Jesse's Girl by Miranda Kenneally

Summary (from Goodreads):

Everyone at Hundred Oaks High knows that career mentoring day is a joke. So when Maya Henry said she wanted to be a rock star, she never imagined she’d get to shadow *the* Jesse Scott, Nashville’s teen idol.

But spending the day with Jesse is far from a dream come true. He’s as gorgeous as his music, but seeing all that he’s accomplished is just a reminder of everything Maya’s lost: her trust, her boyfriend, their band, and any chance to play the music she craves. Not to mention that Jesse’s pushy and opinionated. He made it on his own, and he thinks Maya’s playing back up to other people’s dreams. Does she have what it takes to follow her heart—and go solo?

Review:

This wasn’t my favorite Kenneally book, and I knew it wouldn’t be. But, it was still so magically addicting and fun, how could I not love it? I knew it wouldn’t be my favorite because it was a celebrity YA romance. Those are almost always too cheesy for me. And I loved that Kenneally had this whole girl power athlete thing going for her past books. I wasn’t as excited for another girl singer romance. It just wasn’t as unique as the others.

That being said, I still loved this typical YA celebrity romance story. I love that it all started with the high school’s shadow day. Who’d ever imagine spending a shadow day with a country star? And I loved that Maya was so willing to make the most of it even though she’s not into country music. She still has so much to learn and she knows she can benefit from learning from a pro in the field.

I even ate up the romance. I could tell right away that she and Jesse had tons in common. They both were so afraid of repeating past mistakes. They were both so afraid to trust the other and it was fun watching them learn that they could.

Maya wasn’t my favorite main character. She was so afraid to sing because of her flaws. She was so afraid to sing by herself. And I guess I’ve gotten used to Kenneally’s girls being a little bit braver to start. Maya does grow to be braver by the end, but she still never felt as strong as past characters to me. And I guess I need my main characters to have a little more confidence in themselves.

One of the best things about this book was you got to see Jordan and Sam! They’re bickering and living together and there’s all this talk about a future proposal. They’re in the background of Maya’s story because Sam is Maya’s big brother. My face would light up though every time they entered a scene. I loved the sense of family, in general, in this book. You see the good. And you see the bad. And most important, you see all the struggles each member goes through to help the others.

All in all, this wasn’t my favorite by the author. I still ate it up in practically one sitting. It was very much like a lot of other teen celebrity romances. However, the cuteness and fun of all Kenneally books shone through. Plus, Jordan and Sam were there! I give it an 8/10.