Book Discussion: Love Unscripted

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This meme, created by moi, is for the purpose of discussing the books I've reviewed in the past week because I can't be spoilery in my reviews if one of my followers hasn't read it yet. So here's my solution!! You can leave comments and subscribe to them if you want to join in on the discussion :-)

Love Unscripted

Let me sigh with relief right now because I am ready to vent. First, I am s upset that Taryn was portrayed as such a strong, independent woman--and I understand that love changes you--but when she receives proof or any but of doubt that Ryan may be cheating on her, she stays silent. In the beginning of their relationship, before they went public, Ryan has his bags delivered from the hotel and in one of them she finds a used condom when earlier he had told Taryn hadn't been with someone in a while. And later in the novel, towards the very end, the explanation that we were supposed to fish out was when they were on the boat Ryan meant he hadn't been in a relationship for a while. Another incident is when she finds out he has dated Lauren. And again when she finds out his next movie is with her and he never told her.

I feel like Ryan expects so much of her, they do of each other, and Taryn is dutiful and tells him when there's any instance with Kyle, but yet Ryan does not show the same honesty. Yes, she never revealed her past engagement but it was a shortsightedness in the beginning of their relationship. Ryan, on the other hand, seemed to have made many lapses in judgement. And while it may have been that he was too busy and just reveling in their relationship it wasn't pointed out or even hinted at enough for the reader to know that. Which brings me to another point: the author does not know how to weave a plot.

Because the story was stretched out over so many pages and so many events happened, I think the characters and the original thought behind the story was lost. Whatever she was trying to prove, I think the idea got started but was never finished. Ryan and Taryn's relationship was so private and then went straight to public almost instantly, and it felt like the writing also did that: the secrets and things the reader should know were kept hidden too. In great literature books I think this is a great technique, but there was too much action in this romance novel to for the author to take license to do that. And if I'm looking into things too much I'm sorry. But let's hope I'm not because then I am really disappointed with this author.

I also don't like how after Angelica came into the bar, that was it. It jumped straight to the courtroom. Not only because I feel like as a reader we missed a lot, but I wanted to know more about her. Celebrities defintely have stalkers, don't think I don't understand that, but they usually don't randomly choose to sabotage one relationship and not the other. Angelica seemed normal-ish at first and then got crazier, which I think was warranted, but what incited her to finally be verbal about her feelings? Stalkers usually hide, stay anonymous. I think I just wanted more information because Ryan and Tarym especially seemed thoroughly disturbed--Taryn more than Ryan oddly.

I feel like at this point in the novel everything coming from Ryan was just verbal talks with Taryn. It's from her perspective, yes, but I felt like we were just being told what Ryan thought and supposedly felt. Nothing was coming from their conversation because they were apart so much.

Now for Kyle. I liked him, as did Taryn. I think it was normal for Kyle to turn into a threat to Taryn but it seemed out of place and honestly, a little annoying that she directly went from liking him to thinking he might physically hurt her. It got so dramatic at the end I didn't know what to think. And the ending, the author played up the celebrity relationship standard of not knowing truth from lies, and I think it was a good idea she did that. But all the drama beforehand just made it seem weird.

Love Unscripted by Tina Reber Review

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From Goodreads: Ryan Christensen just wanted to be an actor. Never in his wildest dreams did he ever think that accepting a role in an unknown film would toss his career into overdrive. His new fame has cost him dearly; anonymity is no longer an option. His fans stalk him, the paparazzi hound him, and Hollywood studios all want a piece of him. Despite all of that, Ryan Christensen craves the most basic of human needs - to have love in his heart and privacy in his life.

Taryn Mitchell, the story's protagonist, is a realist. She's been feigning contentment, running the family pub in Seaport, Rhode Island, while quietly nursing her own internal heartaches. Her feet are fairly glued to the ground and she doesn't buy into all the hype that has descended on her tiny, coastal town. In her world, men are safe if they're kept at a distance.

Fate has other plans for these two when their paths cross one sunny afternoon. A group of female fans has attacked him, leaving his shirt torn, his face cut, and Ryan in obvious distress. Bonds between them form from the most dramatic of circumstances while jealousy, insecurity, and the stress of his celebrity life try to tear them apart.

Through all the tabloid lies, secrecy, and pressure, can Taryn's peace and Ryan's high-profile insanity live together in harmony?

Rating: 2.5/5

Plot: 3.5/5

Characters: 3/5

Ending: 1/5

The idea of a celebrity romance that deals with the harsh reality of the paparazzi and the famous life was very intriguing and I think this was a great example. Unfortunately, the plot was over-thought, over-written, and incredibly too long: it was too much and it made things complicated and overall just bad.

To start, the characters were likable (most of them) and, in the beginning, well-written, but as the story went in and the writing got worse, the characters seemed out of place and unlike themselves. The story went well the first 200 pages or so (still a little slow though but I didn't mind) but I think the author had so many points and opinions to make about celebrity relationships that the story got scattered. At some points, I thought the author was trying to show how the fame of being a celebrity can affect a relationship but there was never enough juice to to the story or any hints or real knowing as tot eh truth of what was going on. I don't want to give too much away so I'll make a spoiler post later, but the bottom line of this book: Great potential but in my opinion, it sincerely failed, hard.