#Review: *Starstruck* - ARC - Ivy Dawes [18+]
4.3/5✨
3/5🌶️

I was captivated by this books cover, so I needed to read it 🤭. It was my first book from this author but I can say that I liked it. Thank you Ivy Dawes and NetGalley for this copy.

Kat is a struggling young actress. She shared this passion with her ex boyfriend, Dane Rivers. But their relationship becomes shaky as he is becoming more successful than her. He started to criticize Kat for her lack of success in taking any parts in movies. This whole situation leads to their split.

Kat is now working as an assistant for another actor Branson Sullivan, who isn't the best to work with. He is always late for everything and gives Kat the toughest things to accomplish. Everything just builds up and one day she breaks apart. She is then seen by James Everett, who is unrecognizable with his prosthetic mask he has on for the movie shooting. They then have an instant click and James is relieved by that situation because, that way, she doesn't know who he is.

This is how their story starts and they begin to talk through messages or by phone, but Kat still doesn't know James' true identity. They are getting closer and it's becoming inevitable that they will meet face to face one day. That's when the real shock strikes Kat.

James, on the other hand, is forced by his father, Deacon, to have a fake relationship with his co-star, Ava Anders. He is coerced by circumstances to give a lot of thought about this, because he will not be able to reach his dream job if he doesn't accept Deacon's terms. But that means to leave Kat behind, to never see her again.

I liked the relationship between Kat and James, but I also loved their interaction with the other crew members. They just brought that flavor to the book🤭. I hated James' father, the way he used his power on his family was really disgusting.

It was a great read, relaxing and pretty addicting. I enjoyed it so much that I successfully read it in one day 🤭.
📹Tropes📹
🎬#SecretRomance;
🎬#HiddenIdentity;
🎬#MeetCute;
🎬#CelebrityRomance;
🎬#ForbiddenLove;
🎬#DualPov;
🎬#Spice.

“Please let me be your everything too”😭
This book!!!🩷

I completely fell head over heels in love with the relationship that Kat and James had! The struggles that they both had to deal with and how they both come into their own strengths at the end was so well written and flowed so nicely that I couldn’t put it down.

I LOVE a sibling series and I can’t wait to read about Roman and Jill’s story next!

Okay first off.. 🥵🥵🥵🥵 This book was SPICY! But, I appreciate that even though it had as much spice as it did, it didn’t detract from the overall story. Plus the scenes were pretty well written. Like 4/5 on the spicy scale.

One thing I absolutely loved was the fact that even though Kat’s life seemed to fall apart around her, she was still strong as heck and didn’t need someone else to pick her up. I loved that James just complimented her instead of became her whole personality.

The banter was fantastic and funny. Let me tell you though, some of the stuff that James said to Kat had butterflies trying to rip through my stomach. Oh my god.

Genuinely, I adored both characters. Plus, the scenes with James’ brother had me so hyped for the next book in the series. Enemies to lovers? Yes please. Sign me up!

Pretty sure I’ll be telling everyone to get this book when it comes out. It was such a feel good romcom. Even with some of the harder scenes in the book.

4 stars! This was a super cute, fast read for me! Once I started reading this one, I couldn't put it down. I was very interested in the setting of this book being a movie set and how they also traveled to England. I really liked the main character Kat and her trying to figure out what she wants to do with her life. I really love by the end of the book how she got back to her roots of acting. I really liked how a bunch of the crew members were supporting each other. I overall did like James, but feel like he took a little too long to stand up to his dad about the contract, but I understand this was being used as a main conflict in this book. I am very interested to read the future books in this series and I gather that the next one will be about James' brother Roman!

An amazing debut book . A must read . Kat has been dropped my her agent and broken up with her boyfriend the same day . She always wanted to be an actress but for now she is working as an assistant to a movie star at a set of a movie . After one crazy demand she end up in a garden meeting a background actor covered in facial prosthetics and fake blood . His name is Alex and they share a connection . When they finally meet without him wearing any make up she realises that he is the movie star James Everett . James when he met Kat something in him wanted to know her and he kept from her his identity because he wanted her to want him for him and not his name and family or money . When his father pressure him to sing a contract so he can be a part of the family's Starlight Studios but he has to date his co-star for a year . James must choose between his love for Kat or his family business . What will he choose ?
I received this book from netgalley and the publicer as an ARC . Thank you . All thoughts and opinions are my own .

