Sadie and Max are contestants on a singing competition show called Starmaker. The two are paired for a duet and fans go wild for their chemistry. To capitalize on the buzz, the pair is told to appear as a duo both on and off stage. The problem is that Sadie and Max can’t stand each other.
Maggie Knox is the pen name for bestselling Canadian writing duo Karma Brown and Marissa Stapley. Even if each author is writing a different point of view for the story, it should align in tone and with the story arc. Although the first third of this novel showed promise, the final two-thirds did not feel cohesive. Miscommunication is central to the plot of this novel and it is exasperating.
This novel failed to be a swoon-worthy romance because of the lack of connection for the reader to the characters in the story. There’s an unhealthy cycle of minimal to no communication between the main characters. There wasn’t enough story for the reader to truly root for Max and Sadie as a couple.
The characters are written to be complex, but they are rather shallow. You’ll feel like you’re reading the love story of some emotionally immature teens, but they are almost thirty. The communication failures between the two protagonists and repeated breakups make it really hard to hope that Max and Sadie end up together. In fact, it’s hard to believe that they’ll end up happily ever after.
Genre: Romance
Rating: ⭐️⭐️/5
Tropes:
Enemies to Lovers
Fake Relationship
Sunshine/Grump
Content warning for sexual harassment and death of a loved one.
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