Synopsis

For fans of Ashley Poston and Abby Jimenez, a contemporary romance—with a twist—about a media-savvy reality television star and a canceled country singer.

Twenty-eight-year-old beauty Emerson Blue is the second most followed celebrity on social media. A self-proclaimed “living piece of art” who rose to fame as a reality star and then parlayed her celebrity into a megabucks career as an influencer, she seems to have everything.

Forty-eight-year-old Grammy winner Renn Walker is a fallen country music star. Years ago, he was canceled following allegations of sexual misconduct, and he has lived in seclusion ever since. Once a beloved figure, he seems to have lost it all.

When Emerson and Renn meet, sparks fly. Against all odds, a star obsessed with popularity and a recluse shunned by the world fall in love. Everyone in the public and media has an opinion and thinks they know Emerson and Renn. But in a world dominated by social media—a world that blurs the lines between what’s public and private, what’s real and what’s illusion—do we ever really know anyone?

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Review

This novel pulled me into a world that I will never experience, life as an influencer with millions of followers. While I know a little bit about that world, it is crazy way to live: crafting social media posts, outings, and more.

Emerson is an enigma. We don’t know much about her until close to the end. She is not perfect, she has her flaws, but I also chalk that up to youth. Renn is hiding from the world from a cancel culture incident that he was actually innocent of, or at least mostly. However, when these two meet, sparks do fly, and in a way it seems unrealistic, but there are people that meet and know from the first moment that this is their person.

I was rooting for their relationship, but I don’t know if we really delved very deeply into their lives. Their story is one that we might see in the news today. The positive and negative press, fans obsessed with them, and living their life for others and not themselves. Sadly, this is what we see in today’s world, and I wonder how happy those people are because at the end of the day, it is more than money.

I enjoyed this novel from start to finish, and give it 4 1/2 paws up.

About the Author

Patricia Leavy, PhD, is a novelist, sociologist, and arts advocate (formerly Associate Professor of Sociology, Founding Director of Gender Studies, and Chairperson of Sociology & Criminology at Stonehill College). She is widely considered the world’s most visible proponent of arts-based research, which merges the arts and sciences. Patricia has published over 40 books, nonfiction and fiction, and her work has been translated into numerous languages. She has received over 100 book awards. She has also received career awards from the New England Sociological Association, the American Creativity Association, the American Educational Research Association, the International Congress of Qualitative Inquiry, and the National Art Education Association. In 2016, Mogul, a global women’s empowerment network, named her an “Influencer.” In 2018, she was honored by the National Women’s Hall of Fame, and the State University of New York at New Paltz established the “Patricia Leavy Award for Art and Social Justice.” In recent years, her passion has turned to penning romance novels.

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