O P E N I N G L I N E:
(pg. 9, US E-ARC edition)
Growing up, Aimee had a huge crush on her brother Nick's best friend Miles. He didn't return her feelings, and then he got discovered and went off to become part of a highly successful boyband, Seconds to Juliet. Aimee has since moved on and wants nothing to do with Miles. When her best friend comes down with mono and has to cancel on their summer vacation plans, Aimee has no place to go. Hey parents are going overseas and won't let her stay home alone. Instead, she's shipped off to stay with her older brother Nick...who is interning on his best friend Miles' summer tour. Now Miles is in her face 24/7 and all of those childish feelings Aimee squashed so long ago are coming back. But she's STILL "Nick's younger sister," so she'd better squash these feelings fast or it will be a looong three weeks!
AIMEE AND THE HEARTTHROB is the first book in a new series from Entangled Crush entitled Backstage Pass. Each book is a standalone novel centered around a different member of Seconds to Juliet. Each book is written by a different author: Ophelia London, Lisa Burstein, Emmy Curtis, Rebekah Purdy, and Erin Butler. The second book in the quintet, MIA AND THE BAD BOY, comes out next month. About halfway through the novel, I started to think maybe this was published One Direction fanfiction (a la Anna Todd's popular After series) and got nervous, but a quick Google search didn't pull up any links and since this is a group series, it was likely commissioned by the publisher, sooo! (I have VERY strong feelings on authors who publish fanfiction for profit!)
I'm of two minds when it comes to AIMEE AND THE HEARTTHROB. On the one hand, it knows what wish fulfillment buttons to press. Dating a superstar? CHECK! Crushing on a sibling's bff (or, in reverse, a bff's sibling!)? CHECK! This will definitely hit the sweet spot for many readers. There are some really cute turns of phrase, too, such as "His brain was full of cotton -- Aimee-flavored cotton" (pg. 171, US e-ARC edition) and "'You hit the tree with your skull. I heard it. Don't you feel the lump?' He grinned. 'I feel zero pain, Ames'" (pg. 202, US e-ARC edition) .
AIMEE AND THE HEARTTHROB is the first book in a new series from Entangled Crush entitled Backstage Pass. Each book is a standalone novel centered around a different member of Seconds to Juliet. Each book is written by a different author: Ophelia London, Lisa Burstein, Emmy Curtis, Rebekah Purdy, and Erin Butler. The second book in the quintet, MIA AND THE BAD BOY, comes out next month. About halfway through the novel, I started to think maybe this was published One Direction fanfiction (a la Anna Todd's popular After series) and got nervous, but a quick Google search didn't pull up any links and since this is a group series, it was likely commissioned by the publisher, sooo! (I have VERY strong feelings on authors who publish fanfiction for profit!)
I'm of two minds when it comes to AIMEE AND THE HEARTTHROB. On the one hand, it knows what wish fulfillment buttons to press. Dating a superstar? CHECK! Crushing on a sibling's bff (or, in reverse, a bff's sibling!)? CHECK! This will definitely hit the sweet spot for many readers. There are some really cute turns of phrase, too, such as "His brain was full of cotton -- Aimee-flavored cotton" (pg. 171, US e-ARC edition) and "'You hit the tree with your skull. I heard it. Don't you feel the lump?' He grinned. 'I feel zero pain, Ames'" (pg. 202, US e-ARC edition) .
On the other hand, the dialogue can sometimes be juvenile, too. Aimee's internal thoughts such as "OMFG#%*^&@!!" and "ta-ta" and "dafuq" instead of the actual words reads very young. Granted, she's only sixteen, but it reads very pre-teen. I think this was done to appeal to younger readers, but I wouldn't recommend it to anyone too young due to sexual innuendo. There are also a few inconsistencies that bugged me, but honestly, none of that detracts from the story itself. Most people won't even care about the little things because the story is still a compelling, fast, fun read. I'm just weird and can be too nitpicky at times! ^.~
~*~
C O N T E N T R A T I N G S
Content Ratings: highlight between ( ) for details
Romance: PG13 ( lots of kissing; innuendo )
Language: PG13 ( Tame cursing and softened juvenile cursing such as "crappers" and "Dafuq" and "OMFG" to soften the harshness )
Violence: PG ( A few small anger management issues/outbreaks that are quickly controlled )
Violence: PG ( A few small anger management issues/outbreaks that are quickly controlled )
Other: PG ( Mention of underage drinking/smoking, but none of the main characters do this. Overcoming anger management. Mention of juvenile delinquents )
~*~
C O V E R D E S I G N:
The model looks completely blissed out here, almost like she can't believe this is real and she's still dreaming. This is very much what Aimee thinks in so much of the book, so the expression works for her! The addition of a guitar showcases that the book is going to be about a performer, and the cuddling couple hints at romance.
I like the way the title mixes between a flirty font and a more traditional one, both hard and soft, both young and grown-up.
~*~
O F F I C I A L I N F O:
Title: AIMEE AND THE HEARTTHROB
Author: Ophelia London
Release Date: April 14, 2015
Publisher: Entangled Crush
Received: For Review
Received: For Review
SUMMARY:
He never noticed her before, but now she’s all he can see…
Miles Carlisle is every teen girl’s fantasy. His rugged good looks and exotic British accent have helped catapult his boy band, Seconds to Juliet, to super-stardom. But after two disastrous and very public breakups, Miles isn’t interested in dating just any girl; he wants The One. And the only girl he’s interested in is not only his best friend’s little sister―and off-limits―but won’t even give him the time of day…
As a kid, Aimee Bingham had a huge thing for Miles…until he made fun of her for always tagging along. Now that she’s outgrown both him and her pigtails. the prospect of spending two weeks on tour with the childhood crush who broke her heart isn’t exactly enticing. Except now Miles seems interested. Very interested. And no matter how hard Aimee tries to resist him, her crush is definitely making a comeback.
But everyone knows that falling for a heartthrob is a backstage pass to heartbreak…
Miles Carlisle is every teen girl’s fantasy. His rugged good looks and exotic British accent have helped catapult his boy band, Seconds to Juliet, to super-stardom. But after two disastrous and very public breakups, Miles isn’t interested in dating just any girl; he wants The One. And the only girl he’s interested in is not only his best friend’s little sister―and off-limits―but won’t even give him the time of day…
As a kid, Aimee Bingham had a huge thing for Miles…until he made fun of her for always tagging along. Now that she’s outgrown both him and her pigtails. the prospect of spending two weeks on tour with the childhood crush who broke her heart isn’t exactly enticing. Except now Miles seems interested. Very interested. And no matter how hard Aimee tries to resist him, her crush is definitely making a comeback.
But everyone knows that falling for a heartthrob is a backstage pass to heartbreak…
~*~
A cupcake and treadmill aficionado (obviously those things are connected), she spends her time watching arthouse movies and impossibly trashy TV, while living vicariously through the characters in the books she writes.
Ophelia is the author of SOMEDAY MAYBE; DEFINITELY, MAYBE IN LOVE; ABBY ROAD and CROSSING ABBY ROAD; the Perfect Kisses series including: FALLING FOR HER SOLDIER, PLAYING AT LOVE, SPEAKING OF LOVE, and MAKING WAVES; the upcoming AIMEE AND THE HEARTTHROB for Entangled’s Teen Crush line, and the upcoming Sugar City series for Entangled’s Bliss line.
Visit her at ophelialondon.com. But don’t call when The Vampire Diaries (or Dawson’s Creek) is on.
~*~
****Giveaway*****
AIMEE AND THE HEARTTHROB,
so enter to win...
a $25 iTunes gift card!
Comments
Post a Comment
Thanks for taking the time to stop and comment! I appreciate it more than I can say. I try to respond to each one!