A Summer of Stars: The brand-new, hotly anticipated fake dating romcom from the bestselling author of PICKING DAISIES ON SUNDAYS

by Liana Cincotti

'Do you tell the stars about her?'

After a messy breakup, it feels like the entire world hates tennis superstar Luna Aldridge. With her reputation ruined and her career at risk, the only way to repair it is a PR fake-dating Hollywood's golden boy, Kieran Alexander. There's just one problem... Luna can't stand him.

For Kieran, the feeling is mutual. He's about to lead a big-screen love story, but his dating history is jeopardizing the film's success. His team believes the world needs to see him wildly in love. And who better than Luna, the person he loathes most?

Soon, Luna and Kieran spend the summer posing for cameras, sharing red carpets and flying around the world for the tennis circuit. But the more they pretend, the more they question if they can keep their hearts, and their careers, together. Especially with everyone watching...

The brand new unmissable fake-dating romance from the USA Today bestselling author of Picking Daisies on Sundays! If you love early 2000s romcoms, you'll love Liana Cincotti...

Genres: Romance, Summer, Fake Dating, Summer Reads, Enemies To Lovers, Sports Romance, Contemporary Romance

Audible Audio

Published August 11, 2026

About the author

Liana Cincotti creates characters and stories about romance, self- discovery, and travel for both teens and adults. She recently finished her Bachelor of Science and now works in Marketing and Communications.
On her best days, you can find her sharing tubs of cookie dough ice cream with her friends or curling up in the corners of bookstores reading the newest romance.

Reviews

[Liana Cincotti]

can’t wait for you all to read about Luna and Kieran—and to read maybe my favorite chapter ever :,)

[levi (starboy) (s.ia)]

First tennis based romance 🙁🙁 kinda nervous

[ellen · Rating 4 out of 5]

thank you so much to netgalley for this arc!

i had read and loved ‘picking daisies on sundays’ by liana concotti, so when i heard she had a TENNIS based romance?? i was hooked

this was so so sweet and so wonderfully crafted - the pacing was great, the romance felt incredibly real, the characters were really easy to root for, and the tennis aspect of it all was super interesting. i have a bit of a soft spot for books where we focus on the talent of the main character (e. g. chess, swimming, tennis), so this was perfect for that. i feel like these characters acted their age (so didn’t feel immature or silly at any point), and i adored them together. throw in some fake dating too, and this book kind of felt like it was made for me😌

my only real criticism (if you could even call it that) is that this is dual POV, but we don’t have chapter headings telling us which character we are reading from. it is 1st person perspective, so it usually took a good few sentences or even paragraphs to realise which POV we had switched to. i felt that pulling out of the story a few times, especially because we didn’t switch perspectives every chapter, so i wasn’t able to just guess. this may because i am reading an early copy though!

overall, i would highly recommend this book if you want a really sweet, heartfelt romance, with wonderful side characters, fast pacing, and lots of fun tennis scenes. loved!

[vita · Rating 5 out of 5]

‌‌ ₊˚໒ 5 ⭐️ ⋮ A summer of Stars by Liana Cincotti ₊˚੭
ּ—— spoiler free review

˚˖𓍢🌷✧˚ Thank you so much to NetGalley and Forever publishing for this arc in exchange for an honest review!! I’ll always be grateful that my first arc was by one of my favourite authors. And to Liana Cincotti, thank you for creating magical stories that always bring me so much happiness.

౿ reading date: april 13 - april 14, 2026
౿ publication date: august 11, 2026

⟶ my edits on instagram ✩｡˚˖

‌‌‌ ‌ ‌‌ ‌ ‌ ‌‌‌ ‌‌‌ ‌ ‌‌ ‌ ‌ ‌‌‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌📰 ◟˚ What to expect .ᐟ ⊰⊹

⤿ tennis player x hollywood actor
⤿ pr relationship
⤿ fake dating
⤿ enemies to lovers
⤿ dual pov‌ ‌‌‌ ‌ ‌‌ ‌ ‌ ‌‌‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌‌‌ ‌ ‌‌ ‌ ‌ ‌‌‌ ‌ ‌

‌‌‌ ‌ ‌‌ ‌ ‌ ‌‌‌ ‌‌‌ ‌ ‌‌ ‌ ‌ ‌‌‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ꔛ˚⛲️◝✩ ꒰ Summary ꒱

Luna Aldridge, a tennis player who, after a scandal in her previous relationship in which her ex tried to ruin her reputation, took a break from tennis to recover emotionally from all the media scrutiny she had to face and the huge wave of hate she received. In order to make a comeback and repair her image, a solution has been proposed to her; a PR relationship involving someone who would also benefit from the situation. Kieran Alexander, a Hollywood actor whose dating life is putting the success of his latest film at risk, which is making headlines and damaging his career. There’s just one problem; the two of them can’t stand each other but as the story unfolds, truths are revealed, feelings can no longer be hidden and what began as a facade becomes the real thing.

‌‌‌ ‌ ‌‌ ‌ ‌ ‌‌‌ ‌‌‌ ‌ ‌‌ ‌ ‌ ‌‌‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ꔛ˚🌙◝✩ ꒰ Thoughts ꒱

This book has been everything I hoped for and more, all the tropes that were promised have been developed here in a fantastic way. The story is full of energy, I love it when sports books immerse you in the game as if you were one of the spectators watching the match in real life. It’s an exhilarating feeling to experience the excitement of a match through the pages, to feel so connected that you share the player’s joy at victory, worry when they falter and cheer when they win. As I read about the tennis training, tournaments and practices, it all seemed so vivid to me.

One thing I’ll always be a big fan of is when authors include magazine or newspaper headlines in the book when the story involves famous people, it makes the story feel more real. Luna and Kieran are described so well, in such detail, that it feels as though they’re famous in this reality. This story is so glamorous, full of moments that keep you entertained, attending tennis tournaments, film festivals and premieres, travelling all over the world to attend events related to tennis and film.

Their love story healed them both, having been disappointed in their previous relationships, they had put love aside for fear of getting heartbroken again but they found in each other the peace and strength they needed to let love back into their lives. It takes great courage to trust in something that can be scary but you know the outcome is worth it. Love is always worth the risk. The way they supported each other was beautiful, they were each other’s biggest fans. Kieran always made sure Luna believed in herself, encouraging her to trust in her own power and Luna convinced Kieran that his work deserved every bit of recognition, even when he didn’t feel worthy of it, she showed him that art and sport are equally important to society.

‌‌‌ ‌ ‌‌ ‌ ‌ ‌‌‌ ‌‌‌ ‌ ‌‌ ‌ ‌ ‌‌‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌‌‌ꔛ˚📸◝✩ ꒰ Characters ꒱

⊹ ࣪ ˖ ໒🎾⊹ Luna Aldridge

 ‌‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌‌ ‌ ‌‌‌ ‌ ‌‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌‌ ‌ ❛ He woke up every tired, sleeping cell in my body. They all rose in his presence. Flowers standing from the soil for their sun. ❜

I love women in sport, their dedication and their resilience. Luna is a strong female character and an excellent role model. I admire her deeply, she showed great strength by not letting a difficult personal experience affect her career or her athletic performance. She wanted to prove to everyone that she was capable of winning but above all to herself, she felt that this was the perfect moment in her career to achieve great things. I loved her confidence and determination.

Those moments between her and Kieran, when there were no cameras around, were so sweet. For example, when they randomly ended up in a fountain, him looking out for her, her standing up for him even though he wasn’t even there to see it and so many other things. It’s those little details that made their relationship so precious.

⊹ ࣪ ˖ ໒🎬⊹ Kieran Alexander

 ‌‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌‌ ‌ ‌‌‌ ‌ ‌‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌‌ ‌ ❛ To be loved by her was to be the sun in the moon's life. But in reality, she was the sun, and I'd follow her the same way the moon did. ❜

It’s truly painful to see how the opinion of someone you love can affect your life. I’m glad to see that the person who made him feel that way realised just how much the consequences of their behaviour had affected him and thanks to that, he was able to stop feeling self-conscious about his art.

I was smitten with him. He was so enchanting and caring towards his family and Luna. He was always doing little thoughtful things for her, their dynamic was ‘I can’t do this alone’ ‘I know but let me help you’ He and Luna complement each other so well, their personalities fit together like a beautiful puzzle. The way their relationship developed felt so natural.

‌‌‌ ‌ ‌‌ ‌ ‌ ‌‌‌ ‌‌‌ ‌ ‌‌ ‌ ‌ ‌‌‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ꔛ˚🌊◝✩ ꒰ Overall ꒱

Liana’s books are like a breath of fresh air and a ray of sunshine, it’s sad that they end so quickly but at the same time they leave your heart full of joy. I love rom-coms and i think Liana does an incredible job of capturing the spirit of 2000s rom-coms in her books, happiness brought to life on the pages. I highly recommend this book, it will have you hooked from start to finish. Perfect for summertime, if you enjoy books about sports/films and genuine yearning.

‌‌‌ ‌ ‌‌ ‌ ‌ ‌‌‌ ‌‌‌ ‌ ‌‌ ‌ ‌ ‌‌‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ꔛ˚🐚◝✩ ꒰ Quotes ꒱

❛ I loved her so much that I struggled to breathe around her. But even then, I'd give her every breath that was keeping me alive. ❜

❛ Watching him laugh made my heart bloom into a sea of pastel peonies. If pink was a feeling, it was that. His face scrunched up with bliss. ❜

❛ As if we were two pieces meant to be paired. A worshipper and a prayer. The sun and its flowers. Neptune and its moons. My moon. Luna. ❜

❛ Of course I tell the stars about you. And the sun and its moon. I tell them about you every day. It could be snowing, and it'd still feel like a summer of stars with you. ❜

[ivy · Rating 3 out of 5]

࣪ ˖ ֪ꮽ᱖܄ 3.75 stars˚ִִ꒱꒱ ִ݂

⤻ no spoiler review .

་ 💭 ⊹ ࣪୨୧ preface. ‘a summer of stars’ follows Kieran and Luna, two famous stars in their respective fields of acting and tennis. this book follows them as they’re forced to fake date (surprise, they’re enemies) and falling in love with each other along the way 🥹🤍  

there will always be a place on my shelves for ANY book that even slightly mentions italy. this book was lovely — i was getting all the summer-y, rich, Hollywood, and cool girl vibes. i will admit that this was the literal definition of a cliched romance book done in the 2020s, but if an author does it right, i honestly don’t care. the main thing i loved about this book was the vibes. i was just basking in this wondering if this is what it’s like to be a rich person 😭. travelling around the world, going to movie premieres, going to private parties.. a dream 🌟!

