Dreams By Starlight

Dreams #1

by Staci Stallings

If the world's a stage and each of us plays a part, then Camille Wright is the high school wallflower that nobody remembers and only the bullies ever knew was there. However, her headlong dash to Princeton's Aerospace Engineering program crashes to a heart-jarring halt when in order to "round out all those math classes," she is unwillingly signed up for drama class. Awkward, shy, and quiet, Camille struggles to stay part of the wall even under the bright lights. But sometimes where you want to be isn't where you were destined to be at all...

Jaylon Patrick Quinn has been the star so long, not even he remembers when he wasn't. Confident to the point of obnoxious, smooth to the point of disgusting, Jaylon has his high school peers enthralled. However, the fool's gold of stardom and the glare of being one-half of the school's star couple have made Jaylon begin to question if this is really how life is best lived. Now he must decided which direction his future is headed and more importantly, if he really wants to go there at all.

Genres: Christian Fiction, Contemporary Romance, Romance, Young Adult, New Adult, Christian, Christian Romance

296 pages, Kindle Edition

First published November 17, 2007

About the author

A stay-at-home mom with a husband, three kids and a writing addiction on the side, Staci Stallings has numerous titles for readers to choose from. Not content to stay in one genre and write it to death, Staci’s stories run the gamut from young adult to adult, from motivational and inspirational to full-out Christian and back again. Every title is a new adventure! That’s what keeps Staci writing and you reading. Staci touches the lives of people across the globe every week with her various Internet endeavors including:

Spirit Light Books–The Blog:
http://spiritlightbooks.wordpress.com/

Facebook Author Page at:
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Spirit-...

Staci’s Ebook Romance Stories:
http://ebookromancestories.com/

Follow Staci on Twitter: @StaciStallings

Reviews

[Lindsay Dillard · Rating 5 out of 5]

Grade read

This was a great book. It was inspirational how dedicated The characters were. I think this is a great story about how hard work and dedication eventually will pay off. I definitely enjoy the story, and it was a very intriguing read

[Patricia Harris]

Excellent book! Enjoyed the great storyline!

[Debbie · Rating 5 out of 5]

"Dreams by Starlight" by Staci Stallings is a 5 star book. This book is written for young adults but I think adults will like this books also. I know I did. The only thing I didn't like was this book was a reminder of the bullies and a little bit of things done to me when I was in high school. This book could really be real life.

The main Characters in this story are Camille and Jaylon and Lexie and Nick McGee and Arlene.

Camille is a math lover and is forced to take drama, her senior year of high school and really hates it till she is cast as the star in the school's Spring play. She has to be the mother to her little sister because her mom has her own interests.

Jaylon is the most poplar boy in the school and everyone thinks he has a wonderful life. But nothing is every as wonderful as it seems. His mother died of Cancer (yes another story with the mention of the c word) and his father won't support him in his choice for his life's profession. I think Jaylon is my favorite character in this book because of his relationship with his grandmother, reading this book made me missed my grandma.

Lexie is Camille's best friend. Then she meets and falls in love with Nick.

Nick is another classmate in drama and befriends Camille till she becomes friends with Jaylon.

Arlene is the bully and wants to be the star in the play.

Jaylon and Camille finally realized that they are in love but will that be enough since they both have different dreams and are going in different directions to college.

Camille is brave enough to try Jaylon's father the truth about himself and makes him see that he is wrong treating his son the way he does.

This book is more than a teen love story. It is a book about life and dreams and relationships.

Oh I forgot to mention how another shy student saved the play after an act of vandalism.

I am going to read the next book in this series also, it is called "Reunion"

I was given an ebook copy by the author for a honest review

[Diana · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is a must read for teens and will be enjoyable for adults as well. Two high school seniors are taking drama class. Camille takes it because her councilor pushed her into it, Jayden because it is his dream. Both kids are from opposite sides of the financial spectrum, both have different dreams for their future, but they both find they have much in common. You see conclusions being jumped to without all the facts, bullies, and senior stress. There is applying to colleges, high school couples with expectations that they will apply and go to the same colleges, developing jealousy and childhood grudges that finally come to the surface.

This book would be more relevant to today's high school kids than some of the required reading they have now. It could spark discussions on understanding that what they see in each other today may not be so attractive tomorrow, that what they believe another person's story is- may not be what that person is actually going through, that what they assumed was the reason for something happening was not the actual story behind it, that thinking you are better than others and acting badly toward them is unbecoming- even for the prettiest of girls, and how a small gesture that you barely think about can be brought back tenfold. This book does all of this without being preachy- by just showing believable interaction between a handful of high school students.

[Jill Williamson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Dreams by Starlight is a sweet read by author Staci Stallings.

Camille Wright is the invisible girl in school and she likes it that way. Her goal in life is to attend Princeton and become an aerospace engineer. The only problem? Princeton doesn’t just want smart students, they want well-rounded ones. If Camille is going to achieve her dreams, she’s going to have to face her worst nightmare first. Drama class.

Jaylon Patrick Quinn has been in the spotlight all his life, he barely has to try to land a role anymore. But lately his heart is changing. He begins to see his perfect reputation as obnoxious. His girlfriend of three years lives the kind of life he no longer finds fulfilling. When he is partnered with wallflower, Camille, for an eye-contact exercise in drama class, he stares into the soul of a girl with substance. She intrigues him.

Camille is certain Jaylon Quinn’s newfound interest in her can’t be real. She puts up walls to keep herself from getting hurt, but Jaylon is not dissuaded. The closer they grow, the more Camille fears getting hurt, and the more Jaylon is convinced he needs Camille’s friendship in his life.

