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Starstruck
When shy, sixteen-year-old Lisa Wade wins a date with rock star Flash Robinson, she is swept away by her overnight popularity at Cleveland High, but an accident involving her best friend Wendy forces Lisa's reexamination of her priorities
158 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published December 12, 1986
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
November 21, 2012
OK and funny, but didn't really like any of the characters. Lisa enters the contest to win a date with a rock star that she hardly even knows anything about. You have to write an essay on why you love Flash to win. First of all, by entering, Lisa is taking away a chance from somebody who really does care about Flash. Second of all, she should have been disqualified. You were supposed to write an essay, and she sends in a painting of a girl daydreaming about Flash, sorry, but that does not qualify as a written essay. She wins of course, and of course Alicia and Dan and their crowd want a piece of her.
Lisa basically dumps Wendy and Charlie her best friend and her sort of boyfriend. She dumped them for like a week, and I think Wendy and Charlie behaved as though it had been 7 years instead. Obviously Alicia and Dan only want Lisa around because of Flash. Duh. Lisa seems to see this but somehow doesn't comprehend it. Confused? Either you realize what they were about or you do not. Even when it is plain that Dan only wants to date her because of Flash, and I mean plain, Lisa seems to get that but turns around somehow and ends up not getting it?
Anyway, the date gets canceled with Flash because shocker, Wendy gets hit by a car about 20 minutes before Flash is to arrive and Lisa has to go see her in the hospital. Bad timing huh? Wendy is a huge fan of Flash's and Lisa is so close to the family, but somehow Wendy's mother doesn't know that she's calling Lisa to come to the hospital moments before Flash is supposed to pick her up? Has no clue that she's busting up a date with a popular rock star?
Another book where the girl next door somehow doesn't realize that she's in love with the boy next door all along. Barf.
Lisa basically dumps Wendy and Charlie her best friend and her sort of boyfriend. She dumped them for like a week, and I think Wendy and Charlie behaved as though it had been 7 years instead. Obviously Alicia and Dan only want Lisa around because of Flash. Duh. Lisa seems to see this but somehow doesn't comprehend it. Confused? Either you realize what they were about or you do not. Even when it is plain that Dan only wants to date her because of Flash, and I mean plain, Lisa seems to get that but turns around somehow and ends up not getting it?
Anyway, the date gets canceled with Flash because shocker, Wendy gets hit by a car about 20 minutes before Flash is to arrive and Lisa has to go see her in the hospital. Bad timing huh? Wendy is a huge fan of Flash's and Lisa is so close to the family, but somehow Wendy's mother doesn't know that she's calling Lisa to come to the hospital moments before Flash is supposed to pick her up? Has no clue that she's busting up a date with a popular rock star?
Another book where the girl next door somehow doesn't realize that she's in love with the boy next door all along. Barf.
May 20, 2023
I first discovered a Cynthia Blair YA novel back in my preteens, rediscovered the author a few years ago, and I've been enjoying reading new-to-me YA books by her ever since.
It's amazing that I got such a kick out of this novel, and not just for the '80s nostalgia factor. Yes, the story's pretty much got the predictable events I would've been surprised not to see. Even so, the story manages not to roll out in the most predictable of ways at every turn.
I kinda had a chuckle over the teen contest prizes—the fact that the prize would be different depending on the winner's gender. I almost felt like the boy's prize would be better than Lisa's, and I wonder what kind of feedback or pushback a teen contest like it would get today. Heeheehee, pretty sure the rules would be different nowadays.
I also really liked the story's message about having to live with the decisions you make, whether they're good or poor decisions. (Yes, good decisions can come with difficult consequences too, of course.)
All in all, this read was plenty of fun for me.
It's amazing that I got such a kick out of this novel, and not just for the '80s nostalgia factor. Yes, the story's pretty much got the predictable events I would've been surprised not to see. Even so, the story manages not to roll out in the most predictable of ways at every turn.
I kinda had a chuckle over the teen contest prizes—the fact that the prize would be different depending on the winner's gender. I almost felt like the boy's prize would be better than Lisa's, and I wonder what kind of feedback or pushback a teen contest like it would get today. Heeheehee, pretty sure the rules would be different nowadays.
I also really liked the story's message about having to live with the decisions you make, whether they're good or poor decisions. (Yes, good decisions can come with difficult consequences too, of course.)
