Review: Falling Like Stars by Emma Scott

Note: An advance reader copy (ARC) was provided by the author.

There's a long moment of silence. The air between us, heated and steamy, has changed. We've changed, he and I, as if we leapfrogged a bunch of steps that took us from virtual strangers to...something else. 

We can't be anything else.

I fell. Utterly and devastatingly. But then this is Emma Scott we're talking about here, and experience has taught me that once I have a book penned by her in my hands, time falls away, previously scheduled things fall to the wayside, and my heart will emerge bruised and battered but still beating after spectacularly but unsurprisingly falling in love with the story and characters she shares. It's been a while since Scott published The Muse, followed by the release of the Rush: Deluxe Edition. With Falling Like Stars, a romance set in Hollywood, Scott reminds readers why her stellar storytelling is worth waiting for.

Twenty-five-year-old Rowan Walsh isn't necessarily living the kind of life she'd always dreamt of. After all, the person she shared those dreams with is no longer around. She's kept her heart buried beneath the rubble of everything that once was, but when a certain Oscar-nominated actor sees her as more than she believes herself to be, Rowan finds herself in a losing battle. Twenty-seven-year-old Zachary Butler is unexpected, as is the undeniable connection he has with her. A decade spent in the shadows has Rowan knowing she needs to deal with the aftermath of that one devastating event at fifteen, but it seems that Zachary has his own demons to contend with if they hope to have their real life happy Hollywood ending.

Whether you're new to Emma Scott's writing or you've read every single one of her books or you're somewhere in between like me--I've read a dozen or so and need to work my way through her backlist, mainly the ones pre-One Good Man--dare I say that Falling Like Stars is a must-read. I'm going to go as far as saying this is one of my top reads for 2024. Scott does not disappoint, offering readers a story that's so good it hurts, literally and figuratively. Both Rowan and Zachary had their fair share of life-changing times, both positive and negative, but their love and resilience was inspiring, highlighting the rewards you reap when you put in the work, professionally or personally. There aren't enough words to explain why Falling Like Stars affected me as much as it did, so I hope my rating suffices. Five-plus stars.

Release Date: 20 August 2024

Date Read: 17 August 2024

Learn more about Emma Scott.

Pre-order Falling Like Stars on Amazon.