Review: Rising Star

Rising Star by Susannah Nix
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I adored all three of the books in Ms. Nix's previous "Chemistry Lessons" series, so I have been anxiously awaiting the arrival of her latest effort, "Rising Star," ever since the day it was announced. (To say that I was thrilled to be chosen to read and review an advance copy is something of an understatement.) Thankfully, "Rising Star" not only lived up to my expectations, it exceeded them.

I loved this book and its characters. Griffin, the hero, was super likeable and down to Earth, despite the fact that he was well on his way to becoming a major movie star. I liked that Ms. Nix gave us the "behind the scenes" view of what his life as an actor was really like, with the strict diet and workouts necessary to maintain his muscular physique as well as glimpses of the downsides of fame, such as the loss of privacy in his relationships and the struggles with difficult directors and co-stars. She was able to show that acting really is a job like any other, despite its glamorous reputation, and requires sacrifice from those who want to be successful. It was easy to understand Alice's misgivings about entering into a relationship with Griffin based on the challenges associated with his job.

Alice's story arc was also very well-written and timely given the emergence of the #metoo movement. I particularly liked that it wasn't all wrapped up neatly at the end of the story. Unfortunately, I think that's a sad reflection of our current reality, and I really related with Alice's struggle to decide how to handle the situation and its potential implications for others.

Overall, I highly recommend "Rising Star" and hope to see several of the secondary characters featured in future books (particularly Kimberleigh and Griffin's actor friend who visited from Vancouver). Griffin and Alice were an incredibly likeable couple and I loved rooting them on to an HEA!

*Ebook provided by the author in exchange for an honest review.

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