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Fame, Fate, and the First Kiss

(Love, Life, and the List #2)

Kasie West (Goodreads Author)

3.69 · Rating details · 8,240 ratings · 1,262 reviews

Fan favorite author Kasie West delivers an effervescent story about chasing your dreams and following your heart, perfect for fans of Jenny Han and Huntley Fitzpatrick.

Lacey Barnes has dreamed of being an actress for as long as she can remember. So when she gets the opportunity to star in a movie alongside one of Hollywood’s hottest actors, she doesn’t hesitate to acc

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Kindle Edition, 400 pages

Published February 5th 2019 by HarperTeen

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Fame, Fate, and the First Kiss by Kasie West

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Aug 03, 2018 Melanie rated it liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: romance, arc, young-adult, contemporary, read-in-2019

ARC provided by the publisher via Edelweiss in exchange for an honest review.

“I have to convince audiences everywhere that a zombie loves a zombie hunter. So far, it’s not happening. So far, the only thing future viewers care about is that I’m not someone else.”

Okay, the only other thing I’ve ever read by Kasie West was the short story of hers in Snow in Love, but I think it is safe to say that I am officially just going to preorder everything she writes from now on, because this sto ...more

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Oct 04, 2018 Jasmine from How Useful It Is rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: contemporary, young-adult, edelweiss

I started reading Fame, Fate, and the First Kiss on 9/28/2018 and finished it on 10/4/2018. This book is a fantastic read! I like the main character’s easy going personality. The conversations between the characters are full of humor and just happy. It’s interesting to read about an actress’ life, especially the underage ones. I didn’t know fans could follow a movie while they act. I have never run into one. I like reading about another fellow reviewer. I like Lacey’s card games of getting to kn I started reading Fame, Fate, and the First Kiss on 9/28/2018 and finished it on 10/4/2018. This book is a fantastic read! I like the main character’s easy going personality. The conversations between the characters are full of humor and just happy. It’s interesting to read about an actress’ life, especially the underage ones. I didn’t know fans could follow a movie while they act. I have never run into one. I like reading about another fellow reviewer. I like Lacey’s card games of getting to know someone new. Having someone trying to sabotage Lacey makes the read a bit more thrilling.

This book is told in the first person point of view following Lacey Barnes, 17, high school senior and an actress, currently playing a role for a zombie movie, her first big starring role. She has to keep up with her homework while on set for her acting but she doesn’t keep up with her studies very well. Her overprotective dad hires tutors for her and the last one just quit. Her dad comes to inform her that her new tutor will be a boy from her sponsor school. Lacey doesn’t date. She doesn’t want a boy to get in the way of her acting and so another boy and another tutor doesn’t excite her because she wants to focus on her big role. She’s having a rough patch on her role because she and her hot co-star lacks chemistry. She’s spending time with him to get to know him better to improve their chemistry situation. Beginning of each chapter there will be a scene from the movie Lacey’s in.

Fame, Fate, and the First Kiss is very well written and fun to read. I like that this book has the slow burning romance where the characters move on from disliking each other to liking each other. I like the comparison between overprotective dad and dad who never showed up. I like the romance in this story because it stays on the surface and not go far beyond kisses. I like Lacey’s quick come back to argument with her dad about being happy on the job everyday. This book is not one to help me fall back to sleep when I wake up in the middle of the night, which is a good thing. A good book is worth sacrificing sleep over. I highly recommend everyone to read this book!

Pro: fast paced, page turner, living on set, humor, romance, easy to read, dad issues

Con: none

I rate it 5 stars!

***Disclaimer: Many thanks to the author Kasie West, publisher HarperTeen, and Edelweiss for the opportunity to read and review. Please be assured that my opinions are honest.

xoxo,
Jasmine at www.howusefulitis.wordpress.com for more details ...more

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Feb 11, 2019 Kristin Hackett (Merrily Kristin) rated it it was ok · review of another edition

Sadly, this was not my favorite Kasie West book.

