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Famous in Love

(Famous in Love #1)

Rebecca Serle (Goodreads Author)

3.63 · Rating details · 4,573 ratings · 678 reviews

The romantic story of a girl who gets plucked from obscurity to star in the next major feature film franchise based on a book and the ensuing love triangles she gets entangled in on—-and off screen.

Meet Paige Townsen, Rainer Devon, and Jordan Wilder…

When Paige Townsen, a young unknown, gets cast in the movie adaptation of a blockbuster book series, her life changes practi ...more

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Kindle Edition, 336 pages

Published October 21st 2014 by Poppy

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Average rating 3.63 ·

Rating details

· 4,573 ratings · 678 reviews

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Start your review of Famous in Love (Famous in Love, #1)

Jan 22, 2015 Lauren rated it it was amazing

I have a confession to make.

I don’t know who anyone is.

By which I mean, famous people. I don’t know anyone. It’s why I depend entirely on my awesome readers for Fancasting.

My friend Rebecca Serle, on the other hand, knows who everyone is. She’s kind of amazing that way, and that genuine love of pop-culture has never been clearer than in her new book Famous in Love; the beginning of a new series.

Famous in love tells the story of Paige Townsen, a young actress who gets plucked out of obscurity ...more

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Apr 09, 2017 Trina (Between Chapters) rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: young-adult, 2017, contemporary, audiobooks

This is trope heavy YA romance, and although there's not much to it, I kind of devoured this story. It's about a girl who lands the lead role in the movie adaptation of a popular YA book series, so it was full of a fandom vibe. It definitely took me back to the Twilight or Hunger Games adaptation days when everyone was waiting on bated breath to see how the actors would portray their favorite characters. It was complete fluff but it also felt self aware at moments where the main character would This is trope heavy YA romance, and although there's not much to it, I kind of devoured this story. It's about a girl who lands the lead role in the movie adaptation of a popular YA book series, so it was full of a fandom vibe. It definitely took me back to the Twilight or Hunger Games adaptation days when everyone was waiting on bated breath to see how the actors would portray their favorite characters. It was complete fluff but it also felt self aware at moments where the main character would find her real life starting to reflect the tropes in the story she was acting out. Like she thinks love triangles are cheesy but then she finds herself in one.

Speaking of the love triangle. It is alive and thriving in this book. It seriously gives the ping pong game love triangle from The Selection series a run for its money. The main character has active feelings for two guys and is trying to choose who to be with. If that's a hard pass for you, definitely skip this book. I rolled my eyes a few times, especially at how the guys would fight over her (she's not your posession!), but I personally don't hate love triangles so I wasn't bothered too much by it.

Another trope used is the "bad boy" who's really just misunderstood. This is one I usually don't like, but I liked how it was used in this story. I mean, this book was exactly what it said it would be, so the tropes just kind of came with the territory.

I'm definitely rating this one based on my enjoyment and because it is exactly what it claims to be. If you don't like tropey YA romance, definitely give it a pass. If you're wanting a YA romance about fandoms and Hollywood that has an addictive quality, check this one out. I picked this up because I read Rebecca Serle's debut years ago and enjoyed it and have been meaning to read more by her ever since. I definitely enjoyed it more than I thought I would and it made me want to watch the TV adaptation and read the sequel. It also made me wish the made up book series in this story was a real book! I see that Serle wrote it as a novella so I will be checking that out too. ...more

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Jun 02, 2014 Giselle rated it liked it

Shelves: arc, own

Being from a small town in the middle of nowhere, Canada, where we hardly get anything exciting happen more than concerts from washed up artists, stardom is really something like another world for me. I'm fascinated by their lifestyle and by how… wildly different living that kind of life must be. So while this book may not be the next Great American Novel, it's a whole lotta entertainment in a guilty pleasure sort of way.

Paige is just your regular high school girl with big dreams, until one day Being from a small town in the middle of nowhere, Canada, where we hardly get anything exciting happen more than concerts from washed up artists, stardom is really something like another world for me. I'm fascinated by their lifestyle and by how… wildly different living that kind of life must be. So while this book may not be the next Great American Novel, it's a whole lotta entertainment in a guilty pleasure sort of way.

Paige is just your regular high school girl with big dreams, until one day these dreams become reality when she's cast in the next big Hollywood book-to-movie. This movie is clearly made to be akin to Twilight in how huge it is. And honestly, how is it not fun to imagine yourself being cast for the role of Bella (could you really be worse than Stewart)? How you would become one of the most known faces in the world in a few weeks flat? Not that I would want that kind of life, to be honest, but it's pretty crazy to think about. In this aspect, it's a fun read. I enjoyed seeing Paige get introduced to this kind of world and lifestyle. This average teenager with a relatable voice, combined with the simple writing style, makes it easy to put yourself in her shoes and imagine just what it would feel like. I found her struggles with accepting the reality of it all, as well as her lack of confidence while on the set, to be realistic (well what do I know, really? But they're struggles I easily picture many new actors having). As for the secondary characters, there's quite a few to keep track of. Some I kept forgetting their roles, her childhood friends are pointless, really, other than to show that life doesn't all revolve around her, but a couple of side roles do bring more life to the book. I particularly enjoyed Wyatt and his dedication to the movie and tough lovin' attitude.

At the end of the day, though, the spotlight is on the love story, and this is where most of the problems lie. Think of the most clichéd romance involving all the tropes in YA, and here you have it. Don't get me wrong, I have definitely seen worse - this one is at least good for mindless entertainment - but I would lie if I said my eyes didn't roll a time or two. Paige gets two famous co-stars, both of whom she's attracted to (didn't see this coming, did you?): the bad boy persona and the supportive, caring good boy. What makes this triangle, if I dare say, a tad intriguing, is how the book starts with a flash-forward prelude where we see her admit to herself that whatever choice she made between them, it was the wrong one. So it makes you curious to see how this will play out. It doesn't mean you'll be satisfied in the end, though. While her intentions are good, being with someone just because they're living through a hard time while you're pining for another is beyond selfish - not to mention bound to blow up in your face which will ultimately make matters worse.

Despite the not-so-perfectness of this novel, it is a great choice for when you're in the mood for some mindless entertainment. Yes it's got clichés and a lot of fluff, but it's fun in a too-good-to-be-true kind of fantasy love story. If you go into this knowing what to expect I think you'll enjoy yourself! :)

--
An advance copy was provided by the publisher for review.

For more of my reviews, visit my blog at Xpresso Reads

...more

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Oct 07, 2014 Cora Tea Party Princess rated it liked it · review of another edition

5 Words: Fame, acting, love, friendship, change.

I'm a little torn about this book. On one hand it was quite fun and enjoyable, but on the other it was a bit lacklustre and felt a little overdone.

Paige was a little annoying at times, and sometimes quite shallow. But then all of a sudden she'd be this amazing, deep character who I loved to read. It was a little frustrating. Why couldn't she be awesome all the time? Instead of just for a few sentences here and there?

And it's safe to say that I wasn ...more

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Jan 03, 2017 Cora Tea Party Princess rated it liked it · review of another edition

CORA AND THE REREADS

5 Words: Love, fame, family, friendship, sacrifice.

WARNING: THIS BOOK IS TRASH.

And I kind of can't help but love it.

If you had me list out things I hate in books, this book would tick off a good 75% of them.

Instalove ✓
Poor little rich kids ✓
Love triangle ✓
Forced chemistry ✓
Overly wordy descriptions ✓
Romance, romance, romance ✓

But you know what? I'm starting to lose count of the amount of times I've read this book. It's perfect for rainy days and escaping from the world.

And I ...more

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Jun 12, 2014 Christina (A Reader of Fictions) rated it did not like it · review of another edition

Shelves: le-sigh, arc, oh-hai-instalove

For more reviews, Cover Snark and more, visit A Reader of Fictions.

Well, Bekka put this in Sadie Hawkins hoping for a snarky review and oh ho is she going to get what she wanted. My intuition told me that Rebecca Serle’s writing would probably make me gag, but I thought I should give her books a chance and see for myself. This impulse was an incorrect one. If you’re a reader who ships romances where the characters have any sort of real connection, this is not the book for you. If you’re a reader ...more

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Mar 02, 2014 Jen Ryland added it

Shelves: october-2014, nov-2014, bea-2014, love-triangle-why

A-ha -- there's a sequel. Because I was like "what kind of an ending was that?"

So ... mixed feelings. I loved the setting (Hawaii!) and I really liked the idea of the whole story-within-a-story -within-a-story aspect of Paige making a movie based on a series of YA books that feature a love triangle while also having a relationship with one (or more!) of her real-life co-stars. Got that? Good.

Unfortunately, the romance in this was all over the place. Instalove, and the kind of "OMG I'm so ordina ...more

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Jun 10, 2018 Cristina rated it liked it · review of another edition

3.5 stars
I regret reading it after seeing the TV series. Because it disappointed me from all points of view. I mean... Oh Jordan... I can’t believe I’m saying this, but Jordan was a perfect character.
Paige... well 95% of the book she was boring. But the last 5% made the difference.
And Rain. I have no words. He is too kind for his own good.
Fav quote:
“And see, that’s the thing I didn’t understand. The thing no one tells you. That just because you find love doesn’t mean it’s yours to keep. Lov ...more

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Aug 24, 2014 Sophie rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: read-in-2015, 2014-releases, 4-stars

I first read this book not long after it was published last October, and remember really enjoying it. I thought I would reread it before the publication of Truly, Madly, Famously, and enjoyed it just as much the second time around.

In Famous in Love, the main character, Paige, has always dreamed of one day become a proper actress. When she lands the role as the female lead in the film adaptation of a best selling series, it's as if all of her dreams have come true. She is now a recognised name ac I first read this book not long after it was published last October, and remember really enjoying it. I thought I would reread it before the publication of Truly, Madly, Famously, and enjoyed it just as much the second time around.

In Famous in Love, the main character, Paige, has always dreamed of one day become a proper actress. When she lands the role as the female lead in the film adaptation of a best selling series, it's as if all of her dreams have come true. She is now a recognised name across America, and is set to become a major star. However, this doesn't mean life is now easy and carefree. Paige's male co-stars, Rainer and Jordan, have a log history between them, and are at odds with each other. Paige is drawn inexplicitly to both of them, but can't afford for any behind the scene trouble, lest she ruin her career before it begins.

Paige's character was one I loved reading. She seemed like an honestly real person, with real issues, etc. - the only difference being that she is now famous. Even when filming came to an end, she still couldn't understand that she was an honest to god star, and her life would never be as it was before. She never really changed, personality wise, which I enjoyed. She was just a normal teen girl, who was having feelings for two different guys, and trying to come to terms with these emotions. She had family and friends issues, just like anyone else, and the teen angst was not lacking. Famous in Love was just like any other romantic YA contemporary, set with a Hollywood backdrop, in the best way.

The little interspersed information about Hawaii, and the happenings of Hollywood, and all it entails, helped to spread out the angst. I loved that Serle seems to have really done her research into this topic. She showed that Hollywood isn't all glitz and glammer, rather, it is hard work, and it takes tons of people to create a blockbuster.

The male protagonists were very different from each other. Out of the two my favourite was Jordan, as I felt he more understood Paige, and really wanted to help her through the process of creating a film. Rainer, on the other hand, seemed too old, and too 'star'-y for Paige. He didn't really get her when she wanted to be normal, and I sort of feel as if their relationship was more one sided. To me, Rainer was kind of using Paige for more publicity, etc., and to get one up on Jordan. Whenever Jordan was around, Rainer was really touchy-feeling, and possessive over Paige, and that just wasn't on.

The ending was, for me, a bust. I didn't agree with Paige's choices, but considering it's a trilogy, the angst needed to be set up for future books. I hope Paige comes to her senses in either book 2 or 3, and makes the right decisions. Even saying this, I still really enjoyed Famous in Love. It was just a nice, easy book, with lovable characters, and a realistic storyline/plot. It's a book I don't regret re-reading, and I'm sure I'll probably go back to it in the future and re-read again. I would say contemporary lovers would enjoy this, and I'm so excited that Truly, Madly, Famously is out in October! ...more

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Apr 19, 2017 Alice rated it really liked it

A nice and fun read . It was pretty exciting to find out who exactly was Paige going to choose. Unfortunately it was kinda of a cliffhanger.

But I enjoyed it !! Can't wit to read the next book ...more

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Dec 06, 2013 Jasprit rated it it was ok · review of another edition

Shelves: arc-galley, contemporary, romance, ya, read-in-2014, out-2014

Imagine finally getting your chance to shine, after little bit parts, getting that massive role which will thrust you in the limelight. This is what happens to Paige, she ends up auditioning for one of the roles for a book to movie adaption and ends up getting the part. She’s whisked off immediately to Hawaii to start filming, leaving behind her family and best friends and gets to work on set with heart throb actor Rainer. Rainer has been an actor from a young age, so he knows what’s it like, ho Imagine finally getting your chance to shine, after little bit parts, getting that massive role which will thrust you in the limelight. This is what happens to Paige, she ends up auditioning for one of the roles for a book to movie adaption and ends up getting the part. She’s whisked off immediately to Hawaii to start filming, leaving behind her family and best friends and gets to work on set with heart throb actor Rainer. Rainer has been an actor from a young age, so he knows what’s it like, how to deal with fans and having paparazzi constantly buzzing around you, misinterpreting images of you. This is Paige’s first big chance, so she’s not had to deal with this before, but Paige was great, she wasn’t one of those people who let the limelight immediately go to her head. She actually struggled to become the actress that everyone wanted her to be, she felt isolated from everyone else, her best friends were back home doing who knows what and she didn’t really have the confidence in herself, she didn’t realise the reason she was cast was because she was that good.

