nbrooks1207's review
funny
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.75
whatmeaganreads's review against another edition
4.0
I probably shouldn't have started this audiobook while simultaneously watching Daisy Jones and The Six because I feel it confused me at times with the separation of events in the book vs. the show. I did enjoy the plot line though and mostly the characters, especially the two main ones.
"An ambitious exec and reluctant rock star sizzle in this workplace romantic comedy about music’s redemptive power, hogging the bed, and finding love.
Bright and ambitious Marin Collins sees her new internship with a prestigious PR firm as a stepping-stone to a much-needed permanent position. But her plans for career success are derailed when she’s assigned to go on the road with rock band Kings Quarters, hailed by Rolling Stone as the next big thing. To gain full-time employment, she’ll need to stick to her “no workplace romance” policy and resist the sexy and nerdy rock star on the tour bus.
Enter Brad Osterhauser, the reluctant guitarist who would rather be coding computer games than penning Grammy-nominated songs. While grateful for the band’s success, he’s trapped on tour out of loyalty to the brother and bandmate who helped him escape a depressing home life. His outlook about the current tour improves immensely when he’s smitten by the smart and stunning PR executive who joins the tour.
Traveling by bus, city to city with a group of practical joking bandmates and a greedy manager, Marin and Brad forge a friendship and forbidden romance over a shared love of Seinfeld episodes, stolen moments and Red Vines.
Will Marin and Brad’s secret passions destroy both their careers, or take desire to the ultimate encore?"-Goodreads
"An ambitious exec and reluctant rock star sizzle in this workplace romantic comedy about music’s redemptive power, hogging the bed, and finding love.
Bright and ambitious Marin Collins sees her new internship with a prestigious PR firm as a stepping-stone to a much-needed permanent position. But her plans for career success are derailed when she’s assigned to go on the road with rock band Kings Quarters, hailed by Rolling Stone as the next big thing. To gain full-time employment, she’ll need to stick to her “no workplace romance” policy and resist the sexy and nerdy rock star on the tour bus.
Enter Brad Osterhauser, the reluctant guitarist who would rather be coding computer games than penning Grammy-nominated songs. While grateful for the band’s success, he’s trapped on tour out of loyalty to the brother and bandmate who helped him escape a depressing home life. His outlook about the current tour improves immensely when he’s smitten by the smart and stunning PR executive who joins the tour.
Traveling by bus, city to city with a group of practical joking bandmates and a greedy manager, Marin and Brad forge a friendship and forbidden romance over a shared love of Seinfeld episodes, stolen moments and Red Vines.
Will Marin and Brad’s secret passions destroy both their careers, or take desire to the ultimate encore?"-Goodreads
popthebutterfly's review against another edition
4.0
Disclaimer: I received this book from the author. Thanks! All opinions are my own.
Book Series: I believe this will a standalone, but it might be a new series?
Rating: 4/5
Publication Date: May 21, 2019
Genre: Romance
Recommended Age: 18+ (mature love scene, language)
Publisher: n/a
Pages: 359
Amazon Link
Synopsis: Ambitious graduate Marin Collins accepts a four-month internship at a prestigious public relations firm to work on a tech account, but her plans are derailed when she’s assigned to go on the road with touring rock band Kings Quarters, hailed by Rolling Stone as the next big thing.
Enter Brad Osterhauser, the reluctant rock star who would rather be coding computer games than penning Grammy-nominated songs.
Traveling by bus, city to city with a group of practical joking bandmates and a greedy manager, Marin and Brad forge a friendship and forbidden romance over a shared love of Seinfeld episodes, stolen moments and Red Vines.
But when Marin’s accused of betraying her company and the band, will Brad come to her defense or believe she was disloyal to him for the sake of her career?
Told in alternating perspectives of Marin and Brad, Starfish is a contemporary romance of unexpected love, the redemptive power of music and hogging the bed.
Review: I thought this book was beautifully written. Lisa has a talent for writing and she can really pull at your heart strings. I was hooked quickly on this book and I loved the romance and I loved how she built the tension. The world building was also really well done.
I thought the pacing was a bit slow for me, but it really helped with the tension of the romance. I also felt that some of the side characters could have been a bit more developed, but overall I liked this book!
Verdict: A book for the music lovers.
Book Series: I believe this will a standalone, but it might be a new series?
Rating: 4/5
Publication Date: May 21, 2019
Genre: Romance
Recommended Age: 18+ (mature love scene, language)
Publisher: n/a
Pages: 359
Amazon Link
Synopsis: Ambitious graduate Marin Collins accepts a four-month internship at a prestigious public relations firm to work on a tech account, but her plans are derailed when she’s assigned to go on the road with touring rock band Kings Quarters, hailed by Rolling Stone as the next big thing.
Enter Brad Osterhauser, the reluctant rock star who would rather be coding computer games than penning Grammy-nominated songs.
Traveling by bus, city to city with a group of practical joking bandmates and a greedy manager, Marin and Brad forge a friendship and forbidden romance over a shared love of Seinfeld episodes, stolen moments and Red Vines.
But when Marin’s accused of betraying her company and the band, will Brad come to her defense or believe she was disloyal to him for the sake of her career?
Told in alternating perspectives of Marin and Brad, Starfish is a contemporary romance of unexpected love, the redemptive power of music and hogging the bed.
Review: I thought this book was beautifully written. Lisa has a talent for writing and she can really pull at your heart strings. I was hooked quickly on this book and I loved the romance and I loved how she built the tension. The world building was also really well done.
I thought the pacing was a bit slow for me, but it really helped with the tension of the romance. I also felt that some of the side characters could have been a bit more developed, but overall I liked this book!
Verdict: A book for the music lovers.
fsmeurinne's review against another edition
5.0
What an amazing surprise, I got this audiobook as I love rockstar romance and I truly enjoyed it, Marin and Brad's story was such a great one to read, the narrators of course where phenomenal as always, bringing their characters to live and nailing all their emotions. I am looking forward for the next audiobook.
booktastic21's review against another edition
5.0
This was my first story by Lisa Becker but will not be my last. I spent most of my day listening/reading about Marin and Brad. I like that there was a slow progression to the friendship. Like that it was not accomplished in a few days. It had all the elements I enjoy in a story..nice comfortable feel to the story that came alive as I listened. There was some angst in there also as life is not always easy. I like that there was a family vibe to the story about the band members. Craig and Brad were brothers..but Jase, Johnny and Oliver were also a part of the story. I enjoyed the games they played while on the road and the pranks were a fun surprise. I am looking forward to reading more of her stories soon...Oh and anytime Sebastian York says my name..in a audio is pure gold..haha!
jlkaad19's review against another edition
4.0
This book was a little slow to get started, it was cute in the middle and then once she got the couple together it was much faster pace as they weren’t giving her many obstacles lol
The conflict in the book to pull the couple apart was PERFECT! It was smooth and seem less and believable! It fit beautifully with the story line and the flow. It didn’t make you want to roll your eyes because one of them was being EPICALLY stupid just standard stupid lol
Then she did a few “after the music” chapters and it was fun to see their lives together!
Ahhh!!
Now on to the narrators!! Erin Mallon is simply amazing at her craft of narration. She flows from male to female seamlessly.
Sebastian York is not as grand at the female voices but that’s really the only thing I can hold against him lol he is great at his craft and I love his voice!
The conflict in the book to pull the couple apart was PERFECT! It was smooth and seem less and believable! It fit beautifully with the story line and the flow. It didn’t make you want to roll your eyes because one of them was being EPICALLY stupid just standard stupid lol
Then she did a few “after the music” chapters and it was fun to see their lives together!
Ahhh!!
Now on to the narrators!! Erin Mallon is simply amazing at her craft of narration. She flows from male to female seamlessly.
