Romance

Birds of California

Birds of California

  • Downloads：9202
  • Type：Epub+TxT+PDF+Mobi
  • Create Date：2022-06-17 09:51:51
  • Update Date：2025-09-06
  • Status：finish
  • Author：Katie Cotugno
  • ISBN：0063159147
  • Environment：PC/Android/iPhone/iPad/Kindle
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Summary

Former child actor Fiona St。 James dropped out of the spotlight after a spectacularly public crash and burn。 The tabloids called her crazy and self-destructive and said she'd lost her mind。 Now in her late twenties， Fiona believes her humiliating past is firmly behind her。 She's finally regained a modicum of privacy， and she won't let anything--or anyone--mess it up。

Unlike Fiona， Sam Fox， who played her older brother on the popular television show Birds of California， loves the perks that come with being a successful Hollywood actor: fame， women， parties， money。 When his current show gets cancelled and his agent starts to avoid his calls， the desperate actor enthusiastically signs on for a Birds of California revival。 But to make it happen， he needs Fiona St。 James。

Against her better judgment， Fiona agrees to have lunch with Sam。 What happens next takes them both by surprise。 Sam is enthralled by Fiona's take-no-prisoners attitude， and Fiona discovers a lovable goofball behind Sam's close-up-ready face。 Long drives to the beach， late nights at dive bars。。。 theirs is the kind of kitschy romance Hollywood sells。 But just like in the rom-coms Fiona despises， there's a twist that threatens her new love。 Sam doesn't know the full story behind her breakdown。 What happens when she reveals the truth？

Sparks fly and things get real in this sharply sexy and whip-smart romantic comedy set against the backdrop of a post #metoo Hollywood from New York Times bestselling author Katie Cotugno--page-turning escapist fun in the spirit of Beach Read， The Kiss Quotient， and Red， White and Royal Blue。

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Reviews

Rebecca ，

YA with sex scenes thrown in。。 failed miserably

Sheila Jones ，

[3。5 stars]

Samara Reed ，

Fun but underdeveloped， IMO

Laura Sirak ，

4。5 stars for this one！ Cute and steamy romance novel with characters that were intricate yet relatable。 Another wonderful performance from Julia Whelan。 I definitely wasn't ready for this to end （and only giving it 4。5 stars because I feel it and ended too abruptly）， but I'd be more than happy to read a sequel！ 4。5 stars for this one！ Cute and steamy romance novel with characters that were intricate yet relatable。 Another wonderful performance from Julia Whelan。 I definitely wasn't ready for this to end （and only giving it 4。5 stars because I feel it and ended too abruptly）， but I'd be more than happy to read a sequel！ 。。。more

Kristin ，

This book left me irritated at the end not excited or happy for Fiona and Sam。 You get the idea of what’s going to happen from the synopsis and I wanted to like this book。 I understand this is supposed to be a “beach read”。 However， this was the most frustrating book for me to try and finish。 I kept waiting for things about Fiona and/or Sam to be developed or explained but conversations between them just die。 Dad is not present for the entire book but suddenly he wants to make a special breakfas This book left me irritated at the end not excited or happy for Fiona and Sam。 You get the idea of what’s going to happen from the synopsis and I wanted to like this book。 I understand this is supposed to be a “beach read”。 However， this was the most frustrating book for me to try and finish。 I kept waiting for things about Fiona and/or Sam to be developed or explained but conversations between them just die。 Dad is not present for the entire book but suddenly he wants to make a special breakfast and help himself with a sentence or two of explanation。 Fiona’s reason for feeling and acting the way she does is glossed over in last few pages of the book。 I kept looking at the amount of pages I had left versus the content and knowing that it wasn’t going to be addressed。 I try to like Fiona and probably could have done some empathizing but that doesn’t happen。 Sam seems like he could have been a pretty likable character but nothing is developed。 He has family that he cares about but we can’t care about them too because nothing is talked about。 We just get to read about him jerking off in the shower。 You get the idea。 Could have been better…I’d never re-read this。 。。。more

Josefin ，

This was such a lovely read！ 🤩 The story revolves around two former child actors in Hollywood and the setting is perfect。 Fiona and Sam are both relatable characters and their banter is really cute！ This is definitely a light read， but it also deals with some heavy topics。 I thought the balance between light and heavy was perfect and also liked the fact that I didn't know exactly how the story was going to end until the very last page！ ☺️Some of the conversations were a bit repetitive and diffe This was such a lovely read！ 🤩 The story revolves around two former child actors in Hollywood and the setting is perfect。 Fiona and Sam are both relatable characters and their banter is really cute！ This is definitely a light read， but it also deals with some heavy topics。 I thought the balance between light and heavy was perfect and also liked the fact that I didn't know exactly how the story was going to end until the very last page！ ☺️Some of the conversations were a bit repetitive and different characters phrased themselves in the same way， but I think that's the only thing I didn't like about this book。 。。。more