Fame, Fate and the First Kiss is the first Kasie West book I've read that I actively disliked. Usually Kasie strikes a strong balance between the romance and the personal issues in her books, but this one was very bogged down in the romance and I just couldn't connect with it. I love that it takes place on the set of a zombie film that Lacey is costarring in with a well-known actor, but I just couldn't get myself to care about the plot or the chara ...more

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Feb 05, 2019 destiny ♡⚔♡ [howling libraries] rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: review-copies, young-adult, owned-ebooks, z-2019-reads, contemporary

All Lacey has ever wanted is to become a successful actress, and she’s done everything she can to get there—working hard, neglecting her social life, and even swearing off love altogether. It seems like her work has paid off when she lands a leading role in a horror film alongside a superstar, until her father’s over-abundance of concern forces her to work with a tutor, Donavan Lake. It seems like Donavan’s presence will only drag her down, until someone begins to sabotage her on set, and the

...more

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Jul 23, 2019 ♛ may rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: marshmallow-fluff, meh, decent, super-cute, binged, 300-pgs, contemporary, standalones

book #4 completed! for the reading rush, under the challenge of: "a book that has five or more words in the title" ✓

a list of things i liked
- the movie set was well written and included enough details that kept me intrigued without making me feel bored
- the romance was so wholesome and sweet
- i LOVE donavan. soft, dark-haired boys, my weakness
- IT WAS SO CUTE
- the writing was super easy and engaging, i sped through it without even realizing
- the friendship, could have had more but not comp ...more

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Feb 02, 2019 Stacee rated it liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: edelweiss, read-in-2019

I will always read a Kasie book. I don’t even read the synopsis.

I liked Lacey and Donovan. They’re both driven and maybe a little stubborn. Their banter was playful and fun. The on set characters were interesting and I especially enjoyed seeing Abby and Cooper again.

Plot wise, it was okay. It was slow and quick moving at the same time. Because Lacey’s day is nearly the same every day, it felt a bit repetitive at parts. The sabotage thread didn’t really work for me. I did like the idea of it an ...more

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Nov 13, 2018 Anatea Oroz rated it liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: contemporary, romance, young-adult

I feel like with every new book that I read from Kasie West, I like them less and less. I'm not sure what changed, if it is my reading preference that's changed or the writing is not as good as it has been. Not to say that I didn't enjoy the book - I did, I just wasn't as amazed by this one as I was with my first couple of Kasie's books, like On the Fence and The Distance between us. And I sooo wanted to finally love a book by Kasie again.

What bothered me the most with this book is that it is ...more

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Mar 04, 2018 Natalie rated it really liked it · review of another edition

SUCH CUTENESS!

Honestly, if you want a quick, fluffy read (especially considering what's going on at the moment), I highly recommend this!

Romance, friendship, mystery, showbusiness, family - it's all here! And it's refreshing that the protagonist and the love interest don't have any stupid misunderstandings. Young adult does this a lot and it puts me off, characters just don't communicate. Lacey and Donovan get on so well and it just takes off from there - trust, support, care. It's nice and ver ...more

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May 01, 2019 Brittany rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: clean-reads, romance, ya, thriller-suspense, coming-of-age, contemporary, year-2019, 4-star-reads

4 Stars!!
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

I just adore Kasie West- and her ability to tell a sweet, and heartwarming story! And this one did not disappoint!

In FFFK, we follow Lacey, a 17 year old, pursuing an acting career. She gets her first big break staring in a lead roll for a zombie movie. She is staying with her dad while she works and is having to sort of homeschool while she works on set. She isn't very enthusiastic about having to work on school stuff in her spare time- because the movie is keeping her prett ...more

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Apr 06, 2020 Aj the Ravenous Reader rated it liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: contemporary, romance, auto-buy-authors, physically-owned-books, easy-read, lol, mystery, young-adult

I may have to agree with Lacey, our main character, on the lack of chemistry. Not just with Grant but with Donavan as well. I'm feeling a little bummed out because chemistry is Kasie West's forte. But it's still enjoyable though. The characters are likable enough, not the usual characters she writes, this time they're actors actually on set and shooting a zombie movie so that is something new. I also liked the two storylines. The actual plot and the one in the zombie movie script. The little mys ...more

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Mar 24, 2019 Sharon rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: cute-bantering, family, friendship, ya, 4-stars, best-of-2019, likable-heroines, beautiful-covers, favorites, he-s-a-keeper

