Book rating: 4.5 / 5
Spice rating: 3.5/5

You wouldn’t think this is a debut novel, I’m so impressed with Ivy Dawes’ writing and flowing of the story, how she touched many difficult topics with ease and accurate and most importantly, respect.

I know insta-love is not for everyone, some people are skeptic and don’t believe in it, but I am a firm believer of it, as I’ve actually experienced it in real life.

I’ve loved both MCs, Kat is a struggling actress, she has gotten out of an emotionally abusive relationship with Dane, another aspiring actor, after 5 years, and all you want for her is to be happy and have confidence to be herself and know that she’s enough. Her best friend Rose got her a job as a PA for a famous, grumpy old actor for a major movie production. Whilst running around for extremely weird errands, she bumps into James, who was wearing a prosthetic on his face, so she didn’t recognise him. James sees her in a way she doesn’t even see herself and he sees that she’s special.
James himself, he is a famous movie star for Starlight Studios, his father’s company, he has a very bad relationship with him and he is emotionally abused by him too. He threatens him to kill his career if he doesn’t sign a contract to be in a fake relationship with his co-star on the movie he’s shooting for PR purpose.

A lot happens in this book, I loved the writing how the pages flowed beautifully into one another, the spice amount was perfect and well written too.

I would definitely recommend this book to anyone who likes insta-love, secret relationships books. Even if these aren’t your favourite tropes, you should still give this book a go. It’s worth it.

Thank you Ivy Dawes, NetGalley and Flower and Bear Books for giving me the chance to read and review this book before it’s publication date.

Thank you to NetGallery and Ivy Dawes for the e-ARC of this book! I'm so happy I had the chance to read it before it releases May 21st! This is Ivy's debut novel and man, she ROCKED it!

I freaking loved Kat and James. This book had some fantastic rom com vibes with plenty of heart and serious moments, too. Honestly, the movie set moments reminded me a little of Singin' in the Rain, but that's probably just me. 😂 Kat and James have a really wonderful love story that's the perfect combo of sweet and sexy. (Some great open door scenes here!!). Also, I could live to be 100, and MMC saying "my girl" would still make my stomach flip like a teenager. Swoon. 😘😍

Anyway, I basically read this in two days because I couldn't put it down once I started. It was a really good time. The book had a lot of heart and I loved that a fake dating trope was the center of the drama here - but not for our less characters (well, for one...). It was also beautiful to read about how people love art, acting, and the stage! 🥰 Made my little theatre heart happy. I'm also thrilled that there will be more in the series since I loved the side characters.

Fantastic first novel, Ivy Dawes! I'm so excited to see what's ahead for you!

After finishing this book I have to admit it took me a little bit to get into but once I did, I was completely invested. This book is such a cute love story. It left me wanting more! The way James stands up to his father after almost losing the only person he truly cares about. I can’t wait for the next book in the series to come out.

✨ Starstruck by Ivy Dawes ✨

*I received this ARC from NetGalley, and all opinions are my own as I volunteered to read and review this book honestly.*

FMC, Kat Caplan is new to LA and trying to find her footing after she becomes newly single and jobless, while MMC, James, is a famous celebrity under the control of his father, the movie studio owner.

Starstruck followed James and Kat falling in love while navigating familial pressures and too high expectations.

James cares deeply for Kat fights at every turn for their relationship to be successful. I truly appreciate a MMC who puts his lady first in EVERY aspect of their lives
😍🥹😏

I’m excited to read on in this series following Roman and Clove! Thank you so much NetGalley and Ivy Dawes for this magical, whimsical, celebrity romance!

Rating: 3.5/5 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Format read: Kindle 📖
Spicy: 🌶️🌶️🌶️ (sweet and spicy 😍)
Tropes: workplace romance, celebrity romance, forbidden love.

This was soooooo cute! Kat and James were perfect together and possibly one of my favorite couples I've ever read. Their communication and respect for each other's boundaries was so amazing and I truly can't wait to read more from this author!

Thank you to NetGalley for my digital ARC!

I was so charmed by this book. James and Kat were just really cute together and they had great chemistry. I loved all of their late night chats and everything about them was just adorable.

I received an arc through netgalley.

This was such a cute little romcom!

I loved the dynamic between James and Kat (their meet cute was the cutest). The way the entertainment industry was portrayed in this book is something I don’t commonly see in books. I loved the realism and the highs and lows someone can go to before achieving what they want.