Emeres ，

Good read。 Enjoyed the characters。 Wished there was a HEA and not just a HFN ending。

Stephanie Dianne ，

I really enjoyed this book！ It was a quick read for me， but I enjoyed the development of the characters。 If there was a sequel - I’d read that too！

Alyssa Thomas ，

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️。5/5 starsSlow， sizzling， and oh-so-worth-it。 Birds of California by Katie Cotugno is a short， but impactful romance about a former child actress and actor who reconnect eight years after their hit family show ended。 Revivals are all the rage and the original producers want to cash in on that and bring the show back， aptly called Birds of California about the Bird family。 Sam， our hero， is on board since his hot doctor show just got cancelled and he's not sure how he'll pay his expensive ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️。5/5 starsSlow， sizzling， and oh-so-worth-it。 Birds of California by Katie Cotugno is a short， but impactful romance about a former child actress and actor who reconnect eight years after their hit family show ended。 Revivals are all the rage and the original producers want to cash in on that and bring the show back， aptly called Birds of California about the Bird family。 Sam， our hero， is on board since his hot doctor show just got cancelled and he's not sure how he'll pay his expensive LA mortgage。 Fiona， our heroine， does not under any circumstances want to sign on for the revival， for reasons unknown to Sam， the media， and the reader。 What follows is a tender story about Sam and Fiona who find an unlikely friendship， and more， in each other。 This story is beautiful。 Their relationship and connection is beautiful。 。。。more

Katie ，

Easy， enjoyable read， but lacked the depth necessary to make it stand out。Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the advanced copy。

Halley ，

I LOVED THIS SO MUCH。 Please do yourself a favor and go read it right now。

Llenerville ，

Rounds up

alex ，

Finally！ I feel like I've been in a book rut， but I really enjoyed this one。 Maybe it's because Julia Whelan is the narrator （I seem to love everything she narrates） or maybe it's actually just a good book， but I was invested in the storyline and characters。 My only critical feedback is it simultaneously felt like the plot was advancing and not a lot was happening。 Idk how that can be true， but again， I still very much enjoyed it。 Oh， and I think the number of F bombs were a little much， but wha Finally！ I feel like I've been in a book rut， but I really enjoyed this one。 Maybe it's because Julia Whelan is the narrator （I seem to love everything she narrates） or maybe it's actually just a good book， but I was invested in the storyline and characters。 My only critical feedback is it simultaneously felt like the plot was advancing and not a lot was happening。 Idk how that can be true， but again， I still very much enjoyed it。 Oh， and I think the number of F bombs were a little much， but whatever。 。。。more

Elyssa ，

Like a grown-up version of Rules for Being a Girl， except also entirely unique on its own。 Birds of California was such a delight to read， exploring one of the reasons why a child-star would ruin their career。 My only complaint is I wanted more。 I wanted to see these two being successful and happy。 But the ending was satisfying in its own right。

Alysa ，

This book needed more - more character development， more backstory， more plot action。 Really it needed about 100 pages too。 Despite that I always connect with Cotugno’s writing and especially dialogue。

Marissa Marlborough ，

Thanks Netgalley for this advanced ebook。 I’ve been enjoying the romance books I’ve read lately and this synopsis intrigued me， but ultimately didn’t work。 Fiona and Sam were child stars in the family sitcom “Birds of California。” Now they’re in their late 20s and their paths couldn’t be more different: Sam has pursued acting and thought he finally had his big break to have the show cancelled， while Fiona has left the industry after several attacks against the paparazzi。 The network wants to reb Thanks Netgalley for this advanced ebook。 I’ve been enjoying the romance books I’ve read lately and this synopsis intrigued me， but ultimately didn’t work。 Fiona and Sam were child stars in the family sitcom “Birds of California。” Now they’re in their late 20s and their paths couldn’t be more different: Sam has pursued acting and thought he finally had his big break to have the show cancelled， while Fiona has left the industry after several attacks against the paparazzi。 The network wants to reboot “Birds” and financially strained Sam is desperate to get Fiona on board。 The two meet again and sparks ignite， despite their different views on the industry。Seeing the different paths child stars take is fascinating to me and I thought could be a great setup， but unfortunately the whole book felt flat。 Despite the intriguing premise， Fiona and Sam were both so immature and two dimensional。 I felt the steamy scenes were forced and a little awkward。 The book attempts to address a very traumatic past of Fiona’s， but does so in barely five pages at the end of the novel。 The blurb compares this to “Beach Read” and “Kiss Quotient，” but I find both of those superior。 This felt like a YA romance with sex scenes IMO。⚠️Trigger Warning: Adult/Minor Relationship， Cancer 。。。more

