missylynne's review
3.0
Cute. Had a few slow points but it kept me interested. Definitely want to read the next book.
jen286's review
2.0
Also posted to Jen in Bookland
Ugh. Stardust was not my cup of tea. It was almost good, but it just missed the mark for me. I can see where others might enjoy it, their sense of humor different from mine, but for me it was not good. The worst part? All the horrible names for people's genitals. The worst? Meatflaps to refer to Peaches lady parts. She could have had her meatflaps moistened by the sexy guy. Shudder. Why oh why would you ever use meatflaps? That is like the most disturbing name to call it. It was just....that was at the beginning so I should have known it wouldn't really get better. It was like Peaches was so immature she couldn't use the actual names. It was like we were in high school or something. He could put his pepperoni stick in her zesty taco zone. Really? It was....it was like every time there would be some making out or something I would be all okay, this is good, why did you just write that?!?! Why or why did you just use those words to describe this scene? It was quite disturbing.
The other issue with the book? Peaches. She was so down on herself all the time. I get it, she is larger. How large? Well not that big as she is going to be a plus sized model. So like normal person size maybe? Who knows, but she is really hung up on it. That and that she is not a fun girl. Even though she does fun things she has to complain about how she is not fun all the time. And really just everything. She complains about everything. I just wanted her to at least grow a little, or be more confident with herself or something by the end. She doesn't and it is just annoying. If she is that upset by the way she looks then do something about it. Maybe exercise? I don't know. It is like she is the girl who makes fun of herself so others don't, even though they probably wouldn't. She is the girl who likes to be so down on herself so others will say nice things to her. The girl who does nothing to try and change her situation, but just complains about it. I don't like that. Find a way to accept yourself or find a way to change yourself. I will help, but please stop your whining all the time.
I also don't get the Peaches Dalton relationship. It was also written like they were in high school and very immature. The whole book was written like that. As I said I can see where some would find it humorous, it is just not for me. Dalton is really lame, and Peaches has her high school crush, Adrian, who seems to actually like her. She seems to like him too so I am not sure why she stays with Dalton. I mean she is so insecure about Dalton, why not try with Adrian and see what happens? It seems like he would have been good for her, but instead she goes for the glamour and fame of Dalton. I don't know.
Really this book could have been alright, but the way the author described things was just not good and ruined any good feelings I had towards the book. Meatflaps. I mean really? I just cannot get over that and have no idea what the author was thinking. It was just unfortunate. Then the way it ended, great so you need to read another book to see what happens....well unfortunately I am not going to be doing that. If you are not bothered by Meatflaps, salami, pepperoni sticks, zesty taco stands, hot dog stand, etc used to describe things in intimate moments then give this book a go. You might like it. If you are like me though, just stay away.
Ugh. Stardust was not my cup of tea. It was almost good, but it just missed the mark for me. I can see where others might enjoy it, their sense of humor different from mine, but for me it was not good. The worst part? All the horrible names for people's genitals. The worst? Meatflaps to refer to Peaches lady parts. She could have had her meatflaps moistened by the sexy guy. Shudder. Why oh why would you ever use meatflaps? That is like the most disturbing name to call it. It was just....that was at the beginning so I should have known it wouldn't really get better. It was like Peaches was so immature she couldn't use the actual names. It was like we were in high school or something. He could put his pepperoni stick in her zesty taco zone. Really? It was....it was like every time there would be some making out or something I would be all okay, this is good, why did you just write that?!?! Why or why did you just use those words to describe this scene? It was quite disturbing.
The other issue with the book? Peaches. She was so down on herself all the time. I get it, she is larger. How large? Well not that big as she is going to be a plus sized model. So like normal person size maybe? Who knows, but she is really hung up on it. That and that she is not a fun girl. Even though she does fun things she has to complain about how she is not fun all the time. And really just everything. She complains about everything. I just wanted her to at least grow a little, or be more confident with herself or something by the end. She doesn't and it is just annoying. If she is that upset by the way she looks then do something about it. Maybe exercise? I don't know. It is like she is the girl who makes fun of herself so others don't, even though they probably wouldn't. She is the girl who likes to be so down on herself so others will say nice things to her. The girl who does nothing to try and change her situation, but just complains about it. I don't like that. Find a way to accept yourself or find a way to change yourself. I will help, but please stop your whining all the time.
