Stars in Your Eyes

Starred review from August 14, 2023
National Book Award winner Callender (Felix Ever After) investigates shame and trauma in a deeply emotional queer romance that’s more rom-dram than rom-com despite its fun fake dating premise. Black, gay Mattie Cole is the silver screen’s up-and-coming boy next door, and he’s perfectly cast as the love interest for bisexual, biracial bad boy Logan Gray, “one of the most hated people in Hollywood,” in an upcoming film. After Logan publicly badmouths Mattie, the actors are asked to fake-date to counter the negative publicity. As the guys get to know each other, they expose their vulnerabilities and, of course, fall in love for real. Callender uses this setup to dig deep into their characters’ psyches: perfectionist Mattie wrestles with imposter syndrome and shame and believes he needs to prove himself worthy of love, while Logan is recovering from past sexual abuse. Both men also have strained relationships with their fathers, adding a tense subplot. The drama is tempered by the genuine love and affection that arises between the leads—at least until the phony nature of how they first got together is leaked to the press. “Isn’t it more satisfying, then?” Mattie wonders. “To see a happily ever after that has been fought for in the end.” Callender makes the answer to this question a resounding yes. Readers will be hooked. Agent: Beth Phelan, Galt & Zacker.

Starred review from September 1, 2023

Callender (King of the Rising) delivers the heart-wrenching and riveting love story of two damaged actors. To the outside world, Logan Gray seems like a typical Hollywood bad-boy jerk, while Mattie Cole appears to be a sweet and doe-eyed innocent in his first starring role. They're cast together as the romantic leads in a new film, but after Logan insults Matt, the powers-that-be convince the pair to fake-date in order to drum up publicity and save the film. The pair begins to catch feelings for each other, but both men have deep emotional wounds that threaten their burgeoning relationship. The story will have readers reconsidering the roles that Hollywood stars play in public, particularly when reading the extremely effective interludes from blogs and YouTube videos about the couple that Callender scatters throughout the book. The novel does have a happy ending, but it's a particularly hard-fought HEA. The beautiful conclusion to Logan and Matt's story is well worth the emotional journey and will leave readers in tears. VERDICT This gorgeously written, romantic story of growth and healing tackles deep subjects while still giving audiences the optimistic ending that the characters deserve.--Jenny Kobiela-Mondor

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Starred review from September 15, 2023
If newly minted actor Mattie Cole thought playing notorious star Logan Gray's love interest in the upcoming, much anticipated rom-com Write Anything is going to be difficult, it is nothing compared to pretending to be Logan's boyfriend during the movie's production. However, given Logan's worrisome off-set sexual antics, the only way to salvage the movie is by having Mattie and Logan fake-date to create some positive, prerelease buzz. But after being with Logan for only a day, Mattie realizes the challenge won't lie in generating any fake feelings for his costar onscreen but, rather, in coming to terms with the very real attraction he is experiencing for Logan off-screen. National Book Award-winning Callender brings plenty of searingly sensual heat as well as a keen sense of psychological insight to their adult romance debut. While Callender doesn't shy away from honesty and thoughtfully exploring life's darker corners, including shame and trauma, the author also writes with poetic grace and a delightfully dry sense of humor about finding someone who loves you for who you are and not the person you keep trying to become.

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