Erin Watt

Wealth, fame and a real-life romance she never expected–seventeen-year-old Vaughn Bennett lands it all when she agrees to become a pop star's fake girlfriend in this smart, utterly addictive novel from #1 New York Times bestselling author duo Erin Watt

When It's Real

Wealth, fame and a real-life romance she never expected--seventeen-year-old Vaughn Bennett lands it all when she agrees to become a pop star's fake girlfriend in this smart, utterly addictive novel from #1 New York Times bestselling author duo Erin Watt Under ordinary circumstances, Oakley Ford and Vaughn Bennett would never even cross paths. There's nothing ordinary about Oakley. This bad-boy pop star's got Grammy Awards, millions of fangirls and a reputation as a restless, too-charming troublemaker. But with his home life disintegrating, his music well suddenly running dry and the tabloids having a field day over his outrageous exploits, Oakley needs to show the world he's settling down--and who better to help him than Vaughn, a part-time waitress trying to help her family get by? The very definition of ordinary. Posing as his girlfriend, Vaughn will overhaul Oakley's image from troublemaker to serious artist. In return for enough money to put her brothers through college, she can endure outlandish Hollywood parties and carefully orchestrated Twitter exchanges. She'll fool the paparazzi and the groupies. She might even start fooling herself a little. Because when ordinary rules no longer apply, there's no telling what your heart will do...

Nena Wyers 

“The good ones put your character to the flame and burn away all the rest of the shit until you come out a better you. She’s one of the good ones.”

dija

Um...This was okay? I didn't really like the characters, my eyes detected no development either and this book didn't make me feel anything :")

celene

I LOVE THIS BOOK OHMYGAS !!!!!!?!!!?!

if ur into fake dating-enemies-bffs-lovers trope yuppp ur gonna frickin love this book man

and the MCs names can i just talk about for a sec im sibckdnskdns theyre so cute i mean,,, oakley and vaughn r u kidding me its so cute and !!?!?!!?! 

i dont know about u guys im into guy names for a girl 

and i felt like it has like a potential in becoming a movie u know it would be totatlly cute or something 

pacing and writing: so gooood
chemistry/banter/dialogues/character dynamics: so gooooood
plot: so gooood

all characters felt real and theyre all likeable and lovable !!!except for *ahem ahem* some 

that’s all y’all im sorry im all over place i just ,,, k bye

Jasmine

Parts of this I really adored and Elle Kennedy and Jen Frederick are incredible storytellers no question about it. However, it's not surprising that I didn't fall in love with this book because I don't gravitate toward a lot of YA contemporary cutesy reads, they simply don't captivate me the way other books do. This had all the ingredients to be a great summer read, easy, fun, love-hate relationship, but it was lacking something overall.

 I can't say I didn't have a good time reading When It's Real because I definitely did, however, in the end, the story just felt flat. Guess I need my books to have a bit darker and more addictive edge than this light-hearted one could give. Probably why The Royals series is one of my favorites because those books are the definition unputdownable and insanely addictive!! Honestly, if you still haven't read them yet drop what you are doing and 
  READ THEM
 haha! Still, I will continue to read anything these two incredible authors come up with because I think their writing is magic together!

Jennifer Eggleston 

Probably not the target audience but whatevs

I’m well past the teenage years but I do recall my infatuation years (spoiler alert, still infatuated but the peeps have changed) when I was going to be Mrs. Jordan Knight. Yeah, that didn’t happen but it’s great to indulge in fiction where it does. I was total sucker for this story and Erin Watt delivered. 

I enjoyed getting to know Oakley and Vaughn. If you are a fan of shows like Nashville then I think you will enjoy this story. If you ever had a celebrity crush and dreamed of being Mrs .... this book is for you.

Sven Test

This review was originally posted on Latte Nights Reviews.

Oakley Ford needs to get his writing mojo back. It's been two years since he released an album and he has yet to write anything he deems worthy for his fans. Because of his song-writing block, he's been drinking and getting into trouble, which the tabloids all crave for. What Oakley wants is to work with a music producer who's said to be the best, but this producer won't work with Oakley until he matures and gets his act together. Oakley's manager's plan is to find a fake girlfriend for Oakley, someone who's down-to-earth and not from the music industry. When he sees a picture of a girl on one of his employee's desk, he starts to to put this plan into action.

