Fame, Fate, and the First Kiss

by Kasie West

Lacey Barnes has dreamed of being an actress for as long as she can remember. So when she gets the opportunity to star in a movie alongside one of Hollywood’s hottest actors, she doesn’t hesitate to accept the part.

But Lacey quickly learns that life in the spotlight isn’t as picture perfect as she imagined. She’s having trouble bonding with her costars, her father has hired the definition of a choir boy, Donavan Lake, to tutor her, and somewhere along the way she’s lost her acting mojo. And just when it seems like things couldn’t get any worse, it looks like someone on set is deliberately trying to sabotage her.

As Lacey’s world spins out of control, it feels like the only person she can count on—whether it’s helping her try to unravel the mystery of who is out to get her or snap her out of her acting funk—is Donavan. But what she doesn’t count on is this straight-laced boy becoming another distraction.

With her entire future riding on this movie, Lacey knows she can’t afford to get sidetracked by a crush. But for the first time in her life Lacey wonders if it’s true that the best stories really do happen when you go off script.

• ISBN10: 0062675796
• ISBN13: 9780062675798
• Publish Date: 5 February 2019
• Publish Status: Active
• Publish Country: US
• Publisher: HarperCollins Publishers
• Imprint: Collins
• Format: Hardcover
• Pages: 384
• Language: English

Reviews

[Stephanie]

I typically enjoy Kasie West's books, but this one really fell flat. Lacey was slightly annoying with the constant whining about homework and I wasn't rooting for the romance because there never seemed to be a spark between the two. I did find the little mystery very interesting, it was what kept me listening and intrigued enough to finish the book. I listened to the audiobook, which may have affected my rating, because I wasn't a big fan of the narrator.

[ladygrey]

This really didn’t take me 5 days to read. It didn’t even take me 5 hours. But I put it down and then it was hard to pick up again, through no fault of the book.

Which isn’t to say it’s without faults. The voice in this one was surprisingly low... I cant think of how to say it... simplistic. Too many statements of really basic description. Like, “I stood and walked to the door. I walked out the door, down the steps .” Or the actual line where they sat on the beach “that faced the ocean” ...as opposed to the beach that faces the meadow? Ok, that was a little snide.

Admittedly, I was probably more sensitive to the language having just read A Million Junes.

But it wasn’t just the lines that were simplistic. The plot had no depth and really very little intrigue (less even than I expected because I thought the agent told Aaron to do all those things). And the whole sub-plot about their chemistry is abandoned when they’re caught up in something being afoot. Like, did kissing just fix it? Or her reclaimed confidence (which didn’t last long)? Or did everyone just stop caring? A lot of the scenes, especially in the beginning, were too quick, cutting just when they were getting started. The romance, while apparent and sweet was also somehow more shallow once it actually happened.

Here’s the thing though, it’s still Kasie West. It’s cute, and unexpectedly witty (it shouldn’t be unexpected because I’ve read everything she’s written but it’s a whole different sort of witty every time, with each main character, which is more than a little impressive). The interplay between Grant and Lacey is fun. And Donovan and Lacey are clever and adorable (until they stop actually talking or doing stuff and just say “ok we’re going to make out). All that fabulous dialog saves so much of this book I’d probably read it again.

Even with the COMPLETELY unrealistic parts about the logistics of filming a movie in LA. I only forgive her because her acknowledgments admit some of it might be unrealistic but she needed it for the story. But I forgive her because the card game was fun and cute. And the banter works again and again, every time.

[liz089]

Once again a very entertaining, cute, romantic YA novel from Kasie West.
I think I liked this one better then her last couple of novels ? But I think that is because of the zombies hahaha XD

[Rowena]

This was a fast but cute read. Lots of happy, happy, joy, joy stuff but still cute.

[Sam@WLABB]

Lacey was focused on her acting career and saw boys as a distraction. She was determined to convince her dad, that acting was important to her and her future, but first she had to sort out her feelings for Donavan, and uncover who was sabotaging her on the set.

