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How to Catch a Star #1
How To Catch A (Rock) Star
A story of sex, love and rock 'n' roll
Aspiring singer Lillie and American rock star Jed seem like the perfect fit from the moment they meet. The pair are inseparable, but Jed’s jet-set schedule of shows and after-parties limits the amount they can see each other. So when Jed invites Lillie to sing with his band on their tour, she says yes. Yes with some hesitation, that is. After finding out that her ex-boyfriend was hiding away a wife and child when they were dating, Lillie’s trust in men is fragile and she also suffers from severe stage fright. As the tour progresses, Jed and Lillie are fast becoming rock’s hottest couple but with obsessive fan girls, a claustrophobic tour bus and a resentful guitarist, things start taking a turn for the worse. Lillie’s dream of singing may have finally become a reality, but can it last? The odds are stacking up against them and then the unthinkable happens…
Aspiring singer Lillie and American rock star Jed seem like the perfect fit from the moment they meet. The pair are inseparable, but Jed’s jet-set schedule of shows and after-parties limits the amount they can see each other. So when Jed invites Lillie to sing with his band on their tour, she says yes. Yes with some hesitation, that is. After finding out that her ex-boyfriend was hiding away a wife and child when they were dating, Lillie’s trust in men is fragile and she also suffers from severe stage fright. As the tour progresses, Jed and Lillie are fast becoming rock’s hottest couple but with obsessive fan girls, a claustrophobic tour bus and a resentful guitarist, things start taking a turn for the worse. Lillie’s dream of singing may have finally become a reality, but can it last? The odds are stacking up against them and then the unthinkable happens…
267 pages, Kindle Edition
First published May 13, 2015
6 people are currently reading
362 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 88 reviews
November 21, 2015
3.5 stars!***
At first I thought I wouldn't finish the book. It was overly optimistic in a "your every dream will come true without you even trying to achieve them" and I couldn't stand it. It wasn't beleivable or probable. After hitting the 30% mark it got better. The pink glasses were raised and the reality set in. Not everything was perfect anymore and the whole book got a lot more readable.
Lillie is shy but has a talent. She can sing and wants to be a singer but her nerves always get the best of her. She hasn't been with anyone for almost a year, because she wanted to punish herself for unknowingly dating someone who had a pregnant wife.
Jed is singer in a rock band. He's confident, cocky and hot. When he sees Lil for the first time, he knows he wants her. And he'll do anything to get her. And when he heard her sing he wanted her to come on a tour with them.
And everything works out perfectly! Lil wasn't happy at her work so she just quit. The band's manager agrees to take her with them, because why not. The whole band is excited to have a new member they don't know with a stage fright with them. Even Lil's BFF Kate can go with them, so that she can have a relationship with Chris, another bandmate. It's all so damn perfect.
And then is isn't!
Jed is hiding something. Something big (which in reality wasn't such a big deal, but it fucked up everything.. for a while).
Like I said before, it was pretty good after it stopped being like every bad hollywood movie. There was this secret that made you wonder what the hell it was. It wasn't that surpring and I expected something similiar but it was written in a way that made me go "not bad"
The characters were likeable (most of the time) and I'd like to more of the other band members - mostly Johny. He was so sweet and supportive of Lil and Jed even though he clearly had feelings for her.
I'm glad that I didn't put the book away and actually finished it.
For more reviews visit my blog.
*ARC courtesy of publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review*
At first I thought I wouldn't finish the book. It was overly optimistic in a "your every dream will come true without you even trying to achieve them" and I couldn't stand it. It wasn't beleivable or probable. After hitting the 30% mark it got better. The pink glasses were raised and the reality set in. Not everything was perfect anymore and the whole book got a lot more readable.
Lillie is shy but has a talent. She can sing and wants to be a singer but her nerves always get the best of her. She hasn't been with anyone for almost a year, because she wanted to punish herself for unknowingly dating someone who had a pregnant wife.
Jed is singer in a rock band. He's confident, cocky and hot. When he sees Lil for the first time, he knows he wants her. And he'll do anything to get her. And when he heard her sing he wanted her to come on a tour with them.
And everything works out perfectly! Lil wasn't happy at her work so she just quit. The band's manager agrees to take her with them, because why not. The whole band is excited to have a new member they don't know with a stage fright with them. Even Lil's BFF Kate can go with them, so that she can have a relationship with Chris, another bandmate. It's all so damn perfect.
And then is isn't!
Jed is hiding something. Something big (which in reality wasn't such a big deal, but it fucked up everything.. for a while).
Like I said before, it was pretty good after it stopped being like every bad hollywood movie. There was this secret that made you wonder what the hell it was. It wasn't that surpring and I expected something similiar but it was written in a way that made me go "not bad"
The characters were likeable (most of the time) and I'd like to more of the other band members - mostly Johny. He was so sweet and supportive of Lil and Jed even though he clearly had feelings for her.
I'm glad that I didn't put the book away and actually finished it.
For more reviews visit my blog.
*ARC courtesy of publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review*
April 26, 2015
ARC kindly provided via Net Gallery in exchange for a honest review. This is the first book I have read by Gabrielle Aquilina, I really liked it. The story was well written, it had strong main characters as well as great secondary characters. Can see more being written about "The Dead Hour".
May 13, 2015
This was a kinda strange book for me to rate and review because my feelings about it changed through out the book. It started off a bit flat for me...the English turn of phrase struck me as a bit weird even though my Mom is from England. I also didn't warm up to the hero or heroine right away. It felt a bit immature and the writing was a bit lacklustre in the initial part of the book.
The story line in this novel has been done time and time again. Girl fan who has a hankering to sing, boy in band with a bit of darkness about him, band mate not keen on girl fan, manager is a sleezebucket. I admit my attention did wander in the beginning. I received this novel from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review and I really really hate to DNF a review book so I did persevere. I admit I started to warm up to the characters and the writing got better. About a 1/3 of the way in I was hooked on the main characters of Lillie and Jed. I enjoyed the main characters especially Johnny who had more background and therefore more dimensions to his character. The other characters were harder to connect with since we really didn't "know" them and so many things sorta didn't make sense. Example, Chris doesn't want a girlfriend while on tour....turn around and Chris is with Kate. It seems they got hot and heavy but we really didn't get to see this. Eddie was a complete mystery and the manager dude ...hell with him I was like *what!* ????
I did have a lot of questions...why did she give Jed depression when it was never really touched in the book? Why have Eddy standoffish and a pot head but then go no where with his character. I have to assume Me Aquilina is going to write a sequel otherwise what was the point of Tess? Why did Jed get so bent out of shape that it took him months to see the light?
This might seem a negative review but I actually started to love the book towards the end. I found I couldn't put it down I HAD to see how these guys got back together. I guess it was because the book "felt" better towards the end. I had to wonder if perhaps the author had different beta readers for different parts of the book and that made it feel like it was written by different people. It also could be that it was a first outting for this author and she is just finding her feet.
I see so much potential in this book and I do hope there is a second in the series I would really like to see more of "The Dead Hour" guys and hope they too will get their HEA! 3 stars for all the good things in the book especially the last 2/3 of the book. I'm not sure if I can give this a full on recommendation but I don't regret reading it and I will look for more books by Gabrielle Aquilina.
The story line in this novel has been done time and time again. Girl fan who has a hankering to sing, boy in band with a bit of darkness about him, band mate not keen on girl fan, manager is a sleezebucket. I admit my attention did wander in the beginning. I received this novel from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review and I really really hate to DNF a review book so I did persevere. I admit I started to warm up to the characters and the writing got better. About a 1/3 of the way in I was hooked on the main characters of Lillie and Jed. I enjoyed the main characters especially Johnny who had more background and therefore more dimensions to his character. The other characters were harder to connect with since we really didn't "know" them and so many things sorta didn't make sense. Example, Chris doesn't want a girlfriend while on tour....turn around and Chris is with Kate. It seems they got hot and heavy but we really didn't get to see this. Eddie was a complete mystery and the manager dude ...hell with him I was like *what!* ????
I did have a lot of questions...why did she give Jed depression when it was never really touched in the book? Why have Eddy standoffish and a pot head but then go no where with his character. I have to assume Me Aquilina is going to write a sequel otherwise what was the point of Tess? Why did Jed get so bent out of shape that it took him months to see the light?
This might seem a negative review but I actually started to love the book towards the end. I found I couldn't put it down I HAD to see how these guys got back together. I guess it was because the book "felt" better towards the end. I had to wonder if perhaps the author had different beta readers for different parts of the book and that made it feel like it was written by different people. It also could be that it was a first outting for this author and she is just finding her feet.
I see so much potential in this book and I do hope there is a second in the series I would really like to see more of "The Dead Hour" guys and hope they too will get their HEA! 3 stars for all the good things in the book especially the last 2/3 of the book. I'm not sure if I can give this a full on recommendation but I don't regret reading it and I will look for more books by Gabrielle Aquilina.
June 15, 2016
Rating: 2.5/5
(I received a free copy from the publisher, So Vain Books, via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.)
