На первый взгляд

by Beth Ellyn Summer, Бет Эллин Саммер

Лэси Роббинс восходящая звезда YouTube с тысячной аудиторией. Она не может дождаться, когда число ее подписчиков взлетит до миллиона. И когда ей поступает предложение о стажировке в одном из популярных молодежных изданий Trend Magazine, она его незамедлительно принимает, понимая, что это может стать поворотным моментом ее влоггерской карьеры. Однако, в журнале все складывается далеко не так, как она ожидала: редактор заинтересован в продвижении дешевых продуктов, новый взгляд на бьюти индустрию изнутри и знакомство с очаровательным музыкантом Тайлером заставляют Лэси усомниться, в том, что её YouTube канал - это дело всей ее жизни... Теперь ей придется сделать нелегкий выбор, что важнее - ее реальная жизнь или виртуальная карьера?

Genres: Young Adult, Contemporary, Romance, Young Adult Contemporary, Chick Lit, Humor, Ebooks

352 pages, Hardcover

First published April 4, 2017

About the author

I write contemporary YA stories that always seem to involve fame, makeup, and television.

I used to intern for Conan O'Brien and Jimmy Fallon where I learned the fine art of comedy, and also the answer to the age old question: just how many interns does it take to refill the water coolers?

I possess an uncanny ability to tie any life situation back to High School Musical.

AT FIRST BLUSH is my debut novel.

Reviews

[Kristina · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really really enjoyed this book. It was everything I wanted when I picked. it up......err.....opened it on my Kindle Lacey was such a likable character that if she were a real Beauty vlogger I would also binge watch all of her videos.

I know that as soon as this book comes into stores I will be doing what I can to pick up my own copy.

I received an advanced reader copy in exchange for a fair review.

this book comes out on April 4, 2017

[Medeia Sharif · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book takes you behind the scenes into makeup vlogging and magazine interning. The reader is also immersed in a fantastic main character (Lacey), her personal growth, and her romantic life that presents conflicts. I’m glad to see books that present online personas, since it’s timely and many young people have their internet selves via Youtube, Instagram, and other platforms, which may or may not be compatible with their real selves. This is a fast read that I read in two days.

[Crystal Collier · Rating 5 out of 5]

Self discovery, sweet romance, and a plot that wins!

I'm going to admit one very sad truth. It's been YEARS since I truly enjoyed a contemporary novel. No John Green, please (I HATE CRYING), and Anna and the French Kiss left me so disappointed that I almost gave up on the genre altogether. BUT, this fabulous book has completely changed my mind. What a wonderful read!

The story opened with a love/obsession with makeup, and I found myself thinking, "Oh boy, here we go"--including a sarcastic eye roll. Now here's the deal, I'm not big into makeup, jewelry, or even clothing. AND IT DIDN'T MATTER. By the end of the story, I was totally in love with the idea of that world--where makeup is the center of the someone's universe. To draw me, the ultimate stand-off reader to that happy place, now that's a job well done.

The romance was sweet, but not overpowering. As a reader, I was conflicted right along with Lacey, and I truly appreciated that element of reality. The romance also didn't overpower the other aspects of the plot--themes of friendship, change, and family took an equal share. To top it off, I wouldn't blush in the least about handing this book off to my 12 yr old daughter to read. That's huge.

At First Blush will make readers reevaluate their life priorities, and I foresee it ranking in my top 10 reads for 2017. Thank you, Ms. Summer for a wonderful reading experience!

Content warning: Clean.

[thai · Rating 3 out of 5]

One thing you might not know about me is that my favorite thing to read are fluff young adult books. So maybe my viewpoint on this book could be affected by that. Meaning, I absolutely loved this book so much because of all the unproblematic cuteness around.

Lacey is a teenage girl who has a successful youtube channel about make up tutorials. Her goal is to make a career out of it, and she finds herself closer to achieving that goal when she's picked as one of the three youtubers to intern at a magazine called On Trend. Her job this summer is to work alongside the other interns to make the cover boy, Tyler Lance, look good in front of his fans.

As someone who watches youtubers on a almost daily basis, I really enjoyed seeing the characters as one of them, it was fun and light, at times exaggerated though. I mean, I know it must be difficult getting backlash and you can't please everyone but I don't think it could get to that extend? Maybe that's just me being naive though.

I'm one of those girls, that like Lacey, loves make up and wears it everyday, and it's honestly so rare to find protagonists that are like that that I instantly connected to her, and of course, it made me start loving her. But seriously though, that aside, she was still such a good character, she's charming, fun and enthusiastic, I related to her more and more with every decision she made.

The romance wasn't something overwhelming that I was totally into. I liked the idea of it, although it felt maybe insta-loveish from Tyler's side. I didn't really feel they had a lot of chemistry or connection. However, how it progressed was enjoyable and very cute. I'm conflicted over the fact that it wasn't something I kept wanting to see more of, I was more interested on how she was going to deal with her career and the choices she'd have to make then to see how she'd work things out with Tyler, and I'm not sure if that's a good or a bad thing.

Tyler was a fun character, I liked him overall, but he's at times somewhat gullible and a little naive when it comes to his family. So even though I liked him, he frustrated me to no end as well.

The writing was something I really enjoyed, the only thing I wish we could have seen more of is Lacey and Cynth's friendship, but other than that everything was really fun and cute to read, I loved it.

I received this book via NetGalley in return for an honest review.

Review also posted at Read. Breathe. Repeat.

[Carrie (The Butterfly Reader) · Rating 3 out of 5]

I watch YouTube quite a bit, even though I've pulled back a little because of all the drama on there, so it was cool to get to read about this young woman who loved YouTube. She was a beauty Tuber, you know, the kind that make you feel like crap because no matter how much you try and can never make your eyeliner look as awesome as theirs... wait, just me? Never mind.

Lacey is starts out loving YouTube, even missing prom for it. I like how she starts to change through the book, how she starts to see that there is more than YouTube, that she is missing out on life for this website.

We get to see her struggle with lying to her fans for money and I really loved how she finally said, no. She didn't like the crap they were trying to make her sell. I loved watching her come into her own. See what made her happy.

I do not like Tyler that much... I mean I'm iffy on him. I don't hate him but I don't love him. I feel he needed to be fleshed out a lot more to fully work for me. I'm still not sure what all happened with his family and the band and if they are fine now or what... we also didn't a reason for how he acted in the beginning. Not really, he was just a jerk.

The writing is super easy to follow, it's a super easy read. It's fun and entertained me. Though it's nothing profound. Just a cute little fluff book. If you want a happy fun time, this book is for you.

Thanks to NetGalley for this ARC

[Lovely Loveday · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was very excited when I got to read an Advanced Readers Copy of At First Blush By Beth Ellyn Summer! When I read the book summary I knew this would be a book I would like to know more about. I also read this book in one sitting! Summer does an outstanding job with the plot line, characters and settings. You really can relate to a lot of the things happening in this book. Lacey Robbins has a YouTube channel called Lacey Blushes and manages to land a summer internship with On Tread Magazine doing a vlog about the new featured August edition. This is where Lacey meets fellow YouTubers Felicia and Jordan. Then the shock of her life happens when the famous teen heart throb and new solo artists Tyler Lance come in to the picture changing everything. I really like how Tyler is made out to be a real bad boy rock star. However Lacey soon realizes that looks can be deceiving and sees the real Tyler that no one else sees. This story is different then a lot I have read lately. I like how many teenage YouTubers can relater to the struggles that Lacey faces and all the obstacles she is thrown into. This is a really great read. I really like the ending but I will not ruin it for you. So you will have to read it to find out. ** I received an Advance Reader Copy of this book in exchange for my honest and unbiased review.**

[Beth Ellyn Summer]

AT FIRST BLUSH is officially in the world! To everyone who has taken the time to read it, rate it/review it, thank you SO much! <3 ~Beth

[Tiana]

Everything about this book was perfection :)

[Ezgi T · Rating 3 out of 5]

Actual rating: 3.5 stars

I liked At First Blush - it was a fun contemporary novel all about first love, learning about yourself and finding out what makes you happy and what you want to do in life. Since I kind of do YouTube myself, there were times I saw myself in Lacey but that was a rare occurance.

I'd like it a lot more if it didn't had the cliche "you're the only one who sees me for who I am" thing going on with Tyler and Lacey. I'm kind of fed up with that one girl who's not enamoured with the celebrity and who later ends up dating him/her.

[Chelsea · Rating 4 out of 5]

At First Blush gave me so much more than I expected when I received this book for review. I have to say I'm pretty obsessed when it comes to Youtube, and since I don't have cable most of my time is spent watching Youtube videos of pretty much any kind. So when I heard what this book was about I knew I had to give it a try and sent it a request. What I didn't know what how good of a read it was going to turn out to be.

Lacey Robbins is an up and coming Beauty Guru on Youtube who scored a summer internship at one of the hottest magazines in the country. She's one of three Youtubers that gets the chance, and happens to be the smallest channel of the three as well. She sees this as being her big break to get a possible contract with Glass Cube, which is the company behind all the big Youtubers that offers people to help make your videos as well as a place to record them.

There is a downfall to Lacey's summer plans to rise to fame though and he goes by the name of Tyler Lance. Tyler is the big secret guest feature for the issue of On Trend that Lacey and the other Youtubers are working on. The magazine is busting it's butt to try and make is image better than the prior known drunk tool that Tyler had let his image become. So not only is Lacey stuck around him, but she's also stuck working with him to make videos on her channel.

Beth did such a wonderful job giving insight behind what a Youtubers life really is. It was so nice to see Lacey as a normal person and how much work she put in to her videos and how stress affected not only her life but even her Youtube channel. Seeing her ups and downs and BIG hic-ups along the way made it so easy to connect to Lacey even without being any part of the Youtuber community.

Not to put down Tyler as a character either. His development through the book really made it easy to feel for him, even if he was a big teenage heart throb. Seeing his interactions with Lacey slowly melted my heart and in the end I found myself yelling at Lacey for some of the decisions she was making with her life. But to be honest, she is just a teenage girl navigating life and trying figure out what she really wants, so I can't hold everything against her.

If you're looking for a good contemporary read with an interesting story that's something you haven't read before, I would highly recommend checking out At First Blush. It was a very nice fresh of breath air in the normal teenage contemporary genre and is definitely worth the read!

[Kris Mauna · Rating 4 out of 5]

At First Blush was ridiculously cute! Like most contemporaries, it was totally predictable, but I just could not get over how adorable our two main characters, Lacey and Tyler, were! So I didn't mind it at all.

The story centers around Lacey, AKA LaceyBlushes, who is a YouTube beauty guru. First off, I find this world of YouTubers fascinating. I follow a lot of beauty gurus online, and even though I don't know much of what goes on behind the scenes, I think it was portrayed well. And I really liked Lacey. She was a lot of fun and definitely a character readers can easily connect with, especially teens who are getting ready to graduate high school.

Lacey has her goals set when she begins her internship.. or at least she thought she did. Enter Tyler Lance, a musician (who is hot, of course) who recently left his old band to start a solo career. He was sexy, brooding, but totally sweet (yes, cliché to the max) and I freaking loved the guy. At first I was rolling my eyes.. like ugh, THIS guy. Who does he think he is? But he quickly won me over once he dropped the moodiness and started opening up to the YouTube interns.

As Lacey slowly begins to fall for Tyler, he begins to open her eyes to a different kind of future. And it's not only him who plays a role in her journey. It's her internship, family, and the friends she gains along the way. I enjoyed all of the characters in this book! I wish we got to know a little more about the other YouTube interns (we still see them a lot) but yea, everyone was interesting!

The pacing of the story was a little off. It almost felt as if some dialogue was missing at times? But overall, Beth Ellyn Summer's writing was great! She created a fun coming-of-age story, and the premise was made interesting by bringing YouTube into the story. Even if you aren't a YouTube sensation, I'm positive you will find a way to relate to Lacey's story!

Everything wraps up nicely. Honestly, it was a little far fetched since Tyler is this huge musician, but it was still sweet. I loved how Lacey was able to find herself outside of her online persona. I would recommend this book to anyone who enjoys contemporaries!

[Katy O. · Rating 4 out of 5]

Let's start this with a plea to Bloomsbury Spark to get this ebook into paper publishing ASAP - I guarantee it would be a huge hit in my high school library! I would hand it to every single girl who loves the "Anna and the French Kiss" series by Stephanie Perkins, as well as the Morgan Matson et al fans. As an adult reader who adores Sophie Kinsella and other frothy, feel-good chick lit, I was completely captured by this story and fully appreciated the timeliness of the YouTube, vlogging, Instagram and Twitter storylines. That's happening NOW, and as I just read in a piece about YA lit being the genre to change the world, YA can be NOW much more easily than adult lit can. Yes, technology may change in the near(ish) future, but YouTube, Instagram, and Twitter are not going to be dying soon enough that this book won't enjoy a few hot-selling years on the shelves before Summer gets her next book out. The main character in this book, Lacey, is a tech-savvy female YouTube sensation and shows an amazing amount of tech skills, emotional strength and moral fortitude in this story ~ these are the characters we want teen girls to see and read! While this isn't necessarily a hard-hitting piece of social journalism, it truly IS a snapshot of teen culture today that wrestles with the line between social media and true selves and the need to balance these. I read this book in less than 24 hours and would love to be able to get it into my library, but for now will just tell students about it and tell them to spend the $3.82 it costs on Kindle right now.......if they will be willing to read it in digital. I hope they will, but I also hope it gets put into a gorgeous shimmery pink trade paperback version sooner than later.

I received a digital ARC of this title for review - all opinions are my own.

[Lauri Rottmayer · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book! It was so cute.

Lacey is a 17 year old YouTuber who's channel is about make-up and called LaceyBlushes. She is chosen as an intern for On Trend Magazine for the summer along with two other YouTubers who have more followers than she does. She wants so badly to do a good enough job to get a contract with Glass Cube and be a professional Youtuber with sponsors and a production staff. There will also be a guest editor and she's hoping it will be someone involved in make-up or fashion but it ends up being a rock star who's left a band and is starting a solo career.

Things go along well. Lacey loves being in the make-up room at the magazine and trying all the available products. Then she gets a sponsor who makes inferior products that she has to feature in her videos. She also gets involve with Tyler, the rock star guest editor. Her fans, who have finally gone over the million mark and have started recognizing her in public rebel. She is the subject of nasty gossip on a gossip site and eventually, she has to fight to have her YouTube channel reinstated when it's deleted due to terms and conditions violations.

