Logan Gray is a broody, troubled former child actor who is known to be a jerk. The only reason anyone puts up with him is because he’s also very talented. Mattie is an up-and-coming actor – the new It Boy in Hollywood. He is cast as Logan’s love interest in a new romantic movie. When asked about Mattie at an event before filming has begun, Logan says that Mattie has zero talent, which is horrible publicity for the film. The powers that be convince the two of them to start a fake relationship, hoping that the buzz around the two stars dating will create hype for the movie.

Logan and Mattie start hanging out per their obligation to look like they’re in a relationship and the line between what’s real and what’s not gets blurry. Logan is a clearly troubled person while Mattie exudes positivity. Can he help Logan without losing himself?

I really like the fake dating trope and I think it was done well in Stars in Our Eyes. It’s also got the grumpy/sunshine thing going on. However, Logan has some pretty serious issues – this is not a light romantic comedy. The author states the trigger warnings upfront so I wasn’t surprised at how serious the story actually was. Sometimes I think narration could sound a little clinical when explaining certain things and it would take me out of the moment. For instance, when the characters thought about consent, their thoughts kind of read like a magazine article about consent. That’s really my only criticism.

I liked the authenticity of Logan and Mattie’s relationship. The way their issues were handled seemed realistic and made sense. This book was fun but it had substance as well. Recommended. ( )

Okay so this was a surprising 5 star read. I didn't really read the synopsis but ended up really loving the entire book. Wow! ( )

Stars in Your Eyes by Kacen Callender
M-M romance. Mental health, trigger warnings. Grump sunshine, fake relationship troupes.
Mattie Cole has been hired in his first major role playing opposite Hollywood’s bad boy Logan Gray. Mattie is a bit star stuck from all the actors he’s now working with even though Logan trashed Mattie in a recent interview. For positive publicity, Logan and Mattie are told to participate is a fake dating scheme and are given specific instructions to flirt, been seen at a restaurant and confirm to paparazzi their relationship. Neither is thrilled but each needs the job and agrees. The more time they spend together, the easier it is to be in a real relationship. Until the past and secrets are unveiled.

I cried through the last quarter of this book because of their past trauma that still haunts each.
Logan has a lot of trauma from his past and learned as a child to simply shut down. To find ways to ignore or move the focus. His relationship with Mattie is different from anything he’s experienced before and his usual methods of self medication are not acceptable anymore. Logan’s father pays the bills but has nothing but profanity in his regard to Logan.
Mattie has the support of his mother and sister for his sexuality, but his father simply disappears when Mattie is in the house. Mattie pushes aside his emotions.
Both Mattie and Logan, have varying levels of shame and relationship issues that comes down to acceptance of self.
Emotionally explosive for anyone with feelings of self doubt or not loving yourself. And isn’t that all of us at some point?
And poignant: “Shame, though, is more about how much I hated myself. I hated myself so much, and I didn’t even know it.”

This book is a lot.
There are some chapters that confused me on timing but that is resolved and understood in the wrap up. And remember it’s categorized as a romance and we all know what that means.

I received a copy of this from NetGalley and the publisher. I will be recommending to bookclubs and readers that I know need to read it for self health. ( )

This book is focused on two main characters that are dealing with a lot of things. They are both co-actors in a project that is in trouble when one of them is faced with a scandal of his own making. To counter such negativity for the project, the two characters enter a fake relationship with each other. As the project moves onward, the two characters began to have real feelings for each other. If they want to pursue their own happy ending, the two characters must face their own personal issues first.

This is my first Kacen Callender book that I've read. I enjoyed the journey that the main characters went through in this book, especially the troubled main character that went through a lot in his life. I also appreciated the CWs that were provided in this book, especially since the story really delved into heavy stuff. What I would have liked is more details in certain areas of the book, especially in the ending. It's nice to tell the story in the book, but it would have been better if there were a lot more shown in the story. I was also troubled with a certain point of the book that isn't a favorite of mine, so that did affect my enjoyment of the book. Overall, I do fine the book dealt with some important issues that readers may like, even if some of those same issues were not my favorite.

** Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for the review copy. All opinions and thoughts in the review are my own. ** ( )