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Sing Out #2
California Schemin'
An alternate cover edition can be found here.
Small town boy in the city. Big stakes, bigger temptations.
Conor's made it to Los Angeles to compete on the reality show, Singing Sensation, and is suddenly plunged into a whole new world. There's a houseful of people, all with the same dream of making it big in the music world and willing to do whatever it takes to win. Conor has to deal with the pressures of live performances, catty competitors, sour judges, a nearly naked roommate... and the attentions of a sexy, older rock star - all with cameras watching his every move. Conor's always been big on secrets. And the biggest secret of all - his relationship with Derek, the bad boy back home - may be the hardest one to keep.
Small town boy in the city. Big stakes, bigger temptations.
Conor's made it to Los Angeles to compete on the reality show, Singing Sensation, and is suddenly plunged into a whole new world. There's a houseful of people, all with the same dream of making it big in the music world and willing to do whatever it takes to win. Conor has to deal with the pressures of live performances, catty competitors, sour judges, a nearly naked roommate... and the attentions of a sexy, older rock star - all with cameras watching his every move. Conor's always been big on secrets. And the biggest secret of all - his relationship with Derek, the bad boy back home - may be the hardest one to keep.
155 pages, Kindle Edition
First published May 3, 2016
10 people are currently reading
52 people want to read
About the author
Hanna Dare
22 books114 followersHanna Dare writes what she loves to read: well-written, character-driven stories of men exploring their identities and discovering their own unique kind of happily ever afters… usually through sexytimes. Find Hanna on the internet enjoying pretty pictures, procrastination and caffeinated beverages.
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Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews
September 18, 2020
This installation was more coming of age than romance. Conor entered a brand new world of competitive performing, made some good friends, made some mistakes that could have turned really ugly (but didn't, with help from said friends), and in all grew as a person. There wasn't so much romance as there was sexual exploration and Conor trying to figure out what he wants. He was naive, but not over the top or in an annoying way. He was just... a kid, mature for his age, figuring things out.
March 11, 2019
There are fun moments, uncomfortable moments, and teary moments. This story has feels. More than expected. Hurtling pellmell into the third book. I can’t wait to see where Conor’s journey takes him.
February 10, 2020
Our young hero has made it to California and the reality TV show Singing Sensation. Feeling like a minnow in a sea of sharks Conor is a bit lost. He's not worldly wise, unlike some of his fellow contestants and he's caught the eye of one of the judges.
Can Conor sort out the users and the fakers?
I loved this book so much, very different from the novella that started this series but Conor managed to be both naive and naturally astute. So often I thought I knew where the plot was taking Conor and yet Hanna Dare deftly confounded my expectations.
Can't wait to read the third installment.
Can Conor sort out the users and the fakers?
I loved this book so much, very different from the novella that started this series but Conor managed to be both naive and naturally astute. So often I thought I knew where the plot was taking Conor and yet Hanna Dare deftly confounded my expectations.
Can't wait to read the third installment.
October 6, 2019
I shelved the first one of these as YA, but this one has much less of a YA feel—it's more NA, really. I guess? Whatever it is, I enjoyed it! I basically can't handle watching any sort of reality TV without wanting to just...run from the room screaming, but reading about it is fine! So I'm enjoying the storylines and characters, and I just don't know how it's going to end up, which is fun, too.
The thing with Kai was maybe a little cliche, but I think it served a purpose, maybe even a few different purposes, so I didn't mind it too much.
On to the third!!
The thing with Kai was maybe a little cliche, but I think it served a purpose, maybe even a few different purposes, so I didn't mind it too much.
On to the third!!
May 10, 2016
So as soon as I finished Life in a Nowhere Town I had to start California Schemin' because I needed to know how Conor's new adventure was going to go. Just a heads-up.. if you haven't read Life in a Nowhere Town there's no need to pick this up because this isn't a standalone in any way, shape or form.
