“Sparks fly and things get real in this sharply sexy and whip-smart romantic comedy set against the backdrop of a post #metoo Hollywood from New York Times bestselling author Katie Cotugno–page-turning escapist fun in the spirit of Beach Read, The Kiss Quotient, and Red, White and Royal Blue.“

I’m starting my review for Birds of California with this marketing quote because this book is probably the furthest thing from a romantic comedy. Listen, I know the publishers these days are playing fast and loose with their use of the romantic comedy label for everything and anything, but this has got to be the most egregious use in a very long time. Admittedly, the book does have a romance, but I wouldn’t personally call it romantic. It’s quite boring to be fair, and the couple did absolutely nothing for me. But calling it a comedy??? When it’s actually more an exploration of PTSD and possibly a response to the MeToo movement in Hollywood?? I would like a word with however came up with the marketing plan of this book! Anyways, I quickly shifted my expectations while listening to this audiobook. Fiona is a character who is dealing with a lot of trauma from being a child star. I was ready for this exploration of her character and the bones for a good story were here, but they weren’t filled appropriately. A lot about this book was surface level and the main reason is the romance. It completely takes away from what could have been a deeply compelling story. The problem with the romance is that the love interest is just not interesting. Sam, who was Fiona’s co-star and who has snaked his way back into her life to convince her to make a comeback on a reboot of their show, is as bland as unseasoned chicken. All I can remember about his character is that he enjoys masturbating, which you know, not a personality trait. I think if the focus had been on Fiona and this book had been more of a general fiction story, I could have gotten behind it. Katie Cotugno has a good writing style, but the execution of Birds of California fell flat.

Katie Cotugno has the ability to really get deep with her characters' emotions, and this book continues that streak for her. Fans of Cotugno are used to her YA novels, and in this adult fiction novel, she's able to weave in a beautiful story about two celebrities in Hollywood dealing with their fame and calls for a reunion and reboot of their former show. This was a really beautiful love story that Cotugno fans will surely devour!

Thank you for the opportunity to read this novel. Whether it was timing or what, I could not get into the story.

This was a really awesome and interesting premise, a child star who seemed to go off the rails. Rather than support her, fans and the media used her deterioration as fodder for tabloids. It was very Britney-esque with strong #metoo vibes.
This story took place a few years after Fiona’s troubles, and she basically is trying very hard to stay out of the spotlight to avoid the toxic media coverage that follows her. Her former co-stars want to create a reboot of the show that launched her career but Fiona is vehemently against it, for so many reasons. I really liked the romance part of this story and also I loved her neighbor but I can’t remember her name. She was fabulous though, so many amazingly described outfits and stories.
I also loved the weetzie bat shout out. I compare every book set in ca to that if I’m being honest.

Perfect book, no notes. I absolutely adored Birds of California. The chemistry between Sam and Fiona is wonderful, the side characters are a fantastic addition. There’s enough background to flesh out the story but it’s fully grounded in the present. Enough substance to satisfy general fiction readers and enough steam for romance lovers. And I didn’t see the ending coming until very far into the book. I’m excited to recommend this one all summer.

My thanks to NetGalley and Harper Collins for an advance reader’s copy.

I wanted to like this one - I really did. I got about 20% of the way into it and just a few things turned me off - so sad to say it’s a DNF for me. I know a lot of people like it though so it’s probably just not my cup of tea.

A good read, but certainly a little bit heavier, meatier than your normal rom-com. Very timely subject matter handled nicely, but not glossed over. Fiona retired from acting after having a huge public meltdown for reasons she doesn’t share with anyone. She’s now living her life quietly and truly hoping that her past has been put to bed in the public eye. Sam, her former co-star is still acting and loving his life of privilege, women, fame and all else that goes along with it. When his show gets cancelled he reaches out to Fiona for a very public reunion hoping she will help to resurrect his career by giving up her quiet sort of anonymous life. Surprisingly, she says yes, The Fiona of yesteryear is no longer and Sam is shocked and intrigued by the strong woman she has become. And so begins the road to honesty, learning who they each really are, dealing with past issues, romance and of course a great HEA. A well written enjoyable read.

