Author: Erin Watt
Genre: Romance
Published on: May 30, 2017 by Harlequin Teen
Under ordinary circumstances, Oakley Ford and Vaughn Bennett would never even cross paths.
There's nothing ordinary about Oakley. This bad-boy pop star's got Grammy Awards, millions of fangirls and a reputation as a restless, too-charming troublemaker. But with his home life disintegrating, his music well suddenly running dry and the tabloids having a field day over his outrageous exploits, Oakley needs to show the world he's settling down—and who better to help him than Vaughn, a part-time waitress trying to help her family get by? The very definition of ordinary.
Posing as his girlfriend, Vaughn will overhaul Oakley's image from troublemaker to serious artist. In return for enough money to put her brothers through college, she can endure outlandish Hollywood parties and carefully orchestrated Twitter exchanges. She'll fool the paparazzi and the groupies. She might even start fooling herself a little.
Because when ordinary rules no longer apply, there's no telling what your heart will do…
This book ended up being something totally different from what I expected. The synopsis made me think When It’s Real would be soap-operay, kind of like a rom-com guilty pleasure. Well, the book is a romance but not a comedy or soap opera. It’s more of a New Adult romance. The protagonists are Vaughn Bennet and Oakley Ford. The former is an average girl from LA. She lives with three siblings—their parents died in an accident years ago. Vaughn and her family are strapped for cash. She had to graduate from high school early so she could work and help keep her family afloat. Vaughn doesn’t know what she wants in life, anyway.
In contrast, Oakley Ford has known he wanted to sing since he was a kid. At nineteen, he’s a wildly successful pop heartthrob. The fame’s got to Oakley’s head a bit. He knows he’s a big deal and has become a big partier. Oakley’s had a creative block lately, though. Seeking to help him (and clean his reputation), his manager Jim Tolson cooks up a plan. He wants Oakley to date an ordinary girl, knowing it’ll make him seem more down-to-earth and relatable. Oakley feels like refusing…until renowned music producer Donovan King makes an irresistible offer. He’ll produce Oakley’s next album if the latter proves he can settle down and do music for the craft rather than money and fame.
Not long after, Paisley (Vaughn’s sister) tells Vaughn about the plan. Paisley works as an assistant at Diamond Talent Management, the agency where Jim works. Jim so happened to notice Vaughn’s picture on Paisley’s desk as he walked by. After he and some executives mulled it over, they chose Vaughn to be Oakley’s girlfriend. Paisley tells Vaughn that they’re offering her a ton of money if she dates Oakley for a year. Vaughn is astounded. She wants to refuse at first, primarily because she already has a boyfriend. The payout is too good to turn down, though. It would put Vaughn’s and Paisley’s little brothers through college.
At the agency’s request, Vaughn breaks up publicly with her boyfriend, “W”. She assures him it’s not for real but can’t say much more. The agency makes him sign an NDA. When Vaughn and Oakley meet for the first time, it’s not a sparks-fly situation. Oakley arrived late enough to the meeting that Vaughn was starving. He also acts rather rude, which puts Vaughn off. It doesn’t matter that Vaughn was a big fan of Oakley’s years ago. Now that she’s met him in person, she’s not very impressed. That made me wonder how these two would put up with each other for a year.
At this point, I wasn’t sure if I should continue the book. The implausibility of the situation put me off a little. I mean, this kind of stuff doesn’t happen in real life, right? A talent agency paying an ordinary girl to date someone like Zayn Malik for a year? It intrigued me enough to keep going, though. I just wanted to see where things would go. And I was interested to see how Vaughn and Oakley would stop bickering. I mean, if Vaughn loves W, what could possibly get her to dump him for good? I’m not going to spoil any of that.
The rest of the book goes like a romance novel, rather than a reality show. The reader gets to know more about Oakley’s and Vaughn’s personal lives. Their friends also get plenty of time in the spotlight. They’re not sidelined at all or used just to advance the plot. Vaughn has more true friends than Oakley, though. Due to his status, a few of his “friends” are with him only for what he can give them. That doesn’t mean Oakley’s completely alone, though it says a lot that his two bodyguards are his best friends. Speaking of the bodyguards, there’s a romance subplot involving one of them. Tyrese “Ty” and Paisley are crushing hard on each other. There’s just a conflict of interest that’s keeping Ty from acting on his feelings. Will they or won’t they?
When It’s Real is paced adequately. When I got to the ending (the last few chapters), it felt a little rushed. Then I reached the last page and I turned it, expecting more. The book didn’t end on a cliffhanger or leave major loose ends. Still, it felt rather sudden. I had so much fun reading this book that I wish it had lasted longer. It exceeded my expectations. I’m almost wishing for another book featuring Oakley and Vaughn. They grow on you. Their love story has a fitting ending, though. I wasn’t disappointed.
My rating: ★★★★ 1/2
4.5 stars - A fantastic page-turner!
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