When it came to the potential love interest I really didn’t know what to think, even though he seemed genuinely nice, I didn’t feel that his feelings for Paige were truly genuine. One minute he would be mucking around with Paige and the next he’d be sharing deep feelings for her. Don’t get me wrong, he was really a nice character, but probably not my favourite character. Then there was the other potential love interest, who I actually was really intrigued about, he wasn’t the big actor everyone loved, but he really kept himself to himself, when he did open up, I was kind of left wanting to know more about him, he was at times down to earth and quite humble, despite this whole different story being created about him. Also when he was around Paige I could feel the tension between them, and the desire they felt for one another that could take them who knows where if they would act upon these feelings!

The love triangle could be tiresome at times, especially when these three characters were together, it did at times bring out the obnoxious side to some characters and so the reason I much preferred it when two characters were together instead. Also I was actually really interested in whole making the movie storyline, I liked learning about everything that went into making a movie in the first place, how it wasn’t as easy as everyone assumed, seeing photo shoots take place, how lovely it could be away on set. And I even wanted to know what would happen to the characters in the book that made this book to movie adaption happen in the first place (the book series the movie had been was a roaring success, it featured a love triangle, and fans would finally find out, who the character would end up choosing in the final book) but details like these were skipped upon and a love triangle ended up happening on set too!

Serle is certainly one talented author, this story was written beautifully and that is one of the main reasons I ended up reading until the very last page. Famous in Love was not one of my favourite reads maybe because I was expecting a lot more, but ended up being bothered by a few frustrating decisions or actions that some characters made. However I’m still willing to give Serle’s books another go, here’s hoping I’ll end up enjoying them even more.

This review can be found on: The Readers Den
...more

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Jun 21, 2014 Rachel (APCB Reviews) rated it it was ok · review of another edition

Read the full review @ A Perfection Called Books

I'm a sucker for Hollywood movies. I love the glitz and the glam. I love showbiz. I love the cameras and the set up and the prep and the filming. I love it all! I got so into this book that I made popcorn (on multiple occasions) so it seemed like I was watching them film the movie as I read it. Yikes did I really just admit that?

The writing was simplistic and clear. The writing and plot lacked a complexity that I would have liked, but then again th ...more

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Aug 30, 2014 Nasty Lady MJ marked it as dnf

To see full DNF round up click here.

I actually didn’t check this one out at the library I received a sample from Amazon because I was unsure whether or not I wanted to purchase it.

Thank God for samples.

I think my expectations did not meet this one. I wanted a book that was a bit of a satire on YA in the movies. This wasn’t remotely satire. The first five chapters were full of insta love and cliches. Which I guess is typical for these sorts of books, but makes it less than enjoyable.

What DNF’d it ...more

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Sep 30, 2014 Abbie rated it it was ok · review of another edition

Shelves: read-to-review

(I received a copy from Netgalley, in exchange for an honest review.)

I didn't realize that the book that was mentioned in the blurb was a real book until i started this. If i had known, i probably wouldn't have read this as the book in question wasn't a very good read.
Due to the fact that i wasn't a fan of it, the first 10% of this one really annoyed me, as it was mainly just saying how amazing the book was.

The rest of the book wasn't that great either, unfortunately.

Paige wasn't a character ...more

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Jul 09, 2018 Kelley rated it liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: read-in-2018

I just wanted so much more from this book than I got. I wanted more character development and I feel like I only got that sparingly for some of the characters. The story was adorable and of course the love triangle worked well, but I just wasn’t interested like I though I would be.

Longer review to come soon!

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Aug 26, 2014 Liza Wiemer rated it it was amazing

Shelves: arc, received-from-the-publisher, bea, real-book-challenge

I swooned. AND . . . .

SURPRISE: What makes this novel incredibly clever is that Rebecca Serle wrote LOCKED, which is the "hit" novel—novella in this case—that FAMOUS IN LOVE was based on, and it was released under a pen name: Parker Witter. See my review here: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show... When you read the novella first, it really has a HUGE impact on your perspective of FAMOUS IN LOVE. Can you read FAMOUS IN LOVE without it? Sure you can. But, if you want the full impact and to del I swooned. AND . . . .

SURPRISE: What makes this novel incredibly clever is that Rebecca Serle wrote LOCKED, which is the "hit" novel—novella in this case—that FAMOUS IN LOVE was based on, and it was released under a pen name: Parker Witter. See my review here: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show... When you read the novella first, it really has a HUGE impact on your perspective of FAMOUS IN LOVE. Can you read FAMOUS IN LOVE without it? Sure you can. But, if you want the full impact and to delve into how amazing the connections are between the novella and this novel, then I recommend you read LOCKED too!

