Kasie West

Fan favorite author Kasie West delivers an effervescent story about chasing your dreams and following your heart, perfect for fans of Jenny Han and Huntley Fitzpatrick. Lacey Barnes has dreamed of being an actress for as long as she can remember. So when she gets the opportunity to star in a movie alongside one of Hollywood’s hottest actors, she doesn’t hesitate to accept the part. But Lacey quickly learns that life in the spotlight isn’t as picture perfect as she imagined. She’s having trouble bonding with her costars, her father has hired the definition of a choir boy, Donavan Lake, to tutor her, and somewhere along the way she’s lost her acting mojo. And just when it seems like things couldn’t get any worse, it looks like someone on set is deliberately trying to sabotage her. As Lacey’s world spins out of control, it feels like the only person she can count on—whether it’s helping her try to unravel the mystery of who is out to get her or snap her out of her acting funk—is Donavan. But what she doesn’t count on is this straight-laced boy becoming another distraction. With her entire future riding on this movie, Lacey knows she can’t afford to get sidetracked by a crush. But for the first time in her life Lacey wonders if it’s true that the best stories really do happen when you go off script.

Fame, Fate, and the First Kiss

Victoria

After the darkness of Verity, I knew I needed to take a breather and go for something light-hearted. And I was not wrong for picking up this book—the sequel (not really a sequel) to the book Love, Life, and the List which I remember loving back when I read it 2 years ago.

 I was expecting a continuation of Abby and Cooper's love story, though, but instead, I got like a spin-off where the focus is now on Abby's best friend—Lacey.

It's your typical cute young adult/teenager love story and I'm all for it.

I hated Grant, though. He was a big pain in the ass and even though there was a bit of change in his attitude towards the end, it still didn't make up for his narcissistic asshole-ness. And Amanda... oh dear, Amanda. We need to stop with this bad boys are awesome trope. Cause it's not.

On the positive though, I really liked Lacey and Donavan. They're both so adorable. And they made me so giddy.

Plus, there was a bit of mystery injected into the plot which I appreciated.

Overall, not bad. Could have been better but I'm not mad at it.

Lauren Tabor

Jana Jenkinns 

Polished this one off on audiobook during my inventory shift. Was a fun, lighthearted read. Didn't realize it was the second in the series so I should probably read book one now 🤷🏻‍♀️😂

Emi Gilmore 

RTC? Maybe?


Anyways, Kasie West writes the best worse contemporary books ever and I'm a stan.

Sofie

I definitely enjoyed this book more than her past few titles. Maybe I'm just getting older, but her recent releases have felt a bit juvenile for me. Still, she is who I turn to when I need a good fluff book (and she can write the hell out of paranormal YA, too!)

Also, literally didn't even realize this book had crossover characters. Apparently Abby and Cooper were the star couple of "Love, Life, and the List", a book I read but didn't enjoy as much and definitely didn't remember enough to connect the two.

ashley hopkins

I adored this book. The only reason it was 4 stars and not 5 is because I was all ready for a big reveal on who was sabotaging the set, and it didn't happen. I know this is mainly contemporary so I set myself up. I loved Donovan though.

laura

* I got this book for review for my honest thoughts*

I actually really enjoyed this book. I loved the tie backs and seeing the characters from love life and the list. I really loved the book. I am always a sucker for books on a that have movie/t.v show set theme and I really enjoyed this book. I thought this book was super fun and light read. I just enjoyed it. I really loved the elements of mystery tossed in and super excited to see what the last book in this mini series is about! I enjoyed this read!

Anna Agarwal

Lovisa

Tvek på om det finns några böcker som är gulligare, all fluff än de skrivna av Kaise West och jag kinda älskar varje sekund av dem.

Lisa van der Heijden 

* Between 3.5-4.0 

Audiobook review

Fame, fate & the first kiss was my second Kasie West book and I admit I enjoyed it more than the first book I have read of her (Love, life & the list). It is an adorable romance about a starting actress falling for her tutor. It has a little bit of mystery and a little hint of hate to love romance. Overall I enjoyed reading this book, but I especially loved the film making aspect of the story. 

Fame, fate & the first kiss is a companion novel to Love, life & the list since it follows Abbey’s friend Lacey at her first acting job. The life of a starting actress is not always perfect since she struggles to connect with her co-stars, the pressure to perform well and to do her schoolwork besides filming. If this is not enough someone is sabotaging Lacey’s onset. Will this roll lead Lacey to stardom or will she crack under pressure? 

The plot was very entertaining because there are several things going on at the same time: The making of the film, the development of the romance, and the mystery of who is sabotaging Lacey. I found the daily life of an actress fascinating and I loved how the author tried to make it realistic. Lacey prioritises her acting work and that causes her schoolwork to take a backseat. Her father, like any father, would probably do, hires her a tutor (Donovan) to help her. This is the beginning of a rewarding slow burn romance. I appreciated that Lacey fell for her tutor and not for her very famous and very handsome co-star Grant James. The mystery element was a nice addition to the plot. However, it could have been executed better. The sabotage and the saboteur were not really shocking. That is my main issue with the plot: The predictability. Also, there were some plot holes that were not addressed. 

I enjoyed the characters a lot more in Fame, Fate & the First Kiss in comparison to Love, Life & the List. They were more interesting and more developed. Lacey as the main character was entertaining because she has so much personality. I also loved her growth arc as she becomes more responsible. Her co-stars Grant James and Amanda were interesting too because they are both pretty self-centered but have a sweet side too. While Donovan is probably one of the sweetest love interest in the whole YA world, I found him quite boring. I like the leading man to have more fire in him. I liked them best when he stood up for Abbey. For the parents, they felt absent and not great parental figures. I also thought the conflict between Lacey and her dad was rather easily resolved. People do not change their habits easily. 

The writing style is straightforward and easy to understand. It fitted the story really well. Kasie West’s writing style is not unique. I would not recognize her work if her name was not on it. However, it does not take away from the enjoyment of the book. The narration made this book a lot of fun. The narrator put a lot of personality into the characters that made listening to the story a great experience. My only issue with the narration was that Lacey’s voice was not the same as in Love, Life & the List. 

Overall, Fame, Fate & the First Kiss was an enjoyable read for me. My favourite aspects of the book were the film set and Lacey's personality. I would recommend it if you love fluffy romance that will put a smile on your face.

Fame, Fate, and the First Kiss

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