From New York Times bestselling author and BookTok sensation Monica Murphy comes a swoon-worthy new adult romance full of love songs.
LONELY FOR YOU ONLY by MONICA MURPHY
Series: Lancaster Prep
Publication date: February 6, 2024
Published by: Blackstone Publishing
Genre: new adult
SYNOPSIS
Young heiress Scarlett Lancaster is delighted when her father tells her he hired a famous pop star and former boy band member to play at her eighteenth birthday. But delight becomes utter disappointment when it turns out he wasn't talking about Harry Styles. No, Scarlett's dad hired Tate Ramsey, former lead singer of the band Five Car Pileup, who hasn't been popular for years. Tate, after years of alcohol- and drug-fueled partying, is sober and ready for a comeback. He is in top form at Scarlett's party and blows the audience away with his performance--though Scarlett herself still isn't impressed. But when they talk after he leaves the stage, their encounter ends in a kiss that surprises them both--and immediately goes viral. The viral kiss and the video of Tate singing at the party do wonders for both of their burgeoning careers. So after some careful negotiation, the two of them agree to start a fake relationship. But before long they discover their feelings might not be fake after all ...
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REVIEW
Lonely for You Only by Monica MurphyMy rating: 3.5 of 5 stars
His smile is slow.“I didn’t think this could happen.”“Me either.”“I thought you were uptight.”“I thought you were a smug prick.”He rears back with a laugh, resting his hand on his chest.“Tell me how you really feel.”
The Lancasters are the equivalent of New York royalty. Filthy rich, members of the upper echelon of high society, with the world at their fingertips. Scarlett Lancaster is the oldest child of Fitzgerald and Gloria Lancaster, so she's used to the attention attached to her last name. The problem is, at eighteen, she feels as if she's standing in the shadow of her successful, charismatic father. She's been sheltered and pampered, and now that she's graduated high school, she wants to find a way to shine bright all on her own. Her first goal is to finally get her crush Ian to notice her at her birthday bash. She's been infatuated with him for years, and hasn't found the nerve to pin the man down once and for all. Never mind the fact that none of her friends or family seem to think he's the right guy for her. He's two years older, responsible, and disciplined. He's everything she wants for a safe, respectful relationship. Her birthday party is her chance to make it out of the friend zone.
Tate Ramsey, former lead singer of the band Five Car Pileup has been hired as entertainment at Scarlett's party. She used to have a major crush on him in his glory days, but he's no longer a relevant celebrity after a string of scandals broke up his band. Singing at a private party seems like an embarrassing thing for a former rockstar, but Tate is grateful for the rare opportunity for a big paycheck. He's no longer drinking or doing drugs, and is humbly working hard to stay on the right path. Although his performance is a big hit with all of the ladies at her party, Scarlett is a bit judgmental and disappointed. I thought she acted rude and snobbish towards him when they first met, and I kind of felt a little bad for him. Their impulsive kiss backstage was faked for a paparazzi who was hiding nearby-neither thought anything significant would result from it. They were wrong.
Suddenly, pictures of the kiss are all over social media and their follower counts are blowing up. It's a fantasy that everyone is falling for: the former boy band star meeting a former fan and finding romance. It's something every girl fantasizes about at one time or another, and the world is giddy with excitement over the pairing. Tate is getting calls from his former manager, his music career could be resurrected, and it's all due to a harmless, innocent kiss shared with Scarlett. If he can get her to agree to publicly pose as his adoring girlfriend and keep the frenzy going, he could have a second chance at redemption.
Damn it, I want another shot. I wantto prove that I can create quality musicthat the general public wants to listen to.
Scarlett doesn't want anything to do with him at first. The kiss and the attention surrounding it pushed Ian further away just when she was trying to make things happen with him. It takes a bit of convincing, but in the end, Scarlett decides to the fake relationship. It could have the benefit of making Ian jealous and in the end drawing his interest. Despite his presence in the story, I would not say that there's a love triangle trope happening here. Ian's role is almost non-existent, so if you're not a fan of triangles, you have no worries with this book. This book centers around the fake relationship, which honestly typically isn't what I gravitate to. This one was enjoyable however, and there were several elements regarding the characters that I found intriguing.
One of the things that stood out was Scarlett's dad. He was quite the character, and had some unconventional takes when parenting his daughter. Her parents had their wild "party" days when they were younger, and he encourages her to live life to the fullest and find what makes her happy. When she introduces Tate to him as her boyfriend, he's all for it, despite the fact that he's a former addict and down on his luck career-wise. He likes Tate much more than boring, responsible Ian and isn't afraid to speak his mind about that. The way he encouraged Scarlett to run off to California with Tate after such a short acquaintance was rash in my opinion, but he seems to have a sixth sense that he can be trusted around his daughter. I liked that he wasn't the stereotypical, boorish, controlling father. It made him an interesting, layered secondary character.
They want me to live my life, especiallymy dad. He always talks about dreams andadventures and doing something wild and crazy.
I also liked that Tate wasn't your cliche manwhore, commitment-phobe rockstar. At the height of his fame, he was in a committed relationship with his high school girlfriend, and didn't "play the field" until she cheated on him with one of his band members. He may have gone on a downward spiral, but Tate is a good guy who isn't allergic to relationships. He does feel a little leery of starting anything real with Scarlett for a while because she's completely inexperienced, but he really can't deny the truth of his attraction for long. It's evident that he's drawn to her from the very beginning, and his obsession only grows by the minute. I liked that about him, and how sweet and protective he was towards her.
Scarlett was described as someone who was a homebody, shy, and enjoyed reading instead of socializing. I don't think she was shown as someone who's shy, just sheltered from the world. Inexperienced in all aspects. Her character could have used more fleshing out in my opinion. In the beginning, we are told that she wants to find her own place in the world-somewhere where she shines independently from her family. I don't feel that there was really any growth for her in that aspect by the end. Yes, she finds a level of fame as Tate's girlfriend, but I was waiting for her to find some way to stand out on her own and that never happened.
This was a cute new adult romance, just simple and fun. I didn't dislike any characters, and there were no major dramas. If you're looking for an easy musician romance where the heroine becomes his "muse" this could be the book for you.
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