"I've never walked the red carpet before! Are we supposed to run?" (There's no running on the red carpet in this novel, but it reflects the excitement of the experience for Paige!)

Imagine what it would be like if you were an ordinary YA auditioning for a Hollywood teen movie based on a bestselling YA series. And . . . YOU GET THE PART! You're plucked out of obscurity and right into the world of fame and fortune. Hot guys, hard work, gorgeous film location. You leave your friends, your family, your job and go from ordinary to having people recognize you and ask for your autograph. You get to kiss handsome co-stars! Your life revolves around learning lines, acting (which isn't so easy, especially with a director who yells at you and expects perfection), studying for your GED, hair, makeup, wardrobe, and publicity shots, and interviews. Now add two hot actors into the mix, both interested in you. Both with problems and issues to overcome.

This is Paige Townsen's life when she gets the lead female role in a blockbuster book trilogy.

I don't think Rebecca Serle could have done this better. I was transported onto the movie set and into Paige's life. It felt authentic and most definitely like I was reading an autobiography or a diary of Paige's experience. Please don't cringe when I say this . . . but I can imagine what it was like for Kristen Stewart and Robert Pattinson and Taylor Lautner. I loved it. LOVED IT!!!!!

...more

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Jul 28, 2014 Juhina rated it really liked it

Famous in Love was a definite roller coaster. Overall I really enjoyed it but I was so frustrated with the ending. I NEED a sequel. Backtracking a bit, I initially picked up Famous in Love for its premise.. an average girl gets picked to be the next Jennifer Lawrence (The main lead in a huge book trilogy turned into movie chain). Paige was very down to earth and also very awestruck by the life she currently leads. Most of the book is set during her filming the first movie with Rainer and late co ...more

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Apr 04, 2018 Kayla rated it really liked it

This was just a really entertaining story and it was so fun and very enjoyable. It's a lot different to the tv show and much better. ...more

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Jan 04, 2017 Dana Al-Basha دانة الباشا marked it as to-read · review of another edition

Shelves: own

"Completely captures what it's like to be part of Young Hollywood. I absolutely loved it. A must-read for anyone curious about life and love behind the scenes." -Bella Thorne

[January 30, 2015] I just bought the book! It looks so cute!

[Tuesday, March 27, 2018] I bought this book when I first came to Kuwait... it must be one of the first books I bought. In 2017, the book became a TV series, and today I finally started watching! I decided to read the book as well.

All I've been thinking about while ...more

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Sep 29, 2014 Sarah Elizabeth rated it liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: read-2014, love-triangle, netgalley-edelweiss, r2r-complete, read-with-abbie, as, romance, contemporary, young-adult

(Source: I received a digital copy of this book for free on a read-to-review basis. Thanks to Pan Macmillan and NetGalley.)

I really liked ‘When You Were Mine’ by this author, but every book I have read since has been a huge disappointment. Including this one.

Paige was a little dull. All she cared about was movies and acting, and she bored me. Then, she finally gets cast in a major film production, doesn’t turn up to work on time, and is surprised when the press start taking her picture and sprea ...more

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Apr 28, 2018 Carrie (The Butterfly Reader) rated it liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: april-2018

Paige is your normal everyday 17 year old girl until she goes to a casting call and lands the lead role. She's thrown into a world that she always dreamed of and two dudes who tug at her heart.

There will be spoilers below because otherwise I won't be able to fully discuss this messy guilty pleasure novel and a little of the TV show.

First off, this novel maybe set in a contemporary real world setting but one character is completely not real. Rainer. He's like 22 and he's after a 17 year old girl ...more

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Oct 07, 2016 Stephanie rated it liked it · review of another edition

Famous in Love was a really quick, easy read. I read about the first half of it one sitting and only stopped because I made myself go to bed since I had work in the morning. While neither the writing or the plot really blew me away, there was something about it that I just couldn’t stop reading.

Paige is an average high school girl who is plucked out of obscurity during an open casting call for the next big movie franchise, based on a best-selling Young Adult book series (think the Twilight pheno Famous in Love was a really quick, easy read. I read about the first half of it one sitting and only stopped because I made myself go to bed since I had work in the morning. While neither the writing or the plot really blew me away, there was something about it that I just couldn’t stop reading.

Paige is an average high school girl who is plucked out of obscurity during an open casting call for the next big movie franchise, based on a best-selling Young Adult book series (think the Twilight phenomena). She starts filming with the very famous and charming Rainer and a relationship begins to blossom. Then Rainer’s arch-enemy Jordan is cast as the second male lead and Paige starts to have feelings for him, too. Requisite love triangle angst ensues. But to keep the story interesting (because really if this was just another love triangle story I don’t think I could’ve made myself finish it) there are glimpses of what happens behind the scenes of making a movie and Paige begins to grow up.