This was my first book by Ivy and I absolutely fell in love with her writing! Will definitely be keeping up with the other books in this series!

Thank you to NetGalley & Ivy Dawes for giving me access to the ARC of this beautiful book!

Such a cute fun read! perfect to bring to the beach and just escape for a bit! I loved feeling like I got to know the characters through the pages, and Ivy gave this one the CUTEST ended, love love love! If you're debating on grabbing this one come release, absolutely you should!

added for author: Thank you so much for letting me read this one pre release! I'm already so excited for the next one and this one isn't even out yet!! I hope you have a fantastic release day! your writing is phenomenal!

Kat’s been having a hard go of it lately. And by that, I mean life sucks… hard. Dumped by her boyfriend and acting agent, Kat’s friend got her a job as a PA to a self-righteous, pompous, arrogant prick of an actor. After he berates her horribly, Kat holds in her tears until she can find a hidden alcove so she can be alone. Only she’s not alone. A background actor named Alex, and while she can’t really tell what he looks like due to all the gruesome prosthetics, his kind eyes and caring attitude has Kat feeling better, and perhaps a wee bit flirty. But, thanks to dual POV (literally every book should be written this way), we know that Alex is actually James, Hollywood royalty and star of the film, and he is loves that Kat seems to like him for him, rather than his last name. The two begin texting, and Kat soon learns Alex’s real identity, and after a heartfelt apology, they can’t deny their attraction any longer. But James’ father, a cruel man, is not pleased with their pairing, and wants James to have a shomance with the film’s lead actress.
A cute story, and the beginning of a series, I’m interested to see the eventual love stories for Roman and Jill.

Kat’s job as a PA at Starlight Studios is not what she had imagined herself doing, six months previously. However, she was dropped by her acting agent and then broke up with her cheating boyfriend, in a short period of time. Yet, when she meets Alex, a background actor who is wearing layers of facial prosthetics and fake blood, she finds herself drawn to him. He makes her feel good about herself but when she finds out that Alex is instead James Everett, the film’s leading star, she is initially taken aback but soon knows that he is everything she wants. James is also smitten with Kat, as she sees him for who he is and not the famous actor. Yet, just as their relationship seems to be taking off, James is being forced to sign a fake relationship contact with the female lead in his latest film. Knowing that he needs to abide by his father’s orders if he is to get a long-desired promotion at the family’s film studio, James finds himself conflicted and wondering whether his and Kat’s feelings can survive it all.
I enjoyed seeing how the relationship between Kat and James grew, despite all the outside ‘noise’ threatening to destroy what they had. The fun that these two had and their ability to simply talk, showed their feelings for each other. Whilst the ‘fake relationship’ trope was present, I found it refreshing that this was removed from their relationship. James’ ability to make Kat feel treasured and respected, was the highlight of this book. A sweet romance.
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book from NetGalley. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Life's a rollercoaster and this book portait it so well. Kat is a wonderful young woman with selfesteem issues but once she starts believing in herself and understands that no one can stop her from her goals and that she's good enough, she fights for what she deserves in life. James comes from a family where there's a lot of love but also lots of fear 'cause his father is a terrible person that treat them like they belongs to him and disrespect them.
James's family relationship breaks my heart. The guy deserves SO much better but I'm so relief that he has his brother, his sister, his friends and that he also found Kat to learn his worth.
Kat and James story is a lot about building selfesteem and confidance back and reclaiming your own life and making it your own.
I love that they help each other do that through the book. Their relationship is sweet, felt real with all the ups and downs, dealing with random life things (they also deal with the celebrity part and I know nothing about that, but it was beliveable and seemed kinda "possible in real life") and trying to make things work while discovering yourself and allowing yourself to be you, for you, in a world where you didn't had the opportunity to do so.
I love that this book shows that it's okay to be in your adult years and still not having it all figured out, still struggling and still having to fight some demons 'cause the chains were hard to break free from.
James and Kat deserve their happily ever after. Their story is worth being read! This books is a 4.75 ⭐️ it was a beautiful story.

I really liked this storyline. I felt like it was very unique but besides that I felt like everything was very rushed with this relationship. I felt as though the relationship between Kat and James to be very underwhelming and forced. Their relationship didn't make a lot of sense to me as there wasn't any real reason of their wanting to be together or even any real chemistry between them. I was not particularly compelled by the FMC and found that she was kind of annoying. There was definitely a lot of potential with this book I just felt like it kept losing me in some spots.

