Colstead and Andie

by Olivia Janae, Abby Craden (Narrator)

A fast-paced lesbian celebrity romance with a closeted star, an awed fan, and . . . only one bed!

Andrea Canton is the sexy, sultry-voiced actress of Freddie Nguyen's dreams—especially given her TV police show is dripping with lesbian subtext.

A series of awkward and amusing chance encounters at a fan convention lead Freddie to wonder the What if Andrea isn't as straight as she seems? And what if she's actually charmed by Freddie and all her clumsy, earnest, foot-in-mouth ways?

Even if that's true, Freddie being a failed college soccer star from a conservative Vietnamese family makes being with a closeted famous actress a minefield.

They both have reasons to hide. But maybe they can embrace their true selves together?

Contains mature themes.

Genres: Audiobook, Romance, Celebrity, Sports, LGBT, Lesbian Romance, Adult

Audible Audio

Published March 25, 2025

About the author

Olivia Janae has been a life long writer. Growing up in California, it was always her dream to one day see her name on the cover of a book ever since she scribbled down her first story in a notebook at the age of eleven. To this day, she can’t believe that her dream has come true.

Now, Olivia is living outside of Chicago with her son, and three cats.

Outside of her love of writing, Olivia is an avid movie buff with an obsessive love for cooking, candy making, ‘Buffy, The Vampire Slayer’, and Stephen King.

Reviews

[Ashlee · Rating 4 out of 5]

Freddie meets Andrea at a convention for her favorite show and they have great chemistry from the start. There are a few stumbling blocks along the way, the biggest being that Andrea is one of the stars at the convention and is not exactly out of the closet. Freddie has some hold ups of her own in the form of her family but she's got a great group of friends, both IRL and internet friends from Discord, to help her along the way.
I am a big fan of the celeb trope and this one was well done. They have a nice lead up and though they have great chemistry it wasn't instant love. They have a ton of interaction with each other and their meet ups go beyond surface level talk. I liked the build up here and it felt well paced. I also felt like both characters were likable and were entertaining. You don't get a big sense of Andrea's inner circle, she has one friend that appears and she talks more about her mother and agent but neither really has a lot of page time, I'd have liked to have a bit more there to feel more well rounded. We do have a lot of page time with Freddie's friends and family. I liked Lex and Red a lot, they added some fun to the more serious nature of Freddie and Andrea and I enjoyed the scenes they were added to. Freddie's parents were a bit less likable but also only had a couple of scenes and added another dimension to Freddie's part of the story. I think this was a fun quick read with a happily ever after and was a great interlude between some more intense fantasy books I've been reading. Highly recommend, especially if you're in the mood for a good celeb trope.

[Ari · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5. I am familiar with fandoms and this one is fandom heavy. Freddie is attending a “con” for one of her favorite tv shows and Andrea is an actress in the tv show in which the con is centered around. This story really reminded me of fan fiction. Two characters in the closet for different reasons, celebrity romance…was it realistic? No…. At the same time I enjoyed reading it. I received a copy from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

[Cherie · Rating 3 out of 5]

DNF at 22%. I can’t get into this book. Maybe the writing style or the mc Freddie?? Freddie’s crush on Andrea is cute but her thoughts are so repetitive and frankly boring for me. I hope others like it better.

Also I don’t understand the title? Who is Andie? And picture on the cover doesn’t seem to represent the women as described in the book.

[ReadingwithCaz · Rating 5 out of 5]

Celebrity romance where the hot actress falls for a fan? Count me in!

I received an advance copy from Netgalley for free and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

Freddie Nguyen can’t wait! She is on her way to a con for her favorite copshow and the best of it all, the cast will be there. It’s also the first time she will meet her online best friend Red. This con is finally a good thing that’s happening in her life after getting injured and having to give up her career as a professional soccer player. Something Freddie is taking hard. Arriving at the hotel at 4 am in the morning after a barshift, she is checking in. All is well and good until her suitcase is blocked by a giant of a man who is everything but nice. Peeking behind him, Freddie’s heart flutters. That man is the bodyguard of one of her favorite actresses, Andrea Canton. When she and her suitcase are finally free, Freddie sets off to the con. And Andrea keeps seeking her out. She isn’t, is she?

