Whew! It’s been a long time since we’ve felt this giddy about a new book, and we want to shout it so the world can hear. Candice Jalili’s new YA rom-com, Seeing Stars, needs to be your next read!
Seeing Stars is a spin-off story to Finding Famous, the first book in Candice Jalili’s Mashad Family series. It follows Mona Mashad, a reality TV star and the youngest daughter of the famous Mashad family. She reluctantly navigates a fake relationship with the President’s all-too-charming son, Lucas Sterling.
We got hooked as soon as an inkling of romance started to form between Mona and Lucas, and we hope you do too. Here are three of our favorite things about Seeing Stars by Candice Jalili!
Book Overview: Seeing Stars
Content warnings: mention of parent deaths, gun violence, panic attacks, vomiting
Summary: Mona Mashad grew up on camera, with millions of fans around the world tuning in to see her every move. Nothing was off-limits: not her first pimple, her first crush, and definitely not the death of her father, Mashad family patriarch and the best dad ever, Ali.
After more than a decade on screen, Mona has discovered the key to being the most famous teenager on the planet: never let your guard down and never give your heart away (because if it breaks, the whole world will know).
But she didn’t expect to meet Lucas Sterling, notorious heartthrob and only son of Jordana Sterling, the beloved President of the United States. Lucas sweeps Mona off her feet—he literally saves her when she falls down the stairs at the Met Gala—and for just one second Mona wants to let her walls come down. So, it hurts a lot when he betrays her, and even more when their moms demand they pretend to keep dating to appease their respective fan bases.
Normally, a fake relationship would be manageable for Mona. After all, she’s used to playing a part for the camera. But pretending to fall in love with Lucas when she’s still furious with him is no easy feat. And things get extra complicated when she meets Kai. A (hot) surfer and all-around normal guy. For the first time in her life, she can forget the cameras and just be…Mona. Could he be the escape from this fake reality that Mona needs? Or will fake dating America’s most eligible bachelor lead to real feelings?
Flirty Banter & Romantic Tension
We, along with most people on BookTok, love to read banter between two characters. It’s the way into our hearts, and we immediately fell in love with Seeing Stars because of Lucas and Mona’s banter. We could feel the chemistry from their very first meeting. And even though Lucas has to make up for a lot during their fake relationship, he’s relentless in pursuing Mona. He’s also self-assured and effortlessly charming, and Mona held out on him a lot longer than we would’ve if we were her.
Second-Lead Syndrome
As with any good love triangle, Seeing Stars gives us the ultimate second-lead syndrome. Kai, AKA Hot Surfer, is a respectful, down-to-earth guy that gives Mona a taste of a normal teenage life. He’s easy to talk to and so earnest. Their surfing lessons are so intimate and brimming with tension of what could happen if either of them admitted their budding feelings. We were so stuck between Kai and Lucas and rooted for them both at one point. Alas, this novel is not a “why choose?” story.
The Confessionals
Another one of our favorite things about Seeing Stars is reading the filmed confessionals that are a staple to reality TV shows. These scenes take us out of the main story to get an in-depth look at each character’s reactions and thoughts on the events as we read about them. It adds a very meta layer to this novel. We especially love seeing Mona and Lucas’s differing opinions at various stages of their fake relationship. While Lucas was ready to be all in, Mona was still in denial.
From flirty banter and fake dating to falling for the first (and second) lead, Candice Jalili’s Seeing Stars might be one of our favorite books this year!
Seeing Stars by Candice Jalili comes out October 14th, and you can order a copy of it here!
What do you think of Candice Jalili’s spin-off story, Seeing Stars? Let us know on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram!
Want to hear some of our audiobook recommendations? Here’s the latest!
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