Yes, I look at the Goodreads ratings sometimes when I am reviewing a book and can't remember anyone's names and need a little refresher. And so, I can see why this has less than 4 stars, even though I adored it and am, of course, giving it 5 stars. I loved everything about it except for the inevitable scene where just SAYING HOW THEY FEEL would shave 50 pages out of the narrative. Alas, plot devices... But whoever write the blurb deserves a smack for saying "Gilmore Girls-esque". Yes, it takes place in Connecticut. Yes, there is a single mother who is maybe a little on the younger side, but honestly, not a single GG vibe was felt by me the entire time I was reading it.
Also, not for nothing, most pre-reviewers are really stingy with the stars. I think they read more so their expectations are higher, maybe? I loved FAKE SKATING by Lynn Painter and nominated it for MTCBA, because I am the romcom girl and I will be nominating romcoms with my last dying breath. Well, someone sent an email to the whole nominating committee about the dangerous heteronormative gender roles in the book and everyone nodded in agreement and it fell off the board. Now that might be as it should be, it was a delight to read and had virtually now representation that wasn't cis/het/white, and now it is making me nervous about nominating this one because it is a cis/het/white couple at the center of the romance. I will surely be nominating it anyway, but I will brace myself. There is a lot of representation in the secondary and tertiary characters, maybe that will pull some weight.
But perhaps I should just review the book? It ticks so many of my boxes - child actors, friends to lovers, bad stage parents, single moms, siblings with different popularity levels at the same school, secret identities, friendship & honesty - and it also had a really nice current about children's agency and the need for them to be protected. Clare used to be a child actress, she is retired and lives under a different name in Stars Hollow-light and now her former costar who is a big up-and-coming movie star is coming to town to film what is likely to be an career-defining role and he looks her up. All kind of shit ensues.
The high school setting didn't set off any alarms, the parent stuff was solid, the sibling relationship was actually MORE delightful than usual. I just want kids to behave like siblings, but this book went beyond in showing how important it is to be able to rely on one another. And the romance, while stalled to allow for a big old grand gesture at the end, was pretty sweet and respectful.
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