The Daydreams is a fun, feel-good read about a group of college friends who get back together and reflect on their lives. The characters are pretty relatable, and Hankin does a good job capturing the ups and downs of friendship. This book was packed with 2000's nostalgia in the best way. It really transported me back to that time.

That said, the plot is a bit predictable, and some of the character development feels a bit shallow. It’s enjoyable and has its moments, but it doesn’t really break any new ground. It’s was a super fun and quick read, but I don't see it being a book that sticks with me long term.

Laura Hankin could write a grocery list and I would read it. Seriously. I love her work, I love the world building and character development, and I love love love devouring her writing.

The kids of the aughts are all grown up, and they are talking. As it turns out, the preteen shows we grew up with, the boy bands we fawned over, and the pop stars we envied were living a lie, suffering at the hands of those managing their careers. With scandal and abuse from the 2000s making headlines left and right, there has never been a more appropriate time for Laura Hankin's The Daydreams to hit the stage.

This gossipy, candid novel takes us behind the scenes when the actors of a mega-popular early 2000's TV show The Daydreams decide to get back together 13 years later to film a reunion special. However, everything is not coming up roses because their series ended in disaster and disgrace when The Daydream's biggest star, Summer, lost it on stage during the live season finale back in 2004. Ever since, she has been plagued with gossip and rumors, and unfortunately, there's a lot of truth behind the wild behavior she has supposedly taken part in. When the group meets up again for the first time in over a decade, secrets are bound to be spilled, and the truth will be told. Can they pull off this reunion special, or will they destroy themselves from the inside out?

Hankin's The Daydreams is a fun novel that touches on some serious topics. With stars like Britney Spears, Lindsay Lohan, and Amanda Bynes going off the rails due to the pressure of their careers and constant public scrutiny, not to mention the endless media coverage, The Daydreams fits right in with where we are in pop culture today. This novel pulls in a lot of engaging tidbits about working on a teen TV show, while also exposing that it is all too often the young stars who suffer for the show's success.

While I anticipated that The Daydreams would be pretty straight forward, I was totally blindsided by the unexpected twist that came later in the book. It was entirely satisfying and shows how the entertainment industry is all too often a dog-eat-dog world. Despite a tad too much talking and not enough action, The Daydreams is a generally entertaining, albeit dramatic, read.

This was so 2000s, it made me want to gouge my eyes out at times. But I’d read it all over again.

Nothing will ever top 2000s pop culture and this book is definitely a love letter to that era. We treated celebrities at the time so terribly and we had no regards for their privacy and this book showed both the good and the ugly when it comes to fame.

This follows a group of adults who once stared on what was essentially a Disney channel show. Think like HSM but the series. They’re doing a live performance of an episode one day and their worlds come tumbling down. Fifteen years later, we meet them getting ready to do what is arguably the messiest reunion I’ve ever witnessed. Like this book is 90210 reunion terrible.

Loved that each of the characters were a little messy, a little haunted in their own ways. It was fun seeing them try to fix their past mistakes.

That being said though…….

Oh my Lord! Can these drama queens come back down to earth and shut the fuck up already. Our “lead” character Kat constantly has to be like “oh, poor me” no POOR ME!! I have to listen to your whining and you’re not even worth cheering for.

Summer deserved so much better, as did every starlet back then. I love that she got her happy ending but wish she wasn’t the one who had to suffer the most to get there.

Probably will continue to read from this author, her voice is very infectious. Wish she could edit herself a bit though.

Five Stars for the Daydreams! This book give Taylor Jenkins Reid vibes and I absolutely loved it. From the romance to the friendships and the strife in between, this one had me rushing to see how everything turned out. Highly recommended!

Really enjoyed this book and the 2000s vibes. However it wasn't very memorable. It was an entertaining read and the writing was good.

I LOVED this book!! Reminded me of some of my favorite titles by Taylor Jenkins Reid! So much drama, so many twists and turns in the story. Love love love.

The perfect read for anyone who can’t get enough of the Britney Spears and Justin Timberlake drama, The Daydreams is a deliciously entertaining novel about the challenges of being in the spotlight.

A lawyer in Washington, D.C., Kat has put her past as one of the four stars of the popular teen show The Daydreams behind her. But when the fans demand a reunion special, Kat can’t help but be pulled back. As Kat, Liana, Noah, and Summer rediscover the magic of the show, old secrets threaten to resurface—including the real reason behind the show’s downfall. Will this reunion be a chance to make things right, or will it be the biggest mess the world has ever seen?

marketed as a ~daisy jones~ esque book from the 2000s, and while it was an entertaining read, it is definitely missing the high stakes that make daisy jones so impactful.

The Daydreams is an easy book to burn through. The premise pulls you right in--a hit TV show that ended unexpectedly has an opportunity for a one-time reunion. Time has passed since everyone has seen each other, but the dynamic between the cast easily falls back into place. And maybe this would be a happy thing, if there weren't secrets and the remaining nubs of bitterness, threatening to reignite at any second. I had fun reading this!

While I didn't love this as much as another recent reunion-type book (ahem, Daisy Jones), I did really enjoy this! Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with an advanced copy of The Daydreams by Laura Hankin.

The blurb sold me on this right away, however, by the time I got around to reading I saw multiple negative reviews so I went in with low expectations. I decided to pickup the audiobook as well because sometimes that helps me get through and I have to say I really enjoyed it. This hits so many things I love with its O.C. vibes, a bit of Hannah Montana, celebrity gossip and that really buoyed me through the book. The premise was stellar, but the characters never really felt fully developed. I would suggest it if the content sounds like things you loved growing up, but I would be hesitant to give it a blanket recommendation based on the quality alone.