***Minor spoilers***
Lillie used to want to become a singer, but after her parents told her she wouldn't be able to, she's stuck in a boring office job. She regains hope when she goes to a club with her friend Kate and befriends Jed, lead singed of The Dead Hour, one of the bands who performed at the club. They hit it off immediately and not too long after meeting, he learns that Lillie is a great singer. With the rest of the band on board, Lillie is allowed to tour with the band (bringing Kate along for a while, as well) and sing a song or two on stage with Jed. Lillie and Jed are super into each other, but it's clear that Jed is hiding something, we just don't know what.
This got off to a rocky start with me, but I finally got really into it about 70% of the way in when whatever was happening with Jed was revealed. Until then I found it quite boring and I didn't find their relationship anything special. I did like Lillie as a character and Jed was okay as well, but I found her dynamic with Johnny, another member of the band, more interesting than her dynamic with Jed. Her and Johnny were just such easy friends and there wasn't really any drama between them.
However, Lillie did seem a bit stupid at times. It was clear that Jed was putting up these red flags. He would quickly change the topic when his past was mentioned, and he was quick to anger if Lillie asked him personal questions. I can't believe she put up with it for so long, not even asking anyone else what was going on. Besides that she was quite likeable and I was able to empathize with her. There was something that happened at the end which was pretty predictable, but that might just be because I read a book not too long ago that did the same sort of thing.
Overall, this was an alright book that only began to get interesting to me nearly 3/4 of the way through. Up until then I didn't find anything special about their romance and it was getting a bit boring just reading about them touring. This wasn't bad, but this isn't the book you should go for if you're looking for a unique and/or interesting romance. It's quite slow going until you get to the big conflict during the last quarter ish of the book. If you don't mind waiting that long you'll probably like this, but if a slow-moving plot annoys you, you definitely don't like this.
(I received a free copy from the publisher, So Vain Books, via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.)
***Minor spoilers***
Lillie used to want to become a singer, but after her parents told her she wouldn't be able to, she's stuck in a boring office job. She regains hope when she goes to a club with her friend Kate and befriends Jed, lead singed of The Dead Hour, one of the bands who performed at the club. They hit it off immediately and not too long after meeting, he learns that Lillie is a great singer. With the rest of the band on board, Lillie is allowed to tour with the band (bringing Kate along for a while, as well) and sing a song or two on stage with Jed. Lillie and Jed are super into each other, but it's clear that Jed is hiding something, we just don't know what.
This got off to a rocky start with me, but I finally got really into it about 70% of the way in when whatever was happening with Jed was revealed. Until then I found it quite boring and I didn't find their relationship anything special. I did like Lillie as a character and Jed was okay as well, but I found her dynamic with Johnny, another member of the band, more interesting than her dynamic with Jed. Her and Johnny were just such easy friends and there wasn't really any drama between them.
However, Lillie did seem a bit stupid at times. It was clear that Jed was putting up these red flags. He would quickly change the topic when his past was mentioned, and he was quick to anger if Lillie asked him personal questions. I can't believe she put up with it for so long, not even asking anyone else what was going on. Besides that she was quite likeable and I was able to empathize with her. There was something that happened at the end which was pretty predictable, but that might just be because I read a book not too long ago that did the same sort of thing.
Overall, this was an alright book that only began to get interesting to me nearly 3/4 of the way through. Up until then I didn't find anything special about their romance and it was getting a bit boring just reading about them touring. This wasn't bad, but this isn't the book you should go for if you're looking for a unique and/or interesting romance. It's quite slow going until you get to the big conflict during the last quarter ish of the book. If you don't mind waiting that long you'll probably like this, but if a slow-moving plot annoys you, you definitely don't like this.
February 2, 2016
3.5 Stars
I was really excited about this book… I love a rockstar romance. Unfortunately, it fell a little short for me. I actually considered putting it down about a quarter of the way through, but I was glad that I kept going.
Lillie is a shy British girl, but she has a beautiful voice and has always wanted to be a singer. She was really screwed over by her last boyfriend and hasn’t dated in about a year. She just happens to be a show where she meets Jed - the lead singer of an up an coming American band. The attraction is instant and bam... their hooking up.
After hearing her sing Jed talks Lillie into going on tour with the band. Even though Lillie suffers from horrible stage fright she jumps on the opportunity. At this point it was all “insta love” and I was getting a little bored with the storyline.
Then Jed has a secret and we get a little drama (which sucked me back in).
Overall, I would say that it was a enjoyable after you get through the first part of the book. I think if you love rockstar romances then you should give this a try.
I received a free copy from the publisher, via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review
I was really excited about this book… I love a rockstar romance. Unfortunately, it fell a little short for me. I actually considered putting it down about a quarter of the way through, but I was glad that I kept going.
Lillie is a shy British girl, but she has a beautiful voice and has always wanted to be a singer. She was really screwed over by her last boyfriend and hasn’t dated in about a year. She just happens to be a show where she meets Jed - the lead singer of an up an coming American band. The attraction is instant and bam... their hooking up.
After hearing her sing Jed talks Lillie into going on tour with the band. Even though Lillie suffers from horrible stage fright she jumps on the opportunity. At this point it was all “insta love” and I was getting a little bored with the storyline.
Then Jed has a secret and we get a little drama (which sucked me back in).
Overall, I would say that it was a enjoyable after you get through the first part of the book. I think if you love rockstar romances then you should give this a try.
I received a free copy from the publisher, via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review
November 1, 2015
**Copy provided by author via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.**
Although this was a well done book, there wasn't anything that was super original about it. It was sweet and cute with the right amount of drama for a rock star romance book. But overall...
Just meh.
I liked that Lillie worked so hard to overcome her stage fright...it was cool to watch. I definitely liked Lillie better than Jed as well. She was stronger, even with the stage fright, and finally decided to go get what she wanted.
Check out the review at Bookaholic Raves
Although this was a well done book, there wasn't anything that was super original about it. It was sweet and cute with the right amount of drama for a rock star romance book. But overall...
Just meh.
I liked that Lillie worked so hard to overcome her stage fright...it was cool to watch. I definitely liked Lillie better than Jed as well. She was stronger, even with the stage fright, and finally decided to go get what she wanted.
Check out the review at Bookaholic Raves
May 27, 2015
I enjoyed this book. It was kinda drawn out, however it was a good storyline. The characters were well developed and highly enjoyable. I felt like I was part of the band. There were several hints about a big secret. When it was finally revealed it caught me off guard and made me wish it had been revealed earlier in the book. I am hoping there will be more from this author and this series. I was graciously given this book from netgalley for an honest review.
May 8, 2015
3.75 stars stars
ABOUT THE BOOK: Release Date May 15, 2015
A story of sex, love and rock 'n' roll
Aspiring singer Lillie and American rock star Jed seem like the perfect fit from the moment they meet. The pair are inseparable, but Jed’s jet-set schedule of shows and after-parties limits the amount they can see each other. So when Jed invites Lillie to sing with his band on their tour, she says yes. Yes with some hesitation, that is. After finding out that her ex-boyfriend was hiding away a wife and child when they were dating, Lillie’s trust in men is fragile and she also suffers from severe stage fright. As the tour progresses, Jed and Lillie are fast becoming rock’s hottest couple but with obsessive fan girls, a claustrophobic tour bus and a resentful guitarist, things start taking a turn for the worse. Lillie’s dream of singing may have finally become a reality, but can it last? The odds are stacking up against them and then the unthinkable happens…
••••••••••••
REVIEW: 3.75 stars --HOW TO CATCH A (ROCK) STAR is an adult, contemporary, rock star romance storyline from author Gabrielle Aquilina focusing on Jed-the lead singer and front man for the hit American rock group The Dead Hour, and aspiring British singer Lillie whose stage fright has held her back-disabling her own dance and musical career. When she discovers her boyfriend of two years is married with a child, Lillie hopes to move forward with her life but never expected to find her future with a man whose own past is secreted away.
The storyline follows Jed and Lillie’s building relationship as Lillie is pulled not only into the maelstrom that is rock and roll, but finds herself on stage as a duet performer with Jed and the band. As the weeks pass, Lillie’s popularity with the fans begins to bloom but her stage fright amplifies her self doubt as both a singer and member of the band.
The relationship between our couple is one of immediate attraction and insta-love where heart-felt confessions happen within a matter of days. Jed and Lillie are inseparable from their first night together. Lillie will quit her dead end job to follow Jed and the band on their trip throughout Europe. What ensues is a sexually erotic and sensual love match that is tempered by the small secrets Jed continues to keep to himself.
The Dead Hour is a rock and roll success but with it comes the excesses of fame, fortune and notoriety. Drugs, sex and hard drinking are an every day part of the band’s lifestyle and there are times when the morning after is not always pretty. We watch as heartbreak, lies and betrayal follow the boys but none more so than for Jed and Lillie.
The amazing, and of times humorous and colorful supporting characters include Jed’s fellow band mates-Johnny, Chris and Eddie; their manager Steve; as well as Lillie’s best friend Kate, whose attraction to Chris sets up another storyline and love match. We will be introduced to Jed’s parents Sandra and Martin, as well as Lillie’s younger sister Tess who has caught the eye of Jed’s best friend and band mate Johnny. Johnny’s personality and antics softens the copious amount of tension that follows the band from backstage to home. There are also an assortment of groupies, fans and ex lovers who pose a bit of a problem for Jed and his fellow musicians.
