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Rockstarlet
On the day singer Jackson Poole signs his first record contract, he learns that part of the deal is turning over his life to his managers. For his handlers and his record company, keeping Jackson’s gay identity a secret becomes a full-on obsession, particularly since their new star is anything but discreet. They try dressing him differently, teaching him how to speak butch, and even fixing him up with a soap opera vixen. But how is a rock star supposed to enjoy his newfound success if he can’t bed the groupies? Stewart Lewis is a native of Boston now living in Los Angeles. He is a graduate of the University of Colorado’s theater program and earned a master’s degree in writing at the University of Southern California.
- GenresGay
357 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2006
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Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews
February 24, 2017
this could have been a good book. but i was disappointed. this is about a rising star in the music business, who is gay and has to hide his sexuality. there were some characters that i liked and the story was at times really interesting and gripping. what annoyed me was how many real stars were mentioned, kind of senselessly, just to somehow make the book look cool? i didn't get it. it seemed at times like i was reading the fantasies of someone who so much wants to get famous and how they picture the show biz looks like. i think this was unnecessary in this book. also it felt unnatural how so many people around jackson were gay. if this is a good representation of the population, basically 60% of all people is gay. well, i understand that of course his environment will produce this, but also characters on the side just all of a sudden discover that their father is gay. and that happened a few times and it felt somehow staged or made up. also the whole mystery about who sent the threats was resolved in a very anticlimatic way. this book was not all bad and surely had a good agenda to begin with. i just think it could have been done so much better.
September 9, 2011
This book disappointed me.
Legitimate, literary fiction about gay rock musicians is hard to find. With the exception of Joel Lane’s darkly intense From Blue to Black, there’s precious little out there that captures the gritty reality of the music business. In terms of its tone, Rockstarlet is less like a rock novel than it is a throwback to one of those cheesy, dishy 1970’s Hollywood novels by Harold Robbins or Sidney Sheldon. Well…that is without the drugs, alcoholism, sex, bad behavior and scandal. In other words, all the juicy stuff.
First time author, Stewart Lewis, an out-of-the-closet singer-songwriter himself, presumably modeled his protagonist, Jackson Poole, on himself to some degree. With this in mind, it strikes me that he’s going out of his way to illustrate [to all the homophobes who might inexplicably be reading his book] that gay people are family friendly and virtuous. Much to the detriment of the story’s interest factor. So, basically what you’re getting here is a neutered Danielle Steele story - the hero (more Donny Osmond than Scott Weiland) selling his soul for a chance at fame and then living to regret it, until the truth sets him free.
Ho-hum.
It’s corny, but not all bad. Lewis’s writing style is relaxed and easy to read. Plus he manages to capture that odd dichotomy of life in Hollywood; all that desperate ambition lurking behind the laid back SoCal veneer. And if you get a giggle from those LGBT novels and films that name drop celebrities who’ve fallen under the "are-they-or-aren’t-they?" media microscope you’ll appreciate all the cameos/mentions to be found here (including, but not limited to, Richard Gere, Jake Gyllenhaal, Jodie Foster, Whoopie Goldberg and Benicio Del Toro). And the message, however banal and obviously stated, is a solid one.
Me however, I wasn’t entirely convinced. I mean, Rob Halford (Judas Priest), Bob Mould (Husker Du) and Edward Droste (Grizzly Bear) are all openly gay rockstars and I can’t imagine any one of them living the sort of lifestyle that Poole does. The book might have held more appeal for me if it was about an actor rather than a struggling musician, because the settings, characters, fashion, conversations and general mood don’t seem remotely related to the rock world. Unless, the only point of reference one has is American Idol…which is just a carefully orchestrated (i.e, scripted) TV show.
Looking for a light read with a toothless cast of characters and a happy ending? Give this a go. Looking for a shocking expose of closeted celebrities in the music industry? Keep looking.
Personally, I don’t think that one has been written yet.
