Carter is the girl sitting on the roof. She's a small town girl who could care less about culture in general, namely Hollywood and celebrities. Which is exactly what Adam Jakes is. (Don't laugh at his name, please.) When Adam Jakes and his gang from Hollywood come to Little, California (aka Carter's hometown) to film a rendition of A Christmas Carol, Carter really doesn't care. But turns out, Adam Jakes is a "bad kid' (namely, drugs and rehab) and needs to improve his image. So what does Parker, his manager, decide to do? Small town girlfriend plus a scripted relationship equals squeaky clean image.
OK, now to rant. SPOILERS AHEAD!!!! Don't read on unless you've already read this book or you want it spoiled, which I wouldn't suggest because its a really good book! Really, you should read it. So stop here and go buy it or get it from the library or SOMETHING. Just don't read on and spoil everything.
OK, so if you haven't read the book and you're still reading this blog post, you might be a little confused. Sorry, but I told you not to. :) So obviously, Adam is a jerk at first. Just take this sentence when he first meets Carter.
"Um, hey." I mustered awkwardly. "I'm Carter."
"Hi, Carter," he purred, the lights from his drink cases reflecting in the mirrored lenses perched in his hair. "Let's get the basics down; you should pay attention." His eyes darted around our cafe. "Do you need a minute?"
"Why would I need a minute?"
"Sometimes girls need a minute after they've met me. You know, to get over the shock." He flopped into a chair at a nearby table, suddenly absorbed in his phone.
Um, jerk alert? Anyway, he gets a bit better as the days go on, but still. He's kinda lame for a while. But everything is scripted, even their kisses. They kiss at the Fairy Tree, and its...awkward. All for show. Lets's get to the other characters.
I LOVE Chloe. She's just so oblivious. At one point, she, Carter, and Adam are at a festival, and Chloe shows up with an article about Carter and Adam. Adam says the ginger ale is great, but he could care less about the article. Chloe's hurt, because she's kinda obsessed with Adam.
She pulled out the magazine again and stared down at the cover. "Well, maybe he's used to being in People magazine, but we're used to the Jensen's ginger ale, so I guess its all relative."
But also, I really hate John. He's a terrible brother. He's really intimidating and gets Carter and the rest of his family in trouble all the time, and then he didn't even get treatment in the end. Ugh.
But the thing I hate is that Carter turned down that dancing scholarship. All because she wanted to stay at home. Like, WHAT EVEN? Ugh, that makes me so mad! She could have had a great life dancing but she didn't just because she didn't want to leave. I guess I just don't understand her.
Then Carter starts falling for Adam. Big time. Adam kisses her at the river, saying he's "rehearsing" for the fireworks. Then....
Besides, that hadn't felt like rehearsal. That felt real. Stop it, stop it, stop it, I told myself. I could not fall for this guy, not a guy who had approximately 16,437 individual fan clubs online.
So then there's the drama of what Carter likes to call "The Beckett Butt Grab!" So that's pretty obvious by the title. Carter and Adam have a little fight, but my REAL point is this, one of my favorite lines:
"Okay." I felt silly. "I'm sorry. I'm not jealous." It was hard to hear him over the mower that started up again in the neighbor's yard, but I could have sworn he said, "It'd be okay if you were."
Awwwwww, so sweet! Then Carter and Adam have their PLANNED fight. Here's a little more adorable Chloe for you (a photographer takes a picture of her comforting Carter):
Chloe clapped her hands together. "Oh, do you think that will be in People? Will I get to be the friend whose shoulder you cry on?" She stood, trying to catch sight of the beige sedan before it turned the corner. I tugged at the back of her shirt. "You're always that friend, dummy." Turning, she smiled sweetly. "I know....but this time it might be in People." I caught Alien Drake's eye. "Slow learning curve, that one." He pulled Chloe into his lap.
OK, but lets get to the part that really matters. Carter figures out everything. Adam didn't really get into drugs, he was just tired. Just. Tired. But they made up a story and told everyone that to make Adam seem all cool and "bad boy" ish, and that made Carter mad. So she quits. Hollywood leaves. Everything is supposedly over and I'm curled up in my bed crying when PLOT TWIST! Adam comes back. In perhaps one of the cutest few pages I have ever read, they reconcile in front of EVERYBODY and its SO CUTE. ALL CAPS. I could reread that part all day, and I would quote it here but I can't can't quote only one part, so I'd have to quote like three pages. Which might take a while.
So that concludes the book! Not the most original plot, but I'm REALLY happy they ended up together. It would be like the whole thing didn't matter if they just broke up. So what did you think? If you haven't read the book and you just read this whole review, STILL READ THE BOOK! Again, its one of my favorite books ever. So, start reading!
-Colleen