about depressing. What she finds at times is enough to run screaming. Thank goodness she has her best friend CiCi around to cheer her up.

One day while cleaning out a storage unit, she comes across papers that give her pause. They appear to implicate British actor Caspian Tiddleswich. During one drunken night, Clara calls him and leaves a crazy message, which she honestly doesn’t remember the next day. When he shows up at her door, he accuses her of blackmail and decides to turn the tables on her. He needs her to pretend to be his girlfriend while he is in the states. The problem? Caspian is a pompous @ss but since he threatened to call the police on her, she has no choice but to agree.

“Crashing the A-List” started out slow and left a little to be desired as the character of Caspian was truly despicable at first, but as the novel picked up the pace around the halfway mark and it also became a bit more endearing.

Another weekend rom com buddy read with Kaceey!

Thank you to NetGalley, Harlequin-Mira and Summer Heacock for the arc in exchange for an honest review.

Published on Goodreads and NetGalley on 8.11.19

Summer Heacock's <b>Crashing the A-list was a welcome departure from my usual fare. I found it to be an upbeat and humorous twist on the "Hate turns to love" trope. Although CiCi gave me lots of laughs, my favourite character was Clara. I loved that she had a strong spine and valued herself enough to speak her mind.

<i>Special thanks to Justine Sha at Mira Books, NetGalley and Summer Heacock for access to this title.</i>

Crashing the A-List is a fun, while rather unlikely, romantic comedy. There are so many things that happen that are not interpreted correctly, and that made the whole plot of the novel.
I had several laugh out loud moments, but I also had to cringe a little at times. In the beginning, I could understand Caspian rather well, however, as the story went on, I found him to be both overbearing and rather more of an ass.
Some of the situations Clara found herself in needed a good dose of suspension of disbelief, but I still enjoyed both her and CiCi and their shenanigans.
3.5 stars

What a great romantic comedy this book was, I was a bit unsure at the beginning but it quickly grabbed my attention. This enemies to lovers romance is full of so much witty banter between the characters and the dialogues is utterly hilarious you will be LOL as I was.

Clara Montgomery has been down on her luck of late as she has lost her publishing job in New York, is living with her younger brother on his couch and has had to resort to cleaning out storage units to make ends meet. Can she get any lower??? It's crazy the things you find in forgot storage units, but one thing that Clara and her BFF find will lead Clara down a very different path and make her look at life a little bit differently.


The sexy British actor, Caspian Tiddleswich gets a voice message that will bring his past back to his future. A very Succesful future that could be damaged if this secret is leaked to the media.

What would you do if a sexy actor knocked on you do?

I love and hated these characters at the same time as they both frustrated me at times, but the hilariously strange circumstances they found themselves in had me hooked and reading to the very end. It was not just the two main characters that you will enjoy reading about but event he secondary characters are full of some much fun and humour. But on a serious note, there is still a message within this book to learn from and I believe both the characters will have a share of humble pie by the end of this journey.

I did feel like the book could have ended sooner than it did as they was a kind of a repeat of a storyline in the second half that could have been written a bit differently to keep the readers interest a little better.

This is my first time reading anything by this author to which I would be happy to read again.

I LOL'd so many times during this book! I LOVED IT! I have since ordered the rest of Summer's collection. She is a fantastic writer. The chemistry and dialogue between the characters kept this moving fast. What I loved the most was the dialogue--this book had a perfect balance of internal monologue and external dialogue. I loved it.


I received an advance copy. All thoughts are my own.

This book is just what I needed to read right now! Crashing the A-List is a well written, laugh out loud rom com clean romance book and I loved every page of it! There were lots of predictable scenes, and at times it was pretty cheesy, but that's what I loved about it. Sometimes you just need a light and fun book that is nothing more than pure entertainment. If you are a fan of rom com movies, this book is a must for you!

Thank you to Netgalley and Mira/Harlequin Books for providing me an ARC of this novel for my honest review.

This is a cute/silly rom-com. I have a feeling that if I was in a room with Clara and CiCi they'd give me a headache but that may be me just being a cranky old lady (get off my lawn!) Caspian is a jerk, right? But we all know how these books will go. And the whole time I'm thinking [why didn't she just shred that incriminating stuff she found and avoid all the drama! I mean isn't that what she should have been doing with any of the financial documents she found. Again practical old lady here!

