Stevie‘s review of The Daydreams by Laura Hankin
Women’s Fiction published by Berkley 02 May 23
I think a lot of us have at least a passing fascination with child (or teen) stars, and what happens to them once they grow up. Being a child of the ’80s and early ’90s, I visualise The Daydreams as a cross between The Monkees and Buffy…, but without the vampires. I know there were a bunch of early 2000s shows about teens in bands, but most of those passed me by. Back to the fictional TV series at the centre of this novel: The Daydreams ran for two seasons and then imploded spectacularly on live TV as the season’s finale went horrifically wrong. Now, 13 years later, the one member of the original cast to have continued to enjoy the limelight for all the right reasons has declared his openness to a reunion with the other stars, much to the horror of our viewpoint character, Kat.
Having played the mean girl in the original series (I’m visualising Buffy’s Cordelia), Kat has left showbiz behind and is a hotshot lawyer in a serious relationship, who has no desire to revive her old career, particularly after the way things ended. When her other former bandmates both express interest in the reunion, however, Kat feels obliged to play along. As the four rehearse for the new show, old tensions resurface, and Kat – even more than the others – is forced to face up to what went wrong first time around, who was really to blame, and whether her current life is the one she really wants.
As well as switching between past and present, this story is told via a variety of media stories and fan pieces, which made the whole thing feel even more real. I particularly like the bad fan fiction and the excerpts from a diary written by one of the cast members. Kat’s relationship with her boyfriend, Miheer, is especially adorable, although I’d like to see more of all the four central characters. And it goes almost without saying that I’d love to read more by this author.
Grade: A
Summary:
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.
Read an excerpt.