HOW TO CATCH A (ROCK) STAR is an imaginative and revealing storyline that takes us behind the scenes of rock and roll. The characters are flawed, imperfect and human; the storyline is seductive, compelling and dramatic. From one night stands, viral you-tube videos and paparazzi stalker style images, the boys of THE DEAD HOUR find themselves front and center in a drama of their very own. Gabrielle Aquilina pulls the reader into a storyline that will break your heart and make you swoon. We all want to be able to say that we caught our own rock star.
Copy supplied by the publisher.
www.thereadingcafe.com
ABOUT THE BOOK: Release Date May 15, 2015
A story of sex, love and rock 'n' roll
Aspiring singer Lillie and American rock star Jed seem like the perfect fit from the moment they meet. The pair are inseparable, but Jed’s jet-set schedule of shows and after-parties limits the amount they can see each other. So when Jed invites Lillie to sing with his band on their tour, she says yes. Yes with some hesitation, that is. After finding out that her ex-boyfriend was hiding away a wife and child when they were dating, Lillie’s trust in men is fragile and she also suffers from severe stage fright. As the tour progresses, Jed and Lillie are fast becoming rock’s hottest couple but with obsessive fan girls, a claustrophobic tour bus and a resentful guitarist, things start taking a turn for the worse. Lillie’s dream of singing may have finally become a reality, but can it last? The odds are stacking up against them and then the unthinkable happens…
••••••••••••
REVIEW: 3.75 stars --HOW TO CATCH A (ROCK) STAR is an adult, contemporary, rock star romance storyline from author Gabrielle Aquilina focusing on Jed-the lead singer and front man for the hit American rock group The Dead Hour, and aspiring British singer Lillie whose stage fright has held her back-disabling her own dance and musical career. When she discovers her boyfriend of two years is married with a child, Lillie hopes to move forward with her life but never expected to find her future with a man whose own past is secreted away.
The storyline follows Jed and Lillie’s building relationship as Lillie is pulled not only into the maelstrom that is rock and roll, but finds herself on stage as a duet performer with Jed and the band. As the weeks pass, Lillie’s popularity with the fans begins to bloom but her stage fright amplifies her self doubt as both a singer and member of the band.
The relationship between our couple is one of immediate attraction and insta-love where heart-felt confessions happen within a matter of days. Jed and Lillie are inseparable from their first night together. Lillie will quit her dead end job to follow Jed and the band on their trip throughout Europe. What ensues is a sexually erotic and sensual love match that is tempered by the small secrets Jed continues to keep to himself.
The Dead Hour is a rock and roll success but with it comes the excesses of fame, fortune and notoriety. Drugs, sex and hard drinking are an every day part of the band’s lifestyle and there are times when the morning after is not always pretty. We watch as heartbreak, lies and betrayal follow the boys but none more so than for Jed and Lillie.
The amazing, and of times humorous and colorful supporting characters include Jed’s fellow band mates-Johnny, Chris and Eddie; their manager Steve; as well as Lillie’s best friend Kate, whose attraction to Chris sets up another storyline and love match. We will be introduced to Jed’s parents Sandra and Martin, as well as Lillie’s younger sister Tess who has caught the eye of Jed’s best friend and band mate Johnny. Johnny’s personality and antics softens the copious amount of tension that follows the band from backstage to home. There are also an assortment of groupies, fans and ex lovers who pose a bit of a problem for Jed and his fellow musicians.
HOW TO CATCH A (ROCK) STAR is an imaginative and revealing storyline that takes us behind the scenes of rock and roll. The characters are flawed, imperfect and human; the storyline is seductive, compelling and dramatic. From one night stands, viral you-tube videos and paparazzi stalker style images, the boys of THE DEAD HOUR find themselves front and center in a drama of their very own. Gabrielle Aquilina pulls the reader into a storyline that will break your heart and make you swoon. We all want to be able to say that we caught our own rock star.
Copy supplied by the publisher.
www.thereadingcafe.com
May 17, 2015
So as you probably know ( because I keep mentioning it :-) ) this is my favourite genre of book. Romance, rockstars, tattoos, hot men!! Sex, love and rock ‘n’ roll baby! I was super excited to start reading this book.
Lillie’s dream was always to be a singer growing up. Her mother always shot down her dream after her failure to succeed, so made Lillie think she wouldn’t make it either. Also Lillie’s serious case of stage fright didn’t help either.
Jed is the lead singer of rock band ‘The Dead Hour’. They are an American band, currently touring in the UK.
Lillie hasn’t dated in almost a year, after her last disastrous relationship with ‘married Matt’. So when out on the town with her best friend, Kate, the lead singer (Jed) of the band she was just checking out, comes and whispers in her ear, Lillie is reluctant to let him persue her. Lillie decides a hot fling could be just what she needs to get over her past heartbreak, so she agrees to go on a date with Jed. A date that leads to a very enjoyable night of passion.
When Jed has to move on with the band to their next tour destination, he and Lillie stay in contact. After an extremely hard day at her thankless office job, Lillie decides to quit. She and Kate go and meet the band at their next tour stop. Banter over band member, Johnny butchering a song leads Jed and his band to discover that Lillie has an amazing voice. The next thing she knows, she is on their tour bus, learning their songs to sing with them at their concerts. ( If she can get past that stage fright! )
Things move pretty fast for Jed and Lillie together. They are in intense, all consuming love with each other. Lillie soon starts to feel Jed is holding something back. Reluctance to talk about some things, getting snappy if she tries to push the subject. Strange phone calls. Painting over a memory wall in his childhood bedroom, not wanting her to see whats written on it. Jed tries to play it off. Is Lillie right or is it her insecurities after her relationship with ‘married Matt’? Are Jed and Lillie destined for a happily ever after? If you love rockstar romance, grab this sizzling book!
Gabrielle gave us the perfect amount of groupies, drugs, drinking and living on the road for a rockstar romance. There were plenty of sex scenes, which yes, in places, could of been a little more…….longer and detailed, but this didn’t stop me enjoying the book.
How To Catch A (Rock) Star was a fun read. It’s detailed and filled with secrets, drama, angst, heartbreak and love. It’s a dual point of view book, which I personally love, getting to know the thoughts and feelings from both sides. Some may say it’s a stereotypical rockstar romance book, but if it’s a genre your really in to, like me :-) you can never get enough.
We don’t really get much insight into the other band members and Kate, but I’m hoping that is because they will be getting their own books. Fingers crossed! Please Gabrielle? If this was the first book of the series, I would say the series would be off to a brilliant start!
Lillie’s dream was always to be a singer growing up. Her mother always shot down her dream after her failure to succeed, so made Lillie think she wouldn’t make it either. Also Lillie’s serious case of stage fright didn’t help either.
Jed is the lead singer of rock band ‘The Dead Hour’. They are an American band, currently touring in the UK.
Lillie hasn’t dated in almost a year, after her last disastrous relationship with ‘married Matt’. So when out on the town with her best friend, Kate, the lead singer (Jed) of the band she was just checking out, comes and whispers in her ear, Lillie is reluctant to let him persue her. Lillie decides a hot fling could be just what she needs to get over her past heartbreak, so she agrees to go on a date with Jed. A date that leads to a very enjoyable night of passion.
When Jed has to move on with the band to their next tour destination, he and Lillie stay in contact. After an extremely hard day at her thankless office job, Lillie decides to quit. She and Kate go and meet the band at their next tour stop. Banter over band member, Johnny butchering a song leads Jed and his band to discover that Lillie has an amazing voice. The next thing she knows, she is on their tour bus, learning their songs to sing with them at their concerts. ( If she can get past that stage fright! )
Things move pretty fast for Jed and Lillie together. They are in intense, all consuming love with each other. Lillie soon starts to feel Jed is holding something back. Reluctance to talk about some things, getting snappy if she tries to push the subject. Strange phone calls. Painting over a memory wall in his childhood bedroom, not wanting her to see whats written on it. Jed tries to play it off. Is Lillie right or is it her insecurities after her relationship with ‘married Matt’? Are Jed and Lillie destined for a happily ever after? If you love rockstar romance, grab this sizzling book!
Gabrielle gave us the perfect amount of groupies, drugs, drinking and living on the road for a rockstar romance. There were plenty of sex scenes, which yes, in places, could of been a little more…….longer and detailed, but this didn’t stop me enjoying the book.
How To Catch A (Rock) Star was a fun read. It’s detailed and filled with secrets, drama, angst, heartbreak and love. It’s a dual point of view book, which I personally love, getting to know the thoughts and feelings from both sides. Some may say it’s a stereotypical rockstar romance book, but if it’s a genre your really in to, like me :-) you can never get enough.
We don’t really get much insight into the other band members and Kate, but I’m hoping that is because they will be getting their own books. Fingers crossed! Please Gabrielle? If this was the first book of the series, I would say the series would be off to a brilliant start!
October 5, 2015
Book Review- How to Catch a (Rock) Star by Gabrielle Aquilina
Lillie has been punishing herself for a year after finding out her ex-boyfriend had been married the whole time they were together. He also had a baby. She had no idea for two years. Now she needs to get back to dating but is unsure of herself. She doesn’t trust her judgment.
She comes face to face with Jed one night. He is a member of a band playing at the club Kate dragged her to. He approaches Lillie at the bar and strikes up a conversation. There is an instant attraction and he asks her to hang out until he is done so they can talk some more. He ends up asking her out to dinner for the next night. The attraction they have for each other practically shoots sparks. They end up spending the night together and part of the next day.
