Tuesday, July 9, 2019

Review - - Crashing the A-List

Crashing the A-List
by Summer Heacock
Publisher: MIRA
Release Date: July 9, 2019
Reviewed by PJ
 



She’s doing all the wrong things for all the right reasons.

After four months of unemployment, former book editor Clara Montgomery is officially stuck—stuck sleeping on her little brother’s ugly couch in Queens, stuck scrolling through job listings in search of a new editorial position…and just desperate enough to take on a temporary gig clearing out abandoned storage units. If nothing else, she’s determined to keep her rapidly dwindling savings account intact.

Unfortunately, she is in no way prepared for stumbling upon dead snakes or dealing with glass jars that she’s convinced are full of pickled eyeballs. And why does everything seem to smell like beets?

Then Clara comes across a unit that was once owned by an escort service and finds the brothel “résumé” of a younger Caspian Tiddleswich, an astonishingly famous British actor. She has no intention of cashing in on her discovery, but her awkward attempts to reassure Caspian that his secret is safe go awry. Now Caspian is convinced that Clara is a blackmailer, the tabloids have her pegged as Caspian’s newest girlfriend…and Clara begins to find the A-lister’s charms more irresistible than she expected.



My thoughts:

Okay, be honest. Did anyone have any doubts that a story with a hero named Caspian Tiddleswich was going to make me laugh? More chick lit than traditional romance, Crashing the A-List is a fast-paced story filled with memorable characters, awkward misunderstandings, laugh-out-loud humor, cringe-worthy moments, and a hero who, through much of the book, I wanted to drop from a plane without a parachute. Without going into detail, I'll just say that Caspian's character has a lot of growing to do. Which he does, redeeming himself very nicely in the end, after some serious introspection, with a hero-worthy grand gesture and a sincere, heart-tugging mea culpa that left me confident in a happy future for our unlikely couple. 

There have been many times in my life when I've wondered (okay, fantasized) about dating an A-List actor. None of those fantasies in any way resemble what poor Clara has to endure as a result of a drunken phone call that didn't go at all the way she had intended. She really is a nice person with a good heart but things aren't going so well for her. Downsized out of her job, she's living on her brother's couch, fending off her mother's repeated attempts to bring her home to Buffalo, earning money by cleaning out abandoned storage units for her future sister-in-law's uncle who may or may not be a mob boss, and for the cherry on top of that sundae, forced into indentured dating with the movie star she may have accidentally attempted to blackmail (drunken phone call). I adored her, was cheering her on the entire way, wanted to hug her, encourage her, and tell her to stand up for herself. She's worth so much more than she seems to think. (She eventually wakes up to that fact and when she does, it's oh so good!)

Heacock has created a secondary cast surrounding our main couple that's all that and more. Cici is the best friend everyone should be lucky enough to have. I don't know if Heacock has any future plans for her but I'd sure buy that book. I haven't seen nearly enough of her! Clara's mother is the family member I'd move to another continent to escape but can't get enough of in books. The scenes between Cas and Mama Montgomery are hilarious! And, the rest of the vividly depicted secondary characters all add richness and flavor to the story.

If you're looking for a light, fun, laugh-out-loud book this summer that will have the people around you asking what you're reading, check out Crashing the A-List by Summer Heacock. 






8 comments:

  1. This story does sound like an amusing summer read. Am very tempted to give it a try.

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    1. Hope you enjoy it if you decide to pick up a copy.

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  2. I so want to read this now. *LOL*

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    1. You were the first person I thought of when I finished reading it. :)

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  3. Sometimes you just need to read a light fun book. I will have to read this!

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  4. I am a sucker for laughing at a book I am reading This sounds like fun. Thanks for another introduction to a new to me author.

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  5. I found lots of laugh out loud scenes in this story. I agree with your review PJ.

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