Here are some of my thoughts:
• Of the 11 books I’ve read from West so far, I’ll say this is definitely in the top 3 somewhere. I’ll probably place it 2nd after FIB.
• I like Lacey. She is bold, friendly, and funny. I already liked her back in Love, Life, and the List as Abby’s new friend. She is not perfect – she can be avoidant of things she don’t want to deal with (schoolwork, her dad), and she can be overly fixated on her career and what the media says (which is quite understandable). However ...more

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Mar 31, 2019 Maggie ☘ rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: amazing-reads, contemporary-na

Fame, Fate, and the First Kiss had the kind of Kasie West magic I've been missing for some time now in her more recent works. With this newest book, I feel like the magic is back.

I'm not going to lie, I didn't expect too much from this book. Especially since this book follows a character we first got to meet in Love, Life, and the List - Lacey was the former MC's friend. I think I had this stigma in my head because Love, Life, and the List is, alongside with Lucky in Love, my least favourite KW ...more

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Aug 08, 2018 Scrill rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: romance, arc, contemporary, ya

Reviews like this can also be found on my blog, Vicariously & Voraciously

Aspiring actress Lacey has landed herself gig costarring with one of the hottest actors in Hollywood. But she can’t seem to get chemistry with him right on screen. Meanwhile someone seems to be sabotaging her success on set and she also has to juggle her overbearing dad who hires a tutor just to helper her get her homework done. She can’t seem to catch a break like the one she got when she landed the role.

The Story-
Oh my gosh, this was so cute. For a while there I was starting to lose faith in Kasie West’s ability to woo me with her YA contemporary romances, but she’s been back in the upswing. First of all, I don’t know how she knocks out so many books out each year continuously. She is an amazing book writing machine. Anyway, the book exceeded my expectations. It was everything I want in a YA contemporary with it’s easy reading that you can finish in one sitting to characters that are genuinely likeable.

The actual plot is unique in the fact that it seems like some petty high school type stuff, but is involved on a film set. I loved that there were bits of the script between the chapters that sort of played along with the story. It definitely added some light distraction from the story. Sort of like an amuse-bouche between before the chapter.

Kasie tends to have problems that some teens face, but only ever really delivers in a light manner. It’s a plot point, it’s addressed, but overall isn’t a major life changing book to learn from. I think the aim is purely for entertainment and that’s what this book gave me.

The Characters-
Lacey is a character that we previously met in a Love, Life, and the List. She’s lively and has a strong personality in getting what she wants. The thing about her is that she rolls with it. She knows that she is a bit selfish and spoiled but plays it up almost as a flirting technique and it’s just endearing. I love how she slowly uncovers the personalities of her friends and finds her way back to what makes her great as an actress. I think my favorite part was when she realizes that she belongs where she was. At some point we all start to lose faith in ourselves and our abilities, and after some struggles she see something that triggers her understanding that yes, she is good at what she does and deserves to have her part in the film. ...more

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Oct 12, 2018 Tucker (TuckerTheReader) rated it liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: 3-stars, romance, contemporary, young-adult

What a novel! Can you believe this is my first Kasie West book? I know, crazy! Anyway, I thoroughly enjoyed this novel. The writing was descriptive and flowed perfectly from sentence to sentence. I especially enjoyed the sections of the movie.

Thanks to HarperTeen for sending me an eGalley in exchange for an honest review.

| Goodreads | Blog | Pinterest | LinkedIn | YouTube | Instagram ...more

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Oct 09, 2018 Camila Roy ••RoyIsReading•• rated it really liked it · review of another edition

RATING: 4/5

e-ARC provided by Edelweiss in exchange for an honest review

Lacey Barnes has dreamed of being an actress for as long as she can remember. So, when she gets the opportunity to star in a movie alongside one of Hollywood’s hottest actors, she doesn’t hesitate to accept the part. Lacey quickly learns that life in the spotlight isn’t as picture-perfect as she imagined. With her entire future riding on this movie, Lacey knows she can’t afford to get sidetracked by anything. Specially not a ...more

