I ABSOLUTELY ADOOOREEDDD THIS BOOK! I finished this book in two sittings and it was just a perfect cosy read to de-stress from daily life. This is a very strong debut novel from Dawes and I can't wait to read the next book!

i dont know what it is about the MMC in a book when he say "my girl" that makes me swoon and it doesn't.

the book is well written and enjoyable

3.75 stars / 5 stars ★


This book was absolutely cute and such a fun read for the month of May. It felt like a 2000s rom-com honestly and I loved that feeling when I was reading. I love how easy this book was to read and the characters were very relatable in so many ways. I don't really read celebrities romances, but this was a good start to it if you're wanting to get into that type of trope.

I enjoyed Kat's growth considering what she went through with her career and her ex-boyfriend. I always enjoy a FMC that starts to learn to love themselves and realize their worth.

James, our MMC, gave out a golden retriever personality. We love a golden retriever MMC!! He was so protective of Kat and it was truly cute!! He really gave out that "my girl" auora towards Kat and I loved it!!!

Sadly it did fall short for me. It seemed to me that their relationship started so quick. I mean "if you know, you know" right? Just reading it, it just seemed like they did not have a strong connection like it says in the book. I felt like there was something missing between the two characters.

I cringed A LOT during a certain part of the book. I won't say it at all because I don't want to spoil it, but it made me put my kindle down and just think "why in the world did that just happen."

Overall, this was such a fun, quick read. I just wish there was a little more to it.
Hopefully the rest of the books in this series builds more to it.

Thank you to Ivy Dawes and Netgalley for a digital ARC copy.

A cute debut novel! 3.5 stars. Kat, a struggling actress turned PA finds herself enamored with a mystery actor on set only to discover it’s James Everett, the lead actor. Their newfound relationship is challenged by James’s father, who insists he enter a fake relationship with the female lead of the movie as a PR stunt. The chemistry between the two characters felt authentic and the spice was very well-written (not cringy in the slightest). I loved the writing and the relationship between the supporting characters as well. I had a hard time getting over the concept of Kat allowing herself to be strung along while James contemplated his decision. That felt tedious and did not win James any points with me. Overall this was a fun read and left me excited to see what the author comes out with next!

Thank you to NetGalley and Flower & Bear Books for the ARC in exchange for my honest opinion!

I love it! It was so cute and funny with romcom vibes that had me giggling and kicking my feet. I loved the banter between the MMC and FMC James and Kat. It had the perfect amount of spice. Some key tropes are hidden identity, secret relationship and forbidden romance. James was the perfect cinnamon roll MMC & he was perfect during the seen when Kat had a PA.

I can’t forget about the side characters because i loved them too! I especially can’t wait for the next book of this series which is about James’ brother, Roman.

Honorable mentions:
- dual POV
- meet cute
- celebrity
- parental abuse

This was a cute,spicy story. I liked that it was about a celebrity. It was an interesting read.
I felt like the main characters got annoying at some points, but I liked that they found themselves and matured a bit at the end.
I also liked that it was a dual POV. It was good to see how each character was thinking and feeling.
I'm interested in seeing what happens in the rest of the series!

One of my dreams as a child was to be an actress and star in movies, or at least work in movies. Even though that dream didn’t come true, I still find myself drawn to everything about movie making, including books. Knowing that, I was primed to love this book, and I was not disappointed. While I felt the romance happened very fast, and insta love isn’t always my favorite trope, I really enjoyed myself reading it. James and Kat were great characters and I loved reading from both their points of view. Knowing this is a series, I will seek out future books as I would love to read more of this world soon!

3.75 stars
This was a fun, quick and easy read. It gave me Icebreaker vibes. The pacing was a little off since it started off slow but I loved the character development. I'm excited to read more from Ivy and learn more about the other Everett siblings.

