When rock star, Adam Brand, makes a racist remark about black women during a drunken magazine interview, it becomes an international headline. Within hours his P.R. Agent concocts the perfect plan to revive his rapidly sinking career before it’s too late, but will Adam be able to pull it off? STEREO is an interracial novel. It is book one of The Stereo Hearts Series. Book 1: Stereo Book 2: Encore
I'm fascinated by deeply flawed people in impossible situations, and insane people who don't know they're insane. Perfection puzzles me, so my characters are always just a little bit evil--whether they know it or not!
I admit it, the big reason I gave Stereo a read had to do with this line:
Janelle snickered. “So you can come back here with some cookie cutter mix of Halle Berry and Paula Patton? NO. That won’t be provocative enough.”
Considering the seemingly endless colorism I've had the misfortune to keep coming across in far too many BW/WM IR books, I was like "whoa". I was curious as to where the author was going with this.
Okay, remember John Mayer's racist and douchebaggy comment about Black women? To be honest, I was never a fan of his (his music far too syrupy saccharine and boring for this metal chick), Stereo takes a fictionalized rock star named Adam Brand (perhaps a mix of Adam Levine and Russell Brand?) who drops this gem in a drunken ramble:
"My dick is sort of like a white supremacist. I've got a Benetton heart and a fuckin' David Duke cock. I'm going to start dating separately from my dick."
Oops. In vino veritas perhaps? Either way, Adam Brand, lead singer for the wildly popular band The White Keys, needs to do damage control...and quick. But it's his publicist, the wonderfully cutthroat Janelle, who makes it clear just how much his ass--and the band's--is on the line. Not only that, she concocts a seemingly foolproof way to make amends, all without seeming to of course.
Date a Black woman. But not just any Black woman, hence her earlier pronouncement about his not grabbing some close to Eurocentric ideals of beauty Black female. Enter twenty-four year old journalism student Shaun Green, described by Janelle thusly upon first meeting her at the offices of Wilhelmina Models (where Shaun's best friend Celia works):
Janelle gave Shaun a once over then smacked her gum. “Having said that you are just what we’re looking for. Chocolaty skin, big eyes, big hair… I just love black women who rock their giant afros. There is no bigger ‘fuck you’ in this twisted country than a glorious poof if you ask me.”
So yes, I get a novel featuring a dark-skinned heroine with natural hair who gets to date the wildly popular rocker. Or at least pretend to. By the way, a professional publicist would never smack their gum.
From there the book is a wildly improbable mishmash of wish-fulfillment on the way to true love. And through all the epic name-dropping and incredible situations, there was a real and palpable love story here. Adam and Shaun had chemistry, and that came across brilliantly and in some surprisingly subtle ways. Yes, I had to facepalm often at how seemingly deer-in-the-headlights Shaun becomes an overnight sensation, landing the lead spot in The White Keys' music video, modeling gigs with Dolce and Gabbana and with Victoria's Secret. All the while far from being a real model and secretly working on an article for Cosmopolitan on "How To Land A Rock Star". Meanwhile, the faux-relationship between these two vastly different personalities has slowly started crossing the line into the real. Adam, a man used to having women at his beck and call, telling him what he wants to hear, is utterly flummoxed and intrigued by Shaun, a "model" who can't walk in high heels and who is far deeper than the type he's used to. He also realizes that his drinking was becoming far more problematic and his words really had consequences and hurt people. He is truly repentant over his hateful words, but we never really discover just where those thoughts came from. That would have been an interesting thread. Shaun finds herself opening up in a way she never planned, and starts questioning the integrity of writing an article about Adam. She discovers there's a kind, loving, loyal and caring man behind the rock star facade. One who loves his young sister Katie, and who has unresolved issues with his parents.
And I loved Katie, that thirteen year old whirlwind who gets all over her brother's ass for being a racist jerk:
She wasn't going to let him off the hook that easily. "How could you say these things," she demanded, keeping her voice low since she had also noticed the young girls just a few tables away. "My favorite teacher in school is a black woman, the first lady of the United States, my best friend and my best friend's mom-- a woman who feeds me and allows me to sleep over at her house-- all black women. You know that Raquel has been in love with you since she was like, five... she won’t even speak to me after reading the horrible things you said. She's my best friend, Adam. How could you?"
While I scarfed the book down within a day, the same way I scarfed down Lay's Mango Salsa flavoured potato chips, once more The Fountain Pen Diva's rule "thou shalt love thine heroine as much as I do thine hero" was violated. Naive heroines bother me greatly, especially those who seem lacking agency. Shaun seems to allow far too many people--from her overly critical parents to her misguided but loyal best friend Celia--dictate her choices. Maybe such behavior at fourteen would make sense, but this young woman is TWENTY-FOUR, living on her own in a big city (Los Angeles). I kept waiting for Shaun to assert some control over a crazy, whirlwind situation. And though Adam's obnoxiously racist statement made me want to hit him, it took little time to see the real man behind the drunken, ill-thought out words. I loved his bandmates, Yoshi and Noodle, who seemed fully actualized as well. Sometimes in books featuring rock bands, the band mates get short shrift. Not here, however.