I went into this with pretty high expectations because I've loved a handful of Katie Cotugno's YA novels, but unfortunately this one missed the mark for me. I genuinely liked all of our characters (Estelle and Claudia, especially!!!), but I struggled to connect to a single thing that actually happened in this story. For such a short book, this almost felt like a slog? It took so long for anything to actually happen, and then when it actually did the book wrapped up in what felt like 2 seconds. With that being said, I did actually really enjoy the way that the book ended! I just wish that we had gotten a little more time to actually appreciate what happened. I do still think I would read another adult work from Katie Cotugno in the future, but this one just... did not hit for me and I am bummed as heck :(

CW: grooming, ptsd, terminal illness (breast cancer), mentions of food shaming/disordered eating

A sexy and sharp-witted celebrity romance that simmers with real world chemistry and cleverness. Katie has this uncanny ability to explain the deep emotions of her characters while still remaining aloof. She creates a plot that is believable, authentic, and beautiful, reminding me of “The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo“ at times. I thoroughly enjoyed this one!

𝙱𝚕𝚞𝚛𝚋: Fiona St. James is no longer a child actress and intends to never return to the screen, even when Sam Fox, her long time crush, tries to convince her otherwise. The two find a genuine connection, but making it work despite their differences seems like a landslide in the face of fame and fortune.

The chemistry between these two is off the charts. I couldn’t get enough of Sam and Fiona’s steamy scenes. Catugno is one of my favorite authors and I love the way her characters are authentic and relatable. I’m immediately sucked in. Her writing just clicks for me. I remember her describing Sam as a little vain, but loving him anyways, flaws and all. This is just a really well executed romance that is honest, forthcoming, and effortlessly cool!

Trying to reignite their careers in Hollywood, Sam and Fiona join a reboot of the show they met on years ago. This was a sweet, funny story with just the right amount of angst and turmoil. The MC’s chemistry and romance is charming and entertaining. Both characters undergo serious character growth individually as they overcome their past traumas. I would definitely recommend this as an entertaining summer read!

Easy, enjoyable read, but lacked the depth necessary to make it stand out. A little more character arc and development for both Fiona and Sam was needed here to make this fully come together.

I liked the setup of this and seeing where two child actors and their different paths took them. I liked their vibe and the sex scenes were steamy. But I felt like the banter was forced and Fiona’s wrecking ball behavior made her hard to love: also the big plot twist at the end was seen a mile away and handled so quickly. I definitely wanted more there. All in all a fine but not memorable romance

I went into this book not knowing completely what it was about, and I was delighted to find out the story of these children-actors-turned-struggling-adults to be a whip smart, honest portrayal of how we all struggle with discovering who we really want to be. Highly recommend! Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC!

I loved the split perspective of this book. The chemistry between the main characters was a fun build, but got there a little too quickly. The side characters were the shining stars here! Some heavy content, but did not make for a super heavy read. Quick read with a good (if somewhat open) ending.

I sat with this for a while as I wasn't sure, right away, how I felt about it.

Overall, I enjoyed this book. The cover is STUNNING and the premise is interesting and unique enough to stand out.

I appreciated the "other side" of the Hollywood glitz and glamour overall and I was really rooting for the main characters, Fiona and Sam, both individually and as a couple. I think there was a lot of build-up around the emotional scars that Fiona has suffered through and also a lot of chaos surrounding Sam's current life. This immediately intrigued me and kept me guessing through the story.

I was happy to see Fiona's issues/story come full circle by the end but I was also left wanting more of Sam's story. Where does he wind up? How has he changed and grown? Where does his family stand? Also, accounting for the past: what brought them together years earlier? Was it sheer physical attraction? Did they understand each-other in some secret way?

I love books that thoroughly put me in someone else's shoes and this was interesting but just kinda missed the mark for me with character development. Not in a way that negates the good parts of the story overall, of course. Just worth mentioning that if you're into character-driven books, this one might be a cliff-hanger for you too!

I'd give this 3.5-4 stars overall but I had high hopes [based on the hype] that it would be even higher.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for an ARC version of this book in exchange for an honest review.

*I received an eARC of this book through NetGalley in exchange for my review. All opinions are my own.*

<b> Birds of California</b> tells the story of Fiona St. James, a former child actor on a Full House type show, who just wants to be able to move on from her past and her wild teenage years. It is also the story of her former costar, Sam Fox. The two haven't spoken in years, but when they get together to discuss a possible reboot of their show (which Fiona wants NO part of) the sparks fly.

This was a good read. It wasn't too difficult, the relationships seemed realistic, and the characters were likeable. I almost wish that there had been a little more of an explanation behind Fiona's reasons for not wanting to do the reboot. While they are revealed, it's sort of just thrown out there and not really handled, which is not the way that such a serious storyline should be handled. It seemed like the dark topic didn't really fit the rest of the light and fun book. Other than that, I enjoyed the story and would definitely recommend it to romance readers.