4/5 ⭐️

- Secret Identity
- Secret relationship/forbidden romance
- Dual POV
- Meet-cute
- Rom-com vibes

This book was funny, romantic & cute, fast paced & had me hooked from the very beginning. This gave me 2000s rom-com vibes & I really enjoyed it! I still can’t believe this is a debut book because it didn’t read like one at all!

I loved the chemistry between James & Kat and the banter was so good. I love how much he cared for her & how supportive and encouraging he was with her. He really wanted her to see herself how he saw her & have confidence in who she was & how amazing she was. I really loved that. Kat was funny, quirky and I honestly saw a bit of myself in her in some moments in the story. If you enjoy tropes these tropes, I definitely recommend reading this!

Thank you to Ivy Dawes, Flowers & Bear Books and NetGalley for the ARC! This is my honest review!

For a debut novel I couldn’t believe how quickly I was enveloped into the story and characters of Starstruck!

From the beginning I was hooked onto the story of Kat and James (or Alex for the first few chapters). The chemistry set between those two along with the initial identity struggle was set up very well. Their relationship going forward was so swoony you can’t help but giggle a little.

I wouldn’t necessarily say this book has a third act breakup, but when forced to face their issues I really appreciated that Kat and James didn’t immediately go for breaking up completely or the usual miscommunication arguing. The idea of and fact that they both took time to deal with their own issues to make themselves better individually before coming back to one another was something I wish more romcoms featured.

Overall I’d rate this read a solid 4/5, would recommend!

I devoured this book, I couldn't stop reading. There's something about Hollywood star drama that's magnetic.
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Kat ended her relationship with her boyfriend the same week her agent decided to terminate her contract. Without a job, without a boyfriend, without projects, her only salvation is her friend Rose who manages to get her a job as a personal assistant to one of the best-known actors.
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But a week into work and she realizes that it's not exactly a favor, when she has to fulfill the strangest whims .
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James is determined that this will be his last role as an actor and he can finally take a more important role in the family business, choosing which films to produce. Working with the most demanding actors has never seemed so unbearable to him, but behind the set is where he finds a beautiful woman with whom he can't help but feel a great connection, and its for the better, she has no idea who is underneath all the prosthetic makeup.
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I was all in a few pages, already in the story with the dramas of a set full of demanding actors, with the pressure of the media on James and the tension between them.
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I really enjoyed this story and I will be attentive to what happens in the next book in the series.
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Thanks to Ivy Dawes for give me a copy of this beautiful book in exchange for my honest and voluntary opinion

Such a cute read! Kat and James are adorable and I loved how a cute rom com can also have depth and questions and drama!!

Kat is just trying to make it out there acting but her agent unexpectedly drops her. Then the breakup with Dane. Kat can't take much more. Because she needs to make ends meet she takes a position as a person assistant for a well known actor. Sadly he makes life very difficult for Kat to do her job. He asked her to go get him a blue beta fish. When she returned with the blue fish it was turned away because of a little white on its body. Kat feels like she's hitting rock bottom.

She is trying to catch her breath when she runs into one of the main actors in the movie all done up his special effects costume. Somehow they hit it off and become mutual fish parents and get to know each other over the phone. Sunday is a cast party and Kat will finally get to meet who her mystery man is. When she walks into the cast party, she is looking for a guy in a black shirt, not major actor Jack Everett!

Jack calms Kat and tells her it's been him this whole time. A crazy turn of events happens that night at the party and Kat ends up sleeping in James' guest bedroom. From that morning on, the electricity between the two is palpable. When James dad finds out the 2 are dating he is livid. He wanted James to enter into a 1 year contract of fake dating to boost the promo of the movie they are filming with main actress Ava. When James says no, his father let's him know he will no longer be part of the Everett family that owns Starlight Studios.

James has some tough decisions to make and Kat is caught in the crossfire. The two literally had a love at first sight situation but Deacon Everett is doing everything he can to tear them apart. James needs to take a stand but he also knows this means he may lose everything he has been working for.

