Today, I am reviewing my most precious discovery as part of a blog tour: Before He Was Famous by Becky Wicks. I was amazed and stunned at this gem of a book. This novel is indie and yet it reads like a bestseller. Stick around for the giveaway, too!
Book Description:
Kindle Edition, 279 pages
Published May 29th 2014
One guy, one girl. One in the spotlight. One in the shadows.
Falling in love with your best friend isn’t always a great idea, especially when he’s Noah Lockton - the sexiest, most famous new talent on the planet. When 21-year-old small-town photographer Chloe Campbell is offered the chance of a lifetime – to join her celebrity childhood friend Noah on tour as an exclusive blogger for a New York magazine – she’s certain both have put what happened four years ago behind them. But his eyes still burn; his voice is still a jackhammer to her heartstrings; all his songs are about her. Is it possible that that night still haunts them both?
The music industry is a machine, spinning hype and rumors as much as his records. It’s not just Noah’s girlfriends who’ve got it in for Chloe (there’s no stopping the Twitter-obsessed, cat-loving pop-star Courtney Lentini for starters). Pretty soon, the jealousy and media frenzy surrounding these so-called-friends takes a life-changing turn and it seems making love means making enemies at every turn. When tragedy threatens to pull the final curtain on their relationship, both Chloe and Noah must make a choice. As much as this world leaves them starstruck, is living their dream really worth living without each other?
A story of lifelong friendships, love and hope, set in a world of celebrity, fame and social media gone very, very wrong.
From International Bestselling HarperCollins Author, Becky Wicks, comes a new adult romance that will leave you starstruck.
***Warning: this book contains graphic language, sex, and mature situations. Not intended for young adult readers.***
Reviewer's Copy: Kindle Version
Source: Becky Wicks(Thank you!!)
My Thoughts:
After reading the synopsis of Before He Was Famous, I knew I just had to read it. It sounded like the kind of story that I would like, in line with American Girl on Saturn. The short story: I was not disappointed.
I was hooked at page one, totally engrossed by the end of chapter one and completely, utterly inlove with the story after a few more chapters. Before He Was Famous had a heartfelt, honest-to-goodness splattering of emotions and thoughts all over the pages. It was metaphorically dripping with the shades and beauty of two people's hearts. The dual perspectives, from Noah and Chloe, allowed the reader to piece together the entire picture, their entire history, line after line and chapter after chapter. Most of all, what really drew me in was the palpable back-and-forth zapping of electricity and emotional and sexual tension between Noah and Chloe. Amidst their interactions, living separate lives and worlds, the hesitation, the desire that could never be completely hidden, the raw love and the buzzing what-ifs, made the story whole. It was as if Becky Wicks was a scientist and she discovered the elements of life and poured it into this book. The writing was beautiful and superfluous,
Chloe was the humble photographer and loyal friend. She was always there for Noah when he needed to wake up to reality and set his priorities (and his mind) straight. Clever, undeniably talented, but generally unwilling to take risks, Chloe was culture-shocked with the fame game of the music industry. She tried to stay at the "safe" side at all times. Though I admit that I found her a bit naive when it comes to accepting Noah's feelings for her, she was decidedly clueless for a reason: she wanted to protect their friendship.
Noah was always with a girl. From what I deduced, he was almost never single. But Noah was lost without Chloe and he was man enough to admit that in front of her. I liked reading about how his life changed from average and being a barista at Starbucks to being ultra-famous and under the spotlight and being stalked by paparazzi. The musical element of the book was also something that I enjoyed thoroughly. Though I couldn't actually hear the songs, I could feel it in the lyrics.
The blurred lines between friendship and something more involving friends from the opposite sex were tackled and thoroughly explored in Before He Was Famous. If a person was too involved with his friend, to the point that he was emotionally and mentally tied to the other person, leading him to rethink their status, going over every interaction and making his heart thump and his body extra-aware of the other person? That was what Noah and Chloe went through. For readers who are looking for hot bits, you would find what you're looking for in this book. Cut and trimmed for older teens, Before He Was Famous has passionate and steamy scenes and eye-opening scenes related to the dirty, messy side of the fame game.
Before He Was Famous was a brilliant gem in the field of self-published YA/NA; it has my favorite elements: music, colorful history/past, relationship-development, realistic characters, lively backdrop and setting, unpredictability, fluid writing and wave after wave of raw emotion. Glued-to-your-hands-level-of-unputdownable, beautifully written, steamy, unforgettable and heart-wrenchingly good, Before He Was Famous will keep you up all night and wanting for more. The writing was simply decadent and delicious, I couldn't get enough of it. I highly, highly, highly recommend this to readers of older YA/NA contemporary romance, readers who are looking for amazing indie titles and readers who are looking for fame-related/celebrity-related stories.
Rating:
5 Cupids = Eternal book love.
I will never, ever, ever forget this book. I highly recommend this!
Giveaway Time! Becky is so generous and so awesome to sponsor this giveaway. There would be three winners of the released books of the Starstruck Series: Before He Was Famous and Before He Was Gone. This is open internationally.
a Rafflecopter giveaway
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