All in all, this read was plenty of fun for me.
May 14, 2018
Starstruck
PLOT: Lisa Wade is your average 16-year-old high school student. She describes herself as "plain" (but on the cover of the book she's pretty). She's an honor roll student and a talented artist. She has two of the best friends a girl could hope for Wendy and Charlie but… Lisa has delusions of grandeur. What would it be like to date a hot guy like Dan Tiller and hang out with golden girl Alicia's crowd for once? Or even have some over the top thing happen? Well, it looks like her "delusions" might just become reality when she wins a contest in a record store for writing an essay to win a date with famous rock star FLASH Robinson. But with all the new found attention and popularity, will it all go to her head and she forget that the ones that stick with you through your journey and not hop in and out your life due to where you are at the moment are the ones worth hanging on too?
MY THOUGHTS: This is one of my "classic" books. When I think about Lisa, as a character I can relate to her in a lot of ways. 1. Even today, there isn't a day that passes when I don't think life has GOT to be more than this and I want some out there thing to come out the blue and just take me away from the life I have. Even though like Lisa my life looking in from the outside might look good. Good friends. Good family. Regrettably, though my FLASH (with a name like FLASH you just HAVE to spell it with all caps?) hasn't shown up at my door in a limo. 2. I was Lisa MANY YEARS ago. I had a Charlie. I sure did! And what did I do? Made the same mistake Lisa did "at first". Wanted "the popular" guy. Same result. Found out (WAY later) he was a user. What you see ladies under all the fine and charm isn't always what you get. BE WARNED! So I'm proud of Lisa for opening her eyes and being better than me. I did keep my Charlie but had I just been smarter. If Lisa has any sense she'll marry Charlie. Because we already know he'll make the most devoted husband in the world. 3. Lisa kind of strikes me as an introvert. She gets nervous when she has to give an interview and be on tv. I couldn't even imagine myself in a situation like that. When I go to meet with people I get the worst case of anxiety! Just thinking about being on a television set like that (even without a live audience) to me is terrifying! 4. Then Lisa is creative and I'm somewhat of an artist. Although unlike Lisa I could have written the essay. I have both skill sets (drawing and writing). And 5. Once I was in love with the "hot guy" that had a girl-friend and I too filled up diary pages on and on and on about wishing I could be with him. Then finding out how VERY wrong I was. Now when I think of the plot of this and what would I have done if FRESH or RIGHT ON magazine had a contest to win a date with Dalvin or Devante of Jodeci would I have put off my friends to hang with the popular crowd. HMM! I really wanna say no. I wanna say that 16 year old me back then had a little of the weariness I had today and wouldn't have been swayed. But just like with Lisa I probably "would" have no doubt got caught up if "that guy" would have turned on the charm (like Dan). I probably would have been putty. So I can see how the temptation to be a part of that world is there. But I think back then I just wasn't "as" impressed with the cool ones as Lisa was. As for this contest she entered. I don't have a problem with her thinking out the box and submitting a picture as an essay. Of course, I wouldn't because the artist part of me see's the brilliance in that. But what I do have a problem with is WHAT she paints. The essay is supposed to be Why I Love Flash Robinson. A painting of a girl sitting at a desk, listening to the radio, with a bubble of Flash surrounded by rainbows doesn't explain why you love him. Unless you wanna go the corny route and say he fills your life with color and rainbows. If I were the rules committee I still would have made her explain the painting before I awarded her the entry. I do think it was a slight bit unfair because girls like Wendy who probably could have written PAGES about Flash didn't win. Lisa didn't even seem to care about Flash through most of the book. But isn't that just life though? People win stuff all the time in unappreciation that should go to more deserving people. I always liked this book because the cover alone is just so 80's. You just know Lisa has on a swatch watch. And her fairytale white gown was featured in the pages of TEEN magazine in a fashion spread. I seriously want that room. And then the message is so good. And it shows you not to neglect the people that have been riding with you since DAY 1 for the "Dans" and "Alicia's". Because they are the ones that will be there for you in the end when it all boils down to it. Even when you find yourself getting a little ego like Lisa did.
RATING: 8 GREAT BOOK! A better older version of a book I read this year called Life Uploaded. Just substituting the man from a rock star to a tv star. And throwing in some social media drama. It's basically the same book.