If pretending to date a girl I don’t know, who doesn’t like me, gets my mojo back, then I’ll be the best boyfriend this chick has ever had.

Vaughn Bennett's parents were killed in a car accident. From that moment, Vaughn had to grow up and help her sister take care of their twin brothers. She even graduated early from high school so she could work and help financially. When Paisley, Vaughn's sister, tells her that Oakley's manager approached her and said he wanted Vaughn to be Oakley's fake girlfriend, Vaughn is ready to say no to be Oak's GF. She's seen the way Oakley is: arrogant and a complete douche. What makes her hesitate is the fact that she will get paid $20,000 thousand a month. Vaughn knows the money is very needed to put her brothers through school and pay off debts so she agrees.

“Half the time when you open your mouth, you say something that makes me want to punch you.” Vaughn gives a rueful smile. “But when you sing…you make it really hard to hate you.”

Their first meeting was exactly how I thought it'd be. They were close to hating each other. At first, Vaughn was slightly excited to meet Oakley, seeing as she used to be a fan of his. But once he opened his mouth, Vaughn could have cared less she was in the presence of the Oakley Ford. Oak can't really stand Vaughn because she says exactly what she thinks, but he's also intrigued because she's the first person to not fall all over him. Something that almost had me questioning the story was the fact that Vaughn had a boyfriend when she started "dating" Oak. But once the story went on, I realized he was there to play a part in the story for Vaughn's sake (it is explained very well). It's not a love-triangle at all, which I was beyond thankful for because the guy is a conceited jerk who doesn't even care for Vaughn.

"When you were at the club singing, every person in there thought you sang to them. It doesn’t matter what your sound is. People are always going to want to hear you."

This story gave me all the major feels! It's so freaking cute and adorable and exactly the type of light read I needed. I'm usually iffy about rock star novels but Erin Watt delivered this story perfectly. My heart was bursting with love for all of the characters and their story. I wanted more out of the story because it was so good! I'll definitely be re-reading this book. I'm telling you, it put me in such a good mood! Vaughn is probably my fave character. She was sarcastic, a spitfire, always honest, and didn't have problems sharing what she thought. She was always real with those around her, especially with Oakley. In a way, she kept him so grounded and would knock his ego down quite a few times. Go, Vaughn! Despite Oak being a rock star, he actually had standards in the sense that he wasn't a man-whore at all.You'd think he would take advantage of the opportunity of being with all the girls that throw themselves at him. But he knew better than that. He was in the music industry because he loved music, not because of the fame.

“There aren’t any cameras here. This isn’t for show. This is as real and as awful and as wonderful as it gets. I’d hold her forever if she’d let me.”

Everything about this story was fun, heart-warming, swoon-worthy, and the romance was the sweetest and cutest thing ever, yet full of all the witty banter! When It's Real is the perfect summer read! 

“You said that everything in your life was fake, but we’re not fake, Oak. We’re real. We’re so real.”
--
I received an eARC from the publisher via Netgalley and a finished copy from the author for free in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.This review was originally posted on Latte Nights Reviews.

If I could rate it more than 5 stars I would! Beautifully written and a very quick read!

Megan Lowe

I voluntarily received an advance review copy of this book and chose to review it.

Holy lord! I loved this book! Different from the Royals, but Vaughn and Oakley will destroy you nonetheless. I loved the vulnerability both characters had as well as the growth of both of them throughout the course of the book. I truly never wanted this book to end. There was drama and laughter as well as real touching moments. This book was perfect in every way. I love these two, and somehow everything they write is gold! Run, don't walk, and grab yourselves a copy of this book, you won't be disappointed!

Emilie Adele Rognmo

4.5 stars

my heart can’t deal. this is the cutest shit ever. him writing a song about his feelings for her, and calling it when it’s real??? what. i’m now in a double book hangover.

Carley Whitehead

Becky

I love a good old fake relationship. I really do. They're my romance bread and butter and I'm sure it stems from my many years of reading fanfiction. This is one of the really good fake relationship books I've read. It wasn't Wall of Winnipeg good but it was pretty damn close. 

Famous folks don't tend to do it for me in romance but Oakley was pretty alright when he stopped acting like a douche. I definitely got all my warm and fuzzy romance feels going with this and that made me happy.

The drama and romantic tensions weren't too overwhelming and I worried it would get overly angsty but turns out it didn't and I loved it for that.

