Book Talk Review; Lovely Little Liars
These two are so cute
After his mother died, sweet, sheltered Mason Pinckney spent a homeschooled childhood on the sea islands off the coast of Carolina without a TV or exposure to pop culture. After moving Savannah and making friends, a night of drinking ends up with what's supposed to be a one-night stand. Mason doesn't recognize Zane Smith, a recent Oscar nominee for Best Actor. He doesn't care about fame. Zane's floored he's found the only person in America who doesn't swoon over him on sight.
Zane's closeted for career reasons. The paparazzi's stalking. Hollywood's gossiping. Both Zane and Mason — and especially Zane — are hiding their true selves behind the masks others expect of them. But the two are determined to make the relationship work.
A story about finding yourself despite circumstance, difference, and division, this gay billionaire, mm movie-star romance will keep you believing in the power of true love, the meaning of friendship, and the importance of loving someone for their authentic self — no matter what the consequences.
*
This book is so sweet. Zane and Mason are adorable. It's less angsty than a normal Julia McBryant book, which is great, as sometimes you just want that sweet, feel-good romance, but it still has enough angst that you're able to feel it.
Mason is so sweet and naive. I just want to hold him and shelter him from the real world because there aren't as many truly innocent people there, fictional world or not. At this point, Julia McBryant has written enough books in this world that it feels real. Mason is an innocent baby who though he doesn't have much world experience, he does know what he wants and thinks he finds it in the guy he goes home with. As improbable as that seems, you can't blame a guy for dreaming.
Zane is a movie star, not only that, he's a rising star. A recent Oscar nominee, he thinks he hit the jackpot when the guy he takes home doesn't go all fanboy over him. And then it comes out that Mason doesn't even own a TV and he has no idea who Zane is. Zane has found someone who doesn't care about his fame, which means that his lonely existence is turned up on its head as he finds someone who sees him for him. It's confusing and refreshing and allows the two of them to begin a relationship.
Zane and Mason come from two different worlds and it's hard for them to be a couple when they have to hide. Secrets and lies put a strain on any relationship, one that concerns a famous person takes that up by a thousand notches. Zane isn't the only one hiding, though his secrets are the most obvious. It's painful for both of them and my heart went out when they fought so hard to stay together but couldn't find the common ground. Because sometimes love isn't enough. Not when so many things hang in the balance.
When we learn that Mason is holding things back and pretending it's heartbreaking. Not because we're learning that he's hiding, but it's how much it hurts him that hurts me.
I teared up when things starting unraveling for them. Because they tried so hard. Both of them have been so lonely, so lost in the world of their own making that finding their way out almost seemed impossible. Zane and Mason have to trust each other and themselves to admit that they have things they hold back so it doesn't hurt them more. It's painful to watch them stumble as they try to find their footing in their relationship and how to live openly in all things.
Outside of the emotional relationship drama that Zane and Mason have, Mason introduces Zane to what it's like to have friends. I love Audie Currell from Something Wild and Perfect and All the Little Lights, he's one of my all time favorite characters and I was so excited to see him in this book. He plays the perfect big brother to Mason, even though they're the same age. He took Mason under his wing and along with Audie comes Calhoun and all his friends. They help Mason become a part of something. They don't make Zane feel out of place just because he's famous. The interactions Zane and Mason have with everyone else are fun and carefree. There are some surprises as characters have been living their lives outside of their books and I cannot wait to see what comes next because there are so many things I want to know after seeing where these characters are at this point in their lives. I'm glad there's a large cast to love on because all of the characters need that, but it just makes me want all of their books now so I can understand why they're the way they are now.
With their friends by their sides, Zane and Mason get treated as the people they want to be. If only it were that easy all of the time. When they both start opening up, when they start trusting each other enough to be honest with their feelings outside of the fact that they're in love with one another. One reason why I love Julia McBryant's books is that she writes these lonely characters who find one another when they need it the most. And while the love they share help them, they don't use that love as a crutch, but a way to help better themselves so that they can keep that love.
This might be low angst compared to her other books, but Julia McBryant wrote a heartfelt story about two people who learn how to live as their authentic selves. While this might not be the most angsty of books, it still made me cry. I just wanted the two of them to continue being cute and sweet without real life getting in the way. Through it all, Zane and Mason learn how to be true and how to live and love without hiding behind the masks they've put up for so long. This book has one of my favorite endings ever because it's as sweet as them and filled with hope that even though they struggled, they had a foundation to continue to build on. I would love to see more of them in the future.