PLOT: Lisa Wade is your average 16-year-old high school student. She describes herself as "plain" (but on the cover of the book she's pretty). She's an honor roll student and a talented artist. She has two of the best friends a girl could hope for Wendy and Charlie but… Lisa has delusions of grandeur. What would it be like to date a hot guy like Dan Tiller and hang out with golden girl Alicia's crowd for once? Or even have some over the top thing happen? Well, it looks like her "delusions" might just become reality when she wins a contest in a record store for writing an essay to win a date with famous rock star FLASH Robinson. But with all the new found attention and popularity, will it all go to her head and she forget that the ones that stick with you through your journey and not hop in and out your life due to where you are at the moment are the ones worth hanging on too?
MY THOUGHTS: This is one of my "classic" books. When I think about Lisa, as a character I can relate to her in a lot of ways. 1. Even today, there isn't a day that passes when I don't think life has GOT to be more than this and I want some out there thing to come out the blue and just take me away from the life I have. Even though like Lisa my life looking in from the outside might look good. Good friends. Good family. Regrettably, though my FLASH (with a name like FLASH you just HAVE to spell it with all caps?) hasn't shown up at my door in a limo. 2. I was Lisa MANY YEARS ago. I had a Charlie. I sure did! And what did I do? Made the same mistake Lisa did "at first". Wanted "the popular" guy. Same result. Found out (WAY later) he was a user. What you see ladies under all the fine and charm isn't always what you get. BE WARNED! So I'm proud of Lisa for opening her eyes and being better than me. I did keep my Charlie but had I just been smarter. If Lisa has any sense she'll marry Charlie. Because we already know he'll make the most devoted husband in the world. 3. Lisa kind of strikes me as an introvert. She gets nervous when she has to give an interview and be on tv. I couldn't even imagine myself in a situation like that. When I go to meet with people I get the worst case of anxiety! Just thinking about being on a television set like that (even without a live audience) to me is terrifying! 4. Then Lisa is creative and I'm somewhat of an artist. Although unlike Lisa I could have written the essay. I have both skill sets (drawing and writing). And 5. Once I was in love with the "hot guy" that had a girl-friend and I too filled up diary pages on and on and on about wishing I could be with him. Then finding out how VERY wrong I was. Now when I think of the plot of this and what would I have done if FRESH or RIGHT ON magazine had a contest to win a date with Dalvin or Devante of Jodeci would I have put off my friends to hang with the popular crowd. HMM! I really wanna say no. I wanna say that 16 year old me back then had a little of the weariness I had today and wouldn't have been swayed. But just like with Lisa I probably "would" have no doubt got caught up if "that guy" would have turned on the charm (like Dan). I probably would have been putty. So I can see how the temptation to be a part of that world is there. But I think back then I just wasn't "as" impressed with the cool ones as Lisa was. As for this contest she entered. I don't have a problem with her thinking out the box and submitting a picture as an essay. Of course, I wouldn't because the artist part of me see's the brilliance in that. But what I do have a problem with is WHAT she paints. The essay is supposed to be Why I Love Flash Robinson. A painting of a girl sitting at a desk, listening to the radio, with a bubble of Flash surrounded by rainbows doesn't explain why you love him. Unless you wanna go the corny route and say he fills your life with color and rainbows. If I were the rules committee I still would have made her explain the painting before I awarded her the entry. I do think it was a slight bit unfair because girls like Wendy who probably could have written PAGES about Flash didn't win. Lisa didn't even seem to care about Flash through most of the book. But isn't that just life though? People win stuff all the time in unappreciation that should go to more deserving people. I always liked this book because the cover alone is just so 80's. You just know Lisa has on a swatch watch. And her fairytale white gown was featured in the pages of TEEN magazine in a fashion spread. I seriously want that room. And then the message is so good. And it shows you not to neglect the people that have been riding with you since DAY 1 for the "Dans" and "Alicia's". Because they are the ones that will be there for you in the end when it all boils down to it. Even when you find yourself getting a little ego like Lisa did.
RATING: 8 GREAT BOOK! A better older version of a book I read this year called Life Uploaded. Just substituting the man from a rock star to a tv star. And throwing in some social media drama. It's basically the same book.
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews