Title: Stars in Your Eyes
Author: Kacen Callender
Source: Netgalley. I received a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
Genre: Contemporary Romance, Actors, Fake-Dating, “Unrequited” love.
Trigger Warnings: Childhood sexual abuse, sexual assault, online bullying, suicidal ideation, homophobia, biphobia, parental rejection and abuse, potential overdose.
Explicit? Yep.
Summary: Logan Gray is Hollywood’s bad boy—a talented but troubled actor who the public loves to hate. Mattie Cole is an up‑and‑coming golden boy, adored by all but plagued by insecurities.
When Logan and Mattie are cast as leads in a new romantic film, Logan claims that Matt has “zero talent,” sending the film’s publicity into a nosedive. To create positive buzz, the two are persuaded into a fake‑dating scheme—but as the two actors get to know their new characters, real feelings start to develop.
As public scrutiny intensifies and old wounds resurface, the two must fight for their relationship and their love.
A heartfelt, hopeful, and nuanced story about identity, healing, and growth.
What do you get when you have two actors who hate each other but need to promote their film peacefully?
FAKE DATING! TEARS! ANGST! Sex!
And really a movie I wish I could watch, both this book as a movie, and the movie in the book as a movie…
That went really meta.
This book hurt. Oh boy did it hurt. My ereader is lucky to have survived it with the well full of tears that I cried.
It is not an easy read, but it is a worthwhile one. Trust me.
Logan and Mattie will not disappoint you, except for when they do, but they make up for it.
Mattie is a warm, wholesome type it seems at first, and I do mean right at first. That’s his Hollywood image, but that is not who he is in his soul and I love him for it. Because that wholesomeness? Well it only seems to last as long as someone doesn’t need his help, or his protection.
Logan? He’s the tabloid guy. You know the one, the one in every tabloid doing every single thing wrong. Even if he isn’t. The one that makes you shake your head and furrow your brow and wonder how they’re still getting work.
But that’s not all he is, because appearances are deceiving, and both Logan and Mattie have their scars to bare, they just hide them in very different ways.
This was a super interesting read because of it. They are so different, but yet there are enough similarities there to keep you yearning and hoping that it works out.
As for whether it does or not? Well, you’ll just have to read the book.
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