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Apr 30, 2020 chloe ♡ rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: i-own, 2020-read, beat-the-backlist-2020, five-stars

this has become my new favorite kasie west book! ☻ i definitely liked it a lot better than life, love and the list (see my review here) because the mc, despite always worrying about not connecting enough with her co-lead in the movie she's starring in, actually has a lot of chemistry with her romantic interest. ...more

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Aug 01, 2020 Rachel Reads Ravenously rated it liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: 3-stars-aint-the-devil, young-adult, ya-contemporary-romance, audiobook

3 stars

It’s been a minute since I read a Kasie West novel, she’s my YA guilty pleasure. Since the pandemic began I haven’t had much of a mind for reading, but I’ve been able to listen to audiobooks on my commute to work and that’s exactly what I did with this book. I actually really liked this book, the first 75% of it or so was a 4 star read for me. But then the last 30 minutes or so of listening, everything was extremely rushed and outcomes were so unsatisfying. I felt this book was a lot of ...more

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Nov 30, 2018 Mlpmom (Book Reviewer) rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: kindle-books, arc-book-read

Such a cute story! Full review to come closer to release date.

*EDITED TO ADD REVIEW*

Is there anything better than an adorable read in front of the fire place on a cool winter-y afternoon?

Nope, I believe not.

Fame, Fate, and the First Kiss, like most West books, was just so much fun. So cute and sweet and just the right thing to escape for a couple of hours and be left, by the very last page, with a smile on my face and a warm feeling in my heart.

Classic West with all the feels, friendships, and ...more

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Feb 19, 2019 Suzanne rated it really liked it

I adore Kasie West books because they are cute and lighthearted stories that are a breath a fresh air after reading too many intense and overdramatic or big world building fantasy books. Sometimes avid readers have to have these types of books to enjoy quickly. This one is about a teen that is starting out as an actress. There is some mystery, light drama, friendship and cute romance.

My quick and simple overall: adorable, quick read.

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Oct 12, 2018 emi rated it liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: i-spent-my-money-on-this, 3-stars, girl-meets-boy-contemporaries

RTC? Maybe?

Anyways, Kasie West writes the best worse contemporary books ever and I'm a stan. ...more

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Jul 23, 2019 Jiana rated it liked it · review of another edition

Book #4 for the reading rush: Read a book that has five or more words in the title: ✓

3.5

that was cute but i wasn’t totally invested rip. but can we talk about Donavan!? soft soft boy ♥

buddy read with may (the only person i'd buddy read kasie west with ♥) ...more

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Dec 31, 2018 Tiffany (Read By Tiffany) rated it liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: own-arc, read-in-2018

FULL REVIEW: https://readbytiffany.wordpress.com/2...

Kasie West is definitely one of my favorite authors, and her books are always super feel-good, soft, and fluffy. As much as I love her books, this one wasn't up to par to her other releases like The Fill-In Boyfriend or P.S. I Like You. It was definitely still an enjoyable read, and I really grew to love the main characters. However, the writing and development of the story felt a bit muddled and messy. I wouldn't say that this is her best b ...more

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Feb 12, 2019 Jessica (The Psychotic Nerd) rated it liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: harper, books-i-own, stand-alones, contemporary-realistic, pov-girl, i-read-a-book-and-i-liked-it-3-star, read-multiple-book-series-by-author, read-in-2019, released-in-2019, books-bought-in-2019

This and other reviews can be found on The Psychotic Nerd

MY THOUGHTS
Kasie West is an auto-buy author for me. Even though the books she writes don't always become a favorite of mine, I can always count on a feel-good contemporary romance from her. While this book was an enjoyable read, it did not make the favorites list.

Our main character, Lacey, has just gotten her first lead movie role in an independent zombie movie (based on a book). So far, she hasn't gotten the best publicity. Her co-sta This and other reviews can be found on The Psychotic Nerd

MY THOUGHTS
Kasie West is an auto-buy author for me. Even though the books she writes don't always become a favorite of mine, I can always count on a feel-good contemporary romance from her. While this book was an enjoyable read, it did not make the favorites list.