This is a cute story of a girl who gets everything she didn't know she wanted. I loved it!

[Julie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Lacey is a beauty vlogger of LaceyBlushes on Youtube and gets chosen as an intern for On Trend Magazine for the summer, along with two other vloggers with different niches. She is hoping that if she does well she can gain more followers and eventually get a contract with Glasscube, so she can get sponsors and a production staff. She is hoping the client they will be working with is a woman that loves makeup, but they end up with a rockstar who is trying to make his comeback after leaving his band. Tyler comes off as standoffish and arrogant in their first meeting but as time goes on she starts seeing a different side. He makes his interest known but she is trying to stay career-focused, even if the internship isn't going as well as she had hoped. She gets her first sponsorship and is really torn about promoting a product that she really hates, and her fans on Youtube start to turn on her. She starts to wonder if this is really what she wants for her future.

I had a really hard time with this one, if I'm being honest. I was initially really excited because I follow quite a few vloggers on Youtube and thought this was a really fun and different idea. I didn't end up connecting with any of the character or even like them all that much. I thought Lacey was really confusing. She absolutely loves her beauty vlog and makes it a point to say early on that while some people have their "fame personas", they also have the "real life" personas, whereas she IS LaceyBlushes..... But then later says that maybe she isn't. Then she starts to hate vlogging...? I know people can change their mind, but that seemed a little crazy to be super obsessed with something and then dislike it in the end. I also couldn't stand how she just wouldn't stand up for herself at all. I will say that Lacey's character did grow as the story went on, and I was happy she found a way to make herself happy in the end.

The romance felt a little insta-lovey to me on Tyler's part. I didn't really feel the chemistry between the two of them as a couple. It felt really forced. Tyler was constantly the one expressing how he felt and pursuing her and she didn't really give anything back. I'm honestly not sure why he would have kept trying. I had moments when I really liked Tyler a lot and then others where I wanted to hit him because he was so selfish.

I didn't hate this one, but I didn't love it as much as I had hoped either. This was a "middle of the road" read for me. It is a clean romance, so if there are younger readers to consider then I don't think this would be a bad one. There is a scene where Tyler is drunk though.

* I received an ARC of this title via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own. *

[Samantha (WLABB) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Rating: 4.5 Stars

Lacy lives for her YouTube channel and dreams of reaching that one million subscriber mark. She is one of three YouTubers selected for a summer internship at On Trend Magazine. Her job will be to rep the products from a sponsor selected by the magazine and to help with the image makeover for brooding pop star, Tyler. She wants her channel be the next big thing, but what price is she willing to pay?

I LOVE romances like this. When I was reading it, I kept getting that Jennifer E Smith vibe, and well, I adore all that is JES. So, definitely a good thing. The story was just so adorable, and I found myself suffering from endless smiles.

"It's sort of important to know when something's over."

"Maybe I didn't want it to end."

Lacy was a very likable MC. She was goal orientated, but very caring. She didn't want to step on others or exploit people to get what she wanted. She had a desire to earn her accolades, and I totally respected and admired that. She also probably cared too much. Lacy was often weighed down by other people's problems or opinions, and realizing this was an important part of her journey as she defined herself during this story. I liked that she was a work in progress and grew so much during this book. She had to experience those missteps to grow and change for the better, as that is part of real life.

"No. You're the good kind of unexpected. Like when you smell that awesome sunblock smell in the deal of winter, or you eat a chocolate Easter egg in the fall."

There were quite a few characters, who contributed to this story's success for me. Tyler was complicated, but there were so many super-cute-sweet moments between these two. I think I giggled like a 13-year-old a time or two. I am just a sucker for this sort of stuff. I loved Kendall as well. She was a great mentor to Lacy, and was almost like her fairy godmother, in that she guided her, while also gifting Lacy with great opportunities. I consider both On Trend and Primetime Tonight characters as well. There was a certain energy associated with these two locals in the story, and there was usually something interesting and fun going on there. It is not surprising that the intern experiences have a certain depth and were captured so well, as Summer interned on both Fallon and Conan.


There was a lot of interesting social commentary woven in the book as well. This idea of fame and the trade-offs associated with that achievement, as well as this idea of compromising your ideals/selling your soul to attain that desired star-status. It was presented from both Lacy's and Tyler's perspectives, which were slightly different, and thus, gave me more to think about. Although there was stuff to think about, but this was by no means a heavy book. In fact, I loved the lightness of the story, as I am a big escape reader.

I am not a YouTuber, but I found all that stuff pretty interesting. I appreciated that way Summer depicted that it's a lot of work, because that is similar to blogging, and I thought she captured the way I feel when I get a comment.



The book blurb mentions The Devil Wears Prada, and I can see the comparisons, but I also feel confident comparing it to Little Black Dresses, Little White Lies. It had a similar feel, as LBDLWL was set in the fast-paced magazine world, but At First Blush was on the sweeter side, as it didn't have that cut-throat element that was in LBDLWL.