2.5⭐️

I was really excited about this book, as I love a celebrity romance. Unfortunately, I found the relationship between Kat and James to be 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 real chemistry between them. I was not particularly compelled by the FMC and found that she was written to be too ‘quirky’.

This is the author’s debut novel and I do see a lot of potential! I think future novels centering around James’ siblings will be better as I think Roman will be a much more interesting MMC. This book particularly just did not work for me.

I liked the plot of this book and loved the amount of spice in this book. Thought it was a really cute read.

I did feel that James took too long to commit to Kat due to his dad's control. I wanted to strangle him sometimes for being so stupid😂 I didn't feel that their was that much sexual tension between James and Kat in the beginning.

I loved watching Kat grow into herself and finally living her dream.

I found the ending really cute and can't wait to see more of this author and series.

I rate this book at least a 4, prob 4.5. I really loved it. The characters were amazing, even the supporting characters (which I really appreciate). I got all the feels from this book...there were steamy scenes, lovely scenes, and really everything in between. I loved the respect between the main characters and just really loved it. I even really liked the few aggressive scenes, they startled me but got the true emotion of the events expressed. I would totally read this again and recommend to friends.

There were maybe 4-5 typos....so I hope the final cut gets a once over again.

Great work to the author and I am excited for the next one in the series.

Starstruck is a debut novel by Ivy Dawes and she’s bringing out the guns from the first page! I found myself hooked on this story and rooting for the main characters, Kat and James Everett. Kat is a struggling/ failed actress who has a dumpster fire ex boyfriend, a crappy acting experience and now working as a PA for a super snobby actor. She just needs a break from it all and who does she bump into but the ever charmingly handsome, but mysteriously disguised James Everett. He’s Hollywood’s heartthrob and son to a famous Starlight Producer family. Yet, James meets Kat as a bloody, disfigured soldier (all movie makeup/ prosthetics of course) for a movie and fibs about his real name and role to her. He longs for someone to see him without the movie glamor and bliss and Kat is our girl! Together they form a sweet friendship and relationship that mirrors a 2000s Hollywood starlight romcom.

The story was a fun and quick paced read with just the right amount of drama. I did not like James's father and felt that maybe he could be a bit toned down, because even Cruella Devil had a heart hidden behind all that Dalmatian fur.
This was a wonderful debut novel by Ivy Danes and I cannot wait to read the book in her Starlight Series!

Thank you so much to NetGalley, Flower Bear Books, and the author Ivy Dawes for providing me with an ARC copy in exchange for an honest and fair review.

Starstruck is a sweet romance with a celebrity, regular girl, international travel, and some spice!

Out of work and fresh from a breakup, Kat gets a job as a PA on a movie set. Where she immediately starts falling for the backup actor, who she soon learns is the star... and maybe her happy ever after? Except his movie star father (and owner of the production company) is threatening James' career if he doesn't break things off with Kat.

The pros:
- The insta-love was actually a pretty believable. The way James and Kat fell for each other and it wasn't just lust right away, but long talks and getting to know each other - very believable and swoon worthy.
- The English countryside was described so beautifully. I've never been but it is now near the top of my travel wish-list.
- Sibling interactions were so realistic. I'm dying to read James' brother's story.
- The growth of the relationship felt real and healthy. It made their relationship feel authentic and mature and made me love them together.
- The spicy scenes are really well written and really sexy.

The cons:
- The story was a little formulaic but that's not uncommon.
- There is no resolution for the conflict/background with Kat's ex / their lease situation or with Kat's family.

Overall, it's a sweet and fun read that will give you exactly what you want from this genre.

I finished this book in one sitting. It is a very easy and quick romance read with a lot of spice. I can see it being a popular romance series for people who like a romance with a lot of unnecessary drama. From the beginning I really liked Kat's character as she was written to be very relatable, but for me soon became annoying, probably due to the miscommunication trope. I did enjoy the dual POV.

I received this book from the publisher and from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. The opinions included here are my own.

I absolutely ADORED this book!! Oh my gosh, I loved everything about it. If you love romcoms set around the entertainment industry this is definitely the book for you. AND if you love makes characters saying “my girl” then you are in for a treat.

With that being said, this book portrays the struggles actors are faced with in this industry. You always see the fun parts of this, but what this book did was the complete opposite. James and Kat are adorable together. I love how each of these characters are portrayed in trying to figure out what they want for their own life as a couple and as individuals.

thank you to ivy dawes & NetGalley for sending me the arc! i’m very excited for the next book in the series

This book was the perfect mix of sweet & spice and literally EVERYTHING nice! This was my first time reading an Ivy Dawes book & she knocked it out of the park.

