First Lines: 205,132,379. That’s how many times his new video has been viewed. That’s how many people went to his site, pressed play, and watched the hottest musician in the world perform his latest single.
This is a book I knew I wanted to read as soon as I heard about it. I mean, music, hot musicians, and love? Dude. That has me written all over it.
Sterling hasn’t been dating Ethan long, but they are crazy in love with each other. And Ethan is crazy talented. He’s a fantastic guitarist, singer, and songwriter. He’s always believed that he’s going to be a star. But when Ethan becomes an overnight sensation, Sterling finds out what it means to be dating a rock star. Because it’s not all about the red carpet appearances and designer clothes (though those are great perks). It’s a dream come true…but whose dream is Sterling living?
I want to start by saying that I really loved Sterling. She’s a cool girl. She a little bit tough on the outside, but she also has this quiet inner strength that drives her. I kind of loved that she’s practically my exact opposite. I mean, she loves attention and talking to strangers and cooking. Not exactly three things that an introvert like myself enjoys, but definitely things I enjoyed experiencing from Sterling’s perspective.
I also liked that this story had something of an authentic feel to it. This isn’t just a story of a boy who is already famous, but how he got famous. And it goes in depth on the behind-the-scenes things about concerts that I’ve never experienced myself. That was so much fun, as a music junkie, to read. I just felt like I was seriously watching a boy become a star.
The love story felt realistic to me too, probably because I just came out of a relationship similar to Sterling and Ethan’s. (He wasn’t a rock star, but his work was definitely a priority over me, like Ethan’s career is to him.) I believed the love story, from beginning to end. Sometimes it was a little cheesy, but isn’t that what your first love is? Aren’t you so head over heels that you exaggerate the good and ignore the bad? I think this book did a good job of summing that up.
What was super interesting was the commentary it had on how we view celebrities and those associated with celebrities. It was kind of a kick in the pants, honestly. How many of us believe we have some kind of ownership in our favorite celebrities? How many of us get jealous when that celebrity has a significant other that isn’t us? These are things the book explores through Sterling. And I get it. I want to meet Benedict Cumberbatch as much as the rest of you do…but this showed me how maybe fan culture is a little out of hand.
Finally, I want to say that I thought the plot was a little unconventional at times. There’s always a certain point in a book where I start predicting how it’s going to end. For this one, I had 2-3 different ways I thought it could end. And I was about halfway right on my closest guess. There are some parts that are a tad predictable, but they were barely noticeable in the grand scheme of things.
Overall, it was a sweet and insightful read. It’s my favorite Susane Colasanti book to date.