Rock My Stars (Starstruck Universe)
Ellie Potts
Independently Published, 2021
ISBN-13: 979-8767487950
Ebook, 258 ppg.
When I posted about my books being available for free as well as at discount prices on Smashwords for Read-an-Ebook-Week, my friend Ellie Potts let me know that her novel, Rock My Stars, was available for free through Kindle Unlimited. I grabbed a copy to read for Read-an-Ebook-Week, but it took me longer than one week to read this book. It actually took me two weeks. It was such an enjoyable story to read! I was hooked from the very beginning!
Rock My Stars by Ellie Potts is about a young woman named Tabby who has a HUGE crush on band member Spencer Tate of the band, Suspected Tragedy. Tabby is a music blogger, so music is her whole world! (Along with books, video games, and her best friends.) She’s been blogging about the band for years, so when she has a chance to see the band at a concert with her two best friends Walt and Danny, she jumps at the opportunity! While she is at the concert, she happens to meet her crush, along with the rest of the band, and Tabby’s world is about to change when she discovers that her crush just might turn into something more!
Even though I am profoundly deaf, I was not born deaf, so I have been exposed to music in the past. So I totally get how music is such a big deal for Tabby! Music has the power of changing people’s lives, stirring up emotions, offering comfort, and leaving a lasting meaning for people. Tabby has loved music for, like, forever, and everything about music shows in her blog posts and live videos she writes and creates from the concerts that she goes to. It is this role of being a “music blogger” that turns Tabby into a media person, and she has a chance to be in that role not only to participate in Q&A sessions with the band but also to help the guys boost their presence on social media. Apparently, this is effective, because her notifications of likes and comments blow up after she posts things about the band.
I thought it was cool how Tabby also interacted with other bands and she got to include these other band members in her posts and videos. The other band members all treat her like she is a friend, not an outsider, and it’s just so awesome to see how everybody welcomes her and accepts her as one of their own. They all hang out together, do stuff together, and have fun together. It’s like suddenly having the biggest family ever. As Tabby observes on one occasion, after the guys in the Suspected Tragedy band all come to her defense:
“I freaking loved these guys so much. We were strangers when we started this journey, and now we were family. They had accepted me as part of the group. At the moment, they had me in protection bubble.”
It should be noted, however, that not everyone is so welcoming and friendly with Tabby. Anika, Spencer’s ex, keeps giving Tabby a lot of grief, all which Tabby is not afraid to fight. Seamus, Spencer’s brother, has a grudge against Tabby after she physically fought back against him when he groped her, and Hector, the band’s manager, also dislikes Tabby. He even tells her this point blank, to which Tabby replies, “The feeling’s mutual.”
And that’s the thing I love about Tabby. Aside from two creepy weirdos she tries to avoid running into at music events, she is not easily intimidated by people. She is gutsy, bold, and defensive. She is not afraid to stand up for herself, even with Spencer, and draw the line when someone is trying to use her, hurt her, or take advantage of her. She even clobbers her best friend, Danny, after he slaps her.
The story line with Tabby and Danny was also interesting. I kept wondering how it was going to turn out in the end. Tabby did have a crush on Danny at the beginning of the story, but she learns about his true colors as the story unfolds. I could only shake my head over Danny telling Tabby that she was his fallback, his “safety net.” He never took her feelings seriously and then it was too late. That’s what happens when you are put on hold while the object of your heart goes chasing after someone else. People want to be the choice, not the option.
I also appreciated how Tabby understood all of the hard work that is required from Spencer because of his job with the band. And she makes it clear how she feels about him every time a doubter comes along saying that she’ll dump him or how Danny sees it as a “fling.” I loved how Spencer never got jealous over Tabby’s friendship with Walt. He understands that it is strictly platonic, with Tabby saying that she loves Walt like a brother. Spencer DOES get jealous of other guys, though, and Tabby has to make it clear to him that she her heart only belongs to him. Another thing I really liked about this story was how Tabby and Spencer’s relationship survives challenges. He doesn’t get rid of her when things get hard. That’s love.
Rock My Stars is a sweet and steamy romance that takes readers behind the scenes of the music world. The characters and the story are so well-written, and the ups and downs of a relationship that gets off to an unusual start will keep readers guessing on how everything will turn out in the end. This novel is sure to be enjoyed by readers of romance novels, as well as readers who enjoy stories about music and rock bands.
Five stars
Disclaimer: I downloaded this ebook through Kindle Unlimited. This review is entirely voluntary.
