The Daydreams by Laura Hankin – a Review

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Description:
A deliciously entertaining novel about the stars of a popular teen show from the early 2000s–and the reunion special, thirteen years after their scandalous flameout, that will either be their last chance at redemption, or destroy them all for good.

Back in 2004, The Daydreams had it all: a cast of innocent-seeming teenagers acting and singing their hearts out, amazing ratings, and a will-they-or-won’t-they romance that steamed up fan fiction forums. Then, during the live season two finale, it all imploded, leaving everyone scrambling to understand why.

Afterward, the four stars went down very different paths. Kat is now a lawyer in Washington, DC. Liana is the bored wife of a famous athlete. Noah, the show’s golden boy, emerged unscathed and is poised to become a household name. And Summer, the object of Noah’s fictional (and maybe real-life) affections, is the cautionary tale.

But now the fans are demanding a reunion special. The stars all have private reasons to come back: forgiveness, revenge, a second chance with a first love. But as they tentatively rediscover the magic of the original show, old secrets threaten to resurface–including the real reason behind their downfall.

Will this reunion be a chance to make things right? Or will it be the biggest mess the world has ever seen? No matter what, the ratings will be wild.

Review:

The Daydreams by Laura Hankin is a standalone novel, with POV’s from 2004 and 2018.  In 2004, four unknown teenagers were chosen to star in a musical drama, Daydreams, where they will be singing, dancing and acting, with terrific ratings in the first season. Summer is the beautiful girl next door, Noah is the handsome leading man, Kat plays the mean girl, and Liana istheir best friend, who also has an amazing voice. During the season two finale, all hell broke loose, and the show was cancelled. All four of them went their own ways, unable to handle some betrayal, competition, stress, paparazzi and fans.  13 years later, they all agree to return in a new reunion that has fans excited.

As the four of them reunite, they learn how so much has changed for all of them. Noah became a famous movie star, as he was the only one truly unscathed from the show.  Kat is now a lawyer in Washington, DC, hoping to become a partner.  Liana is a trophy wife influencer, married to a famous sports athlete.  Summer, who in 2004, was the rising star, but her life now was a meltdown, with her going to rehab.

What follows has the four of them rekindling their friendship, working together to sing and dance even better now, as they fall into the magic of the original show; but secrets are revealed, including betrayal, revenge, and love. I truly liked all four of them, as they were flawed and somewhat broken in many ways, especially owning up to mistakes they made years ago. Noah and Summer were still very much attracted to each other. Will there be a second chance to love?

The Daydreams was a thought-provoking emotional and fun story, with wonderful characters.  I loved the epilogue, which was very good.  The Daydreams was an entertaining story that was so very well written by Laura Hankin.

Reviewed by Barb

Copy provided by Publisher