Conor is now in California, surrounded by strangers and judged by hundreds or even thousands of people. It's hard to tell who your real friends are when they all want you to fail; this is a competition after all so there's some cattiness and bitchiness. What I found refreshing is that this time around the bitchie person is a guy instead of a girl, because we know guys can be just as mean and spiteful.
There are friendships that are born that prove to thrive in spite of the competition, people care for each other and count on each other when there's no one else to help them. Conor and the rest of the cast learn what it means to be around celebrities, they learn valuable lessons out of their experiences, and Conor especially uses his personal relationship with Kai (the rocker judge) as a learning experience that people can be fake and hurtful. With as much potential for drama as this setting has, I was happy to find that everything felt real, believable and satisfying.
Conor's relationship with Derek continues to be ambiguous and undefined; Conor is still thinking about Derek and has feelings for him, but Derek's emotional unavailability doesn't prevent him from enjoying his life in California. Even with everything happening this book was still packed with feels and emotions, as Conor struggles with who he is vs. who he's supposed to be on this show.
I can't wait to read the next book to find out who the winner of Singing Sensation is, how Conor will handle his return home, and especially how his determination to work things through with Derek is going to go. Derek loves Conor, he admitted as much, but doesn't think he is enough for Conor because Conor deserves the best and Derek is not even close to being it.
I want to next book NOW!
Conor is now in California, surrounded by strangers and judged by hundreds or even thousands of people. It's hard to tell who your real friends are when they all want you to fail; this is a competition after all so there's some cattiness and bitchiness. What I found refreshing is that this time around the bitchie person is a guy instead of a girl, because we know guys can be just as mean and spiteful.
There are friendships that are born that prove to thrive in spite of the competition, people care for each other and count on each other when there's no one else to help them. Conor and the rest of the cast learn what it means to be around celebrities, they learn valuable lessons out of their experiences, and Conor especially uses his personal relationship with Kai (the rocker judge) as a learning experience that people can be fake and hurtful. With as much potential for drama as this setting has, I was happy to find that everything felt real, believable and satisfying.
Conor's relationship with Derek continues to be ambiguous and undefined; Conor is still thinking about Derek and has feelings for him, but Derek's emotional unavailability doesn't prevent him from enjoying his life in California. Even with everything happening this book was still packed with feels and emotions, as Conor struggles with who he is vs. who he's supposed to be on this show.
I can't wait to read the next book to find out who the winner of Singing Sensation is, how Conor will handle his return home, and especially how his determination to work things through with Derek is going to go. Derek loves Conor, he admitted as much, but doesn't think he is enough for Conor because Conor deserves the best and Derek is not even close to being it.
I want to next book NOW!
May 19, 2020
4 stars
Conor makes it to LA for the singing competition and then makes the cut for the top twenty. The top 20 are the ones who compete in front of live audiences. Conor still isn't sure whether or not he has what it takes to stay in the competition, but he really doesn't want to go back home. Complicating things are how everything was left with Derek, and a judge who may not have Conor's best interests at heart.
However, Conor is making friends and connections with his fellow contestants, and he starts to see that there is a bigger world out there for him, and he might even have a place in it.
This...there is so much story packed in the length of this book. Conor starts to take himself seriously and to realize that music is what matters, in his world, at least. It's his way of talking to and communicating with the world, of finding out the person he can become. He's still snarky and a little shy, but Conor is starting to grow up. I like the way everything is progressing, and I'm going to break one of my rules and read the next book in the series now.
Conor makes it to LA for the singing competition and then makes the cut for the top twenty. The top 20 are the ones who compete in front of live audiences. Conor still isn't sure whether or not he has what it takes to stay in the competition, but he really doesn't want to go back home. Complicating things are how everything was left with Derek, and a judge who may not have Conor's best interests at heart.
However, Conor is making friends and connections with his fellow contestants, and he starts to see that there is a bigger world out there for him, and he might even have a place in it.
This...there is so much story packed in the length of this book. Conor starts to take himself seriously and to realize that music is what matters, in his world, at least. It's his way of talking to and communicating with the world, of finding out the person he can become. He's still snarky and a little shy, but Conor is starting to grow up. I like the way everything is progressing, and I'm going to break one of my rules and read the next book in the series now.