Our main character, Lacey, has just gotten her first lead movie role in an independent zombie movie (based on a book). So far, she hasn't gotten the best publicity. Her co-star is a famous movie star and his fans aren't too happy that a nobody is starring in a movie with him. It doesn't help that Lacey's director keeps complaining that there is no chemistry between Lacey and her co-star and that Lacey's father keeps bursting on set, worried that his daughter is being overworked. Also, things on set seem to be falling apart, items going missing, lights falling over, and it looks like it is Lacey's fault. Lacey's dad hires a tutor, Donovan, to help Lacey focus on her schoolwork, which Lacey is none too happy about. She doesn't want anything to distract her from her goal of being an actress. As it turns out, Donovan can help her with her chemistry problem and help her find out who is trying to sabotage her, but she has to be careful not to get too close.

One of the more interesting aspects of this book was the use of movie scripts throughout the book. Every so often we are given a snippet from the movie Lacey is in, which helps to understand what Lacey is trying to do in some of the book scenes. In many scenes, she's actually wearing zombie makeup, even during her study sessions! It was also obvious that West did research on the movie business, even if she likely took some liberties, and having a YA novel set on a movie set is unusual in itself. I don't believe I have ever read one until now.

Lacey was a great main character. She is a lot more outgoing than the contemporary YA characters that I'm used to. Although, she still has her insecurities. She's just starting out in the movie business and she is worried about how the public is perceiving her. Yet, she is trying her hardest not to let her worries show and instead show others that she is right for this role and can be a fantastic actress. When she thinks she is having trouble with something, she tries her best to grow and fix it. When she was having trouble with chemistry, she decided that she needed to get to know her co-stars better, and she gained friendships from that. Her two co-stars, Amanda and Grant, played minor roles in the story, but I loved seeing how all of them interacted, especially Lacey and Amanda.

As for the romance, because of course there was romance, it was fine. I liked the dynamic between Lacey and Donovan. They had different viewpoints. Lacey is much more outrageous, willing to break into an abandoned building in her zombie makeup, which Donovan is less likely to. Lacey considers Donovan to be "straitlaced". When reading the book, I fully expected them to get together at some point and I enjoyed seeing them interact in order to get to that point. Part of the conflict that Lacey and Donovan encounter is that Lacey does not date because she wants to focus on acting, while Donovan does not date actresses. This is not a new conflict in contemporary romance and it did not feel much like an actual conflict because, again, I knew from the get-go they would eventually get together.

The main drawback to this book was the way the sabotage was handled. I understand why West included it because it creates a further conflict and it did make me want to turn to pages in hopes that it would get better for Lacey, but I figured out who was doing the sabotage really early on. This made me upset that the characters weren't seeing what I thought was obvious. When they did find out who was doing it, it was over really quickly, which was a bit anti-climatic, and the motive did not really make sense to me.

IN CONCLUSION
While I was a bit let-down by the end, this book did make for a cute contemporary romance and despite the fact that I knew what was coming, I couldn't help but turn the pages. Fame, Fate, and the First Kiss makes for a fun read and one that is great for the chilly months. This book is the second in a trilogy of companion books with interconnected characters (Lacey is friends with the couple in Love, Life, and the List). I'm curious who will be the focus of the next book. I'm hoping Amanda, but it's probably unlikely. Anyway, I plan on reading more from Kasie West in the future. I already have Maybe This Time preordered! ...more

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Aug 06, 2018 . (not active on this account stop adding me) rated it liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: netgalley-and-edelweiss, arcs

2.5 stars ✧ review also on my blog

ARC kindly provided by Harper Teen in exchange for an honest review.

Fame, Fate, and the First Kiss follows Lacey, a new, seventeen-year-old actress, as she stars in a zombie film opposite a renowned actor, named Grant. Since signing onto this film, she’s had a rift with her father, who wants her to focus on school and not get caught up in show business. Her father ends up hiring a tutor from the local school, who happens to be an entertainment (a.k.a. f 2.5 stars ✧ review also on my blog

ARC kindly provided by Harper Teen in exchange for an honest review.

