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Nicole Wilde #1
If We Ever Meet Again
Nicole Wilde’s life is one of sell-out gigs, bunking on tour buses, trashing hotels and partying with the band all night long. But she’s not in the band. She is a music journalist, paid to be the world’s greatest groupie– and she loves it!
Nicole has the party lifestyle – and the hangovers to prove it – but no one stops her in the supermarket on a bad hair day. Until she is papped in an incriminating position with recently married mega-star Dylan King of The Burnouts and the tabloids start hounding her. This isn’t so fun. Especially when her make-up is a mess and she hasn’t yet had a chance to clean her teeth.
Dylan accuses her of ruining his marriage. His handsome PR agent, Charles, calls her a tart. She has to take gorgeous Luke from Two For the Road to hospital after a drug incident. And she’s dropped her mobile phone in the bath! Too much celebrity lifestyle for one week? Time to slow down and take stock? Maybe for somebody else. But Nicole Wilde is going to come out fighting!
Don't miss Portia MacIntosh's linked novella Between a Rockstar and a Hardplace to see where Nicole started out!
Nicole has the party lifestyle – and the hangovers to prove it – but no one stops her in the supermarket on a bad hair day. Until she is papped in an incriminating position with recently married mega-star Dylan King of The Burnouts and the tabloids start hounding her. This isn’t so fun. Especially when her make-up is a mess and she hasn’t yet had a chance to clean her teeth.
Dylan accuses her of ruining his marriage. His handsome PR agent, Charles, calls her a tart. She has to take gorgeous Luke from Two For the Road to hospital after a drug incident. And she’s dropped her mobile phone in the bath! Too much celebrity lifestyle for one week? Time to slow down and take stock? Maybe for somebody else. But Nicole Wilde is going to come out fighting!
Don't miss Portia MacIntosh's linked novella Between a Rockstar and a Hardplace to see where Nicole started out!
377 pages, ebook
First published May 5, 2013
270 people are currently reading
822 people want to read
About the author
Portia MacIntosh
50 books2,068 followersPortia MacIntosh is the bestselling author of over 30 romantic comedy novels.
From disastrous dates to destination weddings, Portia’s romcoms are the perfect way to escape from day to day life, visiting sunny beaches in the summer and snowy villages at Christmas time. Whether it’s southern Italy or the Yorkshire coast, Portia’s stories are the holiday you’re craving, conveniently packed in between the pages.
Formerly a journalist, Portia has left the city, swapping the music biz for the moors, to live the (not so) quiet life with her husband and her dog in Yorkshire.
Find out more at www.portiamacintosh.com
From disastrous dates to destination weddings, Portia’s romcoms are the perfect way to escape from day to day life, visiting sunny beaches in the summer and snowy villages at Christmas time. Whether it’s southern Italy or the Yorkshire coast, Portia’s stories are the holiday you’re craving, conveniently packed in between the pages.
Formerly a journalist, Portia has left the city, swapping the music biz for the moors, to live the (not so) quiet life with her husband and her dog in Yorkshire.
Find out more at www.portiamacintosh.com
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 52 reviews
October 24, 2014
When I read Portia Macintosh’s debut novella Between A Rockstar and a Hardplace I was immediately struck with how fantastic a writer Portia was! I raced through the novella, desperate to read more about Nicole Wilde and Dylan King so it was pretty awesome to be one of the first readers to read her debut novel How Not To Be Starstruck. I was so excited to dive into the novel, that I immediately finished up what I was currently reading so I could get stuck straight into this one. But, I have to be honest, this just wasn’t as enjoyable as Between A Rockstar and a Hardplace. I can’t really pinpoint what it was, but this novel just seemed all over the place, whereas the novella seemed to have way more purpose.
When I initially read the novella I thought this was going to be a fantastic series set around the world of music and, to be fair, How Not To Be Starstruck is very much set in the music. But, I actually thought the novel would be focused on Nicole and Dylan a lot more than it was. I thought Nicole would join Dylan on tour with his band, and we’d follow them around the world (or England, or Europe). Instead, we actually find Nicole in Leeds, doing her regular day job, as manager of online magazine Starstruck. She gets to interview fab band boys, she gets to go on the road whenever she likes, without having to ask permission, and she spends most nights drunk and she’s perpetually late (and constantly reminds us – remember, she’s late!). From the inital few chapters I was quite excited to see what the novel would bring, but I thought it was all a bit of a mess, if I’m being honest.
