Starstruck by Amy Clipston
Can a small-town waitress capture the heart of a world-famous heartthrob?
For Heather Gordon, life in her small North Carolina town has always been simple and uneventful. Until one night when a rowdy food fight breaks out in her family’s restaurant where she’s a waitress. The culprits? The internationally famous rock band, Kirwan. And when Alex Kirwan, the charming and enigmatic lead singer, wants to make amends for his brothers’ (and bandmates’) behavior and invites her to attend one of their concerts as a guest of the band, Heather’s world is turned upside down . . . and sparks fly.
Alex has always loved music, but his rock-star life isn’t all glamorous people and parties. It’s also paparazzi and online tabloids, a new city every week, and the loneliness of touring—even if he has his brothers with him. But with Heather things are different, and he’s instantly smitten and determined to get to know the sweet, pretty woman who has absolutely no interest in his fame. If only he can convince her to take a chance on his crazy life.
Once Alex leaves on tour, he and Heather begin exchanging messages and calls. Despite the distance between them, they find themselves learning they have more in common than they ever could have imagined. But even while Heather and Alex’s relationship deepens, they must face the harsh realities of fame and the pressures it puts on their personal lives. Will their love be enough to overcome the challenges that come with celebrity, or will the rigors of distance and Alex’s life on the road tear them apart?
This is Heather Gordon and Alex Kirwan's story.
Heather, is a server in her family’s restaurant, the Barbecue Pit, which is known for its authentic Carolina barbecue. She loves working with her parents and her younger sister, but she dreams of opening a bookstore with a bakery where she’d sell her delicious treats that she’s given bookish names, like Chocolate Chunk Novel Cookies.
Alex, who is one of the lead singers in the world-famous band Kirwan, which he started with his younger brothers.
Alex lost his father when he was fifteen, and he and his family still grieve that tremendous loss. He feels responsible for his mother and younger brothers, and his goal is to make sure they are taken care of for the rest of their lives.
I recommend this book.
Starstruck by Amy Clipston is a 4 star book.
I am looking forward to reading more books by Amy Clipston.
I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

Love this celebrity/ small town girl romance. Had all the feels you’d want in a romcom! Hope this author writes more on the Kirwans.

A lovely romance although with problems. How does one have a relationship with a rockstar? a very good read.
Many thank to Thomas Nelson Fiction and to Netgalley for providing me with a galley in exchange for my honest opinion.

Starstruck: A Sweet Contemporary Romance by Amy Clipston is a lovely small town romance with a celebrity twist. This book was so fun— it had everything I love about a small town romance. The main character was likable and had big dreams. The unexpected celebrity boyfriend was a fun twist. The romance was sweet and authentic. I think readers of romance will really enjoy this book. I received a digital copy of this book from the publisher with no obligations. These opinions are entirely my own.

Christine used to browse antique stores with her grandmother, and now has her own antique shop. She likes to say, 'what's old to you, is new to someone else.' People rent spaces inside her shop to sell their things.

Christine feels her shop, two cats and family-she has twin nieces she adores-are all she needs. Christine is also a twin. She has always felt inferior to her sister, Britney. Britney was the popular girl in school, while Christine felt like a nerdy wallflower.

Brent Nicholson was the high school quarterback who dated Britney. Well...he is back in town after losing his construction business, as well as his girlfriend. He is remodeling his aunt's home so she can sell it and move to a retirement center where her friends are.

He keeps running into Christine and there is a mutual attraction. But, how can she possibly fall for him when he broke her sister's heart in college?

For me, this book drone on and on. It was overly sappy and the two main characters acted like twelve year olds. While it was a clean story, it wasn't Christian fiction.

I was given an advanced ecopy by the publisher, Thomas Nelson through Netgalley. I was under no obligation to write a positive review.

This was a really cute read. Alex and Heather were so sweet together. They met when the rock band he is in with his brothers eat at her family's restaurant... and let's just say, she is not a fan! But they bond over books and hit it off... despite their very different lives. There was definitely a bit of a Hallmark feel to this one--- and I say that in the best way possible. I've really enjoyed celebrity romance books lately, and I like that this one really talked about the not-so-glamourous parts of that--- the paparazzi and opinions of strangers, etc. It certainly gave them some obstacles to work through, while still staying overall fairly drama free. I enjoyed their romance and I found myself wanting to spend more time with them.