⸝⸝ the characters ⁺໒꒱

ᡣ𐭩 — luna.  what a perfect woman 😩 i will ALWAYS stand behind a woman who gets slandered by the media for no damn reason. she’s so much better than me because i would’ve came after than man SO BADD. her ex was such an ass, and the way she handled him ?!? so perfect. she was such a queen for ignoring whatever the media was saying about her and instead focusing on winning her tennis matches. a successful and hot woman beating a washed-up and weird man will always make me smile. i also loved how empathetic she was as well, there was one specific scene at the end of the book that made me love her even more because of how understanding and forgiving she was. we love girls supporting girls!! 🥹💙

ᡣ𐭩 — kieran. i guess i wasn’t the biggest fan of him? i don’t know.. he was kind of just there, while luna was shining. he was just such a typical contemporary romance mmc that it made it hard to connect with him.

𖥔 ݁ ˖ ⌗﹒ one of the small things that isn’t really important to the plot (but i noticed because it was so fun) was the little tabloid article titles at the beginning of each chapter. some of them were extremely useless and telling of how media has and always will be, but it’s undeniable that they were exciting to read. when we got to the last few chapters, the tabloid titles started to change towards supporting their romance a lot more, and that was just so adorable to see 🥲

৻ꪆ ᩚ : the relationship! cute! i thought their relationship development was quite steady, which the opposite is something that i’m very weary about in books, so it was nice to see that it didn’t happen in this one 🪷 once i got the meaning of the title and cover, i giggled because designing the cover and choosing to name the title this was the most perfect choice liana cincotti could’ve made 😭 they are so Hollywood it-couple coded that i’m sickly jealous.

﹏﹒✦ overall, i enjoyed this book 🩵 it wasn’t perfect, but i had a fun time manifesting my next life 🎾🎥💫 and of course, thank you to my lovely bestie rei, for reading this with me. you’re always my favorite person to read my ARCs with, ily 🫂

*thank you immensely, netgalley, for sending me this ARC!

⊹ ﹒ ⁺ ﹒ ⊹ ﹒ ⁺ ﹒ ⊹ ﹒ ⁺ ﹒ ⊹ ﹒ ⁺ ﹒ ⊹ ﹒ ⁺ ﹒ ⊹ ﹒ ⁺ ﹒ ⊹

˒˒⛲ pre read ˒˒࿐· started apr 21・xxvi 𖦞.˖
i am incredibly excited for this book because a) my friends who have already it gave it high ratings b) the cover is beautiful c) it releases on my birthday d) i'm buddy reading with my pretty best friend rei 🩵🍨🫧

ꗃ thank you netgalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review! ഒ

[rei ‧₊˚✩彡 · Rating 5 out of 5]

╰┈➤ 5 stars!

i’m a very simple person. i see a liana cincotti book, i read it. and as always, i ate it up. the way she creates masterpiece after masterpiece is actually insane. i’m in awe of how seje writes and i just can’t wait for more of her books!

୨ৎ luna. she completely embodied the idea that even after falling apart, you can still come back stronger than before. and oh, luna… i loved her character so much. there was something so inspiring about the way she refused to let the things that hurt her define the rest of her life. instead of allowing herself to stay broken, she slowly found her way back up again—and she did it with so much strength and grace. one thing i especially loved about her was how she never lost her ability to love deeply despite everything she went through. honestly, after what happened to her, she had every reason to avoid love altogether, to become bitter, or to stop giving people pieces of herself. but she didn’t. and i think that says so much about her character. there is absolutely nothing wrong with loving wholeheartedly, because the person who loves the most never truly loses. if anything, luna proved that loving deeply is one of the bravest things a person can do.

୨ৎ kieran. i genuinely think people underestimate how difficult acting must be because so many reduce it to “just pretending.” but reading about his passion made it feel so much deeper than that. acting is vulnerability, emotion, and putting pieces of yourself into every role, and i loved how the book showed that side of him. he deserves to be recognized not only for his talent, but also for the amount of heart he pours into the things he loves. all he really wanted was support, encouragement, and the freedom to chase his dreams without being made to feel small for them—and honestly, that hit me hard.

both of them were so brave because they were both going throught something so serious about their careers but because the loved their work so much, they did what they had to do to save it. they were lucky enough to both find love within each other that’s beyond pretending, and i’m truly the happiest for them because of that. they deserve every good thing in this world. hence, falling in love with each other.

these two are literally my babies. liana cincotti truly did it again because i’m so deeply in love with this book. the tension between luna and kieran was absolutely insane from start to finish. every interaction felt charged with so much longing and emotion that i was practically losing my mind while reading. and THAT kiss??? the moment he removed his braid while kissing her??? holy shit. i was SAT. genuinely one of the hottest moments ever because it wasn’t just attractive—it felt intimate in a way that made the entire scene even better.

but beyond the chemistry and tension, what really stayed with me was the way kieran described his feelings for luna. it was so raw, sincere, and overwhelming in the best possible way. and people ask why i love reading romance so much? this is exactly why. men written by women just hit differently because the way they love, notice, and speak about the women they care about feels so intentional and beautiful.

・。・。・。・。・。・。・。・。・。・。・。・。・

pre-read:

buddy reading yet another arc with my lovely, ivy 💌💞 i’m truly so excited to read another liana cincotti book because i LOVE her books so much and i hope i’ll love this as much as the other ones i’ve read! 🫶🏼🥰🏹

[liz ౨ৎ · Rating 5 out of 5]

➸ 5 stars

“Do you tell the stars about me?”
“Of course I tell the stars about you. And the sun and its moon. I tell them about you every day. It could be snowing, and it’d still feel like a summer of stars with you.”

𓍢⊹ 𓈀 ⛲️ 𓄹𓂃 thank you to netgalley, forever publishing, and liana cincotti for the advanced readers copy!! <3

✨ fake dating
⛲️ hate to love
✨ tennis player x hollywood actor
⛲️ dual pov
✨ europe summer setting

going into this book i was incredibly excited because i loved liana cincotti’s previous book two years ago and knew i was going to love this one as well!! this book caught me by surprise in a way that means so much to me. i loved everything about it. the characters and the complexity of them and their relationships, the entire fake dating concept had such a tight grip on me that i loved, and the entire tennis, acting, red carpet premieres and all the events were so much fun to read about!! this book is one i’ll think about for a long time and the easiest five stars to ever five star. i can’t wait for everyone to read THE summer book!!! this reading experience is one i’ll cherish forever and never forget!! ✨

-⊱ luna aldridge

i absolutely LOVED luna’s character so much!! we follow her as she deals with the struggles of being a woman athlete as well as the fallout of a divorce that turned into a scandal and she was truly so admiring through it all!! she kept her head high and stayed true to herself and i loved how she was with everyone around her (her friends and fans)!! she’s incredibly stubborn and fierce and focused on her career/success as well and just simply fun!! i love her character so much and she’s truly someone to look up to!!


-⊱ kieran alexander

OH THIS MANNNNN HAD ME GRIPPING THE BLANKETS AND GASPING FOR AIR AND SQUEALING AND EVERYTHING ELSE YOU CAN THINK OF!!! he’s so charming and sweet and so so lovely!!!! i loved kieran so much!! it amazes me how much truly goes on behind the scenes and i absolutely loved how his familial relationships were written!! it truly shows the realness of a spanish household, the love but also the hard things and how it can affect someone! i truly loved reading about this and appreciate the representation so much!! oh and everytime this man spoke even the tiniest bit of spanish I WAS ROLLING ON THE FLOOR!!!

-⊱ luna and kieran

RAHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!! these two were everything to me. EVERYTHING!!!! i think the fake dating in this one has to be my favorite fake dating i’ve ever read. and ive read many books rob fake dating but just something about this one, all the planned outings, the events, red carpets, getting photographed together, was just so captivating to me!!! i was hooked the entire time!!! not only that but the tension and incredible banter between them was so amazing!!! oh the banter was just my favorite!!! i’m not exaggerating when i say that these two had me so giddy the entire time with a smile permanently planted on my face! i was most likely jumping up and down on my bed at 2 am but only the invisible cameras in my room would be able to tell you!! i truly have so much love for these two i can’t even begin to explain it!

𓍢⊹ 𓈀 ⛲️ 𓄹𓂃 favorite quotes:

“One day, I thought my heart’s only purpose was to keep me alive. The next, it felt like it was made for moments like this.
Her laugh. Her surprise. Her.“

“Camera at twelve o’clock was about to catch the violent look on your face. Maybe not the best idea.”
“Do you think they’ll catch me at this angle kicking you?”

“I hate you,”
“Not as much as I hate you.”

“At an event with half of Hollywood and almost every tabloid photographer, I should be keeping my head down, remaining out of the way. But instead, I found myself searching the room for her.”

“She squeezed my hand, trying to cut off my circulation as we walked. My heart rate rose and rose and rose until I was squeezing hers back.”

“For your information, I do know how to cook.”
“I said nothing like that.”
“Your body language did.”
“Did you just admit to looking at my body?”
“Old habit.”
“Looking at my body?”
“Reading body language,”

“Looking at Luna felt the same. That was the only way I could describe her: beauty that had to be witnessed because she surpassed words.”

“She laughed, as if she was picturing exactly that. I wanted to hold the image close, wrap it in a napkin like a chocolate from a diner and put in my pocket.”

“Are you admitting to loving something about me, Luna Aldridge?”
“That depends how shameless you are, Kieran Alexander. What were you holding back from saying when you saw my dress?”

“Words don’t exist to describe how you look.”

“I could never think less of you,”

“I needed more, I wanted more, I’d die without more.”

“She was more addicting than a summer night in the ocean. I was ready to succumb to the waves if it meant I didn’t have to leave.”

“You’re breathtaking,”

“Where do I rank?”
“At the top. She said that you’re beautiful.”
“She did?”
“She did. She also said you’re incredibly talented.”
“She said that?”
“Well, I added the incredibly part. You are incredibly talented, Luna. And beautiful . . . very beautiful.”

“You really do think I’m some womanizer!”
“Men as pretty as you always are,”
“You think I’m pretty?”

“Watching him laugh made my heart bloom into a sea of pastel peonies. If pink was a feeling, it was that. His face scrunched up with bliss.”

“Who cares!”
“Usually you! And when you wake up and see the pictures, you’ll kill me and then you’ll have to pay for my funeral, and I’ll haunt you for the rest of your life.”
“At least I’d be followed around by a hot ghost.”

“Stars shined behind my closed eyes as she feverishly pressed her lips against mine. Each muscle, tendon, bone fell to her will as if it was accepting this as fact. As if we were two pieces meant to be paired. A worshipper and a prayer. The sun and its flowers. Neptune and its moons. My moon. Luna.”