I loved Olivia Janae’s first book The Loudest Silence. This one is just as good! The story is told from Freddie’s POV which gives you a deep look into her thought processes and internal struggles. I loved that the communication between Freddie and Andrea gets to be very open so you can get to know her as well.

The main issue for the two women is that they are both, partially, in the closet. Freddie because of her traditional Vietnamese family, Andrea because of her career. As they grow closer, they learn that living a partial lie is not how they want to live. The process of coming out is difficult when dealing with a life in the public eye and ingrained family values. I love that both women respect each other and try to understand their respective positions. The way they deal with whatever crosses their path is a great example of open communication.

Freddie is a fangirl at heart and her relationship with her friends online is hilarious. It’s hard on her to have to keep her budding romance with Andrea hidden from her best friend, but when the truth comes out, boy, it’s worth it!

Colstead and Andie is a funny story that doesn’t shy away from heavy topics. It’s a great example of Janae’s engaging writing style. Step into the world of fandom and get lost in love.

[Elena · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you're into fanfic, fandoms, and shipping, this book is perfect for you. Very enjoyable read.

[Sam · Rating 4 out of 5]

A book with a lot of happy coincidences that were just a bit too lucky and convenient, maybe.
I like the way the book is written but I have some issues with how both characters struggle with being gay and coming out. Both for different reasons, but the way it is handled is a little convenient and easy.
While I like a book in which things are easy and it providing me some form of escapism, I was just annoyed by how easy it all was in this one. Even with the ship… I mean… COME ON!

A bit too good to be true, still enjoyable. I think I might have been too grumpy too fully enjoy this one ;)

[Allie Wagner · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great book about Fandom; meeting your idols and crowd mentality.

Love the relationship that happens organically and what happens afterwards.

Enjoyed it!

[Kaye · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you’ve ever been to a convention for fans you’ll enjoy the beginning of this book. Although this seemed a small fandom compared to the cons I’ve attended. Andrea Canton is in her early 30s and stars in a successful police show on TV. She is grateful to be getting a break by being on the show but is firmly in the closet for her career. At a small fan convention she meets Freddie Nguyen who is 28. Freddie's dreams of making the US soccer team came to an end after injuries and she is finishing her Masters in social work. The first half of the book covers a cute meet, and running into each other at the con.

I actually enjoyed the second half as much where the pair try to figure out if they can date. I love Andrea on their first date saying they aren’t going to be intimate yet and they take time for a few dates even if it is snuggling on the couch watching Buffy. Both have issues about coming out. Freddie is out to her traditional Vietnamese parents but they don’t accept it. The paparazzi are very cringe worthy in their invasiveness. I really enjoyed this romance. It is thoughtful, playful and with serious and funny moments. This is coming out March 2024 and looking at Goodreads it may be a reworking of a previous book by the author. (4,5 Stars)

[taylor · Rating 3 out of 5]

The blurb for the book says fast-paced lesbian celebrity romance with one bed -- it is all those things minus fast-paced. I found the storyline to be a little lean and lacking tension and development overall -- which lead the read to feel actually quite long.

I enjoyed Freddie and Andrea's connection and stolen moments throughout the convention. Their connection was a bit tough for me to get into because I found myself seriously questioning a celebrity who would pick up a fan at a fan convention. Even with that being true, I enjoyed the characters (for the most part).

I appreciated that both main characters were women of color. I think this might be my first story - ever - with a Vietnamese main character. Big props for inclusivity there, but I was very disappointed that the Black MC's blackness felt a bit awkward or forced at times. With her randomly timed usage of "sis", "sista", "mama", and the dreaded "can I touch your hair" storyline, these racial stereotypes felt like throw-ins to remind the reader of her racial identity instead of leaning on her actual character development. Freddie's Vietnamese identity was MUCH more woven into her characterization.