Quick, quirky, fun little read

First off I want to say, this was an adorably cute book. I loved Clara and her exploration of the storage units. I always thought that would be pretty fascinating to do. The story itself was fun and very witty, with a delightful set of minor characters to keep the story rolling. A definite fun read and would make a cute movie!!


**thank you to Mira for the ARC to review**

Clara has lost her job and her apartment. She is sleeping on a sofa at her brother’s apartment. She has taken a crap job cleaning out storage units where she runs across some information about hired escorts and famous people. This opens a whole new can of worms.

I adore many parts of this read. Clara is struggling and your heart goes out to her. Then there is her family. They crack me up…Clara is pretty funny herself, despite her dire situation.

The ONLY problem I had with this book was with Caspian. Caspian is borderline verbally abusive. The first time it occurs is early in the book. He is threatened by Clara and her information so, he fights back to protect himself and his reputation. Things smooth over and Clara and Caspian hit it off. Then Caspian does it again. That was it for me! But, this is how a good author works….creates love and hate in the same character!

This book made me cackle! Don’t read this is public because you will bust out into hysterical laughter. It is uproariously funny, especially where Clara’s mother is involved.

Other than the Caspian issue, I am crazy about this read. I love a book which creates intense laughter and intense anger. Very uniquely done!

I received this novel from Mira Books for a honest review.

Last spring, I was completely obsessed with the royal wedding and as a result looked for a number of books on the royals and a-listers.

Sadly I didn’t get to read as many as I wanted but I adore modern fairy tale type books with a basically unknown female meeting a huge star or royal, and having it turn into a romance.

So when this book came across my desk many months later, I was so excited to read something kind of in that same vein. I thought this one sounded like a feel good, romance which was just what I needed to read! Though it doesn’t feature the royals, it does feature broke girl meets uber rich British film star so basically close enough for my taste!

Summary

After four months of unemployment, former book editor Clara Montgomery is still stuck sleeping on her little brother’s ugly couch in Queens. Determined to keep her minuscule savings account intact, she takes a job clearing out abandoned storage units, but is in no way prepared for stumbling upon dead snakes or trying to identify exactly where the perpetual stench of beets is emanating from.

When Clara comes across a unit that was once owned by an escort service, she finds the brothel “résumé” of a younger Caspian Tiddleswich… an astonishingly famous British actor. Her best friend thinks she should sell the gossip to a tabloid to fund her way off the couch from hell, but Clara instead manages to track down Caspian’s contact info, intending to reassure him that her lips are sealed.

Unfortunately, Caspian misinterprets Clara’s attempt at altruism and shows up on her doorstep, accusing her of blackmail. When the paparazzi capture a photo of them together, Caspian’s PR team sees an opportunity to promote his latest film—and if Clara wants to atone for her “crimes,” she’ll have to play along. Pretending to be Caspian’s girlfriend seems like it will be a tolerable, if somewhat daunting, penance… until their fake romance becomes something more than either of them expected (summary from Goodreads).

Review

This book definitely gave me all the rom-com feels and I was totally here for it. Tell me the name Caspian doesn’t scream rom-com! I was a little put off by his name at first because I felt that it was a little extra, but eventually I was able to read it and not giggle like a 12 year old girl reading the Narnia Prince Caspian!

In the beginning the story was full of wit and humor that I couldn’t get enough of, but by the end the story started to lose a little steam for me and I didn’t fully love Caspian. I struggled with how much of an asshole Caspian was throughout the book. I often felt like he was overly harsh when he didn’t need to be which was a little off putting. I kept waiting and waiting and waiting to see something positive about him, and let’s just say that while I eventually accepted him, but it wasn’t the full 360 perspective change for me when it came to his character.

The highlight of this book for me was the friendship between Clara and Cici. Cici was an interesting and quirky character and I loved how she and Clara interacted together. It was a strong and well written friendship and I think readers will enjoy that aspect.

I liked how the author made Clara stay true to herself. She wasn’t corrupted by the fame and Caspian’s personality. She stood up for herself and never waivers when it came to her choices. I felt like the things that happened to her were more out of chance than by any poor choices that she might have made.

