Book Review: “How to Catch a (Rock) Star” by Gabrielle Aquilina

Aspiring singer Lillie and American rock star Jed seem like the perfect fit from the moment they meet. The pair are inseparable, but Jed’s jet-set schedule of shows and after-parties limits the amount they can see each other. So when Jed invites Lillie to sing with his band on their tour, she says yes. Yes with some hesitation, that is. After finding out that her ex-boyfriend was hiding away a wife and child when they were dating, Lillie’s trust in men is fragile and she also suffers from severe stage fright. As the tour progresses, Jed and Lillie are fast becoming rock’s hottest couple, but with obsessive fan girls, a claustrophobic tour bus and a resentful guitarist, things start taking a turn for the worse. Lillie’s dream of singing may have finally become a reality, but can it last? The odds are stacking up against them and then the unthinkable happens…

 

This book was a giant let down for me. I love erotica, especially ones that revolve around rock stars, but this one just plummeted to unimaginable depths.

Firstly, the summary of this book practically reveals everything that happens in the novel – just imagine it being drawn out across 276 pages. I’ve read dozens of saucy rock star-centered novels that revolved around the situations the characters got themselves into and how they matured because of it. However, How to Catch a (Rock) Star focuses solely on the relationship between Jed and Lillie and barely anything else. I was eagerly waiting to hear the background stories of the members from “The Dead Hour” (the band that Jed belongs to) but never got the chance to. I wouldn’t mind the fact that the story focuses mainly on these two characters if something interesting happened! I sat through the first few chapters and, after a while, started to skip through a couple pages to avoid the emotional babble.

On the bright side, I did enjoy how descriptive the author was and the different creative similes she used throughout the novel. The way the author describes Jed and his features, I could easily envision him. I also loved the way the love scenes were written; they didn’t come off as cheesy or distasteful. Also, that one simile about the Justin Bieber CD was just classic.

Despite the creative writing, the novel’s dialogue was unrealistic and the characters came off as one-dimensional. I hope that the next books to come in this series have storylines that don’t revolve around the main protagonists and are way more eventful.

Rating: 5/10

 

Book Info:

Length: 276 pages

Source: Netgalley ARC

Publisher: So Vain Books (May 13, 2015)

Genre: YA Fiction, Romance

Completed: May 2015

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