Sahi K

Famous pop star needs to revamp his image, so his PR team hires him a “normal” fake girlfriend. Seems like a common enough trope but the writing here is amazing. Vaughn is a sweet girl who doesn’t even try to impress Oak and him being famous doesn’t intimidate her. Oak may be a celebrity but he is still a lonely teenager who wants to do more with his music and life. It starts like a job but the two of them develop an unlikely friendship. I really liked how they were able to understand each other despite their different backgrounds. Oak really grew on me as the book progressed and it was good to see that he respected her choices always. She tries to give him the chance to have normal experiences which was great to read. I am in love with these two and also the whole Bennett family and Ty. This is a wonderful love story and I recommend to anyone who enjoys cute romances.

Alex Hill 

Possibly a little problematic since the girl was 17 and the guy is 19?? But wow I loved Oakley Ford. For once the main girl character pissed me off so much. I like how they talked about sex in this and talked about consent.

Raven Dean

***4 Stars***

*Arc provided in exchange for an honest opinion.

I am going to start off by saying that if you are expecting this book to be like the Royals, don't. This is more on the fluffy romance side with very little angst to it, but I did find myself enjoying the story anyway.

I will admit it took me a minute to get into, but I think my mood is set more in the New Adult genre at the moment. I loved the characters (except for one asshole) and I really enjoyed the relationship between Vaughn and her older sister. After what they have been through, it is nice to see such a strong bond between them and their adorable twin brothers. I also really loved Oakley, but not at first. As the story went on, and we got to see who he truly is, I fell hard for him. Watching his and Vaughn's relationship was filled with laughter with their bickering back and forth, and at times it got deep as they both shared personal stuff about their pasts. 

Overall I think Erin Watt did an amazing job, and I can't. to see what else comes from this author.

Paula Espinosa

Carmen Klinkhamer 

I find it a feelgood book! It just is a good story and makes me feel warm🥰

Amie Liane

What in the Wattpad? I’m conflicted because this book was extremely cliche and basically glorified y/n fanfiction, I found myself enjoying it by the end. However I’ve got to say that “superhappy”, “superexcited” and “superenthusiastic” are not words.

Alejandra Bran

I believe that this book had the perfect balance on interesting plot and sexy scenes. By the end of it I got that feeling good tingling on my chest.

Sophie

zoetsappig boek om te lezen.
Voordat ik dit boek gelezen had, heb ik The Royals al gelezen van Erin Watt en toen ik las waar het boek over ging was ik al helemaal verkocht.
Ik bedoel wie zou dat nou niet willen, mogen daten met een super knappe RockStar!!!!
Je leest het boek ook lekker makkelijk weg, je hoeft er zeker niet te veel bij na te denken wat af en toe wel lekker kan zijn om te lezen.
Laten we dan ook niet vergeten dat het boek heel nu voelde, met veel onderwerpen van deze tijd.
Ook weet Erin Watt lekker grof te zijn in haar boeken, geen blad voor de mond maar gewoon schrijven wat ze wil en laten we natuur de romancee niet vergeten.
Een mengeling van Spice en mega couple goals.
Daarom krijgt dit boek van mij ook 5 sterren, niks op aan te merken.

Alejandra 

This book is fake dating, so obviously I was expecting it to be amazing. And believe me, it WAS. I couldn’t stop reading, and the ending was so cute it filled me with happiness. It wasn’t too sappy or too spicy since the one sex scene it had was scarcely detailed and short. AMAZING.
I was smiling like and idiot in class while reading this. I suspect by now my classmates think I’m crazy. 

Find this review and more at 
  kimberlyfaye reads.


I've been looking forward to When It's Real since I first saw that the dynamic duo behind Erin Watt was writing a new book. I loved The Royals, found myself totally and thoroughly addicted to the characters, storyline and writing, so I had pretty high expectations for this book. And you know what? They were exceeded. I got everything I loved about The Royals without all the angst and drama. (I mean, there was *some* angst and drama, but it wasn't at all like in The Royals series.)

I do love a good famous person/regular person pairing and Vaughn and Oakley were great together. They were also great characters on their own. Initially I appreciated Vaughn's willingness to do what she needed to do for her family, but I came to like her even more later on for her intelligence, sassiness and strength. She was a wonderful heroine. Oakley, on the other hand, needed some time to grow on me. (The famous ones always do.) Underneath his superstar exterior, he was a great guy. He was more vulnerable than I would've expected and I found I liked that quite a bit. I loved the relationship between these two characters. They played nicely off each other, despite their differences. They gave me feels and swoons and smiles. This fake romance turned out to be something very real, indeed. 

