Book Review
September 1. 2013
Stay With Me (#1)
by: Elyssa Patrick
5 Stars ★★★★★
Blurb ~
With one touch, he’s mine . . .
With one kiss, it changes everything between us . . .
I’ve been famous since I can remember. Singing, acting, dancing—I’ve done it all. The tabloids cover my every move, but I don’t want that anymore. I want to be normal, whatever that is.
When I leave Hollywood for college in Vermont, I’m on my own for the first time in my life. This is my chance to figure out who I am and what I want in life.
But it’s a lot harder than I expected. I can’t escape my image. Classes are difficult, and I’m struggling. And then there’s Caleb Fox. Sexy, intriguing Caleb Fox.
Caleb is the one man who doesn’t want to use me. He breaks down my walls. He challenges me. He wants me. And I just don’t know if I can give him the same—or if he’ll stick around when he finds out my shameful secret that the tabloids haven’t managed to uncover. Dating him is risky enough, but loving him could break me.
*ARC received from Author for Honest Review*
Just WOW!!! I loved this book. It’s
not every day the lead female is a rock star. One whom wants to give it all up,
to live *gasp* a normal life. Hailey has been in the business for as long as
she can remember and she hates it. The lies, the back-stabbing and the
paparazzi are not elements she wants in her life. Moving away from the
Hollywood lights and most importantly her controlling and overbearing mother,
Hailey just wants to be normal. She wants to attend college, date and not have
her face plastered on the cover of magazines and have her entire life is being
broken down for the public.
“I
don’t know who I am outside of Hollywood. Or my music. I really don’t know what
to do with my life. But I’m going to figure it out.” - Hailey
Hailey picks a small college in
Vermont as her getaway. She is able to gain some sense of normalcy even though
she is ‘spotted’ quite often. Hailey doesn’t want her past or stage experience
to define her, instead she wants to be a new Hailey, struggling college student
with absolutely no connection to the press or Hollywood. Trust, is obviously
not something that comes easy to Hailey. How can she know someone really wants
to get to know her and not because she acted/sang/ or danced in a movie or won
an award. Throw in a meddling, conniving and controlling mother who cares very
little for anything but money and Hailey is finding it hard to distance herself
from the life.
“Caleb
is there for me, and I’ve never had that in my life. Not with a man who’s so
steady, so confident, and so loyal.” - Hailey
Caleb, Caleb, Caleb… Their eyes meet
out on the deck of a party and sparks fly. Hailey can’t be sure Caleb isn’t
attracted to The famous Hailey Bloom
or the new and normal Hailey. Caleb helps her find a new place in the world and
I loved his friends, they were particularly hilarious. He never once throws her
fame in her face or expects something because of it. Caleb is easily a top book
boyfriend and he will capture your heart as he does Hailey’s. I’ll admit the
man can make a compelling bet and find titillating uses for birthday cake. Even
just something as corny as their Halloween costumes put a dorky smile on my
face. Both were likable on their own but together not only are they a perfect
match, they’re just one of those couples that are fun to read about. Oh and
their Halloween costumes were Betty Boop and Indiana Jones, how awesome are
they!!
Hailey was extremely likable and a
very fun character to read about. Her journey to normalcy was very well written
and sucked me in from the start. Sure,
she wants to be normal, but eventually she sees how sucky normal can be. She
struggles with normal things like homework and making friends, all the while
becoming a new person, one who isn’t manipulated and filmed every waking
moment. I was as shocked as her when one
of her professors actually accuses her of coasting by, just because of her
past. You can almost feel the struggle as Hailey tries to study, learn and do
more educational work than she ever has before. I can’t imagine how daunting a
university class would be to someone who never even went to basic school. I
didn’t find her character whiney or at all unlikable and that was a huge plus.
Ugh, her mother. You will develop an
extreme dislike, NO, hatred for this woman. Her mother is the type of person
who should never have had kids. She uses Hailey as a means to an end. Filling
her own pocket. Even when Hailey leaves and is in school her mother can’t leave
well enough alone and has to stir up the rumor mill to keep the cash
flowing.
In the end all I want is a Mugelnot.
It sounds amazing and I have no idea what it is. But YUM!! I can honestly say I
was pleasantly surprised with this story. At first glance it seems a bit common
but the character dynamics mixed with the compelling writing style make it a
pleasure to read. I would definitely recommend this book and can’t wait for
more in the series.
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