The best thing about the novella was Troy, and he’s only BARELY mentioned in How Not To Be Starstruck (the novella was written AFTER Starstruck, which is why he’s barely mentioned, but which sucks massively) and while I did enjoy the look into what it is to be a groupie (because, let’s be honest, that’s what Nicole is) I just felt she acted a bit too much like I expect One Direction fans do. I figured she would be super cool around bands, but no, she was quite embarrassing, and not at all self-deprecating, which is bizarre because I loved her in the novella, and in this she just seemed a bit of a monster, who used her status as much as the band boys did. The novel just seemed to jump from place to place without any real grounding and I was so confused. One minute Nicole’s in love with Luke, a member of Two For The Road, but then she’s hooking up with Charles, Dylan’s PR, then she’s kissing Dylan and I just wanted it to stop. She really did get around, and I just didn’t much like it.
Everything that I loved about the novella just seemed to be missing in this book and I just wanted so much more than I got because I spent half the novel confused at Nicole’s antics. I very much wanted the novel to just slow down for a minute or two because I could barely keep up and not in a good way. I so wanted to love this novel as much as I loved the prequel novella, but I just didn’t see it this time around and I was quite surprised at how forgiving Nicole was all the time – what Dylan did to her (which, to me, is grounds to NEVER speak to him again, because you shouldn’t be allowed to do that to someone who you purport is your best friend), what Luke did (he was like a tap – hot and cold!), the way Charles acted (PSYCHO), even the way Nicole acted – she had a job, but she was barely there, she barely did anything! I was super disappointed. Portia Macintosh has a great voice, but it worked way better in novella form than it did in full-book form because it just seemed a bit too messy for me, it needed a bit more direction and a few less men. And way more Troy. Because of all the bunch, Troy is by FAR the best. I might read the next novel in the series, if there is one, but only if Troy makes an appearance.
When I initially read the novella I thought this was going to be a fantastic series set around the world of music and, to be fair, How Not To Be Starstruck is very much set in the music. But, I actually thought the novel would be focused on Nicole and Dylan a lot more than it was. I thought Nicole would join Dylan on tour with his band, and we’d follow them around the world (or England, or Europe). Instead, we actually find Nicole in Leeds, doing her regular day job, as manager of online magazine Starstruck. She gets to interview fab band boys, she gets to go on the road whenever she likes, without having to ask permission, and she spends most nights drunk and she’s perpetually late (and constantly reminds us – remember, she’s late!). From the inital few chapters I was quite excited to see what the novel would bring, but I thought it was all a bit of a mess, if I’m being honest.
The best thing about the novella was Troy, and he’s only BARELY mentioned in How Not To Be Starstruck (the novella was written AFTER Starstruck, which is why he’s barely mentioned, but which sucks massively) and while I did enjoy the look into what it is to be a groupie (because, let’s be honest, that’s what Nicole is) I just felt she acted a bit too much like I expect One Direction fans do. I figured she would be super cool around bands, but no, she was quite embarrassing, and not at all self-deprecating, which is bizarre because I loved her in the novella, and in this she just seemed a bit of a monster, who used her status as much as the band boys did. The novel just seemed to jump from place to place without any real grounding and I was so confused. One minute Nicole’s in love with Luke, a member of Two For The Road, but then she’s hooking up with Charles, Dylan’s PR, then she’s kissing Dylan and I just wanted it to stop. She really did get around, and I just didn’t much like it.
Everything that I loved about the novella just seemed to be missing in this book and I just wanted so much more than I got because I spent half the novel confused at Nicole’s antics. I very much wanted the novel to just slow down for a minute or two because I could barely keep up and not in a good way. I so wanted to love this novel as much as I loved the prequel novella, but I just didn’t see it this time around and I was quite surprised at how forgiving Nicole was all the time – what Dylan did to her (which, to me, is grounds to NEVER speak to him again, because you shouldn’t be allowed to do that to someone who you purport is your best friend), what Luke did (he was like a tap – hot and cold!), the way Charles acted (PSYCHO), even the way Nicole acted – she had a job, but she was barely there, she barely did anything! I was super disappointed. Portia Macintosh has a great voice, but it worked way better in novella form than it did in full-book form because it just seemed a bit too messy for me, it needed a bit more direction and a few less men. And way more Troy. Because of all the bunch, Troy is by FAR the best. I might read the next novel in the series, if there is one, but only if Troy makes an appearance.