Jed really likes Lillie and continues talking to her when they move on to their next city against the advice from his fellow bandmates. Lillie and her friend Kate meet the band again in London. After a lot of prodding from Kate, Lillie sings with the guys. Jed is so blown away by her voice he invites her to sing on stage. The fans love her. Jed talks her into going with him as the band tours.
Lillie is unsure of her singing and this new relationship with Jed. Her horrible stage fright makes her question whether she should do it. However she takes a leap of faith and follows her dream. While on tour her relationship with Jed grows. She does have doubts though, sometimes Jed starts acting weird and she is confused suspecting that he is keeping something from her.
When they make it to the American leg of the tour Lillie meets the guys’ families and old friends. After a jealous groupie spills the beans about what Jed has been hiding, Lillie is devastated and makes a huge mistake. She ends up back in England, no longer on tour as her world falls apart.
This story was interesting. I love rock-n-roll stories as bands go on tour and meet new people. I liked how Jed and Lillie met. It was almost every girl’s fantasy. Meeting the lead singer of a band on tour and he taking an interest in you, then falling in love. The relationship happened so quickly which added some excitement. The author added in Lillie’s talent giving her a reason to stay with the band. It was almost a Cinderella story of dreams coming true.
Unfortunately fears get in the way as do poisonous people that they surround themselves with. You can just see the heartache and pain that both go through. They struggle with alcohol and their hurt. What makes this story even better is their friends are great and do everything they can to help them.
The ending was sweet and I liked the story line. I do wish Lillie was a bit tougher in the sense that she would stand up for herself better. Other than that, which is my only real complaint, it was a good story. I give it a 4 out of 5.
Lillie has been punishing herself for a year after finding out her ex-boyfriend had been married the whole time they were together. He also had a baby. She had no idea for two years. Now she needs to get back to dating but is unsure of herself. She doesn’t trust her judgment.
She comes face to face with Jed one night. He is a member of a band playing at the club Kate dragged her to. He approaches Lillie at the bar and strikes up a conversation. There is an instant attraction and he asks her to hang out until he is done so they can talk some more. He ends up asking her out to dinner for the next night. The attraction they have for each other practically shoots sparks. They end up spending the night together and part of the next day.
Jed really likes Lillie and continues talking to her when they move on to their next city against the advice from his fellow bandmates. Lillie and her friend Kate meet the band again in London. After a lot of prodding from Kate, Lillie sings with the guys. Jed is so blown away by her voice he invites her to sing on stage. The fans love her. Jed talks her into going with him as the band tours.
Lillie is unsure of her singing and this new relationship with Jed. Her horrible stage fright makes her question whether she should do it. However she takes a leap of faith and follows her dream. While on tour her relationship with Jed grows. She does have doubts though, sometimes Jed starts acting weird and she is confused suspecting that he is keeping something from her.
When they make it to the American leg of the tour Lillie meets the guys’ families and old friends. After a jealous groupie spills the beans about what Jed has been hiding, Lillie is devastated and makes a huge mistake. She ends up back in England, no longer on tour as her world falls apart.
This story was interesting. I love rock-n-roll stories as bands go on tour and meet new people. I liked how Jed and Lillie met. It was almost every girl’s fantasy. Meeting the lead singer of a band on tour and he taking an interest in you, then falling in love. The relationship happened so quickly which added some excitement. The author added in Lillie’s talent giving her a reason to stay with the band. It was almost a Cinderella story of dreams coming true.
Unfortunately fears get in the way as do poisonous people that they surround themselves with. You can just see the heartache and pain that both go through. They struggle with alcohol and their hurt. What makes this story even better is their friends are great and do everything they can to help them.
The ending was sweet and I liked the story line. I do wish Lillie was a bit tougher in the sense that she would stand up for herself better. Other than that, which is my only real complaint, it was a good story. I give it a 4 out of 5.
July 7, 2015
I received a free copy from this book from the publisher, thank you So Vain! As usual, this does not influence my review in any way.
Confession time: I read fanfiction every now and then. I know it's frowned upon and judged and it's not "real writing", but I think some stories are actually great reads. I'm not a massive fan and I don't read a lot of it, but from time to time it's a nice relaxing read. If you like fanfiction, then I have good news for you: You'll love How to Catch a (Rock) Star
Clearly, this is a romance novel and I was excited to see how a rockstar and a normal girl would make a relationship work. Lillie is an enjoyable character; she's nice, sweet, always tries to do the right thing and really really likes Jed. Jed is nice too, seems to really care for Lillie, but is clearly hiding something from her. The relationship between the two is cute to read, but I was bothered by the fact that we don't find out Jed's secret until three-quarters into the book. I wanted to know sooner! I was constantly waiting for some drama to start and when it finally did, it was solved too quickly for my liking. Some more tension would have been great, but if you don't like that kinda thing (a lot of people don't), then this is perfect.
GREAT MAIN CHARACTERS, BUT...
So Lillie and Jed are fun to read about, however the side characters fall completely flat. They were actually the most fanfiction element of the book for me. They're all there (the bandmates, the roommate friend,...) and they are all there for Jed and Lillie to talk to and that's about it. The whole book-world seems to revolve around the romance and that's just so not realistic. They are people with jobs and lives - why not show that? It irked me that all they do is try and get Lillie and Jed together or try and fix something if it's wrong. If those characters were more rounded, the story would be so much better.
RATING
So overall, I'm not wild about this book. It was nice and cute and fun to read, but I didn't really relate to it. I honestly don't think it will appeal to people who don't like fanfiction. This story requires you to really let go of your inner-critic and to not wonder "would that really happen??", because it wouldn't. In real life, there would be a girl who sees a band play and then goes home and goes back to her shit job the next day. But this is a work of fiction, so things happen. If you're okay with just letting go of the realistic factor and enjoy the story, you'll really enjoy it. You'll breeze through the story and enjoy the very cute moments between Lillie and Jed. If you don't like those overly happy dream-come-true stories, then don't pick this up.
Confession time: I read fanfiction every now and then. I know it's frowned upon and judged and it's not "real writing", but I think some stories are actually great reads. I'm not a massive fan and I don't read a lot of it, but from time to time it's a nice relaxing read. If you like fanfiction, then I have good news for you: You'll love How to Catch a (Rock) Star
Clearly, this is a romance novel and I was excited to see how a rockstar and a normal girl would make a relationship work. Lillie is an enjoyable character; she's nice, sweet, always tries to do the right thing and really really likes Jed. Jed is nice too, seems to really care for Lillie, but is clearly hiding something from her. The relationship between the two is cute to read, but I was bothered by the fact that we don't find out Jed's secret until three-quarters into the book. I wanted to know sooner! I was constantly waiting for some drama to start and when it finally did, it was solved too quickly for my liking. Some more tension would have been great, but if you don't like that kinda thing (a lot of people don't), then this is perfect.
GREAT MAIN CHARACTERS, BUT...
So Lillie and Jed are fun to read about, however the side characters fall completely flat. They were actually the most fanfiction element of the book for me. They're all there (the bandmates, the roommate friend,...) and they are all there for Jed and Lillie to talk to and that's about it. The whole book-world seems to revolve around the romance and that's just so not realistic. They are people with jobs and lives - why not show that? It irked me that all they do is try and get Lillie and Jed together or try and fix something if it's wrong. If those characters were more rounded, the story would be so much better.
RATING
So overall, I'm not wild about this book. It was nice and cute and fun to read, but I didn't really relate to it. I honestly don't think it will appeal to people who don't like fanfiction. This story requires you to really let go of your inner-critic and to not wonder "would that really happen??", because it wouldn't. In real life, there would be a girl who sees a band play and then goes home and goes back to her shit job the next day. But this is a work of fiction, so things happen. If you're okay with just letting go of the realistic factor and enjoy the story, you'll really enjoy it. You'll breeze through the story and enjoy the very cute moments between Lillie and Jed. If you don't like those overly happy dream-come-true stories, then don't pick this up.
May 14, 2015
How to Catch a (Rock) Star, A Story of Sex, Love and Rock 'n' Roll, Gabrielle Aquilina
Review from Jeannie Zelos book reviews
Genre: Romance,
I found this a little improbable to be honest....things seem to happen very slickly and the record company are far too accommodating....first they take on Lillie, an unknown, into a band already on tour, and then when things go wrong they just go with the flow, so to speak. In real life contracts are all and no matter what personal problems the companies what their pound of flesh, death or rehab clinics seem to be the only things that let one escape a contract...
So Lillie and Jed are having fun, touring, romancing, doing all the things new lovers do, but Lillie suspects he’s hiding something. It’s not obvious but sometimes he’s subtlety evasive about things, turning away from questions over his past, getting texts that he’s quiet about, and the explanations he gives don’t really ring true...Lillie’s had problems with that before when a lover turned out to be married, and she’s not going that route again. She can’t see Jed doing that though – he knows how she feels, she’s told him about her ex and how she felt.
The band members are fun too but we didn’t really see that much of them and how they interacted, or the mechanics of the rock star band on tour stuff, a few snippets of concerts, a brief hotel stay – I like the day to day detail to add flavour and drama. TBH it was all very light and fluffy, very surface based story, and nothing really happens until the big reveal. That was perfect, and the way the drama played out from then on raised this to a four for me from a good but not great three. I like the way the sadness was drawn out, covered months and a decent portion of the book. It gave a depth to the drama. So often its a two page flick, but not here, its several chapters and has some great moments.