There were some spelling/grammar hiccups which sometimes yanked me from the narrative, but the biggest reason why I just couldn't rate this book higher, is that tired old trope of the dark-skinned heroine who feels she pales in comparison to her lighter-skinned friend. It's a trope I'm really sick of seeing, just as much as I'm done with the seeming preference for as close to White heroines in IR books (as if that's the only type of Black woman a White male would ever be attracted to). Granted, Celia (the lighter-skinned woman), envied her best friend's looks but still. I would like to see a dark-skinned heroine who loves snd celebrates herself. How hard could that be to write?
Overall, put your brain on autopilot and just take a ride.
This was an interesting book. I liked that the author gave the characters time to develop their feelings. It made the book so different from the other IR books out there. Where the character just has sex the very first second they meet. Adam and Shaun had chemistry; it was tangible. I believed that they were in love, and I felt their fears and uncertainty. There were certain things I did not like. I hated Shaun's relationship with her best friend and I wanted her to be more honest about her feelings for him. Adam was a really loveable character. Though I enjoy books with alpha male characters in them, Adam was just as captivating. He was bold, yet shy, he was strong and yet so vulnerable. He was very 3D. Shaun was also a very refreshing heroine, she was multidimensional. I like that. I will definitely read something else from this author. It was a good read. Another thing, I liked that this book was 300 and something pages long. Thank you Trevion Burns for that. I would love to read Yoshi's story, I think his story would be epic. I Aboulutly fell in love with him. He would make an interesting read.
I simply enjoyed this book so much that I stayed up and read it until I was done. Adam and Shaun I can totally see how the fell in love they were perfect and sexy together . This book is more about their relationship ,and the way the author tells the story keeps you turning the pages to see what happens next. Adam made a stupid comment when he was drunk and I did not like him , but as I continued to read ,he warmed my heart to him ,and Shaun too , we love him. I enjoyed getting to know the band members and Celia ,and I hope I get at least one more book about this group of characters.
Stereo held my attention from the beginning till the end it had all the elements I look for in a book ! For me a book is good when you keep reading and you can't stop. I loved this book I just didn't like the ending
I liked this story in the beginning, all the while not really liking Celia... She took things too far for me. I also thought it was ironic that at the end Adam found it too hard to forgive Shaun however she forgave him in the beginning. That just might be me being bias but I thought what Adam said and how he treated her in the end she shouldn't have given in so easily. I was happy that they ended up together though.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
My heart's a stereo It beats for you, so listen close.....🎶🎶🎶
Beautiful story!!! Trevion Burns is officially one of my favorite authors. There were moments that cause me to LOL and others that made me what to cry, and any book that brings out those raw emotions is definitely worth reading. In spite of the deception, Shaun and Adam’s story was just so unique. There love didn’t begin based on lust at first sight or sex. It was there natural chemistry between the two characters that made this book so well. I must add that Shaun’s relationship with her best friend was a little toxic for me but it all worked out well (thank God). I can forget Adam’s band mates. They were crazy but seemed cool too therefore I’m definitely looking forward on reading the other stories
I really liked this book. I liked how the author used sort of real life event (the whole John Mayer incident) and applied it to this story and was like, what would happen if we did this? I mean yes, there are a lot of unrealistic events that happen in the story, but just go along with it. It's fun and not too heavy. I mean, if you're like me and ever fantasized about your favorite rock star/pop idol, I think you will absolutely enjoy this book. I'll keep up with the series to see what happens with Adam's bandmates. I'm most interested in Yoshi's (his drummer) story.
I am so excited to have discovered this author. Trevion Burns is my new favorite romance author. Adam and Shaun were so good for each other. This book mostly focused on them building a fake relationship that became a friendship that then lead to them falling in love without them having sexual relations quickly, like so many other similar books. What a beautiful change of pace.
I like the characters for the most part, but I felt that the plot was weak. It didn't make sense to me that Adam would be butthurt because Shaun was a writer and not a real model, like who cares if you both care for each other. Overall a good read with no real twist or OMG moments. I think the author kept it simple and entertaining. I plan on reading the next book in the series.
I bought it several years ago and decided to read it again and I was amazed it was awesome! Loved the chemistry between Adam and Shaun it was smoking hot 🔥 and so intense. I could not stop reading it . I highly recommend this book and the others in this series get them you will not be disappointed.
Way to standard and stereotypical for me. I love some other work by Burns, Revenge series is awesome, but this was boring. It was so uninspired with so many overused cliches...sigh.... I finished but was not happy about it.
Way to standard and stereotypical for me. I love some other work by Burns, Revenge series is awesome, but this was boring. It was so uninspired with so many overused cliches...sigh.... I finished but was not happy about it.