Starstruck is dual POV following Kat, an aspiring actress who takes a role as PA on an upcoming film & James, the main actor and son of the studios founder. He seeks to gain a bigger role in the company, and it all depends on the success of this film. There is so much build and tension within the story along with mixed in comedic moments that I was drawn in so quickly. One of my absolute favorite things about these two characters is that they COMMUNICATE! My least favorite trope is miscommunication, and I loved how these characters communicated so well throughout the entire book. You could see a level of maturity and growth they had together and it was so fun to read. The only warning I will give is that there is a bit of insta-love, so if you are not a fan of this just be aware going into it! I am not usually a fan of insta-love, but in this case I did end up enjoying it personally.

If you are looking for a book that is just so sweet, funny and engaging this is the one for you! Thank you so much to NetGallery and Flower and Bear Books for the ARC!

Thank you for the ARC!

I did not have a fun time reading this book. To start, I have never been the biggest fan of insta-love, which is my fault for reading this, but this book just made it too much for me. No one's relationship is that perfect and can withstand that much outward tension, which is why I found this relationship to be rather unrealistic and a bit irritating. In addition to this, it felt like the writing of the relationship was being rushed at times which made me not want to read it as much.

Thank you for the opportunity to read!

When struggling performer Kat Caplan reaches rock bottom, she accepts a position as a production assistant on the set of a new film produced by Starlight Studios. James Everett is the primary actor and the son of Starlight Studios' founder. His future in the company is dependent on the success of the film. There was an instant attraction as soon as the two met. Their chemistry was phenomenal. This was a sweet quick read. Such a great debut novel for Ivy Dawes.

Nice easy to read romance that was predictable. Sometimes all you need is that. The characters had there on and off moments and they were cute and lovable. Loved the location being on a movie set.

⭐️ 3.5 Stars!

Whilst this book did take me a while to get into it, once I did I was hooked!
This book definitely reminds me of a cheeky 2000’s teen rom-com and was cute, quirky and a lot of fun.

• Celebrity Romance
• Forbidden Romance
• Hidden Identity
• Secret Relationship

This is Ivy’s debut novel and I can’t wait to see where she goes from here.

Thank you NetGallery and Flower and Bear Books for the ARC

Thank you to NetGalley and Flower and Bear books for the advanced copy of this book.
Katherine is an aspiring actress who is flailing. Her confidence is shot and her insecurities are being magnified by her long term boyfriend. When she goes to work as a PA to a complete tool of an actor, she has hit her rock bottom.
James is the opposite of Katherine. A nepotism baby of a famous family who owns a production company, James is just looking to get a seat at the table with his powerful father.
James happens to run into Katherine after another blow with her ass of a boss. He shows her compassion and kindness all while dressed in character, so she doesn't recognize him. The two have immediate chemistry and sparks. I love that the author didn't drag the "disguise" out. I was worried this was going to be the plot of the book like a reverse Cinderella, but luckily James is quite honest about who he is. The characters are mature and communicate throughout the book. They don't play games and I appreciate that when rooting for a couple. This book does have instalove.
This was a really quick read for me. It reminded me of Notting Hill and I love that movie. It is like a warm hug after an awful day. It's predictable, but will make you feel good.

thank you NetGalley and Flower and Bear Books for this ARC!

i think 3.5 fits as a better rating for me. i think this was such a fun and light read. it had some great serious moments with her ex but it wasn’t so over the top that it took over the plot, which i liked. james and kat were so cute together. it was just a little too “insta love” for me personally. also the out of no where on and off again felt like it kept going.

i really thought this was a wonderful debut novel. will be reading the rest of the series when it’s out 🫶🏻

If you’re looking for a romcom with the perfect blend of swoonworthy romance, two compelling MCs, a strong storyline and plenty of spicy moments, Starstruck is for you.

The meet cute between Kat and James was everything and the hidden identity
/celebrity trope pulled me in straight away. The gentle and delicate growth of their relationship that followed, and hurdles they faced, developed the plot quickly and the pace kept up throughout.

Kat’s self-doubt and low self-worth cracked my heart right open, and her arc alone is worth the read. James fell so hard for Kat and I absolutely love a cinnamon roll MMC who goes above and beyond for their girl.

An absolute delight to read, congratulations to Ivy Dawes for an incredible debut.

If you like:
💫Forbidden romance
💫He falls first and HARD
💫Celebrity romance
💫Opposites attract
💫Cinnamon roll MMC