It wasn’t the kind of Rock Star book I was expecting and I found the first half at least to be pleasant enough but a little dull and predictable, but the drama part when it came was perfect for me. I could really feel the heartbreak from both of them. Jessica was a great “bad” character – I do love one that’s frankly just selfish, amoral and cruel! I’d have liked to have seen more of her, that type of character deserves a major role IMO and can make or break a book.
Its a fun read, but not one I’d read again.
Stars: Four, a one off bit of fun.
ARC supplied by Netgalley and publishers
July 27, 2016
How To Catch A (Rock) Star is the first full length novel in the unofficial "How to Catch a (XX) Star"series. The story opens when Lillie and Jed meet at a UK club where his band Dead Hour are playing.They weren’t even supposed to be playing but it seems fate brought them together. Lillie and Jed have an explosive connection and although Jed is a gentlemen, things move quickly (as they must) when the hero is in band that's on tour.
It was so easy to find myself engrossed in this story and it’s all because Aquilina writes really captivating characters. The plot centers around Lillie joining the band (despite her stage fright) and then is driven by the necessity to accelerate their relationship. Lillie takes a huge risk and her relationship with Jed takes on a life of it’s own. The whole getting to know each other through dates is not on the menu for them. Also their crazy great connection seems to be rooted in sex. It's kinda the way the communicate the best, at least in initial stages.
Lillie is a lovely and forthcoming person and Jed recognizes something in her that he can’t simply walk away from. He adores her but he withholds some pretty crucial information and when that bomb is dropped, their relationship simply implodes. What's worse is that it could have all been avoided. As their relationship progressed he gives Lillie good reason to be suspicious. There’s much drama and angst in this and it’s gut wrenching and heartbreaking.
I couldn’t see how these two could get past this. What I love is that Aquilina doesn’t provide a swift and easy fix. Lillie’s reaction followed by Jed’s reaction to Lillie’s reaction absolutely tears them apart. It's authentic and I found I was so emotionally tied up in these two. Because their connection is DEEP there's no avoiding that angsty and anxiety fueled feeling. In order to move through that I read well into the night, fighting off those dreadful stinging tears. The story line is perfectly paced, building on the positive emotions of falling in love, the devastation of heartbreak, and the peacefulness of forgiveness.
5 #Jedlie Stars and recommendation.
*I was a gifted a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review
It was so easy to find myself engrossed in this story and it’s all because Aquilina writes really captivating characters. The plot centers around Lillie joining the band (despite her stage fright) and then is driven by the necessity to accelerate their relationship. Lillie takes a huge risk and her relationship with Jed takes on a life of it’s own. The whole getting to know each other through dates is not on the menu for them. Also their crazy great connection seems to be rooted in sex. It's kinda the way the communicate the best, at least in initial stages.
Lillie is a lovely and forthcoming person and Jed recognizes something in her that he can’t simply walk away from. He adores her but he withholds some pretty crucial information and when that bomb is dropped, their relationship simply implodes. What's worse is that it could have all been avoided. As their relationship progressed he gives Lillie good reason to be suspicious. There’s much drama and angst in this and it’s gut wrenching and heartbreaking.
I couldn’t see how these two could get past this. What I love is that Aquilina doesn’t provide a swift and easy fix. Lillie’s reaction followed by Jed’s reaction to Lillie’s reaction absolutely tears them apart. It's authentic and I found I was so emotionally tied up in these two. Because their connection is DEEP there's no avoiding that angsty and anxiety fueled feeling. In order to move through that I read well into the night, fighting off those dreadful stinging tears. The story line is perfectly paced, building on the positive emotions of falling in love, the devastation of heartbreak, and the peacefulness of forgiveness.
5 #Jedlie Stars and recommendation.
*I was a gifted a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review
April 30, 2015
Lillie is young, pretty and temporarily stuck in a dead-end job she hates. Her breakup with “Married Matt” a year prior has left her more than a little jaded and hesitant to start a new relationship. That changes when she’s out on the town with her best friend, Kate, and meets gorgeous, sexy American rock star, Jed. The chance encounter turns into a whirlwind romance and Lillie finds herself willing to give love another chance. Jed is everything Lillie could ever want in a man and the feeling is more than mutual. When the boys in the band hear Lillie sing, they know they have to recruit Lillie to go with them on tour. Despite overwhelming stage fright, Lillie wows the crowd and becomes a fan favorite. Unfortunately, Lillie’s new life as a rock star and rock star’s girlfriend comes crashing down when she finally learns of the huge secret Jed has been keeping from her.
Gabrielle Aquilina does a great job of detailing what I’d imagine a rock star’s life to be like. From groupies, drugs and heavy drinking to living life constantly on the road while on tour goes to prove a rocker’s life definitely has its drawbacks and potential downfalls. Aquilina also expertly paints a cautionary tale of how falling in love too hard and too fast can certainly leave a young and trusting twenty-something open to some pretty devastating heartbreak – even when it’s a result of a misunderstanding. Lillie’s self-destructive downward spiral is believable and I found myself hoping that things would finally turn out positively for her.
In fact, all of the major characters in How to Catch a (Rock) Star were charming, believable and sympathetic in their own way – which helped me to become immediately emotionally invested in the story.
Kudos to Ms. Aquilina – she’s written an emotionally charged, unique love story with lots of twists, turns, drama and a happy resolution. I can definitely see this book becoming a movie or part of a book series. Highly recommended!
http://ebookreviewgal.com Received a complimentary ARC of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.
Gabrielle Aquilina does a great job of detailing what I’d imagine a rock star’s life to be like. From groupies, drugs and heavy drinking to living life constantly on the road while on tour goes to prove a rocker’s life definitely has its drawbacks and potential downfalls. Aquilina also expertly paints a cautionary tale of how falling in love too hard and too fast can certainly leave a young and trusting twenty-something open to some pretty devastating heartbreak – even when it’s a result of a misunderstanding. Lillie’s self-destructive downward spiral is believable and I found myself hoping that things would finally turn out positively for her.
In fact, all of the major characters in How to Catch a (Rock) Star were charming, believable and sympathetic in their own way – which helped me to become immediately emotionally invested in the story.
Kudos to Ms. Aquilina – she’s written an emotionally charged, unique love story with lots of twists, turns, drama and a happy resolution. I can definitely see this book becoming a movie or part of a book series. Highly recommended!
http://ebookreviewgal.com Received a complimentary ARC of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.
May 11, 2015
Disclaimer: I received a copy of this book for free from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you to So Vain Books for this opportunity.
This was definitely your typical romance novel and I ate up every minute of it. I found myself grinning from ear to ear during the "fluff" parts of the novel. Sometimes I even had to pause and put the book down because I couldn't read any more with how happy and excited I was for Lillie and Jed. I loved Lillie and it was great to see her grow as a character and really come into herself over the course of the novel. Jed was perfect and the two of them really complemented one another. It was insta-love but I was okay with it because they had such good chemistry and it wasn't as if the romance took place only over the course of a week.
There were so many times I was waiting for something to happen with Johnny or one of the other band members, but they genuinely cared about Jed and Lillie and their relationship. Kate was kind of a filler character for me, someone for Lillie to talk to about her problems to make her story progress; same for her sister Tess. I also would have liked an explanation beyond what was given for why Lillie doesn't talk to her parents as much. Also, I would have liked an introduction to her brother. I feel like there could have been a tender brother-sister moment that would have fully completed the story for me. I was glad that the parties in the wrong admitted to their mistakes, but I do think there should have been a longer period of being upset and sorry before it was completely sorted.
I think it would have been a bit more believable if they had had more little fights before their big blowout near the end. And I would have liked it if the sex scenes were longer and/or more detailed. Otherwise, no real complaints about the novel, plot, or characters.
Overall: 4/5 stars. I can't wait to see what else Gabrielle Aquilina writes because I will be the first one to buy it!
This was definitely your typical romance novel and I ate up every minute of it. I found myself grinning from ear to ear during the "fluff" parts of the novel. Sometimes I even had to pause and put the book down because I couldn't read any more with how happy and excited I was for Lillie and Jed. I loved Lillie and it was great to see her grow as a character and really come into herself over the course of the novel. Jed was perfect and the two of them really complemented one another. It was insta-love but I was okay with it because they had such good chemistry and it wasn't as if the romance took place only over the course of a week.
There were so many times I was waiting for something to happen with Johnny or one of the other band members, but they genuinely cared about Jed and Lillie and their relationship. Kate was kind of a filler character for me, someone for Lillie to talk to about her problems to make her story progress; same for her sister Tess. I also would have liked an explanation beyond what was given for why Lillie doesn't talk to her parents as much. Also, I would have liked an introduction to her brother. I feel like there could have been a tender brother-sister moment that would have fully completed the story for me. I was glad that the parties in the wrong admitted to their mistakes, but I do think there should have been a longer period of being upset and sorry before it was completely sorted.
I think it would have been a bit more believable if they had had more little fights before their big blowout near the end. And I would have liked it if the sex scenes were longer and/or more detailed. Otherwise, no real complaints about the novel, plot, or characters.