Dreams by Starlight is a story of two teenagers from different worlds finding common ground, friendship, and love despite preconceived notions. If you enjoy romance novels, I’m sure you’ll enjoy Dreams by Starlight. Recommended.

[Kevin · Rating 2 out of 5]

All Camille Wright wants in life is to get into college and, with her intelligence, schools should be clamoring for her. However, she has spent so much time just poring over books and playing mother to her kid sister that she has no extracurriculars to include on her college applications whatsoever. So her guidance counselor signs her up for a drama class. Acting is not her thing and never has been and she wants nothing more than to just finish this class and move on with her life. But, as you would expect, the experiences she has and people she meets — particularly the local drama stud, Jaylon Quinn — have a profound impact on her life and her expectations for the future. Fans of Stallings' previous against-all-odds-relationship sorts of stories will not be disappointed. She treads very familiar territory here. But for me, that is the problem. I really felt like I was reading a the prelude to Princess. Ever since her fourth novel, Price of Silence, which caught me off guard with its originality, I've been expecting some really big things from Stallings, but this and her last novel, Princess, have been more of a step backward than a step forward in her evolution as a novelist.

[Ileana Tsai · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is a sweet love story of two high school kids who were united by a drama class. Jaylon is the handsome popular guy who all girls love to have as a boyfriend. Camille, on the other hand, is a very shy girl who is forced by her counselor to take the drama class so that her resume looks more appealing to Princeton where she is applying for the Aerospace engineer program. She is the brainy one and he is the one with the great looks. This is an inspiring story of how these two kids end up falling in love and conquering their fears while developing a strong bond of friendship between them. It was so great to see Camille triumph and it was so nice to see how Jaylon finally took the step to follow his dreams. Staci writes in such a way that she makes you fall in love with the main characters. The characters are so down to earth and you feel as if you were reading about someone just like you and me. This story will keep you turning pages until wee hours of the night just so that you can find out what happens to Camille and Jaylon. This is definitely a book that I would recommend to teenagers as well as adults.

[Suzanne Williams · Rating 5 out of 5]

I can count on one hand the books that truly moved me, touched some place deep inside and changed what I thought about life and love. I come away from this story completely breathless, unable to gather my thoughts and go about a normal day, doing normal things. Instead, I'm caught into a world where dreams come true, where love isn't simple, but is grand, where a boy and a girl from opposite sides of town see in each other the same things and a way to bridge the gap. This story ripped my heart right out of my chest and replaced it in a way I did not expect. Though it is listed as YA, as a middle-aged woman, I have no regrets in reading it for it taught me something - about writing and about myself. Brilliantly done, I cannot recommend it highly enough. God bless Staci Stallings for writing it.

[Cathy · Rating 5 out of 5]

I absolutely loved this book! It was a poignant, tender, heartwarming coming of age romance. Jaylon, our hero, wears the façade of being cool and popular, but he is really a sensitive guy that is afraid of being authentic with anyone. Camille, our heroine, is "endearingly awkward" smart, shy, an old soul who is raising her sister since her mother is too preoccupied doing her own thing. Camille and Jaylon start falling for each other in drama class while doing an exercise on eye contact. They see something in each other that neither can forget. Their story takes many twists and turns, and I loved the way the author paralleled their relationship to the play that they were doing in drama class. This book really drew me in and touched my heart. I highly recommend this beautiful story, whether you are a teen or middle age or senior. . . it is timeless.

[Susan Van Nostrand · Rating 5 out of 5]

I am an avid reader and often get lost in stories, but Dreams By Starlight went beyond that for me. Besides not being able to put it down, I found myself reminiscing on what it was like for me as a teenager (even though is was quite a long time ago). It brought me back to the struggles that teenagers have with relationships, self-esteem, and general life struggles.

This was an easy-to-read and thoroughly engaging story of the struggles of being a teenager. This book would be great for any YA or Adult reader. Although much of it focused on the budding relationship between Camille Wright and Jaylon Quinn, there was more to be seen behind the stories of their lives and those of the other characters.

Great story and can't wait to read the sequel, "Reunion".

[June · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed this novel by Staci Stallings. Jaylon and Camille become good friends as they work on the Spring Production in high school. Nick and Lexi are friends of theirs and we got to know them pretty well in the story too. I enjoyed how the author used part of the production practice to show not only what the play was about but to also show the competition between Camille and Jaylon's ex-girlfriend Ariana. There was one place where the same part of the play was repeated, and it sort of threw off the mood of the book having already read about that part. But over all, it was a very enjoyable book.

[Maryann · Rating 5 out of 5]

While this is a YA title, I really liked it. My daugher is just 13, but I see/hear the way the kids are at school. The way, as it always has been, there are the in crowd and those on the outside who are nearly invisible. The whole book seemed believable to me. Jaylon and Camille truly grew as people. In the end too, we see that some that seem to have everything in high school, don't get to live their dream going forward. I will be looking for the sequel to find out what happens going forward. I will also be urging my daughter to read this title.

[Amy Ramsey · Rating 4 out of 5]

My first Staci Stallings book and I liked it! She did a good job of capturing high school life & telling a different love story.

[Michelle Pendl · Rating 5 out of 5]

Helping each other

Different strokes for different folks. Do opposites attract? They sure do in this inspirational story of perseverance. Very mature for High Schoolers.

[Martha · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed this book a second time and really loved it again! Camille was someone I could so relate to!

[Danette Klotz · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was ok.