Trending Thursday: (Almost) Famous

Welcome to another edition of Trending Thursday, in which I pick a trend in YA fiction or blogging and we can discuss...

Today the 2014 Trend I'm Spotting? (Almost) Famous Romance


(Almost) Famous Romance is my name for books that deal with a regular person who, through chance or design, ends up hanging around a famous person and finding love.  I wish it were a catchier phrase but it sounded better than Groupie Romance. I thought of Celebrity Romance, but that sounded like romance between celebrities.

ETA: When post went up, I was calling this Entourage Romance, but that was confusing some people, so I think this is better. And inspired by a great movie, BTW...

These kind of stories have been around for a long time, from Marcia Brady sneaking into Davy Jones' hotel room (still an all-time classic!) to Hugh Grant romancing Julia Roberts in Notting Hill.

Early YA Trendsetters:

Meg Cabot's Teen Idol (Harper 2009) described a high school advice columnist's encounter with a Hollywood teen star. I can't believe there's a Meg Cabot I haven't read. I'm checking this one out.

Jennifer E. Smith's This Is What Happy Looks Like  (Little, Brown 2013) had teen star Graham Larkin accidentally email everygirl Ellie O'Neil, and then show up to film a movie in her small seaside town.

Here's a list of upcoming YA titles that feature regular girls and their famous crushes:

APRIL 2014

Open Road Summer by Emery Lord (Walker)

After breaking up with her bad-news boyfriend, Reagan O’Neill is ready to leave her rebellious ways behind. . . and her best friend, country superstar Lilah Montgomery, is nursing a broken heart of her own. Fortunately, Lilah’s 24-city tour is about to kick off, offering a perfect opportunity for a girls-only summer of break-up ballads and healing hearts. But when Matt Finch joins the tour as its opening act, his boy-next-door charm proves difficult for Reagan to resist, despite her vow to live a drama-free existence. 

Catch a Falling Star by Kim Culbertson (Scholastic)

Nothing ever happens in Little, CA. Which is just the way Carter Moon likes it. But when Hollywood arrives to film a movie starring former child star turned PR mess Adam Jakes, everything changes. Carter's town becomes a giant glittery set and, much to her annoyance, everyone is starry-eyed for Adam. Carter seems to be the only girl not falling all over herself to get a glimpse of him. Which apparently makes her perfect for the secret offer of a lifetime: playing the role of Adam's girlfriend while he's in town, to improve his public image, in exchange for a hefty paycheck. Her family really needs the money and so Carter agrees. But it turns out Adam isn't at all who she thought he was. As they grow closer, their relationship walks a blurry line between what's real and what's fake, and Carter must open her eyes to the scariest of unexplored worlds - her future. 

MAY 2014

Now and Forever by Susane Colisanti (Viking)

Sterling is crazy in love with Ethan. Not only is he the sweetest boy she's ever met, but he's an incredibly talented guitarist, singer, and songwriter. And since forever, he's believed he has what it takes to be a star. When Ethan becomes an overnight sensation, he's thrown head-first into the glam world of celebrity-and so is Sterling. Before she knows it, she's attending red-carpet premieres, getting free designer clothes, and flying around the country to attend Ethan's monumental sold-out concerts. It's a dream come true...but whose dream is Sterling living? And what do you do when "forever" comes to an end?

Will the Real Abi Saunders Please Stand Up? by Sara Hantz (Entangled)

Abi Saunders might be a kickboxing champion, but when it comes to being the center of attention, she’d rather take a roundhouse kick to the solar plexus any day. So when her trainer convinces her to audition to be the stunt double for hot teen starlet Tilly Watson, Abi is shocked—and a little freaked out—when she gets the job. Being a stunt double is overwhelming, but once the wig and makeup are on, Abi feels like a different person. Tilly Watson, to be exact. And when Tilly’s gorgeous boyfriend, Jon, mistakes Abi for the real star, Abi's completely smitten. In fact, she’s so in love with her new life, it isn’t long before she doesn’t have time for her old one.

JUNE 2014

Behind the Scenes by Dahlia Adler (Spencer Hill)

High school senior Ally Duncan's best friend may be the Vanessa Park - star of TV's hottest new teen drama - but Ally's not interested in following in her BFF's Hollywood footsteps. In fact, the only thing Ally’s ever really wanted is to go to Columbia and study abroad in Paris. But when her father's mounting medical bills threaten to stop her dream in its tracks, Ally nabs a position as Van's on-set assistant to get the cash she needs. Spending the extra time with Van turns out to be fun, and getting to know her sexy co-star Liam is an added bonus. But when the actors’ publicist arranges for Van and Liam to “date” for the tabloids just after he and Ally share their first kiss, Ally will have to decide exactly what role she's capable of playing in their world of make believe. 

Related Trend: NA Rock Star Romance  

Maryse of Maryse's Book Blog has compiled an astoundingly long list of 400+ adult and NA rock star romance books -- there are definitely readers out there who love their (tattooed) rock star bad boys...  YA definitely has some rock star romances -- my favorite was Where She Went by Gayle Forman.

Related Trend: Royal Romance

From Princess Grace to Princess Kate, we're captivated by stories in which a commoner is plucked from obscurity to marry a prince. These Cinderella fantasies, mainstays of historical fiction, also make an appearance in YA, but I'm not seeing as strong a Royal Romance trend. Still, this spring has brought us Royally Lost by Angie Stanton (Harper, May 2014) and All That Glows by Ryan Graudin (Harper, February 2014) in the royal romance department.

My take: On some level, I can't help but be taken in by these Cinderella wish fulfillment stories. Yes, sometimes they have credibility issues and I always feel, deep down, that these relationships are doomed. But they can be fun. If you want to read a book that takes the trend and subverts it, try an all-time favorite of mine, Audrey Wait! by Robin Benway. In that 2008 book, a girl breaks up with her musician boyfriend, who then writes a break-up song about her, making her famous. 

Tell me: what do you think of these regular-girl-romances-a-star stories? Did I leave any books off my list? Please let me know in comments.