#Starstruck by Sariah Wilson

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Title: #Starstruck
Author: Sariah Wilson
Series: #Lovestruck #1
Published by: Montlake Romance
Release Date: January 16, 2018
Format: Kindle Book
Pages: 316
Genres: Romance, Contemporary
Source: NetGalley
Reading Challenges: Lenoreo's 2019 Beat the Backlist Challenge, Lenoreo's 2019 Diversity Reading Challenge, Lenoreo's 2019 Netgalley and Edelweiss Challenge, Lenoreo's Can You Read a Series November 2019
Find it: Goodreads ✩ Amazon ✩ B&N ✩ IndieBound ✩ Book Depository
My rating:

Blurb:

“You’ve done better.”

With one uncharacteristically sassy tweet to her longtime celebrity crush, Zoe Miller’s life turns upside down. Ultrahot A-lister Chase Covington doesn’t just respond to Zoe’s tweet, he does the unthinkable: he messages Zoe directly. Now she must decide between walking away or meeting her crush in person.

Chase knows better than to trust anyone from the Internet, but Zoe’s saucy challenge has totally caught his interest—and her girl-next-door personality is keeping it. He’s been burned enough to know he needs to keep his heart close. But his feelings for Zoe might be a lot more than just an online flirtation. He just has to convince her…

When the press gets wind of Zoe and Chase’s secret relationship, their romance turns into tabloid headlines. Will they be able to hold on to their Hollywood love story?

My Review:

4.5 stars — Oh you guys…I am so torn on my rating for this one.  Because the things I loved about this book are like 6+ stars OMG!  Buuuutttt…there were a few things that just kept it from perfect.  So do I rate 4.5 rounded down?  Straight 4?  4.25?  Whatever’s at the front of this review surprises me as much as you.

So what did I LOVE????  OMG, the banter.  The one liners.  The quips.  And not just between Zoe and Chase, but present in all interactions!  I highlighted more than is reasonable, b/c I laughed way more than I expected to.  They were just little moments, but they delighted me to no end.

And then there was the genuine chemistry between Zoe and Chase.  Like SWOON city!  When they were together and connecting, from friends and flirtations to more, I was totally invested.  I felt their connection to my bones.  They just were so cute together, they made my romantic heart SO HAPPY.

And in general I loved them both as individuals as well.  It’s all in Zoe’s POV, but I still felt like I got an understanding of who Chase was.  And he was pretty adorable for the most part.  I loved that there was depth to him, and a history that helped explain who he was both in the past and how that past shaped who he is now.  I loved that he unashamedly went to see a therapist, that was so mental health positive.  And while the story didn’t dive into too much about the realities of addiction, it wasn’t completely a throwaway either.  (though if you’re looking for a great story about an addict, this isn’t it)

And I could relate to Zoe as well.  I know how it feels to feel like you’re the less pretty one of your friends…to have insecurities that colour all of your interactions.  She’s probably not a heroine that everyone is going to love, but I connected with her on some levels for sure.

I will admit that the celibacy thing caught me offguard, and reminded me A LOT of V is for Virgin.  Like, a lot.  I was worried at the first mention that there was going to be an air of superiority to her and her decisions.  But throughout the book you really come to understand that it’s a personal decision for her, and that she’s not judging others for making other decisions.  I appreciated that.

I also worried that her extreme level of fangirling over Chase was going to make me not believe in their eventual relationship.  And while that rode the line a LOT (because of her continuing to feel unworthy of him), it was more balanced than I expected.  And I truly believed that in the end she loved him for the man she got to know.

What didn’t work for me was the way her insecurities manifested themselves in their relationship.  I was bummed about the way she went off the deep end believing tabloid stuff.  In some ways it just didn’t fit for me.  And especially in light of conversations.  I thought she got let off easy about that stuff, whereas he had to make the big gesture in the end.

I’m also just not a fan of misunderstandings becoming the conflict.  I mean, sometimes I’m okay with them, and honestly this one was only so-so on the bugging me aspect, but I feel like it’s overused and cliche, if that makes sense.

Those were basically the little niggles I had.  They were balanced off with a really fabulous secondary cast, from an obsessed best friend who was over the top but still believable, and her swoony boyfriend (who still made mistakes), to Zoe’s ridiculously adorable younger siblings and family.  I loved that they were realistically children (whiny and stuff), but a delight all the same.  I mean Zia…just, Zia.

So yeah.  I think in the end I’m going to bump this one up to 4.5 rounded down, because I cannot stress how much I enjoyed the bantering in this one.  It just made me so happy, and the romance gave me tummy tingles and smiles and sighs.  Always a good sign.