Side Stage

by Kate Louise

Casey’s life is just where she wants it to be.She’s quit her day job, taken a bet on herself,and now runs her own business from home. Butwhen her two best friends take her on a fateful tripto Sydney, Casey’s world changes when she meetsa charming stranger.Vaughn Reed is the front man of one of the hottestup-and-coming bands. Yet when he spots Casey ata restaurant, he can’t keep his eyes off her.Just as they’re becoming closer, Vaughn needsto get back on tour, and Casey needs to decidewhether these new feelings are worth fighting for.Will his fame get to her?Or is Vaughn the adventureshe needed all along?

ebook

Published January 1, 2023

Reviews

[Krissy · Rating 4 out of 5]

He falls first
Long Distance
Rockstar

Favorite quote: “I'd never experienced feeling homesick for two places before, but also feeling like I didn't quite belong at either, my home was now Vaughn."

This is Kate Louise’s debut book and it’s a sweet one. It follows the start of Casey and Vaughn’s relationship and continues over the span of two years. It seems like a lot of time to cover in a book that is 195 pages, but it works. Casey is trying to reinvent her life and is finding it difficult to break out of her comfort zone. She ends up meeting Vaughn while on vacation with her girlfriends and they have an instant connection. The highs, and a few lows, are spotlighted and ends in a sweet happily ever after. There is some drama but nothing that majorly affects the outcome of the book. No third act break up. I feel like Casey is relateable to many. She is trying to reinvent herself, but, also scared of failing or not doing what's best. Change is scary. Relationships are scary. We just have to take the plunge and see where life takes us. That's when fun, sometimes once in a lifetime experiences can happen. In this book Casey does that. This book is a stand alone and is fairly fast paced. Overall, I enjoyed it and it was a quick, sweet read.

[The Dragon Den Book Blog · Rating 4 out of 5]

ARC Review of Side Stage by Kate Louise
* * * * *
A smooth, easy going romance with an aura of normality, sweet connection, great friends and music that you want to hear!

Casey never planned to meet Vaughn, like most book heroines.
She was only on a girls trip to Sydney. Of course fate decided they were to meet up in a bar, some clumsy cute chatter here and great vibes there.
She is however taken for a turn when she attends a concert...HIS CONCERT!
His is attractive, talented, sweet and makes her feel special.
Will Casey give him a chance, or will she shy away?

Loved the familiar setting - as myself being an Australian girl. Great characters, none of them too heavy or packing too much drama. It was boy-mees-girl. It carried complications and anxiety and self issues, specifically when Casey felt like she could not compete with Vaughn's adoring fans and the fame that came with him. Though her friends are awesome, encouraging her to take the chance with him.
The building romance between Casey and Vaughn is very cute. Sweet texts, normal conversations, and it only grows as she goes on tour with him.
Thank you to the author for reaching out to me with this read!

[Brittany Carson · Rating 5 out of 5]

First of all absolutely adore my girl, @kate_louise_author

Tropes
🎸famous x non-famous
🎸single pov
🎸cosy
🎸low spice
🎸fast paced/short quick read

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Side stage follows Casey Hewes who has decided to make some big changes in her life, when all of a sudden she meets a handsome stranger on a girls trip to Sydney. Later finding out that said stranger is actually alternative musician Vaughn Reeds. The story follows their journey as they navigate the trials of a long distance relationship.

This book holds a five star rating for a very specific reason and it is because it delivers on its intent as to why it was written. The novel length is short and face paced, the angst and drama is low, the spice is clean and minimal, and it delivers on the cosy and homely vibes. This book was a perfect and refreshing break from all the noise in my life and from other books I am/was reading. Its simplicity was exactly what I needed.

I’d recommend this book to anyone who needs a cosy and easy read and in need of a palette cleanser.

[Nora (Grayson's version) · Rating 5 out of 5]

I LOVE THIS BOOK SO MUCH!
🎸Side Stage by Kate Louis🎸
"I didn't know what was next for us, but I knew that with him by my side, we would be able to get through anything. He was my home, and I was his."

Tropes: Guy falls first, long distance, famous/non famous, face paced

The characters kind of reminded me of the ones in the movie: Love Hard. Everyone was so sweet. It's hard to find people like them these days!
I kept picturing Nina Dobrev as Casey. 👀

Now that I think about it I can also kind of picture Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce as the FMC and MMC...

Also Vaughn Reed, the MMC proved that if 'he wants to do it, he will. Don't settle for less.' He was grumpy at first but later proved me wrong!

Loved the little gestures from Vaughn's side. I MEAN HE WROTE A SONG FOR HER (many actually).
Loved the ending, it was adorable.

If there was a sequel, I would definitely read it!

If you're looking for a fast paced, cute romance, then side stage is the one for you! Highly recommend!

[B · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5/5

This small, cosy book achieves what the author wishes for it to. It is a short read, with a beautiful romantic story between two well-written characters, Casey and Vaughn. I enjoyed reading their journey develop and wow, Vaughn is such a lovely boyfriend!

Side Stage is a beautiful read. It has wonderful descriptive environments and allows you to feel super close to the MC, Casey. I enjoyed getting to know her and the story which spanned over a long period of time.
Kate wrote the characters quite well and I thought they were very realistic. Great for a romance which is made to feel like it could happen to any one of us.

The long-distance relationship can be difficult to write about but it is quickly addressed and written off with great feelings attached. A LDR can be hard, but Kate did well to establish why it worked well for Casey’s character. Overall, I enjoyed it and can’t wait to see what else Kate does in the future.

[Natalie · Rating 3 out of 5]

When Casey is on a girls trip in Sydney, she meets Vaughn, an up and coming singer in a popular band. She doesn’t know who he is, but they are both smitten. Can they be more than just smitten for each other?

