From the Bookshelf of Turning Pages At Midnight…

Starting from Zero (Starting From #1)

Lane Hayes

Start date: June 29, 2019

Finish date: July 5, 2019

Discussion: Buddy Reads

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What Members Thought

Apr 15, 2019 Jennifer☠Pher☠ rated it really liked it

Shelves: lgbtq, m-m, 2019-release, arc, indigo

3.5★'s Rounded Up.

This is my 20th Lane Hayes book and she is one of my stop what you are doing and read authors without a doubt. But this book, well, this read so different to me. I think I have come to expect a certain formula and this seemed to follow its own path. This is not a bad thing, really, new and refreshing is a good thing; it just took me a minute or two to embrace it.

Truth. I started this on Monday night after Jeopardy and I could not get into it. I wasn’t sure if I was just tired o 3.5★'s Rounded Up.

This is my 20th Lane Hayes book and she is one of my stop what you are doing and read authors without a doubt. But this book, well, this read so different to me. I think I have come to expect a certain formula and this seemed to follow its own path. This is not a bad thing, really, new and refreshing is a good thing; it just took me a minute or two to embrace it.

Truth. I started this on Monday night after Jeopardy and I could not get into it. I wasn’t sure if I was just tired or what so I just put it down. Tuesday morning I started over from the very beginning and I liked it better but something was still just off but I had to keep going.

It might be me?

Personally I am just not into secrets and this story had a whole secret lovers (without the love, haha) and secret business dealings sort of vibe going on and I just felt dread. Dread for when all this was just going to blow up because we all know secrets never stay that way. It was just this terrible feeling hanging there for the entire read. There was the evil ex girlfriend and the semi-evil Hollywood type (and still pining ex-boyfriend) wanting to exploit it all and secrets, secrets, secrets so yeah, dread.

I’ve also come to realize Hollywood just isn’t my thing. I think it is cool when an author tries to write normal into a not so normal (often slimy) place but again, I get so stuck on the setting and those around them that I wonder how they really can be normal and not be like all the other Hollywood types. Everyone has an ulterior motive and everyone is just all about themselves. Ick. I hate it.

Gah, this is a difficult review to write! I mean, I didn’t hate it. There were so many parts of it that I actually loved. I smiled and I probably even swooned (ugh, swooning) a bit. Justin was cool. I liked him and his energy. I don’t know if I get the whole adult not adulting thing he had going on but I guess that is an artist thing. And Gray. Well, Gray was so comfortable in his skin and I loved that. I loved him. So far I feel like I want to get to know the band and I definitely want to know all the things about Charlie. I might even want to know about his Dad, but…

I just don’t know!

There was just something wrong about this to me. I feel like 80% of this book was what I love about Lane’s books but 20% of it just had this wrong feeling and it weaved its way through the story and kept me on edge.

It wrapped up exactly how I expected it to and that was a relief and knowing there was no way it would end differently helped with the dread, a little.

So I guess I'll leave it as good but different with some personal stuff that just isn’t my thing, but overall, good.

**This book was provided by the author via IndiGo Marketing & Design in exchange for an honest review.** ...more

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