“I’ve read the scripts,” says Ally. “Which one of those is a higher form of entertainment, exactly? The one where he’d have to play a prince in a complete crap-fest of a misogynistic Disney-wannabe movie? Or the absurdly pseudo-intellectual one that subtly advocates for eugenics?” Under the Lights surprised me. This is a definite hidden gem in the world of YA romance! It's half character-driven f/f romance and half powerful character arc for a former asshole, all set in Hollywood. Adler is ta

3.25 stars.So, I have some seriously mixed feelings about this book.I picked this up because I was looking for a cute sapphic romance, and that was……about 50% of what I got??? I have such polarized Thoughts™️ about the dual POV here, so this will probably be one of the most scattered reviews I’ve written.Let’s chat about the two main characters in Under the Lights: Vanessa Park is a Korean-American actress on a popular sitcom. She’s struggling to balance her acting career with her family’s expec...

As always, Dahlia Adler's stories and dialogue are so addictive- totally finished this in one sitting. Josh was a raging asshole but a charming fun one (that I just can't resist for the life of me) and his growth in the story was great. Even though the book began and ended with chapters from him, I think the heart of the story truly is Vanessa's realisations about her sexuality and her romance with Brianna. Can I just say Dahlia totally nailed sexy F/F? And also, it was so great to see Ally and

Before I start raving, full disclosure that Dahlia Adler is one of my very good friends and knows some of my darkest secrets ;) That being said, it didn't affect my review at all and I assure you that both of us are relieved that I loved this book. For those who aren't going to read the whole review: buy this for every high school you know. Put this into the hands of every Gay-Straight Alliance in high schools and queer clubs in college. Know a girl struggling to come out, especially a queer gir...

❣ Book 1 : Behind the Scenes Liam ♥ is mine ★★★★ 4.5░ EDIT 12/30! Go check on Dahlia's blog and read deleted scenes from LIAM'S POV (YES I AM FINE EEEKS) ░ " The thing is, K-drama, sometimes you just have to accept that no one else's opinion means shit, you know? Sometimes you just have to do what makes you happy and say fuck to everyone else." ► These characters sound so REAL to me, I can't even express how much I find this fantastic. Yes, I have to admit that it took me ages to warm to t...

Before picking this book up, I had been following the author, Dahlia, on Twitter for some time. She was always very outspoken about diversity, especially the inclusion of queer girls in YA and New Adult. I knew I needed to pick up something by her, and once I found out that Under the Lights had a protagonist that was a queer girl of color, I decided this would be the first book of hers I'd pick up.Under the Lights is technically the second book in the series, but it's a companion series and you

Where has this book been all my life? Why is this not the standard of New Adult?! I don't even know where to start. But one thing is for sure: I am thoroughly, thoroughly impressed.This book has got to have two of the most realistically-written characters I have ever read in the form of douchebag Joshua Chester (who I can't help but like) and indecisive Vanessa Park (who I can't help but also like). Having read the author's Last Will and Testament, I knew she had a knack for creating characte

ETA 12/30/15: In honor of the book's semianniversary, I shared the first two deleted chapters from back when Liam had his own POV. If you're interested, here's the original Chapter 3 and the original Chapter 6!I wrote this. I love it. Feel free to ask questions! If you're curious to see some excerpts, you can find ones here, here, and here!

OH MY GOD THIS AUTHOR NAILED IT. AGAIN.The first book was such a winner for me and this one is no different.Realistic characters? Hellz yeah.Character development? You got it.Awesome friendship? Super awesome like 1000%.Great F/F romance? Almost there. I just felt like the shift into romance happened way too fast but it's still amazing nonetheless. AND HOT. Under the Lights is a story about finding one's self and realizing the things that matter and make you happy. There are a lot of books out t...

This book is very cute, hilarious, sexy, and heartwarming all rolled in one. Under the Lights is much more than your coming of out story, it is also very vital. It discusses a lot of important topics such as class politics, sexual identity, the lack of diversity in the media, and so much more.The sequel to Daylight Falls returns with a twist. Starring by Hollywood’s bad boy Josh Chester. His life turned upside, down when his mother gave him, an ultimatum to get out of their fancy house or join h...

How many Asian actors did you see on the cover of Vanity Fair’s latest Rising Young Hollywood issue? When’s the last time you saw an Asian actor carry a movie that wasn’t about martial arts? My only shot at being in a rom-com is getting thirty seconds of one of those massive ensemble things like… St. Patrick’s Day. So, yeah, it’s hard for me, and I really don’t need anything making it harder. I requested this arc from the publisher mostly because I'd heard the main f/f romance is really cute

I was sent this book as an advanced copy by the publisher via NetGalley for reviewing purposes, but all opinions are my own. 4.5 starsThis is a book that surprised me because of its unique format: the two POVs aren't the MC and the love interest, but two MCs who happen to be (somewhat) friends.Vanessa is a Korean-American actress and the protagonist of a TV show. All of her moves are monitored by the media and regulated by her publicist Jade. When Jade's daughter Brianna gets close to Vanessa

06/30/15 IT'S RELEASE DAY ! GO BUY THE BOOK ! IT'S AMAZING !(As evidenced by my written-shouting and excessive use of exclamation points)Under the Lights isn't officially released yet, but I had the chance to read it before since the publisher apparently made it available for those who had pre-ordered it. Anyway.If you look at the cover, you'll see pink and lights and girls kissing. And you know how sometimes the cover looks like the artist didn't even know what the book was about ?Well, Unde

I've NEVER wanted to punch a book character more Josh Chester. FUCK THIS GUY. I honestly wish this book was written in one POV, specifically only Vanessa's just so I didn't have to put up with the horribly misogynistic comments of Josh's POV. At one point, I started skimming his parts because he completely ruined the book for me. I'll just put some quotes here and let them explain themselves (obviously spoilers)-Vanessa, after having an argument with her parents and feeling sort of torn about he...

This is my first Dahlia Adler book (I KNOW) and as someone who's a huge fan of contemp YA, that's kind of an embarrassing admission. This one is right on the line between YA and NA (okay, granted, definitely more NA than YA), and is also all kinds of awesome.I was reading this and it's weird how nice it was to see myself (gay) reflected in a love story. And I'm 35. So I can't imagine how nice it is for people who are 19 or 20 to see themselves reflected. And it's weird; it's not something I real...

I am so happy I don't even care about the sleep deprivation and the fact that I should be studying instead of reading/still grinning over this wonderful-real-amazing-hilarious-important book that doesn't shy away from anything and is on freaking point. MORE PLEASE. RTC