Paige was a mostly likable character. Throughout the whole book she stayed pretty grounded and while she did realize her life was going to change, she never really let the idea of fame get to her head. She learned about forgiveness and sacrifice and what’s really important in life. While she still has a lot of growing up to do, I think she did get a good start during the course of the book and I appreciated that.

I was kind of ambivalent about the love triangle. At various times I leaned in the direction of one or the other, but for the most part I wasn’t ever really Team Rainer or Team Jordan. I liked how easy-going Rainer was and that he really did seem to want to help Paige navigate the business and take care of her. I didn’t really like the 5 year age difference – he’s 22 and she’s 17. It almost seemed like he was manipulative at times or, like, preying on her naiveté and youth. At the end of the day, I don’t think he was that calculating, but it still rubbed me the wrong way a bit. Paige and Jordan’s relationship was far too insta-lovey for me. I never felt the connection between them that Paige was always talking about. He was kind and sweet, but for the most part he was just kind of broody and I don’t think I got to know him well enough to ship him with Paige.

Another thing that kind of threw me off a bit was how large parts of the plot were just skipped over. In one scene Paige is auditioning for the movie and the next she’s already been on set for awhile. While I can appreciate the “just-get-on-with-it” attitude, I felt like there was a lot missing not seeing her find out she was cast, preparing to leave her family and friends and home, her first day on a movie set, and etc. While I don’t think we need to see every single day from the audition to the premiere, we did jump large portions of time and it was a little jarring. I also thought it was kind of odd that for wanting to be an actress she didn’t really know anything about celebrities.

Overall, I did enjoy Famous in Love. I wanted to read to see if I would be interested in watching the show when it comes next year and I am, though I’m already a little annoyed about how different it looks from the book. I wanted something light and fun and this definitely fit the bill. I enjoyed the behind the scenes look at making a movie and the Hawaiian setting (fun fact, when I was very young I lived on Maui for a couple years where the movie set is) and it was the perfect bit of escapism I was looking for.

Overall Rating (out of 5): 3.5 Stars ...more

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Feb 07, 2015 Valentina Markasović rated it really liked it

Shelves: read-in-english, romance, young-adult

Famous in Love, a young-adult contemporary romance, was a really quick read. The writing style, although sometimes a bit repetitive (in the sense of using the same adjectives for the same things over and over again), was easy to follow. The setting (Hawaii!) was beautiful and painted as such, and the idea of the story was interesting - we get to see how a blockbuster, based on a popular young adult trilogy Locked, is made.
Although I'm not that into love triangles, the relationships didn't feel l ...more

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Oct 03, 2014 Lori marked it as dnf

Shelves: contemporary, read-in-2014

I'm pulling the plug on this one for now and calling it a DNF. I just can't get into it. At all. I don't like the characters, I don't like the relationships that are happening, I don't believe that she's the one they would pick for this role nor do I like that we completely missed out on the anticipation of the auditions and the excitement of getting the role, and I just don't really care what happens. I wanted to be able to appreciate this for the fluffy, fun romance that it was but all I could ...more

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Apr 18, 2014 Paige (Illegal in 3 Countries) marked it as abandoned

Shelves: arc, bea-2014, has-my-name-on-it

Book: "I swear the elements sort of fold at Rainer's whim. I've seen it turn from pouring rain to blasting sun in a matter of seconds when he walks out onto the beach. Noah has powers in Locked. The weather does funny stuff when he's around. Rainer and his character have a lot in common." (ARC p. 42)

Me: Um, no? That's just kinda something Hawaii does. Five miles took me from a hotel with a permanent rain cloud hanging over it to a beach with no sign of rain clouds in sight and friggin' rainbows ...more

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Jun 16, 2017 Madi ~☆TheBookNerdDiaries☆~ rated it liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: read-owned, read-gave-away, paperback

This was the definition of mediocre.

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Feb 07, 2014 Debby rated it it was ok · review of another edition

Shelves: for-review, characters-i-want-to-shake, met-the-author, series-dropped-lost-interest, le-sigh, could-have-been-better, reviewed, 2014-reads, series-starter, sold-or-gave-away

2 stars

I don't think there will ever come a day when I'm NOT interested in a teenage celebrity romance story. Seriously. The instant I heard about Famous in Love, I knew I'd be reading it. And I knew that, like most of these stories, it probably wouldn't end well. This really is guilty pleasure territory (though I somewhat hate that term) because it's so entertaining while at the same time it's so horribly bad.