I gave this a 3 out of 5 stars. It was a decent (slightly predictable) read, but still a fun story that any fandom member could only dream of!

[Sue Plant · Rating 4 out of 5]

would like to thank netgalley and the publisher for letting me read this book

its a coming out story with attitude...

andrea canton is a star and is in the closet, not her idea but with the series that she is in and her agent saying she will only ever get lesbian parts if she comes out, she had to make the decision but its hard

Freddie Nguyen is excited, she is at the con for the series that andrea canton is in and boy is she excited... all her dreams are about to come true meeting her idol

but right from the start its not going well....after the dust up with andreas bodyguard, freddie ended up at andreas feet....talk about mortified ...can it get any worse....

the fan dom bits in the storyline are funny but the stalking of the paparazzi questioning andreas life shows how bad things can be
some of the terminology about the fan dom bits were out of my league a bit and at times i was unsure of the meaning but on the whole its not a bad storyline

[Fran Sappharc · Rating 3 out of 5]

I really struggled to picture the opening scenes. I also didn’t get some of the references. I would imagine anyone that has been to a con will be transported back there. I haven’t and it didn’t really do much to make me think I was missing out.
I’m not sure what age the mains are, but they read young to me. However as with most books there were pearls of wisdom that I appreciated, that seemed older than most of the characters thought process...... I am sure there is a life lesson there!
For me, and this was as with all reviews, totally a personal review, I’m only talking about my relationship with this book and it was not really for me however, when things got tough, I did enjoy it more. This moved it up to a 3 from a 2.8.

[Karen]

Another one that is a miss for me. DNF.

[Rey Hawke · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5

[Adrienne Oliveri · Rating 2 out of 5]

DNF AT 50%. I Expected to fangirl like I did in Single Player, but it did not deliver.

[Scriptmonkey · Rating 2 out of 5]

What a bunch of Ship.

For a brief moment I thought this book might reach the fabled land of 3-stars; the hallowed "I liked it" Goodreads Rating. No 4-star, much less, 5-star saccharine shilling here in pursuit of followers or free copies. It takes more than stringing words together to shock the love from this monkey.

In any case, that brief moment, was the first page, but I knew it wasn't to be after that. Since it wasn't actively offensive, it did avoid the 1-star. So, hang your hat on that lil' buckaroo.

To begin, the title. Terrible (in context of the story). Colstead is a portmanteau of Colt & Halstead. The term is used in the first chapter, though even that is soaked in fandom argot. They are two fictional (within the book universe) characters on a TV show called Crime & Punishment--I know what you're thinking, but no it's not an adaptation of Dostoyevsky's masterwork. Oh, you weren't thinking that.

Well, this is even better. It's a reimagining of the author's earlier work, Cosltead and Remma, which was a Once Upon A Time alternate universe fan fic. I should be more careful on how I use the term, "better".

As for Andie. That's AHN-DEE not AN-DEE. You'd be hard pressed to know this pronunciation since it's not obvious and not used until the last chapter. It is also a portmanteau, this time of "Andrea" and "Freddie". Two "real-life" characters. Andrea is an up and coming, if a bit old for that term, actress (half of Colstead) and Freddie is a fan-girl and a former rising soccer star before repeated ruptures of her Achille's Tendon ended that. She's also Vietnamese--though little of the story benefits from her ethnic specification, save for a visual. Freddie feels more like "generic ethnic" so that the author, Janae, can make the parents a bit stodgy and traditional.

My point--see, I got to it eventually--is that the title gives a prospective new reader nothing. Neither does the book blurb. They'll open it up and be force fed Freddie (and just Freddie, it's all from her perspective). You could have titled this book: "A Bunch of Ship" (as noted above) and it would have been more useful.

