Summary (from the publisher):
In her senior year at NYU, Riley Hope appears to be on top of the world. With a loving mother who makes Lorelai Gilmore look like a parenting slacker, ride-or-die friends, and a long-time boyfriend destined for the National Hockey League, she puts on a smile for the world. But behind it, she’s drowning. Racked with fears for the future, she battles to stay afloat amid life in the shadows of a heartbreaking illness.
And then, Ben Fagan comes crashing into her life. Twenty-three-years-old, British, and alone in the Big Apple after a disastrous pilot season in LA, the struggling actor is looking for an escape: booze, mischief, sex—minimum commitment, maximum fun—anything to avoid returning across the pond.
As they form an unlikely bond, Riley keeps her reality from Ben so that he remains a happy refuge. But how long can she hold back the truth…and is Ben keeping his own secrets, too?but Until the Last Star Fades
My Rating: 3/5 Stars
My Thoughts:
Jacquelyn Middleton’s Until the Last Star Fades had been on my TBR since 2018. I read London Belongs to Me back in 2017 and really enjoyed its London setting and emphasis on fandom. Until the Last Star Fades features some cameos from London Belongs to Me and London, Can You Wait?. I have not yet read this sequel and don’t think you need to read either book to read this book, but you will run into minor spoilers from that series.
Until the Last Star Fades follows soon-to-be NYU gradating senior Riley and her life after her meet-cute with Ben, a British actor who’s had no luck finding acting jobs in the States. The book follows their evolving relationship against the many setbacks that they are both experiencing. Told in the third person, the book mainly follows Riley’s perspective with a few scattered chapters from Ben.
Until the Last Star Fades was a much heavier read than I had anticipated. I admit that I hadn’t really re-acquainted myself with its synopsis before picking it up, but much of the plot revolves around Riley’s mom’s battle with cancer. I really appreciate Jacquelyn’s honest and emotion-filled depiction of Maggie’s illness and the struggles both her and Riley experience, but it may be a triggering reading experience for readers who have been in a similar situation. In between being there for her mom, finishing up college, hanging with friends, and working two jobs, and yes, developing her relationship with Ben, there is also a lot of discussion about Riley’s smiling depression. Jacquelyn Middleton sheds light on some hard issues and situations.Read More »
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