Celebrity rock star Rafael Reyes is the lead singer and frontman for the band that he formed with his older brother and his long-time girlfriend - but when that girlfriend publicly leaves him for his brother, he finds himself embroiled in a band-breaking legal battle and an embarrassing public scandal. Newly turned 21, former child star Julian Gault is ready to graduate to adult roles and get out from under the thumb of his manager/uncle - but finds himself fighting against his uncle's power and influence as well as his own reputation for being cold, unpleasant, and difficult to work with. A fake-dating scheme holds benefits for both of them - Rafi gets to tell the world (and his bandmates) that he traded up to one of the most beautiful movie stars on the planet days after being dumped, and Julian gets an adult relationship to mature him in the public eye and softens his image by association with Rafi's reputation for being one of the more decent and likable men in Hollywood. But as they start to find in each other even more than they expected, the dark secrets around Julian's uncle rise up to threaten them both.

I loved this book! It's a fun ride with a tender love story, full of complicated characters and moments of genuine humor and suspense. The characters are really the high point of the novel. Julian in particular stands out as layered and complex: aloof, loyal, sharp and sweet by turns, with hints of past trauma and a secret playful nature that only comes out as he feels safe. But Rafi, whom you might initially be tempted to write off as a one-dimensional good guy, also turns out to have hidden depths to his character the more you know him, particularly with his conflicted emotions towards his brother and his ex and the slow understanding you gain of why he feels towards them the way he does. Even the more minor characters are painted with nuance and complexity that makes the story feel rich and satisfying.

The love story between Rafi and Julian really works, and it's satisfying to see them get more from each other than they expected and start to change each other for the better as they let each other in. There's tension between them even before they like each other, and from almost the start, you're cheering for them to *finally* kiss for real and not for the cameras. Additionally, there's some great funny moments (the whole Ren Faire trip is hysterical), and towards the end, when Julian's uncles secrets start to reveal themselves and the plot barrels towards an exciting climax, it becomes impossible to put down.

Another strong point is that each chapter starts with either "excerpts" from the tabloid press or fans social media discussing the celebrity gossip, quotes from Rafi's song lyrics, or both. It's hard to write song lyrics well, you can really imagine them coming from hit songs, and they both reveal Rafi's character and emotions and tie in thematically with the chapter. And the celebrity gossip gives a fun outsider POV on what's going on.

All in all, it's a heartfelt page-turner that I highly recommend.