Storywise, the problem (as is so often the problem with these books) is a lack of tension. Well, no, in this case there is plenty of faux-tension. Freddie's injury, which only flares up for dramatic purposes, helps in the story's opening "meet-ugly" (it wasn't cute, a jerk bodyguard pushes her). Most of the story, it's presented that her father won't accept her injury as being as serious as it is--by him saying things that clearly mean that, like "when will you get back on the field"--but in the end, it was his way of mourning her injury and its aftermath. Sure. Sure it was. Or, was it that Janae figured a HEA wasn't possible if her family was totally blown up? Granted, her mother was adamantly against Freddie's sexual orientation on the page--but apparently starts to come around off-page because actually showing someone make a change like that would be too much work.

Andrea's faux-tension comes from her being in the closet. The thing is, she had been out (at least not actively hiding it) until she got the C&P job and her agent and, apparently, the showrunners/producers advised against being out. The agent, we learn, is probably more of a greedy homophobic B than anything, worried that a lesbian would be typecast--though every other character in the book points out how that doesn't seem to be the case.

She's also worried about losing her job because of it, though again, other characters tell her it's not legal--even in the era of a looming dictatorship with the willing support of a traitorous 40%--but more to the point--The show, Once Upon a Time inspired or not, feels like a Rizzoli & Isles sort of show but with a large and rabid Buffy The Vampire Slayer fanbase. The dynamic of the main characters has apparently heavily implied something deeper than friendship despite outward heterosexual behaviors, helping birth the largest section of the fanbase, the "Colstead" shippers. Moreover, Andrea, in her personal life, overtly runs a charity aimed at LGBTQIA people. The idea that the showrunner would threaten Andrea's career if the practically lesbian characters were played by an actual lesbian seemed silly.

I'm sure every reader was as shocked as I was when Andrea finally came out and nobody cared (except the jerky agent). In fact, they were highly supportive. The show made the implied attraction overt and made "Colstead" canon because they realized what was obvious from the first page, that the majority of the fanbase would love it. So, again, Andrea having literal palpitations about how the majority queer fans who watch her apparently queer-friendly show and explicitly want her character to be a lesbian--would be upset that she was a lesbian--defies rational thought.

Fun Little Nits to Pick. Plucking Literary Parasites? Eww.

Andrea doesn't make great decisions. She's paranoid about being outed (stupidly, it's true) and yet she befriends Freddie, who comes across as obviously queer (so it is said), gets weirdly suspicious and defensive when she bumps into her in a public part of the hotel-- but then invites her to stay in her hotel room when Freddie's temporarily roomless because Freddie's bestie Red gets busy with her girlfriend in theirs. She then offers her some clothes to sleep in. She then suggests Freddie sleep in her bed. Just 15 minutes earlier, she thought Freddie was stalking her. Okay.

"Andrea slips her hand under Freddie's shorts. Freddie knew what she'd find there and thrust her hips up." Well, I hope Freddie knew what she'd find there. I assume Andrea also knew. I assume anyone with a basic knowledge of female anatomy would know. I mean, if Freddie had been strapped, ready to slap silicone--then I could understand her thinking that--but no. In fact, the the story has all the spice of a bowl of oatmeal--with a dash of cinnamon. The characters hint at being interesting in bed but opt not to show it.

"Finally when (Freddie) was sure her friends would be in the restaurant, she went down to join them." How could she possibly be sure? No mention was made of cell phones. No one said, "We'll meet for lunch at...". Freddie was just sure. Is she psychic?

After Andrea jumps off the elevator just before the door closes, she says, "I can't believe that worked." I couldn't. No one should. The elevator manufacturer and building inspectors would probably be horrified that a person could pass between the doors and not cause them to reopen. That her bodyguard, whom she was ditching, didn't know how to press the button to open the door was also helpful.

Freddie visits Andrea's home after a week of only talking on the phone and hears her voice on the intercom and thinks "That's the first time she'd heard the voice in person since the convention!" No, honey. I'm sorry. She's not in person. It's an intercom. Little different than a phone.

