Love Unscripted (Love, #1)

by Tina Reber

Ryan Christensen just wanted to be an actor. Never in his wildest dreams did he imagine a life where fans would chase him, paparazzi would stalk him, and studios would want to own him. Filming in Seaport, Rhode Island, Ryan ducks into a neighborhood bar to escape screaming fans ... and finds much more than he expected. Nursing a recent heartbreak, pub owner Taryn Mitchell is keeping men at a safe distance. She can't help feeling drawn to Ryan, who has every other girl in Seaport swooning. But Taryn isn't every other girl.

• ISBN10: 141046024X
• ISBN13: 9781410460240
• Publish Date: 7 August 2013 (first published 8 September 2012)
• Publish Status: Out of Print
• Out of Print: 4 August 2016
• Publish Country: US
• Imprint: Thorndike Press
• Edition: Large type / large print edition
• Format: Hardcover
• Pages: 839
• Language: English

Reviews

[nitzan_schwarz]

Originally posted on my blog.

Hmm... I don't know how to go about this review. I was greatly looking forward to this book- Star x "normal human beings" themed stories are somewhat of a weakness for me. It's like I crave a well done Cinderella story. So, yeah, all the raving reviews about this one had me prepared for something great. This book wasn't bad, but it most definitely didn't live up to all the hype about it.

The biggest problem I had with the book was that, up to around 45% of it - I was bored to death. I mean, really, I considered DNF at 39% of the book - it was that boring! Nothing really happened, which was a huge drawback for me. I don't need much to make things interesting - I am not the type that needs a lot of drama in a book, quite the opposite - too much drama is a total turnoff for me, so trust me when I seriously felt nothing happened here.

Luckily, around the 40-45% mark things finally picked up, or I dunno if I could've lasted the entire book - it was a long book, too. Though I do admit... a lot of drama started. I liked some of it. I cried at parts (prepare for sadness) Some seemed a bit... too much, and I just wished they'd move on from those. But for the most part, I really did enjoy the remaining 50%.

Anyway, I loved Ryan. I loved that he wasn't the usual type of "movie star" these books tend to have. He wasn't the self assured, confident type who slept with tons of women. He was shy at first, kind of too overwhelmed by all the attention and crazy fan obsession from his movie. He didn't jump into things, he was charming, sweet, funny. He also showed alpha male tendencies once in the relationship - taking charge, being possessive, jealous, and sometimes it was a little too much, but most of the time it was just endearing.

Then there's Taryn. I'm a bit conflicted about her, because she was just too perfect. She was literally every man's dream; hot, sweet, caring, selfless, can cook, can play pool, a sports fan, likes fishing, can model and decorate, creative and artistic, good in bed, willing to do everything for the people she loves, being okay and agreeing to all the craziness of Ryan's life to be with him... At a certain point I stopped reading, looked around me and thought she was too perfect to be real - and the few (and well justified) trust issues she had didn't deter from her Mary-Sue vibe. 

However, I enjoyed the romance. It was nicely done, and they were very sweet together. They worked well - when their insecurities weren't leading the way - and they were very good to one another... despite how quick everything went down. 

While I did enjoy the book, it also disappointed me - hence this review containing a lot more of my complaints than my compliments. I had expected so much more of such a widely loved book. I don't know if I'll pick up the next book in the series. Probably only if its on sale, which is a horrible thing to say, but this just didn't capture me or anything, and the only thing I'm likely to remember about the read is the word: disappointing. 

[Cocktails and Books]

Definitely not what I expected. I really liked it. Review to come.

[Ashley]

booknook — Young Adult book reviews

I honestly have very little idea as to how to go about writing this review. Love Unscripted really conflicted me. I absolutely loved the first half of the book. There wasn't much drama, but it was all about Taryn meeting Ryan and them falling in love. It was sweet, sexy, the pacing was great, and I loved watching the romance grow and develop. After the first half, small things started to really bug me. They weren't that big of the deal, but I was really opinionated about those small things so they stood out to me a lot. Then, I thought the end of this book was a bit far-fetched and ridiculous.