Overall: A fun, light, and totally adorable read, which put a perma-smile on my face.

**I would like to thank NetGalley and the publisher for the advanced copy of this book

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[Katy Upperman · Rating 5 out of 5]

1. Teen YouTube beauty guru! I’m a junkie when it comes to watching makeup reviews and tutorials on YouTube, so I fell easily and happily into Lacey’s world.
2. Relatable self discovery. I love that Lacey has an abundance of challenges to deal with, and that they all help her learn and grow in different ways. Even though I’ve (sadly) never interned at a magazine, I still connected with Lacey on various levels, and I wish we could be real life besties.
3. Cutest romance. ❤ Guys, Lacey and Tyler are freaking adorable, and they’re relationship plays out so satisfyingly. All the swoons!

[Kristin Smith · Rating 5 out of 5]

I've found a new favorite YA contemporary author! I absolutely LOVED this book! I loved the characters, the romance, the music scene, the makeup tips and tricks, the improv show, the YouTube vlogging—I loved everything. I read it in a day because I seriously could not put it down. And AHHH, the tension between Lacey and Tyler is EPIC! Talk about slow burn...

If you haven't read this book, you absolutely MUST! It is now one of my fave YA contemporary books EVER. I really hope the author comes out with another book soon, because I can't wait to read more of her writing! <3

[Hannah G. · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is so good you guys--it's complete and utter marshmallow fluff and I love it with all my heart. Read it when you need some cheering up, or just whenever you want to have ALL the feels.

[Sakhile · Rating 4 out of 5]

I've been on a YA romance roll lately which is strange because romance is my least favourite sub-genre of young adult.

What drew me to At First Blush by Beth Ellyn Summer (besides the gorgeous cover) is the makeup vlogging protagonist. As someone who loves makeup tutorials I was really interested in reading this book.
Lacey has a YouTube channel and she gets to be part of an internship with OnTrend that could lead to big opportunities. Opportunities that mean she could afford to go to college. Being an intern exposes Lacey to a new set of rules and problems around her YouTube career. Her channel is growing but her fans are unhappy with the content. While juggling a secret relationship with a celebrity and securing a sponsorship, Lacey makes some interesting choices. Yes, it's quite obvious but ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

I enjoyed this book much more than I expected to. Although the were some tropes, they were written in a way that didn't make me want to pull my hair out.

[Melanie Hooyenga · Rating 5 out of 5]

I bought this book a few months ago and I'm kicking myself for not reading it sooner. Lacey is an absolute delight. Not perfect -- but so real. As someone with multiple social media accounts (nowhere near what she has) I know how it can consume your life.

The slow burn with Taylor is delicious and I loved learning about makeup through Lacey's eyes. The secondary characters are well developed and I found myself rooting for everyone to get what they want.

Definitely recommend!

[†Reviews of a FearStreetZombie† · Rating 3 out of 5]

I received this book via NetGalley in return for an honest review.

Sorry, this book just wasn't my thing. I'll admit it keep me drawn in but it also constantly gave me migraines every time I read it... not to mention kept my anxiety shooting through the roof. I wanted to like this book. I really did. But I didn't.... So this review may not come out to nice. Fair warning. I would also like to throw in that in my opinion this book fits under middle grade than young adult...

I liked Lacey. She seemed like a pretty good kid. But I hated that she let people just walk all over her. I hated that literally everyone in this book put all THEIR problems on HER. None of them carried their own burden. Not even her parents. If anything, they pushed her to succeed just so they can bum off her like just like Tyler's parents did all of them. Even with her so called "best friend" they drift apart and lo and behold, it is aaaaaalllllll Lacey's fault.

I freaking hated Tyler though. From start to finish it was all the same. He was literally Justin Bieber. There is nothing else to say about Tyler because if you know Bieber, you pretty much know Tyler.

At First Blush was very predictable and the outcome was clear before 20% into the book. I think I finished it in pure hope that it would prove me wrong. I really thought she would end up having a mental break down, I am glad she didn't and I am even more glad that her character grew so much at the end.
She found happiness again in what she loved doing best. So I guess that is all that matters, huh?
***
If anything from this book is on point, it is that the media has WAY to much say and influence in people's lives and especially kids.

***
May come back and edit this later, this is still making me want to rip my hair out.

[Stephanie · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 stars

So, this was a cute Valentine's Day read (and my third book in three days - yay!) despite the fact that I know next-to-nothing about make-up and even less about vlogging. I have come to the conclusion that I have a special kind of weakness for romances featuring misunderstood rocker boys - and this book definitely had me covered on that front.

Lacey and Tyler were nicely rounded characters and I thought their early relationship development was a lot of fun. There were also some fun side characters.

The biggest drawback for me was Lacey's relationship with social media. Ultimately, Summers did a great job illustrating the need for balance and the importance of learning to interact with social media in a healthy way, but the process of getting there was a painful one.