Legitimate, literary fiction about gay rock musicians is hard to find. With the exception of Joel Lane’s darkly intense From Blue to Black, there’s precious little out there that captures the gritty reality of the music business. In terms of its tone, Rockstarlet is less like a rock novel than it is a throwback to one of those cheesy, dishy 1970’s Hollywood novels by Harold Robbins or Sidney Sheldon. Well…that is without the drugs, alcoholism, sex, bad behavior and scandal. In other words, all the juicy stuff.
First time author, Stewart Lewis, an out-of-the-closet singer-songwriter himself, presumably modeled his protagonist, Jackson Poole, on himself to some degree. With this in mind, it strikes me that he’s going out of his way to illustrate [to all the homophobes who might inexplicably be reading his book] that gay people are family friendly and virtuous. Much to the detriment of the story’s interest factor. So, basically what you’re getting here is a neutered Danielle Steele story - the hero (more Donny Osmond than Scott Weiland) selling his soul for a chance at fame and then living to regret it, until the truth sets him free.
Ho-hum.
It’s corny, but not all bad. Lewis’s writing style is relaxed and easy to read. Plus he manages to capture that odd dichotomy of life in Hollywood; all that desperate ambition lurking behind the laid back SoCal veneer. And if you get a giggle from those LGBT novels and films that name drop celebrities who’ve fallen under the "are-they-or-aren’t-they?" media microscope you’ll appreciate all the cameos/mentions to be found here (including, but not limited to, Richard Gere, Jake Gyllenhaal, Jodie Foster, Whoopie Goldberg and Benicio Del Toro). And the message, however banal and obviously stated, is a solid one.
Me however, I wasn’t entirely convinced. I mean, Rob Halford (Judas Priest), Bob Mould (Husker Du) and Edward Droste (Grizzly Bear) are all openly gay rockstars and I can’t imagine any one of them living the sort of lifestyle that Poole does. The book might have held more appeal for me if it was about an actor rather than a struggling musician, because the settings, characters, fashion, conversations and general mood don’t seem remotely related to the rock world. Unless, the only point of reference one has is American Idol…which is just a carefully orchestrated (i.e, scripted) TV show.
Looking for a light read with a toothless cast of characters and a happy ending? Give this a go. Looking for a shocking expose of closeted celebrities in the music industry? Keep looking.
Personally, I don’t think that one has been written yet.
August 20, 2009
This is a solid novel. I really wish the world worked this way, but sadly it doesn't. At least, though, we have things like this novel to show us some light. I hope Adam Lambert has a copy of this novel on his shelf; it could really help him out a lot. I was particularly surprised by just how chilling the stalker sequence of the novel was. Bottom line? All the cool, chic references of "Glamorama" but less transgressive.
January 6, 2026
"His foot expertly played around my groin"
December 11, 2012
One of my biggest pet peeves, especially when it comes to books, are ones that make excessive pop culture references. I see a lot of these in books that are set primarily in Los Angeles, which maybe shouldn't be a surprise. But it always annoys me when Alanis Morisette or James Gandolfini or Sarah McClachlan or Oprah show up and interact with fictional characters, because it strikes me as more of the author's fantasy than anything else. I get that these books try to show how far the character has risen (or at what level of celebrity they already are), but it never quite works, because the references tend to be dated and they seem more like fan fiction than anything else. It's a little ridiculous.
Suffice it to say, Rockstarlet falls into that trap. I get it - this relative nobody gains international fame and starts mixing with the Hollywood elite. It's just that I don't really care that he ran into Jake Gyllenhaal at the gym. This is a book - the main character could have bumped into the Queen of England (or the President of Burundi) and it would have had the same effect, because the author can put in any person that they feel like. But with every celebrity mention, it feels more like a Saturday Night Live sketch that takes itself too seriously, and as a result, it takes me out of the action.
In terms of plot, you can pretty much figure out exactly how this book is going to end based on reading the back blurb. And while the book was ostensibly about how awful the music business is, forcing people into the closet for a quick buck, as well as how terrible it is that the closet destroys lives and happiness, in the most part the book mostly served as a primer for how terrible it is to live in L.A. and how nothing that happens there is real or authentic. I have to give the book credit for that - it's not often that books set in this world, that celebrate celebrity as spectacle, often talk about how destructive that environment is, where everybody is using everybody and it's impossible to find somebody to trust.
