Review: You Came For Me by Sian Ann Bessey

 
My Rating: ****--4 Stars; November 2013, 240 pages.

Blurb: You Came For Me by Sian Ann Bessey. When Ellie Hansen returns to her mission city of London for one last trip before her internship starts, she's surprised to find the hotel packed with paparazzi and screaming fans hoping to spot trending pop star AJ Robbins, who's performing in concert nearby. And when Ellie s and AJ's paths happen to cross, Ellie is shocked to recognize the hot celebrity as Austin Robbins, her old high school classmate from Idaho who rose to fame in her absence. Happy to reconnect, the two escape the clamoring crowds to explore the city Ellie has grown to love. But just as their feelings begin to heat up, so do the mobs of fans, making Ellie doubt she could handle the pressures of celebrity life. And when the two witness a horrific bombing on the streets of London, Ellie's camera makes her an unwitting intruder in the eyes of real mobsters who will stop at nothing to cover their backs.

My Review: I don't know what it is about celebrities, but the thought of meeting a famous singer and falling for him is intriguing...until you get to the paparazzi part of it.

Austin and Ellie went to high school together, although he's two years older, and I'm very glad that they knew each other somewhat before they met up again years later, because otherwise, the romance would have been too fast for me. I thought it was so sweet how they ran into each other and recognized one another, especially since Ellie really had no idea who Austin was. Aside from being the super popular guy from her hometown. I love those kinds of stories.

I guess I don't really think about what it would be like to be a celebrity, because those descriptions of outings and avoiding the paparazzi were almost giving me panic attacks! That would be a situation to weigh carefully--could you deal with that forever? No privacy?

The mystery/suspense element came as a bit of a surprise and it took the story to a new level. I loved how the dog, Toby (great name--that's my dog's name), unknowingly helped things along.

I thought Austin handled their reuniting poorly--he was pretty immature about it--but quickly fixed the situation and turned it into a tender moment. I loved the supporting characters--especially Jake. I loved the ending!

Content: non-graphic violence; no language; mild kissing. Clean.