The Stars Among Us by Sanja Srdić Jungić
ABOUT THE BOOK
Nora is as shocked as her friends and family when she quits a perfectly good job to become an extra in a Hollywood movie being filmed in Dubrovnik. She hopes it will help her move on from a painful break-up and give her breathing space to find out what she wants to do with her life.
To Nora’s delight she discovers that she loves every minute in her new “temporary” career. It doesn’t hurt either that the handsome assistant director, Ivor, takes more than a passing interest in her. But then events take a dramatic and unforeseen turn when Lucas Winter, world-famous actor and Nora’s teenage heartthrob, unexpectedly arrives on set…
The Stars Among Us is inspired by the author’s real-life experience of being an extra on the set of HBO’s Game of Thrones. Perfect for fans of Sophie Kinsella, Lindsey Kelk and Susan Elizabeth Phillips.
MY REVIEW
It’s very rare that I get to read a story set in Croatia on a movie set no less. Nora has quit her job to be an extra in a movie based on one of her favorite books. So she is staying in a questionable part of town in an apartment filled with roaches and getting up in the middle of the night to hear the other extras complain about their day. Not Nora. She loves being in a different costume every day and to the jealousy of the other women on set, she has a great camaraderie with the handsome assistant director, Ivor.
And then she is accidentally knocked out with a shield by the American actor Lucas Winters. A man she has had a crush on since her teenage years. He’s arrogant and a bit of a dick which she calls him out on. That is part of their attraction. She sees him as a human being and not the actor. And he sees something in her that evokes trust and someone he can have in his life. Their fun texts and sarcastic banter is delightful and enjoyable. Until he confesses, that he has a fake girlfriend in the States and due to their contract in a TV show, Nora cannot be seen in public with him. Is it a game changer?
I like Nora’s strength and bravery as she leaves her home and moves to California with a man she has only known for a month. Nora puts up with a lot as Lucas forces Tina (fake girlfriend) on her. Being disrespected and pushed to the background is just something any normal person would not continue, and when Lucas gives her the latest shocking news with Tina, I cheered Nora on as she dumped his ass and moved on with her life. Lucas is so full of himself and needs to grow up. For Pete’s sake, he is almost 40 years old and a millionaire and letting people tell him what to do. He did help Nora find a job she adored as a casting director and he did confess his feelings to her first, but he deserved everything Nora threw at him when he made a huge mistake.
Nora returns to Croatia and meets Ivor again on a new movie set which sparks feelings they had before Lucas came into the picture. Months go by and Ivor and Nora connect and become engaged. Ivor is a sweetheart and so forgiving. He is the catalyst who opens Nora’s eyes to her true feelings leading to a very bittersweet ending.
I highly recommend this intriguing romantic comedy with compelling characters and a behind-the-scenes look at the making of a movie and a TV show.
Thank you to Ms. Jungic for giving me the opportunity to read this book with no expectation of a positive review.
BUY THE BOOK
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ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Sanja S. Jungic’s bestselling debut novel, Zvijezde medu nama (The Stars Among Us) was published in Croatian in 2019. The novel was inspired by Sanja’s real life experience on the set of mega-popular show Game of Thrones, gaining a lot of press interest. This prompted Sanja to write her second novel, Ti si moje sve (You are My Everything), whilst having Zvijezde medu nama translated into English by the renowned Croatian translator Neven Divjakinja.
Sanja is very excited to see her bestselling debut published in English for the first time.
She lives in Zagreb with her husband Saša and their pets Toya, Cecilije and Egidije.
Follow Sanja on her website, Facebook, and Instagram.
Thank you for taking part in the tour today and for closing the tour x
My pleasure, Zoé. It was an intriguing read. 😊