Bottom line: definitely check this one out if you love cute (and pretty clean) romances.

[Ashley Urquhart · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was not expecting much from this book but it totally blew me away! I am a full-blown convert to the YA Celeb Romance genre and this book totally delivered on that front. I liked the main characters quite a bit right from the start. Lacey seems like a really sweet girl and I love how she’s always thinking about her fans and subscribers. Tyler is a good character as well though we don’t really get to know him on as deep a level as we get to know Lacey since the book is in her POV. Their relationship was mostly good, but I didn’t feel that it was developed from Tyler’s side at all. He likes her almost right away but it’s never really explained why. Lacey’s a sweet girl and all, but how did she grab his attention? What drew him to her? He can have literally any girl he wants, so why did he choose Lacey? That’s not a knock on her, I just felt like I needed that additional information to fully believe their relationship.

The secondary characters were fine but were definitely secondary. Lacey’s fellow YouTubers helped to flesh out the story and made her time at the magazine more interesting. I really liked the make-up girl that Lacey ended up working with sometimes…I feel like her name was maybe Reagan? But I don’t remember. Sorry. Anyway, she was cool. Most of the secondary characters including the ones listed plus Lacey’s parents, Cynth, and Tyler’s bandmates all seemed pretty one-note, but that wasn’t too big of a deal since Tyler and Lacey really were the main focus of the book.

Plotwise, I saw some things coming and the main story line wasn’t anything mind-blowingly original. I thought that it was awesome how supportive Lacey’s parents were with her YouTubing, but the part of the plot that involved them at the end was a little much. It just didn’t feel all the way thought out or incorporated with the rest of the story. Then there was all the drama with Cynth too–I didn’t really like that. I didn’t feel that Cynth and Lacey’s relationship was that well developed in the first place, so then the drama just felt like too much when it happened.

Overall, I thought this book was really cute and fun! It made me a lot more interested in watching makeup tutorials on YouTube. On another note, I also had the realization that viewers, followers, subscribers, etc. are the worst. When Lacey starts doing things that her subscribers don’t like, they turn on her SO FAST. Even though this is just a story, that kind of thing definitely happens in real life all the time. I mean, just because a YouTuber chooses to put some of their life on the internet for our viewing pleasure does not give us the right to try to dictate how they choose to actually live. Do people realize that? Anyway…rant over. I just felt really sick about some of the people on the internet these days after reading this book. With that being said, this book is awesome and I definitely recommend it if you need something cute and light to read.

Overall Rating: 4
Language: None
Violence: Mild
Smoking/Drinking: Mild
Sexual Content: Mild

Note: I received this book free from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

[Lauren · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 stars. That was cute! Definitely frustratingly dramatic at times (classic miscommunication, MC thinking she knows what's best for everyone when she doesn't, naivety re: people with ulterior motives, etc.), but overall enjoyable. I like celebrity/regular person romances sometimes, and the YouTube, makeup, and internship elements were fun aspects too (aka she wasn't really a "regular person" and had some element of celebrity as well).

[Kelly Hager]

Lacey is a Youtube star who's just gotten her dream internship at On Trend magazine. It'll boost her followers and maybe even get her a Glass Cube contract. Better still, she'll have access to so much makeup (her channel is beauty vlogs). And then she meets the celeb guest editor: Tyler Lance. He was in...I guess you'd call them a Hanson-esque boy band? But he's now a solo act with a bad rep. And he's (a) super cute and (b) seemingly into Lacey.

This book is adorable. I seriously dare you to read it and not smile.

I feel like this is also sort of everyone's daydream, right? Who doesn't want to fall for a rock star? And this feels fairly realistic (if also totally swoon-worthy and idealized).

Perfect beach read. Recommended.

[Leah · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a cute story. I liked Lacey and Tyler, and I liked the romance between them. I thought that it would be a bigger part of the story though. I didn't like his family, but I did like hers. I liked reading about Lacey's career, and the changes she made involving her career path.

[Suzanne · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was super fun! I knew nothing about what was involved in being a YouTuber before I started this book, and now I have a clue. It also made me want to make more of an effort with my makeup. But most of all, I loved the swoony romance between Lacey and Tyler. More from Beth Ellyn Summer, please!

[Jessica Fether · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 stars - Cute ... and I liked the glimpse into the world of YouTube.

[Leah · Rating 5 out of 5]

At First Blush is one of the cutest reads of the year, and it’ll take a mighty, mighty book to beat it for me. It had everything I love in a book – it’s contemporary which is an automatic yay, YouTube which I love because let’s be real: a lot of things go down on YouTube so it’s only right that we can read about YouTuber’s in books, which isn’t really happening too much AND it’s a love story with a rock star. CAN I GET A HURRAY? I absolutely love books about famous people. Some will scoff and say as if a normal girl can fall in love with a rockstar BUT IT HAPPENS ALL THE DAMN TIME. Famous people are, at the end of the day, just people, too. *Swooning*

At First Blush is also about make-up, of which I know diddly squat. I’m learning all the time, and I have more make-up now at 26 than I’ve ever had in my life, and I’m learning how to contour and conceal and all that other stuff to make you look good and even though I am literally no good at it, I like it. I like how make-up makes me look so what the hell? I admire girls like Lacey, who can put on make-up like it’s no big deal – I see all these crazy make-up photos on Facebook and I just have the most insane amount of envy because I can’t even do the basics. I suck at liquid liner! But I know it takes practice, it still doesn’t stop me from wanting Lacey with me every second of every day as my own, personal make-up guru.

