Guest Book Review: How Not to be Starstruck

By Sara Steven

Nicole Wilde lives up to her last name. A former band groupie turned music journalist, she often finds herself on tour buses, in trashed-out hotel rooms, and hungover so badly she has no clue about the previous night’s events. She plays hard and she lives hard, and she wouldn’t have it any other way! It’s always been her dream to be famous. What better way to reach socialite status?

Be careful what you wish for! Along with that status comes a loss of privacy. Rumor has it that Nicole is having an affair with her best friend Dylan, who fronts a very popular rock band. Dylan is married to a curmudgeon of a woman who is pregnant with twins. Ouch. There’s another rumor that she’s involved with Luke, another rocker with an up and coming band (and the crush of her dreams).This doesn’t bode well with her boyfriend, Charles. Especially when he catches sight of the compromising photos on the front cover of all the tabloids.

Can’t she be famous and somehow steer clear of the drama?

Reading How Not to be Starstruck was like watching a recent episode of Keeping Up With The Kardashians, only from a musician’s standpoint. You get a behind-the-scenes look as to what really goes on with groupies and the life of a rock band. It’s exactly what you’d imagine, but even better! Portia MacIntosh has cleverly written about the life of an ordinary girl who lives an extraordinary life in the fast lane, and there are plenty of laughs, “what the hell” moments, and just when you think she’s learned valuable lessons, Nicole will surprise you with her naivete and lack of disregard for her safety or the repercussions of her actions. She’s one of those types that always land on their feet, though. Just like the proverbial wild cat, she holds onto her nine lives with marred grace and dignity.

I had a lot of fun with this book, and plan to catch up on MacIntosh’s novella, Between a Rock Star and a Hard Place (the prequel). This time around, I will make sure to have a glass of wine handy and might even draw myself a bubble bath. Why let a socialite have all the fun?

Thanks to Portia MacIntosh for the book in exchange for an honest review. 

Sara Steven is a wife and stay-at-home mother of two rambunctious boys in Bellevue, NE. When she’s not running marathons, or working on her novel, she takes a break and opens up a good book (or turns on her Nook). Find her at her blog.