“I. . .don’t. . .want. . .this. . .to. . .be. . .fake,”
“Nothing. About this. Has ever been fake to me.”

“When I loved something, I loved it with every breath. I couldn’t just dip a toe in and test it. I had to dive headfirst.”

“Tell me what you want me to do and I’ll do it,”

“I loved her so much that I struggled to breathe around her. But even then, I’d give her every breath that was keeping me alive.”

“I want all of you. I want to be enough for you.”

“To be loved by her was to be the sun in the moon’s life. But in reality, she was the sun, and I’d follow her the same way the moon did.”

“I love you too much, Luna Aldridge, to care about anything else. I’d swim across oceans to prove it to you.”

[Seri ❤ (no sleep) · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.75 ⭐️ (rounded up!)
A disgraced tennis star and Hollywood's playboy Golden Boy putting on a show of affection for the cameras when they secretly hate each other?? What could possibly go wrong with this arrangement?

A Summer of Stars will hit the spot for when you need a cliché love story. Small misunderstandings. Hot and famous leads, with enough push-and-pull to keep you entertained. This book wasn't one of those enemies-to-lover scenarios where they hate each other but then forget all about that animosity the first time they make eye contact. Kieran and Luna (the leads) spent the first 40% of this book truly bickering, haha!

If you care about spicy scenes, this book had none. But the emotional connection between the leads felt believable—though the like-to-love pipeline was a bit rushed.

I greatly appreciate the simplicity of this romance novel. Formulaic? Yes. Predictable? Absolutely. But that's not a bad thing when done well.

[aislinn ★ · Rating 3.75 out of 5]

─── ୨ৎ 3.75 stars
⤿ .ᐟ spoiler-free review

‎ ‎ ‎ ‎‎⤿ ‎⋮ ⟢ started: august 04, finished: august 13

─ᯓ★ "do you tell the stars about me?" "of course I tell the stars about you. and the sun and its moon. I tell them about you every day."

⭐︎ ─⛲️ tropes / what to expectˎˊ˗
- fake dating
- enemies to lovers
- forced proximity
- tennis pro x hollywood actor
-summer romance
- european settings

⭐︎ ─🎾 thoughtsˎˊ˗
this was seriously such a fun and refreshing read! I was immediately obsessed with the true enemies to lovers aspect of the book. their little banter and arguments were so entertaining, and for the first time in a LONG time, I fully believed they hated each other at the start. I also really loved all of the summer-y dates and settings involved. I am a sucker for any sort of European setting in a book and it's safe to say this delivered that beautifully.

while this didn't quite hit the 4 star mark for me, this is a really really strong 3.75 stars for me. I got a little bit bored around the middle of the book, but I also don't always love the fake dating trope so I think that could be why. but that being said, I still recommend this book 100000%!

⭐︎ ─🎥 charactersˎˊ˗

🎬 .ᐟ kieran alexander.
he was such a great mmc honestly. even with all his fame, he is so humble and respectful, and I loved that about him so much. his relationship with his Abuela was touching and you can just tell this man knows how to treat his women. I felt so bad for what he went through in his past as well, he deserves the world.

🌟 .ᐟ luna aldridge.
loveeee her!! she is so funny and inspiring. I want to be best friends with her lol. she also went through the worst thing in her past relationship and the way she handled the whole situation with such grace?! she is so much better than me because I would not have that type of strength in me.

⭐︎ ─🌍 overallˎˊ˗
I definitely recommend this book and have no doubt in my mind that everyone will find at least a few things to love and adore about this story. it was so much fun overall, even if it wasn't perfect in my eyes!

thank you to netgalley & liana cincotti for the arc in exchange for an honest review <3

[giu ౨ৎ · Rating 4 out of 5]

˚˖𓍢ִ໋ ⛲️4 stars

first in first,

thank you so much forever publishing and netgalley for the arc in exchange of a review!

₊˚ʚ tropes

fake dating
tennis player x hollywood star
hate to love
dual pov

₊˚ʚ summary

The book follows the story of Luna Aldridge, a brilliant and skilful tennis player. After being on hiatus for such a long time, she finally makes a come back. In order to stem the tide after the scandal that ruined her whole career and to clear her name, she’s in a fake relationship (pr relationship) with Kieran Alexander, the actor she doesn’t stand. He’s a hollywood star described as a playboy from the media, who clearly needs to rehab his reputation as well, not to mention that he dislikes her too.

݁₊⊹. 𖧧. thoughts

About Liana Cincotti, I’ve only read picking daises on sundays, and even though it was her debut book, i felt this was so much better. Her writing improved so much! It was quite fluid, although, some chapters kind of confused me, as i couldn’t tell which scenes were in the past and which were happening to the main character in the present. I appreciated how the author deals with the theme of women in sports, because not only men are capable of doing certain things, women are equal to men, and no one should ever estimate them. As much as i enjoyed this book, there were a few things which didn’t convince me at all. I’d like to start from talking about the dual pov: I found it unpleasant, since it was difficult (for me) to understand who was talking. Also, I reckon things went too far sometimes in their relationship, but let’s focus on what i enjoyed. Both Luna and Kieran wished for someone who could heal what someone else had broken, but never understood they completed each other. Luna is so insecure and doesn’t think she’s brave enough to love after her ex husband, but Kieran knows what he wants, even if she tries to push him away. Their love story is real, passionate and kind. They’re both so mentally supportive mutually. They’ve both always doubted about themselves and their careers. However, the support they give each other always helps them move forward. In addition, the reference this book has with rom-com movies or magazines quotes, tennis matches is so cute! Liana Cincotti knows perfectly how to create a good entertaining atmosphere.

݁₊⊹. 𖧧. characters

⋆.˚🎾 ༘⋆ Luna Aldridge: I really liked her character. Sometimes I even felt like my self reading her chapters. I love how she has such a strong character, even thought she might be insecure sometimes, but this is what happens to everyone. I will always support women in sports. I’m kind of sad for the fact she didn’t fully revenge herself for what her ex husband has done to her, but i’m also glad she didn’t do that. She’s such a badass, but mostly, she’s the kindest and respectful person ever. Can we talk about how she’s such a pro in tennis? Every time they mentioned her winning a match, i was so proud and satisfied. Women can do anything and I will never stop saying that. I also enjoyed her sweet moments with Kieran, and how she stood and spoke highly about him, because she knows how much potential he has. That’s why i love her caring side.

⋆.˚🎬 ༘⋆ Kieran Alexander: From the very beginning, I didn’t fully understand neither fully liked him. He was (for me) unfriendly, especially toward Luna. This is my opinion from the start because when i dove into the half of the book, my thoughts changed. Kieran is someone who got hurt, who trusted someone he loved too much (as Luna) and gave up everything he had in order to satisfy who he loved. Due to this, now he’s vulnerable, he’s unconfident. With Luna everything changes. He was truly in love with her from the day one. When no one
believes in Luna, he was always there to cheer up for her and give her certainties, because they made her feel safe.

݁₊⊹. 𖧧. overall

This was so fun to read! I found it so flowing. I couldn’t put it down. During those days I had so much things I needed to study, but this book seemed to be more interesting (ofc). I was and I am glued to it. (Thank you my emma and joni for reading this with me 🫶🏼)

[Grace Quan · Rating 5 out of 5]

‧₊˚ ⛲️ ‧₊𓏲★ ๋࣭ ࣪ ˖ ╰┈➤𝑹𝒆𝒗𝒊𝒆𝒘 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐚 "𝐒𝐮𝐦𝐦𝐞𝐫 𝐨𝐟 𝐒𝐭𝐚𝐫𝐬" 𝐛𝐲 𝐋𝐢𝐚𝐧𝐚 𝐂𝐢𝐧𝐜𝐨𝐭𝐭𝐢 ‧₊˚ ⛲️ ‧₊𓏲★ ๋࣭ ࣪ ˖

Oh my! This was enemies to lovers done right! I had high hopes for this book considering how much I adored her previous books, so it was no surprise that I also loved this book just as much.

Before I dive into the content of this book, I'd just like to acknowledge Liana Cincotti's writing. In a world where romance books can feel like a copy-pastes of each other, Cincotti's writing style is a breath of fresh air. It is just eloquent enough to be lyrical and utterly enrapturing, but not too ornate that it distracts from the story. I believe that Liana Cincotti will become a standout author in the romance genre.

However, the writing is only the surface, the real depth of this book comes from the characters and the plot. Even though I love faking dating, I'm always very critical of why they have to fake date. If it's not a good enough reason, I cannot fully immerse myself in the story because in the back of my mind I'm screaming, You don't even have to be faking dating right now! Everything is pointless! But for this book, I could easily get behind fake dating as a PR stunt to clean up each other's public images. This also added a high stakes aspect that got me very invested in Luna and Kieran's fake relationship.

But, if there's something I appreciate more than a solid faking dating plot, it has to be strong and memorable characters. I loved that Luna was a professional tennis player and that Kieran was a bad boy movie star. My only complain is that I felt that the author did not spend enough page time on the tennis scenes or the movie premiere scenes. She could have painted a very vivid picture of the glitz and glamour of Hollywood movie premieres and she could have added more detail to the tennis matches. This book is very character driven and I wish there was a little more about Luna and Kieran's careers.

Speaking of characters, I'd first like to talk about Luna. Oh how I adored her. She is exactly the type of character I loved to read about. Her drive and determination made it easy for me to root for her, and her kind heart made it easy to fall in love with her.

And Kieran. Yes yes yes! He was a really great love interest and I was infatuated with him from the moment he was introduced.

To conclude, this book was everything I had hoped for. I look forward to reading more of this author's novels in the future.

★4.5 stars ★

[ellie · Rating 4 out of 5]

— 4 ☆ .ᐟ ⌗ ⛲ spoiler free + mini review
⤷ SO CUTE, sad summer romance szn is ending

୨ arc @netgalley
⋆˚࿔ 79th review of the year

“to be loved by her was to be the sun in the moon’s life. but in reality, she was the sun, and i’d follow her the same way the moon did.”

⌗ ꒰ my thoughts ꒱✨
⤷ binged this is one day!! genuinely so shocked i was invested, into the story, and just had a good time overall. (because i saw mixed feelings and recently haven't been in a reading mood) ANYWAYS! i really enjoyed the character dynamics. although they felt surface level to me at times, i still saw them for who they were and appreciated that.

lowkey felt like the story went super fast too. but that may have just been me finishing early 😭 anywho, i can't WAIT to see what liana does next!! this seems more mature compared to her other ones (in a good way!) mind you, this book is not YA and is new adult/adult 💌 anyway, kieran was a cool mmc, and luna was amaze!!