Could not finish this one - got to about 40%. I liked the idea of the story but was annoyed by the predictability of the plot.

I would like to thank NetGalley, the publisher, and the author for giving me the opportunity to read this book in exchange for my honest review.

There were many things that I enjoyed about this story, from the pop culture nostalgia to the HEA.

WHAT TO EXPECT
-single POV
-childhood actors
-Hollywood
-teen drama

*many thanks to Berkley and Netgalley for the gifted copy for review

The fallout of teen stardom is explored through the former cast of a teen television series reuniting for the first time.

Characters

Katherine (Kat) was the villain of the series, often playing the snarky counterpoint trying to sabotage the beloved lead. In real life, Kat has left the show behind and worked hard to become a successful attorney in Washington D. C. She is dating a fellow attorney named Miheer.

Liana was the best friend and token black character on the show. Often overlooked, Liana never got full solo numbers despite being the most talented singer on the show. In real life, Liana has become the trophy wife to a famous football player named Javier, earning the wealth and status that eluded her on the show.

Summer and Noah were the central couple and teen heartthrobs on the series. Summer was the golden girl—pure, virginal, and sweet. But off the show, Summer’s life has spiraled out of control, leading to a series of tabloid headlines over the years documenting her behaviors while intoxicated, stints in rehab, and relapses. Meanwhile Noah is the only former cast member to continue acting, slowly cementing himself as a household name with all the success that the others didn’t achieve.

Plot

In The Daydreams, four teen actors and singers were members of a fictional band by the same name as the book on a tv show. The line between reality and fiction was blurred, with the characters being named after the actors. But their personas weren’t necessarily the same as on the shows. And the pressure of the spotlight, manipulative industry leaders, and the stress of growing up in the spotlight led to a dramatic and chaotic live show in 2005 that ultimately was the last time the four would appear together.

Until 2018 when a reunion show is proposed. All four had different reasons to return to the stage for one final performance. Told in flashbacks between the days on the show in the early 2000s and present day leading up the live reunion, The Daydreams tells the story of four people who experienced the rise and fall of stardom. Well, three, since Noah never really took the hit the girls did.

Thoughts

Kat is our primary narrator and I loved her perspective as someone who went on to have closest to a normal life off the show. But that doesn’t mean Kat has escaped the trauma of what happened. Every character had secrets they were holding onto from the collapse of the show. Some that could save them and others that could bury them. The question on the reader’s mind is whether they will spill everything and what the fallout will be.

I initially wanted to hear more balance in POVs from all four main characters, but by the second half I understood why we stuck mostly with Kat and I grew to appreciate why she was the narrator of the story. The characters were all redeemable and even likable, which made me want them to make it through the reunion winning what they felt they’d lost many years before.

A story of trauma, healing, redemption, and accepting our past, present, and futures selves as worthy people. I was satisfied with how it ended, but I also wanted more which is a hallmark of a great book.

Starting as a salacious ripped-from-the-headlines story and delivering a heartfelt group of characters who are still living their stories in real life one day at a time.

Everyone has a favorite musical teen television series, and for many people during the 2000’s that show was The Daydreams. For two successful seasons, Summer, Liana, Kat, and Noah helmed the popular series until a disastrous live finale derailed not only the show, but also most of their careers. Now, thirteen years after the scandal, all four actors are back for a reunion show and as rehearsals go on, the grudges and secrets that have laid dormant are also making a comeback. This is a well told soap opera, showcasing the aftermath of a teenage dream turned into a nightmare

this was such a fun read. as a pop culture enthusiast it was so easy to immerse myself into the story. it's very daisy jones and the six reminiscent, but the characters fall a bit flat. however, it was such an easy and fun and nostalgic read!!

This was a whole lot of frothy, bubblegum fun! There were times when the characters acted slightly childishly, but I guess that's to be expected because they were teenage TV stars at one point. The revenge plot that Kat gets involved in seems a little farfetched in its plausibility and what it's trying to accomplish, but it's fine. I thoroughly enjoyed the lighter, skim-the-surface kind of approach this book had to a Disney-like empire that's churning out child stars.

There are some glimpses into the world of child/teen actors and how hard it is for them to deal with reality once they're no longer stars. But, again, it's fine. If you go into this thinking of it as a beach read, that's exactly what you'll get. It's just deep enough to make you stop and consider some things but not so deep as to overwhelm or depress you.

Also, I LOVE the representation of an Indian character! More of Miheer, please!!

Overall, a nice easy book.

The Daydreams by Laura Hankin was one of my favorite reads of this summer.

This books centers around the reunion special of a popular teen show The Daydreams more than a decade after the original show ended in a scandalous live finale.

Katherine, formerly Kat, thought she had moved on with her life. She left acting and went to college and eventually became a lawyer. She and her co-stars all went their separate ways. Summer was in and out of rehab, Lianna married a famous soccer player and Noah became an accomplished actor, screenwriter and director…. and eventually the catalyst for the reunion special.

Throughout their time together preparing for the live reunion special, they all have secrets they would like to hide. But will they stay hidden or will they ruin their chance at redemption before it even begins.

Overall, this was a highly enjoyable and engaging read. This was the third book I have read by this author and it is probably my favorite so far. I loved the characters, as well as following the trajectory of their lives. I also loved how the secrets unraveled and how everything was much more complex than any of them realized. I also loved the ending and the happily ever after vibes it gave me.

I am disappointed to not like this because I did love Hankin's first book. this just felt too Daisy Jones to me and I really didn't like Daisy Jones. I had a hard time caring about the drama and the characters. not for me!