#Starstruck by Sariah Wilson

#Starstruck by Sariah Wilson
Release Date - January 16, 2018
Publisher Website - Montlake Romance/Amazon

Pages -  320 pages
My Rating - 3/5
**purchased**

Here is the Goodreads synopsis

“You’ve done better.”

With one uncharacteristically sassy tweet to her longtime celebrity crush, Zoe Miller’s life turns upside down. Ultrahot A-lister Chase Covington doesn’t just respond to Zoe’s tweet, he does the unthinkable: he messages Zoe directly. Now she must decide between walking away or meeting her crush in person.

Chase knows better than to trust anyone from the Internet, but Zoe’s saucy challenge has totally caught his interest—and her girl-next-door personality is keeping it. He’s been burned enough to know he needs to keep his heart close. But his feelings for Zoe might be a lot more than just an online flirtation. He just has to convince her…

When the press gets wind of Zoe and Chase’s secret relationship, their romance turns into tabloid headlines. Will they be able to hold on to their Hollywood love story?

Summer always means more romance reads make their way on to my reading pile. I had a craving for some specifically set in Hollywood and impulse purchased a few of them based solely off the synopsis. #Starcrossed seemed like a fun, wish fulfillment read. While it was a fun enough read, there were elements of the story that didn't quite work for me.

Zoe meets Chase through Twitter. Pretty much everyone person with a celebrity crush has day dreamed 'what if' scenarios and this part of the story actually worked for me. It starts out slowly and grows as they get to know each other. I think the relationship aspect of the novel is developed well enough but suffered from characterization not being as developed.

Zoe is your typical shy girl who doesn't have a lot of luck with guys. Her friend is more outgoing (and more beautiful according to Zoe) and Zoe lets herself fade into the background. The insecurities Zoe has are certainly relatable enough to many readers out there. However, there is not a whole lot else we learn about her character. Her voice was not has strong as I would have liked. I didn't feel invested in her as a character which meant I wasn't as invested in the plot. None of these insecurities are ever actually dealt with in a meaningful way during the novel either, which doesn't help with character growth.

Chase felt even less developed than Zoe did. There was some intriguing elements brought forth that I wish the author had done more with. It is revealed that much of his public persona, particularly when it comes to answering interview questions, were lies. He wanted to keep the real things for himself and therefore sold a product instead. This was fascinating to me but it never really goes deeper than that reveal. The whole idea that he was so private that things like his favourite colour were to be kept guarded could have been a way to really dive into this character. It felt like a missed opportunity to me.

The friendship between Zoe and her best friend had a thread of jealousy to it that made Zoe make not the greatest decisions sometimes. Zoe actually acknowledges that she was afraid Chase would prefer her friend at one point. This, again, could have been interesting to explore but is left at the surface level. It also has a lot do with Zoe's insecurities that never properly get unpacked. I didn't like seeing this dynamic between friends because it just underscores the notion that women are in competition with each other.

I have seen this referred to as a 'clean' romance on some websites and I am guessing that refers to the fact that there is no sex in this book. Zoe's character wishes to wait until she is marriage to have sex. This is discussed and handled well within the pages of the book. Chase doesn't pressure her. Zoe doesn't relent in a moment of passion. It also showcases that Zoe not being ready to have sex doesn't mean that there are no heated moments between them. There is plenty of steam and innuendo to be found throughout. There are some well crafted make out scenes that often made me think it was going to lead to something more. My favourite element of this part of the story is the way that is is presented as being part of who Zoe is without it being the only thing about her. Virginity, especially female virginity, is often looked at as being some defining thing. It was nice just to see her wanting to wait as a choice she made for her own reasons. The only time I have seen this included as part of the plot in other novels it was treated as either something shameful or something virtuous. Here it is presented in a way that does not shame those who did not wait, nor places those who do on an unreasonable pedestal.

The ending felt a little rushed for me to fully appreciate it. It was quick to tie everything into a perfect little bow without actually unpacking some of the bigger relationship issues in the book. There is one big relationship hurdle that, I felt, gets fixed a little too conveniently. Those wanting every part of the story wrapped up in a nice little bow will certainly get that from this romance however.

Those looking for a fluffy read set in Hollywood may very well enjoy this one. I wanted just a little something extra and found myself loving certain aspects of the novel while lamenting the lack of exploration in others. It ended up being a mixed read for me but one that was enjoyable enough while I was reading it.