⌗ ꒰ tropes ꒱
⋆ she plays tennis
⋆ he's an actor
⋆ summer romance
⋆ dual pov

⌗ ꒰ info ꒱
⤷ find my book review on goodreads @elliexreads
⤷ this is recommended for new adult readers
⤷ contemporary (sports) romance
publish date: aug 11, 2026

₊‧ all ratings and opinions are my own ₊‧
⤷ thank you to netgalley for this arc in exchange for an honest review!


---------

⛲ — pre-read .ᐟ ⌗

𐔌 ♯┆8.6.26
⤷ FINALLY getting to this arc omg. thank you netgalley!! it comes out next tuesday so i can't wait for everyone else to start reading it too 👀 one of my most anticipated reads ever! also the cover is stunning 🌺💐

dec, 12, 2025
YAYYY 2026 I LOVE YOU EVEN MORE !

[Sophie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I officially get the hype around this author! She writes characters that just click. Kieran and Luna’s fake-dating-to-save-their-reputations vibe had me hooked.

Kieran? Absolute swoon-fest. He’s the Hollywood golden boy I didn't know I needed.
Kieran and Luna together? So perfect. I loved watching them try (and fail) not to fall for each other while the world was watching.

The best parts:
⇢ NO third-act breakup! (Can we get an amen?)
⇢ The chemistry was actually believable and kept me turning the pages.

If you live for fake dating and want a romance that won't make you want to scream at the characters for being dumb, pick this up!

─ ✦ ────

✎ᝰ.┊ pre-read: I’m in the mood for some contemporary romance, and the fake dating setup in this one sounds absolutely delicious!!

⬫ ⬪ ⬫
Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the arc!

[har. · Rating 5 out of 5]

┆ ⤿ 🎾⌗ started: may 22, finished: may 27

5 stars 𓂃˖ ࣪⊹
⤿ arc review with no spoilers.

“of course i tell the stars about you. and the sun and its moon. i tell them about you every day. it could be snowing, and it’d still feel like a summer of stars with you.”

⋆.˚ ★— buddy read this with my best friends mads & yoanna 🤭🦋 i had the best time giggling over it (not at the fact that yoanna made us pick between luna's ex and belly's ex). i love you both so so much 🩵

tropes: ⋆˚࿔
.ᐟ fake dating
.ᐟ athlete x actor
.ᐟ pr relationship
.ᐟ rivals to lovers

ⓘ thank you forever publishing, liana cincotti and netgalley for the e-arc in exchange for a honest review
⤿ OUT ON AUGUST 11!

summary: ⋆˚࿔
a summer of stars follows tennis superstar luna aldridge, whose career and reputation are hanging by a thread after a messy public breakup. with the world seemingly against her, luna’s team comes up with the ultimate damage-control plan: a fake-dating arrangement with hollywood’s golden boy, kieran alexander.

the only problem? luna cannot stand him. kieran is not exactly thrilled either. with his own dating history threatening the success of his upcoming big-screen romance, his team decides the public needs to see him wildly, convincingly in love. and who better to sell the story than luna, the one person he seems to loathe most?

what starts as a carefully staged pr relationship soon turns into a summer of cameras, red carpets, tennis tournaments, and forced proximity across the world. but the more luna and kieran pretend, the harder it becomes to tell where the performance ends and their real feelings begin, especially when their hearts, careers, and every move they make are being watched.

thoughts: ⋆˚࿔
this book was beautiful from beginning to end. liana’s writing felt so magical throughout, and i found myself smiling and giggling so many times while reading. there was something so easy and comforting about the way the story unfolded, especially with luna and kieran’s dynamic. their banter, tension, and little moments together made the romance feel so sweet and swoony. i loved how the fake-dating setup slowly became something deeper, especially as both characters began to let their guards down. luna's journey also made the story feel more emotional, because underneath the romance, there was so much about healing, rebuilding yourself, and learning how to trust again after being hurt. it made their connection feel even more special.

──★ ˙⛲️ !! characters

luna aldrige: ⋆˚࿔
i loved luna so much. she was such a complex and layered character, and i really appreciated how her story showed the way women are treated in the media after a public breakup. the hate, judgment, and constant scrutiny she faced felt so unfair, but also so realistic. it showed how quickly the public can turn on a woman and how much pressure is placed on her to stay composed, even when she is hurting.

what i loved most about luna was that she was not written as someone who was perfectly healed or unaffected by everything that happened to her. she was guarded, emotional, and still trying to find her way back to herself, which made her feel so real. watching her slowly regain her confidence, trust herself again, and let people in was honestly one of my favorite parts of the book. she was strong, but in such a quiet and vulnerable way, and i loved rooting for her from beginning to end. i loved how dedicated she also was towards her passion and her job 🥹🎾

kieran alexander: ⋆˚࿔
kieran was such a green flag. like, actual walking green flag behavior. i loved how much he tried to act like he did not care about luna, when in reality this man was down bad. DOWWWWWN bad. every time he pretended to be unaffected, it was so obvious that he was already completely gone for her, and that made their dynamic so fun to read.

what made kieran so lovable was the way he showed his care through actions more than words. he teased her, challenged her, and acted like he was just going along with the fake-dating arrangement, but underneath all of that, he was paying attention to every little thing. the way he protected her, supported her, and slowly became someone she could feel safe with made him so swoony. he had that perfect “i’m pretending this means nothing, but it clearly means everything” energy, and i ate it up every single time.

luna + kieran: ⋆˚࿔
i loved luna and kieran together so much. their relationship was not rushed at all, and that made it feel so much more special. it was built slowly through trust, comfort, and the little moments where they kept showing up for each other, even when they were still pretending not to care.

what i loved most was that you could feel the chemistry between them from the beginning, even when they were convinced they could not stand each other. the tension, the banter, the teasing, and the way they slowly started paying attention to each other made their connection so fun to read. it was not just about the big romantic moments, but also the quiet ones where they understood each other without needing to say too much. their relationship felt so soft because it was built on actions. kieran showed luna that she could trust him, and luna slowly let herself believe that maybe someone could see all of her and still choose to stay. watching them go from forced proximity and fake dating to something real was honestly so beautiful. they had that perfect “everyone can see it but them” energy, and i loved every second of it.

──★ ˙⛲️ !! quotes :
To my people pleasers who crave love, fake smiles, and fix invisible strands of hair. You’re more than enough. Let others shine for you.

“Because I have a heart that’s too big to be an uncommitted man who’d rather taste-test women than actually dedicate his life to someone,”

Mierda. It was a lot harder to hate her when she looked like that. Wouldn’t the stars just love to hear about that.

I wasn’t religious, but I could appreciate the beauty of Italian churches. Find something new to admire the longer I searched their glass ceilings and woodworked details. It was impossible not to. Looking at Luna felt the same. That was the only way I could describe her: beauty that had to be witnessed because she surpassed words.

You’re breathtaking. You’re breathtaking. Luna, Luna, Luna.

“She was the most unapologetic, beautiful human.”

“Well, if this wasn’t an act, I’d tell you that I enjoyed it, probably more than I should have. To the point that it haunts me the way a good book stands at the edge of your mind until you pick it back up to read for a second time. I fear the haunting won’t stop unless I’m reminded of it again.”

She tasted like cherries. I’d never had a liking for cherries. But when they tasted like this, against her lips, I could have had them every day.

“I love you too much, Luna Aldridge, to care about anything else. I’d swim across oceans to prove it to you.”

[lauren · Rating 5 out of 5]

5💫

i absolutely adored this !!!! it has my favorite trope so it was a no brainer that i’d love this book.

this book follows Kieran and Luna, a hollywood actor and tennis star respectively, as they fake date to help their reputations! they’re “enemies” after a misfortunate accident where she overheard him say something bad about her. Kieran needs this pr stunt to help sell his newest romance movie and show that he’s not a player, but someone who can be madly in love and romantic. Luna on the other hand needs this after her ex husband slandered her name in the media, and as expected, they all believe the man’s word to be true. Luna is returning to tennis and needs the media to love her once again.

i really enjoyed their slow burn as they realized they enjoyed each other’s company and had feelings for each other while fake dating. it was cute how their scheduled appearances at each other’s events turned into less of a chore and more of a fun experience/ something they looked forward to attending. it didn’t happen overnight, which was a relief that it wasn’t insta love— one of the worst tropes. i could truly feel their connection! i adore them honestly.

once you find out the reason for the title of the book being A Summer of Stars, you’ll absolutely swoon and think it was the perfect choice! it is so so so cute. the title and cover being gorgeous absolutely sold me from the start.

the writing was so easy and flowed so nicely that i flew through this book!! it was such a fun time. i can see myself reading more of this author’s work since i really enjoyed this one. 🤩 the cover is absolutely stunning, so that’s reason enough to convince you to pick up this book. so grateful to have received this wonderful arc— thanks again to netgalley and forever publishing! definitely pick this book up when it’s released in august!!!! 🥰🫶🏻


Read if you like:
🎾fake dating
🎾pr stunts
🎾tennis player x hollywood actor
🎾euro summer
🎾dual pov



°❀⋆.ೃ࿔*:･ — preread:

eeeekkkk!! so excited i got the arc for this one a few days ago and ive been dying to read it!! the cover is gorgeous and im a sucker for fake dating, so im absolutely sure i will love this one!! 🩵🤩🤞🏼


Release date: August 11, 2026 (OUT NOW!)

thank you so much to netgalley and forever publishing for the arc in exchange for a honest review!!💫

[romi (s.ia) · Rating 4.25 out of 5]

"do you tell the stars about me?"
"of course i tell the stars about you. and the sun and the moon. i tell them about you every day. it could be snowing, and it'd still feel like a summer of stars with you."

[now playing] BLIND- alex sampson
0:16 ─✮───── 2:33
‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎⇄ ◃◃ ⅠⅠ ▹▹ ↻

now this is what i call an enemies to lovers rom-com. the yearning, the tension, the banter, EVERYTHING

"“i. . .don’t. . .want. . .this. . .to. . .be. . .fake.”
“nothing. about this. has ever been fake to me.”

. ݁₊ ⊹ . ݁ ⟡ ݁ . ⊹ ₊ ݁. ݁₊ ⊹ . ݁ ⟡ ݁ . ⊹ ₊ ݁. ݁₊ ⊹ . ݁ ⟡ ݁ . ⊹ ₊ ݁. ݁₊ ⊹ . ݁ ⟡ ݁ . ⊹ ₊ ݁.

