Meeting the Star

Bennu Firebirds #2

by Cait Marie

The spotless reputation? Check.
The gorgeous movie star? Check.
The only problem? She can’t seem to stop embarrassing herself around him.

Eliza isn't an actress like her friends. She'd rather come up with the stories than appear in them. When she took up a couple summer jobs on campus, hoping to use the quiet time to write, she had no idea the next big romantic comedy would be filming there.

Or that it would star her life-long celebrity crush, Lucas Warner.

As she tags along with her best friend around set, she and Lucas inevitably grow closer. But even if he didn't have a girlfriend, he wouldn't want to drag the sweet, clumsy girl into his chaotic world.

No matter how much he wants to be the one to corrupt the innocence out of her.

Genres: New Adult

206 pages, Kindle Edition

Published July 28, 2021

About the author

YA/NA multi-genre author Cait Marie has enjoyed reading and creating stories her entire life. Her 2020 fantasy debut, The Lost Legends, encompasses her love of fairy tales and adventure while her following book, The Last Summer, shows her appreciation for fluffy-but-moving contemporary romance.

In the time since, she has continued publishing in both genres and has plans to expand into science fiction, steampunk, and dystopian worlds.

Cait is the creator and manager of the book blog Functionally Fictional, works for YA Books Central, and offers a variety of author services, including editing, proofreading, and formatting. She has a BA in forensic psychology and an MFA in creative writing, both from Southern New Hampshire University.

Basically, her life revolves around books, but she also enjoys music, bullet journaling, graphic design, and Disney movies.


Links:
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Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Cait-Marie/e/B...
Website: https://caitmarieh.com/
Functionally Fictional: https://functionallyfictional.com/

Reviews

[Jessica · Rating 5 out of 5]

Eliza has taken on two summer jobs at campus and is planning on writing on her fantasy novel during downtime. She didn't know that the school area would be occupied by a movie crew, shooting a romantic comedy starring Lucas Warner - an actor Eliza has had a crush on since she was five. Since Maya, her best friend, landed a role in the movie Eliza sometimes visits her at set. The problem is that she always seems to make a fool of herself every time they meet Lucas...

Wonderful characters, friends, love and drama - everything I need in a collage romance!

Eliza is the somewhat shy and conscientious one, the girl who talks about experience more in life, but who always has second thoughts when the opportunity arise. I can relate a lot!

Lucas has been acting since early childhood. He has no longer any contact with his parents, since they used him and only wanted the money he made. Lucas loves to act, but he wants to try other roles than his manager keeps suggesting. Not an easy life, yet he's very sweet and charming.

Eliza's and Lucas' relationship start off as friends, but slowly it becomes something more, and I love to tag along to their happy ending. Sure, it's mostly predictable, but that is exactly what I want in this type of book!

We also get to meet Kaley and Jax from the first book, Making the Play, and I liked to see a "loose thread" getting solved for them. The last book in the series is Maya's, and I'm really looking forward to reading more about her!

* I received an ARC from the author and I'm giving my honest review. *

[Open Books And Turn Pages · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very enjoyable read!

Loved the characters, romance, and drama in this book! My eyes were stuck to every page. I can never get enough of Cait Marie's contemporary novels! I love them so much!

[Bethany · Rating 5 out of 5]

When Eliza meets Lucas (a big time movie star), she struggles to find words, as most people would. Not only is he gorgeous, but she's a huge fan of his. She thinks this is a once in a lifetime chance. However, with her best friend Maya working with him, of course Lucas is going to be around. As the star-struck Eliza discovers how to interact with him, she sees that there's more to him than just a movie star.

As an actor, it's hard to tell friends from those who are using you. Lucas constantly has this problem so he struggles with new people. When he meets Eliza, he realizes how different she is from other people he's met. She's genuine and kind. These traits draw him in and makes him want to get to know her. But they have so much going against them, the biggest one being that Lucas is only here temporarily. Is it really worth risking his heart for such a short-lived romance?

