Wealth, fame and a real-life romance she never expected—seventeen-year-old Vaughn Bennett lands it all when she agrees to become a pop star's fake girlfriend in this smart, utterly addictive novel from #1 New York Times bestselling author duo Erin Watt.
Under ordinary circumstances, Oakley Ford and Vaughn Bennett would never even cross paths.
There's nothing ordinary about Oakley. This bad-boy pop star's got Grammy Awards, millions of fangirls and a reputation as a restless, too-charming troublemaker. But with his home life disintegrating, his music well suddenly running dry and the tabloids having a field day over his outrageous exploits, Oakley needs to show the world he's settling down—and who better to help him than Vaughn, a part-time waitress trying to help her family get by? The very definition of ordinary.
Posing as his girlfriend, Vaughn will overhaul Oakley's image from troublemaker to serious artist. In return for enough money to put her brothers through college, she can endure outlandish Hollywood parties and carefully orchestrated Twitter exchanges. She'll fool the paparazzi and the groupies. She might even start fooling herself a little.
Because when ordinary rules no longer apply, there's no telling what your heart will do
I was so excited when I first heard that Elle and Jen were teaming up again to give us When It’s Real. I had LOVED Paper Princess and this story sounded like it would be just as amazing. A troubled celebrity, a “normal” girl, and a fake relationship? Hell, yes! Sign me up for the drama and chaos that was sure to ensue.
The only problem is, instead of drama and chaos, I found myself surrounded by characters that I couldn’t much stomach and a story that left one too many loose ends untied.
The character development could have used a little work. The scenes with W made me cringe and I felt like he was thrown in for dramatic effect. I never really felt a connection between Oak and Vaughn so it didn’t bother me the way it should have when things became rocky, and Vaughn’s twin brothers ended up being the most likable characters for me.
As far as the story itself goes, I didn’t find myself getting into it until I was almost half way through. It’s not that it was bad, per se, it just didn’t hold anything special for me. Nothing that made it memorable. Nothing that made me stop to contemplate what I’d just read. The tweets at the beginning of each chapter didn’t really add to the story and some scenes seemed like they were tossed in just because.
It’s (un)fortunate that Paper Princess was their first collaboration because it set a standard that would be hard met by almost any author. I know they have what it takes, because they’ve done it before. I’m just waiting for them to do it again.
Sadly, When It’s Real didn’t meet my expectations. I liked it enough by the end thanks to some side characters and the beauty that comes from the struggle of finding oneself, but I can’t stay that this story will be one that I can remember a year from now.
2½ Stars
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