⊹₊‧︵‿ pre-read ୧₊
buddy reading this with lovely sabrina

[joni ౨ৎ]

𐙚⋆°｡⋆♡ ── pre-release

EXCUSE ME. I GOT THE PHYSICAL ARC?

will never get over this.

a million thanks to hbg canada 🥹 u made my year with this

STARTING ASAP.

release date - august 11, 2026

✧˖°🎾 ⋆｡˚꩜ 𝐭𝐫𝐨𝐩𝐞𝐬 𝐭𝐨 𝐞𝐱𝐩𝐞𝐜𝐭
⤷ tennis player fmc
⤷ actor mmc
⤷ pr stunt fake dating

[maddi ⋆˚ᨳଓ.⋆ (semi-ia) · Rating 5 out of 5]

⋆✴︎˚｡⋆❛ 𝑑𝑜 𝑦𝑜𝑢 𝑡𝑒𝑙𝑙 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑠𝑡𝑎𝑟𝑠 𝑎𝑏𝑜𝑢𝑡 𝑚𝑒? ❜ (...) ❛ 𝑜𝑓 𝑐𝑜𝑢𝑟𝑠𝑒 𝑖 𝑡𝑒𝑙𝑙 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑠𝑡𝑎𝑟𝑠 𝑎𝑏𝑜𝑢𝑡 𝑦𝑜𝑢. 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑠𝑢𝑛 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝑖𝑡𝑠 𝑚𝑜𝑜𝑛. 𝑖 𝑡𝑒𝑙𝑙 𝑡ℎ𝑒𝑚 𝑎𝑏𝑜𝑢𝑡 𝑦𝑜𝑢 𝑒𝑣𝑒𝑟𝑦 𝑑𝑎𝑦. 𝑖𝑡 𝑐𝑜𝑢𝑙𝑑 𝑏𝑒 𝑠𝑛𝑜𝑤𝑖𝑛𝑔, 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝑖𝑡'𝑑 𝑠𝑡𝑖𝑙𝑙 𝑓𝑒𝑒𝑙 𝑙𝑖𝑘𝑒 𝑎 𝑠𝑢𝑚𝑚𝑒𝑟 𝑜𝑓 𝑠𝑡𝑎𝑟𝑠 𝑤𝑖𝑡ℎ 𝑦𝑜𝑢. ❜ ⋆˚ᨳଓ.⋆

✧˖°. ┆★★★★★ — 𝟱 𝘀𝘁𝗮𝗿𝘀

₊ 💫 ⊹ 𝑡ℎ𝑜𝑢𝑔ℎ𝑡𝑠 ⋆˚࿔
whenever i read liana cincotti's books, it's like the world stops and everything is just reduced to that moment. it's truly such a magical feeling that i think is only consistent with her books; all of a sudden, i'm in another world with these people and these places and i'm just watching it all unfold w a smile on my face. that's what this book was for me: the epitome of reading—for a few hours everything just stopped. i didn't think, didn't worry, i was so incredibly in the moment which is such a rare thing for me and i think you could call this feeling i'm trying to describe peace, or maybe it's calm, or content. so yeah, i think i just wanna thank liana cincotti for that because i had a really great day today: i was really happy, and it was all because of this book 🩵

everything about this was PERFECT!! from the fake-dating, to the tennis—which was so interesting btw!! i don't know a lot about tennis but i found myself sooooo intensely invested nonetheless, and part of me has always really admired the sport, so i really enjoyed reading abt it!!

also this is literally the prettiest book (i'm SO glad i bought it!!) even the cover alone makes me feel things it's like magic there's no other way to describe it, this whole book is magic, it feels like stardust in my veins and happiness in my soul <3 magic. magic is all i can think about, it's all i feel thinking about this book and missing it so much even though i finished it like 3 hrs ago.

🩵 𝑐ℎ𝑎𝑟𝑎𝑐𝑡𝑒𝑟𝑠 ✶⋆.˚

🎾 𝑙𝑢𝑛𝑎 𝑎𝑙𝑑𝑟𝑖𝑑𝑔𝑒 ‧₊˚ ☽
as a people-pleaser-perfectionist who also loves with her whole heart, i related to luna on such a deep level i actually love her so much <3 when i love someone or something, i also love it with everything in me, and watching her lose her love for love because all of that love was deemed too much?? (by some narcissistic, manipulative, misogynistic loser, btw) BROKE MEEE 😭 luna they could never make me hate u ✋ and yet, even still, she still allowed herself to love, to care, to want, and that was probably the strongest thing she did. she's my fav <3

some of my fav scenes were her w her fans when she would stop to talk to them and pay attention to them and genuinely care about them, she's actually the sweetest kindest ever i love her sm 🫶 i loved reading about her childhood in rhode island with her family toooo, her mum sounded like the best person ever i wish we'd gotten to see her 😭 why do all of liana cincotti's fmcs always have a dead parent 😭

🎬 𝑘𝑖𝑒𝑟𝑎𝑛 𝑎𝑙𝑒𝑥𝑎𝑛𝑑𝑒𝑟 𝑎𝑙𝑣𝑎𝑟𝑒𝑧 ⊹₊⟡⋆
🤭 giggling, screaming, kicking my feet, twirling my hair, biting my lip over this MANNNNN!! he's sooo kind and caring and loving too and soooo fineee 😩 he's so baby girl 💋 he's so sweet and his heart IS so big and he was so gentle w luna and supportive of her and her career and her dreams and he just wanted his dad to be proud of him and accept his acting 😭 kieran deserves the world and all the love in it i can't i need a man like him

❤️‍🔥 𝑙𝑢𝑛𝑎 + 𝑘𝑖𝑒𝑟𝑎𝑛 ₊˚⊹♡
omg they're so similar it PAIIIIINED MEEEE like they were both told they could never be loved and treated as too much and then luna thought he said she was unlovable too that night but he was actually protecting her from that pedo omg i can't all their hatred toward each other was over a bunch of misunderstandings 😭 THE YEARNINGGGGG 👏 THE TENSIONNN 😩 THE KISSES THAT WERE TOOOOTALLY 'JUST FOR THE CAMERAS' 😩 SCREAMINGGGG!! the way they slowly began to enjoy each other's company, and wanted to know more about each other, and then realised how similar they were!? and then that turned into caring for each other and wanting to be there for and protect each other!? they're actually the sweetest i love them so much and i love the way they love even tho they both were told they were unlovable and loved too much, BUT THEY LOVE EACH OTHER JUST RIGHT AND ACCEPT EACH OTHER AND LIFT EACH OTHER UP AND AGHHHH SOMEONE GET ME MY OWN KIERAN ALEXANDER ALVAREZ RIGHT FREAKING NOWWWW!! 😩 the fountain scene was everything 🩵 i think i ascended

🎧 𝑝𝑙𝑎𝑦𝑙𝑖𝑠𝑡 ‧₊ ♪˚⊹
⤿ end game - taylor swift, future, ed sheeran - no truly, this was this song as a book, on repeat <3
⤿ anything but love - tate mcrae - lunakieran in their enemies stage
⤿ to love and to lose - dylan - painfully lunakieran coded 😩
⤿ so it goes... - taylor swift
⤿ bad blood (taylor's version) - taylor swift
⤿ silver jubilee - audrey hobert
⤿ rein me in - olivia dean, sam fender
⤿ dress - taylor swift - this is also SO lunakieran
⤿ come closer - sombr
⤿ style - taylor swift

ılı.lıllılıı.ıllı..
𝑐𝑢𝑟𝑟𝑒𝑛𝑡𝑙𝑦 𝑝𝑙𝑎𝑦𝑖𝑛𝑔 ‧₊ ♪˚⊹
end game ❘ taylor swift, future, ed sheeran
0:13 ─•────── -3:51
⇆ㅤ ◁◁ ❚❚ ▷▷ㅤ ↻

⁀➴

⋆˚꩜｡ ❛𝑏𝑖𝑔 𝑟𝑒𝑝𝑢𝑡𝑎𝑡𝑖𝑜𝑛, 𝑏𝑖𝑔 𝑟𝑒𝑝𝑢𝑡𝑎𝑡𝑖𝑜𝑛
𝑜𝑜ℎ, 𝑦𝑜𝑢 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝑚𝑒, 𝑤𝑒 𝑔𝑜𝑡 𝑏𝑖𝑔 𝑟𝑒𝑝𝑢𝑡𝑎𝑡𝑖𝑜𝑛𝑠
𝑎ℎ, 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝑦𝑜𝑢 ℎ𝑒𝑎𝑟𝑑 𝑎𝑏𝑜𝑢𝑡 𝑚𝑒
𝑜𝑜ℎ, 𝑖 𝑔𝑜𝑡 𝑠𝑜𝑚𝑒 𝑏𝑖𝑔 𝑒𝑛𝑒𝑚𝑖𝑒𝑠 (𝑦𝑒𝑎ℎ)
𝑏𝑖𝑔 𝑟𝑒𝑝𝑢𝑡𝑎𝑡𝑖𝑜𝑛, 𝑏𝑖𝑔 𝑟𝑒𝑝𝑢𝑡𝑎𝑡𝑖𝑜𝑛
𝑜ℎ, 𝑦𝑜𝑢 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝑚𝑒 𝑤𝑜𝑢𝑙𝑑 𝑏𝑒 𝑎 𝑏𝑖𝑔 𝑐𝑜𝑛𝑣𝑒𝑟𝑠𝑎𝑡𝑖𝑜𝑛
𝑎ℎ, 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝑖 ℎ𝑒𝑎𝑟𝑑 𝑎𝑏𝑜𝑢𝑡 𝑦𝑜𝑢
𝑜ℎ, 𝑦𝑜𝑢 𝑙𝑖𝑘𝑒 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑏𝑎𝑑 𝑜𝑛𝑒𝑠 𝑡𝑜𝑜 (𝑦𝑒𝑎ℎ) ❜ ˖ ݁♬⋆.˚𝄞

🫧 𝑤𝑟𝑖𝑡𝑖𝑛𝑔 ✮⋆˙
liana cincotti's writing is soooo beautifully lyrical and poetic, ESPECIALLY so in this book!! i ADORED all of the metaphors and similes and comparisons, especially the consistent sun, moon and stars and beach and ocean metaphors throughout the book, as someone who loves all of these w my whole heart <3

