‘Fame, Fate and the First Kiss’: A Delightful Intelligible Novel

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ABOUT the BOOK
Author: Kasie West 
Publication Date: 2019
Publisher: HarperTeen
Genre: Fiction; YA Contemporary Romance, Secular
Source: Bought
FIND the BOOK ELSEWHERE: Goodreads
FIND the REVIEW ELSEWHERE: Goodreads
Rating: ★★★★ fame fate and the first kiss

Fame, Fate and the First Kiss by Kasie West | Book Review

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STORY | Filming an Indie movie as the co-lead is the big break aspiring actress Lacey Barnes needs. Still, this role of a lifetime comes with more than one change, the biggest of which is moving miles away to live with the father she doesn’t really know. Then, in addition to proving herself to her father, she has to convince the temperamental director, her super popular co-star, and the cruel tabloids that she’s earned this role.

To add more pressure to her already full schedule, her father worries Lacey is failing her grades, and so, to keep them up, he hires a tutor. Donovan is nothing like Lacey thought he’d be. He’s a bit too buttoned up for her, but quite by surprise, she comes to realize he may be exactly the kind of person she needs to inspire her character.

REVIEW | Since my first Kasie West novel, I’ve heralded them as favorites. They’re fun, simple (always a compliment), and practically perfect in every way. After that first discovery (and cannot remember the book that first introduced me to the author, though I think it may have been The Distance Between Us), I’ve binged West’s novels off and on over the course of a couple years. One I hadn’t yet read is this, Fame, Fate and the First Kiss, a charming novel set in the world of filmmaking.

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What I like about this one is that setting. There’s all sorts of interesting behind the scenes facts, which makes the story “pop” with fun details and keeps the set in a continuous motion of movement (from the various movie scenes). There’s also intermediate portions of the script which tells a kind of “secondary” story that is the movie Lacey and Co. are filming (which is a zombie movie, and is on brand for a young adult novel). It’s subtle so that it never interrupts the flow of the actual story, but adds a nice element considering the plot.

Thinking back, Lacey is actually a really solid character. With exception to one instance, she’s not only angst-y and I appreciate that while she does have “issues” with her father, she also has some valid points to argue rather than the silence in the aftermath of a door slamming. Together, Lacey and DOnovan share a sweet little friendship that isn’t all starry eyes, but is still easy to root on.

Like anything with this authors name on the cover, Fame, Fate and the First Kiss is a charming and sweet little YA romcom. It the first I remember reading by West that also weaves in a tiny little mystery, which is fun and builds more camaraderie between the characters. With its delightfully self-explanatory title, this novel is the perfect “cozy read” to enjoy on a rainy afternoon.

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Content: This is secular fiction, but like any novel by Kasie West, there’s nothing I consider bothersome or “offensive.”