Crashing the A-List #BookReview

Get Smitten For Fiction! 😸

Happy Wednesday book lovers! I was pumped to get an email from Justine at HarperCollins including an e-ARC of Crashing the A-List by Summer Heacock. The synopsis sounded amazing, and it did not disappoint! This is a quick, fun summer rom-com, perfect for the beach or traveling! Keep reading for my review 🙂

About The Book 📚

Publication Date: July 9, 2019

Publisher: MIRA

Genre: New Adult, Contemporary Rom-Com

Goodreads Link

Buy it on Amazon

Synopsis

“After four months of unemployment, former book editor Clara Montgomery is still stuck sleeping on her little brother’s ugly couch in Queens. Determined to keep her minuscule savings account intact, she takes a job clearing out abandoned storage units, but is in no way prepared for stumbling upon dead snakes or trying to identify exactly where the perpetual stench of beets is emanating from.

When Clara comes across a unit that was once owned by an escort service, she finds the brothel “résumé” of a younger Caspian Tiddleswich… an astonishingly famous British actor. Her best friend thinks she should sell the gossip to a tabloid to fund her way off the couch from hell, but Clara instead manages to track down Caspian’s contact info, intending to reassure him that her lips are sealed.

Unfortunately, Caspian misinterprets Clara’s attempt at altruism and shows up on her doorstep, accusing her of blackmail. When the paparazzi capture a photo of them together, Caspian’s PR team sees an opportunity to promote his latest film—and if Clara wants to atone for her “crimes,” she’ll have to play along. Pretending to be Caspian’s girlfriend seems like it will be a tolerable, if somewhat daunting, penance… until their fake romance becomes something more than either of them expected.”

My Review

› Clara was an assistant editor at a “Big Five” publishing house in Manhattan, now she’s crashing on her little brother’s couch (which Clara named Gertrude) after losing her job. Her goal is simple: get back on her feet before her brother’s wedding in four months. In the meantime, she gets a job working at a storage place, using a truck named Brutus to clear repossessed units.

› Clara’s best friend Cici would move mountains for her friend. She’s hilarious, supportive, understanding, and smart. I absolutely love Cici and I admire the strong relationship she has with Clara.

› Caspian Tiddleswich, yup, you read that right, TIDDLESWICH – he’s a famous actor. While clearing out one of the storage units filled with boxes of papers Clara and Cici find proof that Caspian was once an escort. Yeah, they joke around about sharing it with a celebrity gossip website, but they’re good people, so instead Clara uses her editor contacts to get his phone number and make a drunken call leaving a voicemail detailing that she knows about his past and will keep it safe. Caspian takes this as a threat and ends up on her doorstep intending a little payback. He makes a deal with Clara that he won’t go to the police as long as she pretends to be his girlfriend while he’s in town promoting his new movie.

› Crashing the A-List is HILARIOUS. I actually laughed out loud a few times (IE: while reading the lunch scene with Clara’s family).
› Clara and Cici’s friendship is my favourite part of this book! I’d love to read another book perhaps based around something that happens in Cici’s life. Their banter is just the best.
› I’m not a big fan of first person narrative, and it took me a little bit to get into it. Once it sucked me in, that was it, I couldn’t put it down.
› Caspian was a complete jerk. I’m not sure if he really won me over by the end, but I did really like how Clara stuck to her guns and didn’t let him treat her like a piece of crap.
› I wanted a little bit more secondary character development. I mean we met Clara’s brother, Tom, and his fiance, Trina, but we didn’t really get to know them at all. Plus there was talk of the wedding plans, Clara tries on her dress, but we don’t get to be at the wedding! ARG! It also would have been great to know more about Cici, her goals, motivations, relationships.

› Enemies to lovers, fake dating, embarrassing moms, fun parties, this would make an awesome rom-com movie! If you liked Red, White & Royal Blue you’re gonna love Crashing the A-List. I must go read Heacock’s debut The Awkward Path to Getting Lucky and then read everything else she writes!