• Pro: Lacey was so easy to love. She came across as likable and authentic. Her worries and fears were plausible, and I really admired her focus and determination, as she tried to juggle the movie, school work, her dad's interference, and her burgeoning feelings for Donavan.

• Pro/Con: One of the things I wished there was more of was Donavan. He was great, and I would have loved to get to know him even better. I know I kept wishing there were more scenes with him and Lacey together, because I really enjoyed watching them on page together.

• Pro: West always includes family focus in her books, and the dynamics here were sort of interesting with respect to Lacey. I really felt Lacey's struggle with adjusting to life with her non-custodial parent, while missing her mom and siblings. I also got to meet Donavan's sister, who was cute as a button, and shared a very endearing bond with her big brother.

• Pro: The romance was, as I expected, very sweet. I loved the way Lacey slowly came to realize her feelings for Donavan, and I was solidly aboard this ship.

• Pro: It was fun being on the set and getting a look into the day to day life of "stars". I enjoyed seeing the friendships between Lacey and her co-stars develop, and the cameos from the Love, Life, and the List couple made me smile. The mystery of who was sabotaging Lacey was not very necessary, but I thought it added another level of fun to the story.

• Pro: This was a solid 4-star read, but the ending made me so happy, I bumped it up a half star. West did so many things right in that last chapter, and I can only smile and think fondly about it.

Overall: Once again, West left me with a smile on my face and a light heart. It's always a delight to read a one of her books, and as always, the story was fun and cute with friends, family, and an adorable romance to round out my overall enjoyment.

*ARC provided in exchange for an honest review.

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[Leigha]

I received this book for free from Edelweiss in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

Lacey discovers it’s not too hard to mix business with pleasure in this lighthearted contemporary romance.

I want to love Kasie West books. I really, really, REALLY do. I just…don’t. At this point, I think it is less about the books than it is about me. When I was a teenager (many moons ago), this book would have been my catnip. I would have died over the cuteness of Lacey and Donavan. I would have enjoyed the hell out of it – not just this book, but all of Kasie West’s repertoire. But, at the end of the day, it just doesn’t have the depth to invest me into the characters or the story.

That said, it is a super cute book about one young woman coming to terms with balancing her personal life with her professional one. Lacey is a fun character with tons of confidence and gusto. The romance between her and Donavan was cute, if predictable. I really loved learning more about the behind the scenes action of making a film. My one major quibble is the supposed “mystery” to the story. It just seemed so unnecessary. I would have preferred more time with Lacey dealing with her professional obligations or her romancing Donavan than the tepid mystery.

tl;dr While this story didn’t work for me, fans of young adult contemporary romance should still check it out!

[Amber]

Kasie West's newest book was super cute, as always. If you're looking for something new and refreshing, you're in the wrong place. But if you're here for a cute contemporary that's also a lot of fun, this is the book for you.

West has added a bit of mystery to the plot of this book, which was nice because it was an extra element that she doesn't usually include in her books. This mystery sideplot made the book a bit more entertaining than her books have been lately, since I've been finding them to be quite repetitive.

Lacey, the main character, had absolutely no character growth at all, which was a bit disappointing. She was incredibly up herself the entire way through, and she didn't seem to act any better towards her dad at the end. I mean, she's alright, definitely not the worst, but I feel like there was a missed opportunity here and she could have developed a bit in 300 pages.

The lack of female rivalry was really nice. It was hinted at a tiny bit, but nothing ever came of it. I really appreciated this because I was fully expecting some cattiness or female rivalry on set of the movie.

The romance is also cute af, which really helped me enjoy the book more, despite it being quite generic and nothing standout.

[Linda]

*I received a free ARC of Fame, Fate and the Fist Kiss from HarperTeen via Edelweiss. This has in no way influenced my review which is honest and unbiased.*

2.5 stars

Yeah, my rating kind of says it all, I think. I just didn't really enjoy this story. Lacey was rather boring, and so was her life in many ways. Movie set and all. I didn't connect with any of the characters, and I was rather happy when it was over.

Full review to come.