Some of the characters I really liked - Bree and Kia Diamond, Jenn and her father, Kane, etc., but a vast majority of the characters were either unlikeable or, even worse, I just didn't care for them. I think a large part of that is because a lot of the characters aren't very well defined, and so even though they're major characters, it's hard to feel like I know who they are.
For the most part this was an easy, breezy read, one I could zoom through in a day. The writer occasionally goes into a lot of detail explaining things to the reader, which gets annoying, and everything has a way of working out a little bit too perfectly, which is fine and good, though it eventually gets to the point where it borders on the ridiculous.
I'm not a rock star, I have no desire to be a rock star, but somehow I can't believe that the main character is at the point where everybody unabashedly loves him, because when we do hear lyrics they're a bit insipid. It seems a little bit like a fantasy, and a lot of it seems to be based off of the author's real life. That's fine, because so many authors have done this, and that's their right. But it wasn't my favorite book, and while I didn't hate it, I can't really say that I loved it all that much, either. The blurb said it was a sexy and dishy tale, and ultimately, that's what this felt like - a book with a lot of glitz and glamor but not a whole lot of substance.
Suffice it to say, Rockstarlet falls into that trap. I get it - this relative nobody gains international fame and starts mixing with the Hollywood elite. It's just that I don't really care that he ran into Jake Gyllenhaal at the gym. This is a book - the main character could have bumped into the Queen of England (or the President of Burundi) and it would have had the same effect, because the author can put in any person that they feel like. But with every celebrity mention, it feels more like a Saturday Night Live sketch that takes itself too seriously, and as a result, it takes me out of the action.
In terms of plot, you can pretty much figure out exactly how this book is going to end based on reading the back blurb. And while the book was ostensibly about how awful the music business is, forcing people into the closet for a quick buck, as well as how terrible it is that the closet destroys lives and happiness, in the most part the book mostly served as a primer for how terrible it is to live in L.A. and how nothing that happens there is real or authentic. I have to give the book credit for that - it's not often that books set in this world, that celebrate celebrity as spectacle, often talk about how destructive that environment is, where everybody is using everybody and it's impossible to find somebody to trust.
Some of the characters I really liked - Bree and Kia Diamond, Jenn and her father, Kane, etc., but a vast majority of the characters were either unlikeable or, even worse, I just didn't care for them. I think a large part of that is because a lot of the characters aren't very well defined, and so even though they're major characters, it's hard to feel like I know who they are.
For the most part this was an easy, breezy read, one I could zoom through in a day. The writer occasionally goes into a lot of detail explaining things to the reader, which gets annoying, and everything has a way of working out a little bit too perfectly, which is fine and good, though it eventually gets to the point where it borders on the ridiculous.
I'm not a rock star, I have no desire to be a rock star, but somehow I can't believe that the main character is at the point where everybody unabashedly loves him, because when we do hear lyrics they're a bit insipid. It seems a little bit like a fantasy, and a lot of it seems to be based off of the author's real life. That's fine, because so many authors have done this, and that's their right. But it wasn't my favorite book, and while I didn't hate it, I can't really say that I loved it all that much, either. The blurb said it was a sexy and dishy tale, and ultimately, that's what this felt like - a book with a lot of glitz and glamor but not a whole lot of substance.
November 15, 2012
I hated this.
First of all, I didn't like Jackson. If he really wants to be honest to others and himself, then he shouldn't have agreed to work with them in the first place! So what if it means he'll have to give up on his chance? You'll eventually reap what you sow. He should have realized lying, especially lying about something THAT big, would bite him back in the butt. We could have avoided all the drama and annoying bits and the book would have ended.
How it should have went:
Jackson: I will never submit to that! I'm gay and if you won't accept me as one then FU!!! *dramatically leaves the room*
END
Much, much better. Would have spared everyone the agony. And putting that aside, he wasn't very nice to begin with.