Wow!!!There are no words to describe this, it's a slow burn All things complicated Type of romcom... Shaun and Axel, what a complication but he fell first and hard... Love this
If your into a slow burn, this is it for you! Get it, download it, its worth it. The chemistry between the 2 main characters are worth the read itself.
Shaun Green and Adam Brand (Rock star) come together in a image promotion scheme because of things he said in an interview that were deemed racist, problem is, was that he was drunk at the time of the interview. He's not a racist but his image has been tarnished somewhat, so it is put forward by his Janelle (manager) that he needs to find a Black girl to go out with to show to his black female fans (which incidentally make up 15% of his fan base) that he's anything but a racist.
So Adam and Janelle decide to go to a modelling agency to find his new so called black girlfriend. They intend to meet with a woman named Celia Washington who is a agent for Wilhelmina Models Woman's Division. Shaun Green just so happens to be Celia's best friend and is at Celia's office at the time of Adam's appointment. She is looking for a shoulder to cry on and advice and is distressed by the fact that her internship at Cosmopolitan Magazine would be over in a month and that she would have no future in the magazine if she could not bring her boss the sexiest story of the year.
Long story short, Adam and Janelle think she is the model, this is not cleared up to them much to Shaun's dismay but is put forward to her by Celia, that this is the story that her boss might be looking for i.e. - "How to land a rock star within 30 days".
But within the thirty days their feelings towards each other change.
Shaun is a bit of an innocent and funny. Adam Is protective of her. Throw in his band members, her friend Celia, Janelle, an ex-girlfriend, the media etc etc
And abracadabra a story is born. It has it's fair share of "Grammar" mistakes but for me this did not affect the story.
Sweet read. The characters were endearing and though the scenario is fantastical, I enjoyed the ride. This is fiction--fantasy--so it's all good. The main characters had layers and tangible qualities. The timeline of events seemed a little off and implausible (for instance: a record is written, recorded, released and promoted in a month's time. I'm not an expert on the music industry but that is a very big leap to take serious, even for the layman). Another con is a series of basic editing flaws that persisted throughout the book. Run-on sentences, spelling errors. I think with an editor these things can be easily adjusted and did not take away too much from the overall story.
I enjoyed the book, the conflict arc was strong and the characters' affections felt real. I couldn't help but smile from start to finish.
Besides a few minor dislikes in the story, I really enjoyed it. It was funny, I loved the relationships between the characters; especially Adam and Shaun and then Adam and his sister. I also really appreciate that the author didn't attempt to put a quick fix to the incredibly rocky relationship between Adam and his father. Even though dear old dad came with apologies, I was afraid there would be a sudden unnatural makeup session between them. But Adam kept his pride and I appreciate how much thought put behind the characters and their situations. In the end, Stereo turned out to be a highly enjoyable and satisfyingly unique read. 3.5 stars
To say I enjoyed this book would be an understatement. It was hilarious, warm, crazy and so much more. Shaun is a rock star who made some insensitive remarks about black women during a drunken tirade. His agent decided to get a black woman to pose as his girlfriend to defray some of the fallout from the statement.
Shaun Green is a journalism student who had to write an article to complete her degree. What started out as a business relationship, quickly turned into something else.
I enjoyed the turmoil in their relationship, the author did a great job in building up these characters, flaws and all. My next read is Encore and I hope it's just as good.
I had originally read Stereo before its publication on an online fiction website and I enjoyed it immensely. The story is fast-paced and quite humorous in places. The plot was well-developed and so were the characters. I liked both the hero and the heroine. There is a love scene or two but they were not overly explicit, and were quite tasteful. Although I, personally, wouldn’t have minded a little bit more heat.
If you’re in the mood for an easy reading romance, I would recommend giving Stereo a try. :)
I actually hated the ending and it felt incomplete to me but other than that it was a pretty interesting read. A little different from what I was expecting but overall a good read.
Adam was an ass who needed spit out some pretty nasty words and his P.R rep needed to cleaning it up... and oh she cleans it up alright, however nothing goes as planned and in the end...well you need to read the book if you want to know what happens in the end :)
Even though I hated the ended, I would still recommend to friends.
Great freaking book, I could not put it down. I fell in love with the characters, I felt there pain, and anger. I was crying right along with Shaun and Adam. Adam so reminded me of Adam Levine. This is an awesome book, I loved every second I was reading it,It's so worth the price. This is my first book by the author and she did an amazing job. This book had it all laughter, love, friendship. Please read it up you just might learn something because I sure did.
This has been about the most wholesome book about a rock star that I have read in ages.It actually has a story-line that does not rely on gratuitous sex dripping off every page yet still manages to stay hot.I somehow visualize it as a movie.
All the characters were well drawn out & I would not mind touring with them again.This book comes across as pretty unassuming at first but somehow manages to packs quite a punch.