Name: Under the Lights
ISBN: 9781633920170

Dahlia Adler

Josh Chester loves being a Hollywood bad boy, coasting on his good looks, his parties, his parents' wealth, and the occasional modeling gig. But his laid-back lifestyle is about to change. To help out his best friend, Liam, he joins his hit teen TV show, Daylight Falls...opposite Vanessa Park, the one actor immune to his charms. (Not that he's trying to charm her, of course.) Meanwhile, his drama-queen mother blackmails him into a new family reality TV show, with Josh in the starring role. Now that he's in the spotlight--on everyone's terms but his own--Josh has to decide whether a life as a superstar is the one he really wants. Vanessa Park has always been certain about her path as an actor, despite her parents' disapproval. But with all her relationships currently in upheaval, she's painfully uncertain about everything else. When she meets her new career handler, Brianna, Van is relieved to have found someone she can rely on, now that her BFF, Ally, is at college across the country. But as feelings unexpectedly evolve beyond friendship, Van's life reaches a whole new level of confusing. And she'll have to choose between the one thing she's always loved...and the person she never imagined she could.

A Daylight Falls Novel

Under the Lights

*3.45
after reading 'the seven husbands of evelyn hugo' i suffered from a very serious case of book hangover. this was a cute read, the vanessa/brianna had me grinning throughout and i actually like josh too. i'm always up for that m/f friendship dynamic. like overall, yeah, it was cute and it alleviated a little bit of the P A I N that evelyn hugo caused me.

Jamieson

How many Asian actors did you see on the cover of Vanity Fair’s latest Rising Young Hollywood issue? When’s the last time you saw an Asian actor carry a movie that wasn’t about martial arts? My only shot at being in a rom-com is getting thirty seconds of one of those massive ensemble things like… St. Patrick’s Day. So, yeah, it’s hard for me, and I really don’t need anything making it harder.


I requested this arc from the publisher mostly because I'd heard the main f/f romance is really cute and fluffy which is definitely is. Under the Lights revolves around a group of young people in Hollywood and is split between chapters about Josh Chester, a bad boy player born into the Hollywood life and Vanessa Park, a Korean-American actress who finds herself falling for another girl. 

I have to say I was much more invested in Vanessa's storyline than Josh's. Josh is a Hollywood bad boy and his arc is essentially him becoming less of a shit person. His character annoyed me so much and I don't think I ever felt he was redeemed. Calling Vanessa K-Drama was never called out and no one ever commented on it even though Vanessa says she doesn't like it at the beginning. It annoyed me every time I had to read it. He also made so many misogynistic comments. While I did hate him less at the end, I definitely don't think his growth made up for all the beginning. 

However, I enjoyed Vanessa's storyline so much more. Vanessa is an actress on a teen drama who finds herself falling for a girl called Brianna. I thought the romance between the to girls was so cute and well done. There is instant chemistry and their interactions are sweet and fulfilling. I really liked how their relationship was slow burn and had a big focus on consent. 

Under the Lights delves into many issues including representation in Hollywood and coming to terms with sexuality. I think these issues were definitely explored well with care and nuance. Vanessa's struggle to make it as a Korean actress, compared to Josh and Liam who are white is explored throughout the book and later what it means to be lgbt+ in Hollywood is also explored, as well as intersectionality. 

I really enjoyed Vanessa's coming out arc and how her sexuality was dealt with. The exploration of how sexuality can be fluid and you can discover you aren't hetero at any age was really nice. I also think the sex scenes were so well written. They were tender and sweet without being overly vague, and they weren't cringey which was great. Brianna was also really good bi rep and I particularly liked this quote


  “Like boys all you want, Park. It still won't fix this. I'm bi and I promise you, it's not a fucking light switch. You can't just set it on 'boy' because it's inconvenient that you like a girl right now.”


My one real big complaint about this book is that there are WAY too many characters introduced at first and it's soo confusing for a while. 

But overall, I think this book was really fun. It delves into serious issues while having a fun "Hollywood drama" type plot line. I don't read Hollywood books, pretty much ever, so this was nice. I also liked that it was New Adult as that is a genre that appeals to me a lot as a 19 year old. I definitely recommend for a fluffy f/f romance and a fun Hollywood centric read. (Also, even though this is book 2 in the series you don't need to read book one. I didn't and it made perfect sense)

tw: misogynistic comments, racist and lesbophobic comments

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When I read Behind the Scenes, as invested as I was in Ally and Liam's story, I still found myself wanting to get to Vanessa's story. I was intrigued by her character and her relationship with her family, as they seemed to want more traditional things for her than she wanted for herself. When I realized her book, in fact, was going to be a LGBTQ story, I found myself even more interested. While I've read several m/m romances, this would be my first f/f. I wasn't sure if/how it would work for me, but at the end of the day, it's about two people falling in love. How can you not get behind that? 

I liked Vanessa in Behind the Scenes. I loved her in this book, even in the moments where I wanted to yell at her for what kinda seemed like playing with Brianna's feelings. On closer look, however, she wasn't doing it consciously. She really was just that conflicted about the things she was feeling. With her upbringing, it wasn't easy to admit she might be gay. She was struggling to come to terms with so much during this book – her own personal truth, her career, growing up and being on her own. Who hasn't faced at least one of these struggles at some point? It was because of that, if not her sexuality, that I found it easy to connect with her. I loved her journey and her character growth as she accepted herself. 

The other half of this story was Josh's. Oh, I had some mixed feelings about Josh along the way. He came off as such a self-centered, spoiled ass in the first book, it was a little tougher to get me on his side. But, it happened sooner or later. He was facing his own issues in this book and, while I don't think his character growth was quite as impressive as Vanessa's, I appreciate it for what it was and I don't want to diminish it. I think he has a little further to go – and I'd love to catch up with him in a few months to see his progression – but he certainly won me over. I saw a whole new side of him in this book, one that was more vulnerable and honest. I liked it. 

Under the Lights was a fantastic read. I couldn't get through it fast enough and, once I was finished, I desperately wished I had read more slowly or that there was more to the story. But, not because it was incomplete. Because I adored these characters and just wished for more. What we did get more of, however, was Ally and Liam, who are facing brand new issues in this book as she's away at school and he's working. That was, honestly, a little unsettling because I liked them so much. But, it was also real. Long distance relationships are hard under normal circumstances. When you're dating a celebrity and you're on opposite coasts? There are bound to be troubles. 

This book is classified as young adult, but I would definitely say that, with the issues it takes on, it's absolutely on the upper end of YA and almost new adult. I think it will easily appeal to readers of both genres, too. Under the Lights gets all the stars from me. I wish I could give more than five, as a matter of fact. It was real, raw and beautiful. 

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

Under the Lights A Daylight Falls Novel