February 14, 2020
Not bad
I stuck with this to the end. It is a well written book but I think I might be too old for this author. I found the endless parties/men/band speak/drinking extremely boring. Maybe better for someone in their twenties than late forties.
I stuck with this to the end. It is a well written book but I think I might be too old for this author. I found the endless parties/men/band speak/drinking extremely boring. Maybe better for someone in their twenties than late forties.
July 28, 2025
This was ok, and I loved that she stood up for herself. However, it's supposed to be a love story and she had very little time actually spent in a romantic capacity with the Main Love interest
August 21, 2025
2.5 stars
March 18, 2021
Can't wait for the next adventure
I love hearing what Nicole gets up to and the situations she finds herself in I just hope there is more to come from her. Portia way if writing makes it feel like you are living in Nicole's shoes a fantastic read that will have you laughing out loud
I love hearing what Nicole gets up to and the situations she finds herself in I just hope there is more to come from her. Portia way if writing makes it feel like you are living in Nicole's shoes a fantastic read that will have you laughing out loud
June 2, 2021
Not up to this authors usual standards I’m afraid (in my opinion anyway) I couldn’t get empathy with the main character and she was just too silly and drunk, the upshot of the betrayal stuck out a mile & if she’d stopped getting drunk & putting herself in dubious situations with rockstars she would have seen it coming. One for the shelf for me I’m afraid
April 9, 2022
Not her usual
I love Portia Macintosh but this was terrible and hard work. Horrible bratty obnoxious characters that I kept praying would all fall down a very deep, dark soundproof hole. No such luck. Unfortunately they all carried on doing incredibly whiny bratty obnoxious things - right to the shitter end.
I love Portia Macintosh but this was terrible and hard work. Horrible bratty obnoxious characters that I kept praying would all fall down a very deep, dark soundproof hole. No such luck. Unfortunately they all carried on doing incredibly whiny bratty obnoxious things - right to the shitter end.
September 15, 2025
There was no love on tour, and no love at all until the third to last page.
I unfortunately couldn’t enjoy this book due to its unlikeable main character. She was very “pick me”, in the sense that all boys she was friends with were “in love” with her, and all her girl friends were just jealous of her. Her bratty, self-obsessed attitude made this book hard to enjoy.
The plot was somewhat entertaining, but was let down by the fact that it was very unrealistic. For example, the camera being put in the hotel room which helped clear her name was so absurd and came out of nowhere. Luke also immediately quit his very strong drug addiction when she asked him to stop, which was a bit far-fetched.
There were some plot points which I found very annoying, such as forgiving her male friend after he publicly accused her of cheating, but never speaking to her female friend for trusting the wrong person (Justice for Emily!!). I also didn’t like how she treated Charles. The whole ‘pouring the smoothie over him and everyone clapping’ was so cringey. I get that he was harsh but when he asked her to stop sleeping in hotel rooms with other guys, and then she gets pictured with another guy on top of her, who can blame him for thinking the worst? This made the main character disrespectful, immature and hard to root for.
I didn’t enjoy this book and had will myself to finish it. It had the odd editing mistake with words just missing letters, which made it confusing to read.
One of the main reasons this book is not enjoyable is that it is advertised as a romance (literally called ‘Love On Tour’), but no love happens on tour or in fact anywhere until the third to last page where he declares his love and then the book ends. Just felt like a complete waste of time. I maybe would’ve enjoyed the book more if it wasn’t advertised as a ‘friends-to-lovers romance’ but more as a book on fame and other kinds of relationships.
I was left disappointed and annoyed at the main character. The 2 stars are because some lines were funny and it was ok enough for me to finish.
I unfortunately couldn’t enjoy this book due to its unlikeable main character. She was very “pick me”, in the sense that all boys she was friends with were “in love” with her, and all her girl friends were just jealous of her. Her bratty, self-obsessed attitude made this book hard to enjoy.
The plot was somewhat entertaining, but was let down by the fact that it was very unrealistic. For example, the camera being put in the hotel room which helped clear her name was so absurd and came out of nowhere. Luke also immediately quit his very strong drug addiction when she asked him to stop, which was a bit far-fetched.
There were some plot points which I found very annoying, such as forgiving her male friend after he publicly accused her of cheating, but never speaking to her female friend for trusting the wrong person (Justice for Emily!!). I also didn’t like how she treated Charles. The whole ‘pouring the smoothie over him and everyone clapping’ was so cringey. I get that he was harsh but when he asked her to stop sleeping in hotel rooms with other guys, and then she gets pictured with another guy on top of her, who can blame him for thinking the worst? This made the main character disrespectful, immature and hard to root for.
I didn’t enjoy this book and had will myself to finish it. It had the odd editing mistake with words just missing letters, which made it confusing to read.
One of the main reasons this book is not enjoyable is that it is advertised as a romance (literally called ‘Love On Tour’), but no love happens on tour or in fact anywhere until the third to last page where he declares his love and then the book ends. Just felt like a complete waste of time. I maybe would’ve enjoyed the book more if it wasn’t advertised as a ‘friends-to-lovers romance’ but more as a book on fame and other kinds of relationships.
I was left disappointed and annoyed at the main character. The 2 stars are because some lines were funny and it was ok enough for me to finish.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
July 27, 2021
Having read Porta MacIntosh's novella "One Way or Another" I was looking forward to finding out what happened next to Nicole and Dylan. This was book not a disappointment and it bubbled along at a fast pace. Poor Nicole is a music journalist who seems to spend more time chasing her rock star friends than ever dong any work. Yes, I realise that her job is to attend gigs and interview people but she never seemed to be in her office writing up any of her reviews or interviews because so much of her time is spent drunk or hungover. There's an abundance of sex, drugs and rock and roll in this book but nothing that I found offensive or too graphic. I did worry a bit about how easy it was portrayed that someone could simply stop using addictive drugs almost overnight just because he wanted to please Nicole. But what the heck- It's a story! Some very serious issues are dealt with, unplanned pregnancy, work place bullying, mendacious propaganda, alcoholism, drug dependency, adultery and treacherous friendships and that's just for starters. Wow! A lot of fun and if you can take the pace I suggest you read it and enjoy it for the entertainment it is meant to be.
August 9, 2025
I absolutely hated this. I 've never read something where you're supposed to like a charcater and yet their inner monologue from THEIR 1ST PERSON POINT OF VEIW makes me genuinely hate them. The only character I liked in this story was in a combined like 20 pages and I'm pretty sure I only liked him bcs he didn't have time to disappoint me. The first 100 pages of the book are trash talking one of the love interests and making it clear he'd be a terrible option then... He's the end game???? What? The entire book blindsided me and if I wasn't so committed to not dnfing anything i would not have got through it. I'm not sure if it's the style of romance where you don't know/can't guess immediately who's endgame but I didn't like it, especially since none og them seemed like good options other than Jake. The only thing i liked was that the characters around the MC did feel very full and fleshed out, that was a change from what I've read before that i enjoyed (even if they were all fleshed out to be insufferable)
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
May 6, 2021
Another brilliant light hearted read but also I felt an important message woven into the story in a really fun way Nicole was a groupie all right and followed bands had a lot of fun but when a bitter twisted bitch decided to sell stories on her that were not true Nicole’s life went bad very quickly thankfully she found the strength to cope with it and have her truth told on the end a perfect read for fans of the ashling series I think I needed something to read the Past while that wasn’t sad and this was perfect
June 27, 2025
2nd in a series. Nicole Wilde
Nicole has an online magazine born out of her years-long fan girl of a few bands. The lead singer of one of the bands is her BFF, and now he's getting married to a pregnant one-night stand. In the meantime there's a jealous force working to ruin her and things get pretty tense at work, with her band BFF, and friend from work.
Nicole has an online magazine born out of her years-long fan girl of a few bands. The lead singer of one of the bands is her BFF, and now he's getting married to a pregnant one-night stand. In the meantime there's a jealous force working to ruin her and things get pretty tense at work, with her band BFF, and friend from work.
February 15, 2018
It's an unrealistic, yet quite endearing story if you can stand the fact that the prota gets wasted on a regular basis even in situations were it's a bi till-advised and every male she meets - expect band managers - is incredibly gorgeous.
September 5, 2020
Amazing book
Love this book Nicole's antics are so funny and in a way I was secretly hoping she got together with Dylan or Luke and glad that she saw Charles for what he really was!
Glad she got her happily ever after
Love this book Nicole's antics are so funny and in a way I was secretly hoping she got together with Dylan or Luke and glad that she saw Charles for what he really was!
Glad she got her happily ever after
September 18, 2021
Nicole Wilde returns for one hell of a rollercoaster ride! Once again Dylan is getting her into scrapes, but unfortunately he can't take all the credit. Normally a romantic heroine has one or two love interests, but Nicole is spoiled for choice. There's Dylan sexy PR man, her lifelong crush and even a cute IT guy who apparently smells nice. Who will she choose? Nobody knows!
November 17, 2021
A great read
I found this book hard to put down. I just had to find out what was going to happen next. Nicole Wilde has a life that many people can only dream about. It's impossible to not be starstruck by this fictional world.
I found this book hard to put down. I just had to find out what was going to happen next. Nicole Wilde has a life that many people can only dream about. It's impossible to not be starstruck by this fictional world.
October 5, 2025
Probably my least favorite Portia Macintosh book, it was a bit long and repetitive. As someone who hasn't read her books in order, it was cool to get the background on Dylan King, who shows up or is mentioned in multiple books.
November 21, 2025
Audiobook - DNF 62%
I really wanted to keep going but honestly there’s too much going on, the FMC (and frankly all the MMCs) is annoying. I looked up the rest of the book and I’m fine with not finishing.
I really wanted to keep going but honestly there’s too much going on, the FMC (and frankly all the MMCs) is annoying. I looked up the rest of the book and I’m fine with not finishing.
July 1, 2020
Good quick read. Like this writer so look forward to the next book
July 6, 2021
Great series, great characters all with different personalities. Great reading
Read
August 2, 2023Keep
November 17, 2023
I felt nauseated reading about the lifestyle choice of rockers. The author could have spared us of the details. Took forever to get to how Nicole's life was turned upside down.
May 17, 2025
This was barely a romance and none of the characters captivated my attention. ⭐️⭐️
July 12, 2025
This one I struggled with. I could not relate with the characters and honestly everything felt way too unrealistic. I do like the author’s other books, but this one was a miss for me.
October 1, 2025
Amazing! Loved it. My favourite so far from Portia Macintosh
Read
October 21, 2025DNF at 55%. Hard time getting into this one.
November 25, 2025
I listened to this audiobook and loved the narrator. Lots and lots of party scenes, but overall a really wonderful story!! Thoroughly enjoyed it and I really love Portia's books!!
May 3, 2014
Nicole Wilde’s life is one of sell-out gigs, bunking on tour buses, trashing hotels and partying with the band all night long. But she’s not in the band. She is a music journalist, paid to be the world’s greatest groupie– and she loves it!
Nicole has the party lifestyle – and the hangovers to prove it – but no one stops her in the supermarket on a bad hair day. Until she is papped in an incriminating position with recently married mega-star Dylan King of The Burnouts and the tabloids start hounding her. This isn’t so fun. Especially when her make-up is a mess and she hasn’t yet had a chance to clean her teeth.
Dylan accuses her of ruining his marriage. His handsome PR agent, Charles, calls her a tart. She has to take gorgeous Luke from Two For the Road to hospital after a drug incident. And she’s dropped her mobile phone in the bath! Too much celebrity lifestyle for one week? Time to slow down and take stock? Maybe for somebody else. But Nicole Wilde is going to come out fighting.
I was SO excited when I received an email from Portia asking me if I would like to review this book as it had been on my Amazon Wishlist since it came out! The concept of the whole book fascinated me, especially as I started going to rock concerts when I was 14 and ALWAYS wanted to meet the bands afterwards, once or twice I got to do this to get pictures taken with them which always made my day, and I have ever since always wondered what it would be like to actually know the bands and to be on tour with them. So this was the perfect book for me!
I fell in love with this book from the start! I love that it is based on Portia's personal experiences because it made Nicole's life and situations so much more believable, most of the things in the book I doubt you could make up if you hadn't experienced being on tour with bands and spending a lot of time around rockstars.
I enjoyed learning about Nicole’s life, she described herself as a professional hanger-on and all she really wanted from life was to have fun, her job is even as a music journalist so even at work she gets to surround herself with her rock star friends and up and coming bands. She is so much fun and I want to be her best friend!
I absolutely loved Nicole’s friendship with Dylan, I was completely fascinated by the idea of being a rock star’s best friend. Although most things Dylan did got him into trouble you couldn't help but really feel for him and see what was underneath his rock star persona.
I found myself hooked on Nicole’s love life, it was complicated, unpredictable and I didn't have a clue which guy she would eventually choose. From the start I wanted her to choose Luke but as the book went on I started to wonder if she would end up with Dylan!
