When It's Real: A Novel Hardcover – May 30, 2017

**Review originally posted on My Fangirl Chronicles.**I have come to the conclusion that Erin Watt books are my guilty pleasure. I’ve read all the books in their The Royals series (well, the ones that are currently available), and could not stop until I read to the last one. They were’t the best contemporaries that I’ve read but they were addictive, and while those books were complete insanity, with drama that rivaled most soap operas and reality TV shows, “When It’s Real” felt more… well, real. (Haha) Sure, the overall plot has been done many times before: celebrity-meets-regular-person-and-they-fall-in-love, but that’s the exact reason why I had such high hopes for it! That’s one of my favorite troupes; it’s almost every fangirl’s ultimate fantasy! (I mean, if I could incorporate this into my life and somehow meet and fall in love with Ben Barnes, I’m all for it. Haha)I adored the main female character, Vaughn Bennett, probably because I could relate to her personality so well. She has a strong sense of family and always puts their needs first, especially her younger twin brothers. Her sense of responsibility to, not only take care of her younger brothers in the absence of her parents, but also to financially help her older sister is what puts her in the whole hired-to-be-a-celebrity’s-fake-girlfriend-scheme in the first place. She also has an awful (and I’m not just saying this because I like Oakley way better. This jerk is literally the worst and probably the only thing I really hate about this book.) boyfriend who she has known for years, so she’s comfortable with him. I admire how Vaughn does not put up with Oakley “Oak” Ford’s awful attitude towards her in the beginning of their farce without dishing back some of her own, and has shown in multiple occasions that 1) she is not one of his fangirls who worships the ground he walks on and will bend to his every whim, and 2) despite the fact that she is being paid to be his fake girlfriend, she has principles and is a decent human being. (Unlike a lot of the people in Oakley’s life, unfortunately.)One major thing that really irked me about Vaughn though, was how she seemed to have two completely different personalities when it came to her real life relationship with her boyfriend (we don’t need to remember his name, he’s not worth it – yes, I hate him that much), and her fake one with Oakley. She was a pushover and timid in her real relationship, but with Oakley she had more backbone and an attitude to match his. She called him out whenever he was being a jerk and would never let him get away with saying terrible things to her. I hated the scenes she had with her boyfriend, not just because he’s a horrible human being, but because of how Vaughn acted with him: meek and subservient. She was her genuine self with Oakley, but with her boyfriend she constantly filtered herself and held her tongue.Oakley Ford seems like your typical spoiled, bad boy, rock star but his parts in the book that are in his point of view give his character more depth, and made him immensely more likable for me. I’ll admit, in the beginning I found him completely irritating and the epitome of spoiled teenage jerk, but as the story progressed I grew to like him more and more. Seeing how his side of fame looked – being unable to even step foot on the beach in his backyard because there would likely be paparazzi or someone would recognize him and start a mob – really made me sympathize with him and made me wonder about the lives of the celebrities I admire and idolize. Having to question the authenticity of your “friendships”, or any relationship really, seems like a lonely life.The development of Vaughn and Oakley’s relationship from barely tolerating each other, to tentative friends, then to real boyfriend and girlfriend was really well done, and highlighted each character’s strengths and weaknesses. Both characters complemented each other’s personalities really well and helped the other become a stronger and better version of themselves. Their romance was also really sweet and fluffy and totally had me fangirling. There is some angst but not as serious as there was in The Royals series, but that twist at the end!? Completely caught me off-guard even though I probably should have been expecting it.The narrators did fantastic portrayals of their characters. They were expressive and had a variety of voices for the other sub-characters so I wasn’t confused at all. I really enjoyed how they narrated all the tweets from fans; it was very amusing to hear their interpretation of teenagers’ tweets. HahaOverall, I thoroughly enjoyed “When It’s Real” and highly recommend it if you love stories with the following troupes: fake relationship turned real or rock star and normal girl meet and fall in love. (Both are a guilty pleasure of mine.) Or if you are looking for a fluffy, sweet romance with a little bit of spice (meaning, this is mature YA).