I absolutely loved Lacey. She’s the perfect narrator – she has her head screwed on – you have to! To get to so many subs on YouTube, to get an internernship at hot magazine On Trend, and I really liked her. She came across was warm, smart, funny, and a tad naive. Because she does tend to let people walk all over her – her parents needed a real dressing down for everything they put on her shoulders, but the good thing is that IS addressed. Her best friend Cynthia gets on her own internship and forgets Lacey exists, but, again, it IS addressed. So a lot of my issues with Lacey’s character were addressed, but also, I kinda understand them because I am Lacey in lots of ways. I don’t like confrontation, I actively AVOID confrontation, in fact. So I could see why she let people run over her, because it’s SO easy to, when you don’t know how to stand up for yourself.

The whole Tyler/Lacey thing made me so indescribably happy. I read a review that says Tyler is basically a fictional Justin Bieber. Oh, please. As if. That is so incredibly inaccurate. Tyler is a bit of a jerk, at first. Come on! You’ve grown up with everyone catering to your every whim, you’re going to be a teensy bit spoilt, but the more we got to know the real Tyler, the better he became and he was just incredible. All of his scenes with Lacey made me indescribably happy, because they were just so cute! The chemistry was dripping off the page, and I was just shipping so hard for them, man. It’s why I LOVE romance because if an author does it right (as Beth Ellyn Summer has), it can be incredible.

Probably the best bit about At First Blush, excluding anything involving Tyler/Lacey because that’s automatically the best, was the look into the life of a YouTuber. It isn’t all fantastic. It can be time-consuming, as any hobby can. But that added pressure, of reading comments from subscribers? That’s tough. I couldn’t do it. So I appreciated seeing how YouTube changed Lacey’s life, good and bad. It’s tough. I struggle just to type up my reviews, through sheer laziness, never mind shooting, editing and uploading videos three or five days per week. That takes some serious dedication, and it’s not all rosy. I liked how we saw Lacey grow up, as the book progressed, how that Glass Cube contract maybe wasn’t the answer to all of Lacey’s prayers, like she thought it would be.

I genuinely loved this book so hard. It just had everything that I love, all wrapped up in a delightful package. The romance, the plot, the whole peeking behind the scenes of what it is to be famous, the characters, it all just added up to such a brilliant read. So much so that I put off finishing the book for a day, just so I could be with Tyler and Lacey and Kendall and Cynthia for that little bit longer, even though I knew the worst was likely to come, in terms of the plot. I just wanted to be wrapped up in this book for that extra day. Beth Ellyn Summer is a brilliant new YA writer, she just gets what it’s like to be a teen and I freaking lapped it up.

[foxy books · Rating 5 out of 5]

INHALT:
Das nächste »Outfit of the Day« auf Instagram posten, schnell das neue »Sunset Summer Eyes Beauty Tutorial« auf YouTube hochladen, dabei noch Twitter, Snapchat und Insta-Story abchecken und nicht vergessen, den »Too Faced Chocolate Bronzer« auf Sephora zu bestellen!

Laceys Alltag ist alles andere als stressfrei! Die Siebzehnjährige ist so gar nicht wie andere Mädchen: Sie ist YouTuberin und postet täglich Beauty-Tutorials auf ihren Social-Media-Kanälen. Beauty und Make-up ist ihre absolute Leidenschaft. Als sie das Angebot bekommt, bei dem exklusiven Lifestyle-Magazin On Trend ein Praktikum zu absolvieren, überlegt Lacey nicht zweimal. Das ist ihre ganz große Chance, endlich die 1-Millionen-Follower-Marke zu knacken. Aber dann kommt alles anders: Sie soll den unglaublich gutaussehenden, aber total arroganten Popstar Tyler Lance mit ihrer Vlog-Cam begleiten. Obwohl Lacey so ganz und gar nicht von Tylers Image begeistert ist, kommen sich die beiden näher. Und während Lacey ganz unauffällig versucht, Tylers Karriere zu retten, geht ihr Ansehen auf YouTube dadurch immer mehr den Bach runter. Am Ende muss sie sich entscheiden: Liebe oder Karrie

Quelle: Fischer Verlage

BUCHINFOS:
Perfect Match – Wie ich aus Versehen einen Popstar küsste* | Autor: Beth Ellyn Summer | Seiten: 416 | Einband: Klapperbroschur | Erschienen am: 25.07.2018 | ISBN: 978-3-7335-0444-1 | Preis (D): 14,00€ | Verlag: Fischer

COVER:
Das Cover passt super zum Inhalt des Buches und zeigt Details, die die Geschichte ausmachen. So geht es um Musik und einen Popstar, um Liebe, Make-up und mehr. Mir gefällt das Cover wirklich gut und besonders dieses kleine Detail, dass sich der Titel in einem “YouTube-Video” versteckt, finde ich sehr gelungen.