*Quote-
"He had become Zane Travers instead of Zane Smith. Mason offered this strange kind of magic; this voodoo he'd never had before, a strange slippage into his real self."
"Home. To one person in the world, Mason himself meant home. A terrifying knowledge to mean home to someone else, a frightening thing."
"There were choices, and there were needs that masqueraded as choices, and you had to know the difference if you were going to move through the world with any grace of understanding."
"They stayed quiet, the kind of quiet that didn't need filled with chatter, a quiet Zane had rarely held in his hands long enough to turn over and examine, to probe its nooks and crannies, to feel its outer edges and decide that yes: this was what it meant to be in love."
Mason is so sweet and naive. I just want to hold him and shelter him from the real world because there aren't as many truly innocent people there, fictional world or not. At this point, Julia McBryant has written enough books in this world that it feels real. Mason is an innocent baby who though he doesn't have much world experience, he does know what he wants and thinks he finds it in the guy he goes home with. As improbable as that seems, you can't blame a guy for dreaming.
Zane is a movie star, not only that, he's a rising star. A recent Oscar nominee, he thinks he hit the jackpot when the guy he takes home doesn't go all fanboy over him. And then it comes out that Mason doesn't even own a TV and he has no idea who Zane is. Zane has found someone who doesn't care about his fame, which means that his lonely existence is turned up on its head as he finds someone who sees him for him. It's confusing and refreshing and allows the two of them to begin a relationship.
Zane and Mason come from two different worlds and it's hard for them to be a couple when they have to hide. Secrets and lies put a strain on any relationship, one that concerns a famous person takes that up by a thousand notches. Zane isn't the only one hiding, though his secrets are the most obvious. It's painful for both of them and my heart went out when they fought so hard to stay together but couldn't find the common ground. Because sometimes love isn't enough. Not when so many things hang in the balance.
When we learn that Mason is holding things back and pretending it's heartbreaking. Not because we're learning that he's hiding, but it's how much it hurts him that hurts me.
I teared up when things starting unraveling for them. Because they tried so hard. Both of them have been so lonely, so lost in the world of their own making that finding their way out almost seemed impossible. Zane and Mason have to trust each other and themselves to admit that they have things they hold back so it doesn't hurt them more. It's painful to watch them stumble as they try to find their footing in their relationship and how to live openly in all things.
Outside of the emotional relationship drama that Zane and Mason have, Mason introduces Zane to what it's like to have friends. I love Audie Currell from Something Wild and Perfect and All the Little Lights, he's one of my all time favorite characters and I was so excited to see him in this book. He plays the perfect big brother to Mason, even though they're the same age. He took Mason under his wing and along with Audie comes Calhoun and all his friends. They help Mason become a part of something. They don't make Zane feel out of place just because he's famous. The interactions Zane and Mason have with everyone else are fun and carefree. There are some surprises as characters have been living their lives outside of their books and I cannot wait to see what comes next because there are so many things I want to know after seeing where these characters are at this point in their lives. I'm glad there's a large cast to love on because all of the characters need that, but it just makes me want all of their books now so I can understand why they're the way they are now.
With their friends by their sides, Zane and Mason get treated as the people they want to be. If only it were that easy all of the time. When they both start opening up, when they start trusting each other enough to be honest with their feelings outside of the fact that they're in love with one another. One reason why I love Julia McBryant's books is that she writes these lonely characters who find one another when they need it the most. And while the love they share help them, they don't use that love as a crutch, but a way to help better themselves so that they can keep that love.
This might be low angst compared to her other books, but Julia McBryant wrote a heartfelt story about two people who learn how to live as their authentic selves. While this might not be the most angsty of books, it still made me cry. I just wanted the two of them to continue being cute and sweet without real life getting in the way. Through it all, Zane and Mason learn how to be true and how to live and love without hiding behind the masks they've put up for so long. This book has one of my favorite endings ever because it's as sweet as them and filled with hope that even though they struggled, they had a foundation to continue to build on. I would love to see more of them in the future.
*Quote-
"He had become Zane Travers instead of Zane Smith. Mason offered this strange kind of magic; this voodoo he'd never had before, a strange slippage into his real self."
"Home. To one person in the world, Mason himself meant home. A terrifying knowledge to mean home to someone else, a frightening thing."
"There were choices, and there were needs that masqueraded as choices, and you had to know the difference if you were going to move through the world with any grace of understanding."
"They stayed quiet, the kind of quiet that didn't need filled with chatter, a quiet Zane had rarely held in his hands long enough to turn over and examine, to probe its nooks and crannies, to feel its outer edges and decide that yes: this was what it meant to be in love."
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