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Stars in Your Eyes by Kacen Callender

Romance

Stars in Your Eyes

by Kacen Callender

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Quick take

In this charming adult debut, two Hollywood hunks must pull off their greatest acting feat yet: fake dating each other.

Good to know

  • Illustrated icon, Multiple_Viewpoints

    Multiple viewpoints

  • Illustrated icon, LGBTQ_themes

    LGBTQ+ themes

  • Illustrated icon, Salacious

    Salacious

  • Illustrated icon, Fake_Dating

    Fake dating

Synopsis

Logan Gray is Hollywood’s bad boy—a talented but troubled actor who the public loves to hate. Mattie Cole is an up‑and‑coming golden boy, adored by all but plagued by insecurities.

When Logan and Mattie are cast as leads in a new romantic film, Logan claims that Matt has “zero talent,” sending the film’s publicity into a nosedive. To create positive buzz, the two are persuaded into a fake‑dating scheme—but as the two actors get to know their new characters, real feelings start to develop.

As public scrutiny intensifies and old wounds resurface, the two must fight for their relationship and their love.

Content warning

This book contains scenes that mention sexual assault, suicidal ideation, and child abuse.

Free sample

Get an early look from the first pages of Stars in Your Eyes.

Stars in Your Eyes

MATTIE

I’m led down halls with fresh white paint and tiled floors that smell like bleach. I’m wheezing and sweating, trying to take a deep breath and cool down before I enter the room, desert heat still sticking to my skin. I’m very late. I know I’ll get some points knocked off on first impressions for that alone, and I don’t think anyone will take an “I’m sorry, I’m not used to LA traffic” as an excuse anymore. It might’ve worked for my first role, but I’ve been in and out of the city going on a year now.

Samantha, the assistant who leads me down the halls, seems as nervous as me, and that’s saying something. “Are you sure you don’t want a water? Coffee?” she asks for the third time.

“I’m okay,” I say, still breathless. I catch her looking at me, gaze flitting away quickly, and I realize—oh, yeah, I’m supposed to be famous. I’m still not used to it. Love Me Dearly was released about six months ago, and after the promo tour ended, I wasn’t prepared for this kind of everyday attention. I feel self-conscious and try not to pull at my shirt, a nervous habit my manager, Paola, said I should work on.

Samantha opens the door for me at the end of the hall. I thank her as I hurry inside, trying not to flat-out run but also not wanting to stroll like I’ve got all the time in the world. The room has one huge conference table with a dozen or so people seated around it in a circle, and there’s a smaller table pushed up against the farthest wall with coffee and fruit. As soon as I step inside, everyone’s heads turn to me. My heart thuds. You’d think an actor would be all right with so many eyes on him, but my big secret is that I still have stage fright.

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Why I love it

Stars in Your Eyes might sound like a romance you’ve seen before: fake dating between Hollywood co-stars, with drama unfolding between the innocent golden boy and the troubled bad boy. But this is Kacen Callender, whose anything-but-typical talents stretch across age categories and genres, and who here enters the adult romance sphere with a stunner of a novel. This is not a fluffy romance, but a love story that covers challenging issues born of deep trauma and soul-healing compassion—both for our partners and for ourselves—that will dig its claws into your bones.

Everything about this novel fascinated me, from the way Callender crafts the on-set scenes, to the compelling interstitials included throughout. Mattie and Logan are both Black and queer, and their stories include examinations of colorism, biphobia, and shame. The masterfully approachable prose pulls you effortlessly into their world. I consumed this book in twenty-four hours, my fingers itching to return each time I had to leave it.

Stars in Your Eyes is a reflection on the price of fame, both in the abusive power structures of Hollywood and in how we treat each other in our always-online lives. But what lingers most for me are the questions Callender raises about romance as a whole, and what a happily-ever-after truly means. From start to finish, nothing about Mattie and Logan’s relationship is conventional—and ultimately, that’s what makes their love so special.

Member ratings (1,041)

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Salacious
View all
I Might Be in Trouble
Definitely Better Now
Most Wonderful
The Courting of Bristol Keats
Pictures of You
PS: I Hate You
The Road of Bones
Hum
Hera
The Love of My Afterlife
The Ornithologist’s Field Guide to Love
Husbands & Lovers
Margo’s Got Money Troubles
Honey
The Lady Waiting
The Paradise Problem
Happily Never After
A Fate Inked in Blood
Listen for the Lie
Annie Bot
Ready or Not
More
Alice Sadie Celine
A Winter in New York
This Spells Love
Stars in Your Eyes
You, Again
Love, Theoretically
Immortal Longings
The True Love Experiment
Yours Truly
Ana María and the Fox
Georgie, All Along
Vladimir
Love & Other Disasters
The Love Hypothesis
The Hunting Wives
The Heiress Gets a Duke
Beach Read
Bringing Down the Duke