Andrea after hearing her father call Freddie "Winnie" never thought that 'Freddie' stood for something else. What? It never once occurred to you that "Freddie" (a diminutive name in most every circumstance) might not be the name of the woman, the Vietnamese woman, you've been talking to and presumably banging, for a couple of weeks? Sure, Winnifred is not Vietnamese. But, at the least, Andrea could have assumed Freddie was an adopted English name.

Andrea has practically zero knowledge of Buffy the Vampire Slayer but grew up on Queer as Folk and The L-Word. Okay, not impossible. However, Freddie makes a point of getting her up to speed on Buffy then chides Andrea for being old enough to have grown up on Queer as Folk and the L-Word. Um, Buffy is older than both of those shows. By a bit.

Despite being immersed in shipper fandom, even belonging to a Discord chat over it, Freddie seems remarkably ignorant of it--to the point of being surprised when they discuss her public appearance with Andrea.

Freddie's great amazing idea to get a grant, appears to be having kids play soccer. I'm not sure why this is such genius. Her meeting with the board went great! But, despite Freddie being the narrator, we only got the aftermath.

So, like I said, nothing actively offensive. Nothing actively great about it either. Janae probably had a couple of cute scenes (of which there are) and wrote a rather bland story around them.

[Carol Hutchinson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Such a dream story!

After a chance encounter at a convention for her favourite show, Freddie finds herself closer to her favourite actress, Andrea in a way she couldn’t have imagined. But with Freddie’s family making things with her sexuality difficult and Andrea admitting she can’t come out of the closet due to worries about her career, they are in a difficult position.

Loved every moment of this! It was the perfect celebrity romance and such a dream of a story. I loved how Freddie was kind and caring, sensitively handling things when they were difficult or out of context, and I had a tiny touch of envy because she had more than one amazing opportunity. If convention experiences could really be like this, I might enjoy them more. Freddie had it tough but she dared to dream and was focused on her goals to succeed despite her failed soccer career, and the way Andrea could support her in doing that was what really brought them close.

They made a great team, each having understanding and patience with one another as they navigated through uncertainties and challenges to be together. My heart broke for both of them, Andrea having to protect her career and how she was perceived, and Freddie having to keep their relationship secretive from her family and friends. Everything they went through was tough but worth it for the more intimate moments they got to share.

I know I’ll be thinking about this story for the longest time, it was just so good. Enjoyed every moment and didn’t want it to end. Hope for more Freddie and Andrea in future stories!

[Becca Thomas · Rating 3 out of 5]

This follows the general structure of all queer celebrity romances, but the focus on the fandom and the convention helps it feel a bit more original.

Andrea Colton can’t quite believe the break she’s gotten as one of the stars of her police tv show. The lesbian subtext and the fandom it’s created are overwhelming. So when she meets Freddie, a fan and college soccer star who suffered a career ending injury, she’s immediately charmed but not sure what to do. During the con, they keep running into each other, which wouldn’t be a problem except Andrea is not out.

The main storyline is obviously Freddie and Andrea figuring out how they can have a relationship without Andrea being out. Unfortunately, I didn’t think this was particularly well executed. The characters' actions didn’t seem consistent. At times they were hiding away and others they were way too open with their interactions like they didn’t care who saw.

Another major storyline was Freddie’s parents denying / ignoring her sexuality. I enjoyed the nuisance here. It was clear her father cared and wanted to be supportive but wasn’t quite sure how to connect with her while also minimizing confrontation. While Andrea also complained about her mother she never really showed up in the story which was odd given her supposed involvement in Andrea’s career.

Overall, this was an easy read that met expectations, but didn’t blow me away.

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for the ARC!

[Tuba · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received an ARC from NetGalley. Writing this review voluntarily.