In the end, I didn’t love this story but I did laugh quite a bit and read it rather quickly. It was a nice break from reality and I loved the rom-com feel of the story and characters. I ended up giving this one a solid 3 stars. I would have rated it higher if I had liked Caspian better.

Book Info and Rating

Kindle Edition, 400 pages
Published July 2nd 2019 by MIRA (first published March 12th 2019)
ASIN B077ZSY9L5
Free review copy provided by publisher, MIRA, in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own and in no way influenced.
Rating: 3 stars
Genre: contempo romance, rom-com, chick lit

Crashing the A-List by Summer Heacock was not my kind of book. I had a rough start with it and I couldn't read more than two or three chapters at the time. I thought that Clara's behavior was all over the place and was like a feather in the wind. I also didn't like the way her character was portrayed and I had a strong dislike for the heroine for most of the book. Her constant fighting with the man who was supposed to be the hero of the novel also didn't help. There was too much drama and fighting for my liking. The only good thing about the book was Clara's best friend. But from the attention it got, I think that Clara brother's couch will get a book before she does.

This is one of those books that is supposed to be hilariously funny but just makes me wonder if there's something wrong with my sense of humor. The first half of the book was ok, with some funny parts; but the second half just seemed like a repeat of the first with nothing new of substance really added. It's a lighthearted book that's probably a good summer read but it was 'just ok' for me.

Clara and Caspian’s unusual love story is one you might read in the tabloids not a book entitled Crashing the A-List by Summer Heacock. Out of work Clara is desperate for a job, even one outside her career as an editor. Desperate times means taking any job that pays, even one cleaning out abandoned storage units. Making sure that nothing important or valuable was left behind Clara unearths a list of employees for an escort service, finding the name of a famous actor on the list. In the confusion of a drunk phone call, a visit from said actor, Caspian Tiddleswich, and major misunderstandings, Clara is blackmailed into posing as Caspian’s girlfriend until he completes his run in a Broadway play. Then there’s not to miss all the publishing houses offering Clara a job because of her connection to Caspian; causing her to feel less and less valued for her abilities but more for who she knew. We see Caspian portray a variety of personas as he deals with Clara, usually not politely. At this point it was difficult for me to like Caspian. He did try to redeem himself and by making a grand gesture. A gesture that was not only sincere but heart-warming and suggesting the path this story would take toward a happy ever after. I just wonder if with all the negative and evil ways he treated Clara and misunderstood the situations if it was truly enough for her forgiveness.

Ms. Heacock wrote a humorous and sexy story that is not to be missed. She provided a tale rich with sexual chemistry, amusing banter, laugh out loud scenes and endearing characters giving Clara and Caspian a chance for happiness, love and a future together, neiter expected. I definitely recommend Crashing the A-List to other readers.

I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this book.

Almost two years ago I fell in love with theauthors debut, The Awkward Path to Getting Lucky and I’ve been anxiously awaiting another book from her ever since. Her brand of writing was perfect for me, witty, smart and full of heart and I’m so happy to say that I loved this book just as much as I had hoped!

Heacock has a real knack for writing about friendship in a true and genuine manner, her dialogue between best friends Clara and Cici was not only hilarious, it felt like I was eavesdropping on real BFFs. I loved both of them and just found them to be so authentic and realistic, and then you have this whole hot and cold romance brewing between Clara and Caspian that made my head spin in the best possible way. These two had obvious chemistry from the moment they meet but much of the book sees them extremely angry and irritated with each other, but who knew angsty and angry chemistry could be so hot?! There were fireworks for sure. 💥 💥💥

Highly recommended for a super fun and entertaining rom com read, I laughed quite a bit and just had the best time with these characters, I’m a firm fan of the author and cannot wait to see what she comes up with next!

Crashing the A List in three words: Hilarious, Entertaining and Sparkling

Crashing the A-List by Summer Heacock, is a commentary romance, and my first book by this author. I found this book to be just OK. It had some fun parts, but the main character's best friend really got on my nerves. I will give this author another try, but this one was just not for me.

I reviewed a digital arc provided by NetGalley and the publisher. Thank you.