💌 𝑞𝑢𝑜𝑡𝑒𝑠 ⛧⋆˚࿔⋆
✧ ❛ 𝑠ℎ𝑒 𝑙𝑎𝑢𝑔ℎ𝑒𝑑, 𝑎𝑠 𝑖𝑓 𝑠ℎ𝑒 𝑤𝑎𝑠 𝑝𝑖𝑐𝑡𝑢𝑟𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑒𝑥𝑎𝑐𝑡𝑙𝑦 𝑡ℎ𝑎𝑡. 𝑖 𝑤𝑎𝑛𝑡𝑒𝑑 𝑡𝑜 ℎ𝑜𝑙𝑑 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑖𝑚𝑎𝑔𝑒 𝑐𝑙𝑜𝑠𝑒, 𝑤𝑟𝑎𝑝 𝑖𝑡 𝑖𝑛 𝑎 𝑛𝑎𝑝𝑘𝑖𝑛 𝑙𝑖𝑘𝑒 𝑎 𝑐ℎ𝑜𝑐𝑜𝑙𝑎𝑡𝑒 𝑓𝑟𝑜𝑚 𝑎 𝑑𝑖𝑛𝑒𝑟 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝑝𝑢𝑡 𝑖𝑡 𝑖𝑛 𝑚𝑦 𝑝𝑜𝑐𝑘𝑒𝑡. ❜

✧ ❛ (...) 𝑖 𝑤𝑎𝑠 𝑚𝑒𝑡 𝑤𝑖𝑡ℎ 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑛𝑎𝑢𝑠𝑒𝑎𝑡𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑟𝑒𝑚𝑖𝑛𝑑𝑒𝑟 𝑜𝑓 ℎ𝑖𝑠 𝑤𝑜𝑟𝑑𝑠. 𝑡ℎ𝑒𝑦 𝑤𝑒𝑟𝑒 𝑤𝑟𝑖𝑡𝑡𝑒𝑛 𝑖𝑛 𝑝𝑟𝑜𝑝𝑒𝑟 𝑐𝑢𝑟𝑠𝑖𝑣𝑒 𝑡ℎ𝑎𝑡 𝑡𝑤𝑖𝑠𝑡𝑒𝑑 ℎ𝑖𝑔ℎ 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝑙𝑜𝑤 𝑎𝑟𝑜𝑢𝑛𝑑 𝑚𝑦 𝑛𝑒𝑟𝑣𝑒 𝑒𝑛𝑑𝑖𝑛𝑔𝑠, ℎ𝑖𝑠 𝑒𝑣𝑜𝑐𝑎𝑡𝑖𝑣𝑒 𝑣𝑜𝑖𝑐𝑒 𝑡𝑟𝑎𝑝𝑝𝑒𝑑 𝑖𝑛 𝑚𝑦 𝑒𝑎𝑟𝑠. 𝒚𝒐𝒖'𝒓𝒆 𝒃𝒓𝒆𝒂𝒕𝒉𝒕𝒂𝒌𝒊𝒏𝒈. 𝒚𝒐𝒖'𝒓𝒆 𝒃𝒓𝒆𝒂𝒕𝒉𝒕𝒂𝒌𝒊𝒏𝒈. 𝒍𝒖𝒏𝒂, 𝒍𝒖𝒏𝒂, 𝒍𝒖𝒏𝒂. ❜

✧ ❛ ❛ 𝑖 𝑤𝑎𝑛𝑡 𝑦𝑜𝑢. ❜ ℎ𝑖𝑠 𝑤𝑜𝑟𝑑𝑠 𝑠ℎ𝑜𝑡 𝑡ℎ𝑟𝑜𝑢𝑔ℎ 𝑚𝑒 𝑙𝑖𝑘𝑒 𝑎𝑛 𝑎𝑟𝑟𝑜𝑤, 𝑠𝑎𝑡𝑖𝑠𝑓𝑦𝑖𝑛𝑔𝑙𝑦 ℎ𝑖𝑡𝑡𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑎 𝑝𝑖𝑒𝑐𝑒 𝑜𝑓 𝑚𝑦 ℎ𝑒𝑎𝑟𝑡 𝑡ℎ𝑎𝑡 𝑖 𝑑𝑖𝑑𝑛'𝑡 𝑘𝑛𝑜𝑤 𝑤𝑎𝑠 𝑠𝑡𝑖𝑙𝑙 𝑝𝑢𝑚𝑝𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑏𝑙𝑜𝑜𝑑. ❜

✧ ❛ 𝑠𝑡𝑎𝑟𝑠 𝑠ℎ𝑖𝑛𝑒𝑑 𝑏𝑒ℎ𝑖𝑛𝑑 𝑚𝑦 𝑐𝑙𝑜𝑠𝑒𝑑 𝑒𝑦𝑒𝑠 𝑎𝑠 𝑠ℎ𝑒 𝑓𝑒𝑣𝑒𝑟𝑖𝑠ℎ𝑙𝑦 𝑝𝑟𝑒𝑠𝑠𝑒𝑑 ℎ𝑒𝑟 𝑙𝑖𝑝𝑠 𝑎𝑔𝑎𝑖𝑛𝑠𝑡 𝑚𝑖𝑛𝑒. 𝑒𝑎𝑐ℎ 𝑚𝑢𝑠𝑐𝑙𝑒, 𝑡𝑒𝑛𝑑𝑜𝑛, 𝒃𝒐𝒏𝒆 𝑓𝑒𝑙𝑙 𝑡𝑜 ℎ𝑒𝑟 𝑤𝑖𝑙𝑙 𝑎𝑠 𝑖𝑓 𝑖𝑡 𝑤𝑎𝑠 𝑎𝑐𝑐𝑒𝑝𝑡𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑡ℎ𝑖𝑠 𝑎𝑠 𝑓𝑎𝑐𝑡. 𝑎𝑠 𝑖𝑓 𝑤𝑒 𝑤𝑒𝑟𝑒 𝑡𝑤𝑜 𝑝𝑖𝑒𝑐𝑒𝑠 𝑚𝑒𝑎𝑛𝑡 𝑡𝑜 𝑏𝑒 𝑝𝑎𝑖𝑟𝑒𝑑. 𝑎 𝑤𝑜𝑟𝑠ℎ𝑖𝑝𝑝𝑒𝑟 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝑎 𝑝𝑟𝑎𝑦𝑒𝑟. 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑠𝑢𝑛 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝑖𝑡𝑠 𝑓𝑙𝑜𝑤𝑒𝑟𝑠. 𝑛𝑒𝑝𝑡𝑢𝑛𝑒 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝑖𝑡𝑠 𝑚𝑜𝑜𝑛𝑠. 𝑚𝑦 𝑚𝑜𝑜𝑛. 𝒍𝒖𝒏𝒂. ❜

✧ ❛ 𝑖. . .𝑑𝑜𝑛’𝑡. . .𝑤𝑎𝑛𝑡. . .𝑡ℎ𝑖𝑠. . .𝑡𝑜. . .𝑏𝑒. . .𝑓𝑎𝑘𝑒, ❜ ❛ 𝑛𝑜𝑡ℎ𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑎𝑏𝑜𝑢𝑡 𝑡ℎ𝑖𝑠. ℎ𝑎𝑠 𝑒𝑣𝑒𝑟 𝑏𝑒𝑒𝑛 𝑓𝑎𝑘𝑒 𝑡𝑜 𝑚𝑒. ❜

✧ ❛ 𝑤ℎ𝑦 𝑐𝑜𝑢𝑙𝑑𝑛'𝑡 𝑖 ℎ𝑎𝑣𝑒 𝑗𝑢𝑠𝑡 𝑤𝑎𝑖𝑡𝑒𝑑 𝑎𝑛𝑜𝑡ℎ𝑒𝑟 𝑤𝑒𝑒𝑘? 𝑤𝑒𝑙𝑙, 𝑖 𝑐𝑜𝑢𝑙𝑑 𝑎𝑛𝑠𝑤𝑒𝑟 𝑡ℎ𝑎𝑡: 𝑏𝑒𝑐𝑎𝑢𝑠𝑒 𝑖 𝑙𝑜𝑣𝑒𝑑 ℎ𝑒𝑟. 𝑖 𝑙𝑜𝑣𝑒𝑑 ℎ𝑒𝑟 𝑠𝑜 𝑚𝑢𝑐ℎ 𝑡ℎ𝑎𝑡 𝑖 𝑠𝑡𝑟𝑢𝑔𝑔𝑙𝑒𝑑 𝑡𝑜 𝑏𝑟𝑒𝑎𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑎𝑟𝑜𝑢𝑛𝑑 ℎ𝑒𝑟. 𝑏𝑢𝑡 𝑒𝑣𝑒𝑛 𝑡ℎ𝑒𝑛, 𝑖'𝑑 𝑔𝑖𝑣𝑒 ℎ𝑒𝑟 𝑒𝑣𝑒𝑟𝑦 𝑏𝑟𝑒𝑎𝑡ℎ 𝑡ℎ𝑎𝑡 𝑤𝑎𝑠 𝑘𝑒𝑒𝑝𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑚𝑒 𝑎𝑙𝑖𝑣𝑒. ❜

✧ ❛ 𝑚𝑦 𝑙𝑜𝑣𝑒 𝑓𝑜𝑟 ℎ𝑒𝑟 𝑤𝑎𝑠 𝑠𝑐𝑟𝑎𝑤𝑙𝑒𝑑 𝑖𝑛𝑡𝑜 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑙𝑖𝑛𝑒𝑠 𝑜𝑓 𝑚𝑦 𝑝𝑎𝑙𝑚, 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑠𝑎𝑚𝑒 𝑤𝑎𝑦 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑖𝑚𝑝𝑟𝑒𝑠𝑠𝑖𝑜𝑛 𝑜𝑓 𝑎 𝑟𝑎𝑐𝑘𝑒𝑡 𝑤𝑎𝑠 𝑒𝑚𝑏𝑒𝑑𝑑𝑒𝑑 𝑖𝑛 ℎ𝑒𝑟𝑠. ❜

✧ ❛ 𝑡𝑜 𝑏𝑒 𝑙𝑜𝑣𝑒𝑑 𝑏𝑦 ℎ𝑒𝑟 𝑤𝑎𝑠 𝑡𝑜 𝑏𝑒 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑠𝑢𝑛 𝑖𝑛 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑚𝑜𝑜𝑛'𝑠 𝑙𝑖𝑓𝑒. 𝑏𝑢𝑡 𝑖𝑛 𝑟𝑒𝑎𝑙𝑖𝑡𝑦, 𝑠ℎ𝑒 𝑤𝑎𝑠 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑠𝑢𝑛, 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝑖'𝑑 𝑓𝑜𝑙𝑙𝑜𝑤 ℎ𝑒𝑟 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑠𝑎𝑚𝑒 𝑤𝑎𝑦 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑚𝑜𝑜𝑛 𝑑𝑖𝑑. ❜

✧ ❛ 𝑡ℎ𝑒𝑟𝑒'𝑠 𝑛𝑜 𝑞𝑢𝑒𝑠𝑡𝑖𝑜𝑛 𝑡ℎ𝑎𝑡 ℎ𝑒 𝑣𝑖𝑒𝑤𝑠 ℎ𝑒𝑟 𝑤𝑖𝑡ℎ 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑠𝑎𝑚𝑒 𝑚𝑎𝑔𝑖𝑐 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑠𝑡𝑎𝑟𝑠 𝑎𝑟𝑒 𝑚𝑎𝑑𝑒 𝑜𝑓. ❜

⊹ ﹒ ⁺ ﹒ ⊹ ﹒ ⁺ ﹒ ⊹ ﹒ ⁺ ﹒ ⊹ ﹒ ⁺ ﹒ ⊹ ﹒ ⁺ ﹒ ⊹ ﹒ ⁺ ﹒ ⊹

⋆✴︎˚｡⋆ ┆ 𝑝𝑟𝑒-𝑟𝑒𝑎𝑑 .ᐟ ₊ ⛲ ⊹
uhm so i binged this so hard i didn't pick up my phone or go on my laptop all day, which as someone who's chronically online, says a lot about how incredible this was!! hence why i didn't make a pre-read tehe. i fiiiinally sat down to read my most anticipated release of the year and there was no doubt in my mind that this would be a 5 star read!!