I loved Olivia Janae's book 'The Loudest Silence'. The story was thoughtful and remarkable. It also dealt with the issue of the term 'inclusion' in the means where able-bodied people just for their comfort creating spaces such as inclusive technology, inclusive education, etc converting their guilt into 'development of resources' for the 'minority'. It was a delicate subject and explained in detail how a system initially excludes people and then tries to be inclusive to feel they are working for the 'greater good'.

This book, however, has a different theme but still deals with the issue of coming out in a world where 'normal' is different. It talks about how even living in the 'progressive' world, people still get judged by their sexual orientation, race, communities, etc. I loved Olivia Janae's book just for this. There is always an angle where the author delicately brings a larger issue upfront to the masses. The larger industries like Hollywood with its so much diversity and 'inclusion' of LGBTQAI+ people still have prejudices when it comes to certain aspects of their 'normal'. Who are 'they' here? You and I both know who here is. How 'they' controlled every day of our life, what should we say to let them feel comfortable in their skin, why to dither from 'normal', etc.

The book has premises of a fandom, actors of a particular TV series, and of course the fans. The fans are attending a convention organized for a TV series which one of our MCs, Freddie, is attending to support their 'ship'. The Colstead. The two TV characters from which our second MC is, Andrea. Both MCs met for the first time at the start of the convention and the story begins. Freddie is a former football player. She got injured during one of the college football training sessions. She has to retire from her dream and is still struggling to accept and even talk about it. Andrea is an actress. She has a role in the hit TV series and fans are going above their head with her co-star of the same series. Hence, Colstead.

This book has many folds. It's not a coming out per se book. But, how the world forces one's acceptance into hiding just to survive among 'normalization'. This is a book you can read to understand how the pressure of being 'different' from 'normal' has adverse effects on the well-being of people.

I'll recommend this book.

[Nadine Stamminger · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is based on one of my top 3 fanfictions ever, 2 of them are already a book, hope for number 3 now ;)
But back to this story, Colstead & Andie is about actress Andrea Canton who is part of a cop tv show with a huge following. Thanks to that Andrea and her fellow cast members are doing a convention, the way Olivia Janae writes it it gives me amazing flashbacks to the conventions i have been myself – i would guess if you never have been to one, some stuff that happens there doesnt make sense to you when reading it ;)

During this weekend fangirl Freddie meets one oft he actresses and they form a bond.

This book had a a good amount of changes from the original fanfiction which i loved because it was as if i read a new book. One of thise new aspects was Freddies heritage, i wished it would have dipped a bit deeper into the „problematic“ oft he vietnamese family culture and therefore Freddies reason for not beeing out and proud and screaming from the rooftops she is gay. This way it was a bit superficial and felt like they needed a reason why she is happy with not coming out, ah lets make her asian with a problematic family.


But still i enjoyed this book a lot i read it within 2 days which says it all how much i loved it, i fit wasnt in the middle of a work week i would have probably read it in one go because there was hardly a moment i didnt wanted to know what will happen. It is very well written and so much fun. Evey Fangirls dream for sure.

[Meghan · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was my first book by this author and it was a very enjoyable read.

Freddie is a huge fan of a tv show and goes to a convention for her favorite couple on the show and can't believe her luck when she meets Andrea Canton is person multiple times and even on her own. She can't believe her luck and has a massive crush, but she never expected it to be anything more as she assumed Andrea was straight.

Andrea is the closet for the sake of her career and listening to people she believes know what they are talking about. It works for awhile until she meets Freddie and everything else becomes secondary.

This a pretty low angst book with fun characters, witty dialogue and a great setting. Who wouldn't want to fall in love with this book.

Wonderful job and one I recommend. I received an ARC from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

[FM · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed this book , I was attracted by the diversity of the characters but kept reading because of the “ difficulty in coming out “ subject matter. Not so many Les fic talk about what it means to be with someone who is not out. The added stress to the relationship, to get to know someone, while they are closeted has to be difficult. I also got a glimpse into what happens once we are in love and have had sex , most book ends at this realization, in my opinion this author went a bit farther.. just a little bit into their lives after finding love.
Voila , on to the next one.

