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Standom Shined
4 out of 5 stars
I remember liking this one as soon as I saw the cover. I thought, “well, that’s a great name and a cool cover. I wonder what it’s going to be about.” Fast forward to now, and Standom is a book about making a tv show for a new streaming network. And not only that but making a show that seems to break a bunch of the stereotypes not just about cop-style shows but about women as leading actors, especially those that are gay.
Scott does a great job of going into the weeds around the show’s filming. We meet Sara pretty quickly and are introduced to her and her “issues” that aren’t explained (the rumors are it’s a drug problem or an ED, but she insists it’s neither of those things). The way that Scott wrote the scenes around how the show was being made, the difficulties on and off set, and especially the social media aspect (how it tries to control the show and the actors in any way possible) was great. Some people feel like Scott went too into the weeds, but it was a refreshing change of pace for me.
Standom was one of the first romance books I’ve read that I couldn’t exactly tell who was going to be the romantic interest of Sara. I think it was written that way specifically, too. I believe that Scott wanted to keep us guessing. A few times, I thought, “maybe her, or her,” and I was wrong. Similar to Sara’s experience as well.
The issues that come out (workplace harassment claims) and the scenes around that. Then the PTSD/reactions after were all spot on, in my opinion. Overall, we got a well-written and thought-out book that ticked all the boxes I was looking for. With some added ones, I didn’t realize I wanted/needed in a story like this. I thought that Ann Sprinkle did a great job performing this one. There were a lot of characters, and I didn’t feel lost once.
Book Description:
Singer-turned-actress Sara Silver is thrilled when producer Mika Williams offers her the role of a lesbian detective in a hot new series. And with in-demand actresses Christina Landis and Abby Farina onboard, the show is a sure to be a hit. But when Christina’s personal life gets in the way of her performance, and she exits the show in a wave of bury-your-gays backlash, Abby moves into the role as Sara’s love interest.
Totally fine. Except for that secret post-fundraiser kiss they haven’t talked about, and the fact Abby is supposedly straight.
Narrator: Ann Sprinkle
Length: 10 hrs and 54 mins
Published by Tantor Audio on October 18th 2022
Genres: Friends to Lovers, Slow Burn, LesFic/Sapphic Fiction
Format: Audiobook
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