Finished in one day, literally could not put it down! James is an uber famous actor from an uber famous family. Kat is a struggling actress just coming out of a horrible relationship. She takes a job as a PA on this new movie that James is starring in. They bump into each on set while he's in full makeup so she doesn't recognize who he is. Insta connection, the only problem, he lies about who he is! Ugh, their chemistry was soooo good right from the start. What I really appreciated is when she finds out who he is, which isn't crazy long, she doesn't hold it against him and draw out the drama. There are things that try to keep them apart but it's done soo well and they were both just pure souls that deserved happiness. There just so many cute moments between the two of them and I loved how protective James was of her. Super excited for the next book!! Roman and Jill's story is going to be fire!!

4.5 ⭐️

this read was a find! i love the 2000's romcom vibes!! forbidden romance is not one of my favorite tropes but i loved it!
kat and james are great, she comes across as very real with all her insecurities while james the amazing golden retriever boy!!!

of course when i read the title my mind turned to disney channel... if you know you know 🫂

Thank you Ivy and NetGalley for this ARC.

Ahh… sweet yet spicy, hidden identity, celebrity romance. A nice easy read for the beach.

However, I can’t help but feel conflicted, I absolutely loved the beginning but then it shifted and I felt like the books potential wasn’t fully reached in the end. It’s a sweet yet spicy debut novel and I think this author has a lot of potential(!). I just felt this particular story could have been a bit more realistic and also the main character’s relationship could have had a bit more depth and just more to it overall… it left me feeling like their getting into a relationship was a bit rushed and shallow… But it’s a nice read, but not one I would love to re-read 🤷🏼‍♀️

I really loved this sweet story!!! The characters and plot were both so sweet, caring, and had excellent development! Kat is such a sweet character who's been through some heartbreak in her personal and professional life. I can't imagine how to make it in show-biz, but know it can be soul-crushing, but Kat keeps her head up and does her best to keep going after all her heartbreak. James is a real sweetheart, I love how he becomes such a friend to Kat before they become more because they both really need a friend. I also loved how little identity conflict is handled quickly in the story and not drawn out as a main conflict. James and Kat just have the sweetest, tenderest relationship, starting as friends and then becoming more. While working in an industry that tears down and breaks hearts, these two become such beacons of hope, safety, and love for each other and that was so special to read.

Overall, I really enjoyed this story, thought it was written and plotted out really well, and definetly recommend for anyone looking for a sweet, fun, tender celebrity romance!

thank you for the ARC :)

This book was so amazing and I couldn’t put it down. Although there is some spice, this book has such a sweet romance in it. If you like dual POV, hidden identity, forbidden romance, celebrity romance, and a MMC who falls hard, this is the book for you. There’s just something about him saying “my girl” that makes me kick my feet and giggle.

I absolutely love dual POV Romances! Starstruck by Ivy Dawes delivered beautifully! Kat Is down-on-her-luck actress who is now working as a personal assistant on a new movie. She starts to like a background actor, then realizes that it is actually the lead. James is super sweet (I love a MMC that so hard so fast!

Now, I love a fake relationship trope like nobody else, but this one actually shipped James with somebody else! Sweet, angsty, with just a touch of spice that was so well done. Starstruck was a winner! And I will absolutely be reading the next book in the series!

Absolutely loved how real this book was! So many pieces of this were so honest, I adored it. I didn't know how much I needed this book until I started reading!

Wow! What a debut novel! I love discovering new authors on NetGalley! Not only did Ivy Dawes write her first fantastic romance novel…. She’s a fellow Canadian! 🎉🇨🇦🍁 which I love and celebrate! ❤️

James and Kat’a meet-cute was amusing, the banter was delightful, the teasing and flirting - tooo 💀 for!!! I honestly couldn’t put it down and pretty much finished this within 24 hours !!!

The storyline really kept me going, I loved how the crew as side characters shone through, I love the villains, and hate hate hate James’ dad…. But that’s the point right…. You have to have some villains!

I CANT WAIT TO READ ROMAN’s (James’ brother) story!! There’s already hints of the troupe in this book and ITS MY FAVOURITE TROUPE!!! But I wont spoil anything for anyone.. GOOOO READ IT!!!

𝗪𝗵𝘆 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗻𝗲𝗲𝗱 𝘁𝗼 𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗱 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝗯𝗼𝗼𝗸:
🎬Hidden Identity
🎬Friends to Lovers
🎬Celebrity Life
🎬Abusive parents
🎬Forbidden love
🎬Open doors
🎬Dual POV

I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.