With her awkwardness, Eliza reminds me of myself so it's nice being able to relate to her. I'm also that person who doesn't know what to say in social situations. It's a nice touch that Eliza's writing a book and Lucas is the only one with the privilege of that knowledge. It's something they bond over that's only theirs. The ending is also perfection and Cait Marie brings us another set of characters readers can't help but to love. I'm looking forward to MISSING THE BEAT!


Final Verdict: I would recommend this contemporary romance to readers who want characters they can relate to. Ones we can watch grow into better and stronger people with a love that's unbreakable.

[Jennifer · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the second book in the Bennu Firebirds series. I received this as an ARC, but I had to also buy a signed copy as well. It was fantastic. This second book dives further into the friendships and loves of a group of friends in College, but this time focusing on Eliza, the writer of the group. She is more timid and quiet than her friends, but also an exciting character in her own right. Author Cait Marie continued to show amazing characterization as characters were added along the way. There were some I hates, and rightly so, others I rooted for along the way, and still others that made me curious.

This book touches upon some deeper topics, and allowed for a lot of character growth as well. It all worked together seemlessly with the hesitant love story that grew quickly into passion. The love here is more real, passionate, slow than fast than slow again. It took a real trajectory of love, and showed how two people truly must be on the same page to grow and connect. I fully recommend this second book in the series, plus the first one too. Check them out! You won't regret it.

[Amy Crull · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another great book in this series! Eliza is the friend who kinda hides in the background. She's not good on her own and doesn't socialize much. When her best friend gets a part in a movie, her 5 year old dreams come true, she gets to meet Lucas Warner, her crush's . Eliza is awkward and every time she's around Lucas, she's either falling, hiding or saying the wrong things. He does however strike a friendship with her and they start to feel comfortable with each other. He helps inspire her to best she can be and finish writing her stories. This is what I loved about the book.. the friendship she has with her girls and how they rally around her when she needs them, the little bit of drama that was perfect to make Lucas work to see how important Eliza was to him and just her and Lucas. These two had such a strong connection and it was shown throughout the book. He truly cared about her and wanted her to succeed in life. Oh and I loved how he called Liza and treated her like she mattered. Onto to Maya's book to see what really went on at the camp and while she doesn't like Xander..

[Cassandrah Woyak · Rating 5 out of 5]

I thought I couldn’t put the first book down, but this one I seriously could not put down! I loved this story, it was a perfect follow from the first book. I love the world the author has created here as well as the characters. I’m so excited for book 3!

Eliza has been crushing on Lucas Warner since she was 5. And she literally fell into his life while he was filming his new movie with her best friend. There’s an instant connection, but he’s only there to film a movie. Can they keep their relationship platonic? Or will they have to figure out how to say goodbye at the end of the summer?

Highly recommend, such a great series.

[Allyssa Painter · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was another wonderful book by Cait Marie! I can't decide if I like it better than the 1st or not. They are both great, and I highly recommend them!

[Sarah Elyse · Rating 5 out of 5]

Eliza has had a crush on movie star Lucas Warner since she was 5 years old - and now he’s here, at her school, filming a movie with her best friend. As Eliza and Lucas get to know each other better, she becomes less tongue-tied, and more open. Lucas, on the other hand, is tired of people not seeing the man behind the movie star. So when he meets his co-star’s best friend, Eliza, and she treats him like a regular human being, he doesn’t know what to think. As they spend more time together, their attraction only gets stronger. But can these two make it work?

Wow! I loved Eliza and Lucas’ story. This was a super cute, clean romance with just a hint of angst. I really loved how Lucas brought Eliza out of her shell, and how Eliza never treated Lucas differently because he was a famous actor. I completely loved this book, and can’t wait for Maya’s story in book three!