I really enjoyed reading this book, you guys. Like all the Erin Watt books, When It's Real is no less addicting, but unlike The Royals series, this story is a bit more innocent, I think. This book is definitely much more YA and is perfect fit for teen readers.Oakley Ford is a teen phenom who has made it big in the music industry with tons of followers. He's gotten into a ton of mishaps for his party-going self and hasn't put out an album in a few years. A few years in the music industry is a very long time. The thing is, Oakley loves music, but he doesn't want to go back to the sound that's made him famous. And he needs to clean up his image in order to get a well-known producer to take him seriously and agree to work on his much for the next album.Then there's Vaughn Bennett, a hard-working seventeen-year-old who graduated from high school early so she can pick up some jobs to help pay the bills in her family. She has an older sister and two younger twin brothers. Their parents died without leaving them much money and now it's just her and her sister trying to make ends meet. She knows she wants to go to college, but doesn't know what exactly she wants to study, unlike her friends who seem to know what they want to do with their lives. Well, when the opportunity to earn a lot of money quickly comes up by pretending to be the wholesome, girl-next-door girlfriend to famous Oakley Ford, she finds herself saying yes in order to help her family out.I really enjoyed this book, because there's something really centered and real about the characters that also seem to apply to today's world. We've seen the teenage celebrities that have grown up way to fast with industry pressure and parents hammering in from all sides, but what this story shows is what it's like to be that celebrity. Oakley is surrounded by "yes-men" and a posse that do everything for him - from scheduling his life to running his social media accounts. He seems to have reached the point where he's outgrown his partying days, and even the spotlight. He loves making music, but he doesn't want to put out another album like he's already done. He wants something to reinvent himself and to show he's grown up. But the damage is already done on his public image, and Vaughn is his way to getting there. While Vaughn might have had a crush on Oakley when she was younger, she's completely outgrown him when they meet and after their first interaction, it's almost like a hate-to-love story (and I love the trope a lot).The crux in this entire scenario is that Vaughn needs to be Oakley's public girlfriend. It's all smoke and mirrors, even their "interactions" on social media are begin Vaughn and Oakley's social media manager and not Oakley himself. But the problem is that Vaughn still very much as a boyfriend. I'm not sure I liked Vaughn's boyfriend, known as "W", to be such a big villain in all these. I mean, W is awful to Vaughn. He's absolutely toxic and keeps pressuring her to have sex (because all his college friends have already hooked up with girls at their parties) and uses her as an excuse for the terrible stuff he does. W is the character written to make Oakley look good. But the thing is, Oakley is a perfectly great guy once he realizes he's done something wrong and apologizes, so it seems to me that W's awfulness is a bit over-the-top.Oakley starts off as the bad boy, when he's not really. It's more of a side-effect from the world he's grown up in and he's honestly not a terrible person. Oakley's parents are never in the picture. His parents are both famous actors, and his dad is a terrible father who never has time for his son unless photographers and reporters are involved, his mother doesn't seem quite as terrible as he makes her out to be. I loved the scene at the restaurant that's just between Oakley's mother and Vaughn. It's actually really awesome to see a well-mannered, lovely parent in YA interacting with the MCs.Overall, I really loved reading this story and kind of makes me want this to be in a series of spin-offs, or continuing series between other characters. For one, I would love to see a story between Vaughn's older sister, Paisley, and Ty, Oakley's bodyguard. This is a quick read, and the interactions between Oakley and Vaughn are totally fun to read. They're really cute and I loved every moment they have together. So, I highly recommend this book for a fun contemporary YA. Even if you're tentative about starting this book if The Royals series wasn't for you, don't be! When It's Real has a different, more light-hearted feel to it that makes for a fantastic summer romance read!***Thanks to Nina Bocci for providing an ARC via NetGalley***

I have been hearing a lot of good things about this book and author for a while now, so as it is currently on sale in the U.K, it was a instant one-click. I now know why there was so much buzz was about it, because I loved this novel and can't wait to read more from Erin Watt. "When It's Real" was a story that pulled me in from the very first page and with an engaging plot and brilliant writing, I couldn't stop turning the pages. I enjoyed every single moment of reading Vaughan and Oakley's story. It was a refreshing take on the rock star romance genre.Vaughan was given a job offer she couldn't refuse. A huge amount of money to be successful singer Oakley's fake girlfriend. A PR stunt to keep Oakley on the front pages for all the right reasons. Vaughan was the girl-next-door kinda girl. So different than the usual celebrity girls that Oakley had previously dated. She was also not in the least bit bothered by Oakley's fame and fortune. It was an interesting plot that kept my hooked. I was excited to discover what happened next between Vaughan and Oakley.Vaughan and Oakley's story did not disappoint. There was so much about their relationship that I loved. I adored their early beginnings, filled with a heap of angst. Usually I can become frustrated and impatient with the hate-to-love kind of relationship, but on this occasion, Vaughan and Oakley's banter with one another made me giggle, from Vaughan especially. That girl was determined not to fall for Oakley's rock star charms.The relationship then developed into one that made my heart skip-a-beat. Vaughan and Oakley's journey together was something so special. I swooned my way through every single page as Vaughan and Oakley became not so fake anymore. I loved Oak's relationship with Vaughn's family and how easily he slotted into their lives. It made me smile so big watching the pair build on their love for one another and connect their lives together. They seemed to fit together so perfectly.I absolutely loved Erin Watts style of writing. The words just flowed so beautifully. This was another reason why I enjoyed this book so much. Another thing that I loved was the tweets and media reports that were scattered throughout the story making it more current and realistic. And I can't finish the review by saying how much I enjoyed the secondary characters and how they added extra heart to an adorable romance.

Bought this one on audible and kindle and I am so glad I did. This book made my heart ache and warm at the same time. The love between these two started complicated but ended in the most beautiful way. Erin had a way of capturing me with her characters. When the h (Vaughn) went through her heartbreak, I felt it with her, I went through the emotions with her. Oakley was very swoony worthy and I fell in love right away, even if he was an arrogant ass to begin with. This story was beautifully written and just like all of Erins books, I fell completely in love. Will always be one of my top faves ❤

"You're the one person in my life who wants nothing but me and it's terrifying and awesome at the same time. Don't ever leave me. I love you. You're my heart."When It's Real was a great YA contemporary novel. I loved Vaughn & Oakley and the plot and pace were brilliant. A lovely change of pace for Erin Watt, although I love the drama in their Royals series it was nice to read something less dramatic. I need more Erin Watt books NOW!!

I was so sad when I got to the end of this book I really wanted more of Oak and Vaughan I fell head over heels in love with these characters and this book. It was sweet, romantic and beautifully written and I’d go as far as to say I enjoyed it better than the Royals series !I listened to the audio version which was perfection!A highly recommended read !

Yet again another fab read by this writing duo! This is a YA read but is a great read for everyone.Oakley is a musician... a lost young struggling to find himself musician at that.Vaughn is young girl thrown into family life looking after her younger twin brothers When life gives her an opportunity she just cant say no to.Sweet loving fun story thats so easy to fall into.