Sebastian York is not as grand at the female voices but that’s really the only thing I can hold against him lol he is great at his craft and I love his voice!
karen_the_baroness's review against another edition
5.0
I voluntarily reviewed an Advance Reader Copy from the Author. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.
Starfish by Lisa Becker is another romance novel by this fantastic author that was hard to put down. It was steamier than the other two books that I have read of Ms. Becker’s. The characters are both excellent, and they are realistic.
Marin Collins is the first point-of-view character that we met, and she is very determined to make a name for herself and not follow in her mom’s footsteps. This action is something that she struggles with throughout the whole book since it’s something that she doesn’t want to do. She does get through it, though, and that is an excellent thing.
What I like about Marin is that despite all the hardships she has faced, she still is a strong person and is trying to do things the way she wants. She is a great character that has grown a lot throughout this book. I especially like it when she starts to change her mind about working with the band in the first place.
The thing that I don’t like about her is that she doesn’t want to be like her mom, but she never really gave her mom a chance to make things right with her.
Brad Osterhauser is the second point-of-view character that we met, and he is struggling with how to tell his brother some things. He is the lead guitarist of Kings Quarters. Brad is a great guy and loves his family more than anything, which is why he is still in the band even though it’s not his passion anymore. These two make a sweet couple, and Brad tries to do what is best for Marin.
What I like about Brad is that he loves to joke around like any regular guy, especially around friends. He is very much in love with Marin, and it shows throughout the book as he changes once Marin joins the tour with them. The only thing that I didn’t like about him is that he believed Sasha, Marin’s boss, and Damon, his manager, that Marin leaked something when she shouldn’t have.
I am giving Starfish by Lisa Becker five stars and recommending it to all adult contemporary romance lovers out there. Despite all the odds stacked up against these two, mostly by Marin, they prevailed and came out stronger than ever.
Thank you for dropping by! I hope you enjoyed this review of Starfish by Lisa Becker.
Until the next time,
Happy Reading!
This review was originally posted on Baroness' Book Trove
Will Marin stop second-guessing her life choices?
Starfish by Lisa Becker is another romance novel by this fantastic author that was hard to put down. It was steamier than the other two books that I have read of Ms. Becker’s. The characters are both excellent, and they are realistic.
Marin Collins
Marin Collins is the first point-of-view character that we met, and she is very determined to make a name for herself and not follow in her mom’s footsteps. This action is something that she struggles with throughout the whole book since it’s something that she doesn’t want to do. She does get through it, though, and that is an excellent thing.
What I like about Marin is that despite all the hardships she has faced, she still is a strong person and is trying to do things the way she wants. She is a great character that has grown a lot throughout this book. I especially like it when she starts to change her mind about working with the band in the first place.
The thing that I don’t like about her is that she doesn’t want to be like her mom, but she never really gave her mom a chance to make things right with her.
Brad Osterhauser
Brad Osterhauser is the second point-of-view character that we met, and he is struggling with how to tell his brother some things. He is the lead guitarist of Kings Quarters. Brad is a great guy and loves his family more than anything, which is why he is still in the band even though it’s not his passion anymore. These two make a sweet couple, and Brad tries to do what is best for Marin.
What I like about Brad is that he loves to joke around like any regular guy, especially around friends. He is very much in love with Marin, and it shows throughout the book as he changes once Marin joins the tour with them. The only thing that I didn’t like about him is that he believed Sasha, Marin’s boss, and Damon, his manager, that Marin leaked something when she shouldn’t have.
Five Stars
I am giving Starfish by Lisa Becker five stars and recommending it to all adult contemporary romance lovers out there. Despite all the odds stacked up against these two, mostly by Marin, they prevailed and came out stronger than ever.
Thank you for dropping by! I hope you enjoyed this review of Starfish by Lisa Becker.
Until the next time,
Happy Reading!
This review was originally posted on Baroness' Book Trove
lisaluvsliterature's review against another edition
3.0
I'd enjoyed the other two books I'd read by this author, so was very excited to hear she had written a rock star romance, because those are one of my favorite types of stories these days.
While at first I was hooked pretty quickly, unfortunately, this one didn't quite work for me in the end. It had a few parts that I did enjoy, and there was a twist at the end that I didn't see coming, but even that messed up some things for me.
I was disappointed in this one because I'd enjoyed the other two of her books that I'd read so much. And hey, maybe I'm in the minority here, because everyone who reviewed on Goodreads so far loved this one it seems. I'll let you take what you want from this review, but what I'd suggest is to go back and read one of her other books that I really enjoyed, Links or Clutch. I hate posting a negative review, because I am grateful for getting the chance to read this one, but I have to be honest.
You can read my full, original review at Lisa Loves Literature.
While at first I was hooked pretty quickly, unfortunately, this one didn't quite work for me in the end. It had a few parts that I did enjoy, and there was a twist at the end that I didn't see coming, but even that messed up some things for me.
I was disappointed in this one because I'd enjoyed the other two of her books that I'd read so much. And hey, maybe I'm in the minority here, because everyone who reviewed on Goodreads so far loved this one it seems. I'll let you take what you want from this review, but what I'd suggest is to go back and read one of her other books that I really enjoyed, Links or Clutch. I hate posting a negative review, because I am grateful for getting the chance to read this one, but I have to be honest.
You can read my full, original review at Lisa Loves Literature.
rotellareads's review against another edition
3.0
An overall funny, sweet and sexy read! 3.5 stars
I really enjoyed all of the charters in this book. They each brought something unique and different to the story and helped keep it flowing nicely. I especially adored the best wing woman in the world, Grace. Her personality and wit was infectious.
The hero, Brad, was such a good guy. You couldn’t help but love him. He was smart, kind and talented. And when he put on those glasses and talked coding, swoooooooon!!!!! The heroine, Marin, was quirky and introverted but also extremely intelligent and sweet. Over the course of the book I started to like her more and more, especially when she started to let her guard down with Brad.
The book in its entirety was great. The story flowed well, random twists and turns were thrown in to keep it interesting. Sometimes with rock star romance books, the writing dives too deep into the minutiae of being in a band or touring or the nitty gritty of “the biz” and I’m so glad the author didn’t do that with this book! Just enough base level knowledge was addressed, so you didn’t feel like you were being schooled on how to be a rock star. It was all about the chemistry and relationships between the characters!
I especially loved the epilogue and how the author wrapped up the ending for the love birds.
The only reason I didn’t rate this book higher was because at times the dialogue became completely silly / unrealistic and felt like it was thrown in there for either shock value or just to add some meat to the story. No man ever wants to know when you first got your period. Ever. LOL
I really enjoyed all of the charters in this book. They each brought something unique and different to the story and helped keep it flowing nicely. I especially adored the best wing woman in the world, Grace. Her personality and wit was infectious.
The hero, Brad, was such a good guy. You couldn’t help but love him. He was smart, kind and talented. And when he put on those glasses and talked coding, swoooooooon!!!!! The heroine, Marin, was quirky and introverted but also extremely intelligent and sweet. Over the course of the book I started to like her more and more, especially when she started to let her guard down with Brad.
The book in its entirety was great. The story flowed well, random twists and turns were thrown in to keep it interesting. Sometimes with rock star romance books, the writing dives too deep into the minutiae of being in a band or touring or the nitty gritty of “the biz” and I’m so glad the author didn’t do that with this book! Just enough base level knowledge was addressed, so you didn’t feel like you were being schooled on how to be a rock star. It was all about the chemistry and relationships between the characters!
I especially loved the epilogue and how the author wrapped up the ending for the love birds.
The only reason I didn’t rate this book higher was because at times the dialogue became completely silly / unrealistic and felt like it was thrown in there for either shock value or just to add some meat to the story. No man ever wants to know when you first got your period. Ever. LOL