The way the book is written makes you feel like the whole thing is a conversation that you are having with Nicole, I think this makes the book so much more personal and makes you feel like you are experiencing everything with Nicole.
The story gives you an amazing insight into the world of groupies, bands, journalism and touring, and all the good and bad things that come with it. Some of the things that happen are so unexpected but they are written so well by Portia that you don't for one second think they are made up. This made me enjoy the book so much more. The impact that the press/paparazzi had on the bands and Nicole's lives was another interesting element to the book as we all see celebrities on the front of magazines and newspapers, but seeing it from their side was a huge an eye-opener and makes you realise you shouldn't always believe everything that is written!
I couldn't put this book down! I enjoyed it so much that I felt like I could cry when I turned the last page, I could of carried on reading about Nicole's life forever! Not one part of the book was bad, nothing was over-written or explained too much/ too little. It was just perfect! For somebody that has always loved bands it has given me the insight I always wanted!
Whether you like rock stars, want to be in/ touring with a band or not I would recommend this book to anybody. I have so much praise for this book and I am definitely going to read Between a Rockstar and a Hard Place as I am having Nicole withdrawal already!
10/10
Nicole has the party lifestyle – and the hangovers to prove it – but no one stops her in the supermarket on a bad hair day. Until she is papped in an incriminating position with recently married mega-star Dylan King of The Burnouts and the tabloids start hounding her. This isn’t so fun. Especially when her make-up is a mess and she hasn’t yet had a chance to clean her teeth.
Dylan accuses her of ruining his marriage. His handsome PR agent, Charles, calls her a tart. She has to take gorgeous Luke from Two For the Road to hospital after a drug incident. And she’s dropped her mobile phone in the bath! Too much celebrity lifestyle for one week? Time to slow down and take stock? Maybe for somebody else. But Nicole Wilde is going to come out fighting.
I was SO excited when I received an email from Portia asking me if I would like to review this book as it had been on my Amazon Wishlist since it came out! The concept of the whole book fascinated me, especially as I started going to rock concerts when I was 14 and ALWAYS wanted to meet the bands afterwards, once or twice I got to do this to get pictures taken with them which always made my day, and I have ever since always wondered what it would be like to actually know the bands and to be on tour with them. So this was the perfect book for me!
I fell in love with this book from the start! I love that it is based on Portia's personal experiences because it made Nicole's life and situations so much more believable, most of the things in the book I doubt you could make up if you hadn't experienced being on tour with bands and spending a lot of time around rockstars.
I enjoyed learning about Nicole’s life, she described herself as a professional hanger-on and all she really wanted from life was to have fun, her job is even as a music journalist so even at work she gets to surround herself with her rock star friends and up and coming bands. She is so much fun and I want to be her best friend!
I absolutely loved Nicole’s friendship with Dylan, I was completely fascinated by the idea of being a rock star’s best friend. Although most things Dylan did got him into trouble you couldn't help but really feel for him and see what was underneath his rock star persona.
I found myself hooked on Nicole’s love life, it was complicated, unpredictable and I didn't have a clue which guy she would eventually choose. From the start I wanted her to choose Luke but as the book went on I started to wonder if she would end up with Dylan!
The way the book is written makes you feel like the whole thing is a conversation that you are having with Nicole, I think this makes the book so much more personal and makes you feel like you are experiencing everything with Nicole.
The story gives you an amazing insight into the world of groupies, bands, journalism and touring, and all the good and bad things that come with it. Some of the things that happen are so unexpected but they are written so well by Portia that you don't for one second think they are made up. This made me enjoy the book so much more. The impact that the press/paparazzi had on the bands and Nicole's lives was another interesting element to the book as we all see celebrities on the front of magazines and newspapers, but seeing it from their side was a huge an eye-opener and makes you realise you shouldn't always believe everything that is written!
I couldn't put this book down! I enjoyed it so much that I felt like I could cry when I turned the last page, I could of carried on reading about Nicole's life forever! Not one part of the book was bad, nothing was over-written or explained too much/ too little. It was just perfect! For somebody that has always loved bands it has given me the insight I always wanted!
Whether you like rock stars, want to be in/ touring with a band or not I would recommend this book to anybody. I have so much praise for this book and I am definitely going to read Between a Rockstar and a Hard Place as I am having Nicole withdrawal already!