[jae ⟡ · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars 𓏲‎ ‎ ࣪ ‎‎ ˖

⊹ “to be loved by her was to be the sun in the moon’s life. but in reality, she was the sun, and i’d follow her the same way the moon did.”

this was cute!! the fake dating aspect honestly didn’t completely satisfy me, but it also wasn’t a major turn off and i still found luna and kieran adorable together. i don’t know much about tennis either so it was fun getting a glimpse of what the sport is like 🩵

ⓘ thank you to netgalley and forever for the arc!

[angelinabvby ۶ৎ]

⋆.˚ ☾⭒. 𝓹𝓻𝓮𝓻𝓮𝓪𝓭 ˚ ༘🎾 ೀ⋆🎾｡˚
cutie cati picked this for me out of my 67 crs so it MUST be good ✌️💓

[ahmeeka · Rating 3 out of 5]

[arc review] liana cincotti really knows how to write a book that both reads and feels like a 2000s romcom—she will forever be an auto buy author for me.

a summer of stars is such a fun, fast paced romcom! the story is split between luna and kieran so we get to know both of them in their respective points of review.

I loved the relationship between luna and kieran! I really enjoyed the slow burn, the tension, and the will they won’t they.

the fake dating made sense, too. I find with fake dating it doesn’t always feel necessary for the plot, but it really worked! I loved that they didn’t end up together early in the book either, because a lot of fake dating x enemies to lovers fall into that trap

I can’t wait to reread it when it’s published!

thank you orion for the advance reader copy in exchange for an honest review!

[hannah ꕤ]

. ݁⋆ ⛲ pre-read ⊹

this is the first book i've picked up in over 2 months and what better time to read something with summer in the title than the same week as halloween

[elise ⋆౨ৎ˚⟡ (uni hiatus) · Rating 5 out of 5]

‧˚꒰⛲️୭ ˚. a summer of stars ౿ 4.75 stars


⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀₊˚ ꒰ ⟢﹕thoughts ꒱ ˚₊ 💫


📼 𝑵𝑶𝑾 𝑷𝑳𝑨𝒀𝑰𝑵𝑮 ♬⋆.˚ ... 𝒅𝒆𝒍𝒊𝒄𝒂𝒕𝒆 - 𝒕𝒂𝒚𝒍𝒐𝒓 𝒔𝒘𝒊𝒇𝒕
⠀⠀⠀⤿ "my reputation's never been worse, so / you must like me for me,"

OH MY GOSH! this book is my new obsession. i loved everything about it. it read so much like a 2000s romcom, which are my absolute favorite 🥹 it was so fast-paced; there was never a moment when i was bored, because there was simply so much going on! there was everything i wanted from a book like this: going to premieres, organized dates, tennis matches, traveling around the world, and watching the two characters slowly fall in love with each other off camera.

i played tennis for years growing up, so being immersed in luna's POV and reading about her practicing and attending grand slams was so fun and made me incredibly nostalgic. really, everything about this book was just so fun. i felt like i was reading about some real-life celebrity drama. i was hooked from the very start and couldn't stop reading. the news headlines incorporated throughout only added to the excitement and realism of it all.

AND not only was this a story about a beautiful, slow-burning romance, it was also one of two people healing from heartbreak and learning to love again, of learning how to exist in the public eye without losing yourself, of mending relationships even when it's hard. it was so inspiring to see how the characters grew throughout the book and the maturity they displayed in tough situations. they communicated well and were always so patient with each other. luna and kieran both had so much depth to their characters, and it was so easy to love them and root for them 🤍

my only complaint is that i felt like the book needed to be a bit longer. there were big moments that were mentioned, but we never saw them actually happen. similarly, i think this book could've benefitted a lot from showing more of kierans's reaction to some of luna's big moments. instead of seeing them together and their reactions to the situation, there would be a hours-long time skip, and they'd be at a completely different event. i just wish these time skips weren't included and we instead got more chapters to read about what happened during those hours.

other than that, this book was utterly adorable and heartwarming. i completely binged it this weekend and have zero regrets. a summer of stars is definitely a new favorite of mine. i've never read any of the author's other works, but i will definitely check them out after reading this.



⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀₊˚ ꒰ ⟢﹕characters ꒱ ˚₊ 🗽⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀


₊ 𖦹﹕luna aldridge ₊˚꒰🎾꒱‧

she's an eleven-time grand slam-winning tennis player who is coming back to the public eye and world of tennis after having her reputation destroyed by her toxic ex-husband.

i loved her so much! she was so strong, so inspiring. the way she picked herself back up and refused to let her ex ruin her career and reputation was so admirable. she was so dedicated to her career and cared deeply about proving people wrong. i was rooting for her the entire time. those chapters where she was playing in a match had me stressed, as if i was actually there watching her. reading about her all triumphs and tribulations had me going through all the emotions alongside her. overall, she was such a strong female character, one that shone just as bright alone as she did with the mmc. i was so so proud of her and how she grew. she'll always have a place in my heart.

her moments with her team were also so sweet. i adored the friendship and sisterhood between them. all of them gossiping and playing games and having dinners together was peak girlhood. let me be part of their circle, please!



₊ 𖦹﹕kieran alexander ₊˚꒰🎬꒱‧

he's a heartthrob actor who is forced by his management into a PR relationship to repair his playboy reputation in order to promote his newest romantic movie.

gosh, i adored him. new book boyfriend right there. he was so playful and charming. it was hilarious to see how he poked at luna and traded barbs with her without missing a beat. he was also so sweet and gentlemanly deep down. he cared so much for his loved ones and dropped anything he was doing if they needed him. it broke my heart to learn about his feelings toward his career and the source of them. i just wanted to give him a big hug and say "you are amazing."

he treated luna so well, and being in his POV while he was pining over her was *chef's kiss.* this man yearns, y'all. he loved her so effortlessly and was her number one supporter even before they became a couple. he always made sure she was feeling okay, mentally and physically, and that she knew how much he believed in her, how amazing she was. he was so gentle and patient, and i loved how communicative and open he was with his feelings for her. i loved him so much. i'm going to be obsessing over him for the foreseeable future, thank you very much.



⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀₊˚ ꒰ ⟢﹕luna & kieran ꒱ ˚₊ 📸


i'm honestly so obsessed with them and how their relationship developed. it was such a satisfying slow-burn, full of tension and moments of "is this for the cameras or not?" the banter was SO GOOD! i was blushing and giggling a crazy amount reading it.

them falling in love felt so natural, as no part of their story was rushed. each stage of their relationship was so enjoyable to read about. i wasn't even rushing to get to the part where they got together because i had so much fun watching them slowly develop feelings for each other. their small moments of hidden intimacy, the ones where they weren't thinking about the cameras, were everything. i found myself rereading certain chapters right after finishing them because they were just so adorable.

when they finally became a couple, that excitement never dwindled, along with their chemistry together. seeing them support each other and actively put in the effort to make sure they both knew they were each other's number one fan was so heartwarming. their love was so mature, playful, and pure, i yearn for a relationship like theirs.



⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀₊˚ ꒰ ⟢﹕overall ꒱ ˚₊ 👟


this was so adorable... everything i wanted and more from a book with these tropes. i love a y2k romcom-coded book, and this was exactly that. all the little moments in front of the cameras and in secret were so heartwarming. i had so much fun reading it and so quickly fell in love with each character, luna especially. her resilience, strength, and sportsmanship will stay with me for a long time. i can't recommend this book enough. it was the perfect read to get into the summer mood, and i can't wait to check out liana cincotti's other works now!


⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀₊˚ ❝꒰ ⟢﹕quotes ꒱ ˚₊❞


ᰋ ˓ to be added after publication



— ୨୧₊˚ 💌 thank you to netgalley, forever publishing, and liana cincotti for providing this e-arc in exchange for an honest review!

[vicky ꨄ︎ · Rating 5 out of 5]

I absolutely adore this book. I really enjoyed how this started as a slow-burn and very much continued as a slow-burn. The way they realised how much they loved spending time together was honestly so cute. The way they had scheduled events that was meant to be a chore but slowly stop being one as both of them started enjoying going to them. Especially Kieran going to the events he wasn’t even scheduled for to show his support to her, which honestly just warmed my heart.

I went into this book not knowing much about tennis but this book has surely made me more intrigued. I loved how much we got of Luna actually playing tennis and having to read of her playing it in Kieran pov. He got me so interested and entertained. This could result in me actually starting to watch tennis matches.

Best to say that Liana Cincontti has became my auto read author and I can’t wait to see what see will come out with next.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this arc in exchange for an honest review.



—————————————-

𐙚⋆°. preread

Ahhh I’m so excited to read this book, I loved every other book I read by this author. I’m so grateful for receiving an arc for this book.

[sabrina★ (gone rn) {your the moon}]

𐙚⋆.˚𝓹𝓻𝓮-𝓻𝓮𝓪𝓭˙⋆✮
buddy read with gorgeous romi <33

[madi · Rating 5 out of 5]

⋆˙⟡ — 5 stars
⌗ ┆started: may 22nd ● finished: may 30th
⤿ arc review with no spoilers

"Do you tell the stars about me?"
"Of course I tell the stars about you. And the sun and its moon. I tell them about you every day. It could be snowing, and it'd still feel like a summer of stars with you."