If you enjoy a sweet celebrity romance, this is a good one to check out.

**I received a complimentary copy for consideration. All opinions are my own.

The premise of Starstruck, famous person meets normal every day person romance, is hard to find and when done well, I really enjoy it. This story started out strong. I liked both Alex and Heather and their fun banter, but about 1/3 of the way through the story, I started to struggle a bit. It felt more like a teen read to me with very basic dialogue, so I thought maybe it was a teen read and kept going. When I found out the characters are in their mid to late 20’s, I just really struggled to connect with their romance and the simplistic dialogue. While this wasn’t the story for me, I am sure others will really enjoy the sweet romance.

I received a complimentary copy of this book. All opinions are my own.

Heather has no time for 'entitled' people, however famous, so when two members of the band Kirwan have a food-fight in her parents' restaurant and then leave, she lays into Alex Kirwan as he returns to the table - much to her starry-eyed sister's horror. After years of being treated as famous, Alex is intrigued by this woman who treats him just like anyone else and calls a spade a spade. So it's not just to avoid bad publicity over the incident that he invites the sisters to Kirwan's concert the next day. And when Heather, dragged to the concert against her will, accidentally visits his dressing room and gets chatting about books, one could say 'the rest is history'. But there's a downside to fame. Can Alex and Heather beat the odds and not just start but maintain a relationship despite the pressure of fame?

An enjoyable clean read where a 'girl next door' falls in love with a rockstar and they have to try to make things work. It certainly ends up with the characters facing quite different sorts of problems, which is interesting, and I enjoyed getting to know both the main characters and their families. I did feel that Alex's attempts to keep Heather away from the public eye were both half-hearted and naive, which seemed unrealistic - but Heather's attitude of ignoring the problem was worse. The result was naturally problems, but even their resolution felt somewhat rushed and overly simple. I guess I would have liked to see more actual communication about the problem earlier on - but maybe it wouldn't have made such a good story... All in all, a good story and I'll be looking out for more by the author.

I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

Thank you NetGalley and publisher for this ARC publication for an honest review.

This was a super sweet, Hallmark like book. Small town waitress meets rockstar. While not quite realistic, it was still fun and swoony. Not a lot of drama and clean romance. I enjoyed our couple, Heather and Alex, but his brothers took a while to grow on me with their immaturity and "advice" they gave to their big brother.

3.5 stars

I enjoyed this story of a normal person and a celebrity becoming friends. I can imagine it's hard for a rockstar or actor to know if someone is trying to befriend them because of their famousness or for themselves. Meeting someone who doesn't care who you are or what you've done must feel very unusual. Alex appreciates this about Heather. Their every day cultures inevitably clash so they'll need to see if they can get around it.

My only problem with the book was that if focused so much on kissing. When is he going to kiss me? Then after it had happened, how long until I can taste his/her lips again. It came up so many times (lips in reference to kissing 16 times....kissing referenced over 30 times - I stopped counting). While I appreciated the restraint, that that's all they were doing, thinking about, etc., it was too much of the focus.

I liked Alex especially. He was very generous and thoughtful. He cared deeply for his family and wanted to protect them. His heart to meet and bless children in the hospital touched me as my own son has spent a lot of time in hospitals. I appreciated how he did it with no fanfare or media presence.

Despite the one issue I had, it was an enjoyable read. Thank you to Thomas Nelson for providing me with a free e-copy of this book. All opinions are my own.

Oh, this is the perfect Hallmark movie. It is a good slow burn romance with characters you root to come together. Everything is not perfect. It feels like it could be real.

It is a great book for this time of year when everyone is so busy. It is easy to read and easy to keep track of what is going on. Just an all around good book.

I really enjoyed this book. It was a heartwarming romance with everything you would want. I like how Alex helped heather overcome her fears and how he is going to do his charity work.

I highly recommend this title. Thank you Thomas Nelson and Netgalley for allowing me to read this title for an honest review.

