Jane Start is a music star who had a hit ten years ago, but who has had middling success since. When the writer of her original song, Jonesy, contacts her about performing at the Royal Albert Hall, she reluctantly gets on a plane, where she meets cute with a handsome Oxford English Professor. Soon they are hot and heavy, but their relationship is complicated by a mysterious ex-girlfriend and the looming spectre of what Jonesy is planning at that big concert.

If the same Susannah Hoffs sounds familiar to you, that’s because she’s from a little band called The Bangles. You may have heard of them. Celebrity books always have some entertainment value on some level, and it’s nice that this one is purely fiction, though it clearly takes place in an industry and a milieu that the author knows well.

Romantic comedy reads are not always my typical read of choice, but some can be delightful and funny, like this one. It’s nice to not always read something that’s heavy and serious, and I did enjoy this one. I liked that the main character was a musician who had some success, but was not a big star nor was she starting out. It felt like a fresh take, an old hand in the music industry, but by being not a young ingenue or a big star who just wants love, the book avoids being a trope.

There’s a nice cast of characters here, from the Terribly British love interest, the cute best friend and agent, a brother struggling to find his place in the world, and other side characters that all feel like rom com characters, but not too thinly drawn. They all have their place and have something to add to the story. The book offers up funny thoughts from the narrator and also funny and sweet little moments or situations that were really good. It made me smile a few times with its wit.

The only problem that I had with this book was that it felt a bit slow. I couldn’t quite put my finger on why I wasn’t quite invested all the way through, and then I realised that I’d guessed where it was going. The story presents a mysterious ex girlfriend, and soon the main character is obsessing over her. It was kind of pathetic and annoying, especially as the book hints at Rebecca by Daphne Du Maurier and Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte. It meant that we knew too far ahead of time where all this was going and explained some of the love interests moods, and also that Jane was going to obsess over the ex, rather than giving really good reasons for her to until much later in the book. Not a huge flaw, but one that slightly bothered me throughout.

On the whole though, this is good and I hope that Hoffs writes more. It’s a funny, smart and sexy read, and it has some down to earth, real notes to it, while also having a bit of rock and roll, so to speak. Our main character is a star and her life is interesting, but she’s also just trying to work, trying to make music, trying to have a healthy relationship. She’s witty and relatable. It’s a romantic comedy, but with a little bite too.

Read It If: you’re a fan of Susannah Hoffs or The Bangles, for sure, but also if you like romantic books that aren’t too heavy, and aren’t too light.

Thank you to the publisher for the copy of this book for review.