To be fair, the first half of Famous in Love is really strong, and I was enjoying myse ...more

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May 13, 2019 Ashley ❣️ rated it really liked it

I enjoyed this more than I thought I would because I watched the tv show before reading this lol. It was a really quick fun read I listened to it on audiobook and I have to say that was really what kept me interested in the story because it felt like some parts were dragging. Overall this was a cute read and I deffinantly want to continue on with the series!

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Feb 08, 2014 Andi (Andi's ABCs) rated it it was amazing

Shelves: series, own, amazon-review, bea14-tac

I wanted this book and I wanted it badly. As soon as I heard Rebecca had a 3rd book I needed it to be mine. You see, her first two books were fantastic; such depth and emotion in them. Really heavy, realistic reads that made you, as the reader, have all the feels. She has a way about her writing that just sucks you in and pulls you along. With Famous in Love having a different kind of vibe to it I wasn’t sure how it would fit. Would it still be Rebecca that I heart or would it feel off in some w I wanted this book and I wanted it badly. As soon as I heard Rebecca had a 3rd book I needed it to be mine. You see, her first two books were fantastic; such depth and emotion in them. Really heavy, realistic reads that made you, as the reader, have all the feels. She has a way about her writing that just sucks you in and pulls you along. With Famous in Love having a different kind of vibe to it I wasn’t sure how it would fit. Would it still be Rebecca that I heart or would it feel off in some way? Happily I report that Famous in Love did not let me down. I heard Rebecca’s voice loud and clear and I loved every minute of it.

Famous in Love is the story of Paige, a girl that has dreamed about being an actress. She read scripts and stars in small plays, but has always lusted after the big screen. When an opportunity presents she finds herself auditioning for the role of a lifetime to star as the heroine in the latest YA trilogy to be adapted into a movie. When she lands the part she is whisked off to Hawaii to begin filming and everything changes. Suddenly Paige finds herself not only playing a girl in a love triangle but being in an actual one herself with her two sexy costars Rainer Devon and Jordan Wilder. As this get more and more complicated Paige has to figure out how not only to navigate her new life, but to navigate her love.

What I loved about this book is how totally Rebecca it is. If you follow her on Twitter or Tumblr you can see just how much of a pop culture junkie she is. She loves all things Hollywood and the fact that she created a book out of that love just made me smile. She hit on all the important things a good YA, Hollywood story needs too. She got the love triangle, the pop star references, the small town girl making it big, the YA trilogy that people devoured made into a movie. She even managed to capture the feeling a reader gets when a 3rd book is about to be released and you NEED TO KNOW HOW IT ENDS! It amazed me how she managed to capture all of that in just over 300 pages and to do it at the level she did.

The other thing about Famous in Love was Paige, Rainer and Jordan. It felt genuine to me. Paige was a girl that was on this roller coaster. Her life was upside down and she was living in a world that was so foreign to her. And here were these two hot guys that had been in the business for a long time that she is attracted to. It was 100% natural that she would grab on to them and feel the things she did and for them to reciprocate. It all had a follow to it that added to the beauty and the tension to the story that elevated the whole book for me. I found myself invested in what would happen and how everything turned out which is important when reading a book. At least for me anyway.

My word of advice to readers is that you don’t go into Famous in Love expecting to have the same kind of journey you had in Rebecca’s 2 previous books. This book is a different kind of journey in the way that it is told and how the characters get from A to B and how everyone ends up. It isn’t as heavy as The Edge of Falling and doesn’t have the Shakespeare vibe of When You Were Mine. It is its own book and one that works when all the pieces have clicked into place. It made me smile and almost miss my train stop. It made me what to savor reading it and hurry up and finish. And it made me want to read the fake book it is based on and find out what the heck happened in the last book. It cemented my love of Rebecca Serle and now I sit and wait for her next book to arrive whenever that may be.

*note: Just found out this will be a trilogy so SCORE! ...more

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Mar 31, 2015 Leah rated it it was amazing

Shelves: books-read-2015, favorites, for-review

You guys, I think I have a book hangover. Ugh. UGH. I have just finished Famous In Love by Rebecca Serle and I am swooning all over the shop. Not only is the cover one of the BEST BOOK COVERS EVER – it even sparkles in the sun, but the inside of the book is EVEN BLOODY BETTER. Ughhhhhhhhhhhh. I am in love, and much like Paige, I’ve got no idea if it’s with Jordan or Rainer because they’re both delicious in their own way. Rainer’s so sweet and lovely but Jordan’s a bad boy who’s not bad at all an You guys, I think I have a book hangover. Ugh. UGH. I have just finished Famous In Love by Rebecca Serle and I am swooning all over the shop. Not only is the cover one of the BEST BOOK COVERS EVER – it even sparkles in the sun, but the inside of the book is EVEN BLOODY BETTER. Ughhhhhhhhhhhh. I am in love, and much like Paige, I’ve got no idea if it’s with Jordan or Rainer because they’re both delicious in their own way. Rainer’s so sweet and lovely but Jordan’s a bad boy who’s not bad at all and I LOVE bad boys who are really not bad at all. Can’t you just SEE my dilemma?!?