[Mariah Brown · Rating 5 out of 5]

Cait Marie has written the second book in the Bennu Firebirds series called "Meeting the Star". It is a book about Eliza who has taken on two jobs over the summer so she can pay for her rent. Then Lucas the movie star is on campus because of the movie they are shooting. Lucas meets Eliza and they seem to click right away. However at one point in the book I was really frustrated with Lucas's actions. This is when I knew I would love the book. It was heartbreaking and nerve wracking at some points.

The characters and college campus were very well developed. I felt like I was apart of story and was able to imagine where everything was happening. I truly love how Cait makes all of her books so well that you can feel the story. This is why I keep going back to her books no matter what the genre is.

I give this book a 5/5 stars because it was written very well and kept me on my feet. I really enjoyed the plot twists that were involved. I also loved that Cait put a sneak peak to her last book in this one. It made me even more excited to read the last one.

Trigger Warning- There is a scene in the book that could be difficult to read. It involves a guy trying to give Eliza drugs for certain activities. He then becomes a little violent and tries to get her to come out of the bathroom.

I received an ARC of this book for an honest review.

[Emily · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another cute contemporary college romance! There is a possible trigger in the book and I'll note it at the end of the review for those who might need to be aware - it's not a huge spoiler, but it does cryptically reveal someone's true nature.

The chemistry between Lucas and Eliza is great, the complications for them are abundant, but hope is a very powerful thing and taking the time to look at all of your options is a very good thing!

I like that we have characters from Making the Play, as well as at least one other new character who will be featured in the next Bennu book. However, even with the connections, this could be read as a stand-alone.

I loved the little nods to CM's Nihryst series - if you like fantasy, I highly recommend that series (and the books don't really work as stand-alones...read them in order), but you don't miss anything in this story by not reading them...it's just a cute thing to spot if you're I've read them😊

Possible TW/CW - Eliza has an experience with a guy who essentially offers her a roofie to "help her relax" so they can jump into sexually intimate behaviors that she decided she wasn't ready for. This character pushes the issue and shows aggressive behaviors and she escapes the room, finds a space to hide, he follows and tries to get in repeatedly. This, as you can imagine, is traumatizing and conversations around what happened and her feelings of security and safety do change. Eliza has some fantastic friends and they're a great support network for her to talk to and she opens up immediately to one person and doesn't stay silent or feel totally shamed for his terrible actions. There is no sexual violence in the book which is important to note with this warning.

I (excitedly) received an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

[SheReads · Rating 5 out of 5]

This series is a lot of fun so far. In Meeting the Star, we have shy Eliza who meets the charming Lucas, a famous movie star who struggles meeting friends who don’t want to use him. His life is kind of sad, but he connects with Eliza and she proves all she wants is friendship, not his money or fame.
When it looks like it’ll turn into something more, a person from his Hollywood life shows up to ruin it.
I’ve always loved Cait Marie’s writing style. There’s an easy flow to it that makes for quick, enjoyable reads. This was no different. The characters are likable and there’s a sweetness in the story.
Now I can’t wait for Maya’s story!

[Rebecca Camm · Rating 4 out of 5]

I loved this book! The characters were amazing, just like the first book, and the drama was so entertaining! I loved Eliza and Lucas' story, as well as getting glimpses of Jax and Kaley from the first book.

[Beth Rodgers · Rating 5 out of 5]

‘Meeting the Star’ by Cait Marie combines crushes, frustration, love, manipulation, and misunderstandings to create an exciting exploration of the world of movies overlapping with real life. When Eliza learns that her best friend, Maya, is going to be in a movie with star Lucas Warner, she can hardly believe it. She’s had a crush on him forever. She never thought she’d meet him, let alone find out he’s a pretty down-to-earth guy. When they start spending more time together, they come to really like each other, but there are struggles along the line that get in the way. Struggles like Lucas’ on-again, off-again girlfriend, Tori, who doesn’t like to be shown up. Then there’s Maya’s overprotective nature as she worries that Lucas will hurt Eliza when he has to leave at the end of the summer, warning him to stay away to avoid the heartache that she figures is bound to happen.