[Maria · Rating 4 out of 5]

I got a chance to read this book via NetGalley. It is a celebrity crush romance. Freddie visits a convention with her friends go get a chance to meet the actors from their favourite TV show. Some chance encounters with one of the actors, Andrea, leads to some romance but also a lot of issues to overcome. Andrea not out to the public and fear what will happen with her career and Freddie has issues with her very conservative Vietnamese family accepting her being a lesbian. In the end all is good and the book worth a read.

[S.S · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoy this author because she includes themes/questions that make you think.

In this book it is the question of where does cultural sensitivity and respect for elders sit when you are trying to live an authentic life. And how much privacy should actors have to sacrifice in the face of fans who want to cross all boundaries.

The story of obsessed and obsessive fan to girlfriend was at times for me uneven, but overall this was a enjoyable read.

[Kathy · Rating 4 out of 5]

I've never been to a fan com, but this book gave me a little taste. Celebrity Andrea and fan Freddie seemed a very unlikely couple, but I found them very cute together. I really gravitated toward poor clumsy Freddie with her awkward chance meetings. Underneath that, however, was a woman with a big heart and intellect working on her degree in social work. And tv star Andrea grappling with coming out certainly was compelling. It's a very enjoyable story!

[Sydney · Rating 5 out of 5]

It was totally worth the wait for Olivia Janae second novel, we are slowly drawn into the attraction and journey of both main characters but also feel for the secondary individuals who make a great community to the whole story. This is definitely a book that you will want to add to your personal library collection.

[SSA · Rating 3 out of 5]

I liked this but I was a bit underwhelmed. I would have really enjoyed more angst and drama. It felt very low stakes despite the premise.

The use of ‘girl’, ‘sista’ and other words by Andrea felt very awkward in its attempts to characterise her as a biracial Black woman. It felt very shoehorned into the story when compared to how well Freddie’s Vietnamese background was handled.

[Amy · Rating 2 out of 5]

SPOILER SPACE -- This review is only spoilers, don't read it if you want to read the book for any reason.





























I am not the audience for this book about very young women; I'm not a fangirl/con attendee for anything, certainly not a TV show. While I know little about that world, I don't believe the author really knows that world, either, or at least, she wasn't able to make me understand it, so here's a description of a key plot point https://www.newstatesman.com/culture/....

I read a lot of cozy mysteries and a fair number of romance books, and I expect them to be entertaining, at best, to include strong characters and dialogue, and to be able to read them in a day or two. This one had none of those elements, and it seemed to last forever. I would not have finished it if I had not needed to review it.

I feel the author failed "show don't tell" big time. The characters, despite the fact that we're told about a lot of trauma/drama, don't grow or change in any way through the book. The dialogue between the two main characters is basically the same thing repeated throughout the book. There are explicit sex scenes, again repeated, but no sexual tension or resolution.

We should be taken behind the scenes at the fan convention, and in Hollywood, and in big time soccer, but we're not. We're told the character speaks Vietnamese and that her mother speaks it almost exclusively, but there is not one Vietnamese word in the book. Disappointing.

As I said, I'm not the target audience, and while I was shocked to find out the author had written other books, I wouldn't read one, and I can't recommend this one.

Tedious; a waste of time and not in a good way.

[Maya Turner · Rating 4 out of 5]

Who has not thought of something like this at least once? Meeting a celebrity (be it at a convention, in public, or however) and just...clicking?

I will admit that I spent the majority of this book goofily grinning for Andie. They are so unbearably cute together!!

[Cathy Williams · Rating 4 out of 5]

My first time reading an Olivia Jansae book, and it's make me look for more

This a lovely sweet romance, two great characters with fab friends, what more can you ask for

A chance meeting turns in to more, well written book with cool story.

Would I recommend: Yes

[Danielle Gordon · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was sweet with some spice.

I liked the story premise - the writing was good. I found myself more interested in what was happening to the side characters at times, more so than Freddie and Drea's story.