When It's Real was a lovely, charming and swoony book. It's beautifully written and totally addictive. Even with the "fake" aspect of the storyline, it all played out realistically — at least with the regards to the romance and the characters. Books like this are why I continue to read YA contemporary. If that's your jam, definitely think about picking this one up. You won't be sorry you did. 

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

FAVORITE QUOTES

"I'm never going to believe another thing I see on the internet," I whisper.
His thumb brushes my cheek. "This isn't the internet."

"You're beautiful. Every day I'm with you is brighter and more exciting than the last. And if we ever have sex, it'll be because you want it, not because I want it or because you think it's necessary to keep me. But until you're ready, there's a ton of other stuff we can do to make you feel good."

"I know I'd be fine without you. I'd live a perfectly good life. But I don't want a perfectly good life. I want a messy, exciting, happy, sad, emotion-filled, loud life with you."

Sarah Williams

Visha Jain

Vaughn Bennett lands it all when she agrees to become a pop star's fake girlfriend in this smart, utterly addictive novel from No. 1 New York Times bestselling author duo Erin Watt. Under ordinary circumstances, Oakley Ford and Vaughn Bennett would never even cross paths. There's nothing ordinary about Oakley. This bad-boy pop star's got Grammy awards, millions of fangirls and a reputation as a restless, too-charming troublemaker. But with his home life disintegrating, his music well suddenly running dry and the tabloids having a field day over his outrageous exploits, Oakley needs to show the world he's settling down -- and who better to help him than seventeen-year-old Vaughn, a part-time waitress trying to help her family get by? The very definition of ordinary. Posing as his girlfriend, Vaughn will overhaul Oakley's image from troublemaker to serious artist. In return for enough money to put her brothers through college, she can endure outlandish Hollywood parties and carefully orchestrated Twitter exchanges. She'll fool the paparazzi and the groupies. She might even start fooling herself a little. Because when ordinary rules no longer apply, there's no telling what your heart will do...

Cath

this is one of those books you would hate to love. much like her previous series, this book exploits all sorts of drama and cliches, but i'd be lying if i said i did not enjoy it one bit. as a matter of fact i loved it. even more than their previous series, too. goodness gracious, i'm still swooning over this book. erin watt cooks up such light, fluffy reads that you can't help but fall for the characters and the story. i also love how the authors develop the love/hate relationship trope. i am sucker for them. i was already rooting for oakley and vaughn ever since they were brought up together. one thing that i found weirdly enjoyable was the lack of superstar essence. erin watt portrays oakley just as they would with any the characters from their previous series. the boys in their books are handsome, rich, a bit snobbish, but funny and kind. the whole time i was reading the book i often forget that oakley is a superstar, because in my eyes, he's just another teenage boy. but you know what? i'm completely fine with it. that little detail in the story didn't really matter much to me, and it probably would not have changed the story much if oakley was just another one of those 'perfect but a little bit broken' characters you read about in books instead of being labelled as a superstar. frankly, both titles fit the puzzle for me. however, some celebrity qualities that were captured in the book made me appreciate oakley as a character even more. vaugh on the other hand was a great character. the polar opposite to oakley, yet the perfect complement. she's soft but tough, determined but careful, and kind but sharp. the only problem i have with the book was how everything escalated really quickly at the beginning. i have a feeling this was intended by the authors, but i will not go into anymore details. it passes on quickly, and you get the goods after four to five chapters in. everything else aside, the book itself was very well written and i love the song references. i am very much aware of the genius that is elle kennedy, who is my favorite NA author to date. her writing is simply amazing. not too poetic, but heartfelt and addictive. i'm not too sure about her partner, but together the duo is unstoppable. both are quickly becoming favorites of mine. i hope there will be more to come from these brilliant ladies! i highly recommend picking up this book if you're in the mood for something sweet and light! 

much thanks to Harlequin Teen for sending me a copy in exchange for an honest review! <3

Lacey

This was so. freaking. CUTE!!! It was such a fun, adorable read. Review to come!

Thanks to the author for generously providing me an ARC to review.

When It's Real

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