The roller coaster of emotions in this book is legit. Get ready to laugh and want to even cry for Kat. There will be times you love James and other times you want to call him some names. These 2 have some major hurdles to overcome. Can love really cure all and fix everything?

Thank you to @NetGalley for my copy to review and congratulations to @authorivydawes on your fantastic debut novel! Bravo on this story and I can't wait to read about what's next at Starlight Studios!

📖 | Booĸ Revιew
𝘚𝘵𝘢𝘳𝘴𝘵𝘳𝘶𝘤𝘬 𝘣𝘺 𝘐𝘷𝘺 𝘋𝘢𝘸𝘦𝘴

My rating: 3.5⭐️
Pub date: out TODAY

Synopsis:
Kat is a struggling actress dropped by her agent, dumped by her ex and starting back at square one. When she moves to LA and gets a job as a PA on the set of a Starlight Studios film, she meets a swoon-worthy “background actor” who is covered in face makeup for his upcoming scene. But as the two continue to hit it off, Kat discovers he’s not actually a background actor at all. He’s THE leading star, James Everett. James is one of Hollywood’s biggest actors who unfortunately finds himself under the strong reign of his father who has been holding a big studio promotion over his head. His father wants him to sign a contract that will bind him in a fake relationship as good PR for the movie release. The only problem is, this fake relationship would be with someone who isn’t Kat…

My thoughts:
This was a really cute debut novel! I love a good famous actor meets everyday girl trope. This was fast paced and a super quick, easy read. I loved the dynamic between Kat and James for the most part. Kat annoyed me at times with her “am I too much of a regular girl for you?” pity parties, but overall I found both main characters to be likable! The downside for me was the plot development. I just felt like there were too many gaps in the timeline. Things progressed so quickly and I found myself wanting more for nearly the entire second half of the book. Kat and James literally went from zero to “you’re my everything” before I could even process what was happening between. I did really enjoy the ending though and I’m looking forward to the second book in the series! If you enjoy feel good, light romances with a little extra spice, you will definitely enjoy Starstruck ✨

Thank you @netgalley Flower Bear & Books and Ivy Dawes for allowing me to read an advanced copy of Starstruck!

Quick Summary: A pretty, ugly cry romance

My Review: Starstruck by Ivy Dawes is book #1 in The Starlight Studios series.

About the Book: A young woman with a dream deferred and a history of unfortunate life challenges now finds herself in a detour of sorts. As fate would have it, she meets a man who would come to mean so much to her. As they interact, their connection grows. The more they grow towards one another, the more internal and external obstacles impact them. Will they be able to survive all that is cast their way, or will they lose each other for good?

My Final Say: Brava! This story is everything that it should be. It brought all the feelings to the surface and totally destroyed my heart. From beginning to the end, I was glued. I felt exactly what Kat and James were putting out. This one has earned a place on my favorites shelf. I plan to revisit it often. Join me.

Other: Readers who enjoy stories with glitz and glam, industry games and manipulations, secrets and sacrifice, and nice spice will adore this novel.

* This would be excellent as an audiobook.

Rating: 4.5/5
Recommend: Yes
Audience: A
Re-read: Yes
Keeper: Yes
Favorites Shelf: Yes
Status/Level: 💖
Series: Yes
Cover: +

Sincere appreciation is extended to the author, to the publisher (Flower & Bear Books), and to NetGalley. Thank you for granting access to a digital ARC of this title in exchange for an honest review. The words I have shared are my own. I am grateful for the opportunity. I look forward to becoming better acquainted with this author's work.

Overall, this was a fantastic little love story. Kat and James were adorable together, and although I typically dislike a third-act breakup, the writing of this one was superb. It's not a breakup as much as a "we need to work on ourselves independently before this relationship can work" situation. It's much better than miscommunication or, even worse, not communicating at all. Kat and James approached challenges maturely and made relationship choices that set a solid foundation for the future. It was a breath of fresh air to read a romance novel featuring a "healthy" couple, as opposed to one that requires extensive couples therapy to stay together.