I also don't get the Peaches Dalton relationship. It was also written like they were in high school and very immature. The whole book was written like that. As I said I can see where some would find it humorous, it is just not for me. Dalton is really lame, and Peaches has her high school crush, Adrian, who seems to actually like her. She seems to like him too so I am not sure why she stays with Dalton. I mean she is so insecure about Dalton, why not try with Adrian and see what happens? It seems like he would have been good for her, but instead she goes for the glamour and fame of Dalton. I don't know.
Really this book could have been alright, but the way the author described things was just not good and ruined any good feelings I had towards the book. Meatflaps. I mean really? I just cannot get over that and have no idea what the author was thinking. It was just unfortunate. Then the way it ended, great so you need to read another book to see what happens....well unfortunately I am not going to be doing that. If you are not bothered by Meatflaps, salami, pepperoni sticks, zesty taco stands, hot dog stand, etc used to describe things in intimate moments then give this book a go. You might like it. If you are like me though, just stay away.
jrt5166's review
4.0
This book was not what I expected, which I sort of loved. Usually I enjoy reading romance novels for the familiarity. I find the formulaic nature calming. This novel did not follow the formula, but I liked it enough that I didn't mind. Strong does an excellent job of writing a relatable, interesting heroine with a clear and intelligent voice. Then she follows it up with a fascinating, unorthodox romance. This novel was free on Amazon, but I was intrigued enough to buy the next book. Heck, I might even buy both.
EDIT: I did buy both, and it was a mistake. Books 2 and 3 were terrible.
EDIT: I did buy both, and it was a mistake. Books 2 and 3 were terrible.
nikkibee's review
1.0
It started corny but had a kind of fun twist to it. The corniness quickly turned to bad clique romance writing and a Mary sue for a main character. Oh well.
isalaur's review
1.0
So ridiculous and crass. Didn’t even make it 10% in and couldn’t take it any more. Too many books to waste time on crap.
triciab04's review
4.0
4.5 stars
This book was A-M-A-Z-I-N-G!!! Well, that is if you like hot sex and laughing like a lunatic pretty frequently. I adore both of those things, so needless to say I loved this book. Stardust was great, it was a light, funny, sexy read. It was honestly like a breath of fresh air.
I am officially on Team Peaches. She might just be one if my new favorite leading ladies. She was so unique, charming, funny, a little strange (and trust me that's a good thing, all the best people are!), and so quirky. She felt so real to me, she had some body image issues, which come on what woman doesn't at times?. But she was also confident and comfortable in her own skin too, even though it might not have been her idea of perfection. Her sarcastic, witty banter was one of my favorite things about her, and this book! I laughed out loud so many times I' started getting worried, "is she crazy?" Glances from my family.
Can't forget about good ole "Double D"! He was just as awesome as Peaches, with the added bonuses of being a celebrity and drop dead gorgeous. He exuded the same comical strangeness that she did, and I loved it!! So much so that I'm willing to give him the benefit of the doubt, after that not so appealing light that was cast on him at the end.
Did I also mention how much I loved Beaverdale?! And no people that was not a euphemism, get your heads out of the gutters!! It was the actual setting of this book. Seriously if Beaverdale were a real place, I'd be getting my passport stamped immediately ;) It felt like a neighborhood version of Cheers, where everybody knows your name. Even the smaller characters were quirky and brought a nice feel to the whole book. I mean come on, who wasn't completely in love with Dottie and her class? Or the older generations of Peaches family?
I was so pleasantly surprised by how much I enjoyed this book. I will definitely be watching out for the next book to come out! And I will also be checking out more books from this author.