An easy and pleasant read. Not major dramas or angst, just the story of two people learning to and falling in love with one another from opposite sides of the world.

The story is from her perspective, so we don’t see much of Vaughn’s viewpoint or any real depth to his character.

The story was floaty, breezy and fine but just lacked depth for me. Overall, not really a book for me but still a pleasant read nonetheless.

3 stars

[Devons book corner · Rating 4 out of 5]

I thought that this story was a cute, easy to read story that flowed well and was really sweet. The characters were super loveable, and I really loved Vaughn. He was so sweet and the perfect book boyfriend. I thought the author did a good job with how descriptive the story was, and I think that really helps the reader to connect with the characters and the story more. I also really enjoyed Casey. This was just a light, fun, easy to read book.

[Kelsbookreads · Rating 4 out of 5]

This has to be one of the sweetest, cosiest little romance novels I've read. It was just what I needed to feel all warm and fuzzy inside.

If you're looking for a love story, that:

❤️ he falls first
❤️ rock star x non-famous
❤️ long distance
❤️ her POV
❤️ sweet & cosy with a hint of spice

then Side Stage is the read you're looking for. Casey and Vaughn are relatable and clearly meant to be; not even living on opposite sides of the world could stop their HEA.

[Aleish Cuaresma]

thanks to bookworm book tours & kate louise for the arc!

i loved this story. the beginning took a while for me to get in to, but i liked how realistic it was, how simple the love story was, and i adored casey & vaughn's relationship. it was truly a very fast-paced & fun read, and the perfect love story!

[Daniela · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thanks to the author Kate Louise and to bookwormtours for the ARC copy.

For me this was a great romance story. It felt very natural, like it would be in any normal situation, ok well falling for a Rock Star doesn't happen everyday, but how it happens and how their relationship evolves it's very easy to relate to.
It was a super fun and easy read to enjoy on a cosy day.

[Kai Juergensen · Rating 5 out of 5]

a fantastic little read! i don't read romance unless it's fused in with horror, but this was very enjoyable from start to finish. easy to read and follow, it quickly became a cozy book i couldn't put down. is it odd i now miss the gang?

super glad i took the chance on an unknown author whose post randomly appeared in my Instagram feed. looking forward to reading the next adventure by Kate!

[Steph Sparkles · Rating 4 out of 5]

I found the overall story and writing vaguely boring, but at least wanted to know how it ended. It was just ok. The story could have been a little more detailed and flushed out, but stayed kinda boring and vanilla. Simple story about true love that just wasn't my cup of tea.

[ChapterandCo · Rating 4 out of 5]

Side stage is such a cute cozy read! I loved that it was nice easy short read. Casey and Vaughn have my heart 🥰🫶

[Tracey Edwards · Rating 5 out of 5]

I absolutely loved this story! I read this after enjoying Kate’s second book Jump Start (which is also a fantastic read!).
I cannot wait to see more from this talented author

[Rithchellyne · Rating 3 out of 5]

“𝗖𝗮𝘀𝗲, 𝗜 𝗳𝗲𝗲𝗹 𝘀𝗼 𝗹𝘂𝗰𝗸𝘆 𝘁𝗼 𝗵𝗮𝘃𝗲 𝗺𝗲𝘁 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗵𝗲𝗿𝗲 𝗮 𝘆𝗲𝗮𝗿 𝗮𝗴𝗼. 𝗬𝗼𝘂'𝘃𝗲 𝗺𝗮𝗱𝗲 𝗹𝗶𝗳𝗲 𝘀𝗼 𝗺𝘂𝗰𝗵 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗰𝗼𝗹𝗼𝘂𝗿𝗳𝘂𝗹 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗜 𝗱𝗶𝗱𝗻'𝘁 𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗹𝗶𝘀𝗲 𝗵𝗼𝘄 𝗺𝘂𝗰𝗵 𝗜 𝗮𝗰𝘁𝘂𝗮𝗹𝗹𝘆 𝗻𝗲𝗲𝗱𝗲𝗱 𝘀𝗼𝗺𝗲𝗼𝗻𝗲 𝘁𝗼 𝗹𝗼𝘃𝗲. 𝗬𝗼𝘂'𝗿𝗲 𝗮𝗻 𝗲𝗻𝗱𝗹𝗲𝘀𝘀 𝘀𝘂𝗽𝗽𝗹𝘆 𝗹𝗳 𝗶𝗻𝘀𝗽𝗶𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗺𝗲 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗺𝘆 𝗺𝘂𝘀𝗶𝗰, 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗜 𝗹𝗼𝘃𝗲 𝘆𝗼𝘂."

This lighthearted and entertaining read is perfect for anyone seeking a quick and enjoyable story. The tale of Casey and Vaughn is filled with adorable moments and well-developed characters. Their friends, bandmates, and family provide a fantastic support system, adding to the overall charm of the narrative. I've been eyeing this book for months, thanks to the author's beautiful aesthetic posts. Kate Louise's writing style is captivating, and she has a talent for creating relatable and endearing characters.

The portrayal of Casey and Vaughn's long-distance relationship is particularly realistic. Despite the time difference, they manage to connect and get to know each other through effective communication, daily calls, open discussions, trust, and creativity. However, I must confess that the excessive coffee consumption throughout the story is a bit concerning! It might be time for these characters to explore other caffeine alternatives.

3.5 ⭐

[Spicy_bookcorner · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a cute little read and I did enjoy it, but for me it lacked spice (I like it hawt).
The plot was captivating, and Vaughn and Casey’s relationship was sweet. For a debut author, it’s a pretty good story :)
I would recommend it.