Fame, Fate, and the First Kiss follows Lacey, a new, seventeen-year-old actress, as she stars in a zombie film opposite a renowned actor, named Grant. Since signing onto this film, she’s had a rift with her father, who wants her to focus on school and not get caught up in show business. Her father ends up hiring a tutor from the local school, who happens to be an entertainment (a.k.a. film) reviewer for his school paper. The book follows Lacey navigating her first time on a relatively large movie set while negative things begin to surface about her online.

My main issue with this book was that nothing really happens. Despite taking place on a movie set-which should be exciting in itself-nothing of substance happens at the beginning of the book. I understand that this is a contemporary novel and there isn’t much room for action, but we can’t stay inside the main character’s head the entire time. After finishing this, I could probably summarise everything that happened in 5 minutes since nothing of note occurred. The main complication of the entire novel revolved around negative press that Lacey was beginning to get online – something that is the norm for young actresses with a social media presence anyway.

I’ve said this before, but I think I’m too old for West’s books. Sometimes I wish she wouldn’t add certain conflicts to her books without making it extremely obvious. I know these aren’t intended for someone my age in the first place, but it seems so blatant that I’m sure a 12-year-old could figure it out. Not that a contemporary book needs to be shocking, but it’s frustrating when something is right in front of your eyes and the main character doesn’t acknowledge it. When the reveal of who was sabotaging Lacey occurred, it left more questions than answers. It’s obvious the author tried to transfer the suspicion to other characters, but these were never properly answered and left more plot holes than solutions. Also, a lot of her dilemmas could easily be fixed if she just changed the passcode to her phone.

The romance was also lacking, which is surprising for a West novel. I wasn’t entirely convinced on Lacey’s chemistry with Donavan and there weren’t any sparks when they finally got together. In fact, it felt rushed since it didn’t happen until towards the ending, and then the question of what’s in store for them isn’t answered properly (even in the epilogue). Donavan also didn’t have any qualities that stood out as different from any male character in the Young Adult genre. He’s got dark, brown hair, he’s broody, he has daddy issues, and he has a specific type of girl he likes to date. I know most of the female main characters in West’s books have distinct interests and personalities, but I’d like to see her branch out from the same old love story that she recycles in every novel.

Overall, I’m going to surmise that West books aren’t written for my demographic anymore. I like reading her novels for a quick, short reprieve between some other books that require a lot of thought, so I’ll probably still pick up her books, I just won’t be expecting anything of substance. I’d recommend this if you’re a fan of her previous books because it definitely has that atmosphere, but I wouldn’t expect anything outstandingly different to other contemporary novels on the market. ...more

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Dec 19, 2018 Alexa rated it liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: friends-with-arcs, read-in-2018

Whenever I crack open a Kasie West novel, I expect to have warm, fuzzy feelings - and that certainly happened with FAME, FATE AND THE FIRST KISS. It honestly read a lot like a DCOM or a teen rom-com, and since I tend to be a sucker for those types of stories, I thought this one was quite enjoyable. The main couple were quite cute to read about, and I enjoyed the secondary characters (and cameos) a ton. If you enjoy these types of tales or want a read that's on the lighter side, definitely check ...more

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Sep 26, 2018 Jennifer rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: edelweiss

This book was super cute. I really enjoyed it!

Fame, Fate, and the First Kiss is a Young Adult contemporary romance. It is the second book in a set of three standalone books with crossover characters. The first book was Abby's story in Love, Life, and the List.

This book can 100% be read as a standalone. Abby has a small part in this book. But you don't need to know anything about Love, Life, and the List to enjoy this book. I actually have read Love, Life, and the List, but had no idea while read ...more

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Dec 05, 2018 Danielle (Life of a Literary Nerd) rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: contemporary, arcs

Another Kasie West book, another good time.

I love Kasie's books because they are just so much fun and I can get fully lost in them. They're the pinacle of having a good time. Fame, Fate, and the First Kiss was no different. We follow Lacey Barnes as she's set to start alongside a major Hollywood heartthrob in her breakout role. There's an adorable romance, onset drama, and tentative friendships that develop organically. I do think I liked Love, Life, and the List a bit more, but this was still a ...more

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Aug 12, 2018 Jaime Arkin rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: 2019, harper-teen, contemporary, ebook-format, edelweiss-arc, galley-arc, romance, gimmeeeee, arcs-i-m-looking-for, must-review

I adore Kasie West... seriously. FRTC

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Aug 11, 2020 Tessa Herondale~Carstairs rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: romance, 4-star

4.5 stars.
This relationship may even rival Abby and Cooper. Not the story, but the relationship. The book ended too abruptly for my taste, but otherwise it was good!