This book was A-M-A-Z-I-N-G!!! Well, that is if you like hot sex and laughing like a lunatic pretty frequently. I adore both of those things, so needless to say I loved this book. Stardust was great, it was a light, funny, sexy read. It was honestly like a breath of fresh air.
I am officially on Team Peaches. She might just be one if my new favorite leading ladies. She was so unique, charming, funny, a little strange (and trust me that's a good thing, all the best people are!), and so quirky. She felt so real to me, she had some body image issues, which come on what woman doesn't at times?. But she was also confident and comfortable in her own skin too, even though it might not have been her idea of perfection. Her sarcastic, witty banter was one of my favorite things about her, and this book! I laughed out loud so many times I' started getting worried, "is she crazy?" Glances from my family.
Can't forget about good ole "Double D"! He was just as awesome as Peaches, with the added bonuses of being a celebrity and drop dead gorgeous. He exuded the same comical strangeness that she did, and I loved it!! So much so that I'm willing to give him the benefit of the doubt, after that not so appealing light that was cast on him at the end.
Did I also mention how much I loved Beaverdale?! And no people that was not a euphemism, get your heads out of the gutters!! It was the actual setting of this book. Seriously if Beaverdale were a real place, I'd be getting my passport stamped immediately ;) It felt like a neighborhood version of Cheers, where everybody knows your name. Even the smaller characters were quirky and brought a nice feel to the whole book. I mean come on, who wasn't completely in love with Dottie and her class? Or the older generations of Peaches family?
I was so pleasantly surprised by how much I enjoyed this book. I will definitely be watching out for the next book to come out! And I will also be checking out more books from this author.
krystolla's review
1.0
DNF. Kinda like being trapped in a tween romantic fantasy -- everything is happy coincidence, characters are without motivation. Or personality. Some nonspecific obsession with describing food and clothing in ways that don't actually provide insight into anything.
Author is trying very hard to be funny but comes across as breezy and saccharine. Not recommended.
Author is trying very hard to be funny but comes across as breezy and saccharine. Not recommended.
prationality's review
1.0
I was excited for this book. Peaches sounded like someone I would get along with. So very wrong.
+++
The book began kind of well. I say kind of because Peaches, as interesting as she sounded in the summary blurb, began to get annoying very very quickly. And while I thought Dalton came on waaaay too strong at first, I liked the banter between him and Peaches. I did not enjoy her constant stream of inner monologue'ing about how hot he was and how tight he was and the semi-erotic thoughts she had and how bad she was for thinking those thoughts.
And I swear on my books if I read "I'm not the 'fun' girl" one more time I will print the cover just to use it as a dartboard. Its one thing to say it every so often, its another to say it practically EVERY TIME your boyfriend or your friends comment on you. She'd say it out loud (and be refuted constantly), she'd think it (while doing something your typical 'boring' girl would never do) and she'd loudly proclaim it almost proudly.
Dalton quickly wore thin on me too however. Something just seemed...odd at times. You come to find out why his reactions were a bit weird at the VERY end of the book. And you know what? Frak you very much. To them both. Dalton for being shadier then you can imagine and Peaches for being the idiot who didn't see the signs.
If your celebrity [fake]vampire TV star boyfriend purposely seems to evade your questions about what his current project--that will catapult him from Edward Cullen status to Brad Pitt status presumably--wouldn't that make you suspicious? Like suspicious enough that you'd, I don't know, ask questions and not just be distracted when he decides to pull out his porn star background sexpertise?
And honestly their relationship didn't work for me. It moved so fast. At first I thought 'Oh well okay its a one night stand to friends with benefits to something more dealio'. Not my favorite trope, but hey do what you gotta when its multiple books long. But Dalton was so intense the entire time. And invasive. I can't think of any other word for him.
I'll give Peaches credit, she was consistent about not changing how she looked. A bit cosmetically (dressed a bit more showy, did her hair a bit more), but she never one thought she had to slim down to be with Dalton. Actually most of her self-doubt was geared more towards "God I'm so boring" then "God does he think I'm fat?", which was a welcome change of pace (though as I said it was way overdone).