I also have to say, when I read the synopsis—a love story about a PA falling in love with a movie star—I wasn't expecting the story to be realistic or relatable. But I was pleasantly surprised. Kat and James' struggles were both relatable and believable. They were downright normal. I loved how James stood up to his father and how Kat followed her dream of becoming an actress. And I especially loved how they both became successful despite the verbally abusive and unsupportive people in their lives.

For a debut novel, Ivy hit this one out of the park. I can't wait to read more of her work and watch her grow as an author!

** I received this book for free from Flower & Bear Books, via NetGalley, in exchange for an honest review. **

Kat; our sweet down on luck MFC. When all the dominos fall on her, the happiness of meeting a zombie background character is just want she needs.. until we find out he’s not a background character 🤭 being a PA for the bratty Branson, I’m not gonna lie everything he had her doing was kinda funny.. I don’t think I’d complain if that’s what I was getting paid to do… it could be worse💁🏼‍♀️
James; our MMC 🤍 swoon 🤌🏼 he was sweet, and perfection from the moment he stepped on the screen. Never once did you doubt how he felt for her even with the contract.. the oh-FISH-ically business was definitely my favorite part of the book🐟
The third act break up!? Oh wait, this book had none! 🤌🏼 I mean it did, but it wasn’t the cheesy you didn’t tell me something now I won’t talk to you for months and then regret it the entire time.. No, this one was a separate (but also not really) for growth in both careers! Ugh perfection 🤌🏼
This was such a cute easy lighthearted read!! I hope we get to see more of the family, i definitely can’t wait for a Romans story hopefully with a redhead spitfire?!?💀🤭🤭 and our beautiful Jill!? The relationship between the siblings was such a perfect united front 👌🏼

I loved this book! It is very rare that I find a book where I love everything about the main characters. Kat and James are likable, driven and willing to make the changes that need to be done in order to better themselves and their relationship.

I personally can’t believe that this is a debut novel! I am SO impressed!! Ivy’s storytelling and writing style is exactly what I love and I was surprised at the ease of which the story flowed. I was never bored and never wanted to skim past stuff. I was engaged the entire time.

The journey that Kat and James went on both individually and together was so satisfying. They aren’t needy or so wrapped up in themselves that they push the other to the side. They both realized their flaws and they make the changes that needed to be made so their relationship could survive.

Overall, I loved this story. If you are looking for light-hearted romance with a sparkling of spice, don’t hesitate to pick up this book!

Tropes:
Forbidden Romance
Hidden Identity
Movie Star
Secret Relationship
Insta Love

I truly wanted so badly to love this and the beginning showed so much potential. Unfortunately it really fell short for me in the second half. The story ended up feeling really rushed and towards the end the character development was confusing because we skipped the entire time period when they characters are supposed to be doing the work for that growth. I didn’t initially have an issue with them getting together quickly as I felt there was a lot that could be explored with their relationship but that never happened and so it felt like we rushed through the fun beginning/flirty stage and just straight to serious issues which then made the second half feel so slow. I had a hard time caring about James specifically but both of the main characters fell flat. Not a bad debut at all but it definitely felt like it needed more fleshing out.

This book is about an aspiring actress down on her luck. She’s just gotten out of a bad relationship and her career isn’t going how she wanted, so a friend of hers helps her get a job as a production assistant. In set she meets the star of the movie and doesn’t recognize him but it’s love (or lust) at first sight.
I so badly wanted to enjoy this book because the description is right up my alley but i just couldn’t connect with the characters and the plot felt a bit rushed to me. I got halfway through this book and felt so disconnected I couldn’t continue it and decided to dnf. I always believe in putting down a book you’re not enjoying. If you like fast-paced love stories this may be for you! It’s just personally not my cup of tea.