Caitlyne Henkel ，

Great beach vacation read， story was a little slow to start but really got into it and finished it quickly。

jaiden a ，

okay so i just finished this book and i finished it fairly quickly because in my opinion， it was hard to put down。 that being said， i really enjoyed sam and fiona’s characters。 my only wish was that we had gotten more plot development。 it just seemed like the concluding parts of the book had so much more left to be discovered。 it left some loose ends with no epilogue or foreshadowing of a second book。 other than that， i really enjoyed fiona’s character。 many people didn’t like her constant negat okay so i just finished this book and i finished it fairly quickly because in my opinion， it was hard to put down。 that being said， i really enjoyed sam and fiona’s characters。 my only wish was that we had gotten more plot development。 it just seemed like the concluding parts of the book had so much more left to be discovered。 it left some loose ends with no epilogue or foreshadowing of a second book。 other than that， i really enjoyed fiona’s character。 many people didn’t like her constant negativity but i thought it was good how she stood her ground of what she believed in i guess。 overall， i liked it but i feel like it was missing about eight extra chapters。 if i had those chapters， my ranking would be higher。 。。。more

Alicia Viaches ，

the dynamic between sam and fiona is so indescribably odd and it made me uncomfy asf😍😍

Rachel ，

4。5 - Great writing， loved the premise， but wish it would have dug in more into Fiona and Sam as individuals， as well as giving us more of their relationship and tying the show and potential reboot into the story more。 At only 273 pages， it could have been 100 pages longer to get at those things and create a more satisfying story。 I still really liked it， but feel like it didn’t reach its full potential。

Annika （dazzlingreads） ，

3。25/5！I bought this impulsively because it was listed as B&N’s Monthly Pick。 The plot drew me in and it looked like a quick read， so why not？I loved the whole concept of celebrities/former celebrities coming back together for a reboot （which is super popular at this day and age） and just diving deeper into that whole world。 It also tiptoed on the trope of a second chance romance， which I also love。 But as much as the synopsis pulled me in， I felt like there was something missing。

Kimberly ，

Rating: 3。5 stars review later

Leigh ，

You’ll guess the twist at the end， but it doesn’t so much matter。

Alika Tanaka Yarnell ，

Set in the current #MeToo Hollywood landscape， Birds of California shakes up the lives of former teenage TV stars。 Things get messy （and steamy） in this relevant romance when careers， family， friendships， and a chance for love is at stake。

Alissa ，

contemporary romance。 Funny， sharp prose。 I appreciated this engaging love story about two child actors who are asked to do a reboot of their show。 The ending came swiftly。 This has a great cast of supporting characters。 A delight。

Dani Elle ，

This book was an easy read and kept me turning the pages。 I often dislike books about Hollywood because they feel like fan-fiction， but as someone who works in entertainment， this felt very real to me。 I do agree with the criticism that there was no real resolution， and I wish the author had explored the real conflict more - but it was otherwise so enjoyable that it didn’t ruin the book for me。

Erin B。 ，

Overall a very engaging story about a child actress who didn’t fare well with adulthood and found herself in the tabloids repeatedly。 As her former cast mates begin to gather for a reboot of their successful show， the real reasons for her breakdown surface。 All in all a solid story - however I felt like the big reveal could have been more fleshed out and not just mentioned in the last 10 pages。 It felt rushed at the end。

ashley ，

This was a really good New Adult debut for Katie， and I found myself thoroughly enjoying it。 Although I was annoyed at how Fiona would act rude towards Sam even when they really started forming their relationship， I knew that it was probably a deflection。 The secret Fiona wanted to keep from Sam into （almost quite literally） until the end of the book was obvious from the get go， but I think that was the intent。As always， I loved Katie's writing。 Although reading in third person limited isn't my This was a really good New Adult debut for Katie， and I found myself thoroughly enjoying it。 Although I was annoyed at how Fiona would act rude towards Sam even when they really started forming their relationship， I knew that it was probably a deflection。 The secret Fiona wanted to keep from Sam into （almost quite literally） until the end of the book was obvious from the get go， but I think that was the intent。As always， I loved Katie's writing。 Although reading in third person limited isn't my style and normally isn't Katie's style of writing， she managed to write it well [in my opinion] and I can't wait to see what she has next in store。 。。。more

Rachel Howat ，

This could have easily had another two or three hours at the end of the book 😩🤷🏼‍♀️

Allesandra Brandenburg ，

For going into this book blind， I really enjoyed it。 It was a little short for how much happened at the end though。 Like I think the author could had added more for the subject she brought into the end。 The story cel a little unfinished and not fully fleshed out。 BUT。 I still really enjoyed the characters and the story as a whole。

Reference

google book https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&q=Birds of California

hathitrust digital library https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ls?q1=Birds of California&field1=ocr&a=srchls&ft=ft&lmt=ft

The British Library https://bll01.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/discovery/search?query=any,contains,Birds of California&tab=LibraryCatalog&search_scope=Not_BL_Suppress&vid=44BL_INST:BLL01&lang=en&offset=0