First of all, hello!! This cover! It’s absolutely gorge. Now that we’ve got that out of the way, I really liked this book! I went into it having read a content warning about sexual assault, so I kind of knew what was coming and I think that’s why I still liked Fiona and really rooted for her while others found her really unlikeable. I wish we would have seen more of what happened after the article was published, but that’s really my only gripe. Oh, and the amount of times the word scrubbed/scrubbing were used. 😂 This was a light read that reminded me of Taylor Jenkins Reid’s earlier novels, which I also loved. (Ps Katie can really write a steamy scene 🔥)

I was so drawn to this book by the gorgeous cover!
I enjoyed the writing I just didn’t care for the story as much as I was hoping to. I wanted to love this book & the character but it wasn’t my cup of tea.

Thanks NetGalley & Harper Perinneal

I really enjoyed this book! It felt fairly predictable, but the characters were sweet and I enjoyed reading it.

Fiona St. James doesn’t want to go back to acting. She’s living a calm and normal life after a very public meltdown that resulted in the cancellation of Birds of California, the popular show on which she starred, and is very happy in her calm and normal life. Until she gets a call from her old agent, asking if she is interested in being on a reboot of Birds. When she says no, however, they don’t just let her go. After being encouraged by his agent, Sam Fox, another actor from Birds, shows up at the store where Fiona works, asking her to reconsider. After she insists that she isn’t interested, though, he decides to stick around and hang out with her anyway.

This book was a very quick read, but I liked it a lot. It didn’t feel too busy even though there was a lot going on, and was emotional but believable. Fiona was a great main character to read, and I loved how self aware she was and her willingness to always stick up for herself and the people who she cared about. She was very emotionally intelligent in a way that is rare in book characters, but still was able to grow and mature over the course of the story. Sam was also a great character, and complemented Fiona well. The two balanced each other out in a healthy way, and even though neither of them were perfect, they did their best.

What really made this book for me was Fiona’s friends and family. Her sister and grandmother cracked me up, and supported her in a way that I love to see women supporting each other. I saw the slight plot twist with the people at Fiona’s theater coming a mile away, but I still found them such a fascinating and enjoyable group of people, and the variety in their backgrounds and personalities brought a new angle to the book that I really loved. The characters in this book were not your typical love story background characters, and that is what ultimately made this book stand out for me.

Overall, this book was a hit! It was cute but had a lot of emotional depth, and had me rooting for the characters and genuinely hoping for the best for them.

Huge thanks to NetGalley and to Harper Perennial for sending me a copy of this book for review!

Former child actor Fiona St. James is finally feeling more settled after leaving the public eye and living at home after one too many crazy incidents and a very public breakdown down that essentially ended her career years prior. However, when former costar Sam Fox enters her life again, trying to convince her to come back to limelight, Fiona has no desire to take him up on his offer, but she can't deny the sparks flying between them...

I found this to be a fun, quick read with a solid premise and easy, engaging writing. Messed up child actors are truly interesting case studies, so diving into Fiona and Sam was fun and utterly addicting. The author does a good job of giving backstory that's believable and that stirs empathy for the characters.

I enjoyed the romance. It took me by surprise but I could buy into it and enjoy the bits of steam and banter.

However, my only issue with the book was the characters! I found them interesting but totally frustrating.

Fiona is not okay. She is angry. She runs hot and cold. She is all over the place. Understanding her history and the trauma she's endured, I still felt like at her age and the work she's done, her temper and the way she treats other is not okay. I wanted her root for her and she had great moments, but her lack of growth and self awareness was glaring. At times, she worried others were embarrassed by her outbursts and honestly...who wouldn't be? The only things that truly endeared me to Fiona and humanized her was her relationship with her sister and neighbor; otherwise, she's just a privileged actor with a bad attitude. In the end, I'm happy she found some peace and her own form of happiness.

On the other hand, Sam falls into the stereotypical Hollywood heartthrob role and there's not much else. He's incredibly shallow, conceited, and makes really poor decisions. Understanding his family situation, Sam is under a lot of pressure to work and make money, but it doesn't answer him constantly spending money, being around people he doesn't like, and being something he's not. It just felt like he was too naïve for a 31 year old man who's been in the business for this long. He's a pretty flat character and I wish we could've got more from him.

Overall, this was a cute romcom with some heavy bits, steamy bits, and fun bits! I thoroughly enjoyed it (finished it in one day!) and am so happy I got to read it!

Thank you NetGalley and Harper Perennial for providing me with an ARC in exchange for my honest review!