Starstruck is a simple and gently romantic love story between a small town woman and a rock star. This novel reads like a sweet Hallmark style romance, with the focus on the two main characters as they explore the start of a new relationship and what it means to be from two different worlds. Amy Clipston typically writes Amish Romances, so even though this is a contemporary one, it still remains on the side of a sweet romance without any physicality. Clipston's writing has a ease and gentleness to her tone that makes this just a really pleasant and smooth read. This novel is very low angst but full of many charming elements as the hero and heroine both learn to be with each other and support each other in their respective worlds.

If you love a Hallmark romance, definitely do yourself a favor and enjoy this little treat. I am definitely curious to read more of Amy Clipston's contemporary works, especially when I am just looking for a sweet and romantic escape.

This book is so good! It's a well written romance that will keep you turning the pages. Once I started reading this book, I couldn't put it down. Loved it!!
I received a complimentary copy from Thomas Nelson via NetGalley and was not required to write a review. All opinions expressed are my own.

This could be a Hallmark movie. Big time boy band member meets small town waitress/baker.
The story was a sweet romance. They fall fast and then have to deal with the struggles of long distance while he’s on the road. Then the insecurities she feels about the fame.
It was a fast and easy read. Overall cute story but sorta predictable. Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for sending me a copy. All opinions expressed are my own.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
✨closed door✨

-I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.-

I was completely immersed in the story from the start!

Heather is a waitress at her family’s restaurant. One day some customers decided to have a small food fight. The said customers are the members of the famous band, Kirwan. When Heather and Wendy were cleaning up the mess left by the members, Alex, the oldest of the members, walks up to the sister, oblivious of what his brothers did and ask what happened. After knowing, he was completely apologetic and compensated the sisters by giving them VIP tickets to their concert.

Heather was not impressed with our guy Alex, especially after what mess his younger brothers left. She was completely adamant of not going to Kirwan's concert, even though the tickets were given to her and her sister as a way of apologizing. When Heather finally said yes to going after her sister's persuasion, she did not expect to be amazing of Alex's voice and their songs.

Alex just wanted a simple life. A life where he can walk freely outside, no paparazzi and fans cornering him and also to fall in love and start a family. When he met Heather, he was completely smitten. After getting to talk to her after the concert, he in awe of how similar they were.

Reading this book flew by quickly. It’s a clean, small town, strangers to friends to lovers romance book. Heather is a woman who has a dream of owning a bakery & bookstore and Alex is a part of a famous band Kirwan, together with his brothers. The chemistry between the two was there from the moment they first spoke to each other. Their story was full of sweetness and swoon. I had butterflies in my stomach everytime Alex did something special thing for Heather. Alex really knows how to treat a girl right 🥹🤍. I swear I couldn’t stop smiling because of these two.

I really enjoyed this book! It was so different than other "rockstars" I have read! I was cheering on the characters and hoping for the best! I would definitely recommend this book!

Heather Gordon and Alex Kirwan live two very different lives. She is the small town girl with the simple life. He is the big time music star with life on the road and paparazzi around 24/7. When their worlds collide with they find they have more in common then they think? Heather must decide if she can share Alex with the world. Alex must decide if the road is where he wants to spend his time. Meeting in the middle may not be an option. I love how these two characters and their relationship developed. I received a copy through Netgalley. A review was not required.

I was pulled into this fun enemies-to-lovers clean romance from the very first chapter. Heather was angry about the big mess left behind when the famous band, Kirwan, paid a visit to her family’s restaurant and she did not hesitate to let their lead singer, Alex, know about it although he was not present during the food fight. When Alex offered free VIP passes for their next concert to Heather and her sister, Heather’s response was underwhelming. Surprisingly, Alex liked the outspoken woman who was not impressed by his celebrity. I thought the author did a good job of developing Alex and Heather’s relationship, showing their growing friendship despite the challenges of Alex’s fame, and eventually their romance that led to love. It was a fun, light read with some substance and I enjoyed it! Rating 4.5. I received an ARC from the publisher via NetGalley and this voluntary review contains my honest opinions.

It was a real refreshment to read this sweet clean romance. A bit different from the books I usually read. I liked the story, the characters were easy to relate to and kept me interested so I finished it in record time. This is my first book by this author and it won't be my last. Looking forward to her future works.