I absolutely love books set in the movie world. It’s just something you wish to see, y’know? I’d love to go see a movie being shot one day, to see if it’s really as it’s portrayed, so it was so cool that Famous In Love was set in that world. Books about movies and celebrities and love triangles are just THE BEST. And Famous In Love was pretty damn impressive. I flew through it in one sitting, and I wish I had the sequel RIGHT NOW DAMN IT. Because much liked the fans of Locked, I want to know how this love triangles ends.

Really, love triangles aren’t usually my thing, especially since there’s usually always a pretty clear winner, but Paige’s feelings are clearly so complicated that it could be either or. Her chemistry with Rainer is amazing and he’s so sweet and caring and I can see why that appeals to Paige, when she’s about to take this huge step and become this famous movie star; sometimes you need someone to take care of you and guide your way. But then there’s Jordan, who is not at all how I expected him to be. Sure, he’s brooding and delicious, but he’s got SUCH a good heart and you just want to hug him. And both are easily pickable. (Is that even a word? I doubt it). Both captured my affections. I’m as torn as Paige!!!!!!!!

One of the best things about Famous In Love is the whole story-within-a-story thing. I LOVE THAT. And I love even more than Rebecca has actually written a Locked novella, as Parker Witter, that makes me love her a million times more, because obviously she must know how that story goes, at least a little bit, and I’m always dead curious to know how she saw her story-within-a-story (and I REALLY WANT TO KNOW HOW THE LOCKED TRILOGY ENDS). WHO DOES AUGUST CHOOSE FOR THE LOVE OF GOD?!?!?! I doubt the Locked novella will tell me that, but I appreciate that it’s been written because it’s like getting a sneak peek of something you never get to see (like I wished John Green had written Imperial Afflictions!!!)

Can you tell I loved this book? I did. So much. I can’t believe it took me so long to read it, but I FINALLY DID AND IT WAS ALL I WANTED AND MORE. I swooned, I laughed, I loved the behind the scenes look at movie making and I adored Paige. (And Jordan. And Rainer). I can’t wait for Truly, Madly, Famously (and I LOVE that it’s like the Savage Garden song Truly, Madly, Deeply hehehehe). If you love books about movie stars, and love triangles (THE GOOD KIND) and awesome characters, this is the book for you. It’s GREAT. ...more

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topics	posts	views	last activity
Contemporary YA: Famous in Love by Rebecca Serle Books into TV	16	28	Apr 19, 2017 11:03AM
Famous in Love to be a TV Show!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!	3	22	Nov 10, 2015 01:51AM
Free Books, .99, ...: Giveaway of Famous in Love by Rebecca Serle (US only)	1	8	Nov 17, 2014 07:55PM
YA Buddy Readers'...: Famous in Love (Famous in Love #1) (ARC) by Rebecca Serle - Starting October 3rd 2014	28	26	Oct 03, 2014 07:49AM

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About Rebecca Serle

Rebecca Serle

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Rebecca Serle is an author and television writer who lives between New York and Los Angeles. Serle most recently co-developed the hit TV adaptation of her young adult series Famous in Love, now on Freeform. She loves Nancy Meyers films, bathrobes, and giving unsolicited advice on love. She can be found on twitter: @RebeccaASerle

Other books in the series

Famous in Love (3 books)

Books by Rebecca Serle

Truly, Madly, Famously (Famous in Love, #2)

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Articles featuring this book

An Unconventional Romance Explores How Much Life Can Change 'In Five Years'

Novelist and television writer Rebecca Serle knows a thing or two about life taking unexpected turns. After her hit YA series Famous in...

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Quotes from Famous in Love

“...epic, epic love is not about having someone. It's about being willing to give them up. It's sacrifice. It's my mom's theater tickets stuffed down at the bottom of her jewelry box. It's Noah and August. It's my sister and Annabelle. It's Jordan and his mom, the truth he reserves to protect her. And see, that's the thing I didn't understand. The thing no one tells you. That just because you find love doesn't mean it's yours to keep. Love never belongs to you. It belongs to the universe.” — 7 likes

“But it doesn't matter now. It's like an umbrella in the middle of a rainstorm after you're already wet. It's exactly what you need, what you want, but it's come too late.” — 6 likes

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