Kissing the Hero

Say Anything Meets A Star Is Born. This is the 2nd book in the current collaboration between Benjamin, Maggie Dallen, Stephanie Street, and now other friends as well. In this one, the overall arc only impacts the story as the macguffin - the real story is in fact two people who are very different than their public images suggest finding ways to understand each other and come together. And along the way we get a lot of the best elements of both Say Anything and A Star Is Born, without the depressing elements of those stories. We also see a few different crossovers with various other Benjamin stories, usually at particularly key moments. All in all a truly fun, excellent high school/ young adult romance. Very much recommended.

I really enjoy reading this multi-author series, because just as different as the “Divas” are themselves, as different are their stories.

“I imagined how liberating it would be to exist in a world like that, where I didn't care what people thought of me.”
I really liked Layne, and that she - compared to the other girls in this group - was a rather reluctant and unassuming Diva.

It took a lot longer for Wyatt to win me over, though. (And can someone explain to me why Sir Smirksalot needed to have a British accent?) Though then there were lines like these, and pretty much every obnoxious smirk and wink was forgiven:
She looked up; her eyes now full of sadness. “I'm tired of being different.”
“Don't be,” I whispered. “It's one of my favorite things about you.”

In the end, even though Wyatt is a champion at jumping to conclusions, these two complement each other well and bring out the best in each other.

Looking forward to reading the next book in the series!