4 stars

You can read all of my reviews at https://www.NerdGirlLovesBooks.com.

This was a fun romantic comedy that I thoroughly enjoyed reading. I don't read a lot of these type books, but every once in awhile I like the escapism this genre provides.

Clara, a book editor, lost her job when her company was bought and downsized. She finds herself sleeping on her little brother's couch and cleaning out storage lockers for extra cash. While cleaning out a locker of paperwork owned by an old escort service, she finds damning information about a very famous British actor, Caspian Tiddleswich (yeah, pretty stupid name). Clara's best friend Cici thinks she should sell the information to a tabloid and make a quick buck to help out with her expenses, but Clara shoots down that option. She tracks down Caspian's contact information and leaves a message that was intended to reassure him that the information is safe. Caspian, however, believes Clara is attempting to blackmail him and shows up angry on her doorstep. When the two are photographed together Caspian's PR team decides to exploit the situation to help him promote his latest film. Hilarity and misunderstandings thereafter ensues...

The main character Clara is hilarious. Her wit and snark are very fun to read, and I actually laughed out loud at certain parts. I loved the relationship between her and her best friend CiCi. I think most women have a ride or die best friend like CiCi and can easily relate to their back and forth dialogue and shenanigans.

The main love interest, in contrast, felt a bit stiff and one-dimensional. He got mad at all the right parts, was contrite at all the right parts and fell into the typical misunderstandings like a leading man should, but other than these stereotypes, didn't add much to the story. His speeches were pretty stock "wounded, distrustful male" ones that we've read a million times before, but I'll forgive the author a bit because other parts of the book were so much fun to read. The conflict about 3/4 way into the book was a bit lazy and repetitive, but I guess it fits the formula for RomComs so again, I'll forgive the author a bit for this.

This was a quick, light read that will put a smile on your face. You should pick it up and check it out for yourself. I will definitely read more books by this author.

I received a free copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Crashing the A-List was a fun and sweet romcom! I enjoyed the characters, although sometimes I was frustrated with their decision making and listening abilities. Overall I had fun reading this one, and I hope that you do too!

“Crashing” is a laugh-out-loud romantic comedy that is cinematic in its treatment of the story of a down on her luck editor who meets a successful British actor through a series of mishaps and misunderstandings. I admired the heroine, who, although she is not as successful as she aspires to be, is able to stand up for herself and require respect.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

This book was alright. It was a fine romance-novel read, teetering between a straight romance story with the complexities oft found in women's fiction. It's a perfect, indulgent beach read and a storybook romance you can get lost in. However, the storyline is quite predictable and nothing is too exciting to discover. Heacock's storytelling is inviting in this complete page-turner. While yes, I enjoyed it, I think this book is a one-time read and wish there was more intrigue, suspense; there was just something missing for me.

This book made me laugh quite a bit, even if I didn’t like everything about it.

The setup for the story is pretty good. Clara takes a job cleaning out storage units after losing her job in publishing, and stumbles across evidence that a famous actor, Caspian Tiddleswich, worked for an escort service. Although she could use the money, Clara doesn’t sell the info to a gossip site. However, she does drunkenly contact Caspian to tell him his secret is safe, which of course freaks the man out. A visit to her apartment leads to further complications, and the two of them wind up pretending to be a couple.

The first half of the book is the most fun. The sniping between Clara and Caspian is amusing, and I enjoyed their back-and-forth insults. Although I wish the author employed the name Tiddleswich to its full potential. I mean, I would have been calling the man “Mr. Tiddles” every chance I got, because Mr. Tiddles sounds like an incontinent lapdog. It’s PERFECT.

Once they get their initial misunderstandings straightened out, the story loses a little bit of its steam. The romance aspect doesn’t quite develop enough to substitute for the loss of the bite of the early part of the novel. Also, Caspian does an emotional about-face toward the end of the story that I didn’t believe in, because it seemed too extreme. The whole episode felt manufactured to complicate the plot rather than realistic for the character.

Even if I found the story a bit bumpy, it’s a reasonably funny light chick lit read, worth taking a look at if that’s your jam.

A copy of this book was provided through NetGalley for review; all opinions expressed are my own.