10/10
March 31, 2014
Earlier this month I had the absolute pleasure of reading Portia’s novella, Between A Rockstar And A Hard Place, which introduced us to Nicole (our protagonist) and Dylan, bad boy rockstar! After finishing that one, I was SO eager to read the full length novel and it did not disappoint at all.
HNTBS follows the life of Nicole – a magazine editor, a huge partier and always late. Being friends with bands is a cool job, getting to spend time with the hottest rock stars is not a hard life but with dirty tour buses, screaming fans and having to wear the same clothes for days in a row, it’s not for the faint hearted. When Nicole joins new band on the scene, Two For The Road, on their tour, she quickly finds Luke, one of the band members to be to her liking. But band boys are notoriously bad at monogamy and Nicole isn’t sure she even wants a boyfriend. What are you supposed to do with a boyfriend? She can’t remember. It’s been too long since she last had one. As we follow Nicole, we see her try to fit in with the ‘real’ world again but when she is photographed in a compromising position with her best friend (and newly married) Dylan, she realises that being famous is not all it cracks up to be, and sometimes, being in the shadows of a band is the best place to be.
There were two main things I loved about this novel. Firstly, the protagonist – she was amazing. Secondly, I could not predict any of this plot, at all. I would not have been able to tell you where it was going to end up. Nicole is a perfect protagonist. I fell in love with her straight away and whilst I couldn’t relate to her lifestyle, I loved her honesty and I could relate to her disorganisation, and her observations about the world around her really struck a chord with me. She was feisty but had a very soft and fragile side to her as well which I loved seeing – by the time the book had ended I felt like I knew her inside out. She was fabulous! Nicole developed so well over the course of the novel too, it was almost as though she grew up and became a ‘real’ woman, instead of being the teenager she seemed in the beginning.
Portia has got a real gift for writing. She manages to tell a story in such detail and with such pace that you cannot put the book down, I was addicted to this book and found it hard to step out of the characters world for even a second – I so desperately wanted to know what was going to happen next! Something else that strikes me with Portia’s writing is the honesty and experience with which she writes. Portia herself has been immersed in the rockstar world and it is clear from what she writes about, that she knows exactly what life on the road with a band is like. There were some absolutely hilarious parts of this novel, one involved reversing a van into a wall, that I imagine are all loosely based on real experiences which brought a real truthfulness to the plot.
There was an array of hot men in this book too! Some were geeky, some were famous, some were typical rockstars but all of them brought something fresh and exciting to the plot. I loved how Nicole interacted with them all. So often in this kind of fiction, women seem to spend time with other women, whereas I loved seeing the dynamics between one woman and a lot of men. Men make the best friends and best confidantes so I loved seeing this in HNTBS.
Overall, this book is just a delight to read. It’s easy to read, quick to read but has such depth and such a well thought out plot that you can’t help but fall in love with it. I am seriously hoping we might have a sequel to this book in the future and I am definitely keeping my eye out for any other book that comes from Portia’s pen. She’s one to watch out for!
A skilfully written novel exploring the world of rockstars, parties and paparazzi.
HNTBS follows the life of Nicole – a magazine editor, a huge partier and always late. Being friends with bands is a cool job, getting to spend time with the hottest rock stars is not a hard life but with dirty tour buses, screaming fans and having to wear the same clothes for days in a row, it’s not for the faint hearted. When Nicole joins new band on the scene, Two For The Road, on their tour, she quickly finds Luke, one of the band members to be to her liking. But band boys are notoriously bad at monogamy and Nicole isn’t sure she even wants a boyfriend. What are you supposed to do with a boyfriend? She can’t remember. It’s been too long since she last had one. As we follow Nicole, we see her try to fit in with the ‘real’ world again but when she is photographed in a compromising position with her best friend (and newly married) Dylan, she realises that being famous is not all it cracks up to be, and sometimes, being in the shadows of a band is the best place to be.
There were two main things I loved about this novel. Firstly, the protagonist – she was amazing. Secondly, I could not predict any of this plot, at all. I would not have been able to tell you where it was going to end up. Nicole is a perfect protagonist. I fell in love with her straight away and whilst I couldn’t relate to her lifestyle, I loved her honesty and I could relate to her disorganisation, and her observations about the world around her really struck a chord with me. She was feisty but had a very soft and fragile side to her as well which I loved seeing – by the time the book had ended I felt like I knew her inside out. She was fabulous! Nicole developed so well over the course of the novel too, it was almost as though she grew up and became a ‘real’ woman, instead of being the teenager she seemed in the beginning.