February 3, 2020
The second book in the Sing Out series is good but doesn't seem to capture the reader as much as the first book. It has something to do with Conor's distance from home, the concept of "California" as a "sceaming" place. As a longtime state resident, even in LA areas found in the novel, there is a kind of truth to the nature of community here, particularly compared to Conor's small upper-Midwestern small town. The trade-offs between an often cold or distant social climate in a warm city is often exaggerated in comparison to the dishonesty of the small town in a much cooler climate. It is questionable this makes sense, but what is good about the story, the developing connections between characters, good and bad, is reflected a good deal in climate. At times it comes close, however, to slipping into cliches of both small town and huge suburb disguised as a city. The book is worth reading, important if you are reading the series as a larger work. Dare's writing and conflicts still win out.
August 27, 2025
What an absolutely electrifying premise! This synopsis had me hooked from the very first line. Conor’s journey from small town dreamer to the cutthroat world of Los Angeles reality TV feels raw, real, and bursting with drama. I love how it captures the glitz and temptations of fame while still grounding the story in something so deeply personal Conor’s struggle to balance ambition, identity, and love. The mix of backstage rivalries, performance pressure, and forbidden attraction promises tension on every page.
It’s not just about chasing stardom it’s about heart, secrets, and the choices that can make or break someone when the whole world is watching. This feels like the kind of story that will leave you rooting, swooning, and maybe even shedding a tear or two. A must read for anyone who loves music, romance, and high stakes drama.
It’s not just about chasing stardom it’s about heart, secrets, and the choices that can make or break someone when the whole world is watching. This feels like the kind of story that will leave you rooting, swooning, and maybe even shedding a tear or two. A must read for anyone who loves music, romance, and high stakes drama.
February 9, 2023
The rating is for the overall "trilogy" novel that this is the middle novella of. This volume is really more of a three star effort. Part of that is because, as a middle narrative, there is no real beginning and while the TV show provides the frame work for much of this story the volume ends before the show does. It makes for an odd, lumpen structure with even less of a resolution than the first volume. Aside from that the character of Kai engendered a lot of the predatory Hollywood tropes that I tend to find tedious. Much of the long distance stuff with Derek was great though and it was fun watching Conor mature and blossom once he was able to escape the strictures of small town life.
March 29, 2022
I’ve loved this series, despite it being different reading about younger characters. I love Hanna Dare’s writing I find it so easy to get hooked into and her characters are compelling and so very real. There is no unnecessary fluff to get through. It feels mature and ticks all the boxes for me. I was initially out of thinking it would be teenagery but it’s not at all. Quality sex scenes. Plenty of engaging and mature themes here which I didn’t expect but thoroughly enjoyed.
July 19, 2022
Amazing!!!
Book two picks up with Connor arriving in L. A. and him meeting some his fellow contestants for Singing Sensations, the journey Donor takes shows him insight into himself and others around him who want to see their own dreams come true. I enjoyed this book just as much as the first and I am looking forward to starting the next.
Book two picks up with Connor arriving in L. A. and him meeting some his fellow contestants for Singing Sensations, the journey Donor takes shows him insight into himself and others around him who want to see their own dreams come true. I enjoyed this book just as much as the first and I am looking forward to starting the next.
February 25, 2019
Still compelled to keep reading
The series is still flowing well and we are seeing some growth in our dear MC Conner and his mistakes but I definitely want to keep reading, I still recommend the series.
The series is still flowing well and we are seeing some growth in our dear MC Conner and his mistakes but I definitely want to keep reading, I still recommend the series.
August 18, 2019
Continuation of the series. This has Conor competing in the Singing Sensation reality show. I was completely enthralled in the drama, what Conor goes through and the other characters even though Conor and his love interest, Derek, were miles apart.
February 6, 2026
Not my favourite of the series, though I get why it all had to happen this way.
September 4, 2016
4.25 stars
Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews