Kim Culbertson

Frustrated by the disruptive production of a Hollywood film in her once-quiet California town, Carter Moon reluctantly accepts a high-paying job to pose as a disgraced former child actor's girlfriend to improve his image.

Catch a Falling Star

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When I read the synopsis of this book, I figured it would be a formulaic "normal girl" meets "famous boy" story – and I don't mean that in a bad way. I love those types of books. Catch a Falling Star was more than that. It was different than the norm and I think that's what made me enjoy it as much as I did. 

I can't tell you just how much I liked Carter Moon. She was quite a special character. Her devotion to her family was admirable, as was her strength. Strong families are fare too few and far between in young adult these days and I was pleased to find one in this book. The Moons had their problems, but they were a supportive family. It was refreshing.

While I'm not one much for astronomy or even trying to enjoy the stars – I live just outside the city, you can't really see them here anyhow – but I loved the blog posts on the blog she shared with her friend Alien Drake. I enjoyed how they related the goings-on in their small town, particularly with Adam Jakes' arrival and the movie filming, to astronomy. Carter's best friend (and Alien Drake's girlfriend) Chloe was a total trip. I appreciated the friendship shared by the three of them and Chloe's star-struck behavior never failed to make me grin a little. 

I would be remiss if I were to write this review and not mention what a fantastic job Kim did capturing the spirit of a small-town and its inhabitants. While I live just outside a big city now, I grew up in a small town and anyone else who has knows what I mean when I say things are just different there. The town has a life of its own and there's a cohesiveness you won't find in larger cities. I love big cities, but when I read about small towns like Little, I can't help but get a little nostalgic for my hometown. 

Adam Jakes was a different sort of celebrity. It took me a little while to warm up to him, but I did. He and Carter's arrangement was bound to become complicated. There wouldn't be a book otherwise, right? But the romance didn't feel forced. Their progression from strangers to coworkers, so to speak, to friends and then more was natural. Despite the obvious differences between them, they worked really well together. They both learned a little about life and love together.

I can't say Catch a Falling Star was what I was expecting – a light and fluffy romance – but I thoroughly enjoyed it. It touched on some serious issues, but did so in a way that it never felt too heavy or angsty. While romance was part of this book, I wouldn't categorize it as a romance. It was far more coming-of-age story than love story and that's why it struck a chord with me. 

I received a copy of this book from the publisher, via NetGalley, in exchange for an honest review.

Jacelyn

Lisa ✩ @lifeinlit

Catch a Falling Star had a lot of what I really enjoy in YA books: Cute (and even immature at times) characters, a fun story line, and a dash of drama. All my favorites. This story actually reminded me quite a bit of This is What Happy Looks Like. And not-so-surprisingly I had very similar thoughts regarding this one as I did for Jennifer E. Smith’s story. The similarities are mostly prefaced upon the fact that both of these stories contained teenager actors, giving them a similar vibe.

Carter Moon, a local Little teenage daughter of a cafe owner, spent her days helping out her family, making sandwiches for her parents’ place, and her nights stargazing with her friends. Carter was super sweet, everyone loved her, and she spent her spare time entertaining the elderly and helping the poor. Yes, there are probably people just like her in the world, but I was constantly expecting her to mess up somewhere. Maybe do something wrong here or there? But really, she was utterly flawless. Maybe a little too flawless for my taste.

Chloe, her BFF, on the other hand, was very unique and, though somewhat annoying at times, very likeable to me. She was over-the-top obsessed with actors, celebrity gossip, and all things Hollywood. So when her best friend starts “dating” the celebrity heartthrob, Adam, whom she has plastered all over her walls, she’s slightly shocked, you could say. Adam was portrayed as your stereotypical teenage actor, face in his phone 24/7, ordering others to serve him, and not really paying attention to the world around him. Yes, this story was cliche – the local girl that doesn’t want to fall for the handsome celebrity, yet decides to pretend to date him for money to help her family, who is struggling with a few issues. But really, after reading that synopsis, most can assume that this story will be somewhat cliche. So going in expecting that is the way to go.

One thing that kind of bugged me a bit was View Spoiler »

I really wanted to love this one. The kind of love where you can’t put a book down, despite your crying children or obligations at work. I’m a bit saddened by the fact that I didn’t have that level of love that I had expected. It seemed too long (though we all know I tend to like shorter books more, so that’s probably just me.) and I felt that at times it was dragging a bit. I was bored a few times too, which really shocked me. Then at other times I would be totally invested in the story, enjoying every word. So odd. I’m quite baffled by my feelings for this one.

Overall, I think Catch a Falling Star will definitely appeal to many YA Contemporary readers, especially those that love their celebrity gossip. A great beach read to get you through the relaxing day. A cute story, full of fun, drama and Hollywood at its finest. Enjoy!

(Thanks to Scholastic Press and Netgalley for the review copy!)

Find this review and others like it at Lost in Literature!

Jessica 

Blog | Twitter | Instagram | Full review: http://bookgirl.co.vu/post/8586726092...

The plot of the story is simple and very intriguing to romantic young minds who dream about what it’d be like dating a celebrity. It will appeal first and foremost to younger teenagers as they go into their summer vacation looking for something fun to dive into. Which is fitting: Carter Moon’s small town is pretty much being taken over during the summer by Hollywood; a teenage heart throb is filming his latest flick there.

During this time, she is approached by one of his (Adam Jakes) team and is offered some serious cash (which is needed) to play pretend girlfriend to improve his fast burning reputation. After some consideration, she was rightfully offended by the offer, she decides to do it: mostly to help raise some money for her struggling gambling addict older brother.

Let’s get down to business first: yes, the plot is cheesy and has the potential to come across like a bad Disney movie. Yes, it’s targeted at teen girls and yes, it’s sweet and romantic and a little unrealistic. But the thing is, Kim Culbertson makes it good; she makes me shamelessly love the story and the romance of it all.

Catch a Falling Star

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