Yet, Eliza and Lucas begin spending time together. He becomes a friend, and sometimes even more. However, life gets in the way, as it tends to do, and between Tori’s antics and Eliza’s date with another guy when she feels the need to prove herself to Maya and Lucas, their path to love isn’t easy. When they get there, though, the payoff is worth it. Despite the predictability of the storyline, the writing was spot on in leaving readers wanting more, making Lucas into the textbook definition of a book boyfriend who only wants to see his leading lady happy. Eliza’s naïve nature doesn’t make her too trusting, though, as she tries her utmost to guard her heart against any pain that might occur, but isn’t always successful.

Cait Marie has crafted another great addition to her Bennu Firebirds series, and readers will be eager to read the other books after investing themselves in this one.

Beth Rodgers, Author of ‘Welcome to Chanu-Con!,’ a Children's Picture Book, and ‘Freshman Fourteen’ and ‘Sweet Fifteen,’ Young Adult Novels

*Review originally posted at YABooksCentral.com*

[Lindsy · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed this one. I think I enjoyed parts of this one more than the first one. I definitely love how all the characters from the first book are included in this story as well.
This story revolves around Eliza and her movie star crush Lucas. I felt like Eliza could be relatable to a lot of people. She’s shy and doesn’t open up to people right away.
Lucas is a movie star who has an off and on again girlfriend. They met by chance when Eliza almost falls down the stairs and Lucas is there to catch her.
This was a whirlwind romance that was enjoyable to read about. My issue is that Lucas didn’t tell Eliza about his girlfriend even though they have been in the media before. I kinda felt that Lucas was lying to Eliza or stringing her along in the beginning. So Eliza was going to go on a date with another guy. Which didn’t end well at all. Thankfully Lucas was there for her and he finally figured out what he really wanted. I really liked the ending of this story and the epilogue was great and definitely made me want to figure out what’s going on with Maya and Xander.

[Caitlyn Kinard · Rating 5 out of 5]

Meeting the Star is a cute, fun, and realistic love story between a struggling college student and a popular actor.

Eliza doesn’t come from money like her best friends, but her determination pushes her to put herself through college. All she thought she wanted was a quiet life, to fly under the radar and get through the four years at Bennu. But in reality, she wanted to live, to not have to worry all the time about money, and to write her books.

Lucas Warner was a child star that was burning out. Someone can only play the same roles over and over again before it becomes tiring. With the help of Eliza, he finds his passion for fantasy and rediscovers the reason he started acting in the first place.

They didn’t know that all they were missing was each other.

[Breaux Reanna · Rating 5 out of 5]

Cait Marie does it again giving you all the angst and filling your heart with emotions. Eliza and Lucas's story is well written and captures the star struck love immaculately.

What do you do when your best friend is the costar in a movie with the actor you've had a crush on since you were a child? You force an introduction and probably fall flat on your face in the process. Fortunately for Eliza, Lucas is there to catch her. Their friendship grows through late night conversations and they could be more if only...

[Lana | Libraryofabibliotaph · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another entertaining quick read

I really liked getting to read another book with these characters and getting to know them all better. The writing style is fluent. The book isn't very fleshed out, but that didn't bother me since it felt like a short and quick read for me (being under 200p long). Plus, this book contains various references to Cait Marie's other books, I like! I'll be reading the next book very soon.

[Mayas · Rating 4 out of 5]

Dreams come true

OMG I LOVED ELIZA AND LUCAS!!!!! Yes all caps and emphasis. The best feeling in the world is someone seeing the real you and believing in you. No games or hidden agenda, just a true connection bond by trust and chemistry.

This was a win. Sweet with a little life lessons.

[Rebecca Cheehy · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed reading this book. It is the second in the series and I love that it focused on other people but still included the ones from the first. Ot was nice seeing this develop from friends to lovers. I would highly recommend. It was soft and lighthearted except for the party scene.

[Arceli · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really loved this book it is cute.