In the interests of honesty I went and read the synopsis (and many many reviews) of the next two books and it doesn't sound like it gets better. At all. In any way. What little interest I had in Adrian is quickly shoved aside for the fact Peaches apparently doesn't LEARN A THING.
+++
The book began kind of well. I say kind of because Peaches, as interesting as she sounded in the summary blurb, began to get annoying very very quickly. And while I thought Dalton came on waaaay too strong at first, I liked the banter between him and Peaches. I did not enjoy her constant stream of inner monologue'ing about how hot he was and how tight he was and the semi-erotic thoughts she had and how bad she was for thinking those thoughts.
And I swear on my books if I read "I'm not the 'fun' girl" one more time I will print the cover just to use it as a dartboard. Its one thing to say it every so often, its another to say it practically EVERY TIME your boyfriend or your friends comment on you. She'd say it out loud (and be refuted constantly), she'd think it (while doing something your typical 'boring' girl would never do) and she'd loudly proclaim it almost proudly.
Dalton quickly wore thin on me too however. Something just seemed...odd at times. You come to find out why his reactions were a bit weird at the VERY end of the book. And you know what? Frak you very much. To them both. Dalton for being shadier then you can imagine and Peaches for being the idiot who didn't see the signs.
If your celebrity [fake]vampire TV star boyfriend purposely seems to evade your questions about what his current project--that will catapult him from Edward Cullen status to Brad Pitt status presumably--wouldn't that make you suspicious? Like suspicious enough that you'd, I don't know, ask questions and not just be distracted when he decides to pull out his porn star background sexpertise?
And honestly their relationship didn't work for me. It moved so fast. At first I thought 'Oh well okay its a one night stand to friends with benefits to something more dealio'. Not my favorite trope, but hey do what you gotta when its multiple books long. But Dalton was so intense the entire time. And invasive. I can't think of any other word for him.
I'll give Peaches credit, she was consistent about not changing how she looked. A bit cosmetically (dressed a bit more showy, did her hair a bit more), but she never one thought she had to slim down to be with Dalton. Actually most of her self-doubt was geared more towards "God I'm so boring" then "God does he think I'm fat?", which was a welcome change of pace (though as I said it was way overdone).
In the interests of honesty I went and read the synopsis (and many many reviews) of the next two books and it doesn't sound like it gets better. At all. In any way. What little interest I had in Adrian is quickly shoved aside for the fact Peaches apparently doesn't LEARN A THING.
readercecc6's review
4.0
So, I really enjoyed this book. The heroine, Peaches, is cheeky as hell and quick witted - traits I admire in a person since I'm the complete opposite. That said, I couldn't understand how she turned from a woman who knew the deal/rules of the game to someone who became so enamored that she'd cast all caution to the wind and act so recklessly with her heart. Maybe it's different when the person falling is you, but from a bystander's perspective, he wasn't in it for the long haul.
Going into the book, I had no idea it wasn't a standalone. It was free at the apple book store and amazon and I dived right in after reading the synopsis. I thought Peaches Monroe was the town's name like one of the many contemporary romance series out there ie; Something Mist/Harbor something/Something Falls/Colorado Mountains etc, so imagine my surprise when the book ended on a cliffie. I will be continuing with the series since I really enjoyed the author's voice but I'm definitely rooting for Adrien because Dalton just rubbed me the wrong way the entire book.
Going into the book, I had no idea it wasn't a standalone. It was free at the apple book store and amazon and I dived right in after reading the synopsis. I thought Peaches Monroe was the town's name like one of the many contemporary romance series out there ie; Something Mist/Harbor something/Something Falls/Colorado Mountains etc, so imagine my surprise when the book ended on a cliffie. I will be continuing with the series since I really enjoyed the author's voice but I'm definitely rooting for Adrien because Dalton just rubbed me the wrong way the entire book.
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