Portia has got a real gift for writing. She manages to tell a story in such detail and with such pace that you cannot put the book down, I was addicted to this book and found it hard to step out of the characters world for even a second – I so desperately wanted to know what was going to happen next! Something else that strikes me with Portia’s writing is the honesty and experience with which she writes. Portia herself has been immersed in the rockstar world and it is clear from what she writes about, that she knows exactly what life on the road with a band is like. There were some absolutely hilarious parts of this novel, one involved reversing a van into a wall, that I imagine are all loosely based on real experiences which brought a real truthfulness to the plot.
There was an array of hot men in this book too! Some were geeky, some were famous, some were typical rockstars but all of them brought something fresh and exciting to the plot. I loved how Nicole interacted with them all. So often in this kind of fiction, women seem to spend time with other women, whereas I loved seeing the dynamics between one woman and a lot of men. Men make the best friends and best confidantes so I loved seeing this in HNTBS.
Overall, this book is just a delight to read. It’s easy to read, quick to read but has such depth and such a well thought out plot that you can’t help but fall in love with it. I am seriously hoping we might have a sequel to this book in the future and I am definitely keeping my eye out for any other book that comes from Portia’s pen. She’s one to watch out for!
A skilfully written novel exploring the world of rockstars, parties and paparazzi.
June 28, 2013
I got this eBook when it was available as a free download from Amazon, I really enjoyed the novelette Between a Rockstar and a Hard Place by the same author so I was very much looking forward to reading this.
I enjoyed learning about Nicole’s life, she described herself as a professional hanger-on and all she really wanted from life was to have fun – I liked her for this and felt that she was the kind of girl I could be friends with in the real world. Her career as an editor for an online magazine was the perfect way to keep in contact with the bands she already knew and the bands she wanted to meet!
I absolutely loved Nicole’s friendship with Dylan and once again I was captivated by the idea of being a rock star’s best friend. Dylan was a character who continuously made me laugh with his actions, particularly when alcohol and ladies were involved.
I found myself hooked on Nicole’s love life, it was complicated, unpredictable and I just couldn’t figure out which guy she would or should choose. At the end of the book it did seem like she had made a choice but I got the feeling that there would be more to come or maybe I should say that I hope there is more to come (hint hint Portia).
The storyline gave me a fascinating insight into the world of groupies, bands and touring, I was amazed by some of the goings on and I think this was one of the reasons that I enjoyed it so much. The impact that the press/paparazzi had on the bands lives was another interesting factor, seeing it from their side was certainly an eye-opener!
One of my favourite moments was a TV show towards the end, it was hilarious and I couldn’t stop myself from laughing out loud as I pictured the scene. As with the previous book I liked the conversational writing style that made me feel like I was chatting to Nicole, it made me feel part of the story and this is something I always enjoy when I’m reading.
This was a real page-turner, if you enjoy reading about rock stars/bands then it’s definitely one for you!
I enjoyed learning about Nicole’s life, she described herself as a professional hanger-on and all she really wanted from life was to have fun – I liked her for this and felt that she was the kind of girl I could be friends with in the real world. Her career as an editor for an online magazine was the perfect way to keep in contact with the bands she already knew and the bands she wanted to meet!
I absolutely loved Nicole’s friendship with Dylan and once again I was captivated by the idea of being a rock star’s best friend. Dylan was a character who continuously made me laugh with his actions, particularly when alcohol and ladies were involved.
I found myself hooked on Nicole’s love life, it was complicated, unpredictable and I just couldn’t figure out which guy she would or should choose. At the end of the book it did seem like she had made a choice but I got the feeling that there would be more to come or maybe I should say that I hope there is more to come (hint hint Portia).
The storyline gave me a fascinating insight into the world of groupies, bands and touring, I was amazed by some of the goings on and I think this was one of the reasons that I enjoyed it so much. The impact that the press/paparazzi had on the bands lives was another interesting factor, seeing it from their side was certainly an eye-opener!
One of my favourite moments was a TV show towards the end, it was hilarious and I couldn’t stop myself from laughing out loud as I pictured the scene. As with the previous book I liked the conversational writing style that made me feel like I was chatting to Nicole, it made me feel part of the story and this is something I always enjoy when I’m reading.
This was a real page-turner, if you enjoy reading about rock stars/bands then it’s definitely one for you!
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