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Jan 27, 2019 Thamy rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Companion book to... actually, it doesn't even matter. This is basically a standalone. And a nice one!

Lacey wants to be a famous actress and she's worked hard for it, staying away from boys and any distractions. She's even said goodbye to her mother, siblings and best friend to move in with her father in LA to work in the movie that could be her career changer.While trying to balance life with her father, pressure from working with a popular actor and sessions with her tutor to keep up with scho Companion book to... actually, it doesn't even matter. This is basically a standalone. And a nice one!

Lacey wants to be a famous actress and she's worked hard for it, staying away from boys and any distractions. She's even said goodbye to her mother, siblings and best friend to move in with her father in LA to work in the movie that could be her career changer.While trying to balance life with her father, pressure from working with a popular actor and sessions with her tutor to keep up with school work, strange things start happening on the set. Is someone sabotaging her?

3.5.

I confess I had forgotten West's style and in the beginning I was cheering for the wrong boy—as if she doesn't have a thing for the boy next door. It did take too long for Donovan to show up and thanks to that it probably took me as long as Lacey to warm up to him. But that's how a Kasie West book boyfriend is, he's too cute resist.

While I'm a big fan of her writings, some of her books haven't made me that excited. It's not the case of this series, though. This wasn't as good as the first one, but it was a great pass time. And I really like how Kasie manages to explore so many aspects. Lacey's issues with her father, bullying, balancing the pursuit of one's dream with reality, the way she does it is very special.

I also liked how all the characters had their flaws and upsides, it would have been so easy for the other actress on set to be a rival. For Grant, the popular actor who's making things harder for Lacey, to simply be a douche. While she is a rival and he is a douche, there's a lot more. I think both of their stories closed her but I still longed to read something centering on them. Or two things, I don't mind reading two other books.

But my favorite thing is Lacey. She's an actress, a really good one, but she's also so human, we readers never know her true potential until the end. She's also super funny and relatable just like it was me landing a lead role on a horror movie.

Reading back my review for the first book, I can see this one didn't make me as excited. But I assure you I read it all with a big smile—and high speed. It was a pleasure and another book for me to ascertain Kasie West is still my favorite YA writer.

Now... who else is curious about the third installment? Who's it gonna be next?

Honest review based on an ARC provided by Edelweiss. Many thanks to the publisher for this opportunity. ...more

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YA Buddy Readers'...: Fame, Fate, and the First Kiss (Love, Life, and the List #2) by Kasie West - Starting August 9th 2020	18	13	Aug 14, 2020 07:49PM
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About Kasie West

Kasie West

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I write YA. I eat Junior Mints. Sometimes I go crazy and do both at the same time. My novels are: PIVOT POINT and its sequel SPLIT SECOND. And my contemporary novels: THE DISTANCE BETWEEN US, ON THE FENCE, THE FILL-IN BOYFRIEND, PS I LIKE YOU, BY YOUR SIDE, LUCKY IN LOVE, LOVE LIFE and the LIST, LISTEN TO YOUR HEART, FAME FATE and the FIRST KISS, MAYBE THIS TIME, and MOMENT OF TRUTH. My agent is t ...more

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Love, Life, and the List (3 books)

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What would you do if you won the lottery? Lucky in Love author Kasie West answers your questions about spending millions and handling rejection...

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Quotes from Fame, Fate, and t...

“People need to hear hard things sometimes to push them to be better.” — 9 likes

“Why entertainment?” I asked. “Why do you like to write reviews?”
“I love stories. I love watching them play out and trying to guess the endings. I love being surprised and learning new things about people or about myself.”
“And then you love saying how it could’ve been done so much better?”
He laughed, a soft, deep laugh that made my stomach flutter. “Or how it was done well. Don’t forget I do write good reviews too.” — 2 likes

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