Overall: 4/5 stars. I can't wait to see what else Gabrielle Aquilina writes because I will be the first one to buy it!
June 16, 2015
4 – Rocking - Stars
In Gabrielle Aquilina’ s debut novel, she tells the story about Lillie, who secretly wants to be a singer but is stuck in her job.
When Lillie visits a concert with her best friend Kate, she gets to know Jed, lead singer of the new American rock band ‘The dead hour’. They feel an instant attraction to each other, and when Jed asks her out on a date the next day, Lillie says yes (who wouldn’t?).
After they spent the night together, nothing is as it was before. Lillie and Jed are fallen in love.
They want to spend all their time together, but with Jed’s busy rock star-schedule, that’s just not possible. So when Jed invites Lillie on tour with the band after she sang with him, she says yes.
Can she overcome her stage fright and can her secret dream, to become a professional singer, come true?
As the tour goes on, things happen, which aren’t always as they appear and Lillie is starting to mistrust Jed. Obsessive fan girls don’t make their relationship any easier.
Will both fight for each other and stay together against all odds?
This easy written romance novel will make you swoon while reading it on your kindle. With sweet and sexy love scenes and some drama, you will find everything that a good romance novel needs.
Of course there are a lot books with the ‘rock star meets normal girl and falls in love’ – story, but that shouldn’t stop you from reading “How to catch a (rock) star”.
It is definitely worth your time.
The characters, created by Mrs. Aquilina are really loveable and you will find yourself rooting for this adorable couple Jed and Lillie. They boys from ‘The death hour’ will make you wish, this band would be real.
If you like rock star romance novels, you should definitely add this book to your kindle too.
ARC kindly provided via Netgalley, in exchange for an honest review.
In Gabrielle Aquilina’ s debut novel, she tells the story about Lillie, who secretly wants to be a singer but is stuck in her job.
When Lillie visits a concert with her best friend Kate, she gets to know Jed, lead singer of the new American rock band ‘The dead hour’. They feel an instant attraction to each other, and when Jed asks her out on a date the next day, Lillie says yes (who wouldn’t?).
After they spent the night together, nothing is as it was before. Lillie and Jed are fallen in love.
They want to spend all their time together, but with Jed’s busy rock star-schedule, that’s just not possible. So when Jed invites Lillie on tour with the band after she sang with him, she says yes.
Can she overcome her stage fright and can her secret dream, to become a professional singer, come true?
As the tour goes on, things happen, which aren’t always as they appear and Lillie is starting to mistrust Jed. Obsessive fan girls don’t make their relationship any easier.
Will both fight for each other and stay together against all odds?
This easy written romance novel will make you swoon while reading it on your kindle. With sweet and sexy love scenes and some drama, you will find everything that a good romance novel needs.
Of course there are a lot books with the ‘rock star meets normal girl and falls in love’ – story, but that shouldn’t stop you from reading “How to catch a (rock) star”.
It is definitely worth your time.
The characters, created by Mrs. Aquilina are really loveable and you will find yourself rooting for this adorable couple Jed and Lillie. They boys from ‘The death hour’ will make you wish, this band would be real.
If you like rock star romance novels, you should definitely add this book to your kindle too.
ARC kindly provided via Netgalley, in exchange for an honest review.
May 5, 2015
In all honesty, I think the only reason I gave this book 3 stars was because of Johnny. I loved his sense of humour and his ability to make me laugh - in the most serious situations - in the most comical ways. Jed isn't always you're typical broody rock star musician that I fully expected him to be and that made for a nice change of pace. He did turn hot and cold quite frequently and that annoyed me but it's understandable when you get to know more about him towards the end.
I really enjoyed how the author gave these characters very realistic and relatable issues such as insecurities and paranoia. I feel like it made my experience of reading this book more real and therefore more enjoyable. I also enjoyed how they experienced real people's everyday problems but you'll learn more of that when reading this book for yourself.
I'm not gonna lie.... I found Lillie quite annoying at times and I dunno; maybe that's just me but I was seriously like....
... towards her on more than one occasion. I also felt that even though this book was written in quite a bit of depth it just wasn't vivid enough for me and it always felt like things were moving too quickly for me and like I couldn't always keep up with what was happening. So it felt kinda rushed from start to end. Like I said maybe I was just off when reading this book.
Overall, it was a cute book. Kinda hot. Jed was lovely and refreshing to read and I liked it. :)
*ARC received via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review*
I really enjoyed how the author gave these characters very realistic and relatable issues such as insecurities and paranoia. I feel like it made my experience of reading this book more real and therefore more enjoyable. I also enjoyed how they experienced real people's everyday problems but you'll learn more of that when reading this book for yourself.
I'm not gonna lie.... I found Lillie quite annoying at times and I dunno; maybe that's just me but I was seriously like....
... towards her on more than one occasion. I also felt that even though this book was written in quite a bit of depth it just wasn't vivid enough for me and it always felt like things were moving too quickly for me and like I couldn't always keep up with what was happening. So it felt kinda rushed from start to end. Like I said maybe I was just off when reading this book.
Overall, it was a cute book. Kinda hot. Jed was lovely and refreshing to read and I liked it. :)
*ARC received via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review*
April 27, 2015
I received a copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
3.5 stars.
This was a cute read and it was written very well.
Soooo, why didn't I give it 5 stars? These are my favorite storylines....Girl meets H.O.T.T., sexy singer. Singer meets gorgeous girl. Both are infatuated with each other. Girl quits job and follows rocker and eventually they fall in love. Then the unthinkable happens and both are destroyed. And then the ending (can't spoil that for you!).
The reason this book didn't pull me in was because, to me, it was the same storyline as so many others. Just a different "unthinkable" or "secret" in every book. There was nothing that really stood out or caught my attention with this book. Maybe I'm jaded by the storyline because I've read so many of these types. Ahhhh....but I love them!
The main characters were great! I felt like the supporting characters needed a bit of work. For example, Lillie lives with her best friend, Kate, yet we don't know too much about this Kate except that she's the best friend and they live together. I figured there would be more conversations between two best friends than there was in this book. Kate just kind of disappeared. And we didn't know much about the other guys that are in the band either.
I feel like there was a lot left that could have been added to the book for an even better story. This is my first book by Gabrielle Aquilina, and I will be looking for more of her books because I see a great potential in her work.
3.5 stars.
This was a cute read and it was written very well.
Soooo, why didn't I give it 5 stars? These are my favorite storylines....Girl meets H.O.T.T., sexy singer. Singer meets gorgeous girl. Both are infatuated with each other. Girl quits job and follows rocker and eventually they fall in love. Then the unthinkable happens and both are destroyed. And then the ending (can't spoil that for you!).
The reason this book didn't pull me in was because, to me, it was the same storyline as so many others. Just a different "unthinkable" or "secret" in every book. There was nothing that really stood out or caught my attention with this book. Maybe I'm jaded by the storyline because I've read so many of these types. Ahhhh....but I love them!
The main characters were great! I felt like the supporting characters needed a bit of work. For example, Lillie lives with her best friend, Kate, yet we don't know too much about this Kate except that she's the best friend and they live together. I figured there would be more conversations between two best friends than there was in this book. Kate just kind of disappeared. And we didn't know much about the other guys that are in the band either.
I feel like there was a lot left that could have been added to the book for an even better story. This is my first book by Gabrielle Aquilina, and I will be looking for more of her books because I see a great potential in her work.
May 20, 2015
Amazing Book **I received an ARC of this story in exchange for an honest review**Lillie is 24, loved to sing, but had crippling stage fright. Lillie and her best friend Katie went to a bar to hear some bands perform. Jed had been the first guy Lillie had been attracted to in almost a year. Lillie had dated her ex for years, hadn't had a clue he was married until his wife showed up at her house with his baby. Jed also hadn't been attracted to anybody in a long time until Lillie. Jed's band had just signed with Island Records. They had been together for 7 years while trying to get signed. Johnny is the band's manager. Jed had known him forever. Their mom's had been since before they had been born. Katie got Lillie to sign in front of Jed and Johnnie. Since she quit her job, Jed wanted her to go on tour with them. Katie went too. Lillie was a sweet girl. She had been hurt and it showed, but she grew to love again. She was honest, had a big heart and was loyal. She was artistic and had pushed that part away from herself. Through the twists and turns of this story she grew. Jed was not your typical rock star. He was not a partier, didn't sleep around, but he had secrets. It was great to see him find love again, only this time it was real. This was an amazing book, an amazing story, I would highly recommend it.
June 1, 2015
Thanks to Netgalley for a copy of this book in return for an honest review
I was really excited when I first started reading this book. It was funny and realistic and set in England with British characters, which always excites me a little. But then it just sort of went downhill? Like, the characters just got a bit stupid. They were confessing their love for each other within two weeks, and the situation was a bit unbelievable. Like, I can suspend my disbelief if it's backed up by good storytelling or good character development, but everything was just a bit superficial and rushed. It could be cute at times, and I really enjoyed the beginning bit, but we see the nice bit with Lillie and Jed seeing each other for the first time and starting to like each other, and then we never really had anymore cute moments or reasons for them to be together. I thought their reactions to the troubles in their relationships were a bit childish, and why did they both turn to heavy drinking after the break up?
It just all read as a bit unrealistic to me.
Sometimes it was cute and funny, and it was certainly a light-hearted and mostly enjoyable read, but I was just really disappointed by it after the good start.
I was really excited when I first started reading this book. It was funny and realistic and set in England with British characters, which always excites me a little. But then it just sort of went downhill? Like, the characters just got a bit stupid. They were confessing their love for each other within two weeks, and the situation was a bit unbelievable. Like, I can suspend my disbelief if it's backed up by good storytelling or good character development, but everything was just a bit superficial and rushed. It could be cute at times, and I really enjoyed the beginning bit, but we see the nice bit with Lillie and Jed seeing each other for the first time and starting to like each other, and then we never really had anymore cute moments or reasons for them to be together. I thought their reactions to the troubles in their relationships were a bit childish, and why did they both turn to heavy drinking after the break up?
It just all read as a bit unrealistic to me.
Sometimes it was cute and funny, and it was certainly a light-hearted and mostly enjoyable read, but I was just really disappointed by it after the good start.
September 15, 2015
2.5 Stars.
This book took me forever to finish. I really had to push myself to get to the end of it. Had this not been a review copy, it would have been added to my dnf list.
I really liked the blurb, it had a great potential. Unfortunately, I didn't love the book.
It started quiet well, but then it went downhill too fast. The characters were very immature, they reacted to problems/challenges with turning into alcoholics, and everything is caused by misunderstandings. Also, insta-love. They confessed their love to each other within two weeks. That was quiet unrealistic and a bit superficial.
I'm not going to get too much into the plot to avoid spoilers.
The story was cute and funny at times, and very light-hearted. I think it is an OK read.
*This arc was kindly provided by So Vain Books via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you!
This book took me forever to finish. I really had to push myself to get to the end of it. Had this not been a review copy, it would have been added to my dnf list.
I really liked the blurb, it had a great potential. Unfortunately, I didn't love the book.
It started quiet well, but then it went downhill too fast. The characters were very immature, they reacted to problems/challenges with turning into alcoholics, and everything is caused by misunderstandings. Also, insta-love. They confessed their love to each other within two weeks. That was quiet unrealistic and a bit superficial.
I'm not going to get too much into the plot to avoid spoilers.
The story was cute and funny at times, and very light-hearted. I think it is an OK read.
*This arc was kindly provided by So Vain Books via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you!
July 2, 2015
DNF 16%
I am so sorry to the author that I didn't finish this. Don't hate me. If the book doesn't capture me in the first 10-15% I just get sluggish and demotivated to read it so I stop but I am very grateful for being given this book to review but...I don't really like it.
After reading some of the other reviews which were all gushing how great the book was I was thinking
Honestly, I really tried to get into this book but I felt distant and disconnected from the story so I was disinterested and I just couldn't bring myself to continue.
I am so sorry to the author that I didn't finish this. Don't hate me. If the book doesn't capture me in the first 10-15% I just get sluggish and demotivated to read it so I stop but I am very grateful for being given this book to review but...I don't really like it.
After reading some of the other reviews which were all gushing how great the book was I was thinking
Honestly, I really tried to get into this book but I felt distant and disconnected from the story so I was disinterested and I just couldn't bring myself to continue.
July 19, 2015
I received a copy via net galley.
Meh, I really wanted to like this one more but it was just so rushy and cliche... I couldn't get into it, I felt like I was spacing outs do just not there. Characters were bland and over stated, storyline a walking cliche, and writing was kinda wonky.
Meh, I really wanted to like this one more but it was just so rushy and cliche... I couldn't get into it, I felt like I was spacing outs do just not there. Characters were bland and over stated, storyline a walking cliche, and writing was kinda wonky.
December 29, 2015
It started out great, everything is perfect to the point that I nervously waited for something bad to happen lol and then when the "problem" happened I got really disappointed with both of the main characters and how they handle the situation.
Read
May 25, 2015dnf therefore no rating. I think it's just me. I couldn't get into the story at all. plus everything seemed to progress to quickly
July 31, 2015
This shan't be a very long review, my bookie amigos.
But.... but WHHYYYYY oh great and overlord Keionda?
Well, my fellow book wormies....this book didn't hit me in the FEELS. You know, you have some books that are just like OMG and you legit find yourself walking around with a goofy grin on your face because you thought about said awesome book? But then on the darker, more depressing side you have some books that just make you go all: "Meh. I pass. I pass."
Pfft. Yeah. That was how this book was for me.
I had to have put this book sown like legit 5 times before I finally just sucked it up and finished it.
It took me a while to get sucked into the story.
You just KNEW I had to throw in this cute little Malfoy gif. Couldn't help myself. ;)
♥Lillie- My feelings for her are MEH. And it doesn't go much beyond that. I think it was mostly because I was told and not shown what she felt. I have very high standards when it comes to connecting to characters liking them and then ultimately feeling like they are a part of my world.
♥Jed- Not really a lot to say about him, other than the fact that HE'S A REALLY GOOD SINGER, but he, like Lily, was very hard to relate to and CARE ABOUT. --->Although, I am def. not ashamed to say that I swooned the times he and Lily... you know... did it.
It went from insta-attraction to insta-lust to insta-sex and then insta-love. Nuff said.
And yup, yup. As you can imagine, the plot, the characters, EVERYTHANG, felt very rushed, generic, and utterly unbelievable.
The romance and the world built around the characters just wasn't believable and if it wasn't believable....I NO LIKE IT, OBVI.
Connecting with characters? PFFT. NO. *Scoffs* More like, there was this big fat wall blocking the characters and me from ever sharing cake and lattes together. Meh.
PIC OF BOOK AND ON CELL SNS KINDLE
If insta-love, with some drama and angst sprinkled in here and there is YO thing, then by allllll means, I say go for it and give this book a try. But if not...yeahh. just don't waste your time. --->gosh. That actually HURT to say.
OVER TO YOU:
How do you feel about not connecting with characters? Have you ever DNF a book? Are you like me and get sad when you are forced to give a book a less than flattering review? Or are you the terminator of book reviewing and show no mercy? I kind of wish I could be like that instead of being like all sensitive and what not...
May 22, 2021
I love Rockstar Romances and I had quite the hopes for this one. Did I enjoy this book? Definitely. However, I did not love it and I think it's in part with the insta-love. I'm not always a huge fan of this particular trope, and that's what happened here; although there were some parts that were really cute. Lillie is sweet and loved how she grew into her character. This isn't the best rock star romance out there, but it is fun.
May 25, 2015
2.5 Predictable Rock Star Stars!
Source: eARC for Honest Review Courtesy of So Vain Books via NetGalley
I'm such a sucker for rock star romances so I was hoping this was going to be great but it ended up just being okay for me. Gabrielle Aquilina is a debut author and this was a good debut it just didn't wow me. For me the writing style of more inner dialogue than actual dialogue doesn't usually work for me. I know its a closer look into the insights of the characters but I always find I connect more when there is more dialogue between characters.
So ... Girl meets boy. Boy is a rock star. Girl was once hurt and now gun shy. Both fall instantly in love. Boy goes on tour. Brings girl with him. Girl has a natural talent. Girl becomes part of the band. Both get hurt and then ...
There was were also some details for me that made it hard to fully fall for the story as well. For example: 1)
and 2) There was an English characters Lillie, Kate and Tess and some American characters like Jed, Johnnie the rest of the band and their families. When they were in America or with the American characters POV there were too many Englishisms that don't relate to America which made it hard to get past at times. When they were the English characters these made sense but too many times the Americans
sounded English when the were supposed to be American. I know this is a nit picky thing but it did have an effect on reading it for me, kind of like it was lost in translation yet speaking the same language.
There's enough stress in the rock star world that could have created loads of angst without the typical normal genre angst caused by assumptions and miscommunications, where honesty would have been way better in this scenario and way less heartache. But sadly for me the story was riddled with assumptions and miscommunications.
Besides that the story was okay but predictable. I liked the idea of the story than the story itself. I always find these ones harder to review when its way more personal preference then the writing itself.
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November 9, 2015
Actual rating: 2.8/5 stars
How To Catch A (Rock) Star is a story about two people coming together and fitting into each other’s lives immediately. Lillie and Jed both come from a rocky past, one filled with drugs and partying and the other filled with lies and heartache. Once they meet at one of Jed’s shows, their fates have been tied and they know they’re going to be in each other’s lives for much longer than the one night they’re both already looking for. After Lillie realizing that what she’s settling for in her life back in London doesn't come close to what she can fully lead herself to achieving, she quits her shitty job and joins Jed, Johnny, Eddie, and Chris on the road, accompanying them on stage with her beautiful voice. Her life has done a complete 180 and she doesn’t think anything could go wrong, until it does. Turns out Jed’s holding a few secrets to himself. Secrets that he knows Lillie won’t be happy with. Can they make it? Or will the secrecy break them both.
Lillie and Jed get along almost immediately which I really enjoyed. It always bothers me when someone is too cocky and the other person walks away because you already know they’re supposed to be the two that end up together. Jed, so far, seems like a great male lead and a MUSICIAN. I love it already.
Lillie, or Lil’ as most call her, has already grown pretty attached to Jed after they spent one hot night together, and a sweet morning after.
Okay Jed’s adorable and they’re so cute together but seriously? They’ve known each other for like 5 days… how could you be falling for someone already. You don’t know her parents name or whether or not she has a middle name.. it’s just a big, far fetched jump from reality.
One thing that I’ve found really annoyed me throughout the book, but I realized around chapter 12, was how short the damn chapters were. I felt like the storyline had so much potential but there was a lack of editing and overall just content that was missing that could’ve improved the flow of the story. I loved how sweet Jed was to Lillie from the start, instead of that cocky musician attitude you often find in these kind of storylines. Although I find those hot sometimes, I found this a little refreshing for once. Also, I loved Johnny’s character and was immediately annoyed with this immediate threat that they both held on him because they thought he was after Lillie. He was nothing but kind and friendly towards her and acted no differently towards Kate, but somehow he’s trying to move in on Lillie? No thanks. I liked how Gabrielle Aquilina, the author, tried to keep Kate in on the story, but it was just all a little unrealistic that somehow these two new girls are able to so effortlessly fall into the tour lifestyle and both have a place there. It was just far fetched in my opinion. I liked the writing style of Gabrielle but I thought that this story could’ve been tweaked a lot to make it better and not so choppy. They’d known each other for 2 weeks and already declaring love? But yet neither one of them knew much about the other? It just drove me crazy. You can’t love someone you don’t know, in my opinion. I’m a hopeless romantic, but this story sadly lost me. Am I happy I read it? Yes. Did I hate it? No way. Could it be better? 100%. I’d only read this once unfortunately.
How To Catch A (Rock) Star is a story about two people coming together and fitting into each other’s lives immediately. Lillie and Jed both come from a rocky past, one filled with drugs and partying and the other filled with lies and heartache. Once they meet at one of Jed’s shows, their fates have been tied and they know they’re going to be in each other’s lives for much longer than the one night they’re both already looking for. After Lillie realizing that what she’s settling for in her life back in London doesn't come close to what she can fully lead herself to achieving, she quits her shitty job and joins Jed, Johnny, Eddie, and Chris on the road, accompanying them on stage with her beautiful voice. Her life has done a complete 180 and she doesn’t think anything could go wrong, until it does. Turns out Jed’s holding a few secrets to himself. Secrets that he knows Lillie won’t be happy with. Can they make it? Or will the secrecy break them both.
Lillie and Jed get along almost immediately which I really enjoyed. It always bothers me when someone is too cocky and the other person walks away because you already know they’re supposed to be the two that end up together. Jed, so far, seems like a great male lead and a MUSICIAN. I love it already.
Lillie, or Lil’ as most call her, has already grown pretty attached to Jed after they spent one hot night together, and a sweet morning after.
Okay Jed’s adorable and they’re so cute together but seriously? They’ve known each other for like 5 days… how could you be falling for someone already. You don’t know her parents name or whether or not she has a middle name.. it’s just a big, far fetched jump from reality.
One thing that I’ve found really annoyed me throughout the book, but I realized around chapter 12, was how short the damn chapters were. I felt like the storyline had so much potential but there was a lack of editing and overall just content that was missing that could’ve improved the flow of the story. I loved how sweet Jed was to Lillie from the start, instead of that cocky musician attitude you often find in these kind of storylines. Although I find those hot sometimes, I found this a little refreshing for once. Also, I loved Johnny’s character and was immediately annoyed with this immediate threat that they both held on him because they thought he was after Lillie. He was nothing but kind and friendly towards her and acted no differently towards Kate, but somehow he’s trying to move in on Lillie? No thanks. I liked how Gabrielle Aquilina, the author, tried to keep Kate in on the story, but it was just all a little unrealistic that somehow these two new girls are able to so effortlessly fall into the tour lifestyle and both have a place there. It was just far fetched in my opinion. I liked the writing style of Gabrielle but I thought that this story could’ve been tweaked a lot to make it better and not so choppy. They’d known each other for 2 weeks and already declaring love? But yet neither one of them knew much about the other? It just drove me crazy. You can’t love someone you don’t know, in my opinion. I’m a hopeless romantic, but this story sadly lost me. Am I happy I read it? Yes. Did I hate it? No way. Could it be better? 100%. I’d only read this once unfortunately.
October 3, 2015
I was given a ARC in exchange of a honest review. I love rock star stories, but this one was quite not-believable.
We have Lillie and Jed, She´s a british woman and dreams about being a singer, but she has severe stage fright. One night she met Jed, he´s the lead singer of Dead Hour, and his band is touring over Europe when they met. They have one night together and feel bad because they have to go in separate ways. He´s touring and she at her office work. Though they keep texting and calling each other.
She quit her job, because she hate the job and the boss.
When Lillie and Jed meet again, she sing, by her friend request, and Jed´s band take her in, as a singer, along with Jed. (easy peasy, just like this)
Lillie has some trust problems because her two years ex-boyfriend was married, and with a baby.( How could she not know, for god sake?)
And is pretty obvious Jed is hiding something from her.
When she finally discover everything, she gets drunk with the band manager and Jed finds them in bed. He can't forgive her because the other woman cheat on him, and he can´t go through that again. He send Lillie back to England and drink his way to oblivion.
It couldn´t grab my attention, that keep spanning just like Dori´s. Jed and Lillie have no chemistry, though the author try to sell their love really bad.
Eu amo histórias com Rock stars, mas essa não era crível.
Nós temos Lillie e Jed. Ela é britânica e sonha em ser uma cantora, mas sofre de um caso sério de medo de palco. Uma noite ela conhece Jed, ele é o cantor de uma banda de Rock chamada Dead Hour, que está fazendo um tour pela Europa. Eles passam a noite juntos e ficam tristes quando precisam seguir seus caminhos separadamente. Ele tem que continuar o tour que vai durar 6 meses e ela tem que voltar pro trabalho dela no escritório. Mas, eles continuam se comunicando por sms e ligações.
Ela pede demissão, porque ela odeia o trabalho e a chefe.
Quando ela se encontra novamente com Jed, ela canta porque a amiga dela pediu. E ela começa a fazer parte da banda. Fácil, né?
Lillie tem problemas pra confiar em homens, pq o namorado dela de 2 anos era casado e tinha um bebê. (Como ela não sabia isso, #pelamordeDeus?)
E é bem óbvio que o Jed está escondendo algo dela. Quando Lillie, finalmente, descobre. Ela fica bêbada com o gerente da banda e Jed os encontra juntos na cama. Ele não consegue perdoá-la pq a sua mulher, agora ex, o traía, chegando a engravidar de outro. E como Jed não pode passar por isso de novo, ele a manda de volta pra Inglaterra e bebe até o esquecimento.
Eu não conseguia fixar minha atenção, que continuava pulando de um lado pro outro igual a da Dori.Só faltava eu cantar, "continue a nadar, continue a nadar". O casal não tem química, não convence.
We have Lillie and Jed, She´s a british woman and dreams about being a singer, but she has severe stage fright. One night she met Jed, he´s the lead singer of Dead Hour, and his band is touring over Europe when they met. They have one night together and feel bad because they have to go in separate ways. He´s touring and she at her office work. Though they keep texting and calling each other.
She quit her job, because she hate the job and the boss.
When Lillie and Jed meet again, she sing, by her friend request, and Jed´s band take her in, as a singer, along with Jed. (easy peasy, just like this)
Lillie has some trust problems because her two years ex-boyfriend was married, and with a baby.( How could she not know, for god sake?)
And is pretty obvious Jed is hiding something from her.
When she finally discover everything, she gets drunk with the band manager and Jed finds them in bed. He can't forgive her because the other woman cheat on him, and he can´t go through that again. He send Lillie back to England and drink his way to oblivion.
It couldn´t grab my attention, that keep spanning just like Dori´s. Jed and Lillie have no chemistry, though the author try to sell their love really bad.
Eu amo histórias com Rock stars, mas essa não era crível.
Nós temos Lillie e Jed. Ela é britânica e sonha em ser uma cantora, mas sofre de um caso sério de medo de palco. Uma noite ela conhece Jed, ele é o cantor de uma banda de Rock chamada Dead Hour, que está fazendo um tour pela Europa. Eles passam a noite juntos e ficam tristes quando precisam seguir seus caminhos separadamente. Ele tem que continuar o tour que vai durar 6 meses e ela tem que voltar pro trabalho dela no escritório. Mas, eles continuam se comunicando por sms e ligações.
Ela pede demissão, porque ela odeia o trabalho e a chefe.
Quando ela se encontra novamente com Jed, ela canta porque a amiga dela pediu. E ela começa a fazer parte da banda. Fácil, né?
Lillie tem problemas pra confiar em homens, pq o namorado dela de 2 anos era casado e tinha um bebê. (Como ela não sabia isso, #pelamordeDeus?)
E é bem óbvio que o Jed está escondendo algo dela. Quando Lillie, finalmente, descobre. Ela fica bêbada com o gerente da banda e Jed os encontra juntos na cama. Ele não consegue perdoá-la pq a sua mulher, agora ex, o traía, chegando a engravidar de outro. E como Jed não pode passar por isso de novo, ele a manda de volta pra Inglaterra e bebe até o esquecimento.
Eu não conseguia fixar minha atenção, que continuava pulando de um lado pro outro igual a da Dori.Só faltava eu cantar, "continue a nadar, continue a nadar". O casal não tem química, não convence.
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