MEINE MEINUNG:
Lacey ist YouTuberin und völlig aus dem Häuschen, als sie einen Praktikumsplatz beim Lifestyle-Magazin One Trend bekommt. Sie ist sich sicher, damit ihren großen Durchbruch voran zu bringen – doch natürlich kommt alles anders als gedacht. Zusammen mit zwei anderen YouTubern soll sie dem Popstar Tyler Lance bei seiner Promo fürs neue Album unter die Arme greifen und zusätzlich sein Image verbessern. Doch Lacey kann Tyler gar nicht leiden und während sie nun hilft seine Karriere zu retten, leidet ausgerechnet ihr YouTube-Kanal. Lacey wäre gerne sauer auf Tyler. Nur leider ist der gar nicht so schrecklich, wie sie anfangs gedacht hat…

Inhaltlich hält dieses Buch absolut nichts Neues parat. Wer aber gerne mal eine schöne, zeitgemäße Teenie-Liebesgeschichte lesen möchte, der sollte unbedingt zu diesem Titel greifen. Ich muss sagen, dass mir die YouTube-Thematik gut gefallen hat. Im Gegensatz zu anderen Büchern mit dieser Grundidee waren Tyler und Lacey dadurch nämlich mehr auf einem Level. Tyler ist weltweit bekannt durch sein Mitwirken in einer Boyband. Und auch Lacey wird von ihren fast 1 Millionen Abonnenten immer wieder mal erkannt. Dadurch hat sich ein ganz anderer Ausgangspunkt ergeben als sonst in den Büchern, in denen das Mädchen von Nebenan dem Popstar hinterher jagt.

Lacey war mir von Anfang an sympathisch und ich konnte mich sehr gut mit ihr identifizieren. Vielleicht lag das aber auch daran, dass wir die Make-up-Leidenschaft miteinander teilen. Zwar bin ich da längst nicht so hinterher wie Lacey selbst, aber auch ich kann mich stundenlang mit neuen Techniken und Lidschattenfarben beschäftigen. Die Autorin hat Laceys Begeisterung für dieses Thema toll rübergebracht und ich mochte besonders die Szenen, in denen mit Produkten und Make-up gearbeitet wurde.

Aber auch Tyler hat mir gut gefallen und mir war ziemlich schnell klar, dass die Presse ihm (zu Unrecht) einen falschen Ruf verpasst hat. Deshalb war es umso schöner mit anzusehen, wie Tyler mich als Leser vom Gegenteil überzeugen konnte. Er ist einfach ein toller und vor allem witziger Kerl und im Zusammenspiel mit Lacey habe ich mich stellenweise wirklich köstlich über die beiden amüsiert.

Der Handlungsverlauf war recht vorhersehbar und hat wenig überraschende Wendungen parat gehalten. Da ich das Buch aber als leichte und unterhaltsame Kost ansehe, ist mir dies eigentlich ziemlich egal. Insgesamt hat mir die Geschichte nämlich gut gefallen und ich hatte wirklich ein paar schöne und lustige Lesestunden. Die YouTube-Thematik hat mich sehr interessiert und ich fand diese gut umgesetzt. Es wird nämlich nicht nur vermittelt, dass man mit YouTube Geld verdienen kann, sondern auch, was dafür von einem verlangt wird. So rutscht Lacey innerhalb der Geschichte in eine kleine Identitätskrise und auch ihre Eltern, die sie unterstützen, müssen lernen ihre Forderungen und Erwartungen herunterzufahren.

Lacey lebt für ihren Kanal LaceyBlushes. Nichtsdestotrotz stehen auch die Geschichte von Tyler und die Liebesgeschichte der beiden stark im Fokus. Für mich hat das alles zusammen eine gut durchdachte und ausgewogene Mischung ergeben, die ich gerne verfolgt habe.

Letztlich hält die Geschichte kaum Neues parat, kann aber mit den sympathischen Charakteren punkten. Mich hat das Buch gut unterhalten und ich würde es als schönes Buch für Zwischendurch definitiv weiterempfehlen.

BEWERTUNG:
Ein schönes Buch für Zwischendurch, das mich insgesamt gut unterhalten hat. Von der Story her ist es nichts Neues, aber die YouTube und Schminkthematik, gepaart mit einem attraktiven Popstar hat bei mir einen Nerv getroffen. Wer Lust auf eine schöne und unkomplizierte Geschichte hat, der sollte sich dieses Buch genauer ansehen.