❀― read this with my best friends har and yoanna!! i had sooo much fun yapping and giggling with you guys 🥹 i love you guys sooo much!! 🩵

৻ꪆ thank you so much forever publishing, liana cincotti, and netgalley for the e-arc in exchange for an honest review!!
⤿ release date: august 11, 2026

tropes ๋࣭ ⭑
ᝰ tennis player x hollywood actor
ᝰ pr relationship
ᝰ fake dating
ᝰ rivals to lovers
ᝰ dual pov‌ ‌‌‌ ‌ ‌‌ ‌ ‌ ‌‌‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌

thoughts ⋆˚࿔

this book was soooo much fun!! at the time i was reading this, i was getting everything ready for my prom send-off and i was sooo stressed out, but once i started reading i couldn't stop 😭 every time i had some downtime, i was IMMEDIATELY picking up my kindle to get back to this book 🤭 i genuinely loved the way liana wrote this story bc it made everything feel even more magical. i really enjoyed being able to read abt the matches as if i was actually there. whenever authors can make their sports books feel like i'm right there watching the game, it pulls me into the story even more 😌 and ofc i LOVED the fake-dating aspect, and i think it was done perfectly 🤭

characters ⋆˚࿔

⋆˚࿔ ― luna aldrige

i loved this girl sm 🥹 the things she went through genuinely broke my heart. the way the media and everyone around her treated her after her messy breakup was just disgusting and so unfair. this book really showed how people can hear one side of the story and immediately run with it without ever giving the other person a chance to explain. i loved that we got to see luna be emotional and hurt by everything that was being said abt her, but eventually we got to watch her slowly become herself again and not let everything tear her down. i also really loved that she eventually became vulnerable with kieran and slowly let him see the real her 🥹

⋆˚࿔ ― kieran alexander

this man 😩 right when we got his first pov i knew i was gonna be in love with him by the end of the book 🤭 this man was so down bad for luna even when he pretended not to be. he could act like he didn't care all he wanted, but i promise u this man was giggling and kicking his feet on the inside whenever he was around her 😭 and i loved how protective he was whenever it came to her crappy ex 🥹 u could honestly just feel how much this man loved luna, and i seriously wish i could read abt him for the first time again.

⋆˚࿔ ― luna + kieran

these two were just perfect together 😩 their banter, the tension, the chemistry... UGHH 🤭 i loved it all. their relationship didn't feel rushed at all, and that really made me appreciate their story even more. i loved how they slowly became each other's safe space and learned to trust one another 🥹 liana genuinely did such a good job writing their relationship bc everything flowed so naturally from something fake into something real. the way they paid attention to each other, whether it was the smallest detail or one of the biggest moments, made it so obvious that they had a genuine connection... even if it took them a little while to realize it themselves 🤭

⊹ ﹒ ♡ ﹒ ⊹ ﹒ ♡ ﹒ ⊹﹒ ♡ ﹒ ⊹ ﹒ ♡ ﹒ ⊹

— ⋆˙⟡ pre-read 𓂃˖ ࣪⊹
i really enjoyed picking daisies on sundays when i read it, so i have very high hopes for this one 🤭 also can we talk about the cover?! loveee!! and i get to read this with my two best friends har and yoanna!! i love you guys so freaking much and i can’t wait to yap abt this with you both 🥹💗

thank you so much forever publishing, liana cincotti, and netgalley for the e-arc in exchange for an honest review!!

[maria ₊˚ෆ]

whatever mother writes, I read 🤲

[emma (wes’ version) ౨ৎ ࣪ ˖ · Rating 4.5 out of 5]

↳ thank you net galley for the arc in exchange for an honest review!!

𐙚˚₊ 💌┆★ ★ ★ ★ ½ ⊹ now playing need by taylor swift

this is what i call rom-com.

not those smutty novels people enjoy… i live for this. for the tension, the yearning alongside with the sweetness and the kicking at my feet because ‘this is too cute!’

❝ there’s no question that he views her with the same magic the stars are made of.❞

˖ ࣪ ꒰ . the plot …

the story follows the events of luna aldridge, an excellently skillful tennis player whose career has been ruined by a man who happens to be her ex-husband, and kieran alexander, a witty awarded hollywood star.
to save her face and career and promote his up-coming romantic film, their PRs decide they have to fake date; though there’s one tiny little problem: they hate each other!! and in the past five years they’ve been spreading fake news towards the other.
although, public appearance after public appearance that start to know each other for what they actually are and not for their reputations, until it doesn’t seem like they’re faking anymore…

❝ she laughed, as if she was picturing exactly that. i wanted to hold the image close, wrap it in a napkin like a chocolate from a diner and put in my pocket.❞

˖ ࣪ ꒰ . my thoughts …

oh i’m so glad i did this epic come back to ya romances because, even though i didn’t know, i really needed it. i loved this book from cover to cover, experienced the emotions the characters felt like they were mine and sobbed when i came to the acknowledgments.
it made me second-guess every celebrity news i’ve ever heard of and try to tell if it was actually the truth or just a PR stunt.

the writing style of liana is pure magic, it cast a spell on me, and now i’m forever subdued. indeed, i now need to read her other books as much as i need oxygen to breathe and a tennis player needs a raquet to play.

❝ all i could be sure of was that kieran’s eyes and voice and lips were an intoxicating, seductive combination that should be illegal in every nation. it was too dangerous. so dangerous that it was poisoning his worst enemy and making her question whether there was ever a reason to dislike him.❞

˖ ࣪ ꒰ . them …

i’ve found luna and kieran really believable, loved both the characters and adored the frightening chemical that had. i swear during some scenes i felt like i was the third wheel… and that hurt me because i think i was the other woman since i also love kieran.
#wheresmybookboyfriend?

i think i will never forget luna and what jeremiah, the ex-husband, did to her because it’s just another woman being hated because a man told the world she sucks, a film we all have seen before. years of hard-work, effort, nice rep are nothing compared to a dude’s opinion in our society apparently.

kieran, on the other hand, is the kind of man who deserve to be called like that, since he didn’t fail to make me giggle and blush. if i was a random girl in this universe, i fear i would be one of those who stare at him on the big screen, captivated.

another thing i love about the two of them is they love deeply, lose themselves in their loved ones and would do everything for them. and yes, as shown in both’s past relationships, it isn’t always good. yet i don’t care, because they literally rotate around each other’s orbit, which i find so sweet, and people also tell that feeling deeply is a curse when it’s the best of blessings.

❝ watching him laugh made my heart bloom into a sea of pastel peonies. if pink was a feeling, it was that.❞

˖ ࣪ ꒰ . the playlist …

other than ‘need’, i think these songs fit the vibes of the book quite well, and they remind me so much of luna and kieran.

drop dead, love is embarrassing by olivia rodrigo
this song by conan gray
things i wish you said, already over by sabrina carpenter
close to you, packing it up by gracie abrams
taste back, matilda, clara’s song by harry styles
the smallest man who ever lived, delicate, afterglow, daylight by taylor swift

˖ ࣪ ꒰ . for giu …

thank you for reading this with me!! it’s been very fun to read this together! ilysm even though you didn’t like kieran at first. 💐🫰🏻🫂 take a look at her review!

⋆˚. ⛲️ ꔛ pre-read ˖ ࣪ ˖ ౿

let’s pretend I haven’t already read the first pages… i am so frigging excited for this!!
firstly because it’s my first arc and I’m reading it with giu and secondly because I feel I’m going to fall in love with it and the author is going to become a favourite of mine.

[Emma.catherine · Rating 5 out of 5]

FINALLY another Liana Cincotti book 📖 This woman is a masterful storyteller 🙌🏽 No question…she writes, I read.

As expected from Cincotti, this book is full of LIFE and ENERGY. You can physically FEEL the words coming off the page. Both the plot and the characters felt so real, with all the glamour you’d expect from a Hollywood actor x World-class Tennis star ✨ The story was brimming with entertaining scenes, tennis tournaments, and film festivals, taking us on a fake-dating journey around the globe 🎬🎾✨

An exhilarating experience from start to finish 🤩

She needs him. He needs her. Queue: PR Fake-Dating stunt…After a messy divorce, it feels like the world hates tennis superstar Luna Aldridge. To gain back her reputation and solidify her sponsorships Luna reluctantly agrees to fake-date her enemy - Hollywood's golden boy, Kieran Alexander. The hate is mutual, but with his disastrous dating history compromising his film’s success, he has no other option but to agree. A summer of red carpets and the global tennis circuit means more and more time together. But as they pretend, can they keep their past, careers, and hearts in tact? Everyone is watching 👀 but can they fool the most crucial of all - the tabloids? 🗞️

Luna is a testament to all the badass women in sport 🙌🏽 There is something about the dedication and strength of FMCs in sport that really appeals to me. I find their resilience and commitment admirable. But Luna’s likeable goes beyond her athleticism, she is a strong character in and of herself. She is a very relatable character, even as a tennis superstar, she is under the constant scrutiny of perfectionism. There was something so inspiring about the fact she came back stronger than ever after completing falling apart. She refused to let the past, and the actions of others define her, and she did so with dignity and grace.

"Who wouldn’t want to experience what it was like to be wanted by Kieran? Even if it was only for a second? The desire, the want, the need. I understood." 🙇🏻‍♀️

Kieran was such a genuine character. At the beginning I wasn’t sure about him, but the more we get to know him, the clearer we see his true personality. He was different from most MMC. He was more vulnerable, emotion led. I loved seeing his passion for acting come out, alongside his growing affection for Luna. There was something poetic, almost mystical about him. He carried light with him, encouraging and supporting those he loved. I particularly enjoyed seeing how his connection with his family developed over the course of the story.

I love how natural this romance felt. Often, by their very nature, fake-dating situations can feel forced, but this love story developed and flowed with ease. The chemistry was there from the beginning, largely due to their history, but it was all the moments, particularly those beyond the camera, that were what made this book special. The story was laced with tender, sweet, precious moments that made this an enchanting read. They complimented each other so well, healing each other from previous relationships, risking everything for love, and being rewarded as a result.

"To be loved by her was to be the sun in the moon’s life. But in reality, she was the sun, and I’d follow her the same way the moon did." 🌙 💖 ✨

Overall, this was such a beautiful read and a welcome reminder of how utterly fantastic Liana Cincotti is 👏🏽 Her books are full of so much genuine love and joy. She brings a breath of fresh air to the world of romance novels. Full of heartwarming characters and memorable moments, I can’t recommend this book highly enough!

5 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟

[maria · Rating 2 out of 5]

I hate to say this but this books wasn’t good at all. I adore picking daises on sunday so I had high expectations about this one that unfortunately weren’t met😭 the writing is terrible and the dialogue between both mc is even worse. I was just so bored throughout the book I lost my interest completely in everything that was happening