Fans of romance don't need to look any further than the fauxmance brewing between teen idols Charlie Tracker and Fielding Withers-known on their hit TV show as Jenna and Jonah, next-door neighbors flush with the excitement of first love. But it's their off-screen relationship that has helped cement their fame, as passionate fans follow their every PDA. They grace the covers of magazines week after week. Their fan club has chapters all over the country. The only problem is their off-screen romance is one big publicity stunt, and Charlie and Fielding can't stand to be in the same room. Still, it's a great gig, so even when the cameras stop rolling, the show must go on, and on, and on. . . . Until the pesky paparazzi blow their cover, and Charlie and Fielding must disappear to weather the media storm. It's not until they're far off the grid of the Hollywood circuit that they realize that there's more to each of them than shiny hair and a winning smile.
When I first read the summary for this book, I thought it sounded interesting, but, to be completely honest, I wasn't expecting to enjoy it nearly as much as I did.
Charlie Tracker and Fielding Withers are stars of a hit show as Jenna and Jonah. To keep interest in them and in the show, Charlie and Fielding have been faking a relationship. Then, when Fielding's sexuality is called into question, their carefully constructed lie falls apart along with their television show.
For Charlie this is devastating because she doesn't know what to do without her career, but for Fielding, who's real name is Aaron, this comes as a relief and escape from a life of lies he finds dissatisfying.
Their agents scheme and get them cast in a production of Much Ado About Nothing at a Shakespearean festival, which forces them to stretch their acting abilities for the first time in years.
Overall, I enjoyed the plot. There were some sections toward the beginning that I felt dragged a bit, particularly after Aaron is "outed" and he and Charlie escape from the public eye. There were some good moments between those two in those sections, but I think it could have been tightened up a bit because by the time their next gig arrived I was half expecting the rest of the story to take place in Carpinteria.
As far as the characters go, I liked both Charlie and Aaron for the most part. There were times when I really didn't like the way they behaved, but I found myself sympathetic to both of them throughout.
The banter between Charlie and Aaron was some of my favorite parts, and seeing their relationship develop after they no longer have to pretend to be in a relationship was nice. Though they'd known and worked together for years, being thrown together and forced to fake a relationship hindered the friendship that was beginning to blossom before they were forced into their fauxmance.
I thought the writing was pretty good. The story switches back and forth between Charlie and Aaron's point of view, and while I thought some of those transitions could have been smoother, I did like the alternate storytelling.
Overall, I really enjoyed the book. I thought it was a pretty cute and fairly easy read.
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