What made Love Unscripted enjoyable for me was that fact that it is so real. The dialogue in this book is so natural! When Ryan and Taryn meet, they have some sweet conversations, some awkward moments, and some sexual tension. It's all there! We don't just get the perfect lovey dovey moments.. we also get the uncertainty and the awkwardness and the shyness. And I love it!!

Unfortunately, around the 65% mark, I started to have my first real annoyances with the story — more specifically, the romance. I feel like as soon as Taryn saw another handsome man, she was in danger of cheating on Ryan. She literally just took one look at a hot guy and thought to herself, "My relationship is now in trouble." Just the way it was worded made it seem like Taryn had no self restraint whatsoever. And then shortly after, Taryn started being extremely stereotypical. She made many comments that basically talked about how "men have needs" and they need sex all the time, and men really just want to jump from woman to woman all the time. And sure, in some cases that's true, but it's really unfair to apply that to all men. And the way she screamed about it made her sound pretty silly and naïve.

Why couldn't the security company send me an old guy? Holy shit, he's young and gorgeous! This is not good.

It could only be guilt that tormented me; guilt for allowing my eyes to look at another man. I had to get him out of my apartment—fast.

If I had his opportunities, would I be out there playing the field or would I want a relationship with one person? Well, that was an easy question to answer. Of course I'd want a meaningful relationship with one man. But men are different creatures.

Men, however, don't always think with the brain that sits between their ears. All too often it's the little brain in their pants that takes over.

Then, a love triangle emerged. It was one of the most annoying love triangles I've ever read. It felt very Jacob and Edward. The second love interest made it seem like Taryn had to give something up to be with Ryan (her privacy/security), but if she were with the other guy instead, she wouldn't have to give up anything. I immediately thought of Twilight because of the way Jacob would say that Bella had to give up her mortality and the possibility of pregnancy to be with Edward, but if she were with Jacob instead she wouldn't have to give up anything.

Another issue I had with Love Unscripted was the pacing. This wasn't a problem at all for me at the beginning. The first half of the book takes place over the span of one month, but the second half of the book seems to take place over the span of about 4-5 months. So the first half was fine, but the second half often felt very choppy. The story would sometimes jump hours or even days in advance with very little "warning" or proper transitioning. Often it just let me confused as to what exactly happened. I had to go back and reread sentences until I finally realized that we had jumped ahead to another day.

I'll address the length of this story for a minute just because this book is over 550 pages. This is a really long story. For the most part I wasn't really bored, despite the fact that the first 3/4 of the book was relatively drama-free. But as I got to about 70 or 75% done, I did notice several parts that just seemed to drag on or were really unnecessary and underdeveloped.

This review has been really critical so far, but it wasn't a bad story. I actually enjoyed it a lot! There were just a few small things that I was really opinionated on, so hence all the criticism. But putting that aside, I really enjoyed the story and unique situation. It was really fun to get a glimpse into the world of Hollywood romance and the difficulties that go along with it! Except for a few issues with Taryn's behaviour (such as being really annoying about money), and the aforementioned love triangle, I really loved the romance in Love Unscripted. It was imperfect, it was sweet, it required a lot of work, there were many hurdles to jump, but Taryn and Ryan really loved each other and I adored that! The relationship felt very real and they had great chemistry!

I know the length of Love Unscripted is kind of intimidating, but it's a really enjoyable book and I definitely recommend it if you're looking for a fun, different contemporary romance! The end is a little ridiculous, but at least things do get wrapped up pretty well!

[Kelly]

Unrealistic? Yes.
Melodramatic? Absolutely.
Romantic and tender? Hell yes.
I'm not one for dedicated romance novels, but even I was swept up in pages of the love affair between Taryn and Ryan. It's a lengthy read, but it was perfect for inbetween other series. It was beautifully written and well paced.