The writing wasn't that good. I'm usually interested in reading about what it's like to be famous, but this didn't pique my interest at all. In fact, I was bored most of the time. The other times, I was just angry and/or irritated. The rock world through this book was meh.
The plot is predictable. Who couldn't have seen the ending coming? The only good thing about the ending was the fact that it was the ending and the book was done.
The message? What message? Oh, you mean "if-you're-gay-just-come-out" thing?
Riiight. Moving on...
FYI, a gay acquaintance of mine made me read this. He said it's enlightening. No, really? It did enlighten me to never read anything like this again. Sorry if I offended anybody but this one is not for me. I shall be staying FAR AWAY from this genre.
First of all, I didn't like Jackson. If he really wants to be honest to others and himself, then he shouldn't have agreed to work with them in the first place! So what if it means he'll have to give up on his chance? You'll eventually reap what you sow. He should have realized lying, especially lying about something THAT big, would bite him back in the butt. We could have avoided all the drama and annoying bits and the book would have ended.
How it should have went:
Jackson: I will never submit to that! I'm gay and if you won't accept me as one then FU!!! *dramatically leaves the room*
END
Much, much better. Would have spared everyone the agony. And putting that aside, he wasn't very nice to begin with.
The writing wasn't that good. I'm usually interested in reading about what it's like to be famous, but this didn't pique my interest at all. In fact, I was bored most of the time. The other times, I was just angry and/or irritated. The rock world through this book was meh.
The plot is predictable. Who couldn't have seen the ending coming? The only good thing about the ending was the fact that it was the ending and the book was done.
The message? What message? Oh, you mean "if-you're-gay-just-come-out" thing?
Riiight. Moving on...
FYI, a gay acquaintance of mine made me read this. He said it's enlightening. No, really? It did enlighten me to never read anything like this again. Sorry if I offended anybody but this one is not for me. I shall be staying FAR AWAY from this genre.
October 19, 2010
Started kinda slow but it got much better once the annoying user Aden became less present.
Toward the end it was actually very good. It paints a much different picture of the music world than Mark Roeder's books involving Phantom do. This one is more centered on the artist as a young man phase and deals with a number of interesting issues. The author is also a working musician and it shows in his writing. He's also a New Yorker and the East Coaster's disdain for L.A. comes through loud and clear as well.
As detailed as it is, I'd like to have felt more of a connection with the main character. Somehow I wasn't ever able to fully empathize. Not sure why but still a good read once past the preliminaries.
Toward the end it was actually very good. It paints a much different picture of the music world than Mark Roeder's books involving Phantom do. This one is more centered on the artist as a young man phase and deals with a number of interesting issues. The author is also a working musician and it shows in his writing. He's also a New Yorker and the East Coaster's disdain for L.A. comes through loud and clear as well.
As detailed as it is, I'd like to have felt more of a connection with the main character. Somehow I wasn't ever able to fully empathize. Not sure why but still a good read once past the preliminaries.
November 3, 2011
Reviewed by Kerri: I purchased this book a little while back and while this author was unknown to me, it garnered my interest.
Jackson Poole is a struggling musician who is on his way to stardom. He's a great character and often I laughed right along with him while reading about his many zany antics. With a wonderful array of supporting characters, this book shone. It also has many sexy moments which were... stimulating.
This wasn't a romance novel, but it did carry a romantic subplot. I will definitely search out more books by this author.
A+
Jackson Poole is a struggling musician who is on his way to stardom. He's a great character and often I laughed right along with him while reading about his many zany antics. With a wonderful array of supporting characters, this book shone. It also has many sexy moments which were... stimulating.
This wasn't a romance novel, but it did carry a romantic subplot. I will definitely search out more books by this author.
A+
September 5, 2008
While on the rise to pop stardom, a young, gay musician is forced to play it straight. A quick, simple, fun & entertaining read.
January 5, 2011
It's about a newly signed rising singer/sonwriter forced to hide and lie about his sexuality by the record company. I thought it really entertaining.
November 4, 2013
mindnumbingly boring
February 17, 2015
funny. Good fast beach read!
August 20, 2016
Great for a light read for poolside or swinging on a hammock.
Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews